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COVID-19 Coronavirus

You are here: Home / Archives for Healthcare / COVID-19 Coronavirus

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday/Wednesday, Dec. 22-23

by Anne Laurie|  December 23, 20204:55 am| 43 Comments

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

My jaw actually dropped. pic.twitter.com/HkvWnCHIF9

— Philip Bump (@pbump) December 22, 2020

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NEW: U.S. sets single-day record with more than 3,350 deaths from Covid-19 on Tuesday, according to an NBC News tally. https://t.co/6A1chi3auV

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) December 23, 2020

2020 will be the deadliest year in U.S. history, with deaths expected to top 3 million for the first time – due mainly to the coronavirus pandemic. The expected 15% jump would mark the largest leap since 1918. https://t.co/Xgw6QAZE8C

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 22, 2020

Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus response, said she plans to retire, but is willing to first help President-elect Joe Biden's team with its coronavirus response as needed. https://t.co/BlJun8udSk

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 22, 2020

The U.S. government is negotiating with Pfizer to acquire tens of millions of additional vaccine doses in exchange for helping the pharmaceutical giant gain better access to manufacturing supplies, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations. https://t.co/5x7TIfLyTS

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 23, 2020

Time to add to the 3 W's (Wear a mask, Watch your distance, Wash your hands) 2 V's: Ventilation and Vaccination. A full house – and a winning hand against Covid.

— Dr. Tom Frieden (@DrTomFrieden) December 23, 2020

Inside the warehouse containing some of the nation's most critical supplies and vaccines https://t.co/lLNxpXZMn6 pic.twitter.com/toVxgveyU7

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) December 21, 2020

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NEW: long overdue, I’ve updated our excess deaths data, expanding the list of countries to 30

We have tracked 1.5 million excess deaths so far, considerably more than the 960k attributed to Covid-19 in the same countries over same period.

Free to read: https://t.co/JxVd2cG7KI pic.twitter.com/MshKwU5QRM

— John Burn-Murdoch (@jburnmurdoch) December 22, 2020

UK Covid deaths up by nearly 700 in 24-hour period https://t.co/6ftuucUfhh

— The Independent (@Independent) December 22, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic is not under control in France and a new lockdown must remain an option, Karine Lacombe, the head of the infectious diseases unit at Paris’ Saint-Antoine hospital said https://t.co/Zj9zfkttTx

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 23, 2020

Russia confirmed 27,250 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, bringing the total number of reported cases to 2,933,753 https://t.co/JPQFAMHRes

— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) December 23, 2020

Keep calm, Taiwan says after first local COVID-19 case in eight months https://t.co/ChpmAgDtli pic.twitter.com/NsyiQXeXfD

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 23, 2020

South Korea's Moon under fire for vaccine plans as COVID-19 cases surge https://t.co/gMDMOf8gQM pic.twitter.com/jYaqjQVuXC

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 23, 2020

COVID-19 vaccine stirs rare hesitation in nearly virus-free Singapore https://t.co/pArVty9H2G pic.twitter.com/jK9mfOWgGJ

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 23, 2020

Thailand confirms 46 new coronavirus infections https://t.co/Kty50KD1us pic.twitter.com/GCQsobdjP6

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 23, 2020

Covid-19: The Philippines and its lockdown baby boom https://t.co/l6je3E9b9h

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 23, 2020

Dubai to begin inoculations with Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine from Wednesday https://t.co/G6bqzNfwfa pic.twitter.com/blcIsvn4Hx

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 23, 2020

Sydney's Covid restrictions to be reviewed ahead of Christmas https://t.co/zexmzHObqs

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 22, 2020

Sadly #Antarctica is no longer free of COVID-19! The Chilean army today reported 36 personnel at O’Higgins Base have tested positive (26 military and 10 civilians); the station has been undergoing the annual exchange of personnel over the last few weeks; pic @Base_OHiggins pic.twitter.com/OKtjqQQ4Om

— The Antarctic Report (@AntarcticReport) December 22, 2020

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Losing track of how many #COVID19 #vaccine doses are coming to your State, and who will get immunized? This handy-dandy dashboard keeps track for you: https://t.co/1ll9BYKk6D

— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) December 22, 2020

The @CDCgov analysis of the mutant UK and SoAfrican #SARSCoV2 viruses, and what they plan to do to protect Americans. (Hint: It's not much.)https://t.co/D2S98Oy8aw

— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) December 23, 2020

2/ This chart from the Oxford #COVID19 study is tricky — take a moment. The blobs on the right show the range of reduction in epidemic growth rates, in countries worldwide, a given intervention has had. Limiting gatherings to <10 ppl cut spread in half. pic.twitter.com/7PJUmSFc7p

— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) December 22, 2020

China's CAS COVID-19 vaccine induces immune response in mid-stage tests https://t.co/Jrq49NYxIT pic.twitter.com/Rm2NOV5m2W

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 23, 2020

Secondary bloodstream infections associated with severe COVID19. The study, in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, is the 1st to assess the microbiology, risk factors & outcomes in hospitalized patients w/ severe COVID https://t.co/t0zLGWiFCq

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) December 22, 2020

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The hospital characteristics most associated with poor or worsening hospital outcomes for patients with #COVID19 are high or increasing community case rates. As case rates of COVID-19 increase across the nation, hospital mortality outcomes may worsen https://t.co/qa8WEXEvnR

— JAMA Internal Medicine (@JAMAInternalMed) December 22, 2020

No state has more total new cases than California, but adjusted for population, Tennessee's outbreak is worse. Gov. Bill Lee has declined to issue a mask mandate, leaving the decision up to local officials. https://t.co/1wqFpasGt6

— CNN (@CNN) December 22, 2020

Tennessee is ‘ground zero’ in the nation’s virus surge, and Christmas could make it worse. Eight of the nation’s 20 metropolitan areas with the most cases per capita are in Tennessee https://t.co/Ff21on8WY0

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) December 23, 2020

With hospitals nearly overwhelmed, officials say California ‘cannot afford’ another holiday surge https://t.co/ZEQ73hM2vu

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) December 23, 2020

Texas AG Ken Paxton urged White House to revoke Harris County COVID relief over mail ballotshttps://t.co/71xHElASyA #hounews

— Matt Schwartz (@SchwartzChron) December 22, 2020

America 2020:

In our Very Serious Country Full of Real Grownups, a strip club was open during a pandemic and people can own AK-47 rifles so that when they have a temper tantrum over wearing masks, they can make a run at a mass killing. https://t.co/HAf86eBQCC

— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) December 22, 2020

The U.S. just set a record for the daily number of deaths from COVID-19 and the junior senator from Texas wants to set new mortality records for the next three months. https://t.co/1dzze4vAmX https://t.co/KMPdmm3mZQ

— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) December 23, 2020

Yes! https://t.co/Pevw5cvlLs

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 23, 2020

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday/Wednesday, Dec. 22-23Post + Comments (43)

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Monday/Tuesday, Dec. 21-22

by Anne Laurie|  December 22, 20205:32 am| 54 Comments

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

I’m not going to let it impact my safety precautions, and I realize we will be in a pandemic through summer, but damn, this is exciting. Know hope. https://t.co/KPamTgYV98

— Mig Greengard (@chessninja) December 21, 2020

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To all those folks who said "I'll take a #CovidVaccine when Dr. Fauci takes the vaccine" — well, that's happening tomorrow.
And he's not jumping the queue. Along with everything else he does, Tony Fauci is still an active physician at the NIH Clinical Center, ie he's in Phase 1a. pic.twitter.com/zGFiY5oASP

— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) December 21, 2020

U.S. loses one life every 33 seconds to COVID-19 in deadliest week so far https://t.co/Ihsov0iID6 pic.twitter.com/GX1NbZ3DLg

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 22, 2020

The US had +200,109 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 today, bringing the total to over 18.4 million. The 7-day moving average rose lightly, at just over 218,500 per day. pic.twitter.com/rJvax8Yu3U

— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) December 22, 2020

When the Y-axis is increased to 120,000 and another new record is set > 115,000 today.@COVID19Tracking pic.twitter.com/Z7QJXdrGwE

— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) December 22, 2020

The same things that’ll keep you safe from the coronavirus already circulating in the US are also very conveniently the exact same things that’ll keep you safe from any future ‘more transmissible’ variant.

Masks. Wash hands. Keep your distance. Avoid indoor spaces. Repeat.

— Craig Spencer MD MPH (@Craig_A_Spencer) December 22, 2020

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The #coronavirus is mutating. What does that mean for us? Health officials in Britain and South Africa claim new variants are more easily transmitted. But there’s a lot more to the story, scientists say https://t.co/rqLf67jYzJ

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) December 20, 2020

The @WHO analysis so far of the threat posed by the new UK variant form of #SARCoV2 — which, to be clear, doesn't seem to cause a worse #COVID19 illness, but infects 70% more people.https://t.co/M9eylDyC68

— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) December 21, 2020

Today we add an important chapter to a European success story, by making available the 1st #COVID19 vaccine for Europeans.

More will come.

It will be available to all EU countries at the same time, on the same conditions #EUvaccinationdays https://t.co/4Xa17PQkMv

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) December 21, 2020

Russia confirmed 28,776 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, bringing the total number of reported infections to 2,906,503 https://t.co/CZtiBaLWVh

— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) December 22, 2020

India records lowest daily coronavirus tally since July 3 https://t.co/4vLEf1EEBN pic.twitter.com/gblQRcnpxk

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 22, 2020

Tokyo hospitals overwhelmed with #coronavirus cases, which have hit a new record https://t.co/XCLVjb6HMP pic.twitter.com/V71unljxXF

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) December 21, 2020

Malaysia buys AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines, seeks more from China, Russia https://t.co/CbC4sOtt52 pic.twitter.com/p1hp6Wjizo

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 22, 2020

There's concern about the new, extra-contagious form of #SARSCoV2 spreading in the UK, but the mutant South Africa strain is also worrying. It also is more transmissible & SA govt says it is more virulent in young adults.
Separate #COVID19 mutation eventshttps://t.co/pmuSz6w8m7

— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) December 22, 2020

Covid: Sydney infections drop amid record testing for outbreak https://t.co/1tSsKpyTfd

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 22, 2020

New Zealand says it will provide free doses of coronavirus vaccines to its residents as well as neighboring nations Tokelau, Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu, should they want them.https://t.co/suF9Y16BMd

— NPR (@NPR) December 22, 2020

Mexico records 5,370 new coronavirus cases, 396 more deaths https://t.co/qvhr4AwBx2 pic.twitter.com/EF6Ue3pmzD

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 22, 2020

Analysis: Vaccine bond sales to soar to fund COVID-19 shots for poor countries https://t.co/YunsUtIFt4 pic.twitter.com/v3Msi6HpcS

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 22, 2020

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Arrival of the Moderna vaccine brings hope to rural areas because it doesn't require sub-zero storage, and can be maintained in an ordinary freezer https://t.co/N8yNOTvCGw

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) December 21, 2020

Regulator approves Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine for EU states https://t.co/HiAxFO9qar

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 21, 2020

The Vatican told Roman Catholics on Monday that it was morally acceptable to use COVID-19 vaccines even if their production employed cell lines drawn from tissues of aborted foetuses.​ https://t.co/SV38SEt24g

— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) December 21, 2020

COVID-19 testing: One size doesn't fit all https://t.co/Y7vdjp65IE

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) December 22, 2020

With the world embarking on a campaign to deliver super-cold vaccines to remote areas, lessons can be learned from Congo where a thermos-like device was deployed to tackle Ebola https://t.co/dVVreDG7c0 pic.twitter.com/Pk3QA5oRIL

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 22, 2020

I know we should not anthropomorphize a virus. #SARSCoV2 isn't actively plotting against humans — it's just doing what viruses so.
But it does really feel like the little [email protected]@rd saw people getting happy about vaccines & thought: Not so soon.

— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) December 21, 2020

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Rationing: California hospitals are discussing rationing care because of coronavirus surges. Overwhelmed hospitals have set up makeshift spaces for coronavirus patients & a few facilities in hard-hit Los Angeles are drawing up emergency plans to limit care https://t.co/DG6gvZHv9O

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) December 21, 2020

California has recorded half a million coronavirus cases in the last two weeks and could have nearly 100,000 hospitalizations in the next month. Gov. Gavin Newsom says he’s likely to extend his stay-at-home order for much of the state. https://t.co/k3ev6YeZAA

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 21, 2020

Virus rules mandating mask use are not being enforced everywhere. In the rugged Texas town of Abilene, a grieving family is asking, why not? https://t.co/bc6aqGDrCJ

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 21, 2020

There is a “very clear association between going to restaurants and infection,” says @JustinLessler. He added that more research is needed to figure out infection rates with each level of restriction to mitigate transmission. https://t.co/UlDCOaANwt

— JHSPH Epidemiology (@JohnsHopkinsEPI) December 21, 2020

How it started: How it’s going: pic.twitter.com/9yFXKyYNuR

— Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) December 21, 2020

People who figure they can jump to the front of the vaccine (or remdesivir) line:

the Whitestone Republican Club in NYC apparently held a Christmas party this year without a care in the world about COVID pic.twitter.com/mHzW86d9M7

— Matt Binder (@MattBinder) December 21, 2020

good rundown from @QueensEagle on this event https://t.co/dyIhIqnmLt

— Matt Binder (@MattBinder) December 21, 2020

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Monday/Tuesday, Dec. 21-22Post + Comments (54)

Monday Evening Open Thread: Jab, Jab, Jab

by Anne Laurie|  December 21, 20205:37 pm| 164 Comments

This post is in: Biden-Harris 2020, COVID-19 Coronavirus, Open Threads

Maybe if they promised Trump a sticker, he'd get one too. … https://t.co/R5VbfCW3pf

— Karen Tumulty (@ktumulty) December 21, 2020

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How it started: How it’s going: pic.twitter.com/9yFXKyYNuR

— Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) December 21, 2020

Everybody’s a critic…

So on the one hand, this is great!

On the other hand, by my calculations, at this pace the United States would achieve herd immunity in 7.9 years so maybe let’s pick up the pace. https://t.co/R6Pl4k6hVM

— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) December 21, 2020

Who's going to be the first semi-famous public figure caught jumping the vaccine queue? Tech bro? GOP politician? A TikTok influencer?

— Mig Greengard (@chessninja) December 21, 2020

Monday Evening Open Thread: Jab, Jab, JabPost + Comments (164)

COVID, Vaccinations, Congress and Partisanship

by David Anderson|  December 21, 20206:58 am| 80 Comments

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

We can see light at the end of the tunnel.

Vaccines are in the pipeline. We think Fall 2021 can look a lot more like 2019 than 2020.

We are going to go through the suck until a large number of people have either their shots or recover from infections.

A vaccine sitting in a warehouse or a doctor’s office is just a funny looking fluid.  It is only valuable when it is in someone’s arm and priming an immune response.

We know that COVID response rates are heavily polarized on partisan lines.  A recent article in Science  showed that partisanship had a huge valance on behavior independent of actual risk levels:

Using daily data on the reported activities of 1,135,638 U.S. adults collected starting on April 4, 2020, we show that partisanship is 27 times more important than the local incidence of COVID-19 in explaining mobility. Moreover, all else equal, Democrats are 13.1 percent less likely to be socially mobile over time compared to independents, while Republicans are
27.8 percent more likely to be mobile.

We know that partisanship had significant premium effects in the ACA:

Insurers have increased marketplace premiums at higher rates in areas with more Republican voters. In the preferred model specification, a 10-percentage-point difference in Republican vote share is associated with a 3.2-percentage-point increase in average premium growth for a standard plan. A variety of robustness and placebo checks suggest the relationship is driven by partisanship.

We know partisanship has both real world consequences in behaviors that have both real individual and social costs.  Partisanship allows people to outsource their thinking to trusted political leaders and opinion coalition merchants.

We know that we need, to use a technical term, a shit ton of people to get vaccinated.  We want mass vaccination to happen as quickly as possible as the cost of additional suffering in a three month delay to go from 100 million people vaccinated to 200 million people vaccinated would be significant (the economic costs would be high too).

We know that a good chunk of those people who need to be vaccinated are currently getting their political and social cues from elites that have downplayed the entire coronavirus pandemic.

So when members of the elite political class  who have been spewing out  “plandemic”, “open-up”, “herd immunity”, “personal responsibility”,  “let it rip”, “merely a flu” messaging for almost a year now get vaccinated on camera with a smile and a thumbs up, that is very important new information going to people who won’t listen to liberals or pointy-headed nerds.  It is a message that vaccines are not bad, they might be good, and trusted elites trust them.

Roll your eyes privately, but I would rather be in a world with 80% or 90% vaccination rates driven by mass elite hypocrisy that allowed for a right wing permission structure to get vaccinated than a world of 50% vaccination rates and consistent messaging that keeps a good chunk of the US population suspicious of vaccines.

COVID, Vaccinations, Congress and PartisanshipPost + Comments (80)

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Sunday/Monday, Dec. 20-21

by Anne Laurie|  December 21, 20204:56 am| 31 Comments

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

Dr. Vivek Murthy: "May be closer to mid summer, early fall" for widespread vaccine distribution https://t.co/4TeGpCLJ26 pic.twitter.com/eUPvZJHQ18

— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) December 20, 2020

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In light of that unwelcome news, a new debate:

If we move fast with trials for a single-dose vaccine, we might be able to double the number of people we can quickly vaccinate—ending this crisis sooner, helping with vaccine equity, and saving many lives. New piece from @michaelmina_lab and me. https://t.co/NqGmM1WabJ pic.twitter.com/zsvddgIC9T

— zeynep tufekci (@zeynep) December 18, 2020

When the best you can hope for is that you peak out at 220,000 a day pic.twitter.com/TbqlQw9tgC

— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) December 20, 2020

The US had +183,223 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 today, bringing the total to over 18.2 million. The 7-day moving average fell slightly to below 218,000 per day. pic.twitter.com/ZwyBavI47F

— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) December 21, 2020

More than 1 million people have passed through U.S. airport security checkpoints in each of the past two days in a sign that public health pleas to avoid holiday travel are being ignored, despite an alarming surge in COVID-19 cases. https://t.co/wufNR3dpBJ

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 20, 2020

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Europe is the first region to pass the 500,000-mark in coronavirus deaths https://t.co/DPm09ICUcO via @medical_xpress pic.twitter.com/hWVh4Mg1kK

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) December 20, 2020

#EU ambassadors will hold a crisis meeting in Brussels on Monday on travel restrictions to the UK after the emergence of a new #coronavirus strain there suspected to be very infectious.https://t.co/NXu9JM3Mog

— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) December 21, 2020

The United Kingdom was shut off from much of Europe after its closest allies cut transport ties due to fears about a new strain of the coronavirus, sowing chaos for families and companies just days before it exits the European Union’s orbit https://t.co/r7dpdMQebb

— Reuters UK (@ReutersUK) December 21, 2020

Breaking: The gov't has issued a "notice to airmen" restricting incoming flights to Canada carrying passengers from the UK. It's scheduled to take effect at midnight. #cdnpoli

— Ashley Burke (@AshleyBurkeCBC) December 21, 2020

Argentina, Chile to suspend flights from Great Britain over COVID-19 concerns https://t.co/XvOVW2p56f pic.twitter.com/2ddLlXzJ3H

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 21, 2020

“The data right now is showing this current strain in the UK, while it’s moving faster … there’s no evidence it’s causing more serious disease and there’s no evidence to suggest this particular strain will not respond to the vaccines,” @lipiroy sayshttps://t.co/rtmGXVjKjN

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) December 21, 2020

Sweden is struggling under the second #coronavirus wave. Stockholm, the capital, is once again at the epicenter of the epidemic where officials have called on members of the public w/ medical training to help offset some of the healthcare burden https://t.co/p3TnJGjQl5 pic.twitter.com/B7jMNZ439t

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) December 21, 2020

Sweden and Japan are paying the price for COVID-19 exceptionalism https://t.co/w5fmORZlU2 via @medical_xpress

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) December 20, 2020

Russia confirmed a new single-day record of 29,350 coronavirus cases Monday, which brings the total number of infections to 2,877,727 https://t.co/p82qBm2mx7

— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) December 21, 2020

No need to panic over new UK coronavirus strain, says India's health minister https://t.co/BaaDEtI2gk pic.twitter.com/jSp5CGumtF

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 21, 2020

South Korea's capital to ban gatherings larger than four as coronavirus deaths rise https://t.co/Qv0WjUUZ5K pic.twitter.com/MJbzvvmT0u

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 21, 2020

Thousands of people have lined up for coronavirus tests in a province near Bangkok, as Thai authorities scrambled to contain an outbreak of the virus that has infected nearly 700 people. https://t.co/J17pqDOFIo

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 20, 2020

Covid-19: Couple holds 10,000 people drive-thru wedding in Malaysia https://t.co/wXL69MzQtQ

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 21, 2020

New South Wales reports its lowest one-day rise in new COVID-19 cases in three days, stoking cautious optimism that authorities have contained an outbreak in Sydney's northern beachside suburbs https://t.co/1yPTUdG9wP pic.twitter.com/LJjnSMkX6F

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 21, 2020

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I'll be updating this but here's a quick take on the #ACIP vote to set Phase 1b and Phase 1c vaccine priority groups. https://t.co/XGjodhA5S8

— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) December 20, 2020

… An expert panel that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Sunday that adults aged 75 and older, as well as frontline essential workers, be designated as the second priority group to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices also voted to recommend that the third stage of the national vaccination program should focus on adults 65 to 74, people 16 to 64 years old with high-risk medical conditions, and essential workers not included in the second phase of vaccination.

The committee defined frontline essential workers as first responders, teachers and other education workers including day care workers, food and agriculture workers, correctional facility staff, postal workers, public transit workers, and people who work in manufacturing and in grocery stores…

…[T]he entire essential workers group, which is based on a list drawn up by a division of the Department of Homeland Security, represents about 87 million people — too big a group at a time when vaccine supplies are scarce. Essential workers who will have to wait for Phase 1c for vaccine include people who maintain water and wastewater systems, people who work in the IT and communications sector, members of the media, and public safety workers.

Operation Warp Speed, the federal government’s program to fast-track vaccine production, estimates there will be enough vaccine to vaccinate 20 million people in December, another 30 million in January, and an additional 50 million by the end of February.

Phase 1a of the vaccination effort, which began last week, involves offering vaccine to 24 million people. In Phase 1b, 49 million people will be eligible to receive vaccine. Phase 1c is a much larger group, including roughly 129 million people. In total, the first three priority groups will cover 202 million people — double the number of people the country expects to have vaccine for by the end of February…

The supply chain: A German factory is racing to churn out COVID-19 syringes https://t.co/gdbjTtHfGw via @medical_xpress

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) December 20, 2020

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As Christmas nears, coronairus experts look for lessons From Thanksgiving https://t.co/BCbhsqxdyB

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) December 20, 2020

All these politicians get the vaccine first, because they're "setting an example". Nice of them to start now.

— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) December 21, 2020

Health officials are asking people who test positive for coronavirus to warn friends, family and others themselves. Officials say do-it-yourself tracing is not ideal, but with infections soaring it’s likely the most effective way to reach people at risk. https://t.co/KgyNZYuVu4

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 20, 2020

Not a single rural hospital in Texas received any doses of the coronavirus vaccine this week, frustrating rural healthcare workers including those at the COVID-besieged Medical Arts Hospital in Lamesa. Read more: https://t.co/Vej5ev1yHw 📷 Go Nakamura pic.twitter.com/XcLvZcxpJ5

— Reuters Pictures (@reuterspictures) December 21, 2020

Ventilators that the Obama administration agreed to buy for $3,280 each suddenly cost $15,000. It turns out they were “functionally identical,” according to House investigators, and the “waste of taxpayer funds” may have reached $500 million. https://t.co/DA69mn4lds

— ProPublica (@propublica) December 20, 2020

Even with COVID-19 hospitalizations at an all-time high in LA County and virus spread accelerating at rates never seen before, the Citadel Outlets look packed with holiday shoppers searching for parking spots. https://t.co/siWsYWviTN pic.twitter.com/4MPPoI95Tv

— NBC Los Angeles (@NBCLA) December 20, 2020

So what happens when COVID is this widespread in LA? It spreads everywhere, making everything more dangerous.

I looked at grocery stores, the most essential of businesses. Staff are falling sick at unprecedented rates. Trader Joe's. Sprouts. Food 4 Less.https://t.co/fOhm5gVPPz

— Soumya (@skarlamangla) December 20, 2020

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Sunday/Monday, Dec. 20-21Post + Comments (31)

Excellent (Horrifying) Read: Trump & His Cronies vs. the Virus

by Anne Laurie|  December 20, 202010:15 am| 168 Comments

This post is in: COVID-19 Coronavirus, Excellent Links, GOP Death Cult, Trump Crime Cartel

Skepticism of science
Impatience with health restrictions
Prioritization of personal politics
Undisciplined communications
Chaotic management
Indulgence of conspiracies
Magical thinking
Turf wars

The inside story of how we got to the dark winter of covidhttps://t.co/PD0tbHHsJw

— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) December 19, 2020

I keep stockpiling stories too long for the daily link-aggregations, because there’s just *too much news* every damned day. But this Washington Post story is well worth the click (hell, the subscription, if you can get one) — “The inside story of how Trump’s denial, mismanagement and magical thinking led to the pandemic’s dark winter”:

… After their warnings had gone largely unheeded for months in the dormant West Wing, Deborah Birx, Anthony S. Fauci, Stephen Hahn and Robert Redfield together sounded new alarms, cautioning of a dark winter to come without dramatic action to slow community spread.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, among the many Trump aides who were infected with the virus this fall, was taken aback, according to three senior administration officials with knowledge of the discussions. He told the doctors he did not believe their troubling data assessment. And he accused them of outlining problems without prescribing solutions.

The doctors explained that the solutions were simple and had long been clear — among them, to leverage the power of the presidential bully pulpit to persuade all Americans to wear masks, especially the legions of Trump supporters refusing to do so, and to dramatically expand testing…

Trump went days without mentioning the pandemic other than to celebrate progress on vaccines. The president by then had abdicated his responsibility to manage the public health crisis and instead used his megaphone almost exclusively to spread misinformation in a failed attempt to overturn the results of the election he lost to President-elect Joe Biden.

“I think he’s just done with covid,” said one of Trump’s closest advisers who, like many others interviewed for this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly discuss internal deliberations and operations. “I think he put it on a timetable and he’s done with covid. . . . It just exceeded the amount of time he gave it.”…

show full post on front page

The catastrophe began with Trump’s initial refusal to take seriously the threat of a once-in-a-century pandemic. But, as officials detailed, it has been compounded over time by a host of damaging presidential traits — his skepticism of science, impatience with health restrictions, prioritization of personal politics over public safety, undisciplined communications, chaotic management style, indulgence of conspiracies, proclivity toward magical thinking, allowance of turf wars and flagrant disregard for the well-being of those around him.

“There isn’t a single light-switch moment where the government has screwed up and we’re going down the wrong path,” said Kyle McGowan, who resigned in August as chief of staff at the CDC under Redfield, the center’s director. “It was a series of multiple decisions that showed a lack of desire to listen to the actual scientists and also a lack of leadership in general, and that put us on this progression of where we’re at today.”…

Excellent (Horrifying) Read: Trump & His Cronies vs. the VirusPost + Comments (168)

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Saturday/Sunday, Dec. 19-20

by Anne Laurie|  December 20, 20205:43 am| 56 Comments

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

GUS PERNA, the general running logistics for Operation Warp Speed, takes sole responsibility for a big problem with Pfizer vaccine rollout: states report they’re getting less than they were promised.

“It was my fault,” Perna says. “It was a planning error, and I am responsible.” pic.twitter.com/LbMpT9l23B

— Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) December 19, 2020

show full post on front page

Moderna COVID-19 vaccine begins rollout as U.S. races to broaden injection campaign https://t.co/naZlIyCUqM pic.twitter.com/8kSltOj67t

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 20, 2020

COVID19 is now the leading cause of death in the U.S. https://t.co/NA4wdWmhVV via @medical_xpress

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) December 19, 2020

The US had +189,415 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 today, bringing the total to over 18.0 million. The 7-day moving average fell slightly to just over 218,000 per day. pic.twitter.com/oA2E9pgLbT

— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) December 20, 2020

If you’re wondering how the U.S. surpassed 300,000 COVID-19 deaths, wonder no longer https://t.co/XD1A1RilQu

— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) December 18, 2020

remember when in the early days of covid jared consulted karlie kloss's doctor father who took it to his facebook group

— Naomi Fry (@frynaomifry) December 18, 2020

======

Curfews, lockdowns and restrictions on gatherings
How Europe is responding to new coronavirus outbreakshttps://t.co/435VmSHP97

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 19, 2020

Covid: WHO in 'close contact' with UK over new variant https://t.co/VLE5EOMnrp

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 20, 2020

Travel ban between Scotland & the rest of the UK, saying that movement across the border “for all but the most essential purposes is not permitted”. Mainland Scotland would move into Tier 4 restrictions for three weeks from Boxing Day. https://t.co/7eaQUKI0rD

— Linda Yueh (@lindayueh) December 19, 2020

Oh look, it’s the sequel to the March 2020 shitshow when Americans were flooding back into the U.S. after Trump’s muddled Europe ban and everyone was crammed like sardines into Dulles, O’Hare, etc. https://t.co/snfudRudOH

— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) December 19, 2020

BREAKING: The Netherlands bans U.K. flights for the rest of the year, fearing the new coronavirus variant that is racing through London and southern England. https://t.co/tAkHbVFTIz

— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) December 20, 2020

Italy is imposing a partial lockdown for Christmas https://t.co/P4WPpgUmPj via @medical_xpress

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) December 20, 2020

As companies around the globe race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine and nations scramble to secure millions of doses, questions about the use of pork-derived ingredients has begun to play a role in the purchasing and planned distribution. https://t.co/6r2tTe8fxI

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 20, 2020

… Pork-derived gelatin has been widely used as a stabilizer to ensure vaccines remain safe and effective during storage and transport…

Spokespeople for Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca have said that pork products are not part of their COVID-19 vaccines. But limited supply and preexisting deals worth millions of dollars with other companies means that some countries with large Muslim populations, such as Indonesia, will receive vaccines that have not yet been certified to be gelatin-free.

This presents a dilemma for religious communities, including Orthodox Jews and Muslims, where the consumption of pork products is deemed religiously unclean, and how the ban is applied to medicine, he said.

“There’s a difference of opinion amongst Islamic scholars as to whether you take something like pork gelatin and make it undergo a rigorous chemical transformation,” Waqar said. “Is that still considered to be religiously impure for you to take?”

The majority consensus from past debates over pork gelatin use in vaccines is that it is permissible under Islamic law, as “greater harm” would occur if the vaccines weren’t used, said Dr. Harunor Rashid, an associate professor at the University of Sydney.

There’s a similar assessment by a broad consensus of religious leaders in the Orthodox Jewish community as well.

“According to the Jewish law, the prohibition on eating pork or using pork is only forbidden when it’s a natural way of eating it,” said Rabbi David Stav, chairman of Tzohar, a rabbinical organization in Israel.

If “it’s injected into the body, not (eaten) through the mouth,” then there is “no prohibition and no problem, especially when we are concerned about sicknesses,” he said.

Yet there have been dissenting opinions on the issue — some with serious health consequences for Indonesia, which has the world’s largest Muslim population, some 225 million.

In 2018, the Indonesian Ulema Council, the Muslim clerical body that issues certifications that a product is halal, or permissible under Islamic law, decreed that the measles and rubella vaccines were “haram,” or unlawful, because of the gelatin. Religious and community leaders began to urge parents to not allow their children to be vaccinated.

“Measles cases subsequently spiked, giving Indonesia the third-highest rate of measles in the world,” said Rachel Howard, director of the health care market research group Research Partnership…

Any bets that the ultra-Orthodox Jews currently holding superspreader events in NYC won’t use this argument as a defense to refuse vaccination, as well?

Israel begins its coronavirus inoculation drive, aiming to vaccinate some 60,000 people a day in a bid to stamp out the illness that is once again surging among its population. https://t.co/Uaee6hSVzb

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 20, 2020

Thailand to test over 10,000 people after record COVID-19 surge https://t.co/XYdAo6l3Km pic.twitter.com/BnniJmjxCy

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 20, 2020

Asia Today: The outbreak in Sydney’s northern beach suburbs has grown to 70 cases with an additional 30 in the last 24 hours. Authorities say they may never be able to trace the source. https://t.co/npYg7psETc

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 20, 2020

Mexico's confirmed coronavirus death toll rises to 117,876 https://t.co/ujlY15zENS pic.twitter.com/6Fon6RUi1U

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 20, 2020

======

https://t.co/jEBPDXiXP3

— Jeffrey Goldberg (@JeffreyGoldberg) December 19, 2020

Here's a side-by-side comparison of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines on a range of factors. https://t.co/F8FSRlUQNo

— STAT (@statnews) December 19, 2020

How Moderna’s mRNA vaccine works https://t.co/jQ9bVfDjgV

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) December 19, 2020

Wondering what happened today when #ACIP meet to review #Moderna's #CovidVaccine? I have you covered. https://t.co/uEaUJPkctn

— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) December 19, 2020

"Early study results show [monoclonal antibodies] may reduce the rate of hospitalizations by up to 70% if they are taken in time, which can be life-saving, especially among people who are at high risk of getting very sick." https://t.co/xub08Ad91h

— Global Health Observ (@GlobalPHObserv) December 19, 2020

First over-the-counter COVID19 test: Useful but not a game changer https://t.co/gHpPpDKzdg via @medical_xpress

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) December 19, 2020

======

The AP tallied more than $7 billion in purchases by states this spring for personal protective equipment and high-demand medical devices such as ventilators and infrared thermometers, as the COVID-19 pandemic's spread caused chaos. https://t.co/4v9i9PNjNX

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 19, 2020

https://t.co/icAO9GO82z

— Evan Feigenbaum (@EvanFeigenbaum) December 20, 2020

Murdoch received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as his network’s biggest star peddled vaccine skepticism and told viewers they should react “nervously” to the rollout https://t.co/rYTMdgmTzQ

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) December 18, 2020

“It’s no wonder people are confused or don’t believe what politicians say.” To the public’s chagrin, some of America’s political leaders have been caught preaching one thing on the coronavirus and practicing another. https://t.co/gJNlIlSdU2

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 19, 2020

Two Georgia hospitals in the same district. One is slammed with #COVID19 and received no vaccine this week. One, an influential for-profit cancer hospital with no ER, gets its entire 1000+ staff vaccinated, administrators and all. #coronavirus #gapolhttps://t.co/GSEUw6cx9P

— Ariel Hart (@ArielWriter) December 19, 2020

"You know Janet, here I am telling you I am immune to Covid, which seems like pretty goddamn good news to me, but all I'm getting back is, 'OMG, you're an alligator person.' Honestly, your negativity is really getting to be a problem." pic.twitter.com/cbc3QYEf6t

— Peter (@Peter_M_V) December 18, 2020

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Saturday/Sunday, Dec. 19-20Post + Comments (56)

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