Just in from CNN: "For the first time since early November, there are less than 50,000 people in the United States hospitalized with COVID-19, according to data from The COVID Tracking Project."
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) February 28, 2021
While a lot of this is still catch-up for doses not given during the winter storms & blackouts, it's exciting because it shows that we have the capacity to administer more shots as supply ramps up. It bodes really well for the coming weeks.
— Zack Stentz (@MuseZack) February 28, 2021
The shipments aren't being focused to any one stream — they're being split up among states, pharmacies, community health centers, etc.
Officials are cautioning that the bulk of the 20 million will come near the end of the month — no more doses in the coming week, for instance.
— Josh Wingrove (@josh_wingrove) February 28, 2021
The US reported +1,283 new coronavirus deaths today, bringing the total to 525,776. The 7-day moving average rose slightly to 1,989 deaths per day. There's been a worrying leveling off over the past week. pic.twitter.com/i03B2tqwFx
— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) March 1, 2021
the vaccine is our rocket sled out of hell and every effort spent on hygiene theater or masks in parks or variant doom porn is an effort not spent on building better signup websites or improving minority outreach or helping the disadvantaged get their shot https://t.co/h9bYZIHMSb
— kilgore trout, ted’s travel agent (@KT_So_It_Goes) February 28, 2021
Today, on the one year anniversary of #COVID19 in New York City, I wrote myself a letter. This is what I wish I could have told myself at the start of the pandemic.https://t.co/SgY45Zk43D
— Craig Spencer MD MPH (@Craig_A_Spencer) March 1, 2021
Elsewhere:
Trump taking credit for the vaccines that these people are not going to take.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) February 28, 2021
In his LIVE speech #DonaldTrump @CPAC is denouncing @WHO — "a puppet for China". Attacking @POTUS #Biden for rejoining WHO.
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) February 28, 2021
Trump admitting that he applied pressure to the FDA and they didn't like it.
Which, you know, was Kamala Harris's point about not trusting anything that came out of that crazypants administration.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) February 28, 2021
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Across Africa and Southeast Asia, governments and aid groups, as well as the World Health Organization, are increasingly calling on pharmaceutical companies to share their coronavirus vaccine know-how and technology more broadly. https://t.co/K1C7FDNcGD
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 1, 2021
Some local Beijing communities start giving elderly COVID-19 shots https://t.co/PpH29BYf4c pic.twitter.com/chAhZ9zLWf
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 1, 2021
… In some countries, including the United States and Britain, people older than 65 are among top priority groups in their COVID-19 vaccination rollouts, as the elderly have a higher risk of death and hospitalisation after contracting the virus compared to younger adults.
China’s vaccination program, under which 40.5 million doses had been administered as of Feb. 9, excludes those ages above 59 and those younger than 18, with Chinese vaccine makers citing less complete clinical trial data for minors and the elderly.
According to notices from staffers of a few communities in Beijing’s central Dongcheng district, seen by Reuters, residents older than 60 can go to designated sites to get their shots, without disclosing which the four China-developed vaccines would be available. The vaccinations are not mandatory.
However, an article published online by the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control on Sunday categorised these older than 60 as unsuitable for vaccination, in line with national guidelines…
China is due to kick off its annual meeting of parliament on Friday, when thousands of delegates from across the country will gather in Beijing.
The information office of Beijing Municipal People’s Government didn’t immediately respond to a faxed request for comment…
India is expanding its COVID-19 vaccination drive beyond health care and front-line workers, offering shots to older people and those with medical conditions that put them at risk as new infections are rising again after months of consistent decline. https://t.co/BIJPLBrMkJ
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 1, 2021
Private Covid vaccine provision begins in India on Monday, too https://t.co/MX4VodcfBe HT @shananalla
— Hilda Bastian, PhD (@hildabast) February 28, 2021
The Philippines has received its first batch of COVID-19 vaccine. It is among the last in Southeast Asia to secure the critical doses, donated by China, despite having the second-highest number of coronavirus infections and deaths in the region. https://t.co/fh1lGkiD7M
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 28, 2021
Up to six cases of a highly transmissible variant of coronavirus first identified in the Brazilian city of Manaus have been detected in Britain for the first time, English health officials said https://t.co/hx4cXxi1Gn pic.twitter.com/1XV32dbgBF
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 1, 2021
Mexico's coronavirus czar in hospital with COVID-19, as death toll nears 186,000 https://t.co/GJAKfxPuOR pic.twitter.com/C7srpBaDWH
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 1, 2021
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So if you are comparing headline efficacy numbers, you are comparing apples to oranges
This vaccine is safe, highly effective
My older cousin with comorbid conditions called me today saying he's eligible for vaccination and wonders if he should get J&J if available
Absolutely
— Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH (@ashishkjha) February 27, 2021
Statin use is associated w/ increased survival in severe COVID19. Doctors at Columbia Univ Medical Cntr found that people who regularly took a statin to lower cholesterol were ~50% less likely to die if hospitalized for COVID. Statins are anti-inflammatory https://t.co/esARHmFGaq pic.twitter.com/p0cX1iPGLb
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) February 28, 2021
UC Davis investigation reveals new details on the genetic relationship between SARSCoV1, which caused the 2003/4 SARS outbreak and SARSCoV2, the virus that causes COVID19. The research is in the journal Virus Evolution https://t.co/8dcmjFQ63E pic.twitter.com/s959TfZ2T4
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) February 28, 2021
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Opinion: Anti-vaccine extremism is akin to domestic terrorism https://t.co/bMpMya2lsR
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 1, 2021
‘Reopen the schools’ reporting .jpg pic.twitter.com/L3sOyrR9tm
— Brian Murphy (@Burrite) March 1, 2021
$30/test is impractical for regular at-home use. I've been asking for answers since September. These tests need to be in the hands of Americans now! We are in the middle of the worst public health emergency in a century. We need to be flexible and nimble in our response.
— Rep. Kim Schrier (@RepKimSchrier) February 25, 2021
It’s worth stepping back and appreciating that this is the debate we’re now having rather than “how should we triage scarce ICU beds?” https://t.co/9zi8GaFZGM
— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) February 28, 2021
Some Republican state lawmakers are using their platforms to promote false information about the coronavirus. That's raising tough questions about how aggressively to combat potentially dangerous misinformation from elected officials. @jcarrsmythhttps://t.co/fWZk2s3zKj
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 28, 2021
My worst pandemic take was that I thought people would remember Thom Tillis not wearing a mask so he’d fit in at Trump events, then getting covid, and that they would consider that bad enough to vote him out. Turns out “I didn’t wear a mask because peer pressure” was relatable! https://t.co/QBVDK2Ah2O
— counterfactual (@counterfax) February 28, 2021
fine I will ask the other governors with the highest death rate https://t.co/nSuqf2slTh
— kilgore trout, ted’s travel agent (@KT_So_It_Goes) February 28, 2021
For 20 years after the Civil War, the Republican Presidential primary typically boiled down to whichever ex-general running had killed the most southern traitors.
The 20 years after COVID will see the GOP hand off the nomination to whoever running killed the most Grandmas. https://t.co/KmHEKnhihP
— Zeddy (@Zeddary) February 28, 2021
J R in WV
Good morning, all!
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
Desantis barely won a red state with heavy voter suppression (four-tenth of one percent). Not exactly a political juggernaut.
when republicans win it’s always an anomaly.
Ike was war hero. Nixon had Vietnam and assassinations. Reagan had oil shocks and stole John Wayne’s popular persona. Bush ran against a bad campaigner during an expanding economy. Dubya won because of name recognition and media obsession of Clenis. Dump won because of russia, 40 years of free media promotion, and Comey’s coup.
run of the mill republicans like Scott Walker and Fred Thompson never take root. The past four years the media tried to make Nikki Haley into a star and she’s already on the reject pile.
Uncle Cosmo
It’s 5:55 AM in Baltimore City, and after insufficient, fitful sleep smack in the crosshairs of COVID (>70 with type 2 diabetes), I am making coffee and preparing to stalk the web in hopes of snagging one of the (probably very few) vaccination slots that come out early on Monday mornings for our area. Meanwhile a local vaccine manufacturer is making 400 million doses to be shipped everywhere else while 600,000 people go begging.
Good fucking morning to everyone.
I signed up for text alerts, perused a site which advised how to scrounge up a shot, & got more advice from a college classmate last night that I should just show up at a vaccination site half an hour before it shuts down at 5 PM and ask if there were any cancellations and can I please have one of the leftovers, because it worked for him.
I might get a jab by Memorial Day, if I’m not already on a ventilator.
NeenerNeener
Monroe County, NY yesterday:
140 new cases, still at 1137 reported deaths
1.8% positivity
195 people hospitalized, 62 people in the ICU
40% available hospital beds, 35% available ICU beds
Mary G
@David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch: Gore ran away from Clinton, biggest mistake. The Big Dog could’ve delivered every evangelical’s weepy “I have sinned and begged God and Hillary for forgiveness” speech and brought down the house.
Nelle
Mary G
Also happy to report that after putting every kind of cream in the house on the little rash at my injection site, it has finally stopped itching. I spent all day yesterday with the devil and angel in my ears arguing about scratching. Even just near it, not even on the edge, felt so good.
Until I stopped.
Got emails from CVS and the big Catholic hospital borg that’s run off all the little local hospitals, that I can schedule my Covid vaccine now. So more places available closer.
No need for me, I got my two.
OzarkHillbilly
Not around here. :-(
Amir Khalid
Malaysia’s daily Covid-19 numbers. Director-General of Health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah reports 1,828 new cases today in his media statement, for a cumulative reported total of 302,580 cases. He also reports five new deaths today, for a cumulative total of 1,135 deaths — 0.38% of the cumulative reported total, 0.40% of resolved cases.
There are currently 25,542 active and contagious cases; 198 are in ICU, 90 of them intubated. Meanwhile, 2,486 patients recovered and were discharged, for a cumulative total of 275,903 patients recovered – 91.2% of the cumulative reported total.
Seven new clusters were reported today: Kampung Sungai Burung, Jalan Wawasan 12, and Jalan Kempas Tiga in Johor; Jalan Melati and Desa Empat in Selangor; Bukit Marak in Kelantan; and Jaan Cempedak in Kuala Lumpur.
Bukit Marak is a community cluster. Jalan Cempedak is a high-risk group cluster. The rest are all workplace clusters.
1,821 new cases today are local infections. Johor tops the list today, reporting 489 local cases: 39 in older clusters; 362 in Kampung Sungai Burung, Jalan Wawasan 12, and Jalan Kempas Tiga clusters; 51 close-contact screenings; and 36 other screenings. Selangor reports 452 local cases: 105 in older clusters, eight in Jalan Melati and Desa Empat clusters, 234 close-contact screenings, and 105 other screenings. Sarawak reports 220 cases: 18 in existing clusters, 84 close-contact screenings, and 118 other screenings.
Negeri Sembilan reports 167 cases: 139 in existing clusters, 13 close-contact screenings, and 15 other screenings. Perak reports 144 cases: 132 in existing clusters, five close-contact screenings, and seven other screenings. Sabah reports 104 cases: 31 in existing clusters, 49 close-contact screenings, and 24 other screenings.
Penang reports 85 cases: 29 in existing clusters, 19 close-contact screenings, and 37 other screenings. Kuala Lumpur reports 70 local cases: six in older clusters, eight in Jalan Cempedak cluster, 28 close-contact screenings, and 32 other screenings. Kelantan reports 36 cases: eight in older clusters, nine in Bukit Marak cluster, 14 close-contact screenings, and five other screenings.
Kedah reports 16 cases: four in existing clusters, eight close-contact screenings, and four other screenings. Terengganu reports 15 cases: five in existing clusters, nine close-contact screenings, and one other screening.
Melaka reports eight cases, all in existing clusters. Pahang also reports eight cases: one in an existing cluster, six close-contact screenings, and one other screening. Putrajaya reports six cases: two in existing clusters, three close-contact screenings, and one other screening. And Perlis reports one case, found in other screening.
Labuan reports no new cases today.
Seven new cases today are imported: five in Kula Lumpur, one in Johor, and one in Selangor.
The deaths reported today are a 62-year-old woman in Sabah with kidney disease, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and systemic lupus erythematosus; a 75-year-old man in Kuala Lumpur with hypertension, stroke, heart disease, chronic lung disease, thalassemia, and myelodysplastic syndrome; a 67-year-old woman in Kuala Lumpur with diabetes and chronic liver disease; a 32-year-old woman in Sabah with heart disease; and an 81-year-old man in Melaka with diabetes and heart disease.
In other news, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who is in charge if implementing the Covid-19 vaccination project, has declared that the public may report directly to him, via social media, people attempting to jump the queue for vaccinations.
gkoutnik
@Uncle Cosmo: Pretty much our experience here in upstate NY, although “showing up” in case there are leftovers means at least a two- or three-hour round trip, depending on which far-away site is open on any particular day. It’s especially frustrating here because the NY counties’ Departments of Health were shut out of the process until very recently – and they’ve been organizing vaccinations for decades.
Amir Khalid
@Amir Khalid:I forgot to add, Khairy also said the Government will consider an emergency ordinance to set out criminal penalties for vaccine queue-jumpers.
YY_Sima Qian
On 2/28 China reported 0 new domestic confirmed & 0 new domestic asymptomatic cases.
Hebei Province
Hebei Provincial Health Commission reported that 15 domestic confirmed cases recovered & 1 domestic asymptomatic case was released from isolation. There are currently 14 domestic confirmed cases (13 moderate and 1 mild) & 2 domestic asymptomatic cases in the province:
Heilongjiang Province
Heilongjiang Provincial Health Commission reported that the last domestic confirmed case recovered & the last 2 domestic asymptomatic cases were released from isolation.:
Jilin Province
Jilin Provincial Heath Commission reported that there are currently 9 domestic confirmed (1 severe, 4 moderate and 4 mild) cases there.:
Imported Cases
On 2/28 China reported 19 new imported confirmed cases, 13 imported asymptomatic cases:
Overall in China, 27 confirmed cases recovered, 15 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation & 1 was reclassified as confirmed case, and 166 individuals were released from quarantine. Currently, there are 210 active confirmed cases in the country (171 imported), 1 is in critical/serious condition (none imported), 254 asymptomatic cases (249 imported), 1 suspect case (imported). 4,715 traced contacts are currently under centralized quarantine.
On 3/1 Hong Kong reported 14 new cases, 3 imported & 11 domestic (5 of whom do not yet have source of infection identified).
Enhanced Voting Techniques
Four years is plenty of time for the real death rates in their states to come out.
And how is that going to work out with the electorate – chose between Biden who ended that awful pandemic or two of clowns who did everything to make it worse?
Sloane Ranger
Yesterday there were 6035 new cases in the UK. This is a reduction of around 1400 from the day before and a decrease of 21.2% in the rolling 7-day average. New cases by nation,
England – 5080 (down @1500)
Northern Ireland – 136 (down 48)
Scotland – 572 (up 47)
Wales – 247 (up 49).
Deaths – Yesterday, there were 144 deaths within 28 days of a positive test. This is decrease of 33.5% in the rolling 7-day average. Deaths by nation, England – 115, Northern Ireland – 3, Scotland – 2 and Wales – 24.
Testing – Not updated at weekends.
Hospitalisations – Not updated over the weekend.
Vaccinations – As of 27 February, a total of 20,089,551 people had received the 1st shot of a vaccine and 796,132 had had both shots.
The Oracle of Solace
@Enhanced Voting Techniques:
For too many people, voting Democratic is out of the question because abortion is infanticide, or mandatory gay sharia weddings, or whatever the excuse of the campaign cycle will be. That’s why those lies are told in the first place.
Scout211
Most Californians probably already know this, but the state is moving gradually to a state-wide vaccination program. https://myturn.ca.gov/
Right now, it has started in several counties and will gradually move to a state-wide system in phases. They want anyone who is interested in getting a vaccine to register on the site.
Hopefully, younger Californians who want the vaccine will not have the confusion and scramble that we seniors have had. The county delivery system is very uneven right now with some counties still only vaccinating over 75 year old residents and some counties moving on to vaccinating teachers.
Carlo
“So let’s talk about why I say J&J is a superb vaccine
1. It prevented 100% of hospitalizations/deaths after it had a chance to work
2. It was tested against SA and Brazil variants (Moderna/Pfizer weren’t)
3. It was tested during much higher level of community transmission.”
I’ve seen a lot of superficial commentary about the J&J vaccine from people who obviously only skimmed a news article about the FDA’s. EUA decision or read a couple of summary paragraphs from the briefing document submitted to the EUA Committee by the company, but didn’t actually trouble to look at the data, and didn’t really understand the implications of the South Africa arm of the clinical trial.
I wrote up an analysis of the data, and a commentary on it’s meaning.
The TL;DR is
(1) The vaccine’s efficacy against severe disease from the B.1.135 variant is more modest than against other variants, although the subsets were so small that there’s a lot of uncertainty about the efficacy;
(2) The J&J vaccine is totally ineffective at blocking transmission of the B.1.135 variant. In this it is similar to the AstraZeneca and Novavax vaccines. This may or may not also be true of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, although we don’t yet know for sure; As a consequence, we can expect the prevalence of that variant to grow, and perhaps even take over the genome in the Northern Hemisphere, likely by June, since it’s transmission is least hampered in a vaccinated population;
(3) Everyone will probably need boosters for the variant beginning this summer, possibly including individuals vaccinated with Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
(4) The messaging about boosters-this-year needs to start immediately, to prevent public support for mass vaccination from dropping. And, the triumphalistic victory-reporting by the media and in social network pronouncements by experts needs to stop, for the same reason