A 6-year old ballet student asked me today if I'm excited about getting my "Fauci Ouchie" soon, and I will now be referring to the covid-19 vaccine as only that, because it's the cutest thing ever.
— Emma Scott (@EmmaScott) January 22, 2021
NYTimes buried this today but this is huge pic.twitter.com/JSef9kH2c0
— b (@nicetryofficer) January 22, 2021
(Article here — it’s mostly about Biden’s executive actions to increase SNAP funding and otherwise help people suffering due to the pandemic.)
The US had +192,065 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 today, bringing the total to nearly 25.4 million. The 7-day moving average continued to fall steadily to under 184,000 new cases per day. pic.twitter.com/h3vXwOrAeC
— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) January 23, 2021
"Let's reset this. Let's everbody get on the same page. Trust each other. Let the science speak."pic.twitter.com/XFIAYMAJpV
— March For Science (@MarchForScience) January 22, 2021
WH Econ Adviser Warns ‘We’re At A Precarious Moment’ For COVID And Economy https://t.co/dZ0B9h8JBy via @TPM
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) January 22, 2021
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New @ECDC_EU risk assessment on variants of concern says likelihood of them spreading in Europe is very high, likely leading to more transmission and death. “Stricter NPIs are needed to reduce transmission and relieve the pressure on healthcare systems.”https://t.co/vre9c7svJp
— Kai Kupferschmidt (@kakape) January 21, 2021
To be clear:
None of this is new or surprising.
What we need to do to combat #SARSCoV2 hasn’t changed.
It has just become a bit harder and a lot more urgent.
Story in 2021 is no different from 2020: We should have done more and we should have done it sooner.— Kai Kupferschmidt (@kakape) January 21, 2021
European Union vaccine woes increase https://t.co/FXUv83IP7h
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) January 22, 2021
Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 16,417: RKI https://t.co/NJKioLi5QY pic.twitter.com/ld1MbKOsbA
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 23, 2021
Russia reports 20,921 new coronavirus cases, 559 deaths https://t.co/Dvhm1XvBEy pic.twitter.com/n6WEqVTvdl
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 23, 2021
Russians are among the most skeptical in the world toward coronavirus vaccines, according to poll resultshttps://t.co/zmcmPl95Xs
— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) January 23, 2021
Lebanon's hospitals are on the brink: Unable to keep up with coronavirus patients, they have run out of beds, oxygen tanks, ventilators and medical staff. https://t.co/w8Pd2IrN2n
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 23, 2021
China, after months of little #COVID19 and thriving economics, is now witnessing a surge in many parts of the country. Fearing arrival of an ultra-contagious variant, the #XiJinping regime is going straight to the mass action playbook. https://t.co/nCLekqR33L
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) January 22, 2021
At #Beijing’s financial district, one or two people tested every minute. Massive nucleic acid testing a major way of finding out asymptotic #COVID19 patients. Today is Friday, working day, employees at financial district are taking the tests, for FREE. #China pic.twitter.com/OEy7ADRf48
— Qingqing_Chen (@qingqingparis) January 22, 2021
Animal activist in China's Wuhan happy to be back to routine rescues https://t.co/x4GPJxKFHF pic.twitter.com/v9aG5iKa4F
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 23, 2021
Hong Kong locks down thousands for compulsory COVID-19 testing https://t.co/jUS8sTxbqs pic.twitter.com/IzxcXtIKe8
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 23, 2021
Australia's Victoria logs 17 days with no community COVID cases https://t.co/5tZRBJUmzO pic.twitter.com/Zb3LPb9qlu
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 23, 2021
Mexico reports 21,007 new coronavirus cases, 1,440 more deaths https://t.co/K5cX9NV9TG pic.twitter.com/j1h5NL8N42
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 23, 2021
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Making masks smarter & safer. UC San Diego scientists are developing a color-changing test strip that can be stuck on a mask and used to detect SARSCoV2 in a user's breath or saliva. Team has received a $1.3 million to further their research https://t.co/F3TtWBHPzW
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) January 22, 2021
Mix & match: As the U.S. vaccine rollout stumbles, the CDC tweaked recommendations for 2nd doses, allowing people to switch vaccine brands between the 1st & 2nd doses in “exceptional situations,” & to extend the interval between doses to six weeks https://t.co/u235uLNBh6
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) January 22, 2021
Pfizer vaccine likely works against the B117 UK variant, scienstists have concluded in 2 preliminary studies. The early findings, which have yet to be peer reviewed, suggest B117 wouldn't be able to evade the protective effect prompted by the current vax https://t.co/gA68wCXyU7
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) January 22, 2021
In tracking #coronavirus mutations, most countries are flying blind. To monitor mutations that can supercharge the pandemic or render vaccines less effective, scientists must sequence SARSCoV2's genetic code. Few countries are doing that https://t.co/myINXaswki pic.twitter.com/KAOcdgO3kj
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) January 22, 2021
A UK press conference today raised concern, as an outgrowth of a new UK report, that B.1.1.7 carries a higher rate of fatality (not just related to it being more infectious)https://t.co/24ff3tntGdhttps://t.co/wKhUxNtaTm pic.twitter.com/wrRsys3TAo
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) January 22, 2021
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U.S. #coronavirus cases are falling, but variants can erase progress. New daily cases are starting to slow in what some health experts see as a turning point. But they warn of a bumpy vaccination rollout amid the emergence of more contagious variants https://t.co/YXUQALoM6G
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) January 22, 2021
"The more personal and familiar the outreach, the more likely that it’ll work," @EricBoodman writes in a piece on how the National Medical Association, the professional society for Black doctors, is trying to instill confidence in #Covid19 vaccines. https://t.co/dlgPTXxnNm
— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) January 22, 2021
Many Americans Tend To Ditch Masks While Socializing, According To New Study https://t.co/eIHwiWF8C4 via @TPM
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) January 22, 2021
Dumb:
Grimes literally said she had COVID-19 less than 2 weeks ago but decided to kick it with Chappelle and Rogan. https://t.co/74ppSureSk
— KB (@MindOfKB) January 22, 2021
Despicable:
#HankAaron's tragic death is part of a wave of suspicious deaths among elderly closely following administration of #COVID #vaccines. He received the #Moderna vaccine on Jan. 5 to inspire other Black Americans to get the vaccine. #TheDefenderhttps://t.co/vbuHt22bJz
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) January 22, 2021
For people who saw that baseball legend Hank Aaron, aged 86, died 2.5 weeks after being vaccinated against #Covid19, please read this.
RIP, sir. https://t.co/ByEdqxgCX6— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) January 22, 2021
tybee
is this thing on?
OzarkHillbilly
Karma is a beach in Misery: Missouri Senator who said risking COVID-19 is ‘my choice’ now sick
I hope somebody slaps the piss out of this self absorbed idiot, maybe his wife will be the one.
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.
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.
mrmoshpotato
@OzarkHillbilly:
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.
Baud
@OzarkHillbilly:
“But I will deny the same choice to people who don’t want to get COVID from infectious idiots who are walking around.”
OzarkHillbilly
@Baud: Butbutbutbut it’s all about hiiiiimmmm.
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.
Baud
Catherine D.
Fuck RFK Jr.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
NotMax
Repeating this here for obvious reasons.
Platonicspoof
Some news on two new vaccines controlling new variants and making distributing vaccines simpler:
OSE’s 11-target COVID-19 vaccine:
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.
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.
mrmoshpotato
@Feathers: Remember RFK Jr is an antivaxxer nutbag.
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!”
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.
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:
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:
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.:
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.:
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.