Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

Republicans can’t even be trusted with their own money.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

A lot of Dems talk about what the media tells them to talk about. Not helpful.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

It could be worse. Vance could have said “post-menopausal sows.” Waiting for that audiotape to surface.

Nikki Haley, who can’t acknowledge ‘slavery’, is a pathetic shill.

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

No one could have predicted…

Their freedom requires your slavery.

Fight them, without becoming them!

Quote tweet friends, screenshot enemies.

Nothing says ‘pro-life’ like letting children go hungry.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

“The defense has a certain level of trust in defendant that the government does not.”

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

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

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

SCOTUS: It’s not “bribery” unless it comes from the Bribery region of France. Otherwise, it’s merely “sparkling malfeasance”.

The revolution will be supervised.

You are here: Home / Healthcare / COVID-19 / COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Thursday/Friday, Feb. 11-12

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Thursday/Friday, Feb. 11-12

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Historical notes:

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Heck, let’s test Corowa-kun on Instagram here in America…

… Trust in vaccines in Japan is among the lowest in the world, a study by the Lancet medical journal showed. Only half the population want to take a COVID-19 vaccine, a poll by national broadcaster NHK found last month.

It is among the last major economies to begin its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, which is seen as vital for preparations for the Olympic Games, due to open in fewer than 200 days, after being postponed in 2020 as the coronavirus spread.

The government is expected to approve Pfizer Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine this weekend, and begin shots almost immediately, prioritising front-line health workers.

While the anti-vaccine movement in the United States is relatively new and driven largely by fears of autism, vaccine hesitancy in Japan stems from vague safety concerns going back decades…

“In Japan, I would say that trust in the government can directly be associated with trust in vaccines,” said Yuji Yamada, a doctor at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

“It can still go both ways at this point,” said Yamada, one of the 10 young Japanese physicians who helped create the dog chatbot to spread lessons learned from overseas vaccination efforts and to counter social media rumours…

The dog, a Shiba-inu known as Corowa-kun – from the Japanese words for “coronavirus” and “vaccine” – wears a white doctor’s coat and the app named for him gives automated answers to medical questions.

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Reader Interactions

36Comments

  1. 1.

    NeenerNeener

    Monroe County, NY yesterday:

    204 new cases, still at 1034 deaths
    2.4% positivity
    345 hospitalized, 86 in ICU
    39% hospital bed availability, 33% ICU beds available

  2. 2.

    sab

    I am 66, my husband is 69. We both got 1st Moderna shot on Wednesday. I had mild fever, malaise/sleepiness yesterday and sore arm. Feel fine this morning. Husband had mildly sore arm and otherwise fine all along.

    Ohio, so shot distribution is a clusterphuck (thank you so much John Kasich for cutting taxes so much that next governor had nothing to work with for dealing with public health emergency.)

  3. 3.

    Mustang Bobby

    Got my first shot of Pfizer yesterday at Jackson South Hospital in Miami.  I stood in line for about half an hour before getting checked in (the line was all folks 65+, so it looked like the line for the tickets for the CSN&Y reunion tour) and had the shot administered by a very handsome young EMT, which made it all the nicer.  Very little soreness this morning; I hear the second shot has more noticeable reactions.

    Miami-Dade has one of the worst records in the country thanks to the idiot Gov. Ron DeDeath.

  4. 4.

    YY_Sima Qian

    On 2/11 China reported 0 new domestic confirmed & 0 new domestic asymptomatic cases.

    Hebei Province

    Hebei Provincial Health Commission reported that 7 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 1 domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation. There are currently 175 domestic confirmed cases (145 moderate and 30 mild) & 10 domestic asymptomatic cases in the province:

    • At Xingtai, there are currently 21 domestic confirmed cases in the city.
    • At Langfang, the last domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation.
    • At Shijiazhuang, 7 domestic confirmed cases recovered. Currently, there are 154 confirmed cases & 10 asymptomatic cases. Gaocheng District remains at Medium Risk.

     

    Heilongjiang Province

    Heilongjiang Provincial Health Commission reported that 29 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 28 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There are currently 214 domestic confirmed (151 moderate and 63 mild) & 181 domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.:

    • At Suihua, 14 confirmed cases recovered & 16 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There are currently 141 domestic confirmed & 108 domestic asymptomatic cases there. Wangkui County remains at High Risk.
    • At Harbin, 15 domestic confirmed case recovered & 12 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There are currently 73 domestic confirmed & 73 asymptomatic cases there. Currently there are 4 sub-districts at High Risk. 1 sub-district was re-designated as Low Risk. 8 sub-districts, 3 townships & 1 village remain at Medium Risk.

     

    Jilin Province 

    Jilin Provincial Heath Commission reported that 23 domestic confirmed cases recovered. There are currently 128 domestic confirmed (2 critical, 7 serious, 84 moderate and 35 mild) & 5 domestic asymptomatic cases:

    • At Songyuan, 1 domestic confirmed case recovered. There are 2 domestic confirmed cases there.
    • At Tonghua, 12 domestic confirmed cases recovered. There are currently 103 domestic confirmed & 3 domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 1 village, 12 buildings & 26 residential compounds within the district remain at High Risk.
    • At Changchun, 10 domestic confirmed cases recovered. There are currently 23 domestic confirmed & 2 domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 1 township remains at Medium Risk.

     

    Imported Cases

    On 2/11 China reported 12 new imported confirmed cases, 8 imported asymptomatic cases:

    • Shanghai Municipality – 7 confirmed cases, 3 Chinese nationals returning from Ethiopia , and 1 each from Guinea (via Addis Ababa) & France, and 2 Indian nationals coming from India (via Hong Kong)
    • Jiangmen in Guangdong Province – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from Malaysia, off a flight that landed at Guangzhou
    • Shenzhen in Guangdong Province – 1 confirmed case, a Hong Kong resident coming from Hong Kong; 2 asymptomatic cases, 1 Chinese national each returning home the US & Mozambique
    • Guangzhou in Guangdong Province – 2 asymptomatic cases, 1 Chinese national each returning from the US & Kirghizstan (via Nepal)
    • Chengdu in Sichuan Province – 2 confirmed cases (1 previously asymptomatic), 1 Chinese national each returning from Germany & Myanmar
    • Dalian in Liaoning Province – 1 confirmed case (previously asymptomatic), no information released 
    • Xi’an in Shaanxi Province – 2 asymptomatic cases, both Chinese nationals returning from Pakistan
    • Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province – 1 asymptomatic case, returning from Chad
    • Zhengzhou in Henan Province – 1 asymptomatic case, no information released 

     

    Overall in China, 71 confirmed cases recovered, 38 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation and 4 were reclassified as confirmed cases, and 3,022 individuals were released from quarantine. Currently, there are 820 active confirmed cases in the country (249 imported), 12 are in critical/serious condition (3 imported), 487 asymptomatic cases (284 imported), 2 suspect cases (both imported). 16,304 traced contacts are currently under centralized quarantine.

    On 2/12 Hong Kong reported 24 new cases, 6 imported (from the Philippines, Indonesia, India & the UAE) & 18 domestic (9 of whom do not have sources of infection identified). There are additional 10+ cases preliminarily positive, awaiting retesting for confirmation.

  5. 5.

    raven

    My 2nd Pfizer was Wednesday. I got it at the local health Department and my experience was nothing but positive. We got a notice on the neighborhood listserv that appointments were going to be available via a phone call. After a couple of tries I selected the call back option and, while I was on my way the Popeye’s for fried chicken to go with our waffles, they called me. We go disconnected twice and both times they called me back. Both appointments were seamless and the same group of people were at both. I had a fairly shitty day yesterday and mostly just stayed in the rack.

    A friend pointed me to this

    In week after 2nd Pfizer vaccine shot, only 20 of 128,000 Israelis get COVID
    Figure represents 0.015 percent of people, indicating vaccine is hitting 95% efficiency rate predicted by clinical trials; top immunologist hails ‘exciting results’

    By NATHAN JEFFAY
    25 January 2021, 8:51 pm 3
    22,700
    shares
    A medical worker prepares a COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Jerusalem, January 13, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)
    A medical worker prepares a COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Jerusalem, January 13, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)
    The world’s first analysis of fully vaccinated patients has indicated that the Pfizer vaccine is at least as effective as suggested by clinical trials.

    Israel’s Maccabi Healthcare Services revealed Monday that only 0.015 percent of people are getting infected in the week after receiving their second shot.

    Feeling better ‘in 2 hours’: COVID drug for critically ill starts Phase 3 trials
    New Israeli drug cured 29 of 30 moderate/serious COVID cases in days — hospital
    Israeli study boosts belief post-COVID immunity stays when antibodies fade

    Maccabi said it has 128,600 members who have seen seven days pass since full vaccine protection kicked in — and only 20 have caught the coronavirus after they were considered immunized.

    Get The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories FREE SIGN UP
    Leading immunologist Cyrille Cohen told The Times of Israel that among the general population, around 0.65% are infected in a given week.

    A person receives a COVID-19 vaccine, at a vaccination center operated by the Tel Aviv Municipality with Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov), at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, January 19, 2021. (Miriam ALster/Flash90)
    The Maccabi study lacked a control sample, but Cohen said that if general Israeli society is treated as an “imperfect” control group, his calculation indicates that the vaccine is slightly exceeding the 95% effectiveness predicted by Pfizer’s clinical trial.

    “These are exciting results which are confirming the assumption that the Pfizer vaccine is highly efficient,” he said.

    “These are very good results, and if it continues this way it could even be that the vaccine is more effective than Pfizer thought it would be based on clinical trials,” Anat Ekka Zohar, the Maccabi analyst behind the research, told The Times of Israel.

    “While this is very early data, it is important data with broad relevance, as the whole world is looking to Israel for indications regarding how the vaccine will perform,” she said.

    Cyrille Cohen, head of the immunotherapy laboratory at Bar Ilan University. (courtesy, Cyrille Cohen)
    Cohen, a Bar Ilan University professor, stressed that his calculations comparing Maccabi’s results to the Pfizer trial are inexact, as various details that were known about Pfizer’s test subjects are lacking for Israeli society as a whole.

    “While these are impressive results, it’s important to say that there is no direct control group or data about the demographics and geographical data of the vaccinated people,” he said.

    Ekka Zohar also noted that she found that none of the 20 vaccinees was hospitalized or suffered from a fever higher than 38.5 degrees. That may be an indicator that the vaccine prevents serious illness even when people are infected, she said, but added that it is impossible to know what trajectory their symptoms would have taken without the vaccine.

  6. 6.

    gkoutnik

    At 70, in “hours away from state vaccination sites” upstate NY, my vaccination isn’t on the horizon, so I’m really grateful for an authentic “laugh out loud” experience:
    “You’re not going to get anyone bigger.”
    “Hello, I’m Michael Caine.”
    And I’m always happy to see mega-famous folks like that using their fame for the common good.
    “Tell the little guy he didn’t get it.”
    Ha!

  8. 8.

    PST

    We drove from Chicago to Toledo yesterday to take my 96-year-old mother-in-law for her second Pfizer shot. My wife and I are still taking all precautions, and we’ve actually upped our mask game, but after one jab and a couple of weeks we feel a lot more relaxed about brief interactions with other masked people.

  9. 9.

    David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch

    “We’re now on track to have enough supply for 300M Americans by the end of July.”

    Nobody makes better deals than Handsome Joe

  11. 11.

    sab

    @YY_Sima Qian: OT Back when we had Time Warner cable we got the Chinese international channel with basically a bunch of tourism ads for China. Very different from Russian RT that was all political. The Chinese chanel was just tourism. I remember the Jilin shots well. Same shots of the same University building from  different angles, pretending it was a whole sprawling campus.

    My brotner in law from Shanghai was sent to Jilin during the Cultrural Revolution. We asked him about it. ” Very cold. Very beautiul. I remember the snow on the pine trees. I had never seen snow before. It was beautiful. We used to go to the village for the movies once a week. We banged on pots to scare away the tigers. Other nights we studied to get into University.”

  12. 12.

    Amir Khalid

    Malaysia’s daily Covid-19 numbers. Director-General of Health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah reports 3,318 new cases today in his media statement, for a cumulative reported total of 258,306 cases. He also reports 17 new deaths today for a cumulative total of 953 deaths — 0.37% of the cumulative reported total, 0.46% of resolved cases.

    There are currently 51,679 active and contagious cases; 257 are in ICU, 119 of them intubated. Meanwhile, 3,505 patients recovered and were discharged, for a cumulative total of 205,774 patients recovered – 79.7% of the cumulative reported total.

    14 new clusters were reported today: Jalan Seelong, Jalan Perindustrian Elektronik, Jalan Besar Pontian, Ladang Pekan, and Perindustrial Pelepas in Johor; Jalan Jelapang, Jalan Perusahaan Tiga and Kampung Teluk in Perak; Damai building site and Taman Industri in Selangor; Pantai Dalam building site in KL; Selambau in Kedah; Teknologi Berendam in Melaka; and Pangkal Changgong in Kelantan.

    Kampung Teluk is a community cluster. The rest are all workplace clusters.

    3,311 new cases today are local infections. Selangor reports 1,213 local cases: 411 in older clusters, 78 in Damai building site and Taman Industri clusters, 367 close-contact screenings, and 357 other screenings. Johor reports 741 local cases: 145 in older clusters; 378 in Jalan Seelong, Jalan Perindustrian Elektronik, Jalan Besar Pontian, Ladang Pekan, and Perindustrial Pelepas clusters; 105 close-contact screenings, and 113 other screenings. KL reports 369 local cases: 68 in older clusters, 84 in Pantai Dalam building site cluster, 106 close-contact screenings, and 111 other screenings.

    Kedah reports 188 cases: 20 in older clusters, 136 in Selambau cluster, 16 close-contact screenings, and 16 other screeings. Penang reports 149 cases: 72 in existing clusters, 28 close-contact screenings, and 49 other screenings. Sabah reports 118 cases: 13 in existing clusters, 75 close-contact screenings, and 30 other screenings. Negeri Sembilan reports 118 cases: five in existing clusters, 20 close-contact screenings, and 93 other screenings.

    Perak reports 99 cases: 30 in older clusters; 25 in Jalan Jelapang, Jalan Perusahaan Tiga and Kampung Teluk clusters; 14 close-contact screenings, and 30 other screenings. Sarawak reports 83 cases: 16 in existing clusters, 15 close-contact screenings, and 52 other screenings. Kelantan reports 79 cases: six in older clusters, 13 in Pangkal Changgong cluster, 30 close-contact screenings, and 30 other screenings. Terengganu reports 72 cases: nine in existing clusters, 56 close-contact screenings, and seven other screenings. Melaka reports 45 cases: 17 in older clusters, three in Teknologi Berendam cluster, 11 close-contact screenings, and 14 other screenings.

    Pahang reports 30 cases: 12 in existing clusters, 11 close-contact screenings, and seven other screenings. Putrajaya reports six cases: one in Damai building site cluster, three close-contact screenings, and two other screenings. And Labuan reports one case, in an existing cluster.

    Perlis reports no new cases today.

    Seven new cases are imported: five in KL, one in Selangor, and one in Johor.

    The deaths reported today are a 60-year-old man in Selangor with hypertension, chronic kidney disease, amd gout; an 85-year-old man in Selangor with hypertension; a 78-year-old woman in Perak with tuberculosis; a 68-year-old man in Selangor with no co-morbidities listed; an 84-year-old man in Melaka with hypertension, heart disease, and lymphoma; a 91-year-old man in Sabah with heart disease and intestinal cancer; a 67-year-old woman in Sarawak with diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidaemia; a 64-year-old man in Kelantan with hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and gout; a 97-year-old woman in Selangor with hypertension; an 80-year-old man in Sabah with diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, chronic kidney disease, and stroke; an 85-year-old woman in KL with diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and stroke; a 62-year-old woman in Pahang, DOA with hypertension and asthma; a 66-year-old man in Johor with chronic pulmonary disease; a 79-year-old woman in Sarawak with diabetes and hypertension; a 54-year-old man in Selangor with hypertension, dyslipidaemia, and pulmonary fibrosis; a 63-year-old man in KL with chronic pulmonary disease; and a 59-year-old non-Malaysian man with hypertension and stroke.

  15. 15.

    Mousebumples

    Got official news from work yesterday, that me and my coworkers qualify as non Frontline essential health care workers – so 1b,in Wisconsin. Based on the latest data of from Wisconsin DHS, i should be eligible for the vaccine in March!

    Might need to drive to a work associated clinic about 45 minutes away, though, which is not ideal. Former coworkers indicated that Walgreens is starting vaccinations this weekend – though you need an appointment and need to fill out a survey to ensure it’s *your turn*.

    Looking forward to my Fauci Ouchie!

  19. 19.

    NeenerNeener

    My BIL in Virginia is supposed to get his first jab on Monday. They have to travel 45 minutes to get to the place doing vaccinations.

    I’m not in any hurry to try to sign up where I live in “Almost Canada” because the weather is too iffy in Feb if I have to travel to the other side of the county.

  20. 20.

    Amir Khalid

    @rikyrah: ​
      The first shipment of Pfizer vaccines arrives on the 26th. Vaccinations start at the end of the month for the first phase, which covers frontline workers; for some reason the PM considers himself a frontline worker, so he gets the very first dose.
    Subsequent phases will cover high-risk groups and then the general population over 18.
    The goal is to vaccinate by the end of the year or early 2022 all persons in Malaysia regardless of citizenship, including undocumented migrants. Vaccinations will be provided at no charge.

  21. 21.

    Mustang Bobby

    @PST: Having grown up in the Toledo area, I’m just curious to know where you went for the shot.

    Based on anecdotal evidence from friends who live there, Toledo is way ahead of Miami-Dade in distribution.  I had to rely on a friend who called me and told me she “knew a guy” who could get me in for my shots.  It was like scoring weed in my college dorm in 1971.

  22. 22.

    YY_Sima Qian

    My dad in Upstate NY got his 1st Pfizer jab a couple of days ago, not much adverse reactions. Vaccines appear to be in short supply, a slip second delay in sign up and the slots are gone (in his telling). Mom, being a couple of years younger, is still waiting for her turn.

  23. 23.

    Geminid

    @raven: The drug referred to in the Times of Israel article you cite, that helped 28 out of 29 severely ill patients, sounds promising. It is administered by inhalation. I think Greece is planning on holding trials for it soon.

  24. 24.

    Robert Sneddon

    Scotland reported its highest-ever number of COVID-19 vaccinations yesterday (64,881) but it may be a victim of its own success in that stocks of vaccine are running out and delays in fresh supplies arriving may limit the number of vaccinations that can be done in the next couple of weeks to perhaps half the current rate.

  25. 25.

    Platonicspoof

    The Guardian also has Anne Laurie’s sixth blockquote article (NYT, paywall). I didn’t see anything really new in their version of t***p’s single-handed, heroic defeat of pandemics everywhere, but painful to see his quote again, 200,000+ U.S. deaths later:

    Upon returning to the White House after his illness, Trump told supporters: “You’re going to beat it [coronavirus] … As your leader, I had to do that. I knew there’s danger to it, but I had to do it. I stood out front, and led.”

     

    Democracy Now link also tipped me off to this Lancet story via Newsweek:

    The report—published Thursday in one of the world’s oldest and best-known medical journals The Lancet—explains that even before the pandemic, the U.S. saw 461,000 unnecessary deaths in 2018 when compared to the death rates in other G7 nations (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom). Comparing the U.S. COVID-19 mortality rate to this peer group, the U.S. would have seen 40 percent fewer deaths in 2020 if its mortality rate was comparable.

  26. 26.

    PST

    @Mustang Bobby: My MIL got both her vaccination doses at University of Toledo Medical Center, as they call it now. Thinking back 50 years, I believe that started as the old Maureen Valley Hospital where Medical College of Ohio was established. We’re sticking around another day to be sure she isn’t alone if she reacts poorly. My wife and I both got ours back in Cook County. She’s due for the second dose Wednesday. Up until now, getting vaccinated in the Chicago area has involved a lot of rumor, luck, and persistence, but things have felt more organized lately. I got mine because an acquaintance emailed me to quick, call this number, they’re vaccinating >65s at Loretto Hospital.

  27. 27.

    Sloane Ranger

    In terms of vaccine nationalism, I haven’t seen any statistics, but my impression, from talking with people, is that there is widespread support for the UK donating vaccines to other countries and helping them get them in arms. For some, this is a moral issue, but most make an argument based on self interest (things won’t really get back to “normal” until herd immunity is achieved worldwide). There is some disagreement about how we should go about this, whether we should prioritise Commonwealth countries, the Republic of Ireland (if they want the help), the EU generally (if they want the help), through WHO or run our own programme. What everyone seems to agree on is that we need to get our own most vulnerable people vaccinated first. The analogy I’ve heard most often is that if your own house is on fire, you get control of the fire there before helping the people down the street with the fire in their house.

    Now, yesterday’s figures from the UK. Yesterday we had 13,494 new cases. This is an increase of about 500 from the day before but a reduction of 28.6% in the rolling 7-day average. New cases by nation,

    England – 12,001 (up @500)

    Northern Ireland – 253 (down @80)

    Scotland – 830 (up @30)

    Wales – 410 (up @90).

    Deaths – There were 678 deaths within 28 days of a positive test yesterday. This is a reduction of 25.9% in the rolling 7-day average. Deaths by nation, England – 594, Northern Ireland – 9, Scotland – 48 and Wales – 27.

    Testing – On Wednesday, 10 February, 763,311 tests were conducted out of a capacity of 779,430. This is a slight decrease in the rolling 7-day average of 0.6%.

    Hospitalisations – On Tuesday, 9 February, 25,621 people were in  hospital. 3132 people were on ventilators on Wednesday, 10th. The rolling 7-day average for hospital admissions has gone down by 22.5%.

    Vaccinations – As of 10th February, a total of 13,509,108 people had received the 1st shot of a vaccine and 524,447 had had their 2nd shot.

  28. 28.

    LivinginExile

    Mrs Exile and I got our first.shot Wednesday. Moderna  Yesterday and last night we both felt like shit.  Seems to be better today. A three minute drive to the county health department, they were using a church across the street for more room.

  29. 29.

    frosty

    I don’t have my jab yet and don’t know when or where I’ll get it. We hitched up the trailer (in violation of all travel protocols) and we’ll be visiting National Parks for the next few months. I’ll be looking for a state without any residence requirements as we go along.

    The consolation is that PA appears to be such a CF I wouldn’t get it any earlier if I were home.

  30. 30.

    JMS

    The “rich country” slam seems unreflective of the situation on the ground. The US has the worst outbreak in the world, as everyone is so fond of pointing out. The US should be vaccinating as fast as it can—putting on its oxygen mask first so that it can then help others, as it were. If the US were relatively unaffected but hogging the vaccine that would be different, but that is clearly not the case.

  31. 31.

    Ohio Mom

    I’ve been eligible to make a vaccine appointment since Monday but the phone recording tells me they are temporarily out.

    I have a new set of numbers to call, will do that later today after SSI calls me to check on Ohio Son’s continued eligibility. Won’t be able to concentrate on anything until that’s out of the way.

    On another note, I still remain skeptical about Trump’s supposed bout with Covid. He got better awfully fast, and we’ve already established he lies easily and frequently. Not that it matters one way or another if he was actually sick with Covid — or maybe he had something else and used Covid as a cover story? So glad to have a credible president again.

  32. 32.

    Robert Sneddon

    @JMS: The “rich countries” were the ones who pumped billions of dollars into vaccine development and production virtually as soon as the outbreak was confirmed to be a pandemic-in-the-making, placing orders for vaccine doses with pretty much every manufacturer working on a candidate vaccine to ensure sufficient supply would be available once testing and development was complete. The UK has pre-ordered several hundred million doses of various vaccines, way more than we will need for our population of about 68 million individuals. Other countries like the US have done or are doing the same.

     

    This over-ordering effort was to ensure the populations of the rich countries would get vaccinated as soon as humanly possible. The side-effect is that the vaccine manufacturers have guaranteed order books and can ramp up production without worrying about their future cashflow. This will benefit poorer countries in the long run but, sadly, it will not be to their immediate benefit.

  33. 33.

    Barney

    I don’t think this turned up in the daily Covid updates, but I think it’s interesting:

    WHO recommends use of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine as two-dose shot, 8 to 12 weeks apart

    WHO’s interim guidance states: “In light of the observation that two-dose efficacy and immunogenicity increase with a longer interdose interval, WHO recommends an interval of 8 to 12 weeks between the doses. If the second dose is inadvertently administered less than 4 weeks after the first, the dose does not need to be repeated. If administration of the second dose is inadvertently delayed beyond 12 weeks, it should be given at the earliest possible opportunity. It is recommended that all vaccinated individuals receive two doses.”

    https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-vaccine-updates-02-10-21/h_5309bea62b602e117169aae9aaf7f0de

    They also recommend its use for over-65s: https://apps.who.int/iris/rest/bitstreams/1331814/retrieve

  34. 34.

    bluefoot

    That link about wildlife in Antarctica being vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 is interesting, though scary and depressing. A friend of mine used to study West Nile susceptibility in wildlife in the Galapagos. Many birds and reptiles are vulnerable, and with ecotourism, there is always concern about mosquito-borne diseases making it to new places. (Someone once told me that something like every plane flight has at least one mosquito on it. So it’s pretty much guaranteed that eventually mosquito-borne diseases spread widely.)

  35. 35.

    Suzanne

    @Mustang Bobby: 

    I had to rely on a friend who called me and told me she “knew a guy” who could get me in for my shots. It was like scoring weed in my college dorm in 1971.

    Here in PA, I have likened it to concert tickets. You have to have lightning-quick fingers and just take the first thing available. No checking the calendar or selecting a more convenient location.

    Mr. Suzanne is getting his today, over at a pharmacy in McKees Rocks.

  36. 36.

    Another Scott

    My 75 year old step mom in central MS got her 2nd Moderna shot on Wednesday.  Her report:

    “I didn’t feel good yesterday, but slept really well last night and feel back to normal today.  I did not have chills and fever like a lot of people seem to have, just a headache, some stomach pain, and generally a blah feeling.”

    Fingers crossed that the rest of us will have similar experiences soon.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

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