Has anyone else noticed a sudden absence of antivaxx bots since Twitter was restricted in Russia? ?? After the massive number of bot responses to my #COVID19Vaccines misinformation tweet, the silence is dramatic. #VaccinesWork
— Dr. Joss Reimer (@jossreimer) February 28, 2022
On the two-year anniversary of the start of the pandemic, people in the U.S. are shedding their masks and getting back to normal as COVID-19 deaths and cases plummet 80% in the last six weeks, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. https://t.co/JMqE4kcBzo
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 11, 2022
… The world is finally emerging from a brutal stretch of winter dominated by the highly contagious omicron variant, bringing a sense of relief on the two-year anniversary of the start of the pandemic.
It was March 11, 2020 when the WHO issued its declaration, driving home the severity of the threat faced by a virus that at that point had wreaked havoc primarily in Italy and China. The U.S. had 38 confirmed coronavirus deaths and 1,300 cases nationwide on that date, but reality was starting to sink in: stocks tanked, classrooms started closing and people began donning masks. In a matter of hours, the NBA was canceling games, Chicago’s huge St. Patrick’s Day parade was scuttled and late-night comedians began filming from empty studios — or even their homes.
Since then, more than 6 million people have died globally, nearly 1 million in the U.S. Millions have been thrown out of work, students have endured three school years of disruptions. The emergence of the vaccine in December 2021 saved countless lives but political divisions, hesitancy and inequality in health systems have kept millions of people around the world from getting inoculated, prolonging the pandemic.
The situation is improving, however.
Hospitalizations of people with COVID-19 have plummeted 80% in the last six weeks across the U.S. since a mid-January pandemic peak, dropping to the lowest levels since July 2021, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Case counts have followed the same trend line to the lowest counts since last summer as well. Even the death tally, which typically lags behind cases and hospitalizations, has slowed significantly in the last month…
Another positive: The omicron wave and vaccinations have left enough people with protection against the coronavirus that future spikes will likely require much less disruption to society, experts say…
The United States is poised to run out of tests, treatments and vaccines to fight coronavirus after a $15.6 billion funding plan collapsed in Congress. https://t.co/4RYTC2fjKy
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 11, 2022
Imagine if you knew two years ago, when the first covid shutdown arrived, that this would be a chart of daily U.S. deaths from covid-19 for the next two years. (At the current rate, we'll reach 1M U.S. deaths in a few weeks.) pic.twitter.com/lvlkQdRlpz
— Orin Kerr (@OrinKerr) March 10, 2022
98% of U.S. population can ditch masks as COVID eases -CDC https://t.co/zQs9gFHDKh pic.twitter.com/6z7el148dL
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 11, 2022
Passengers traveling in the U.S. will have to keep their masks on for at least another month with Joe Biden's administration extending mask requirements on airplanes, trains and in transit hubs through April 18 https://t.co/JKHc0KeeK4 pic.twitter.com/BjRT1J5sQT
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 11, 2022
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The WHO, often criticized for being too slow to declare a pandemic two years ago today, now says countries are being too quick to declare it over and let down their guard.
The agency urged continued vigilance against Covid in several forums this week. https://t.co/3HSr1CYsfU
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 11, 2022
Covid deaths probably three times higher than records show, say researchers https://t.co/Wqs36Jizog
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) March 11, 2022
BREAKING: China imposes a lockdown on 9 million residents in the northeastern industrial center of Changchun amid a new virus outbreak. https://t.co/OCQk84OoAf
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 11, 2022
Mainland China reported over 1,000 new local COVID-19 infections on Friday, the highest daily count since Beijing contained its first national outbreak in early 2020, driven by a jump in asymptomatic infections amid the spread of the Omicron variant. https://t.co/talVY5BU9f
— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) March 11, 2022
China's Shanghai shuts schools due to fresh COVID-19 outbreak https://t.co/HwkasMRsNe pic.twitter.com/YObKFXEm41
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 11, 2022
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Friday that the city's COVID-19 vaccination programme would focus on its elderly and children, as authorities battled to reduce a surge of coronavirus infections and climbing death rates. https://t.co/n0JxHuoNF0
— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) March 11, 2022
Omicron cases continue to surge in parts of Asia. Covid won't end until it ends for everyone worldwide. https://t.co/lHAAyjM2SD
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) March 10, 2022
Japan is considering offering a fourth coronavirus vaccine shot later this year, a newspaper reported on Friday, while a government spokesman said a decision would be made based on the severity of the pandemic. https://t.co/Uha9X7SACw
— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) March 11, 2022
Philippines approves emergency use of Pfizer's COVID-19 drug Paxlovid https://t.co/D0bgAlfiLk pic.twitter.com/BnCBovEU8j
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 11, 2022
As Omicron surges, New Zealand's businesses want COVID bubble burst https://t.co/4Ma1WNh2vn pic.twitter.com/vbAj8FDAhv
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 11, 2022
Coronavirus infections in Germany have passed 250,000 in a single day for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. https://t.co/1SZEGfjEaP
— Jess-Leggera-G ?? (@MeetJess) March 11, 2022
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How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed after two years?
More places are shifting to a return to normal. Safe, effective vaccines have been developed. Questions remain, but experts know a lot more about the virus. https://t.co/QeTFrhw1Gv
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 11, 2022
The past few months have been frustrating for guardians hoping to get their young children immunized against the coronavirus. But in the coming weeks, Pfizer and Moderna will have results from their vaccine trials in young children that may bring clarity. https://t.co/YWtKgzQvfE
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 11, 2022
Valneva now expects a positive recommendation from the European Medecines Agency (EMA) in April for its VLA2001 COVID-19 candidate vaccine, the French vaccine maker said on Friday, compared to an earlier target for the end of March. https://t.co/VStVgSlEnF
— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) March 11, 2022
Doctors said in interviews they are treating long covid patients who are clearly too sick to work but who have difficulty meeting the evidence threshold insurers demand: objective medical test results showing an inability to perform work. https://t.co/RLiICoJf6e
— BA Haller (@Mediadisdat) March 9, 2022
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?? NEW: My own crude estimate: Vaccine refusal *specifically* has killed 180K – 235K Americans to date:https://t.co/nYknYmC18f
— Charles Gaba ???? (@charles_gaba) March 10, 2022
As noted in the headline & at the link, my own methodology is pretty crude. For comparison, here's a more-detailed analysis by @KFF which estimated the total to be around 163,000…in *mid-December*.
Another ~162K Americans have died of COVID since then.https://t.co/LQbJ72CI0m
— Charles Gaba ???? (@charles_gaba) March 10, 2022
As the pandemic enters its third year, there’s no return to normal for Hari Close and other Black funeral directors. https://t.co/Pn7ONL9Mi6
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 8, 2022
The $8B #COVID19 shake-down:
"suspects wrongfully obtained fdl loans to bolster companies that didn’t actually exist…large, transnational crime syndicates stole workers’ identities to receive generous unemployment benefits under someone else’s name."https://t.co/lQo14vE904— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) March 10, 2022
United Airlines to let unvaccinated employees return to jobs March 28 -memo https://t.co/qXNbloPv2l pic.twitter.com/oSD20hq0WX
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 11, 2022
COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Thursday / Friday, March 10-11Post + Comments (58)