“This article is free to access” —
… Virus levels have risen across the country, fueled by ever-more-contagious omicron subvariants such as BA. 5 that evade some immune protections and have increased the risk of reinfections. About 112,000 new cases have been reported per day, according to The Washington Post’s rolling seven-day average — with the actual number probably many times higher, experts say, as most Americans test at home. Hospitalization and death levels are mounting, although they remain significantly below January peaks, with about 38,000 people hospitalized with covid as of Sunday and an average daily death toll of 327 as of Monday.
Currently, a second booster shot is available only to those 50 and older, as well as to those 12 and older who are immunocompromised. But administration officials are concerned by data that suggests immunity wanes within several months of the first booster shot. Swiftly expanding access to booster shots also would enable people who are boosted now to receive reformulated shots that target newer virus variants, when those become available, probably later this year. In addition, officials want to use vaccine doses that are reaching their expiration dates and would otherwise be discarded.
While the booster plan still needs formal sign-off from regulators and public health officials, it has the backing of White House coronavirus coordinator Ashish Jha and Anthony S. Fauci, the government’s top infectious-disease expert, according to five officials who like others interviewed in this report spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the plan…
Go for your booster now — you’re not taking a shot away from anybody who might ‘need it more’, and it won’t stop you getting another dose when the projected ‘targeted’ vaxx comes out this fall / winter.
Well, here we go again. Once more, the ever-changing coronavirus behind COVID-19 is assaulting the United States in a new guise—BA.5, an offshoot of the Omicron variant that devastated the most recent winter. The new variant is spreading quickly, likely because it snakes past some of the immune defenses acquired by vaccinated people, or those infected by earlier variants. Those who have managed to avoid the virus for close to three years will find it a little harder to continue that streak, and some who recently caught COVID are getting it again. “People shouldn’t be surprised if they get infected, and they shouldn’t be surprised if it’s pretty unpleasant,” Stephen Goldstein, a virologist at the University of Utah, told me.
That doesn’t mean we’re about to have a surge on the scale of what we saw last winter, or that BA.5 (and its close cousin BA.4) will set us back to immunological square one. Goldstein told me that he takes “some level of comfort” in the knowledge that, based on how other countries have fared against BA.5, vaccines are still keeping a lot of people out of hospitals, intensive-care units, and morgues. The new variant is not an apocalyptic menace.
But it can’t be ignored, either. Infections (and reinfections) still matter, and by increasing both, BA.5 is extending and deepening the pandemic’s ongoing burden. “We will not prevent all transmission—that is not the goal—but we have to reduce the spread,” Maria Van Kerkhove, an infectious-disease epidemiologist at the World Health Organization, told me. “It’s not over, and we are playing with fire by letting this virus circulate at such intense levels.”…
The degree to which the new variant escapes immunity is also a shadow of what we saw last winter, when Omicron first arrived. For comparison, antibodies in vaccinated people were 20 to 40 times worse at neutralizing BA.1 than the original coronavirus. BA.5 reduces their efficiency threefold again—a small gain of sneakiness on top of its predecessor’s dramatic flair for infiltration. “BA.5 is doing what Omicron does but with a marginally more effective immune evasion,” Kall told me. “I don’t believe that it represents a massive paradigm shift.”
Why, then, does it feel like we’re in a reinfection wave right now, with anecdotal reports being prominent in a way they weren’t seven months ago? It’s because Omicron completely changed our baseline. Before its arrival, only a third of Americans had ever experienced COVID. By the end of February, almost 60 percent had. We’re hearing more about reinfections now in part because the number of people who could possibly be reinfected has doubled…
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#Covid isn't over. The pandemic remains a global health emergency, experts at WHO say https://t.co/u4TfFV386v
— delthia ricks (@DelthiaRicks) July 13, 2022
Still testing frozen / chilled foods, though (see below)…
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Don't breathe it in. #COVIDisAirborne pic.twitter.com/czmr4ki2dC
— The John Snow Project (@JohnSnowProject) July 10, 2022
Thread:
Encouraging news with UPDATED DATA! Moderna's Omicron bivalent booster vaccine candidate, mRNA-1273.214, has demonstrated significantly higher neutralizing antibody responses against ALL variants of concern INCLUDING Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5! Let’s talk about that! ??
— Chise ?????????????? (@sailorrooscout) July 11, 2022
Researchers scoured >7 million news articles & broadcasts on #COVID19 #vaccines & found that merely 0.1% contained primary disinformation. Just 41,718 had serious factual errors. It shows that a small number of people, if loud & sly, can do real harm.https://t.co/88Ngy1Bw2P
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) July 10, 2022
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Long covid is very real, and it impacts a great many people. But the pandemic is too recent, and we do have the data, to go all doomerist Abandon hope! on the scope, severity, or chances for future medical improvements…
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This thread, from the “Professor and Chair of @busphEH” seems more reasonable, IMO:
We just took a family vacation. Very important for mental health. We rapid tested before seeing people and masked when sharing air for extended periods. No masks for swimming, mini-golf, boating, hiking, etc. Ate outdoors when with people. Lots of fun, returned home healthy.
BA.5 is very transmissible, and being outdoors isn’t a “get out of COVID free” card. But a little common sense helps. In a large outdoor crowd for a long time? Wear a mask. Walking in the tranquil woods? Don’t.
We need to message to people to take BA.5 seriously, and be up to date on vaccine + booster. But also reinforce that you can enjoy your summer while at the same time using sensible exposure reduction strategies.
Anticipating some of the comments, I know some people can’t easily reduce their exposures, especially in workplaces. We need policies that protect people where voluntary individual action won’t cut it. And some people want or need to do indoor recreational activities.
My broad point is that people are getting the message either that the pandemic is over or that doom is upon us, depending on who they listen to. This leads to inaction and polarization. We need different messaging that encourages and enables exposure and risk reduction.
Addendum – I am not trying to individualize what needs to be collective, or to minimize risks for the vulnerable. But in a moment where few leaders seem willing to do anything, messaging that parallels the “3 Cs” as in Japan would be a huge step forward.
On The Road – Nancy – Highland Park, Rochester, NY
Reader Interactions
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NeenerNeener
Monroe County, NY:
NYSDOH says 70 new cases for 7/11/22
69 new cases for 7/12/22
(PCR tests only).
There were 3 new deaths last week, total now at 1911.
Vaccination percentage now at 72.6%
We don’t seem to be dying off as fast anymore. Yay for vaccines!
eclare
I am 50+, so I got my second booster as soon as I could. And this fall, whenever I am eligible for a newer booster, I’ll run to get in line to get that too!
raven
@eclare: Me three except I’m 70+!
eclare
@raven: I would gladly let you cut in line ahead of me!
rikyrah
@eclare:
I know that’s right
YY_Sima Qian
On 7/12 Mainland China reported 57 new domestic confirmed (6 previously asymptomatic), 204 new domestic asymptomatic cases, 0 new domestic suspect cases, & 0 new deaths.
Guangdong Province reported 16 new domestic confirmed (2 previously asymptomatic) & 6 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 2 domestic confirmed & 2 asymptomatic cases recovered. There currently are 86 active domestic confirmed & 62 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province. As the province does not break down recoveries by jurisdictions, I cannot traced the active domestic cases in each jurisdictions due to multiple clusters at the same time.
Guangxi “Autonomous” Region reported 3 new domestic asymptomatic case, 2 at Dongxing in Fangchenggang & 1 at Beihai. 2 domestic asymptomatic case recovered. There currently are 19 active domestic asymptomatic (18 at Fangchenggang & 1 at Beihai) cases in the province.
Hainan Province reported 3 new domestic confirmed & 6 new domestic asymptomatic cases, all at Haikou, 6 traced close contacts under centralized quarantine, 2 via screening of residents in elevated risk areas, & 1 via voluntary testing. There currently are 14 active domestic confirmed (all at Haikou) & 23 active domestic asymptomatic (15 at Haikou & 2 at Qionghai) cases in the province. 6 sites at Haikou are currently at High Risk, & 6 at Medium Risk.
At Wuhan in Hubei Province there currently are 2 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city.
Bayan Nur in Inner Mongolia “Autonomous” Region reported 4 new domestic confirmed cases. There currently are 29 active domestic confirmed & 2 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 9 sites at Urad Middle Banner & 2 at Wuyuan County are currently at High Risk, & 9 at Urad Middle Banner & 2 at Wuyuan County at Medium Risk.
Shaanxi Province did not report any new domestic positive cases. 1 domestic confirmed case recovered. There currently are 16 active confirmed (15 at Xi’an & 1 at Baoji) & 30 active domestic asymptomatic (all at Xi’an) cases in the city. 3 sites at Xi’an are currently at High Risk, & 7 at Medium Risk.
At Shanxi Province there currently are 1 active domestic confirmed (at Yuncheng) & 1 active domestic asymptomatic (at Jincheng) cases in the province.
Gansu Province reported 8 new domestic confirmed & 61 new domestic asymptomatic cases. There currently are 19 active domestic confirmed & 114 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.
Shandong Province reported 5 new domestic confirmed (3 at Linyi & 1 each at Qingdao & Tai’an) & 33 new domestic asymptomatic (all at Linyi) cases. The cases at Linyi & Qingdao are traced close contacts under centralized quarantine. The case at Tai’an returned from Lanzhou in Gansu on 7/11 & tested positive upon entry. 6 domestic confirmed & 5 domestic asymptomatic cases recovered. There currently are 25 active domestic confirmed (3 at Qingdao, 19 at Linyi, & 1 each at Tai’an, Weihai & Yantai) & 332 domestic asymptomatic (328 at Linyi & 4 at Qingdao) cases. 20 sites at Linyi & 2 at Qingdao are currently at High Risk. 18 sites at Linyi & 2 at Qingdao are currently at Medium Risk.
Henan Province reported 3 new domestic asymptomatic & 22 new domestic asymptomatic cases. There currently are 12 active domestic confirmed & 102 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.
At Liaoning Province 8 domestic asymptomatic cases recovered. There currently are 23 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 Dandong & 1 district at Dalian are currently at Medium Risk.
At Jilin City in Jilin Province the last domestic asymptomatic case recovered.
Beijing Municipality did not report any new domestic positive cases. The municipality is not publishing the count of active domestic positive cases there. 3 sites are currently at High Risk, & 3 at Medium Risk.
Tianjin Municipality did not report any new domestic positive cases. There currently are 1 active domestic confirmed & 8 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 2 sites are currently at High Risk, & 9 at Medium Risk.
Shanghai Municipality reported 5 new domestic confirmed & 50 new domestic asymptomatic cases, all are traced close contacts under centralized quarantine. There currently are 95 active domestic confirmed (none serious) in the city. The city is no longer publishing the number of active asymptomatic cases. 15 sites are currently at High Risk & 195 at Medium Risk.
Anhui Province reported 7 new domestic confirmed (2 previously asymptomatic) & 3 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 36 domestic confirmed & 154 domestic asymptomatic cases recovered. There currently are 262 active domestic confirmed & 1,055 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.
Jiangsu Province reported 5 new domestic confirmed (2 previously asymptomatic) & 14 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 30 domestic asymptomatic cases recovered. There currently are 35 active domestic & 575 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province. As the province does not separate recoveries by jurisdictions, I cannot track the count of active domestic cases at the different jurisdictions, due to the simultaneous outbreaks in different locations.
Zhejiang Province did not report any new domestic positive cases. As the province does not break down recoveries by imported & domestic cases, I cannot track the count of active domestic cases there.
Fujian Province reported 2 new domestic asymptomatic (1 each at Ningde & Zhangzhou) cases, both traced close contacts under centralized quarantine. There currently are 18 active domestic confirmed (16 at Ningde & 1 each at Xiamen & Zhangzhou) & 102 active domestic asymptomatic (87 at Ningde, 10 at Zhangzhou, 3 at Putian & 2 at Fuzhou) cases in the province. 38 sites in Ningde & 2 at Zhangzhou are currently at High Risk. 36 sites at Ningde & 1 at Zhangzhou are currently at Medium Risk.
Jiangxi Province reported 1 new domestic confirmed (at Nanchang) & 4 new domestic asymptomatic (3 at Nanchang & 1 at Shangrao) cases. The cases at Nanchang are traced close contact under centralized quarantine, & the case at Shangrao recently arrived from out of province. There currently are 3 active domestic confirmed (all at Nanchang) & 9 active domestic asymptomatic (7 at Nanchang & 1 each at Ji’an & Shangrao) cases in the city. 7 site are currently at High Risk, & 8 at Medium Risk.
Sichuan Province did not report any new domestic positive cases. As the province does not break down recoveries by imported & domestic cases, I cannot track the count of active domestic cases there.
At Xining in Qinghai Province there currently is 1 active domestic confirmed case in the city.
At Yunnan Province there currently is 1 active domestic asymptomatic case remaining.
Imported Cases
On 7/12, Mainland China reported 41 new imported confirmed cases (4 previously asymptomatic), 36 imported asymptomatic cases, 0 imported suspect cases:
Overall in Mainland China, 76 confirmed cases recovered (31 imported), 231 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation (26 imported) & 10 were reclassified as confirmed cases (4 imported), & 5,745 individuals were released from quarantine. Currently, there are 1,082 active confirmed cases in the country (432 imported), 0 in serious/critical condition, 3,207 active asymptomatic cases (381 imported), 0 suspect cases. 110,958 traced contacts are currently under centralized quarantine.
As of 7/12, 3,409.032M vaccine doses have been injected in Mainland China, an increase of 628K doses in the past 24 hrs.
On 7/12 Macau reported 32 new positive case, all domestic. 26 of the domestic cases are traced close contacts under centralized quarantine & 6 via community screening.
On 7/12 Hong Kong added 3,154 new positive cases, 211 imported & 2,943 domestic (1,414 via RT-PCR & 1,529 from rapid antigen tests), 2 deaths.
On 7/12, Taiwan added 29,911 new positive cases, 62 imported & 29,849 domestic (including 133 moderate or serious). There were 49 new deaths (ages ranging from 40+ y.o. to 90+ y.o., 48 having a range of underlying conditions, 13 fully vaccinated & boosted).
Amir Khalid
Malaysia’s Ministry of Health reported 2,345 new Covid-19 cases yesterday, for a cumulative reported total of 4,600,736 cases. It also reported three deaths for an adjusted cumulative total of 35,819 deaths – 0.78% of the cumulative reported total, 0.78% of resolved cases.
Data on Covid-19 tests conducted and positivity rate were not updated.
There were 35,716 active cases yesterday, 42 fewer than the day before. 1,232 were in hospital. 52 confirmed cases were in ICU; of these patients, 31 confirmed cases were on ventilators. Meanwhile, 2,384 more patients have recovered, for a cumulative total of 4,529,201 patients recovered – 98.4% of the cumulative reported total.
2,342 new cases reported yesterday were local infections. Three new cases were imported.
The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) administered 10,662 doses of vaccine on 12th July: 199 first doses, 2,307 second doses, 980 first booster doses, and 7,176 second booster doses. The cumulative total is 71,729,341 doses administered: 28,051,885 first doses, 27,346,267 second doses, 16,156,732 first booster doses and 174,457 second booster doses. 85.9% of the population have received their first dose, 83.7% their second dose, 49.5% their first booster dose, and 0.5% their second booster dose.
Bruce K in ATH-GR
I’m seeing reports in the Greek papers that there’s a plan to offer a “bivalent” vaccine in the fall, tailored to address multiple variants. If so, I’m getting in line as soon as possible.
I won’t be able to provide any day-to-day numbers for Greece going forward, because the National Public Health Organization is going from daily reports to weekly reports on Fridays.
Spanky
Sadly, I doubt there’ll be much of a line.
sab
CDC website has a nice calculator for when to isolate or quarantine after exposure to Covid positive people. It tells you when you need to isolate, and when you need to get tested. Very helpful.
mali muso
Just coming off of my first time actually having the rona. I’ve been waiting my turn for a second booster and will be more than happy to get one as soon as it’s allowed. I wonder if it will do me any good at this point given that I probably have fresh antibodies or if I should just wait for the fall updated version.
geg6
@mali muso:
I am certainly no expert, but from what I’ve read recently, you should not count on those antibodies from an infection to last very long at all. I’d get a booster fairly soon if I were you.
mali muso
@geg6: Yeah, this newest variant(s) is definitely pretty sneaky and infectious. I’m of the “give me all the shots I’m eligible for” persuasion, so if they open up booster #2 to all adults, I’ll get mine.
mrmoshpotato
@eclare:
@raven: Settle down kids.
New Deal democrat
Nationwide cases have risen to 125,800, equal to the highest level since February. Deaths have risen to 387, the highest since mid-April. Distortions due to the July 4 holiday weekend dropping out of the comparisons account for most of the rise. Hospitalizations have also risen to 40,800, the highest level since February.
BIobot’s wastewater analysis still shows only a 10% increase from the levels of the last two months as of one week ago.
Between lack of reporting and distortions due to comparisons with the holiday weekend, very few States have reliable data right now, but cases are rising in NY, NJ, and WI.
Yesterday the CDC reported variant proportions data for this past week, and it showed that combined BA.4&5 made up slightly over 80% of all infections. BA.5 was at 65%, and BA.4 at 16%. BA.2.12.1 now only makes up 17% of all cases. Since cases have almost always peaked by the time a variant reaches 90% of the total, which is likely to occur in about one week, We are probably close to the top for this wav-ette.
By the way, South Africa, where both BA.1 and BA.4&5 originated, is now back down to their lowest level of cases since early last November, before Omicron. So this what happens if a new variant does not show up for awhile.
sab
@mali muso: Why not both?
Guac
Has anyone else been using Enovid nasal spray (aka “nose sanitizer”)? It’s approved in Israel, India, and some other countries, and showed strong (but not perfect) preventative benefit in studies. I don’t go out much to indoor places but have been using it (plus KN95 mask) for any errands + medical appointments. Its main downside is the expense.
Suzanne
@mali muso: Same. I want that second booster!
Spawn the Youngest got her first shot yesterday!
Fair Economist
Night sweats are a fairly common symptom of acute viral infections. I got them with my COVID case back in Dec 2020.
In personal news, my husband went on a cruise with some friends. I refused because I didn’t want to risk covid. Well, one of our friends is now testing positive. Whee.
Ohio Mom
@Suzanne: Woot! Woot! and Finally!
I can feel your relief and joy here in the Cincinnati suburbs.
Soprano2
I’m not sure variant-specific vaccines are the way to go. Who’s to say that there won’t be a different dominant one by the time the BA.5 vaccine is ready?
Also, some people seem to believe that if only they can create panic over a new Covid variant they can get people to put their masks back on (they won’t). They aren’t helping at all,
Ohio Mom
The Covid numbers are definitely creeping up here.
I’m back to wearing a mask for shopping and other errands. I was skipping that for quick runs in and out to places like the dry cleaners and drugstore pickups.
I really hate wearing an N95 but doing things you don’t want to seems to be the essence of adulthood.
Matt McIrvin
@Soprano2: Variant-specific vaccines are all we’ve got at the moment–the other alternatives are at a way earlier stage in the pipeline.
It’s a bit Whac-A-Mole, chasing these variants, but one thing to notice is that everything that’s hit us since late last year has been some subvariant of Omicron, and anything tailored to an Omicron variant is likely to be a closer fit to that than the wild-type COVID vaccines we’ve been using since spring 2021.
Matt McIrvin
@Fair Economist: Yeah, I’ve gotten them from vaccinations too (not COVID vaccinations).
M31
that last chart is fascinating — Japan’s policy resulted in reduced overall mortality overall, despite Covid. I’m assuming because the emphasis on safety in the “3 Cs” made other viruses like flu spread less, esp. with Japan’s famously older population
As I recall, Japan didn’t have a fast vaccine rollout, either.
[Edited to add: Japan did have a widely-criticized slow rollout: in May of ’21 only 4% of the population was vaccinated, but by October it was 70%, so they caught up fast]
Matt McIrvin
@eclare: Yeah, me too, but I’m now feeling a little nervous because that was quite a while ago now–my impression is that, while it still helps against severe illness, my protection against being infected at all is close to zero at this point.
Matt McIrvin
@mali muso: Like I said before, I think avoiding a booster now in the hopes of getting a better one later is relying on too many uncertain things. The amount of virus around is rising in many places, and the antibody boost you get from an infection is a real crapshoot, so it’s a good time to top up. If the fall booster is much better, you’ll probably be allowed to get it after a reasonable interval even if you got boosted now.
Matt McIrvin
The situation in New England continues to be frustratingly ambiguous: we were coming off a modest spring wave of BA.1/BA.2, tempered I think by the sheer amount of prior Omicron infection we had in the winter, but as the fraction of BA.4/BA.5 goes up and up, the tail has gone completely flat. It’s not exactly a “new surge” overall but I suppose it is one if you just look at the newest variants.
So I expect infection rates to start moving up sooner or later. You can maybe already see that in the wastewater counts, but it’s still vague. And the thing is, the infections are already mostly BA.5.
I think it won’t be some enormous winter Omicron-level spike that whacks all the hospitals. I think we’ll sputter along slowly like this until just enough people have gotten BA.5 infections that the R value drops below 1 again. The daily rates might not even get as high as they did in the spring mini-wave.
I also think that the people suggesting that we’re headed for some civilizational crisis of everyone eventually being debilitated by long COVID are over-reading things from meager data.
Ksmiami
@M31: they also have a much healthier population and masking there is a normal and acceptable part of life.
lowtechcyclist
@Suzanne:
Yaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
lowtechcyclist
I’m down in central Florida, where my wife and I are getting her late grandmother’s house cleared out. This morning we had breakfast with her father and brother at Fred’s Market in Plant City, and it had the weirdest damn policy.
Before you went through the buffet line, you had to, first, wash your hands, and second, put on a pair of disposable plastic gloves. But not only were masks not required, I didn’t see a mask anywhere in the restaurant. So they were guarding against contact transmission rather than airborne transmission, which we knew was backwards by this time in 2020 – and even their approach to that made no sense on its own terms.
I’m very glad my wife has no desire for us to retire down here. Much as she loves this place, she knows it would drive her nuts, the way it is now.
mali muso
@Suzanne: Great news about the little one getting vaccinated! It’s been a long day coming.
StringOnAStick
Folks, if you read the link provided by Ann Laurie, you’d see that the bivalent vaccine that Moderna is working on is effective against Omicron AND the prior versions. The explanation and data is here, just like it was in this post:
https://twitter.com/sailorrooscout/status/1546511256839913473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Johnny C. Lately
Hello fellow Still-in-Very-Covid-Cautious-Mode People!
I’m a longtime lurker and (very) occasional poster hoping to hear from other out there dealing with a “sandwich” situation balancing the needs of socially isolated (and frankly, at minimal risk) youngsters with very at-risk elders.
Everybody in our bunch is vaxxed and boosted. (Nainai just got her second booster this morning and Yeye will probably a in few days but he has major mobility issues.) In particular Yeye (Grandpa) in particular is 82, nearly bedridden and has at least three of the recognized covid risk factors.
We do a round of covid tests before visiting them (about once per week) but even so my wife really does not want the kids to take on any more risk. Which means no in-doors visits and no crowded gatherings outside. basically, one-on-one masked walks in the park are it.
Which leaves the teenaged daughter feeling like a social pariah since that arrangement doesn’t fly with most of her friends, who would rather get together in small groups to hang out in house or go do things. And she’s pissed since there’s only a few years of high school left and she already did middle school and most of freshman year without seeing any friends at all. And she’s fully aware of the extremely low rates of hospitalization and death for boosted for boosted people under 50 so she’s like can’t she just see from friends some time and then if we don’t trust the tests maybe hold off seeing Yeye and Nainai for a week?
That just doesn’t fly with my wife, since they are her parents (contrary to common usage of Yeye and Nainai in Chinese) and they need a lot of help and they really don’t have anybody but us. Which seems awfully reasonable to me when put that way, but also I can also see my daughter’s point about being cut off from friends entirely for two years and even now getting very limited contact.
soo….. sorry to monopolize space but thanks for letting me get that off my chest…
anybody else out there in a similar situation and how are you handling it?
Matt McIrvin
@StringOnAStick: Yeah, I think the worry Soprano2 had was that by the time it is generally available, there will be some completely new pi or rho or sigma variant that it’s not so effective against.
VFX Lurker
@Johnny C. Lately: That is a pickle. One possible compromise: your daughter wears a KF94/KN95/N95 mask when visiting friends indoors…and then the whole family wears similar masks when visiting the vulnerable grandparents, who would also wear masks and keep their windows open. You would keep rapid testing.
Alternately (or additionally), the family isolates for two weeks before each visit to the grandparents.
You can take steps to minimize risk, but you can’t eliminate it completely. ❤️ Wishing your family health and safety. ❤️
VFX Lurker
@Johnny C. Lately: That is a pickle. One possible compromise: your daughter wears a KF94/KN95/N95 mask when visiting friends indoors…and then the whole family wears similar masks when visiting the vulnerable grandparents, who would also wear masks and keep their windows open. You would keep rapid testing.
Alternately (or additionally), the family isolates for two weeks before each visit to the grandparents.
You can take steps to minimize risk, but you can’t eliminate it completely. ❤️ Wishing your family health and safety. ❤️
YY_Sima Qian
@Johnny C. Lately: I assume your family is in the US or Canada, & not in Mainland China/Taiwan/Hong Kong?
Aside from what VFX Lurker has recommended, here are a few more “out there” options to consider (you ma have already considered):
All of the options suck, but the current arrangement you isn’t great, either. If I am living in the US right now, w/ my parents, I would face the exact same dilemma. Instead, I face other potential dilemmas.
I do believe you are right to take extreme precautions. > 80 y.o. cohorts have weaker response to vaccines & boosters, antibodies generated by boosters wear off more quickly, & they are still at more risk from infection due to underlying conditions. Society is no longer protecting these vulnerable, so you have to do what you can.
YY_Sima Qian
On 7/13 Mainland China reported 86 new domestic confirmed (13 previously asymptomatic), 206 new domestic asymptomatic cases, 0 new domestic suspect cases, & 0 new deaths.
Guangdong Province reported 32 new domestic confirmed & 11 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 6 asymptomatic cases recovered. There currently are 118 active domestic confirmed & 67 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province. As the province does not break down recoveries by jurisdictions, I cannot traced the active domestic cases in each jurisdictions due to multiple clusters at the same time.
Guangxi “Autonomous” Region reported 25 new domestic asymptomatic cases, 24 at Beihai & 1 at Nanning. The cases at Beihai were found via mass screening triggered by the community case reported on 7/12. The case at Nanning recently came from Beihai. 4 domestic asymptomatic case recovered. There currently are 40 active domestic asymptomatic (14 at Fangchenggang, 25 at Beihai, & 1 at Nanning) cases in the province.
Hainan Province reported 3 new domestic confirmed (all at Haikou) & 3 new domestic asymptomatic (2 at Haikou & 1 at Ding’an County) cases. 3 of the cases at Haikou are traced close contacts under centralized quarantine & 2 via community screening. The case at Ding’an County is a traced close contact of a domestic positive case at Haikou, & under centralized quarantine. There currently are 17 active domestic confirmed (all at Haikou) & 26 active domestic asymptomatic (23 at Haikou, 2 at Qionghai & 1 at Ding’an County) cases in the province. 6 sites at Haikou are currently at High Risk, & 6 at Medium Risk.
At Wuhan in Hubei Province there currently are 2 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city.
Bayan Nur in Inner Mongolia “Autonomous” Region reported 1 new domestic confirmed case. There currently are 30 active domestic confirmed & 2 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 9 sites at Urad Middle Banner & 2 at Wuyuan County are currently at High Risk, & 9 at Urad Middle Banner & 2 at Wuyuan County at Medium Risk.
At Shaanxi Province 6 domestic confirmed & 8 domestic asymptomatic cases recovered. There currently are 10 active confirmed (9 at Xi’an & 1 at Baoji) & 22 active domestic asymptomatic (all at Xi’an) cases in the city. 3 sites at Xi’an are currently at High Risk, & 7 at Medium Risk.
At Shanxi Province there currently are 1 active domestic confirmed (at Yuncheng) & 1 active domestic asymptomatic (at Jincheng) cases in the province.
Gansu Province reported 36 new domestic confirmed (11 previously asymptomatic) & 64 new domestic asymptomatic cases. There currently are 55 active domestic confirmed & 167 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.
Shandong Province reported 18 new domestic asymptomatic (all at Linyi) cases, all traced close contacts under centralized quarantine. 1 domestic asymptomatic case recovered. There currently are 25 active domestic confirmed (3 at Qingdao, 19 at Linyi, & 1 each at Tai’an, Weihai & Yantai) & 349 domestic asymptomatic (346 at Linyi & 3 at Qingdao) cases. 20 sites at Linyi & 2 at Qingdao are currently at High Risk. 18 sites at Linyi & 2 at Qingdao are currently at Medium Risk.
Henan Province reported 1 new domestic confirmed (previously asymptomatic) & 29 new domestic asymptomatic cases. There currently are 13 active domestic confirmed & 130 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.
At Liaoning Province 9 domestic asymptomatic cases recovered. There currently are 14 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 Dandong & 1 district at Dalian are currently at Medium Risk.
At Beijing Municipality 1 domestic confirmed case recovered. The municipality is not publishing the count of active domestic positive cases there. 3 sites are currently at High Risk, & 3 at Medium Risk.
At Tianjin Municipality there currently are 1 active domestic confirmed & 8 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. 2 sites are currently at High Risk, & 9 at Medium Risk.
Shanghai Municipality reported 5 new domestic confirmed & 42 new domestic asymptomatic cases, all are traced close contacts under centralized quarantine. 1 domestic asymptomatic cases recovered. There currently are 100 active domestic confirmed (none serious) in the city. The city is no longer publishing the number of active asymptomatic cases. 15 sites are currently at High Risk & 195 at Medium Risk.
Anhui Province did not report any new domestic positive cases. 46 domestic confirmed & 115 domestic asymptomatic cases recovered. There currently are 216 active domestic confirmed & 940 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.
Jiangsu Province reported 2 new domestic confirmed (1 previously asymptomatic) & 8 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 4 domestic confirmed & 40 domestic asymptomatic cases recovered. There currently are 38 active domestic & 542 active domestic asymptomatic cases in the province. As the province does not separate recoveries by jurisdictions, I cannot track the count of active domestic cases at the different jurisdictions, due to the simultaneous outbreaks in different locations.
Zhejiang Province did not report any new domestic positive cases. As the province does not break down recoveries by imported & domestic cases, I cannot track the count of active domestic cases there.
Fujian Province reported 1 new domestic asymptomatic (at Ningde) case, a traced close contact under centralized quarantine. There currently are 18 active domestic confirmed (16 at Ningde & 1 each at Xiamen & Zhangzhou) & 103 active domestic asymptomatic (88 at Ningde, 10 at Zhangzhou, 3 at Putian & 2 at Fuzhou) cases in the province. 38 sites in Ningde & 2 at Zhangzhou are currently at High Risk. 36 sites at Ningde & 1 at Zhangzhou are currently at Medium Risk.
Jiangxi Province reported 5 new domestic confirmed & 4 new domestic asymptomatic cases, all at Nanchang, all traced close contacts under centralized quarantine, & the case at Shangrao recently arrived from out of province. There currently are 8 active domestic confirmed (all at Nanchang) & 13 active domestic asymptomatic (11 at Nanchang & 1 each at Ji’an & Shangrao) cases in the city. 7 site are currently at High Risk, & 8 at Medium Risk.
Sichuan Province reported 1 new domestic asymptomatic case, at Neijiang, a person arriving from Shenzhen in Guangdong (vi Kunming in Yunnan) on 7/12 & tested positive upon arrival. 1 domestic confirmed & 1 domestic asymptomatic cases recovered. As the province does not break down recoveries by imported & domestic cases, I cannot track the count of active domestic cases there.
Chongqing Municipality reported 1 new domestic confirmed case, a person coming from Lanzhou in Gansu on 7/13 & tested positive upon arrival.
At Xining in Qinghai Province there currently is 1 active domestic confirmed case in the city.
At Yunnan Province there currently is 1 active domestic asymptomatic case remaining.
Imported Cases
On 7/13, Mainland China reported 35 new imported confirmed cases (3 previously asymptomatic), 39 imported asymptomatic cases, 0 imported suspect cases:
Overall in Mainland China, 84 confirmed cases recovered (26 imported), 222 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation (38 imported) & 16 were reclassified as confirmed cases (3 imported), & 10,134 individuals were released from quarantine. Currently, there are 1,119 active confirmed cases in the country (379 imported), 0 in serious/critical condition, 3,214 active asymptomatic cases (381 imported), 0 suspect cases. 118,334 traced contacts are currently under centralized quarantine.
As of 7/13, 3,410.413M vaccine doses have been injected in Mainland China, an increase of 716K doses in the past 24 hrs.
On 7/13 Macau reported 29 new positive cases, all domestic. 27 of the domestic cases are traced close contacts under centralized quarantine & 2 via community screening. There was 1 new death.
On 7/13 Hong Kong added 3,674 new positive cases, 257 imported & 3,417 domestic (1,365 via RT-PCR & 2,052 from rapid antigen tests), 5 deaths.
On 7/13, Taiwan added 27,684 new positive cases, 87 imported & 27,597 domestic (including 231 moderate or serious). There were 89 new deaths (ages ranging from 40+ y.o. to 90+ y.o., actual dates of death ranging from 5/6 to 7/11, 86 having a range of underlying conditions, 25 fully vaccinated & boosted).
Johnny C. Lately
@YY_Sima Qian: Thanks for your suggestions.
We are in the states. My wife and in-laws are Chinese and I am not. FWIW, my in-laws are “very” Chinese in the opinion of my wife, myself and other Chinese folks of that generation that we know. The main way this factors into the covid situation is that my in-laws only source of news is CCTV.
Anyway, finding a care home in China has been discussed in the past. However, FIL is estranged from his relatives, MIL’s relatives have their own age and health issues, and my SIL in Hong Kong, well… she’s busy. Really busy, but not so busy as to forget the battles of the past. Anyway, Hong Kong seems almost as foreign to my mainland in-laws as the states, and travelling that distance with FIL right now seems unthinkable.
Like you suggest, maybe we could keep two households (the in-laws live very nearby), one with the elders and my wife and kids that choose to be with her, and one with me and whatever kids would rather see friends more often than their mother. When phrased that way, we’d probably all be pissed at the teen for imposing so much bother on the family just so she could hang out at friends’ houses.
There’s definitely opposing dynamics of disappointment with society at large in my wife and daughter. My daughter is feeling left out and isolated and left behind, and my wife and in-laws feel betrayed by leadership (and frankly, most neighbors and most people at large) that simply want to disregard their risks and problems and move on, leaving my wife and MIL to their own devices.