Nearly all COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. now are in people who weren’t vaccinated, a demonstration of how effective the vaccines have been. It also indicates that daily deaths — now down to under 300 — could be near zero if everyone eligible got the shots. https://t.co/1gTknJA6i9
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 24, 2021
President Joe Biden urged more Americans to take advantage of COVID-19 vaccinations on a trip to North Carolina as the rate of inoculations slows despite a nationwide effort https://t.co/jqfKm2yWe4 pic.twitter.com/dxBWdbZcy1
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 25, 2021
According to this report, Trump nearly died, was saved by a rare, experimental drug that pretty much nobody else got access to, and rather than being humbled, he doubled-down on a reckless approach that continued to cause hundreds of thousands to die. https://t.co/iXFFEtbxMr
— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) June 24, 2021
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Antibodies triggered by Chinese COVID-19 shots less effective on Delta variant – researcher https://t.co/OF2OrSlbvx pic.twitter.com/yBxXhPOrot
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 25, 2021
Antibodies triggered by two Chinese COVID-19 vaccines are less effective against the Delta variant compared with other strains but the shots still offer protection, a Chinese disease control researcher told state media…
In an interview aired by China Central Television late on Thursday, Feng Zijian, researcher and former deputy director at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, did not provide further details.
Without naming the two vaccines, Feng said they fell into the category of inactivated vaccines, which contain “killed” coronavirus that cannot replicate in human cells.
Five out of the seven domestically developed vaccines in China’s mass inoculation scheme are inactivated vaccines. These include shots from Sinovac Biotech and Sinopharm used in countries such as Brazil, Bahrain and Chile…
India reports 51,667 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours https://t.co/a3A1cssDc1 pic.twitter.com/bS2UHaGPUU
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 25, 2021
After months of delays due to political and bureaucratic bungling as well as a shortage of vaccines, inoculations in Japan are taking off, and the drive is now racing down to the wire with the Olympics starting in one month. https://t.co/GjAf9gOCBf
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 25, 2021
Japan to give 6 mln doses of vaccines to Taiwan, 5 SE Asia nations https://t.co/pBqLEv2u2C pic.twitter.com/DgvOatjH8K
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 25, 2021
Emergency tents erected outside Jakarta hospitals as virus cases surge https://t.co/goGSL9ENEy pic.twitter.com/uuPBJqPeNY
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 25, 2021
Philippines approves emergency use of Bharat Biotech COVID-19 vaccine https://t.co/qbCCxWPjsr pic.twitter.com/3RJMojensW
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 25, 2021
Parts of Sydney will go into lockdown as a coronavirus outbreak in Australia’s largest city continued to grow. Authorities reported an additional 22 locally transmitted cases and imposed a weeklong lockdown in four areas. https://t.co/vNpnWb5n3x
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 25, 2021
Reluctant Muscovites are now queuing in line to get Sputnik so they can keep their jobs. I spoke with some of them:
https://t.co/EhCA6S08Gw— Uliana Pavlova (@pavlovauliana) June 24, 2021
Russia’s Black Sea coastal resorts including popular holiday destination Sochi will no longer accept tourists who haven’t been vaccinated against the coronavirus starting later this summer https://t.co/r3uAuAEAYW
— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) June 25, 2021
To be clear, there are credible and official reports like this and outright outlandish ones like those that likely feed conspiracy theories. The problem is that Russia (and not only) is awash is both.
— Matthew Luxmoore (@mjluxmoore) June 23, 2021
It's almost as if 20 years of heaping steamy loads of "Everybody lies", "There is no truth anywhere" and other whataboutism on a jaded population of a long-suffering country would create a whole generation of people who don't trust anyone and anything under any circumstances.
— Slava Malamud (@SlavaMalamud) June 24, 2021
Nearly 100 supporters of Finland's national football team who traveled to Russia for a Euro 2020 defeat against Belgium have caught the coronavirus, authorities said Thursday https://t.co/qjHrCHZMGq
— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) June 24, 2021
Europe braces for surge in Delta Covid variant https://t.co/91JRWClXDV
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) June 24, 2021
Africa's top health officials say the continent is battling a devastating resurgence of COVID-19 that is hitting faster and harder than earlier waves as countries struggle to vaccinate even a small percentage of their populations. https://t.co/KASHssWFgL
— AP Africa (@AP_Africa) June 24, 2021
Exponential increase in new cases and deaths in Africa. We must beat the virus and race to save lives. #VaccineEquity https://t.co/EhCfdzZUDI pic.twitter.com/12EmPdEQ2c
— Samira Asma (@DrSamira_Asma) June 24, 2021
Help for Brazil: The country that has been hardest hit by Covid in South America is receiving a shipment of 3 million Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses, courtesy of the White House https://t.co/HqOvDTlYMb
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) June 24, 2021
Haiti is still waiting for its first vaccine doses as the country reels from a spike in coronavirus cases and deaths. Officials say vaccinations will start soon but have not given exact dates. https://t.co/mNTBCFjUPb
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 24, 2021
Carnival reported more than $2 billion in quarterly losses as the prolonged suspension of cruises hammered its business https://t.co/33Ku909Xd2 pic.twitter.com/C8kFp43jFU
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 25, 2021
Need to be really clear COVAX dependent on small number of countries G7, G20 making vaccine doses available. If not COVAX cannot miraculously gain access. A small number of countries are the key to global equitable access, saving lives, preventing variants https://t.co/iyRcgIalhl
— Jeremy Farrar (@JeremyFarrar) June 24, 2021
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RT @JohnsHopkinsSPH: "Vaccines work to strengthen immune responses gained during natural infection; that’s why health experts advise people who’ve had COVID-19 to still get vaccinated." https://t.co/BTqVr875tu
— Global Health Observ (@GlobalPHObserv) June 24, 2021
Not conclusive, IMO, but intriguing:
Exactly when the 1st Covid case occurred remains unclear. The 1st documented case was Dec 2019. Evidence suggests the 1st case likely emerged earlier. To clarify timing a mathematical model 1st designed to determine species extinction dates was repurposed https://t.co/FbpQmyjxiC
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) June 24, 2021
Can polio vaccines induce cross-reactive antibodies targeting SARSCoV2? A Johns Hopkins team says 'yes.' The researchers say polio vaccine could potentially serve as a Covid vax substitute in vaccine deficient parts of the world https://t.co/cTusuCXqJf pic.twitter.com/UNjUXcZPuR
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) June 24, 2021
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In the U.S., there's very much a sense that the pandemic is over. Masks are disappearing. People are gathering. Restaurants are crowded.
But people are still catching #Covid19. And a few hundred a day are still dying from it. https://t.co/vAACsjeYMR— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) June 24, 2021
Hawaii to drop virus test, quarantine for vaccinated domestic travelers https://t.co/WFIljBMrFV pic.twitter.com/k6k5sk47jC
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 25, 2021
A #Covid nurse's life, in critical numbers:
— The number of days she'd have to wear the same N95.
— The telephone numbers she dialed to connect gravely ill patients with family.
— The number of times she swore she'd leave nursing. https://t.co/6XM7vzJRGw— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) June 24, 2021
NeenerNeener
Cuomo lifted the state of emergency for NY yesterday. Let’s hope it wasn’t too soon.
Amir Khalid
The Ministry of Health has assured Malaysians that it is perfectly safe to eat durians soon after you’ve been vaccinated against Covid-19. Deputy Minister Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali was refuting a viral rumour that a man had died after getting his shot and then partaking of the fruit.
Cermet
@Amir Khalid: And you are/will be vaccinated today?
Great news that the polio vaccine appears to work against getting Covid! That is a cheap, easy to handle, oral vaccine.
Matt McIrvin
The Boston Globe story is heartbreaking–I remember that period in April when it seemed like people I knew all over the country were rushing to get vaccinated, and I had to just wait my turn. To catch it then, knowing a good vaccine existed, would have been particularly galling. My cousin in PA caught it around then and has had a rough time with long COVID symptoms.
Argiope
@Amir Khalid: I think if I were of a mind to create a conspiracy theory around fruit, it would be tough not to choose durian. That wacky combination of smells-like-natural-gas and tastes-divine-in-an-icy-smoothie just seems suss from the get-go, not to mention those exterior spikes. How do we know durian didn’t leak from a lab? Just asking questions //
YY_Sima Qian
On 6/24 China reported 0 new domestic confirmed & 0 new domestic asymptomatic cases.
Guangdong Province did not report any new domestic confirmed cases.
Imported Cases
On 6/24, China reported 24 new imported confirmed cases, 20 imported asymptomatic cases, 7 imported suspect case:
Overall in China, 30 confirmed cases recovered, 18 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation & 2 were reclassified as confirmed cases, and 1,133 individuals were released from quarantine. Currently, there are 486 active confirmed cases in the country (392 imported), 14 in serious condition (9 imported), 463 asymptomatic cases (443 imported), 9 suspect cases (all imported). 19,000 traced contacts are currently under quarantine.
As of 6/24, 1,120.643M vaccine doses have been injected in Mainland China, an increase of 24.741M doses in the past 24 hrs.
Amir Khalid
Malaysia’s Director-General of Heath Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah reports 5,812 new Covid-19 cases today in his media statement, for a cumulative reported total of 722,659 cases. He also reports 82 new deaths today, for a cumulative total of 4,803 deaths — 0.66% of the cumulative reported total, 0.72% of resolved cases.
There are currently 60,117 active and contagious cases; 870 are in ICU, 433 of them intubated. Meanwhile, 6,775 more patients have recovered, for a cumulative total of 657,739 patients recovered – 91.02% of the cumulative reported total.
21 new clusters were reported today. Of the cumulative total of 2,741 clusters, 873 clusters are still active; 1,868 clusters are now inactive.
5,780 new cases today are local infections. Selangor reports 2,166 local cases: 349 in clusters, 1,048 close-contact screenings, and 769 other screenings. Kuala Lumpur reports 760 local cases: 422 in clusters, 217 close-contact screenings, and 121 other screenings.
Sarawak reports 673 cases:226 in clusters, 357 close-contact screenings, and 90 other screenings. Negeri Sembilan reports 658 cases: 239 in clusters, 224 close-contact screenings, and 195 other screenings.
Penang reports 270 cases: 202 in clusters, 40 close-contact screenings, and 28 other screenings. Melaka reports 223 cases: 81 in clusters, 97 close-contact screenings, and 45 other screenings.
Johor reports 196 cases: 45 in clusters, 107 close-contact screenings, and 44 other screenings. Kedah reports 186 cases: 62 in clusters, 77 close-contact screenings, and 47 other screenings. Sabah reports 156 cases: 30 in clusters, 81 close-contact screenings, and 45 other screenings. Pahang reports 139 cases: 67 in clusters, 50 close-contact screenings, and 22 other screenings. Labuan reports 123 cases: 11 in clusters, 63 close-contact screenings, and 49 other screenings.
Kelantan reports 98 cases: 49 in clusters, 40 close-contact screenings, and nine other screenings. Perak reports 72 cases: 35 in clusters, 23 close-contact screenings, and 14 other screenings.
Terengganu reports 46 cases: 20 in clusters, 13 close-contact screenings, and 13 other screenings. Putrajaya reports 14 cases: 12 close-contact screenings and two other screenings. Perlis reports no new cases today.
32 new cases today are imported: 21 in Selangor, 11 in Kuala Lumpur.
Amir Khalid
@Cermet:
Dose 1 was today, dose 2 will be on 16th July at the same vaccination centre. They gave me the Sinovac.
trnc
WTF is going on in Rhode Island? They’re showing 140,000 active cases out of 152,000 total cases.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/
Amir Khalid
@Argiope:
The funniest food-related urban legend spread among Chinese people here in the 1960s and 1970s: it said that eating pork would make your manhood shrink into your body. Of course it did no euch thing. But that didn’t stop some really insecure/panicky guys from holding on to it with chopsticks while frantically begging their friends to call for an ambulance.
Ten Bears
Still pushing hard to blame it on China, I see, to the point of reverse-engineering a dubious mathematical model to satisfy the answer they were looking for. Pointing the finger a China points three fingers back at the US, Russia and Israel. Me thinks they doest protest too much.
As likely to have thawed out of the thawing tundra …
LiminalOwl
@trnc: Looks to me like a data-entry problem on that chart. My guess, from comparing to other states, is that the “recovered” and “active” entries got flipped.
Soprano2
I saw people on Twitter last night talking about Trump almost dying. Am I a bad person to wish it had been so? I’m sure even that wouldn’t have convinced his cult members that Covid is real and serious, instead they would have spun a wild conspiracy theory about how “the swamp” conspired to kill him off by using the excuse that he had Covid.
Laura Too
@Amir Khalid: Congrats on the shot and thanks for the giggle!
Cameron
@Cermet: Yes, that is terrific if it pans out. Fingers crossed.
Argiope
@Amir Khalid: the chopsticks are definitely the funniest part of the whole thing. Humans are such a suggestible lot. I can only imagine the ER visit…… :)
Peale
@Soprano2: I’m not sure if things would have been worse if he died or better. In the long term, probably good. They can erect statues to his martyrdom. I’d rather have to sit through a few dozen maudlin speeches about his great sacrifices as they erect bronze statues in memorial parks than have to worry that he’ll be president again in 2024. Unfortunately, given their propensity to conspiracy and anger junky desires, they probably would have just blamed Hillary and the deep state and nothing would have changed. Since COVID doesn’t really exist for them, they’d just assume he was poisoned because we could never beat such a wonderful guy otherwise. They’d still have tried to install someone else. I guess the only benefit is that the GOP would be openly shooting at each other for the rights to get to head the party.
drdavechemist
@trnc:
Worldometer’s information page admits that it’s a flawed statistic. California, for example, also shows something like 80% “active cases.” Basically, they just subtract “deaths” and “recovered” from total cases, so if there’s no good mechanism for reporting who has “recovered” (how would you do that?), the number of active cases is artificially large.
In Rhode Island, it looks like the “recovered” tally is basically only people who were discharged after a hospital stay, so if you were never hospitalized you don’t get counted as “recovered.”
Robert Sneddon
Scotland — 1,747 new cases of COVID-19 reported since yesterday and 2 new deaths. The test positivity rate is 6.9%. The new case rate spiked to nearly 3,000 yesterday although that might have been a data collection glitch and catchup. Hospitalisations and ICU bed occupancy are creeping up but slowly indicating that the number of new cases that are serious enough to require intensive treatment is lower than before, possibly due to the high vaccination rates.
Over 30,000 vaccinations were carried out in Scotland yesterday, about 50:50 for first and second doses. This number is down on the 40,000-plus vaccinations a day carried out in the previous few weeks. Over 80% of the adult population have received a first dose of vaccine now with about 60% fully vaccinated.
Despite the high case numbers (about 5x what they were a few weeks ago) the Scottish government is still looking to fully open up shops, pubs, gyms, sports arenas etc. by the middle of July. We’ll see.
Matt McIrvin
@trnc: Data entry error or reporting quirk, I’d guess. Other sites show the situation in RI as pretty typical for New England:
https://covidactnow.org/us/rhode_island-ri/?s=1971887
mrmoshpotato
@Soprano2:
No, you aren’t, and I’m sure more than 600,000 men, women and children would agree. Unfortunately, more than 600,000 of them are too dead to agree for themselves.
trollhattan
My county’s full vaccination rate remains in the 40s. I do not understand people and wish they were less selfish. I also wish I could fly.
Onkel Fritze
Situation here in Colombia is extremely bad. Seems like almost every day we’re hitting new record numbers. Adjusted by population size, we’re doing about as bad as the US was at it’s worst right now. Authorities seem to have given up on countermeasures altogether. I think because of the public unrest in the last 2 months they don’t want to stir the pot. So while about 250 people are waiting for an ICU bed (!) here in the Valle del Cauca region, they’re opening up schools and night-life again. Heading for disaster full throttle.
The only usefull thing they are doing is accelerating vaccinations, but a lot of people won’t go. Two weeks after they’ve opened up vaccinations to people 50+, they went to 40+ because vaccine centers and clinics were running empty while only a fraction of eligible people already had the shot. In my experience, Colombians are almost eager to believe all kinds of stupid shit they read on social media, so there’s that. Colombia just got it’s first consignment of the J&J vaccine which is supposed to go to hard-to-reach regions since it’s the only one-shot vaccine. The wife and I had our 2nd Pfizer shot yesterday.
Searcher
The estimated origin timeline of “no earlier than early October” was previously reported in Nature, IIRC.
The Nature article made it more clear that the simulations basically rule out wide-spread, pre-November spread — you’re basically looking at Patient Zero in early October, like 3-5 people between Patient Zero and the first known case, and maybe a dozen or two people infected in total before the first known patient was likely infected.
Basically what the simulation says is, if the origin was any earlier, we’d have expected it to explode into a pandemic earlier, or if it didn’t, we’d expect it to have burned itself out after a couple of weeks. We wouldn’t expect thousands or tens of thousands of cases to go undetected — if not at the time, then when looking at the data retrospectively — and it’s extremely improbable that the virus would manage to be transmitted successfully to exactly 1-2 people per generation to keep going without dying out for long.
oldster
That AP story on Ross Bagne — are we sure that he didn’t die of Kierkegaard? That stuff can be lethal.
YY_Sima Qian
@Amir Khalid: Congratulations!
I am sure you know, but the 1st dose of the Sinovac vaccines does not confer much protection, especially in light of the Delta variant. You really do need to wait for 2 weeks after the 2nd dose. Furthermore, the risk of break through infection (even if very likely to be asymptomatic or very mild) & transmission w/ the Sinovac vaccine is higher, so certain precautions should still be taken when interaction w/ unvaccinated people (such as masking).
Here is hoping Malaysia gets to 80% coverage of all eligible adults ASAP, then you can really start to relax. Apparently, 6 mo. after your 2nd dose, a 3rd dose of the Sinovac vaccine can increase the antibody by ~ 10X, likely to be the case if the 3rd dose is another vaccine.
YY_Sima Qian
@Searcher: A number of research teams have done simulations using different methods to estimate the origin date of Patient zero, IIRC, and the date tend to fall into Sept. – Oct. time frame. However, I believe this is the origin date for the original Wuhan strain, with its R0 taken as input, not putative precursor viruses that might have already jumped to humans.
I remember another simulation that accounted for the fact that transmission of the original Wuhan strain is dominated by super spreading events. Accounting for this fact, more than two thirds of introductions into humans petered out on their own. A metropolis of nearly 20M people, heading into the Fall, might have been the environment necessary for a series of super spreading events to occur & kick off a pandemic. Wuhan not only houses the WIV, it is also the logistics hub for all of central China, including the wildlife trade.
The estimated Oct. origin will also feed into Chinese CTs that foreign participants to the World Military Games (held in Wuhan in mid-Oct.) brought the virus to the city. However, that is even more speculative than the lab leak theory.