COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday / Wednesday, March 22-23

19Comments

1. 1.

   NeenerNeener

   March 23, 2022 at 7:46 am

   Monroe County, NY:

   234 new cases. That’s quite a jump from 63 cases the day before.

2. 2.

   New Deal democrat

   March 23, 2022 at 7:49 am

   The CDC released their most recent variant update yesterday. Nationwide the BA.2 variant constitutes 30% of all cases, but there are wide regional disparities. In the Northeast, it makes up a little over half of all cases (according to CoVariant, in CT it is now 74%); on the West Coast, 40%; in the Mid-Atlantic and upper Midwest, 30%; and under 25% elsewhere. At the rate BA.2 is increasing, in 4 to 5 weeks it should be 90% of all cases.

   Cases decreased slightly to 31,100. In the last week they have risen by 400. It is safe to say they have made a temporary bottom. Deaths decreased to 976.

   Regionally cases are still declining in the Midwest and South. They are rising slightly (5% from their bottom) in the Northeast, and in the West by 20%. Keep in mind these increases are from very low numbers – I.e., from at 96% decline from peak to a 95% decline.

   In Europe, the situation remains mixed, as the BA.2 wave has peaked in Austria, the Netherlands, and probably now Germany. Cases are still rising, but at a decelerating pace, in Italy. Cases are still rising in France and the UK as well, but due to data dumps the trend cannot be deciphered.

   After acknowledging several days ago that some European countries had no BA.2 waves at all, yesterday Dr. Eric Topol acknowledged that “The BA.2 wave in Western Europe is just starting to turn around ~ 3 weeks in.”

   https://mobile.twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1506353868405297154?cxt=HHwWhMCqhZi30ucpAAAA

   Similarly, I expect BA.2 to create only a small wave, lasting about a month, in the US. For example, it is noteworthy that CT, with 74% BA.2 cases, has shown no increase at all.

3. 3.

   YY_Sima Qian

   March 23, 2022 at 8:00 am

   On 3/22 Mainland China reported 2,591 new domestic confirmed (94 previously asymptomatic), 2,346 new domestic asymptomatic cases.

   Guangdong Province reported 15 new domestic confirmed (1 previously asymptomatic) & 12 new domestic asymptomatic cases.

   • Dongguan reported 1 new domestic confirmed & 7 new domestic asymptomatic cases, 6 at Zhongtang Township & 1 each at Dalang & Shipai Townships. The new domestic confirmed cases at Zhongtang Township was found at fever clinic on 3/21, & the 5 new domestic asymptomatic cases there are traced close contacts who were placed under centralized quarantine on 3/21. All 6 cases are employees at the same factory, who had previously tested negative on 3/14 & 3/17. 1 zone is currently at High Risk. 3 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
   • Shenzhen reported 13 new domestic confirmed & 5 new domestic asymptomatic cases, 15 are traced close contacts already under centralized quarantine, 2 via screening in areas under movement control, & 1 via community screening. 1 residential building is currently at High Risk. 9 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
   • Zhongshan reported 1 new domestic confirmed (previously asymptomatic) case.

   Guangxi “Autonomous” Region reported 7 new domestic asymptomatic cases (3 at Chongzuo & 2 each at Fangchenggang, & Qinzhou). 3 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 2 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 71 active domestic confirmed (38 at Fangchenggang, 9 at Baise, 19 at Qinzhou, 3 at Nanning, & 1 each at Chongzuo & Guilin) & 237 active domestic asymptomatic cases (63 at Fangchenggang, 13 at Baise, 69 at Chongzuo, 81 at Qinzhou, 5 at Liuzhou, 4 at Beihai, & 1 each at Nanning & Guilin) in the province. 1 zone at Fangchenggang are currently at Medium Risk. 5 sites at Qinzhou are currently at Medium Risk.

   Hunan Province reported 2 new domestic confirmed cases, both at Changsha (both traced close contacts under centralized quarantine). 1 domestic confirmed case recovered. There currently are 37 active domestic confirmed (17 at Huaihua, 11 at Changsha, 7 at Shaoyang, 1 each at Yueyang & Yongzhou) cases in the province. 2 zones at Huaihua are currently at Medium Risk, as are 4 sites at Changsha & 1 zone at Shaoyang.

   Inner Mongolia “Autonomous” Region did not report any new domestic positive cases. 2 domestic confirmed cases recovered. There currently are 10 active domestic confirmed & 26 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.

   • At Hohhot 2 domestic confirmed cases recovered. There currently are 4 active domestic confirmed & 21 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 1 site remains at Medium Risk.
   • At Tongliao there currently are 5 active domestic confirmed (all mild) & 5 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 1 site is currently at Medium Risk.
   • In the rest of the province there currently are 1 active domestic confirmed (at Manzhouli in Hulun) case remaining. 

   Tianjin Municipality reported 24 new domestic confirmed (22 mild & 2 moderate) & 23 new domestic asymptomatic cases, 31 are traced close contacts already under quarantine & 15 via screening of residents in areas under movement control, & 1 from fever clinics. 36 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 2 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 372 active domestic confirmed & 75 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 5 sites are currently at High Risk. 10 sites are currently at Medium Risk.

   Shandong Province reported 24 new domestic confirmed (3 previously asymptomatic) & 157 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 95 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 84 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 983 active domestic confirmed cases & 2,339 active asymptomatic cases in the province. As not all of the administrative divisions in the province provide data on recoveries, I cannot track the count of active cases in all of the administrative divisions, given the multiple simultaneous outbreaks.

   • Qingdao reported 1 new domestic confirmed (mild) case, a traced close contact under centralized quarantine. 89 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 76 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 606 active domestic confirmed & 545 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 2 sites are currently at High Risk. 3 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
   • Weihai reported 1 new domestic confirmed (previously asymptomatic) & 4 new domestic asymptomatic cases. There currently are 57 active domestic confirmed & 418 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 1 office building & 1 bath house are currently at High Risk. 9 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
   • Dezhou did not report any new domestic positive cases. 2 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 70 active domestic confirmed & 11 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 1 business is currently at High Risk.
   • Zibo reported 1 new domestic confirmed (previously asymptomatic) & 3 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 1 village is currently at High Risk. 30 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
   • Binzhou reported 16 new domestic confirmed (1 previously asymptomatic, 15 mild & 1 moderate) & 147 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 4 sites are currently at High Risk. 4 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
   • Weifang did not report any new domestic positive cases. 3 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 3 active domestic confirmed & 33 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 2 villages are currently at Medium Risk.
   • Yantai reported 4 new domestic confirmed & 1 new domestic asymptomatic cases, all traced close contacts under centralized quarantine. There currently are 22 active domestic confirmed & 21 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 5 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
   • The rest of the province reported 1 new domestic confirmed (at Jinan) & 2 new domestic asymptomatic (at Linyi) cases. The case at Jinan is a truck driver arriving from Shanghai on 3/20, & the cases at Linyi are traced close contacts under centralized quarantine. 

   At Shanxi Province there currently are 7 active domestic confirmed cases in the province (5 at Yuncheng & 1 each at Jinzhong & Jincheng).

   Hebei Province reported 9 new domestic confirmed & 183 domestic asymptomatic cases. 15 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 9 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 331 active domestic confirmed & 2,454 active asymptomatic case in the province. As the province does not break down recoveries by administrative divisions, I cannot track the count of active cases in administrative divisions, given the multiple simultaneous outbreaks.

   • Langfang reported 7 new domestic confirmed & 147 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 1 township is currently at High Risk. 2 villages are currently at Medium Risk.
   • Tangshan reported 1 new domestic confirmed & 34 new domestic asymptomatic cases.
   • Cangzhou reported 2 new domestic asymptomatic cases, both are persons from out of province, passing through. 1 residential compound is currently at Medium Risk.
   • Xingtai did not report any new domestic positive cases. 1 village is currently at Medium Risk.
   • Rest of the province reported 1 new domestic confirmed case (mild), at Shijiazhuang, a person who had frequently visited the produce market at Tangshan, that is the epicenter of the outbreak there, between 2/12 – 3/17. The case returned to Shijiazhuang on 3/17, & have tested negative on 3/19 & 3/20. The case developed symptoms on 3/20 & visited a fever clinic, but only tested positive on 3/22.

   Liaoning Province reported 36 new domestic confirmed (13 previously asymptomatic) & 127 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 11 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 1 domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation. There currently are 448 active domestic confirmed & 784 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province. As the province does not break down recoveries by administrative divisions, I cannot track the count of active cases in administrative divisions, given the multiple simultaneous outbreaks.

   • Shenyang reported 7 new domestic confirmed (all mild) & 53 new domestic asymptomatic cases, 9 from mass community screening, the rest are traced contacts under centralized quarantine or residents in areas under movement control. 3 residential compounds are currently at Medium Risk.
   • Dalian report 12 new domestic confirmed (9 previously asymptomatic) & 42 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 42 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
   • Yingkou reported 13 new domestic confirmed (4 previously asymptomatic, all mild) & 32 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 1 business has been elevated to High Risk. 5 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
   • At Huludao 8 domestic confirmed case recovered. There currently are 20 active domestic confirmed cases remaining in the city.
   • The rest of the province reported 4 new domestic confirmed cases, all at Liaoyang, a person returning from Shenyang on 3/14 (last tested negative on 3/14) & 3 traced close contacts.

   Heilongjiang Province reported 13 new domestic confirmed (37 mild & 6 moderate) & 28 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 1 domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation. There currently are 203 active domestic confirmed & 216 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.

   • Harbin reported 13 new domestic confirmed (37 mild & 6 moderate) & 27 new domestic asymptomatic cases, all traced close contacts already under quarantine or found via screening of persons deemed at risk of exposure. There currently are 196 active domestic confirmed & 180 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 1 township & 1 village are currently High Risk. 14 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
   • The rest of the province reported 1 new domestic asymptomatic case, at Heihe, found via screening of persons in high risk occupations. 1 domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation. There currently are 7 active domestic confirmed (at Suifenhe in Mudanjiang) & 36 active domestic asymptomatic (35 at Suifenhe in Mudanjiang & 1 at Heihe) cases remaining.

   Jilin Province reported 2,320 new domestic confirmed (73 previously asymptomatic, 2,310 mild, 7 moderate & 3 serious) & 528 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 192 domestic positive cases recovered. As the province does not consistently break down recoveries by confirmed & asymptomatic cases or by jurisdictions, I can no longer track the count of active case counts in the different jurisdictions.

   • Yanbian Prefecture reported 1 new domestic confirmed (mild) & 2 new domestic asymptomatic cases, all traced close contacts already under centralized quarantine. 17 domestic confirmed cases have recovered & 9 domestic asymptomatic cases have been released from isolation to date from the currently out break. 3 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
   • Jilin City reported 331 new domestic confirmed (16 previously asymptomatic, 435 mild & 3 moderate) & 522 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 3 sites are currently at High Risk. 50 sites are currently Medium Risk.
   • Changchun reported 1,979 new domestic confirmed (57 previously asymptomatic, 1,972 mild, 4 serious & 3 serious) cases. 135 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
   • Siping reported 9 new domestic confirmed (all mild) cases.
   • The rest of the province reported 4 new domestic asymptomatic (3 at Meihekou & 1 at Liaoyuan) case.

   Beijing Municipality reported 4 new domestic confirmed (all mild) cases, 2 are traced close contact already under centralized quarantine & 2 via screening of persons in high risk occupations. 1 village & 1 community are currently at Medium Risk.

   Shanghai Municipality reported 4 new domestic confirmed & 977 new domestic asymptomatic cases, 891 of the new domestic positive cases are traced close contacts already under centralized quarantine, & the rest from screening of persons deemed at risk of exposure. 6 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 74 domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation. There currently are 219 active domestic confirmed & 4,408 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 15 sites are currently at Medium Risk.

   Shaanxi Province reported 3 new domestic confirmed cases (all mild). 16 domestic confirmed cases recovered. There currently are 325 active domestic confirmed cases in the province. As the province does not break down recoveries by administrative divisions, I cannot track the count of active cases in administrative divisions, given the multiple simultaneous outbreaks.

   • Baoji reported 2 new domestic confirmed cases (both mild), both traced close contacts under quarantine. 1 restaurant & 1 village are currently at High Risk. 17 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
   • Xi’an reported 1 new domestic confirmed case (mild), a traced close contact under centralized quarantine. 4 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
   • Hanzhong did not report any new domestic positive cases. 2 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
   • The rest of the province did not report any new domestic positive cases. 1 residential compound at Tongchuan is currently at High Risk. 1 township & 2 residential compounds at Tongchuan are currently at Medium Risk.

   At Hubei Province there currently are 2 active domestic confirmed (both moderate, 1 each at Wuhan & Shiyan) & 1 active domestic asymptomatic (at Xianning) cases in the province..

   Jiangsu Province reported 2 new domestic confirmed & 22 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 31 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 36 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 69 active domestic confirmed & 379 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province. As not all of the jurisdictions in the province track recoveries, I cannot track the count of active cases in all of the administrative divisions, given the multiple simultaneous outbreaks.

   • Lianyungang did not report any new domestic positive cases. 30 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 25 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 26 active domestic confirmed & 49 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 91 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
   • Suzhou reported 1 new domestic asymptomatic case, a traced close contact under centralized quarantine.
   • Changzhou reported 17 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 9 sites are currently at High Risk. 13 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
   • Nanjing reported 2 new domestic asymptomatic cases, a traced close contact under centralized quarantine & 1 via screening residents in areas under movement control. There currently are 5 active domestic confirmed (2 mild & 3 moderate) & 98 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 1 residential compound is currently at High Risk. 9 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
   • The rest of the province reported 2 new domestic confirmed (at Yancheng, a traced close contact of domestic positive cases elsewhere that was passing through, & a person returned from Shanghai on 3/22) & 2 new domestic asymptomatic (at Suqian, both persons returning from Shanghai on 3/16, last tested negative on 3/20) cases, both new domestic positive cases are persons recently arriving from Shanghai, tested positive while still under home quarantine. 1 village at Suqian is currently at Medium Risk.

   Anhui Province reported 11 new domestic asymptomatic (7 at Tongling & 4 at Haozhou) cases. Of the cases at Tongling, 4 are tracked close contacts already under centralized quarantine & 3 via screening of residents in areas under movement control. There currently are 7 active confirmed (3 at Ma’anshan & 4 at Tongling) & 95 active domestic asymptomatic (35 at Ma’anshan, 7 at Haozhou, 4 at Suzhou, 44 at Tongling, 2 at Anqing, & 1 each at Hefei & Chuzhou) cases in the province. 3 sites at Ma’anshan & 4 at Tongling are currently at Medium Risk.

   Zhejiang Province reported 1 new domestic confirmed (1 previously asymptomatic) & 5 new domestic asymptomatic cases. As the province does not break down recoveries by imported versus domestic cases, I cannot track the count of active domestic cases in  the province.

   • Jiaxing reported 1 new domestic asymptomatic case, a traced close contact under centralized quarantine.
   • Quzhou reported 2 new domestic asymptomatic cases, both are traced traced close contacts under centralized quarantine.
   • The rest of the province reported 1 new domestic confirmed (previously asymptomatic), at Huzhou, & 2 new domestic asymptomatic, 1 each from Hangzhou (truck driver coming from out of province) & Taizhou (a traced close contact under centralized quarantine) cases.

   Gansu Province reported 6 new domestic confirmed & 37 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 10 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 3 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 192 active domestic confirmed & 251 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.

   • Lanzhou reported 5 new domestic confirmed& 21 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 9 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 3 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 177 active domestic confirmed & 204 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 2 villages are currently High Risk. 2 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
   • Baiyin reported 5 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 1 domestic confirmed case recovered. There currently are 14 active domestic confirmed & 31 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city.
   • The rest of the province reported 1 new domestic confirmed (at Longnan) & 11 new domestic asymptomatic (9 at Tianshui & 2 at Linxia Prefecture) cases. 3 of the cases at Tianshui are traced close contacts under centralized quarantine & 6 from community screening (including 4 at a construction site). The case at Longnan arrived on 3/19 from out of province. There currently are 1 active domestic confirmed (at Longnan) & 16 active domestic asymptomatic (4 at Linxia Prefecture & 12 at Tianshui) cases remaining.

   Fujian Province reported 110 new domestic confirmed (3 previously asymptomatic) & 160 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 12 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 1 domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation. There currently are 992 active domestic confirmed & 706 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province. As the province does not break down recoveries by administrative divisions, I cannot track the count of active cases in administrative divisions, given the multiple simultaneous outbreaks.

   • Quanzhou reported 100 new domestic confirmed (3 previously asymptomatic) & 144 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 9 sites are currently at High Risk. 26 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
   • Putian reported 6 new domestic confirmed & 4 new domestic asymptomatic cases. A middle school is currently at High Risk. 49 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
   • The rest of the province reported 4 new domestic confirmed (all mild, all at Zhangzhou) & 12 new domestic asymptomatic cases (3 at Zhangzhou & 9 at Fuzhou). All of the cases at Zhangzhou are traced close contacts under centralized quarantine. 6 domestic confirmed case recovered. 3 sites at Zhangzhou & 3 at Xiamen are currently at Medium Risk.

   At Xining in Qinghai Province there currently are 2 active domestic confirmed cases in the city.

   At Zunyi in Guizhou Province there currently are 9 active domestic confirmed & 3 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city.

   Jiangxi Province reported 9 new domestic confirmed (all mild) & 49 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 5 domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation. There currently are 33 active domestic confirmed & 184 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. As the province does not break down recoveries by administrative divisions, I cannot track the count of active cases in administrative divisions, given the multiple simultaneous outbreaks.

   • Nanchang reported 9 new domestic confirmed (all mild) & 48 new domestic asymptomatic cases, 21 are traced close contacts under centralized quarantine, 27 via screening of residents in areas under movement control, & 9 via community screening. The city started a 3 day snap soft lock down on 3/22. There currently are 32 active domestic confirmed (26 mild & 6 moderate) & 174 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 3 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
   • The rest of the province reported 1 new domestic asymptomatic case, at Yichun, a traced close contact under centralized quarantine. 5 domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation.

   Henan Province reported 6 new domestic confirmed (4 at Zhoukou & 1 each at Zhengzhou & Kaifeng) & 5 new domestic asymptomatic cases (4 at Jiaozuo & 1 at Zhoukou). The index case for the new cluster at Zhoukou was found at fever clinic, & the rest are traced close contacts. The case at Zhengzhou was found at fever clinic on 3/21, previously tested negative on 3/20. 1 domestic confirmed case recovered. There currently are 23 active domestic confirmed (3 each at Puyang & Zhengzhou, 8 at Jiaozuo, 4 at Zhoukou, 2 at Kaifeng & 1 each at Luoyang, Shangqiu & Xinyang) & 18 active domestic asymptomatic (17 at Jiaozuo & 1 at Zhoukou) cases in the province. 7 sites at Puyang, as well as 2 at Zhoukou & 10 at Jiaozuo, are currently at Medium Risk.

   Chongqing Municipality reported 1 new domestic confirmed (mild) case, a traced close contacts already under centralized quarantine. 1 domestic confirmed case recovered & 1 domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation. There currently is 58 active domestic confirmed & 17 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 3 dormitory buildings are currently at Medium Risk.

   Yunnan Province reported 2 new domestic confirmed & 15 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 7 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 26 new domestic asymptomatic were released from isolation. There currently are 67 active domestic confirmed & 372 active domestic asymptomatic cases remaining in the province. As the province does not break down recoveries by administrative divisions, I cannot track the count of active cases in administrative divisions, given the multiple simultaneous outbreaks.

   • Kunming did not report any new domestic positive case. 1 college campus, 1 residential compound & 1 residential building are currently at Medium Risk.
   • Zhenkang County in Lincang reported 1 new domestic asymptomatic cases, via screening of residents in areas under movement control. All areas in the city are now at Low Risk.
   • Dehong Prefecture reported 2 new domestic confirmed & 13 new asymptomatic cases, 7 at Ruili & 8 at Longchuan County, 1 was found via screening of residents in areas under lock down, 11 are traced close contacts already under centralized quarantine, & 3 via regular screening of response workers in “closed loops”. 2 villages, 2 communities & 1 shopping center are currently at Medium Risk.
   • Honghe Prefecture reported 1 new domestic asymptomatic case, at Hekou County, found via screening of residents in areas under lock down. 1 zone at Hekou County is currently at Medium Risk.

   Imported Cases

   On 3/22, Mainland China reported 76 new imported confirmed cases (21 previously asymptomatic, none in Guangdong), 123 imported asymptomatic cases, 3 imported suspect cases:

   • Chongzuo in Guangxi “Autonomous” Region – 11 confirmed & 12 asymptomatic cases, all coming from Vietnam
   • Qinzhou in Guangxi “Autonomous” Region – 1 confirmed case, coming from Vietnam
   • Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province – 10 confirmed case (9 previously asymptomatic), the new case coming from Ukraine; 10 asymptomatic cases, 9 coming from Hong Kong & 1 from Mexico
   • Shanghai Municipality – 10 confirmed cases, 2 coming from Canada & 1 each from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, India, Spain, the UK & the US; 4 symptomatic cases, 2 coming from the US & 1 each from India & Spain; 3 suspect cases, no information released
   • Changsha in Hunan Province – 10 confirmed (8 previously asymptomatic) & 1 asymptomatic cases, no information released
   • Guangzhou in Guangdong Province – 4 confirmed cases, 2 coming from the UK & 1 each from Qatar & the Solomon Islands; 9 asymptomatic cases, 5 coming from Nigeria, 2 from the Solomon Islands, & 1 each from Bangladesh & South Korea
   • Shenzhen in Guangdong Province – 3 confirmed & 18 asymptomatic cases, all coming from Hong Kong
   • Zhuhai in Guangdong Province – 1 confirmed & 4 asymptomatic cases, all coming from Hong Kong
   • Zhongshan in Guangdong Province – 5 asymptomatic cases, all coming from Hong Kong
   • Foshan in Guangdong Province – 1 asymptomatic case, coming from Ukraine, off a flight that landed at Guangzhou
   • Chengdu in Sichuan Province – 7 confirmed cases (4 previously asymptomatic), 4 coming from Hong Kong, 2 from Ukraine & 1 from Algeria; 28 asymptomatic cases, 17 coming from Ukraine, 8 from Hong Kong, & 1 each from Algeria, Canada & Nepal (via Kuwait City)
   • Xiamen in Fujian Province – 6 confirmed cases, no information released
   • Zhengzhou in Henan Province – 6 confirmed & 21 asymptomatic cases, no information released
   • Tianjin Municipality – 4 confirmed cases, 2 coming from Japan & 1 each from Indonesia Italy
   • Taiyuan in Shanxi Province – 2 confirmed & 3 asymptomatic cases, no information released
   • Beijing Municipality – 1 confirmed case, coming from Hong Kong
   • Wuhan in Hubei Province – 2 asymptomatic cases, both coming from Ukraine
   • Yunnan Province (location not specified) – 2 symptomatic cases, both coming from Laos, via land border crossings
   • Jinan in Shandong Province – 1 asymptomatic case, coming from Ukraine
   • Qingdao in Shandong Province – 1 asymptomatic case, coming from Singapore
   • Harbin in Heilongjiang Province – 1 asymptomatic case, coming from South Korea

   Overall in Mainland China, 702 confirmed cases recovered (363 imported), 509 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation (147 imported) & 115 were reclassified as confirmed cases (21 imported), & 14,897 individuals were released from quarantine. Currently, there are 25,103 active confirmed cases in the country (1,444 imported), 50 in serious condition (1 imported), 22,000 active asymptomatic cases (1,589 imported), 12 suspect cases (all imported). 361,628 traced contacts are currently under centralized quarantine.

   As of 3/22, 3,234.601M vaccine doses have been injected in Mainland China, an increase of 4.234M doses in the past 24 hrs.

   On 3/23, Hong Kong reported 12,240 new positive cases, 4 imported & 12,236 domestic (4,246 via RT-PCR & 7,990 from rapid antigen tests), 170 deaths (23 fully vaccinated, including 4 boosted) + 35 backlogged deaths. To date, total CFR in the city is 0.59%, but 1.69% for the un- or partially vaccinated. Among the > 80 y.o. cohort, CFR for the un- or partially vaccinated is 11.25%, but 3.22% for those w/ 2 or 3 doses.

   On 3/23, Taiwan reported 95 new positive cases, 93 imported & 2 domestic.

4. 4.

   lowtechcyclist

   March 23, 2022 at 8:08 am

   Long Covid scares the shit out of me.  I don’t want to die, but I also don’t want to enter retirement at the end of next year not being able to go on the hikes I want to go on, not being able to take the long bike rides I look forward to.  I’ll be masking until this thing has all but vanished.

5. 5.

   Amir Khalid

   March 23, 2022 at 8:14 am

   Malaysia’s Ministry of Health reported 21,483 new Covid-19 cases yesterday in its media statement, for a cumulative reported total of 4,032,435 cases. It also reported 72 deaths for an adjusted cumulative total of 34,535 deaths – 0.86% of the cumulative reported total, 0.92% of resolved cases.

   Malaysia’s nationwide Rt stands at 0.91.

   150 confirmed cases are in ICU, 86 of them on ventilators. Meanwhile, 32,561 more patients have recovered, for a cumulative total of 3,745,229 patients recovered – 92.9% of the cumulative reported total.

   Four new clusters were reported yesterday, for a cumulative total of 6,918 clusters. 284 clusters are currently active; 6,634 clusters are now inactive.

   21,089 new cases reported yesterday were local infections. 394 new cases were imported.

   The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) administered 28,337 doses of vaccine on 22nd March: 5,645 first doses, 1,357 second doses, and 21,375 booster doses. The cumulative total is 68,546,897 doses administered: 27,436,371 first doses, 25,790,516 second doses, and 15,530,830 booster doses. 84.0% of the population have received their first dose, 79.0% their second dose, and 47.6% their booster dose.

6. 6.

   Soprano2

   March 23, 2022 at 8:16 am

   I find it interesting that Dr. Fauci is more optimistic than a lot of other “Covid experts” on Twitter. I wish people would quit acting like it’s still April 2020, because it’s not. People who want to be are vaxxed and boosted, and we have treatments for the symptoms of Covid now. I understand the impatience of people with kids under 5 – I can’t imagine the anxiety of that, not being able to vaccinate them yet, but I also understand the companies want to get it right the first time. Covid is never going to be gone, that ship sailed in April 2020. We have to learn how to come to grips with that.

7. 7.

   eclare

   March 23, 2022 at 8:19 am

   Sean Maloney said that?  Wow.

8. 8.

   p.a.

   March 23, 2022 at 8:23 am

   Any entities adjusting for the DeathSantis/Abbott etc (yes and Cuomo) underreport/misreport/noreport effect on US numbers?  Sad state when the public can’t depend on some public health departments’ pandemic information.

9. 9.

   Erin

   March 23, 2022 at 8:23 am

   59% *of people with Long Covid* had organ impairment. Big difference.

10. 10.

    Fair Economist

    March 23, 2022 at 8:32 am

    Looking like my mother’s mild triple vaxxed case isn’t so mild because of Long COVID issues. Her lung function has deteriorated from the last time I was here in November. Before walking 20 feet back from the bathroom on high oxygen flow would make her oxygen saturation drop into the low 90s. Now it drops into the low 80s and she gets coughing fits. Can’t prove it’s the COVID but pretty suspicious.

11. 11.

    YY_Sima Qian

    March 23, 2022 at 8:42 am

    @Fair Economist: Uhh! So sorry to hear that that! This is what keeps me up at night for my parents. Now that all mitigation measures have been abandoned even in Upstate NY, their cohort have been left to fend for themselves.

12. 12.

    Sloane Ranger

    March 23, 2022 at 8:45 am

    Yesterday (Tuesday) in the UK we had 94,524 new cases. The rolling 7-day average is up 20.4%. New cases by nation,

    England – 74,804

    Northern Ireland – 2899

    Scotland – 11,912

    Wales – 4909.

    Cases are still increasing, but the rate of increase is beginning to decline.

    Deaths – There were 250 deaths within 28 days of a positive test yesterday. The rolling 7-day average is up 17.1%. 200 deaths were in England, 8 were in Northern Ireland, 37 were in Scotland and 5 in Wales.

    Testing – 793,566 tests took place on Monday. The rolling 7-day average is up 6.7%.

    Hospitalisations – There were 16,272 people in hospital and 299 on ventilators on Monday. The 7-day average for hospital admissions was up by 21.7% as of 18 March.

    Vaccinations – As of 21 March, 91.7% of all Uk residents aged 12+ had had 1 shot; 85.8% had had 2, and 67.2% had had a 3rd shot/booster.

13. 13.

    Soprano2

    March 23, 2022 at 9:09 am

    @Erin: THANK YOU. I get soooooooo tired of people who write about long Covid in ways that are interpreted deceptively. That definitely made it sound like their sample was of EVERYONE who has Covid. I for one am getting tired of unnecessary Covid alarmism. There’s enough to be concerned about without people misrepresenting things. How do people think they’re going to be trusted when they make things sound different from what they are? Perhaps this is partly because so many publications don’t seem to have editors anymore.

14. 14.

    Matt McIrvin

    March 23, 2022 at 9:17 am

    @New Deal democrat: We are definitely seeing it in Massachusetts. Franklin County, a sparsely populated county in western MA, is clearly having a new outbreak, as is Martha’s Vineyard, and cases are creeping up in a bunch of other places (I suspect this consists of similar local outbreaks that just get smoothed over in the big-county numbers).

    It may not be another explosion like the first Omicron wave but it’s worth keeping an eye on. So far, the little outbreaks burn out in a couple of weeks instead of spreading to cover the whole region. Who knows if that continues–greater BA.2 prevalence and gradually waning immunity might make the criticality conditions just enough weaker.

15. 15.

    Matt McIrvin

    March 23, 2022 at 9:43 am

    The question “how protective is vaccination/boosting against Long COVID?” is still under-researched, probably because it’s so hard to research. My best guess is, vaguely, “quite a lot but it’s obviously not a perfect shield”. Especially if you’re older. In the absence of definite knowledge a lot of people rush into that vacuum and claim it does nothing at all.

16. 16.

    Matt McIrvin

    March 23, 2022 at 9:51 am

    Essex County, VT, in the northeastern corner of the state, is an interesting place: it’s only 61% vaccinated but the vast majority of vaccinated people (just over 50% of the whole population) have three shots. Very politically polarized, maybe. Anyway, all of Vermont’s recent COVID waves seem to start there, but the infection rates never get as high as in the urban areas. It’s blowing up again.

17. 17.

    Fair Economist

    March 23, 2022 at 9:55 am

    @Matt McIrvin:Most of the studies I’ve seen on Long COVID and vaccination indicate about 50% protection among those who catch it, which presumably stacks with protection from infection. Definitely a good thing but not nearly enough to make it a minor issue.

18. 18.

    Matt McIrvin

    March 23, 2022 at 9:59 am

    @Fair Economist: I’ve seen those papers too, but one of them compared that with background rates and determined that that “50% protection” brought it down to levels similar to how often uninfected people report the same symptoms. Which suggests that it might be much more protective than the raw numbers would indicate. I suspect it depends a lot on other things, particularly age.

19. 19.

    NotMax

    March 23, 2022 at 11:40 am

    Egypt becomes country #88 to surpass 500k total cases reported.

    Sites reporting COVID data do vary, however one I check frequently now showing total reported COVID deaths in the U.S. at 999,792. Brace yourself for all such sites to be reporting that number topping one million over the course of the next several days.