Breaking News: The Biden administration is expected to announce that most Americans should get a booster shot eight months after receiving their initial Covid-19 vaccine, and could begin offering the extra shots as early as mid-September. https://t.co/HJf3HoZzQF
— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 17, 2021
The United States is now reporting 130,710 new coronavirus cases per day, the highest seven-day average since February 3, according to data from @CNN and Johns Hopkins University.
— Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) August 16, 2021
This is the visible, tragic, preventable non-COVID impact of #COVID.
Beyond this, the decline in quality of care for those fortunate to get "a bed" in an overstretched system is far more insidious, hard to quantify, and never discussed by those who downplay mitigation. https://t.co/EjC2zOTJPu
— Rajeev Venkayya MD (@rvenkayya) August 16, 2021
Great analogy. Legit traffic can't get through. https://t.co/4KCJkDMju8
— Mig Greengard (@chessninja) August 16, 2021
You can now view 7-day trends in overall and Covid-19 hospitalization occupancy data on the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.
See U.S. and state-level data here: https://t.co/FHC9c0R5VM pic.twitter.com/Q4EwBMOEom
— Johns Hopkins University (@JohnsHopkins) August 16, 2021
Pick a State and look at the #COVID19 rates. Check oUT Oregon, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee….https://t.co/RHAKHW0CyK
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) August 17, 2021
======
China reports 42 new COVID-19 cases on Aug 16 vs 51 a day earlier https://t.co/HS1v7XAf9u pic.twitter.com/C8MFVfAOGc
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 17, 2021
Japan to extend COVID-19 emergency lockdown as cases surge https://t.co/F1i7FLVVRE pic.twitter.com/eq9YPdEJKN
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 17, 2021
Poverty, disease, customs explain why so many Indonesian children die of Covid. The disease kills far more children in developing countries than in rich ones & some factors make kids especially vulnerable in Indonesia https://t.co/NIb6YosobD
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) August 16, 2021
Thailand reports daily record of 239 new coronavirus deaths https://t.co/wpXij6QLDL pic.twitter.com/kfDpG40ts2
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 17, 2021
well anyway, some good news in singapore pic.twitter.com/yLMLOQlQEq
— Gerry Doyle (@mgerrydoyle) August 17, 2021
COVID-19 cases are set to 'rise substantially' in Sydney in the coming weeks despite a prolonged lockdown, authorities said, warning that soaring infections have already put hospitals under enormous strain https://t.co/erKbPagSEQ pic.twitter.com/VK7I9xDZV3
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 17, 2021
New Zealand's Ardern orders nationwide lockdown over one COVID-19 case https://t.co/Fx9ryLD65i pic.twitter.com/6EQ82cLPy0
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 17, 2021
In Britain, more than 1 in 10 Covid patients caught the infection in hospitals during the first pandemic wave https://t.co/fzRG7kn5KJ
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) August 16, 2021
The delta variant of the coronavirus has touched off a vaccination rush across Africa that the slow trickle of donated doses can’t keep up with, compounding the continent’s vaccine disadvantage compared with the rest of the world. By @roduza https://t.co/V4b7yiaFSg
— AP Africa (@AP_Africa) August 15, 2021
Covid Vaccines Produced in Africa Are Being Exported to Europe https://t.co/AJoXirpFK3
— Carl Zimmer (@carlzimmer) August 17, 2021
Bolsonaro worked to shake Brazil’s faith in vaccines. But even his supporters are racing to get their shots. https://t.co/zu4HEs2rTV
— Post World (@PostWorld) August 16, 2021
Canada –
Patience running out for the antics of the unvaccinated. The hypocrisy of anti-vaxxers trying to fraudulently obtain proof of #COVID19 immunity is astounding, by @AllisonHanes.
(Also, note the Nazi imagery in the photo.) https://t.co/TL9gKCU1gV via @mtlgazette #vaccination— André Picard (@picardonhealth) August 17, 2021
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Scientists are homing in on what an immune system that's been protected against #Covid19 looks like. Defining correlates of protection will help answer Qs about when/whether boosters are needed & whether next gen vaccines will work, @DrewQJoseph reports. https://t.co/3TYetSyReH
— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) August 16, 2021
Myth: Kids don't spread COVID
Facts: Younger children may have greater risk of transmitting SARS-CoV-2 to caregivers and siblings in the household than older children.https://t.co/QGkC10jx9N— COVID19 (@V2019N) August 16, 2021
A grim warning from Israel: Vaccination blunts, but does not defeat Delta | Science | AAAS https://t.co/zX4ri70hlM
— Ann Gibbons (@evolutionscribe) August 17, 2021
Faster and cheaper Covid testing, using of all things, pencil lead. University of Pennsylvania research https://t.co/qFLcQrL9wa via @medical_xpress
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) August 16, 2021
======
“I did not realize that the threat of death is inadequate to make people want to go have vaccines,” Dr. Meena said. https://t.co/tgIA1014Nm
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) August 16, 2021
More people are now hospitalized with COVID across Louisiana than at any other time during the pandemic. Overflowing ICUs in New Orleans have forced more than one hundred doctors to pivot from their normal roles to help. pic.twitter.com/QX7DTFGA3w
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) August 17, 2021
Proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test no more than 72 hours old is now required in New Orleans for indoor dining, bars, gyms and concerts, as well as at Saints games. – @NBCNightlyNews https://t.co/nG7xTIe1OW
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 17, 2021
Some Texas hospitals are seeing kids that are simultaneously infected with #COVID19 and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) — some 30 such cases are in Houston hospitals.https://t.co/PkcEsio4bj
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) August 17, 2021
— Mig Greengard (@chessninja) August 16, 2021
Health officials have an unsteady partner as they try to get more people vaccinated against COVID-19 in the Bible Belt: churches and pastors. Some are hosting vaccination clinics, but others are preaching against vaccines. https://t.co/aAWOdiloRo
— The Associated Press (@AP) August 16, 2021
As hundreds of thousands of students returned to schools across the country, parents, administrators and governors clashed over whether masks should be required. The surge of the coronavirus delta variant is making for a rocky start to the school year. https://t.co/WQEQA05lvg
— The Associated Press (@AP) August 16, 2021
Sure, given my various anti-vaccination thimblerigging, more people will get sick, and probably some will die. But my donors will make bank!
As of today, the Camping World Stadium in Orlando will serve as a monoclonal antibody treatment site, open 7 days a week, with a capacity of 320 patients a day.
Expanding access to this treatment will help our most vulnerable stay out of the hospital and save lives. pic.twitter.com/jGl1ClSj6k
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) August 16, 2021
#FollowTheMoney https://t.co/2O7NVscMOW
— Lisa (@LisaNY007) August 16, 2021
14/ Regeneron “still has $34 M worth of drugs to deliver to the US government in the third quarter. But fourth-quarter sales will be ‘DEPENDENT UPON ACCELERATION OF CIVID-19 CASES AND RELATED DRUG UTILIZATION,’ Regeneron said in a news release.” ? 8/5/21 https://t.co/U7ol4JKLUj
— Jennifer Cohn ✍? ? (@jennycohn1) August 17, 2021
In a sane society, DeathSantis would be tried for war crimes, but in ours, this probably helps cement his lock on the 2024 GOP nomination…
With the average hospital bill of a covid-19 patient in an American ICU clocking in at $13,500 per day, Ohio’s lottery programme managed to avoid $66m in hospital charges https://t.co/tFr5eK1vlx
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) August 17, 2021
Border Patrol agents have seized thousands of fake covid vaccine cards destined for locations across the U.S. https://t.co/0CWXqkHjDP
— Jeffrey Levin (@jilevin) August 16, 2021
Cermet
First off, pencil “lead” is graphite, not lead and they should clarify that usage. Yes, the graphic say’s graphite but the headline is silly.
Next, what customs make Covid deadlier for children in Indonesia? No where did I read an explanation of that – yes, poor, yes, extra health issues, yes, people doubt it is an illness of children (we claimed that in our first wave) but no details or a word on why it is a custom issue for children!
Finally, why is J&J allowed to export its vaccine from South Africa to Europe!!! Besides immoral that makes no sense for Europe when it is a washed in vaccines (and most want the mRNA anyway.)
JPL
My second vaccine was February 2, so I’ll be in line as soon as boosters are available. Hospitals across GA are full with some not excepting incoming patients, and a vaccine is the least people can do to help alleviate that situation.
JPL
@JPL: Hospitals are not accepting new patients.
YY_Sima Qian
On 8/16 China reported 6 new domestic confirmed cases (0 previously asymptomatic) & 0 new domestic asymptomatic cases.
Yunnan Province did not reported any new domestic positive cases. There currently are 45 active domestic confirmed cases there. 1 community at Ruili remains at High Risk. 1 village at Longchuan County was re-designated as Low Risk. 3 zones & 2 villages at Ruili remain at Medium Risk.
Jiangsu Province reported 3 new domestic confirmed cases. 17 domestic confirmed cases recovered. There are currently 725 active domestic confirmed & 1 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.
Hunan Province did not reported any new domestic positive cases. 2 domestic confirmed cases recovered. There are currently are 106 active domestic confirmed (including 3 serious) & 18 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.
Henan Province did not reported any new domestic positive cases. 6 domestic confirmed cases recovered. There are currently 160 active domestic confirmed & 1 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.
Hubei Province reported 3 new domestic confirmed cases. There currently are 87 active domestic confirmed (38 mild, 48 moderate & 1 serious) & 67 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.
At Hulun Buir in Inner Mongolia “Autonomous” Region there currently is 1 active domestic confirmed case (at Hailar), who had stayed at the same floor in same hotel at the same time as the confirmed case reported by Yinchuan. 1 residential compound remains at Medium Risk.
At Haikou in Hainan Province there currently are 2 active domestic confirmed cases, a person who had crossed paths w/ the party from Huai’an in Jiangsu Province on company outing at Jingzhou high speed rail station & a worker at the airport. 1 residential compound was re-designated as Low Risk. 1 industrial park remains at Medium Risk.
At Ningbo in Zhejiang Province there is 1 domestic asymptomatic case, a dock worker at the port there.
Alashankou border crossing in Xinjiang “Autonomous” Region did not report any new domestic positive cases. There currently are 3 domestic asymptomatic cases in the city.
Imported Cases
On 8/16, China reported 36 new imported confirmed cases (1 previously asymptomatic), 17 imported asymptomatic cases, 1 imported suspect case:
Overall in China, 52 confirmed cases recovered (27 imported), 16 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation (15 imported) & 1 was reclassified as confirmed case (imported), & 2,735 individuals were released from quarantine. Currently, there are 1,928 active confirmed cases in the country (762 imported), 67 in serious condition (10 imported), 495 active asymptomatic cases (393 imported), 1 suspect case (imported). 44,471 traced contacts are currently under centralized quarantine.
As of 8/16, 1,875.371M vaccine doses have been injected in Mainland China, an increase of 12.443M doses in the past 24 hrs.
On 8/17, Hong Kong reported 3 new positive cases, 2 imported & 1 domestic (a staff member at the airport’s VIP lounge).
NeenerNeener
Monroe County, NY:
146 new cases on 8/15, 4.3% test positivity
1357 deaths
59.5% totally vaccinated
I have an appointment for my booster shot this coming Saturday morning at the CVS in Target.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
Celice should go on home. That 99% survival rate that I see get touted all the time should be working in her favor, and as she and her husband have done their research on Dr Google, surely they can manage with some good of’ American know how – maybe avail themselves of some YouTube videos on sucking phlegm from lungs.
Royston Vasey
Our first case in the community since February.
We think it is Delta (but don’t know for sure).
Auckland goes into Level 4 total lockdown for 7 days
The rest of New Zealand goes into Level 4 total lockdown for 3 days, effective midnight (in about 2 hours).
All this for one case.
satby
I’m not comfortable getting a booster shot when so much of the world needs a first shot. I wish logistics were better at allocating doses where people will actually use them instead of wasting them hoping MAGAts will see reason, and sending more to other countries that need them. This country won’t really be safe until more of the world is vaccinated too. The current doses have shown adequate protection for most people without suppressed immunity.
MomSense
@JPL:
I made my mom
Go to Walgreens and just get a shot on Saturday. I feel like she is too exposed because I’m going to work every day and my son starts school on the 1st.
MomSense
@Cermet:
Why is J&J exporting vaccine to Europe when Africa needs it? $$$
YY_Sima Qian
@Royston Vasey: Unless the source of infection is quickly established, 1 detected case of Delta from community transmission could easily mean a cluster of a dozen cases. Wait a week & it becomes 100 cases spread across both islands. However locking down the South Island seems aggressive. Should suffice to ask anyone who has traveled from Auckland in the past 7 days to quarantine.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@satby:
Go ahead and get it – the dose you receive will go nowhere else anyway.
Viva BrisVegas
@Royston Vasey: The current Sydney outbreak also started with one case.
It’s now right across the state solely because the state government figured they didn’t need to lock down just for one case.
They eventually locked down for thousands anyway.
Princess
Americans would be safer as a group if their third “booster” shots went somewhere else in the world instead of in their arms. But Americans don’t seem capable of acting as a group so oh well.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@Viva BrisVegas:
Zero COVID is a chimera, as Jacinda will soon find out.
Societal catastrophe is what comes from all the can-kicking advocated by the likes of Deepta Gurdasani and Zoe Hyde (“can-kicking”=“delaying the inevitable while instilling a feeling of complacency and dejection”). I’m thinking that there’d be fewer, shorter lockdowns in the Antipodes if the public health officials and the academic epidemiologists advising and pressuring them had their own pay stopped for the duration of each lockdown, with no backpay given after.
Give them some skin in the game, so to speak, so that they can learn to balance.
satby
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Probably not, but I view that as a failure. And I’m not in a group approved for boosters anyway right now.
Both of my office vaccine refuseniks were on vacation last week, back yesterday, and one notified me last night her mom tested positive yesterday. So she’s out getting tested today, because they all travelled together. Fortunatly, we’re pretty rigid about mask compliance in the office. And since this chick is the one who previously had covid, I think the doctor will be ready now to drop the hammer and tell her not to come back without a vaccination.
OzarkHillbilly
Ummm yeah, NOLA son reports that he has been losing shifts at both his jobs and tips are down to boot, because people just aren’t coming in like they had been. Surprise!
Also reports a couple on the job run ins with maskholes and unvaxerminators.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@satby:
Everybody in my shop is vaxxed, as Delta is a hell of a lot more ready to travel than we are in the legal community. Office occupancy on my floor is now down 15%, people aren’t coming in as much, and my parking garage is nearly as empty as it was when we were at the height of protests and COVID last June.
There seems to be a feeling of existential dread – I’m even noticing a drop in zoom dockets, as family court filings have slowed to a crawl.
WhstsMyNym
That South African plant does not actually make the J&J vaccine…
ETA: the European vaccine is coming from a European plant and then going to SA put in vials.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@OzarkHillbilly:
Wife is in a deep dark spiral about her career at this point – she’s been cancelling big trips for folks that she booked this spring, and she advises that flight schedules to Europe have been collapsing. Her big value travel – Aus/NZ, Africa, Asia, India, South America, Antarctica – is all pretty unattainable and will remain so for quite some time. Despite pent-up demand, it’ll be years before aircraft load factors and routes return to 2019 levels, so that means diminished big ticket travel, and trashed commission levels.
New Deal democrat
Okay, just for a little (relatively) good news:
Recently I’ve speculated in a few places that Delta may be acting as a backfire-type firebreak against Lamdba, which has been getting a lot of press as potentially evading vaccines.
Confirmation that this may in fact be the case comes from Dr. Eric Topol who writes:
The graph referenced by link in Topol’s tweet is utterly compelling.
In bad news, US COVID deaths per day over 700.
Finally, when will Biden shut down the ability of FL and TX to spread COVID to other States?
WereBear
I don’t know how anyone reaches the age of six without realizing wishing won’t make it so.
John S.
Deathsantis is getting rolled on Twitter for his obvious stupidity.
“It’s like railing against smoke detectors while increasing the budget for firefighters to put out fires.”
”It’s like saying seat belts aren’t needed while investing in exoskeletons for people injured in car crashes.”
And yet, this fucking piece of shit is still likely to get re-elected as governor.
WereBear
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: This thing sucks for everyone except scammers.
satby
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: We could use a little existential dread around here, where a good 50% of the people have never acknowledged a pandemic was occurring anyway: no masks, vaccines, social distancing, etc. This is the third time this particular worker has gone out for a test (once resulting in an active infection), and the doctor just told her in a group chat that she’s going to have to quarantine from her job for two weeks whatever the test returns because of the exposure. Needless to say, she’s upset she’s going to lose two weeks of pay. Also needless to say, the rest of us are completely sick of her bullshit in not getting vaccinated and exposing us 3 times to covid. I would love for her, and several others we have to do battle with EVERY FUCKING DAY just to put on a mask to feel some existential dread. It’s overdue.
Matt McIrvin
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: The United States is such a continuous screaming catastrophe compared to New Zealand in every way that this kind of pronouncement just seems comical to me. They’ve had way more periods of relative normalcy than we have.
Their main problem is that they’ve been slow to get people vaccinated, maybe because the situation conveys less urgency. But now they’re on the rapid upslope, so maybe they can ease up when they get shots to a large majority of peope.
Matt McIrvin
@New Deal democrat: When it comes to competition between COVID variants, sheer rapid reproduction beats the ability to evade preexisting immunity. Delta has been out-competing these other variants by brute force.
Beta and Gamma also get intermittent press for the lesser effectiveness of vaccination-induced antibodies against them, to the point where vaccine companies were working on tailored vaccines against Beta, but Beta and Gamma have pretty much died out.
Amir Khalid
Malaysia’s Director-General of Health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah reports 19,631 new Covid-19 cases today in his media statement, for a cumulative reported total of 1,444,270 cases. He also reports 293 new deaths today, for a cumulative total of 13,077 deaths — 0.91% of the cumulative reported total, 1.10% of resolved cases.
There are currently 252,147 active and contagious cases; 1,059 are in ICU, 525 of them on ventilators. Meanwhile, 16,468 more patients have recovered, for a cumulative total of 1,179,046 patients recovered – 81.64% of the cumulative reported total.
39 new clusters were reported today, for a cumulative total of 4,257 clusters. 1,360 clusters are currently active; 2,897 clusters are now inactive.
19,624 new cases today are local infections. Selangor reports 5,753 cases.
Sabah reports 2,103 cases.
Kedah reports 1,863 cases. Kuala Lumpur reports 1,765 cases. Johor reports 1,309 cases. Penang reports 1,275 cases. Kelantan reports 1,268 cases. Perak reports 1,101 cases.
Sarawak reports 835 cases.
Pahang reports 670 cases. Melaka reports 623 cases.
Terengganu reports 498 cases. Negeri Sembilan reports 490 cases.
Putrajaya reports 41 cases. Perlis reports 37 cases.
Labuan reports no new cases today.
Seven new cases today are imported.
The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) administered 501,776 doses of vaccine on 16th August: 175,874 first doses and 325,902 second doses. As of midnight yesterday, the cumulative total is 28,312,631 doses administered: 17,252,314 first doses and 11,060,317 second doses. 52.8% of the population have received their first dose, while 33.9% are now fully vaccinated.
rikyrah
Already called about my two-time cancer surviving sister. She can go and get her booster anytime. It will be this week.
As for me, don’t have to ask me twice
I AM THERE
rikyrah
@satby:
Oh satby ???.
I am pissed for you
rikyrah
@Viva BrisVegas:
Why aren’t they vaccinated?
Chris Johnson
I’m down for a booster shot when it’s appropriate. The days I get a covid shot, I get a tub of Ben and Jerry’s, and ONLY those days. Call it an unorthodox diet where I still get to nom ice cream on special occasions :)
As far as the analogy of a DDOS attack on our medical infrastructure… that is not an analogy. It’s being driven by outside forces and is not entirely homegrown idiots just naturally idioting. Lots of money, attention and energy is going into making us be this way and as such it is literally a DDOS attack on our medical infrastructure and should be understood as such. There’s this presumption that impossibly toxic psychopaths who are organized and directed are also making it up out of their own fool heads, and I’d like to see that examined.
A better analogy is that guy who got caught setting massive wildfires in California, on purpose. He’s an arsonist on a massive scale. The conditions were primed for maximum damage, but he was the one who was trying to pivot around and set other fires to trap firefighters.
Same deal. Covidiots and antivaxxers are primed to be a big problem, but those fires are being set to overwhelm the firefighters and ambush them. It is literally a DDOS attack on our infrastructure. I think our Democrats in Washington do understand this, but understanding doesn’t give you the magic power to scamper around the forest individually snuffing out flames.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
That Covidestim sight is interesting reading, it shows that with just slightest political will things can be brought under control.
As I see the numbers are surging in South Dakota. I suppose the press will be hailing Governor Kristi Noem as they genius who beat the virus soon now that DeSantis is dimming.
And Florida, Holy Shit!
Sloane Ranger
Monday in the UK we had 28,438 new cases. This is an increase of 4.8% in the rolling 7-day average and there may still be cases awaiting processing after the weekend office closures. New cases by nation,
England – 23,171 (up 312)
Northern Ireland – 1306 (up 12)
Scotland – 1567 (up 69)
Wales – 2394 (up 1295).
Deaths – There were 26 deaths within 28 days of a positive test yesterday. This is an increase of 1.6% in the rolling 7-day average. 20 deaths were in England, 3 in Northern Ireland and 3 in Wales. None in Scotland.
Testing – 674,479 tests were done on Sunday, 15 August. This is an increase of 0.5% in the rolling 7-day average. The PCR testing capacity reported by labs on that date was 720,049.
Hospitalisations – Not updated since last Thursday.
Vaccinations – As of Sunday, 15 August, 47,333,702 people had received 1 shot of a vaccine and 40,703,581 had had both. This means that 89.5% of all adults in the UK had had 1 shot as at that date and 77% were fully vaccinated. Still no news on uptake among 16 and 17 year olds.
satby
@rikyrah: Well, I’m annoyed because I have to restaff for two more weeks, plus if she ends up positive the store protocol may mean closing the store for a deep clean. Had she been vaccinated, no quarantine required, just normal covid protocols.
I’m not particularly worried about being exposed, because I’ve been exposed every single day (with Sundays off ?) for the last 15 months. Vaccines and masks and sanitation work.
MomSense
@satby:
I admire you for your stance on this. I just feel like we are at the mercy of too many sociopaths not to do everything we can to protect ourselves and the people we care about.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
Orange County wastewater COVID detection up 600% since May (when tests started). FOX commenters are livid.
https://www.foxnews.com/health/concerning-levels-covid-19-florida-county-wastewater-officials-say
Matt McIrvin
I’ll get a booster when they tell me to get a booster. From a completely selfish perspective, it will undoubtedly do more good than harm to me and mine.
However, it does seem to me as if the push for boosters for everyone who’s already vaccinated is getting ahead of real data about whether they are needed (beyond small-N studies and potentially misleading measures like antibody titers), and it’s at the neglect of vaccinating the whole world, which would make us all safer in the long run.
Betty Cracker
@John S.: I fear you are right about reelection because millions of Floridians have the attention span of a concussed garden snail. But for sure, DeSantis’s handling of the current COVID spike is unpopular.
I read yesterday that the Hillsborough Co. School District, which began classes a week ago today, already has 5,500 students and 300+ teachers in quarantine. There will be an emergency meeting about it today, I think.
It’s harder to shove events down the memory hole when they personal scare and/or inconvenience voters. (To clarify, I’m not talking about hardcore MAGA choads, who’d do COVID shots if Trump or DeSantis were dishing them out; I mean low-info, loosely affiliated voters.)
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Chris Johnson: I think you are missing that this problem is easily a century in the making. It’s just this pandemic brought it out. Go look up Colonel Kellogg, it will sound quite familure.
Nelle
My husband and i are getting the third shot this morning. I prefer that it go to my family in Congo. But I can’t get it to them.
Iowa threw away approximately 80,000 doses recently and is about to throw away approximately 200,000 doses soon. We are both in our 70’s, with various health issues. Better in our arms than in the rubbish bin.
Cameron
@Betty Cracker: If the rest of Florida follows Hillsborough, the school year will end about the middle of September.
satby
@MomSense: Thanks. And I agree, we’re all at risk from the sociopaths, and it’s appalling that the society has enabled and rewarded sociopathy instead of discouraging and penalizing it. I hope the tide is starting to turn.
Kay
@Betty Cracker:
A lot of them have gone from denial to a kind of fatalism- they now insist it’s entirely random and none of the interventions work, which of course is better for them – it’s not their fault if they or other people get sick – just a bad break. Could have been them, could have been a masked or vaccinated person, same risk.
It also allows them to continue to support the Republicans who put them at risk.
The switch has happened so quickly it must be all over Facebook.
satby
This. And hogging vaccines we don’t need while others desperately wish for a single dose is it’s own short-sighted sociopathy, while making us all at risk of a new varient appearing.
edit: to be clear, if you live in a state where they throw vaccines away and you’re eligible, you may as well get one, as Nelle points out. That our country is throwing so many vaccines away needs to change though.
espierce
@Betty Cracker:
https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2021/08/16/early-covid-counts-push-hillsborough-schools-to-consider-stronger-mask-rules/
Matt McIrvin
@Kay: “Both sides are bad”/”nothing matters anyway” is almost always the first fallback position for people whose illusions have been broken.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@Matt McIrvin:
I am always amused by the “both sides are bad” independents/libertarians who nonetheless pull the R lever every election.
They fool nobody.
Betty Cracker
@Kay: That seems to be the official line: It’s all a crap shoot, so just do what you want. Just saw a clip on Twitter with the governor of Mississippi, a state that’s in terrible shape, chiding a vaccinated person for wearing a mask because it’s “virtue signaling.” Unreal.
lowtechcyclist
@Betty Cracker:
And my wife and son and I are down here in the petri dish, visiting her folks in Plant City. Not that we were expecting it to be any different from this – we brought along N95 masks to use for going to the grocery store and similar errands, and we’re using them – but this really brings it home, the extent to which they’ve lost control down here.
It shouldn’t be like this. And it’s only like this because one political party has decided to betray its country, that it will try to maintain its grip on power no matter what the cost to this nation and its people.
lowtechcyclist
It’s crazy that hospitals are having to turn away patients who desperately need hospitalization, on account of being drowned in anti-vaxxers with Covid.
I think it’s time for a two-tier prioritization, at least for non-pediatric care. If you need hospitalization for non-Covid reasons, you’re in the first tier. Ditto people who need hospitalization for Covid who have either been vaccinated, or had legitimate medical reasons to not be vaccinated.
All the Covid cases who could have gotten vaxxed but didn’t, are in tier two.
If you’re in Tier 1 and you need hospitalization, and there’s a Tier 2 Covid patient in the hospital you’d ideally be sent to, you bump the Covid patient, and that person gets sent to a more distant hospital that has room.
I bet such a system would convince a lot more people to get vaccinated. But even if it didn’t, it would keep the unvaxxed Covid patients from making things worse for other people needing hospitalization.
VOR
I’ve never heard of Colonel Kellogg so I googled that name. I got:
And that’s just on the first page of results. You’ll have to be more specific as to which Colonel Kellogg.
Robert Sneddon
Scotland — 1,815 new cases of COVID-19 reported with nine new reported deaths of someone who had tested positive. Test positivity rate is 10.6%. Hospitalisations and ICU bed occupancy numbers are remaining steady. This represents a significant uptick in case numbers and test positivity since the relaxation on restrictions cut in over a week ago, something I don’t find surprising. We’ll see if it translates into higher levels of hospitalisation and ICU bed occupancy later (which it will, almost certainly).
Just over 17,500 vaccinations were administered in Scotland yesterday (Monday) with about 20% of those vaccinations being first doses. 78.1% of the adult population are now fully vaccinated with another 12.2% having received their initial dose of vaccine. Looking at the distribution of vaccine coverage by age it appears that most second dose vaccinations are currently going into the arms of people aged between 30 and 50. Those would be folks who got their first dose some time in June this year.
There’s still no announcement on booster vaccinations for the UK population although the matter is “under constant review”. There’s a double-blind booster trial going on in the UK right now with results due in about a month or so and I expect the government(s) here in the UK will wait for the JCVI to crunch the numbers from that trial and make recommendations then. The current COVID-19 news-drama is about some parents of some at-risk children under the age of 16 who have been promised vaccination complaining that it’s not happening RIGHT NOW for them. I have some sympathy for them and at the same time I know it’s not as simple as these parents think to organise this sort of vaccination program and carry it out properly.
Chris T.
@lowtechcyclist: You know, I think I’ll modify my “modest proposal” into a real one: anyone who shows up at any ER, anywhere, gets a Covid-19 vaccine. Even if they’re already vaccinated. We have vaccines going to waste, let’s put ’em to use. You go in for a hangnail, you get vaccinated. You go in for Covid symptoms, you get vaccinated. Don’t want to get vaccinated? Don’t show up at the ER.
This will, if nothing else, free up the necessary ICU beds.
UncleEbeneezer
@New Deal democrat: How would Biden do that, exactly?
New Deal democrat
@Matt McIrvin: Agreed.
New Deal democrat
@UncleEbeneezer:
Declare a state of emergency (like Trump did for the “wall,” and use the Federal power over interstate commerce. Play maximum hardball, just like DeSantis and Abbott are.
smith
Don’t know whether to laugh or cry: Trump Hotels Impose COVID-19 Mask Mandates as Republicans Condemn Them
MontyTheClipArtMongoose
@VOR: are their bowels immaculate?
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Matt McIrvin:
This
Uncle Cosmo
First off, “says” has no apostrophe – did you fail English 101?
Second off, Sparky, LEAD is a snappy acronym for Low-cost Electrochemical Advanced Diagnostic. Looks like you breezed right past that to focus on “yes, graphite, butbutbutbut…”
If anything is silly here, it’s your eager “shooting from the lip” without taking a few seconds to understand what you criticize – a trait you share with all too many portside Dunning-Krugerites who grace this blog with their “whizzdumb.”
Annoyed-Aussie
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: My South Australian nieces and nephews, who have enjoyed the last 1.5 years with mask-free, in-person school and weekend sports, are the counter-evidence to this statement. Your knock on “zero tolerance” seems pretty disconnected from the reality on the ground. New Zealand, Tasmania, Western and South Australia are what societies / leaders that take their responsibilities to others seriously look like. On balance they have had a much better life during COVID than the rest of the world.
Just because it was never possible for the US, for a whole host of reasons, doesn’t warrant dismissing that it works elsewhere.
Royston Vasey
@Annoyed-Aussie: New Zealand has just started our first Level 4 (everybody stay at home) lockdown since the end of April 2020. It is only for 3 days nationwide, but 7 days in Auckland (where the single infection was discovered in the suburb of Devonport).
Apart from closed borders, we have lived a relatively normal life with no mask mandates (apart from on aircraft), and everything open. Has it been worth it? Hell yes. NZ is on <3k cases (26 deaths) since this whole thing started. We have handled this very well.
The vaccine rollout has been a bit slow though – I only had my 1st shot on Monday. Most of the country under 50 hasn’t had a shot yet, so going in to a mini-lockdown is a good move.
RV in NZ
dkinPa
@Chris T.: Love your suggestion! Won’t happen, but I love it.
West of the Rockies
@satby:
Can she be sacked, fired?
Jay
@VOR:
the crazy Corn Flakes Kellogg,
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Harvey_Kellogg
Fair Economist
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Based on YY_Sima Qian’s thorough reporting, Zero COVID is very much possible even in a country far more difficult to control disease in than New Zealand. It’s achievable and NZ’s current actions are going to achieve it again. The consequence of their actions (in both countries) has been very limited deaths *and* the best economic performances in the world. Zero COVID is a win/win policy.
Perhaps, once everybody has been vaccinated, NZ and/or China will decide it’s not worth *continuing* a zero COVID approach. But it will be a rational and informed choice, and they will have substantial long-term benefits – health, economic, and governmental legitimacy – from their successful strategies.
J R in WV
Made grilled sharp cheddar samiches on bakery bread with thin sliced vidalia onions on them. Sweet lunch!
Now I’m going to talk about triage. When a medical unit is overwhelmed they do triage, it is standard operating procedure. Triage means you treat the incoming patients who have the greatest likelihood of survival with treatment.
Patients with a low likelihood of survival even with treatment get palliative care off to one side. Like all the morphine they need to not suffer, which is final palliative care Hospice delivers, like my dad received near his death.
I personally believe that overwhelmed hospitals need to have National Guard tents way out in the parking lot for unvaccinated patients. They should get all available medical care after vaccinated patients are fully cared for. Not necessarily Ventilators, which are really tricky to manage, but regular O2, sure. And cardiac patients should come before unvaccinated Covid19 patients, same for cancer patients, people who desperately need surgery.
These mask-holes refusing vaccinations, they go in the tent after they’re vaccinated. If they won’t accept a vaccination, they get to call a friend to take them home. No charge for that call… Personal responsibility for all those vermin. I’m done with them.
Did you all see the video of that belligerent maskhole on the subway attacking an old lady wearing her mask? There were plenty of young fit people wearing masks, but the Mask-hole went for a tiny grandma who couldn’t possible defend herself from him. Brave bully. I hope he is identified, loses his job, gets indicted for assault, can’t make bail, gets infected quickly. Monster on two legs.
dnfree
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: my daughter sings for a living (weddings, charity functions, corporate functions, etc.) with a large orchestra group in Chicago. Her job was gone for the past 18 months—she did some small outdoor things like singing telegrams, but that’s not a living. Now she’s doing 4-5 gigs a week (exhausting) but wondering how long it’s going to last.
Ruckus
@Royston Vasey:
I noticed that NZ did this, a total lockdown for one case.
Bravo for NZ and your prime minister. She seems to be 3-4 million percent smarter than our last president. And about the same amount less asshole.
WaterGirl
@satby: Good for the doctor! Now she just needs to go a little further – no vaccine, no job in this office.
Ruckus
@Matt McIrvin:
Looking at the CDC site this morning and the VA site it seems they are pretty clear the booster is for mNRA vaccines only and only for specific immunocompromised people, and that’s around 3% of the population. They say it’s safe for most people but unnecessary for most because other than that 3% we are at 90%, I can’t remember the term, but it means good to go.