At least everyone was vaxxed!
The new ‘test to treat’ initiative aims to get ahead of the next Covid wave before it starts. The Biden administration strategy is aimed at identifying positive cases & dispensing oral antiviral treatments in early-phase infection—all via local pharmacies https://t.co/8CFj2cglK9
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) April 6, 2022
This is a BFD Biden deal — read the WHOLE thing:
Going into the third year of the pandemic, public health experts are developing strategies to work within communities to have a more nimble and rapid response to COVID-19 infection rates.
C. Michael White, a professor of pharmacy practice, and Adrian V. Hernandez, a clinical epidemiologist, both from the University of Connecticut, explain how the Biden administration’s new “test to treat” initiative will make use of pharmacies in this effort. The strategy is to quickly identify those who are positive for COVID-19 and to provide oral antiviral treatments in the early days of illness when it is deemed necessary—all through the easy access of a local pharmacy. And they discuss how the strategy falls short of addressing the needs of underserved communities…
An FDA panel is exploring the challenges of revamping coronavirus vaccines. Panelists at a recent meeting underscored how many uncertainties lie ahead, including whether a vaccine that works better against variants can be ready by fall https://t.co/qF60bqsJBY
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) April 7, 2022
Six in ten American adults support masking in public settings to limit COVID-19 transmission.
Black and Hispanic and low-income Americans as well as those with chronic health conditions were more likely to support continued masking.
KFF Data (3/22) ➡️ https://t.co/0SwrjVjjYY pic.twitter.com/mwWK5siIeN
— Anne Sosin (@asosin) April 6, 2022
======
The World Health Organization says the number of coronavirus cases reported globally has dropped for a second consecutive week. WHO said 9 million cases were reported last week, a 16% decline. The more than 26,000 COVID deaths also represented a decline. https://t.co/xvcROhEMzi
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 6, 2022
Shanghai’s 25 million people under lockdown indefinitely. Chinese social media shows some breaking out of lockdown to protest, chanting: “we want freedom”; “why are you starving us?”
Much of the dissent is censored. Most of videos in our story were erased from the internet @cnn pic.twitter.com/QUHrfqEhiG— Selina Wang (@selinawangtv) April 6, 2022
“Children are actually in need of special care.”
Shanghai parents will no longer be separated from their kids infected with #Covid19 as long as they “fully comprehend the health risks.” The city reported almost 20,000 new cases Wednesday https://t.co/Wef4qo0mG7 pic.twitter.com/FFMrNHyLap
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) April 7, 2022
As seen on Weibo: Shanghai residents go to their balconies to sing & protest lack of supplies. A drone appears: “Please comply w covid restrictions. Control your soul’s desire for freedom. Do not open the window or sing.” https://t.co/0ZTc8fznaV pic.twitter.com/pAnEGOlBIh
— Alice Su (@aliceysu) April 6, 2022
The Shanghai government said on Thursday it was trying its best to improve the distribution of food and essential goods to locked-in residents, responding to growing public discontent as COVID curbs stretched into an 11th day.
China’s financial hub has fallen largely silent after the city imposed harsh curbs to stem the spread of COVID under the country’s “zero tolerance” policy, with only healthcare workers, volunteers, delivery personnel or people with special permission allowed on the streets.
Authorities say that has whittled the number of couriers, who must keep the city’s 26 million residents supplied, to just 11,000. Still operating but overloaded services include Meituan (3690.HK) and Alibaba’s (9988.HK) Freshippo online grocery platform and its Ele.me service…
The Shanghai branch of China’s Communist Party called on members to “dare show their swords and fight against all kind of behaviour that interferes with and destroys the overall efforts against the pandemic” in an open letter on Wednesday night.
Shanghai has sufficient reserves of staples such as rice and meat, but issues have cropped up in distribution and last-mile deliveries because of epidemic control measures, Shanghai’s vice mayor, Chen Tong, said at a news conference on Thursday.
He said the city would try to reopen some wholesale markets and food stores and allow more delivery personnel out of locked-down areas. Officials will also crack down on price gouging, he added.
Many residents are beginning to worry about food and drinking water, as well as obtaining products such as infant formula…
China’s most-populous city has yet to give an indication of when lockdown measures will be lifted, fuelling uncertainty and prompting European businesses and economists to warn about the mounting toll they are having on its economy and attractiveness as an international financial hub.
The economic impact is not confined to Shanghai, however, with 87 out of China’s top 100 cities imposing some level of restrictions on activity and mobility “in hopes of keeping COVID under control and avoiding Shanghai’s fate”, Gavekal Dragonomics analyst Ernan Cui said in a note on Thursday…Although Shanghai’s case numbers remain small by global standards, the city has emerged as a test bed for China’s “dynamic clearance” strategy, which seeks to test, trace and centrally quarantine all positive cases and close contacts.
Shanghai has converted dozens of buildings into quarantine facilities that can house tens of thousands of positive cases.
The youth population of Africa have joined the fight against covid to promote vaccination – 70% is the target – period! More partnerships with @africacdc, like that of @MastercardFdn, and global funding are urgently needed to support Africa’s efforts! pic.twitter.com/ditRFWEj4y
— John Nkengasong (@JNkengasong) April 6, 2022
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The new #XEVariant — a genetic blend of #Omicron types 1 & 2 — has been found in 637 patients in the UK.https://t.co/oscgxMUcXx
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) April 6, 2022
… XE contains a mix of the previously highly infectious omicron BA.1 strain, which emerged in late 2021, and the newer “stealth” BA.2 variant, currently the U.K.’s dominant variant.
It is what’s known as a “recombinant,” a type of variant that can occur when an individual becomes infected with two or variants at the same time, resulting in a mixing of their genetic material within a patient’s body.
Such recombinants are not uncommon, having occurred several times during the coronavirus pandemic.
Data on the new variant’s severity and ability to evade vaccines is not yet clear, though early estimates suggest it could be more transmissible than earlier strains.
UKHSA data shows XE has a growth rate of 9.8% above that of BA.2, while the World Health Organization has so far put that figure at 10%.
The earliest confirmed XE case in Britain has a specimen date of Jan. 19 of this year, suggesting it could have been in circulation in the population for several months. It has also been detected beyond the U.K. in Thailand.
It comes as the U.K. faces a new surge in infections. Still, the XE variant currently accounts for less than 1% of total Covid cases that have undergone genomic sequencing there…
Also!…
…Glasses wearers may have lower COVID-19 risk
People who regularly wear glasses have a moderately lower risk of contracting COVID-19 while contact lenses offered no added protection, according to a large study that highlights the importance of the eye as a route of coronavirus infection.More than 19,000 participants in the Virus Watch study in England and Wales responded to a questionnaire on the use of glasses and contact lenses. Starting as early as June 2020, participants had been reporting weekly on their COVID-19 status, and more than 11,000 provided monthly blood samples to show whether or not they had been infected with the coronavirus. After taking other risk factors into account, the researchers found a 15% lower risk of infection for those who reported wearing glasses always for general use compared to those who never wore glasses. The protective effect was reduced in those who said their glasses interfered with mask wearing, and there was no protective effect seen for contact lens wearers, according to a report posted on Monday on medRxiv ahead of peer review.
“Protective eye wear should be considered as part of broader strategies to prevent community transmission of infection and may be valuable to consider in the event of future pandemics and in high exposure occupations including healthcare,” the researchers said.
Blood clot risk higher for six months after having Covid, study suggests https://t.co/vjAB8vPLYD
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) April 7, 2022
This should be unbelievable, except scaremongering lies is all too rewarding (emotionally & otherwise)…
Despite claims online, experts say there’s no evidence COVID-19 vaccines are causing a form of AIDS not related to HIV. @AP has the facts. https://t.co/IF1hwbi6V3
— AP Fact Check (@APFactCheck) April 6, 2022
======
Speaking of ‘all too profitable’:
2 surveys now show that scientists experienced extreme harassment during the pandemic, ranging from personal insults to death threats. Those w/ a greater news-media presence have been more likely to be harassed. Dr. Peter Hotez, a key target, calls it anti-science aggression https://t.co/PkMZEOdqqN
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) April 6, 2022
On The Road – JanieM – Maine #5
NeenerNeener
Monroe County, NY:
483 new cases yesterday.
The COVID tests I ordered on Saturday are due to arrive today!
Baud
Awesome. I look forward to their votes in the midterms.
NotMax
Several topical items which caught the eye.
1) Call it out for what it is: premeditated peril.
——
2) Exercising bad judgment is putting it mildly.
——
3) “Closed loop” translates to workers living at the factories 24/7 in Shnaghai and environs.
NotMax
@NotMax
Phooey.
Shnaghai = Shanghai.
germy
NotMax
@germy
Egad. Now I’m forced to express appreciation of Mr. T?
What a world, what a world.
;)
New Deal democrat
It appears likely that whatever BA.2 wave the US is going to have, has started. Cases increased for the 2nd day in a row to 27,100. Deaths are flat at 527. Hospitalizations have continued to decline to another two year low. Deaths are still likely to decline to 200, or possibly even 100 by about the end of this month.
Cases have peaked everywhere in Europe except Malta, which appears to be peaking now. Canada also shows as declining, but this is likely driven by a lack of reporting from Ontario in the past few days.
Within the US, the Northeast and West are increasing, the Midwest is flat, and the South is decreasing. The South’s number is largely driven by a continued decline in TX, and FL’s refusal to report for the last 12 days. A separate source shows Florida’s case count rising for the last 10 days. IL, MN, and WI are rising in the Midwest. CA, AZ, OR, WA, and AK are rising in the West. The only States *not* rising in the Northeast are ME and NH. The *rate* of increase is decelerating in MA and NY. MD and PR are also increasing.
By now 75% of all US cases are likely BA.2. If the US follows the pattern in Europe, that will continue for the next 2-3 weeks. The first US States to peak should be in the Northeast within the next week.
P.S. The CDC just lifted all COVID restrictions on air travel. Best of luck to everyone in their travel plans.
germy
Young Canadian conservatives look just like young conservatives from the United States. They look and dress like they’re 50 years old.
germy
@NotMax:
Now we know why he’s still alive. He’s no fool.
Baud
@germy:
I hate to pick on a good message, but that’s literally their motto.
Baud
@germy:
OMG. Mr. T and Another Scott are the same person!
YY_Sima Qian
On 4/6 Mainland China reported 1,284 new domestic confirmed (95 previously asymptomatic), 21,711 new domestic asymptomatic cases, 0 domestic suspect cases.
Guangdong Province reported 4 new domestic asymptomatic cases. As the province does not break down recovered cases between domestic & imported, I cannot keep track of the count of active domestic cases there.
Guangxi “Autonomous” Region reported 7 new domestic asymptomatic (4 at Chongzuo, 2 at Fangchenggang & 1 at Baise) cases. 1 domestic confirmed case recovered & 5 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 18 active domestic confirmed (7 each at Fangchenggang & Qinzhou, 2 at Baise & 1 each at Guilin & Yulin) & 232 active domestic asymptomatic cases (96 at Fangchenggang, 40 at Baise, 18 at Chongzuo, 63 at Qinzhou, 8 at Guilin, & 3 each at Beihai & Nanning) in the province. 3 sites at Qinzhou are currently at Medium Risk.
Hunan Province did not report any new domestic asymptomatic cases. 6 domestic confirmed cases recovered. There currently are 30 active domestic confirmed & 12 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. All areas in Huaihua are now at Low Risk. 10 sites at Changsha & 1 village at Hengyang are currently at Medium Risk.
Inner Mongolia “Autonomous” Region 1 new domestic confirmed (previously asymptomatic) & 1 new domestic asymptomatic cases, both at Tongliao, the new positive case is a traced close contact under centralized quarantine. There currently are 7 active domestic confirmed (1 at Hohhot, 1 at Chifeng & 5 at Tongliao) & 18 active domestic asymptomatic (9 each at Hohhot & Tongliao) cases in the province. 1 residential compound at Chifeng is currently at Medium Risk.
Tianjin Municipality reported 4 new domestic asymptomatic cases, all traced close contacts under centralized quarantine. 10 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 16 domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation. There currently are 100 active domestic confirmed & 114 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 4 sites are currently at High Risk. 4 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
Shandong Province reported 4 new domestic confirmed (2 previously asymptomatic) & 26 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 58 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 181 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 319 active domestic confirmed cases & 1,618 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.
Shanxi Province reported 7 new domestic confirmed (6 at Taiyuan & 1 at Yuncheng) & 1 new domestic asymptomatic (at Taiyuan) cases. 2 of the cases at Taiyuan were previously asymptomatic & 5 are traced close contacts under centralized quarantine. The case at Yuncheng is a traced contact. There currently are 29 active domestic confirmed (18 at Taiyuan, 5 Xinzhou, 3 at Yuncheng, & 1 each at Datong, Jinzhong & Linfen) & 5 active domestic asymptomatic (2 each at Taiyuan & Yuncheng, 1 at Changzhi) cases remaining.
Hebei Province reported 3 new domestic confirmed & 139 domestic asymptomatic cases. 29 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 243 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 131 active domestic confirmed & 1,837 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.
Liaoning Province reported 1 new domestic confirmed & 21 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 28 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 160 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 178 active domestic confirmed & 1,012 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.
Heilongjiang Province reported 9 new domestic confirmed (all mild) & 11 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 13 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 10 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 190 active domestic confirmed & 202 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.
Jilin Province reported 890 new domestic confirmed (53 previously asymptomatic, 802 mild & 77 moderate & 11 serious) & 1,546 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 1,293 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 1,300 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. 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.
Beijing Municipality reported 4 new domestic confirmed (1 previously asymptomatic, 3 mild & 1 moderate) cases, all of the new positive cases are traced close contacts under centralized quarantine.
Shanghai Municipality reported 322 new domestic confirmed (15 previously asymptomatic) & 19,660 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 19,039 of the new domestic positive cases were already under quarantine, & the rest from screening of persons deemed at risk of exposure. 32 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 750 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 3,212 active domestic confirmed & 101,112 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 13 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
Shaanxi Province did not report any new domestic positive cases. 6 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 1 domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation. There currently are 30 active domestic confirmed & 2 active 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. 1 residential compound at Tongchuan remains at Medium Risk.
Hubei Province reported 4 new domestic asymptomatic cases (3 at Suizhou & 1 at Wuhan), all traced close contacts under centralized quarantine. There currently are 78 active domestic asymptomatic (41 at Suizhou, 12 at Huangshi, 5 at & Xiaogan, 9 at Wuhan, 4 at Ezhou, 3 at Huanggang, 2 at Jinzhou, & 1 each at Xianning & Xiangyang) cases in the province.
Jiangsu Province reported 3 new domestic confirmed & 75 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 3 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 29 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 68 active domestic confirmed & 541 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.
Anhui Province reported 1 new domestic confirmed (previously asymptomatic) & 60 new domestic asymptomatic. 26 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 20 active confirmed & 566 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.
Zhejiang Province reported 14 new domestic confirmed (8 previously asymptomatic) & 41 new domestic asymptomatic case. 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.
Gansu Province did not report any new positive cases. 8 domestic confirmed cases recovered 10 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 19 active domestic confirmed & 131 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.
Wuzhong in Ningxia “Autonomous” Region reported 2 new domestic asymptomatic cases, both recent arrivals from Shanghai.
Fujian Province reported 7 new domestic confirmed (5 previously asymptomatic) & 16 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 150 domestic confirmed case recovered & 215 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 566 active domestic confirmed & 1,519 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.
Xinjiang “Autonomous” Region reported 4 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 1 domestic confirmed case recovered & 13 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 2 active domestic confirmed & 51 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the region.
Hainan Province reported 4 new domestic confirmed (2 previously asymptomatic, all at Sanya) & 9 new domestic asymptomatic (6 at Sanya, 2 at Lingshui County & 1 at Haikou) cases. 4 of the new positive cases at Sanya are traced close contacts under centralized quarantine & 4 via screening of persons under movement restrictions. 1 case at Lingshui County is a traced close contact under centralized quarantine & the other via screening of persons deemed at risk of exposure. The case at Haikou is a traced close contact under centralized quarantine. There currently are 37 active domestic confirmed (10 at Haikou, 18 at Sanya, 5 at Qionghai, 2 at Danzhou & 1 each at Lingshui County & Wanning) & 67 active domestic asymptomatic cases (59 at Sanya, 4 at Haikou, 2 at Lingshui County, & 1 each at Qionghai & Wanning).
Guizhou Province reported 1 new domestic confirmed (at Xingyi in Qianxinan Prefecture) case, a traced close contact under centralized quarantine. There currently are 6 active domestic confirmed (2 at Guiyang & 4 at Xingyi in Qianxinan Prefecture) & 5 active domestic asymptomatic (3 at Xingyi in Qianxinan Prefecture, & 1 each at Puding County in Anshun & Liupanshui) cases in the city.
Jiangxi Province reported 2 new domestic confirmed (both mild) & 32 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 1 domestic confirmed case recovered & 37 domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation. There currently are 16 active domestic confirmed & 205 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.
Henan Province reported 1 new domestic confirmed (previously asymptomatic, at Zhoukou) & 36 new domestic asymptomatic cases (16 at Zhoukou & 20 at Yongcheng). 11 domestic confirmed case recovered & 10 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 86 active domestic confirmed & 245 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. 2 sites at Zhoukou, as well as 1 at Luohe, are currently at Medium Risk.
At Chongqing Municipality there currently are 5 active domestic confirmed & 8 domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 3 dormitory buildings are currently at Medium Risk.
Sichuan Province reported 10 new domestic confirmed (6 previously asymptomatic, all mild, 7 at Chengdu, 2 at Leshan & 1 at Suining) & 4 new domestic asymptomatic (2 at Leshan, & 1 each at Chengdu & Suining) cases. 4 of the cases at Chengdu were previously asymptomatic, all of the new positive cases are traced close contacts under centralized quarantine. 2 of the cases at Leshan were previously asymptomatic, & the new positive cases are traced close contacts under centralized quarantine. 1 of the cases at Suining was found via community screening & the other is a traced close contact. 3 residential compounds at Leshan are currently at Medium Risk.
Qinghai Province reported 1 new domestic asymptomatic case (at Xining), a traced close contact under centralized quarantine. 3 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 11 active domestic confirmed cases in the province.
Yunnan Province reported 6 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 2 domestic confirmed case recovered & 17 new domestic asymptomatic were released from isolation. There currently are 25 active domestic confirmed & 137 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.
Imported Cases
On 4/6, Mainland China reported 39 new imported confirmed cases (10 previously asymptomatic, 1 in Guangdong), 73 imported asymptomatic cases, 4 imported suspect cases:
Overall in Mainland China, 1,765 confirmed cases recovered (83 imported), 2,682 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation (83 imported) & 105 were reclassified as confirmed cases (10 imported), & 24,230 individuals were released from quarantine. Currently, there are 24,123 active confirmed cases in the country (497 imported), 85 in serious condition (all domestic), 132,948 active asymptomatic cases (993 imported), 19 suspect cases (all imported). 420,067 traced contacts are currently under centralized quarantine.
As of 4/6, 3,286.373M vaccine doses have been injected in Mainland China, an increase of 2.787M doses in the past 24 hrs.
On 4/7, Hong Kong reported 2,644 new positive cases, 12 imported & 2,632 domestic (1,356 via RT-PCR & 1,276 from rapid antigen tests), 90 deaths (19 fully vaccinated, including 2 boosted) + 7 backlogged deaths.
On 4/7, Taiwan reported 531 new positive cases, 149 imported & 382 domestic.
Booger
The piece about the Gridiron dinner continues:
Peale
I’m a bit torn on scolding drones. Bad enough when they silently spy, but now they hector, too? If a jar of pickled turnips should fall upon it, I would probably be amused. That said, I’m considering donating a few hundred to the Baud 2024 campaign to corral his voters to the polls. Even though I realise that he might program them find potential voters and have the drones say “this is great. I can campaign from home without having to put on pants.”
Baud
@Peale:
I like it. Would you like to be my Chief Technology Officer?
Amir Khalid
Malaysia’s Ministry of Health reported 12,105 new Covid-19 cases yesterday in its media statement, for a cumulative reported total of 4,280,591 cases. It also reported 32 deaths for an adjusted cumulative total of 35,192 deaths – 0.82% of the cumulative reported total, 0.85% of resolved cases.
Malaysia’s nationwide Rt stands at 0.86.
106 confirmed cases and 115 suspected cases are in ICU; of these patients, 53 confirmed cases and 69 suspected cases are on ventilators. Meanwhile, 21,029 more patients have recovered, for a cumulative total of 4,083,183 patients recovered – 95.4% of the cumulative reported total.
No new clusters were reported yesterday, and the cumulative total remains at 6,941 clusters. 151 clusters are currently active; 6,790 clusters are now inactive.
12,062 new cases reported yesterday were local infections. 43 new cases were imported.
The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) administered 25,847 doses of vaccine on 6th April: 2,631 first doses, 11,755 second doses, and 11,101 booster doses. The cumulative total is 69,069,817 doses administered: 27,539,162 first doses, 25,854,686 second doses, and 15,888,368 booster doses. 84.4% of the population have received their first dose, 79.2% their second dose, and 48.7% their booster dose.
YY_Sima Qian
@NotMax: Factories in Shenzhen & Dongguan in Guangdong Province had already employed the “closed loop” system last month to maintain production. However, the lock downs there were relatively brief.
Baud
Merrick Garland has Covid.
NotMax
@YY_Sima Qian
From what I’ve been reading they’re having to find nooks and crannies to store the factory output for dearth of trucks to ship them out.
Tesla, BMW and VW factories in China already on extended closure due to such supply chain impediments.
NotMax
@Baud
Ditto for testing positive for Secretary of Commerce Raimondo.
Ramalama
@Baud: Their actual motto goes something like this:
“Sucks to be you.”
Citizen_X
Gotta admit, I may not like the message (and singing from your balcony is not going to do much to spread Covid), but “Control your soul’s desire for freedom” is pretty poetic. Like a line Javert should have sung at Jean Valjean.
Also, they should have added, “New opportunities await you offworld!”
gene108
I have a hard time believing the Ann Sossin Tweet and KFF poll given how few people are wearing masks, since mask requirements were eased or eliminated in NJ.
I think most people either believe the pandemic’s over or don’t care about what happens if it’s not.
YY_Sima Qian
@NotMax: There was (& still is to an extent) logistical issues into & out of Hong Kong, due to so many truck drivers getting infected. However, almost all of our customers have since developed work arounds.
Logistics coming out of Shanghai has slowed to a crawl, though.
dr. bloor
@NotMax: Somewhere out there, Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott is just shaking her head…
Suzanne
Wow. The Chinese government has really shit the bed in Shanghai.
YY_Sima Qian
@Suzanne: It’s like the Shanghai government never planned for a city wide lock down, specifically the issue of food distribution. I was just chatting w/ my colleagues in Shanghai this morning, some of whom have been locked down in their residential compounds for 2 weeks or more. They have basically said that the neighborhood committees & residential compound properties management are useless in getting food supplies, & the residents have turned to group buying ventures that mass orders from residents of a building, block or compound, & deal directly w/ the distributors to obtain the necessities. There is no shortage food supplies in the city, it is the final mile distribution that has broken down. It is not surprising that the normal channels are frozen due to the lock down, but the municipal authorities did not have an alternative ready at the neighborhood/community level to take their places.
It appears that government arranged food packages are starting to be delivered in the last couple of days, so hopefully the situation will improve in the coming days. Wuhan suffered through at least a week of chaos during its lock down in late Jan. 2020, & it took about 2 weeks for the last mile logistics of food distribution to be worked out. However, those were the 1st days of 1st ever lockdown/cordon sanitaire of a metropolis in human history, when COVID-19 was truly novel & little understood. More than 2 yrs. in, after numerous city wide lock downs in China to study from in that time, Shanghai does not have many excuses.
The city is getting blasted on Chinese social media. For decades the rest of China has had to bear w/ the superiority complex of many a Shanghainese, now they are exacting sweet revenge. Shanghai has always prided itself as the NYC of China, but I just saw a Chinese KOL call Shanghai the “Florida of China” on twitter. Ouch, that one cut deep! A lot of people here agree that the central government erred on the Shanghai outbreak, by not intervening sooner to force the city into lock down, when the daily incidence was a still in the low triple digits. If the city had locked down 3 weeks ago, most parts of it probably would have exited lock down by now. Instead, there is no visible end, the city has not yet reached the inflection point. The rest of the country is even more pissed by the fact that Shanghai keeps exporting cases that constantly threat to seed clusters & outbreaks that lead to at least local lock downs.
Origuy
I stopped wearing my contacts when we first shut down in March 2020 and haven’t worn them since. Covid-free so far. I figured it was one more way to get infected since I used to get pinkeye once in a while.
The Moar You Know
@New Deal democrat: They can do whatever they want but I’m never getting on a place without an N95 again; the trip I took in November is literally the first time I haven’t gotten sick after a flight.
Geo Wilcox
The governor of Florida, DeathSentence, just signed legislation that prohibits nursing homes and hospitals from barring patient guests even during a crisis. It also prohibits those facilities from requiring proof of vaccination. Hello more dead Floridians!
Bruce K in ATH-GR
Greece: the Thursday numbers have been reported by Kathimerini: 10,858 new cases, down from 15,044 reported Wednesday, and down by half from the 21,096 new cases reported last Thursday, March 31. 76 fatalities, up from 73 yesterday and 56 last Thursday. Current intubated ICU cases number 359, up one from yesterday’s number of 358.
J R in WV
@Bruce K in ATH-GR:
Being intubated is no picnic at all. Wife was on a Vent for more than 3 weeks, the Respiratory therapist would suck terrible fluids out of her lungs every day, while she was in an induced coma. Her odds of recovery were 30% our doctor told me, just so I would be prepared.
Fair Economist
@YY_Sima Qian:
I’d say that’s inexcusable, given that lockdown is the required response to a large outbreak; everybody knew 5 months ago Omicron was far more infectious than prior COVIDs; and Shanghai is a major entryway to China. They *should* have been ready for full lockdown by January; while China staved off really big outbreaks until now, at the time nobody could have known that and so a forced lockdown around January was a real possibility.