Apropos of nothing in particular struck once more by how many people think that what they would *like* to be true about how a virus behaves, is somehow in any way relevant to how a virus *actually* behaves. It's a virus. It doesn't give a monkey's what you or anyone else wants
— Bill Hanage (@BillHanage) January 12, 2022
The U.S. Supreme Court blocked an effort by the Biden administration that would have expanded a COVID-19 vaccine-or-testing mandate to large employers nationwide, undermining a major element of the president's plan to combat the pandemic https://t.co/TrRqGmy9al pic.twitter.com/nrCbkelqJB
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 14, 2022
The problem with Omicron isn't virulence (it IS milder), it's scale. 1000 cases at a 5% hospitalization rate is 50 admits. 10,000 cases at a 1% hospitalization rate is 100 admits. This is why I've been masking (despite notoriously disliking it). Every bit helps right now in SA!
— John Maverick (@JohnMaverickTX) January 13, 2022
A moment of silence for all the vaccinated workers in warehouses, factories, stores & restaurants, who now must spend large amounts of time beside unvaccinated employees. That's quite a stress if they're vulnerable or live with people who are. https://t.co/fVXsR82VEh
— Amy Maxmen, PhD (@amymaxmen) January 13, 2022
Between the vaccines being administered and the immunity acquired from infection, this wave should start to subside by the end of the month.
[Yes, BosWash, there's more to the country!] https://t.co/1Vc4D3lpnL— Cheryl Rofer (@CherylRofer) January 13, 2022
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These 4 countries have the highest cases/capita Omicron in the world now. There are plenty of hospital and ICU admissions, not at peak, but showing what happens with massive surges of a virus spread, despite 60-70% less severity pic.twitter.com/XWoEVKDtDs
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) January 14, 2022
Vaccination rates, by regions worldwide. Charts from @HumanVacProject pic.twitter.com/KyJWomfl5l
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) January 13, 2022
China is tightening its anti-pandemic measures in Beijing and across the country as scattered outbreaks continue ahead of the opening of the Winter Olympics in a little over two weeks. https://t.co/hMIXiIQ3n7
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 14, 2022
… Beijing has ordered children at international schools to be tested starting next week and is barring air passengers who transited via a third point. Citizens are being told only to travel if absolutely necessary, with no guarantee they will be permitted to return if found to have visited a city or region where an outbreak occurred.
The city of Tianjin, about an hour from the capital, has ordered a third round of mass testing starting Saturday morning to be completed within 24 hours.
A port and manufacturing center with 14 million people, Tianjin is one of a half dozen cities where the government is imposing lockdowns and other restrictions as part of a policy to track down every virus case.
It’s proximity to Beijing is particularly worrying and authorities have cut off all travel links between it and the Olympic host city following the discovery of 126 cases in recent days, all apparently of the highly contagious omicron variant.
Elsewhere, more than 20 million people are under lockdown, many restricted to their homes amid concerns over supplies of food and other daily necessities. Factories have been closed, affecting supplies of computer chips and other products…
Even the city of Zhuhai in the far south has suspended flights to Beijing and bus service with the Guangdong provincial capital of Guangzhou.
Zhuhai has ordered citywide testing and barred residents from leaving without good reason and a negative COVID-19 test, despite the National Health Commission reporting no cases of local transmission in the city, which lies just across the border from the gambling mecca of Macao.
China has also banned dozens of overseas flights from Europe, Canada, the U.S., Indonesia and elsewhere after passengers tested positive for the virus upon arrival.
The financial hub of Shanghai, which has recorded relatively few cases, has also suspended some travel links…
“China correspondent, BBC”:
#China is possibly on a collision course with #Covid19. It's hard to see how "Zero Covid" is sustainable in the long run, though the Government is officially still committed to it. How long can the lockdown of massive cities be maintained? + #Omicron has barely got out here.
— Stephen McDonell (@StephenMcDonell) January 12, 2022
Although #China reportedly has a high rate of vaccinations, even a small % of this huge population needing to go to hospital could really stretch the health system here. If #Omicron really lets rip it’s going to be a massive challenge and it looks like this could be coming.
— Stephen McDonell (@StephenMcDonell) January 12, 2022
BTW #China has many options in between "zero #Covid" and no restrictions at all. Already the responses in this country have differed from province to province, city to city, town to town, even community to community.
— Stephen McDonell (@StephenMcDonell) January 12, 2022
Chaos at Hong Kong's near-full quarantine camp has many questioning (once again) the sustainability of the city's Covid-zero strategy, which sees close contacts sent away for as long as 21 days and forcibly hospitalizes even asymptomatic individuals. https://t.co/GCIFfTgcuS pic.twitter.com/bfAwqxeq7Q
— Iain Marlow (@iainmarlow) January 14, 2022
India reports 264,202 new coronavirus infections in past 24 hours https://t.co/3YJCjPmSK3 pic.twitter.com/cyU7g0sbvy
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 14, 2022
Hundreds of thousands of Indians gather for holy dip, defying COVID-19 surge https://t.co/iovD4T2B76 pic.twitter.com/xWmuVATAc6
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 14, 2022
Hundreds of thousands of Hindu worshippers gathered on the banks of India’s Ganges river on Friday for a holy bathe despite a 30-fold rise in coronavirus cases in the past month.
Hindus believe a bathe in the holy river on the Jan. 14 Makarsankranti festival washes away sins.
A large number of devotees were taking a dip in the sacred river where it flows through the eastern state of West Bengal, which is reporting the most number of cases in the country after Maharashtra state in the west.
In the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, thousands of devotees, few wearing masks, thronged the river’s banks in the holy city of Prayagraj…
Doctors had appealed unsuccessfully to the West Bengal state high court to reverse a decision to allow the festival this year, worrying it will become a virus “super spreader” event.
Last year, a big religious gathering in northern India contributed to a record rise in coronavirus cases.
On Friday, the health ministry reported 264,202 new cases of the coronavirus in the previous 24 hours, taking India’s total tally to 36.58 million.
Deaths from COVID-19 rose by 315, with total now at 485,350, the ministry said.
S. Korea will slightly ease its coronavirus gathering restrictions starting next week but continue to maintain a 9 pm curfew on restaurants and entertainment venues as it braces for a possible surge in infections driven by the contagious omicron variant. https://t.co/FUU62GwPGl
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 14, 2022
Indonesia approves Merck's COVID-19 pill for emergency use https://t.co/xREGpcG2Xj pic.twitter.com/CL95h21Lxy
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 14, 2022
Cambodia has begun a fourth round of vaccinations against the coronavirus in response to the omicron variant, with high-risk groups being among the first to receive the additional boosters. https://t.co/fd6dwZjTr0
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 14, 2022
Australia's worst-hit state says COVID-19 hospitalisations may plateau next week https://t.co/kSAUOE136a pic.twitter.com/wncpgYjoL9
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 14, 2022
Russia on Friday reported 23,820 new Covid-19 infections and 739 deathshttps://t.co/crnrLJviP7
— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) January 14, 2022
Italy, Spain and other European countries are reinstating or stiffening mask mandates as their hospitals struggle with mounting numbers of COVID-19 patients. https://t.co/yUZmvp9907
— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) January 14, 2022
Poorer nations reject over 100 million COVID shots as many close to expiry https://t.co/YTCcer7HYh pic.twitter.com/2NcJ56ETxr
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 13, 2022
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This is an update on the announcement last month:
Oh, wow! Go, military super-vaccine! https://t.co/gJlz1x4oYy
— Claire Berlinski. (@ClaireBerlinski) January 13, 2022
“The single best decision you can make, if you are pregnant, is to get fully vaccinated.” New study from Scotland shows Covid's risk to pregnant people is high if they are unvaccinated. @_gaffknee reports. https://t.co/nyMEkep1xG
— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) January 13, 2022
??? (Great news, if it can be replicated, but that’s a big ‘if’):
Has anyone else with #longCOVID received monoclonal antibodies to SARS-CoV-2? Please share your experience. More data will help justify a clinical trial. Thank you. https://t.co/E9aP3l7zRV
— Prof. Akiko Iwasaki (@VirusesImmunity) January 12, 2022
WHO recommends Eli Lilly, GSK-Vir's drugs, widening COVID-19 treatment pool https://t.co/P4FjF12oFJ pic.twitter.com/iB2zJGpG7R
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 14, 2022
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'It's too much.' Nurses say public hospitals in New York City are overrun with Covid patients. Nurses issued a public cry for help, describing crowded emergency rooms, hospital floors filled to capacity & nurses running themselves ragged https://t.co/YNMq9GJSxC
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) January 13, 2022
For the second year in a row, the coronavirus was by far the leading cause of deaths among police officers in the U.S. https://t.co/DnkovbekTY via @nytimes
— The Marshall Project (@MarshallProj) January 13, 2022
It’s a classic case of moral hazard. People refusing an affordable treatment because they believe they can rest assured that a far more expensive treatment will be readily available if they need it.
— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) January 14, 2022
NFL officials said Super Bowl LVI will be played before a full house and shot down rumors the game might be moved elsewhere in light of the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant https://t.co/manKpmAURi pic.twitter.com/16vYVqs1Xa
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 14, 2022
Sen. RonJon is no longer the dumbest legislator in Wisconsin:
WI GOP State Rep. Treig Pronschinske, in support of a law banning business from requiring vaccines, says that there is no way to prevent covid since you “can’t physically see the virus.”pic.twitter.com/SLe2W3fhj2
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) January 13, 2022
COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Thursday / Friday, Jan. 13-14Post + Comments (51)