Ordinary people doing extraordinary things. That's the story of America — and it's being written every day by folks like Dr. @Craig_A_Spencer, who fought the Ebola outbreak and now COVID-19. @BarackObama and I called to thank him for his service and discuss the moment we're in. pic.twitter.com/wO14pwaaxa
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 1, 2020
#Covid19 spread is surging across the US. On July 10, Covid Exit Strategy introduced a "bruised red" color to its map to signal uncontrolled spread. That day, 17 states were bruised red.
July 22: 19 states
July 25: 21 states
July 30: 30 states
Aug 2: 32 states.
We're in trouble.— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) August 2, 2020
The *entire* European Union — population 446 million — is still averaging fewer cases per day than Florida alone.
— Steven Dennis (@StevenTDennis) August 2, 2020
I made a chart of European Union COVID cases per day versus the United States.
The little bump at the very end of the blue line is the EU's surge?? pic.twitter.com/leyK8DHcMN— Steven Dennis (@StevenTDennis) August 2, 2020
It's down to Bolivia and the United States
The only 2 countries with increasing reported new deaths per capita pic.twitter.com/BzGBQ0qSdZ— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) August 2, 2020
A failure to beat the coronavirus has a chilling effect on economic activity.
Just look at the extraordinary difference in the return to restaurants in Germany and the U.S. https://t.co/8OMCTwLsok pic.twitter.com/NigrpXSxmt
— Bloomberg Opinion (@bopinion) August 2, 2020
Scary thread:
Since #Trump admin stripped #COVID19 data collection out of @CDCgov & put it in 2 private companies (under no-bid contracts) answering to @HHSGov we have NO RELIABLE DATA.
But @washingtonpost obtained @FEMA dataset, and it's terrifying.
MOREhttps://t.co/9p1E8laGZd— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) August 2, 2020
7/#COVID19 numbers are climbing all over the world, but only America has such widespread devastation, from huge cities down to hamlets. America is driving the global catastrophe, which is now 17.9 million cases, 680K deaths, with cases in 188 countries.https://t.co/g5iRI3uXcl pic.twitter.com/yIEVxJeUvy
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) August 2, 2020
======
Tracking the spread of the novel coronavirus https://t.co/gGkBJp7ojH pic.twitter.com/3pnbNVpJ1J
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 3, 2020
This #covid19 graphic is gutting
Lockdown *instantly* flattened the curve for #Toronto's richest/whitest areas. For poorest/most racialized (top 2 lines), it kept rising
Today in @torontostar, we dug into @TOPublicHealth data to unearth this & more 1/3https://t.co/Gek0LckgOi pic.twitter.com/s8QppIwNvI
— Jennifer Yang (@jyangstar) August 2, 2020
China sends first Covid-19 medical testing team to Hong Kong https://t.co/AZpT5fvSYo
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 3, 2020
Hong Kong pro-democracy district councillors and activists protest outside the Hospital Authority headquarters against the government's decision to have inspectors from mainland China carry out COVID-19 tests in the city, fearing DNA data could be sent to the mainland pic.twitter.com/NxVn9wCHU5
— AFP news agency (@AFP) August 3, 2020
Singapore to make travellers wear an electronic monitoring device to ensure that they comply with coronavirus quarantines as the city-state gradually reopens its borders https://t.co/FJG7eTW6k0 pic.twitter.com/B62g7I33Ci
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 3, 2020
More than 27 million people in the Philippines — about a quarter of the population — will go back into lockdown after overwhelmed health workers warn the country is losing the battle against the #coronavirushttps://t.co/ekM2DzvAve
? Ted Aljibe pic.twitter.com/ssKFjCgpCs
— AFP news agency (@AFP) August 3, 2020
Philippines #coronavirus cases top 100,000 in what health officials there describe as a 'losing battle' https://t.co/3l2JzPc9CC via @medical_xpress
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) August 2, 2020
Top Indian ministers in hospital as virus cases breach 50,000 for fifth day https://t.co/aRElVPEF9z pic.twitter.com/EF2Jjgi5gC
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 3, 2020
#India's powerful Home Minister Amit Shah tests positive for the #coronavirus as Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan says he has been discharged from hospital following a negative test result @AFPhttps://t.co/H6XnO1Z0bn
— AFP South Asia (@AFPSouthAsia) August 2, 2020
Coronavirus: Iran cover-up of deaths revealed by data leak https://t.co/36L06oxVr9
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 2, 2020
Australia imposed an overnight curfew on its second-biggest city Sunday and banned people from moving more than five kilometres from home in a bid to control a growing coronavirus outbreak that is infecting hundreds dailyhttps://t.co/o4o0L0ZlZz
— AFP news agency (@AFP) August 2, 2020
VIDEO: Thousands protest #coronavirus curbs in Berlin.
About 20,000 people take part in a "Day of Freedom" march in Berlin protesting against the German government's measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic at a time when health authorities fear a second wave of the disease pic.twitter.com/RYdwQ2T6yi
— AFP news agency (@AFP) August 3, 2020
Irish government to introduce random testing for coronavirus at airports https://t.co/R028FG1FAY
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 2, 2020
Young people are going to bars and ignoring social-distancing rules in Europe as a sudden surge in new cases hits the continent. https://t.co/1Yq0buPPh5
— Axios (@axios) August 2, 2020
In Africa, stigma surrounding coronavirus hinders response to the pandemic. https://t.co/9cAJWGTCqn
— AP Africa (@AP_Africa) August 2, 2020
Latin America sees coronavirus records tumble as cases near five million https://t.co/2VK0Tyt1Ca via @ARJourdan @DesantisDaniela @OliGGriffin pic.twitter.com/jd8vWYTxBp
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 3, 2020
Mexico reports 4,853 new coronavirus cases, 274 more deaths https://t.co/Au6PORDu15 pic.twitter.com/vYjIpLtnu8
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 3, 2020
======
Completely agree with this. We don't know yet about safety in large populations (but small studies have looked good) & know little about effectiveness. This needs to be done by the books. People saying otherwise IMO aren't looking at the modern history of vaccination & hesitancy. https://t.co/xlpirb6Nne
— Dr. Tara C. Smith (@aetiology) August 2, 2020
A complex web of investors who stand to profit if Oxford’s coronavirus vaccine succeeds shows the little-known financial interests often at play in the development of scientific innovation https://t.co/WoG9nG1KfP
— Carl Zimmer (@carlzimmer) August 3, 2020
Russian intelligence agencies pushing disinformation on #COVID19 pandemic. Could Russian agencies be the source of the hydroxychloroquine misinformation? I am curious about that. Something has to explain the ultra-right-wing's relentless obsession with it https://t.co/xX4WCi7UQu
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) August 2, 2020
======
In Las Vegas, casino owners and local officials say they don’t worry about creating hot spots because the hot spots “won’t be here.”
— Andy Slavitt @ ?? (@ASlavitt) August 2, 2020
The largest school district in Georgia reported today that 260 employees have tested positive for the coronavirus or are in quarantine because of possible exposure as they prepare for the new school year. https://t.co/rSFpXcNBul
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) August 3, 2020
Very powerful letter from more than 2,100 health providers in the State of Georgia to Gov. Brian Kemp: The #COVID19 epidemic is out of control, ICUs are approaching capacity, hospitals are full. Do these things ????NOW.https://t.co/iSxUJds7Tn
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) August 2, 2020
Thread:
One state doing VERY badly but has received little attention is Mississippi.
MS has the 2nd highest # of new cases / capita, just behind Florida — but MS is going up while FL is slowly inching down.
But the story here is much worse.
Thread
— Ashish K. Jha (@ashishkjha) August 2, 2020
mrmoshpotato
Well that’s fun! Hooray to being a failed state (country)!
mrmoshpotato
Freedom to die? *sigh
West of the Rockies
Angry 2 a.m. (PST) hot takes…
Fucking Russia–do they do anything besides lie, cheat, and steal?
Fucking bar goers–stay home, assholes! Quit thinking with your genitals and constant need to party.
Fucking Florida–you’re lying about your numbers.
And a big, giant fuck you to Trump. You have easily 145,000 deaths on your hands. South Korea took care of their people and have, per capita, a scant fraction of the deaths we do. But, hey, USA! USA! USA!
Amir Khalid
My daily report might be late: The media briefing by the DG of Health is scheduled for 7:30pm today rather than the usual 5:30pm, so the release of the numbers on social media could be delayed accordingly.
In the meantime, the Kedah State Government has been permitted to impose a local enhanced movement control order, to run through 31 August, on the towns of Kubang Pasu and Padang Terap, which are close to the Thai border. They are the site of a new cluster where 11 new cases were reported yesterday. The population will be screened. The area is closed to outsiders. Locals will be screened before entering/exiting the area. Schools and houses of worship are closed.
West of the Rockies
@mrmoshpotato:
I wonder what percentage of those people are far-right, knuckle-dragging Morlocks.
NotMax
FYI (emphasis added).
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Amir Khalid:
We’re gonna have to dock your pay for a day, you know the rules.
West of the Rockies
@NotMax:
Another Trump protocol creating confusion and falsehoods… Surprise, surprise.
mrmoshpotato
@West of the Rockies: Good question.
mrmoshpotato
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Ouch. An entire day. Harsh.
Betty Cracker
I don’t trust any numbers coming out of Florida. DeSantis has been cooking the books all along, and he suspended testing over the weekend because of the hurricane. No testing, no cases, just like Trump said.
Amir Khalid
Not delayed after all.
Malaysia’s daily numbers. Two new cases, both from local infection and both involving Malaysians. One from the cluster I mentioned #4, one a college student in the Federal Territory of Labuan. Cumulative total 9,001 cases.
DG of Health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the index case for the new cluster in Kedah was a Kubang Pasu nasi kandar restaurateur who came back from a trip to India and did not comply with his Home Surveillance (i.e. quarantine) Order. He also didn’t comply with the SOPs requiring either the use of the MYsejahtera contact tracing phone app at his nasi kandar place, or keeping a log of customer’s names and phone numbers. 21 people out of 425 have tested positive in the cluster, and 18 are still awaiting test results.
Four more patients recovered and were discharged, total 8,668 patients recovered or 96.3% of the cumulative total. Active and contagious cases being isolated/treated in hospital dropped again to 208; the one patient currently in ICU is not on a respirator.
No new deaths. The total remains at 125 deaths, 1.39% of the cumulative total of cases and 1.42% of resolved cases.
ETA: Does this mean my pay won’t get docked?
Amir Khalid
@Betty Cracker:
When it comes to cooking the Covid-19 stats, Florida is in good company.
Mary G
Another family unloads on Twitler, Gov. Abbott, and assholes in an obit:
Amir Khalid
@mrmoshpotato:
As it happens, Day of Freedom (Tag der Freiheit) is also the title of a 1935 Leni Reifenstahl propaganda film extolling Germany’s Third Reich-era armed forces. I winder if the AfD was involved in this march.
OzarkHillbilly
Sorry, that check has already been cut. To get your pay you will have to go down to HR and fill out a form 1042-Z9-T666, take it to your bank and have it notarized in front of at least 3 witnesses not related to you, nor employed by your bank, and return it to HR with the $187.52 filing fee. Cash only.
WereBear
This might be the most Republican thing I’ve read in months. Of course, it’s a crowded field.
satby
I’m calling the county health department again today and again complaining vociferously about their refusal to do their jobs and shut down non-compliant food vendors at the market. Though according to a story in the local rag, they’ve dragged their feet on shutting anything down even on repeat visits to food services showing non-compliance. Fucking useless Republican governance.
Edit: and I’m positive Indiana has also been lying about cases.
Anne Laurie
@WereBear: They’re gonna make the virus an offer it can’t refuse!
Sloane Ranger
OK, it seems that the academic I mentioned yesterday who was talking about locking down the old (50+) and letting the youngsters work and frolic may have been floating a trial balloon for the Government. The response has been incandescent so I don’t think it’s likely to happen.
Not only will older people lose their jobs at a time when the state retirement age is undergoing a staged increase to 75 but people are pointing out that they provide childcare for their working age children, as well as the vast bulk of volunteers for food banks and other charities.
Matt McIrvin
I just saw a new (to me) anti-masker crank tactic in YouTube comments: a theme-park-fan YouTuber put up a video advocating masking policies at open amusement parks, and someone started leaving comments on his other videos threatening to report the YouTuber for “medical fraud” because he was giving medical advice without a license.
(The crank also called them “slaveMasks” and went on about the ADA, at which point someone who had gotten exceptions on the basis of an actual disability called bullshit on the guy.)
YY_Sima Qian
Yesterday, China reported 36 new domestic confirmed cases and 8 new domestic asymptomatic cases.
Ürumqi in Xinjiang “Autonomous” Region reported 28 new confirmed cases, and 8 new asymptomatic cases. 5 case in critical condition, and 21 in serious condition, 1 serious case has stabilized to moderate condition. There are currently 590 confirmed cases (586 in Ürumqi, 2 at Kashgar, and 1 each at Changji Prefecture and Xinjiang Construction Corps), and 116 asymptomatic cases (114 in Ürumqi, 1 each in Changji Prefecture and Xinjiang Construction Corps), plus 1 asymptomatic case exported to Shaoxing in Zhejiang Province. 7 confirmed cases have recovered and been released from hospitals, 4 asymptomatic cases have been released from medical quarantine (including 7 of each yesterday). There are 14939 close contacts under quarantine and medical observation.
Dalian in Liaoning Province reported 8 new confirmed cases, 5 of whom were previously designated as asymptomatic, and no new asymptomatic cases. The outbreak in Dalian has a total of 87 confirmed cases: 3 serious cases, 72 moderate cases and 13 mild cases; 38 are workers from the import seafood processing plant, 12 are their close contacts, 20 are residents of Dalian Bay sub-district, and 16 are close contacts of confirmed/asymptotic cases not directly connected to the plant, 1 has unclear source of transmission. The city also has 27 asymptomatic cases: 17 are workers from the import seafood processing plant, 2 are their close contacts, 6 are residents of Dalian Bay sub-district, and 2 are close contacts of confirmed/asymptotic cases not directly connected to the plant. Additionally, 6 confirmed and 9 asymptomatic cases exported to the rest of China.
Dalian Municipal Health Commission reported that the authorities shut down the import seafood processing plan within 1 hr of the first case being confirmed. The city just completed the 2nd round of mass screening of residents in high risk sub-district, including 1.03M individuals alone. The city is embarking on a 3rd round of mass screening in the hot spot areas. DNA sequence analysis has shown that the Dalian outbreak is different from the strains that were previously prevalent in China during the 1st wave, and also not related to any of the local outbreaks (Harbin, Mudanjiang, Jilin City, Beijing Xinfadi exchange, and Ürumqi). The authorities suspect that the Dalian outbreak is caused by a foreign introduction, whether human to human or via fomite transmission is unknown.
Yesterday, China reported 7 new imported confirmed cases, 3 imported asymptomatic cases, 3 imported suspect cases:
Today, Hong Kong reported 80 new cases, XX from local transmission, XX of whom do not have clear source of transmission. 27 people have passed away in this 3rd wave, all elderly.
low-tech cyclist
Bolivia and the U.S. Like Butch and Sundance.
Wait…
Enhanced Voting Techniques
hydroxychloroquine is a Hard Right fantasy of what a freemarket solution to the pandemic would look like; off the self and takes to government to implement so a rugged individualist (as in white, male, Christian, Republican) can take it, be safe while the unworthy The Others get sick and die. The fact that public heath officials denounce hydroxychloroquine just reinforces the fantasy to the Ultra-Right since their world, the government is always denying the good Americans (as in white, Christian, male Republican) their due with oppressive laws that deny good Americans (as in white, Christian, male Republican) the right to scream insults at The Others in the work place . No Russians needed.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Amir Khalid: Speaking of dead silence, funny how one hears nothing from the Wikileaks people during this pandemic? One would think that a group devoted to government transparency like Wikileaks claims is getting the raw data out.
Amir Khalid
@Enhanced Voting Techniques:
I haven’t heard of Wikileaks being up to much of anything lately. Are they even still around?
Robert Sneddon
Scotland update — 18 new confirmed cases (0.7% of tests), no new deaths. The hospitalisation and ICU figures remain steady, at 265 and 3 respectively. Remember though this is a weekend figure, some reports from understaffed healthcare offices may not have made it to the central authorities. Tuesday’s figures will be more authoritative in that regard.
Most of the new reported cases are from the north-east of Scotland where a cluster of cases spread from an Aberdeen pub at the weekend. The Scottish government isn’t saying that these new cases are definitely part of that cluster, at least not yet.
Sloane Ranger
UK wide figures for today, 938 new cases (including the 18 Scottish cases Robert Sneddon reported) and 9 deaths. The reduced deaths is good news but the increase in new cases is worrying.
I repeat Robert Sneddon’s warning that the figures from the weekend will not all have been processed and tomorrow will be a better indicator.
Just Chuck
@West of the Rockies:
Plenty of honest Russian tech companies: Kaspersky comes to mind. But while I think Eugene Kaspersky is an honorable man, I still won’t trust anything coming out of there that isn’t open source, lest the 100% mendacious and malicious government get its hands on it.
Just Chuck
@Amir Khalid: Wikileaks is still around, but no longer trusted by good-faith operators. Internal squabbling also caused most of its administration to jump ship, and Assange can’t exactly run it anymore. So it basically tore itself apart. And nothing of value was lost.
Matt McIrvin
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: I think the hydroxychloroquine obsession is easy to explain: it’s all because of Trump. He wanted a magic bullet he could tout to reassure everyone this would all be over soon, and happened to latch onto HCQ early as the miracle cure. Once that happened, everyone who was a Trump fan had to believe in HCQ with all their hearts, and he couldn’t ever admit he was wrong so he had to double down and double down. It was completely path-dependent; HCQ just happened to be one of the first drugs that was widely mentioned as possibly having some benefit.
There are still some legit studies investigating whether it might have some real benefit, maybe if given early enough. It’s not a completely crazy idea. But the discourse over it is completely separated from reality, because the HCQ fans insist it’s not just one possible tool in the toolbox with some marginal utility, but a miracle cure that the liberals are now suppressing because they’re trying to make the pandemic worse. If some study failed to show it as such, there must have been something important they were missing (e. g. the zinc).
Robert Sneddon
@Matt McIrvin:
There was a lovely comment on one of the pharma insider blogs to the effect of “Zinc is to COVID-19 what Spam is to Monty Python skits.”
charon
The only reason it was ever mentioned started with some bogus study published by some charlatan called Didier Raoult, in France. Guy has done previous other hoaxes. People have looked at his data, show signs of cherry picking and massaging.
Study got noticed by some obscure web site, then started bouncing around the right media echo chamber until Trump noticed it.
Between Trump pushing this shit and people self medicating with it, the political pressure got to where legitimate studies had to be done, consistently the drug makes things worse for COVID patients.
Drug is pretty dangerous, people are getting into trouble, sometimes serious, by self medicating.
@Matt McIrvi
Falling Diphthong
Trump is now attacking Birx.
As near as I can untangle his reasoning, Pelosi expressed a lack of faith in Birx, causing Birx to falsely say on CNN that the pandemic was an actual thing.