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You are here: Home / Healthcare / COVID-19 Coronavirus / COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Saturday / Sunday, Feb. 5-6

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Saturday / Sunday, Feb. 5-6

by Anne Laurie|  February 6, 20227:31 am| 95 Comments

This post is in: COVID-19 Coronavirus, Foreign Affairs

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The coronavirus pandemic reached a grim new milestone in the U.S. on Friday, with the nation's cumulative death toll from COVID-19 surpassing 900,000, even as the daily number of lives lost has begun to level off, according to data collected by @Reuters https://t.co/2f65oMZ1u0 pic.twitter.com/9nBeoWnXj9

— Reuters (@Reuters) February 5, 2022



It’s not *news* any more, Ben…

100,000 dead. 900,000 dead. pic.twitter.com/m11CFpI4I1

— Ben Phillips (@benphillips76) February 5, 2022

Here’s the deal: Unvaccinated individuals are 97 times more likely to die compared to those who are boosted.

Protect yourself and those around you by getting vaccinated and boosted today.

— President Biden (@POTUS) February 5, 2022

Why are so many Americans still dying of Covid? The 7-day average is ~2500 a day, higher than at any point in the last 2 years outside last January — before vaccines. Yesterday, the total reported dead was >3500 #unvaxxed https://t.co/QrLx6sb6mK

— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) February 4, 2022

Not sure I agree with all of Burn-Murdoch’s arguments, but I would urge you to read the whole thing for yourself:

… [M]ore Americans died of COVID in 2021, the year Joe Biden took office armed with vaccines and promising a pandemic reboot, than in 2020, when Donald Trump bungled his way through everything but vaccine development. In the pandemic’s first year, defined by the campaign to “flatten the curve” and fights over mitigation measures like masks and school closures, the United States performed surprisingly poorly given its pre-pandemic reputation. But judging by COVID fatality rates, it was merely below average among the countries it considers its peers in the wealthy West, nearly all of which also struggled to enact the medical surveillance and cultivate the social trust necessary to curb spread without the help of vaccines. It was only in the pandemic’s second year, defined by the rollout of vaccines developed largely through American ingenuity and capital, that the U.S. has done far, far worse — by a large margin. “Since December 1, when health officials announced the first Omicron case in the United States, the share of Americans who have been killed by the coronavirus is at least 63 percent higher than in any of these other large, wealthy nations,” the New York Times calculated Tuesday. Compared to the countries with the lowest Omicron death tolls, the gap is much larger still…

On Monday, the Financial Times published a staggeringly good, graphics-heavy digest of this phenomenon and some of the most likely explanations for it, namely low vaccine coverage and slow uptake of boosters. On Tuesday, I spoke with John Burn-Murdoch, whose work for the FT has made him one of the pandemic’s most trusted chroniclers and data gurus, about just how much more brutal the second year of the American pandemic has been and how much of that brutality can be explained by gaps in vaccine coverage of just a few percentage points…

So how do you explain the huge gap in outcomes? We hear an awful lot about vaccination coverage, and it was the focus of your piece, but the numbers aren’t all that different. In the U.K., I believe, 77 percent of the population as a whole has gotten at least one shot and 71 percent has been double vaccinated. In the U.S., the numbers are 75 percent and 64 percent. That’s a gap, of course, but it isn’t enormous. And where it really matters, among the vulnerable elderly, the gap is smaller. In the U.K., 95 percent of those over 65 have gotten one shot, and 93 percent have been double-vaccinated. In the U.S., officially at least, the numbers are 95 percent and 88 percent. There is a difference there, but is it sufficient to explain the dramatic divergence in case-fatality rate between the two countries? For most of this year, the U.K.’s CFR has been two to three times lower than ours — and at a few points, it’s been as much as six times lower. That means for any given number of cases, about one-third as many Americans have died as Brits. Can a 5 percent gap in the coverage of the elderly really explain that?
I think something that’s really important to the discussion here is that it has not been ideal that we have always talked about vaccine effectiveness by talking about these numbers out of 100 percent. You say something is 90 percent effective or 80 percent effective when talking about the vaccines themselves, and similarly, when you talk about vaccination coverage, you say you’ve got 90 percent of people vaccinated or 80 percent. But the important figure is actually the inverse of that — it’s the hundred minus that.

Because a place that’s got 90 percent coverage and a place that has 85 percent coverage — those numbers sound similar, but actually one has 50 percent more vulnerable people, which is a huge gap.
Exactly that. And that explains some of the head-scratching that we’ve all been doing over the last couple of weeks looking at the U.S. versus the U.K. and western Europe. People will say, Well, look, the U.S. has got around 95 percent of its seniors protected — perhaps even more than 95 percent of its seniors vaccinated with two doses now.

Putting aside the subject of boosters for now …
Yes, without even getting into things like that, the US could have 98 percent double vaccinated and western European countries could have 99 percent double vaccinated.

Which sounds like no difference.
But it is a 100 percent difference…

======

With many thanks to each and every donor who stepped up to support us with dose donations when supply was limited, #COVAX has now shipped over 500 million donated #COVID19 vaccine doses to 105 countries: https://t.co/h8qZf0mmvW pic.twitter.com/lLTrUBp4J6

— Seth Berkley (@GaviSeth) February 4, 2022

Without dose donations, hundreds of millions of people would still be waiting for their first COVID-19 vaccination. At a time of constrained supply last year, donations played a key role in closing the vaccine equity gap, making up nearly half of all COVAX doses delivered so far. pic.twitter.com/mWuYt4tAgj

— Seth Berkley (@GaviSeth) February 4, 2022

No large fluctuations in COVID cases expected, organisers say https://t.co/8TsaEa0Nmz pic.twitter.com/Imn3mHneRU

— Reuters (@Reuters) February 6, 2022

A sharp drop in COVID-19 cases on Feb. 5 among Beijing Olympics-related personnel was due to fewer arrivals at the airport and organisers said on Sunday that they did not expect any more large fluctuations in infection numbers.

China detected 10 new COVID cases among Olympic Games-related personnel on Feb. 5, the organising committee of the Games said. That was down from Feb. 4’s 45 cases – the second highest daily tally since arrivals commenced last month.

Among the latest cases, four were new airport arrivals, including two athletes or team officials. The remaining six were already in the “closed loop”, a bubble keeping Games personnel away from the local population during the Feb. 4-20 Olympics…

Almost all of the 2,900 athletes expected at the Games have arrived as well as most of the team support and coaching staff.

In contrast to many countries seeking to live with COVID-19, China has isolated itself with a zero-tolerance policy, cancelling nearly all international flights.

All Games participants – athletes, team officials, media and staff – arrive on special charter flights and are tested on a daily basis during their stay. They must also remain in the loop, which includes their accommodation as well as the sports venues, at all times…

Olympic athletes who tested positive for COVID-19 at #Beijing2022 feel their quarantine conditions are making a bad situation much worse.

They've complained about inedible meals, poor hygienic conditions and a lack of access to training equipment.https://t.co/cxaWrdzhgM

— The Associated Press (@AP) February 6, 2022

Olympic organizers say they'll address complaints about quarantine conditions for athletes who test positive for COVID-19 at #Beijing2022. They say they're working to ensure they have clean rooms, better food and access to training equipment. https://t.co/zVvUF9jecJ

— The Associated Press (@AP) February 6, 2022

South Korea surpasses 1 million total COVID cases with daily record https://t.co/SpeYCwXSH2 pic.twitter.com/vQNN7TA5qu

— Reuters (@Reuters) February 6, 2022

Vietnam:

Researchers are asking why some countries were better prepared for covid. One surprising answer: Trusthttps://t.co/cQaPG3ExGp

— Global Health Observ (@GlobalPHObserv) February 5, 2022

New Zealand PM Ardern urges unity on COVID on Waitangi Day https://t.co/4F1WHUrpNU pic.twitter.com/oH2rNPRAFm

— Reuters (@Reuters) February 6, 2022

Russia eases COVID restrictions as daily cases hit record https://t.co/koyYoBK03P pic.twitter.com/ja27hDkdXu

— Reuters (@Reuters) February 5, 2022

Italy reports 93,157 coronavirus cases on Saturday, 375 deaths https://t.co/Cbdfs9exaV pic.twitter.com/Rl1acKtD3j

— Reuters (@Reuters) February 5, 2022

Canadian cities, including Toronto, faced disruptions as protests against vaccine mandates spread from Ottawa, raising fears of clashes with counter protesters https://t.co/GtR61hzxik pic.twitter.com/9PwUARttJq

— Reuters (@Reuters) February 6, 2022

Blockade stops Vancouver anti-vaccine mandate convoy – “Vancouver locals have organized a pedestrian and bicycle a counter blockade to prevent an anti-vaccine mandate convoy from entering the downtown core and blocking access to hospitals.” #VaccinesWork https://t.co/ctAXKaotKR

— Dr Paul Mackey (@auscandoc) February 6, 2022

crowd at Ottawa counter protest chanting “go home, dipshits!” pic.twitter.com/YD6U8j6Hmt

— Sunny Dhillon (@TheSunnyDhillon) February 5, 2022


Shut up, dipsh*ts!

U.S. Republicans vow to probe GoFundMe decision halting Canada trucker donations https://t.co/pacQEXNURP pic.twitter.com/vc0EnL56DJ

— Reuters (@Reuters) February 5, 2022


The usual suspects:

… The Freedom Convoy 2022 began as a movement against a Canadian vaccine requirement for cross-border truckers, but has turned into a rallying point against public health measures in Canada. It has also gained increasing support among U.S. Republicans, including former President Donald Trump.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on Saturday it was fraud for GoFundMe to “commandeer” $9 million in donations sent to the Freedom Convoy in support of the truckdrivers and said he would work with his state’s attorney general, Ashley Moody, to investigate. “(T)hese donors should be given a refund.”

But hours before DeSantis posted his statement on Twitter, GoFundMe said in a tweet that it had revised its original plan on how to handle funds already donated to support the truckdriver protest, saying that all donations would be refunded…

West Virginia and Louisiana attorneys general were among those who called on constituents to let them know if they had been a donor…

Protesters have shut down downtown Ottawa, the Canadian capital, for eight days now, with some participants waving Confederate or Nazi flags and some saying they wanted to dissolve Canada’s government. To the increasing fury of residents, Ottawa police have largely stood by and watched as some protesters smashed windows, threatened reporters and health-care workers, and abused racial minorities…

Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of the former president, on Twitter late Friday called for all Republican attorneys general to look into GoFundMe’s move.

======

Younger Americans benefited less from booster shots than older people. Among those under age 50, vaccination even without a booster protected strongly against hospitalization and death, according to new CDC data https://t.co/VjVIBULF0C

— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) February 5, 2022

Sewage surveillance added to CDC's tracking for early Covid surge warnings. Hundreds more wastewater detection sites to add data soon. Early signs of new variants often appear first in human waste https://t.co/50Es8tifs2

— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) February 6, 2022

======

Hershey — maker of Hershey's kisses — figuratively kissed goodbye its unvaccinated workers. The company's policy was Covid shots for salaried workers. The chocolate maker officially says the employees "separated" from the company https://t.co/2bsBr7k7pd

— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) February 5, 2022

Study found that #COVID19 was the leading cause of death among Texan residents aged 25-44 years in the summer of 2020, the 2nd leading cause during March-December 2020 and the leading cause for the entire year among Hispanic people aged 25-44 years. https://t.co/sGP267sUED

— JAMA Internal Medicine (@JAMAInternalMed) February 4, 2022

it's funny seeing anprim takes in the wild, because the lesson *I* took from the pandemic is that a "useful skill" is the design and manufacture of novel pharmaceuticals, whereas shit like baking sourdough was a hobby any asshole with time on their hands could learn. https://t.co/wE8fb5qSL9

— Quantian (@quantian1) February 6, 2022

Back again by popular demand:
Blue Checks Stop Crying About Masks Challenge 2022

— paperclip.exe ?? (@xiruxi) February 3, 2022

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Reader Interactions

95Comments

  1. 1.

    NeenerNeener

    February 6, 2022 at 7:33 am

    Monroe County, NY:

    NYSDOH: There were 213 new cases on 2/5/22.
    I think these are just PCR tests and don’t include any home testing results.

  2. 2.

    germy

    February 6, 2022 at 7:35 am

    No newspaper has worked harder than the New York Times to manufacture consent for “moving on” than the New York Times, despite polling that shows Americans still favor mitigation strategies to minimizing escalating deaths. When it says “Americans” it means “Times reporters.” https://t.co/Mef5MIsCZC

    — David Menschel (@davidminpdx) February 5, 2022

  3. 3.

    Amir Khalid

    February 6, 2022 at 7:42 am

    Malaysia’s daily new-cases number keeps rising sharply. Ministry of Health reports 10,089 new Covid-19 cases today in its media statement, for a cumulative reported total of 2,914,220 cases. It also reports 14 deaths as of midnight, for an adjusted cumulative total of 32,025 deaths – 1.10% of the cumulative reported total, 1.13% of resolved cases.

    Based on cases reported yesterday, Malaysia’s nationwide Rt is at 1.20. DG of health Dr Noor Hisham warns that at this rate, Malaysia could hit 22,000 new cases a day in May. However, Health Minister Khairy Jamaludin noted that hospital admissions and ICU usage remain low because most of the new cases are of the Omicron variant and much less severe.

    83 confirmed cases are in ICU, 35 of them on ventilators. Meanwhile, 6,460 more patients have recovered, for a cumulative total of 2,812,614 patients recovered – 96.5% of the cumulative reported total.

    11 new clusters were reported today, for a cumulative total of 6,499 clusters. 361 clusters are currently active; 6,138 clusters are now inactive.

    9,946 new cases today are local infections. 143 new cases today are imported.

    The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) administered 73,328 doses of vaccine on 5th February: 15,673 first doses, 782 second doses, and 56,873 booster doses. As of midnight, the cumulative total is 63,914,165 doses administered: 26,091,557 first doses, 25,7120,100 second doses, and 12,307,360 booster doses. 79.9% of the population have received their first dose, 78.8% their second dose, and 37.7% their booster dose.

  4. 4.

    Baud

    February 6, 2022 at 7:51 am

    It’s not *news* any more, Ben…

    Because the number innocent deaths is much lower than in the prior winter wave.

  5. 5.

    YY_Sima Qian

    February 6, 2022 at 7:52 am

    On 2/5 China reported 13 new domestic confirmed (0 previously asymptomatic) & 0 new domestic asymptomatic cases.

    At Xi’an in Shaanxi Province the last 7 active domestic confirmed cases recovered.

    At Guangdong Province reporter 1 new domestic confirmed case. As the province does not breakdown recoveries between domestic & imported cases, I cannot track the count of active cases in parts of the province.

    • At Zhuhai 3 domestic confirmed cases recovered. There currently are 18 active domestic confirmed & 3 active domestic asymptomatic cases (all presumed Omicron) in the city.
    • Shenzhen did not report any new domestic positive cases. 2 residential & 1 office buildings are currently at Medium Risk.
    • Yunfu did not report any new domestic positive cases. There currently are 7 active domestic confirmed (all mild) & 1 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city, all part of the Omicron transmission chain spreading from Shenzhen.
    • Huizhou reported 1 new domestic confirmed case (mild), a traced close contacts already under centralized quarantine since 1/31. There currently are 6 active domestic confirmed cases in the city, part of the Omicron transmission chain spreading from Shenzhen.
    • In the rest of the province there currently are 2 active domestic confirmed cases (1 each at Heyuan & Meizhou), both part of the Omicron transmission chain spreading from Shenzhen.

    Guangxi “Autonomous” Region reported 6 new domestic confirmed cases, all at Baise, a person who returned from Shenzhen in Guangdong on 1/26, & their close contacts. The new Omicron cluster at Shenzhen was only discovered on 1/31. There currently are 7 active domestic confirmed (6 at Baise & 1 at Chongzuo) & 1 active domestic asymptomatic (at Chongzuo) cases in the province.

    Shaoyang in Hunan Province reported 1 new domestic confirmed case, a traced close contact of domestic positive cases reported Shenzhen in Guangdong, who had returned to Shaoyang on 1/31 & has been under centralized quarantine since.

    Tianjin Municipality reported 2 new domestic confirmed cases, both at Hebei District (both traced close contacts already under centralized quarantine). 3 domestic confirmed case recovered . There currently are 59 active domestic confirmed cases (all presumed Omicron). 2 residential buildings are currently at High Risk. 5 residential buildings remain at Medium Risk.

    Beijing Municipality reported 1 new domestic confirmed case (moderate), from screening of residents in areas under movement restrictions, part of the transmission chain from the outbreak at cold storage warehouses at Fengtai District. As Beijing does not separate recoveries between imported & domestic cases, I cannot track the number of active cases on the city. 2 communities, 1 village & 1 residential building are currently at High Risk. 1 Medium Risk warehouse was re-designated to Low Risk. 3 communities & 2 residential compounds remain 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.

    At Shandong Province 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.

    At Shanxi Province there currently are 3 active domestic confirmed cases in the province (2 at Datong & 1 at Yuncheng).

    Hebei Province reported 2 new domestic confirmed cases, both at Gu’an County in Langfang, both found during screening at hospital intake, epidemiological investigation indicate that they are part of the transmission chain from cold storage warehouses outbreak at Fengtai District in Beijing. There currently are 18 active domestic confirmed cases (5 at Xiong’an, 5 at Hengshui, 6 at Langfang & 2 at Baoding) in the province. 1 village at Hengshui & 1 village at Xiong’an are currently at Medium Risk.

    At Yili Prefecture in Xinjiang “Autonomous” Region there currently are 9 active domestic confirmed (6 at Horgos & 3 at 4th Div. of XPCC) & 22 active domestic asymptomatic (17 at Horgos & 5 at 4th Div. of XPCC) cases at the border crossing. 4 residential compounds & 1 residential building are currently at Medium Risk.

    Heilongjiang Province did not report any new domestic positive cases. There currently are 29 active domestic confirmed (all at Mudanjiang) & 44 active domestic asymptomatic (39 at Mudanjiang, 4 at Qiqihar & 1 at Suihua) cases in the province.

    At Shanghai Municipality 1 domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation. There currently are 2 active domestic confirmed & 9 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 1 village remains at Medium Risk.

    Zhejiang Province did not report any new domestic positive cases. 1 domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation. There currently are 113 active domestic confirmed cases (107 mild & 6 moderate) in the province. 1 shop at Hangzhou is currently at High Risk. 8 residential compounds & 4 businesses at Hangzhou are currently at Medium Risk.

    At Huanggang in Hubei Province there currently is 1 active domestic asymptomatic case in the city, party of the transmission chain from Hangzhou in Zhejiang.

    At Anshun in Guizhou Province 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.

    At Henan Province 30 domestic confirmed case recovered. There currently are 404 active domestic confirmed cases in the province.

    At Yunnan Province there currently are 8 active domestic confirmed (3 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 2/5, China reported 30 new imported confirmed cases (9 previously asymptomatic), 40 imported asymptomatic cases, 1 imported suspect case:

    • Shanghai Municipality – 12 confirmed cases, 2 Chinese nationals each returning from Canada & Japan & 1 each from the DRC (via Paris CdG), Ghana (via Amsterdam Schiphol), Mauritania (via Paris CdG), Nigeria (via Amsterdam Schiphol), Malaysia, the UK (via Copenhagen) & Ecuador (via Amsterdam Schiphol), & a Canadian national coming from Canada; 1 suspect case, no information released
    • Guangzhou in Guangdong Province – 6 confirmed cases (1 previously asymptomatic), 3 Chinese national returning from Turkey (2 via Tehran), 2 from Mongolia (via Tehran) & 1 from Japan; 3 asymptomatic cases, 1 Chinese national each returning from Bosnia-Herzegovina (via Istanbul), Mongolia (via Tehran) & Ethiopia
    • Shenzhen in Guangdong Province – 1 confirmed case, a Mainland Chinese resident returning from Hong Kong; 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from Thailand
    • Foshan in Guangdong Province – 1 asymptomatic case, coming from Australia, off a flight that landed at Guangzhou
    • Xiamen in Fujian Province – 3 confirmed cases, 2 Chinese nationals returning from Malaysia & 1 from Australia
    • Fuzhou in Fujian Province – 11 asymptomatic cases, all coming from South Korea
    • Chengdu in Sichuan Province – 3 confirmed cases (all previously asymptomatic), all Chinese nationals returning from Thailand; 3 asymptomatic cases, 1 Chinese national each returning from Cambodia, Thailand & Egypt
    • Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province – 2 confirmed cases (both previously asymptomatic)
    • Guangxi “Autonomous” Region (location not specified) – 1 confirmed (previously asymptomatic) & 1 asymptomatic cases, no information released
    • Zhengzhou in Henan Province – 1 confirmed case (previously asymptomatic), no information released
    • Yangzhou in Jiangsu Province – 1 confirmed case (previously asymptomatic), coming from Ghana, off a flight that landed at Shanghai
    • Beijing Municipality – 8 asymptomatic cases, no information released
    • Yunnan Province (location not specified) – 6 asymptomatic cases, all Chinese nationals returning from Laos, via land border crossings
    • Changsha in Hunan Province – 1 asymptomatic case, no information released

    Overall in China, 104 confirmed cases recovered (57 imported), 63 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation (62 imported) & 9 were reclassified as confirmed cases (all imported), & 1,491 individuals were released from quarantine. Currently, there are 1,510 active confirmed cases in the country (694 imported), 6 in serious condition (1 imported), 855 active asymptomatic cases (747 imported), 2 suspect cases (both imported). 42,981 traced contacts are currently under centralized quarantine.

    As of 2/5, 3,004.681M vaccine doses have been injected in Mainland China, an increase of 1.785M doses in the past 24 hrs.

    On 2/6, Hong Kong reported 342 new positive cases, all domestic.

    On 2/6, Taiwan reported 43 new positive cases, 29 imported & 14 domestic (13 of whom are from persons already who’ve quarantine).

  6. 6.

    Ken

    February 6, 2022 at 7:54 am

    If the Republicans shut down GoFundMe, what will Americans do for health care?

    (Shamelessly stolen from the Onion’s “Health Experts Worry Coronavirus Will Overwhelm America’s GoFundMe System“.)

  7. 7.

    New Deal democrat

    February 6, 2022 at 7:54 am

    It’s the weekend so many States are not reporting. No real changes in any trends from the last few days.

    Two items of note, though: first, the entire Northeast Census region is now below where it was when Omicron first hit.  The States furthest along in their declines are doing so at a rate of about 50% per week. *If* they continue to decline at that rate, they will be all the way back to their pre-Delta lows from last June of about 2 cases per 100,000 in about 4 weeks.

    Second, Trevor Bedford’s github site tracking Omicron vs. Delta is still updating, and it shows that nationwide only about 5,000 cases a day are Delta. There had been some concern that both variants would circulate in large numbers, but that has not panned out.

  8. 8.

    Baud

    February 6, 2022 at 7:56 am

    @germy:

    The NYT has hit a sweet spot.  Decent people are tired of making sacrifices for the antivax right, so the NYT uses that frustration to promote the propaganda of the antivax right.

  9. 9.

    Baud

    February 6, 2022 at 7:56 am

    Quantian is being kind of a dick.

  10. 10.

    sab

    February 6, 2022 at 8:02 am

    @Baud: Agreed.

  11. 11.

    YY_Sima Qian

    February 6, 2022 at 8:07 am

    Jeez, the food that the Russian winter biathlete received seems less appetizing than the quarantine hotel food I got when I went under centralized quarantine last summer. At least I had vegetables & fresh fruits every meal, though the stir fries were probably far too greasy for elite athletes preparing for competition at the highest level.

    Chinese organizers (at least the catering service that got the contract feeding people under quarantine) probably do not have any such experience. There has not been any cases that I am aware of among athletes w/in China at any level, though a number have been infected when playing overseas tournaments. Olympians also have to be careful what they eat, lest the food contain things that might make them fail the doping tests.

  12. 12.

    germy

    February 6, 2022 at 8:07 am

    “Well, I always try to walk a mile in someone’s shoes before I criticize them…that way, when I do, I’m a mile away and I have their shoes.”

    – Jack Handey

  13. 13.

    Baud

    February 6, 2022 at 8:11 am

    @YY_Sima Qian:

    Olympians also have to be careful what they eat, lest the food contain things that might make them fail the doping tests.

     
    Are you saying China might do that? I can’t even imagine the fallout if they got caught.

  14. 14.

    Ken

    February 6, 2022 at 8:20 am

    @Baud: I think the concern is about substances that are already in some foods, not that the Chinese caterers are adding something. For example if they buy chicken from the US, it’s about 10% growth hormone, 5% antibiotics, 5% ammonia, and up to 15% of “a flavoring solution“.

  15. 15.

    Anne Laurie

    February 6, 2022 at 8:23 am

    @Baud: There’s a ton of additives (not to mention spices, cooking contaminants, etc.) that the IOC tests read as “doping”.

    The Chinese catering crew probably isn’t used to checking for nitrate products or preservatives at the level the Olympic hypocrites set for their cattle athletes.

  16. 16.

    Gvg

    February 6, 2022 at 8:26 am

    @YY_Sima Qian: is there actually much chance that a quarantined athlete will get through soon enough to compete? The Olympics doesn’t last that long. Testing positive to me, means not going to get to compete.

    it seems to me that countries should have been isolating and making bubbles before they flew over, and I would have preferred to come early.

  17. 17.

    Baud

    February 6, 2022 at 8:28 am

    @Ken:

    @Anne Laurie:

    Gotcha.

  18. 18.

    Laura Too

    February 6, 2022 at 8:30 am

    Something that strikes me when comparing Covid stats between Europe and US is general health coverage. How many people who don’t have access to preventative medicine have undiagnosed high blood pressure, or diabetes, or a a myriad of other diseases that would be caught if the had regular check ups?  That most certainly has to add to our increased numbers in some way.

  19. 19.

    sab

    February 6, 2022 at 8:31 am

    @Baud: Not intentionally, but inadvertantly with inexperienced food vendors.

    What in hell is the point of the Olympic Committee if they can’t do the basics like protect their athletes? Oh yeah, make money for their high level officials.

  20. 20.

    Ken

    February 6, 2022 at 8:32 am

    @Baud: Anne Laurie was as usual more accurate than I. However although my percentages were made up*, those substances are detectable in US processed poultry, and could show up in an athlete’s test.

    * Except the 15% for “flavoring solution”.

  21. 21.

    Baud

    February 6, 2022 at 8:34 am

    @Ken:

    OTOH, though, this is hardly China’s first Olympics or international sporting event.  Why would it be an issue now?

  22. 22.

    Laura Too

    February 6, 2022 at 8:38 am

    A couple Twitter links regarding the truck yahoos in Ottawa and Canada in general.

    https://twitter.com/mattgurney/status/1490143947326377988

    https://twitter.com/davetroy/status/1489883460596649984

    Possibly more in Adam’s wheelhouse but I found it interesting.

  23. 23.

    sab

    February 6, 2022 at 8:39 am

    @Baud: First during a pandemic.

  24. 24.

    Baud

    February 6, 2022 at 8:41 am

    @sab:

    How does that affect the nature of what’s in the food?

  25. 25.

    YY_Sima Qian

    February 6, 2022 at 8:43 am

    @Baud: This is China’s 1st major International sporting event under pandemic conditions. In previously Games everyone ate at the Olympic Village or brought their own chefs & food (Chinese delegations tended to do so). Not possible for athletes in quarantine. Not sure what happened to athletes who tested positive & had to quarantine during the Tokyo Games.

  26. 26.

    Baud

    February 6, 2022 at 8:43 am

    @YY_Sima Qian:

    Thanks!

  27. 27.

    Baud

    February 6, 2022 at 8:47 am

    @YY_Sima Qian:

    Was Japan more relaxed in their restrictions during the summer games in 2020?  I don’t remember this being an issue, and summer games are a much bigger production.

  28. 28.

    sab

    February 6, 2022 at 8:49 am

    @Laura Too: Those are really interesting.

    GQP bitches about Biden and our supply chains, but Canada is still our biggest trading partner and vice versa. Those truckers are part of our supply chain too. And GQP has a problem with GoFundMe

    ETA: Current GQP just breaks stuff to break stuff.

  29. 29.

    YY_Sima Qian

    February 6, 2022 at 8:52 am

    @Gvg: Normally, I would say anyone testing positive now would miss their competition (since they had to test negative twice before departure to Beijing), as the infection is very recent. Even asymptomatic cases tend to take 3 – 4 weeks to test negative in China, before being released from isolation. However, Omicron is supposed to run through its course more quickly, & China compromised & will consider a CT count of >= 35 on RT-PCR test as a negative result w/in the “closed loop”, compared to >= 40 that is std. for the rest of the country (which is almost certainly overkill, but “Dynamic Zero COVID” requires overkill on every front). So, in this case, they may still have a chance, certainly the athletes are hoping so, even if their hopes are likely to be dashed.

    Then there are those with relatively recent infections who might be shedding dead viral particles. These might be the cases who are allowed to stay isolated in the Olympic Village (as opposed to quarantine hotel). In the rest of China, such cases remain under isolation in a hospital until testing negative twice (CT >= 40) 24 hrs apart, if it takes a month, it takes a month.

  30. 30.

    Peter

    February 6, 2022 at 8:54 am

    I suppose I actually have to grudgingly thank DeSantis and the various Repub Attorney’s General for making Americans notice that American money has been funding the shit show that’s been terrorizing my country’s capital city for over a week now.

  31. 31.

    YY_Sima Qian

    February 6, 2022 at 8:55 am

    @Baud: Tokyo Games in 2021 had a bubble, but less strictly enforced. I am certain anyone who tested positive had to isolation, but not sure of the conditions. They probably missed their competitions.

  32. 32.

    Baud

    February 6, 2022 at 8:56 am

    @YY_Sima Qian:

    Ah, forgot about the delay.  Time had lost all meaning.

  33. 33.

    Soprano2

    February 6, 2022 at 9:00 am

    I’m surprised CDC is just now adding wastewater surveillance to their early tracking metrics. It’s been happening almost since the beginning of the pandemic, and it’s the best way to know the actual concentration of Covid-19 in your population since it doesn’t depend on testing and it catches everything, even asymptomatic cases.  *shakes head* If a city wanted, it could divide the city into zones and know what parts had the most Covid.

  34. 34.

    Anyway

    February 6, 2022 at 9:00 am

    @Baud:

    “Innocent”? I don’t get it.

  35. 35.

    Baud

    February 6, 2022 at 9:01 am

    @Anyway:

    Vaxxed.

  36. 36.

    Laura Too

    February 6, 2022 at 9:06 am

    @Peter: From the thread I linked, it looks like that is going to make itself apparent to US in a pretty big way. I am sorry it has to be like this. Seems the whole western world is infected with the same disease.

  37. 37.

    marklar

    February 6, 2022 at 9:18 am

    @Peter: A while back in another thread, a Canadian commenter was criticized for making strong suggestions as to what American policy ought to be.  The gist was “you don’t live here; leave American policy to those who are directly affected by it.”

    I think DeSantis and his cronies (and all those American-funded truckers) have shown exactly why Canadians have a direct stake in American political discourse.

  38. 38.

    Starfish

    February 6, 2022 at 9:18 am

    If laws were created equal, every American who was sending money to the truckers in Ottawa would have their bank accounts frozen for contributing to international terrorism, and the truckers from this side of the border would go home because they would not be receiving funding and support to stay in Canada and terrorize Canadians in the middle of winter.

    I think we have more of these “protests” because of the pandemic. People are bored and whiny.

  39. 39.

    Geminid

    February 6, 2022 at 9:19 am

    @Laura Too: I’ve read about efforts to generate disruptive truck convoys in the U.S., so I looked up the number of semi trucks in the U.S. Wikipedia told me 2 million! Even if 99.5% of truckers just go about their business, that leaves 10,000 to make trouble. I expect we’ll see some.

  40. 40.

    Baud

    February 6, 2022 at 9:22 am

    @Geminid:

    While Trudeau was right not to call out the army as some wanted, he gave them an inch and they took a mile.  Hopefully, we won’t make the same mistake.

  41. 41.

    germy

    February 6, 2022 at 9:22 am

    Quack tycoon Joseph Mercola and anti-vaccine crank Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., have filed a lawsuit against U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) claiming she violated their First Amendment rights when she complained that Amazon was peddling COVID misinformation, citing Mercola’s recent misinformation-filled book on COVID as an example. Anti-GMO and anti-vaccine activist Ronnie Cummins and the book’s publisher are also plaintiffs.

  42. 42.

    Laura Too

    February 6, 2022 at 9:23 am

    @Geminid: Yeah, I shouldn’t have been surprised to see Flynn name on it, but I was taken aback. It is coming full circle to Jan 6.

  43. 43.

    mrmoshpotato

    February 6, 2022 at 9:24 am

    Blockade stops Vancouver anti-vaccine mandate convoy – “Vancouver locals have organized a pedestrian and bicycle a counter blockade to prevent an anti-vaccine mandate convoy from entering the downtown core and blocking access to hospitals.”

    You easily find an American who would gladly take your universal healthcare.

    These murderous assholes.

  44. 44.

    Baud

    February 6, 2022 at 9:24 am

    @germy:

    Hope they have to pay attorneys fees for that frivolous lawsuit.

  45. 45.

    Robert Sneddon

    February 6, 2022 at 9:27 am

    Scotland — 5,593 new cases of COVID-19 reported and two new deaths of people who have tested positive (noting that Register Offices are generally closed at weekends).

    958 people were in hospital yesterday with recently confirmed COVID-19 with 24 people in intensive care. These numbers continue to trend downwards but slowly.

  46. 46.

    Peter

    February 6, 2022 at 9:29 am

    @mrmoshpotato: it’s okay, the Vancouver PD made five arrests![*]

    [*]all counter-protestors, none of the convoy members got so much as a ticket

  47. 47.

    NorthLeft12

    February 6, 2022 at 9:30 am

    I just wanted to pass on my observation of how the performance of the Ottawa police have turned a manageable protest into a complete shitshow. Their fear of the convoy has actively enabled these obnoxious assholes to terrorize the local residents for over a week. I have not heard one reason why they have not enforced any traffic or noise bylaws against these criminals. This event has clearly identified where the sympathies of the police lie and that there are different standards for different groups of people.

    Kudos to those people in Vancouver who planned and executed a successful counter protest to stymie the convoy in their city, because the cops were going to pull an “Ottawa” .

    The Alberta border blockades are being actively promoted by right wing religious nut jobs, who have their own agendas against public health guidelines. I notice Premier Kenney has not used any of the laws that his government specifically passed to use against indigenous, POC, and environmental protestors. Shocking.

  48. 48.

    Peter

    February 6, 2022 at 9:32 am

    @marklar: *laughs bitterly*

    If irony were exothermic, any American telling any non-American to keep their noses out of another country’s business would immediately burst into flames.

  49. 49.

    germy

    February 6, 2022 at 9:33 am

    @NorthLeft12:

    Their fear of the convoy or their support of the convoy?

  50. 50.

    Geminid

    February 6, 2022 at 9:34 am

    @Baud: I expect authorities are making plans in light of the Ottawa experience. DC is an obvious target. The new Virginia Governor could be a variable here. The Virginia State Police are a hardnosed outfit, and Ralph Northam could have made sure they didn’t just wave big convoys through. Youngkin may be a different story. I guess we’ll find out next month.

  51. 51.

    mrmoshpotato

    February 6, 2022 at 9:37 am

    Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on Saturday it was fraud for GoFundMe to “commandeer” $9 million in donations sent to the Freedom Convoy in support of the truckdrivers and said he would work with his state’s attorney general, Ashley Moody, to investigate. “(T)hese donors should be given a refund.”

     

    But hours before DeSantis posted his statement on Twitter, GoFundMe said in a tweet that it had revised its original plan on how to handle funds already donated to support the truckdriver protest, saying that all donations would be refunded…

    I see DeathSantis is really on top of things.

    It’s ok; he and all of FL’s public health officials must be overwhelmed with battling COVID-19 and compiling the daily infection and death totals.

  52. 52.

    Sloane Ranger

    February 6, 2022 at 9:41 am

    So Saturday, in the UK we had 60,578 new cases. This is a reduction of 4.2% in the rolling 7-day average, but all figures are likely to be wrong due to weekend office closures. Cases per nation,

    England – 57,377 (down 15,808)

    Northern Ireland – 3201 (down 632)

    Scotland – Does not report at weekends

    Wales – Does not report on Saturdays).

    Deaths – There were 259 deaths within 28 days of a positive test yesterday. This is a reduction of 5.4% in the rolling 7-day average. 232 deaths were in England, 3 in Northern Ireland and 24 in Scotland. Wales does not report on Saturdays.

    Testing – Not updated at weekends.

    Hospitalisations – Not updated at weekends.

    Vaccinations – As of 4th February, 91.1% of all UK residents aged 12+ had had 1 shot, 84.4% had had 2, and 65.2% had had a 3rd shot/booster.

  53. 53.

    Audrey

    February 6, 2022 at 9:43 am

    @Baud:

    He gave them nothing. This falls under the jurisdiction of the Ottawa Police and their municipal government. The army could still be called in, but not because Trudeau decides yes or no. It has to be requested by the province for one thing (Ford, who has been giving the anti vaxers their incg may not since his daughter is a prominent anti vaxer and supportive – she may even be there, who knows) and the request goes direct to the military, not through the prime ministers office.

  54. 54.

    NorthLeft12

    February 6, 2022 at 9:44 am

    @germy: Both. They seem to believe that any action they take against the convoy will instigate a riot, which speaks volumes as far as I am concerned.

    Also, a great deal of police forces have made it abundantly clear that they are not in favour of mandates and don’t believe that enforcing public health guidelines is their job.

  55. 55.

    mrmoshpotato

    February 6, 2022 at 9:45 am

    @germy:

    @Baud: Over/under on how quickly it’s laughed out of court?

    Will the judge berate them first, or cut to “Haha!  No!  Dismissed!  Piss off!”

  56. 56.

    Baud

    February 6, 2022 at 9:45 am

    @Audrey:

    So the feds have no control over the capital city?

  57. 57.

    Cermet

    February 6, 2022 at 9:45 am

    @germy: Likely both – look no further then the massive number of utter cowards in the US police forces – they shoot people constantly rather then give warnings or non-fatal wounds. They cower in fear of white right wing protesters like the total diaper shitting babies they all are – so, not surprised Canadian police share the same yellow streak down their backs.

  58. 58.

    mrmoshpotato

    February 6, 2022 at 9:47 am

    @Peter: Haha, true.

  59. 59.

    Laura Too

    February 6, 2022 at 9:54 am

    @NorthLeft12:  “Their fear of the convoy has actively enabled these obnoxious assholes to terrorize the local residents for over a week.”  Do you think it’s fear or that they are fellow travelers? Here the cops have been infiltrated by all kinds of right wing groups.

  60. 60.

    Starfish

    February 6, 2022 at 9:55 am

    @Cermet: It is not just fear. It is also tacit agreement with the cause.

  61. 61.

    cmorenc

    February 6, 2022 at 9:55 am

    I am in the ski town of Driggs, Idaho on the west side of the Grand Tetons, and the pandemic simply doesnt exist as any significant threat here, judging by the behavior of locals and ski tourists alike.  Jam-packed bars, not a mask in sight on anyone.  Zero other precautions.  There is no overt resistance or rebellion, people simply seem to pretend covid isnt any problem whatsoever.

  62. 62.

    NorthLeft12

    February 6, 2022 at 9:56 am

    @Baud: Not sure what you mean by this. Trudeau and the feds have zero say in how the city of Ottawa handle the protest.
    The feds, especially the PM, have been adamant they will not meet with a group that is actively espousing the overthrow of the legally elected government.
    They have received some criticism from mainly the right whingers, but even the NDP have chimed in (surprisingly) along those lines.

    Trudeau and his government are on the right side here and I don’t see them budging. It would be perceived as a colossal blunder if they caved to those asshats. People who have steadfastly followed public health guidelines and support the government would feel completely betrayed by any compromise with them.
    Yeah, perhaps a little bit of projection in that last paragraph.

  63. 63.

    NorthLeft12

    February 6, 2022 at 9:59 am

    @Baud: That is correct. Ottawa is not like Washington DC. It is a city in the province of Ontario that includes the Parliament of Canada and many federal government agencies.

  64. 64.

    Baud

    February 6, 2022 at 10:00 am

    @NorthLeft12: If you’ll read down, you’ll see that I wrongly assumed that the federal government had more power to enforce the law than it has.

    Happy to be corrected as to Canadian government procedure, but it’s too bad you chose to be snotty in your final sentence.

  65. 65.

    Audrey

    February 6, 2022 at 10:03 am

    @Baud:

    Basically no. It’s not like DC being it’s own unique space.

     

    ETA:  And I see NorthLeft12 got there first…

  66. 66.

    Audrey

    February 6, 2022 at 10:06 am

    @Baud: I obviously don’t speak for NorthLeft12, but  I took the last sentence as indicating that they were projecting their own thoughts onto the general public and that wasn’t a shot at you or anyone here at all.

  67. 67.

    Baud

    February 6, 2022 at 10:08 am

    @Audrey:

    Thanks. I  apologize. I read it to mean that I was projecting.  I see now that your interpretation is correct.

  68. 68.

    Miss Bianca

    February 6, 2022 at 10:16 am

    @marklar: As I recall, my specific beef with that commenter was more like, “you only ever drop by to talk as if everyone on this blog were somehow unaware that the Republicans are monsters and America has political problems that affect the rest of the world. Thanks for your input, yeah.”

    Current example cited being a case in point, naturally.

  69. 69.

    gwangung

    February 6, 2022 at 10:17 am

    @NorthLeft12: Similar to how Minneapolis police enabled white supremacists to burn down POC businesses and terrorize POC neighborhoods during the George Floyd protests.

  70. 70.

    NorthLeft12

    February 6, 2022 at 10:25 am

  71. 71.

    NorthLeft12

    February 6, 2022 at 10:26 am

    @Baud: Sorry, I did not mean it like that. I was only trying to acknowledge that the feds have a huge presence in Ottawa. I did not mean to be condescending. Apologies.

     

    @Audrey: I actually meant my own projection regarding the feeling of betrayal by that. Thanks.

  72. 72.

    lowtechcyclist

    February 6, 2022 at 10:40 am

    @germy: ​
     
    Sounds like someone’s claiming a First Amendment right to be free from any criticism when they say stupid shit.

    Good luck with that.

  73. 73.

    lowtechcyclist

    February 6, 2022 at 10:48 am

    … [M]ore Americans died of COVID in 2021, the year Joe Biden took office armed with vaccines and promising a pandemic reboot, than in 2020, when Donald Trump bungled his way through everything but vaccine development.

    Oh, fuck that noise.  Doing a calendar-year comparison is really stupid.

    For one thing, practically nobody died of Covid in the U.S. in January and February 2020.  So it’s ten months versus twelve.

    Second, Trump was in office until January 20, 2021.

    Third, people infected during Trump’s last week in office would mostly have died in February, not January.  February 2021 is still the Trump pandemic.

    Let’s compare March 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021 with March 1, 2021 to February 28, 2022, when it gets here in a few weeks.  That’s as close to apples-to-apples as we can get.

  74. 74.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    February 6, 2022 at 11:25 am

    The noticeably larger mortality rate isn’t hard to explain; the anti-vaccers are poisoning themselves with their quack cures.

  75. 75.

    Jinchi

    February 6, 2022 at 11:49 am

    “Vancouver locals have organized a pedestrian and bicycle a counter blockade to prevent an anti-vaccine mandate convoy from entering the downtown core and blocking access to hospitals.”

    It’s worth noting that if this happened in Florida, the truckers would legally be allowed to run the pedestrians and bicyclists over.

  76. 76.

    WaterGirl

    February 6, 2022 at 11:53 am

    @marklar:

    A while back in another thread, a Canadian commenter was criticized for making strong suggestions as to what American policy ought to be.  The gist was “you don’t live here; leave American policy to those who are directly affected by it.”

    Yeah, I was sorry to see that when it happened.  At least a couple of us pushed back on that, so I hope the commenter didn’t leave.  I think it might have been Cathie from Canada.

  77. 77.

    WaterGirl

    February 6, 2022 at 12:07 pm

    @Miss Bianca:  I just checked to see if that had been Cathie from Canada.  It was.

    For what it’s worth, Cathie from Canada has been here since 2009.

    She was an early tester for the site rebuild, she participates in lots of threads, she planned to send in Christmas pics for On the Road, talks about TV shows when we talk about that, participated in the Mr. Frog threads, etc.

    For what it’s worth, I have never noticed her being condescending or suggesting that we are clueless about Republicans being monsters. Sad to see that she has not been back since that happened a month ago.

  78. 78.

    WaterGirl

    February 6, 2022 at 12:13 pm

    @Baud: @NorthLeft12:

    The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”  ~George Bernard Shaw

  79. 79.

    Jay

    February 6, 2022 at 12:34 pm

    On the bright side, the Flu Trux Klan went to Ottawa to try to take out Trudeau, but instead, they got Sheer. (Leader of the Cons). The Cons are now divided between the simply bad MP’s, and those that have jumped on the Flu Trux Klan Convoy.

  80. 80.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    February 6, 2022 at 12:35 pm

    @germy: NYT is comping at the bit to get back to their beloved Midwestern road side dinners were the real research is done.

  81. 81.

    randal m sexton

    February 6, 2022 at 12:37 pm

    @WaterGirl: @baud I @northleft12 – WRT the little miscommunication tiff due to the ‘projection’ comment, the commenters on this blog do a better job of getting over it, clearing it up, apologizing, and attempting to engage/maintain civility than most any other media I spend time on.   Also, once again thanks for this valuable daily thread.

  82. 82.

    Ruckus

    February 6, 2022 at 12:47 pm

    Donald Trump bungled his way through everything but vaccine development — which of course he had absolutely nothing to do with…. and which is how he does about half the things in his life, the other half is him trying to fuck over who ever is in his way to failure.

  83. 83.

    NotMax

    February 6, 2022 at 12:57 pm

    Locally,

    The state Department of Health is reporting a COVID-19 count of 1,278 new cases today. This comes following a record high of 6,252 new cases reported on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. Cases since then have been trending down, but hospitalizations on Maui remain elevated.

    Todayʻs count includes 129 cases on Maui, 192 on Hawaiʻi Island, 135 on Kauaʻi, five on Molokaʻi, five on Lānaʻi, and 62 out of state. There are 750 new COVID-19 cases on Oʻahu.

    The latest data represents a total of 25,114 “active” cases statewide over two weeks, far surpassing the delta peak of 11,500. Maui County’s seven day average of cases is now 100.3 cases per 100,000, above the delta peak of 57.6 per 100,000 reported on Aug. 25, but below the 412.1 reported on Jan. 21, 2022.
    snip]
    Hawai‘i’s COVID-19 deaths increased to 1,222, with 18 new deaths reported today, including: 12 on Oʻahu, and three each on Maui and Hawaiʻi Island. Source

    Elsewhere,

    Coronavirus deaths in California have topped 80,000 and another 3,000 people are projected to die by month’s end even as infections, hospitalizations and intensive care cases are falling almost as fast as they climbed during the rapid-fire omicron wave of the pandemic.

    The toll reached 80,688 on Friday, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.

    That is the highest in the U.S., but the nation’s most populous state has a per capita death rate that is among the lowest at 38th. Texas has only a few hundred fewer deaths than California but has 10 million fewer residents and therefore a higher per capita rate. Source

    Russia is reporting a record daily count of new coronavirus infections of 180,071, a tenfold spike from a month ago as the highly contagious omicron variant spreads through the country.
    [snip]
    In recent weeks, a growing number of Russian regions have started introducing restrictions for those under 18, as officials noted that the current surge affects children much more than the previous ones. In many areas, schools have either switched to remote learning or extended holidays for students. In St. Petersburg, Russia’s second largest city, minors have been temporarily barred from most public places.

    Russia started vaccinating children aged 12-17 only last month with the domestically developed Sputnik M jab, which is the same as Sputnik V but contains a smaller dose. According to media reports and social media users, only small amounts of vaccine for teenagers have been made available.

    Only about half of Russia’s 146-million population has been vaccinated so far, even though the country was among the first in the world to roll out COVID-19 shots. Source

    The Olympics are usually a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the host country to showcase its culture. This year, however, athletes, coaches and others traveling to the Winter Games in Beijing are entirely sequestered in a bubble so complete that it even contains its own intercity trains. It’s all part of the elaborate effort by China to control the spread of COVID-19 (and, some say, control the curious visitors as well).
    [snip]
    One genuine part of China does pierce the bubble (even as it preserves another): Except for places where the International Olympic Committee provides the Wi-Fi, visitors to the Games are blocked from vast swaths of the internet by the country’s “Great Firewall.” A small taste of what it might be like to live in China — and an insight into the ways the government seeks to control its people. Source

  84. 84.

    Ruckus

    February 6, 2022 at 1:01 pm

    @Laura Too:

    I’m sort of at a loss to your first twitter link. The replies are full of people saying the way out is simple and that is to withdraw the vaccine mandate – IOW give in to the truckers (or do what all those commenters actually want…) which is to deny the health of the country. Which makes them correct about the republican public response, if not their actual response which is vaccination of places like their mouthpiece – faux news, which requires full vaccination to  work.

  85. 85.

    Scamp Dog

    February 6, 2022 at 1:02 pm

    @Amir Khalid: Welcome back! We’ve been worried about you, and it’s great to see you back with news about your home.

  86. 86.

    Bill Arnold

    February 6, 2022 at 1:07 pm

    You’d think it might be News that the leading cause of death, by far, in the US is currently COVID-19, and that these deaths are mostly preventable though vaccination and almost entirely preventable through a combination of universal vaccination for those age cohorts who have an approved vaccination and low-impact public health measures like quality respirators (like N95s/equivalent) in public indoor shared air spaces. A habit of good masks would blunt the exponential rise of new waves of any new vaccine-escape SARS-CoV-2 variants, and of other unrelated respiratory virus pandemics. (We know how to stop a global flu pandemic – we (humans) stopped 3 flu seasons (southern and northern hemisphere) by accident, as a side-effect of anti-COVID-19 measures. This is a major win for humanity! It’s not just an “oh yeah” curiosity.)
    The NYTimes has chosen to join the Republican Team Mass Stochastic Murder. That especially means you, David Leonhardt. I used to respect you. (What are the causes of post-COVID-19 sequalae such as “brain fog” and “memory issues”? Oh yeah, this major fucking unknown is still being very actively researched, and therefore, just for this reason, the “live with COVID” camp is playing a deadly game of dice with Satan, And there are other very concerning unknowns, that are not seriously being considered in what arrogant ones are thinking of as utilitarian calculations.)

  87. 87.

    WaterGirl

    February 6, 2022 at 1:08 pm

    @randal m sexton: I know.  That whole exchange was quite civilized!

    But that’s still one of my favorite quotes.

  88. 88.

    Bill Arnold

    February 6, 2022 at 1:11 pm

    @Baud:

    Quantian is being kind of a dick.

    Quantian is always kind of a dick. (Still worth tracking, though.)

  89. 89.

    Bill Arnold

    February 6, 2022 at 1:21 pm

    @Peter:

    …the shit show that’s been terrorizing my country’s capital city for over a week now.

    Are there laws being broken by these protesters that would e.g. (legally) justify seizing their equipment, or incarceration?
    (I were living there I would be devising ways to break trucks without getting caught.)

  90. 90.

    Jay

    February 6, 2022 at 1:41 pm

    @Bill Arnold:

    yup, there are “Laws”,

    the Cops arn’t enforcing them.

    the  Senior Brass is making mealy mouth statements about “ not provoking a riot” by enforcing the “laws” against the Flu Trux Klan, ( creating the afraid of the terrorists narrative),

    the beat Cops are busy taking selfies with them, terrorist fist bumping them, hugging them,…..

    Yeah, if it were my neighbourhood, I’d be tempted to burn down some trucks.

  91. 91.

    Ksmiami

    February 6, 2022 at 1:42 pm

    @Bill Arnold: just hoping that infertility becomes a huge problem among antivaxxers… clean up the gene pool

  92. 92.

    Ruckus

    February 6, 2022 at 4:25 pm

    @sab: 

    Current GQP just breaks stuff to break stuff.

    They only know two things.
    1 Breaking crap.
    2 Steal money. By pretty much any means.
    Everything else is an attempted cover up for the first two.

  93. 93.

    Laura Too

    February 6, 2022 at 4:28 pm

    @Ruckus: TBH I usually don’t spend too much time reading follow on tweets to threads like that, seems like reading the comment section of the opinion page-I don’t have time or patience enough to sort through to find a few decent thoughts. I was really struck reading it how much he sounds like Adam speaking on stochastic terrorism. Thinking that we have a few weeks maybe to prepare ourselves for it. During the riots here at night when the streets were being run by oaf keepers and the like we had lots of block clubs that sprang up with very clever ways of fighting back. I’m sure it wouldn’t take much to make a few trucks inoperable and shut it down fairly quickly. But I’m kinda vindictive after living through it.

  94. 94.

    J R in WV

    February 6, 2022 at 4:54 pm

    @Ksmiami: 
    I Like this thought — infertility and erectile disfunction. A twofer for the win.

  95. 95.

    Another Scott

    February 6, 2022 at 9:20 pm

    @Jay: Dead thread, but Flu Trux Klan – well done.

    A trucker got called by their insurance company today.

    There is a website going around identifying all the trucks and their company. https://t.co/9ZI3bEztop

    As per Reddit / Zello channel pic.twitter.com/UYw22sWcXe

    — Shawn ? (@DrOnDFS) February 6, 2022

    Good, good. Crowdsource the hell out of them. If they don’t like modern society they can go live in the tundra somewhere. They have no right to break it for the rest of us.

    (via CherylRofer)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

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