Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Celebrate the fucking wins.

The desire to stay informed is directly at odds with the need to not be constantly enraged.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

No one could have predicted…

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

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

How stupid are these people?

I did not have this on my fuck 2025 bingo card.

Disappointing to see gov. newsom with his finger to the wind.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.

I would try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Trump should be leading, not lying.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

Petty moves from a petty man.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

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

The low info voters probably won’t even notice or remember by their next lap around the goldfish bowl.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

We still have time to mess this up!

You are here: Home / Healthcare / COVID-19 / COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Saturday / Sunday, Sept. 18-19

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Saturday / Sunday, Sept. 18-19

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… Foreign-based Turkmen media are reporting on the third wave of infections, but almost everyone inside the country is afraid to speak. The Turkmen.news website has identified more than 60 people who have died of Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.

The Turkmen authorities do not disclose coronavirus cases. President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, a former dentist, uses the image of a healthy nation as the core of state propaganda. To admit that the country is being affected by the pandemic could undermine his regime’s legitimacy…

The Turkmen authorities have introduced some quarantine measures to stop the spread of the disease. But the government insists that, thanks to its “preventive steps”, the country remains Covid-free…

… [I]t’s harder for the EU writ large to impose vaccine mandates since health policies are the responsibility of the 27 national governments, and top EU officials walk on egg shells addressing the issue. Asked specifically by The Associated Press whether mandatory vaccination could be part of the solution, three EU commissioners swerved around the question, though none argued against it…

Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton emphasized that supply wouldn’t be an issue, and the bloc would “be ready for everything which is needed.” That underscores that such debates can only play out in wealthy nations, while many lower-income countries remain unable to even offer all their citizens a first shot.

But while officials in Brussels can’t impose a mandate on the EU’s 450 million citizens, many national governments are ramping up restrictions for those who are not vaccinated. Some countries are, in fact, requiring vaccines for some groups: Slovenia is imposing them for government employees, with no option to test out.

More common in the EU, however, is essentially requiring regular testing for those who aren’t vaccinated…

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Look, another tourist trap in Times Square…

Ross Doubthat: Look, if nobody *I* know has suffered COVID-19, does the pandemic really matter?

Reader Interactions

30Comments

  1. 1.

    NeenerNeener

    Monroe County, NY:

    Monroe County web site has gone back to not updating on weekends.
    NYSDOH says 168 new cases.

  3. 3.

    Emmyelle

    Look if this really be thing we’re worse, it would be worse!

    I am so glad that NYTimes isn’t free access, for moments like these when train-wreck fascination causes me to click a URL.

    How does this guy have a job?

  4. 4.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Emmyelle:

    I am so glad that NYTimes isn’t free access, for moments like these when train-wreck fascination causes me to click a URL.

    How does this guy have a job?

    It’s the fucking New York Times. :)

    FTFNYT

  5. 5.

    Nelle

    I’m just wondering. By this time in September, I’m usually medicated to the gills, my husband has led me into a doctor’s office or an Urgent Care because i can’t see to drive. There I get a steroid shot to deal with raging allergies. Windows are usually shut tight, lights dim.

    Not this year. Yes, I’m daily taking allergy medicine and i sneeze a couple of times a day. Sometimes my eyes itch. But windows are open to cool night air and cricket choir. I can drive. I take hour long walks and walk right past huge patches of ragweed.

    Did the drought affect pollen levels? Or could it be a side effect of Moderna? Either way, best autumn I’ve had in the Midwest that i can remember (don’t have these allergies in Alaska, Pacufic Northwest, or New Zealand).

  6. 6.

    mrmoshpotato

    @p.a.:

    In related news, Federalist Society torturing US Constitution to invent ‘only unvaxxed can vote’ bloc in Fed Judiciary. 

    I can’t tell if this is sarcasm or not.

  7. 7.

    lowtechcyclist

    In the past few weeks, South Carolina has set records for COVID-19 hospitalizations, and new cases have approached peak levels of last winter. Classes, schools and entire districts have gone virtual, leaving parents frustrated and teachers quitting.

    I’m rather fond of South Carolina: I met and married my wife there, and got my PhD there. It would be hard for me to wish ill on that state.

    But I’m glad some teachers are quitting, and I hope even more do so. They’ve had to contend with all the switches back and forth between in-class, virtual, and hybrid over the past year and a half, and this should have been when things could finally get back to normal.

    Instead, because of the recalcitrance of their fellow citizens (including a lot of the parents of the kids they teach), and the uselessness of their state government, here they go again with another year of flipflopping this way and that, not to mention the unreasonable risk of coming down with Covid when they’re teaching kids face-to-face.

    So here’s hoping more teachers, in South Carolina and other low-vax states, say it just isn’t worth it anymore, and quit. Maybe that’ll get the message through anti-vax parents’ thick heads, if no one else’s, that they’ve fucked around too long.

  8. 8.

    Amir Khalid

    Malaysia’s Ministry of Health reports 14,954 new Covid-19 cases today in its media statement, for a cumulative reported total of 2,097,830 cases. It also reports 324 new deaths as of midnight, for a cumulative total of 23,067 deaths – 1.10% of the cumulative reported total, 1.22% of resolved cases.

    Based on cases reported yesterday, Malaysia’s nationwide Rt is at 0.94.

    882 confirmed active and contagious cases are in ICU, 401 of them on ventilators. Meanwhile, 23,469 more patients have recovered, for a cumulative total of 1,863,922 patients recovered – 88.9% of the cumulative reported total.

    19 new clusters were reported today, for a cumulative total of 5,282 clusters. 1,348 clusters are currently active; 3,934 clusters are now inactive.

    14,943 new cases today are local infections. Sarawak reports 2,702 local cases: 67, in clusters, 1,682 close-contact screenings, and 953 other screenings. Selangor reports 2,028 cases: 32 in clusters, 1,363 close-contact screenings, and 633 other screenings.

    Johor reports 1,948 cases: 317 in clusters, 967 close-contact screenings, and 664 other screenings.
    Kelantan reports 1,418 local cases: 16 in clusters, 1,001 close-contact screenings, and 401 other screenings. Sabah reports 1,356 cases: 11 in clusters, 766 close-contact screenings, and 579 other screenings. Penang reports 1,258 local cases: 115 in clusters, 459 close-contact screenings, and 684 other screenings. Perak reports 1,222 cases: 262 in clusters, 423 close-contact screenings, and 537 other screenings.

    Kedah reports 809 cases: 22 in clusters, 495 close-contact screenings, and 292 other screenings.

    Pahang reports 705 cases: 148 in clusters, 432 close-contact screenings, and 125 other screenings.

    Terengganu reports 671 cases: three in clusters, 501 close-contact screenings, and 166 other screenings.

    Kuala Lumpur reports 380 local cases: four in clusters, 163 close-contact screenings, and 213 other screenings.

    Melaka reports 207 cases: 36 in clusters, 95 close-contact screenings, and 76 other screenings.

    Negeri Sembilan reports 144 cases: five in clusters, 75 close-contact screenings, and 64 other screenings.

    Perlis reports 76 cases: 39 close-contact screenings and 37 other screenings. Putrajaya reports 19 cases: 16 close-contact screenings and three other screenings. Labuan reports no new cases today.

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

    The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) administered 232,559 doses of vaccine on 18th September: 73,106 first doses and 159,453 second doses. As of midnight yesterday, the cumulative total is 40,155,975 doses administered: 21,938,426 first doses and 18,295,014 second doses. 67.2% of the population have received their first dose, while 56.0% are now fully vaccinated.

  9. 9.

    YY_Sima Qian

    On 9/18 China reported 43 new domestic confirmed cases & 0 new domestic asymptomatic cases.

    Fujian Province reporter 43 new domestic confirmed cases. There currently are 335 active domestic confirmed cases & 3 active domestic asymptomatic cases.

    • Putian reported 4 new domestic confirmed cases, all traced close contacts. There currently are 183 active domestic confirmed cases (86 mild, 95 moderate, 1 serious & 1 critical) & 3 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. Fengting Township at Xianyou County is currently at High Risk. 2 villages have been elevated to Medium Risk. 2 zones, 1 residential building, 1 school, 1 community & 7 villages aren currently at Medium Risk, all at Xianyou County.
    • Quanzhou did not reported any domestic positive cases. There currently are 18 active domestic confirmed cases in the city. 3 villages are currently at Medium Risk.
    • Xiamen reported 39 new domestic confirmed cases (23 traced close contacts & 16 from mass screening). There currently are 131 active domestic confirmed cases in the city. a community has been elevated to High Risk. 2 communities are currently at High Risk. 3 villages, 1 zone & 1 residential compound are currently at Medium Risk.
    • Zhangzhou did not report any new domestic positive cases. There currently are 3 active domestic confirmed cases in the city. 1 community has been elevated to Medium Risk

    Yunnan Province did not reported any new domestic positive cases. There currently are 9 active domestic confirmed & 1 domestic asymptomatic cases there.

    At Hunan Province 10 domestic confirmed case recovered. There currently are 22 active domestic confirmed cases in the province, all at Zhangjiajie

    At Henan Province there currently are 10 active domestic confirmed cases.

    • At Zhengzhou there currently are 2 active domestic confirmed cases.
    • At Shangqiu there currently are 8 active domestic confirmed cases.

    At Hubei Province 3 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 1 domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation. There currently are 5 active domestic confirmed (4 mild & 1 moderate) & 1 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.

    • At Jingzhou there currently is 1 active domestic confirmed case.
    • At Jingmen 1 domestic confirmed case recovered. There are currently 4 active domestic confirmed & 1 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city.
    • At Wuhan the last 2 domestic confirmed cases recovered & the last domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation

    At Shanghai Municipality there currently are 4 active domestic confirmed cases.

    Imported Cases

    On 9/18, China reported 23 new imported confirmed cases (8 previously asymptomatic), 19 imported asymptomatic cases:

    • Yunnan Province (locations not specified) – 9 confirmed cases, all Chinese nationals returning from Myanmar; 4 asymptomatic cases, 3 Chinese nationals returning from Myanmar & 1 from Laos; all via land border crossings
    • Wuhan in Hubei Province – 3 confirmed & 3 asymptomatic case, all coming from Pakistan
    • Guangxi Province (location not specified) – 3 confirmed cases (all previously asymptomatic), no information released
    • Chengdu in Sichuan Province – 3 confirmed cases (all previously asymptomatic), 1 Chinese national each returning from Kazakhstan & Nigeria (both via Frankfurt) & Canada; 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from Kazakhstan
    • Shanghai Municipality – 2 confirmed cases, 1 Chinese national each returning from Singapore & Ghana (via Paris CdG)
    • Guangzhou in Guangdong Province – 2 confirmed cases (1 previously asymptomatic), 1 Chinese national each returning from the UAE & the Dominican Republic; 4 asymptomatic cases, 2 Chinese nationals returning from Egypt & 1 each from Myanmar & the UAE
    • Foshan in Guangdong Province – 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from the UK, off a flight that landed at Guangzhou
    • Shenzhen in Guangdong Province – 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from Kenya 
    • Tianjin Municipality – 1 confirmed case (previously asymptomatic), a Chinese national returning from South Korea; 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from Mexico (via Paris CdG)
    • Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province – 3 asymptomatic cases, 1 each coming from Spain, Mexico & Japan
    • Shenyang in Liaoning Province – 1 asymptomatic case, no information released

    Overall in China, 52 confirmed cases recovered (36 imported), 15 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation (13 imported) & 8 were reclassified as confirmed cases (all imported), & 1,069 individuals were released from quarantine. Currently, there are 927 active confirmed cases in the country (544 imported), 9 in serious condition (5 imported), 365 active asymptomatic cases (356 imported), 1 suspect case (imported). 15,791 traced contacts are currently under centralized quarantine.

    As of 9/18, 2,174.043M vaccine doses have been injected in Mainland China, an increase of 4.338M doses in the past 24 hrs.

    On 9/19, Hong Kong reported 3 new asymptomatic cases, all imported (from the Philippines & Qatar, all had been fully vaccinated – 2 w/ BioNTech & 1 w/ Sinovac).

  11. 11.

    Ken

    I should take the opportunity to let people know that just because a person is not resuscitated, doesn’t mean we let them suffer.

    Perhaps not quite as reassuring as Dr. Bari intended, with its slight hint of “Angel of Mercy serial killer” monologue.

  13. 13.

    trnc

    @lowtechcyclist: ​
     

    In the past few weeks, South Carolina has set records for COVID-19 hospitalizations, and new cases have approached peak levels of last winter. Classes, schools and entire districts have gone virtual, leaving parents frustrated and teachers quitting.

    Are AP stories written by AIs now? That sentence makes it appear that teachers are quitting because classes are going virtual rather than because of the outbreaks that are forcing them to go virtual.

    “Last week an anti-masker said to me, ‘It’s sad that my children are being asked to protect yours. It’s not their job. That’s your job,’” she told board members.

    If there’s only one thing people need to know about anti-vaxxers, that’s it.

  16. 16.

    mrmoshpotato

    @trnc:

    “Last week an anti-masker said to me, ‘It’s sad that my children are being asked to protect yours. It’s not their job. That’s your job,’” she told board members.

    Yeah – that whole living in a society, looking out for one another, what tyrannical garbage is that?!

    ETA – and as for teaching children the rules of a society, well, that’s not reading, writing and arithmetic!

  20. 20.

    prostratedragon

    @Ken:  Did find myself wondering exactly what that meant. Of course, it could cover giving a calming but nonfatal dose of morphine or something for cough or labored breathing.

  21. 21.

    lowtechcyclist

    @trnc:

    That sentence makes it appear that teachers are quitting because classes are going virtual rather than because of the outbreaks that are forcing them to go virtual.

    I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the former at least as much as the latter. The teachers who take the plague seriously probably got vaxxed months ago, and likely figure that while the risk of Covid is still real, it’s less than last year or the end of the year before.

    But teachers have spent the past year and a half revamping and re-revamping and re-re-revamping their lesson plans for different sets of circumstances. And just on that alone, I can understand why teachers would be ready to say the hell with it, and walk away.

  22. 22.

    Robert Sneddon

    Scotland — 3,833 new cases reported today but the number is not certain due to a technical issue with some COVID-19 case reporting a few days ago. The test positivity rate is 9.1%, also affected by the technical issue. The number of new deaths was two people overnight (noting that Register Offices are now generally closed at weekends). ICU bed occupancy numbers are 100, up one from yesterday while hospitalisations are 1,074, up 22.

    There were about 8,000 vaccinations carried out in Scotland yesterday (Friday) with about 40% of these being first vaccinations. 91.1% of 16+ adults are now vaccinated with their first dose and 83.7% are fully vaccinated. 68.0% of 16 and 17-year-olds have now received their first vaccination, up 1.6% from yesterday. It looks like the 16 and 17 year olds are getting vaccinated en masse at the weekends while the Young Immortals (aged 18 through 40) are staying away from the vaccination centres in droves.

    Vaccination for 12-15 year olds starts in Scotland tomorrow (there are about 180,000 kids in Scotland in that age group). It will probably take a week or two for significant numbers to be vaccinated and then we will get an idea how many parents will take up this opportunity and how many will choose not to have their kids vaccinated.

  24. 24.

    lowtechcyclist

    “Last week an anti-masker said to me, ‘It’s sad that my children are being asked to protect yours. It’s not their job. That’s your job,’” she told board members.

    Yeah, Mom should stand behind her kid’s desk at school, swatting away any coronaviruses that get too close. (If only that was even possible, but it would still be extremely ridiculous.)

    @mrmoshpotato:

    Yeah – that whole living in a society, looking out for one another, what tyrannical garbage is that?!

    Hell, even by libertarian standards, it’s ridiculous.  If their freedom to swing their fists ends where our faces begin, it’s the same way with the coronavirus.  Their freedom to exhale the virus ends where our face begins, so if they can’t stop their exhalations from reaching our faces, they have violated our freedoms. And they need to mask up so that they don’t do so.​

  25. 25.

    Sloane Ranger

    Saturday in the UK we had 30,144 reported new cases. This is a decrease of 20.4% in the rolling 7-day average, but dear readers, as you already know by now, offices are closed at weekends so the actual number will be higher. New cases by nation,

    England – 22,956 (down 309)

    Northern Ireland – 1072 (down 167)

    Scotland – 6116 (up 587)

    Wales – Does not report on Saturday’s).

    Deaths – There were 164 deaths within 28 days of a positive test reported yesterday. Again an undercount due to office closures. This is an increase of 2% in the rolling 7-day average. 131 deaths were in England, 6 in Northern Ireland and 27 in Scotland. Wales did not report.

    Testing – Not updated at weekends.

    Hospitalisations – not updated at weekends.

    Vaccinations – As of Friday, 17 September, 48,548,506 people had received 1 shot of a vaccine and 44,357,108 had had both. This means that, as of this date, 89.35 of all UK residents aged 16+ had received 1 shot and 81.6% were fully vaccinated.

  26. 26.

    RSA

    The Washington Post has a story up about insurance and COVID.  Sample:

    Hospitals along the Connecticut River, the border between Vermont and New Hampshire, draw patients from both states. Vermont health plans are waiving deductibles and co-pays into 2022. In New Hampshire, where Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield has a dominant presence, insurance companies have reinstated cost-sharing.

    Marvin Mallek, a doctor who treats covid patients from both sides of the river at Springfield Hospital in Vermont, said New Hampshire covid patients are now facing business as usual from insurers, suffering the same sort of financial stress that routinely affects patients with cancer, heart disease and other serious ailments.

    “The inhumanity of our health-care system and the tragedies it creates will now resume and will now cover this one group that was exempted,” he said. “The U.S. health-care system is sort of like a game of musical chairs where there are not enough chairs, and some people are going to get hurt and devastated financially.”

  27. 27.

    Bill Arnold

    The (days old) NYTimes piece on Indian government political influence over science is worth a skim (or a read): As India’s Lethal Covid Wave Neared, Politics Overrode Science
    Getting irritated about the gaslighting about COVID deaths in various countries including India (some countries with ludicrious levels of gaslighting). Excess deaths estimates are the tool of choice when governments downplay their pandemic toll for political reasons, though they rely on accurate death statistics.
    The Economist has been maintaining excess deaths estimates for the world. Note that in their world map they use a statistical model for countries like India that do not report excess deaths numbers. (Russia does (and they show that the Russian government lies, by 4x, but doesn’t care). China does(probably lies though), Brazil does, the USA does.) So their infamous coloured chart mixes reported and estimated excess death numbers.
    There have been 7m-13m excess deaths worldwide during the pandemic – The rich world suffered relatively badly, but most of the dying has been elsewhere (May 15th 2021)
    How we estimated the true death toll of the pandemic – Dealing with potential outcomes, known unknowns, and uncertainty (May 13th 2021)

    https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/coronavirus-excess-deaths-estimates
    See also this, which includes a table of estimates of government lying. India is estimated to lie by about 10X. Pakistan, 25X. Russia, 4X. Some other countries, a ludicrous disparity. China, not clear. (Shutdowns/lockdowns reduced air pollution deaths, same probably in India.)
    The pandemic’s true death toll Our daily estimate of excess deaths around the world (updated 15 September 2021)

    There are academic, estimates of India’s excess deaths numbers (there are similar studies for some other countries, yes including the US, which is off by about 1.5X.) Some  (all?) not yet peer reviewed (though note that political influence over science can be heavy handed.).
    USING HOUSEHOLD ROSTERS FROM SURVEY DATA TO ESTIMATE ALL-CAUSE MORTALITY DURING COVID IN INDIA (Anup Malani, Sabareesh Ramachandran, August 2021)

    We estimate roughly 4.5 million (95% CI: 2.8M to 6.2M) excess deaths over 16 months during the pandemic in India.

    All-cause mortality during SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic in India: Nationally-representative estimates independent of official death registry (Sabareesh Ramachandran, Anup Malani, July 22, 2021)

    We estimate COVID is associated with 3.36 million (95% CI: 2.08-4.63 million) excess deaths, a 17.3% increase in the all-cause death rate, until April 2021.

    A meta summary:
    Three New Estimates of India’s All-Cause Excess Mortality during the COVID-19 Pandemic (Abhishek Anand, Justin Sandefur, and Arvind Subramanian, July 2021)

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