Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

Not all heroes wear capes.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

I can’t take this shit today. I just can’t.

We still have time to mess this up!

People are complicated. Love is not.

I don’t care how fun he is after a few whiskies. fuck that guy.

False Scribes! False Scribes!

This is a big f—–g deal.

The revolution will be supervised.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

We need fewer warriors in public service and more gardeners.

I did not have this on my fuck 2020 bingo card.

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

Verified, but limited!

It was down to kool-aid drinkers and next of kin at the trump White House

Accountability, motherfuckers.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Too inconsequential to be sued

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

Everybody saw this coming.

You are here: Home / Healthcare / COVID-19 Coronavirus / COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Saturday/Sunday, Jan. 23-24

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Saturday/Sunday, Jan. 23-24

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65Comments

  1. 1.

    CarolDuhart2

    I recall hearing that cloth masks were really meant for low-level, short term exposure situations, and at the very least stop-gap situations until better masks were available. And that once hospitals had more than enough supply, the general population would have plenty. That we are still in the States relying on them for the majority of our masking needs is criminal-another charge the Trumpites need to be slapped with.

    I still feel hope even though finding out there was no plan was terrible to my hopes of actually getting out of the house sometime in the spring. At least there will be competent people handling this-I even expect giving the pace things are going, to have things actually subside by the Fall.

    With the message that there are new strains, perhaps we should encourage continued mask-wearing-surgical combined with a cloth one for the time being, and later outdoor cloth wearing at a minimum.

  2. 2.

    Mary G

    Yesterday’s OC numbers were too good to be true and today’s are back up to 2,752 new cases and 78 deaths. Hospitalizations continue to go down, which is good.

  3. 3.

    YY_Sima Qian

    On 1/23 China reported 65 new domestic confirmed, 82 new domestic asymptomatic cases.

    Liaoning Province did not report any new domestic positive cases:

    • At Dalian, 2 domestic confirmed cases remain. There are 2 communities currently at Medium Risk in the city.
    • At Shenyang, 2 domestic confirmed case recovered. There are currently 2 domestic confirmed cases in the city.

     

    Beijing Municipality reported 2 new domestic confirmed cases, both at the Daxing District and 1 at the epicenter community, both developed symptoms on 1/22, but both were already under home quarantine since 1/17. There are currently 2 villages (both at Shunyi District) at Medium Risk. 1 community (at Daxing District) is at High Risk.

    Hebei Province:

    Hebei Provincial Health Commission reported 19 new domestic confirmed cases (12 previously asymptomatic) & 1 domestic asymptomatic cases. 17 domestic confirmed case recovered & 10 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There are currently 836 domestic confirmed cases (13 critical, 30 serious, 643 moderate and 150 mild) & 99 domestic asymptomatic cases in the province:

    • Xingtai reported 2 new domestic confirmed cases (1 previously asymptomatic), both at Nangong District. The new positive case is a traced close contact already under centralized quarantine since 1/15, the previously asymptomatic case is a traced close contact under centralized quarantine since 1/3 and diagnosed as asymptomatic on 1/14. 2 domestic confirmed case recovered. There are currently 59 domestic confirmed & 10 domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. Nangong District remains at High Risk, 1 residential compound at Longyao County remains at Medium Risk.
    • Langfang did not report any new domestic positive cases. There are 1 domestic confirmed & 1 domestic asymptomatic cases there. 1 residential compound remain at Medium Risk.
    • Shijiazhuang reported 17 new domestic confirmed cases (11 previously asymptomatic) & 1 domestic asymptomatic case. 15 domestic confirmed case recovered & 10 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. 11 of the confirmed cases are at Gaocheng District (8 previously asymptomatic already under isolation, 2 from mass screening already under home or centralized quarantines, and 1 at fever clinic having been treated there since 1/11 but continued to test negative on RT-PCR until 1/22), all at the epicenter township; 2 at Pingshan County (both from mass screening), 2 at Yuhua District (both previously asymptomatic), 1 at New Dev. Zone (a traced close contact), and 1 at Qiaoxi District (previously asymptomatic). 15 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 23 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. Currently, there are 776 confirmed cases & 88 asymptomatic cases. There are 30 residential compounds, 7 villages & 1 residential building at Medium Risk in the city. Gaocheng & Xinle Districts remain at High Risk.

     

    Heilongjiang Province:

    Heilongjiang Province reported 29 new domestic confirmed & 51 new domestic asymptomatic cases. 7 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 1 domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation. There are currently 382 domestic confirmed & 514 domestic asymptomatic cases in the province.:

    • Suihua reported 26 new domestic confirmed & 25 new domestic asymptomatic cases. Wangkui County reported 26 confirmed & 24 asymptomatic cases, Hailun reported 1 asymptomatic case. No case information released so far. 6 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 1 domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation. There are currently 351 domestic confirmed & 377 domestic asymptomatic cases there. The entire Wangkui County remains at High Risk.
    • Harbin reported 3 new domestic confirmed (all at Limin Dev. Zone) & 26 asymptomatic cases (17 at Hulan District, 8 at Limin Dev. Zone, & 1 at Xiangfang District). 28 of the positive cases are employees at the poultry processing plant or their close contacts, the case at Xiangfang District is a traced close contact already under centralized quarantine. The poultry processing plant outbreak transmission chain has 95 positive cases so far. Genomic sequencing of viral samples from the outbreak matches that of the one at Wangkui County. Positive samples have been collected at the slaughtering floor, corridors, changing rooms, cold storage warehouse and outer packaging. There are currently 28 domestic confirmed & 100 domestic asymptomatic cases there. 8 sub-districts & 4 residential building units remain at Medium Risk.
    • Qiqihar did not report any new domestic positive cases. There are 1 domestic confirmed & 31 domestic asymptomatic cases there. 1 village remains at Medium Risk.
    • Yichun did not report any new domestic positive cases. There are 2 domestic asymptomatic cases there.
    • Daqing did not report any new positive cases. There are 2 domestic confirmed & 1 domestic asymptomatic cases there. 1 residential building unit remains at Medium Risk.
    • Mudanjiang did not report any new positive cases. There are 3 domestic asymptomatic cases there. 
    • At Heihe, the last domestic confirmed case recovered.

     

    Jilin Province 

    Jilin Province reported 12 new domestic confirmed cases (7 previously asymptomatic) & 29 domestic asymptomatic cases, there are currently 206 confirmed (9 critical, 9 serious, 156 moderate and 32 mild) & 119 asymptomatic cases there.:

    • Songyuan reported 2 new domestic confirmed cases (both previously asymptomatic). There are 4 domestic confirmed cases there. 1 residential compound remains at Medium Risk.
    • Tonghua reported 2 new domestic confirmed & 19 new domestic asymptomatic cases. Both confirmed & 9 asymptomatic cases are traced close contacts or individuals deemed at high risk of exposure,  already under centralized quarantine, the remaining positive cases are found via mass screening. There are currently 140 domestic confirmed & 100 domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. The entire Dongchang District remains at High Risk. 1 residential compound at the High Tech. Dev. Zone remains at Medium Risk.
    • Changchun reported 8 new domestic confirmed (5 previously asymptomatic) & 10 domestic asymptomatic cases. 11 of the new positive cases are traced close contacts or individuals deemed at high risk of exposure, already under centralized quarantine, the other 2 are from mass screening. There are currently 62 domestic confirmed & 19 domestic asymptomatic cases in the city. Mass screening of all residents are ongoing. 1 township & 3 residential compounds are at Medium Risk.

     

    Shanghai Municipality reported 3 new domestic confirmed cases (all at Huangpu District). All 3 confirmed cases are traced close contacts, already under centralized quarantine since 12/21. Currently there are 12 confirmed cases in the city. 1 resident compound and 1 hotel were elevated to Medium Risk. 1 residential compound, 1 residential area and 1 hotel are currently at Medium Risk. 

    Shenzhen in Guangdong Province reported 1 new domestic asymptomatic case, a contractor staff at a quarantine hotel, found via regular screening of service staff at such facilities. 24 close contacts have been traced.

    Imported Cases:

    On 1/23, China reported 15 new imported confirmed cases, 10 imported asymptomatic cases, 1 imported suspect case:

    • Shanghai Municipality – 3 confirmed cases, 2 Chinese nationals returning from Mexico (via Germany) and 1 from the US; 1 suspect case, no information released
    • Shenzhen in Guangdong Province – 2 confirmed cases, both Chinese nationals returning from Mozambique
    • Jiangmen in Guangdong Province – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from Mozambique (via Doha & Muscat), off a flight that landed Guangzhou
    • Foshan in Guangdong Province – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from Kuwait, off a flight that landed at Guangzhou
    • Zhaoqing in Guangdong Province – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from Nigeria (via Nairobi)
    • Taiyuan in Shanxi Province – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese nationals returning from Croatia, off a flight diverted from Beijing
    • Yuncheng in Shanxi Province – 1 confirmed case (previously asymptomatic)
    • Tianjin Municipality – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from Ghana (via Paris CdG); 4 asymptomatic cases, 2 Chinese nationals returning from Poland, and 1 each from Morocco and Nigeria (both via Paris CdG)
    • Xi’an in Shaanxi Province – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from the UAE, off a flight diverted from Beijing
    • Lanzhou in Gansu Province – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from Russia
    • Wuxi in Jiangsu Province – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from the US, off a flight that landed at Shanghai
    • Shenyang in Liaoning Province – 1 confirmed case, no information released
    • Chengdu in Sichuan Province – 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from Nepal
    • Dazhou in Sichuan Province – 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from Malaysia; the case landed at Guangzhou in Guangdong Province on 12/31, passed through the 14 days of centralized quarantine and tested negative on RT-PCR 3 times, upon release from quarantine on 1/14 flew to Chongqing Municipality and drove to Dazhou, where he entered home quarantine
    • Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province – 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from Brazil
    • Yiwu in Jinhua, Zhejiang Province – 1 asymptomatic case, an Indian national coming from India (via Kathmandu); the case landed at Guangzhou in Guangdong Province on 1/5, passed through the 14 days of centralized quarantine and tested negative on RT-PCR 3 times, upon release from quarantine on 1/20 flew to Yiwu, where she entered centralized quarantine
    • Fuzhou in Fujian Province – 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from Indonesia
    • Xiamen in Fujian Province – 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from Canada

     

    Overall in China, 30 confirmed cases recovered, 15 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation and 21 were reclassified as confirmed cases, and 1,722 individuals were released from quarantine. Currently, there are 1,800 active confirmed cases in the country (298 imported), 94 are in critical/serious condition (2 imported), 1,017 asymptomatic cases (273 imported), 2 suspect cases (all imported). 37,678 traced contacts are currently under centralized quarantine.

    On 1/24, Hong Kong reported 76 new cases, 4 imported and 72 domestic (27 of whom do not have sources of infection identified).

  4. 4.

    NeenerNeener

    Monroe County, NY yesterday:

    315 new cases. 703 hospitalized, 150 in the ICU. Now 893 deaths, up from 841 deaths. 33% of hospital beds available, 22% of ICU beds available. 5.5% positivity. That’s more patients in the ICU than yesterday.

    My niece who does data analysis for Dartmouth-Hitchcock Hospital in New Hampshire got her first Fauci Ouchie yesterday.

  5. 5.

    wvng

    Down deep in Frieden’s Tweet stream he discusses the selective pressures on the virus, and implies the critical need to vaccinate the whole world quickly, implies an “or else” consequence for failing. There IS light at the end of the tunnel, but the tunnel will get longer if we don’t do everything right, right now.

    Frieden: “Here’s a crucially important risk. As immunity from infection and vaccination increases, selective pressure on the virus will favor emergence of strains that can reinfect people and also strains that can escape vaccine-induced immunity. Never under-estimate the enemy. 11/

    And don’t assume that more infectious strains will be less lethal. Strains that increase the duration of shedding would have an evolutionary advantage. Instead of declining rapidly, viral load might persist, increasing spread and also increasing risk to health care workers. 12/
    The more uncontrolled spread of Covid, the higher the risk that mutants that can evade our natural defenses (immunity from infection or vaccination) will arise and spread. So as we vaccinate, it’s EVEN MORE important we improve testing, isolation, tracing, and quarantine. 13/”

  6. 6.

    Amir Khalid

    Malaysia’s daily Covid-19 numbers. Director-General of Health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah reports 3,346 new cases today in his media statement, for a cumulative reported total of 183,801 cases. He also reports 11 new deaths today, for a total of 678 deaths — 0.37% of the cumulative reported total, 0.48% of resolved cases.

    There are currently 42,677 active and contagious cases; 265 are in ICU, 102 of them on respirators. Meanwhile, 4,427 patients recovered and were discharged, beating yesterday’s record, for a total of 141,446 patients recovered – 77.0% of the cumulative reported total.

    Meawhile, the Ministry of Health tweeted that as of 22nd January, the nationwide R0 was at 1.09.

    Nine new clusters were reported today: Jalan Segama and Ladang Segama in Sabah; Keluli Tujuh and Jalan Tengar in Johor; Jalan Sebelas in Selangor; Sri Petaling building site in KL; Bukit Emas in Negeri Sembilan; Flora building site in Putrajaya; and Tembok Taiping in Perak. All are workplace clusters, except for Tembok Taiping which is a detention centre.

    3,339 new cases today are local infections. Selangor has 949 local cases: 240 in older clusters, 83 in Jalan Sebelas cluster, 482 close-contact screenings, and 144 other screenings. Sabah has 431 cases: 40 in older clusters, 23 in Jalan Segama and Ladang Segama clusters, 298 close-contact screenings, and 70 other screenings. KL has 387 local cases: 33 in older clusters, 44 in Sri Petaling building site cluster, 158 close-contact screenings, and 152 other screenings. Johor has 375 local cases: 59 in older clusters, 29 in Keluli Tujuh and Jalan Tengar clusters, 171 close-contact screenings, and 116 other screenings. Sarawak has 255 cases: 168 in existing clusters, and 87 other screenings.

    Terengganu has 178 cases: 52 in existing clusters, 89 close-contact screenings, and 382 other screenings. Negeri Sembilan has 160 cases: 50 in older clusters, 12 in Bukit Emas cluster, 46 close-contact screenings, and 52 other screenings. Melaka has 152 cases: 95 in existing clusters, 39 close-contact screenings, and 18 other screenings.

    Penang has 90 cases: 14 in existing clusters, 26 close-contact screenings, and 50 other screenings. Kedah has 85 cases: 15 in existing clusters, 28 close-contact screenings, and 42 other screenings. Kelantan has 77 cases: four in existing clusters, 49 close-contact screenings, and 24 other screenings. Pahang has 63 cases: 15 in existing clusters, 34 close-contact screenings, and 14 other screenings. Labuan has 49 cases: 19 in existing clusters, 22 close-contact screenings, and eight other screenings. Perak has 46 cases: four in older clusters, six in Tembok Taiping cluster, 17 close-contact screenings, and 19 other screenings.

    Putrajaya has 38 cases: four in older clusters, 13 in Flora building site cluster, 13 close-contact screenings, and eight other screenings. And Perlis ha three cases: two close-contact screenings, and one other screening.

    Seven new cases are imported. Three were reported in KL, three in Johor, and one in Selangor.

    The 11 deaths today are a 60-year-old man in Sabah with diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidaemia; an 83-year-old man in Terengganu with diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and gout; a 91-year-old man in Sarawak with hypertension, heart disease, stroke, and dyslipidaemia; a 60-year-old man in Terengganu with diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease; a 34-year-old man in Melaka with asthma; a 61-year-old woman in Selangor with diabetes, hypertension, lung fibrosis, and osteoarthritis; an 85-year-old man in Johor with chronic kidney disease; a 65-year-old man in Johor with diabetes and hypertension; a 54-year-old woman in Sarawak, DOA with diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease; a 36-year-old woman in Sarawak with hypertension and obesity; and a 68-year-old non-Malaysian man, DOA with a stomach ulcer.

  7. 7.

    Amir Khalid

    I’m wondering if I should switch from 3-ply disposable masks to N95s. I priced the latter online: the ones made by 3M cost 180 ringgir for a pack of 50, six times as much as the 3-ply masks I get at the supermarket. Should I go for the N95s?

  8. 8.

    Geo Wilcox

    @Amir Khalid: That’s all we have ever used since February. We only go to the store once a week and wear the masks the whole time. So far so good. I don’t trust plain clothe masks, never have.

  9. 9.

    Platonicspoof

    Jan. 21st press release, not a published paper, on a partially preventive treatment for outbreaks when no longer time for vaccinations:

    Eli Lilly said Thursday that its monoclonal antibody prevented Covid-19 infections in nursing home residents and staff in a clinical trial, the first time such a treatment has been shown to prevent infection.

     

    Among these, 965, symptomatic Covid-19 infections were reduced by 57%.

     

    “Of course, I think the vaccines are more effective than prophylaxis and likely longer lasting,” Daniel Skovronsky, Eli Lilly’s chief scientific officer, said in an interview. “So this should not be seen in any way as competition to vaccines. It should be for when it’s too late, when there’s an outbreak and people are getting exposed and there’s not going to be time for a vaccine to work.

     

     Use of the monoclonal antibodies has been more sporadic than expected, in part because of distribution problems and in part because doctors and patients don’t know to ask for them.

     

    Edit for one more quote.

  12. 12.

    Platonicspoof

    Bloomberg interview with Moncef Slaoui, former chief scientific adviser to Operation Warp Speed (asked to resign by Biden administration):

     Having lived in Europe and now the U.S., clearly the health systems are so dramatically different, like opposites. The issue in the U.S. is that the system is so fragmented, there are so many health providers, so many health insurers, so many systems, so many jurisdictions, and people are moving so much more between them than people move around in Europe. It’s really hard to deliver a coherent message to people, and it’s hard to mobilize everyone at once in the health-care system to do something.

  13. 13.

    JeanneT

    Mask-wise, it seems to me that it’s most important for all people who are with others in the workplace to be wearing the N95s (or layering 2 masks).  Those would also be wise for people who are in taxis/ubers, buses, planes, trains or attending indoor events that last more than 10 minutes.

    But I do feel quite secure wearing my 3 ply (and tight fitting) cloth mask while visiting with my pod, during my fleeting visits to local shops and during distanced visiting with people outdoors – as long as the other people involved are masked too.  IF I lived in one of the areas where masking is rare, I’d definitely go for the N95s!

  14. 14.

    debbie

    @Geo Wilcox:

    Based on the issues I’ve had with my glasses fogging up in this cold weather (paper work better then cloth), I trust cloth masks, providing I speed-shop and maintain distance. I’ve switched to paper until the weather warms up.

  15. 15.

    Nicole

    @debbie: Thanks for that comment; I’ve had terrible trouble with my glasses fogging up in the cold; I’ll look to change to paper (K95) masks, too.

    I also got my doctor to hook me up with a distance contact for one eye and a close up contact for the other eye so my middle-aged eyes can manage without glasses some days.

  16. 16.

    satby

    @Amir Khalid: @JeanneT: I rotate between cloth, surgical, and N95, lately doubling masks sometimes when I might be somewhere more crowded or close to patients who need assistance moving. To me the focus on masks is a little misguided, because without isolating, distancing AND good handwashing / no face touching practice the mask isn’t a fool-proof solution. Even the N95s allow some potential exposure. I’ve been out and pretty exposed to actual cases for most of the pandemic and I think the distancing/washing/ mask usage in that order is what has kept me from catching covid. Masks are important, but the other stuff is as or more important.

  17. 17.

    Fair Economist

    @Mary G: In general California reporting doesn’t have much of the weekly cycle you see in most places but on the county level there’s a lot of day-to-day variation. I’ve seen 4x changes in one day from San Bernadino and Riverside.

    @satby: The data is pretty strong that aerosol is the primary method of transmission and that means masks are more important than hand-washing. Distancing is still king, as you say.

  18. 18.

    Planetjanet

    I am hearing a LOT of PSAs on masks and Covid on CNN.  There is likely a full court press.  Also Fauci did long interviews on MSNBC over the weekend.  I heard him both on Rachael Maddow and Rev. Al Sharpton.  He said he had not been allowed before to speak on the network.

  19. 19.

    satby

    @Fair Economist: I totally get that aerosols are the primary means of exposure. I was very clear on isolation and distancing being more protective. My point was that all masks allow infiltration, more or less, and aren’t a magic bullet. I have been directly exposed to at least 7 confirmed covid cases during their infectious period (there’s no meaningful contact tracing here), most of the time wearing cloth masks, not N95 ones. People need to do what makes them feel safe, but I worry that the obsession with masks leads to less rigorous attention to the other legs of the stool.

  20. 20.

    Obvious Russian Troll

    @Nicole: Trick I read on the Internet was to slip a kleenex inside the mask to absorb moisture. I’ve tried it the last couple of days and it’s definitely helped with fogging.

  21. 21.

    Sloane Ranger

    Yesterday in the UK we had 33,552 new cases. This is down about 6700 from the day before and a reduction in the 7-day rolling average of 23.5%. Caution is needed, however, as these are weekend figures, which are normally lower. New cases by nation,

    England – 30,496 (down @6600)

    Northern Ireland – 670 (down @200)

    Scotland – 1307 (down @180)

    Wales – 1076 (up @200).

    Deaths – There were 1348 deaths within 28 days of a positive test yesterday. An increase of 13.2% in the rolling 7-day average. 1233 deaths were in England, 12 in Northern Ireland, 76 in Scotland and 27 in Wales.

    Testing – Not updated at weekends.

    Hospitalisations – There were 37,899 people in hospital on 21 January and 4076 people on ventilators on the 22nd. The rolling 7-day average for hospital admissions has gone down by 6.1%.

    Vaccinations – As of 22 January, 5,861,351 people had received the 1st dose of a vaccine and 468,617 had received their 2nd dose.

    General – The rate per 100,000 of the population is currently, in increasing order,

    Scotland – 201

    Wales – 279.1

    Northern Ireland – 335

    England – 453.3.

    Nothing else of note (except it’s snowing here and I’m worried about my bay window roof holding!)

  22. 22.

    Fair Economist

    @satby: Agreed you need everything. People have forgotten that cloth masks are only moderately protective; their benefit is that on a societal level in combination with other measures they reduce R below 1 and control the epidemic. They’re not nearly enough to protect an individual in a risky situation.

    The worst part is the new higher-spread variants are apparently too much for cloth masks to control the spread. We will need to move to more definitive control like n95 or double-masking with surgical masks, and I don’t think this message is getting out.

  23. 23.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Sloane Ranger:

    Nothing else of note (except it’s snowing here and I’m worried about my bay window roof holding!) 

    🎶Snow, snow, go away.  Break my roof some other day 🎶

  24. 24.

    YY_Sima Qian

    If you can’t get the N95s (or find them too expensive), you can get their equivalents: KN95s, KF94s, and FFP2s. Yes, a lot of the KN95s you find on Amazon or AliExpress are probably junk, so you probably need to check carefully whether the manufacturer is approved for export by the Chinese authorities. The cheaper ear loop types of KN95s don’t seal as well as N95s or KN95s with GB2626-2006 specs (rated for medical use), but they are still better than surgical masks, and certainly far better than cloth masks.

    The best thing is to avoid crowded indoor situations, and to dress like nurses in COVID-19 ward if you cannot.

  25. 25.

    sab

    @Fair Economist: Thanks for the reminder on double masking. My car registration is up for renewal. It needs an e-check this time, and of course my check engine light is on because my last two oil changes were not at the dealer. So in to the dealer it goes where I have to wait for hours.

    I do not know why they haven’t waived the e-check during the pandemic. Republican lgovernment, I suppose.

  26. 26.

    sab

    @satby: I wear cotton gloves when I am out and about. They remind me not to touch my face. I also tie my hair back with a headband or a scarf so it doesn’t touch my face.

    Question I have: since covid supposedly only lives on most surfaces for about 72 hours, is it safe to hang used masks somewhere to age, and then to reuse them in a week or so?

  27. 27.

    Bill Arnold

    @Geo Wilcox:
    i was given a single proper fitted N95 (for drywall work from the before times) in spring 2020, and saved it for the fall/winter wave. Anyone who says that they shouldn’t be reused needs scientific proof; the fit on a double-rubber-band N95 (after shaving) is good and it is clear that all (nearly all at least) the air is going through the filter material. Store runs are rarely more than 30 minutes of use, and the active infections rate in the area is such that the probability of a close encounter with an infected person is not high.
    It is appalling to me that a year into the epidemic we are still unable to purchase proper N95 masks in the US. (Am I wrong? Amazon doesn’t sell them.)

    ETA I see them on Amazon now, browsing, happier.

  28. 28.

    Emma from FL

    @sab: IF I have made a short trip to a place I know enforces the rules, I hang the mask in the bathroom and spray it with 75% isopropyl alcohol a couple of times. But for anything else, is handwash in hot water and soap the moment I walk into the house.

    Washing the clothes I wore is NOT optional.

    (added) I call those “Florida rules”.

  29. 29.

    debbie

    NPR interviewed researcher Jeremy Howard (USF) about masks this morning. He said N- and KN95s can be sanitized by placing them in a 160-degree oven for 30 minutes or just rotating between several.

  32. 32.

    gwangung

    @debbie: Yeah, I’ve been rotating masks on a 7-day basis. Not hard when I only go out occasionally and for 10 minutes at a time.

     

    I’ve started to double mask, with a KN95 inner mask (Powecoms) and a Livinguard outer mask. The Livinguard will auto-deactivate viruses, and I rotate the KN95s, and will replace after a month.

  33. 33.

    Shalimar

    All the reporting on “Biden’s push” for 100 million doses in the first 100 days is pissing me off.  I have seen multiple people on tv questioning whether his presidency will begin as a failure if he doesn’t meet that number.  WTF?  That makes no sense.  I have total faith the distribution infrastructure will be ramped up and in place by then, but you can only distribute what you get.  And failure to procure a bigger share of the supply will be on Trump’s administrarion for many months to come.

  35. 35.

    NeenerNeener

    @sab: I had to have NYS inspection on my car last month. I double-masked and had a friend pick me up and take me back so I didn’t have to wait. I sat in the back seat of said friend’s car with all the windows open for both trips and sprayed the inside of my car with Lysol before I drove it home (with windows open). It was damned cold but I didn’t get covid.

    If it’s not terribly cold where you live bring a folding chair and sit outside the dealership.

  36. 36.

    Ivan X

    These threads are, on the one hand, really useful and informative; on the other, they make me feel like there’s never actually going to be a light at the end of the tunnel, what with mutant strains, mask ineffectiveness, etc, etc.

    I guess if I don’t wanna get this thing, it’s time to buy some N95’s.

  37. 37.

    Soapdish

    I had about 30 N95 masks in the basement I bought at Home Depot about 5 years ago. I keep two in rotation, wear one all day at work, and then swap them both out after two months.  I absolutely do not take it off when I’m indoors at work; I do not understand how people are allowed to remove them in their individual offices when we all share the same HVAC AND they can leave their office doors open AND everyone can take them off to eat at their desks. I eat my lunch in my car.

  40. 40.

    The Moar You Know

    Should I go for the N95s?

    @Amir Khalid:  Yes. holy hell, yes. The last batch I found I paid $5USD/each for 30 and they expect no further deliveries until April. N95s make you safer and put a dent in this thing like few other approaches. I’d like to see a concurrent effort along with getting much vaccine made and out there to do the same with N95 masks. The world needs them.

  41. 41.

    Nicole

    @Obvious Russian Troll: Oh, that’s great. I’ll try that, too.  It wasn’t so bad during the summer, but it’s been awful this winter.  I’m finishing up a ten day isolation period after a positive Covid test (I had a super mild case that I think was done before I tested positive, so no worries; I feel fine), and I have to say two highlights of the ten days by myself in a hotel suite  is that I’ve haven’t had to wear a mask… or shoes… for the entire stretch.  FREE THE FEET.

  42. 42.

    The Moar You Know

    Anyone who says that they shouldn’t be reused needs scientific proof;

    @Bill Arnold: N95s from the factory incorporate electrically charged particles (“electrets”, I think, or some similar name, fascinating substance) into the filter material.  Ultrafine dusts, some chemical contaminants, and virus particles attach themselves to those.

    The moisture from your breath will kill those in about 8-10 hours of use, so that’s why they are rated as single use only.

    However.

    The filter material still works and the fit around your face is good, not the atrocity that the paper surgical masks and the cloth masks have – with these, frankly, you aren’t breathing through the mask, you are breathing around it.  So, even a used N95 is giving you better respiratory protection than paper surgical or cloth will.  I use my miniscule stash one month per mask.  Leave them in my car handing from the rearview.  Since the car routinely hits well over 130 degrees inside towards the roofline, they’re sterilized for virus without ruining the mask fibers.  You can’t do this in summer here, it actually gets too hot in the car.

  43. 43.

    The Moar You Know

    Also, guys, if you are buying N/KN95s, check the FDA site to make sure they’re listed.  Not an easy listing to find or use but totally worth it.

    LOTS OF FAKES going around, because humans are vile.

  46. 46.

    The Moar You Know

    All of the fakes are made in China, or so I’ve been led to believe

    @debbie: Problem is, so are quite a few of the legit ones.  That’s why you gotta use the listing and, frankly, not buy from Amazon or eBay.  THEY DO NOT VET THEIR SELLERS.  Go to any decent industrial supply place.

  48. 48.

    gwangung

    Just a reminder that a great majority of legit masks are made in China.

    Also, Powecoms (which ARE on the CDC list) have an anti-piracy seal on them, that you can check with the manufacturer, so you can be reasonably be sure that they’re the real thing. And they’re reasonably priced.

  49. 49.

    sab

    @The Moar You Know: Good advice.

     

    @NeenerNeener: NE Ohio.  Since global warming not so cold. I might just do that.

    ETA : I like this dealership, next car I buy will be from them, but I do not need to sit in their waiting area watching tv, or wandering their showroom looking at cars I have no intention of buying this year. Turn down your sales to the don’t kill your regular customer level.

  52. 52.

    sab

    National drug store chain in next county let us sign up. No actual date yet. My pharmacy has a page but not allowed to sign up yet because my group not up yet. Signed up with county health but not a peep from them.

    I really hate the idea of signing up on multiple lists in multiple counties but, as my late father-in-law used to say ” Trust is like the soul. Once it is gone it doesn’t come back.” That is how I feel about current public health efforts. The polite patient people will get screwed while the guys pushing norms and good behavior might get the vaccine. Worked out pretty well for Guiliani.

  53. 53.

    Another Scott

    I’ve been using 3-layer Etsy woven cloth masks for ages (because the paper surgeon’s masks don’t fit my face well at all). I add a thick piece of Al-Cu wire to the bridge area to get a better seal. They work ok with my glasses, but there is variability.

    I recently ordered some of these Fit The Mask – mask braces and have briefly worn the Medium size (I ordered S and M). They work very, very well, but the fit around the nose still isn’t perfect (for me), but it’s very good. The area around the bridge is bulky, but I can still wear my glasses. I haven’t actually been out in public with one with a paper mask, but may try it tonight. I’m optimistic that this is a good solution. (Their Data page points to several of their Medium articles with more information.)

    I just finished my periodic check of availability of N95 masks on McMaster-Carr (none available) and Amazon (you can add them to your cart if you pick Other Sellers, but you can’t actually buy them unless you’re on their eligible list). So, I took a chance and ordered what were claimed to be 3M 8210 masks (20 pack) with a 2025 expiration date on eBay. $50 plus tax. We’ll see what we get.

    Stay safe, everyone.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  55. 55.

    Scout211

    https://www.businessinsider.com/n95-mask-co-review

    This Business Insider review of The N95 Mask Company is very informative and helpful.  I am reviewing the website and may purchase from them.  They N95 and KN95, as well as surgical masks.  The reviewer particularly liked how easy it was to purchase the masks from this company that apparently sells to the public as well as health providers.

  56. 56.

    Ruckus

    @The Moar You Know:

    I work in the manufacturing industry and have for decades. Which means I know of most of the good supply houses around and none of the ones I know have N95 masks, at least not that they sell to the public. This doesn’t mean there aren’t any, but good luck if you can find them. I bought some Chinese N95 masks that are on the Federal list of approved, because I wear them at work and frankly I’ve worn out my current supply a while ago. I wear 2 layer cloth masks with a filter paper insert that’s rated just below N95, which I make myself. And yes it’s a pain to make them but the filter paper is replaceable and the masks are washable, so while the efficiency isn’t tested anywhere, in theory they are good enough. Which is the point, if you social distance, and wear a decent mask, you cut down the exposure dramatically. Which means your risk is likewise. And I social distance like crazy.

  57. 57.

    Scout211

    @Scout211:

    Did not end up purchasing from this company after further review.  If anyone does purchase from them, please post a review.  Thanks.

  58. 58.

    Another Scott

    An old KHN story from August, that I saw cited in a tweet today.

    In a business driven by profit, vaccines have a problem. They’re not very profitable — at least not without government subsidies. Pharma companies favor expensive medicines that must be taken repeatedly and generate revenue for years or decades. Vaccines are often given only once or twice. In many parts of the world, established vaccines cost a few dollars per dose or less.

    Last year only four companies were making vaccines for the U.S. market, down from more than 20 in the 1970s. As recently as Feb. 11, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, complained that no major drug company had committed to “step up” to make a coronavirus vaccine, calling the situation “very difficult and frustrating.”

    Oxford University surprised and pleased advocates of overhauling the vaccine business in April by promising to donate the rights to its promising coronavirus vaccine to any drugmaker.

    The idea was to provide medicines preventing or treating COVID-19 at a low cost or free of charge, the British university said. That made sense to people seeking change. The coronavirus was raging. Many agreed that traditional vaccine development, characterized by long lead times, manufacturing monopolies and weak investment, was broken.

    “We actually thought they were going to do that,” James Love, director of Knowledge Ecology International, a nonprofit that works to expand access to medical technology, said of Oxford’s pledge. “Why wouldn’t people agree to let everyone have access to the best vaccines possible?”

    A few weeks later, Oxford—urged on by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation—reversed course. It signed an exclusive vaccine deal with AstraZeneca that gave the pharmaceutical giant sole rights and no guarantee of low prices—with the less-publicized potential for Oxford to eventually make millions from the deal and win plenty of prestige.

    Other companies working on coronavirus vaccines have followed the same line, collecting billions in government grants, hoarding patents, revealing as little as possible about their deals—and planning to charge up to $37 a dose for potentially hundreds of millions of shots.

    […]

    (Emphasis added.)

    There has to be a thorough study of what things were done, and why, in all of the post-plague investigations. We know that more pandemics are coming. We need to remove the scales from our eyes about giant “philanthropies”. We must have systems in place that do not reward profiteers and the well-connected at the expense of everyone else.

    Grrr…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  60. 60.

    Platonicspoof

    @Another Scott:

    I’m posting your KHN link, from the KHN web page, just to test something, so everyone ignore my comment.

    (When I mouseover the KHN link, the cursor remains a text selection pointer, instead of becoming a hand pointer, and the new page doesn’t open)

    Edit:  The KHN link in my comment works. And spelling.

  61. 61.

    Another Scott

    @Platonicspoof: Whoops.  I didn’t do the link right – that’s why it shows up as blue but there’s no hover-over indication in my comment.

    This is the correct link.

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  63. 63.

    Another Scott

    Dead thread, but an interesting article at STATNews:

    […]

    Today, the best evidence suggests that about half of Covid-19 cases are caused by infected people who do not have symptoms when they pass on the virus. These symptom-free spreaders are roughly divided between those who later develop symptoms, known as pre-symptomatic individuals, and those who never develop symptoms.

    While the importance of asymptomatic infection in understanding Covid-19 has been surprising to some, infectious disease experts have long known that infection without symptoms is common in many illnesses. More than 90% of people infected with poliovirus have no symptoms. And about 75% of influenza infections have been estimated to be asymptomatic. Yet these important precedents have largely been ignored.

    Asymptomatic coronavirus infection is not necessarily benign. Several studies have reported abnormal lung scans in those infected without symptoms, as well as myocarditis, a type of heart inflammation. The long-term health implications of asymptomatic infection aren’t known.

    Even though knowledge about asymptomatic infection has greatly evolved, tactics for combating the pandemic have not. It is now obvious that testing only those with symptoms, as was common early in the pandemic, is a mistake because it ignores the invisible legions of infected people who have no symptoms. But it is not enough to merely increase the number of tests. The problem is that current testing practices are ill-suited to detecting and containing asymptomatic infection.

    Virtually all of the coronavirus testing performed in the U.S. looks for the genetic material of the virus using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). It requires expensive equipment and trained technicians. Results are typically returned days — sometimes even weeks — after the test. That means people learn they have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 long after they may have passed the virus to others. Testing becomes more about accounting — tallying the number of detected infections — than about containing the spread of the virus.

    Related: What we now know — and don’t know — about the coronavirus variants
    What’s needed is a pivot to a different type of testing. Antigen tests, which look for a bit of coronavirus protein, cost just a few dollars each and can yield results in minutes. Like home pregnancy tests, they require minimal instruction. Antigen tests are ideal for spotting people who are infectious, rather than those who may be long past the infectious phase of Covid-19, or who harbor such low levels of the virus that they are unlikely to infect others.

    Inexpensive rapid home tests would help infected people isolate themselves before they could spread the virus. Frequent testing — at least several times per week — is essential, as demonstrated by successful testing efforts at some universities, which have enabled students to return to campus. A new focus on self testing, in combination with financial assistance and perhaps even temporary housing for isolation, would directly address the problem of asymptomatic infection.

    […]

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  64. 64.

    The Fat White Duchess

    @Another Scott:  Thanks for this info, and for other things you posted in this thread.

    Does anybody know where to find mask braces in size large? I bought some on Etsy but they definitely were not large enough, though marked as “adult”—I could cover either nostrils or mouth but not both. The site linked upthread looked good but L is sold out.

    @Anne Laurie, I haven’t said this enough: thank you for all the work you do on this topic.

    Tobias the cat days hello to all, from my lap.

  65. 65.

    Another Scott

    @The Fat White Duchess:

    There’s a cheaper one-size Chinese knockoff at Amazon. It’s hard for me to tell whether it’s larger than the ones at FitTheMask. But it might be worth trying.

    I did wear one of the mediums last night for a couple of hours. It worked pretty well, but did put a bit of uncomfortable pressure on the bridge of my nose. I might need to play around with the positioning some, or maybe try a larger size (or the one above).

    HTH. Good luck!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

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