Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

Today’s GOP: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

I really should read my own blog.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

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

Republicans in disarray!

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

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

… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP

“Squeaker” McCarthy

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

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

An almost top 10,000 blog!

People are complicated. Love is not.

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

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

You are here: Home / Healthcare / COVID-19 Coronavirus / COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Wednesday / Thursday, Aug. 18-19

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Wednesday / Thursday, Aug. 18-19

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…[Y]ou probably still won’t want to finagle your way into a dose before your turn, because skipping the line conceivably could hurt your protection in at least one way. Marion Pepper, an immunologist at the University of Washington, told me that overstimulating the immune system can make your body less adept at fighting off certain infections; scientists haven’t yet figured out whether that’s true for COVID-19, but Pepper sees it all the time in her work on malaria. Your immune system “needs some time and space to calm down in between seeing one infection and the next one” so that it can hone its pathogen-detection skills, Pepper said. Hitting it with another vaccine before it’s ready might not make it any better at fighting the coronavirus. (For immunocompromised people, whose bodies likely didn’t produce enough of an inflammatory response to get sufficient protection from their first two shots, this isn’t as much of a concern. “​​The priority there is to let them get their immunity at a good level,” Ellebedy said.)…

That’s not to say that you forgoing a dose will immediately teleport it to a vulnerable person in one of the dozens of countries worldwide where less than 5 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. “Vaccines that are already available and being manufactured here in the United States are not going to be rerouted to global markets right now,” Schwartz said. Even so, healthy, young Americans clamoring for bonus shots is far from the most pandemic-thwarting use of resources. Esther Choo, a professor of emergency medicine at Oregon Health and Science University, recommended that fully vaccinated, non-immunocompromised people who are concerned about their own safety spend their energy advocating for vaccine equity worldwide, which will ultimately protect them too. Faking your way to a third dose can skew data on vaccine efficacy, making it harder for epidemiologists to fight the coronavirus in the long run, Choo told me…

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H/t lurker Susan and commentor Rikyrah:

‘Take it up with the Pope…’

Reader Interactions

81Comments

  1. 1.

    mrmoshpotato

    Scientists I spoke to today had a lot of questions about the administration’s decision to start giving Americans 3rd doses of the mRNA vaccines next month. “I’m not sure we had enough [data] to pull the trigger right now,” one said.

    Understandable, but we can pull the trigger on launching all of the Dump-humping plague rats, and pedos like Matt Gaetz into space.

  2. 2.

    mrmoshpotato

    The unvaccinated are prolonging the pandemic. Some states (mostly in the South) have run out of ICU beds, and others are on the brink of doing so

    For some, it’s suicide by Dump humping. Good on ya!

  3. 3.

    YY_Sima Qian

    On 8/18 China reported 5 new domestic confirmed cases (0 previously asymptomatic) & 0 new domestic asymptomatic cases.

    Yunnan Province reported 1 new domestic confirmed cases (mild, a Burmese national), found via screening locked down area at Ruili in Dehong Prefecture. There currently are 44 active domestic confirmed cases there. 1 community at Ruili remains at High Risk. 2 villages at Ruili remain at Medium Risk. 

    Jiangsu Province reported 3 new domestic confirmed cases. 17 domestic confirmed cases recovered. There are currently 684 active domestic confirmed & 1 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.

    • Nanjing did not reported any new domestic positive cases. 4 domestic confirmed case recovered. There currently are 156 active domestic confirmed (31 mild & 125 moderate) cases in the city. The Lukou Sub-District has been re-designated as Low Risk.
    • Yangzhou reported 3 new domestic confirmed cases (1 mild & 2 moderate), all already under quarantine in residential compound under lock down. 13 domestic confirmed cases recovered. There currently are 516 active domestic confirmed (89 mild, 391 moderate, 25 serious & 11 critical) cases in the city, though more than half are actually being treated in Nanjing. 7 sub-districts, 1 township, 1 zone & 1 village remain at High Risk. 27 zones/sites are currently at Medium Risk.
    • At Huai’an there currently are 12 active confirmed cases in the city, all members of the group that had gone to Zhangjiajie.
    • At Wuxi, there currently is 1 active domestic asymptomatic case in the city, a person involved in processing incoming visitors/returnees from overseas & not connected to the Delta Variant outbreak from Nanjing.

    Hunan Province did not reported any new domestic positive cases. 2 domestic confirmed cases recovered. There are currently are 103 active domestic confirmed (including 3 serious) & 16 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.

    • At Changde there currently are 3 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city, all had ridden on the super-spreading boat cruise.
    • At Xiangtan there currently are 2 active domestic confirmed & 2 domestic asymptomatic cases in the city, all having been on the super-spreading boat cruise at Changde on 7/24.
    • At Changsha there currently are 2 active domestic confirmed & 3 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city, 2 had ridden on the super-spreading boat cruise at Changde on 7/24 & 3 from transmission chains related to 2 of the domestic confirmed cases reported by Beijing.
    • At Yiyang there currently are 3 active domestic confirmed & 5 active domestic asymptomatic case in the city, all traced close contact of domestic confirmed cases reported by Beijing.
    • At Zhuzhou there currently are 29 active domestic confirmed & 1 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city, 7 had gone on the super spreading cruise & rest are their close contacts.
    • Zhangjiajie did not reported any new domestic positive cases. 2 domestic confirmed case recovered. There currently are 65 active domestic confirmed & 2 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 2 areas & 1 community remain at High Risk. 7 sub-districts remain at Medium Risk.
    • At Xiangxi Prefecture there currently are 2 active domestic confirmed cases in the city, both close contacts of the party from Huai’an.

    Henan Province did not reported any new domestic positive cases. 11 domestic confirmed cases recovered. There are currently 148 active domestic confirmed & 1 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.

    • Zhengzhou did not report any new domestic positive cases. 11 domestic confirmed cases recovered. There currently are 120 active domestic confirmed & 1 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 1 sub-district remains at High Risk & 18 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
    • Shangqiu did not reported any new domestic positive cases. There currently are 15 active domestic confirmed cases in the city (13 at Yucheng County), all in transmission chains connected to the nosocomial outbreak at Zhengzhou. 2 sites remain at High risk & 7 sites at Medium Risk.
    • At Zhumadian, there currently are 4 active domestic confirmed cases in the city, 2 connected to the nosocomial outbreak at Zhengzhou & 2 w/ the outbreak in Wuhan. 5 villages remain at High Risk, 3 areas remain at Medium Risk.
    • At Kaifeng there currently are 7 active domestic confirmed cases, all connected to the nosocomial outbreak at Zhengzhou. 7 villages remain at High Risk & 1 township remains at Medium Risk.
    • At Anyang there is 1 active domestic confirmed case, a person who had visited #6 Hospital in Zhengzhou on 7/28.
    • At Xuchang there is 1 active domestic confirmed case, who was discharged from the #6 Hospital in Zhengzhou on 7/22. 1 residential building remains at Medium Risk.

    Hubei Province did not reported any new domestic positive cases. There currently are 86 active domestic confirmed (38 mild, 47 moderate & 1 serious) & 67 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.

    • At Huanggang there currently are 5 active domestic confirmed & 4 active domestic asymptomatic cases, 4 connected to the group from Huai’an in Jiangsu Province on company outing & 5 to the secondary outbreak at construction site in Wuhan. 1 township remains at Medium Risk.
    • At Jingzhou, there currently are 2 active domestic confirmed cases in the city, both connected to the group on company outing from Huai’an in Jiangsu Province. All areas of the city are now at Low Risk.
    • Jingmen did not report any new domestic confirmed cases. There are currently 42 active domestic confirmed & 15 active domestic asymptomatic cases. 1 township remains at Medium Risk. 1 sub-district & 1 township remain at Medium Risk.
    • At Wuhan there currently are 36 active domestic confirmed & 44 active domestic asymptomatic cases. 1 sub-district & 2 residential compounds remain at Medium Risk.
    • At Ezhou there currently are 1 active domestic confirmed & 3 active domestic asymptomatic cases, all connected to the construction site outbreak at Wuhan.
    • At Xianning there currently is 1 active domestic asymptomatic case, connected to the construction site outbreak at Wuhan.

    Shanghai Municipality reported 1 new domestic confirmed case (mild), a nurse at a local hospital found via tri-daily screening, source of infection not yet known. To date, 11 F1 & 66 F2 close contacts have been traced & tested negative, 7,347 deemed at risk have also been identified & tested negative, 272 environmental samples have been collected & tested negative. There currently are 2 active domestic confirmed cases in the city, an airport worker & a medical staff at a hospital. 1 residential compound has been elevated to Medium Risk.

    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 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 8/18, China reported 41 new imported confirmed cases (6 previously asymptomatic), 30 imported asymptomatic cases, 1 imported suspect case:

    • Tianjin Municipality – 11 confirmed case, 5 Chinese crew members off a cargo ship w/ last port of call in Indonesia, & a South Korean national coming from South Korea, no information released yet for the other 5 cases; 3 asymptomatic cases, 2 South Korean nationals coming from South Korea, no information released yet for the 3rd case
    • Guangzhou in Guangdong Province – 8 confirmed cases, 4 Chinese nationals returning from Fiji, 2 from Myanmar & 1 each from the Philippines & Bangladesh; 10 asymptomatic cases, 4 Chinese nationals returning from Myanmar, 2 from Fiji & 1 each from Malaysia, Bangladesh, Ghana & Turkey
    • Zhaoqing in Guangdong Province – 2 confirmed cases, 1 Chinese national each returning from Côte d’Ivoire & Kenya, off flights that landed at Guangzhou
    • Foshan in Guangdong Province – 5 asymptomatic cases, 3 Chinese nationals coming from the US & 2 from Saudi Arabia, off flights that landed at Guangzhou
    • Yunnan Province (locations not specified) – 5 confirmed cases, all Chinese nationals returning from Myanmar; 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from Laos
    • Kunming in Yunnan Propvince – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from Indonesia
    • Shanghai Municipality – 5 confirmed cases, 1 Chinese national each returning from France, Senegal (via Paris CdG), Thailand & Malaysia, & a Russian national coming from Russia; 1 suspect case, no information released
    • Quanzhou in Fujian Province – 3 confirmed & 2 asymptomatic cases, all Chinese national returning from the Philippines, off a flight that landed at Xiamen
    • Xiamen in Fujian Province – 1 confirmed case, 1 Chinese national returning from Singapore
    • Beijing Municipality – 1 confirmed case, a Turkmen national coming from Turkmenistan
    • Hohhot in Inner Mongolia “Autonomous” Region – 1 confirmed case, no information released
    • Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province – 1 confirmed case (previously asymptomatic), coming from Spain; 3 asymptomatic cases, 2 coming from Morocco & 1 from Egypt
    • Chengdu in Sichuan Province – 1 confirmed case (previously asymptomatic), a Chinese national returning from Nigeria (via Frankfurt); 2 asymptomatic cases, 1 Chinese national each returning from Cambodia & Egypt
    • Zhengzhou in Henan Province – 1 confirmed case (previously asymptomatic), no information released
    • Wuhan in Hubei Province – 2 asymptomatic cases, both coming from Pakistan
    • Xi’an in Shaanxi Province – 1 asymptomatic case, a foreign national coming from Azerbaijan
    • Guangxi “Autonomous” Region (location not specified) – 1 asymptomatic case, no information released

    Overall in China, 67 confirmed cases recovered (35 imported), 15 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation (all imported) & 6 were reclassified as confirmed cases (all imported), & 2,546 individuals were released from quarantine. Currently, there are 1,866 active confirmed cases in the country (759 imported), 61 in serious condition (11 imported), 508 active asymptomatic cases (408 imported), 2 suspect cases (both imported). 41,706 traced contacts are currently under centralized quarantine.

    As of 8/18, 1,900.127M vaccine doses have been injected in Mainland China, an increase of 12.854M doses in the past 24 hrs.

    On 8/19, Hong Kong reported 5 new positive cases, all imported (from Pakistan, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Germany & Turkey).

  4. 4.

    Emmyelle

    They were not going to take Joe Biden’s vaccine. Then, delta changed their mind. We asked folks in this Nebraska church what makes Biden so ineffective.

    how’d I do?

  6. 6.

    Cermet

    Interesting, so people vaccinated for SARS still have useful antibodies after seventeen years and these appear to be useful against the Covid family of virus’s. This certainly tends to say that vaccines for this family of virus’s is long lasting. I still wonder if a third dose makes sense – yes, it will lower cases in the US without a doubt but enough to justify fewer doses in the third world?  I say this because fewer vaccinated people in poorer countries will allow the virus the opportunity to mutate into newer and far deadlier or resistant to vaccine virus’s.  By the way, the Pfizer vaccine has been shown to produce antibodies s.t. most of said antibodies (except one) are fully effective at neutralizing the Delta virus. So, no that virus hasn’t developed a way to evade the mRNA vaccine despite the ‘break through’ hype.

  7. 7.

    NeenerNeener

    Monroe County, NY:

    NYS Dept of Health says 135 new cases, Monroe County says 136.
    This is the first time I’ve seen them even close this month.

     

    Mary G: Yay!

  8. 8.

    lowtechcyclist

    Coming up on 60% of same group fully faxed

    I refuse to be faxed. At the very least, send me as an attachment to an email.

  9. 9.

    MagdaInBlack

    I think I’ve worked out the reasoning behind protesting testing sites: The virus is fake therefore the testing sites are producing fake results to perpetuate the virus hoax.  Sound about right.

    Heavy sigh.

  10. 10.

    opiejeanne

    Washington State is running out of hospital beds.
    From The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/washington-hospitals-filling-as-pandemic-labor-shortage-strains-healthcare-system/

    “…Unlike in Texas and other states where the delta variant wave is overwhelming hospitals, Washington’s health care system has so far been able to transfer the sickest COVID-19 patients around the state so no facility is crippled, administrators said. Coronavirus patients occupied 11% of the state’s hospital beds during the week ending Aug. 10, the highest level since January, when it was at 16%.”

    The problem is with patients who are eligible to be discharged but have nowhere to go. Patients with dementia and mental illness with no family, nowhere to go, and the nursing homes are severely understaffed and not accepting new patients, but also patients needing other care who put it off care and treatment because of the pandemic are now returning for treatment and procedures.

  11. 11.

    satby

    At my office, we’re still waiting to hear if the staffer who was exposed on her vacation is positive, but she’s reporting symptoms. If it comes back positive that’s 10 people who have to quarantine and /or are off work without pay for 10 days. Her text messages clearly show she has no idea how much trouble she’s caused, and until we get the results we don’t even know ourselves. But results taking 24-72 hours are useless, by the time we get them and can act potentially scores of other people have been exposed.

  13. 13.

    opiejeanne

    @Cermet: So, all of those doses that are just being thrown out because they’re expiring, we should just continue to throw them out?

    Yes, we need to vaccinate the rest of the world if we want to stop this damned virus, and we are sending the vaccines to other countries and need to continue and expand that program, but meanwhile the ones manufactured for our use are being wasted because people are idiots.

    Or do you just want to stop offering the vaccine to the idiot unvaccinated and just ship most of the vaccines elsewhere?

  15. 15.

    satby

    @satby: Someone asked yesterday if she can be fired: no, not directly because of getting ill during a pandemic. But we’re going ti make her sit out a quarantine (from work anyway) and require a vaccine before she comes back, because this is the third time she’s had to go for a covid test, and if she’s infected it’s for the second time.

    This close brush has one formerly unvaccinated LensCrafter employee now one shot in, though her friends planning a girls weekend away in Oct. full vaccine required was more of a push. My other holdout will probably get it now too.

  16. 16.

    satby

    @opiejeanne: Cermet is saying that so far the science isn’t fully behind boosters for people without reduced immunity, and that in the long run getting more of the world fully vaccinated makes us all safer. Basically a recap of the Atlantic article linked above. No one is saying to stop trying to get the idiots vaccinated, just to channel vaccines where they’re urgently needed better. Lots of health experts agree on that.

  18. 18.

    opiejeanne

    @satby: My older daughter’s SO’s boss has tested positive, and I don’t know why he’s not vaccinated. The business has been run with remote conferences during the pandemic and there have been no in-person conferences except one in early March that, once people arrived, was switched to remote, but the fact that they even tried it is worrying.

    I just don’t understand these people.

  19. 19.

    lowtechcyclist

    If these morons don’t start facing consequences for their actions, this is only going to get worse.

    Yeah, tell me there’s no such thing as White privilege.

  21. 21.

    WereBear

    @opiejeanne:

    I just don’t understand these people.

    Because YOU live your life with empathy and logic as much as possible, to avoid torment and agony caused by your own actions.

    THEY live their life obeying contradictory commands from their religion, culture, and family, with no recourse for the building anger. So they leap on any approved outlet that lets them get hysterical and rage-y.

  22. 22.

    opiejeanne

    @satby: I agree with that, but if a booster is indicated by science I will not feel guilty using vaccine that can’t be shipped elsewhere and will have to be dumped. We wouldn’t be eligible for it until December at the earliest, if we’re waiting 8 months after our second Pfizer.

    My niece had the J & J, and her husband was a volunteer tester for the Moderna last year. His recent blood test shows that his antibodies are dropping, nearly 50% of what they were at the height.

  23. 23.

    Cermet

    Interesting thing about the NYT map of covid hot spots – shows where Rump voter’s live even in Blue States – just look at death and dying in that map and one see’s where the stupid live.

  24. 24.

    opiejeanne

    @WereBear: I think a lot of it is fear of needles, honestly. I saw a “then vs now” post on Twitter recently, and in the first comment the poster was whining about how they were being forced against their moral beliefs to get the vaccine. The second post said, “It wasn’t so bad after all.”

    That sounds exactly like a fear of needles.

    As for religion, if they are Christians they are commanded to think of others first, to take care of others. Good on that diocese for saying that the priests should not aid religious exemption for their parishioners.

  25. 25.

    Cermet

    @opiejeanne: Current level of antibody compared to orginal levels alone do not indicate if one is vulnerable to the Covid virus later; memory T-cells will cause the body to produce more antibodies quickly and beat the infection (that’s why so many vaccines still work decades later.) Yes, antibodies do lower with time – you think those people with the SARS antibodies have levels that are anywhere near what their first level was? Absolutely not. But science does show that current levels offer outstanding protection – look at the tiny numbers hospitalized due to breakthrough infections – in California it is 0.007%.

    Yes, creating a third dose for all means both far more vaccine will be thrown out and far fewer doses for the world. Yes, we gave out more than any other country but it is far, far too few to help stop this virus in the world. That matters for our long term safety, too.

    The Biden Admin has decided to do a third dose – so we are discussing facts but policy is set and we will discover in the future if it was a mistake or not. Better hope it is not.

  27. 27.

    satby

    @opiejeanne: If you haven’t read the Atlantic article, it explains this well. Antibody titers always fall over time, other elements of the immune system are key in recognizing pathogens and responding, including triggering the manufacture of more antibodies.n

    And it is fascinating that people who survived SARS virus had such a strong immune response after immunization in lab tests against multiple coronaviruses. If that bears out on further research, it may be possible to develop a single vaccine against all variants. How cool would that be?

    edit: this time Cermet got there better and faster

  28. 28.

    mrmoshpotato

    This morning, Ainsley Earhardt falsely told Fox & Friends viewers that taking Regeneron is “basically … getting vaccinated” for COVID-19. Post-exposure prophylaxis is not a substitute for vaccination. (h/t @mount_bees)

    LOthrow the three murderous assholes into the Sun.

    And take Dr. Jenny McAsshat with them!

  29. 29.

    lowtechcyclist

    Yesterday afternoon, the Hillsborough County, FL board of ed voted to impose a mask mandate in all their schools. They’d had >5000 kids and a few hundred teachers quarantined on account of Covid exposure.

    I’ve mentioned my wife’s cousin, an evangelical Christian, unvaxxed of course, who was in the hospital for 17 days with Covid. Nearly died, her lungs are a mess so she’s on oxygen and will be for months probably, she’s been home for <2 weeks and needs a walker to get around.

    She lives in Hillsborough County, and her two younger kids are in elementary school here. (We're down here visiting the in-laws.) And my wife, who's on Facebook (I'm not), tells me she's posted there that she's pissed about the mask mandate.

    I just wonder what it takes for some people to learn. You can hit them over the head with the world’s biggest clue-by-four, and yet.

  30. 30.

    mrmoshpotato

    These people have lost their goddamn minds.

     

    Protestors tried to shut down a Covid testing center, chanting, “shame on you!”

     

    If these morons don’t start facing consequences for their actions, this is only going to get worse.

    The Sun.  It’s big.  Fuck these Dump-humping, murderous shitstains into it.  It (the Sun) will survive.

  32. 32.

    opiejeanne

    @Cermet: I understand what you’re saying, and I agree with almost all of it, and yes, I did see what the good doctor wrote about a booster causing problems.

    But we are still wasting thousands of doses in places like Arkansas and Alabama, and even in my state because we have idiots here too. But once they’re shipped to bumfuck Missouri, they can’t be shipped to Malawi, or Mexico, or any other place crying out for the vaccines. We have to make much more and ship it more places around the world. Yes.  But as I said, IF it is indicated by science that we should get a booster, I will not feel guilty for using vaccine that an idiot will refuse and that will just go to waste otherwise.

    Unless it gets approved for kids, and then I’ll hold back until the kids are vaccinated. I’m pretty healthy and we can wait it out the way we did until we got the Pfizer shots.

    I am not in a rush to get a booster, like I said, I will wait for the science to say I should. I wouldn’t be ready for one until December so there is time in my timeline for science to explore the issue further and make a decision.

    My nephew was left in the dark after his blood test, they didn’t explain that it doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s becoming vulnerable. I think he needs to go back to the clinic and ask questions.

  33. 33.

    opiejeanne

    @satby: That would be cool. I read most of the Atlantic article. I’m supposed to be asleep but SOMEONE is snoring, and I don’t mean the cat.

    He woke me up during a dream where a great secret was about to be revealed to me on a sheet of paper with just a couple of sentences. Before I could read them I was awake. DANG!

  35. 35.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Spanky: Shit, I was thinking of Ernest Angley.
    Never mind.

    It’s ok.  It made me laugh.  (And I don’t regret it.)

  36. 36.

    New Deal democrat

    @mrmoshpotato:

    “I’m not sure we had enough [data] to pull the trigger right now,”

    It’s a pandemic. With an exponential rate of increases. If you wait until you have enough data, you will never get in front of it. You must make quick decisions with sparse data.

    I suspect an important factor driving the decision is the situation in Israel. 60% fully vaccinated for months, a Delta wave – believe it or not – worse than ours, and over 50% of the cases are vaccinated. Under those circumstances, better safe than sorry.

    In other news, US deaths now up to over 800/day. We could be seeing something like 60,000 total new deaths from Delta since its onset by the end of September.

    Ok, one little dose of good news: plateau in cases in the earliest hit states of AR, MO, and NV still intact. LA now down week over week.

    Sent from my iPad

  37. 37.

    debbie

    @satby:

    Is she one of the anti-vaxers you were trying to encourage to leave?

    ETA: Apparently she is. Sorry if it’s because the doctor caved in.

  38. 38.

    New Deal democrat

    @satby: “And it is fascinating that people who survived SARS virus had such a strong immune response after immunization in lab tests against multiple coronaviruses. If that bears out on further research, it may be possible to develop a single vaccine against all variants. How cool would that be?”

    Yesterday I read a twitter feed by an infectious disease expert (I think maybe Scott Gottlieb) that confirmed such a vaccine against *all* known humanly infectious coronaviruses is possible, and is being worked on.

  41. 41.

    Amir Khalid

    Malaysia’s Director-General of Health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah reports a record 22,948 new Covid-19 cases today in his media statement, for a cumulative reported total of 1,489,460 cases. He also reports 178 new deaths today, for a cumulative total of 13,480 deaths — 0.91% of the cumulative reported total, 1.09% of resolved cases.

    As of yesterday, the seven-day running average of Malaysia’s R0/Rt was at 1.04.

    There are currently 255,534 active and contagious cases; 1,060 are in ICU, 528 of them on ventilators. Meanwhile, 21,720 more patients have recovered, for a cumulative total of 1,220,446 patients recovered – 81.94% of the cumulative reported total.

    42 new clusters were reported today, for a cumulative total of 4,348 clusters. 1,403 clusters are currently active; 2,945 clusters are now inactive.

    22,939 new cases today are local infections. Selangor reports 7,175 cases: 367 in clusters, 3,984 close-contact screenings, and 2,824 other screenings.

    Sabah reports 2,583 cases: 123 in clusters, 1,503 close-contact screenings, and 957 other screenings. Kedah reports 2,137 cases: 114 in clusters, 1,297 close-contact screenings, and 726 other screenings.

    Penang reports 1,652 local cases: 127 in clusters, 438 close-contact screenings, and 1,087 other screenings. Johor reports 1,526 cases: 172 in clusters, 866 close-contact screenings, and 488 other screenings.

    Kuala Lumpur reports 1,434 local cases: two in clusters, 753 close-contact screenings, and 679 other screenings. Kelantan report s 1,271 cases: 174 in clusters, 825 close-contact screenings, and 272 other screenings. Perak reports 1,229 cases: 183 in clusters, 436 close-contact screenings, and 610 other screenings. Sarawak reports 1,205 local cases: 95 in clusters, 745 close-contact screenings, and 365 other screenings.

    Melaka reports 737 cases: 195 in clusters, 258 close-contact screenings, and 284 other screenings. Pahang reports 736 cases: 176 in clusters, 453 close-contact screenings, and 107 other screenings.

    Terengganu reports 621 cases: 65 in clusters, 483 close-contact screenings, and 73 other screenings.

    Negeri Sembilan reports 556 cases: 35 in clusters, 298 close-contact screenings, and 223 other screenings.

    Perlis reports 42 cases: one in a cluster, 12 close-contact screenings, and 29 other screenings. Putrajaya reports 26 cases: 16 close-contact screenings and 10 other screenings. Labuan reports nine cases: two close-contact screenings and seven other screenings.

    Nine new cases today are imported: five in Kuala Lumpur, three in Penang, and one in Sarawak.

    The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) administered 531,114 doses of vaccine on 18th August: 188,474 first doses and 342,640 second doses. As of midnight yesterday, the cumulative total is 29,368,856 doses administered: 17,625,760 first doses and 11,743,096 second doses. 54.0% of the population have received their first dose, while 35.9% are now fully vaccinated.

  42. 42.

    opiejeanne

    Power outage. I heard something POP! I had just written something, possibly pithy or even amusing  and got the notice that I wasn’t connected to the internet

    I reported the outage. I doubt anyone else has noticed yet, since it’s 4:30 now. I’m posting from my phone, but have very little connection.

    Ugh.

  43. 43.

    Suzanne

    @New Deal democrat: I am wondering if we have hit our peak here, too. Cases seem to be juuuuuust slightly down after being level for about two weeks. Fingers crossed, because the kids are heading back to school.

    Vaccinate the kids!

  44. 44.

    Cameron

    @opiejeanne: My understanding is that there isn’t a system in place to move vaccine from East Bumfuck to places where it will be used before it expires. Might be a good use for money and personnel no longer being wasted in Afghanistan.

  45. 45.

    Cermet

    @opiejeanne: First off, do not use my post to decide upon getting a booster; if you need one certainly get it – I am not against erroring on the side of caution. All I’m saying is most people do not require a third dose.

    Many doctor’s have forgotten most of the info they were taught about the immune system so many years ago in Med school; besides for most, its not their area of interest – so, no surprise if they don’t recall those details. Also, most are busy and don’t volunteer information in any case. Google and avoiding rabid …er, I mean rabbit holes can be used to study immunization yourself.

    Again, there is waste now and most people who wanted to be vaccinated are. Creating a third round will waste far more vaccine than the first two rounds because more people will put it off or be too busy since they are vaccinated and safe.

    Vaccine production is not easy to expand and for awhile, it will not significantly expand (esp. true for mRNA.) So our production isn’t gonna increase much. So a third round means all those doses come here and not shipped to the rest of the world that desperately needs it.  Yes, once a case is opened here, they can’t be repackaged it and shipped it anywhere else. Shelf time matters too even for sealed boxes of vaccine.

    Finally, if we guess wrong and a new super strain develops in the third world that bypasses all vaccines, then what? What is the waste level at that point?

  48. 48.

    Cermet

    As many have said, the Israeli data is VERY misleading. That 50% number (and that is 50% of a small number of people in the population) is being taking out of context. The vast majority of vaccinated people have no symptoms or get flu like issues and require no hospitalization. Only 2% or so of those testing positive need to go to the hospital and the vast majority of those are immune compromised.

    If you are vaccinated the odds of going to the hospital are very small – at worse under 2% (and in CA its tiny – 0.007% which is likely more your chances.) Death is far, far smaller still. Vaccinated people are safe – even people with secondary rick factors are seeing very low hospitalizations (not immune compromised – they certainly need a third dose.)

  49. 49.

    New Deal democrat

    @Suzanne:

    My working theory is that Delta is like a tsunami. It rolls in quickly and massively, and rolls out just as quickly, having taken out everything susceptible to it in the interim. In India, the Netherlands, and the UK, that time period seems to have been about 3-4 months. We are now just over 1.5 months into the wave.

  51. 51.

    Chris T.

    @lowtechcyclist:

    I just wonder what it takes for some people to learn. You can hit them over the head with the world’s biggest clue-by-four, and yet.

    Maybe use that large-bore IV they have to give you in the ICU to inject a microchip to control them. ?

  53. 53.

    charon

    @New Deal democrat:

    My working theory is that Delta is like a tsunami. It rolls in quickly and massively, and rolls out just as quickly, having taken out everything susceptible to it in the interim

    You might find it enlightening to check out your theory against the data coming out from Missouri, Arkansas, other early states/

  54. 54.

    Robert Sneddon

    The BBC is reporting that the JCVI is about to announce a decision on whether to roll out booster shots for already-vaccinated people in the UK. From the various statements being made pre-announcement it looks like boosters will be limited to immunocompromised people and those at risk and perhaps close family members, at least to begin with. The decision on a booster vaccination campaign for the general populace will be made later, probably some time in September after the current trials of booster shots are mostly complete and the results have been analysed.​

  55. 55.

    Matt McIrvin

    @New Deal democrat: This isn’t a purely natural phenomenon, it depends on human behavior. Opening the schools is going to create a population of Delta-exposed unvaccinated kids who weren’t all there before.

    We’re already seeing school districts opening and then shutting down after just a few days and thousands of new cases. I don’t think the whole country is prepared to go back to hard school shutdowns and remote education, and I think that’s where we’re headed.

  56. 56.

    stinger

    @opiejeanne:

    a great secret was about to be revealed to me on a sheet of paper with just a couple of sentences. Before I could read them I was awake. DANG!

    I hate it when that happens!

  59. 59.

    J R in WV

    Saw my Dr yesterday, routine regularly scheduled appt. Got a pile of prescription refills for my regular meds, so stopped at Kroger’s after lunch to get one filled I was just out of.

    While waiting for my meds, lady steps up says she’s there for her 3 o’clock appt. Discussion reveals she is getting a pfizer vaccination, and I thank her for getting vaccinated. we’re both wearing our masks correctly.

    She tells me her husband is a Dr with a cardiac condition, grandkids can’t yet be vacccinated, they’re trying to be really careful, this is her 3rd shot, a booster. I tell her I was fully vaxed in March, Moderna, she tells me they think Moderna immunity lasts longer than pfizer… but who knows really.

    Anyway, boosters aren’t going to start next month, they’re underway right here in WV.

  60. 60.

    sab

    So with full ICUs, even if they can find you a hospital bed somewhere you will probably be out of network.

  61. 61.

    Ohio Mom

    @lowtechcyclist: The school boards in my area who went with voluntary masking are starting to reconsider, a few have switched to mandatory masking. Not mine yet, which pissses me off. I don’t want to live in a neighborhood that is on the upswing.

  63. 63.

    Ken

    @opiejeanne: a great secret was about to be revealed to me on a sheet of paper with just a couple of sentences. Before I could read them I was awake. DANG!

    @stinger: I hate it when that happens!

    It’s worse when you read it, wake up just enough to scribble down the great secret, and read it the next morning.  It will either be Dadaist nonsense, or the equivalent of “Drink your Ovaltine”.

    (At least, based on the few times I’ve managed to do this.)

  64. 64.

    MontyTheClipArtMongoose

    @Cermet: but does it bolster the intentional wuhan infectious disease lab leak theory?

    i have a 9 figure bounty on the people’s liberation army riding on it.

  66. 66.

    Scout211

    The tweet in AL’s post:

    Moderna’s vax prompts a larger antibody boost than Pfizer’s in people 65 & older, according to a new study. Altho not peer-reviewed, the study suggests people receiving Pfizer had lower antibody responses to alpha, beta & gamma variants. Delta not tested https://medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.08.06.21261721v1

    Remember when everyone wanted Pfizer and all of us on team Moderna felt like the other guys?  Now team Pfizer are the other guys. LOL.

    Just kidding, all vaccination teams rock.  Let’s just hope more people keep joining one of the vaccination teams and all our kids and grandkids under 12 can join a team soon, too.

  68. 68.

    MontyTheClipArtMongoose

    @MJS: i would say i hope kkklay travis gets infected, but you know that mutha’ucka is vaxxxed (even as he tells his dbap nation to abjure the democrat party microchipping initiative).

  69. 69.

    bluefoot

    @mrmoshpotato: ​
      That’s enraging. A vaccine will give you persistent immunity where exogenous antibody therapy with the Regeneron cocktail won’t. And the window for getting the cocktail is short – you need to start infusion within 3-5 days of symptom onset IIRC.
    Do any of these people have any idea how stretched infusion centers are right now?? Even if they could get a prescription for “the Regeneron.” And that most people who use infusion centers are seriously immunocompromised?
    And why get a series of expensive and time-consuming infusions when you can get a vaccine and MAKE YOUR OWN ANTIBODIES???

    Now I want to punch somebody.

  70. 70.

    Robert Sneddon

    Scotland — 3,367 new cases of COVID-19 reported, another big increase with seven new reported deaths of someone who had tested positive. Test positivity rate is 9.0%. Hospitalisations and ICU bed occupancy numbers are dropping slowly and are currently about half that of the most recent peak of a few weeks ago. This suggests the recent increase in positive test numbers is mostly mild cases, perhaps a sign of the ‘Living with Covid’ experience to come.

    Just over 17,000 vaccinations were administered in Scotland yesterday (Wednesday) with about 15% of those vaccinations being first doses. There’s been a change in how the age groups of vaccinated people are calculated since a significant number of people have aged ‘up’ i.e. many 17-year-olds have had a birthday in the past six months since the last time this age-up recalculation was done, moving them into the 18-29 reporting data silo. For that reason the reports now state that 78.9% of the 18+ adult population are now fully vaccinated with another 11.9% having received their initial dose of vaccine. Scotland is still on track for more than 80% first-dose vaccinations for all adults by the end of the month.

    The vaccine uptake in Scottish 16 and 17-year-olds is now being reported — 31% of them have received their first vaccination and 8.1% are reported as fully vaccinated. The second number will be due to vulnerable teens under the age of 18 who were vaccinated earlier as part of the initial effort to vaccinate immunocompromised and special-needs children and others seen to be at elevated risk.

  71. 71.

    Ruckus

    @lowtechcyclist:

    I just wonder what it takes for some people to learn. You can hit them over the head with the world’s biggest clue-by-four, and yet.

    Some people will never learn. They are addicted to their cult of “You can’t make me!” And yes that is an immature response to anything. They think being strong (stupid) in one way makes them strong in any way they want. It of course doesn’t, it often makes them dead or dangerous to others. Really this is no different than their political irrationality of I’m right and everyone else is wrong. Think of those who think that war/violence is always the answer. Yes, sometimes there is no other choice or way. But often this answer is far worse than any alternative and only accomplishes only death.

  72. 72.

    MoCaAce

    @Matt McIrvin:

    I think it was you who posted a few days ago that my negative test three days after being exposed to an unvaxxed coworker could have been the result of getting tested too soon.  I believe you may have been on to something!

    I am fully vaccinated (House Moderna), but the day after getting tested I started getting mild sinus congestion, runny eyes, and a tickle in my throat leading to a very mild dry cough.  Now, a week out from exposure I wake up every morning feeling fine, no stuffy nose, but a feeling that something isn’t normal in the sinus cavity.  By evening my nose is stuffed up again but no runny eyes or throat irritation.

    Well yesterday I was making some fresh salsa and after tasting, decided it needed more cilantro, so I chopped some more and tossed it in.  I did this twice before wondering if this new variety I planted just isn’t as flavorful!  (I am sometimes slow on the uptake).  Well, after jamming chopped cilantro, basil, onions, and oregano under my nose I realized I can’t smell a fucking thing.

    I’m on mandatory 14 day quarantine from work with no plans to leave the house so I don’t see a need to get re-tested but I can’t imagine I’m not one of the mild “breakthrough” cases.  Fuck unvaxxed idiots and maskholes everywhere.

  73. 73.

    Ruckus

    @bluefoot:

    Your first mistake, thinking that all people might have the ability of actual thought and decision making. They do not, it’s a learned concept. Think about every kid needs to learn what hot is. Some will learn from others around them finding out, IOW will not have to suffer themselves. But many will have to experience themselves and still never learn what very hot means. Now substitute inoculation or drinking too much, or driving while drunk or ……. for hot. Life isn’t all safe but parts of life actually require either some level of understanding some process or learning by experience. A rapidly spreading, new virus requires not keeping one’s head in a place that it doesn’t fit in easily and requires unusual dexterity and stupidity to insert there. As their political point of view quite often requires this same activity, it seems that many of them use this as an attempt at problem solving. It really doesn’t work BTW.

  74. 74.

    RaflW

    Anecdata, but we went to rebook a trip for Labor Day (changing the dates by one day) and between when we first looked and the day later when we did buy, the price went down, from $247 to $189. A few hours later I saw that CBS had a story up about people cancelling trips, that Delta has spooked folks.

    And, frankly, we may also cancel. This is the double-edge sword for airlines in relaxing change fees. But then again, we may not have booked at all if the old, rigid system were in place!

    We’re not that worried about the time in the plane. But there’s shuttle busses, and TSA, and gate waiting areas, and rental car counters, and just all of it. Doing stuff within 4-5 hours of home by car has its attractions. I think we’re also still kinda processing that getting vax’d only bought us about three months of moderately-reduced anxiety. I’m v. glad to be dosed, of course. And woudn’t even be thinking about leaving the house w/o it. But, blergh!

  75. 75.

    smith

    @Matt McIrvin: I think there is a danger in relying on biology to explain fluctuations in the pandemic without adequately weighting  the role of behavior. The object lesson is the UK. They had a dramatic upturn in cases about 2 weeks ago that doesn’t show any clear signs of abating. This after a rapid drop in cases for about 2 weeks before that. More people are vaccinated now than then, so the recent surge can’t be attributed to vaccination rates — the upturn started about 2 weeks after a lot of pandemic restrictions were lifted and everyone decided it was time to party.

  76. 76.

    bluefoot

    @Ruckus: ​
      I know, but it’s disheartening.

    I’ve also encountered something that I didn’t expect – people thinking of vaccination like a magic wand. That the second you get the shot, you’re protected. As if it’s a Harry Potter “Impervius Corona” spell. The immune system doesn’t work that way; which I learned in middle school. The vaccines are teaching your immune system what to attack…but that process takes time. I don’t know how to get that into people’s heads.

    It’s why if you are suspected of being bit by a possibly rabies-carrying animal you get immunoglobulin shots AND a vaccine. Your body can’t prevent infection fast enough with the vaccine alone, so you need the Igs to stop that crap from infecting your nervous system. ‘Cause if that happens, you’re dead.

  77. 77.

    CaseyL

    @Cermet: I’m fully vaxxed, but my worry about a breakthrough infection isn’t how sick I get initially.  My big worry is whether I develop Long Haul Covid.

    So far, there isn’t enough data to make any confident statements about how likely a breakthrough infection is to lead to Long Haul Covid.

    Any thoughts you have on the subject would be greatly appreciated, and I mean that sincerely!

  78. 78.

    Bill Arnold

    @Cermet:

    Yes, creating a third dose for all means both far more vaccine will be thrown out and far fewer doses for the world. Yes, we gave out more than any other country but it is far, far too few to help stop this virus in the world. That matters for our long term safety, too.

    IMO we should temporarily lop off $50 billion from the military budget, and turn the money into distributed vaccine doses for those in the rest of the world that want them.
    It would be a vastly better way to spend US tax dollars, with enormously larger economic gains than the spend. (And yes, also he ethical thing to do, though more would be better.)
    I am deeply disappointed that this approach hasn’t gained more traction in policy circles.

  79. 79.

    Bill Arnold

    @satby:

    If that bears out on further research, it may be possible to develop a single vaccine against all variants. How cool would that be?

    There has been speculation in the scientific literature that one of the late 1800s pandemics was actually a coronavirus from an animal source, and that once it became one of the 4 endemic coronaviruses (COVID-19 will be 5), that most people since have caught it in their childhood and that cases later in life are muted by the immune system response.
    Don’t know, but it will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

  80. 80.

    Bill Arnold

    @CaseyL:

    So far, there isn’t enough data to make any confident statements about how likely a breakthrough infection is to lead to Long Haul Covid.

    Not cermet, but I am betting that an N95 mask worn indoors where there are untrusted people exhaling will reduce probability that inoculum from virus-lade exhalations will overwhelm the antibodies in the nasal epithelium and nearby. (That is, improve the odds that an infection will not start.)
    Not waiting for the science on this, and hoping(pushing for) that NYState resumes a requirement for masks in indoor public places. I see no harm in wearing masks relative to the benefits, if there is community spread.

  81. 81.

    206inKY

    It’s insanity that we still haven’t approved it for kids under 12. I’d get my 6 y/o vaccinated in a heart.

    I’m trying to both homeschool and do my own job as a solo parent. I have the luxury of being able to pull it off thanks to an all-online teaching schedule. But others are forced to put their kids at risk in school.

    There’s no magical transformation that would make it dangerous for kids after millions of people over 12 have already gotten vaccinated.

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