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You are here: Home / Archives for Silverman on Security / Covid-19 & National Security

Covid-19 & National Security

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday / Wednesday, April 12-13

by Anne Laurie|  April 13, 20227:08 am| 40 Comments

This post is in: Covid-19 & National Security, Foreign Affairs

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday / Wednesday, April 12-13

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

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COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday / Wednesday, April 12-13 1

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COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday / Wednesday, April 12-13 2

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


COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday / Wednesday, April 12-13 3

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

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday / Wednesday, April 12-13 14

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

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday / Wednesday, April 12-13 4

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday / Wednesday, April 12-13 5

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday / Wednesday, April 12-13 6
(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…

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday / Wednesday, April 12-13 7

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday / Wednesday, April 12-13 8

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

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COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday / Wednesday, April 12-13 9

Interesting, *if* the research holds up. (If Delthia Ricks hadn’t retweeted this, I wouldn’t have paid attention):
COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday / Wednesday, April 12-13 10

… 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)…

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday / Wednesday, April 12-13 11

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

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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

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday / Wednesday, April 12-13 12

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday / Wednesday, April 12-13 13

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

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday / Wednesday, April 12-13Post + Comments (40)

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Saturday / Sunday, Dec. 25-26

by Anne Laurie|  December 26, 20216:09 am| 36 Comments

This post is in: Covid-19 & National Security, Foreign Affairs

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Saturday / Sunday, Dec. 25-26

(John Deering via GoComics.com)

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The year started with a lot of promise on the COVID-19 front with the arrival of vaccines. Then came the variants. @AP journalists who covered the story say disinformation made their job harder. #2021Notebook https://t.co/EzGqxpKeR1

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 23, 2021

Hospitals, police departments, supermarkets and other critical services are struggling to stay staffed as the new omicron variant races through communities worldwide and keeps people off work.https://t.co/hAZQAo0pA5

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 24, 2021

Jill Biden has become the premier vaccine ambassador from a worried White House https://t.co/mdFdxQ8hnK

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) December 23, 2021

U.S. airlines scrap nearly 1,000 Christmas Day flights due to Omicron https://t.co/rgeNkCzN3G pic.twitter.com/mpRJRFqK1h

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 25, 2021

======

AP journalists around the globe tell the story of the second COVID Christmas, from overwhelmed hospitals and curbed religious observances to homilies of hope.https://t.co/OtuYSWOylw

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 25, 2021

Covid: Travel misery continues as 1,300 more flights cancelled https://t.co/m3eTgFU0bY

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 26, 2021

China's local COVID case count driven to 21-month high by Xian outbreak https://t.co/9PNuEhJXpX pic.twitter.com/Mrrmvi7j2I

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 26, 2021

Three members of @BTS_twt have been diagnosed with COVID-19 after returning to South Korea from abroad. Jin had mild symptoms while RM and Suga weren't exhibiting symptoms, according to the superstar group's management.https://t.co/mtyS6fooDs

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 25, 2021

Elephant Santas pass out face masks, hand gel in Thai school tradition https://t.co/vKe7mo8KIX pic.twitter.com/S2kMmhG4Sg

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 24, 2021

Australia’s most populous state has reported a record number of new COVID-19 cases and a sharp jump in hospitalizations. New South Wales reported 6,394 new infections, with 458 active cases in hospitals. https://t.co/rMgGBIFKO8

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 26, 2021

#2021 inReview: Throughout the year, the Kremlin grappled with the nation’s stubborn refusal to vaccinatehttps://t.co/M05OJmmeeh

— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) December 25, 2021

Thousands of people across England have lined up on Christmas Day to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as the omicron variant fuels a surge in infections. https://t.co/p5A0hC1AvT

— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) December 25, 2021

South Africans cling to Christmas cheer as Omicron spreads https://t.co/eeyqIl7Vqu pic.twitter.com/0rO0DaQpf2

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 24, 2021

Dominican Republic reports first case of COVID-19 Omicron variant https://t.co/7IFCVaphix pic.twitter.com/8RrP6lzo36

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 26, 2021

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Some news this Christmas Eve: A coronavirus outbreak aboard the USS Milwaukee, whose entire crew was “100 percent immunized,” has forced the ship to remain in port after a scheduled stop in Cuba barely one week into its deployment, the Navy says. https://t.co/tQ680kyc3Q

— Andrew deGrandpré (@adegrandpre) December 25, 2021

h/t commentor Another Scott:

In Cape Girardeau County, the coroner hasn’t pronounced a single person dead of COVID-19 in 2021.

Wavis Jordan, a Republican who was elected last year to serve as coroner of the 80,000-person county, says his office “doesn’t do COVID deaths.” https://t.co/bepdIjnmQq

— maryb2004 (@maryb2004) December 23, 2021

Covid is surging in NYC’s homeless shelters, prompting advocates to ask the city to move people to hotels to keep the fast-moving variant from overwhelming shelters. Cases more than doubled from 82 to 187 in a wk among residents in the main shelter system https://t.co/CUtlTg7Kt6

— delthia ricks ?? (@DelthiaRicks) December 24, 2021

Texas has recorded more COVID-19 deaths in 2021 than in the first year of the pandemic, even though vaccines have been available for all adults since March.
??@zachdespart
??@godovasquez
??https://t.co/BCmGlDO5yD pic.twitter.com/UgxfIpedca

— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) December 23, 2021

.@AP investigative intern @roselyn_romero began investigating fake vaccination cards after hearing colleges would require proof.

What she found was a cottage industry set up to help people circumvent proof of COVID-19 vaccination rules. https://t.co/EQVJ92xDhy

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 25, 2021

This is ridiculous. Polio had a 99.9% survival rate. It was asymptomatic in 72% of cases and very mild in 24%. Why would we risk a vaccine over natural immunity??

(Sarcasm. But the numbers are true.)

— Sam Lord (@samjlord) December 25, 2021

It’s tough for @DougJBalloon to keep up, isn’t it? https://t.co/E2CYwwumRq

— Jerry Newmark (@jerryn13) December 25, 2021

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Saturday / Sunday, Dec. 25-26Post + Comments (36)

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Friday / Saturday, Dec. 10-11

by Anne Laurie|  December 11, 20217:27 am| 29 Comments

This post is in: Covid-19 & National Security, Foreign Affairs

.@jordanklepper vs. Anti-Vaxxers in SoCal pic.twitter.com/oOIM1JHha9

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) December 9, 2021

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Friday in: +3.1M doses reported administered over yesterday's total, including 674K newly vaccinated and 1.85M boosters! One state reported additional historical data not previously reported. As a reminder CDC works with states to routinely update data. 1/3

— Cyrus Shahpar (@cyrusshahpar46) December 10, 2021

Improving data quality and ultimately usefulness is critical to inform and adapt our national response. With nearly half a billion doses administered in less than a year, this is huge joint effort across all program partners. 3/3 ????

— Cyrus Shahpar (@cyrusshahpar46) December 10, 2021

U.S. administers 480.6 mln doses of COVID-19 vaccines – CDC https://t.co/sRiO9aLImy pic.twitter.com/Q4W81yfNs8

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 11, 2021

U.S. weekly average of COVID-19 cases and deaths up -CDC director https://t.co/pqX8Wk12xj pic.twitter.com/tTskOGRqMA

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 11, 2021

#Omicron variant is likely everywhere & #delta cases are still on the rise. Omicron can probably outcompete delta — and that could worsen the U.S. Covid epidemic https://t.co/c0YL8w0TOM

— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) December 10, 2021

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India & the US account for a quarter of all Covid misinformation. Of the 2, India is the world's top hot spot for fake Covid news, accounting for roughly 1 in 6 items of global output. Hard on India's heels: the US Brazil & Spain. Univ of Alberta study https://t.co/EILcDsbnRI

— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) December 11, 2021

China vaccinates over 80% of its people against COVID-19 https://t.co/YDEE89xeeZ pic.twitter.com/UYH6Kn0rsa

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 11, 2021

China reports 87 new coronavirus cases on Dec 10 vs 63 a day earlier https://t.co/BWmwCFlI3J pic.twitter.com/AdnLR5vtQ6

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 11, 2021

China orders COVID-19 tests for travel with some border cities https://t.co/6Gfsql9FwH pic.twitter.com/QHSbGgefKI

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 11, 2021

India's top syringe maker asks PM Modi to lift factory shutdown order https://t.co/1y8oqupsy0 pic.twitter.com/slBBeTXtUR

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 11, 2021

India’s largest syringe and needle manufacturer has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to revoke an order to suspend production, part of a broader factory shutdown imposed by a state regulator to curb heavy pollution in the region.

Hindustan Syringes and Medical Devices (HMD) has shuttered its factories on the outskirts of New Delhi following the directive from a state pollution control board, triggering concerns of an acute shortage of syringes and needles in India just as its COVID-19 vaccination programme is in full swing…

The directive was issued to more than 228 factories in the region by the Haryana Pollution Control Board as part of a drive to combat pollution and improve air quality.

HMD, which provides more than 60% of the needles and syringes which India needs for curative healthcare and immunisation, said it will take adequate measures to ensure its factories are not polluting the region.

“We assure the government that we will not use our diesel generator sets and have fully equipped our plants with renewable energy sources,” said Nath, adding that syringe supplies were already running short in India and in global markets…

Global uptick: South Korea's #coronavirus surge exceeds 7000 for the 3rd straight day https://t.co/SPjFazMWpT

— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) December 10, 2021

Health officials say Taiwan has recorded its first case of the omicron variant in a passenger who recently traveled to the southern African country of Eswatini. The passenger, a Taiwanese woman in her 30s, is now in quarantine in hospital, officials say. https://t.co/N4XgiiHYdu

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 11, 2021

Russia on Saturday confirmed 30,288 Covid-19 infections and 1,171 deathshttps://t.co/UwO5KSkmCQ

— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) December 11, 2021

Ukraine receives more World Bank funds to fight COVID-19 https://t.co/LIJArsjLci pic.twitter.com/0wZJiowCrf

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 11, 2021

Denmark is seeing the number of people infected with omicron double every second day, offering a glimpse of what is likely unfolding throughout Europe https://t.co/O3SxMJTbOi

— Bloomberg (@business) December 10, 2021

Both

— ?The Quirky Pastor??‍♀️??‍♀️??????? (@pastorrjc) December 11, 2021

58,194 daily Covid cases reported in the UK, the highest number of cases reported since January https://t.co/FaJa6j7eF0

— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) December 10, 2021

UK health officials say #omicron will become its dominant variant within days, possibly by the middle of the month. The UK Health Security Agency made the announcement Friday when it also confirmed omicron is more easily transmissible than other variants https://t.co/h32mTx6KrL pic.twitter.com/3z1YyCzqoQ

— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) December 11, 2021

All adult arrivals to Ghana must be vaccinated against Covid from midnight on 12 December

Ghanaians who are unvaccinated have been given an extra two weeks to return home – and will be given a jab at the airport https://t.co/Vs1lhBpsM4

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 10, 2021

Health experts still don't know if the omicron variant is causing milder COVID-19, but more indicators are emerging from South Africa. Doctors there say the patients they are seeing now aren't as ill as the ones who were infected with the delta variant. https://t.co/MHgQbPao2b

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 11, 2021

Best news out of South Africa in a while. Week over week growth down to 18% and positive rate SUBSTANTIALLY down. https://t.co/SpaLDUNYvQ

— (((Howard Forman))) (@thehowie) December 10, 2021

Brazil reports 7,765 new coronavirus cases and 234 COVID-19 deaths in 24 hours -ministry https://t.co/l8uz6whDsA pic.twitter.com/mb3UDgzDHi

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 11, 2021

Mexico reports 199 more deaths from COVID-19 https://t.co/IllPPBUjkc pic.twitter.com/ygBdftrBdz

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 11, 2021

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I've just updated this piece comparing the #Covid vaccines in use in the US. If you've got questions, you may find the answers here. https://t.co/Ss3uFkhymq

— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) December 10, 2021

Vaccine makers racing to update #Covid shots, just in case. Experts doubt today's shots will become useless but say it's critical to see how fast companies can produce a reformulated dose and prove it works—because the newest mutant won't be the last https://t.co/PJlUKrAEe7

— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) December 11, 2021

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"We're seeing more people die at a rate we've never seen die before.
75% are unvaccinated. And the few (vaccinated people) who passed were all more than 6 months out from their shot.
We've not had a single person who's had a booster shot die from Covid."https://t.co/f0dv31vd4O

— Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) December 10, 2021

This is my fear as a person with cancer and adjacent problems. When vaccinated folks with life threatening illnesses can’t schedule screenings, surgeries, infusions, procedures….because the hospitals are full of unvaxxed Covid cases. Your refusal to vax threatens us. https://t.co/5FasuglN4w

— Cynthia Lynn Lyerly (@LynnLyerly) December 10, 2021

BREAKING: Facing a winter surge in COVID-19 infections, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that masks will be required in all indoor public places unless the businesses or venues implement a vaccine requirement. https://t.co/xwXjaTE5Rj

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 10, 2021

That would be a great point if none of those people took up an ICU bed.

But many of them do. https://t.co/JqTfHL1cY5

— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) December 10, 2021

Wishing a very merry Christmas to Rand Paul’s neighbor. https://t.co/cMKFTMbGjS

— The Hoarse Whisperer (@TheRealHoarse) December 10, 2021

Anti-vax doctor was fired for trying to treat Covid patients w/ ivermectin. Dr. John Witcher, an ER doc at a Mississippi hospital, took 3 patients off remdesivir, an antiviral & put them on ivermectin, an anti-parasitic. He's known for promoting quackery https://t.co/ON5vNwOF1D

— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) December 11, 2021

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Friday / Saturday, Dec. 10-11Post + Comments (29)

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson Does Not Seem To Understand What a Public Health Emergency Is

by Adam L Silverman|  July 30, 202112:00 am| 71 Comments

This post is in: America, COVID-19, Covid-19 & National Security, Crazification Factor, Domestic Politics, GOP Death Cult, Open Threads, Politics, Silverman on Security

Earlier today and faced with not having a single free ICU bed available in Arkansas as a result of the delta variant sweeping through unvaccinated Arkansas like me at an all you can eat standing rib roast buffet, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson declared a public health emergency.

BREAKING: Arkansas Governor Hutchinson declares public health emergency, says masks will not be required and "we're going to be wide open"

— BNO Newsroom (@BNODesk) July 29, 2021

Governor Hutchison is not running for reelection. Any presidential hopes he might have had died with the emergence of Trump. He is unlikely to have a senate seat open up to run for. Basically, other than a sinecure at a think tank or research institute, this is it for him in Republican politics. And yet, with all of that providing him a significantly large amount of political freedom, he is still unable to do the right thing for the citizens of Arkansas. There are only three ways to stop the delta variant wave: vaccination, enforceable mask mandates, and/or mandatory, enforceable social distancing. We’d all prefer every do the easy thing and just get vaccinated. But given that in Arkansas, and dozens of other states, that’s just not going to happen, then the only other ways to defeat the delta wave are enforceable mask mandates and mandatory, enforced social distancing.

Governor Hutchinson’s public health emergency declaration is not worth the paper that it is printed on because it doesn’t do a damn thing, other than announcing that something has been done, that will have any positive effects in regard to the delta variant wave sweeping through Arkansas.

Given that he was Secretary of Homeland Security, I’m surprised he didn’t change the color coding or Arkansas to tangerine or something to show he was really serious.

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson Does Not Seem To Understand What a Public Health Emergency Is

 

Open thread!

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson Does Not Seem To Understand What a Public Health Emergency IsPost + Comments (71)

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Saturday/Sunday, Dec. 12-13

by Anne Laurie|  December 13, 20205:30 am| 72 Comments

This post is in: Covid-19 & National Security, Foreign Affairs

The first U.S. shots of Pfizer’s newly authorized COVID-19 vaccine will be administered as early as Monday morning, with shipments scheduled to go out Sunday, according to the Army general organizing the rollout https://t.co/XpIL1ElT6g pic.twitter.com/MoT8JLdhTe

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 13, 2020

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First coronavirus vaccines head to states, starting historic effort. Distributing supplies is a daunting logistical challenge, involving sophisticated tracking equipment, military contingencies and tight security https://t.co/nKD2xGTELY

— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) December 13, 2020

The first trucks carrying a COVID-19 vaccine for widespread use in the United States are getting ready to roll out of a Michigan manufacturing plant. The shipments will set in motion the biggest vaccination effort in American history. https://t.co/SUMOeAWIdq

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 13, 2020

This map from the https://t.co/6kWMww3KUq shows where COVID-19 is spreading most rapidly, on a per capita basis, in the past week. https://t.co/yKEwCLtZBJ pic.twitter.com/AAxyAOrklr

— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) December 13, 2020

The US had +220,298 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 today, bringing the total to over 16.5 million. The 7-day moving average rose to nearly 217,000 per day. pic.twitter.com/fglrtO7W4K

— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) December 13, 2020

Recap of these reports: https://t.co/Zpvhutay62
White House: “Vaccine implementation will not substantially reduce viral spread, hospitalizations, or fatalities until the 100 million Americans with comorbidities can be fully immunized, which will take until the late spring.” pic.twitter.com/YXosv7Qf9v

— Liz Essley Whyte (@l_e_whyte) December 12, 2020

How many Americans will die before the vaccine reaches scale? New estimates suggest the U.S. will reach 400k deaths by the end of January https://t.co/Gn2I19Ke2D

— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) December 12, 2020

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South Korea reports 1,030 coronavirus cases, second daily record https://t.co/l1D75FqimX pic.twitter.com/fK4yhVkEUa

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 13, 2020

Japan’s daily coronavirus cases have exceeded 3,000 for the first time while the government delays stricter measures for fear of hurting the economy ahead of the holiday season. Experts say serious cases are on the rise around the country. https://t.co/mpA5xnSLYY

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 13, 2020

Russia confirmed 28,137 new coronavirus cases Saturday, bringing the total caseload to 2,625,848 https://t.co/FE3kLhvApU

— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) December 12, 2020

Russia recorded more than 47,000 excess deaths in October, the single most deadly month in Russia for more than a decade, @JakeCordell reportshttps://t.co/6KqC6eyYeo

— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) December 12, 2020

Stockholm’s ICU capacity hit 99% this week. Sweden ?? is also completely out of ICU nursing staff because of high resignation rates. There are now fewer ICU healthcare staffers than in spring surge. #COVID19 burnout is real. Chasing herd ruins HC systems. https://t.co/TXEQyB7XXI

— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) December 12, 2020

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 20,200 – RKI https://t.co/MtSQ4smHXZ pic.twitter.com/fJx0gAJx3l

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 13, 2020

Germany to close non-essential shops from Dec 16-Jan 10 – draft govt proposal https://t.co/OrVzoS4C8K pic.twitter.com/mrt3rWXaS7

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 13, 2020

France has relaxed coronavirus restrictions and will allow care home residents to spend time with their families and receive visits during the holiday season. The new rules will apply from Dec. 15 to Jan. 3. https://t.co/TDovS9OpPz

— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) December 12, 2020

“This is not a party. This is a scientific study." Hundreds of people will attend a live concert at a Barcelona theater as part of a medical study to evaluate the effectiveness of same-day coronavirus screening to safely hold cultural events. https://t.co/iMAW4r0kZz

— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) December 12, 2020

AP PHOTOS: Italian doctors check on patients in rural areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of those who receive house calls don't need to or don't want to be taken to hospitals, helping free up space for people who can't receive treatment at home. https://t.co/9a7y6RvcPg

— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) December 13, 2020

Egypt receives 1st shipment of Chinese vaccine tested in United Arab Emirates. The vaccine, manufactured by Sinopharm, is said to be 86% effective. Egypt's health ministry says health care workers will be vaccinated 1st. 2 doses to be administered ovr 21 days pic.twitter.com/hmFjsq6ieI

— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) December 12, 2020

Peru suspends clinical trials of Chinese-made COVID vaccine. Peru's nat'l institute of health said it interrupted the trial after a volunteer had difficulty w/ arm movement, suggestive of Guillain-Barre syndrome. Vax is a product of China's Sinopharma https://t.co/Tz1FLHKQx2 pic.twitter.com/Rs7AgrUM65

— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) December 12, 2020

No pickers, no coffee: How Covid threatens Colombia's harvest https://t.co/g3XYpn2fsv

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 13, 2020

Brazil’s government has presented a coronavirus immunization plan that provides initially for only enough shots for about a quarter of the population and does not indicate a start date. https://t.co/18pkEyZHYA

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 13, 2020

Mexico reports 12,057 new coronavirus cases, 685 more deaths https://t.co/zufMJWziGz pic.twitter.com/bXaoYGtVtT

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 13, 2020

======

Why RNA vaccines for COVID-19 raced to the front of the pack https://t.co/dHbt769I6S via @medical_xpress

— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) December 12, 2020

This is what happens when my obsession is temporarily the country’s obsession: I get to write 15,000 words answering every possible question you might have about Covid vaccines. And if we missed one, tell us & we’ll add it! https://t.co/hgmseXqyWI

— Tara Haelle (@tarahaelle) December 11, 2020

Great news for all women of childbearing age – who are over represented among health care workers. https://t.co/WQzDNxruQv

— Kathleen Neuzil (@kathleen_neuzil) December 12, 2020

======

Snowbirds who typically escape harsh winters in Canada and elsewhere aren't traveling to warm weather states like Arizona and Florida this year, scared away by COVID-19 or blocked by pandemic border restrictions. https://t.co/Bro493kst4

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 12, 2020

After students came back, deaths in college towns rose https://t.co/N6CLhgGLEV

— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) December 13, 2020

Coronavirus is spreading like a weed and the hospitals are running out of beds for the sickest patients in California's agricultural heartland. https://t.co/SndnxQtFQa

— AP West Region (@APWestRegion) December 12, 2020

“While he was making the case for no new business restrictions, DeSantis’ office refused to publicize reports from the task force which recommended a more robust public response.”https://t.co/Lb274IDNf0

— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) December 13, 2020

Sunday is the nine-month anniversary of “I don’t take responsibility at all.”

(03/13/20) https://t.co/tzbjWVVdPv

— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla) December 13, 2020

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Saturday/Sunday, Dec. 12-13Post + Comments (72)

This Was All Too Predictable. The White House COVID-19 Testing Regime Was Haphazard and Slipshod

by Adam L Silverman|  October 2, 20209:14 pm| 103 Comments

This post is in: America, COVID-19, Covid-19 & National Security, Domestic Politics, Election 2020, Open Threads, Politics, Silverman on Security

This Was All Too Predictable. The White House COVID-10 Testing Regime Was Haphazard and Slipshod

Erin Banco and Aswin Suebsaeng explain just how lax the White House testing regimen for COVID-19 is at The Daily Beast:

The White House may house some of the most important figures in government. But for months, the testing protocols to screen potentially infectious individuals have been more lax than the president’s aides present to the public.

Olivia Troye, a former senior adviser for the White House coronavirus task force, said in an interview Friday morning that “the majority of people who work in” the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which houses most offices for White House staffers, “weren’t getting tested daily” when they “went into the West Wing for meetings.”

“I knew this because you have to be on the list to get tested and I know from talking to them,” Troye recalled. “It was going to be a time constraint and a resource constraint… These were more junior staffers who weren’t seeing the president, but from what we know about how this virus spreads, that… wasn’t keeping people safe.”

Two individuals familiar with the matter said that after National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien tested positive for the virus July 27, the White House implemented a new testing policy that said all officials and staffers in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building agree to random coronavirus testing. It marked the first time the White House made it mandatory for employees to get tested, despite several individuals testing positive before that date. But, as outlined in a memo The Daily Beast previously obtained, there were still holes in the plan: Not every official was tested every day.

“They basically picked names out of a hat,” one official said.

Under the testing regimen, the “failure to report to testing” would be “considered a refusal to test,” while an individual could defer testing “based on a compelling need.” Exceptions included those who had teleworked for more than 30 days or planned to in the following two weeks, employees on approved leave or on official travel, or people who were not in the immediate vicinity of the building during testing hours.

There were, officials said, other problems with the testing protocols. For starters, staffers in the EEOB said they have been concerned about the accuracy of the tests administered—swab tests with near immediate results. And one other EEOB official said that while not everyone in the building has been required to work from the office, some individuals who experienced symptoms over the last several months were able to stay at work before securing a time to be tested.

At the White House, those entering the compound had reportedly been required to take Abbott point-of-care swab tests. But scientists said those have mixed results and it’s unclear what tests are being administered now. Over time, the universe of those subjected to testing has been decreased to those who work closely with the president. The White House does not mandate the wearing of face masks either.

The administration’s testing protocol for those invited to join the president on Air Force One has also struck many as seriously flawed. According to a congressional aide, the White House didn’t always make guests isolate after getting the test that is required in order to go on the plane, meaning that a guest could get tested and then go about their business—risking exposure—before boarding. “It didn’t inspire confidence,” said the aide.

Much more at the link.

This was all preventable. Mandatory use of masks, proper social distancing, minimizing in person contact, authorizing as much telework as possible, regular hand washing, having a proper testing regime, and ACTUALLY LISTENING TO LEGITIMATE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS AND FOLLOWING THEIR SCIENTIFICALLY BASED MEDICAL ADVICE AND RECOMMENDATIONs would have all reduced the probability of what is happening. Instead the President couldn’t even be bothered to do the easiest and least difficult type of leadership: leading by example by wearing a mask, keeping his events few and almost exclusively by video teleconference, and listening to Dr. Fauci.

Hire a clown, expect a circus.

We are off the looking glass and through the map!

Open thread!

This Was All Too Predictable. The White House COVID-19 Testing Regime Was Haphazard and SlipshodPost + Comments (103)

Breaking!!! The President Is En Route To Walter Reed Medical Center!!!!

by Adam L Silverman|  October 2, 20205:34 pm| 353 Comments

This post is in: America, COVID-19, Covid-19 & National Security, Domestic Politics, Election 2020, Open Threads, Silverman on Security

BREAKING: WH pool reports the President Trump is going to Walter Reed Medical Center shortly.

— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) October 2, 2020

I figured something was up when he missed the teleconference this AM.

Another source says an email went out to all governors’ offices four hours ago inviting them a call w POTUS. Here is email. pic.twitter.com/3yOw8esiGZ

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) October 2, 2020

So we don’t know exactly what is up yet, but given the medical equipment and capabilities at the White House, the President is only taken to Walter Reed if he cannot be adequately treated on site. So this is going to be an evolving situation and I expect that actual information, partially accurate information, and RUMINT is going to start flooding the information space. We don’t know what this actually is about, but we can conclude that it is not routine. That said, take everything with a huge grain of salt.

One reminder for anyone who might ask about it in comments: unless the 25th Amendment is invoked by the Vice President and/or another Cabinet member and the process that sets in place is successfully implemented, then the President will remain President even should he become incapacitated. The only other way for the power of the presidency to be transferred is if the President signs an authorization doing so and transferring them to the Vice President.

We are off the looking glass and through the map!!!!

Update at 5:41 PM EDT

Here’s a live feed from ABC News of Marine One waiting for the President at the White House.

Open thread!

Breaking!!! The President Is En Route To Walter Reed Medical Center!!!!Post + Comments (353)

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