Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

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

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

Today’s GOP: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

The words do not have to be perfect.

After roe, women are no longer free.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Let’s finish the job.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

You are here: Home / Healthcare / COVID-19 Coronavirus / COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Friday/Saturday, Jan. 22-23

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Friday/Saturday, Jan. 22-23

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(Article here — it’s mostly about Biden’s executive actions to increase SNAP funding and otherwise help people suffering due to the pandemic.)

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Reader Interactions

26Comments

  2. 2.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Karma is a beach in Misery: Missouri Senator who said risking COVID-19 is ‘my choice’ now sick

    “In a free society, you can lock yourself in your house and not have any human contact and I promise you, you will not get COVID,” Koenig said during the Wednesday hearing. “But in a free society, I should have that choice to leave my house. It’s my choice if I want to risk getting COVID. Just like I get in a car every day, I could potentially get in a car accident and die.”
    ………………………………
    A state Senator who’s been a harsh critic of business restrictions intended to limit the spread of COVID-19 has tested positive for the virus and may have infected others during two lengthy committee meetings.

    Sen. Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester, confirmed on Twitter Friday afternoon that he is ill, sending the tweet about 18 hours after rumors began circulating of his infection.

    I hope somebody slaps the piss out of this self absorbed idiot, maybe his wife will be the one.

  3. 3.

    NeenerNeener

    Monroe County, NY yesterday:

    368 new cases. 714 hospitalized, 139 in the ICU. Now 893 deaths, up from 841 deaths. 33% of hospital beds available, 22% of ICU beds available. 5.7% positivity.

  4. 4.

    Mary G

    Orange County had a huge drop in both new cases and deaths today – only 892 new cases and one death out of 25,057 tests. ICU availability still 0.0%, but non-ICU hospitalizations have dropped significantly. Still a long way to go,  7-day average positivity still at 16.7%, but most welcome news.

  5. 5.

    mrmoshpotato

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I hope somebody slaps the piss out of this self absorbed idiot, maybe his wife. 

    Slap the shit out of him too.  And then, if even possible*, slap some sense in.

    *Narrator: It’s not possible, but slap away.

     

    And this BS argument that we aren’t allowed to go outside at all…  ?

    Even our Democratic officials say we can go out for essential trips and for exercise, but wear a mask, watch your distance and then wash your hands when back home.

  6. 6.

    Baud

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    It’s my choice if I want to risk getting COVID.

    “But I will deny the same choice to people who don’t want to get COVID from infectious idiots who are walking around.”

  8. 8.

    Gvg

    @OzarkHillbilly: in a free society, you do not get to ignore traffic laws and kill others just because you don’t feel like heeding a stop sign.

    bartenders have to cut off drunks, because drunk drivers kill other people.

    you don’t get to have campfires when the area is at high risk of wildfire.

    idiot.

  11. 11.

    Amir Khalid

    Malaysia’s daily Covid-19 numbers. Director-General of Health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah reports 4,275 new cases today in his media statement, a new record, for a cumulative reported total of 180,465 cases. He also reports seven new deaths today, for a total of 667 deaths — 0.37% of the cumulative reported total, 0.48% of resolved cases.

    There are currently 42,769 active and contagious cases; 260 are in ICU, 103 of them on respirators. Meanwhile, 4,313 patients recovered and were discharged, also a record, for a total of 137,019 patients recovered – 75.9% of the cumulative reported total.

    11 new clusters were reported today: Persiaran Tanjung, Jalan Canggih, and Jalan Timah Dua in Johor; Lebuh Puteri building site in Selangor; Kampung Guntong Luar and Kampung Bukit Biah in Terengganu; Kampung Bombalai in Sabah; Tembok Sungai Udang and Bali Residence building site in Melaka; and Kilang Setapak and Jalan Wangsa building site in KL.

    4,264 new cases today are local infections. Selangor has 1,421 cases: 118 in older clusters, 19 in Lebuh Puteri building site cluster, 818 close-contact screenings, and 466 other screenings. KL has 538 local cases: 18 in older clusters, 75 in Kilang Setapak and Jalan Wangsa building site clusters, 239 close-contact screenings, and 206 other screenings. Sabah has 498 cases: 34 in older clusters, two in Kampung Bombalai cluster, 343 close-contact screenings, and 119 other screenings. Johor has 424 local cases: 45 in older clusters; 66 in Persiaran Tanjung, Jalan Canggih, and Jalan Timah Dua clusters; 239 close-contact screenings; and 206 other screenings. Melaka has 278 cases: eight in older clusters, 206 in Tembok Sungai Udang and Bali Residence building site clusters, 40 close-contact screenings, and 24 other screenings. Perak has 208 cases: 22 in existing clusters, 117 close-contact screenings, and 69 other screenings.

    Sarawak has 193 cases: 148 in existing clusters, and 45 other screenings. Penang has 162 cases: 72 in existing clusters, 47 close-contact screenings, and 43 other screenings. Terengganu has 131 cases: three in older clusters, 15 in Kampung Guntong Luar and Kampung Bukit Biah clusters, 46 close-contact screenings, and 67 other screenings. Negeri Sembilan has 108 cases: 17 in existing clusters, 54 close-contact screenings, and 37 other screenings. Kedah has 105 cases: eight in existing clusters, 44 close-contact screenings, and 53 other screenings.

    Kelantan has 78 cases: five in existing clusters, 42 close-contact screenings, and 31 other screenings. Pahang has 75 cases: 20 in existing clusters, 36 close-contact screenings, and 19 other screenings. Putrajaya has 35 cases: five in existing clusters, 22 close-contact screenings, and eight other screenings.

    Perlis has seven cases: one close-contact screening, and six other screenings. And Labuan has three cases: one in an existing cluster, and two other screenings.

    11 new cases are imported. 10 were reported in KL, and one in Johor.

    The seven deaths today are a 69-year-old man in Melaka with diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease; a 50-year-old woman in Johor with diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease; a 74-year-old man in Sarawak with hypertension, dementia, and tuberculosis; a 42-year-old man in Selangor with diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease; an 82-yearold woman in Selangor with diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and stroke; a 46-year-old man in KL with hypertension and chronic kidney disease; and a 52-year-old man in Johor with hypertension and dyslipidaemia.

  12. 12.

    Barbara

    Regarding Grimes and possible exposure of others, the CDC guidelines require isolation for 14 days after a positive test, and there is some discussion of shortening that to 10 because it appears that transmissibility is highest at the beginning stages of infection. I looked this up because my son wanted to have contact with a friend who was sick before Christmas.

  13. 13.

    Amir Khalid

    The story from UC San Diego sounds very promising. A breathalyser test for coronavirus would be so much easier to administer than the current test, and would give instant results.

  14. 14.

    Amir Khalid

    @Barbara:

    The isolation period in Malaysia has already been cut from 14 days to 10. I’m not too sure if it was a good idea, though; since then the daily new cases number has risen to what it is now.

  15. 15.

    Mousebumples

    RIP Henry Aaron (yesterday, i learned that he preferred Henry over Hank, which he thought to be a white man’s name for him). My Twitter timeline was filled with stories and remembrances and videos. And someone hoped baseball staticians can find Henry Aaron at least 8 HRs from his time in the Negro Leagues, to get him the HR title back.

  16. 16.

    NotMax

    Repeating this here for obvious reasons.

    Nearly 200 members of the National Guard deployed to Washington in the days leading up to Wednesday’s presidential inauguration have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, and some officials fear cramped rest and working quarters contributed to the spread, defense officials said.
    [snip]
    Reports that Guardsmen were working and moving in tight quarters raised concerns Covid-19 protocols can’t be maintained, a defense official said.

    Every Guardsman deployed to Washington was screened for Covid-19 before arriving, but not all were tested, unless required under the screening process, defense officials said. Source

  17. 17.

    Platonicspoof

    Some news on two new vaccines controlling new variants and making distributing vaccines simpler:

    “The idea was that as the S mutated, we would still be able to elicit a strong T cell response against the N proteins” to protect against emerging variants, Tucker says. This concept bore fruition in Vaxart’s ongoing Phase I trial where orally administered VXA-CoV2-1 was found to activate strong T cell responses against both the S and the N proteins.

     

    As it is an oral vaccine, Vaxart’s VXA-CoV2-1 could also overcome one of the other challenges facing the first-generation vaccines: logistics. (My Bold).

     

    OSE’s 11-target COVID-19 vaccine:

    OSE used its Memopi technology to settle on 11 different targets that are outside these high-mutation regions and are naturally immunogenic in humans to include in its CoVepiT vaccine.

  18. 18.

    Feathers

    @Catherine D.: I read that it is probably true that some people may be too frail to safely get the COVID vaccine, however they would never survive COVID, so at this point we still need to vaccinate everyone.

  19. 19.

    Laura Too

    I woke up at 2:00 this morning and struggled to get back to sleep. We (4 siblings) moved my folks to a studio house on a river in Jacksonville Florida in December. (Mom 75, Dad 80) Kept up on the vaccine issue as it came out-need to go online to get an appointment, only Thursday at 5pm. Mom tried the first Thursday but internet timed out. The next Thursday I set my alarm to 5pm to help only to realize I’m in central time & they are eastern. Didn’t matter, the times filled in minutes. So this week, again, I’m all set and checked the website to make sure I would get it right. Found out they changed the rules, you need to call a number. Okay, got her the number & she called & left message. Yesterday they changed the rules again-only Florida residents and those who have certain outstate requirements qualify. (mostly about $$$) They won’t be able to get the shot. I am so heartsick over this whole thing-getting my hopes up & then crashing. I try to console myself that at least they can be outside a lot and I don’t have to worry about Mom dying in a snowbank (last year she fell on the way to the mailbox & laid out for 20 minutes until a neighbor found her). They go to state parks and Dad fishes for hours but they still have to go to CVS and for groceries and it’s Florida… Thanks for letting me vent, I hate feeling so responsible for this and helpless to do anything about it.

  21. 21.

    Barbara

    @Amir Khalid: My assumption is that people “shave” days from the suggested minimum, so if you tell them 14, they might isolate for 11 or 12 days.  If you tell them 10, many will stop after 8. This is how people think and operate.  It just doesn’t seem to do any good to say, “10 days but we really mean it!”

  22. 22.

    Sloane Ranger

    Yesterday in the UK we had 40,261 new cases. This is an increase of 2400 from the day before but a decrease of 25.3% in the rolling 7-day average. The R rate is now reported as being 0.8-1.0, so definite shrinkage. New cases by nation,

    England – 37,115 (up @3000)

    Northern Ireland – 865 (up @130)

    Scotland – 1480 (down @150)

    Wales – 801 (down @300).

    Deaths – There were 1401 deaths within 28 days of a positive test yesterday which is an increase of 16.4% in the rolling 7-day average. 1251 were in England, 12 in Northern Ireland, 71 in Scotland and 67 in Wales.

    Testing – 665,330 tests were conducted on 21st January out of a capacity of 814,525. This is a decrease in the rolling 7-day average of 5.5%.

    Hospitalisations – As of Wednesday, 20th January, 38,562 people were in hospital and 3960 were on ventilators as of Thursday 21st. The rolling 7-day average for hospital admissions is down 3.2%.

    Vaccinations – A total of 5,383,103 people had received their 1st dose of a vaccine by 21 January and 466,796 their 2nd dose.

    General – A Government advisor has said that Boris’ statement that the new UK mutation is more deadly than the original was premature. He said there were some early indications this might be the case but more work needed to be done to confirm this. Personally, if Boris’ statement scares more people into following the rules, I think it was worth putting out.

    Also, the leader of the Welsh Conservative Party and their Chief Whip have both resigned after it emerged they had been drinking, 4 days after pubs were banned from serving alcohol. A Labour member was also present (the incident happened inside the Welsh Senedd building). He has been suspended from the Labour Party as a result. The defense initially put forward by these fine specimens was that they hadn’t actually broken any laws as the legal onus was on the server of the alcohol and not the actual drinker.

  23. 23.

    YY_Sima Qian

    On 1/22 China reported 90 new domestic confirmed, 99 new domestic asymptomatic cases, 1 domestic suspect case.

    Liaoning Province did not report any new domestic positive cases:

    • At Dalian, 2 domestic confirmed cases recovered and 1 domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation. 2 domestic confirmed cases remain in the city. There are 2 communities currently at Medium Risk in the city.
    • At Shenyang, 2 domestic confirmed case recovered. There are currently 4 domestic confirmed cases in the city.

     

    Beijing Municipality reported 3 new domestic confirmed cases, all at the epicenter community in Daxing District, 2 from mass screening and 1 from fever clinic, all already under home quarantine since 1/17. 1 village at Shunyi District was re-designated as Low Risk. There are currently 2 villages (both at Shunyi District) at Medium Risk. 1 community (at Daxing District) is at High Risk.

    Hebei Province:

    Hebei Provincial Health Commission reported 15 new domestic confirmed cases (1 previously asymptomatic). 16 domestic confirmed case recovered & 23 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There are currently 834 domestic confirmed cases (10 critical, 32 serious, 651 moderate and 138 mild) & 120 domestic asymptomatic cases in the province:

    • Xingtai reported 4 new domestic confirmed (all at Nangong District). 1 of the confirmed cases is a traced close contact already under centralized quarantine since 1/3, the others are found via mass screening but already under home quarantine. 1 domestic confirmed case recovered. There are currently 59 domestic confirmed & 10 domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. Nangong District remains at High Risk, 1 residential compound at Longyao County remains at Medium Risk.
    • Langfang did not report any new domestic positive cases. There are 1 domestic confirmed & 1 domestic asymptomatic cases there. 1 residential compound remain at Medium Risk.
    • Shijiazhuang reported 11 new domestic confirmed cases (1 previously asymptomatic). 10 confirmed case recovered. 10 of the confirmed cases are at Gaocheng District (1 previously asymptomatic already under isolation, 8 traced close contacts already under centralized quarantine, 1 from mass screening already under home or centralized quarantines), including 9 at the epicenter township; 1 at Chang’an District (from mass screening). 15 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 23 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. Currently, there are 784 confirmed cases & 109 asymptomatic cases. 2 residential compounds were elevated to Medium Risk. The city has commenced the 3rd round of mass screening. 3 residential compounds were re-designated as Low Risk. There are 30 residential compounds, 7 villages & 1 residential building at Medium Risk in the city. Gaocheng & Xinle Districts remain at High Risk.

     

    Heilongjiang Province:

    Heilongjiang Province reported 56 new domestic confirmed (29 previously asymptomatic) & 37 new domestic asymptomatic cases. There are currently 360 domestic confirmed & 464 domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.:

    • Suihua reported 47 new domestic confirmed (27 previously asymptomatic) & 32 new domestic asymptomatic cases. Wangkui County reported 40 confirmed (20 previously asymptomatic) & 22 asymptomatic cases, Hailun reported 6 confirmed (all previously asymptomatic), Anda reported 1 confirmed case (previously asymptomatic), Suiling County reporter 1 asymptomatic case. No case information released so far. There are currently 331 domestic confirmed & 353 domestic asymptomatic cases there. The entire Wangkui County remains at High Risk.
    • Harbin reported 9 new domestic confirmed (7 at Limin Dev. Zone, 2 of whom are previously asymptomatic, & the other 2 at Hulan District) & 5 asymptomatic cases (1 at Hulan District, 4 at Limin Dev. Zone). All were found from mass screening, and 11 of the positive cases are employees at the poultry processing plant. There are currently 25 domestic confirmed & 74 domestic asymptomatic cases there. 8 sub-districts (4 at Limin Dev. Zone, 3 at Hulan District & 1 at Daoli District) were elevated to Medium Risk. I am surprised that the poultry processing plant has not been declared as High Risk, but it has been temporarily shut down, and all products produced by the plant after 1/1 are removed from shelves. In total, 8 sub-districts & 4 residential building units are at Medium Risk.
    • Qiqihar did not report any new domestic positive cases. There are 1 domestic confirmed & 31 domestic asymptomatic cases there. 1 village remains at Medium Risk.
    • Yichun did not report any new domestic positive cases. There are 2 domestic asymptomatic cases there.
    • Daqing did not report any new positive cases. There are 2 domestic confirmed & 1 domestic asymptomatic cases there. 1 residential building unit remains at Medium Risk.
    • Mudanjiang did not report any new positive cases. There are 3 domestic asymptomatic cases there. 
    • At Heihe, 2 domestic confirmed cases recovered, 1 domestic confirmed case remain.

     

    Jilin Province 

    Jilin Province reported 13 new domestic confirmed cases (1 previously asymptomatic) & 52 domestic asymptomatic cases, there are currently 194 confirmed (4 critical, 11 serious, 148 moderate and 31 mild) & 97 asymptomatic cases there.:

    • Songyuan did not report any new domestic confirmed cases. There are 2 domestic confirmed & 2 domestic asymptomatic cases there. 1 residential compound remains at Medium Risk.
    • Tonghua reported 6 new domestic confirmed & 49 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 4 confirmed & 16 asymptomatic cases are traced close contacts or individuals deemed at high risk of exposure,  already under centralized quarantine, the remaining positive cases are found via mass screening. There are currently 138 domestic confirmed & 81 domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. The entire Dongchang District remains at High Risk. 1 residential compound at the High Tech. Dev. Zone remains at Medium Risk.
    • Changchun reported 7 new domestic confirmed & 3 domestic asymptomatic cases, all are traced close contacts or individuals deemed at high risk of exposure, already under centralized quarantine. There are currently 54 domestic confirmed & 14 domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. Mass screening of all residents are ongoing. 1 township & 3 residential compounds are at Medium Risk.

     

    Shanghai Municipality reported 3 new domestic confirmed (2 at Baoshan District & 1 at Huangpu District) & 1 domestic suspect cases. All 3 confirmed cases are traced close contacts, already under centralized quarantine since 12/21. No information on the suspect case. Currently there are 9 confirmed cases in the city. 1 resident compound and 1 hotel were elevated to Medium Risk. 1 residential compound, 1 residential area and 1 hotel are currently at Medium Risk. 

    Imported Cases:

    On 1/22, China reported 17 new imported confirmed cases, 10 imported asymptomatic cases, 1 imported suspect case:

    • Shanghai Municipality – 8 confirmed cases, 2 Chinese nationals returning from Montenegro (via Serbia & Denmark) and 1 each from the UK (via Denmark), Italy, Israel, Japan and Canada, and a Chinese freighter pilot returning from the US; 1 suspect case, no information released
    • Taiyuan in Shanxi Province – 4 confirmed cases, 3 Chinese nationals returning from Serbia & 1 from Poland; 2 asymptomatic cases, both Chinese nationals returning from Serbia
    • Jiangmen in Guangdong Province – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from Bangladesh, off a flight that landed Guangzhou
    • Shenzhen in Guangdong Province – 3 asymptomatic cases, 2 Chinese nationals returning from South Africa and 1 from the US
    • Guangzhou in Guangdong Province – 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from the Philippines
    • Changsha at Hunan Province – 1 confirmed & 2 asymptomatic cases, no information released
    • Nantong in Jiangsu Province – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from Romania, off a flight that landed at Shanghai
    • Zhenjiang in Jiangsu Province – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from Ireland; the case had passed through 14 days of centralized quarantine at point of entry and tested negative on RT-PCR multiple times, was under 14 days of home quarantine at Zhenjiang and had tested negative for RT-PCR a couple of times, he felt unwell on 1/21 and was taken to fever clinic by his parents, where he tested positive; it turns out the case had not been staying strictly at home during the self-quarantine period, 12 F1 close contacts (all have tested negative) & 28 F2 close contacts (27 have tested negative, 1 pending) have been traced, 2,127 related individuals have been identified (all have tested negative), 117 environmental samples have been tested (all negative, including those at the case’s home); perhaps the case is not yet very infectious
    • Chengdu in Sichuan Province – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from Algeria
    • Chongqing Municipality – 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from Nepal
    • Yiwu in Jinhua, Zhejiang Province – 1 asymptomatic case, an Iraqi national coming from Iraq (via Cairo); the case landed at Hangzhou on 1/6 and passed through the 14 days of centralized quarantine and tested negative for RT-PCR several times, upon release from quarantine on 1/20 she traveled to Yiwu by private car entered centralized quarantine again, where she tested positive

     

    Overall in China, 31 confirmed cases recovered, 37 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation and 30 were reclassified as confirmed cases, and 1,701 individuals were released from quarantine. Currently, there are 1,750 active confirmed cases in the country (293 imported), 85 are in critical/serious condition (3 imported), 961 asymptomatic cases (270 imported), 5 suspect cases (all imported). 36,503 traced contacts are currently under centralized quarantine.

    On 1/23, Hong Kong reported 81 new cases, 3 imported and 78 domestic (35 of whom do not have sources of infection identified). For the 1st time since the pandemic began, a neighborhood w/ ~ 10K residents is being locked down for the 2 days of the weekend, for mandatory mass screening.

  24. 24.

    YY_Sima Qian

    As the tweets by the Global Times reporter indicate, Beijing has commenced mass screening at several districts, regardless whether positive cases have been found. By 1/17, Beijing had tested 1.92M residents of the urban-rural transition zones (397 urbanized villages in all) around the city, many of whom commute to work in the urban center of the city. Daxing District started mass screening yesterday, to be completed today. Dongcheng and Xicheng Districts, the core of Old Beijing where a lot of central government offices and HQs of national level state owned enterprises are located, started mass screening today. Why is the CCP leadership so nervous (or perhaps more accurately the Beijing municipal leadership) – the emergence community transmission of the B.1.1.7 strain at Daxing District, the upcoming mass migration for the Chinese New Year in mid-Feb., the National People’s & Party Congresses in Mar., and to ensure stability in the capital.

  25. 25.

    Miss Bianca

    @OzarkHillbilly: You’re kinder than me. I hope that COVID is the one that slaps that idiot. Right into the hospital, right onto a ventilator, and then on to death, with hell to follow.

    Pour encourager les autres. 

  26. 26.

    VOR

    @Feathers:  Statistically speaking, if you give millions of people a shot of anything there will be some unexplained deaths. You could give them pure saline. The question is, are the number of deaths higher than they would have been if nothing happened? Can we show an actual link between the vaccine and their deaths?

    Caution is called for. There are forces who want to blow things out of proportion, both lingering MAGAts and anti-vaxers.

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