Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

We still have time to mess this up!

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Americans barely caring about Afghanistan is so last month.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

Not all heroes wear capes.

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

Peak wingnut was a lie.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Bark louder, little dog.

You are here: Home / Healthcare / COVID-19 Coronavirus / COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday/Wednesday, Jan. 5-6

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday/Wednesday, Jan. 5-6

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Reader Interactions

44Comments

  1. 1.

    NeenerNeener

    Monroe County, NY yesterday:

    646 new cases, 54% are female. 929 people hospitalized, 150 patients in the ICU. We’re up to 621 reported deaths.

    30% of the hospital beds are available on average and 26% of the ICU beds.

    9.8% positivity

    I certainly won’t be doing a drive-thru vaccination; my risk of a bad reaction to the shot is too great.

  2. 2.

    Phylllis

    School nurses in South Carolina are being vaccinated over the next two weeks. Superintendents have a virtual meeting with the state dept. of Ed on Thursday regarding how vaccinations will roll out in the schools next month. Likely school nurses will be administering them onsite.

    Meanwhile, Gov. Deputy Dawg had a press conference yesterday where he said any group 1a folks who aren’t vaccinated by 1/15 should “go to the back of the line.” Useless and worthless twit.

  3. 3.

    Amir Khalid

    Malaysia’s daily Covid-19 numbers. Director-General of Health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah reports 2,593 new cases today at his media briefing, a new record, for a cumulative reported total of 125,438 cases. Dr Noor Hisham also reports four new deaths today, for a total of 513 deaths — 0.41% of the cumulative reported total, 0.51% of resolved cases.

    24,349 active and contagious cases are currently in hospital; 141 are in ICU, 67 of them on respirators. Meanwhile, 1,129 patients recovered and were discharged, for a total of 100,578 patients recovered – 80.2% of the cumulative reported total.

    Dr Noor Hisham noted that Malaysia’s Rt is currently just above 1.2. In view of the failure to bring Rt to the target of 0.5, Dr Noor Hisham said a strategy review was needed, and the Ministry was dicussing this with the National Security Council. “We need a circuit breaker to bring down the number of cases,” he said. He also acknowledged that the recent increase in cases was putting strain on hospital resources, and the Ministry was looking into ways of alleviating this as well.

    13 new clusters were reported today: Utas, Casa Permai, and Medan Jasa in Selangor; Tasik Utama in Negeri Sembilan; Firma, Persiaran Teknologu, Bersepadu, and Jalan Padu in Johor; Kampung Pitas in Sabah; Ikan Emas, Kayuh, and Jalan Seputeh in KL; and Anak Air in Melaka.

    2,589 new cases today are local infections. Selangor has 964 local cases: 605 in older clusters; 124 in Utas, Casa Permai, and Medan Jasa clusters; 165 close-contact screeings; and 70 other screenings. Johor has 569 local cases: 388 in older clusters; 88 in Firma, Persiaran Teknologu, Bersepadu, and Jalan Padu clusters; 45 close-contact screeings; and 48 other screenings. Sabah has 405 cases: six in older clusters, 5 in Kampung Pitas cluster, 242 close-contact screeings, and 92 other screenings. KL has 264 local cases: 42 in older clusters; 59 in Ikan Emas, Kayuh, and Jalan Seputeh clusters; 80 close-contact screeings; and 83 other screenings. Negeri Sembilan has 125 cases: 78 in older clusters, 19 in Tasik Utama cluster, 17 close-contact screeings; and 11 other screenings.

    Penang has 77 cases: 44 in existing clusters, eight close-contact screenings, and 25 other screenings. Kelantan has 43 cases: 17 in existing clusters, nine close-contact screenings, and 17 other screenings. Kedah has 42 cases: 19 in existing clusters, 13 close-contact screenings, and 10 other screenings. Perak has 34 cases: 18 in existing clusters, 12 close-contact screenings, and four other screenings.

    Terengganu has 19 cases: one in an existing cluster, one close-contact screening, and 17 other screenings. Melaka has 13 cases: two in Anak Air cluster, eight close-contact screenings, and three other screenings. Pahang has 11 cases: two in existing clusters, six close-contact screenings, and three other screenings. Labuan has nine cases, all close-contact screenings. Putrajaya has nine cases: one in an existing cluster, five close-contact screenings, and three other screenings. And Sarawak has five cases: one in an existing cluster, and four other screenings.

    Only Perlis reported no new cases today.

    Four new cases are imported. Two were reported in Johor, one in KL, and one in Selangor. They are arrivals from Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Ivory Coast.

    The four deaths today are a 65-year-old man in Sabah with hypertension, dyslipidaemia, gout, and chronic kidney disease; a 60-year-old woman in KL with hypertension; a 73-year-old man in Selangor with diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and chronic kidney disease; and a 50-year-old woman in Saba with hypertension, dyslipidaemia, and obesity.

  4. 4.

    OzarkHillbilly

    That SenJeffJacksonNC tweet thread concludes with, “Show additional replies, including those that may contain offensive content.”

    I think I will leave it my very vivid imagination, knowing full and well that there are some things I can’t imagine.

  5. 5.

    Eural Joiner

    @Phylllis:

    Both my wife and I teach in SC (I’m high school, she’s elementary) – the handling of this crisis has been absolutely atrocious at the state level. The GOP is a death cult. “Test before Turkey!” >:(

  8. 8.

    Mary G

    Orange County numbers much lower today, 1376 new cases and 0 deaths. Hope it lasts. Not sure how it can. Back in July 1300 new cases was sky high. Compared to recent numbers between 4000-4600, it’s much better. LA County still disastrous.

  9. 9.

    raven

    CNN)When a freezer that was used to store the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine at a Northern California hospital broke, officials soon realized they only had about two hours to administer the more than 800 doses that were inside.

    And they took on the challenge.
    The executive team at Mendocino County’s Adventist Health Ukiah Valley Medical Center was notified during a safety inspection Monday morning that a freezer was found to be at room temperature, Judson Howe, of Adventist Health, told CNN. And the alarm that was supposed to alert staff of the temperature change had also malfunctioned.

  10. 10.

    mardam422

    So, let’s review. In the early days of the pandemic, “experts” told us that if we didn’t do something, more than 2 million Americans would die. Now, 10 months later, 365,000 are dead, and 14.3% have been infected. Let’s do the math, shall we.

    If we allowed 80% of the American people to be infected, in order to affect “herd immunity”, that would mean at least 5 and a half times more would be infected. And, presumably, 5 and a half times more would die. So, 5.6 time 365,000. Carry the naught…..2 million.

    Who knew?

  12. 12.

    raven

    @Amir Khalid: No, I assume that will be part of trip one. My wife worked for this health department for over 20 years and new were very surprised at the efficiency of the process. Unfortunately she’s only 63 so we’re a bit bummed about her place in line.

  14. 14.

    YY_Sima Qian

    On 1/5 China reported 23 new domestic confirmed, 45 new domestic asymptomatic cases, and 1 new domestic suspect case.

    Dalian in Liaoning Province reported 1 new domestic confirmed (moderate), both at Jinpu New District. The new confirmed case was discovered during mass screening of all residents within the cordon sanitaire set up within the city, but the case was not under home quarantine. 2 domestic confirmed cases recovered and 3 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There are currently 44 domestic confirmed cases and 24 domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. There are 13 communities, 2 residential compounds and a village currently at Medium Risk in the city.

    Shenyang in Liaoning Province reported 1 new domestic asymptomatic case, found at hospital intake, again outside of the cordon sanitaire set up in the city, no connection yet identified with previously reported cases. The 2nd round of mass screening of residents in district continues. As of 12 PM on 1/6, 2,591,143 individuals have been swabbed, 777,597 results obtained, all negative. There are currently 28 domestic confirmed and 1 domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. There are 1 community, 1 office building and 14 residential compounds currently at Medium Risk in the city.

    Heihe at Heilongjiang Province reported 1 new domestic confirmed and 1 new domestic asymptomatic cases, both traced close contacts already under centralized quarantine. There are currently 8 domestic confirmed and 3 asymptomatic cases. There are currently 5 residential compounds and an office building at Medium Risk in the city.

    At Mudanjiang in Heilongjiang Province, 1 confirmed case recovered and 1 asymptomatic cases were released from quarantine, all at Suifenhe. These are the last positive cases at Mudanjiang from the recent outbreak.

    Beijing Municipality reported 1 new domestic confirmed case (mild), at Shunyi District, a traced close contacts already under centralized quarantine since 12/28. There are 6 villages and 1 hotel currently at Medium Risk in the city.

    Hebei Provincial Health Commission reported 20 new domestic confirmed (5 previously asymptomatic) and 43 new domestic asymptomatic cases. There are currently 39 domestic confirmed cases in the province (4 serious, 34 moderate and 1 mild), and 78 domestic asymptomatic cases.

    Xingtai in Hebei Province reported 1 new domestic confirmed and 2 new domestic asymptomatic cases, at Nangong District. Both of the new asymptomatic cases were discovered from screening of individuals at risk of exposure. Xingtai has commenced mass screening of all residents in the city. 1 neighborhood committee office was elevated to Medium Risk. There are currently 2 residential compounds and 1 office at Medium Risk in the city.

    Shijiazhuang in Hebei Province (provincial capital) reported 19 new domestic confirmed cases (5 previously asymptomatic), and 41 new domestic asymptomatic cases, all at Haocheng District. 9 of the confirmed cases had developed outward symptoms on 12/28, 12/31, 1/1, 1/2 and 1/3. The others were discovered via local mass screening. Case information show several weddings and village events that could serve as super spreading events. No information have been released for the asymptomatic cases. The city has commenced mass screening of all residents. The entire Haocheng District is now deemed High Risk as of this morning. While the urban area of Shijiazhiang remain at low risk, the authorities had nonetheless quietly ordered residential compounds to go into restricted access management for the next 3 days, the duration of mass screening.

    Hebei Provincial Health Commission has claimed that the strain of the current outbreak is not related to current or past outbreaks in China, but is highly similar to strain that is currently prevalent in Europe. No further details have been released, though. Genomic sequencing of the samples from cases at Shijiazhuang and Xingtai show very high degree of matching, suggesting the two outbreaks are epidemiologically closely linked, though the path of transmission has yet to be determined. The authorities believe this outbreaks is caused by some kind of importation, while the vector remains TBD. The village at Haocheng District in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, that is the epicenter of the ongoing outbreak, is within 5 km of Shijiazhuang’s airport. The airport has been taking international flights diverted from Beijing, with nearby hotels housing the returnees/visitors under quarantine. Villagers are known to collect garbage from the airport for recycle. It is conceivable that waste from one of the quarantine hotels was improperly disposed of, and some villager has been rummaging through the garbage for recyclable materials. We have already seen this vector causing an outbreak in Chengdu in Sichuan Province last month.

    On 1/5, China reported 9 new imported confirmed cases, 19 imported asymptomatic cases, and 1 imported suspect case:

    • Xi’an in Shaanxi Province – 3 confirmed (all previously asymptomatic) and 1 asymptomatic cases, all Chinese nationals returning from Pakistan
    • Shanghai Municipality – 2 confirmed cases, 1 Chinese national each returning from the UAE and Switzerland; 1 suspect case, no information released
    • Guangzhou in Guangdong Province – 2 confirmed cases, both Chinese nationals turning from the Congo (Kinshasa) (via Nairobi); 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from the Congo (Kinshasa)
    • Shenzhen in Guangdong Province – 1 confirmed case, a Hong Kong resident coming from Hong Kong; 3 asymptomatic cases, 2 Chinese nationals returning from Kenya and 1 from South Africa
    • Foshan in Guangdong Province – 4 asymptomatic cases, 2 Chinese nationals returning from the UAE and 1 each from Turkey and Kyrgyzstan, landing at Guangzhou and quarantining at Foshan
    • Tianjin Municipality – 1 confirmed and 1 asymptomatic cases, both Chinese nationals returning from the US;
    • Shijianzhuang in Heibei Province – 5 asymptomatic cases, off flight diverted from Beijing, no information releaesed
    • Xiamen in Fujian Province – 2 asymptomatic cases, 1 Chinese national each returning from the US and Malaysia
    • Chongqing Municipality – 1 asymptomatic case, a Chines national returning from Nepal
    • Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province – 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from Spain

     

    Overall in China, 21 confirmed cases recovered, 14 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation and 8 were reclassified as confirmed cases, and 784 individuals were released from quarantine. Currently, there are 443 active confirmed cases in the country (285 imported), 14 are in serious condition (4 imported), 360 asymptomatic cases (246 imported), and 2 suspect cases (1 imported). 17,736 traced contacts are currently under quarantine.

    On 1/6, Hong Kong reported 25 new cases, 3 imported and 22 domestic (7 of whom do not have source of infection identified). 20+ cases are preliminarily confirmed, awaiting retesting.

  17. 17.

    Punchy

    @raven: after the Wisconsin pharmacist bullshit, I would hope that “malfunctioned” gets a closer look.  That the freezer died AND the alarm did too sounds like a shit-got-unplugged “malfunction”.

  19. 19.

    raven

    @rikyrah: You know that kind of stuff will happen with an effort of this scale

     

    The MorseLife episode highlights how the country’s patchwork approach to immunization against the coronavirus — leaving decisions about eligibility to state and local authorities as well as to individual providers — is creating opportunities for facilities to provide access to well-connected people while thousands of others wait in line. In Florida, some elderly residents have camped out overnight in hopes of receiving a shot.

  21. 21.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @raven: Any hope I have is locked in battle with rising frutration. The Misery Covid dashboard says our test positivity rate which has been creeping back up recently now stands at 19.4%. Meanwhile the vaccine distribution page is little more than happy happy joy joy devoid of usable information.

  22. 22.

    gkoutnik

    Mrs. gkoutnik and I are 68 and 70, both with high blood pressure; talked to Dept of Health in our rural upstate NY county yesterday: sometime in March if everything goes well. But no plan past the current work of vaccinating healthcare workers, nursing home residents and our large population of developmentally disabled residents. No plan for rollout on a wider scale, not even a plan for letting us know when and where.

  23. 23.

    satby

    8 days after she took a covid test, my co-worker was informed her test was positive. She’s been home anyway, and hasn’t been on the schedule for 6 days before she showed symptoms, but test results still taking that long to be returned is abysmal. It’s just a fluke of scheduling that the office wasn’t exposed. My first jab is on Monday, the 18th. And I just have to avoid catching it before then.

    I encourage everyone to sign up with the health departments in their areas for vaccination even if it seems they won’t get to you until summer. Enough people are passing on taking them “until later” that you may get in earlier than you think.

  24. 24.

    debbie

    @rikyrah:

    I’m also hearing about the thought of a push to focus less on the second injection and more on getting more people the first one. We are so fucked.

  25. 25.

    satby

    @debbie: That’s not going to last more than two weeks, at which point the Biden administration will change that anyway with a better rollout. And the first shot imparts some immunity, just not the full amount of the 90% in 3rd stage trial results, and for an unknown length of time. With hospitals overwhelmed and a more contagious variety now circulating, a wider band of some immunity may be worth the gamble, knowing that vaccine production and distribution is about to ramp up dramatically.*

    *and once that does the second booster shot can be administered.

  26. 26.

    Winston

    @rikyrah: This is the Florida plan in my county as of today:

    The Florida Department of Health in Polk’s COVID-19 vaccination appointments for this week are full. Due to the significant increase of phone calls regarding the vaccine, the department’s phone system is overwhelmed.

    Please do not call the Florida Department of Health’s COVID-19 Information Center for details about vaccination at this time as no additional slots are available yet.

    The department will open another round of registrations Friday for COVID-19 vaccination appointments next week. More information on how to register will be provided soon. Please continue to monitor the Department of Health website at http://polk.floridahealth.gov for updates.

    Thank you for your patience and understanding.

    As of Jan. 4, the Florida Department of Health in Polk has administered 4,801 COVID-19 vaccinations across the county.

     

    Polk County’s Board of County Commissioners and staff take vaccination of our residents seriously.

    Just as Polk County set the standard for expediting delivery of CARES Act funding to our residents, there is a plan to vaccinate our residents. The Department of Health in Polk is following the governor’s priority protocol, putting seniors and the staff of nursing homes at the front of the line. Next are frontline medical staff and first responders, such as EMTs and paramedics.

    General population seniors will be next in line. Initial inoculations are expected to begin this week, as supplies of the vaccine arrive in the county. As supplies arrive, instructions on how to schedule appointments for vaccination, times and locations will be communicated on our website.

    However, you must check the Department of Health website, http://polk.floridahealth.gov, daily for updated information and to register for a vaccination appointment when they are announced.

  27. 27.

    Amir Khalid

    The Governor of Nebraska is presumably expecting hospitals to check people’s immigration status before scheduling them for vaccination. That is only going to encourage undocumented immigrants to go underground: it will then be harder to find them, test them, treat them, and trace their contacts if/when they do get infected. It may stick in his stingy Republican craw to offer vaccinations to UNDESERVING! ILLEGAL! IMMIGRANTS! along with fine upstanding Nebraskans, but it’s a necessary public health measure and his “principled” objection to it is bullshit.

  28. 28.

    debbie

    @satby:

    I worry that a booster administered late will be worthless and that production won’t speed up in time. I know Biden will fix this, but will it come in time?

    Meanwhile, people here are working on a petition to force DeWine to lift the curfew so people can watch the Browns in their favorite bars. ?

  29. 29.

    mrmoshpotato

    @debbie:

    Meanwhile, people here are working on a petition to force DeWine to lift the curfew so people can watch the Browns in their favorite bars. ?

    Have some Ohioans not discovered that you can buy TVs for your home?

  30. 30.

    Amir Khalid

    @mrmoshpotato:

    And a big one isn’t even that expensive any more.

    ETA: Plus, you can watch other things on it, like the latest movies and TV shows — even your porn collection.

  31. 31.

    Percysowner

    In not great news in general More than half of Ohio’s nursing home staff refusing vaccine as first round is nearly over However, this is good news for me, because DeWine has made tier 1b to cover over 65 instead of over 75, so as soon as they open it up, I’ll get vaccinated. I will still wear my mask and socially distance, but at least I won’t have panic attacks when I need to run to the store and pick up something. Right now, if I forget something in my no contact pickup, I pretty much just live without it. Once I’m vaccinated, I can run into the store and actually pick out my own produce! It’s the little things in life.

  34. 34.

    sab

    @debbie: The Browns coach got Covid, so not much point in watching them since they won’t win.

    Also too a bunch of their players (nine at last count.)

  35. 35.

    Obdurodon

    The 501Y.V2 variant (found in South Africa) is on my mind right now. Apparently it affects two more sites on the spike protein, compared to B117 or “vanilla” SARS-CoV-2. This apparently hampers the ability of antibody treatments (like Regeneron though the reports I saw didn’t mention them specifically) to inhibit the virus, raising the question of whether the same might be true for vaccines. Fortunately, each vaccine targets multiple spike-protein sites, and of course there are multiple vaccines, so at worst this is likely to reduce (not eliminate) the effectiveness of some (not all) vaccines. Also, new mRNA vaccines can be turned around very quickly compared to more traditional types, if needed. Godspeed to all the very smart people who I’m sure are working around the clock on this right now.

  38. 38.

    tokyokie

    Here in Texas, one qualifies for 1A status if he or she is a frontline healthcare worker (among others), older than 65, or has underlying health conditions. I qualify on all three tests and signed up Monday with the county to get an appointment for my first Covid vaccination. I still haven’t heard back.

  39. 39.

    Zelma

    My son got his vaccination yesterday.  I read somewhere that each Congressional office could vaccinate two people who are considered essential.  I guess it’s nice to know he’s essential.  He was feeling guilty but I told him not to because he has to spend time around crazy Republican staffers who still aren’t wearing masks.  Death cult.

  40. 40.

    Fair Economist

    @Obdurodon: Based on HIV virus evolution, the antibody treatments were a HUGE mistake. The main one had only two monoclonal antibodies. We know from HIV that an RNA virus can usually evolve resistance to two drugs very fast. You need at least three to be a significant challenge. The antibody cocktail just turbocharged evolution. There should have been at least 3 monoclonals – IMO preferably even more.

  41. 41.

    Bobby Thomson

    I called the Pennsylvania Health Hotline today and they are not changing the vaccination plan in response to the new CDC guidance.

  42. 42.

    Chetan Murthy

    @raven:

    Your vaccine appointment is confirmed

    For a while, these sorts of missives from the future are gonna make my day.  Thank you!  And I’m glad you’re going to be safe soon!

  43. 43.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @tokyokie: Here in Texas, one qualifies for 1A status if he or she is a frontline healthcare worker (among others), older than 65, or has underlying health conditions. I qualify on all three tests and signed up Monday with the county to get an appointment for my first Covid vaccination. I still haven’t heard back.

    That’s just wonderful. I would qualify under the latter two – early 70s, type 2 diabetes.

    But here in Baltimore City (the home of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions) the fucking Health Department has decided that the cutoff age for vaccination is not 65 or even 70 but 75. And they take no notice of comorbidities until farther down the queue. (ETA: This apparently comes from the State level. Fuck Hogan.)

    So instead of being in tier 1 or 2 near the top of 1b, right after health care workers, as in any halfway-sane subdivision, people like me have been unceremoniously dumped into the lowest tier of group 1c.

    I collected enough foodstuffs to “shelter in place” well into March. But with the Health Department’s usual incompetence, looks like I’ll need at least 3 more months’ worth – we will be lucky to get the first jab before the summer solstice.

    Fuck Larry Hogan & his asshole “health” officials.

  44. 44.

    J R in WV

    @raven:

    January 6, 2021 at 6:54 am

    Your vaccine appointment is confirmed for:

    Tuesday, January 12, 2021 at 02:00 PM

    Not to complain at all, but I’m curious as to where you went to make the appointment, where you should go to receive your shots? How were you informed about the procedure?

    I called our rural county health dept, and they told me to call the Walgreen’s Drug store after I describe wife’s and my age and condition. Heath Dept told me that appointments for next Wednesday were available.

    Then Walgreen’s staff member told me you had to be a health care worker or over 80… And I had to seek information myself, no one is telling us where to go nor what to do to get a vaccination here in WV!

    So that’s why I’m asking for details about your expedition into Covid vaccination.

Comments are closed.