Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

We can’t confuse what’s necessary to win elections with the policies that we want to implement when we do.

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

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

They are not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

I am pretty sure these ‘journalists’ were not always such a bootlicking sycophants.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

Fear or fury? The choice is ours.

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it is not glory.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

One lie, alone, tears the fabric of reality.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

This blog will pay for itself.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

Roe is not about choice. It is about freedom.

Sometimes the world just tells you your cat is here.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

You are here: Home / Healthcare / COVID-19 / COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Sunday / Monday, July 18-19

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Sunday / Monday, July 18-19

by | 95 Comments

This post is in: ,

Glass half full!


======
Important, depressing thread:

======

======

Reader Interactions

95Comments

  1. 1.

    sab

    I agree with Claire McCaskill about pundits and news anchors. Declare your vax status before we have to listen to your opinion on Covid19 or its vaxes.

  2. 2.

    sab

    People in my little city in Ohio are starting to remask. Me also, trying to protect the grandchild too young for vax. Rumor has it the vax protects from Delta variant, but makes us possible asymptomatic carriers. Can’t have that, so masking still.

  3. 3.

    Tony Jay

    For those wondering what information the UK Government had to hand when they decided to remove every single restriction on the spread of the various Covid variants through our partially vaccinated population, here are the estimated figures Imperial College gave them.

    Optimistic Scenario:
    Deaths: 14600
    Hospitalisations: 120 thousand
    Infections: 13 million

    Central Scenario:
    Deaths: 37 thousand
    Hospitalisations: 283 thousand
    Infections: 20 million

    Pessimistic Scenario:
    Deaths: 80 thousand
    Hospitalisations: 580 thousand
    Infections: 29 million

    Yes, this is the information Johnson and Co had when they decided to remove all of the restrictions. A pessimistic estimate of 80,000 more deaths on top of the 150,000+ he’s already responsible for, so why not give the Virus free rein to spread through the vaccinated and unvaccinated alike? But of course, no one can ask the gibbering eunuch about it for a couple of weeks because he’s self-isolating at Chequers after dropping out of that pilot scheme he was in, except he wasn’t in it, though he was in it, except it didn’t exist, but other companies and organisations totally were in it, except they weren’t in it, because it’s not running yet, all because he and his entire staff are lying fold-mold with the reek of terror-piss about them.

    Meanwhile the hand-woven cheesecloth drapery currently figureheading what used to be the Labour Party is responding to this massive open-goal by…. ostentatiously purging left-wing organisations from the Party and protecting racist Party officials and Islamophobic donors from any scrutiny. Golf clap, you useless fucking bleached dog-turd of a man.

    But at least we’ve got our Freedom Day.

  5. 5.

    YY_Sima Qian

    On 7/18 China reported 5 new domestic confirmed & 0 new domestic asymptomatic cases.

    Yunnan Province reported 5 new domestic confirmed cases (all mild, 4 Chinese & 1 Burmese nationals, 1 at Longchuan County & 4 at Ruili, Dehong Prefecture). There currently are 74 domestic confirmed & 1 domestic asymptomatic cases. 1 community at Ruili remains at High Risk. 1 village at Ruili & 1 village at Longchuan County have been elevated to Medium Risk.

    Imported Cases

    On 7/18, China reported 26 new imported confirmed cases, 17 imported asymptomatic cases:

    • Guangzhou in Guangdong Province – 4 confirmed cases (1 previously asymptomatic), 1 Chinese national each returning from Egypt, Guinea (via Dubai), Kuwait & the Philippines; 1 asymptomatic cases, a Chinese national returning from Bangladesh
    • Shenzhen in Guangdong Province – 3 confirmed cases, all Chinese nationals returning from Zambia (via Nairobi)
    • Foshan in Guangdong Province – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from Iraq; 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from Egypt; both off flights that landed at Guangzhou
    • Zhaoqing in Guangdong Province – 2 asymptomatic cases, both Chinese nationals returning from Malaysia, off a flight that landed at Guangzhou
    • Zhongshan in Guangdong Province – 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from the UAE, off a flight that landed at Guangzhou
    • Shanghai Municipality – 4 confirmed cases, 2 US nationals coming from the US, & 1 Chinese national each returning from the UAE & Taiwan
    • Yunnan Province (locations not specified) – 3 confirmed & 1 asymptomatic cases, all Chinese nationals returning from Myanmar via land border crossing
    • Kunming in Yunnan Province – 2 confirmed cases, both Chinese nationals returning from Indonesia
    • Xi’an in Shaanxi Province – 3 confirmed cases, 2 Chinese nationals returning from Uzbekistan (off flights diverted from Beijing) & 1 from Pakistan; 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from Pakistan
    • Beijing Municipality – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from the UAE; 2 asymptomatic cases, no information released
    • Hohhot in Inner Mongolia “Autonomous” Region – 1 confirmed case, off a flight diverted from Beijing
    • Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province – 1 confirmed case, coming from Taiwan
    • Xiamen in Fujian Province – 1 confirmed case, a Mainland Chinese resident coming from Taiwan
    • Lanzhou in Gansu Province – 1 confirmed & 2 asymptomatic, all Chinese nationals returning from Russia
    • Zhengzhou in Henan Province – 1 confirmed case, no information released
    • Taiyuan in Shanxi Province – 4 asymptomatic cases, all coming from Poland
    • Nanning in Guangxi “Autonomous” Region – 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from the US; the case arrived at Xiamen in Fujian Province on 6/29, passed through 14 days of centralized quarantine & tested negative multiple times, upon release from quarantine on 7/13 the case flew to Nanning & re-entered quarantine, testing positive on 7/17; all traced close contacts & environmental samples have tested negative
    • Changchun in Jilin Province –  1 asymptomatic case, coming fro South Korea

    Overall in China, 15 confirmed cases recovered, 14 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation & 4 were reclassified as confirmed cases, and 381 individuals were released from quarantine. Currently, there are 565 active confirmed cases in the country (490 imported), 13 in serious condition (10 imported), 448 asymptomatic cases (443 imported), 0 suspect cases. 7,643 traced contacts are currently under centralized quarantine.

    As of 7/18, 1,456.557M vaccine doses have been injected in Mainland China, an increase of 9.13M doses in the past 24 hrs.

    On 7/19, Hong Kong did not report any new positive cases.

  6. 6.

    mrmoshpotato

    Seems like every person in front of a microphone who spreads health disinformation or anti-vax BS should have to disclose if they took the vaccination.

    Agreed, and then we can launch them into the Sun.

  7. 7.

    mrmoshpotato

    I really wish people wouldn’t give creedence to this microchipping BS, even mockingly.

  8. 8.

    Tony Jay

    @sab:

    I know. Great, isn’t it?

    But of course, when it really starts hitting hard in August and September we’ll hear choruses of “Nobody could have predicted” and “The guidance was perfectly clear” and the Media will happily cover for them, because that’s what they’re paid to do.

    We’re fucked.

  9. 9.

    Cermet

    That the mRNA vaccine creates three times (3x) the number of antibodies (after second shot) compared to getting over covid-19 the hard way is simply amazing. Did we luck out for that vaccine. Yet people prefer death/organ damage over getting a free, fast and painless vaccine with only minor side effects. What world do these people live in …oh, yeah, right. The world of Q and fake (i.e. fox) news and its hideous clones.

    Sorry so many innocents will suffer but I certainly hope all who refuse the vaccine either get long covid or serious organ damage – but not death.

  10. 10.

    Tony Jay

    @mrmoshpotato:

    I don’t see the problem. I’ve had my microchip updated by an App I found on the Dark Web and now I can remotely control most of the new range of surveillance drones from the comfort of my own treehouse.

    What’s not to love?

  11. 11.

    sab

    @Cermet: My daughter in law got an unknown infection February 2020. Been coughing her brains out every morning for more than a year. Got the Covid vx, and the cough disappeared. Anecdotal, I know, but interesting coincidence.

  13. 13.

    sab

    @Tony Jay: I am a luddite, and my vax hasn’t messed up anything. I haven’t activated any apps, so my magnets just sit there doing nothing.

  14. 14.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Cermet:

    That the mRNA vaccine creates three times (3x) the number of antibodies (after second shot) compared to getting over covid-19 the hard way is simply amazing. Did we luck out for that vaccine. 

    Hooray for science!

  15. 15.

    sab

    @Tony Jay: My new clothes washing machine in my basement wants to be on the Web. I keep telling it no, so it doesn’t like me and behaves badly.

  17. 17.

    mrmoshpotato

    @sab:

    My new clothes washing machine in my basement wants to be on the Web. 

    Seriously?  One of the appliances that needs the least interaction for its purpose can now be connected to the Internet of Trash?

  18. 18.

    YY_Sima Qian

    Ughh! I find the western MSM’s coverage of Chinese vaccines, & the Sinovac one in particular, to be truly disgusting, downright malicious.

    A few months ago one could rightly criticize the Chinese vaccine vendors for being less transparent on Phase III trial data, even though it was responsibility of the partner institutions in the nationals where the trials are being conducted to publish them. Since then, Phase III trials data from Brazil & Turkey have been published in peer reviewed journals, & hundreds of millions of shots have gone into arms outside of China.  Chile & Uruguay have published effectiveness studies results from application in the general populations. Both Chile & Uruguay studies estimate that the Sinovac vaccine’s effectiveness to be > 60% for symptomatic disease & > 85% for hospitalization, against the Gamma & Lambda Variants. Turkey’s Phase III trial data showed > 80% effectiveness against symptomatic disease & > 90% effectiveness against hospitalization, against the original strain. No, these are not Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech levels, but broadly similar to J&J/Janssen & AZ/Oxford. The J&J/Jannssen vaccine had 66% efficacy against symptomatic disease & 85% efficacy against hospitalization, from Phase III trials when the original strain was still in the majority. The AZ/Oxford vaccine has the advantage of decent efficacy (> 60%) even after the 1st shot, while the Chinese inactivated whole virion vaccines need both shots, but that advantage has been set back by the Delta Variant. There will certainly be numerous breakthrough infections with those who have taken J&J/Janssen or AZ/Oxford vaccines, even some hospitalizations & deaths. However, I do not seem endless articles doubting their usefulness.

    So the constant drumbeat  in western MSM is unsurprisingly driving up hesitancy in countries that are widely using the Chinese vaccines, but what is the end goal here? After convincing countries not to use the Chinese vaccines, are there hundreds of millions of shots of Moderna & Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines at the ready to plug the gap? Are there billions of such shot to vaccinate the planet? The answer is no! So what the f*ck?!

    It seems more important to reporters, editors & commentators in the West to undercut the effectiveness of Chinese vaccine diplomacy, than the larger public health objective of vaccinating the planet ASAP. This really is not any better than Russian influencing operations stirring up sh*t against US/European vaccines.

    Better to have as many people vaccinated as quickly possible, with whatever approved vaccines available, & use more effective booster shots later when they become available. That is in fact China’s strategy, w/ the BioTNtech-Fosun mRNA vaccine nearly approval, & domestic mRNA in Phase III trial in Mexico & Pakistan.

  19. 19.

    lowtechcyclist

    Seems like every person in front of a microphone who spreads health disinformation or anti-vax BS should have to disclose if they took the vaccination.

    With all due respect to McCaskill, I think that’s weak tea.

    I think we ought to treat our battle with Covid-19 as the equivalent of a war. Those who spread lies and misinformation about the virus are aiding our viral enemy in its efforts to kill as many Americans as possible.

    So try those fuckers for treason. The phrase ‘aid and comfort to the enemy’ isn’t an exact fit only in that the virus has no consciousness, so ‘comfort’ doesn’t really apply. But that’s a triviality. These people are committing treason, and should be put on trial for it. And with any luck, get to live out the remainder of their days at the tropical island resort known as Gitmo.

  20. 20.

    Steeplejack

    Mika Brzezinski reports on Morning Joe that a member of the U.S. women’s Olympic gymnastics team has tested positive for COVID-19. And tennis star Coco Gauff won’t be going because she also tested positive.

    In non-crappy Olympics news: TCM is running documentaries about the Olympics all day today and tonight. Currently on is The Games of the V Olympiad: Stockholm, 1912. “The earliest comprehensive moving-image record of the modern Olympic Games.”

    At 8:00 a.m. EDT is The White Stadium (1928), about that year’s winter Olympics in St. Moritz. Directed by Arnold Fanck, who directed many German “mountain movies” and influenced Leni Reifenstahl. From an IMDB review:

    Highlights include what may be the first movie appearance of Sonja Henie, an absolutely brutal hockey game between Canada and Switerzland and the only Olympic appearance of skijoring, a horse race across a frozen lake where the riders are on skis behind the horses.

  21. 21.

    gkoutnik

    Regarding the American numbers, it is disturbing to read, over and over, “some states did not report.”  Do we know if those states’ numbers eventually get added in, or are we under-estimating our cases and deaths more each day?

    Again – thanks, AL for this first-of-the-day update, pointing to the day’s important and interesting information on an essential topic.

  22. 22.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Seems like every person in front of a microphone who spreads health disinformation or anti-vax BS should have to disclose if they took the vaccination.

    Lying is their default. They’d just lie about that too.

  23. 23.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Steeplejack: Mika Brzezinski reports on Morning Joe that a member of the U.S. women’s Olympic gymnastics team has tested positive for COVID-19. And tennis star Coco Gauff won’t be going because she also tested positive.

    So they tested positive here in the US and hadn’t flown to Japan yet?

  25. 25.

    Steeplejack

    @sab:

    Everyone in my small circle (that I know of) is vaccinated, but I worry about my niece (almost 7) and nephew (5), especially when they go back to school. (Nephew will be entering kindergarten.)

    I am still wearing my mask when I go to the grocery, but I am more open to eating in restaurants now (although I haven’t been actually doing it much).

  27. 27.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @mrmoshpotato: Sorry. Methinks thou dost protest too much. Short of summary execution, there is nothing we can do to influence them one way or the other.

    Sarcasm, it beats killing people.

  28. 28.

    JMG

    @gkoutnik: I know Massachusetts has stopped reporting daily cases on Saturday and Sunday. It’s all lumped in with the Monday report. I don’t think it’s sinister, just an effort to give some bureaucrats in a stressed public health department some down time.

  29. 29.

    Tony Jay

    @mrmoshpotato: 

    I hear ya. Hand on heart, I will engage in full-bore pushback against that kind of nonsense in every field of rhetorical battle other than this one where, as you can see from the testimony of reliable Juicers, the danger of microchip fusion with the emerging AIs of recalcitrant white-goods is a genuine problem that can lead to lost socks and flooded utility rooms if not addressed instantly.

  30. 30.

    sab

    @Steeplejack: Get the phucking vaccine and you won’t test positive. I don’t have a whiff of sympathy for these Un-vaxxed Olympians. This was your shot and you missed this tiny detail?!

  32. 32.

    Jeffro

    @sab: same here in central VA, w/ the remasking…a few weeks ago, the crowds in the grocery store were about 90-95% unmasked; now, we’re probably around 60-70% unmasked.

    I know I’m back to wearing one whenever I’m indoors.

    Thanks, anti-vaxxers!

  33. 33.

    Barbara

    @mrmoshpotato:  Do you know whether they are using PCR test with no floor for deemed positive status? Many docs find this practice to be scientifically uninformed, basically generating a lot of false positives. Nothing would surprise me at this point.

  34. 34.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @sab:Get the phucking vaccone and you won’t test positive.

    Ummmm, lots of vaxxed people test positive, they just don’t get very sick or sick at all.

  35. 35.

    Amir Khalid

    That story in The Diplomat about Malaysia phasing out Sinovac is true as far as that fact is concerned. But to my knowledge all vaccines are having problems with the high infectivity of Delta. It seems to me that the real reason for the phase-out is more likely logistical: there’s no reason to keep more vaccine types on hand than you need, and Malaysia has ordered enough doses of Pfizer to cover the 70% of the population that is still to be vaccinated. It may be that the writer is just a layman speculating beyond his level of knowledge.

  37. 37.

    sab

    @mrmoshpotato: We cannot figure out why it wants to be there and what it it wants once it gets there. It’s a puzzlement.

    My academic sister goes to China a lot, and leaves her uncleaned kitchen abandoned for months on end. Maybe my washer wants to fill that niche (laundry version).

  38. 38.

    Barbara

    @OzarkHillbilly: The issue is what level of viral particles should count as positive. Because PCR is so sensitive it picks up nearly everything.  It’s one reason some sports leagues stopped testing vaccinated athletes. Not sure what the current thinking is, especially with the Delta variant.

  42. 42.

    Barbara

    @YY_Sima Qian: It seems this must be the case for AZ, given the rising level of infections in the UK. This pattern is probably more obvious and easier to detect in countries with lower vaccination rates.  The best thing would have been to get everyone vaccinated really quickly — then none of this would matter.

  44. 44.

    Barbara

    @sab: You can’t say that unless you know what test they are using. See my comment 38 above. It means that even vaccinated athletes and their training staff should probably be self-isolating.

  45. 45.

    Cermet

    @sab: So very glad she has fully recovered! Isn’t that vaccine a miracle that only science can provide!

  46. 46.

    Soprano2

    @sab: I don’t know why you’re saying that when we know for sure that vaccinated people can still contact Covid. Maybe wait for more information?

  47. 47.

    sab

    @Barbara: Facts again. You do this to me a lot (intrude on my rants with facts.) I didn’t mean to be fact deficient.  Facts are useful for meaningful intercourse.

  48. 48.

    Cermet

    @Amir Khalid: So far, no evidence that the mRNA vaccines aren’t very effective against Delta (in preventing serious illness or death.) Of course anyone who is vaccinated will highly likely still get covid at some point. But it will cause no harm or issues for anyone who isn’t immune compromised. Yes, many other vaccines are not as effective and having only one dose isn’t all that effective against Delta but after two shots of an mRNA vaccine, all covid variants  are easily controlled/eliminated by the immune system.

  49. 49.

    Steeplejack

    @sab:

    For example:

    July 18 (Reuters) – Two more members of a Texas Democratic Party delegation of lawmakers who fled their state delaying passage of what they say are restrictive voting laws have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said on Sunday.

    The Texas House Democratic Caucus said in an emailed statement that it’s now providing daily COVID testing for the more than 50 lawmakers who fled Texas. So far, five delegation members have tested positive for COVID—and all are fully vaccinated.

  50. 50.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @sab: Definition of lots: much or colloquially many. Many can mean different things to different people, for the sake of this conversation I use it as “not uncommon” meaning only it happens. If you want a more exact number you are welcome to find one.

    As to my larger point, I have read many scientists and medical professionals here and elsewhere, saying that my J&J vaccine (same for Moderna, and Pfizer to differing degrees) will not necessarily keep me from getting Covid, but that if I do get Covid*, I am far more likely to be asymptomatic, and if I do have symptoms, I am far less likely to end up in a hospital.

    * the full extent of how the vaccines work with the Delta variant in as yet unknown

    Pretty sure you already know all this.

  51. 51.

    Mousebumples

    @sab: I’ll go hunting for links shortly but the vaccines aren’t 100% effective against infection. 99 ish % effective against severe disease and death, but asymptomatic infection can still occur.

    I’m not positive what the rules are with regards to the Olympics but I don’t think we have enough data to know that the vaccines prevent you from spreading COVID if you’re one of the, say, 10% that become infected, especially with the more transmissible Delta variant.

    Off the top of my head, there was a golfer who tested positive and had to drop out of a PGA tourney that he was leading (Unvaccinated) and, i believe, Chris Paul (NBA player) missed a few games in June due to testing positive despite being vaccinated. At least 3 people (coach, player, ref) missed Saturday’s NBA Finals game due to being in the health and safety protocol. If you’re fully vaccinated, you need a positive test to be moved into that protocol. 

  53. 53.

    Cermet

    @Steeplejack: Again, being vaccinate does not in anyway prevent someone from getting infected by covid; what the vaccine guarantee’s is that a normal immune system will quickly clear the virus and you will not get ill or seriously ill. Of course a vaccinated person tests positive even with the vaccine if they are exposed to covid and get infected.

  54. 54.

    Cermet

    @OzarkHillbilly: Not totally; look at the deaths occuring (at least half are delta.) Now look at how many people die from covid (and half are delta) that are vaccinated – something around 0.7% and this number includes immune compromised, diabetic, and obese people.

    These are not small sample sizes so it is highly likely mRNA vaccines are very effective against Delta. Of course, it will take time before the CDC feels its safe to say this officially but the current data doesn’t lie considering the thousands now infected and hundreds of deaths.

  55. 55.

    Feathers

    Re: the gymnast. I follow figure skating Twitter, overlap with gymnastics Twitter. In the interest of jackals knowing what the rumors are, I have no access to truth, I’ll update.

    Lots of no name subtweets in the last few days. Background, one of the alternates is a known Trumper. People asking why she was chosen when she is a vault specialist, when US team is stron on vault. Limits on number of gymnasts in single event mean probable US gymnast will go home without a medal for first time in decades.  Complaints about letting an unvaccinated gymnast going to Olympics. Questions about alternates flying with main team, training with team. Apparently, gymnast who tested positive has been training still, because test assumed to be false positive.
    Again, this is rumor mill, but I always want to know to rumors. Even if they turn out to be false, interesting to know what they were.

  56. 56.

    sab

    @OzarkHillbilly: I sort of knew this in the back of my mind but it didn’t register in any useful part of my brain. This pandemic is so much not over. Another reason to mask. I have young grandchildren.

  57. 57.

    Mousebumples

    What vaccinated people should know about Covid-19 exposure, tests and more – https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/14/health/covid-vaccinated-people-guidelines-wellness/index.html

    Breakthrough infections, or cases among fully vaccinated people, are rare: Out of 157 million people vaccinated by July 6, only 5,186 hospitalized or fatal breakthrough cases have been reported to the CDC, and more than 1,500 of those were asymptomatic, or the hospitalization or death was not related to Covid-19. The CDC notes this is likely an undercount of actual breakthrough cases.

    I would expect the uncounted cases are probably asymptomatic, too?

  58. 58.

    Baud

    @Mousebumples:

    Out of 157 million people vaccinated by July 6, only 5,186 hospitalized or fatal breakthrough cases have been reported to the CDC, and more than 1,500 of those were asymptomatic, or the hospitalization or death was not related to Covid-19

     
    Surely, hospitalization and death indicate symptoms.

  59. 59.

    sab

    @Mousebumples: Breakthrough cases that don’t kill you but are still infectious are still a problem. We all have  families and neighbors we care about.

  60. 60.

    Low Key Swagger

    Hoping David checks in here from time to time.  Here’s my question:  Who is paying for Covid related hospitalizations?  My wife says her hospital is “waiving authorizations” for any Covid related illness, but that would mean private insurers are footing the bill for their enrollees.  Absent that, it’s likely the Federal Govt.  At some point, that will stop.  What happens then?  Can and will private insurers require vaccinations in order to stay covered?  That seems important, and will no doubt be a very contentious issue.

  61. 61.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Cermet: Not totally

    Not totally what? I’m not sure what you are referring to, especially since nothing you say there is contradicted by anything I said.

    @sab: I will be masking up whenever indoors for some time to come. Maybe the rest of my short and inglorious existence. Avoiding crowds is my default, so perfectly normal for me. I think the only thing I really miss is live music.

  62. 62.

    Suzanne

    @mrmoshpotato:  Oh yes. I bought a washer/dryer last winter, both are capable of alerting my phone when they are done. We had to wait about a month for them.

    We also bought a new dishwasher about a month ago and we’re still waiting. Expect to have it in about three weeks.

  64. 64.

    cmorenc

    @sab:

    @Tony Jay: My new clothes washing machine in my basement wants to be on the Web. I keep telling it no, so it doesn’t like me and behaves badly.

    It’s downright stupid to start or leave a washing machine without someone actually present in the household to monitor it.   An unexpected leak can flood and cause considerable expensive damage, especially if the machine is not on the ground floor, and a machine that develops an unbalanced load can start “walking’ and gouge out the flooring.

  66. 66.

    Amir Khalid

    Malaysia’s Director-General of Health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah reports 10,972 new Covid-19 cases today in his media statement, for a cumulative reported total of 927,533 cases. He also reports 129 new deaths today, for a cumulative total of 7,148 deaths — 0.77% of the cumulative reported total, 0.90% of resolved cases.

    There are currently 128,997 active and contagious cases; 915 are in ICU, 435 of them intubated. Meanwhile, 6,439 more patients have recovered, for a cumulative total of 791,388 patients recovered – 85.32% of the cumulative reported total.

    31     new clusters were reported today, for a cumulative total of 3,281 clusters. 920 clusters are currently active; 2,361 clusters are now inactive.

    10,924 new cases today are local infections. Selangor reports 4,364 local cases: 49 in clusters, 2,798 close-contact screenings, and 1,512 other screenings. Negeri Sembilan reports 1,340 cases: 44 in clusters, 955 close-contact screenings, and 341 other screenings.

    Johor reports 872 local cases: 529 in clusters, 221 close-contact screenings, and 122 other screenings.

    Kedah reports 705 cases: 83 in clusters, 349 close-contact screenings, and 273 other screenings.

    Sabah reports 651 cases: 372 in clusters, 177 close-contact screenings, and 102 other screenings. Kuala Lumpur reports 605 local cases: 169 in clusters, 254 close-contact screenings, and 182 other screenings.

    Pahang reports 475 cases: 186 in clusters, 248 close-contact screenings, and 41 other screenings. Melaka reports 474 cases: 248 in clusters, 162 close-contact screenings, and 64 other screenings. Penang reports 426 cases: 146 in clusters, 151 close-contact screenings, and 129 other screenings.

    Perak reports 324 cases: 79 in clusters, 149 close-contact screenings, and 96 other screenings. Sarawak reports 301 cases: 36 in clusters, 187 close-contact screenings, and 78 other screenings.

    Kelantan reports 170 cases: 95 in clusters, 42 close-contact screenings, and 33 other screenings. Terengganu reports 144 cases: 51 in clusters, 65 close-contact screenings, and28 other screenings.

    Putrajaya reports 48 cases: nine in clusters, 33 close-contact screenings, and six other screenings. Labuan reports 24 cases: two in clusters, 16 close-contact screenings, and six other screenings. Perlis reports one case, a close-contact screening.

    48 new cases today are imported: 40 in Selangor, four in Kuala Lumpur, and four in Johor.

    The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) administered 344,961 doses of vaccine on 18h July: 244,781 first doses and 100,200 second doses. As of yesterday, the cumulative total is 14,347,285 doses administered: 9,815,735 first doses and 4,531,550 second doses. 13.9% of the Malaysian population is now fully vaccinated.

  67. 67.

    Mousebumples

    @Baud: yes, but as it says in the article, this includes people that were hospitalized for other things or died of other things (eg heart attacks, car accidents). I didn’t read the full study but there may be more of a breakdown if you click the link.

    @sab: yes, but I don’t think we know how likely sterilizing immunity (eg where if infected after vaccination, you’re not able to further spread the virus) is with each vaccine yet. I’ve heard of speculation to that effect but nothing definitive has been published that I’m aware of.

    And, yes, i agree that we have unvaccinated people we worry about (eg my not quite 2 year old daughter). My husband and i are vaccinated. Her nanny is vaccinated. Her grandparents are vaccinated. I’m masking up still in public places and doing what I can to keep her safe.

  68. 68.

    lowtechcyclist

    @cmorenc: Agreed.  Someone has to be present and awake when the washer’s running in our house.

    Also, it never hurts to have one of those gizmos that sets off an alarm when water’s on the floor near the machine.

  71. 71.

    YY_Sima Qian

    @Amir Khalid: If a country can obtain a surplus (relative to population) of mRNA vaccine doses, great! However, most countries are not in such position, due to either high population or less resources. See Indonesia relative to Malaysia, & Malaysia relative to Singapore.

  72. 72.

    Sloane Ranger

    Sunday in the UK we had 48,161 new cases. This is an increase of 43.3% in the rolling 7-day average. The usual weekend caution applies. New cases by nation,

    England – 44,777 (down 6178)

    Northern Ireland – 537 (down 865)

    Scotland – 1735 (down 582)

    Wales – 1112 (includes Saturday’s figures).

    Deaths – There were 25 deaths within 28 days of a positive test yesterday. This is an increase of 39.4% in the rolling 7-day average. New deaths by nation, 21 in England, 1 in Northern Ireland and 3 in Wales.

    Testing – Not updated at weekends.

    Hospitalisations – Not updated at weekends.

    Vaccinations – As of 17 July, 46,295,853 people had received 1 shot of a vaccine and 35,970,849 had had both. This means that 87.9% of all UK adults have had 1 shot and 68.3% were fully vaccinated.

    General – A member of the government has admitted that having the Health Secretary self isolating after testing positive and the Boss of Bosses and Chancellor both having to self isolate after having been in contact with him (after a massive backlash) is not a “good look” on “Freedom Day” – No shit, Sherlock!

  73. 73.

    Cermet

    @OzarkHillbilly: Just that you didn’t point out that while the CDC hasn’t stated the fact that the mRNA vaccine protects extremely well against Covid Delta. However, it isn’t official so you are certainly correct in not being certain of this – hence my weasel wording of “Not totally”. Sorry for that wording.

  74. 74.

    Barbara

    @Barbara: ​Here is the issue, which has been highlighted here before, with a link to an interview discussing it.

    How can we distinguish between an infection we don’t have to worry about and one that could cause sickness and be transmitted?The simple answer is that we can look at viral loads. Now that the vaccines are being rolled out, the story is going to come out in a much more robust fashion. But it’s the same story that I’ve been telling this entire pandemic: Extraordinarily low viral loads should not, right off the bat, be considered infectious. Instead, we’ve taken the opposite approach: If you’re positive on a PCR test, you’re considered infectious, and you should isolate, no questions asked, no nuance of what that PCR result means.
    But a lot of people aren’t actually infectious when they’re PCR positive — it’s just a little bit of virus replicating but not enough to necessarily transmit and certainly not enough to warrant a ten-day isolation anymore. You can test positive on a PCR machine for up to four or five weeks after you’ve stopped being infectious, which can be a period as short as just three days. Sussing this out is where antigen tests come in.

    <https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/05/what-really-happened-with-that-weird-yankees-covid-outbreak.html

  75. 75.

    Soprano2

    @Baud:more than 1,500 of those were asymptomatic, or the hospitalization or death was not related to Covid-19

    I assume that these are people who were tested because they were coming into the hospital due to other conditions. I would think they are testing everyone who is admitted to the hospital these days.

  76. 76.

    Robert Sneddon

    Scotland — 1,464 new cases of COVID-19 reported, zero deaths (noting that Register Offices are now generally closed at weekends so numbers may be depressed). Test positivity rate is 10.3%. 45 people were in intensive care yesterday with recently confirmed COVID-19, down one from yesterday.

    Just over 18,500 vaccinations were carried out on Sunday, down a little from the now-normal 20,000 vaccinations carried out on a weekday, with the usual spread of one-third first dose. We’re now up to 67.0% of adults fully vaccinated with 89.2% having received a first dose.

    Scotland moved to what’s called level zero today, most COVID-19 restrictions removed although some gatherings are limited in attendance and pubs and clubs, although open for business have to close by midnight. The rules are niggly and not clear and widely disrespected which hasn’t helped in the past. The intention to remove all restrictions on the 8th of August my well be derailed by any noticeable upswing in cases and especially if pressure is exterted on the NHS in terms of staffing, bed spaces etc. Imposing new rules or a hard lockdown again in the future if problems do result will be a lot more difficult.

  78. 78.

    Soprano2

    I talked to two ER nurses who work at Cox Hospital on Saturday night. One of them was celebrating his birthday (both are vaccinated). These people are frustrated and discouraged. They said that in a normal 12-hour shift they have about 100 people coming into the ER. Now, it’s more like 300 a shift! They have to put people who arrive in ambulances, who they know have Covid, in the waiting room because they don’t have anywhere else to put them (my suggestion is to set up a tent outside for them). They said over and over they hear from people who are struggling to breathe and coughing up a lung that they wish they had gotten vaccinated, although they also treat people who continue to deny that it could be Covid. They’re still trying to hire travelling nurses and respiratory therapists. They’ve been sending patients to Kansas City, St. Louis, and Tulsa; on Saturday, they sent a patient to Dallas because there is no room in the hospitals in Springfield, MO.

    I am somewhat heartened by the fact that our largest Assemblies of God church is all in on promoting vaccination and having vaccination clinics since the evangelical community is one of the big problems here, and the local paper did an issue on Sunday dedicated to a lot of community leaders talking about how important it is to get vaccinated. If only our stupid governor would quit spreading misinformation and insulting our hospital leaders here in Springfield by implying that our problem is nothing more than mismanagement of resources.

  79. 79.

    Scout211

    @Barbara:

    Thank you. I have also noticed fewer links supporting posts made by commenters.  I don’t often comment here but I do read the blog daily and I miss the linked comments that used to be plentiful here. To me, it was one of the reasons that the comment section here was a cut above other blogs. Just my opinion.

  80. 80.

    Feathers

    @Feathers: The gymnast with COVID is not the Trumper. However, the issue of the alternates training with the main team remains, this is not the normal practice. Alternates did not train with the main team in Rio.

  81. 81.

    Soprano2

    One detail I forgot to mention from my conversation with the two ER nurses – their youngest current Covid patient is 6 months old! The nurse said he even hated to do the test on a 6 month old baby. So discouraging…..

  84. 84.

    Barbara

    @Soprano2: ​The real question is whether everyone with a positive test is infectious. If you’re asymptomatic but infectious you can become a disease vector.

  87. 87.

    The Pale Scot

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Short of summary execution,

    Flogging, I’m a strong advocate of flogging for white collar crime. Ten lashes in front of every network head quarters, film it put on twitter and facebook

  88. 88.

    Tony Jay

    @The Pale Scot:

    @rikyrah:

    I keep coming back to the jaw-dropping fact that these figures were what they were looking at before they decided to remove every single Covid restriction and order everybody back to ‘normality’.

    80,000 to 140,000+ dead

    Fucking what?!?

  90. 90.

    J R in WV

    I think holding the olympic games during a world-wide pandemic with millions of deaths and worsening strains of the virus is an insane and evil display of greed. The organizers are greedy for the money and power; the athletes for the fame and recognition, leading to money in many cases.

    At least the bleacher seats will be empty.

    We here in the wooded hills of WV are fully vaccinated, as are our immediate neighbors and closest friends. Yet we continue to wear masks when out in public. We did hug friends for the first time in many months back then, but have stopped that potentially risky behavior until we believe the plague is finally over.

    A couple of months ago we went out for dinner at a relatively high-end restaurant for out 50th anniversary, a week or two before that we ate pizza sitting at a sidewalk table on the main drag in town. But we have abandoned that kind of risky activity since Delta came to town!

    I was disappointed to see very little mask-wearing at the Farmer’s Market my last trip to town, I wore a mask, but most did not.

  91. 91.

    Bill Arnold

    @Tony Jay:

    I keep coming back to the jaw-dropping fact that these figures were what they were looking at before they decided to remove every single Covid restriction and order everybody back to ‘normality’.

    You are ruled by psychopaths, and they feel no fear of the general population.

    Psychopaths Feel Fear But See No Danger (August 30, 2016)

  92. 92.

    Soprano2

    @Barbara: ​The real question is whether everyone with a positive test is infectious. If you’re asymptomatic but infectious you can become a disease vector.

    Everything I’ve seen so far says that vaccinated people who are infected have extremely low viral loads, and are not that infectious. It seems that some unvaccinated people are not that infectious, while others are extremely infectious, and scientists aren’t yet sure why this is.

  93. 93.

    glc

    This strikes me as a very informative collection of links today … which is largely unfortunate, as this is a case where for the most part “no news is good news.”

    As always, I appreciate the daily summary (and the work of all the people linked to there).

    Just read Sarah Pinsker’s “A Song for a New Day” (2019) which has become very weird now. Impressive.

  94. 94.

    Tony Jay

    @Bill Arnold:

    Give it time. Political violence coddled on the Right can easily spill over into attacks on the Not Right Enough. Just ask the GOP shitheels who would have been lynched by the Insecurectionists if they’d got their hands on them.

    Off the record, of course. They’re too afraid to be honest about it in public.

  95. 95.

    lowtechcyclist

    @sab:

    This was your shot and you missed this tiny detail?!

    They threw away their shot.

    Clearly not Hamilton fans.

Comments are closed.