Tell Me :
Talk
Speaking of sports..........
The Least-Vaccinated Pro Sports League? Surprisingly, It’s Tennis.
Ahead of the U.S. Open, about 50% of players still hadn't gotten the jab
Coronavirus
Here’s a frustrating fact, courtesy of The New York Times: as the main draw of the U.S. Open kicks off at Flushing’s Billie Jean King National Tennis Center today, “adults in the stands [are] roughly twice as likely to be vaccinated as the players on court.” While spectators 12 and older must demonstrate proof of a COVID vaccine in order to attend the tournament, there is no such mandate for the athletes actually competing in it. Neither the ATP nor the WTA requires players to get the shot, and each organization recently estimated that vaccination rates are hovering “around 50%.” Certain high-profile players — like Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Johanna Konta — have even been vocally against the vaccine, contributing to the spread of misinformation surrounding its efficacy. It’s all of bit of a surprise, considering the international nature of professional tennis. America is the most vaccine-hesitant country in the world; you’d expect a domestic league to have lower rates than professional tennis. But the NHL, NBA and NFL are all currently over 85% vaccinated. The disparity is mainly because those leagues have centralized superstructures that enforce rules and levy fines, plus players unions to hold athletes’ hands and educate them on the benefits of receiving the shots. And without even addressing the medical and moral reasons for taking the vaccine, keep in mind that vaccination means an easier day at work for professional athletes. It’s the difference between getting to use the locker room hot tub and having a swab shoved up your nose every morning. Not to mention, for second- or third-string players fighting to make the team, getting caught up in a COVID outbreak all but guarantees they won’t see the field. That said, it’s tougher for individual sports to institute league-wide vaccination campaigns because their players are essentially independent contractors. (The PGA also has a lower vaccination rate than the aforementioned team leagues, at just over 70%.) When an athlete who only answers to himself, his coach and his family decides he doesn’t want to take the shot, there’s isn’t exactly hell to pay. The most the ATP can do (or is willing to do, as of yet) is release statements like this: “While we respect everyone’s right to free choice, we also believe that each player has a role to play in helping the wider group achieve a safe level of immunity. Doing so will allow us to ease restrictions on-site for the benefit of everyone on Tour.”
For tennis players who have done their part, the trend is deeply concerning. Speaking ahead of the U.S. Open, Andy Murray said: “A lot of the tour is not vaccinated. I can see it’s going to become an issue over the coming months … Ultimately I guess the reason why all of us are getting vaccinated is to look out for the wider public. We have a responsibility as players that are traveling across the world, yeah, to look out for everyone else as well. I’m happy that I’m vaccinated. I’m hoping that more players choose to have it in the coming months.” Unfortunately — as we’ve delved into in the past — too many of Murray’s peers don’t view the vaccine as a public service. They see it as a “personal decision.” That phrase has been repeated over and over again by vaccine-hesitant athletes, who claim to be wary of the unknown impacts the COVID vaccine might have on their bodies. Citing their youth and fitness, they seem okay with flirting with the known dangers of COVID instead, which has taken the lives of over 636,000 Americans so far, and manifested long-term health complications for thousands more. Murray’s point on travel shouldn’t go unnoticed, either. Consider that the entire continent of Australia has been closed for over a year and a half. Virtually the only people who’ve been able to visit the country? Tennis players. Travel is a privilege during a pandemic. So is hitting a ball back and forth (no matter how good you may be at it). Here’s hoping that more stars follow in the footsteps of Murray, in doing the bare minimum of caring for their common man — and their millions of fans.
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-09-04 04:58 by Hairball.
Very true. Also wider societal benefit = less chance of catching and spreading it outside of school. Wear a mask, sanitise, keep your distance and get vaccinated
After reading the article, I thought OK, little kids shouldn't wear masks at naptime due to risk of suffocation...OK..that makes sense.
I also read this article, which was linked on the same page as your article:
[www.theatlantic.com]
Interesting eh, same magazine.
For those of you who don't want to read the whole thing...
Their conclusion? Masks work, period. Surgical masks are particularly effective at preventing coronavirus transmission. And community-wide mask wearing is excellent at protecting older people, who are at much higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
Poison control centers are seeing a dramatic surge in calls from people who are self-medicating with ivermectin, an anti-parasite drug for animals that some falsely claim treats COVID-19. According to the National Poison Data System (NPDS), which collects information from the nation's 55 poison control centers, there was a 245% jump in reported exposure cases from July to August — from 133 to 459. (npr.org)
Well 70% have had the first vaccination and then you have however many have had infections, so I guess that is logical.
I notice RS has made an update to their article.
UPDATE: Northeastern Hospital System Sequoyah issued a statement: Although Dr. Jason McElyea is not an employee of NHS Sequoyah, he is affiliated with a medical staffing group that provides coverage for our emergency room. With that said, Dr. McElyea has not worked at our Sallisaw location in over 2 months. NHS Sequoyah has not treated any patients due to complications related to taking ivermectin. This includes not treating any patients for ivermectin overdose. All patients who have visited our emergency room have received medical attention as appropriate. Our hospital has not had to turn away any patients seeking emergency care. We want to reassure our community that our staff is working hard to provide quality healthcare to all patients. We appreciate the opportunity to clarify this issue and as always, we value our community’s support.”
Now only if the misinformation side of the fence retract something they posted as false.
Hoping for the best, while here in the US things continue to get worse.
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
People may think "Ah, 1 in 5000 or even 1 in 10000, that's a small chance", but winning the jackpot is 1 in many millions, so "small chance?". Don't think so. Get you vaccin!
I'm a GHOST living in a ghost town
Getting my third dose two weeks before I leave for the opener of the tour
Point being though, despite the surge, this is still a disease primarily seriously affecting/killing the unvaxxed.
Good news and more evidence that vaccinated people do not need to worry about Covid or walk around with a mask on their face.
Nate
Talk about your favorite band.
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Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Hairball
()
Date: September 4, 2021 04:52
Quote
TumblinDice76
Chicago Cubs Manager David Ross and GM Jed Hoyer test positive for COVID. Next 10 days are going to be very interesting with schools back in session and high school and college sports going on with fans.
Speaking of sports..........
The Least-Vaccinated Pro Sports League? Surprisingly, It’s Tennis.
Ahead of the U.S. Open, about 50% of players still hadn't gotten the jab
Coronavirus
Here’s a frustrating fact, courtesy of The New York Times: as the main draw of the U.S. Open kicks off at Flushing’s Billie Jean King National Tennis Center today, “adults in the stands [are] roughly twice as likely to be vaccinated as the players on court.” While spectators 12 and older must demonstrate proof of a COVID vaccine in order to attend the tournament, there is no such mandate for the athletes actually competing in it. Neither the ATP nor the WTA requires players to get the shot, and each organization recently estimated that vaccination rates are hovering “around 50%.” Certain high-profile players — like Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Johanna Konta — have even been vocally against the vaccine, contributing to the spread of misinformation surrounding its efficacy. It’s all of bit of a surprise, considering the international nature of professional tennis. America is the most vaccine-hesitant country in the world; you’d expect a domestic league to have lower rates than professional tennis. But the NHL, NBA and NFL are all currently over 85% vaccinated. The disparity is mainly because those leagues have centralized superstructures that enforce rules and levy fines, plus players unions to hold athletes’ hands and educate them on the benefits of receiving the shots. And without even addressing the medical and moral reasons for taking the vaccine, keep in mind that vaccination means an easier day at work for professional athletes. It’s the difference between getting to use the locker room hot tub and having a swab shoved up your nose every morning. Not to mention, for second- or third-string players fighting to make the team, getting caught up in a COVID outbreak all but guarantees they won’t see the field. That said, it’s tougher for individual sports to institute league-wide vaccination campaigns because their players are essentially independent contractors. (The PGA also has a lower vaccination rate than the aforementioned team leagues, at just over 70%.) When an athlete who only answers to himself, his coach and his family decides he doesn’t want to take the shot, there’s isn’t exactly hell to pay. The most the ATP can do (or is willing to do, as of yet) is release statements like this: “While we respect everyone’s right to free choice, we also believe that each player has a role to play in helping the wider group achieve a safe level of immunity. Doing so will allow us to ease restrictions on-site for the benefit of everyone on Tour.”
For tennis players who have done their part, the trend is deeply concerning. Speaking ahead of the U.S. Open, Andy Murray said: “A lot of the tour is not vaccinated. I can see it’s going to become an issue over the coming months … Ultimately I guess the reason why all of us are getting vaccinated is to look out for the wider public. We have a responsibility as players that are traveling across the world, yeah, to look out for everyone else as well. I’m happy that I’m vaccinated. I’m hoping that more players choose to have it in the coming months.” Unfortunately — as we’ve delved into in the past — too many of Murray’s peers don’t view the vaccine as a public service. They see it as a “personal decision.” That phrase has been repeated over and over again by vaccine-hesitant athletes, who claim to be wary of the unknown impacts the COVID vaccine might have on their bodies. Citing their youth and fitness, they seem okay with flirting with the known dangers of COVID instead, which has taken the lives of over 636,000 Americans so far, and manifested long-term health complications for thousands more. Murray’s point on travel shouldn’t go unnoticed, either. Consider that the entire continent of Australia has been closed for over a year and a half. Virtually the only people who’ve been able to visit the country? Tennis players. Travel is a privilege during a pandemic. So is hitting a ball back and forth (no matter how good you may be at it). Here’s hoping that more stars follow in the footsteps of Murray, in doing the bare minimum of caring for their common man — and their millions of fans.
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-09-04 04:58 by Hairball.
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
artedm
()
Date: September 4, 2021 08:40
The U.S. is heading into Labor Day weekend with just over four times as many Covid-19 cases and more than twice as many hospitalizations as at this time last year — despite having vaccinated 62% of the American population with at least one dose
[www.cnbc.com]
[www.cnbc.com]
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
yorkshirestone
()
Date: September 4, 2021 13:53
Quote
daspyknowsQuote
bleedingman
This is a very interesting article on the effects of making children wear masks. (The Atlantic is NOT a right wing news outlet.) We are still in a learning curve:
The Downsides of Masking Young Students Are Real
The educational cost of face coverings is far better established than the benefits of mandates.
[www.theatlantic.com]
Face coverings for children are not ideal but Covid is now making many children sick with the Delta variant. Face coverings are the lesser of evils. No children have been hospitalized or died from wearing a mask. Children's hospitals do not have full ICUs because children wore masks.
Very true. Also wider societal benefit = less chance of catching and spreading it outside of school. Wear a mask, sanitise, keep your distance and get vaccinated
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
MAF
()
Date: September 4, 2021 15:56
News from UK (Daily Mail)
Ministers set to impose vaccine passports on more mass events with sports matches, concerts and conferences set to face the same limits as nightclubs - despite mounting opposition from Tory MPs
Ministers set to impose vaccine passports on more mass events with sports matches, concerts and conferences set to face the same limits as nightclubs - despite mounting opposition from Tory MPs
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Hairball
()
Date: September 4, 2021 16:14
Dr. Gottlieb says Northeast has yet to see ‘true delta wave,’ expects another Covid case spike
Coronavirus
Dr. Scott Gottlieb on Friday predicted Northeastern states, including New York and Connecticut, will experience another jump in Covid cases tied to the highly transmissible delta variant.
“I think there’s sort of a perception that we’re sort of through this delta wave here in the Northeast because we’ve seen delta cases go up and go down in places like the New York metropolitan region. We’re also seeing [test] positive come down,” the former Food and Drug Administration commissioner said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “I don’t think that that was the true delta wave. I think that that was a delta warning. I think our true delta wave is going to start to build after Labor Day here in the Northeast and the northern part of the country,” added Gottlieb, who now serves on the board of Covid vaccine maker Pfizer.
The Covid delta variant hit the American South earlier than other parts of the country, and now the summer infection surge there has clearly peaked, Gottlieb said. But in the Northeast, Gottlieb said he believes Labor Day weekend gatherings and kids returning to school will serve as “incubators for spread.” “Now whether we see a wave of infection as dense and severe as the South, I don’t think that’s going to be the case because we have a lot more vaccination; we’ve had a lot of prior infection, which we also know is protective,” said Gottlieb, who led the FDA from 2017 to 2019 in the Trump administration. “But we will probably see a build in cases here in the Northeast. I don’t think that we’re done with this.”
Gottlieb said his advice to schools that have brought kids back for in-person learning, or will soon be doing so, is to increase their coronavirus testing frequency, in addition to other protective measures such as masks and improving ventilation. “We’ve seen a lot of studies right now that if you do routine testing in the schools once a week — and preferably twice a week — you’re going to pick up infection before it becomes dense epidemics in that school setting,” Gottlieb said. “There’s things that the schools can be doing, but the schools are a risk factor for spread within the schools and also becoming sources of community transmission,” added Gottlieb, pointing to the spike in school-related coronavirus cases Michigan experienced in March and April, as the state faced a large Covid outbreak. At that time, the contagious alpha Covid variant, which was first discovered in the U.K., was partly responsible for driving up infections in Michigan schools, Gottlieb said. “The risk is the same thing happens with this delta variant,” which the World Health Organization estimates, is about 55% more transmissible than alpha. “So, I think schools need to go into the year with in mind they have to implement mitigation that is hopefully going to control spread,” Gottlieb said.
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
Coronavirus
Dr. Scott Gottlieb on Friday predicted Northeastern states, including New York and Connecticut, will experience another jump in Covid cases tied to the highly transmissible delta variant.
“I think there’s sort of a perception that we’re sort of through this delta wave here in the Northeast because we’ve seen delta cases go up and go down in places like the New York metropolitan region. We’re also seeing [test] positive come down,” the former Food and Drug Administration commissioner said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “I don’t think that that was the true delta wave. I think that that was a delta warning. I think our true delta wave is going to start to build after Labor Day here in the Northeast and the northern part of the country,” added Gottlieb, who now serves on the board of Covid vaccine maker Pfizer.
The Covid delta variant hit the American South earlier than other parts of the country, and now the summer infection surge there has clearly peaked, Gottlieb said. But in the Northeast, Gottlieb said he believes Labor Day weekend gatherings and kids returning to school will serve as “incubators for spread.” “Now whether we see a wave of infection as dense and severe as the South, I don’t think that’s going to be the case because we have a lot more vaccination; we’ve had a lot of prior infection, which we also know is protective,” said Gottlieb, who led the FDA from 2017 to 2019 in the Trump administration. “But we will probably see a build in cases here in the Northeast. I don’t think that we’re done with this.”
Gottlieb said his advice to schools that have brought kids back for in-person learning, or will soon be doing so, is to increase their coronavirus testing frequency, in addition to other protective measures such as masks and improving ventilation. “We’ve seen a lot of studies right now that if you do routine testing in the schools once a week — and preferably twice a week — you’re going to pick up infection before it becomes dense epidemics in that school setting,” Gottlieb said. “There’s things that the schools can be doing, but the schools are a risk factor for spread within the schools and also becoming sources of community transmission,” added Gottlieb, pointing to the spike in school-related coronavirus cases Michigan experienced in March and April, as the state faced a large Covid outbreak. At that time, the contagious alpha Covid variant, which was first discovered in the U.K., was partly responsible for driving up infections in Michigan schools, Gottlieb said. “The risk is the same thing happens with this delta variant,” which the World Health Organization estimates, is about 55% more transmissible than alpha. “So, I think schools need to go into the year with in mind they have to implement mitigation that is hopefully going to control spread,” Gottlieb said.
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
tommyturbo76
()
Date: September 4, 2021 16:23
LA Times on latest C.1.2 variant, beyond mu. Looking to be dangerous and even more contagious unless behavior gets better on vaccines, masks, ventilation, tracing, and distancing.
[edition.pagesuite.com]
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-09-04 17:40 by tommyturbo76.
[edition.pagesuite.com]
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-09-04 17:40 by tommyturbo76.
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
treaclefingers
()
Date: September 4, 2021 16:27
Quote
yorkshirestoneQuote
daspyknowsQuote
bleedingman
This is a very interesting article on the effects of making children wear masks. (The Atlantic is NOT a right wing news outlet.) We are still in a learning curve:
The Downsides of Masking Young Students Are Real
The educational cost of face coverings is far better established than the benefits of mandates.
[www.theatlantic.com]
Face coverings for children are not ideal but Covid is now making many children sick with the Delta variant. Face coverings are the lesser of evils. No children have been hospitalized or died from wearing a mask. Children's hospitals do not have full ICUs because children wore masks.
Very true. Also wider societal benefit = less chance of catching and spreading it outside of school. Wear a mask, sanitise, keep your distance and get vaccinated
After reading the article, I thought OK, little kids shouldn't wear masks at naptime due to risk of suffocation...OK..that makes sense.
I also read this article, which was linked on the same page as your article:
[www.theatlantic.com]
Interesting eh, same magazine.
For those of you who don't want to read the whole thing...
Their conclusion? Masks work, period. Surgical masks are particularly effective at preventing coronavirus transmission. And community-wide mask wearing is excellent at protecting older people, who are at much higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Koen
()
Date: September 4, 2021 18:14
Not the Onion: "Gunshot Victims Left Waiting as Horse Dewormer Overdoses Overwhelm Oklahoma Hospitals, Doctor Says"
[www.rollingstone.com].
[www.rollingstone.com].
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
MAF
()
Date: September 4, 2021 18:56
Give them brain... unbelievable. You are not a horse!Quote
Koen
Not the Onion: "Gunshot Victims Left Waiting as Horse Dewormer Overdoses Overwhelm Oklahoma Hospitals, Doctor Says"
[www.rollingstone.com].
Poison control centers are seeing a dramatic surge in calls from people who are self-medicating with ivermectin, an anti-parasite drug for animals that some falsely claim treats COVID-19. According to the National Poison Data System (NPDS), which collects information from the nation's 55 poison control centers, there was a 245% jump in reported exposure cases from July to August — from 133 to 459. (npr.org)
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Hairball
()
Date: September 4, 2021 21:37
More in the world of college football...
Ole Miss Head Coach Lane Kiffin To Miss Season Opener After Positive COVID-19 Diagnosis
Ole Miss will be without head coach Lane Kiffin for its season opener on Monday, after he was diagnosed with COVID-19.
Covid
The Ole Miss Rebels head to Atlanta on Monday, where they are set to face the Louisville Cardinals in their season opener at Mercedes Benz Stadium.
Unfortunately, they will have to do so without their second-year head coach, Lane Kiffin, after he tested positive for COVID-19
Kiffin took to Twitter to announce the news, confirming the positive test results.
“I am disappointed to confirm that I have developed a breakthrough case of COVID and will not accompany our team to Atlanta,
I am grateful to be vaccinated and experiencing only mild symptoms. So much so, I debated over being tested, but I’m relieved that I did.
I’m proud of our program’s commitment to vaccination, and as a result, there are currently no other cases to report or team members expected to miss the game.
We will continue to monitor our team closely and take responsible measures if any symptoms arise.”
Kiffin was the first FBS coach to get his team to a 100-percent vaccination rate. That number included all coaches and staff members.
Fortunately for the Rebels, no other players or members of the coaching staff tested positive for the virus, and they will otherwise be at full strength.
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
Ole Miss Head Coach Lane Kiffin To Miss Season Opener After Positive COVID-19 Diagnosis
Ole Miss will be without head coach Lane Kiffin for its season opener on Monday, after he was diagnosed with COVID-19.
Covid
The Ole Miss Rebels head to Atlanta on Monday, where they are set to face the Louisville Cardinals in their season opener at Mercedes Benz Stadium.
Unfortunately, they will have to do so without their second-year head coach, Lane Kiffin, after he tested positive for COVID-19
Kiffin took to Twitter to announce the news, confirming the positive test results.
“I am disappointed to confirm that I have developed a breakthrough case of COVID and will not accompany our team to Atlanta,
I am grateful to be vaccinated and experiencing only mild symptoms. So much so, I debated over being tested, but I’m relieved that I did.
I’m proud of our program’s commitment to vaccination, and as a result, there are currently no other cases to report or team members expected to miss the game.
We will continue to monitor our team closely and take responsible measures if any symptoms arise.”
Kiffin was the first FBS coach to get his team to a 100-percent vaccination rate. That number included all coaches and staff members.
Fortunately for the Rebels, no other players or members of the coaching staff tested positive for the virus, and they will otherwise be at full strength.
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Hairball
()
Date: September 5, 2021 02:58
Australia beat the world on shutting out Covid. Now it is bitterly divided on how to reopen
As of Friday, more than half of Australia's population of 25 million people are under lockdown,
including the entire populations of three states and territories -- NSW, Victoria and the ACT.
Pandemic
An increasingly frustrated Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison turned to an animated film last week to drive home his point that the country needs to reopen -- Covid or no Covid.
"It's like that movie 'The Croods'," he said, referring to the 2013 movie about a prehistoric family forced to leave their home. "People wanted to stay in the cave ... We can't stay in the cave and we can get out of it safely."
Since then, debate on the issue has descended into a less than family-friendly slinging match between states over a national plan to open internal borders before Christmas. The problem is not all of Australia is keen to leave the cave so quickly. In Australia's largest eastern cities of Sydney and Melbourne, rising Covid-19 infections have led to months-long lockdowns and strict rules on who can travel interstate. Businesses are suffering, families are split, and the ongoing uncertainty is taking a toll on people's mental health. Yet in parts of the country that have managed to contain Covid-19, including the states of Western Australia and Queensland, there is little appetite to open borders and allow the virus in. After 18 months of basking in their success in keeping Covid out, Australian politicians are now being forced to pivot from a zero-Covid strategy to living with the virus. The question is how they can convince Australians to support the national plan when some of the states' own leaders are in revolt, with one state premier calling the plan "complete madness."
'Inevitable'
For a while, along with neighboring New Zealand, Australia's success made it the envy of much of the Western world. As global Covid case numbers and deaths soared, Australia mostly kept itself Covid-free. The Australian government shut the country's borders in March 2020, shortly after the first global outbreaks began, and since then any infections inside the country have been stamped out with fierce restrictions. Until June. Then, Australia suffered a major outbreak of the highly contagious Covid-19 Delta variant in New South Wales, the state in which Sydney is the capital. The local government initially set light restrictions, but as cases continued to explode, they had no choice but to impose a lockdown. Since then, infections have spread to Melbourne, in the state of Victoria, and then to the national capital, Canberra. As of Friday, more than half of Australia's population of 25 million people are under lockdown, including the entire populations of three states and territories -- NSW, Victoria and the ACT. Faced with growing economic pressure, rising case numbers and violent anti-lockdown protests, Morrison announced the beginning of the end of Australia's zero Covid policy on August 22. He wants Australians to follow the lead of the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union, which have started to embrace living with Covid, using vaccines to the reduce hospitalizations while allowing versions of free travel. Under Australian's national plan, the country will reopen with limited restrictions when at least 70% of eligible people have received two vaccine doses. However, the country has struggled to vaccinate its population due to a lack of urgency and inadequate supplies. As of Friday, about 37% of people over the age of 16 in Australia had received two doses, compared to at least 60% in the US and more than 78% in the UK. The Australian plan, a version of which was previously agreed to by each state and territory, was based on modeling by the Doherty Institute, an infectious disease research body. The institute estimates that with adequate vaccine coverage and moderate restrictions, Australia could reopen to the world with fewer than 100 deaths in six months.
"This is what living with Covid is all about. The case numbers will likely rise when we soon begin to open up. That is inevitable," Morrison wrote in an opinion piece distributed to local media.
Reopening pushback
In his clinic in Perth, general practitioner Donough O'Donovan said a lot of his patients -- particularly elderly people -- are nervous about a potential Covid-19 outbreak in Western Australia. "Those sort of people are very afraid of opening ... they're worried about what will happen, and people are telling them left, right and center that Covid is going to get in here and we're going to be hit with it as bad as NSW," O'Donovan said. The states of Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and Tasmania have managed to keep Covid-19 cases close to zero and, as a result, their leaders have been less keen to embrace Morrison's push for open borders. Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan said reopening prematurely to "deliberately import the virus" would be "complete madness." "We currently have no restrictions within our state, a great quality of life, and a remarkably strong economy which is funding the relief efforts in other parts of the country," McGowan posted on Facebook. "West Aussies just want decisions that consider the circumstances of all states and territories, not just Sydney." Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk conceded that Covid would likely penetrate the state's borders, but she demanded more detailed modeling about how opening up would affect unvaccinated children. "Rather than picking fights and attacks, let's have a decent, educated conversation, and there is nothing wrong with asking decent questions about the safety of families," she said, after being accused of scaremongering by only focusing on the worst-case scenario of deaths. The Australian Medical Association (AMA) appeared to agree with the reluctant state leaders, warning in a letter to Prime Minister Morrison that Australia's health system was not ready for a major Covid outbreak, vaccinations or not. "If we throw open the doors to Covid we risk seeing our public hospitals collapse and part of this stems from a long-term lack of investment in public hospital capacity by state and federal governments," AMA President Dr. Omar Khorshid said in a statement. "Our hospitals are not starting from a position of strength. Far from it." Speaking on Friday, Morrison said the government was examining the Australian hospital system's ability to cope with Covid infections ahead of reopening -- and that preparation had been underway for some time.
Lockdown fatigue
Melbourne restaurant owner Luke Stepsys has had both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, but when he ran out of milk on Tuesday night he couldn't leave his house to get more. It was already past Melbourne's 9 p.m. curfew.
"I'm fully vaccinated and tonight I'm locked up like a caged animal," he said. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Melbourne has spent more than 210 days in a hard lockdown -- the longest of any Australian city -- and the stress is starting to show. "I've had countless days where I would give anything to make this go away," Stepsys said. "You just feel so confused, so depressed, you just don't have an answers. I've got to be strong for all of my staff, I've got to be strong for my family, but internally I'm just burning alive." On August 5, state authorities ordered Victorians into lockdown after a small number of cases crossed the border from New South Wales. Citizens are allowed to leave their homes only for essential reasons, such as to buy groceries. Stepsys said his restaurants had remained solvent due to a last-minute decision in March 2020 to forgo a large business purchase, leaving him with substantial savings. But he said the hospitality industry as a whole had been "smashed." "I have a friend in Las Vegas who has a restaurant and he said to me, 'Dude, did you shut down for five cases?'" Stepsys said. Just across the border, New South Wales is recording more than 1,000 new daily Covid-19 cases, the highest numbers Australia has seen since the beginning of the pandemic. The leaders of New South Wales and Victoria have embraced Morrison's plan to move away from a zero Covid strategy, with both promising more freedom to citizens once certain vaccine targets are reached. On Thursday, New South Wales became the first Australian state to reach 70% first dose vaccine coverage, and residents are now allowed unlimited exercise in certain areas. Melbourne-based epidemiologist Tony Blakely said Australia's zero Covid strategy was only ever a stop-gap measure until enough of the population was vaccinated or new treatments were discovered to make it safe to live with Covid. He said living with zero Covid in the long term isn't sustainable. But any reopening needs to be carefully managed, he added, suggesting the country should ensure all communities -- particularly vulnerable ones -- are 70% vaccinated. "If you open up and the vaccine coverage in those areas is only 40% and it's 90% elsewhere, you've got a real problem," he said.
'We're just an island that stopped flights'
With the bickering and feuding, it's not clear what will happen once Australia's vaccination targets are met. It could be that some Australian states open up to the rest of the world before people are allowed to drive from one state to another. "You could have the ridiculous situation where someone in New South Wales could travel to Canada before they could go to Cairns, or someone in Victoria could travel to Singapore or Bali before they can go to Perth," Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Monday. With its eye on the economy several months out from an election, the federal government wants the country to reopen so Australia can leave its cave and rejoin the rest of the world. On Wednesday, Australia's Attorney General Michaelia Cash appeared to threaten legal action to force the states to open their borders. However, Cash later claimed she was misinterpreted, suggesting the federal government wants to avoid appearing like it's bullying the states to do its bidding. In Victoria, Stepsys is skeptical of promises that life will be freer once the state emerges from lockdown. He thinks the moment there is a major outbreak, local authorities will once again pull the "lockdown trigger." "I think they backed themselves into a corner trying to be the world beaters," he said, referring to Australia's past success in keeping Covid out. "Australians sat back beating their chest -- 'look at us we're smart, we beat the virus'. We're not smart, we're just an island that stopped the flights."
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
As of Friday, more than half of Australia's population of 25 million people are under lockdown,
including the entire populations of three states and territories -- NSW, Victoria and the ACT.
Pandemic
An increasingly frustrated Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison turned to an animated film last week to drive home his point that the country needs to reopen -- Covid or no Covid.
"It's like that movie 'The Croods'," he said, referring to the 2013 movie about a prehistoric family forced to leave their home. "People wanted to stay in the cave ... We can't stay in the cave and we can get out of it safely."
Since then, debate on the issue has descended into a less than family-friendly slinging match between states over a national plan to open internal borders before Christmas. The problem is not all of Australia is keen to leave the cave so quickly. In Australia's largest eastern cities of Sydney and Melbourne, rising Covid-19 infections have led to months-long lockdowns and strict rules on who can travel interstate. Businesses are suffering, families are split, and the ongoing uncertainty is taking a toll on people's mental health. Yet in parts of the country that have managed to contain Covid-19, including the states of Western Australia and Queensland, there is little appetite to open borders and allow the virus in. After 18 months of basking in their success in keeping Covid out, Australian politicians are now being forced to pivot from a zero-Covid strategy to living with the virus. The question is how they can convince Australians to support the national plan when some of the states' own leaders are in revolt, with one state premier calling the plan "complete madness."
'Inevitable'
For a while, along with neighboring New Zealand, Australia's success made it the envy of much of the Western world. As global Covid case numbers and deaths soared, Australia mostly kept itself Covid-free. The Australian government shut the country's borders in March 2020, shortly after the first global outbreaks began, and since then any infections inside the country have been stamped out with fierce restrictions. Until June. Then, Australia suffered a major outbreak of the highly contagious Covid-19 Delta variant in New South Wales, the state in which Sydney is the capital. The local government initially set light restrictions, but as cases continued to explode, they had no choice but to impose a lockdown. Since then, infections have spread to Melbourne, in the state of Victoria, and then to the national capital, Canberra. As of Friday, more than half of Australia's population of 25 million people are under lockdown, including the entire populations of three states and territories -- NSW, Victoria and the ACT. Faced with growing economic pressure, rising case numbers and violent anti-lockdown protests, Morrison announced the beginning of the end of Australia's zero Covid policy on August 22. He wants Australians to follow the lead of the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union, which have started to embrace living with Covid, using vaccines to the reduce hospitalizations while allowing versions of free travel. Under Australian's national plan, the country will reopen with limited restrictions when at least 70% of eligible people have received two vaccine doses. However, the country has struggled to vaccinate its population due to a lack of urgency and inadequate supplies. As of Friday, about 37% of people over the age of 16 in Australia had received two doses, compared to at least 60% in the US and more than 78% in the UK. The Australian plan, a version of which was previously agreed to by each state and territory, was based on modeling by the Doherty Institute, an infectious disease research body. The institute estimates that with adequate vaccine coverage and moderate restrictions, Australia could reopen to the world with fewer than 100 deaths in six months.
"This is what living with Covid is all about. The case numbers will likely rise when we soon begin to open up. That is inevitable," Morrison wrote in an opinion piece distributed to local media.
Reopening pushback
In his clinic in Perth, general practitioner Donough O'Donovan said a lot of his patients -- particularly elderly people -- are nervous about a potential Covid-19 outbreak in Western Australia. "Those sort of people are very afraid of opening ... they're worried about what will happen, and people are telling them left, right and center that Covid is going to get in here and we're going to be hit with it as bad as NSW," O'Donovan said. The states of Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and Tasmania have managed to keep Covid-19 cases close to zero and, as a result, their leaders have been less keen to embrace Morrison's push for open borders. Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan said reopening prematurely to "deliberately import the virus" would be "complete madness." "We currently have no restrictions within our state, a great quality of life, and a remarkably strong economy which is funding the relief efforts in other parts of the country," McGowan posted on Facebook. "West Aussies just want decisions that consider the circumstances of all states and territories, not just Sydney." Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk conceded that Covid would likely penetrate the state's borders, but she demanded more detailed modeling about how opening up would affect unvaccinated children. "Rather than picking fights and attacks, let's have a decent, educated conversation, and there is nothing wrong with asking decent questions about the safety of families," she said, after being accused of scaremongering by only focusing on the worst-case scenario of deaths. The Australian Medical Association (AMA) appeared to agree with the reluctant state leaders, warning in a letter to Prime Minister Morrison that Australia's health system was not ready for a major Covid outbreak, vaccinations or not. "If we throw open the doors to Covid we risk seeing our public hospitals collapse and part of this stems from a long-term lack of investment in public hospital capacity by state and federal governments," AMA President Dr. Omar Khorshid said in a statement. "Our hospitals are not starting from a position of strength. Far from it." Speaking on Friday, Morrison said the government was examining the Australian hospital system's ability to cope with Covid infections ahead of reopening -- and that preparation had been underway for some time.
Lockdown fatigue
Melbourne restaurant owner Luke Stepsys has had both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, but when he ran out of milk on Tuesday night he couldn't leave his house to get more. It was already past Melbourne's 9 p.m. curfew.
"I'm fully vaccinated and tonight I'm locked up like a caged animal," he said. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Melbourne has spent more than 210 days in a hard lockdown -- the longest of any Australian city -- and the stress is starting to show. "I've had countless days where I would give anything to make this go away," Stepsys said. "You just feel so confused, so depressed, you just don't have an answers. I've got to be strong for all of my staff, I've got to be strong for my family, but internally I'm just burning alive." On August 5, state authorities ordered Victorians into lockdown after a small number of cases crossed the border from New South Wales. Citizens are allowed to leave their homes only for essential reasons, such as to buy groceries. Stepsys said his restaurants had remained solvent due to a last-minute decision in March 2020 to forgo a large business purchase, leaving him with substantial savings. But he said the hospitality industry as a whole had been "smashed." "I have a friend in Las Vegas who has a restaurant and he said to me, 'Dude, did you shut down for five cases?'" Stepsys said. Just across the border, New South Wales is recording more than 1,000 new daily Covid-19 cases, the highest numbers Australia has seen since the beginning of the pandemic. The leaders of New South Wales and Victoria have embraced Morrison's plan to move away from a zero Covid strategy, with both promising more freedom to citizens once certain vaccine targets are reached. On Thursday, New South Wales became the first Australian state to reach 70% first dose vaccine coverage, and residents are now allowed unlimited exercise in certain areas. Melbourne-based epidemiologist Tony Blakely said Australia's zero Covid strategy was only ever a stop-gap measure until enough of the population was vaccinated or new treatments were discovered to make it safe to live with Covid. He said living with zero Covid in the long term isn't sustainable. But any reopening needs to be carefully managed, he added, suggesting the country should ensure all communities -- particularly vulnerable ones -- are 70% vaccinated. "If you open up and the vaccine coverage in those areas is only 40% and it's 90% elsewhere, you've got a real problem," he said.
'We're just an island that stopped flights'
With the bickering and feuding, it's not clear what will happen once Australia's vaccination targets are met. It could be that some Australian states open up to the rest of the world before people are allowed to drive from one state to another. "You could have the ridiculous situation where someone in New South Wales could travel to Canada before they could go to Cairns, or someone in Victoria could travel to Singapore or Bali before they can go to Perth," Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Monday. With its eye on the economy several months out from an election, the federal government wants the country to reopen so Australia can leave its cave and rejoin the rest of the world. On Wednesday, Australia's Attorney General Michaelia Cash appeared to threaten legal action to force the states to open their borders. However, Cash later claimed she was misinterpreted, suggesting the federal government wants to avoid appearing like it's bullying the states to do its bidding. In Victoria, Stepsys is skeptical of promises that life will be freer once the state emerges from lockdown. He thinks the moment there is a major outbreak, local authorities will once again pull the "lockdown trigger." "I think they backed themselves into a corner trying to be the world beaters," he said, referring to Australia's past success in keeping Covid out. "Australians sat back beating their chest -- 'look at us we're smart, we beat the virus'. We're not smart, we're just an island that stopped the flights."
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
bleedingman
()
Date: September 5, 2021 04:57
Is this good?
How many Americans have coronavirus antibodies? Blood donations show vast majority do
Katie Camero
Fri, September 3, 2021, 5:47 PM
"More than 80% of Americans have coronavirus antibodies acquired through infection or vaccination, according to a new study of over 1.4 million blood donations across the U.S."
[www.yahoo.com]
How many Americans have coronavirus antibodies? Blood donations show vast majority do
Katie Camero
Fri, September 3, 2021, 5:47 PM
"More than 80% of Americans have coronavirus antibodies acquired through infection or vaccination, according to a new study of over 1.4 million blood donations across the U.S."
[www.yahoo.com]
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
treaclefingers
()
Date: September 5, 2021 05:10
Quote
bleedingman
Is this good?
How many Americans have coronavirus antibodies? Blood donations show vast majority do
Katie Camero
Fri, September 3, 2021, 5:47 PM
"More than 80% of Americans have coronavirus antibodies acquired through infection or vaccination, according to a new study of over 1.4 million blood donations across the U.S."
[www.yahoo.com]
Well 70% have had the first vaccination and then you have however many have had infections, so I guess that is logical.
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Hairball
()
Date: September 5, 2021 06:15
From the NFL..............
Tom Brady had COVID-19, believes virus will be a bigger problem in 2021
The Bucs quarterback, who is vaccinated, thinks the virus is “going to play more of a factor this year.”
Coronavirus
TAMPA: The Bucs are 100 percent vaccinated, and yes, that means quarterback Tom Brady. In fact, Brady confirmed he had COVID-19 in February, shortly after the Super Bowl 55 championship boat parade. But while vaccinated, the Bucs aren’t totally immune to the virus or the results of the looser protocols in the NFL. This year, vaccinated players are permitted to leave their hotels on the road and visit with family. Four Bucs players already have gone on the reserve/COVID-19 list: kicker Ryan Succop, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and offensive linemen Nick Leverett and Earl Watford.
Before they could win the Super Bowl, the Bucs had to beat the virus. Teams battling COVID-19 was among the topics Brady discussed one-on-one with me. He thinks it will be a bigger story in 2021. “You guys beat COVID last year. It’s still around. You’ve had it?” I asked him. “Yeah,” Brady said. “And I think it’s going to be challenging this year,” he continued. “I actually think it’s going to play more of a factor this year than last year, just because of the way what we’re doing now and what the stadium is going to look like and what the travel is going to look like and the people in the building and the fans. “It’s not like last year, although we’re getting tested like last year. It’s going to be, I definitely think guys are going to be out at different points and we’ve just got to deal with it.”
Among the last players to get vaccinated was running back Leonard Fournette. Of course, it’s still a personal choice and Brady hasn’t been walking around sticking shoulders. But when the quarterback who helped put a Super Bowl ring on your finger has had COVID-19 and is vaccinated, it may be a good idea to fall in line behind him. The Bucs only had two real incidents of COVID-19 that cost players games last season. Ronald Jones missed games against Atlanta and Detroit, while Devin White was out for the season finale against Atlanta and the first playoff game at Washington. Furthermore, coach Bruce Arians is there to enforce all the protocols. In many ways, that was one of Arians’ biggest contributions. “He did an unbelievable job keeping this thing together during COVID,” quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen said. “He didn’t compromise, and it ended up being one of the huge advantages because we didn’t have any dips because of COVID, largely because of him. He had zero tolerance for cutting corners on the COVID protocol. “He dog-cussed them. If he thought there was any slack whatsoever in us taking that thing for granted or letting down our guard, he snapped the team back to attention.”
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2021-09-05 06:16 by Hairball.
Tom Brady had COVID-19, believes virus will be a bigger problem in 2021
The Bucs quarterback, who is vaccinated, thinks the virus is “going to play more of a factor this year.”
Coronavirus
TAMPA: The Bucs are 100 percent vaccinated, and yes, that means quarterback Tom Brady. In fact, Brady confirmed he had COVID-19 in February, shortly after the Super Bowl 55 championship boat parade. But while vaccinated, the Bucs aren’t totally immune to the virus or the results of the looser protocols in the NFL. This year, vaccinated players are permitted to leave their hotels on the road and visit with family. Four Bucs players already have gone on the reserve/COVID-19 list: kicker Ryan Succop, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and offensive linemen Nick Leverett and Earl Watford.
Before they could win the Super Bowl, the Bucs had to beat the virus. Teams battling COVID-19 was among the topics Brady discussed one-on-one with me. He thinks it will be a bigger story in 2021. “You guys beat COVID last year. It’s still around. You’ve had it?” I asked him. “Yeah,” Brady said. “And I think it’s going to be challenging this year,” he continued. “I actually think it’s going to play more of a factor this year than last year, just because of the way what we’re doing now and what the stadium is going to look like and what the travel is going to look like and the people in the building and the fans. “It’s not like last year, although we’re getting tested like last year. It’s going to be, I definitely think guys are going to be out at different points and we’ve just got to deal with it.”
Among the last players to get vaccinated was running back Leonard Fournette. Of course, it’s still a personal choice and Brady hasn’t been walking around sticking shoulders. But when the quarterback who helped put a Super Bowl ring on your finger has had COVID-19 and is vaccinated, it may be a good idea to fall in line behind him. The Bucs only had two real incidents of COVID-19 that cost players games last season. Ronald Jones missed games against Atlanta and Detroit, while Devin White was out for the season finale against Atlanta and the first playoff game at Washington. Furthermore, coach Bruce Arians is there to enforce all the protocols. In many ways, that was one of Arians’ biggest contributions. “He did an unbelievable job keeping this thing together during COVID,” quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen said. “He didn’t compromise, and it ended up being one of the huge advantages because we didn’t have any dips because of COVID, largely because of him. He had zero tolerance for cutting corners on the COVID protocol. “He dog-cussed them. If he thought there was any slack whatsoever in us taking that thing for granted or letting down our guard, he snapped the team back to attention.”
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2021-09-05 06:16 by Hairball.
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
terraplane
()
Date: September 5, 2021 13:20
Quote
Koen
Not the Onion: "Gunshot Victims Left Waiting as Horse Dewormer Overdoses Overwhelm Oklahoma Hospitals, Doctor Says"
[www.rollingstone.com].
I notice RS has made an update to their article.
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
bleedingman
()
Date: September 5, 2021 19:43
Quote
terraplaneQuote
Koen
Not the Onion: "Gunshot Victims Left Waiting as Horse Dewormer Overdoses Overwhelm Oklahoma Hospitals, Doctor Says"
[www.rollingstone.com].
I notice RS has made an update to their article.
UPDATE: Northeastern Hospital System Sequoyah issued a statement: Although Dr. Jason McElyea is not an employee of NHS Sequoyah, he is affiliated with a medical staffing group that provides coverage for our emergency room. With that said, Dr. McElyea has not worked at our Sallisaw location in over 2 months. NHS Sequoyah has not treated any patients due to complications related to taking ivermectin. This includes not treating any patients for ivermectin overdose. All patients who have visited our emergency room have received medical attention as appropriate. Our hospital has not had to turn away any patients seeking emergency care. We want to reassure our community that our staff is working hard to provide quality healthcare to all patients. We appreciate the opportunity to clarify this issue and as always, we value our community’s support.”
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
daspyknows
()
Date: September 5, 2021 20:26
Quote
bleedingmanQuote
terraplaneQuote
Koen
Not the Onion: "Gunshot Victims Left Waiting as Horse Dewormer Overdoses Overwhelm Oklahoma Hospitals, Doctor Says"
[www.rollingstone.com].
I notice RS has made an update to their article.
UPDATE: Northeastern Hospital System Sequoyah issued a statement: Although Dr. Jason McElyea is not an employee of NHS Sequoyah, he is affiliated with a medical staffing group that provides coverage for our emergency room. With that said, Dr. McElyea has not worked at our Sallisaw location in over 2 months. NHS Sequoyah has not treated any patients due to complications related to taking ivermectin. This includes not treating any patients for ivermectin overdose. All patients who have visited our emergency room have received medical attention as appropriate. Our hospital has not had to turn away any patients seeking emergency care. We want to reassure our community that our staff is working hard to provide quality healthcare to all patients. We appreciate the opportunity to clarify this issue and as always, we value our community’s support.”
Now only if the misinformation side of the fence retract something they posted as false.
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
terraplane
()
Date: September 5, 2021 23:15
Israel planning to administer fourth COVID shot
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9959811/Israel-planning-administer-FOURTH-Covid-vaccine-adjusted-fight-new-variants.html]Daily Mail
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9959811/Israel-planning-administer-FOURTH-Covid-vaccine-adjusted-fight-new-variants.html]Daily Mail
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Hairball
()
Date: September 6, 2021 02:35
Vaccine slowdowns in the wealthy West could incubate the next disaster in the Covid crisis
"...the next phase of this battle is going to be an uphill struggle, taking place at a time when many of the countries struggling with vaccine hesitancy enter their winter months.
All of which raises a very alarming question. If even wealthy Western countries are unable to emphatically win the race against Covid, what hope do other parts of the world --
low on vaccines, poorer in infrastructure and with less access to reliable information -- have of ending their pandemic in the next year"?
Vaccine
London (CNN) One of the greatest success stories of the Covid-19 crisis has hit an alarming bump in the road. The initial stages of the vaccine rollout earlier this year in countries such as Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States provided hope that the misery of lockdowns and isolation would soon be a distant memory, in a small group of rich nations, at least. Both Israel and the UK appeared on track to hit the rough target of 80-90% of fully vaccinated citizens that each of the experts CNN spoke with for this article said is required to drop restrictions, while America had legitimate cause for optimism. But then came a drop in the number of daily vaccinations. Much to the dismay of officials and public health officials, the slower uptake has seen daily vaccinations plateau, while each country remains well below the target at 63% (UK), 62% (Israel) and 52% (US). The reasons for this are varied. Some people believe they are fit healthy and young, so getting vaccinated is not a priority. Some have poor digital literacy, or limited access, and have found it too complicated to book a vaccine so gave up. And some simply don't trust their government to the extent that they've become susceptible to misinformation.
Despite recent upticks in vaccination doses being administered, the reality that most countries will not hit that 80-90% goal while the Delta variant spreads presents a serious threat. Not only does it affect the speed at which these specific countries can wave goodbye to Covid but, on a global level, it also creates an opportunity for the virus to spread, mutate and break their borders to countries with lower vaccination rates. In other words, it could incubate the next disaster in this pandemic. In the UK, inner-city areas with diverse communities have seen these dynamics play out many times. Philip Glanville, mayor of the London borough of Hackney, explained that in "Turkish and Kurdish communities, there is a high level of trust with doctors and the NHS, but they've sometimes found it difficult to book appointments. Whereas in some Black-British communities, misinformation has sadly spread about the vaccine affecting pregnancy and fertility." Hackney has seen a drop from around 1,000 daily first doses administered to around 100 in the space of roughly two months. And while of course many of those who want to get jabbed have now done so, the group of holdouts is bigger than most countries want it to be. And given the young age groups currently being encouraged to get their first vaccines, this is a real cause for concern, as younger people tend to have more social contacts, creating more opportunities for the disease to reproduce. Glanville, who has himself volunteered at Hackney's vaccination centers, criticized the UK government for playing an overly centralized role by not allowing local authorities to make decisions based on their knowledge of their own communities. "The messaging and rules have been unclear for lots of people who want to be vaccinated," Glanville said. "It's not been the fault of people on the ground in Hackney, but as a volunteer, I've had to turn people away who turned up with an elderly relative and asked if they could have one too. The sad reality is, if people have poor literacy or digital skills, don't really understand the rules and get turned away, they might just give up."
In another corner of the UK, Northern Ireland is seeing a similar vaccination decline, despite a recent surge in infection. Gabriel Scally, a former public health official in the province, explains that many Northern Irish citizens do not trust the health service or areas of the government. "There are currently three public inquiries into dreadful failures of the health service, hospital waiting lists are appalling and the sectarian nature of our politics means that certain groups are incredibly distrustful of one part of the government or another," he explains. In Northern Ireland, the government is run on a principle of power sharing between Republicans (who broadly favor a united Ireland) and Unionists (who want Northern Ireland to remain part of the UK), with the aim that no group will feel marginalized. The most radical ends of either group are historically less trustful of leaders from the other, even when it comes to public health. Israel wowed the world with its speedy vaccination rollout and high initial uptake. Yet in recent weeks, the international poster child of immunization has also experienced a slowdown. The reasons for this are largely societal, Asher Salmon, the deputy director general of the country's health ministry, explains. "There are issues within small minorities of the ultra-Orthodox and Hasidic communities where some people have strange ideas based on anti-vaccination misinformation," he said. "There are also problems in Bedouin societies, where distrust in the Israeli authorities is typically quite high." Salmon also says that people who hold fringe political beliefs have been exposed to misinformation that complements their anti-establishment, anti-globalist views. "There are people who believe that the pharmaceutical industry has a vested interest in making the pandemic appear worse than it is."
Meanwhile in America, misinformation and partisan distrust in the authorities has become a challenge for some doctors trying to convince their patients to get vaccinated. Dr. Mark Horne, chief medical officer at South Central Regional Medical Center in Mississippi, told CNN there is "a significant, hardcore group of people who mistrust advanced medical science" in his local area because of their politics. "This is a very Christian, conservative place. I try and explain to my patients that I am a Christian and conservative, but that this is just science. One of my patients who has diabetes told me he won't get the vaccine because he thinks it's a political conspiracy. Even people I've treated for 25 years tell me that they trust me, but don't trust the vaccine or the science behind it." One recurring theme in all these countries is many young people are perfectly willing to get the vaccine, but don't see it as a priority. This is possibly because of the evidence that the disease affects older people more dramatically. "For a lot of young people there is a trade-off: potential side-effects versus the fact they are young and healthy, so unlikely to get seriously sick," said Melanie Leis, director of the Big Data and Analytical Unit at Imperial College London, which recently published a report on global vaccine confidence. "When asked about the reasons for not having received a vaccine yet, only 4% of the 40+ group stated concerns about side effects, compared to 10% of those 18-29," she added. These might seem like small numbers, so why is this such a problem for the global response to Covid? "If one were to draw a graph of vaccine coverage versus danger, it would be a linear progression, the greater the vaccine coverage, the less the dangers and the other way around," said Bharat Pankhania, senior clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter, in western England. "Of course, we want to get to 90% coverage, it is a tall order globally. If we get to 70% and stay there, there will be many sporadic outbreaks which may overwhelm health services. Worse, it will create more chances for the virus to mutate and variants of concern to emerge."
These mutations and variations of the disease risk blowing a huge hole in the vaccination effort, undermining the hard work that has already taken place in so many countries. Simon Clarke, associate professor in microbiology at the University of Reading in southern England, said that "every time a new virus particle is created, the virus has an opportunity to mutate and build resistance to the vaccines that we currently have. So, if you are not vaccinated, not only are you putting yourself at risk, but also the people who have done the right thing and had the jab." If this is dangerous for highly vaccinated countries, it is a terrifying prospect for those unable to get hold of enough jabs for their citizens. "It is virtually impossible to stop viruses crossing borders, so a weakness in any country is a problem for every country," said Clarke. All of this raises a question of moral obligation for countries that are sitting on vaccines or giving people their third shorts while others simply don't have enough doses. "There is certainly a big question over what these high-income countries should do if they have reached saturation, while poorer nations have significant numbers of people desperate to get vaccinated," said data analyst Leis. Pankhania added it is a "disgrace" that so much of the world is unvaccinated and that if richer countries were to distribute their stockpiles "we would see a huge uptake all over the world."
Back in the US, UK and Israel, what can be done to encourage those final holdouts to take the plunge and get vaccinated? "We have introduced schemes where you cannot enter cultural venues, clubs, bars without getting tested if you've not had the jab," said Salmon. "A secondary advantage of the passport, alongside reducing the rate of infection, is to encourage young people to be vaccinated." Horne says that he has encouraged his patients to be good ambassadors and tell their friends about family members getting sick and share their positive experiences of getting vaccinated. "It takes more than physicians and government for people who inherently distrust the state. Lots of the holdouts who eventually came round that I've encountered either saw a family member get sick or get vaccinated and all the things they feared not happening," he said. The race to get as many people vaccinated before the virus spreads further or mutates into something more dangerous is going to be won with a mixture of carrot and stick, with other countries seeing similar incentives to getting the jab as Israel. However, the next phase of this battle is going to be an uphill struggle, taking place at a time when many of the countries struggling with vaccine hesitancy enter their winter months. All of which raises a very alarming question. If even wealthy Western countries are unable to emphatically win the race against Covid, what hope do other parts of the world -- low on vaccines, poorer in infrastructure and with less access to reliable information -- have of ending their pandemic in the next year?
Anti-vaccination protesters against the coronavirus vaccine gather in Parliament Square
outside the Houses of Parliament in central London on July 19, 2021
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-09-06 02:47 by Hairball.
"...the next phase of this battle is going to be an uphill struggle, taking place at a time when many of the countries struggling with vaccine hesitancy enter their winter months.
All of which raises a very alarming question. If even wealthy Western countries are unable to emphatically win the race against Covid, what hope do other parts of the world --
low on vaccines, poorer in infrastructure and with less access to reliable information -- have of ending their pandemic in the next year"?
Vaccine
London (CNN) One of the greatest success stories of the Covid-19 crisis has hit an alarming bump in the road. The initial stages of the vaccine rollout earlier this year in countries such as Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States provided hope that the misery of lockdowns and isolation would soon be a distant memory, in a small group of rich nations, at least. Both Israel and the UK appeared on track to hit the rough target of 80-90% of fully vaccinated citizens that each of the experts CNN spoke with for this article said is required to drop restrictions, while America had legitimate cause for optimism. But then came a drop in the number of daily vaccinations. Much to the dismay of officials and public health officials, the slower uptake has seen daily vaccinations plateau, while each country remains well below the target at 63% (UK), 62% (Israel) and 52% (US). The reasons for this are varied. Some people believe they are fit healthy and young, so getting vaccinated is not a priority. Some have poor digital literacy, or limited access, and have found it too complicated to book a vaccine so gave up. And some simply don't trust their government to the extent that they've become susceptible to misinformation.
Despite recent upticks in vaccination doses being administered, the reality that most countries will not hit that 80-90% goal while the Delta variant spreads presents a serious threat. Not only does it affect the speed at which these specific countries can wave goodbye to Covid but, on a global level, it also creates an opportunity for the virus to spread, mutate and break their borders to countries with lower vaccination rates. In other words, it could incubate the next disaster in this pandemic. In the UK, inner-city areas with diverse communities have seen these dynamics play out many times. Philip Glanville, mayor of the London borough of Hackney, explained that in "Turkish and Kurdish communities, there is a high level of trust with doctors and the NHS, but they've sometimes found it difficult to book appointments. Whereas in some Black-British communities, misinformation has sadly spread about the vaccine affecting pregnancy and fertility." Hackney has seen a drop from around 1,000 daily first doses administered to around 100 in the space of roughly two months. And while of course many of those who want to get jabbed have now done so, the group of holdouts is bigger than most countries want it to be. And given the young age groups currently being encouraged to get their first vaccines, this is a real cause for concern, as younger people tend to have more social contacts, creating more opportunities for the disease to reproduce. Glanville, who has himself volunteered at Hackney's vaccination centers, criticized the UK government for playing an overly centralized role by not allowing local authorities to make decisions based on their knowledge of their own communities. "The messaging and rules have been unclear for lots of people who want to be vaccinated," Glanville said. "It's not been the fault of people on the ground in Hackney, but as a volunteer, I've had to turn people away who turned up with an elderly relative and asked if they could have one too. The sad reality is, if people have poor literacy or digital skills, don't really understand the rules and get turned away, they might just give up."
In another corner of the UK, Northern Ireland is seeing a similar vaccination decline, despite a recent surge in infection. Gabriel Scally, a former public health official in the province, explains that many Northern Irish citizens do not trust the health service or areas of the government. "There are currently three public inquiries into dreadful failures of the health service, hospital waiting lists are appalling and the sectarian nature of our politics means that certain groups are incredibly distrustful of one part of the government or another," he explains. In Northern Ireland, the government is run on a principle of power sharing between Republicans (who broadly favor a united Ireland) and Unionists (who want Northern Ireland to remain part of the UK), with the aim that no group will feel marginalized. The most radical ends of either group are historically less trustful of leaders from the other, even when it comes to public health. Israel wowed the world with its speedy vaccination rollout and high initial uptake. Yet in recent weeks, the international poster child of immunization has also experienced a slowdown. The reasons for this are largely societal, Asher Salmon, the deputy director general of the country's health ministry, explains. "There are issues within small minorities of the ultra-Orthodox and Hasidic communities where some people have strange ideas based on anti-vaccination misinformation," he said. "There are also problems in Bedouin societies, where distrust in the Israeli authorities is typically quite high." Salmon also says that people who hold fringe political beliefs have been exposed to misinformation that complements their anti-establishment, anti-globalist views. "There are people who believe that the pharmaceutical industry has a vested interest in making the pandemic appear worse than it is."
Meanwhile in America, misinformation and partisan distrust in the authorities has become a challenge for some doctors trying to convince their patients to get vaccinated. Dr. Mark Horne, chief medical officer at South Central Regional Medical Center in Mississippi, told CNN there is "a significant, hardcore group of people who mistrust advanced medical science" in his local area because of their politics. "This is a very Christian, conservative place. I try and explain to my patients that I am a Christian and conservative, but that this is just science. One of my patients who has diabetes told me he won't get the vaccine because he thinks it's a political conspiracy. Even people I've treated for 25 years tell me that they trust me, but don't trust the vaccine or the science behind it." One recurring theme in all these countries is many young people are perfectly willing to get the vaccine, but don't see it as a priority. This is possibly because of the evidence that the disease affects older people more dramatically. "For a lot of young people there is a trade-off: potential side-effects versus the fact they are young and healthy, so unlikely to get seriously sick," said Melanie Leis, director of the Big Data and Analytical Unit at Imperial College London, which recently published a report on global vaccine confidence. "When asked about the reasons for not having received a vaccine yet, only 4% of the 40+ group stated concerns about side effects, compared to 10% of those 18-29," she added. These might seem like small numbers, so why is this such a problem for the global response to Covid? "If one were to draw a graph of vaccine coverage versus danger, it would be a linear progression, the greater the vaccine coverage, the less the dangers and the other way around," said Bharat Pankhania, senior clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter, in western England. "Of course, we want to get to 90% coverage, it is a tall order globally. If we get to 70% and stay there, there will be many sporadic outbreaks which may overwhelm health services. Worse, it will create more chances for the virus to mutate and variants of concern to emerge."
These mutations and variations of the disease risk blowing a huge hole in the vaccination effort, undermining the hard work that has already taken place in so many countries. Simon Clarke, associate professor in microbiology at the University of Reading in southern England, said that "every time a new virus particle is created, the virus has an opportunity to mutate and build resistance to the vaccines that we currently have. So, if you are not vaccinated, not only are you putting yourself at risk, but also the people who have done the right thing and had the jab." If this is dangerous for highly vaccinated countries, it is a terrifying prospect for those unable to get hold of enough jabs for their citizens. "It is virtually impossible to stop viruses crossing borders, so a weakness in any country is a problem for every country," said Clarke. All of this raises a question of moral obligation for countries that are sitting on vaccines or giving people their third shorts while others simply don't have enough doses. "There is certainly a big question over what these high-income countries should do if they have reached saturation, while poorer nations have significant numbers of people desperate to get vaccinated," said data analyst Leis. Pankhania added it is a "disgrace" that so much of the world is unvaccinated and that if richer countries were to distribute their stockpiles "we would see a huge uptake all over the world."
Back in the US, UK and Israel, what can be done to encourage those final holdouts to take the plunge and get vaccinated? "We have introduced schemes where you cannot enter cultural venues, clubs, bars without getting tested if you've not had the jab," said Salmon. "A secondary advantage of the passport, alongside reducing the rate of infection, is to encourage young people to be vaccinated." Horne says that he has encouraged his patients to be good ambassadors and tell their friends about family members getting sick and share their positive experiences of getting vaccinated. "It takes more than physicians and government for people who inherently distrust the state. Lots of the holdouts who eventually came round that I've encountered either saw a family member get sick or get vaccinated and all the things they feared not happening," he said. The race to get as many people vaccinated before the virus spreads further or mutates into something more dangerous is going to be won with a mixture of carrot and stick, with other countries seeing similar incentives to getting the jab as Israel. However, the next phase of this battle is going to be an uphill struggle, taking place at a time when many of the countries struggling with vaccine hesitancy enter their winter months. All of which raises a very alarming question. If even wealthy Western countries are unable to emphatically win the race against Covid, what hope do other parts of the world -- low on vaccines, poorer in infrastructure and with less access to reliable information -- have of ending their pandemic in the next year?
Anti-vaccination protesters against the coronavirus vaccine gather in Parliament Square
outside the Houses of Parliament in central London on July 19, 2021
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-09-06 02:47 by Hairball.
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
TumblinDice76
()
Date: September 7, 2021 04:25
Georgia Bulldogs had a big win on Saturday over Clemson. Today Georgia is dealing with a spike in spike. Will be interesting to see if any other team has issues ad the week goes on.
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Hairball
()
Date: September 7, 2021 05:11
Delta variant is grounding business travel in September
Corona-Flights
Companies are canceling business trips and keeping their employees close to home as the Delta variant rages on. September marks the beginning of the busy corporate travel season, but many companies are having second thoughts about sending their workers on planes, especially as they delay their return to work dates. Some 60 percent of business travelers said they are likely to postpone their travel plans and 67 percent said they are likely to take fewer trips, according to a report by the American Hotel & Lodging Association, which conducted a survey in August involving 400 business travelers. Corporate travel returned to about 40 percent of its pre-pandemic levels this summer, according to Delta Airlines, which had expected it to reach 60 percent by September. “We won’t be at 60 percent,” Delta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian told The Wall Street Journal. A Bloomberg survey of 45 large businesses in the US, Europe and Asia shows that 84% plan to spend less on travel post-pandemic.
Business travelers are the most lucrative customers. They buy more expensive refundable tickets and accounted for as much as three-quarters of airlines’ pre-pandemic profits, according to Bloomberg, while accounting for only 12% of the seats. Airline executives have reported an increase in the number of cancellations and a slowdown in the number of new bookings, according to reports. Compounding the concern is a warning by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention for non-vaccinated people to forego travel over the Labor Day holiday weekend and for vaccinated people to consider the “risks” of their plans as well. The European Union also recommended that its members limit non-essential travel from the US, while Denmark and the Netherlands banned Americans from entering. Among the companies limiting business travel are Dell Technologies, which sent a memo to its employees in August explaining that domestic travel has to be “critical” to the company’s business and customers and receive approval from an employee’s manager and vice president, according to The Journal, while software company Citrix Systems told the publication that travel remains “very, very limited.” Bastian, of Delta, maintains that travel will eventually pick up again. “There’s no evidence that it’s going to disappear in any material way,” according to the report.
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
Corona-Flights
Companies are canceling business trips and keeping their employees close to home as the Delta variant rages on. September marks the beginning of the busy corporate travel season, but many companies are having second thoughts about sending their workers on planes, especially as they delay their return to work dates. Some 60 percent of business travelers said they are likely to postpone their travel plans and 67 percent said they are likely to take fewer trips, according to a report by the American Hotel & Lodging Association, which conducted a survey in August involving 400 business travelers. Corporate travel returned to about 40 percent of its pre-pandemic levels this summer, according to Delta Airlines, which had expected it to reach 60 percent by September. “We won’t be at 60 percent,” Delta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian told The Wall Street Journal. A Bloomberg survey of 45 large businesses in the US, Europe and Asia shows that 84% plan to spend less on travel post-pandemic.
Business travelers are the most lucrative customers. They buy more expensive refundable tickets and accounted for as much as three-quarters of airlines’ pre-pandemic profits, according to Bloomberg, while accounting for only 12% of the seats. Airline executives have reported an increase in the number of cancellations and a slowdown in the number of new bookings, according to reports. Compounding the concern is a warning by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention for non-vaccinated people to forego travel over the Labor Day holiday weekend and for vaccinated people to consider the “risks” of their plans as well. The European Union also recommended that its members limit non-essential travel from the US, while Denmark and the Netherlands banned Americans from entering. Among the companies limiting business travel are Dell Technologies, which sent a memo to its employees in August explaining that domestic travel has to be “critical” to the company’s business and customers and receive approval from an employee’s manager and vice president, according to The Journal, while software company Citrix Systems told the publication that travel remains “very, very limited.” Bastian, of Delta, maintains that travel will eventually pick up again. “There’s no evidence that it’s going to disappear in any material way,” according to the report.
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Hairball
()
Date: September 7, 2021 19:13
Incredible...never would have imagined the pandemic continuing this badly a year ago....
Daily (US) Covid-19 case average is more than 3 times higher than it was last Labor Day
Coronavirus
The country's Covid-19 case rates have generally soared since the start of the summer as the highly contagious Delta variant spread -- and the current average is more than three times higher than it was a year ago.
The United States' seven-day average of new cases Monday (137,270 daily) dwarfs the average seen on Labor Day of last year (39,355 daily), according to Johns Hopkins University data. Hospitalizations and daily Covid-19 deaths also have risen lately, and where these counts go from here is "up to us," Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN on Tuesday. "We have 75 million people in this country who are eligible to be vaccinated who are not yet vaccinated. If we get the overwhelming majority of (these people) vaccinated, we could turn this around even as we go into the cooler weather of the fall," Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said. This comes as President Joe Biden is set to deliver a major address on the next phase of his pandemic response this week, two sources familiar with the speech tell CNN. While officials were still finalizing specifics early this week, the speech will have multiple components related to schools, private companies and requirements for federal employees, the sources said.
Average daily cases have wobbled downward in the past few days -- but they still are more than 12 times higher than what they were at the start of summer, when the Delta variant gained dominance.
Cases jumped after June 22, when the US saw its lowest average of 2021 (11,303 per day), according to Johns Hopkins. The jump in cases has translated into overcrowded hospitals and a rise in infections among children -- of particular concern as many students return to their classrooms. And experts fear that a holiday weekend could make matters worse. More than 99,800 Covid-19 patients were in US hospitals on Monday. That number has dipped in recent days, but is still significantly higher than June 29, when the country saw a 2021 low of 16,152, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. Last week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky advised unvaccinated Americans not to travel for the holiday and reminded vaccinated people that the high rate of virus transmission meant that it could be risky for them to travel as well. The risk played out last year, when cases surged in 31 states and the positivity rate went up in 25 of them only two weeks after the Labor Day holiday.
Besides the Delta variant, one difference between this year and last year is that Americans over 12 years old can get Covid-19 vaccines, which experts say is the best defense against the virus. But only 53% of the total US population is fully vaccinated, and just 62% of eligible Americans are, according to the CDC, leaving tens of millions very vulnerable. "Here's the important thing: Everyone that I'm hospitalizing is not vaccinated. We are, by and large across the country, not needing to hospitalize people that have gotten both doses of the vaccine," Dr. Megan Ranney, professor of emergency medicine and associate dean at Brown University's school of public health, said. "This is a disease of the unvaccinated right now." Alabama, Wyoming, Idaho, Mississippi and West Virginia all have less than 40% of their populations vaccinated, according to the CDC. Two of those states, Alabama and Mississippi, are also contending with their more than 90% ICU utilization. Georgia, Arkansas, Texas and Florida join those states in less than 10% ICU capacity, according to data from the US Department of Health and Human Services. "The takeaway for everyone is get your shots and certainly wear a mask for that added layer of protection if you're in public indoor spaces right now," Ranney said.
As for deaths: The US averaged more than 1,469 Covid-19 deaths a day over the past week as of Monday, according to Johns Hopkins -- a little lower than it was just days ago, but still significantly higher than the low average of 2021, which was 218 daily back on July 5. The US has now tallied more than 40 million Covid-19 cases across the pandemic, with more than 4 million of them reported in the last four weeks alone, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The count comes with a caveat: 40 million represents just officially reported positive test results, and many experts believe the actual number of infections is much larger.
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
Daily (US) Covid-19 case average is more than 3 times higher than it was last Labor Day
Coronavirus
The country's Covid-19 case rates have generally soared since the start of the summer as the highly contagious Delta variant spread -- and the current average is more than three times higher than it was a year ago.
The United States' seven-day average of new cases Monday (137,270 daily) dwarfs the average seen on Labor Day of last year (39,355 daily), according to Johns Hopkins University data. Hospitalizations and daily Covid-19 deaths also have risen lately, and where these counts go from here is "up to us," Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN on Tuesday. "We have 75 million people in this country who are eligible to be vaccinated who are not yet vaccinated. If we get the overwhelming majority of (these people) vaccinated, we could turn this around even as we go into the cooler weather of the fall," Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said. This comes as President Joe Biden is set to deliver a major address on the next phase of his pandemic response this week, two sources familiar with the speech tell CNN. While officials were still finalizing specifics early this week, the speech will have multiple components related to schools, private companies and requirements for federal employees, the sources said.
Average daily cases have wobbled downward in the past few days -- but they still are more than 12 times higher than what they were at the start of summer, when the Delta variant gained dominance.
Cases jumped after June 22, when the US saw its lowest average of 2021 (11,303 per day), according to Johns Hopkins. The jump in cases has translated into overcrowded hospitals and a rise in infections among children -- of particular concern as many students return to their classrooms. And experts fear that a holiday weekend could make matters worse. More than 99,800 Covid-19 patients were in US hospitals on Monday. That number has dipped in recent days, but is still significantly higher than June 29, when the country saw a 2021 low of 16,152, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. Last week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky advised unvaccinated Americans not to travel for the holiday and reminded vaccinated people that the high rate of virus transmission meant that it could be risky for them to travel as well. The risk played out last year, when cases surged in 31 states and the positivity rate went up in 25 of them only two weeks after the Labor Day holiday.
Besides the Delta variant, one difference between this year and last year is that Americans over 12 years old can get Covid-19 vaccines, which experts say is the best defense against the virus. But only 53% of the total US population is fully vaccinated, and just 62% of eligible Americans are, according to the CDC, leaving tens of millions very vulnerable. "Here's the important thing: Everyone that I'm hospitalizing is not vaccinated. We are, by and large across the country, not needing to hospitalize people that have gotten both doses of the vaccine," Dr. Megan Ranney, professor of emergency medicine and associate dean at Brown University's school of public health, said. "This is a disease of the unvaccinated right now." Alabama, Wyoming, Idaho, Mississippi and West Virginia all have less than 40% of their populations vaccinated, according to the CDC. Two of those states, Alabama and Mississippi, are also contending with their more than 90% ICU utilization. Georgia, Arkansas, Texas and Florida join those states in less than 10% ICU capacity, according to data from the US Department of Health and Human Services. "The takeaway for everyone is get your shots and certainly wear a mask for that added layer of protection if you're in public indoor spaces right now," Ranney said.
As for deaths: The US averaged more than 1,469 Covid-19 deaths a day over the past week as of Monday, according to Johns Hopkins -- a little lower than it was just days ago, but still significantly higher than the low average of 2021, which was 218 daily back on July 5. The US has now tallied more than 40 million Covid-19 cases across the pandemic, with more than 4 million of them reported in the last four weeks alone, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The count comes with a caveat: 40 million represents just officially reported positive test results, and many experts believe the actual number of infections is much larger.
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
MisterDDDD
()
Date: September 7, 2021 19:32
One in 5,000
The real chances of a breakthrough infection.
The C.D.C. reported a terrifying fact in July: Vaccinated people with the Delta variant of the Covid virus carried roughly the same viral load in their noses and throats as unvaccinated people.
The news seemed to suggest that even the vaccinated were highly vulnerable to getting infected and passing the virus to others. Sure enough, stories about vaccinated people getting Covid — so-called breakthrough infections — were all around this summer: at a party in Provincetown, Mass.; among the Chicago Cubs; on Capitol Hill. Delta seemed as if it might be changing everything.
In recent weeks, however, more data has become available, and it suggests that the true picture is less alarming. Yes, Delta has increased the chances of getting Covid for almost everyone. But if you’re vaccinated, a Covid infection is still uncommon, and those high viral loads are not as worrisome as they initially sounded.
How small are the chances of the average vaccinated American contracting Covid? Probably about one in 5,000 per day, and even lower for people who take precautions or live in a highly vaccinated community.
Or maybe one in 10,000
The estimates here are based on statistics from three places that have reported detailed data on Covid infections by vaccination status: Utah; Virginia; and King County, which includes Seattle, in Washington state. All three are consistent with the idea that about one in 5,000 vaccinated Americans have tested positive for Covid each day in recent weeks.
The chances are surely higher in the places with the worst Covid outbreaks, like the Southeast. And in places with many fewer cases — like the Northeast, as well as the Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco areas — the chances are lower, probably less than 1 in 10,000. That’s what the Seattle data shows, for example. (These numbers don’t include undiagnosed cases, which are often so mild that people do not notice them and do not pass the virus to anyone else.)
Here’s one way to think about a one-in-10,000 daily chance: It would take more than three months for the combined risk to reach just 1 percent.
“There’s been a lot of miscommunication about what the risks really are to vaccinated people, and how vaccinated people should be thinking about their lives,” as Dr. Ashish Jha of Brown University told my colleague Tara Parker-Pope. (I recommend Tara’s recent Q. and A. on breakthrough infections.)
In an unvaccinated person, a viral load is akin to an enemy army facing little resistance. In a vaccinated person, the human immune system launches a powerful response and tends to prevail quickly — often before the host body gets sick or infects others. That the viral loads were initially similar in size can end up being irrelevant.
I will confess to one bit of hesitation about walking you through the data on breakthrough infections: It’s not clear how much we should be worrying about them. For the vaccinated, Covid resembles the flu and usually a mild one. Society does not grind to a halt over the flu.
More...
[www.nytimes.com]
The real chances of a breakthrough infection.
The C.D.C. reported a terrifying fact in July: Vaccinated people with the Delta variant of the Covid virus carried roughly the same viral load in their noses and throats as unvaccinated people.
The news seemed to suggest that even the vaccinated were highly vulnerable to getting infected and passing the virus to others. Sure enough, stories about vaccinated people getting Covid — so-called breakthrough infections — were all around this summer: at a party in Provincetown, Mass.; among the Chicago Cubs; on Capitol Hill. Delta seemed as if it might be changing everything.
In recent weeks, however, more data has become available, and it suggests that the true picture is less alarming. Yes, Delta has increased the chances of getting Covid for almost everyone. But if you’re vaccinated, a Covid infection is still uncommon, and those high viral loads are not as worrisome as they initially sounded.
How small are the chances of the average vaccinated American contracting Covid? Probably about one in 5,000 per day, and even lower for people who take precautions or live in a highly vaccinated community.
Or maybe one in 10,000
The estimates here are based on statistics from three places that have reported detailed data on Covid infections by vaccination status: Utah; Virginia; and King County, which includes Seattle, in Washington state. All three are consistent with the idea that about one in 5,000 vaccinated Americans have tested positive for Covid each day in recent weeks.
The chances are surely higher in the places with the worst Covid outbreaks, like the Southeast. And in places with many fewer cases — like the Northeast, as well as the Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco areas — the chances are lower, probably less than 1 in 10,000. That’s what the Seattle data shows, for example. (These numbers don’t include undiagnosed cases, which are often so mild that people do not notice them and do not pass the virus to anyone else.)
Here’s one way to think about a one-in-10,000 daily chance: It would take more than three months for the combined risk to reach just 1 percent.
“There’s been a lot of miscommunication about what the risks really are to vaccinated people, and how vaccinated people should be thinking about their lives,” as Dr. Ashish Jha of Brown University told my colleague Tara Parker-Pope. (I recommend Tara’s recent Q. and A. on breakthrough infections.)
In an unvaccinated person, a viral load is akin to an enemy army facing little resistance. In a vaccinated person, the human immune system launches a powerful response and tends to prevail quickly — often before the host body gets sick or infects others. That the viral loads were initially similar in size can end up being irrelevant.
I will confess to one bit of hesitation about walking you through the data on breakthrough infections: It’s not clear how much we should be worrying about them. For the vaccinated, Covid resembles the flu and usually a mild one. Society does not grind to a halt over the flu.
More...
[www.nytimes.com]
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Stoneage
()
Date: September 7, 2021 19:43
Would you believe it? In September 29th Sweden will open up. No more restrictions (well, almost). I wonder what will happen...
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
MisterDDDD
()
Date: September 7, 2021 19:46
COVID-19 live updates: 75% of American adults have had at least 1 vaccine dose
Sixty-four percent of U.S. adults are fully vaccinated.
ByMorgan Winsor andEmily Shapiro
Last Updated: September 7, 2021, 12:37 PM ET
[twitter.com]
[abcnews.go.com]
Sixty-four percent of U.S. adults are fully vaccinated.
ByMorgan Winsor andEmily Shapiro
Last Updated: September 7, 2021, 12:37 PM ET
[twitter.com]
[abcnews.go.com]
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Hairball
()
Date: September 7, 2021 19:48
Quote
Stoneage
Would you believe it? In September 29th Sweden will open up. No more restrictions (well, almost). I wonder what will happen...
Hoping for the best, while here in the US things continue to get worse.
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
georgie48
()
Date: September 7, 2021 19:56
Quote
MisterDDDD
One in 5,000
The real chances of a breakthrough infection.
The C.D.C. reported a terrifying fact in July: Vaccinated people with the Delta variant of the Covid virus carried roughly the same viral load in their noses and throats as unvaccinated people.
The news seemed to suggest that even the vaccinated were highly vulnerable to getting infected and passing the virus to others. Sure enough, stories about vaccinated people getting Covid — so-called breakthrough infections — were all around this summer: at a party in Provincetown, Mass.; among the Chicago Cubs; on Capitol Hill. Delta seemed as if it might be changing everything.
In recent weeks, however, more data has become available, and it suggests that the true picture is less alarming. Yes, Delta has increased the chances of getting Covid for almost everyone. But if you’re vaccinated, a Covid infection is still uncommon, and those high viral loads are not as worrisome as they initially sounded.
How small are the chances of the average vaccinated American contracting Covid? Probably about one in 5,000 per day, and even lower for people who take precautions or live in a highly vaccinated community.
Or maybe one in 10,000
The estimates here are based on statistics from three places that have reported detailed data on Covid infections by vaccination status: Utah; Virginia; and King County, which includes Seattle, in Washington state. All three are consistent with the idea that about one in 5,000 vaccinated Americans have tested positive for Covid each day in recent weeks.
The chances are surely higher in the places with the worst Covid outbreaks, like the Southeast. And in places with many fewer cases — like the Northeast, as well as the Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco areas — the chances are lower, probably less than 1 in 10,000. That’s what the Seattle data shows, for example. (These numbers don’t include undiagnosed cases, which are often so mild that people do not notice them and do not pass the virus to anyone else.)
Here’s one way to think about a one-in-10,000 daily chance: It would take more than three months for the combined risk to reach just 1 percent.
“There’s been a lot of miscommunication about what the risks really are to vaccinated people, and how vaccinated people should be thinking about their lives,” as Dr. Ashish Jha of Brown University told my colleague Tara Parker-Pope. (I recommend Tara’s recent Q. and A. on breakthrough infections.)
In an unvaccinated person, a viral load is akin to an enemy army facing little resistance. In a vaccinated person, the human immune system launches a powerful response and tends to prevail quickly — often before the host body gets sick or infects others. That the viral loads were initially similar in size can end up being irrelevant.
I will confess to one bit of hesitation about walking you through the data on breakthrough infections: It’s not clear how much we should be worrying about them. For the vaccinated, Covid resembles the flu and usually a mild one. Society does not grind to a halt over the flu.
More...
[www.nytimes.com]
People may think "Ah, 1 in 5000 or even 1 in 10000, that's a small chance", but winning the jackpot is 1 in many millions, so "small chance?". Don't think so. Get you vaccin!
I'm a GHOST living in a ghost town
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Hairball
()
Date: September 7, 2021 19:59
Meanwhile the NFL is continuing to face hurdles even amongst the vaccinated...
Titans' outbreak nears end, other NFL teams deal with COVID
The Tennessee Titans’ COVID-19 outbreak is nearing an end even with two starting offensive linemen still on the reserve list
Coronavirus
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans' COVID-19 outbreak is nearing an end even with two starting offensive linemen still on the reserve list. Not everyone around the NFL may be as healthy to kick off this season with COVID-19 proving to be an issue hovering over another season. “Everybody, whether it’s the league, whether it’s your family, my family, we all have to just understand that we’re going to deal with some things,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said Monday. "We’re going to deal with positive test results from vaccinated people. We’ll follow the protocols how we have to and try to be as safe as we possibly can.” Vrabel, who said last spring he was vaccinated, was the first to test positive Aug. 22 in an outbreak that reached at least 14, including 10 players. Vrabel is optimistic that both center Ben Jones and right guard Nate Davis will be back soon enough to practice before the Titans host Arizona in the season opener Sunday.
Other NFL teams may be without starters for their openers. Miami put its presumed starting left tackle Austin Jackson and backup tight end Adam Shaheen on the COVID-19 reserve list Monday ahead of Sunday's opener at New England. Carolina starting right guard John Miller also went on the reserve list Monday and will miss the Panthers' home opener against the Jets. Miller will be out 10 days, which indicates under league rules he was unvaccinated and tested positive. Carolina coach Matt Rhule said last week only two Panthers' players had not been vaccinated. The Jets are waiting to see if wide receiver Jamison Crowder will be available after going on the reserve list last Friday after testing positive. Vaccinated, Crowder needs to test negative 24 hours apart twice under NFL protocols. Dallas likely will be without four-time Pro Bowl right guard Zack Martin for its opener Thursday night at Tampa Bay. All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu, who is vaccinated, remained out Monday after his positive test for COVID-19 as the two-time defending AFC champions began preparing Monday for their season opener against Cleveland.
Ryan Tannehill was just starting to practice with AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year Derrick Henry, seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Julio Jones and Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Brown when the Titans quarterback was put on the reserve list Aug. 26. He was activated Saturday and was on the field Monday. Vrabel said Tannehill will have to build a relationship with Jones, acquired by trade in June, on the field. Both have met extensively, the Titans have talked about it and now must finetune in practice for the opener. Asked if he talked to his players about staying safe before having a three-day weekend off, Vrabel said the Titans always try to be smart about what they do. “Judging from the games that I watched, I didn’t see that COVID was much of a concern for anybody, but we have to be smart in the decisions that we make,” Vrabel said. “Whether it is who we hang out with, what we do, and I think that they are very conscious of that.”
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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
Titans' outbreak nears end, other NFL teams deal with COVID
The Tennessee Titans’ COVID-19 outbreak is nearing an end even with two starting offensive linemen still on the reserve list
Coronavirus
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans' COVID-19 outbreak is nearing an end even with two starting offensive linemen still on the reserve list. Not everyone around the NFL may be as healthy to kick off this season with COVID-19 proving to be an issue hovering over another season. “Everybody, whether it’s the league, whether it’s your family, my family, we all have to just understand that we’re going to deal with some things,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said Monday. "We’re going to deal with positive test results from vaccinated people. We’ll follow the protocols how we have to and try to be as safe as we possibly can.” Vrabel, who said last spring he was vaccinated, was the first to test positive Aug. 22 in an outbreak that reached at least 14, including 10 players. Vrabel is optimistic that both center Ben Jones and right guard Nate Davis will be back soon enough to practice before the Titans host Arizona in the season opener Sunday.
Other NFL teams may be without starters for their openers. Miami put its presumed starting left tackle Austin Jackson and backup tight end Adam Shaheen on the COVID-19 reserve list Monday ahead of Sunday's opener at New England. Carolina starting right guard John Miller also went on the reserve list Monday and will miss the Panthers' home opener against the Jets. Miller will be out 10 days, which indicates under league rules he was unvaccinated and tested positive. Carolina coach Matt Rhule said last week only two Panthers' players had not been vaccinated. The Jets are waiting to see if wide receiver Jamison Crowder will be available after going on the reserve list last Friday after testing positive. Vaccinated, Crowder needs to test negative 24 hours apart twice under NFL protocols. Dallas likely will be without four-time Pro Bowl right guard Zack Martin for its opener Thursday night at Tampa Bay. All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu, who is vaccinated, remained out Monday after his positive test for COVID-19 as the two-time defending AFC champions began preparing Monday for their season opener against Cleveland.
Ryan Tannehill was just starting to practice with AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year Derrick Henry, seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Julio Jones and Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Brown when the Titans quarterback was put on the reserve list Aug. 26. He was activated Saturday and was on the field Monday. Vrabel said Tannehill will have to build a relationship with Jones, acquired by trade in June, on the field. Both have met extensively, the Titans have talked about it and now must finetune in practice for the opener. Asked if he talked to his players about staying safe before having a three-day weekend off, Vrabel said the Titans always try to be smart about what they do. “Judging from the games that I watched, I didn’t see that COVID was much of a concern for anybody, but we have to be smart in the decisions that we make,” Vrabel said. “Whether it is who we hang out with, what we do, and I think that they are very conscious of that.”
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
MisterDDDD
()
Date: September 7, 2021 20:02
Quote
georgie48
People may think "Ah, 1 in 5000 or even 1 in 10000, that's a small chance", but winning the jackpot is 1 in many millions, so "small chance?". Don't think so. Get you vaccin!
Getting my third dose two weeks before I leave for the opener of the tour
Point being though, despite the surge, this is still a disease primarily seriously affecting/killing the unvaxxed.
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Nate
()
Date: September 7, 2021 20:10
Quote
MisterDDDD
One in 5,000
The real chances of a breakthrough infection.
The C.D.C. reported a terrifying fact in July: Vaccinated people with the Delta variant of the Covid virus carried roughly the same viral load in their noses and throats as unvaccinated people.
The news seemed to suggest that even the vaccinated were highly vulnerable to getting infected and passing the virus to others. Sure enough, stories about vaccinated people getting Covid — so-called breakthrough infections — were all around this summer: at a party in Provincetown, Mass.; among the Chicago Cubs; on Capitol Hill. Delta seemed as if it might be changing everything.
In recent weeks, however, more data has become available, and it suggests that the true picture is less alarming. Yes, Delta has increased the chances of getting Covid for almost everyone. But if you’re vaccinated, a Covid infection is still uncommon, and those high viral loads are not as worrisome as they initially sounded.
How small are the chances of the average vaccinated American contracting Covid? Probably about one in 5,000 per day, and even lower for people who take precautions or live in a highly vaccinated community.
Or maybe one in 10,000
The estimates here are based on statistics from three places that have reported detailed data on Covid infections by vaccination status: Utah; Virginia; and King County, which includes Seattle, in Washington state. All three are consistent with the idea that about one in 5,000 vaccinated Americans have tested positive for Covid each day in recent weeks.
The chances are surely higher in the places with the worst Covid outbreaks, like the Southeast. And in places with many fewer cases — like the Northeast, as well as the Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco areas — the chances are lower, probably less than 1 in 10,000. That’s what the Seattle data shows, for example. (These numbers don’t include undiagnosed cases, which are often so mild that people do not notice them and do not pass the virus to anyone else.)
Here’s one way to think about a one-in-10,000 daily chance: It would take more than three months for the combined risk to reach just 1 percent.
“There’s been a lot of miscommunication about what the risks really are to vaccinated people, and how vaccinated people should be thinking about their lives,” as Dr. Ashish Jha of Brown University told my colleague Tara Parker-Pope. (I recommend Tara’s recent Q. and A. on breakthrough infections.)
In an unvaccinated person, a viral load is akin to an enemy army facing little resistance. In a vaccinated person, the human immune system launches a powerful response and tends to prevail quickly — often before the host body gets sick or infects others. That the viral loads were initially similar in size can end up being irrelevant.
I will confess to one bit of hesitation about walking you through the data on breakthrough infections: It’s not clear how much we should be worrying about them. For the vaccinated, Covid resembles the flu and usually a mild one. Society does not grind to a halt over the flu.
More...
[www.nytimes.com]
Good news and more evidence that vaccinated people do not need to worry about Covid or walk around with a mask on their face.
Nate
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