The positive message, we CAN get through the holiday season safely, and achieve a safe and sustained reopening. IF we put in the work and follow the game plan. Vax it. Boost it. Mask it (when called upon). Test it (if symptomatic). Treat it.
Just do it! pic.twitter.com/ZqasptW2wl
— Jerome Adams (@JeromeAdamsMD) November 16, 2021
Dr. Anthony Fauci said the U.S could move beyond the COVID-19 health emergency next year if it ramps up vaccination rates and if those who are already vaccinated get their booster shots https://t.co/t67iUeLxvm #TotalHealth pic.twitter.com/xjlIZcIcgk
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 17, 2021
Fauci: U.S. cases need to fall "well below" 10,000 a day to get a handle on the pandemic.
America has averaged 83,500 new #COVID19 cases a day the past week, up 14% from the week before.
Fueling the rise? The 60 million unvaccinated, eligible adults.https://t.co/V2UHqWtNXL— David Beard (@dabeard) November 17, 2021
I talked to Tony Fauci as part of @statnews' #Statsummit. He, like me, is flummoxed at the death toll the country seems willing to tolerate. "It’s almost inexplicable," he said. https://t.co/b38vGwGKJH
— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) November 16, 2021
That’s more than the combined populations of 17 state capitals. It’s greater than the populations of every state capital except Phoenix, Austin, Columbus, & Indianapolis, which are the 5th, 11th, 14th, & 15th largest US cities. It would be 18th, btwn San Francisco & Seattle https://t.co/TznNDDNRaK
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) November 17, 2021
And it's up: #ACIP's webpage shows there will be a meeting from noon to 3 pm on Friday to talk about expanding access to the Pfizer booster.#Covid pic.twitter.com/dIbfaHV9Pl
— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) November 16, 2021
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Moderna Inc said on Tuesday it signed an agreement that enables European Union and European Economic Area countries to donate over 70 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to the COVAX vaccine sharing scheme for low-and-middle income countries. https://t.co/OXREHW5sEd
— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) November 16, 2021
#HongKong pilot base shut down by @FedEx. https://t.co/rz3CFhAKGH
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) November 17, 2021
Hong Kong's Disneyland will close for a day on Wednesday for staff to take compulsory COVID-19 tests after authorities found one person who visited the theme park over the weekend was infected with the coronavirus https://t.co/nzUCE8D2Ui pic.twitter.com/PgrCiLSa4Y
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 17, 2021
COVID-19 became a 'boon' for a battered Indian hospital that is getting a new lease of life as authorities try to address the country’s chronic under-investment in health https://t.co/LQfV3iIEzr pic.twitter.com/8UPHGiFcf5
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 17, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced India to urgently try and revitalize its health infrastructure.
Here are some facts and figures on health in India, based on data from the government, the World Bank and research reports https://t.co/sHLuPBY7q4
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 17, 2021
South Korea has reported 3,187 new virus cases, nearly matching a one-day record, a worrisome development after social distancing rules were eased to lessen the pandemic’s economic impact. Officials are pushing to speed up booster shots. https://t.co/iizvcf55EH
— The Associated Press (@AP) November 17, 2021
Philippines approves emergency use of Novavax COVID-19 vaccine https://t.co/oxscXUnHUb pic.twitter.com/5Cy8mvxh9F
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 17, 2021
New Zealand to ease Auckland domestic border curbs in mid-Dec https://t.co/Qp1Yt1Oeqk pic.twitter.com/cQOu7i5hzU
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 17, 2021
Russia on Wednesday confirmed 36,626 Covid-19 infections and 1,247 deathshttps://t.co/onClUVKF7c
— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) November 17, 2021
Russia had +1,240 coronavirus deaths today, close to an all-time high, bringing the total to 257,837. pic.twitter.com/dhQYdHqOt3
— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) November 16, 2021
Hungary new daily COVID-19 infections at highest since end-March https://t.co/j39i3Ocvfd pic.twitter.com/ZGeDHfSQjc
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 17, 2021
Working at home and pub curfews return in Ireland due to rise in Covid infections https://t.co/BVD7KW1lLE
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) November 16, 2021
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Pfizer has asked the FDA to authorize its Covid antiviral pill, Paxlovid, which was found to reduce the risk of hospitalization or death when given to high-risk unvaccinated people. The drug could become available within weeks if authorization is granted. https://t.co/vgarQILWdn
— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) November 16, 2021
Not good news — but, from the thread / replies, it’s not clear the virus particles remain infectious, at least for otherwise healthy individuals who aren’t repeatedly exposed:
Environmental contamination: SARSCoV2 detected in nursing homes. The coronavirus is airborne but it apparently lingers on surfaces. Over a 3-month period 2087 swabs of patient rooms. Nearly 90% had SARS2 in rooms at least once. Common areas also studied https://t.co/taj6mPpk22 pic.twitter.com/x8Ts7ioEwd
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) November 16, 2021
Evidence continues to suggest that coronaviruses similar to the one at the core of the current pandemic are more widespread geographically than previously thought https://t.co/nj1j9Yryvj
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) November 17, 2021
I support making boosters broadly available for those 18 and older. Even if breakthrough cases are generally mild in younger age groups, there is significant societal benefit to reducing circulation. 1/6https://t.co/FfrEPAU1lk
— Trevor Bedford (@trvrb) November 17, 2021
All this has been complicated by vaccine availability. Given constrained supply it makes sense to prioritize the vulnerable, but we should be clear that that's the decision being made, not that boosters are not necessary because protection against severe disease is robust. 5/6
— Trevor Bedford (@trvrb) November 17, 2021
Anyway it seems the ship is now sailing, which is welcome news. And of course, can we invest the resources to please address vaccine equity? This @OurWorldInData map remains depressing (https://t.co/6Ye3BVthvZ). 6/6 pic.twitter.com/QfGVonJjGG
— Trevor Bedford (@trvrb) November 17, 2021
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The Alpha variant had its biggest toll in the US in Michigan. Michigan lead the US again, now with Delta. pic.twitter.com/pD3q6w6TKQ
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) November 16, 2021
(Firearm) deer season in Michigan began Monday — the state seems to be warning hunters to test carcasses for Chronic Wasting Disease, but not — so far — coronavirus.
Amazon to pay $500,000 over concealed Covid cases https://t.co/OQSUk8nvtC
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) November 16, 2021
Amazon has reached a legal settlement in California over claims it failed to adequately inform its warehouse workers about Covid-19 cases in the workplace…
California’s attorney general said workers had been left “terrified and powerless”.
Amazon said the law did not require it to share total numbers of cases with staff, but it had now started to do so.
It is the first application of the state’s “right to know” rules that require employers to keep staff notified.
The legislation requires firms to inform workers promptly of potential Covid exposures at their work sites, to tell them about pandemic-related protections, benefits, disinfection and safety plans, and to report cases to local health agencies.
Amazon spokeswoman Barbara Grait said the company had not broken the law, and had always notified workers of any exposure to cases of the virus and done contract tracing.
“The California law doesn’t specify we had to give numbers in those notifications,” she said. However the firm was now providing that information within 24 hours for staff at its California sites…
The agreement applies only to California, where Amazon employs around 150,000 workers, and must still be approved by a judge.
However, the firm has been criticised over its policies elsewhere and is also facing legal action in New York over safety at two of its fulfilment centres there.
Amazon said there was no change required to the way it notified its workers if they had been in close contact with a Covid case. The firm said the issue was around the structure of bulk employee Covid-related notifications…
One way to persuade the ‘young immortals’ into getting vaccinated?
New York allows revellers at New Year's Eve celebrations https://t.co/9JQ6mgoZG3
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) November 17, 2021
Right now Will Smith has a new memoir, the 1619 project just pubbed, Fox News has a Christmas celebration book, and Jon Karl has a Trump expose breaking news every day.
RFK jr’s book on how Bill Gates and Fauci created Covid to sell more deadly vaccines is outselling then all.
— Eric Nelson (@literaryeric) November 17, 2021
not now, nature https://t.co/SmhBylb61K
— Gerry Doyle (@mgerrydoyle) November 17, 2021
Don’t panic — but do advocate for strong public health funding:
… According to officials, the resident recently returned from Nigeria and is experiencing mild symptoms. The individual is currently recovering in isolation and was not hospitalized…
“Public health authorities have identified and continue to follow up with those who may have been in contact with the diagnosed individual,“ said MDH Deputy Secretary for Public Health Dr. Jinlene Chan. “Our response in close coordination with CDC officials demonstrates the importance of maintaining a strong public health infrastructure.”
NeenerNeener
Monroe County, NY:
The Monroe County website says 416 new cases yesterday; NYSDOH says 370 new cases.
Spanky
Oh great! “Maryland! Come for the crabs, stay for the Monkeypox”.
I’ll make the assumption that there’s no danger here in this rural backwater, except for tbe local Confederate Covid vectors.
Amir Khalid
Malaysia’s Ministry of Health reports 6,288 new Covid-19 cases today in its media statement, for a cumulative reported total of 2,563,153 cases. It also reports 40 deaths as of midnight, for an adjusted cumulative total of 29,769 deaths – 1.16% of the cumulative reported total, 1.19% of resolved cases.
Based on cases reported yesterday, Malaysia’s nationwide Rt is at 1.04.
440 confirmed cases are in ICU, 172 of them on ventilators. Meanwhile, 4,713 more patients have recovered, for a cumulative total of 2,466,525 patients recovered – 96.3% of the cumulative reported total.
Eight new clusters were reported today, for a cumulative total of 5,858 clusters. 247 clusters are currently active; 5,611 clusters are now inactive.
6,266 new cases today are local infections. 22 new cases today are imported.
The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) administered 121,232 doses of vaccine on 16th November: 6,707 first doses, 25,439 second doses, and 89,086 booster doses. As of midnight, the cumulative total is 51,455,404 doses administered: 25,625,680 first doses, 24,882,008 second doses, and 1,133,289 booster doses. 78.5% of the population have received their first dose, while 76.2% are now fully vaccinated.
debbie
Two depressing thoughts: The virus now “lingers” on surfaces and the publishing industry is milking conspiracy theories for all they’re worth. I don’t know which is more depressing, but I guess I have to start disinfecting again. I already know not to buy those stupid books.
germy
this cartoon:
NotMax
Short of some sudden dramatic plunge in numbers, U.S. will reach 800,000 reported deaths at the end of this month, or very shortly thereafter.
YY_Sima Qian
On 11/16 China reported 8 new domestic confirmed (2 previously asymptomatic) & 1 new domestic asymptomatic cases.
Dalian in Liaoning Province reported 8 new domestic confirmed cases (2 previously asymptomatic, 4 mild & 4 moderate), all 6 new domestic positive cases are traced close contacts already under centralized quarantine. There currently are 275 active domestic confirmed & 39 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 2 communities are currently at High Risk. 12 residential compounds, 17 residential buildings & 16 villages are currently at Medium Risk.
At Ejina Banner in Alxa League, Inner Mongolia “Autonomous” Region 1 domestic confirmed case recovered. There currently are 10 active domestic confirmed cases remaining.
At Xi’an in Shaanxi Province 1 domestic confirmed case recovered. There currently are 6 active domestic confirmed cases remaining.
At Yinchuan in Ningxia “Autonomous” Region 4 domestic confirmed cases recovered. There currently are 18 active domestic confirmed cases remaining. 2 residential compounds remain at Medium Risk.
At Gansu Province 13 domestic confirmed cases recovered. There currently are 71 active domestic confirmed & 1 active domestic asymptomatic cases remaining in the province.
Hebei Province did not report any new domestic positive cases. 8 domestic confirmed cases recovered.There currently are 98 active confirmed & 3 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.
At Changsha in Hunan Province there currently is 1 active domestic confirmed case remaining.
At Zunyi in Guizhou Province there currently are 2 active domestic confirmed cases (both moderate) remaining in the city. 2 residential compounds remain at Medium Risk.
At Jilin City in Jilin Province the active domestic case recovered & the active domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation.
Beijing Municipality did not report any new domestic positive cases. 1 community has been re-designated to Low Risk. 1 community & 1 residential compound are currently at Medium Risk.
At Rizhao in Shandong Province 1 domestic confirmed case recovered. There currently are 11 active domestic confirmed & 6 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 1 residential compound is currently at Medium Risk.
Sichuan Province did not report any new domestic positive cases. There currently are 27 active domestic confirmed cases in the province.
Chongqing Municipality did not report any new domestic positive cases. There currently are 6 active domestic confirmed & 5 active domestic asymptomatic cases remaining. 2 residential compounds & 1 office building are currently at Medium Risk.
At Changzhou in Jiangsu Province there currently are 3 active domestic confirmed cases remaining. 3 residential compounds remain at Medium Risk.
At Xining in Qinghai Province there currently are 11 active domestic confirmed case remaining.
Heilongjiang Province did not report any new domestic positive cases. 20 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 2 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 205 active domestic confirmed cases in the province.
Shangrao in Jiangxi Province did not report any new domestic positive cases. 6 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 10 active domestic confirmed & 33 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 1 township & 2 residential compounds are currently Medium Risk.
At Zhejiang Province there currently are 1 active domestic confirmed (at Jiaxing) & 1 active domestic asymptomatic (at Hangzhou) cases remaining.
Henan Province reported 1 any new domestic asymptomatic case. 2 domestic confirmed cases recovered. There currently are 71 active domestic confirmed & 1 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.
Dehong Prefecture in Yunnan Province did not report any new domestic positive cases. There currently are 28 active domestic confirmed & 30 active domestic asymptomatic cases at the prefecture. 1 zone at Ruili has been re-designated to Low Risk. 1 zone & 2 villages at Ruili, plus a village at Yingjiang County are currently at Medium Risk.
Imported Cases
On 11/16, China reported 23 new imported confirmed cases (none previously asymptomatic), 14 imported asymptomatic cases, 2 imported suspect cases:
Overall in China, 69 confirmed cases recovered (15 imported), 23 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation (21 imported) & 2 were reclassified as confirmed cases (both domestic), & 2,613 individuals were released from quarantine. Currently, there are 1,257 active confirmed cases in the country (378 imported), 18 in serious condition (3 imported), 500 active asymptomatic cases (352 imported), 4 suspect cases (all imported). 42,581 traced contacts are currently under centralized quarantine.
As of 11/16, 2,402.897M vaccine doses have been injected in Mainland China, an increase of 6.852M doses in the past 24 hrs.
Hong Kong has not yet published report for 11/17.
New Deal democrat
Once again 91-Divoc is down for the count. No update at all in the past 24 hours, and no new vaccination information since last week.
According to the CDC, total population with at least one dose administered has risen 3.0 million in the past 4 days to 227.7 from 224.7m. Percent of population 18+ with at least one dose is 81.6% vs. 80.9% last Friday. They have not yet started to post numbers for children 5-11. But at least Virginia does, and 13.0% of children those ages have already received one dose.
Unlike the US, where hardcore anti-vaxxers are fueling yet another wave, Israel launched a massive booster shot campaign 12 weeks ago. Cases are down 95% since then.
It is really depressing living in a failed state.
Matt McIrvin
@New Deal democrat: 91-DIVOC has gotten increasingly shaky over time; I tend to use covidactnow.org and the NYT site more as aggregators for US data, though they offer different options. That’s not a solution for international data.
NotMax
A tad more on something above.
There are a dozen subway lines which feed into and out of the 42nd Street station. The logistics of screening the crowds emerging, including separating those planning to attend for New Year’s Eve from those headed elsewhere in the area, staggers the imagination. The 42nd Street station complex is multi-leveled and large, but even so its foot traffic underground can be backed up only so much before things become unsafe.
Another Scott
@New Deal democrat: “Failed state” is much too strong. Nobody would have believed that we are doing as well as we are now with vaccinations in March 2020.
And things can always be worse…
AlJazeera
:-(
Cheers,
Scott.
Sloane Ranger
Yesterday there were 37,243 new cases here in the UK. The rolling 7-day average is now UP by 14.6%. New cases by nation,
England – 30,853 (down 587)
Northern Ireland – 1698 (up 241)
Scotland – 2771 (up 483)
Wales – 1921 (down 2599 (but Tuesday’s figures would have included a large number of catch-up cases from the weekend).
Deaths – There were 214 deaths within 28 days of a positive test reported yesterday. The rolling 7-day average is down by 10.8%, but deaths are always a lagging indicator. 190 deaths were in England, 5 in Northern Ireland, 17 in Scotland and 2 in Wales.
Testing – 916,832 tests took place on Monday, 15th. The rolling 7-day average is up by 1.9%. The PCR testing capacity reported by labs on the 15th was 682,731.
Hospitalisations – The number of people in hospital hasn’t been updated since 11 November but was 8696 on that date. On Monday, 15th, the number of patients on ventilators stood at 968. As at 12th November, the rolling 7-day average for hospital admissions was down by 4.3%, again this is a lagging indicator.
Vaccinations – As at Monday, 15th, 50,614,550 people had received 1 shot of a vaccine, 46,045,964 had had 2 and 13,147,333 had had a 3rd shot/booster. In percentage terms this means that 88% of all Uk residents aged 12+ have had 1 shot as at that date, 80.1% had had 2 and 22.9% have had a 3rd shot/booster.
General – Our beloved PM has held a news conference expressing his concern about the increase in case numbers and said that, if people don’t pull up their socks, a new lockdown cannot be ruled out. I made the mistake of scrolling through the YouTube comment sections of several news organisations who posted the conference, to find it full of conspiracy theories, anti-vaxxers and Reform Party supporters calling Boris a woke left winger who is failing to protect our borders and destroying the economy through Green policies and running scared of a “little flu”. Apparently only the Great Farargo can save us from the brown-skinned hordes invading our country and bombing everything in sight by putting the Great back in Great Britain. Very depressing. There was some push-back but not as much as I’d hoped. I put in my 2-pennyworth.
Scout211
The new, wider eligibility for booster shots is now live on the My Turn California state sign-up site. I noticed that they have changed the wording on the intake form from a strict requirement checklist to a vague if you think you are at risk of exposure. I guess it needs to be vague until the CDC gives the official okay for all adults to get the booster.
The federal pharmacies are still under the CDC guidelines for online sign-ups but have been instructed by the CDPH not to turn away anyone seeking a booster if they are 18+ and 6 months past the second mRNA shot.
Five states have opened boosters to all adults and it looks like the rest of the US will do the same after the CDC approves. The first meeting is Friday.
Bruce K in ATH-GR
Greece: Tuesday’s daily numbers make grim reading again. 8,129 cases, the second time the 8,000 per day mark has been cracked, with 80 dead and 547 patients intubated in ICUs. (source)
Boosters are opening up for the entire general population on Friday. Prime Minister Mitsotakis is to address the nation on the topic Thursday.
Personal note: I got my booster today, but it was not entirely uneventful. The doctor administering the shots asked me if I’d had a previous shot, and I told him the truth: that in the spring I’d been vaccinated in the US with two doses of Pfizer, but the Greek system refused to recognize it, and the J&J shot I’d requested was not just a booster, but intended to put me properly into the Greek system. He was hesitant until I mentioned that I was doing this on advice from my firm’s physician. Upshot: I’m now boosted, officially listed as vaccinated in the Greek system, and hopefully somewhat safer until the spring.
dmsilev
@New Deal democrat:
There are at least some 5-11 numbers on the CDC dashboard; Tuesday’s numbers showed about 1.6 million more people in the “all population” category than the “12+” category. That’s far more than any trial size, and it’s been growing by a few hundred thousand a day. Not clear whether that’s from all states or just some of them, or what sort of timelag is involved, but the numbers are there despite the warning note at the top of the page.
What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?
I just got my booster today – Moderna even though I was team Pfizer for the initial course. That was what I found available near me. My only complaint is I walk up to the pharmacy counter and the guy checking people in and giving the shots is not wearing a mask. He came into the room where they administer the dose not wearing a mask and put it on just before he gave me the shot. I mean, I think the county temporarily suspended the indoor mask mandate (but it’s going back into effect at the end of this week) but still…they tell everyone who makes an appointment to bring a face covering, so, like, read the room.
J R in WV
Mask wearing — The New Auschwitz !
I ran into an old fart at the optician shop, who nearly cried like a baby when I asked him to pull his mask up over his nose. “NO! I Won’t! it makes it hard to breath and fogs up my glasses!” … So I would rather catch and spread a fatal disease to everyone than fog my glasses.
He didn’t actually say that last part, which is why it isn’t in quotes, but that was sure what he meant. And why we are so screwed, people like that ass.
And RFK Jr. I won’t ever see his book, much less read any of it, but what a change in the generations from Bobby, who was as brave as his brother JFK, who attacked the Imperial Japanese Navy in a plywood torpedo boat. Lethal, but as fragile as a kite in a storm.
VeniceRiley
Fiance boosted with Pfizer today. Hope it’s soon enough for a somewhat safer plane ride Saturday.
Gravenstone
@J R in WV: I’ve started debating the merits of applying a clothespin across the nostrils of clowns who refuse to wear their masks above the nose.