The COVID-2019 Thread

[OhOh]

Re the ameristani embassy vaccine availability for ameristani citizens.


"The Department of State does not provide direct medical care, including vaccinations, to private U.S. citizens abroad. We are committed to providing all possible consular assistance to U.S. citizens in need overseas, including by providing information on local medical resources when appropriate"

COVID-19 Information | U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Thailand

Our news reporters here on TD keep reporting there are ample supplies of vaccine for ameristani citizens.

As many ameristani citizens now reside in Thailand and if any taxes are due to ameristan are mandated to pay them, why are the ameristani residents in Thailand treated as beyond their promise to deliver vaccines?

Is it solely ameristani citizens in Thailand, or a global washing their hands of foreign retirees care? Possibly defendable in normal times.

As reported, it appears that the French are able to deliver vaccines in Thailand. I don't know if French citizens are mandated to pay French taxes when resident abroad.

Which suggests the Thai authorities do not have a ban on vaccines being delivered and administered, when their country of residence are unable to cater in a timely manner.

An undefendable stance, I suggest. Or is "providing local information" their limit?

[harrybarracuda]

Has your homeland given you a vaccine HooHoo?

[Klondyke]

Must have borrowed the chinky recipe.

HAVANA, June 19 (Reuters) - Cuba's Soberana 2 vaccine candidate has shown 62% efficacy with just two of its three doses, state-run biopharmaceutical corporation BioCubaFarma said on Saturday, citing preliminary data from late phase trials.

Cuba encouraged by early efficacy results of homegrown COVID-19 vaccine | Reuters


(Unfortunately, the Cuban are not so developed as e.g. their neighbours on Haiti or Dominican Republic despite the generous help over decades...)


Cuban COVID-19 vaccine maker announces jab candidate showing 92 per cent efficacy
Posted Yesterday at 2:41pm, updated Yesterday at 3:41pm

Cuba's Abdala coronavirus candidate vaccine shows more than 92 per cent efficacy after three doses, its maker says.

The BioCubaFarma laboratory wrote on Twitter on Monday that Abdala — one of the two already in use — showed "an efficacy of 92.28 per cent in its three-dose scheme".

It did not specify whether this was measured against infection, disease, or death, however.

The World Health Organization has set a 50 per cent efficacy threshold for coronavirus vaccines to offer protection against the virus or disease.

Read our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic

The announcement came two days after authorities announced that Soberana 2, the other three-dose shot being developed in Cuba, was 62 per cent effective after the first two shots.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel welcomed the news as an achievement that "will multiply pride" in the communist island nation.

Cuba has been relatively unscathed by the outbreak but has seen a recent sharp increase in cases.

Francisco Duran, the island's director of epidemiology, on Monday reported 1,561 new COVID-19 infections for a total of 169,365 confirmed cases and 1,170 deaths.

Under American sanctions, Cuba has a long tradition of making its own vaccines, dating back to the 1980s.

Nearly 80 per cent of its vaccines are produced locally and it hopes to come up with the first locally produced coronavirus shot in Latin America.

Cuban COVID-19 vaccine maker announces jab candidate showing 92 per cent efficacy - ABC News

[OhOh]

Has your homeland given you a vaccine HooHoo

The UK doesn't even post such "helpful information" as some others do.

They have their own problems:

"Daily new cases

16,703 people tested positive with COVID-19


Last updated 24 June 2021"

Their "advice":

"If you have coronavirus symptoms:

• get a PCR test
• stay at home"
  

Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance and support - GOV.UK

[Joe 90]

Northern Ireland publishes new green list countries
We're still waiting for the update from the Department for Transport on the traffic light system but in the meantime it looks like the Northern Ireland government have gone ahead and published their list.

From 04:00 BST on Wednesday 30 June these countries will be put on the green list for NI:

Anguila
Antigua and Barbuda
Balearic islands
Barbados
Bermuda
British Antarctic Territory
British Indian Ocean Territory
British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands
Dominica
Grenada
Madeira
Malta
Montserrat
Pitcairn Islands
Turks and Caicos Islands
This mean travellers will not need to quarantine when they return from these countries, but they do still have to pay for tests.

[harrybarracuda]

The UK doesn't even post such "helpful information" as some others do.

They have their own problems:

"Daily new cases

16,703 people tested positive with COVID-19


Last updated 24 June 2021"

Their "advice":

"If you have coronavirus symptoms:

• get a PCR test
• stay at home"
  

Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance and support - GOV.UK

I was looking for a yes or no, not a load of waffle.

[harrybarracuda]

Turkey's health regulators approved the use of a nanotechnology-based device developed by Turkish scientists that diagnoses COVID-19 in 10 seconds with 99% accuracy, after completing reliability testing, and the device has started to be used.

Bulend Ortac, a researcher at the National Nanotechnology Research Center (UNAM) of Bilkent University in the capital Ankara, said a high-technology test system, named Diagnovir, has been approved by the Health Ministry's Public Health General Directorate and the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency.

"The technology that we developed has (now) become available for usage in the field," he told Anadolu Agency.

"We found out in clinical studies that it (Diagnovir) has a 99% accuracy," he said, expressing his satisfaction at the Turkish scientists' success.
Ortac said the fast test kit responds to different strains of the virus and provides results in five to 10 seconds if positive, and 20 to 30 seconds if negative.

"The PCR test has a high error margin and delivers results in two to three days after infection, whereas our technology responds in seconds, even at the early stages of the disease," he added.

The university Rector Abdullah Atalar told Anadolu Agency that a project was launched at the UNAM to develop a test system that provides quick results.

Diagnovir is expected to replace PCR testing due to its higher reliability, speed, and more accurate results, he added.

"We are in the serial production phase right now," he said. However, he added that "the device is in high demand around the world, (with people) telling us they want to use it."

Underlining that Diagnovir received a lot of interest at some of the world's most prominent places and events, Atalar said: "Places with a higher risk of COVID-19, such as airports, demand it for immediate results. Large factories demand it as a production halt can cause great costs. The German Football League wants it as well."

"We believe this is a system that is unique in the world," he remarked.

Atalar added that the university has already used Diagnovir for a safe graduation ceremony attended by approximately 1,200 people in each one of eight separate sessions, including graduating students and their families.

Turkey presents 'world's quickest virus-testing device' for use

[panama hat]

Has your homeland given you a vaccine HooHoo?

Oddly enough they offered the Chinese vaccine and OhNo was 'busy' for that appointment . . . frantically searching for the A-Z, Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTek version so he can continue his 'bad bad west' anti-west diatribes.

In Japan, it has been more than two months since the vaccination program for people over 65 started in April.

I don't see how they can hold the Olympics when there are quite a few athletes - including several from NZ - who won't be vaccinated.

[David48atTD]

Nearly all COVID deaths in the US are now among unvaccinated, analysis suggests

Nearly all COVID-19 deaths in the US now are in people who weren't vaccinated, according to analysis by the Associated Press.

Key points:

• Analysis of available US government data from May shows that infections in fully vaccinated people accounted for about 0.1 per cent of cases
• The US CDC has not estimated what percentage of hospitalisations and deaths are in fully vaccinated people
• A former adviser to the Biden administration on COVID-19, suggested that 98 to 99 per cent of the Americans dying of the coronavirus are unvaccinated.

It is a demonstration of how effective the shots have been and an indication that deaths per day — now down to less than 300 — could be practically zero if everyone eligible got the vaccine.

The analysis of available government data from May shows that "breakthrough" infections in fully vaccinated people accounted for fewer than 1,200 of more than 853,000 COVID-19 hospitalisations. That's about 0.1 per cent.

And only about 150 of the more than 18,000 COVID-19 deaths in May were in fully vaccinated people. That translates to about 0.8 per cent, or five deaths per day on average.

The AP analysed figures provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

https://www.xxx.xxx.xx/news/2021-06-...ated/100243160

[David48atTD]

Nearly all COVID deaths in the US are now among unvaccinated, analysis suggests

Here is the link for the story ... Nearly all COVID deaths in US are now among unvaccinated, analysis suggests - ABC News

[misskit]

Jakarta erects emergency tents outside hospitals as Covid surges

JAKARTA: Indonesia is shifting medical emergency units in Jakarta to tents outside hospitals to create more room for Covid-19 beds, the health minister said, as authorities scramble to boost hospital capacity amid a spike in coronavirus cases.

The world’s fourth most populous nation reported that overall coronavirus cases topped 2 million this week, while Thursday’s 20,574 rise in infections was the biggest since the start of the pandemic.

The virus surge has piled pressure on a fragile healthcare system, with hospitals in some cities nearing full capacity, while hundreds of healthcare workers have tested positive for the respiratory disease and at least 10 who were fully vaccinated have died.

“How long this pandemic is going to be around comes down to all of us,” Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin told a streamed briefing on Friday.

In the capital Jakarta, the isolation bed occupancy rate hit 90% on Wednesday, while the ICU (intensive care unit) rate was at 86%, according to Governor Anies Baswedan.

Three hospitals in Jakarta are being converted to exclusively handle Covid-19 patients, while two isolation centres were being set up to house an additional 7,000 beds, the health minister said.

Allaying fears over possible oxygen shortages for patients, he said supplies were sufficient and the state electricity company had been instructed to ensure that power at oxygen plants remained on after a recent outage in Central Java.

As more cases of the highly transmissible Delta variant are detected across the archipelago, and with low testing and minimal contact tracing, public health experts have warned that Indonesia could be at risk of suffering the sort of explosion in cases that India recently saw.

The number of coronavirus deaths has been rising again and on Tuesday the 143 Covid-19 burials in Jakarta was the highest daily number, according to the city’s parks department.

Earlier this week, the government introduced tighter restrictions in designated red zone areas, cutting office capacity and opening hours of restaurants or malls.

But so far President Joko Widodo has resisted calls from health experts for full lockdowns and said on Wednesday current restrictions were the best option because they could be implemented without “killing” the economy.








Jakarta erects emergency tents outside hospitals as Covid surges | Free Malaysia Today (FMT)


Jakarta erects emergency tents outside hospitals as Covid surges | Free Malaysia Today (FMT)

[harrybarracuda]

Here is the link for the story ... Nearly all COVID deaths in US are now among unvaccinated, analysis suggests - ABC News

Some more specific data:

99.8% Of Los Angeles Covid Deaths In Past 6 Months Were Among Unvaccinated People

Nearly all new Covid cases, hospitalizations and deaths since the end of 2020 in Los Angeles were among unvaccinated people, according the the county’s public health department.

A statement from LADPH late Thursday revealed the following: From December 7, 2020, when vaccinations first became available, to June 7, 2021, 99.6% of the County’s nearly 437,000 Covid-19 cases were individuals who were unvaccinated. There were nearly 12,900 Covid-realted hospitalizations over this same time period, 98.7% occurred among people who were unvaccinated. Of the 12,234 Covid-related deaths across L.A. County during that period, 99.8% were among unvaccinated people.

Those statistics are striking testament to the effectiveness of both the vaccines and the county’s effort to roll them out. It’s also proof of public health director Barbara Ferrer’s recent assertion that, “this is now an epidemic of the unvaccinated.” According to Ferrer, 58% of Angelenos over the age of 16 are fully vaccinated.” Among L.A. County seniors 65 and over, 75% have been fully vaccinated.

99.8 Percent Of Recent Los Angeles Covid Deaths Were Unvaccinated People – Deadline

[misskit]

Just because someone asked earlier…

SNIP: There are two key demographics of Americans who are particularly hesitant or reluctant to get vaccinated against COVID-19: White Republican men and African Americans.

Coronavirus Vaccination: America’s Vaccine-Hesitant Demographics | National Review

[harrybarracuda]

Just because someone asked earlier…

SNIP: There are two key demographics of Americans who are particularly hesitant or reluctant to get vaccinated against COVID-19: White Republican men and African Americans.

Coronavirus Vaccination: America’s Vaccine-Hesitant Demographics | National Review

White Republican men because they're just fucking dumb.

African Americans because of past experience.

[harrybarracuda]

Novavax is proving more effective than Pfizer and Moderna.

Novavax Is Now the Best COVID-19 Vaccine - The Atlantic

[harrybarracuda]

Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) are leading an effort urging the Biden administration to coordinate with the Defense Department to donate supplemental COVID-19 vaccine doses to U.S. embassies and consulates.

Why it matters: Millions of Americans living in countries where they are not considered eligible for the vaccine or those living in places where vaccines are not being authorized by the FDA or the World Health Organization may have to wait for months or even years to receive a vaccine.

Bipartisan group of senators urges Blinken to vaccinate Americans abroad - Axios

[bsnub]

ens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) are leading an effort urging the Biden administration to coordinate with the Defense Department to donate supplemental COVID-19 vaccine doses to U.S. embassies and consulates.

That will pass with flying colors, especially since good vaccines are like candy here in the US.

[S Landreth]

^It would be nice if there were some stipulations to receive the vaccine/s beside a current US Passport,…………like a recent US Tax Return

[harrybarracuda]

^It would be nice if there were some stipulations to receive the vaccine/s beside a current US Passport,…………like a recent US Tax Return

Q: Do you have to submit a tax return if you're retired?

[Slick]

Q: Do you have to submit a tax return if you're retired?

Yes.

And most people have some form of taxes they have to pay on that retirement.

[harrybarracuda]

Yes.

And most people have some form of taxes they have to pay on that retirement.

You poor c u n t s.

[S Landreth]

Q: Do you have to submit a tax return if you're retired?

This is the one most skip……….

Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR)

[harrybarracuda]

This is the one most skip……….

Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR)

Ah my Thai bank asked me to fill out some such form... Of course I laughed and told them to fuck off.

[S Landreth]

^But if you’re an American, you don’t want to push it.

Lessons from Paul Manafort: This tax slip-up could cost you $100,000

You must submit an FBAR if you had an interest in or signature authority over at least one account outside the U.S., and the aggregate value of all the foreign accounts exceeded $10,000 at any time in the year.

It’ll cost you if you skip this form.

You could be on the hook for a penalty as high as $10,000 for non-willful violations occurring prior to Nov. 2, 2015. For violations taking place after that date, the penalty is $12,459.

Those who knowingly flout the requirement may be charged a penalty of $100,000 or 50 percent of the balance in the account for violations occurring prior to Nov. 2, 2015. The penalty for violations after that date is $124,588 or half of the balance of the account.

These individuals may also face criminal penalties.

[Slick]

FBAR

Its my understanding (from my accountant) that this isn't necessary if the account is funded with after-tax funds and doesn't make money (interest, capital gains, etc)

Like if you fund an account with after-tax funds for marriage/retirement visas and extensions.