Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

You can’t love your country only when you win.

Bark louder, little dog.

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

Not all heroes wear capes.

Happy indictment week to all who celebrate!

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

We’re not going back!

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

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

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

Second rate reporter says what?

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

In my day, never was longer.

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

Trump’s legal defense is going to be a dumpster fire inside a clown car on a derailing train.

Ah, the different things are different argument.

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

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

Thanks for reminding me that Van Jones needs to be slapped.

You are here: Home / Healthcare / COVID-19 Coronavirus / COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday / Wednesday, May 18-19

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday / Wednesday, May 18-19

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  2. 2.

    YY_Sima Qian

    On 5/18 China reported 0 new domestic confirmed & 1 new domestic asymptomatic cases.

    Anhui Province report 1 domestic asymptomatic case. There are 7 domestic confirmed & 10 domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.

    • Liu’an report 1 new domestic asymptomatic case, a traced close contact under centralized quarantine since 5/13. There currently are 5 domestic confirmed & 10 domestic asymptomatic cases there. A shopping center & 5 residential compound are currently at Medium Risk. 
    • Hefei currently has 2 domestic confirmed cases, both traveling sales people who conduct photography seminars. A hotel remains at Medium Risk.

    Liaoning Province did not reported any new domestic positive cases. There are 13 domestic confirmed & 5 domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.

    • Yingkou currently has 9 domestic confirmed & 5 domestic asymptomatic cases there. 4 villages & 5 residential compounds remain at Medium Risk.
    • Shenyang currently has 4 domestic confirmed cases there. 3 residential compounds were elevated to Medium Risk. 4 residential compounds are at Medium Risk.

     

    In Yunnan Province, there currently are 15 domestic confirmed & 3 domestic asymptomatic cases.

    Imported Cases

    On 5/18 China reported 14 new imported confirmed cases, 12 imported asymptomatic cases:

    • Shanghai Municipality – 9 confirmed cases, 4 Chinese nationals returning from Russia, 2 from Israel & 1 each from Tunisia (via Germany), Guinea (via Paris CdG) & the UAE
    • Xi’an in Shaanxi Province – 2 confirmed cases (both previously asymptomatic); 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from Pakistan
    • Guangzhou in Guangdong Province – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from Bangladesh; 2 asymptomatic cases, 1 Chinese national each returning from Nigeria (via Cairo) & Turkey
    • Shenzhen in Guangdong Province – 1 asymptomatic case, an Indian national coming from India
    • Foshan in Guangdong Province – 1 asymptomatic case, coming from Indonesia
    • Yangzhou in Jiangsu Province – 1 confirmed case (previously asymptomatic)
    • Jiangsu Province (location not specified) – 1 asymptomatic case, no information released 
    • Xiaogan in Hubei Province – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from Malaysia; the case arrived at Guangzhou in Guangdong Province on 4/30, passed through the 14 days of centralized quarantine and tested negative on RT-PCR 4 times, upon release from quarantine on 5/15 the case flew to Wuhan in Hubei Province and traveled to Xiaogan and re-entered centralized quarantine, the case tested positive on 5/17 and diagnosed on 5/18
    • Chengdu in Sichuan Province – 3 asymptomatic cases, 1 Chinese national each returning from Nigeria, Ghana & the Ukraine (both via Amsterdam Schiphol)
    • Fuzhou in Fujian Province – 2 asymptomatic cases, both coming from Indonesia
    • Tianjin Municipality – 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from the US

     

    Overall in China, 13 confirmed cases recovered, 14 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation & 3 were reclassified as confirmed cases, and 483 individuals were released from quarantine. Currently, there are 296 active confirmed cases in the country (261 imported), 3 in serious condition (2 imported), 345 asymptomatic cases (327 imported), 1 suspect case (imported). 7,293 traced contacts are currently under centralized quarantine.

    As of 5/18, 435.689M vaccine doses have been injected in Mainland China, an increase of 13.698M doses in the past 24 hrs.

    On 5/19, Hong Kong reported 1 new case, imported (from India).

  3. 3.

    mrmoshpotato

    Most government entities in Texas — including counties, cities and public health authorities — will soon be prohibited from requiring people to wear masks, Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Tuesday.

    Woo boy! ?‍♂️ FreeDUMB!

  4. 4.

    NeenerNeener

    Monroe County, NY stats:

    128 new cases – 62.5% were people under 40, including 32 children between 0 and 19

    1267 COVID deaths since March 2020
    3% test positivity

    193 people hospitalized, 47 in the ICU

    53.9% with at least 1 jab
    47.2% fully vaccinated

    Our total new cases have started going down again but that’s happened before and it didn’t last.

  6. 6.

    Rusty

    AL, thank you for continuing these daily posts. A particular thanks for the article on pediatric inflammatory syndrome. Our youngest ended up hospitalized last year with this. It’s good to see they are starting to understand why these kids react so severely. Saturday he got his first vaccine shot. We aren’t going to be really over the pandemic until we can vaccinate all the kids.

  8. 8.

    Cermet

    Still waiting for the death rate to fall – understand the time lag but it is depressing. Interesting, a plane crash generates vast news yet we have two wide body jet crashes of death every day and it is just ho-hum, not hardly news.

  10. 10.

    Amir Khalid

    Malaysia’s Director-General of Heath Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah reports 6,075 new Covid-19 cases today in his media statement, beating the record set on 30th January, for a cumulative reported total of 485,496 cases. He also reports 46 new deaths today, for a cumulative total of 2,040 deaths — 0.42% of the cumulative reported total, 0.47% of resolved cases.

    There are currently 47,340 active and contagious cases; 559 are in ICU, 303 of them intubated. Meanwhile, 3,516 patients recovered and were discharged, for a cumulative total of 436,116 patients recovered – 89.83% of the cumulative reported total.

    22 new clusters were reported today: Industri Bukit Raja, Jalan 223 PJ, Jalan Kenanga Pertama, and Jalan Pusara in Selangor; Jalan Endap Sawit and Stunggang in Sarawak; Jalan Tanjung Kupang, Jalan Timah Empat, and Jalan Senduduk Satu in Johor; Jalan Tuan Hitam in Terengganu; Paya Rumput Utama and Jalan Inang in Melaka; Victoria Merdeka in Labuan; Jalan Kampung Bakau in Perlis; Kampung Tanjung Jejulok and Kampung Keranji in Kelantan; Kampung Limau and Taman Sri Rampai in Kuala Lumpur; Pagar Sungai Imam, Muhibbah Dua, and Kolopis in Sabah; and Kampung Batu Tiga in Perak.

    Stunggang, Kampung Tanjung Jejulok, Kampung Limau, Pagar Sungai Imam, Muhibbah Dua, Kolopis, and Jalan Inang are community clusters. Jalan Kenanga Pertama, Jalan Pusara, Jalan Timah Empat, Taman Sri Rampai, Kampung Keranji, and Kampung Batu Tiga are religious clusters. Jalan Senduduk Satu is an education cluster at a Ministry of Education school. The rest are workplace clusters.

    6,072 new cases today are local infections. Selangor reports 2,250 local cases: 302 in clusters, 1,481 close-contact screenings, and 467 other screenings. Johor reports 699 cases: 257 in clusters, 254 close-contact screenings, and 88 other screenings. Kuala Lumpur reports 659 local cases: 95 in clusters, 348 close-contact screenings, and 216 other screenings.

    Kedah reports 445 cases: 32 in clusters, 296 close-contact screenings, and 117 other screenings. Kelantan reports 441 cases: 66 in clusters, 276 close-contact screenings, and 99 other screenings.

    Sarawak reports 323 cases: 32 in clusters, 207 close-contact screenings, and 84 other screenings. Perak reports 220 cases: 57 in clusters, 119 close-contact screenings, and 44 other screenings. Terengganu reports 203 cases: 134 in clusters, 57 close-contact screenings, and 12 other screenings.

    Negeri Sembilan reports 189 cases: 18 in clusters, 112 close-contact screenings, and 59 other screenings. Penang reports 183 cases: 30 in clusters, 52 close-contact screenings, and 101 other screenings. Sabah reports 160 cases: 65 in clusters, 67 close-contact screenings, and 28 other screenings. Pahang reports 150 cases: 25 in clusters, 92 close-contact screenings, and 33 other screenings. Melaka reports 122 cases: 27 in clusters, 59 close-contact screenings, and 36 other screenings.

    Labuan reports 14 cases: 13 in clusters, and one other screening. Putrajaya reports nine cases: eight close-contact screenings, and one other screening. Perlis reports six cases: two in clusters, and four close-contact screenings.

    Three new cases today are imported: one in Selangor, one in Kuala Lumpur, one in Labuan.

  11. 11.

    Sloane Ranger

    Tuesday in the UK we had 2412 new cases. After seeing a rise in the rolling 7-day average over the last week or so, this number has actually led to a DECREASE in the rolling 7-day average of 2.6%. But, according to a note in the stats,  this is because, as far as England is concerned, “The introduction of a new system disrupted the removal of cases where a positive rapid lateral flow test (LFD) was followed by all negative laboratory (PCR) tests taken within 3 days. Therefore 4,776 additional cases have been removed today.” The cynical among us might be thinking, how convenient. New cases by nation,

    England – 2008 (up 363)

    Northern Ireland – 104 (up 22)

    Scotland – 268 (up 107)

    Wales – 32 (down 59).

    Deaths – There were 7 deaths within 28 days of a positive test yesterday. This is a decrease of 27.9% in the rolling 7-day average. New deaths by nation, England – 5, Northern Ireland – 2, none in Scotland or Wales.

    Testing – On Monday, 17 May, 967,126 tests were administered. This is a decrease of 8.3% in the rolling 7-day average. The PCR testing capacity estimated by labs on that date was 645,838.

    Hospitalisations – As of Sunday, 16 May, 932 people were in hospital. 125 people were on ventilators on Monday, 17 May. The rolling 7-day average for hospital admissions on 12 May was down 2.1%.

    Vaccinations – On 17 May, 36,811,405 people had received 1 shot of a vaccine and 20,546,452 were fully vaccinated. In percentage terms, this means that 69.9% of adults in the UK have had 1 shot and 39%, both.

    General – Confusion reigns in England due to various government Ministers giving conflicting advice about travelling abroad to so called “amber” list countries, as well as unhappiness from elements of the general public about the low number of “green” list nations. Green list nations are those which you can travel to for holidays. The problem is that Australia and New Zealand won’t let you in when you get there, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia are thousands of miles away, not exactly tourist hotspots and can only be reached by travelling via “red” list countries. As for Israel, not exactly at the top of most peoples holiday destinations at the moment for obvious reasons. In fact, currently, the only country on the list that is really practical as a holiday destination is Portugal.

    As far as amber list nations are concerned. It is legal to go there but you must isolate for 10 days after returning and undertake a testing regime during your isolation, but Boris is saying don’t go unless there’s a reason, like serious illness of a family member or for business that has to be conducted in person, while the Environment Minister is saying it’s fine to go providing you follow government advice on your return. This is ticking off everyone.

  12. 12.

    Catherine D.

    I’m having trouble my vaccination recognized by the Excelsior pass. This is apparently not uncommon for people who were vaccinated at pharmacies and not the state or county run clinics. I did call the pharmacy yesterday to make sure they had my name and birth date uploaded correctly, so I guess I just have to wait for the Excelsior system to catch up.

  13. 13.

    Robert Sneddon

    @Sloane Ranger:

    “The introduction of a new system disrupted the removal of cases where a positive rapid lateral flow test (LFD) was followed by all negative laboratory (PCR) tests taken within 3 days. Therefore 4,776 additional cases have been removed today.”

    That’s actually reasonable, a LFD test is a lot less accurate than a PCR test so if the second test says “no COVID-19 detected” then the first positive LFD test result can be safely ignored.

     

    I’m taking some dark comfort from the way our lords and masters here in the UK are continuing to hammer on about how dangerous this disease is and we shouldn’t let up on precautions or start to think it’s all over. The Grand Re-opening originally scheduled for June is looking to be in doubt due to the outbreaks of the Indian variant and Boris and co. are saying that upfront rather than letting it happen willy-nilly or waiting until the last moment and only then announcing “Christmas is cancelled!”

     

    The science advisors also warning about a forthcoming uptick in case numbers in the autumn so the government is planning for a booster vaccination program after we hopefully get most adults vaccinated by July and they’re ordering even more vaccines and building out more vaccine production in-country.

  14. 14.

    Matt McIrvin

    My second Moderna shot is TOMORROW. Looking forward to moving this a little further along.

  15. 15.

    O. Felix Culpa

    My sister-in-law’s 16-year-old was diagnosed positive for COVID yesterday. She hadn’t had the vaccination yet. So it’s not over, not by a long shot.

    Her dad is a Republican wannabe MOTU (shorter: an asshole), but I feel sorry for the kid.

  16. 16.

    Robert Sneddon

    Scotland — 394 new cases of COVID-19 reported, zero deaths. Test positivity rate is at 1.6%.
    This is a big bump upwards in case numbers which have been comfortably below 300 for a few weeks now. I am presuming part of this is due to increased testing in the hotspots like central Glasgow but it’s worrying nevertheless. If there is any good news it’s that hospitalisations and ICU bed occupancy remain relatively low compared to the January period.

    Vaccinations continue at a steady rate of about 41,000 a day in Scotland, with most of them being second doses as usual. Nearly everyone over the age of 50 has now received at least their first vaccination and pretty much everyone over the age of 65 is fully vaccinated with both doses. Based on the reported numbers vaccine hesitancy in older people isn’t noticeable.​

  17. 17.

    Sloane Ranger

    @Robert Sneddon:

     

    The Grand Re-opening originally scheduled for June is looking to be in doubt due to the outbreaks of the Indian variant and Boris and co. are saying that upfront rather than letting it happen willy-nilly or waiting until the last moment and only then announcing “Christmas is cancelled!”

    Yes, this is giving me some reassurance as well. Boris seems to be taking this more seriously this time. Of course, he’s had plenty of opportunity to learn from his mistakes!

  18. 18.

    Jay

    Thank you Anne and everyone else for maintaining my morning doomscroll.

    it’s coming on to a year and a half, 7.8 to 12 million dead, SSDD, “we” should have been able to handle this, so much better.

    Stay safe,

    Stay healthy,

    Wear a mask,

    6 feet,

    Wash your hands,

    you dirty f’n animals.

  19. 19.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Cermet: Massachusetts already had a big drop in the death rate at a time when, going by the case rate, it should have been rising–probably because the older demographics at high risk were so well-covered and the rise in cases was among young people. (We had relatively little vaccine hesitancy among the elderly and reserved vaccination for them longer than a lot of other states.) I’m expecting it to come down some more as the late-spring drop in case rate becomes relevant.

  20. 20.

    Matt McIrvin

    @O. Felix Culpa: Right now, at least for my part of the country, the age distributions are pretty remarkable–most of the deaths and hospitalizations are old people, but the new infections are overwhelmingly happening among kids, teenagers and young adults. I’m wondering if transmission among teens will go up or down once school is out (I’m guessing down, personally).

    Just getting people in their teens and twenties vaccinated will do a lot of good. Today, they already have access to vaccination, but they’re overwhelmingly not vaccinated. I know a lot of schools will be under political pressure from idiots to not mandate COVID shots, but it’ll be a big help if they can do so in the fall.

  21. 21.

    frosty

    @Suzanne: My doomscrolling routine too. It’s been better since I don’t have to ask myself “What’s TFG up to today?” Small gains. Baby steps.

  23. 23.

    Robert Sneddon

    Interesting news here in the UK — the Government is pushing forward with clinical trials for a booster vaccination campaign based at the University of Southampton. They’re looking for about 3000 volunteers but with specific requirements in terms of age, date of original vaccination etc. who will get double-blinded supplementary vaccinations (the placebo is a meningococcus vaccine). Interestingly the booster vaccines included in the trial will include a wide range of vaccines which are in separate clinical trials or close to being approved, not just the three vaccines currently approved for use here in the UK.

     

    The booster vaccination trial will monitor participants for about a year but any decision to roll out a booster program by the government might well take place before the trial is completed.

  24. 24.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @mrmoshpotato: Thank you. I hope so too. It’s not the kid’s fault that her father is a TFG-loving asshole.

    @Matt McIrvin: Hopefully they’ll be able to roll out vaccinations to the teens and twenties swiftly. I agree that mandates should be imposed, just as they are for other vaccinations in order to attend school/college.

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