The COVID-2019 Thread

[harrybarracuda]

To put it in terms you might understand, the death rate among the unvaccinated has stayed low, it's the death rate among the unvaccinated that has *improved* but is still far worse. Maybe a really simple graph might explain it to you.

[malmomike77]

^ Ladies calm down. I admit to getting excited last night but in the cold light of day and with a banging head, if those that remain in the new COVID world order chose to reject a booster then that's their risk to take.

[harrybarracuda]

^ Ladies calm down. I admit to getting excited last night but in the cold light of day and with a banging head, if those that remain in the new COVID world order chose to reject a booster then that's their risk to take.

Yeah as long as they don't fucking whine when granny pops her clogs because they talked her out of one.

[Joe 90]

Hal you've neglected to mention "Long Covid".

A lot of the unvaccinated are suffering from long Covid, didnt die from it and become a statistic but suffering from long term life changing consequences.

I know a couple of anti vaxers who are now fvcked up.

Luckily you took your vaccines you fvcking red rag knob jockey

[Norton]

With the increases in cases, my hope is gov doesn't go all wobbly and revert back to pre relaxed entry requirements.

[aging one]

With the increases in cases, my hope is gov doesn't go all wobbly and revert back to pre relaxed entry requirements.

Myself as well. One of my daughters and her boyfriend arrive Sept 2. Been over three years since we have physically seen her. Five years since she has been home.

[harrybarracuda]

With the increases in cases, my hope is gov doesn't go all wobbly and revert back to pre relaxed entry requirements.

They actually opened up to a few more countries yesterday.

Seven nations removed from Covid-19 watchlist

[harrybarracuda]

HONG KONG, July 11 — Macau shut all its casinos for the first time in more than two years today as authorities struggle to contain the worst coronavirus outbreak yet in the world’s biggest gambling hub.
The city’s more than 30 casinos, along with other non-essential businesses will shut for one week and people were ordered to stay at home. Police will monitor flows of people outside and stringent punishments will be imposed for those who disobey, the government said.

Hospitals, pharmacies, supermarkets and fresh food markets are some of the essential services that can remain open.
Macau has recorded around 1,500 Covid-19 infections since mid-June. Around 19,000 people are in mandatory quarantine, according to government figures.

Casinos were last closed in Macau in February 2020 for 15 days in an unprecedented move to fight the virus.

Macau shuts down casinos in race to curb Covid-19 spread | Malay Mail

[harrybarracuda]

SHANGHAI (BLOOMBERG, REUTERS) - Covid-19 cases in Shanghai continued to climb on Monday (July 11) as parts of China's financial hub face more rounds of mass testing, with new sub-variants providing a constant challenge to the country's zero-tolerance approach to the virus.

The city recorded 69 new infections for Sunday, the most since late May and up from 57 the day before.

This comprised six new local symptomatic cases and 63 asymptomatic ones, compared with five new local symptomatic cases and 52 asymptomatic ones the previous day, local government data showed.

Of the new Shanghai cases detected on Sunday, all except one were found in quarantined areas.

Cases have increased abruptly after a period of little to no trace of the virus, where officials declared victory over Covid-19 and praised their handling of a crisis that left China's most global city locked down for two months in May and June.

Shanghai found its first case of the more contagious BA.5 sub-strain of the Omicron variant on Friday, triggering two rounds of mass testing between Tuesday and Thursday in nine districts, plus other areas where cases have been found, a health official said on Sunday.

Over in Beijing, the capital reported one new local symptomatic case, compared with zero a day earlier, and zero local asymptomatic cases versus zero the previous day, the local government said.

The new Beijing case was detected in an area already under quarantine.

Shanghai's Covid-19 outbreak grows as first sub-variant case detected | The Straits Times

[harrybarracuda]

Covid-19 forced Frenchman Guillaume Martin out of the Tour de France on Sunday a day after the first pair of cases were reported on the race.

The Cofidis rider, the highest-placed French finisher last year in seventh place, was 14th before pulling out ahead of stage eight from Aigle on Sunday.

"It's such a shame because I only felt a slight sore throat and I was on good form yesterday," said the former philosophy student who has published two books 'Socrates on a bike' and the 'Society of the peloton', a study of the individual within a group.

The Tour de France doctor told AFP at Aigle Sunday that the entire peloton would be tested Sunday evening after their arrival at Chatel in the Alps.

The peloton left raced under a cloud on Saturday after Norwegian Vegard Stake Laengen from Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates and Frenchman Geoffrey Bouchard of AG2R Citroen tested positive for the virus and were withdrawn.

Champion Tadej Pogacar said after Saturday's stage that he fears Covid-19 could wreak havoc on this year's Tour.

"It's a big scare, the pandemic is still there with us, and we can't risk racing with it," said the 23-year-old two-time defending champion.

Tour de France takes new Covid hit, mass tests loom

[harrybarracuda]

SHANGHAI, July 10 (Reuters) - The city of Shanghai has discovered a COVID-19 case involving a new subvariant Omicron BA.5.2.1, an official told a briefing on Sunday, signalling the complications China faces to keep up with new mutations as it pursues its "zero-COVID" policy.

The case, found in the financial district of Pudong on July 8, was linked with a case from overseas, said Zhao Dandan, vice-director of the city's health commission.

Shanghai, in eastern China, emerged from a lockdown lasting around two months at the start of June, but it has continued to impose tough restrictions, locking down buildings and compounds as soon as new potential transmission chains emerge.

"Our city has recently continued to report more locally transmitted positive cases (of COVID-19) and the risk of the epidemic spreading through society remains very high," Zhao of the Shanghai health commission warned.

He said residents in several major Shanghai districts would undergo two rounds of COVID tests, from July 12-14, in a bid to bring potential new outbreaks under control.

The Omicron BA.5 variant, which is driving a new wave of COVID-19 infections overseas, was first discovered in China on May 13 in a 37-year old male patient who had flown to Shanghai from Uganda, according to the China Center for Disease Prevention and Control.

Variant BA.5 has been shown to have an accelerated rate of transmission and an improved immune escape capability, said Yuan Zhengan, a member of the city's expert advisory group on COVID prevention, speaking at the Sunday briefing.

But vaccination is still effective at preventing BA.5 from causing serious illness or death, he added.

Shanghai identifies new COVID Omicron subvariant | Reuters

[harrybarracuda]

Fourth COVID-19 vaccine shots have provided a 72 percent reduction in death rates among the most vulnerable Israelis, according to new peer-reviewed research.
The finding comes from a large Israeli study that analyzed data on elderly people in care homes who received four shots, comparing them to those who only took three. It was conducted during last winter’s coronavirus outbreak, which was dominated by the Omicron variant.
The fourth shot of Pfizer’s vaccine slashed the chance of hospitalization for COVID by over 60% and delivered a 34% reduction in chances of infection, according to the study, which was conducted by Tel Aviv University, Ben Gurion University and the Health Ministry. It was published in the journal, JAMA Internal Medicine.

Major Israeli study: COVID death rate among elderly slashed by 72% after 4th vaccine | The Times of Israel

[dirk diggler]

1 in 17 Scots have COVID. Nae bad.

Scotland is still believed to have the highest Covid rate in the UK after another increase in the number of people testing positive.




The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated that one in 17 people in Scotland tested positive for the virus last week.




This was a marginal increase from one in 18 the previous week.




The rate in England was one in 25 last week, while it was one in 20 in Wales and one in 19 in Northern Ireland.




The number of Covid cases recorded each week is increasing across the UK, likely driven by the new BA.4 and BA.5 variants of the Omicron strain.




They are not thought to be more deadly than any other form of Covid but they do appear to be spreading more quickly.

[Neverna]

The Thai government is now defining new Covid cases as only those that require admission to a medical facility.

The country registered 23 more Covid-19 fatalities and 1,679 new cases admitted for medical treatment during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry announced on Tuesday morning. This compared with the 24 coronavirus-related fatalities and 1,811 new cases admitted to hospital reported on Monday morning.

All 1,679 new infections were transmitted inside Thailand.

Although the number appears to be the lowest for more than a year, the government is now defining new cases as only those that require admission to a medical facility.

1,679 new Covid patients, 23 more deaths

[Reg Dingle]

Called my near octogenarian dad yesterday, he sounded all gruff. Asked if he was OK, he said he's got a cough and it hurts when he coughs, aching all over and he's been ill for a couple of days, then said its the flu that he's got.

What...Flu in the Summer? That's Covid that is

No, I haven't got Covid.

Then my brother rang him and tells him he has Covid too. He then lied about taking a covid test to him... He told me he hadn't left his house.

Today I call him and tell him I'm gonna take him a care package round and leave it on his doorstep and wave from a distance

He then remarks about the concern and says its wonderful to have two doctors in the family

Then he says he feels a lot better today and has been out and about.
I mention covid again and he says flu again, so I ask if you haven't had a covid test then how do you know.

I just know.

Ahhh so we've got 3 doctors in the family?

He then hung up.

Anyway, he's lucky he's had 4 jabs, I guess, unlike the other poor fuckers in Waitrose, the bookies and that cramped Wetherspoons he's spent his day plaguing

[malmomike77]

You didn't go in and see him?

[Reg Dingle]

You didn't go in and see him?

I don't think I've ever caught it yet and don't really understand it all but I know to stay away from people who have got it.

I might go follow him tomorrow with a bell shouting unclean.

How many is Dil's dad on?

4 jabs he's had and even though he's pretty pigheaded he will trust the word of scientists and the World Health Organisation.

He's probably on his 8th pint now, toasting that 4th jab

[hallelujah]

4 jabs he's had and even though he's pretty pigheaded he will trust the word of scientists and the World Health Organisation.

He's probably on his 8th pint now, toasting that 4th jab

Will probably do him more good too pal.

My mum is iffy, and I do hope she'll have another jab cos there's not much left in the tank, but me dad is good and he just wants to get away somewhere warm to watch United and have a beer or eight.

[Joe 90]

just wants to get away somewhere it's warm to watch United

Palace on the 19th should be pretty hot and not far to travel

[Joe 90]

I don't think I've ever caught it yet

Seriously????


I've had it 4 times!

You've not been taking the tests, old habits die hard

[harrybarracuda]

Immunocompromised and other vulnerable adults in Europe should get a second Covid-19 booster shot as new infections continue to rise across the continent, according to the World Health Organization.
The European Technical Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (ETAGE) recommended that member countries should administer a second booster dose to moderately and severely immunocompromised individuals age 5 years and above, as well as their close contacts.
The committee, in a statement Tuesday, also said countries should consider offering a second booster dose to specific at-risk groups, including older adults, health care workers and pregnant women.
A second booster shot will help reduce the risk of severe disease and the burden on health systems as cases rise, said Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe.

Bloomberg - Are you a robot?

[Joe 90]

Paul Pettinger’s trip to Cyprus came because he felt the NHS had no treatments to offer him.
Paul got Covid in the first wave in 2020. After the initial illness, he was left with extreme tiredness and 10% of the energy he once had, he says.
“I have a very small amount of energy and when I use up my energy, I end up with headaches, brain fog and with cognitive issues. It's very hard to think. And also I can't walk very far,” he says.
His life then fell apart; lost his job; and he’d become a hermit, he says.
“I have been almost housebound for over two years.” he says adding: “I’ve become a burden on family and friends.”
When we meet Paul he’s lying on a comfortable chair and is hooked to a tube coming out of one vein, which feeds his blood through a quietly whirring machine.
The machine separates components of it into different containers and sends it through heparin (a blood thinner) before being put back into his body via another vein. The treatment takes around three hours - the idea is to remove unwanted proteins.
Paul’s getting a type of apheresis and he’s had to fly to Cyprus for it. His clinic is called the Long Covid Center and is located on a busy street on the outskirts of Larnaca on the south of the island.

Long Covid cases in UK rise to record high of two million, new figures estimate

Long Covid patients travelling abroad for expensive and unproven treatments, investigation finds | ITV News

[harrybarracuda]

Repeat ad nauseam

Millions of Shanghai residents braved sweltering heat Tuesday to wait in line for compulsory Covid tests, as growing case numbers and the emergence of a highly infectious Omicron subvariant spurred new fears of a return to mass lockdown.

Shanghai authorities have ordered the majority of the city's 16 districts to undergo two rounds of testing from Tuesday to Thursday, after a case of the new BA.5.2.1 subvariant was detected in the community on July 8.

The highly transmissible BA.5 variant is spreading rapidly worldwide and is seen as a great threat by authorities in China -- the last major country adhering to a stringent zero-Covid strategy.

New Omicron subvariants have been reported in several Chinese cities, including the capital Beijing, the northeastern port city of Dalian, and the central city of Xi'an, which was shut down for seven days over the outbreak.

The rising cases -- and accompanying restrictions -- come as a scorching heatwave sweeps the country. In Shanghai, authorities raised the highest-level red alert Sunday as temperatures hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

The stifling heat has made mass testing all the more excruciating for residents -- some of whom have to queue for hours -- and for Covid workers, who are covered head to toe in airtight PPE equipment.

On Chinese social media, photos went viral of workers in hazmat suits lying on ice blocks, while health experts warned of heatstroke among Covid workers who spend long hours outdoors in thick protective clothing.

Shanghai saw a jump in infections earlier this month, due to an outbreak linked to a karaoke bar. Over the past 10 days, it has reported more than 400 cases.

The growing outbreak has fueled fears the commercial hub is headed back into a mass lockdown, just weeks after its residents emerged from two months of grueling home confinement.

The city of 25 million ended its citywide lockdown at the start of June, but has continued to impose tough restrictions, including relentless testing and snap lockdowns on compounds where Covid cases were found.

As of Tuesday, 240 neighborhoods across Shanghai have been marked as medium- or high-risk areas and placed under lockdown.

Shanghai officials have repeatedly denied that a citywide lockdown is imminent, but that has failed to convince residents, who noted that authorities had also made similar claims in March in the lead up to the previous lockdown.

On Monday, two neighborhood committees in Shanghai said residents should "prepare food and medicines that can last for 14 days at home, to be on the safe side."

The notices, after being widely circulated online, caused panic among residents, many of whom are scarred by their prolonged isolation in April and May -- which led to widespread food shortages and blocked access to medical care.

In response to the uproar, a neighborhood committee worker told the state-run Health Times the proposal was meant to prepare residents for the growing outbreak, as close contacts -- as well as secondary contacts -- of an infected case can also lead to neighborhood lockdowns.

"Fine, let's spend our whole life living in the fear of food scarcity and the shadow of hoarding daily necessities," said a comment on Weibo, China's Twitter-like platform.

"It's been over three years, when will it be over? How many three years do people have in their lives? Enough is enough!" said another.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/13/c...hnk/index.html

[harrybarracuda]

Fortunately daily deaths are still <100.

Covid infection levels in the UK have risen by almost 30% in a week, with an estimated 3.5 million people thought to have had the disease in the first week of July, as a leading epidemiologist called for a return of free lateral flow tests.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics based on swabs collected from randomly selected households show that 2,873,600 people in the community in England are estimated to have had Covid in the week ending 6 July – about one in 19 people. The week before, the figure was 2,154,000 people – or about one in 25.

Increases were also seen in other parts of the UK with an estimated one in 16 people in Scotland and one in 17 in both Wales and Northern Ireland thought to have had Covid in the most recent week.
Overall, about 3,498,700 people across the UK are thought to have had Covid in the most recent week, according to the survey estimates, up from 2,714,900 the week before – a rise of 28.9%.
“Infections are showing no signs of decreasing, with rates approaching levels last seen in March this year at the peak of the Omicron BA.2 wave,” said Sarah Crofts, head of analytical outputs for the Covid-19 Infection Survey.

UK Covid infections rise by almost 30% in a week | Coronavirus | The Guardian

[katie23]

Vid from Dr. Mike Hansen (medical doc). I sometimes follow his updates. He's just had covid. He's triple vaccinated but his last shot was ~8 minths ago, so his immunity has waned. Even if he's young & fit, it took him 2 weeks to be clear of all symptoms. He had a relatively mild case. He said that this BA4 & BA5 strains have features of omicron (upper respiratory tract infection) and delta variant (lower part of lungs). Hospitalization rates are increasing in the US.



New president of PH, BB Marcos has covid & is isolating. He's vaccinated, so symptoms are mild.

I told my mom to avoid going out much since covid cases are rising again here in PH. She's double boosted so she should be OK, but better safe than sorry. She lives alone (except when I visit) so it's best all around if she's not ill.