The COVID-2019 Thread

[panama hat]

He's fully vaccinated.

True, he also plays politics with his Regeneron bullshit, anti-mask stance and his refusal to implement state-wide safety precautions, over-riding local efforts and placing 'personal responsibility' over government advice.

Nah, fvck him.

[pickel]

True, he also plays politics with his Regeneron bullshit, anti-mask stance and his refusal to implement state-wide safety precautions, over-riding local efforts and placing 'personal responsibility' over government advice.

I'm aware of that, but you insinuated he was about to meet God.

[PAG]

[panama hat]

I'm aware of that, but you insinuated he was about to meet God.

He might . . . or he might get close. Either way - good.

[harrybarracuda]

The best thing that could happen is that he really fucking suffers enough to see why he should stop being such an arsehole about it.

The worst thing that could happen is that he doesn't and decides that's even more of an excuse to be an arsehole about it.

[harrybarracuda]

How many people have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began?

The official global total as of this week: 4.1 million.

But everyone agrees the true toll is far greater. A study released on Tuesday looks at how much of a disparity there may be in India, one of the epicenters of the pandemic.

The analysis, from the Center for Global Development, a think tank in Washington, D.C., looks at the number of "excess deaths" that occurred in India between January 2020 and June 2021 — in other words, how many more people died during that period than during a similar period of time in 2019 or other recent years.

Drawing death data from civil registries and other sources, the report came up with three estimates for undercounts. The conclusion is that between 3.4 and 4.7 million more people died in that pandemic period than would have been predicted. That's up to 10 times higher than the Indian government's official death toll of 414,482.

The researchers looked at India in particular because, says study co-author Justin Sandefur, the country has been hit so hard by COVID-19. "The second wave in particular led to heart-wrenching stories from friends and colleagues — and a sense that official numbers are not capturing the true scale of that toll."

India's COVID Death Toll Estimated At About 4 Million, Says New Report : Goats and Soda : NPR

[harrybarracuda]

New Zealand’s coronavirus cluster has grown to 10, with genomic sequencing linking it to the Delta outbreak that began in Sydney, as the country woke up to day one of a snap lockdown stemming from just one case.
The prime minister’s office confirmed three new cases on Wednesday evening.

Growing New Zealand Covid cluster linked to Sydney Delta outbreak | New Zealand | The Guardian

[harrybarracuda]

Mind boggling.

Sri Lanka’s president on Monday demoted the health minister who publicly endorsed sorcery and magic potions to battle Covid-19, as infections and deaths hit record highs.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s office said Pavithra Wanniarachchi’s health portfolio had been given to Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella who is also the government spokesman.

Wanniarachchi was in intensive care in January after contracting the virus despite publicly consuming and endorsing a “magic potion” against Covid-19 made by a sorcerer.

She also poured a pot of “blessed” water into a river in November after a self-styled god-man told her that it would end the pandemic in the island nation of 21 million people.

Sri Lankan health minister demoted for promoting magic potions to prevent Covid-19 | South China Morning Post

[Grumpy John]

We can only hope that Gov Abbott recovers from the Wuhan China virus. The country needs good men like him to take back America from the evil ones.

[harrybarracuda]

We can only hope that Gov Abbott recovers from the Wuhan China virus. The country needs good men like him to take back America from the evil ones.

That's not a very good troll. Try harder.

[misskit]

More than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths recorded as US returns to April levels

The U.S. recorded more than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday as numbers reach levels last seen in April, largely due to the highly infectious delta variant spreading rapidly throughout the country.


The 1,017 coronavirus deaths reported on Tuesday equate to roughly 42 fatalities an hour, according to a Reuters tally of state data.


The U.S. has recorded more than 620,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The U.S. is now averaging 769 daily coronavirus deaths, Reuters reported, which is the highest rate seen since mid-April.


The U.S. has consistently been seeing fewer than than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths per day since mid-March, when large swaths of the country started getting vaccinated. Before that, the country was recording more than 1,000 deaths daily.


Infections are also currently on the rise in the U.S.


According to the Reuters tally, the U.S. has recorded an average of more than 100,000 new daily cases for the past 12 days, marking a six-month high.


The increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths is driven largely by the delta variant, which is more infectious than previous versions of the virus and has taken hold as the dominant strain in the country.

The CDC reported on Tuesday that the delta variant accounts for more than 98.8 percent of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., according to USA Today.


Health officials are now doubling down on their push for vaccinations, especially since the vast majority of recent COVID-19 related hospitalizations and deaths are among those who have not been inoculated.


The Biden administration is reportedly expected to announce as early as this week that Americans should receive a COVID-19 booster shot eight months after becoming fully vaccinated.

More than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths recorded as US returns to April levels | TheHill

[harrybarracuda]

Indiana has very kindly published some meaningful stats about infection, hospitalisation and death rates for the vaccinated and the unvaccinated - since Jan 1st.

Note that the first column has been truncated to keep scale - look at the numbers.

Note also that there might also be a change for when Delta took hold, but it wouldn't have made a massive difference to the latter two stats.

74 of the 78 deaths among the vaccinated were over 65, hence the push for a third vaccine for that group.

Another small adjustment should be made for the 44% of the population vaccinated.

[PAG]

[PAG]

[harrybarracuda]

WASHINGTON, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Three U.S. senators - Republican Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Democrat John Hickenlooper of Colorado and independent Angus King of Maine - disclosed on Thursday they had tested positive for COVID-19.

All three had been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Hickenlooper, 69, said on Twitter he had "tested positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19. I feel good but will isolate per docs instructions. I’m grateful for the vaccine."

Wicker, 70, the top Republican on the Democratic-led Senate Commerce Committee, was fully vaccinated against COVID-19, had experienced mild symptoms, is in good health and is being treated by his Mississippi-based physician, his office said.

King, 77, was tested as a precaution after he began feeling unwell on Wednesday, his office said.

"While I am not feeling great, I'm definitely feeling much better than I would have without the vaccine," King said in a statement, adding he "began feeling mildly feverish" on Wednesday.

The Senate last week wrapped up its work in Washington for the month and is set to return for legislative business on Sept. 13.

More than 70 members of the House of Representatives and Senate have been diagnosed with COVID-19, according to GovTrack, a nonpartisan organization.

U.S. Representative Ron Wright, 67, died in February after testing positive for COVID-19 the prior month, making the Texas Republican the first member of Congress to die from the disease. read more

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said this month he tested positive, also despite being vaccinated. read more Graham completed a 10-day self-quarantine and returned to the Senate.

Other senators who previously tested positive and recovered include Rick Scott of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana.

Three U.S. senators test positive for COVID-19 | Reuters

[panama hat]

Hickenlooper, 69, said on Twitter he had "tested positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19. I feel good but will isolate per docs instructions. I’m grateful for the vaccine."

Wicker, 70, the top Republican on the Democratic-led Senate Commerce Committee, was fully vaccinated against COVID-19, had experienced mild symptoms, is in good health and is being treated by his Mississippi-based physician, his office said.

King, 77, was tested as a precaution after he began feeling unwell on Wednesday, his office said.

"While I am not feeling great, I'm definitely feeling much better than I would have without the vaccine," King said

Why can't all their colleagues be as logical

[harrybarracuda]

The UK has approved Ronapreve, a monoclonal antibody treatment, for the prevention and treatment of Covid.

First monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19 approved for use in the UK - GOV.UK

[PAG]

[harrybarracuda]

People infected with the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 are more likely to spread the virus before developing symptoms than are people infected with earlier versions, suggests a detailed analysis of an outbreak in Guangdong, China.

“It is just tougher to stop,” says Benjamin Cowling, an epidemiologist at the University of Hong Kong and a co-author of the study, which was posted on a preprint server on 13 August.

Cowling and his colleagues analysed exhaustive test data from 101 people in Guangdong who were infected with Delta between May and June this year, and data from those individuals’ close contacts. They found that, on average, people began having symptoms 5.8 days after infection with Delta — 1.8 days after they first tested positive for viral RNA. That left almost two days for individuals to shed viral RNA before they showed any sign of COVID-19.

An earlier study and an unpublished analysis by Cowling and others estimate that before Delta emerged, individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 took an average of 6.3 days to develop symptoms and 5.5 days to test positive for viral RNA, leaving a narrower window of 0.8 days for oblivious viral shedding.

In the latest work, the researchers also found that those infected with Delta had higher concentrations of viral particles, or viral load, in their bodies than did people infected with the original version of SARS-CoV-2. “Somehow the virus is appearing quicker and in higher amounts,” says Cowling.

As a result, 74% of infections with Delta took place during the presymptomatic phase — a higher proportion than for previous variants. This high rate “helps explain how this variant has been able to outpace both the wild-type virus and other variants to become the dominant strain worldwide”, says Barnaby Young, an infectious-disease clinician at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases in Singapore.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02259-2

[PAG]

[harrybarracuda]

Another one bites the dust.

A conservative radio host in Nashville who derided vaccines and spread misinformation about the coronavirus has died of COVID-19. Phil Valentine was 61.
Though Valentine downplayed the efficacy of vaccines and even went so far as to record a parody song mocking them, he reversed his opinion while in the hospital, advising his family members to get the jab.
He had said of the vaccine, “I have a very low risk of A) Getting COVID and B) dying of it if I do. Why would I risk getting a heart attack or paralysis by getting the vaccine?” He also said at the time that he had been taking the anti-parasite medication ivermectin, a drug that comes in different forms for animals and humans. The drug has recently been touted as a sort of COVID miracle cure by conservatives, despite no solid evidence it is effective against the virus and health officials sounding the alarm over people poisoning themselves with the animal version of the drug.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/conser...om-coronavirus

[cyrille]

What truly odd people North Americans can be.

[lom]

He also said at the time that he had been taking the anti-parasite medication ivermectin, a drug that comes in different forms for animals and humans. The drug has recently been touted as a sort of COVID miracle cure by conservatives, despite no solid evidence it is effective against the virus and health officials sounding the alarm over people poisoning themselves with the animal version of the drug.

Hey Klondike, did you get that? He died..

[cyrille]

He'll have a link to something where someone else taking something else to cure something else worked out fine.

Probably from 'The Papua New Guinea Bugle' or something.

[harrybarracuda]

Stupid person goes to prison.

A Victorian man will spend at least three months in jail after he helped organise an anti-lockdown protest for Sydney this weekend.
Anthony Khallouf was arrested at Hornsby Railway Station, in Sydney's north, yesterday afternoon and told officers he was lost.
But authorities were aware the 29-year-old had travelled from Queensland to NSW without a reasonable excuse, in breach of COVID-19 public health orders.
Khallouf had reportedly been staying at a hotel in North Sydney.
Today, in Hornsby Local Court, he pleaded guilty to four counts of not complying with a direction and one count each of encouraging the commission of a crime and making false representations resulting in a police investigation.
Magistrate Robyn Denes sentenced him to eight months in prison with a non-parole period of three months.
He will be released on parole on November 18.
According to police, Khallouf was involved in planning an unauthorised rally in Sydney for this weekend.
Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon this week said a large police operation would prevent any unlawful activity, including "disruption".
Officers have handed public safety orders to so-called "agitators" of the protest, many of whom attended last month's unauthorised march in the CBD.
"By and large, those people have been contrite for attending the first protest, so we certainly believe that they've heeded the message," Deputy Commissioner Lanyon said.
"But for those who haven't, please know, we are prepared for tomorrow.
"Our police have done a lot of planning in preparation for this.
"We are certainly aware of the types of people and those people who are actually planning tomorrow."
The operation will involve 1,400 officers stationed across the metropolitan area.
Deputy Commissioner Lanyon said police were aware of tactics being discussed by would-be protesters online.
"This is not about stopping free speech, this is about stopping the spread of the virus," he said.
Talk of the gathering has been swirling on encrypted messenger apps since thousands attended the rally last month.
That protest resulted in more than 60 people being charged and more than 350 infringement notices issued.
On Tuesday, Khallouf posted a video online where he was seen with the Harbour Bridge behind him and joked about "giving up" in the face of criticism, apologising to "anybody I've let down".
"I'll see you guys this Saturday," he then said, saluting the camera.

Sydney anti-lockdown protest organiser Anthony Khallouf sentenced to jail - ABC News