news Covid19-Coronavirus updates and news

[Mister Funsky]

Having relatives and friends scattered all over the globe, I am getting an overload of input (some on the record and some off the record).

My intention for this thread is for community members from around the world to post first hand stories and/or links to information sources that, for the most part, should be reliable.

In my community, just outside a major southeastern city, 'assets' have been placed. Only because I have friends in both high and low places have I heard about some of this. At this point it is only some basic medical supplies that should be equally distributed anyway in preparation for a natural emergency (hurricane/wildfire/etc.).

I will start with posting a link to a site with current data that seems to come from an aggregate of sources and hope others will do the same as they come across similar sites/pages.

Because of the 'typhoid Mary' spread-ability of this disease, I feel we may be in for a really large spread globally which will impact the global economy and through extension, retail domain prices.

One thing is for sure...things will get worse before they get better.

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/usa-coronavirus/

 

[Mister Funsky]

Here we go again...

Chicago to require vaccination proof at indoor venues amid COVID-19 surge​

(Reuters) -Chicago will require patrons to present proof of COVID-19 vaccinations for entry to restaurants, bars, gyms and some other indoor spaces, effective Jan. 3, amid a surge of new cases, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said on Tuesday.

The move, which mirrors similar requirements imposed in other cities, was aimed at safeguarding the city's healthcare system from a post-holiday surge of cases from the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus, Lightfoot said.

"This is what we have to do to keep our health system from becoming overwhelmed by this new wave," the mayor said at a briefing. "I have not been this concerned about COVID-19 since the early days of the pandemic in 2020."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/c...mid-covid-19-surge/ar-AAS25Nm?ocid=uxbndlbing

 

[.X.]

Here we go again...

Chicago to require vaccination proof at indoor venues amid COVID-19 surge​

(Reuters) -Chicago will require patrons to present proof of COVID-19 vaccinations for entry to restaurants, bars, gyms and some other indoor spaces, effective Jan. 3, amid a surge of new cases, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said on Tuesday.

The move, which mirrors similar requirements imposed in other cities, was aimed at safeguarding the city's healthcare system from a post-holiday surge of cases from the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus, Lightfoot said.

"This is what we have to do to keep our health system from becoming overwhelmed by this new wave," the mayor said at a briefing. "I have not been this concerned about COVID-19 since the early days of the pandemic in 2020."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/c...mid-covid-19-surge/ar-AAS25Nm?ocid=uxbndlbing

I have a feeling the health system is going to get overwhelmed rather your Vaxxed or Unvaxxed … they are reporting high numbers of Influenza type A that began Monday .. here in Texas … so it appears it may be a double of whammy of omicron and influenza at the same time coming our way … implementing precautions such as mandatory mask wearing .. distancing and ect is ok IMO .. requiring a vaxx card .. is not ok IMO

 

[Sutruk]

FDA clears second at-home Covid treatment, from Merck​

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fda-clears-2nd-home-covid-treatment-merck-rcna7225

"The FDA's move comes a day after it authorized another antiviral drug, from Pfizer. Merck's treatment, known as molnupiravir and developed in partnership with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, is cleared for use in adults with mild to moderate Covid who are at risk for severe disease, the agency said in a statement. Pfizer's pill was authorized for people as young as 12.

The big advantage of oral treatments, like Merck’s and Pfizer’s, is that they can be taken at home, and don’t require an IV or injection. That could help the nation's hospitals as new infections are expected to continue to surge this winter.

Clinical trials found that the treatment reduced the risk of hospitalization and death among high-risk Covid patients by 30 percent.

By comparison, Pfizer’s drug has been shown to be 89 percent effective at preventing high-risk people from being hospitalized or dying from Covid."

 

[Sutruk]

Covid case average exceeds delta’s peak amid omicron's spread through U.S.​

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...ceeds-deltas-peak-omicrons-spread-us-rcna9778

"New cases of Covid-19 climbed above 242,000 in the U.S. on Wednesday, according to data compiled by NBC News, pushing the seven-day average to 167,683 — higher than the peak of the delta variant in early September.

The number of new confirmed cases reached 242,186, while reported deaths across the nation Wednesday totaled 2,030, according to the NBC News tally. The country has not had more than 2,000 deaths two days in a row since early October."

 

[.X.]

Covid case average exceeds delta’s peak amid omicron's spread through U.S.​

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...ceeds-deltas-peak-omicrons-spread-us-rcna9778

"New cases of Covid-19 climbed above 242,000 in the U.S. on Wednesday, according to data compiled by NBC News, pushing the seven-day average to 167,683 — higher than the peak of the delta variant in early September.

The number of new confirmed cases reached 242,186, while reported deaths across the nation Wednesday totaled 2,030, according to the NBC News tally. The country has not had more than 2,000 deaths two days in a row since early October."

I think omicron is going to the worst variant so far .. but no nearly as lethal as the other variants .. it will probably make a 4 to 6 week hard run IMO

 

[bmugford]

It's good to see Trump fully embrace the vaccines. I am not sure if he just wants credit, or is concerned that his disproportionately unvaccinated base is getting seriously sick and dying at a far higher rate than others.​

Either way, I am sure the anti-vaxxers have to feel confused at this point.​

​

Trump booed after revealing he got a Covid booster shot​

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/do...ot-covid-booster-shot-crowd-boos-him-n1286361


“Did you get the booster?” O'Reilly asked the former president.

“Yes,” Trump responded.

“I got it, too,” O'Reilly said, eliciting more hectoring.

“Don’t! Don’t! Don’t! Don’t! Don’t!” the former president then told the crowd, waving off their reaction with his hand.

Trump pushes back on Candace Owens: 'People aren't dying when they take the vaccine'​

https://thehill.com/policy/healthca...shes-back-on-candace-owens-people-arent-dying

“Oh no, the vaccines work, but some people aren’t the ones. The ones who get very sick and go to the hospital are the ones that don’t take the vaccine. But it’s still their choice. And if you take the vaccine, you’re protected,” Trump told Owens.

“Look, the results of the vaccine are very good, and if you do get it, it’s a very minor form,” Trump continued. “People aren’t dying when they take the vaccine.”

 

[bmugford]

Omicron infections appear no less severe than Delta​

https://www.reuters.com/business/he...delta-covid-19-lowers-sperm-count-2021-12-20/

Researchers at Imperial College London compared 11,329 people with confirmed or likely Omicron infections with nearly 200,000 people infected with other variants. So far, according to a report issued ahead of peer review and updated on Monday, they see "no evidence of Omicron having lower severity than Delta, judged by either the proportion of people testing positive who report symptoms, or by the proportion of cases seeking hospital care after infection."

 

[J Sokol]

It's good to see Trump fully embrace the vaccines. I am not sure if he just wants credit, or is concerned that his disproportionately unvaccinated base is getting seriously sick and dying at a far higher rate than others.​

Either way, I am sure the anti-vaxxers have to feel confused at this point.​

Quite the turnaround. Too bad he didn't say that 6 or 8 months ago.

 

[bmugford]

Why uncontrolled HIV may be behind the emergence of Omicron​

Where did Omicron come from? By all accounts it is a weird variant. Though highly mutated, it descended not from one of the other variants of concern, such as Alpha, Beta or Delta, but from coronavirus that was circulating maybe 18 months ago. So where has it been all this time? And why is it only wreaking havoc now?

Researchers are exploring a number of hunches. One is that Omicron arose in a remote region of southern Africa but failed to spread until now. Another is that it evolved in infected animals, such as rats, and then crossed back into humans. But a third explanation is gaining ground as more data come to light, that Omicron arose in a person with a weakened immune system: someone having cancer treatment perhaps, an organ transplant patient or someone with uncontrolled HIV.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...ed-hiv-may-be-behind-the-emergence-of-omicron

I have seen multiple reports that speculate the same thing. In HIV patients, COVID supposedly lingers much longer allowing it to mutate. South Africa has an 18% HIV positive rate, so it is the perfect petri dish for COVID variants to emerge.

https://fortune.com/2021/09/15/sout...s-variant-hiv-infected-population-scientists/

A study of an HIV positive 36-year-old woman showed that Covid-19 stayed in her body for 216 days and mutated rapidly.

“There is good evidence that prolonged infection in immune-compromised individuals is one of the mechanisms for the emergence of SARS Covid-2 variants,” Tulio de Oliveira, a bioinformatics professor who runs gene-sequencing institutions at two South African universities, said at an Aug. 30 immunology conference. “You have this massive virus evolution, really the virus accumulating over 30 mutations.”

 

[bmugford]

Covid case average exceeds delta’s peak amid omicron's spread through U.S.​

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...ceeds-deltas-peak-omicrons-spread-us-rcna9778

"New cases of Covid-19 climbed above 242,000 in the U.S. on Wednesday, according to data compiled by NBC News, pushing the seven-day average to 167,683 — higher than the peak of the delta variant in early September.

The number of new confirmed cases reached 242,186, while reported deaths across the nation Wednesday totaled 2,030, according to the NBC News tally. The country has not had more than 2,000 deaths two days in a row since early October."

I rarely rely on anecdotal evidence, but when it tracks with empirical data (like above) it makes more sense. I know so many people with COVID at the moment, far more than at any other point.

The problem with Omicron is the speed of spread. It would have to be FAR less serious than Delta to offset the speed of the spread. Most studies I have seen show it is almost the same to about 29% less in hospitalizations.

The problem is it is spreading far faster than that. It is going to completely overwhelm the hospitals.

I am going to use averages here, but you can see how fast this variant can spread.

(R0, pronounced “R naught,” is a mathematical term that indicates how contagious an infectious disease is. It’s also referred to as the reproduction number. As an infection is transmitted to new people, it reproduces itself.)

The original COVID had an R0 value of around 2.5.
Delta had a R0 value of around 6.5.
Estimates I have seen show Omicron about 3.5x Delta.

If you extrapolate the numbers to infections -

Original - 1 person / 2.5 people / 6.25 people / 15.6 people / 39 people
Delta - 1 person / 6.5 people / 42 people / 275 people / 1,785 people
Omicron - 1 person / 22 people / 484 people / 10,648 people / 234,256

It might not go up at that much of a linear rate, but you can see the potential for Omicron to spread almost exponentially even vs Delta.

Brad

 

[Sutruk]

The problem with Omicron is the speed of spread. It would have to be FAR less serious than Delta to offset the speed of the spread. Most studies I have seen show it is almost the same to about 29% less in hospitalizations.

The problem is it is spreading far faster than that. It is going to completely overwhelm the hospitals.

The original COVID had an R0 value of around 2.5.
Delta had a R0 value of around 6.5.
Estimates I have seen show Omicron about 3.5x Delta.

If you extrapolate the numbers to infections -

Original - 1 person / 2.5 people / 6.25 people / 15.6 people / 39 people
Delta - 1 person / 6.5 people / 42 people / 275 people / 1,785 people
Omicron - 1 person / 22 people / 484 people / 10,648 people / 234,256

It might not go up at that much of a linear rate, but you can see the potential for Omicron to spread almost exponentially even vs Delta.

Totally agree. And you have put it very well, explaining the R0 and the exponential spreading that it means.
Omicron can be less virulent than Delta, but if you add how fast it's spreading and how it evades two dose vaccinations (you need a booster vaccine shot to boost your immune response again to 90% against omicron), and also the fact that a previous infection with alfa or delta won't prevent a reinfection with omicron... the result can be a complete overwhelm of hospitals.

It's good to see Trump fully embrace the vaccines. I am not sure if he just wants credit, or is concerned that his disproportionately unvaccinated base is getting seriously sick and dying at a far higher rate than others.​

Either way, I am sure the anti-vaxxers have to feel confused at this point.​

Agree, good to see him embracing vaccines. But knowing how selfish he is and how he thinks, I bet for the second option... he doesn't want to lose his fan base dying at hospitals. You just have to add Anti-Mask + Anti-vaxxers + Omicron spreading this fast = Not good for the future of his fan base.
I want to point out that in my opinion, even embracing now vaccines, Trump is the first responsible for mass-spreading conspiracy theories, mocking the use of face masks, downplaying covid-19 during months, and in short, for politicizing this pandemic. He openend Pandora's box and now the genie is out and millions of his blind followers, anti-masks and anti-vaxxers are spreading the virus and overwhelming hospitals right now.
And a lot of them have already died, not without first regretting on their ICU beds how blind they were for embracing conspiracy theories, for believing their conspiracy-in-chief who mocked about face masks and who downplayed the virus, and for not getting the vaccine.

 

[.X.]

Coronavirus outbreak sidelines ship whose crew is fully immunized, Navy says​

https://www.yahoo.com/news/coronavirus-outbreak-sidelines-ship-whose-165801568.html

The President has got to be very careful on making calls on shut downs and ect IMO

 

[bmugford]

Coronavirus outbreak sidelines ship whose crew is fully immunized, Navy says​

https://www.yahoo.com/news/coronavirus-outbreak-sidelines-ship-whose-165801568.html

The President has got to be very careful on making calls on shut downs and ect IMO

Breakthrough cases happen, especially with Omicron.

https://www.cnet.com/health/moderna...-it-protect-against-omicron-and-for-how-long/

Omicron is so contagious that you really need a booster to have solid protection against spread.

One thing that some people don't seem to understand is the COVID vaccine has (2) key parts -

1.) Limit Spread. Any level of vaccination beats no vaccination when it comes to this. If you are fully vaccinated and boosted, that is the most effective. It is far more effective than being unvaccinated or having only "natural immunity".

2.) Limit the severity of the symptoms. This is the key part. For fully vaccinated people the symptoms are in general far less serious. This is why it is mainly unvaccinated filling the hospitals and morgues.

Also, the longer COVID lingers around, the longer it has to mutate in to more contagious and dangerous variants.

Brad

 

[bmugford]

Coronavirus outbreak sidelines ship whose crew is fully immunized, Navy says​

https://www.yahoo.com/news/coronavirus-outbreak-sidelines-ship-whose-165801568.html

The President has got to be very careful on making calls on shut downs and ect IMO

All you can really do in a situation like that is quarantine in place. The military is not going to shut down.

Omicron is so contagious in general that shutdowns and things like contact tracing will have limited effect. What will have an effect is being fully immunized, to prevent overloading hospitals with serious, often life threatening symptoms.

Brad

 

[bmugford]

This a good example of just how contagious Omicron is -

How 'patient zero' behind Australia's biggest Omicron super spreader event refused to isolate after being linked to Sydney Harbour boat party outbreak and went CLUBBING instead​

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...0-super-spreader-Argyle-House-club-party.html

(1) person who was ordered to self-isolate as a result of a boat party, absconded quarantine and went to a nightclub instead. That nightclub had around 650 people there. More than 200 got COVID from this one event.

The selfish actions by (1) person caused almost 1/3 of the people at the nightclub to catch COVID, and who knows how many others.

It is just an illustration of how (1) bad actor can really cause issues with something this contagious.

Brad

 

[.X.]

All you can really do in a situation like that is quarantine in place. The military is not going to shut down.

Omicron is so contagious in general that shutdowns and things like contact tracing will have limited effect. What will have an effect is being fully immunized, to prevent overloading hospitals with serious, often life threatening symptoms.

Brad

Its sink or swim at this point IMO... I don't think most businesses can take any more than they already have taken, there is chance that covid 19 may never go away, i think at this point considering vaccines and boosters are not stopping different variant infections , people have done everything from quarantine, masks, vaccines and it appears nothing can stop people from getting Covid 19, its time to stare Covid 19 in the eyes and get Hurd immunity, Quarantine in place didn't work, the vaccines although more effective in death rate, do not stop infection of any of the covid variants , after two years now, Hurd immunity is the only hope of leveling the balance of countries surviving both health wise as well as economically IMO

 

[bmugford]

Its sink or swim at this point IMO... I don't think most businesses can take any more than they already have taken, there is chance that covid 19 may never go away, i think at this point considering vaccines and boosters are not stopping different variant infections , people have done everything from quarantine, masks, vaccines and it appears nothing can stop people from getting Covid 19, its time to stare Covid 19 in the eyes and get Hurd immunity, Quarantine in place didn't work, the vaccines although more effective in death rate, do not stop infection of any of the covid variants , after two years now, Hurd immunity is the only hope of leveling the balance of countries surviving both health wise as well as economically IMO

I have not really seen anything from Biden related to shutting much down. It was Trump behind the shutdowns originally, but even those shutdowns were pretty half assed. Lots of nonsense was deemed "essential".

Everything has some effect from vaccines, to safety protocols like social distancing and masks. Nothing is 100% effective. It is a many layered approach that helps.

There is quite a gap between a major step like shutting everything down, and a very minor inconvenience like wearing a mask.

Do people need to go shopping? Yes.

Is it really necessary to pack 60K people in an indoor stadium to watch a sports event? Not really.

Herd immunity is not really a thing when it comes to Omicron. All the studies show natural immunity has basically limited to no effect on catching it, and other studies have shown that Omicron builds limited to no natural immunity from re-infection.

It is going to continue to be a rough time for the unvaccinated. Being fully vaccinated is the only real way to mitigate the severity of the symptoms.

Brad

 

[bmugford]

Another Omicron issue is this -

Most Monoclonal Antibody Treatments Don’t Work Against Omicron—Here’s Why​

https://www.prevention.com/health/a38592000/monoclonal-antibody-treatment-efficacy-omicron/

Data suggests that two common monoclonal antibody treatments—Eli Lilly’s bamlanivimab plus etesevimab and Regeneron’s REGEN-COV (casirivimab and imdevimab)—are not effective against the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

 

[.X.]

I have not really seen anything from Biden related to shutting much down. It was Trump behind the shutdowns originally, but even those shutdowns were pretty half assed. Lots of nonsense was deemed "essential".

Everything has some effect from vaccines, to safety protocols like social distancing and masks. Nothing is 100% effective. It is a many layered approach that helps.

There is quite a gap between a major step like shutting everything down, and a very minor inconvenience like wearing a mask.

Do people need to go shopping? Yes.

Is it really necessary to pack 60K people in an indoor stadium to watch a sports event? Not really.

Herd immunity is not really a thing when it comes to Omicron. All the studies show natural immunity has basically limited to no effect on catching it, and other studies have shown that Omicron builds limited to no natural immunity from re-infection.

It is going to continue to be a rough time for the unvaccinated. That is the only real way to mitigate the severity of the symptoms.

Brad

It is equally rough for the vaccinated

Third Florida-based cruise ship has COVID outbreak​

https://nypost.com/2021/12/24/third-florida-based-cruise-ship-has-covid-outbreak/

My point is not to get into a shit slinging match of vaccinated vs unvaccinated

My point is that it is apparent as statistics show, the Covid 19 Omicron variant is infecting everyone no matter, the next mutated variant i expect no different as it appears right now that nothing is going to stop covid 19 infection , so far, covid 19 cannot be stopped , it may be that we can not stop the virus, perhaps the virus stoops itself , who really knows.

 

[bmugford]

It is equally rough for the vaccinated

Not it isn't. Not all cases are created equal.

Breakthrough cases for fully vaccinated people lead to far less hospitalizations and deaths.

Here is a recent study -

https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Do...-tables/421-010-CasesInNotFullyVaccinated.pdf

December 22, 2021

Unvaccinated 12-34 year-olds in Washington are
• 4 times more likely to get COVID-19 compared with fully vaccinated 12-34 year-olds.
• 19 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 compared with fully vaccinated 12-34 year-olds.

Unvaccinated 35-64 year-olds are
• 5 times more likely to get COVID-19 compared with fully vaccinated 35-64 year-olds.
• 18 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 compared with fully vaccinated 35-64 year-olds.

Unvaccinated 65+ year-olds are
• 7 times more likely to get COVID-19 compared with fully vaccinated 65+ year-olds.
• 12 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 compared with fully vaccinated 65+ year-olds.
• 13 times more likely to die of COVID-19 compared with fully vaccinated 65+ year-olds

Other studies show similar numbers.

You are just much safer being fully vaccinated. That is what the empirical data clearly shows.

Brad

 

[rh2000]

 

[bmugford]

Show attachment 206825

I posted empirical data. You posted bullshit.

Brandolini's law, also known as the bullshit asymmetry principle, is an internet adage that emphasizes the difficulty of debunking false, facetious, or otherwise misleading information: "The amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude larger than to produce it."

It is not "symptomless". People are hospitalized and die because of dumb shit like this.

Brad

 

[rh2000]

 

[rh2000]

 

[rh2000]