On ABC, Fauci brings up "anecdotal information" that Omicron's "severity appears to be maybe a bit less" than Delta's.
He notes that this might be due to prior infections. But it's significant that he feels confident enough to raise this idea unprompted. https://t.co/6DcKJ2lvmm
— Will Saletan (@saletan) December 12, 2021
U.S. COVID-19 deaths reach 800,000 as Delta ravaged in 2021 https://t.co/36TKRQ0aoC pic.twitter.com/EcvNx87O9d
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 12, 2021
Tragically, IMO, refusing to wear a mask has become such a public symbol for the MAGAts that it’s probably impossible to enforce a mandate, at least at the federal level. Vaccinations, boosters, pop-up clinics, surge response teams, and sending more vaccines to the countries that need them most are “invisible” on a one-to-one basis, so yeah, it makes more sense to spend the money & energy where it’ll do more than stoke more angry social-media clips…
Not a single word about masking, which may be the single most important thing we can do right now to slow transmission other than a lockdown. ??♀️ Yes, we need to vax and test. But transmission is out of control, and until it’s under control? We’re screwed. https://t.co/Sg6Ke8ZE5D
— Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD ?☠️ (@TheAngryEpi) December 13, 2021
Prediction: we can go from 60% Americans vaxxed to 80% if we require vaccines to fly.
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) December 12, 2021
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The @WHO + @WorldBank say the #COVID19 #pandemic "is likely to halt 2 decades of global progress towards Universal Health Coverage…and more than half a billion people are being pushed into extreme poverty because they have to pay for health services out of their own pockets."
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) December 12, 2021
India aims to avoid 'pandemic roulette' with Omicron https://t.co/ZH649bPPPc
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 13, 2021
… During the second wave earlier this year, India was criticised for not telling the world early enough about Delta, which quickly became the dominant variant across the globe. What has changed since then?
“We’ve learnt a lot from that,” says Dr Priya Abraham, Director of NIV. “We know that the more we allow a virus to spread, the more the likelihood that we will have a new variant. I think we will be much more proactive now, much more prepared.”
Given the size of India’s population though, Dr Abraham says there are limitations…
More than half of India’s adult population is fully vaccinated. That still leaves hundreds of millions at risk. Doctors warn that if an Omicron-fuelled third wave hits, medical facilities could still be overrun very quickly.
“In the second wave, hospital capacity didn’t just get exceeded by a little bit, it was exceeded by several times what it was capable of. So even if we have a small third wave, which I think is definitely a possibility, it could still overwhelm our health system,” says Dr Swapneil Parikh, a physician in Mumbai…
The government says it is putting preparations in place. But Dr Parikh in Mumbai says more needs to be done.
“I think we really need to get as many people fully vaccinated as possible. Let’s also start rolling out third doses for the elderly and the clinically vulnerable, especially individuals who are immunocompromised, as also for healthcare workers and frontline workers,” he said.
“In this country, we’ve played pandemic roulette during the second wave, and lost. So this time, let’s do the opposite. Let’s over-prepare.”
Indonesia to start vaccinating children aged 6-11 against COVID-19 https://t.co/AV2bvEtgM6 pic.twitter.com/K5UzF2oWFc
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 13, 2021
Australia's Queensland state opened its domestic borders to all vaccinated people for the first time in nearly five months after the state topped its goal of having 80% of people over 16 fully vaccinated – a prerequisite for relaxing rules https://t.co/pmG2gbdA6f pic.twitter.com/vMN1HwrJaE
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 13, 2021
Russians with coronavirus antibodies from both foreign and domestic vaccines will be able to get a QR code valid for six months, Interfax reported Mondayhttps://t.co/oz69rOYPyw
— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) December 13, 2021
#Omicron could become dominant in some European countries startlingly soon, overtaking #delta variant currently the most common version of the virus. “We expect it to overtake delta w/in days, not weeks,” Nicola Sturgeon, a health official in Scotland said https://t.co/h9noh00PUJ pic.twitter.com/QCEBs5ii3V
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) December 13, 2021
Joyful moment or risky move? Europe divided over kids' vaccines https://t.co/AqZH4KjXyM pic.twitter.com/1D7V0Uu6C0
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 13, 2021
Austria has ended lockdown restrictions for vaccinated people across most of the country, three weeks after reimposing strict rules to combat a rising wave of coronavirus infections. Unvaccinated people are still subject to the lockdown restrictions. https://t.co/rG1GsIs6RW
— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) December 12, 2021
France has opened 400 investigations into networks providing fake COVID-19 health passes as coronavirus-related hospitalizations rise sharply across the country. https://t.co/XT4hXL8uzH
— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) December 12, 2021
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Britain faces a “tidal wave” of infections from the omicron coronavirus variant, and he has announced a push to give all adults a booster by Dec. 31. https://t.co/LoFOZvezVD
— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) December 12, 2021
Britain said that the Omicron variant of coronavirus was spreading at a 'phenomenal rate' and accounted for about 40% of all infections in London so people should get an additional dose of the vaccine because double-jabbed people are vulnerable https://t.co/XRQe6Swd1A
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 13, 2021
Vaccinating Africa is critical to protecting the continent and the world against variants, but supply isn’t the only problem. Zambia’s challenges highlight other obstacles, such as vaccine storage & having enough fuel to travel to vaccination sites https://t.co/iNrK49grru
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) December 12, 2021
Nigeria plans to ban flights from Argentina, Britain, Canada and Saudi Arabia from this week in retaliation for being added to those countries' red lists over the detection of the Omicron coronavirus variant last month, the aviation minister said https://t.co/8lCUi8IEfw
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 13, 2021
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa tested positive today for #COVID19.
Ramaphosa, 69, is self-isolating and being treated for mild symptoms.Wishing him a quick recovery, for his sake, and the Nation's.@DeleOlojede
https://t.co/UWoSBO0OG1— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) December 12, 2021
Nicaragua receives China vaccines after cutting ties with Taiwan https://t.co/ZIY6UPZQKY
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 13, 2021
Canada to drop 3rd-country COVID test rule for residents returning from southern African nations https://t.co/aVT7xF8H8n pic.twitter.com/IR4ys9pOd9
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 13, 2021
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FDA authorizes for emergency use the first injectable monoclonal antibody cocktail for long-term prevention of Covid-19 among people with weakened immune systems before they have been exposed to the coronavirus. https://t.co/7XutWHYpj1
— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 12, 2021
Reinfections seen in early US #omicron cases, according to CDC's Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, which cited preliminary data on 43 omicron cases Dec 1-7. Of those ~60% were in younger adults, 18 to 39; 1/3 had traveled globally & 80% were vaccinated. Other research ↓ https://t.co/m4wT4imVjj
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) December 13, 2021
The case for boosters among older, institutionalized adults: New research shows a loss of potentially protective antibodies within 6 months of Covid vaccination among nursing home residents ↓ https://t.co/vvFLbl9egB
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) December 12, 2021
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With an eye on #omicron & #delta variants, Harvard experts fear a 'surge upon a surge.' Covid cases have been rising since mid-Oct when the summer surge in the South subsided & CDC's 7-day *daily case average* hit a 64k-case low. Now it's ~117k daily cases https://t.co/B1kb2LQMBO pic.twitter.com/awmiMRELBq
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) December 12, 2021
Pretending COVID isn't a problem anymore has become more politically popular than acting like COVID is still a problem, creating political problems for politicians who think it's bad that over 1,000 Americans are dying from COVID every day but also want to win elections.
— Nicholas Grossman (@NGrossman81) December 12, 2021
Michigan's Covid situation is 'critical' & the state is seeking more ventilators. But as coronavirus infections & deaths continue to surge, health officials indicated no new public restrictions or mask mandates are planned to combat the numbers https://t.co/b8gws0GXgZ
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) December 12, 2021
Pennsylvania hospitals are filling up as cold weather sets in. It's one of several states that have seen sharp rises in Covid cases in the last 2 weeks. It is also the state where its high court has tossed out a school mask mandate https://t.co/tZOkcM6cWH
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) December 12, 2021
https://t.co/xFHnysWp0f pic.twitter.com/Ib4IYZrRXA
— Kyle Baxter (@kbaxter) December 13, 2021
Imagine if this headline read: “Over 97% of active-duty servicemembers have been fully vaccinated.” https://t.co/xudSbiDRtN
— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) December 13, 2021
Media: Include denominators in these headlines! You have to open the article to find out that 40,000 people = 3% of soldiers. People don't know that! https://t.co/PWXU5E0bsq
— Brendan Nyhan (@BrendanNyhan) December 13, 2021
COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Sunday / Monday, Dec. 12-13Post + Comments (34)