Balloon Juice | COVID-19 Coronavirus Archives

Thanksgiving 2020: A Superspreader Event for the Whole Family!

by Anne Laurie| November 17, 202010:32 am| 227 Comments

This post is in: COVID-19 Coronavirus, Excellent Links, Information Warfare, Our Failed Media Experiment

Party of Death. https://t.co/WWBCGn2i6u

— James Palmer (@BeijingPalmer) November 14, 2020

If your loved ones and/or family have decided that ‘Thanksgiving is too important *not* to celebrate as usual’, it’s probably too late to change their minds. But maybe some gentle advice from, say, the CDC, might at least help them minimize the aftereffects…

The COVID-19 pandemic has been stressful and isolating for many people. Gatherings during the upcoming holidays can be an opportunity to reconnect with family and friends. This holiday season, consider how your holiday plans can be modified to reduce the spread of COVID-19 to keep your friends, families, and communities healthy and safe.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 epidemic is worsening, and small household gatherings are an important contributor to the rise in COVID-19 cases. CDC offers the following considerations to slow the spread of COVID-19 during small gatherings. These considerations are meant to supplement—not replace—any state, local, territorial, or tribal health and safety laws, rules, and regulations with which all gatherings must comply…

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Considerations for Hosting or Attending a Gathering
If you will be hosting a gathering during the holiday season that brings people who live in different households together, follow CDC tips for hosting gatherings. If you will be attending a gathering that someone else is hosting, follow CDC Considerations for Events and Gatherings. Below are some general considerations for hosting a gathering that brings together people from different households. Guests should be aware of these considerations and ask their host what mitigation measures will be in place during the gathering. Hosts should consider the following:

Check the COVID-19 infection rates in areas where attendees live on state, local, territorial, or tribal health department websites. Based on the current status of the pandemic, consider if it is safe to hold or attend the gathering on the proposed date…

If setting up outdoor seating under a pop-up open air tent, ensure guests are still seated with physical distancing in mind. Enclosed 4-wall tents will have less air circulation than open air tents. If outdoor temperature or weather forces you to put up the tent sidewalls, consider leaving one or more sides open or rolling up the bottom 12” of each sidewall to enhance ventilation while still providing a wind break…

Encourage guests to avoid singing or shouting, especially indoors. Keep music levels down so people don’t have to shout or speak loudly to be heard…

Provide and/or encourage attendees to bring supplies to help everyone to stay healthy. These include extra masks (do not share or swap with others), hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol, and tissues. Stock bathrooms with enough hand soap and single use towels.

Limit contact with commonly touched surfaces or shared items such as serving utensils.

Use touchless garbage cans if available. Use gloves when removing garbage bags or handling and disposing of trash. Wash hands after removing gloves.

Plan ahead and ask guests to avoid contact with people outside of their households for 14 days before the gathering.

Treat pets as you would other human family members – do not let pets interact with people outside the household.

That last item — dogs and cats can get COVID-19, and while they probably won’t pass it on to humans, it’s only fair to remind guests not to snuggle Rover or Muffy without washing their hands first, and afterwards.

Unfortunately, one of every pandemic’s greatest weapons has been the universal human insistence that ‘MY people are clean and strong; *we* couldn’t possibly carry or spread this plague.’ Also, too many people will tell you — will even believe — that they’ve been ‘totally self-isolated’… except for the housekeeper. Or that visit to the hairdresser. Or their condo’s book club. Or their golf foursome!

If you think a negative test result means you don't have coronavirus, you could be wrong. Here's what you need to know. https://t.co/jHISjjTMPa

— CNN (@CNN) November 17, 2020

People are infectious two days before showing symptoms.

That means you can't tell if someone is sick by looking at them or asking them how they feel.

Stay 6' apart and masked. https://t.co/xfTAoZ8s3x

— COVID19 (@V2019N) November 15, 2020

hello america this is what happened with canadian thanksgiving pic.twitter.com/iZd1Bok4j0

— patrick (@patwmurray) November 15, 2020

Another way to think about these lags is that some of the people who are infected on Thanksgiving will enter the hospital in the middle of December, and the morgue around Christmas. pic.twitter.com/S9kqHW981l

— Ed Yong (@edyong209) November 15, 2020

To be continued…

Thanksgiving 2020: A Superspreader Event for the Whole Family!Post + Comments (227)

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Monday/Tuesday, Nov. 16-17

by Anne Laurie| November 17, 20204:55 am| 47 Comments

This post is in: COVID-19 Coronavirus, Foreign Affairs, Show Us on the Doll Where the Invisible Hand Touched You

Genuinely good news:

Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine found to be nearly 95 percent effective in early analysis https://t.co/pgeuWnIshX

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) November 16, 2020

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Pfizer launched a pilot delivery program for its experimental COVID-19 vaccine in four U.S. states, as the drugmaker seeks to address distribution challenges facing its ultra-cold storage requirements https://t.co/AChFh6rvPg $PFE pic.twitter.com/AheJzUoFEm

— Reuters (@Reuters) November 17, 2020

Even Tony Fauci is surprised at how well #Covid19 vaccines appear to be working. “Honestly, I would not have expected that. I thought that was too much to hope for,” he told me of the +90% preliminary efficacy estimates so far. https://t.co/VrfxZfKcet

— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) November 16, 2020

🚨 Here is today's snapshot of each state's progress in reducing COVID cases/hospitalizations/death, via https://t.co/MfkeAwFiDG

Green is trending better.

Yellow is caution warranted.

Red is going downhill.

Bruised red is uncontrolled spread. pic.twitter.com/2LPVkcxK8q

— Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) November 16, 2020

DAILY @ABC COVID-19 SCORECARD: Nearly 70,000 Americans hospitalized, ICUs almost out of space. Our daily 2pm check in by @evanmcmurry Please wear masks, distance, stay home if sick. We can stop the spread. https://t.co/SVARICb6Y7 pic.twitter.com/rQrBWMR6Eg

— Eric M. Strauss (@ericMstrauss) November 16, 2020

The number of active cases in the US is now over 4.2 million. pic.twitter.com/SKQK075krE

— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) November 17, 2020

How bad is the current wave of Covid-19 infections across the US? https://t.co/I99T9pWOnK

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) November 16, 2020

States and cities across the U.S. imposed tough new measures designed to blunt a nationwide spike in coronavirus infections and hospitalizations that is straining many healthcare systems https://t.co/uVMhAojDz5 pic.twitter.com/JtTA1CyR3z

— Reuters (@Reuters) November 17, 2020

Local health departments will need more support if the US plans to vaccinate everyone https://t.co/VY6blkYLMR

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) November 16, 2020

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#UPDATE Chancellor Angela Merkel said that #Germany had managed to "break the dynamic" of new #coronavirus infections, but said state premiers were reluctant to introduce tougher curbs to stabilise and bring down infection numbershttps://t.co/yUyKZcB5ou

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) November 16, 2020

Britain has secured 5 million doses of Moderna's experimental COVID-19 vaccine after interim data indicated it was 94.5% effective, health minister Matt Hancock said https://t.co/MkmYeD9iEW $MRNA pic.twitter.com/99hHcJAnM5

— Reuters (@Reuters) November 17, 2020

Thread runs down the latest #COVID19 counts for Scandinavia. Finland and Denmark were doing very well, but trends across all of Europe, including the Nordic nations, are bad. https://t.co/WQRbiavSGS

— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) November 16, 2020

Sweden abandons the Swedish model. https://t.co/IbFRyE3s2r

— Jeremy PLEASE WEAR MASKS! Konyndyk (@JeremyKonyndyk) November 17, 2020

Russia confirmed a new one-day record of 22,778 coronavirus cases, bringing its total to 1,948,603https://t.co/RgKzu7BAmu pic.twitter.com/Wa9F6EO7Lz

— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) November 16, 2020

Coronavirus: Chinese citizen journalist faces jail for Wuhan reporting https://t.co/fp0L0Y7CeU

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) November 17, 2020

Coronavirus cases in India drop to lowest since mid-July https://t.co/b0p7klio9Y pic.twitter.com/1ZVdlywep3

— Reuters (@Reuters) November 17, 2020

Kenya doctors accuse government of not protecting healthcare workers treating Covid-19 patients https://t.co/r0m79Bn9dZ

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) November 16, 2020

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Two Russian computer science teachers set up Geekteachers to equip school teachers across the nation with IT skills. Four years later, their online platform is vital in the coronavirus pandemic, writes @LatypovaLeyla https://t.co/acFx1lU0xW

— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) November 16, 2020

Suspect there’s a few jackals could get behind a project like this:

… Today, in addition to being a virtual and physical hub for teachers, Geek Teachers offers free access to three web courses on technological innovation for educators. They have also trialled their first paid course on mobile app integration, which also offered subscribers a tailored mentorship program for 1,990 rubles ($25).

Plotkina and Nuriahmetova say that in spite of their program’s online success, meet-ups for educators remain the centerpiece of their start-up, though these have had to be put on hold during the pandemic.

Natalya Chaynikova, 34, an English-language teacher from Izhevsk, joined Geek Teachers shortly after she returned from maternity leave.

“Integrating technology into the learning process is not as simple as downloading an app on your smartphone. It takes a lot of practice, requires you to completely restructure the lessons you were so used to delivering before,” she said.

Chaynikova started with creating basic pop-up quizzes on Geek Teachers before moving on to more complex digital solutions like Google’s educational services, which she says “turned out not to be difficult at all.” By the time the pandemic came, she was well-prepared to instruct her students remotely.

“I work at an ordinary school with limited resources, so teachers had to adapt to remote work on their own. We compiled every bit of knowledge received through Geek Teachers and were able to develop a methodology for remote learning lessons.”…

“We are not teaching people how to use virtual reality systems in a school environment but rather how to effectively integrate the most basic tools that require nothing more than one smartphone and that don’t even need reliable internet,” Plotkina said.

Plotkina and Nuriahmetova believe that Geek Teachers can find followers beyond their native Russia, particularly among educators in rural localities in Europe and the U.S. where they want to expand to in the near future.

“The big idea I have right now is to collaborate with a similar project in the U.S. and run a sort of an exchange program with them,” Plotkina said. “And in my experience, teachers in Russia and smaller European communities face very similar challenges — they all lack professional support and stable internet connections.”

How Moderna and Pfizer's vaccines both use genetic information from SARS-CoV-2 to stimulate the body's immune response @AFPgraphics pic.twitter.com/goGRq7DfsA

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) November 17, 2020

WHO tempers prospect of a coronavirus vaccine with warning of the steep challenge ahead to inoculate the world https://t.co/clEEfj6ekD

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) November 16, 2020

States vow extra scrutiny of coronavirus vaccines https://t.co/VdO9wIA5JT

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) November 16, 2020

Fact-checking this was worth it just to see @DollyParton in the acknowledgments of a @NEJM article. And I thought I couldn’t love her more. https://t.co/S3njHEFcGT pic.twitter.com/WcrFIrHp67

— Dr. Meade Krosby (@MeadeKrosby) November 17, 2020

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A South Dakota ER nurse @JodiDoering says her Covid-19 patients often “don’t want to believe that Covid is real.”

“Their last dying words are, ‘This can’t be happening. It’s not real.’ And when they should be… Facetiming their families, they’re filled with anger and hatred.” pic.twitter.com/tgUgP6znAT

— New Day (@NewDay) November 16, 2020

Remember in Ebola all the discussion about needing to engage anthropologists to understand why African villagers would shun medical advice? Now we’ve got a much larger epidemic in our own country, but I hear no call to study the culture & mindset of those disregarding health recs

— Dr. Alison Bateman-House (@ABatemanHouse) November 16, 2020

One (among many) reasons to be grateful for President Biden: The workers most dependent on public transit are those who are least able to ‘adapt’ by purchasing their own private vehicles. The Trump administration was virulently anti-transit, but Amtrak Joe understands why trains & buses are vital…

New York and the crisis in mass transit systems https://t.co/JfcMvhrSCn via @financialtimes

— Howard French (@hofrench) November 16, 2020

More than 1,000,000 children in the US have been diagnosed with Covid-19, according to report released Monday. https://t.co/F3HUI5nS3y

— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 16, 2020

The vaccine is only helpful if you're alive and healthy to get it. It won't cure a collapsed lung. Or a stroke. Or death. It won't bring your friends, family, neighbors, coworkers back.

Stay. Frosty. https://t.co/X83OBkWEcY

— Zeddy (@Zeddary) November 16, 2020

the last surge is gonna be driven by people who think a vaccine will cure them after they catch it.

— Zeddy (@Zeddary) November 16, 2020

We could've been empowered in this fight. A WW2/Polio vaccine mobilization to keep people alive & safe & small businesses afloat & everyone housed. Something to be proud of. Maybe something more resembling that begins in January. Maybe not.

Right now we're still on our own.

— Zeddy (@Zeddary) November 16, 2020

A huge relief to see El Paso finally turning a corner, but their intense re-restrictions came into effect on October 29 (and they're not quite back down to that incidence yet). I'm struggling to conceptualize what a 19-day lag will look like in the Midwest https://t.co/FpCMEh0xi3 pic.twitter.com/ShtVLjgOGZ

— Jordan Schermerhorn (@jordanschermer) November 16, 2020

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Monday/Tuesday, Nov. 16-17Post + Comments (47)

ICU capacity and infection lags

by David Anderson| November 16, 202011:00 am| 225 Comments

This post is in: Anderson On Health Insurance, COVID-19 Coronavirus

Forbes reports that several regions are at minimal ICU capacity:

Jackson, Mississippi—the state’s capital—has “zero” ICU beds available, while the rest of the state has “very few,” State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said.

Tulsa health officials announced Tuesday night that the city had run out of ICU beds…

Ed Yong makes a terrifying point:

Here’s a thing I want everyone to understand.

There is a roughly 12-day lag between rising cases rising hospitalizations.

So the 1.5 million (!!!) confirmed cases from the last 2 weeks have not yet factored into stories about packed emergency rooms. https://t.co/JID98tWjbt pic.twitter.com/3DNeiX2esb

— Ed Yong (@edyong209) November 15, 2020

We need to think about lags.

Deaths lag ICU admissions.
ICU admissions lag hospitalizations.
Hospitalizations lag diagnostic test results.
Diagnostic test results lag infections.

If no one is infected today, we won’t see much change in trends on hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths until the first week of December.

Election day infections are starting to hit the hospitals now. On November 3rd, Election Day, there were 86,000+ diagnosed cases. On November 15th, a Sunday which is usually a “light” day, there were 139,000+ diagnosed cases. We are building a huge bolus of need that has yet to actualized. That need will be arriving on a system that is already at capacity.

We’re going to be entering a dark period for the next several weeks. We need to drive down future ICU demand. That means masking up. That means not mixing with people outside of our households. We’re entering the suck. We can only reduce the duration of the suck.

ICU capacity and infection lagsPost + Comments (225)

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Sunday/Monday, Nov. 15-16

by Anne Laurie| November 16, 20204:55 am| 96 Comments

This post is in: COVID-19 Coronavirus, Foreign Affairs

Today I learned that my #Fauci scale, which I created as a wellness check for a @TuftsPH Zoom class, has made the rounds @NIH. Reportedly, it's been seen by Dr. Fauci himself and is in use at #NIH meetings. @NIAIDNews #MedTwitter #epitwitter

So what's your level of Fauci??? pic.twitter.com/AFDvVUomTC

— Epi Barbie is in ??mode | Karen Errichetti (@karenerrichetti) October 30, 2020

Nationally? Level 4, approaching 5, TBH…

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Over 11 million cases of COVID-19 have now been reported in the U.S., with the most recent million coming in under a week. The virus is spreading more rapidly across the nation than it has at any time since the pandemic began. https://t.co/PVWmm1JJPv

— The Associated Press (@AP) November 15, 2020

The number of active cases in the US is now over 4.1 million. pic.twitter.com/29aG4wC8G9

— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) November 16, 2020

Lots of talk over Biden's delayed access to the PDB and other transition offices, but this is, imo, far more urgent and disturbing. https://t.co/PW6PjaVfHZ

— Pwn All The Things (@pwnallthethings) November 16, 2020

Vaccination isn't going to bring a fairytale ending to the pandemic. Even with a vaccine that’s fully vetted and ready to go, it will take many months for enough people to receive it to provide population-wide protection.

— Dr. Tom Frieden (@DrTomFrieden) November 15, 2020

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Lack of solidarity hampered Europe's coronavirus response. Greater sharing of resources, hospital capacity & even healthcare staff are needed to cope with pandemics in the future, according to new research https://t.co/6CoMVyh6u5 via @medical_xpress

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) November 16, 2020

Running out of doctors: So many have become infected or died of Covid in Central & Eastern Europe, governments are sounding alarms. Over 13k in Czech Republic have been infected. 6k nurses & 2600 doctors have died. Poland's Covid cases rising by 20% p/day https://t.co/aWYsVs1MVQ pic.twitter.com/uOICukkCyt

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) November 15, 2020

Britain will be the first country to run final stage trials of an experimental coronavirus vaccine being developed by the pharmaceutical company Janssen. Scientists will recruit some 6,000 people across the U.K. for the 12-month trial. https://t.co/OXhZhPlNXA

— The Associated Press (@AP) November 16, 2020

Germany is warning of 4 to 5 months more of #coronavirus restrictions. The nation is Europe's largest economy. It went into partial lockdown in early November, closing bars, restaurants & other facilities but keeping schools open https://t.co/l9yPEijmiI via @medical_xpress

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) November 16, 2020

Russia confirmed 22,572 new coronavirus cases today, bringing the total to 1,925,825https://t.co/76myOQgatf

— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) November 15, 2020

Asia at a crossroads in fight against coronavirus as cases surge https://t.co/knfZhMitEK pic.twitter.com/sDrgSnKCbB

— Reuters (@Reuters) November 16, 2020

Asia Today: India has reported 41,100 new cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, taking the country’s overall tally since the pandemic began to 8.79 million. https://t.co/dIm0ryG1C1

— The Associated Press (@AP) November 15, 2020

South Korea mulls stricter distancing as COVID-19 takes 'a very dangerous turn' https://t.co/GMUnVJgtRs pic.twitter.com/XUpU8vINz3

— Reuters (@Reuters) November 16, 2020

North Korea's Kim orders tightening of anti-virus measures amid global pandemic – KCNA https://t.co/1KCTzNYJzi pic.twitter.com/6M1QVya4Vm

— Reuters (@Reuters) November 16, 2020

Australia was back on outbreak alert after South Australia reported a rapid spike in coronavirus infections for the first time since April, prompting officials to impose social distancing restrictions https://t.co/Vl71ERqA5U pic.twitter.com/H2SWRwR7Rw

— Reuters (@Reuters) November 16, 2020

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern responded to claims by Chinese authorities that there were traces of coronavirus on the country's meat exports, saying she was confident no meat products were exported with COVID-19 https://t.co/B4wICn4JU8 pic.twitter.com/nbimc3BFts

— Reuters (@Reuters) November 16, 2020

Mexico reaches 1 million #coronavirus cases and is on the cusp of 100,000 deaths https://t.co/oiCklscyQN via @medical_xpress

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) November 15, 2020

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New COVID strategy: Vaccinate potential superspreaders 1st. Such decisions loom after Pfizer announced a vaccine that's 90% effective in people not previously infected w/ the virus. In Australia, one theoretical model is to identify possible superspreaders https://t.co/IDk4n0oKlN pic.twitter.com/zBOtkOrAQv

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) November 15, 2020

A common #coronavirus mutation could prove to be the reason people will mount robust responses to vaccination. A variant called D614G emerged in Europe & has become the most common globally. D614G replicates faster than the virus that originated in China https://t.co/JTtAql5mTI

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) November 16, 2020

*Somebody’s* got to look on the bright side…

Covid-19: Normal life back next winter, says vaccine creator https://t.co/jJPEH6rF2V

— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) November 15, 2020

#Marr: Will society be back to normal by spring 2021?

BioNTech founder Prof Uğur Şahin: "We can have a normal winter next year" if a high vaccination rate is achieved by autumn

Covid-19 https://t.co/yuuSb1O1wa pic.twitter.com/4ho76VHX0x

— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) November 15, 2020

(Old Irish proverb: Live, horse, and you’ll get grass. Next winter is, literally, unimaginable to a lot of people, including those whose cooperation in vaccination efforts are most essential.)

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We’re now averaging more deaths than at any time since May. And there is no sign we’re anywhere close to a peak.

Hospitalizations are at an all-time high—and we’re close to a 7-day average of 150k cases per day.

(And CA, FL, and NY are just starting to spark.) pic.twitter.com/3QJpc0AyWj

— Alexis C. Madrigal (@alexismadrigal) November 16, 2020

Covid: Michigan and Washington State clamp down as US cases pass 11 million mark https://t.co/WWj2W3HleW

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) November 16, 2020

Coronavirus infections among election poll workers are raising concerns because of how many people passed through voting sites, although the rapid spread of COVID-19 makes it difficult to pinpoint those places as the source. By @_aizaguirre. https://t.co/6nrLmhtrJP

— The Associated Press (@AP) November 15, 2020

People caring for sick and dying COVID patients – America’s health care workers who are also putting themselves in harms way – are saying things can’t keep going this way. Governors should hear them and need to do more https://t.co/YTsLIFSdyf

— Tom Inglesby (@T_Inglesby) November 15, 2020

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is moving to allow the state's hospitals to use infected but asymptomatic doctors and nurses to treat COVID-19 patients as cases soar. But some hospital workers worry about working with infected colleagues. https://t.co/CrVARKA95z

— The Associated Press (@AP) November 15, 2020

Sunday morning in the hospital. It’s happening. Hospitals filling. ICUs are filled. Rationing critical care resources and treatments. Nurses and doctors staring at each other in disbelief. We know. This bloody sucks. #iowa

— 𝙀𝙡𝙞 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙝 🤚 🧼😷 (@eliowa) November 15, 2020

In fairness to NYC, Staten Island is proud of its well-established reputation as the most Heartland^(tm), aka toxic, borough…

Mask distribution attempt on Staten Island. The borough is firmly the #NYC coronavirus hotspot with a positive test rate of 4.8 percent. pic.twitter.com/0ThWaDFt4U

— Pat Kiernan (@patkiernan) November 12, 2020

Good lord. https://t.co/Ir3NoNZWgP

— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) November 16, 2020

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Sunday/Monday, Nov. 15-16Post + Comments (96)

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Saturday/Sunday, Nov. 14-15

by Anne Laurie| November 15, 20205:34 am| 60 Comments

This post is in: COVID-19 Coronavirus, Foreign Affairs, Show Us on the Doll Where the Invisible Hand Touched You

The German Government’s new #COVID19 campaign is very clever and, dare I say it, funny.pic.twitter.com/bP8jTNFShr

— Richard Chambers (@newschambers) November 14, 2020

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Trump has all but ceased to actively manage the Covid pandemic, which so far has killed at least 244,000 Americans & infected at least 10.9 million. He has not attended a coronavirus task force meeting in “at least five months,” said one senior adviser. https://t.co/tCtymIZgNK

— Michiko Kakutani (@michikokakutani) November 15, 2020

The U.S. reported more than 177,000 new infections on Friday – a new daily record – with new cases staying above 100,000 for 10 straight days, according to a Reuters tally https://t.co/B22Gywldrs pic.twitter.com/x1w30dxwBn

— Reuters (@Reuters) November 15, 2020

CDC reports 243,580 deaths from coronavirus https://t.co/1Astkze2P8 pic.twitter.com/rnk13pnvdz

— Reuters (@Reuters) November 15, 2020

READ: The promise of #coronavirus #vaccine at a factory in India – and the looming fight over it “Covid anywhere is Covid everywhere” said @melindagates of the Gates Foundation.

Tune in On Assignment with @RichardEngel tonight 10pm ET only on @MSNBC. https://t.co/vJ6SSmq8aF pic.twitter.com/gBFFK95lYM

— On Assignment with Richard Engel (@OARichardEngel) November 15, 2020

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#Coronavirus restrictions are tightening in Europe as global deaths top 1.3 million https://t.co/YnhRHRSWHa via @medical_xpress

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) November 15, 2020

A swathe of new restrictions to curtail a second wave of coronavirus infections were announced or came into force from Austria to Greece, Italy to Portugal on Saturday as the global death toll climbed above 1.3 million https://t.co/1tW1i7XE9y pic.twitter.com/NdonspnCm2

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) November 14, 2020

Greece on Saturday announced the closure of primary schools, kindergartens and daycare centres as coronavirus deaths crossed a thousand https://t.co/GmupfeHB3b

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) November 14, 2020

One of the biggest studies of coronavirus in England found a curious jump in cases at the beginning of November. What could have caused it? One obvious candidate: rumours of a second lockdownhttps://t.co/TPaPtm9vjC

— Rowland Manthorpe (@rowlsmanthorpe) November 13, 2020

France's rural idyll threatened by coronavirus lockdown https://t.co/o0lhTAdxTd

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) November 15, 2020

Coronavirus: Austria locks down as new wave grips Europe https://t.co/VTrGGvR4vl

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) November 14, 2020

A fire in the COVID-19 intensive care ward at a public hospital in Romania killed 10 people and injured seven others, including a doctor who suffered severe burns as he tried to rescue patients. https://t.co/BTtxQqHzlz

— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) November 14, 2020

⚡ Russia confirmed a new one-day record of 22,702 coronavirus cases, bringing its total to 1,903,253 https://t.co/jfNsknlIVA

— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) November 14, 2020

Russia's struggling regional hospitals make Moscow seem like the best place to be in during the pandemichttps://t.co/syrgARtNzm

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

South Korea reports 208 new COVID-19 cases, eighth day of triple-digit rises https://t.co/Rfp9FxpeYt pic.twitter.com/NJ3LfBOvV3

— Reuters (@Reuters) November 15, 2020

Brazil registers 38,307 new cases of coronavirus https://t.co/3n01kYgs4M pic.twitter.com/woHfamvxUB

— Reuters (@Reuters) November 15, 2020

BREAKING: Mexico has registered over 1 million total coronavirus cases and nearly 100,000 test-confirmed deaths, though officials agree the number is probably much higher. The country's leaders have shunned measures such as face mask wearing and lockdowns. https://t.co/w0okWla495

— The Associated Press (@AP) November 15, 2020

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If you test positive, don't wait for public health to call. Notify anyone you've had close contact w/ (w/in 6' for 15 min+)during communicable* period to quarantine 14 days from the date of their last exposure to you

*2 days before sx onset, if asx 2 days before test collection

— COVID19 (@V2019N) November 15, 2020

‘Breakthrough finding’ reveals why certain COVID patients die: The virus apparently suppresses tiny virus-fighting proteins called interferons https://t.co/PM9Nw55Aph via @khnews

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) November 14, 2020

Rich nations have the technology and the money to hog all of the emerging COVID19 vaccines. Who will make coronavirus vaccines for the developing world? India may hold the key https://t.co/YElF0PZDn4

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) November 14, 2020

NEW RESULTS:

Rapid Antigen tests work v well!

Not all are same – Some much better than others

This paper is a masterclass of how to study AND interpret the use of #COVID19 rapid antigen tests!

Best study IMO to date of how to think about these testshttps://t.co/hvLyPFi5Zi

— Michael Mina (@michaelmina_lab) November 14, 2020

Pfizer, Moderna, Novavax: executives at several American laboratories developing Covid-19 vaccines have recently pocketed millions of dollars by selling shares in their companies — raising questions about the propriety of such a move https://t.co/qtzRu1vy2V pic.twitter.com/zRozrQLYjD

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) November 15, 2020

Dogs are so successful at Helsinki Airport identifying passengers infected w/ SARSCoV2 by sniffing samples of sweat wiped from their necks, that Britain is starting a similar trial overseen by London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine https://t.co/XE3HBoFq9y pic.twitter.com/8d7StzLRP0

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) November 15, 2020

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The political coronavirus paradox: where the virus was worst, voters supported Trump the most https://t.co/4M98JZ8rtQ

— TIME (@TIME) November 13, 2020

“I don’t want to catch it. But if I get it, I get it. That’s just how I feel.” The biggest reason coronavirus cases are soaring in the Midwest isn’t because residents don’t understand the dangers of the virus. It’s because many aren't that concerned. https://t.co/Td9jM4k6nL

— The Associated Press (@AP) November 14, 2020

In Kansas, school nurses trying to do contact tracing are being berated or stonewalled by parentshttps://t.co/ngXWgTRNMi pic.twitter.com/RQXfcYJGwy

— Kate Taylor (@katetaylornyt) November 11, 2020

I can’t believe I’m telling you this but Utah county anti-maskers tried to break into a hospital ICU wing to prove it wasn’t as full as the media and health department claimed.https://t.co/OSlN6eWMBN

— Kaz Weida (@kazweida) November 13, 2020

I have a night off from the hospital. As I’m on my couch with my dog I can’t help but think of the Covid patients the last few days. The ones that stick out are those who still don’t believe the virus is real. The ones who scream at you for a magic medicine and that Joe Biden is

— Jodi Doering (@JodiDoering) November 15, 2020

I can’t stop thinking about it. These people really think this isn’t going to happen to them. And then they stop yelling at you when they get intubated. It’s like a fucking horror movie that never ends. There’s no credits that roll. You just go back and do it all over again.

— Jodi Doering (@JodiDoering) November 15, 2020

Arrest the parents.

Make an example of them.

https://t.co/NS92Hp4ihk

— The Hoarse Whisperer (@TheRealHoarse) November 14, 2020

Rand Paul: We have 11 million people in our country who have already had COVID. We should tell them to celebrate. We should tell them to throw away their masks, go to restaurants, and live again because these people are now immune(they are not immune) pic.twitter.com/Un2CQ1b5Tg

— Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) November 13, 2020

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Saturday/Sunday, Nov. 14-15Post + Comments (60)

What The Fuck is Wrong With People

by John Cole| November 14, 20207:44 pm| 311 Comments

This post is in: COVID-19 Coronavirus

We’re gonna blast past 200k before we even get to Thanksgiving. If I were God emperor, I would lock everyone down, issue mask mandates, and mount speakers every 100 yards playing this nonstop until people didn’t want to leave the fucking house:

Meanwhile, from the no shit department:

US coronavirus cases will spike after Thanksgiving, further stressing health care systems and prompting new restrictions, an emergency physician said Saturday.

Meanwhile, states continue to report soaring numbers of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths, and several governors have already announced measures to try to gain control before winter.

Dr. James Phillips, chief of disaster medicine at George Washington University Hospital, told CNN’s Erica Hill he is “terrified” about what’s going to happen this holiday season.

“We’re going to see an unprecedented surge of cases following Thanksgiving this year, and if people don’t learn from Thanksgiving, we’re going to see it after Christmas as well,” Phillips said.

I laugh cried at the “if people don’t learn” part. The most American thing in the world is NEVER FUCKING LEARNING ANYTHING EVER.

The worst thing about this is that Trump’s followers are literally a cult. Anything he says or does they mindlessly repeat and replicate. If that motherfucker would just have asked his followers to wear a fucking mask we wouldn’t be in half the mess we are in right now.

What The Fuck is Wrong With PeoplePost + Comments (311)

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Friday/Saturday, Nov. 13-14

by Anne Laurie| November 14, 20205:07 am| 71 Comments

This post is in: COVID-19 Coronavirus, Foreign Affairs, Show Us on the Doll Where the Invisible Hand Touched You

I think more significant than being over the 100K level is that in less than two weeks the number of new cases has more than doubled.

We’re looking at a 1918 scenario, but in this case it will be mostly because of massive manslaughter perpetrated by the president & his minions https://t.co/WGdTkIT0fw

— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) November 14, 2020

show full post on front page

There are now over 4 million active cases in the US, and rising rapidly. pic.twitter.com/dIlY1HsMhC

— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) November 14, 2020

Here's what the spread of COVID-19 looks like this week.
It's bad. https://t.co/yKEwCLtZBJ pic.twitter.com/NvlsJXaqQ6

— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) November 14, 2020

Reconciling data from 33 academic & govt modeling groups the @CDCgov offers a grim #COVID19 forecast for the next three weeks. Deaths will near 300,000 by Dec. 1st. That week (Dec.1-7) up to 13,400 deaths/week may transpire. https://t.co/r56cEQ2Asx pic.twitter.com/d86RbkLjFY

— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) November 13, 2020

"We are hitting new highs of Covid and new lows in our response." — @DrTomFrieden's weekly assessment of the state of the US situation thread. (spoiler alert: Not at all good.) https://t.co/8vzhx40gbc

— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) November 14, 2020

Covid-19 has come roaring back and is likely to inflict further damage on the American economy, which will take years to recover to its robust pre-pandemic status https://t.co/xWDwNHIggb pic.twitter.com/jZEsgsBssm

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) November 14, 2020

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The turnaround in some of the worst-hit EU countries has been rapid and noteworthy pic.twitter.com/yX6Uv8bXvl

— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) November 13, 2020

The U.K. coronavirus infection rate appears to be slowing down, a tentative sign that a resurgence of COVID-19 is leveling off after wide-ranging restrictions were imposed, including the closure of pubs, hairdressers and restaurants for a month in England. https://t.co/pbmAsbUIWZ

— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) November 13, 2020

Crematoriums in the Czech Republic are bursting at the seams as the coronavirus death toll soars, placing the country at the top of Europe's grim statistics https://t.co/B1np9hhoo4 pic.twitter.com/6WsZs69mUE

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) November 14, 2020

Italy extends 'red zones' as Covid infections soar https://t.co/t9V3PpXb1N

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

Sweden to ban sale of alcohol after 10pm to curb #COVID19 (Sweden has wacky strategies). Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said Covid has reached a crisis stage. Record numbers of new infections reported in recent weeks & they're burdening the healthcare system https://t.co/cnOG1pldYp pic.twitter.com/LeYFCxpWEh

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) November 13, 2020

Turkish health ministry statistics show 93 people died in one day of COVID-19 amid a surge in infections, bringing the daily death toll to numbers last seen in April. https://t.co/cXLgCqKFai

— The Associated Press (@AP) November 14, 2020

South Korea reports 205 coronavirus cases, above 200 for first time since September https://t.co/aK4a4JGSxI pic.twitter.com/lMzeUjKqgv

— Reuters (@Reuters) November 14, 2020

South Korea imposes face mask fines after COVID-19 cases rise above 200 https://t.co/XqEKApPAcX pic.twitter.com/Rpklxa3Uvm

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) November 14, 2020

New seroprevalence study in Kenya shows about 4.3% of blood samples have SARSCoV2 antibodies, roughly the same as Spain. But there have been 341 #Covid deaths in Kenya, yet 28k in Spain. Kenya's youthful population may be thwarting infection, experts say https://t.co/2b8e8VnZOB pic.twitter.com/Fyr1IJESWT

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) November 13, 2020

Canada is leading the world in vaccination readinesshttps://t.co/ai7PiHsKgc pic.twitter.com/A5pl3uV5MP

— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) November 13, 2020

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CDC says a mask protects you, not just others, from coronavirus. https://t.co/BjeWI3cVT6

— AP Health & Science (@APHealthScience) November 13, 2020

I Iove this growing commentary that Aussie & NZ #COVID19 control is because we're some super-compliant breed of human rather than one that was led by and communicated good public health expertise in a framework of rules to be obeyed. Humans need rules.

— ɪᴀɴ ᴍ. ᴍᴀᴄᴋᴀʏ, ᴘʜᴅ 🦠🤧🧬🥼🦟🧻 (@MackayIM) November 14, 2020

As the world celebrates advances in vaccines against the novel coronavirus, a top WHO expert warns in an interview with @AFP that public distrust risks rendering even the most effective treatments useless against the pandemic https://t.co/OWGXBnY5nD pic.twitter.com/RwNlIyyErQ

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) November 14, 2020

German school develops DIY anti-virus ventilation system that works like a kitchen exhaust fan. Above each desk hangs a clear plastic funnel attached to a narrow pipe w/ all pipes connected to one leading to a fan that directs air out a tilted window https://t.co/9TNdtB8IrN

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) November 13, 2020

Hungary, South Korea, Turkey and Venezuela have all recently expressed interest in testing or locally producing the Russian vaccine https://t.co/Fl0YEsphRW

— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) November 13, 2020

A thread. Because sharing information is caring; sharing the virus, not so much:

First, given record case numbers across the U.S., the best thing to do is simply not have an extended family gathering, full stop. My family is keeping it to immediate households only this year. We'll probably video chat with my nephews and nieces but that's it for 2020. /2

— Dr. Tara C. Smith (@aetiology) November 12, 2020

If you can't quarantine, you can still minimize other exposures. You might be needed at work, but can avoid bars, restaurants, and seeing other friends for the time being. Decrease your bubble as much as possible to keep your Tday guests safer. /4

— Dr. Tara C. Smith (@aetiology) November 12, 2020

During the meal, the CDC has put out some guidelines to minimize transmission while you're gathered together: https://t.co/TLIPCDwDqJ Keys: masks, ventilation, distance, hand hygiene and not sharing utensils. Keep it short. /6

— Dr. Tara C. Smith (@aetiology) November 12, 2020

Our hospitals and medical personnel are at their limits, and we're not willing to chance getting sick and maybe needing hospitalization amidst all of this. We're all hoping for reduced transmission and a vaccine in 2021 so we can have a more normal celebration next year. /fin

— Dr. Tara C. Smith (@aetiology) November 12, 2020

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God bless HIPAA and the decency of news shows not showing dying #Covid19 patients laying in hospitals.

But we don't see it. We forget. The pain and death is invisible. We don't see hospital workers beyond exhaustion. @edyong209 makes that less invisible: https://t.co/d9ZUY56boA

— Roxanne Khamsi (@rkhamsi) November 13, 2020

Mississippi, Wisconsin, Oklahoma among 6 states running out of ICU beds as COVID hospitalizations rise https://t.co/7NbECWMn1j

— Newsweek (@Newsweek) November 13, 2020

Puerto Rico’s governor says she will activate the National Guard to help enforce a curfew aimed at curbing a rise in COVID-19 cases and other measures, including once again closing beaches to everyone except those doing exercise. https://t.co/i2FbWUQtpx

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

Obviously a variety of factors here but notable that dark grey patch along the Potomac is The Wharf & Navy Yard, where a high concentration of Trump staffers live https://t.co/kknLPonRzp

— Adam Blickstein (@AdamBlickstein) November 13, 2020

New Mexico orders two-week lockdown amid COVID-19 surgeshttps://t.co/v75b7dZ8d6

— The Hill (@thehill) November 14, 2020

Sullen Trump lashes out at New York, says whole country will get vaccine except New York, until Governor asks nicely. pic.twitter.com/hadL97HrqE

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) November 13, 2020

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Friday/Saturday, Nov. 13-14Post + Comments (71)

Roger Moore on Incompetence Is Its Own Reward (Jan 19, 2021 @ 2:05pm)

CarolDuhart2 on Sing for one more day (Jan 19, 2021 @ 2:04pm)

catclub on Sing for one more day (Jan 19, 2021 @ 2:02pm)

jonas on Incompetence Is Its Own Reward (Jan 19, 2021 @ 2:02pm)

West of the Rockies on Open Thread: A Few Hours To Go – Biden Live (Jan 19, 2021 @ 2:01pm)

Historically it is a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

I personally stopped the public option…

Just a few bad apples.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Fuck if i know. i just get yelled at when i try it.

There’s some extremely good trouble headed their way.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

Shelter in place is one thing. Shelter in pants is quite another.

This is all too absurd to be reality, right?

Usually wrong but never in doubt

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

Let there be snark.

Nevertheless, she persisted.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

Where tasty lettuce and good mustard aren’t elitist.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

Everybody saw this coming.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Dinky Hocker shoots smack!

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

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

Lighten up, Francis.

Thanksgiving 2020: A Superspreader Event for the Whole Family!

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Monday/Tuesday, Nov. 16-17

ICU capacity and infection lags

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Sunday/Monday, Nov. 15-16

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Saturday/Sunday, Nov. 14-15

What The Fuck is Wrong With People

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Friday/Saturday, Nov. 13-14