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You are here: Home / Healthcare / COVID-19 / COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Saturday/Sunday, January 2-3

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Saturday/Sunday, January 2-3

by Anne Laurie|  January 3, 20215:54 am| 52 Comments

This post is in: COVID-19, Foreign Affairs

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On thinking on this, I don't think it just applies to America and China – I think the general success of the developing world with covid, and the failure of the developed world, is partially rooted in this. (Exceptions in both cases, of course) https://t.co/3vYXo5TPqR

— James Palmer (@BeijingPalmer) January 1, 2021


Dr. Fauci advises against the British approach of delaying a second dose of vaccine https://t.co/jEPIwlOLVG

— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) January 2, 2021

And there it is. More than 350,000 Americans have died from #Covid19. That's more than the population of Honolulu, nearly the population of Anaheim. At this rate, it won't be long before the toll will equal the entire population of Cleveland, Ohio.
So much loss. pic.twitter.com/NDCqfbdD2h

— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) January 3, 2021

The US had +232,227 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 today, bringing the total to over 20.9 million. The 7-day moving average bounced back to over 207,000 per day. pic.twitter.com/LE0wtKzh6T

— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) January 3, 2021

??????VACCINE DATA UPDATE (Jan. 2)????

*Big CDC data update came through — we've added
*State-reported + international updates are light

????USA: 4.289M vaccine doses (+795k) — see note in next tweet https://t.co/5Of3UY74wf pic.twitter.com/9NrAHAtUhn

— Drew Armstrong (@ArmstrongDrew) January 2, 2021

======

The New Year shows no slackening in the global #COVID19 #pandemic despite #vaccines and lockdowns.
We are in for a world of pain between now and May. pic.twitter.com/niX0mMPXGE

— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) January 2, 2021

33 Countries have found the new Covid19 variant first seen in Britain. Here’s what scientists know about how it spreads https://t.co/RRCtRPTE6Y

— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) January 2, 2021

More than 2,500 people took part in an illegal rave in northern France, despite the country's curfew to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic

The event was shut down by police after arrests and clashes, in which at least three officers were injuredhttps://t.co/m9srgMce9A pic.twitter.com/crpw7zw2PV

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) January 2, 2021

I thought all the craziest #COVID19 deniers were American, but then I saw this: A group spent New Year's Eve standing outside one of London's hardest-hit hospitals, maskless, chanting "COVID is a hoax!"

Real morale-booster for staff & patients, no doubt.https://t.co/WTZyZqxWz0

— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) January 2, 2021

Vatican City: A vaccination campaign will soon begin initially targeting healthcare workers & the elderly. The Vatican has purchased a low-temp refrigerator to store the vaccine in a quantity that will cover the needs of the Holy See & Vatican City https://t.co/fIWffsPH68 pic.twitter.com/QiXIAgzhFG

— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) January 3, 2021

Tokyo reports 816 new COVID-19 cases as governors push for state of emergency https://t.co/dFoD0AbPYP pic.twitter.com/4pf0ulEYEw

— Reuters (@Reuters) January 3, 2021

South Korea reports 657 new daily COVID cases, fewest in nearly 4 weeks https://t.co/wwIEftc9kQ pic.twitter.com/aCAVgtZBZN

— Reuters (@Reuters) January 3, 2021

India approves two COVID-19 vaccines, one by Oxford University and AstraZeneca and the other by local company Bharat Biotech. It's a huge step towards protecting India's nearly 1.4 billion people. https://t.co/RbaWVMHIvi

— The Associated Press (@AP) January 3, 2021

Thailand sets more restrictions amid COVID-19 second wave https://t.co/MnAjx1d5as pic.twitter.com/QGh0hMF6JE

— Reuters (@Reuters) January 3, 2021

Australia's COVID-19 cases on the rise as masks made compulsory https://t.co/yMjHSNq6nF pic.twitter.com/hHjjJnv5aF

— Reuters (@Reuters) January 3, 2021

The puzzle of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa | Science https://t.co/kxxqCM0Zgf

— John Nkengasong (@JNkengasong) January 2, 2021

======

Fear and uncertainty about the coronavirus have made online patient support groups fertile ground for the spread of misinformation. But some in these groups make fact-checking a part of the mission to support fellow COVID sufferers.

?: @AlexSmithKCUR https://t.co/KDPwWvzD4o

— Kaiser Health News (@KHNews) January 2, 2021

Patients are getting infected with covid-19 in the hospital. This doctor reports that it happened to one of his patients and killed him. https://t.co/LlCclI8XgO

— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) January 2, 2021

Britain authorizes mix-and-match vaccinations. If the vaccine a patient first received is unavailable for a 2nd shot, or the manufacturer of the 1st is unknown, British health officials say it's ok to get a 2nd shot from any other maker https://t.co/YZbkC5Cjyi

— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) January 2, 2021

Even though cases are exploding in Mexico City, Americans are pouring in. More than a half-million came to Mexico — and of those, almost 50,000 came via Mexico City’s airport https://t.co/9ngkOxxjDz

— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) January 2, 2021

======

JUST IN: New York state passed 1 million Covid-19 cases, after a somber year in which more than 30,000 of its residents died from the virus https://t.co/rQttX0VKZf

— Bloomberg (@business) January 2, 2021

They are most likely to flout mask and distancing guidance https://t.co/E5TcFajAoT

— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) January 2, 2021

Sneezed on, cussed at, ignored: Airline workers battle mask resistance with scant government backup https://t.co/yRkJAjOiRt

— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) January 2, 2021

"It's mentally, physically and emotionally draining," said Kwan, of his and other hospitals across Los Angeles County.
"This is a full-on Category 10. … It's literally World War III."#COVID19 https://t.co/zgywPFm5Cm

— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) January 2, 2021

Zero ICU beds: L.A. was uniquely vulnerable to this COVID catastrophe. Here is what went wrong https://t.co/JGqa3L5jiR

— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) January 2, 2021

The coronavirus has put Southern California funeral homes in a position their operators never imagined: Having to turn away grieving families because they have no space for more bodies. The death toll in Los Angeles County alone has topped 10,000. https://t.co/Wi7rOZZv1c

— The Associated Press (@AP) January 2, 2021

H-E-B says its pharmacies in Texas could administer about 100k COVID-19 vaccine doses a week.

The chain has just received 28k vaccines so far. https://t.co/gd5AP7nelJ

— Bobby Blanchard (@bobbycblanchard) January 1, 2021

Yes but look at this bold leadership https://t.co/Z05My74Sm5 pic.twitter.com/cd0V6HWkzW

— Dan Polovina (@danpolovina) January 2, 2021

I'd ask why Oklahoma's Secretary of Digital Transformation & Technology didn't point out how problematic this is, but @GovStitt appointed someone to the position with no digital background & he's busy getting indicted for fraud, so….fun! https://t.co/zzA7mAUmoA

— Kendall Brown (@kendallybrown) January 1, 2021

It’s unacceptable that the burden of figuring this out has been left to the counties, who barely have the budget to pay their nurses and certainly can’t afford to hire digital strategists and data security people to build secure signup pages for them. This failure is on @govstitt

— Kendall Brown (@kendallybrown) January 2, 2021

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Reader Interactions

52Comments

  1. 1.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    January 3, 2021 at 6:03 am

    Reporting for morning shift.

  2. 2.

    WereBear

    January 3, 2021 at 6:09 am

    Sigh.

    I think it’s unfair to paint the entire nation as stupid, when we’ve had forty years for almost half of the population to indulge their fantasies of power and cruelty with no regard for reality at all.

    We need to start diagnosing delusional behavior with paranoid features and do it now.

  3. 3.

    NeenerNeener

    January 3, 2021 at 6:13 am

    Monroe County, NY yesterday:

    454 new cases, 55% of them are women. 879 people hospitalized, 134 patients in the ICU. We’re still at 592 deaths reported deaths as of yesterday.

    31% of the hospital beds are available on average and 28% of the ICU beds.

    9.9% positivity

    The drop from 802 to 454 is probably due to fewer people wanting to get tested on New Years Eve, not an actual drop in cases yet. I hope I’m wrong, though.

  4. 4.

    raven

    January 3, 2021 at 6:14 am

    @WereBear:  I talked to a friend who is a nurse at the local hospital and he agreed that one reason Georgia has opened up the vaccinations to people of 65 is that so many health care workers are declining to get it.

  5. 5.

    YY_Sima Qian

    January 3, 2021 at 6:19 am

    On 1/2 China reported 8 new domestic confirmed and 0 new domestic asymptomatic cases.
     
    Dalian in Liaoning Province reported 1 new domestic confirmed case (moderate), a traced close contact already under centralized quarantine since 12/27. There are currently 48 domestic confirmed cases and 30 domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. There are 13 communities, 2 residential compounds and a village currently at Medium Risk in the city. The city has set up 4 ever expanding zones of control in the city: 1 core control zone under complete lock down corresponding to 1 community in Jinpu New Area, a cordon sanitaire corresponding to the surrounding 5 communities in Jinpu New Area, a key control zone corresponding to the entire Jinpu New Area, and an expanded control zone corresponding to areas surrounding Jinpu New Area. The difference is the level of movement restrictions, and frequency of mass screening.
     
    Dalian Municipal CDC has also shared that, based on epidemiological investigation and genomic sequencing, the strongly suspected source of the current outbreak in the city is one of the asymptomatic dock workers visiting a shopping area in Jinpu New Area before he had tested positive. 20 positive cases are directly connected to the shopping area, either as vendors or customers. One of the cases infected at the shopping area then became a super spreader, infecting 10 others at a dinner banquet (every guest), who in turn infected 33 others (neighbors and social contacts). The strain of virus causing the currently outbreak matches those found from the infected dock workers, the cold chain products they handled, and is highly similar to the one currently prevalent in Russia. The dock workers had been unloading cargo from a ship from Russia, with cold chain produce from Russia.
     
    Shenyang in Liaoning Province reported 1 new domestic confirmed case (moderate), a traced close contact already under home quarantine since 12/28 and centralized quarantine since 12/29. There are currently 20 domestic confirmed and 2 domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. As of 7 AM on 1/2, 779 F1 close contacts and 4,388 F2 close contacts have been traced and are under centralized quarantine; 14,552 F3 close contacts have been traced and are under home quarantine. The mass screening continues in the city. As of 10 AM on 1/3, 6,184,499 individuals have been swabbed, with 4,556,845 results obtained, all negative. 2 residential compounds were elevated to Medium Risk. There are 1 community, 1 office building and 11 residential compounds currently at Medium Risk in the city. A cordon sanitaire has been setup in a section of the city where the cases and Medium Risk areas are concentrated (excluding a supermarket and a produce market at the edge of the zone), covering 105K residents. Traced F3 contacts are required to home quarantine under the supervision of neighborhood committee and property management, likewise with residents of buildings with active cases (and thus under lock down). Residents in one of the Medium Risk residential compounds are not allowed to leave the compound. Residents within the cordon sanitaire are encouraged to work from home unless absolutely necessary, and are not allowed to exit the zone except with special permission. However, residents can move within the zone to purchase daily necessities, except for those in compounds/buildings under lock down. The clinic and the private hospital that failed to properly handle the imported index case, while she was symptomatic, and leading to separate super spreading events, have had their licenses revoked.
     
    Heihe in Heilongjiang Province reported 4 new domestic confirmed cases (all previously asymptomatic cases already under isolation since 12/30 or 12/31). 2 of the cases are of a couple who had a large dinner with extended family, and the other 2 cases are classmates who shared many in class and out of school activities together with other students, as well as activities with their family members. Expect more cases in the  coming days. As of 0 AM on 1/3, Heihe has stopped all public transportation and taxi/ride hailing services to reduce mobility. All schools have closed early since 12/29, when the first cases were discovered. So far, 515 F1 close contacts and 1,138 F2 close contacts have been traced, > 90K individuals deemed at risk of exposure have been identified. The city has complete the 1st round of mass screening of all residents, with 165,925 individuals tested, discovering 2 asymptomatic cases, 1 of whom has since became symptomatic. 5,043 key individuals have been tested a 2nd time, all negative to date. There are 7 domestic confirmed and 2 domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 3 residential compounds were elevated to as Medium Risk. There are 5 residential compounds currently at Medium Risk in the city.
     
    At Mudanjiang in Heilongjiang Province, 2 domestic confirmed have recovered (1 each at Suifenhe and Dongning), 3 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation (all at Suifenhe).
     
    Beijing Municipality reported 1 new domestic confirmed cases (moderate), an 8 months old baby at Shunyi District. The case is a traced close contact, who has been under centralized quarantine since 12/31. The baby had always been breast fed, and refused to drink formula when under the care of nurses. A call to Shunyi district quickly gathered 180 bags of breast milk from nursing mothers to feed the baby. 1 village at Shunyi District was elevated to Medium Risk. There are 6 villages and 1 hotel currently at Medium Risk in the city.

    Shijiazhuang in Hebei Province reported a new domestic confirmed case (mild), at Haocheng District, where the city’s airport is located. The case had developed symptoms and visited a fever clinic yesterday, when she tested positive. Social media posts are also claiming 1 or 2 new positive cases at Nangong District in Xingtai, Hebei Province (~ 100 km from Shijiazhuang), to be reported in tomorrow’s data dump. As soon as authorities start to mass screening all school students in an area, and community workers and school administrators start to ask people with travel histories to Haocheng District or Nangong District to report, information get quickly leaked onto social media.

     
    On 1/2, China reported 16 new imported confirmed cases, 9 imported asymptomatic cases:
     

    • Shanghai Municipality – 6 confirmed cases, 1 Chinese national each returning from Sri Lanka, the UAE, Germany and France, a Taiwanese resident coming from Taiwan, and a UAE national coming from the UAE
    • Xiamen in Fujian Province – 2 confirmed cases, both Chinese nationals returning from Malaysia; 1 asymptomatic case, an Italian national coming from Italy (via Amsterdam Schipol)
    • Fuzhou in Fujian Province – 2 asymptomatic cases, both Chinese nationals returning from Japan
    • Xi’an in Shaanxi Province – 2 confirmed cases, 1 Chinese national each returning from Japan and Pakistan, off flights diverted from Beijing; 2 asymptomatic cases, 1 Chinese national each returning from Afghanistan and Kazakhstan (both via Dubai), off a flight diverted from Beijing
    • Guangzhou in Guangdong Province – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from Bangladesh
    • Zhaoqing in Guangdong Province – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning fro Indonesia, landing at Guangzhou and quarantining at Zhaoqing
    • Shenzhen in Guangdong Province – 1 asymptomatic case, a Mainland Chinese resident returning from Hong Kong
    • Foshan in Guangdong Province – 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national coming from Turkey, landing at Guangzhou and quarantining at Foshan
    • Shenyang in Liaoning Province – 1 confirmed case (previous asymptomatic), no information released
    • Beijing Municipality – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from Pakistan
    • Tianjin Municipality – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from Mauritania (via Paris CdG); 1 asymptomatic case, no information released
    • Hohhot in Inner Mongolia “Autonomous” Region – 1 confirmed case, off a flight diverted from Beijing, no information released
    • Kunming in Yunnan Province – 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from Indonesia

     
    Overall in China, 1 cases improved to moderate condition, 12 confirmed cases recovered, 14 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation and 5 was reclassified as confirmed cases, and 960 individuals were released from quarantine. Currently, there are 395 active confirmed cases in the country (279 imported), 9 are in serious condition (3 imported), 269 asymptomatic cases (226 imported), and 1 suspect case (imported). 14,175 traced contacts are currently under quarantine.

    On 1/3, Hong Kong reported 41 new cases, 1 imported and 40 domestic (16 of whom do not have source of infection identified). Another 30+ cases are preliminarily positive, awaiting retesting.

  6. 6.

    eclare

    January 3, 2021 at 6:21 am

    I think my state, TN, is also leaving it up to counties as the only source in news articles regarding the distribution is the county public health department. I don’t need to tell you what party controls this state.

  7. 7.

    WereBear

    January 3, 2021 at 6:22 am

    @raven: That is, literally, insane.

  8. 8.

    raven

    January 3, 2021 at 6:37 am

    @eclare: My wife worked for the health “district” for 20th. They are made up of multiple counties and they are responsible for distributing the vaccine in Georgia.

  9. 9.

    raven

    January 3, 2021 at 6:38 am

    @WereBear: Plenty of people think this is all bullshit.

  10. 10.

    Amir Khalid

    January 3, 2021 at 6:38 am

    Malaysia’s daily Covid-19 numbers. Director-General of Health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah reports 1,704 new cases today in his media statement, for a cumulative reported total of 119,077 cases. Dr Noor Hisham also reports 11 new deaths today, for a total of 494 deaths — 0.41% of the cumulative reported total, 0.51% of resolved cases.

    21,365 active and contagious cases are currently in hospital; 124 are in ICU, 51 of them on respirators. Meanwhile, 2,726 patients recovered and were discharged, for a total of 97,218 patients recovered – 81.6% of the cumulative reported total.

    Nine new clusters were reported today: Lintas Seraya in Sabah; Perdana Avenue building site and Osmo Jaya in Selangor; Belati, Wawasan Gading, and Rengit Sentral in Johor; Manik and Paloh Tumpat in Kelantan; and Stutong in Sarawak.

    1,699 new cases today are local infections. Selangor has 672 local cases: 232 in older clusters, 27 in Perdana Avenue building site and Osmo Jaya clusters, 250 close-contact screenings, and 163 other screenings. Sabah has 316 cases: 13 in older clusters, six in Lintas Seraya cluster, 227 close-contact screenings, and 70 other screenings. Johor has 179 cases: 49 in older clusters, 41 in Belati, Wawasan Gading, and Rengit Sentral clusters, 44 close-contact screenings, and 45 other screenings. KL has 108 local cases: six in existing clusters, 60 close-contact screenings, and 42 other screenings. Penang has 103 cases: 78 in existing clusters, 17 close-contact screenings, and eight other screenings.

    Perak has 75 cases: 14 in existing clusters, 47 close-contact screenings, and 14 other screenings. Negeri Sembilan has 72 cases: 53 in existing clusters, 12 close-contact screenings, and seven other screenings. Kedah has 53 cases: 17 in existing clusters, 17 close-contact screenings, and 19 other screenings. Kelantan has 47 cases: seven in older clusters, 18 in Manik and Paloh Tumpat clusters, 17 close-contact screenings, and five other screenings. Pahang has 21 cases: 13 in existing clusters, one close-contact screening, and seven other screenings.

    Putrajaya has 17 cases: one in an existing cluster, 12 close-contact screenings, and four other screenings. Labuan has 16 cases: two in existing clusters, seven close-contact screenings, and seven other screenings. Sarawak has 10 cases: two in Stutong cluster, three close-contact screenings, and five other screenings.

    Melaka has six cases: one in an existing cluster, two close-contact screenings, and three other screenings. And Terengganu has four cases: one in an existing cluster, one close-contact screening, and two other screenings.

    Only Perlis reported no new local cases today.

    Five new cases are imported. Four were reported in KL, and one in Selangor.

    The 11 deaths today are a 71-year-old woman in Kedas with diabetes, hypertension and asthma; a 53-year-old man in Johor with asthma; a 60-year-old man in Selangor with diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, and paralysis; a 72-year-old man in Selangor with chronic kidney disease; a 72-year-old woman in Sabah with diabetes and hypertension; a 77-year-old woman in Selangor with diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidaemis; a 63-year-old man in Selangor with diabetes, heart disease, and dyslipidaemia; a 69-year-old woman in Selangor with diabetes, heart disease, and chronic kidney disease; a 56-year-old man in Selangor; a 68-year-old man in Johor; and a 58-year-old man in Sabah with asthma.

  11. 11.

    Baud

    January 3, 2021 at 6:42 am

    @raven: Maybe I’ll be able to get my vaccine sooner than I expected.

  12. 12.

    eclare

    January 3, 2021 at 6:43 am

    @raven:  I’m just thankful I live in one of the few counties in TN that has a local health dept!

  13. 13.

    Rob

    January 3, 2021 at 6:45 am

    @WereBear: I agree. UGH.

    Thanks as always, Anne Laurie, for doing this daily thread. I really appreciate it.

  14. 14.

    Amir Khalid

    January 3, 2021 at 6:48 am

    Other news: Health Minister Dr Adham Baba has anounced, via his ministry’s Twitter feed, that 1 million vaccinations will be carried out this February in phase one of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Plan. Phase two will involve 6.2 million vaccinations over April and May. Again, priority will go to frontline workers and then high-risk groups; and the Covid-19 vaccine will be given free.

  15. 15.

    OzarkHillbilly

    January 3, 2021 at 6:50 am

    @Baud: I’m beginning to think I’ll never be able to get vaccinated.

  16. 16.

    raven

    January 3, 2021 at 6:53 am

    @Baud: My appointment is for the 12th.

  17. 17.

    Amir Khalid

    January 3, 2021 at 6:56 am

    In light of the fact that states like Texas are led by malicious knuckleheads, the Biden administration should draft a nationwide pandemic plan, enforced by federal law that preferably sets out long prison sentences for state and local officials who defy its provisions.

  18. 18.

    Baud

    January 3, 2021 at 7:18 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Why?

     

    @raven: I’m jealous.

  19. 19.

    p.a.

    January 3, 2021 at 7:18 am

    4) Someone tracked every COVID death among state and federal elected leaders… every instance has been GOP, according to @vermontgmg.

    The party that doesn’t believe in evolution/natural selection the favorite for 2020’s top Darwin Award. If onlythey weren’t taking others down with them?

  20. 20.

    Rob

    January 3, 2021 at 7:21 am

    @Amir Khalid: I don’t think that is constitutionally possible.

  21. 21.

    OzarkHillbilly

    January 3, 2021 at 7:31 am

    @Baud: Because everything is f’d up.

  22. 22.

    Baud

    January 3, 2021 at 7:33 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    It’ll start to improve in 17 days.  Although maybe a little later in Missouri.

  23. 23.

    Mary G

    January 3, 2021 at 7:53 am

    Anne Laurie, you continue to rule the boss level of Balloon Juice front pagers.  Only one day off in more than 11 months. Major respect. Some lazy writer is going to compile your posts into a best selling book. Thank you for going above and beyond!

  24. 24.

    mrmoshpotato

    January 3, 2021 at 7:55 am

    @Rob: I don’t think that is constitutionally possible.

    @Amir Khalid: I was going to say.  But if Biden was able to pass a federal law like that, you’d get woken up in Malaysia from the howls of “States’ rights!” from across the Pacific.

  25. 25.

    Zinsky

    January 3, 2021 at 7:56 am

    Anne – great aggregation of COVID-related news and opinion!  You must have been up all night, pulling together all the links and such.   I have already bookmarked the Vaccine Tracker Chart from Bloomberg – I will be referring to that everyday.  Thank you so much for that.  It really feels to me like it is a race now, between getting the virus and getting the vaccine.  My wife is in the health care field and is slated to get jabbed in January sometime.  On the other hand, I am retired and 64 and in really good health, but I am too young to get the vaccine based on my age and lack of comorbidities.   However, I really, really don’t want to get the virus.  So, I dread the months ahead, where my wife is safe and I am at risk and at the mercy of state officials and utter lack of current leadership at the federal level in rolling out the vaccines!

  26. 26.

    mrmoshpotato

    January 3, 2021 at 7:57 am

    @Mary G: Some lazy writer is going to compile your posts into a best selling book.

    Oh sure – announce your plan. :)

  27. 27.

    Steeplejack

    January 3, 2021 at 7:58 am

    I don’t even get what John Cornyn’s “California” comment is supposed to be. Some sort of “LOL, that’s it—that’s the joke” sick burn? WTF. I guess “California” is all you need for a punchline.

    I went to Cornyn’s Twitter feed to look for context and found him retweeting a David Perdue message about Mike Pence coming to Rock Springs Church in Milner, GA, tomorrow to support Perdue and Loeffler. Not a rally, of course, just a “Georgia faith community call to action.” Got it. But paid for by the Georgia Republican Party Inc. “Not authorized by any candidate or any candidate’s committee.” Sure.

    These churches should lose their tax-exempt status if they want to wade into party politics. Never happen, of course.

    Today feels like it should be Monday. I want to be watching Morning Joe, even with their barely tepid smiting of the Rethuglicans.

  28. 28.

    Platonicspoof

    January 3, 2021 at 8:09 am

    Appears not much known about the new variants, but when I clicked through to the NYT, this article said:

    “Scientists initially estimated that the new variant was 70 percent more transmissible, but a recent modeling study pegged that number at 56 percent. Once researchers sift through all the data, it’s possible that the variant will turn out to be just 10 to 20 percent more transmissible, said Trevor Bedford, an evolutionary biologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
    Even so, Dr. Bedford said, it is likely to catch on rapidly and become the predominant form in the United States by March.” (My bold.)

    ” Still, there is cause for concern: A variant that is more transmissible will increase the death toll simply because it will spread faster and infect more people.”

    “With previous versions of the virus, contact tracing suggested that about 10 percent of people who have close contact with an infected person — within six feet for at least 15 minutes — inhaled enough virus to become infected.
    “With the variant, we might expect 15 percent of those,” Dr. Bedford said. “Currently risky activities become more risky.”

  29. 29.

    Steeplejack

    January 3, 2021 at 8:18 am

    @raven:

    Where can I find an “I’m short” countdown calendar? My brother is retiring from his HMO in April and is literally counting down the days.

    He is getting his second vaccination a week from tomorrow, so that’s good.

  30. 30.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    January 3, 2021 at 8:20 am

    @Baud: I think most people will eventually want to be vaccinated (or will have had the virus), but in the meantime, if they want to go to the back of the line, that’s fine by me.

  31. 31.

    Mai Naem mobile

    January 3, 2021 at 8:20 am

    I have a friend who works at a major Phx hospital in an ancillary position. She got her vaccination early last week.  BTW, she started working there in October and she didn’t get the email scheduling the vaccination. She only knew because a coworker mentioned it so my friend got herself on the list. She deals with patients just like her coworker. I am assuming the hospital infectious disease folks were using an older list of employees but that’s messed up considering that these hospitals are supposed to be using temp healthcare workers. Anyhoo, more importantly she didn’t have any post-vax side effects. Also, just as a side note – she is young and was concerned whether there were issues with the vaccine affecting fertility down the road. So its not just Tuskegee. There are other issues that people may have with the vaccine that need to address in a FAQ set up.

  32. 32.

    Amir Khalid

    January 3, 2021 at 8:21 am

    @mrmoshpotato:

    Unfortunately, that leaves the malicious knuckleheads free to keep on killing Americans.

  33. 33.

    Mai Naem mobile

    January 3, 2021 at 8:38 am

    @Amir Khalid: I actually think these knuckleheads will come along once they’re given direction. Don’t forget they want to get  reelected as well and having a high death rate is not going to help their own election efforts. Also,I am sure the Biden admin can use financial incentives and other support to incentivize these people to go along.  The Trumpers are/were just thoroughly incompetent and maliciously inattentive to the problem.

  34. 34.

    Wag

    January 3, 2021 at 8:52 am

    @raven:   If state control over vaccine distribution is better than federal, then by god county control will be better than state, and city better than county, and neighborhood better than city. I trust my HOA to distribute vaccine equitably.

    /s

  35. 35.

    mrmoshpotato

    January 3, 2021 at 8:59 am

    @Steeplejack:

    I don’t even get what John Cornyn’s “California” comment is supposed to be.

    Same here.

  36. 36.

    mrmoshpotato

    January 3, 2021 at 9:03 am

    @Mai Naem mobile:

    Don’t forget they want to get  reelected as well and having a high death rate is not going to help their own election efforts. 

    I think that horse has burned the barn to the ground, buried the ashes and then ran away.

  37. 37.

    AndoChronic

    January 3, 2021 at 9:08 am

    @raven: My scheduled 1st shot was moved up a couple of weeks in my hospital’s organization due to the same reason. Further, doses were being thrown out due to no-shows, by fellow eligible hospital staff. This was even with a timed and digitized consent schedule per department. Now they’re doing it at first come first serve which I can’t imagine will be anymore efficient to use all possible doses. P.S. This is occurring in “sane” Minnesota.

  38. 38.

    Starfish

    January 3, 2021 at 9:12 am

    Even though what Eric Feigl-Ding writes *feels* true, it is not. I think he is one of those who is trying to say what is popular instead of what is right.

    It gives Democrats a reason to feel smug. It erases the stupid Democrats who really do exist. It also ignores the fact that a lot of people of color died of COVID. People who continue to try to politicize the pandemic are wrong, and they need to stop.

    Justice Baynes died of COVID. Joel Miles was a Republican, but his town was trying to keep mask mandates in place as his state was repealing it. He died of COVID because a pandemic does not care if you are right or wrong.

  39. 39.

    stinger

    January 3, 2021 at 9:19 am

    @Mary G: Agreed. Anne Laurie’s fierce dedication is amazing and much appreciated.

  40. 40.

    stinger

    January 3, 2021 at 9:27 am

    @Steeplejack:

    https://www.timeanddate.com/

    I haven’t explored this site much, but under Apps & API there’s a Free Countdown. I retired last April, so have fellow-feeling for your brother!

  41. 41.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 3, 2021 at 9:35 am

    @mrmoshpotato: We’re commies here in California with mask mandates(not universally followed) and all our business is shut down(it’s not), and we have high infection rates(though lower than Texas).  Also, Sen. Cornyn’s an idiot.

  42. 42.

    Elizabelle

    January 3, 2021 at 9:36 am

    James Palmer’s tweet, the first one, is really on to something.  The real downside to American exceptionalism prolonged adolescence.

    Many Americans *do not believe* bad things can happen to them as a result of group catastrophe

  43. 43.

    Elizabelle

    January 3, 2021 at 9:38 am

    @raven:   WRT the healthcare workers declining vaccination:  Saw a meme about that:

    “You’ve been eating hot dogs and chicken nuggets all your life, and now you’re worried about the vaccine, because you don’t know what’s in it.”

  44. 44.

    Steeplejack

    January 3, 2021 at 9:53 am

    @stinger:

    I was thinking of an old-school Vietnam War short-timer’s calendar, something like this.

    My brother jokes about COVID like not wanting to be that cop who gets taken out right before he’s supposed to retire.

  45. 45.

    Steeplejack

    January 3, 2021 at 9:57 am

    @Steeplejack:

    ETA: If it’s not apparent, you color in each day as you approach your leaving day.

  46. 46.

    Elizabelle

    January 3, 2021 at 10:20 am

    @Steeplejack:   That’s wonderful.  Never saw one before.

  47. 47.

    stinger

    January 3, 2021 at 10:47 am

    @Steeplejack: Hadn’t seen that before — love it!

  48. 48.

    Steeplejack

    January 3, 2021 at 11:01 am

    @Elizabelle, @stinger:

    Lots of pinup nudes, too, of course.

    Google “Vietnam short-timer calendar” and click “Images.”

  49. 49.

    Zelma

    January 3, 2021 at 11:18 am

    My friend who got COVID from his nurse wife ended up in the ICU but never had to be ventilated.  He came home after about a week in the hospital.  He is weak as a kitten and has lost weight.  It is going to be long recovery.

    Our little hospital (16 ICU beds usually) is swamped.  We have about one death per day in the county.  And yet the town was hopping over New Year’s. Lots of people usually come to the shore over New Year’s.   Since the restaurants are limited, I have to guess the partying was in private homes.  That should go well.

  50. 50.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    January 3, 2021 at 11:53 am

    Vaccine distribution status.

  51. 51.

    fun with duct tape

    January 3, 2021 at 11:54 am

    Here in Spain:
     
    Catalonia is the only region of Spain that has not counted Covid deaths restrictively.  For example, the Catalan regional government reports 17,146 Covid deaths as of January 1, https://dadescovid.cat, whereas the national government reports 8723 Covid deaths for the region as of December 31.  https://www.rtve.es/noticias/20210101/mapa-del-coronavirus-espana/2004681.shtml.  Catalonia’s figure is relatively consistent with the 15,549 excess deaths observed in the region between March 13 and December 17.  https://www.isciii.es/QueHacemos/Servicios/VigilanciaSaludPublicaRENAVE/EnfermedadesTransmisibles/MoMo/Documents/informesMoMo2020/MoMo_Situacion%20a%2030%20de%20diciembre_CNE.pdf.  For this reason, and because I live in Barcelona, Catalonia Covid data is the only data I follow.  So:
     
    Catalonia as of Jan. 1 (https://dadescovid.cat):
    6093 people vaccinated so far (vaccination began Dec. 27)
    1859 people currently hospitalized
    373 people currently in intensive care*
    Rt = 1.02  Dec. 23 – Dec. 29
    7.58% positive test rate Dec. 23 – Dec. 29
    271 deaths Dec. 23 – Dec. 29
    403,641 confirmed cases since March 1
    17,146 total deaths (one out of every 451 people)**
     
    Barcelona (city) as of Jan. 1 (https://dadescovid.cat):
    900 people vaccinated so far (vaccination began Dec. 27)
    337 people currently hospitalized
    373 people currently in intensive care*
    Rt = 0.99 Dec. 23 – Dec. 29
    7.53% positive test rate Dec. 23 – Dec. 29
    69 deaths Dec. 23 – Dec. 29
    90,952 confirmed cases since March 1
    5,440 total deaths (one out of every 310 people)***
     
    * The number of people in intensive care is sometimes reported as exceeding the number of people hospitalized.  That does seem strange, but I assume that the category of “people hospitalized” does not include the additional category of “people in the ICU.”
     
    ** The population of Catalonia on January 1, 2020, was 7,727,029.  https://www.idescat.cat/pub/?id=aec&n=245.
     
    *** I use a population figure for Barcelona (city) of 1,686,845.  The Spanish National Institute of Statistics gives a figure of 1,664,182, https://www.ine.es/jaxiT3/Datos.htm?t=2861#!tabs-tabla (population of cities within the province of Barcelona), but I use the larger figure because it is the sum of the population figures used by the city Department of Health, which divides the city into four areas.  Catalonia reports Covid data for the city of Barcelona according to those four areas.  (The four areas are Barcelona Dreta (407,550 people (as of 2020)), Barcelona Esquerra (523,725 people (2020)), Barcelona Litoral Mar (315,915 people (2020)), and Barcelona Nord (439,655 people (2019)).  http://salutintegralbcn.gencat.cat/ca/Arees_Integrals_de_Salut/.  The area of Barcelona Nord appears to include the city of Montcada i Reixac (pop. 36,803), https://www.ine.es/jaxiT3/Datos.htm?t=2861#!tabs-tabla, which may account for the discrepancy between the national government and the city health department’s population figures.)

  52. 52.

    MoCA Ace

    January 3, 2021 at 12:11 pm

    As always than you Anne… Your daily post is my go-to place for all things COVID.

    My health care worker son got his vaccine two weeks ago.  My wife’s pharmacy is vaccinating nursing homes and came back to the store the other day with some of those “extra” shots in the vials so they offered them to any employees.  While others dithered and discussed she was like Hell Yes so she got hers!  Me, I’ll probably be waiting a long time… unless her company authorizes a first-come first serve for those unused shots.  In that case I’m about two minutes from the pharmacy and (like the roadrunner) all you will see is that MoCA shaped smoke shadow when I get the text that they are coming back with extra shots.

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