Covid-19 transmission may have seasonal spikes tied to temperature and humidity, increasing at different times of the year for different locations, a new study suggests https://t.co/tFKp8JfaEH
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 28, 2022
Covid-19 transmission may have seasonal spikes tied to temperature and humidity, increasing at different times of the year for different locations, a new study in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene suggests.
Colder regions, such as the U.S. Northeast, may experience more cases during winter, while warmer regions, such as the southern United States, may see higher transmissions in the summer. More-temperate zones could experience two seasonal peaks…
Jutla and his colleagues found that coronavirus cases in 19 hot spots worldwide increased above and below certain temperature and humidity thresholds because of human behavior and the virus’s movement as an aerosol. Case numbers spiked when air temperatures dipped below 62 degrees (17 Celsius) or above 75 degrees (24 Celsius). The virus also tends to linger more in drier environments compared to humid ones.
“We need to basically design the intervention or mitigation strategies based on the environment in which we live,” Jutla said. “Regions like Florida, India, Africa — they are warm regions. … They basically get hit by these waves, but at different times than what happens in the northern parts, the colder regions.”…
Aerosol researcher and co-author Chang-Yu Wu explained that local humidity and temperature play vital roles in the size of the virus’s particles, which can influence its life span in the air. Drier atmospheres in colder regions will induce water evaporation from the particles, shrinking their size and allowing them to float in the air for longer periods. People also tend to seek shelter inside in colder environments and expose themselves to recirculated air that potentially contains the virus.
The air in humid, hotter environments contains more water, which can condense onto the virus particles, make them bigger and theoretically fall to the ground faster. Wu compares the particles to a rock in this case — the more mass, the faster it falls. At the same time, people often move inside to avoid the outdoor warmth and again expose themselves to recirculated air. Air conditioners also dry the inside air, creating an environment similar to that of winter for aerosols…
Overall, the researchers stressed that proper ventilation and filtration, such as masks, are among the most important measures for preventing transmission of the disease. Air sampling studies have repeatedly shown that excellent ventilation and filtration can reduce covid case loads, even in larger, relatively crowded places such as gyms.
“For me, the biggest takeaway is the need to focus on the built environment,” Zaitchik wrote. “It’s not simply a matter of ‘is it cold out’; it’s a matter of whether those cold temperatures are leading you to crowd indoors, reduce ventilation, use climate controls that result in low indoor humidity, etc.”…
Incidence of #Omicron infection continues to fall in most of the USA, but deaths are rising. Nearly all, in unvaccinated individuals. pic.twitter.com/6ZLzOQemNJ
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) January 29, 2022
And mostly what we get from elite media figures at the New York Times and Atlantic Monthly is scoldings about how taking precautions against COVID is “irrational.” https://t.co/2es8inxAvd
— David Menschel (@davidminpdx) January 29, 2022
======
On average, a major new #COVID19 variant has been detected every four months. The next major variant to emerge could be both highly transmissible and cause more severe disease or greater evasion of vaccine immunity. This risk is higher while billions remain unvaccinated.
— Seth Berkley (@GaviSeth) January 29, 2022
This means the #COVAX AMC must be able to order doses now so they can be available to lower-income countries as soon as needed. Upfront funding is an urgent priority to increase supply predictability & have delivery funds to turn vaccine deliveries into vaccinations. #breakCOVID
— Seth Berkley (@GaviSeth) January 29, 2022
-China reports 34 new COVID-19 cases among Games-related personnel https://t.co/vmleURnb2Y pic.twitter.com/X3zIhvXmHD
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 30, 2022
COVID deaths in the month since Conor’s tweet:
United States: 61,000
New Zealand: 1 https://t.co/ldp8CRsDOF— David Menschel (@davidminpdx) January 29, 2022
Russia’s daily count of new coronavirus infections has spiked above 110,000 as the highly contagious omicron variant spreads through the vast country. It was a sevenfold increase from early in the month. https://t.co/cD7ThgDhbI
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 29, 2022
SARSCoV2 cases soar by 100,000 in Russia in a single day. Even as the country is increasing tensions with the Ukraine, Russia itself is being increasingly attacked by Covid https://t.co/5gpPA9b7cE pic.twitter.com/4iulKflmAU
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) January 29, 2022
The Omicron wave in the US vs 6 European countries
2-7 fold increase in death
2-8 fold increase in hospital admissions
40-50% less booster rate and absolute 10-20 per cent gap in 2-shot vaccination %@OurWorldInData pic.twitter.com/x59O326Ust— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) January 29, 2022
Austria will loosen virus restrictions in stages in February after a national vaccine mandate takes effect on Tuesday. https://t.co/WEVSDSUgBv
— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) January 29, 2022
Britain to offer COVID vaccinations to vulnerable children aged 5-11 https://t.co/NzyJ4rLmNe pic.twitter.com/gyT0Uqh4oR
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 30, 2022
Thousands of demonstrators gathered in the Canadian capital of Ottawa to protest vaccine mandates, masks and lockdowns.
Some danced on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the National War Memorial, others carried signs and flags with swastikas. https://t.co/ZTDVPEBayW— The Associated Press (@AP) January 30, 2022
… The convoy of truckers and others prompted police to prepare for the possibility of violence and warn residents to avoid downtown. A top Parliament security official advised lawmakers to lock their doors amid reports their private homes may be targeted.
Trudeau has said Canadians are not represented by this “very troubling, small but very vocal minority of Canadians who are lashing out at science, at government, at society, at mandates and public health advice.″…
Canada has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world and the premier of the province of Quebec who is proposing to tax the unvaccinated is popular.
Some are, in part, protesting a new rule that took effect Jan. 15 requiring truckers entering Canada be fully immunized against the coronavirus. The United States has imposed the same requirement on truckers entering that country.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance said a great number of the protesters have no connection to the trucking industry, adding they have a separate agenda to push. The alliance notes the vast majority of drivers are vaccinated.
The organizers of the protest have called for the forceful elimination of all COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates and some called for the removal of Trudeau.
The Shepherds of Good Hope, which has a soup kitchen for the homeless in Ottawa, reported staff and volunteers “experienced harassment from convoy protestors seeking meals from our soup kitchen. The individuals were given means to defuse the conflict.”…
Former U.S. Ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman said the threat against democracy isn’t only happening in America.
“Both the use of the swastika and the confederate flag are symbols of hate. So very sad to see these symbols anywhere and especially in Canada,” said Heyman, who was the U.S. envoy under former President Barack Obama.
The Parliamentary Protective Service expects as many as 10,000 protesters as part of a weekend-long rally…
======
People w/#diabetes are especially vulnerable to #COVID19 death. And, conversely, #SARSCoV2 infection can cause diabetes. The virus causes direct damage to the pancreas — the sugar processing center of the body.https://t.co/U8n8M1lGD5
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) January 29, 2022
SARSCoV2 can remain active in the body much longer than recommended quarantine periods: "We wanted to know if a period of 14 days was really long enough for the virus to stop being detectable. We concluded it wasn't," said Paola Minoprio, lead investigator https://t.co/BPEv6wSDWm
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) January 29, 2022
Does #omicron pose as much of a blood clot threat as other variants? While more data are needed, the clot risk seems to have dropped. Dr. Peter Faries of Mount Sinai in NYC says the level of clotting complications in earlier surges is not evident now https://t.co/mBgE6V1FVQ pic.twitter.com/airxey3wSO
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) January 29, 2022
One year after, 246 #COVID19 survivors treated in ICUs in the Netherlands:
– 75% reported lingering physical symptoms
– >26% said they had mental symptoms
– 16% still had cognitive issues#LongCovid https://t.co/2pQYTuMptt
andhttps://t.co/lAWMpY01AW— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) January 29, 2022
======
The #SCOTUS decision blocking OSHA from imposing #vaccination mandates on big businesses shifts the burden of #COVID19 control from the federal govt to the corporate world — leaving companies to decide the fates of local hospitals & health systems.https://t.co/n8zxfElmwY
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) January 29, 2022
“What’s next for you, other than being a celebrity now?” Laura Ingraham asked state trooper who quit rather than get the vaccine. The answer turned out to be dying of Covid. https://t.co/3MVWEzMz8w
— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) January 29, 2022
once again, people VACCINES ARE FREE AND THEY GIVE YOU A NICE, LEGITIMATE CARD https://t.co/mkduqCCkad
— Gerry Doyle (@mgerrydoyle) January 30, 2022
So the NY Post story about the nurses selling fake vaccine cards doen't name the cop who was part of the ring. The cards were stored in NYPD helmets and being sold to cops. They found $900,000 in his house but let him go. His name is Devin De Vuono.https://t.co/uqK3ylxJEP
— Mikki Halpin (@mikkipedia) January 29, 2022
it blows my mind that there are still people On Here pretending to ask earnestly whether there is any evidence the vaccines work or make an aggregate impact. it is not even a question at this point. there is no "just asking questions" https://t.co/1BYzuZY2hK
— Gerry Doyle (@mgerrydoyle) January 30, 2022
you can be curious and willing to have a conversation with anyone. but when you treat every piece of information as equally valid (or actively embrace incorrect information), that ain't great
— Gerry Doyle (@mgerrydoyle) January 30, 2022
/2 Fraud is lying about the product to sell it, that’s not protected. If people want to tune in to Fishsticks Goebbels and the various versions of Wannsee Barbie and be congratulated for who they hate and fear, that’s not fraud, it’s selling shitty people what they want.
— LesserHat* (@Popehat) January 29, 2022
AOC challenger endorses vaccine mandates https://t.co/lMvPP2LZSW
— Adam Serwer ? (@AdamSerwer) January 30, 2022
A Republican calling for the eradication of the virus *would* be big news https://t.co/tXJZI22RW3 pic.twitter.com/0FASSjRGh2
— Adam Weinstein (@AdamWeinstein) January 29, 2022
NotMax
Locally,
Elsewhere,
NotMax
Longish read for the weekend.
NeenerNeener
Monroe County, NY:
NYSDOH says 487 new cases on 1/29/22. A year ago this number was terrifying, now it’s a hopeful sign.
Baud
@NotMax:
Swift County Monitor-News needs a swift kick in the ass.
satby
So, the signs that I need to retire because I’m turning into Sophia from Golden Girls were everywhere yesterday. Particularly in my exchange with an idiot vendor who missed two weeks because he was out with covid for the second time. I asked “you said you thought you were going to die the last time, and instead of getting the vaccine, you thought you’d just roll the dice?” ” Yeah, and I’ll roll the dice again, because I’m still not getting that vaccine” “That’s because”, I enunciated very clearly through my mask, “you’re a dumbshit” .
Barbara
Laurie Garrett drives me crazy. Health care providers that employ large numbers of people are still subject to the Medicare mandate, which was upheld.
satby
@Baud: read that more carefully, the newspaper is reporting accurately, the town dumbshits are saying the accurate news is a lie.
satby
@Barbara: Also healthcare providers that accept federal payments like Medicare. Which includes much smaller employers.
Rusty
@NotMax: Thanks for the link, that was a good read on what is happening in a lot of white rural America.
Baud
@satby:
Ah, thanks. The author was paraphrasing the residents, not reporting on the newspaper.
YY_Sima Qian
On 1/29 China reported 54 new domestic confirmed (3 previously asymptomatic) & 16 new domestic asymptomatic cases.
At Xi’an in Shaanxi Province 36 domestic confirmed cases recovered. There are currently 48 active domestic confirmed cases in the province.
At Guangdong Province 1 domestic confirmed case recovered & 2 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 58 active domestic confirmed & 6 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.
At Guangxi “Autonomous” Region 1 domestic confirmed case recovered. There currently are 1 active domestic confirmed (at Ningming County in Chongzuo) & 1 active domestic asymptomatic (at Chongzuo) cases in the province.
Tianjin Municipality reported 4 new domestic confirmed cases (1 mild & 3 moderate), 3 at Hebei District (2 from persons under centralized quarantine & 1 at fever clinics) & 1 at Jinnan District (a pandemic response worker in “closed loop”). 31 domestic confirmed cases recovered. There currently are 84 active domestic confirmed & 1 active domestic asymptomatic cases (all presumed Omicron). 10 residential compounds & 1 residential building are currently at High Risk. 12 residential compounds remain at Medium Risk.
Beijing Municipality reported 20 new domestic confirmed cases (2 previously asymptomatic, 9 mild & 11 moderate), 15 of the 18 new domestic positive cases are from persons under centralized or home quarantine & 3 from mass screening, all related to the Delta outbreak at cold storage warehouses in Fengtai District. There currently are 87 active domestic confirmed cases & 12 active domestic asymptomatic cases. 2 communities & 1 village have been elevated to High Risk. 1 village & 1 residential building have been elevated to Medium Risk. 1 community, 4 residential compounds, 2 villages, 1 residential building & 1 warehouse are currently at Medium Risk.
At Liaoning Province there currently are 1 active domestic confirmed (at Shenyang) & 4 active domestic asymptomatic (3 at Dalian & 1 at Shenyang) cases in the province.
Shandong Province did not report any new domestic positive cases. There currently at 2 active domestic confirmed (at Jinan) & 1 active domestic asymptomatic (at Liaocheng) cases in the province, all part of the transmission chain from the cold storage warehouses outbreak at Fengtai District in Beijing.
Shanxi Province did not report any new domestic positive cases. There currently are 3 active domestic confirmed cases in the province (2 at Datong & 1 at Yuncheng).
Hebei Province did not report any new domestic positive cases. There currently are 11 active domestic confirmed cases (5 at Xiong’an, 4 at Langfang & 2 at Baoding) in the Province, all part of the transmission from the cold storage warehouses outbreak in Beijing. 1 village at Xiong’an is currently at Medium Risk.
Yili Prefecture in Xinjiang “Autonomous” Region reported 3 new domestic asymptomatic cases (1 at Horgos & 2 at 4th Div. of XPCC), all from persons under quarantine. 1 domestic asymptomatic cases was released from isolation. There currently are 15 active domestic confirmed (12 at Horgos & 3 at 4th Div. of XPCC) & 32 active domestic asymptomatic (26 at Horgos & 6 at 4th Div. of XPCC) cases at the border crossing. 4 residential compounds & 1 residential building are currently at Medium Risk.
Heilongjiang Province reported 8 new domestic confirmed & 12 new domestic asymptomatic cases. There currently are 28 active domestic confirmed & 40 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.
At Shanghai Municipality there currently are 2 active domestic confirmed & 15 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 1 village remains at Medium Risk.
Zhejiang Province reported 19 new domestic confirmed cases (all mild, all presumed Omicron), all at Hangzhou, 18 from centralized quarantine & 1 from mass screening in areas under lock down. 4 domestic confirmed cases recovered. There currently are 81 active domestic confirmed & 1 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province. 1 shop at Hangzhou has been elevated to High Risk. 8 residential compounds & 3 businesses at Hangzhou has been elevated to Medium Risk. 8 residential compounds & 4 businesses at Hangzhou are currently at Medium Risk.
Huanggang in Hubei Province did not report any new domestic positive cases. There currently is 1 active domestic asymptomatic case in the city, party of the transmission chain from Hangzhou in Zhejiang.
Anshun in Guizhou Province did not report any new domestic positive cases. There currently is 1 active domestic confirmed case in the city, party of the transmission chain from Hangzhou in Zhejiang.
At Shangrao in Jiangxi Province there currently is 1 active domestic asymptomatic case, part of the transmission chain from the factory outbreak at Hangzhou in Zhejiang.
Henan Province reported 2 new domestic confirmed (1 previously asymptomatic) & 1 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 38 domestic confirmed case recovered. There currently are 675 active domestic confirmed & 1 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.
Yunnan Province reported 1 new domestic confirmed case, at Mengla County in Sipsongpanna Prefecture, from screening of residents under movement restriction. 2 domestic confirmed cases recovered. There currently are 9 active domestic confirmed (4 at Kunming & 5 at Sipsongpanna Prefecture) & 6 active domestic asymptomatic (all at Sipsongpanna Prefecture) cases remaining. 1 zone at Mengla County in Sipsongpanna Prefecture remains at Medium Risk.
Imported Cases
On 1/29, China reported 27 new imported confirmed cases (1 previously asymptomatic), 49 imported asymptomatic cases, 1 imported suspect case:
Overall in China, 182 confirmed cases recovered (69 imported), 38 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation (36 imported) & 4 were reclassified as confirmed cases (1 imported), & 4,997 individuals were released from quarantine. Currently, there are 2,026 active confirmed cases in the country (916 imported), 10 in serious condition (1 imported), 800 active asymptomatic cases (678 imported), 1 suspect case (imported). 39,072 traced contacts are currently under centralized quarantine.
As of 1/29, 2,997.884M vaccine doses have been injected in Mainland China, an increase of 3.722M doses in the past 24 hrs.
On 1/30, Hong Kong reported 81 new positive cases, 4 imported & 77 domestic.
On 1/30, Taiwan reported 54 new positive cases, 40 imported & 14 domestic.
satby
Did anyone read this? The Anti-Vax Right Brought Human Sacrifice to America.
Baud
@satby:
People be refusing life saving transplants to avoid taking the vaccine.
I’ve never been prouder to be part of our culture rather than theirs.
Ken
Uh, no. One reality, and one fantasy of epic scale. And people say Don’t Look Up was heavy-handed with the satire.
Ken
@Baud: In fairness, he still wants the heart transplant, he just doesn’t want to follow the doctors’ instructions on pre-operative preparation. As someone said yesterday, this is like if they’d told him to stop smoking and lose 50 pounds first, and he didn’t — it makes him a bad candidate for post-operative survival.
satby
@Baud: Human sacrifices, willing ones.
NorthLeft12
The pro-COVID convoy in Ottawa further distinguished themselves by:
* Crashing a homeless soup kitchen for a meal. Of course the kitchen fed them.
* Defied the provincial mask mandate for indoor shopping resulting in the closure of the Rideau Mall, and other downtown businesses.
On the whole, there has been no violence and no arrests or tickets either. I believe the city and provincial police are keeping a hands off approach to not provoke any incidents. I don’t have a problem with that, as they do this for pretty much any other mass protest. It will be interesting to see if this strategy continues into next week……if the protestors hang around as threatened.
Ken
@satby: “Here at last was a species that could be persuaded to shoot itself in the foot.”
From one of Terry Pratchett’s novels. The Auditors (who object to life because it is unpredictable) have made a happy discovery…
germy
@Ken:
Daffy Duck grabbing the end of the shotgun and screaming “It’s DUCK season!”
germy
CliosFanBoy
Um, that’s not true. Heavier objects do NOT fall faster.
charon
@CliosFanBoy:
Only in a vacuum, not applicable where there is air.
satby
@CliosFanBoy: @charon: well, the guy is a biologist, not a physicist, but I think his point was that the larger particles fall out of circulation faster than the smaller, drier ones.
NorthLeft12
@CliosFanBoy: At the particle size in question, size/mass does matter as small particles are subject to Brownian motion and will stay suspended in the air much, much longer…..at least if I am remembering my second or third year Physical Chemistry course right (forty-five years ago).
MomSense
Maine’s CDC Director, Dr. Nirav Shah, tweeted an epic satire of blizzard prediction, blizzard response, preparedness etc with all the BS arguments against masking and vaccination applied to the blizzard. Here’s a link to his Twitter thread. Please retweet and share as able.
https://twitter.com/nirav_mainecdc/status/1487455146208600066?s=21 #blizzard2022 #hoax
debbie
Friday, my work went from having everyone work from home through February to everyone working in the office 2 or 3 days per week starting February 7. I may be giving notice sooner than I’d expected.
Robert Sneddon
Scotland — 6,185 new cases of COVID-19 reported. Still no test positivity rate being published. There were 2 new reported death(s) of people who have tested positive (noting that Register Offices are now generally closed at weekends). Basically death rate figures reported on Sunday and Monday are going to be not representative due to the office closures.
1,217 people were in hospital yesterday with recently confirmed COVID-19, down significantly over the past few days with 32 people in intensive care, remaining about the same. Generally the number of cases and hospitalisations are not dropping as fast as they were doing a few weeks ago.
Vaccination numbers aren’t reported for Scotland specifically over the weekends nowadays but there’s no expectation there’s going to be much change in the takeup of vaccinations on offer. The UK-wide JCVI is now recommending 5-11 year olds with risk factors such as asthma receive vaccination and it’s likely this will occur in Scotland soon, although it has already been happening to small numbers of children in extreme risk categories such as leukemia and other diseases.
Another Scott
@debbie: :-(
Good luck and stay safe.
Cheers,
Scott.
WaterGirl
@MomSense: Oh my god, that was so good. A lot of thought went into that. I hope it does some good.
dmsilev
@MomSense:
That was epic. My favorite:
WaterGirl
@debbie: I don’t blame you at all. If your work can be accomplished at home and your employer chooses to put you at risk – because reasons – that’s a clear message that there are better employers out there.
Cermet
@CliosFanBoy: In vacuum, correct. But for micron droplets in air, increased mass does cause droplets to fall faster; its the volume (mass) to area (frictional/viscous forces) effect. That is, bigger particles experience less frictional forces from air per unit mass increase so larger particles do fall faster in air. Remember, small enough droplets float in air but larger ones do sink (all relative to still air.)
debbie
@WaterGirl:
To be honest, I was surprised back when they mandated all kinds of protections (staff sanitizing daily, distancing, etc.), but this latest move shows they never changed their stripes, so to speak.
WaterGirl
@debbie: It’s disgusting.
Kay
What suprised me here locally was when the covid serious illness switched from (mostly) elderly people to a younger group in their 50’s and 60’s. The older group had higher rates of vaccination and were probably less exposed because they weren’t going to work, so the serious illness and death we started to hear about was among people in their 50s and 60s. It didn’t make a bit of difference- vaxx rate didn’t budge at all.
Suzanne
@satby:
You are a hero.
lowtechcyclist
Nils Lofgren joins Neil Young and Joni Mitchell in pulling his music from Spotify.
Not quite the Alice’s Restaurant Anti-Massacree Movement yet, but every little bit helps.
laura
Hoping each morning to see a comment from Amir Khalid, back with a tale to tell about his stay in hospital. Sad to note his absence is unabated. Worried about our friend- more so with each passing day.
Hope to nope in a single post and repeat. ?
debbie
@lowtechcyclist:
Spotify’s stock is down 25%, which I would guess is more impactful.
WaterGirl
@laura: Like you, I think about Amir every day. And like you, I grow more worried by the day.
What does this mean?
lowtechcyclist
@debbie: Probably depends on whether it’s still down a couple weeks from now.
Would also be good to see some artists whose popularity is current, or at least a bit more recent, to pull off of Spotify.
mrmoshpotato
@MomSense: Hahaha! That’s so good!
RaflW
I am so burnt out and cynical that I don’t really trust that this country will do what’s needed to improve indoor air quality & filtration. Some companies & institutions will (and even have already) made changes.
But our policy-making framework has been gutted by decades of Reaganism – not to mention the current GQP madness (and the six horsemen of the Scotus who want to end the regulatory state).
Suzanne
@MomSense: That was funny as hell.
“I know a guy who got frostbite even though he was WEARING GLOVES. #CHECKMATE“
Barbara
@debbie: It’s hard to tie stock price to news, although in this case news might exacerbate a developing trend. I was told that “speculative” investments of all kinds (e.g., bitcoin) are most likely going to drive perceived downturns and volatility in the market this year, especially if interest rates rise.
Scott
It’s been clear to me that COVID is an indoor virus. It spike in Texas when people start retreating into air conditioning and in the north when it begins to get cold.
Suzanne
I am starting to think about plans for summer and it is difficult. I desperately want to go on a vacation. Spawn the Youngest is still unvaccinated, and there doesn’t seem to be any word on when that can change. She turns three this summer. She is able to mask while we’re, say, in a store. But I’m not sure if she can do a longer flight. I don’t know what to do.
debbie
@Suzanne:
Three years!!! Jeez, I’ve lost any sense of time anymore.
debbie
@lowtechcyclist:
@Barbara:
Understood, but investors have often seemed to flee from smaller percentages.
Jinchi
@CliosFanBoy:
This is the key phrase
So Wu is describing a situation where virus particles get encased in droplets. Small drops can stay suspended. Larger droplets fall. It’s got to do with how much weight the surrounding air can hold up. Think the difference between fog and rain.
Cermet
@Jinchi: Related – the NYT did a piece on the fact that his virus has cooping mechanisms to enhance its stability when in a water droplet – in this respect it is superior to most other viruses. This enables this virus to remain infectious longer when in droplets. A big plus when it comes to spreading
Another Scott
@RaflW: I’m also disappointed, but I think we’ll get there eventually.
I remember when many, many people were writing off Mississippi months ago because they were stuck at around 40% vaccinated (1+ dose). They’re now at 58%. (Yes, all the numbers have problems, but they’re going up.)
The anti-vaxxers are losing. The SCOTUS is (criminally) slowing down mandates, but not throwing them out in-principle. Anti-vaxxers are noisy and getting far too much press (gotta chase those Clicks and Engagement!!1), but they’re losing. It’s a long struggle and is taking energy that is much better spent elsewhere, but we’re winning. As the economy continues to improve and things like HEPA filters get back closer to normal prices, things will get better.
Hang in there, everyone. Stay safe.
Cheers,
Scott.
Suzanne
@debbie: Three years, and unlike my older kids, she has spent the vast majority of that time at home. Less exposure to restaurants, stores, museums, etc. All that stuff that helps you be a person. I took them to the mall on Friday evening because I needed a few things at Target, and Spawn the Younger was sad because of school being canceled. So I promised her Starbucks and some time out of the house. Anyway, Spawn the Youngest just wanted to ride the escalator over and over and over. I was that person who let their kids run in the mall. It wasn’t crowded and they’ve been so cooped up. That’s why I want them to have a great vacation this summer.
RaflW
@MomSense: This line in particular made me laugh! “I also find it deeply suspicious that their ‘models’ change all the time. I thought this was ‘science’, which does not change (see, e.g., gravity).”
“see, e.g., gravity”
Perfecto!
Anyway
@Suzanne:
Summer Road Trip?
Barbara
@Suzanne: We went to New Hampshire last year and rented a cabin, and did almost exclusively outdoor activities. It would have been even lower risk if we had driven instead of flying, but the drive was just too long for the amount of time we had. We were all vaccinated by that point, but still, I think that kind of trip presents relatively low risks.
Suzanne
@Anyway: We did a road trip to the beach last year. I really want to do an international trip and get the fuck out of the country for a bit. I need a vacation from my fellow Americans. Not sure if that will happen.
Another Scott
@Suzanne: Canada is interesting and pretty easy. Banff/Jasper, Quebec/Montreal (for a taste of French-ish stuff), Bay of Fundy, etc. Lots of neat stuff not too far away.
Cheers,
Scott.
laura
@WaterGirl: i get my hopes up and then they are dashed. Hope he’s here and then nope, he’s not here.
I’m thinking about searching medical centers in Jakarta and asking whether Amir is/was a patient.
Suzanne
@Another Scott: Yeah, Montreal is one of the options I’ve been considering. It would still be a flight, tho. That’s honestly what I’m most concerned about.
lowtechcyclist
True, but investors don’t determine a company’s profitability. And its prospects depend on whether people’s anger at Spotify has staying power, or whether everybody stops thinking about Spotify when next week’s scandal comes along.
If the latter happens, the profitability picture won’t be affected much, and the investors will be back.
debbie
@Suzanne:
I bet Pittsburgh has all kinds of day camps with different interests that would be fun.
Ksmiami
@Suzanne: rent a big van and go where there’s sun and water… you have a 3 year old. She’ll love it
Barbara
@Suzanne: Toronto and surrounding environs are really lovely and interesting. Take in Niagara Falls along the way. Easily drivable from Pgh. My family did it twice when I was a kid.
Ksmiami
@Suzanne: Italy and Spain are kid friendly and your 3 year old will be ok. Take an evening flight if possible
Kent
I think you misread the article or headline.
What she is saying is that now that the OSHA mandate has been overturned, it is doing to be up to corporations and corporate decision-makers determining whether or not hospitals get crushed by the unvaccinated, rather than the Federal government.
She wasn’t talking about vaccine mandates for health care workers. She was talking about whether or not corporations are going to help fight the pandemic or undermine efforts, now that the Federal government is unable.
Suzanne
@Ksmiami: I was thinking about Spain, too. I’ve never been to Barcelona and some friends of mine took their little guy and they said it was great and that everyone respected Covid rules. Again, the flight is the concern. Agree on the night flights. All of mine took flights as littles and did great, because they sleep through it. Youngest took a few flights in her first six months of life.
I kind of hate road tripping. We did it last year and it was fine, but mehhhhh. The idea of driving more than six hours or so sounds like a trip to the penitentiary.
WaterGirl
@laura: I keep hoping that someone here had an email exchange with Amir with guitar advice, or something, and they can confirm that the very-real-looking email Amir uses for Balloon Juice is actually a live email that he uses.
But I’m pretty sure someone would have come forward by now.
If you do look into it, getting the date exactly right may help.
Amir’s post was on Jan 4 at 2am blog time. With the time zone that could be a day’s difference. Amir’s words were “going to to be admitted to hospital for a few days”. Depending on what time that was at home, he was maybe admitted later that day, or the next day.
Barbara
@Kent:
I agree that it’s somewhat ambiguous, probably written in haste. I admit that I find her constant glass half-empty commentary to be tiresome.
Barbara
@Ksmiami:
I took my little kids to both places and had a great time but I would be apprehensive of restrictions and limitations that might pop up even if things are looking better now.
WaterGirl
@laura: Now that you’ve explained it, I look back at your words and they are perfectly clear.
J R in WV
@Baud:
You need to read the AP story linked. The guy who runs the Monitor-News is getting death threats because he prints the truth about Covid and vaccinations. Publisher is 3rd generation in the town, but RWNJ Lutheran pastor is calling him out for lying. Claims he is preaching funerals for people killed by their vax shots. No evidence, just lies.
Ruckus
@NorthLeft12:
Give them a month, it’s likely that many of them will be dead.
I’m sorry but I feel over of having any care if people who refuse the vaccine, get sick and die. I have reasonably severe reactions to many medications and yet I was in line for the vaccine 10 minutes after it opened for my age group. I got my first shot a year ago – yesterday. Literally billions of people have been vaccinated, with differing vaccines, and how many of them have started giving off coded messages or
turnedshown themselves to be assholes? Those are the people that haven’t received the vaccine. And of course it’s just not in the US, it’s many places in the world. I’d say asshole stupidity is highly contagious. Almost as contagious as a pandemic disease. And possibly deadlier.J R in WV
@Suzanne:
Vacations don’t necessarily depend upon air travel. You could do a driving tour of east coast historical sites, like Yorktown, Antietam, etc with no air travel at all. Take the masks off in the car, put them back on to visit an interesting site. Yorktown was fascinating, earthworks and cannon galore.
rikyrah
@debbie:
Is there a mask mandate?
Are they requiring KN-95 masks?
What about distancing?
J R in WV
@Suzanne:
Google maps tells me it is a 9 hour, 8 minute drive from Pgh to Montreal. Flight is 4 hours plus security theatre issues. Sounds like a wash time wise, and you won’t need to wear masks in your car.
You could stop to see Niagra falls too to break up the drive north.
debbie
@rikyrah:
Yes, on masks, but I don’t think they’re specifying which type. Every email they send out, they recommend not using cloth. Not sure if that does any good since I’m still working remotely.
Kent
@NotMax:
“Thoughtful?”
Sheesh.
NotMax
@Kent
20th century: “Parts is parts.”
21st century: “Thoughts is thoughts.”
;)
Ksmiami
@Suzanne: in San Sebastian, the restaurants etc love children