Joe Biden plans to invoke the Defense Production Act after he takes office next month to boost production of coronavirus vaccines. https://t.co/nBHRMlfDEx
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 28, 2020
From the story above:
JFC: " ….Pfizer, which manufactures one of the two Covid vaccines approved for emergency use in the U.S., began asking the Trump administration in September to help the pharmaceutical giant obtain some supplies needed for production but was disappointed by a lack of response."
— Bruce Duck (@BruceDuck2) December 28, 2020
The US had +186,296 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 today, bringing the total to over 19.7 million. The 7-day moving average has declined steeply over the Christmas holiday, to under 185,000 per day, but it's unclear if this will continue. pic.twitter.com/dP9KE7zB2s
— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) December 29, 2020
The doctor who criticized the president’s ride around the block while he was sick with covid > https://t.co/WVGJbdqSBZ
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) December 28, 2020
I often hear this complaint: "Why doesn't the media show more film & photos of patients suffering w#COVID19 ? Deniers would have a harder time claiming it's no big deal."
But reporters & cameras are blocked. And yes, it was #Trump idea:https://t.co/f1N4Yjnd7O— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) December 28, 2020
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Russia confirmed 27,002 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, pushing the total number of reported infections to 3,105,037 https://t.co/9fWuzdnO5o
— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) December 29, 2020
It has been long suggested that more peopled died from COVID than the Russian government said.
Now Russia's deputy prime minister Tatiana Golikova admitted that the official count of 55,265 is wrong and that in fact more than 186,000 (!) Russians died.https://t.co/6UIUi0xPmf
— Max Roser (@MaxCRoser) December 28, 2020
Hungary received 6,000 doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine Monday https://t.co/IcOx7RvSLv
— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) December 29, 2020
#Sweden’s government presents a temporary pandemic law giving it new powers to curb the spread of #COVID19, which it hopes to have in place by January.https://t.co/8U4nguDa8A
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) December 28, 2020
Spain plans to collect and share with other European Union nations information about residents who refuse to get vaccinated for Covid-19, the country’s health minister said. https://t.co/DKGuQfKMzR
— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 28, 2020
COVID drives Dutch death rate up to highest level since WWII https://t.co/15GwgMSOCa pic.twitter.com/eyAgxKv3ab
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 29, 2020
'Construction is underway in all 16 German states. The central state of Hessen has said it will have 28 centers ready, with the capacity to vaccinate 28,000 a day.' https://t.co/VehmYlKfdw
— Dr. Donna A. Patterson is staying home (@PharmacySenegal) December 29, 2020
Austria's ski resorts are reopening despite a looming third lockdown https://t.co/0SIqpLVaTS via @medical_xpress
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) December 29, 2020
Hundreds of British skiers flee Swiss Verbier quarantine https://t.co/rUo6Ig88gq
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 28, 2020
With the mutant #SARSCoV2 virus sweeping over London, England's hospitals "now have more #coronavirus patients than at any other point in the #pandemic," & NHS now under more strain from #Covid19 than at any other point."
>41,000 new cases reported today.https://t.co/uWcqmwwiOD— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) December 28, 2020
Britain must vaccinate two million people a week to avoid a third wave of the coronavirus outbreak, a study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) has concluded. https://t.co/EfQ5QVoAVg
— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) December 29, 2020
Iran Finds Way to Buy Covid Vaccine Despite U.S. Sanctions – Bloomberg https://t.co/EyUAWvDnxW
— deborah amos (@deborahamos) December 28, 2020
India finds six cases of coronavirus variant as daily infections drop https://t.co/WNAyq5Lvt1 pic.twitter.com/6olqgZ3c30
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 29, 2020
Hong Kong is in the grips of a #COVID19 superspreader event — 18 people infected by exposure to elderly woman, including HCWers, and 59 under investigation.https://t.co/YxiHwkyCo9
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) December 28, 2020
things have really taken a turn in south korea, covid-wise https://t.co/y44Z1jZxRm
— Gerry Doyle (@mgerrydoyle) December 29, 2020
US troops are officially the first people to receive #COVID19 vaccinations in South Korea, among them medical workers and @USForcesKorea commander @DogFaceSoldier (seen here) https://t.co/10ZYbv2D5x pic.twitter.com/3UsRLOUMzP
— Josh Smith (@joshjonsmith) December 29, 2020
Sydney on alert after mystery cases but new infections remain low https://t.co/IEL2OvEaHL pic.twitter.com/UhlyZVZ0Jg
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 29, 2020
Covid: South Africa's Ramaphosa announces new restrictions as cases soar https://t.co/tXJ1CGgaWe
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 28, 2020
For Covid19 vaccines, some countries are too rich — and too poor. Global inequality is shaping which countries get vaccines first. In South Africa, people’s best chance for vaccines anytime soon is to join a clinical trial https://t.co/TwMIi0ZUi2
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) December 29, 2020
Mexico reports 5,996 new coronavirus cases, 429 more deaths https://t.co/Lba3nVdTxu pic.twitter.com/ewYY667qms
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 29, 2020
======
Medical events happen all the time. People have strokes, seizures, develop Bell's palsy, have heart attacks. But when events like these happen shortly after people take a vaccine, there's the risk folks will see causal relationships where there are none. https://t.co/ByEdqxgCX6
— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) December 28, 2020
The @pfizer #COVID19 vaccine must be carefully extracted from its vial to ensure a proper dose. A German vaccinator goofed. Ach! https://t.co/BzB5p1MOEA
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) December 28, 2020
Novavax has started the late-stage trial of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine in U.S. and will enroll up to 30,000 volunteers across about 115 sites in the U.S. and Mexico https://t.co/63oLtyQYsT pic.twitter.com/XXgDKbNC8F
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 29, 2020
======
Tracking the coronavirus vaccine, state by state https://t.co/po6dckkuIq
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) December 28, 2020
US sees a record number of #COVID19 deaths in December https://t.co/K3owpnVvkx pic.twitter.com/NdcAJoTMOn
— CIDRAP (@CIDRAP) December 28, 2020
My sister, a NP, had a to-do list of patients yesterday comprised of 75% suspected covid cases in her rural upstate NY town. As she said, “these people thought they wouldn’t catch it. Until they did.”
— Nancy (@AbidingPatriot) December 28, 2020
"Europe has experienced a truly incredible 1340s. Unemployment is at virtually zero, and wages have risen to new heights." https://t.co/Wc1TNhZ0gB
— James Palmer (@BeijingPalmer) December 28, 2020
NotMax
End of March, at the earliest, would likely be more realistic but it’s still a wise move, albeit painful businesswise.
Vast majority of tour groups from Japan stay on Oahu. Neighbor island visits by them represent a mere trickle.
YY_Sima Qian
On 12/28, China reported 15 new domestic confirmed and 2 new domestic asymptomatic cases.
Dalian in Liaoning Province reported 2 new domestic confirmed (1 previously asymptomatic) and 1 new domestic asymptomatic cases. The previously asymptomatic case was one among the cluster of cold chain logistics dock workers who were discovered via regular screening on 12/14, and have been under isolation since. The other case is custodian at a hospital who has tested negative during regular screening on 12/18 and 12/23, but was traced as a close contact and went into quarantine on 12/26, and tested positive on 12/27. No case summary released for the asymptomatic case. There are currently 35 domestic confirmed cases and 27 domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. There are 9 communities, 2 residential compounds and a village at Medium Risk in the city.
Shenyang in Liaoning Province reported 6 new domestic confirmed cases (1 previously asymptomatic) and 1 new domestic asymptomatic case. All of the new cases are connected to the imported case reported on 12/23: the previously asymptomatic case is the spouse of the imported case, 1 neighbor who visited for meals at the imported case’s residence, 2 medical staff at a clinic the imported case visited on 12/21, 1 individual who visited the same hospital at the same time as the imported case, and an elderly patient staying at another hospital (specific connection to the imported case was not shared). The 1st 5 cases have been under quarantine as trace close contacts sine 12/23, and the patient in the hospital has been under isolation since 12/23. The new asymptomatic case had visited the same hospital at the same time as the imported case, and has been under quarantine since 12/26. In all, 6,255 individuals have been traced as contacts of various categories: 706 F1 close contacts under centralized quarantine (623 have tested negative 3 times and 83 twice), 1,833 F2 close contacts under centralized quarantine (all have tested negative so far), and 3,716 F3 close contacts under home quarantine (all have tested negative so far). 21,973 individuals at 5 residential compounds, 5 medical facilities and 3 schools connected to cases and close contacts have been tested, all negative. 4,120 environmental samples have been collected from these locations, all negative. There are currently 11 domestic confirmed and 2 domestic asymptomatic cases in the city, all connected to the imported case, illustrating the importance of effectively isolating infected cases, as well as thorough TTI as new cases are found. 3 residential compounds have been designated as Medium Risk. 1 community and 4 residential compounds are at Medium Risk.
Beijing Municipality reported 7 new domestic confirmed cases (1 previously asymptomatic), all at Shunyi District, all trace close contacts of previously reported positive cases. However, all 7 cases had tested positive as soon as they entered quarantine. 5 cases work at an auto parts import company, and 2 work as drivers for ride hailing services. 2 villages in the Shunyi District has been re-designated as Medium Risk. Shunyi is the district where the Beijing Capital International Airport is located, and most of the recent cases in Shunyi either live or work in areas surrounding the airport. There are 2 villages and 1 hotel are at Medium Risk in the city. Beijing authorities have urged residents not to travel for New Year or Chinese New Year, the latter big deal since the last Chinese New Year was severely disrupted by COVID-19. Expect similar guidance to be issued across the country. Most universities in the country are ending the Fall semester early, with staggered dates for students to return homes.
At Mudanjiang in Heilongjiang Province, 1 residential compound at Suifenhe has been re-designated as Low Risk. 1 office building at Suifenhe remains at Medium Risk.
At Turfan in Xinjiang “Autonomous” Region, the 1 affected residential compound has been re-designated as Low Risk.
Early in the morning of 12/29, Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province reported a new domestic asymptomatic case, a guard at a quarantine hotel. 137 contacts have been traced and quarantined, they authorities believe the case was infected by an imported case.
There are no changes in other Chinese cities with recent/current outbreaks.
On 12/28, China reported 12 new imported confirmed cases, 6 imported asymptomatic cases:
Overall in China, 18 confirmed cases recovered, 6 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation and 7 were reclassified as confirmed cases, 1 suspect was ruled out as COVID-19, and 547 individuals were released from quarantine. Currently, there are 348 active confirmed cases in the country (265 imported), 5 are in serious condition (3 imported), 262 asymptomatic cases (215 imported). 11,909 traced contacts are currently under quarantine.
Yesterday, the China CDC finally released the results of nation wide seroprevalence survey conducted back in Apr. The survey was conducted from 34K individuals in Wuhan, selected cities in Hubei Province outside of Wuhan (the press release did not specify which cities), and select provinces outside of Hubei (Beijing, Shanghai, Liaoning, Jiangsu, Guangdong and Sichuan). Seroprevalence in Wuhan was 4.43% (which translates to ~ 400K infected individuals, based on the estimated 9 million residents in the city during the lock down), 0.42% in Hubei ex-Wuhan, and only 2 samples among 12K outside of Hubei produced positive results. Not sure how false positives were addressed. Hopefully, we will see more details in a research paper. It goes to show how bad the outbreak was at Wuhan – its seroprevalence is on the same order of magnitude as some of other hard hit nations around the world in the 1st wave (such as Spain and Italy), though lower than the seroprevalence of the hardest hit regions in those countries (Greater Madrid, Lombardia, NYC, etc.). It also indicates the effectiveness of the cordon sanitaire around Wuhan and rest of Hubei, and how much worse it could have been for the rest of the country if actions were further delayed.
On 12/29, Hong Kong reported 53 new cases, 3 imported and 50 domestic (14 of whom do not have source of infection identified).
OzarkHillbilly
I finally talked to my buddy’s wife Sunday eve. He died at home, in his sleep. He had said he’d be damned if he was going to the hospital. He knew he wasn’t going to make it, we had discussed exactly that when his wife had been diagnosed. He lived well, left nothing on the table, and died as he chose.
RIP Timoteo
raven
@OzarkHillbilly: I’m sorry he died but glad he made his own way.
NeenerNeener
Monroe County, NY yesterday:
491 new cases, 945 people hospitalized, 147 patients in the ICU.
34% of the hospital beds are available on average and 30% of the ICU beds.
8.4% positivity
It turns out that two out of three of my siblings have a shellfish allergy, so no Moderna vaccine version for them. I don’t know if I have the same allergy or not because I hate all kinds of seafood, but it’s probably safe to assume that I do too.
Amir Khalid
Malaysia’s daily Covid-19 numbers. Director-General of Health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah reports 1,925 new cases today in his media statement, for a cumulative reported total of 108,615 cases. Dr Noor Hisham also reports two new deaths today, for a total of 457 deaths — 0.42% of the cumulative reported total, 0.52% of resolved cases.
21,443 active and contagious cases are currently in hospital; 117 are in ICU, 55 of them on respirators. Meanwhile, 1,123 patients recovered and were discharged, for a total of 86,715 patients recovered — 79.8% of the cumulative reported total.
Nine new clusters were reported today: Seri Lanang in Selangor; Jalan Chu, Awan Puteh building site, Integra Ikon, and Jalan Satang in KL; Tembok Mempaga in Pahang; Timbang Dayang and Teguli in Sabah; and Rambai in Melaka.
1,915 new cases today are local infections. Selangor has 746 local cases: 196 in older clusters, 168 in Seri Lanang cluster, 261 close-contact screenings, and 121 other screenings. KL has 353 cases: 132 in older clusters; 83 in Jalan Chu, Awan Puteh building site, Integra Ikon, and Jalan Satang clusters; 98 close-contact screenings; and 40 other screenings. Pahang has 288 cases: 282 in Tembok Mempaga cluster, one close-contact screening, and five other screenings. Sabah has 230 cases: seven in older clusters, 14 in Timbang Dayang and Teguli clusters; 134 close-contact screenings; and 74 other screenings. Johor has 110 cases: 75 in existing clusters, 22 close-contact screenings, and 13 other screenings.
Negeri Sembilan has 60 cases: 27 in existing clusters, 10 close-contact screenings, and 23 other screenings. Penang has 57 cases: 41 in existing clusters, and 16 close-contact screenings. Kelantan has 31 cases: 17 in existing clusters, eight close-contact screenings, and six other screenings. Perak has 17 cases: nine in existing clusters, six close-contact screenings, and two other screenings.
Melaka has nine cases: three in older clusters, one in Rambai cluster, three close-contact screenings, and two other screenings. Kedah has eight cases: one in an existing cluster, four close-contact screenings, and three other screenings. Sarawak has three local cases, all found in other screening. Terengganu has two cases, both close-contact screenings. And Putrajaya has two cases, both in existing clusters.
Labuan and Perlis reported no new local cases today.
10 new cases are imported. Seven were reported in KL, and one each in Selangor, Sabah, and Sarawak.
The two deaths today are a 65-year-old man in Putrajaya with diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, heart disease, and stroke; and a 68-year-old woman in Kelantan with hypertension. diabetes, and chronic kidney disease.
satby
@OzarkHillbilly: Condolences on the loss of your buddy. He went the way he wanted, and probably much more gently than dragging it out in a hospital. RIP.
Baud
@OzarkHillbilly:
My condolences.
Amir Khalid
@OzarkHillbilly:
Sorry for your loss. Good for your friend that he went on his own terms.
Barbara
No doubt SD has a budget surplus after figuring out how to control outlays for nursing homes by killing a bunch of elderly people.
Barbara
@OzarkHillbilly: So sorry for your loss.
WereBear
@OzarkHillbilly: What a loss. I’m sorry.
Baud
Many thousands of Americans have paid the ultimate price for the GOP’s Trump adventure.
a thousand flouncing lurkers was fidelio
@OzarkHillbilly: I’m so sorry.
SFAW
@OzarkHillbilly:
So sorry for the loss of your friend.
a thousand flouncing lurkers was fidelio
In spite of all the other excitement we’ve had, the Tennessee Department of Health has some new numbers up. Whether they’re an accurate reflection of our situation I cannot say, between the long holiday weekend, lots of snow in the eastern part of the state, and the communication problems.
• 3,713 new cases
• 13,344 new tests
• 22.96% positive test rate
• 1,526 available hospital beds (state total of 11,504)
• 224 available ICU beds (state total 2,601)
The positive test rate really worries me. It’s been high all month but nearly 23% is dreadful.
Mary G
@OzarkHillbilly: I’m so sorry for your loss.
Amir Khalid
I see the Washington Football Team (catchy name) has dismissed quarterback Dwayne Haskins for violatiing the NFL’s Covid-19 protocol. It was probably him posting the pictures on social media that got him booted.
Anne Laurie
If the Moderna vaccine turns out to be the one available to you, warn the provider(s) that you are (very probably) allergic to shellfish, and insist on seeing there’s an epipen on hand.
Given the rare but much-reported reactions, I’m assuming any pharmacies doing vaccinations are going to have epipens at every station, because they’re not nearly as scarce as the vaccine, and *nobody* wants to be featured in the nightly news for that!
mrmoshpotato
@OzarkHillbilly: Sorry to hear. Glad he went on his own terms. RIP
mrmoshpotato
@Baud:
How does one catch a hoax virus? (Where’s the ‘dumbass’ emoji?)
OzarkHillbilly
@mrmoshpotato: With a hoax catcher’s mitt.
mrmoshpotato
Hmmm….. lying from the Kremlin…
mrmoshpotato
@OzarkHillbilly: Fasthoax, curvehoax, knucklehoax, hoaxup?
mrmoshpotato
Good. Name and ban from your country.
Jay
@OzarkHillbilly:
I am so sorry,
Almost every thread now contains a loss.
Fuck 2020.
OzarkHillbilly
@mrmoshpotato: You forgot the most dangerous pitch of all: The spit-hoax.
mrmoshpotato
@OzarkHillbilly: Ahh yes.
J R in WV
@OzarkHillbilly:
Wife and i feel much the same way as your friend, if we could get prescriptions it seems your chances would be better isolated at home than in a medical center. But who knows
RIP, condolences for the loss!
prostratedragon
@OzarkHillbilly:
My condolences on the loss of your friend.
@J R in WV: A thing to keep in mind is home hospice assistance if it’s available. Don’t know who qualifies, but if so, they’ll provide a hospital bed and meal tray, which help with personal care, and morphine if needed, among other medical supplies. I hope none of us needs this any time soon, but consider that it can be a big help.
Dog Mom
@NeenerNeener: Just a bit of info that I felt good about – I went for a regular followup visit to my GP (part of UofR/Strong practice). She said she had not been expecting the vaccine till mid-January, but got her first shot last week and had to schedule the second at that time. She said no one is wasting time. Hopefully, distribution at all stages continues without delay.
As for a potential allergic reaction, I would expect that you should be able to be tested by a blood or skin test. Be proactive, ask your doctor.
NeenerNeener
@Dog Mom: It’s nice to know that some people in the area are getting vaccinated! I’ll need to wait and see what my neurologist recommends as far as vaccines. I’ve been on assorted immune system suppressing drugs since 1997, and the last time I had a flu shot it kicked off a problem with my chronic condition, so I don’t think I’ll be getting vaccinated any time soon. If enough other people get vaccinated then I can keep my MRI appointment in March without risking death, though.
sab
@OzarkHillbilly: I am so sorry for yoir friend and his wife. It is fortunate that they were able to have a timely discussion about to do about at home v. hospital.
Husband and I just had that discussion and his choice was not what I would have expected, so I am glad we had the talk.
SW
Production and deployment are two very different things. Seems the bottleneck is going to be in deployment.
FlyingToaster
@Dog Mom:
They don’t know what triggers it yet. So at this point, it’s “wait 20-30 minutes post-vax” to see. Not an unreasonable wait.
Many of those who’ve reacted so far already carry an epi-pen. But others had no severe allergies. Since they were all health-care workers, it was manageable. The cause of the reaction is still a mystery.
Gvg
@NeenerNeener: My sister the doctor has a severe shellfish allergy, and she got the first vaccine available. She had an epi pen in her pocket in case, but the hospital had them and was ready just in case (VA hospital). They made her stay extra time so they could watch for a reaction, but it was all planned and handled.
The problem was it took like 2.5 hours in a socially distanced line, instead of in and out. They hadn’t worked out the process right that early. Gave her the creeps being around that many people for so long. I think that will be fixed quickly though. She had been told she would have to wait 2.5 more weeks but they got more doses quickly and called in the waiting list. Maybe the hospital thought fewer people would be able to come on short notice. All healthcare workers who really wanted those shots.
@NeenerNeener:
matt the somewhat reasonable
Republicans hate it when people show them up. In this case, minimal basic leadership and competence is all it takes.
Dog Mom
@FlyingToaster: I should have written more clearly – I’ll blame lack of coffee. I intended the test for allergy to seafood/shellfish – which one might want to identify anyways. I expect the wait around for reaction after the vaccine for many or maybe all people.
Evil_Paul
With regards to the Bloomberg article: How the hell did the US justify blocking Iran from accessing the vaccine? How is that not an act of war? Or terrorism for that matter?
Zelma
@Dog Mom:
I have a shellfish allergy, but it’s just a digestive issue. No breathing or other problems like a rash. I wonder if that will be an issue. At my age, I’m pretty high up on the list. We’ll see.
JAFD
@OzarkHillbilly: Sympathy for your loss. May his memory be a blessing.