Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

An unpunished coup is a training exercise.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires

đŸŽ¶ Those boots were made for mockin’ đŸŽ”

Joe Lieberman disappointingly reemerged to remind us that he’s still alive.

“That’s what the insurrection act is for!”

DeSantis transforms Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Bark louder, little dog.

Conservatism: there are some people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

Take your GOP plan out of the witness protection program.

I’m sure you banged some questionable people yourself.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

After roe, women are no longer free.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

“Why isn’t this Snickers bar only a nickle?”

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

“Squeaker” McCarthy

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

I conferred with the team and they all agree – still not tired of winning!

So many bastards, so little time.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

You are here: Home / Healthcare / COVID-19 Coronavirus / COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Sunday/Monday, Dec. 20-21

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Sunday/Monday, Dec. 20-21

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In light of that unwelcome news, a new debate:

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… An expert panel that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Sunday that adults aged 75 and older, as well as frontline essential workers, be designated as the second priority group to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices also voted to recommend that the third stage of the national vaccination program should focus on adults 65 to 74, people 16 to 64 years old with high-risk medical conditions, and essential workers not included in the second phase of vaccination.

The committee defined frontline essential workers as first responders, teachers and other education workers including day care workers, food and agriculture workers, correctional facility staff, postal workers, public transit workers, and people who work in manufacturing and in grocery stores…

…[T]he entire essential workers group, which is based on a list drawn up by a division of the Department of Homeland Security, represents about 87 million people — too big a group at a time when vaccine supplies are scarce. Essential workers who will have to wait for Phase 1c for vaccine include people who maintain water and wastewater systems, people who work in the IT and communications sector, members of the media, and public safety workers.

Operation Warp Speed, the federal government’s program to fast-track vaccine production, estimates there will be enough vaccine to vaccinate 20 million people in December, another 30 million in January, and an additional 50 million by the end of February.

Phase 1a of the vaccination effort, which began last week, involves offering vaccine to 24 million people. In Phase 1b, 49 million people will be eligible to receive vaccine. Phase 1c is a much larger group, including roughly 129 million people. In total, the first three priority groups will cover 202 million people — double the number of people the country expects to have vaccine for by the end of February…

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Reader Interactions

31Comments

  1. 1.

    NeenerNeener

    Monroe County, NY yesterday:

    588 new cases, 733 people hospitalized, 132 patients in the ICU, still at 429 deaths total.

    Positivity rate at 8.8%

    Well, it’s dropped down a little bit, just in time for the Christmas/New Years surge. We’re probably going to run out of hospital beds by mid-January.

  2. 2.

    WereBear

    I think many people suffer from denial of what they don’t want and a defective imagination that lets them understand how devastating carelessness can be.

    Just saying, “It will be fine,” means nothing. And yet, that’s how I see people making decisions.

  3. 3.

    satby

    @WereBear: It’s weird, but I constantly see people who should know better, people who’ve either had the disease or had family members who have and been seriously ill, still downplay covid and behave in ways that could contribute to spreading it. There’s been numerous articles about patients in ICUs all over the country dying of covid while denying they have it. It’s bizarre to us, but I blame the relentless Republican 30 year project to eviscerate accurate news media and decent education. I bet there’s a nearly perfect Venn circle of covid deniers who also believe in “Intelligent Design”. We already know they’re also Fox news watchers.

    And in spite of the horrifying numbers of infections and dead, we’re still at a relatively low percentage of the population. So there’s still lots of people who haven’t been directly, personally affected yet.

  4. 4.

    NotMax

    Peru on the cusp of becoming country #16 to report cumulative case totals over a million.

    Also, in the U.S.,

    Employers can require its workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and exclude them from the workplace if they refuse, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in guidelines issued earlier this week.

    Employers are required by law to ensure a safe workplace and that can mean requiring its workers to be vaccinated.

    There are two exceptions for those with disabilities or “sincerely held” religious beliefs that prevent them from getting vaccinated. The employer would need to make reasonable accommodations for these individuals. Source/blockquote>

  5. 5.

    WereBear

    @satby: It’s bizarre to us, but I blame the relentless Republican 30 year project to eviscerate accurate news media and decent education.

     
    I just listened to Senator Tammy Duckworth explaining that, between poor education, neglected health issues, and drug problems, 71% of the young people in our country are unable to serve in the armed forces.

    The Republicans are this country’s worst enemy, because they masquerade as our fellow citizens. That crap about “we have the same goals, we just differ about how to get there,” has to be eradicated.

    They want us starving and desperate. No wonder they haven’t done a thing about any of the crises we are mired in.

  6. 6.

    mrmoshpotato

    @WereBear:

    The Republicans are this country’s worst enemy, because they masquerade as our fellow citizens. That crap about “we have the same goals, we just differ about how to get there,” has to be eradicated. 

    Oh, these fuckers have hated the vast majority of their fellow citizens for at least the past 40 years.

  7. 7.

    NeenerNeener

    Finally got the percent of available hospital beds in Monroe County, NY yesterday.

    We’re at 31% for both regular and ICU beds available. Maybe we’ll run out of beds around New Years and we won’t make it to mid-January.

  9. 9.

    Amir Khalid

    Malaysia’s daily Covid-19 numbers. Director-General of Health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah reports 2,018 new cases today at his media briefing, for a cumulative reported total of 95,327 cases. Dr Noor Hisham also reports one new death today, for a total of 438 deaths — 0.46% of the cumulative reported total, 0.56% of resolved cases.

    16,496 active and contagious cases are currently in hospital; 119 are in ICU, 55 of them on respirators. Meanwhile, 1,084 patients recovered and were discharged, for a total of 78,393 patients recovered — 82.2% of the cumulative reported total.

    Eight new clusters were reported today: Pekapuri, Batu Besar, and Tower in Selangor; Pelangi building site, Wawasan, Delima, and Tower in KL; May Indah in Penang; and J Bandar in Labuan.

    Dr Noor Hisham reports that Malaysia’s R0 is at 0.97.

    2,011 new cases today are local infections. Selangor has 1,203 cases: 733 in older clusters, 263 in Pekapuri, Batu Besar and Tower clusters, 119 close-contact screenings, and 88 other screenings. Johor has 277 cases: 246 in existing clusters, 16 close-contact screenings, and 15 other screenings. Sabah has 247 cases: 21 in existing clusters, 157 close-contact screenings, and 69 other screenings. KL has 123 cases: 37 in older clusters, 26 in Pelangi building site, Wawasan, Delima and Tower clusters, 33 close-contact screenings, and 27 other screenings.

    Negeri Sembilan has 58 cases: 13 in existing clusters, 14 close-contact screenings, and 31 other screenings. Labuan has 28 cases: three in older clusters, 20 in J Bandar cluster, and five close-contact screenings. Perak has 21 cases: nine in existing clusters, 11 close-contact screenings, and one other screening. Penang has 18 cases: 13 in older clusters, one in May Indah cluster, and four other screenings. Pahang has 12 cases: one in Tower cluster, and 11 close-contact screenings.

    Melaka has nine cases: six in existing clusters, and three close-contact screenings. Kelantan has six cases: one in an existing cluster, three close-contact screenings, and two other screenings. Putrajaya has five cases: one in Wawasan cluster, one close-contact screening, and three other screenings. Kedah has three cases: one close-ontact screening, and two other screenings. And Terengganu has one case, found in other screening.

    Sarawak and Perlis reported no new local cases today.

    Seven new cases are imported. They are arrivals from India, Singapore, the UK, Russia, Nigeria, Turkey, and Surinam.

    The one death today is a 50-year-old non-Malaysian man in Sabah.

  10. 10.

    sab

    My stepson tested positive a couple of weeks ago, with very mild symptoms. He and his fiancee are simply exhausted all the time. She has been running a low-grade fever, he has not. His work is making him go back to work tomorrow, and his fiancee’s family is pressuring them to show up for the big  family Christmas dinner (!?!) He put is foot down on the dinner, but not showing up for work might get him fired.

  11. 11.

    WereBear

    @sab: but not showing up for work might get him fired.

     
    My heart goes out to everyone in that sick situation. There’s no clearer way to communicate how disposable 99% of us are to what Republicans have become.

  12. 12.

    YY_Sima Qian

    Yesterday, China reported 2 new domestic confirmed and 5 new domestic asymptomatic cases.

    Dalian in Liaoning Province reported 1 new domestic confirmed case (previously asymptomatic) and 1 new domestic asymptomatic case, the latter of whom is traced close contact already under quarantine. There are currently 3 domestic confirmed and 6 domestic asymptomatic cases there. 1 residential compound has been designated as Medium Risk.

    Mudanjiang in Heilongjiang Province reported 1 new domestic confirmed and 3 new domestic asymptomatic cases, all are traced close contacts already under quarantine. The new confirmed case was reported by Dongning, and the asymptomatic cases were reported by Suifenhe. There are currently 10 domestic confirmed (8 at Suifenhe and 2 at Dongning), 10 domestic asymptomatic cases (all at Suifenhe), and 1 domestic suspect case (at Suifenhe) in Mudanjiang. 2 residential compounds and an office building at Suifenhe, and 1 sub-district at Dongning, remain designated as Medium Risk.

    Beijing Municipality did not report any new positive cases. There are 2 domestic confirmed cases in the city. The hotel were the cases stayed at remains designated as Medium Risk.

    Chengdu in Sichuan Province did not report any new positive cases. There are currently 11 domestic confirmed and 1 domestic asymptomatic cases there. 1,110 contacts are under quarantine. 2 villages and 4 residential compounds are designated as Medium Risk.

    Turfan in Xinjiang “Autonomous” Region did not report any new positive cases. There are currently 4 domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 1 residential compound remain designated as Medium Risk.

    Manzhouli in Inner Mongolia “Autonomous” Region did not report any new positive cases. 3 confirmed cases recovered. Currently, there are 7 confirmed cases in the city. 26 close contacts were released from quarantine, 8 close contacts remain under quarantine. 2 sub-districts have been re-designated as Low Risk, 1 sub-district remain at Medium Risk.

    Guangzhou in Guangdong Province reported a 1 domestic asymptomatic case, a custodian at a quarantine hotel. 131 close contacts have been traced, including 47 staff at the quarantine hotel where the cases works at, as well as 3 immediate family members. They have tested negative so far. The authorities have also swabbed 52,661 individuals in the community surrounding the quarantine hotel, results pending.

    Yesterday, China reported 21 new imported confirmed cases, 10 imported asymptomatic cases, 4 imported suspect cases:

    * Shanghai Municipality – 8 confirmed cases, all Chinese nationals returning from Russia; 4 suspect cases, no information released
    * Hohhot in Inner Mongolia “Autonomous” Region – 6 confirmed cases, off a flight diverted from Beijing, no information released
    * Guangzhou in Guangdong Province – 3 confirmed cases, 1 Chinese national each returning from the UK, Nigeria (via Cairo) and the Philippines; 3 asymptomatic cases, 1 Chinese national each returning from Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kenya (all via Cairo)
    * Shenzhen in Guangdong Province – 3 asymptomatic cases, all Chinese nationals returning from Russia
    * Zhaoqing In Guangdong Province – 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from Ghana (via Nairobi)
    * Xiamen in Fujian Province – 2 confirmed cases, 1 Chinese national each returning from the US and Canada
    * Chengdu in Sichuan Province – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from Nepal; 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from Egypt
    * Taiyuan in Shanxi Province – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from Poland, off a flight diverted from Beijing
    * Yantai in Shandong Province – 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from the Ukraine (via Minsk); the case had arrived at Zhengzhou in Henan Province on 12/5, passed through 14 days of centralized quarantine and tested negative on RT-PCR multiple times, flew to Qingdao in Shandong Province on 12/19 when he was released from quarantine, he was then transferred to hospital at Yantai via negative pressure ambulance (admitted that he had tested positive on antibodies at the Ukraine), where he tested positive; he might be a recovered patient shedding dead viral particles
    * Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province – 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from Nigeria

    Overall in China, 1 serious cases improved to moderate, 14 confirmed cases recovered, 11 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation, and 459 individuals were released from quarantine. Currently, there are 318 active confirmed cases in the country (277 imported), 4 are in serious condition (3 imported), 208 asymptomatic cases (182 imported), and 7 suspect cases. 6,927 individuals remain under quarantine.

    Yesterday, Hong Kong reported 85 new cases, 7 imported and 78 local (27 of whom without clear sources of infection).

  13. 13.

    Brachiator

    @sab:

    but not showing up for work might get him fired.

    I hope he doesn’t work in an area where he might infect other people. His bosses are stupid and callous.

    In any event, my sympathies to him and to you. This kind of nonsense just creates unnecessary stress.

  14. 14.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    This front page of the London Times is hilarious: “Christmas Cancelled By Mutant Virus” next to a photo of BOJO (photo)

  16. 16.

    Soprano2

    @WereBear: My heart goes out to everyone in that sick situation. There’s no clearer way to communicate how disposable 99% of us are to what Republicans have become.

    I’m going to push back on this some. For many of us it’s not about thinking employees are disposable. Employers are in a terrible spot here, seeing as how we’ve gotten almost no help from the federal government.  (The only thing that helped me or my employees was the $600 supplemental unemployment, which meant I didn’t have to worry that my employees would become homeless and destitute while we were shut down. Of course, that ran out at the end of July. The PPP is useless for businesses like mine.) Especially small businesses like my pub run on a shoestring staff; if one or two people are out, it really puts a strain on the rest of the employees to take up the slack. I don’t feel badly at all for businesses like Tyson, which was woefully negligent and deserves all the scorn it gets, but many small businesses are in a hell of a spot. You do everything you can to protect employees while they’re at work, but you can’t control what they do when they leave, and even if you’re careful you can get infected (I did!). I don’t know if he works for a large or small employer, but many of them have their backs up against the wall right now. You want to keep the slot open for the employee because it’s not that easy to hire good people (so far I’ve been able to keep all my four employees who got it, including one who only found out from an antibody test!), but how long can you go without someone?

  17. 17.

    Carlo

    On doubling vaccine availability by deferring the second shot:

    According to Pfizer’s submission to the FDA (https://www.fda.gov/media/144245/download) immunity kicks in about 10-14 days following the first shot. The second shot is administered 21 days after the first, and immunogenicity is well advanced by that time. See figure 2, p. 30. So if there’s a legal way to stretch out the time between the two shots to 6 months (say) then you could double the immunized population expected by June, at which point the supply chain for vaccine production and distribution should be humming along.

  18. 18.

    sab

    @bjacques: Actually, he works for a big company that was gold standard for treating workers well before the pandemic. Their business puts them on nearly front line for pandemic stress (shipping) and as more employees get sick the still standing employees get really stretched. The initial outbreak was from an idiot employee doing unsafe social stuff. And then it spread.

    He at first thought it was from his fiance who works with pre-schoolers, but nobody around her has it, so he thinks it is probably from his work place.

  20. 20.

    sab

    Covid really drags on as a disease. Even mild cases lead to long term exhaustion and fuzzy thinking. You can’t actually do your job if that is your situation. And even the best employers can’t hold your job forever if you can’t do it for months.

    This is why we are supposed to have a social safety net. Other countries manage it with a lot less resources than we have.

    ETA: That is why the stimulus/disaster relief bill was so important. And Mitch McConnell made sure it got fucked up so it wouldn’t do about 90% of what was needed.

  21. 21.

    Sloane Ranger

    Yesterday in the UK we had 35,928 new cases. This is the highest daily case count we have had since the start of the pandemic and an increase of about 8900 from Saturday’s figures. The 7-day rolling average is showing an increase of 51.2%. Bear in mind that these are weekend figures, so it is probably an undercount. Cases by home nation,

    England – 32,155 (up nearly 10,000)

    Northern Ireland – 505 (down @140)

    Scotland – 934 (up @350)

    Wales – 2334 (down @700).

    Deaths – There were 326 new deaths yesterday, 241 in England, 13 in Northern Ireland, 3 in Scotland and 69 in Wales.

    Testing – Not updated at weekends.

    Hospitalisations – 18,771 people were in hospital on Thursday, 17 December and 1364 were on ventilators on Friday, 18th. The rolling 7-day average for hospital admissions is up by 18%.

    General – The news is full of the stories about the new strain and other nations closing their borders as a result. Kent has turned into a lorry park earlier than I expected as drivers are still turning up at Dover either caught out by the border closures or hoping an exception will be made for them.  The responses of the Great British (primarily English) Public has been mixed, some accepting the border closures and enhanced restrictions philosophically as understandable in the circumstances and others apoplectic because their plans to share Christmas with Granny have been cancelled, not to mention foreigners daring to say that WE are dirty and diseased.

    There is a concern about a shortage of fresh produce over Christmas and the New Year and this was the subject on a phone in programme I regularly listen to. I was struck by the number of people whose strong opinions on the subject was matched only by their ignorance. These included comments blaming British farmers for taking EU money to not grow anything, making us reliant on foreign imports. I know the UK is an increasingly urbanised society and has been since the middle of the 19th century but, anyone with even a slight knowledge of history and the British climate should know that –

    1. Britain has not been food independent since Queen Victoria was on the throne.
    2. During both 1st and 2nd World Wars, the UK was within days of running out of food on several occasions due to U-boat attacks on merchant shipping despite every garden and every possible piece of wasteland being pressed into service to grow vegetables.
    3. This is WINTER. Most vegetables cannot be grown here during this time without massive investment in greenhouses etc.

    I despair of many of my fellow country people!

  22. 22.

    EmbraceYourInnerCrone

    @Sloane Ranger: Many Americans are the same way, they get furious at not having fully stocked store shelves at all times.  The fact that produce and meat has to be grown, harvested/slaughter cut, packaged and shipped just completely eludes them.  Nevermind that the rampant COVID-19 infections among meat processing plants and migrant workers and possibly truck drivers, due to horrible working conditions, have reduced the numbers of people able to do all those jobs.  People honestly think food just magically appears in the store…

  23. 23.

    sab

    @Soprano2: I have been a small employer and I feel for you. Would it have worked for you with complete shutdown of you and your competitors and income replacement for you and your employees?

    Ohio is trying this weird mix of early closings and enforcing against those who don’t early close. But pubs and restaurants seem to be inherently dangerous for Covid spread, and your bottom line needs those later hours.

    Thoughts?

  24. 24.

    bluefoot

    @sab: My sister is seeing the same thing at her workplace….and she’s a public school teacher.  The district superintendent is “committed to keeping schools open” so is making faculty and staff come in as long as they don’t have a positive test (including people who are waiting to get a test), and the siblings of students who have COVID are being allowed to come to school.  It’s insane.  She lives in a primarily Republican county and there’s a lot of “but mah freedom” attitudes around her.

  25. 25.

    sab

    @EmbraceYourInnerCrone: I am old enough and I have British friends my age. I hope we are wrong but I believe the pre WWII folks  have no idea what they are in for. On the other hand commerce is commerce and merchants are merchants and they mostly want things to just work.

  26. 26.

    sab

    @Brachiator: Of course he is in such an environment. That is how he caught it. Compnay can bend over backwards but idiot employees are idiots, and now he is infected. Woman working next to him went to a fucking baby shower in a code purple (worst) county and then came to work. Then she tested positive.

    I say to myself  “who does such things” but morons do them all the time.

  28. 28.

    EmbraceYourInnerCrone

    @sab: I am assuming you mean post-WW2 people.  I only appreciate it/understand it a bit probably because my parents were born on the cusp of the 1929 crash and grew up during the Depression and then the War.  Very different upbringings, one the child of immigrants in urban NJ and one in very poor, rural Vermont.   They weren’t hoarders but rarely threw anything usable out, and heaven help you if you took more food than you could eat…

  29. 29.

    Soprano2

    @sab: I have been a small employer and I feel for you. Would it have worked for you with complete shutdown of you and your competitors and income replacement for you and your employees?

    Yes, with money to pay the bills that don’t stop when you’re closed like utilities, phone and internet. Otherwise, it’s hell to be closed because you have to pay those bills every month out of savings, and most small business people don’t have that much money in the bank. We own our building, so rent isn’t as much of an issue for us as for many, but that’s another expense that can’t be put off forever. Because there was almost no help from the government all the pressure is for businesses to be open. It’s insanity, but that’s where we are right now.

  30. 30.

    Soprano2

    @sab: I had a whole reply typed out and then lost it. Suffice it to say, there was no help from the federal government for businesses to stay closed for six months to a year, so it’s going to be a bloodbath in those sectors by the time we get COVID under some kind of control, probably by next fall. Many of us make a lot of money during the holiday season, which is completely shot this year. I heard a restaurant owner in LA on the radio this morning say that she’s down from 4 restaurants to 1, and she probably can’t stay open that much longer. Multiply that by a whole bunch of people all over the country, plus all the places that are already closed. Many of people’s favorite places are going to be gone by this time next year. Lots of us can’t do takeout (we make 60% of our sales in alcohol!), and if we tried we’d lose money.

  31. 31.

    sab

    @Soprano2: Other countries provided help.

    When this is all over and the survivors are out and about again we (hoping I am among them) will find a whole different landscape, and busineses we have loved for generations will be gone.

    And it didn’t have to be this way.

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