Republicans are pushing to eliminate the emergency declaration on #COVID19 . They are also blocking funding of programs for vaccines, testing and treating the disease.
Here's what happens if they actually lift the Emergency Decl.https://t.co/CjAg3BOacr— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) April 13, 2022
======
China trying out reduced quarantine for some groups in eight cities – media https://t.co/RnUjOMunGN pic.twitter.com/YgO0D5Jg1q
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 13, 2022
China’s financial hub Shanghai warned that anyone who violates COVID lockdown rules will be dealt with strictly, while also rallying people to defend their city as its tally of new cases rebounded to more than 25,000 https://t.co/JnQNbAdyEr pic.twitter.com/rFeAv7pORI
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 13, 2022
Beginning & end of a long, meaty thread:
I’m in Shanghai, like many, I have been in lockdown for weeks (doing okay on food). I don’t have any on-the-ground info, so I made a brief timeline of Shanghai’s current covid outbreak to keep myself sane and things in perspective [thread]: pic.twitter.com/evVAKA3NTK
— Qin Chen (@QinchenCQ) April 12, 2022
it's also another reason why people often weren't able to store food. You'd have, say, a three-bedroom apartment with 12 people living in it, and one kitchen. Simply not the space for anything other than your immediate cooking needs.
— James Palmer (@BeijingPalmer) April 12, 2022
Hong Kong recorded 1,272 new Covid-19 infections on Wednesday. The city also added 62 deaths, including 8 backlogged cases.
Full, trusted coverage on HKFP: https://t.co/w8LTgNgHXy pic.twitter.com/RXPsaU5aHQ
— Hong Kong Free Press HKFP (@hkfp) April 13, 2022
(No) Surprise!
… In Europe Omicron has caused greater increases in cases than in hospitalisations or deaths. Two factors have combined to yield such mild disease: strong immunity levels and Omicron’s low severity when compared with Delta. Until recently, it was unclear which mattered more. But the Asian data show that immunity is crucial, and that Omicron is still deadly for unvaccinated people who have not yet had covid.
Hong Kong and South Korea provide a natural experiment. Both were mostly covid-free before 2022, and had little infection-induced immunity. But South Korea has had a strong vaccine roll-out, whereas Hong Kong has had one of the rich world’s worst. Its messaging was decidedly mixed, giving equal weight to arguments for and against vaccination, and telling people with chronic diseases to consult doctors before getting jabs. Its nurses worried about personal liability for mishaps.
Hong Kong also made heavy use of Sinovac, a Chinese vaccine that is less effective than Western shots. According to Ming Pao, a newspaper, of Hong Kongers who died in the recent wave, 71% were unvaccinated and another 25% had received Sinovac. Just 4% got Western vaccines.
Unfortunately, Hong Kong’s elderly were unusually hesitant. In South Korea take-up of booster shots, which are needed to protect against Omicron, is greatest among the old. In Hong Kong, in contrast, those most likely to get boosted are middle-aged. Just 37% of its septuagenarians and 14% of those 80 or older, the most vulnerable groups, are boosted—similar to the shares among people aged 20-39 and teenagers, respectively. When Omicron first struck, these rates were even lower…
This discrepancy has had a big impact. During the Omicron wave, Hong Kong’s official covid mortality rate has been five times higher than South Korea’s. These figures can be biased by differences in testing rates and judgments on causes of death. But fair comparisons can be made with excess mortality—the gap between the number of deaths from all causes and the number expected under normal conditions…
It took me 10 minutes to walk the length of the Covid memorial wall. Over 180k hearts – each a person loved, a life cut short.
These are the reasons why Boris Johnson has to go. A bare-faced liar & screw-you law-breaker who’s made utter fools of us all. pic.twitter.com/xjNn9bXIrN
— Rachel Clarke (@doctor_oxford) April 12, 2022
======
Interesting, *if* the research holds up. (If Delthia Ricks hadn’t retweeted this, I wouldn’t have paid attention):
… Ng’s team was the first in the world to discover that long Covid patients have a distinct gut microorganism known as a microbiome, with an imbalance in the amount of different bacteria present.
The imbalance may cause a shortage of “good” bacteria linked to the respiratory system, resulting in prolonged coughing and shortness of breath or an abundance of “bad” bacteria linked to fatigue, insomnia and loss of taste.
Ng said it was easy for patients to test their long Covid, with results known in a fortnight.
Patients provide a stool sample for the university’s laboratory to analyse. Two weeks later, they are told their test score, produced by an algorithm created from an analysis of more than 1,200 stool samples of healthy individuals, long Covid patients and those with other diseases…
The team previously studied 106 coronavirus patients and found that three out of four developed at least one long Covid symptom six months after recovery, while a third had more than three.
The stool test will be provided initially at CUHK Medical Centre, with details on the cost and when it will be available to be released soon…
In June 2020, the team developed a probiotic supplement called SIM01, to treat the imbalance in gut bacteria caused by Covid-19.
It was tested on 36 infected patients who took the supplement for four weeks, with the outcomes compared with another group that was not given SIM01.
The team found that 94 per cent of those who took the supplement did not show any long Covid symptoms over the following year.
“About 76 per cent of those who did not take SIM01 developed long Covid, while only 6 per cent of those who took SIM01 had long Covid, so I think the prevention application is very promising,” she said.
SIM01 has been made into a supplement that is sold by GenieBiome, a CUHK biotechnology spin-off, with a box of 28 sachets costing HK$499 (US$64)…
In the lab: They may look like cells & act like cells but a new potential Covid treatment is actually a cleverly disguised decoy that attracts viruses & holds onto them rendering them inactive. Decoy nanoparticles work against original SARSCoV2 & variants https://t.co/RXBasOnSx4 pic.twitter.com/RWCOHx8dat
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) April 13, 2022
======
Coronavirus cases are again climbing in the Northeast as the BA. 2 omicron subvariant — which is even more contagious than its predecessor — becomes the predominant strain in the United States. https://t.co/l2ZZErZMbE
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 13, 2022
The Ukraine Biolabs conspiracy, boosted by everyone from Tucker Carlson to the Kremlin, did not originate in Russia
It was created by a QAnon supporter who worked at an upscale DC wine bar, before quitting & dedicating himself full-time to conspiracieshttps://t.co/VeiHiwfcYF
— David Gilbert (@daithaigilbert) April 12, 2022
Satan's DNA is trending because a YouTube "documentary" named after the QAnon catchphrase "Watch the Water" is blowing up among antivaxxers.
The documentary claims snake venom and magnets were put in the COVID vaccine to give us Satan's DNA.
It is even more insane than usual. pic.twitter.com/phIsnD6s3p
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) April 12, 2022
On The Road – ?BillinGlendaleCA – It is that Time of Year Again.
NeenerNeener
Monroe County, NY:
790 new cases yesterday.
I don’t know whether this is Omicron 2 taking advantage of the lack of masks now, or if this is the new Omicron 1+2=3. I do know this is getting scary again.
Baud
Good band name.
NotMax
FYI.
—————
YY_Sima Qian
New Deal democrat
Nationwide cases rose for the 8th day in a row to 33,300. Hospitalizations declined to 9859, another record low. Deaths rose slightly to 501, still lower than any time except last June and July.
Cases are rising in all regions except the South. In the Pacific, where BA.2 hit first, cases are flat in Hawaii and declining in AK, Guam, Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
The CDC issued its weekly seroprevalence update yesterday, showing that nationwide BA.2 now amounts to 86% of all new cases. In the Northwest and Southwest it is 88%; in the upper Midwest it is 84%; in New England it is 90%; and in NY and NJ it is 92%.
In the U.K. and continental Europe, BA.2 cases peaked at about the time BA.2 reached 90% of all cases. As of today there is no sign of that in the Northeast yet. But frequently in Europe the turning points have happened very quickly.
YY_Sima Qian
On 4/12 Mainland China reported 1,500 new domestic confirmed (152 previously asymptomatic), 26,420 new domestic asymptomatic cases, 0 domestic suspect cases.
Guangdong Province reported 22 new domestic confirmed (9 previously asymptomatic) & 9 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 11 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 11 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 129 active domestic confirmed & 194 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.
Guangxi “Autonomous” Region reported 71 new domestic asymptomatic (70 at Fangchenggang & 1 at Baise) cases, 63 response workers in “closed loops” via regular testing, 7 via screening of persons deemed at risk of exposure & a traced close contact under centralized quarantine. 8 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 10 active domestic confirmed (4 at Baise, 3 at Qinzhou, & 1 each at Fangchenggang, Guilin & Yulin) & 260 active domestic asymptomatic cases (151 at Fangchenggang, 42 at Baise, 17 at Chongzuo, 43 at Qinzhou, 4 at Guilin, 2 at Beihai, & 1 at Nanning) in the province. 3 sites at Qinzhou are currently at Medium Risk.
Hunan Province reported 2 new domestic confirmed (1 mild & 1 moderate, 1 each at Shaoyang & Loudi) cases, both came from Shanghai & tested positive upon arrival. There currently are 19 active domestic confirmed & 7 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. 1 site at Changsha & 1 village at Hengyang are currently at Medium Risk.
Inner Mongolia “Autonomous” Region reported 1 new domestic asymptomatic (at Hinggan League) case, fa traced close contact under centralized quarantine. There currently are 7 active domestic confirmed (1 each at Hinggan League & Hohhot, 2 at Chifeng, & 3 at Tongliao) & 5 active domestic asymptomatic (2 each at Hinggan League & Tongliao & 1 at Hohhot) cases in the province. 1 residential compound at Chifeng is currently at Medium Risk.
Tianjin Municipality reported 1 new domestic confirmed & 1 new domestic asymptomatic case, both traced close contacts under centralized quarantine. 1 domestic confirmed case recovered & 5 domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation. There currently are 14 active domestic confirmed 28 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 1 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
Shandong Province reported 3 new domestic confirmed (1 previously asymptomatic) & 19 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 25 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 80 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 184 active domestic confirmed cases & 985 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 4 new domestic asymptomatic (all at Taiyuan) cases, all traced close contacts under centralized quarantine. 1 domestic confirmed case recovered & 1 domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation. There currently are 43 active domestic confirmed (32 at Taiyuan, 5 at Xinzhou, 4 at Yuncheng, & 1 each at Datong & Jinzhong) & 22 active domestic asymptomatic (18 at Taiyuan, 2 at Yuncheng, 1 each at Changzhi & Yangquan) cases remaining.
Hebei Province reported 1 new domestic confirmed & 37 domestic asymptomatic cases. 11 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 224 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 47 active domestic confirmed & 1,118 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 & 31 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 14 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 98 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 57 active domestic confirmed & 558 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 2 new domestic confirmed & 2 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 11 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 13 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 116 active domestic confirmed & 124 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.
Jilin Province reported 233 new domestic confirmed (97 previously asymptomatic, 226 mild & 6 moderate & 1 serious) & 852 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 1,149 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 1,445 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 did not report any new domestic positive cases. 1 site is currently at High Risk.
Shanghai Municipality reported 1,189 new domestic confirmed (23 previously asymptomatic) & 25,141 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 25,367 of the new domestic positive cases were already under quarantine, & the rest from screening of persons deemed at risk of exposure (effectively meaning from the community). 334 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 6,064 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 7,776 active domestic confirmed (9 serious) & 205,617 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 13 sites are currently at Medium Risk.
Shaanxi Province reported 2 new domestic confirmed cases, both at Xi’an, both traced close contacts under centralized quarantine. 2 domestic confirmed cases recovered. There currently are 35 active domestic confirmed & 3 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. 2 sites at Xi’an are currently at Medium Risk.
Hubei Province reported 1 new domestic confirmed (moderate, at Yichang) & 44 new domestic asymptomatic (7 at Wuhan, 16 at Ezhou, 20 at Huanggang, & 1 at Jingmen) cases. 5 of the cases at Wuhan are traced close contact under centralized quarantine, & 2 constructions workers returning from Shanghai & under centralized quarantine upon arrival. The cases at Huanggang, Ezhou & Jingmen are traced close contacts under centralized quarantine. All of the cases at Huanggang are traced close contacts under centralized quarantine. The case at Yichang is a recent arrival from elsewhere. 3 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 3 active domestic confirmed (2 mild & 1 moderate, 1 each at Enshi Prefecture, Huanggang & Yichang) & 207 active domestic asymptomatic (43 at Suizhou, 55 at Wuhan, 39 each at Ezhou, 12 at Huangshi, 5 at Xiaogan, 4 at Enshi Prefecture, 41 at Huanggang, 2 each at Jinzhou & Jingmen, & 1 at Xiangyang) cases in the province.
Jiangsu Province reported 4 new domestic confirmed (1 previously asymptomatic) & 71 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 5 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 59 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. The currently are 88 active domestic confirmed & 726 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
Anhui Province reported 1 new domestic confirmed & 60 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 1 domestic confirmed case recovered & 21 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 22 active confirmed & 657 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.
Zhejiang Province reported 12 new domestic confirmed (6 previously asymptomatic) & 19 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.
At Gansu Province 8 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 2 active domestic confirmed & 57 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province. As the province no longer breaks down recoveries by administrative divisions, I cannot track the count of active cases in the administrative divisions.
At Wuzhong in Ningxia “Autonomous” Region there currently are 2 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city.
Fujian Province reported 7 new domestic confirmed (2 previously asymptomatic) & 7 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 41 domestic confirmed case recovered & 126 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 206 active domestic confirmed & 637 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.
At Xinjiang “Autonomous” Region 1 domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation. There currently are 25 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the region.
Hainan Province reported 14 new domestic confirmed (13 previously asymptomatic, all at Sanya) cases. The new positive case at Sanya is a traced close contact under centralized quarantine. There currently are 87 active domestic confirmed (10 at Haikou, 66 at Sanya, 5 at Qionghai, 3 at Lingshui County, 2 at Danzhou, & 1 at Wanning) & 37 active domestic asymptomatic cases (31 at Sanya, 4 at Haikou, & 1 each at Qionghai & Wanning).
At Guizhou Province 1 domestic confirmed case recovered. There currently are 4 active domestic confirmed (all at Xingyi in Qianxinan Prefecture) & 3 active domestic asymptomatic (2 at Xingyi in Qianxinan Prefecture, & 1 at Puding County in Anshun) cases.
Jiangxi Province reported 1 new domestic confirmed (mild) & 16 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 1 domestic confirmed case recovered & 36 domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation. There currently are 17 active domestic confirmed & 152 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 3 new domestic confirmed (2 at Xinyang & 1 at Zhengzhou) & 11 new domestic asymptomatic (2 each at Pingdingshan & Zhengzhou, 6 at Anyang, & 1 at Zhoukou) cases, all construction workers returning from Shanghai & under centralized quarantine since arrival. 3 domestic confirmed case recovered & 18 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There currently are 21 active domestic confirmed & 186 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 2 at Luohe & 2 at Shangqiu, are currently at Medium Risk.
At Chongqing Municipality 1 domestic confirmed case recovered & 1 domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation. There currently are 2 active domestic confirmed & 5 domestic asymptomatic cases in the city.
Sichuan Province reported 3 new domestic asymptomatic (all at Mianyang) cases, all persons coming from areas w/ active outbreaks & under centralized quarantine since arrival. As the province does not break down recovered cases between domestic & imported, I cannot keep track of the count of active domestic positive cases there. 3 residential compounds at Leshan are currently at Medium Risk.
Qinghai Province reported 1 new domestic confirmed (mild) & 11 new domestic asymptomatic cases, all at Xining, all traced close contacts under centralized quarantine. There currently are 12 active domestic confirmed & 19 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.
Yunnan Province reported 1 new domestic confirmed & 10 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 2 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 17 new domestic asymptomatic were released from isolation. There currently are 12 active domestic confirmed & 102 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 4/12, Mainland China reported 13 new imported confirmed cases (6 previously asymptomatic, 1 in Guangdong), 105 imported asymptomatic cases, 0 imported suspect cases:
Overall in Mainland China, 1,678 confirmed cases recovered (55 imported), 8,317 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation (105 imported) & 158 were reclassified as confirmed cases (6 imported), & 26,408 individuals were released from quarantine. Currently, there are 21,826 active confirmed cases in the country (314 imported), 87 in serious condition (all domestic), 258,374 active asymptomatic cases (881 imported), 26 suspect cases (all imported). 453,136 traced contacts are currently under centralized quarantine.
As of 4/12, 3,303.126M vaccine doses have been injected in Mainland China, an increase of 2.798M doses in the past 24 hrs. As of 4/11, 88.3% of China’s total population have been fully vaccinated (50.9% boosted), 80.6% of the > 60 y.o. cohort are fully vaccinated (57% boosted). Compared to 1 month ago, only ~ 3M new individuals among the > 60 y.o. cohort started their courses of vaccine shots. No data for the > 80 y.o. cohort specifically. I do not think China has made much progress w/ vaccinating the elders, despite Omicron BA.2 outbreaks dotting the landscape.
On 4/13 , Hong Kong reported 1,272 new positive cases, 12 imported & 1,260 domestic (722 via RT-PCR & 538 from rapid antigen tests), 54 deaths (4 fully vaccinated, including 1 boosted) + 8 backlogged deaths.
On 4/13, Taiwan reported 933 new positive cases, 189 imported & 744 domestic.
YY_Sima Qian
I just saw an article on Shanghai state media w/ shocking vaccination numbers: 78% of those 60 – 69 y.o. are fully vaccinated, 61% of those 70 – 79 y.o., & 15% for the > 80 y.o. Not sure if that last figure is a typo, because it is so far out of line w/ national avg. of ~ 50% for the > 80 y.o. These numbers make the claims that out of the > 200K active positive cases in the city, there are only 9 cases at serious condition & no deaths, literally incredible. (Yes, Hong Kong, the US & everywhere else were probably missing the bulk of their infections during their Omicron waves, while Shanghai is likely catching the vast majority due to repeated mass screenings, but still…) OTOH, there has not been horror stories out of Shanghai’s hospitals about overwhelmed ICUs, morgues out of room, doctors doing triage, etc., that we saw from Hong Kong a few weeks ago, or from Wuhan & Hubei Province in early 2020. Instead, the horror stories are breakdown of last km logistics of food distribution, overflowing quarantine centers, inadequate conditions at the temporary hospitals, medical/logistics/community staffs thinned by infections & close contacts, etc. These would be consistent w/ the city reeling from a wave of infections, but not a heavy load of severe/critical cases.
YY_Sima Qian
Re James Palmer tweet, it absolutely sucks to be stuck in a crowded dormitory during a weeks long lock down, but if you are living in a university or a factory dormitory, food will likely not be an issue. Universities & factories can more easily obtain supplies & make dedicated logistical arrangements. The social media post by a university student that he tweeted decries having to stay in the dorms 24/7, but does mentioned that the student is receiving meal boxes 3 times a day. Meanwhile, people in high end compounds had resorted spending most of the time trying to grab items off the APPs, in the few seconds before they are sold out, & to barter trades among themselves.
Amir Khalid
Malaysia’s Ministry of Health reported 9,002 new Covid-19 cases yesterday in its media statement, for a cumulative reported total of 4,342,559 cases. It also reported 30 deaths for an adjusted cumulative total of 35,341 deaths – 0.81% of the cumulative reported total, 0.84% of resolved cases.
Malaysia’s nationwide Rt stands at 0.84.
69 confirmed cases and 82 suspected cases are in ICU; of these patients, 44 confirmed cases and 53 suspected cases are on ventilators. Meanwhile, 16,986 more patients have recovered, for a cumulative total of 4,180,763 patients recovered – 96.3% of the cumulative reported total.
Three new clusters were reported yesterday, for a cumulative total of 6,955 clusters. 117 clusters are currently active; 6,838 clusters are now inactive.
8,950 new cases reported yesterday were local infections. 52 new cases were imported.
The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) administered 45,550 doses of vaccine on 12th April: 4,494 first doses, 32,773 second doses, and 8,283 booster doses. The cumulative total is 69,320,354 doses administered: 27,572,325 first doses, 26,018,446 second doses, and 15,942,215 booster doses. 84.5% of the population have received their first dose, 79.7% their second dose, and 48.8% their booster dose.
NotMax
@YY_Sima Qian
Anyone speculating on a baby boomlet in Shanghai in nine months?
Feathers
Oh, dear. Good news on the microbiome connection, if true. But knowing serious researchers in the field, it is also rife with woo woo types doing home remedies – namely a high colonic followed by “introduction” of a healthy person’s “biome,” aka replacing your poop with someone else’s.
This has potential to both cure and go horribly, horribly wrong, in ways that will make all the late night talk show hosts faint with glee.
Peale
@YY_Sima Qian: I know that the push has been to vaccinate the working ages population first, and there’s the complacency that set in because cases were so low. But 15%? A number that low would indicate that the elderly were being actively ignored in the city.
Peale
@NotMax: idk. The dorm rooms would be sex segregated. Plus the privacy issue of not being able to send your roommates away and hang a bandana on the door. Might be a decline in birthrate.
NotMax
@Feathers
Sign up quick to get best choices from “Poop of the Stars!” Each shipped with an embossed certificate of authenticity, suitable for framing.
//
p.a.
GQP making cargo cults look like the Manhattan Project in comparison.
Ohio Mom
@YY_Sima Qian: When I saw this blooper, your name and no comment, I had a moment of concern — what happened, is everything okay — until I scrolled some more and saw your daily comment.
On another note, I’ve started calling the NJ bar mitzvah Ohio Family will be attending next month as The Super Spreader Event. As in, “Did you make the hotel reservations for The Super Spreader Event yet?” And, “We’d better make sure all our dress-up clothing is in good order for The Super Spreader Event.”
Baud
@NotMax:
Gives new meaning to Eau de toilette.
OzarkHillbilly
Ooooo, cool.
YY_Sima Qian
@NotMax: Didn’t happen in Wuhan, or anywhere else in the world that locked down in spring 2020. In any case, people in Shanghai were spending far more time & energy trying to obtain food.
mrmoshpotato
I’d rather beat the manager.
(I didn’t click through for the full article title for fear of seeing this shitstain’s most-definitely, infinitely punchable face. And, no, I’m not talking about Fucker Carlson.)
YY_Sima Qian
@Peale: I don’t know what to make if the number, 51% would make more sense. I know 2nd & 3rd tier cities that have managed to get > 65% of their > 80 y.o. fully vaccinated. Free COVID vaccines are readily available at community clinics everywhere.
I am leaning toward a typo. We’ll see.
YY_Sima Qian
@Ohio Mom: Thanks for the concern. I posted the daily update, then realized that all of the national numbers were still yesterday’s. I wasn’t sure I could make all of the corrections in 5 mins., so I just erased post.
mrmoshpotato
Disgusted Obama shrug, and Fauci facepalm, and bored, blinking Hillary at Benghazi hearing.
How many of each? All of them, Katie!
“Can we go stupider?”
“Of course we can! We’re conspiracy-humping idiots!”
mrmoshpotato
@Feathers:
Never heard that one before. Though I’m more of a swooning fan myself.
Soprano2
So Republicans both want to end the national Covid emergency and keep the Covid emergency health rule at the border. So, is the emergency over or not? Seems like a contradiction unless you know it’s just an excuse to stop black and brown people from coming here.
I checked our local dashboard that hasn’t updated vaccine info since the end of March. I then checked the state of MO dashboard, which says to see the CDC website for vaccine information. I finally found a county breakdown where their numbers don’t agree with the last numbers my local site had. So, at this point I have no idea what percentage of the county’s residents are fully or partially vaccinated. According to our (finally) updated sewershed data from the large treatment plant, the incidence of Covid is at the lowest level since they began collecting data in July 2020. It’s even lower than May 2021, so that’s good news at least.
I expect the vaccine and Covid conspiracy theories to keep getting wilder and wilder, since that’s what it’ll take for them to get their fix.
Bruce K in ATH-GR
Greece: the Tuesday numbers showed a jump from 6,926 cases on Monday to 15,690 on Tuesday. 64 COVID-related deaths were reported Tuesday, and 356 ICU patients were intubated (down from 359 Monday).
In related news, the President of Greece, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, tested positive for COVID.
The government has announced that it is relaxing restrictions: the requirement to show a vaccination or recovery certificate to enter a place of business is being lifted on May 1, indoor mask requirements are being lifted as of June 1, and occupancy limitations will be lifted until August 31, at which time they will be re-evaluated.
Based on the incongruity of the above two reports from Kathimerini, I am just barely resisting the urge to smash my head against either my desk or a wall.
emmyelle
On Joe Biden also making my life worse: I was seriously hoping that Emmy Jr would graduate from high school without me having to drop ridiculous sums of money on a prom dress, shoes, hair and makeup (wft?) and her share of the party bus, but, nope. Everyones vaccinated. Prom’s back on, dammit.
cliosfanboy
@Feathers:
and they end treatment with “The Aristocrats “!
Sloane Ranger
Tuesday in the UK we had 37,819 new cases. The rolling 7-day average is down 36.8%. New cases by nation,
England – 31,230
Northern Ireland – 927
Scotland – 4958
Wales – 704.
Deaths – There were 288 deaths within 28 days of a positive test yesterday. The rolling 7-day average is up by 30.6%. 240 deaths were in England, 2 in Northern Ireland, 31 in Scotland and 15 in Wales.
Testing – 463,954 tests took place on 11 April. The rolling 7-day average is down by 24.3%.
Hospitalisations – There were 20,032 people in hospital and 378 on ventilators on 11 April. The 7-day average for hospital admissions was down by 4.2% as of 7 April.
Vaccinations – As of 11 April, 92.1% of all UK residents aged 12+ had had 1 shot; 86.2% had had 2, and 67.8% had had a 3rd shot/booster.
YY_Sima Qian
Question for the jackals: what is the medical threshold for advising against vaccination in the US/Europe?
Just had a disturbing conversation w/ a nurse cousin of mine. It turns out two of my aunts on my mother’s side are not vaccinated at all. One is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, & the other has “allergic constitution”. The nurse cousin has “allergic constitution”, as well, & plans to hold off on the booster until summer. She also told one of my aunts that vaccination is not required since she only interacts w/ her son & d-i-l. She said in our family chat group that she does not think much of vaccines (even though she is fully vaccinated, probably required by her hospital), since vaccine tech. cannot catch up to the virus’ evolution, & that the virus is evolving to a point where it is less dangerous than flu. I had to post to the group the data out of Hong Kong showing the great disparity in death rate between the fully vaccinated & those who are now, that the rest of the world have vaccinated almost all of the most vulnerable population & that is why death rate is near the flu; that Omicron is extremely transmissive & if containment fails arounds Shanghai it will spread like wild fire. Because she is the medical profession in the family, her opinions carry weight w/ the members. I am very fond of this cousin, but… damn!!!
Doctors in Mainland China, Hong Kong & Taiwan have been advising caution on vaccination w/ anyone who has “allergic constitution” or underlying conditions, for fear of complications from vaccine shots’ side effects. No wonder there is a problem w/ vaccination of the > 80 y.o. in all 3 regions! It is precisely these vulnerable people that have the weakest constitution & most underlying conditions. Good luck getting > 95% coverage of the most vulnerable cohorts w/ that kind of medical advise!
She did say that she is quite confident the early interventions enabled by China’s COVID response has reduced COVID death rate to negligible levels, based on the information from the outbreaks around China. I suppose that suggests China hasn’t been hiding COVID deaths by classifying them as something else. However, if containment is lost, the case load will be so high that such early interventions will not be possible in most cases, & effective therapeutics will not be readily available to everyone.
Matt McIrvin
@NotMax: Aw man.
We actually skipped out on a BSO performance last weekend that I bought tickets for as a Christmas present for my wife–not for any COVID-related reason, but because we’d had last-minute-scheduled house guests the same day and had completely forgotten the concert was that day until it was nearly upon us, and we were completely beat. We saw another BSO concert earlier this year.
But it sounds like it might have been wise to forego it, regardless. We did go to an LCD Soundsystem concert the Monday before last that was in an area with more COVID about than here, just wore our N95s tight. The vaccine/mask mandates were gone.
The Moar You Know
@YY_Sima Qian: An allergic reaction to the vaccine components, which can be found on the FDA’s website.
And that is IT. There are no other conditions, circumstances, treatments (including chemotherapy) or concurrent diseases that would preclude an individual from getting vaccinated.
YY_Sima Qian
@The Moar You Know: That’s what I thought. Medical personnels in the Sinosphere really are operating w/ different handbooks.
I have seen it w/ my daughter’s standard suite of vaccinations since birth, too. Doctors always advise caution for any shot if there is an ongoing infection, & have always advised delaying a shot until at least a week after fever has subsided.
Matt McIrvin
@YY_Sima Qian: I don’t know about that–those are the general government guidelines in the US but it’s not necessarily what any given GP will say. I’ve seen doctors here get very cagey about recommending vaccinations if someone had any kind of unusual reaction in the past, including bouts of fever of the type that are perfectly normal for the COVID or shingles vaccine.
And I think that if you actually have an infection and are running a temperature it’s standard to advise delaying until it’s over.
YY_Sima Qian
@Matt McIrvin: Good to know. I assume immunocompromised people are prioritized for vaccination & boosters in the US? In China they seemed to be cautioned away from vaccination, at least by some medical professionsals.
Marmot
@Feathers: I’m glad somebody pointed out the woo of the poo. That article has several earmarks of nonscientific puffery—not least how the researcher was “the first to show victims of long Covid have characteristic microbiomes” for which they’ll sell you the fix.
And a microbiome is not a type of bacteria, either. Just saying.
Matt McIrvin
@YY_Sima Qian: For COVID, definitely, immunocompromised people get first crack at every iteration of the vaccine. But that’s in part because at least some of the COVID vaccines we use do not involve live virus (and even the viral vector ones can’t reproduce). That means they don’t have to worry about getting a major infection from the viral vector itself. I think that attenuated-virus vaccines are a bigger problem for them
…but I think even the vaccines widely used in China use inactivated virus, so that shouldn’t be an issue with them either.
J R in WV
“Allergic Constitution?!?!”
Give me a fucking break. If you get tense around sharp pointy things, just go ahead and catch the disease, no pointy metal things involved — unless, of course, you make it to a hospital, in which case you will meet Mr. Pointy Sharp Needle and all his cousins !!!
YY_Sima Qian
“Allergic constitution” in the Sinosphere refers to people who suffer from allergies.
YY_Sima Qian
@Matt McIrvin:
Yes, the vaccines China uses are inactivated whole vision vaccines, w/ a minority of adeno-viral vector & protein sub-unit ones. I don’t think there are so many conditions in the dozens of countries that have used Chinese vaccines, either.