Tell Me :
Talk
two week incubation period from what I recall. A test will probably be redundant and not of any consequence.
jb
Note those who are whining about conspiracy theories being deleted. Says a lot.
From this (6 month old) article:
"It can take almost a week after exposure to COVID-19 to register a positive test result.
Evidence suggests that testing tends to be less accurate within three days of exposure, and the best time to get tested is five to seven days after you were exposed. Tests are even more accurate when patients are exhibiting symptoms.
COVID-19’s incubation period lasts up to 14 days. If you have the virus, it takes time to build up in your system. Testing too close to an exposure could result in samples that don’t contain enough of the virus’ genetic material to register as a positive. A COVID-19 test is limited in that it represents only a snapshot in time. A negative PCR test does not mean that an individual is free of infection, but rather only that, at that particular moment, the sample did not contain viral levels at a high enough concentration to be measured as a positive."
Enjoy the show! Love and miss Lisa.
[nortonhealthcare.com]
thank you
You forgot to add the DATE information about WHEN that quote was from. The same source is stating this:
Dr. Anthony Fauci wrote in February 2020 that store-bought face masks would not be very effective at protecting against the COVID-19 pandemic and advised a traveler not to wear one.
Most of us did not even worry much about covid-19 back in Feb 2020. In fact I started this thread at the very end of Feb 2020 i.e. more than a year ago, back then even scientists had limited information about the virus.
I do know that some people in USA hate Dr Fauci of political reasons, but please do not bring that discussion here, it is a waste of space and time. Please stop the blame game.
Bjornulf
The signs of protests are increasing, but in fact all 80.000 volunteers should drop out to make a stand. Also more sponsors should speak out against the Games, like, bravely, Asahi Shimbum (second largest national newspaper) did. A campaign focussing on shame should be launched toward companies that still sponsor the games. The Japanese people should boycot the products of those companies.
But ... agh, I know that we're dealing with Japanese people. Suffering is a part of the culture, so when all (harm) is done, they can blame others
I'm a GHOST living in a ghost town
Well, we’re not in ‘lockdown’ here in the U.K., thankfully.
Everywhere in England is open, though be it with social-distancing and face-coverings being mandatory.
Hopefully, there will be a further lifting on June 21. I doubt we’ll be fully ‘out’ I.E. the complete dropping of all measures. We can hope, however! I’m fully vaccinated and ready to go. It’s my belief that we can’t shelter every-time a variant appears: we’ll be living like this for an eternity, otherwise.
More chaos and confusion...
Olympics
“We have been cornered into a situation where we cannot even stop now. We are damned if we do, and damned if we do not.
The IOC also seems to think that public opinion in Japan is not important. What will these Olympics be for, and for whom?
The games have already lost meaning and are being held just for the sake of them. I believe we have already missed the opportunity to cancel.”
- Kaori Yamaguchi. an executive member of the Japanese Olympic Committee, a former world champion in Judo, and one of Japan's best-known Olympians (Bronze medal, Judo, 1988)
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
THE AGE --- 5 June 2021
ROCKMAN
THE AGE --- 5 June 2021
ROCKMAN
Hopefully not MAF, but I just read this from CNN
UK records over 5,700 new Covid cases, reaching highest 7-day rolling average in 2 months
From CNN’s Martin Goillandeau
The United Kingdom on Saturday recorded 5,765 new Covid-19 cases — making the 7-day rolling average of new daily cases the highest since April 1 — as the debate continues around whether the government should delay its plans to remove most coronavirus restrictions by June 21. On Friday, the country’s authorities reported 6,238 new infections, exceeding 6,000 daily cases for the first time since late March. The slight increase in cases comes as concerns mount over the spread of the Delta variant – first identified in India – in the UK. Public Health England said on Thursday that the variant was now believed to be the dominant coronavirus variant in the country. According to government data, 76.2% of the UK’s adult population had receive a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine as of Saturday, with 51,6% vaccinated with both doses.
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
THE AGE -- 6 June 2021
ROCKMAN
Pretty terrifying if you live in these regions right now I would imagine. Thanks R-man.
"Proof of vaccine" at concerts and other places where it's required is pretty much a meaningless waste of time when anyone can get a phony Vax card.
Seems to be a growing problem, but glad they're attempting to crack down on them.
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
Talk about your favorite band.
For information about how to use this forum please check out forum help and policies.
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
jbwelda
()
Date: June 2, 2021 00:10
Quote
rollmops
Sunday 06/06/21 I will go to see Lisa Fisher perform in a club. I want to be tested for Covid 19 after I go to the show. How many days should I wait before getting tested?
Rockandroll,
Mops
two week incubation period from what I recall. A test will probably be redundant and not of any consequence.
jb
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
daspyknows
()
Date: June 2, 2021 01:53
Quote
bv
Conspiracy theories posted here will be deleted. There is no space for such stuff on IORR.
Note those who are whining about conspiracy theories being deleted. Says a lot.
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
bleedingman
()
Date: June 2, 2021 01:56
Quote
jbweldaQuote
rollmops
Sunday 06/06/21 I will go to see Lisa Fisher perform in a club. I want to be tested for Covid 19 after I go to the show. How many days should I wait before getting tested?
Rockandroll,
Mops
two week incubation period from what I recall. A test will probably be redundant and not of any consequence.
jb
From this (6 month old) article:
"It can take almost a week after exposure to COVID-19 to register a positive test result.
Evidence suggests that testing tends to be less accurate within three days of exposure, and the best time to get tested is five to seven days after you were exposed. Tests are even more accurate when patients are exhibiting symptoms.
COVID-19’s incubation period lasts up to 14 days. If you have the virus, it takes time to build up in your system. Testing too close to an exposure could result in samples that don’t contain enough of the virus’ genetic material to register as a positive. A COVID-19 test is limited in that it represents only a snapshot in time. A negative PCR test does not mean that an individual is free of infection, but rather only that, at that particular moment, the sample did not contain viral levels at a high enough concentration to be measured as a positive."
Enjoy the show! Love and miss Lisa.
[nortonhealthcare.com]
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
jbwelda
()
Date: June 2, 2021 03:21
thank you, I was thinking of the incubation period and didn't realize it was detectable earlier than full onset of symptoms, if there are any symptoms at all. I do recall that you could test neg one day and positive the next due to the virus not having enough time to build up sufficiently to test positive.
jb
jb
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
treaclefingers
()
Date: June 2, 2021 03:41
Quote
bv
Conspiracy theories posted here will be deleted. There is no space for such stuff on IORR.
thank youRe: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Hairball
()
Date: June 2, 2021 21:41
Ventura County where I live just to the north of L.A. has eased up restrictions even more today to the least restrictive yellow tier,
and on June 15th the entire state will get rid of the tier system and most restrictions with a few exceptions MegaEvents.
It was a glorious busy/crowded Memorial Day weekend at our beaches, and things almost seemed back to normal.
Just hope things continue in the right direction, but there's some concerns amongst experts there still might be some future surges, etc.
From CNN:
Americans are celebrating steps toward normalcy. But the real test of Covid-19 progress is 2 weeks away, expert says
Coronavirus
While Memorial Day was a milestone for a return to a sense of normalcy from the Covid-19 pandemic, it could take another two weeks to determine where the US really stands, an expert said.
"In some ways, this was the first big stress test," CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen said. "We have restrictions lifted en masse, people going about their normal lives. We know that in the pas, after major holidays and an increase in travel, that we then had a substantial uptick in the rate of infections." The US has had a lot to celebrate when it comes to recovery from the pandemic: More than half of the US has received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine and 12 states have reached President Joe Biden's goal of having 70% of Americans getting at least one dose by July 4. And along with increased vaccinations has come a decrease in cases. For the first time since March 2020, the US recorded a seven-day average of fewer than 20,000 new daily cases Tuesday. Less than 5% of the US population lives in a county considered to have high Covid-19 transmission, according to CDC data. But Wen cautioned the US will have to wait to see if the protection of a country still not fully vaccinated can overpower the risk of forgoing masks and engaging in public settings. Even if cases plateau or taper off from their current falling rate, Wen said she worries some communities will remain vulnerable. "You have parts of the country with very low vaccination rates," she said. "I really worry about the unvaccinated people in those areas spreading coronavirus to one another." And with variants spreading around the globe, even cases falling too much could cause a problem by reducing the feeling of urgency to be vaccinated, Wen added.
Incentives and precaution loosening in the coming weeks
As the country waits to see how cases respond to a weekend of celebration, some leaders are focusing on offering vaccine incentives while others continue to drop pandemic precautions.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice on Tuesday announced a vaccination incentive lottery with prizes that include $1 million, two full four-year scholarships to eligible students and 25 weekend getaways.
"On Father's Day, we are going to make one of you a millionaire," Justice said. Meanwhile, Ohio Department of Health Director Stephanie McCloud signed an order rescinding a number of Covid-19-related health orders, including lifting a statewide mask mandate and opening up access to jail and detention facilities. In Kentucky, senior centers will be allowed to reopen at full capacity starting June 11, Gov. Andy Beshear said. "The reason that we can do that are vaccines. These things are miracles," he said in a statement.
Dropping precautions could mean more cases.
But as important as vaccinations are, they might not be enough to safely drop precautions just yet, researchers reported Tuesday. Even with the majority of the population vaccinated, the removal of precautions could lead to an increase in virus spread, they reported in the medical journal JAMA Network Open. Mehul Patel, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues used a mathematical model to simulate a coronavirus spread within the population of North Carolina. They found that infections, hospitalizations and deaths would continue to rise if pandemic precautions such as quarantine, school closures, social distancing and mask-wearing were lifted while vaccines were being rolled out. "Our study suggests that, for a population of 10.5 million, approximately 1.8 million infections and 8,000 deaths could be prevented during 11 months with more efficacious COVID-19 vaccines, higher vaccination coverage, and maintaining NPIs (non-pharmaceutical interventions), such as distancing and use of face masks," they wrote. Patel and colleagues said their findings suggest it will take a coordinated effort of maximizing vaccine coverage and practicing pandemic precautions "to reduce COVID-19 burden to a level that could safely allow a resumption of many economic, educational, and social activities."
Cases also decline in children
Fortunately, cases also do appear to be declining in children. The US reported the lowest number of new weekly Covid-19 cases among children since early October, with roughly 34,500 new child cases reported last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics said in a Tuesday report. As of May 27, nearly 4 million children had tested positive since the pandemic's start. Children made up between 6% and 19.6% of those who were tested for Covid-19, according to the states that reported numbers, and between 5.2%-34.6% of children tested were positive for the virus, depending on the state. "At this time, it still appears that severe illness due to COVID-19 is rare among children," the report said. "However, there is an urgent need to collect more data on longer-term impacts of the pandemic on children, including ways the virus may harm the long-term physical health of infected children, as well as its emotional and mental health effects."
CNN's Rebekah Riess, Michael Nedelman, Jen Christensen, Laura Ly, Rebekah Riess,
Naomi Thomas, Sahar Akbarzai, Pete Muntean and Greg Wallace contributed to this report.
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
and on June 15th the entire state will get rid of the tier system and most restrictions with a few exceptions MegaEvents.
It was a glorious busy/crowded Memorial Day weekend at our beaches, and things almost seemed back to normal.
Just hope things continue in the right direction, but there's some concerns amongst experts there still might be some future surges, etc.
From CNN:
Americans are celebrating steps toward normalcy. But the real test of Covid-19 progress is 2 weeks away, expert says
Coronavirus
While Memorial Day was a milestone for a return to a sense of normalcy from the Covid-19 pandemic, it could take another two weeks to determine where the US really stands, an expert said.
"In some ways, this was the first big stress test," CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen said. "We have restrictions lifted en masse, people going about their normal lives. We know that in the pas, after major holidays and an increase in travel, that we then had a substantial uptick in the rate of infections." The US has had a lot to celebrate when it comes to recovery from the pandemic: More than half of the US has received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine and 12 states have reached President Joe Biden's goal of having 70% of Americans getting at least one dose by July 4. And along with increased vaccinations has come a decrease in cases. For the first time since March 2020, the US recorded a seven-day average of fewer than 20,000 new daily cases Tuesday. Less than 5% of the US population lives in a county considered to have high Covid-19 transmission, according to CDC data. But Wen cautioned the US will have to wait to see if the protection of a country still not fully vaccinated can overpower the risk of forgoing masks and engaging in public settings. Even if cases plateau or taper off from their current falling rate, Wen said she worries some communities will remain vulnerable. "You have parts of the country with very low vaccination rates," she said. "I really worry about the unvaccinated people in those areas spreading coronavirus to one another." And with variants spreading around the globe, even cases falling too much could cause a problem by reducing the feeling of urgency to be vaccinated, Wen added.
Incentives and precaution loosening in the coming weeks
As the country waits to see how cases respond to a weekend of celebration, some leaders are focusing on offering vaccine incentives while others continue to drop pandemic precautions.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice on Tuesday announced a vaccination incentive lottery with prizes that include $1 million, two full four-year scholarships to eligible students and 25 weekend getaways.
"On Father's Day, we are going to make one of you a millionaire," Justice said. Meanwhile, Ohio Department of Health Director Stephanie McCloud signed an order rescinding a number of Covid-19-related health orders, including lifting a statewide mask mandate and opening up access to jail and detention facilities. In Kentucky, senior centers will be allowed to reopen at full capacity starting June 11, Gov. Andy Beshear said. "The reason that we can do that are vaccines. These things are miracles," he said in a statement.
Dropping precautions could mean more cases.
But as important as vaccinations are, they might not be enough to safely drop precautions just yet, researchers reported Tuesday. Even with the majority of the population vaccinated, the removal of precautions could lead to an increase in virus spread, they reported in the medical journal JAMA Network Open. Mehul Patel, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues used a mathematical model to simulate a coronavirus spread within the population of North Carolina. They found that infections, hospitalizations and deaths would continue to rise if pandemic precautions such as quarantine, school closures, social distancing and mask-wearing were lifted while vaccines were being rolled out. "Our study suggests that, for a population of 10.5 million, approximately 1.8 million infections and 8,000 deaths could be prevented during 11 months with more efficacious COVID-19 vaccines, higher vaccination coverage, and maintaining NPIs (non-pharmaceutical interventions), such as distancing and use of face masks," they wrote. Patel and colleagues said their findings suggest it will take a coordinated effort of maximizing vaccine coverage and practicing pandemic precautions "to reduce COVID-19 burden to a level that could safely allow a resumption of many economic, educational, and social activities."
Cases also decline in children
Fortunately, cases also do appear to be declining in children. The US reported the lowest number of new weekly Covid-19 cases among children since early October, with roughly 34,500 new child cases reported last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics said in a Tuesday report. As of May 27, nearly 4 million children had tested positive since the pandemic's start. Children made up between 6% and 19.6% of those who were tested for Covid-19, according to the states that reported numbers, and between 5.2%-34.6% of children tested were positive for the virus, depending on the state. "At this time, it still appears that severe illness due to COVID-19 is rare among children," the report said. "However, there is an urgent need to collect more data on longer-term impacts of the pandemic on children, including ways the virus may harm the long-term physical health of infected children, as well as its emotional and mental health effects."
CNN's Rebekah Riess, Michael Nedelman, Jen Christensen, Laura Ly, Rebekah Riess,
Naomi Thomas, Sahar Akbarzai, Pete Muntean and Greg Wallace contributed to this 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:
bleedingman
()
Date: June 3, 2021 01:46
How long before Tony gets retired? This is Newsweek, not a right wing magazine by any stretch.
Fauci Said Masks 'Not Really Effective in Keeping Out Virus,' Email Reveals
"The typical mask you buy in the drug store is not really effective in keeping out virus, which is small enough to pass through material. It might, however, provide some slight benefit in keeping out gross droplets if someone coughs or sneezes on you."
[www.msn.com]
Fauci Said Masks 'Not Really Effective in Keeping Out Virus,' Email Reveals
"The typical mask you buy in the drug store is not really effective in keeping out virus, which is small enough to pass through material. It might, however, provide some slight benefit in keeping out gross droplets if someone coughs or sneezes on you."
[www.msn.com]
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Hairball
()
Date: June 3, 2021 05:25
For all my family and friends, along with everyone else in England, hoping for the best.
It's a small world after all, and we're all in this together.
End of England Covid lockdown on 21 June increasingly in doubt
Date for lifting remaining curbs may be moved amid warnings of third wave driven by India variant
Coronavirus
The 21 June target for scrapping England’s remaining coronavirus restrictions appears increasingly under threat, as a senior government adviser said the country was in the early stages of a third wave. Prof Ravi Gupta, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme there had been “exponential growth” in new cases, with the variant first detected in India accounting for three-quarters. Asked if the third wave had begun, Gupta replied: “Yes.” He added: “Of course, the numbers of cases are relatively low at the moment – all waves start with low numbers of cases that grumble in the background and then become explosive – so the key here is that what we are seeing here is the signs of an early wave. “It will probably take longer than earlier waves to emerge because of the fact that we do have quite high levels of vaccination in the population, so there may be a false sense of security for some time, and that’s our concern.” Speaking later on the same programme, the environment secretary, George Eustice, said the government “couldn’t rule anything out” when asked whether reopening would go ahead on 21 June. “The rates are going up again slightly but from a low base and probably to be expected, given there are a significant number of younger people who are now out and mixing but haven’t had the vaccine – I suppose that is to be expected,” Eustice said. “But the right thing to do in a couple of weeks’ time is to assess that data before deciding what we can do.” Asked whether businesses should prepare for a delay to the unlocking, Eustice replied: “I’ve said all along, as has Matt Hancock and the prime minister, we can’t rule anything out because we know this has been a difficult pandemic, a dynamic situation. “We have to make that judgment a couple of weeks before. It will only be by then that we will see the full impact of the latest easements we made on 17 May, so I know everyone wants to know what is going to happen but we can’t actually make that judgment until we see the impact of the easements just made.”
Prof Adam Finn, from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said authorities ought to have a clear picture of the pandemic before easing any restrictions. Finn said while the country’s vaccination programme “will ultimately give us … protection” against the India coronavirus variant, key markers in the community should be taken into account before the next phase of reopening. “I think it’s unfortunate that everyone’s got this particular date in their head, because really what we need to do is understand how things are going and adjust accordingly,” Finn told ITV’s Good Morning Britain. “What we’ve done wrong in the past is left it too late and delayed making decisions, ultimately pushed them back and then ended up with large waves of infection. “This time around, we should be cautious, wait to see what’s happening, and then let everyone free, if you like, once we know for sure that’s safe and that we can do that without having another round of lockdowns and so on.” The latest warnings come after Nadhim Zahawi, the vaccines minister, on Sunday refused to deny that some restrictions such as mask wearing and working from home might remain in place to reduce the spread of the virus.
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
It's a small world after all, and we're all in this together.
End of England Covid lockdown on 21 June increasingly in doubt
Date for lifting remaining curbs may be moved amid warnings of third wave driven by India variant
Coronavirus
The 21 June target for scrapping England’s remaining coronavirus restrictions appears increasingly under threat, as a senior government adviser said the country was in the early stages of a third wave. Prof Ravi Gupta, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme there had been “exponential growth” in new cases, with the variant first detected in India accounting for three-quarters. Asked if the third wave had begun, Gupta replied: “Yes.” He added: “Of course, the numbers of cases are relatively low at the moment – all waves start with low numbers of cases that grumble in the background and then become explosive – so the key here is that what we are seeing here is the signs of an early wave. “It will probably take longer than earlier waves to emerge because of the fact that we do have quite high levels of vaccination in the population, so there may be a false sense of security for some time, and that’s our concern.” Speaking later on the same programme, the environment secretary, George Eustice, said the government “couldn’t rule anything out” when asked whether reopening would go ahead on 21 June. “The rates are going up again slightly but from a low base and probably to be expected, given there are a significant number of younger people who are now out and mixing but haven’t had the vaccine – I suppose that is to be expected,” Eustice said. “But the right thing to do in a couple of weeks’ time is to assess that data before deciding what we can do.” Asked whether businesses should prepare for a delay to the unlocking, Eustice replied: “I’ve said all along, as has Matt Hancock and the prime minister, we can’t rule anything out because we know this has been a difficult pandemic, a dynamic situation. “We have to make that judgment a couple of weeks before. It will only be by then that we will see the full impact of the latest easements we made on 17 May, so I know everyone wants to know what is going to happen but we can’t actually make that judgment until we see the impact of the easements just made.”
Prof Adam Finn, from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said authorities ought to have a clear picture of the pandemic before easing any restrictions. Finn said while the country’s vaccination programme “will ultimately give us … protection” against the India coronavirus variant, key markers in the community should be taken into account before the next phase of reopening. “I think it’s unfortunate that everyone’s got this particular date in their head, because really what we need to do is understand how things are going and adjust accordingly,” Finn told ITV’s Good Morning Britain. “What we’ve done wrong in the past is left it too late and delayed making decisions, ultimately pushed them back and then ended up with large waves of infection. “This time around, we should be cautious, wait to see what’s happening, and then let everyone free, if you like, once we know for sure that’s safe and that we can do that without having another round of lockdowns and so on.” The latest warnings come after Nadhim Zahawi, the vaccines minister, on Sunday refused to deny that some restrictions such as mask wearing and working from home might remain in place to reduce the spread of the virus.
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
bv
()
Date: June 3, 2021 09:57
Quote
bleedingman
How long before Tony gets retired? This is Newsweek, not a right wing magazine by any stretch.
Fauci Said Masks 'Not Really Effective in Keeping Out Virus,' Email Reveals
"The typical mask you buy in the drug store is not really effective in keeping out virus, which is small enough to pass through material. It might, however, provide some slight benefit in keeping out gross droplets if someone coughs or sneezes on you."
[www.msn.com]
You forgot to add the DATE information about WHEN that quote was from. The same source is stating this:
Dr. Anthony Fauci wrote in February 2020 that store-bought face masks would not be very effective at protecting against the COVID-19 pandemic and advised a traveler not to wear one.
Most of us did not even worry much about covid-19 back in Feb 2020. In fact I started this thread at the very end of Feb 2020 i.e. more than a year ago, back then even scientists had limited information about the virus.
I do know that some people in USA hate Dr Fauci of political reasons, but please do not bring that discussion here, it is a waste of space and time. Please stop the blame game.
Bjornulf
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Hairball
()
Date: June 3, 2021 20:33
In 2021 Olympic news...
10,000 volunteers drop out; Tokyo Olympics open in 50 days
Corona2021
TOKYO (AP) — The countdown clock for the Tokyo Olympics hit 50-days-to-go on Thursday, and the day also brought another problem for the delayed games. About 10,000 of 80,000 unpaid volunteers for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics have told organizers they will not participate when the games open on July 23. Organizers said some dropped out because of worries about COVID-19. Few volunteers are expected to be vaccinated since most will have no contact with athletes or other key personnel. Only about 2-3% of Japan’s general population has been fully vaccinated in a very slow rollout that is just now speeding up. Conversely, the IOC expects at least 80% of athletes and residents of the Olympic Village to be fully vaccinated. “We have not confirmed the individual reasons,” organizers said in a statement. “In addition to concerns about the coronavirus infection, some dropped out because they found it would be difficult to actually work after checking their work shift, or due to changes in their own environment.” Organizers said the loss would not affect the operations of the postponed Olympics. Unpaid volunteers are a key workforce in running the Olympics and save organizers millions of dollars in salaries. Volunteers typically get a uniform, meals on the days they work, and have daily commuting costs covered. They pay their own lodging. A study done for the International Olympic Committee on volunteers at the 2000 Sydney Olympics said their value was at least $60 million for 40,000 volunteers.
To mark 50 days, organizers unveiled the podiums, costumes and music that will be used during the medal ceremonies. Organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto again promised the Olympics will be safe for the athletes.“The Tokyo 2020 organizing committee will absolutely make sure to protect the health of the athletes,” she said. Support for the Olympics continues to lag in Japan with 50-80% — depending how the question is phrased — saying the games should not open on July 23. Tokyo is officially spending $15.4 billion to organize the Olympics, and several government audits say it’s much more. All but $6.7 billion is public money. The IOC’s contribution is about $1.5 billion. Japan has attributed just over 13,000 deaths to COVID-19, far lower than most comparable countries, but higher than many Asian neighbors. On Thursday, the Japanese soccer association said a member of the Ghana team had tested positive upon arrival in Tokyo. The player was separated from the team and placed in quarantine. Earlier in the week, soccer players from Jamaica were unable to go to Japan because of issues with coronavirus testing. They were to have played the Japanese national team in a friendly.
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
10,000 volunteers drop out; Tokyo Olympics open in 50 days
Corona2021
TOKYO (AP) — The countdown clock for the Tokyo Olympics hit 50-days-to-go on Thursday, and the day also brought another problem for the delayed games. About 10,000 of 80,000 unpaid volunteers for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics have told organizers they will not participate when the games open on July 23. Organizers said some dropped out because of worries about COVID-19. Few volunteers are expected to be vaccinated since most will have no contact with athletes or other key personnel. Only about 2-3% of Japan’s general population has been fully vaccinated in a very slow rollout that is just now speeding up. Conversely, the IOC expects at least 80% of athletes and residents of the Olympic Village to be fully vaccinated. “We have not confirmed the individual reasons,” organizers said in a statement. “In addition to concerns about the coronavirus infection, some dropped out because they found it would be difficult to actually work after checking their work shift, or due to changes in their own environment.” Organizers said the loss would not affect the operations of the postponed Olympics. Unpaid volunteers are a key workforce in running the Olympics and save organizers millions of dollars in salaries. Volunteers typically get a uniform, meals on the days they work, and have daily commuting costs covered. They pay their own lodging. A study done for the International Olympic Committee on volunteers at the 2000 Sydney Olympics said their value was at least $60 million for 40,000 volunteers.
To mark 50 days, organizers unveiled the podiums, costumes and music that will be used during the medal ceremonies. Organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto again promised the Olympics will be safe for the athletes.“The Tokyo 2020 organizing committee will absolutely make sure to protect the health of the athletes,” she said. Support for the Olympics continues to lag in Japan with 50-80% — depending how the question is phrased — saying the games should not open on July 23. Tokyo is officially spending $15.4 billion to organize the Olympics, and several government audits say it’s much more. All but $6.7 billion is public money. The IOC’s contribution is about $1.5 billion. Japan has attributed just over 13,000 deaths to COVID-19, far lower than most comparable countries, but higher than many Asian neighbors. On Thursday, the Japanese soccer association said a member of the Ghana team had tested positive upon arrival in Tokyo. The player was separated from the team and placed in quarantine. Earlier in the week, soccer players from Jamaica were unable to go to Japan because of issues with coronavirus testing. They were to have played the Japanese national team in a friendly.
_____________________________________________________________
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: June 4, 2021 09:49
Quote
Hairball
In 2021 Olympic news...
10,000 volunteers drop out; Tokyo Olympics open in 50 days
Corona2021
TOKYO (AP) — The countdown clock for the Tokyo Olympics hit 50-days-to-go on Thursday, and the day also brought another problem for the delayed games. About 10,000 of 80,000 unpaid volunteers for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics have told organizers they will not participate when the games open on July 23. Organizers said some dropped out because of worries about COVID-19. Few volunteers are expected to be vaccinated since most will have no contact with athletes or other key personnel. Only about 2-3% of Japan’s general population has been fully vaccinated in a very slow rollout that is just now speeding up. Conversely, the IOC expects at least 80% of athletes and residents of the Olympic Village to be fully vaccinated. “We have not confirmed the individual reasons,” organizers said in a statement. “In addition to concerns about the coronavirus infection, some dropped out because they found it would be difficult to actually work after checking their work shift, or due to changes in their own environment.” Organizers said the loss would not affect the operations of the postponed Olympics. Unpaid volunteers are a key workforce in running the Olympics and save organizers millions of dollars in salaries. Volunteers typically get a uniform, meals on the days they work, and have daily commuting costs covered. They pay their own lodging. A study done for the International Olympic Committee on volunteers at the 2000 Sydney Olympics said their value was at least $60 million for 40,000 volunteers.
To mark 50 days, organizers unveiled the podiums, costumes and music that will be used during the medal ceremonies. Organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto again promised the Olympics will be safe for the athletes.“The Tokyo 2020 organizing committee will absolutely make sure to protect the health of the athletes,” she said. Support for the Olympics continues to lag in Japan with 50-80% — depending how the question is phrased — saying the games should not open on July 23. Tokyo is officially spending $15.4 billion to organize the Olympics, and several government audits say it’s much more. All but $6.7 billion is public money. The IOC’s contribution is about $1.5 billion. Japan has attributed just over 13,000 deaths to COVID-19, far lower than most comparable countries, but higher than many Asian neighbors. On Thursday, the Japanese soccer association said a member of the Ghana team had tested positive upon arrival in Tokyo. The player was separated from the team and placed in quarantine. Earlier in the week, soccer players from Jamaica were unable to go to Japan because of issues with coronavirus testing. They were to have played the Japanese national team in a friendly.
The signs of protests are increasing, but in fact all 80.000 volunteers should drop out to make a stand. Also more sponsors should speak out against the Games, like, bravely, Asahi Shimbum (second largest national newspaper) did. A campaign focussing on shame should be launched toward companies that still sponsor the games. The Japanese people should boycot the products of those companies.
But ... agh, I know that we're dealing with Japanese people. Suffering is a part of the culture, so when all (harm) is done, they can blame others
I'm a GHOST living in a ghost town
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Big Al
()
Date: June 4, 2021 10:54
Quote
Hairball
For all my family and friends, along with everyone else in England, hoping for the best.
It's a small world after all, and we're all in this together.
End of England Covid lockdown on 21 June increasingly in doubt
Date for lifting remaining curbs may be moved amid warnings of third wave driven by India variant
Coronavirus
The 21 June target for scrapping England’s remaining coronavirus restrictions appears increasingly under threat, as a senior government adviser said the country was in the early stages of a third wave. Prof Ravi Gupta, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme there had been “exponential growth” in new cases, with the variant first detected in India accounting for three-quarters. Asked if the third wave had begun, Gupta replied: “Yes.” He added: “Of course, the numbers of cases are relatively low at the moment – all waves start with low numbers of cases that grumble in the background and then become explosive – so the key here is that what we are seeing here is the signs of an early wave. “It will probably take longer than earlier waves to emerge because of the fact that we do have quite high levels of vaccination in the population, so there may be a false sense of security for some time, and that’s our concern.” Speaking later on the same programme, the environment secretary, George Eustice, said the government “couldn’t rule anything out” when asked whether reopening would go ahead on 21 June. “The rates are going up again slightly but from a low base and probably to be expected, given there are a significant number of younger people who are now out and mixing but haven’t had the vaccine – I suppose that is to be expected,” Eustice said. “But the right thing to do in a couple of weeks’ time is to assess that data before deciding what we can do.” Asked whether businesses should prepare for a delay to the unlocking, Eustice replied: “I’ve said all along, as has Matt Hancock and the prime minister, we can’t rule anything out because we know this has been a difficult pandemic, a dynamic situation. “We have to make that judgment a couple of weeks before. It will only be by then that we will see the full impact of the latest easements we made on 17 May, so I know everyone wants to know what is going to happen but we can’t actually make that judgment until we see the impact of the easements just made.”
Prof Adam Finn, from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said authorities ought to have a clear picture of the pandemic before easing any restrictions. Finn said while the country’s vaccination programme “will ultimately give us … protection” against the India coronavirus variant, key markers in the community should be taken into account before the next phase of reopening. “I think it’s unfortunate that everyone’s got this particular date in their head, because really what we need to do is understand how things are going and adjust accordingly,” Finn told ITV’s Good Morning Britain. “What we’ve done wrong in the past is left it too late and delayed making decisions, ultimately pushed them back and then ended up with large waves of infection. “This time around, we should be cautious, wait to see what’s happening, and then let everyone free, if you like, once we know for sure that’s safe and that we can do that without having another round of lockdowns and so on.” The latest warnings come after Nadhim Zahawi, the vaccines minister, on Sunday refused to deny that some restrictions such as mask wearing and working from home might remain in place to reduce the spread of the virus.
Well, we’re not in ‘lockdown’ here in the U.K., thankfully.
Everywhere in England is open, though be it with social-distancing and face-coverings being mandatory.
Hopefully, there will be a further lifting on June 21. I doubt we’ll be fully ‘out’ I.E. the complete dropping of all measures. We can hope, however! I’m fully vaccinated and ready to go. It’s my belief that we can’t shelter every-time a variant appears: we’ll be living like this for an eternity, otherwise.
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Nate
()
Date: June 4, 2021 20:18
Here in the U.K. if you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 then you are required to isolate for a period of time ten days I believe.
If however you are a member of the government named Micheal Gove who traveled to Portugal to watch the champions league final and on your return to the U.K. you are informed you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 then miraculously you can escape the requirement to isolate.
When learning of these outrageous double standards is it any wonder some people will not take any notice of restrictions anymore.
Nate
If however you are a member of the government named Micheal Gove who traveled to Portugal to watch the champions league final and on your return to the U.K. you are informed you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 then miraculously you can escape the requirement to isolate.
When learning of these outrageous double standards is it any wonder some people will not take any notice of restrictions anymore.
Nate
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Hairball
()
Date: June 4, 2021 21:21
From CNN:
States that fall well below vaccinating 70% of adults are 'sitting ducks' for an outbreak, expert warns
President Joe Biden's goal of 70% of adults having at least one vaccine dose has met
a significant obstacle -- a dwindling number of people who want to get vaccinated.
Vaccination
The US is pushing to have 70% of adults get at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine by July 4, but an expert said that number is important to reach at the state level too -- and those states who are falling well below may be vulnerable to another outbreak. "There are 12 states that are already at 70%. I worry about the ones that are way below that, and they are sitting ducks for the next outbreak of Covid-19 -- which shouldn't have to happen now," National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins told CNN's Chris Cuomo. Sixty-three percent of adults have received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose, according to data published Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But President Joe Biden's goal of 70% of adults having at least one vaccine dose has met a significant obstacle -- a dwindling number of people who want to get vaccinated. The seven-day average of newly administered doses has fallen below 1 million per day for the first time since January, according to data from the CDC.
The director of the CDC said that there is no magic target for herd immunity, but that she thinks getting to 70% would go a long way toward protecting the community. "We have pockets of this country that have lower rates of vaccination," Dr. Rochelle Walensky said. "I worry that this virus is an opportunist and that where we have low rates of vaccination are where we may see it again. And so really the issue now is to make sure we get to those communities as well." Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wyoming are among the states with the lowest vaccination rates. And for those who feel they don't need the protection of the vaccine, Collins said to think of getting doses as a "donation" to those in communities who -- for reasons like chemotherapy and organ transplants -- aren't necessarily protected against Covid-19 by vaccinations.
Cash prizes and nightlife vaccinations to get through the 'slog-phase'
The big challenge for officials is reaching people who are not eager to get the vaccine. "We're making a lot of progress, but frankly, we're entering kind of the slog-phase of the vaccination campaign, where the people who are most eager to have it and most able to get it, have gotten it," former CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "Now we need to continue to make it easier to get and to address people's concerns," he said, adding that the vaccine is "astonishingly effective and very, very safe." In an effort to increase convenience for younger residents, New York City officials will park mobile vaccine buses outside popular nightlife destinations, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday. In addition to access and education improvement, more companies and officials are offering incentives to sign up for inoculation.
Kroger Health announced Thursday that it is launching a $5 million #CommunityImmunity giveaway to motivate more people to get the vaccine. Between June 3 and July 10, Kroger Health will give $1 million to a winner each week for five weeks as well as 50 "groceries for a year" prizes, a release from the company said. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced the "Shots of a Lifetime" giveaway series to incentivize vaccinations in the state. Awards will include cash prizes totaling $2 million, tuition and expense assistance for higher education, sports tickets and gear, gift cards, airline tickets as well as game systems and smart speakers, he said. "We're making this investment today because we know every life in the state of Washington has value," said Inslee. "I'm excited to announce these strong incentives that will bring the potential to save thousands of lives."
Will young students return to school with masks?
Meanwhile, Walensky expressed a particular concern about vaccinating young people, citing a rise in the number of young people hospitalized this spring which should "force us to redouble our efforts."
"I want to highlight a specific population that we were hoping will join the tens of millions who have already been vaccinated -- and that is adolescents," Walensky said on Thursday. In May, the US Food and Drug Administration expanded its authorization of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to include the younger ages of 12 to 15. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on CNN's New Day on Thursday that he is "cautiously optimistic" that children younger than 12 could get a Covid-19 vaccine by Thanksgiving. "We are now doing studies that are ongoing as we're speaking, studies that are looking at what we call age de-escalation, children from 12 to 9 and then 9 to 6 and then 6 to 2 and then 6 months to 2 years," Fauci told CNN's John Berman. While Thanksgiving may be a quick timeline in the development of vaccines, it poses a particular problem for students who may be in school months before they can be vaccinated. That could mean children younger than 12 returning to school in the fall wearing masks, though Walensky said the policy is being revisited. When asked if there might be a change to mask guidance in time for school in the fall, Walensky said, "I think we will. We are looking at the evidence now and we will be coming out with that guidance, soon to come."
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
States that fall well below vaccinating 70% of adults are 'sitting ducks' for an outbreak, expert warns
President Joe Biden's goal of 70% of adults having at least one vaccine dose has met
a significant obstacle -- a dwindling number of people who want to get vaccinated.
Vaccination
The US is pushing to have 70% of adults get at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine by July 4, but an expert said that number is important to reach at the state level too -- and those states who are falling well below may be vulnerable to another outbreak. "There are 12 states that are already at 70%. I worry about the ones that are way below that, and they are sitting ducks for the next outbreak of Covid-19 -- which shouldn't have to happen now," National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins told CNN's Chris Cuomo. Sixty-three percent of adults have received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose, according to data published Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But President Joe Biden's goal of 70% of adults having at least one vaccine dose has met a significant obstacle -- a dwindling number of people who want to get vaccinated. The seven-day average of newly administered doses has fallen below 1 million per day for the first time since January, according to data from the CDC.
The director of the CDC said that there is no magic target for herd immunity, but that she thinks getting to 70% would go a long way toward protecting the community. "We have pockets of this country that have lower rates of vaccination," Dr. Rochelle Walensky said. "I worry that this virus is an opportunist and that where we have low rates of vaccination are where we may see it again. And so really the issue now is to make sure we get to those communities as well." Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wyoming are among the states with the lowest vaccination rates. And for those who feel they don't need the protection of the vaccine, Collins said to think of getting doses as a "donation" to those in communities who -- for reasons like chemotherapy and organ transplants -- aren't necessarily protected against Covid-19 by vaccinations.
Cash prizes and nightlife vaccinations to get through the 'slog-phase'
The big challenge for officials is reaching people who are not eager to get the vaccine. "We're making a lot of progress, but frankly, we're entering kind of the slog-phase of the vaccination campaign, where the people who are most eager to have it and most able to get it, have gotten it," former CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "Now we need to continue to make it easier to get and to address people's concerns," he said, adding that the vaccine is "astonishingly effective and very, very safe." In an effort to increase convenience for younger residents, New York City officials will park mobile vaccine buses outside popular nightlife destinations, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday. In addition to access and education improvement, more companies and officials are offering incentives to sign up for inoculation.
Kroger Health announced Thursday that it is launching a $5 million #CommunityImmunity giveaway to motivate more people to get the vaccine. Between June 3 and July 10, Kroger Health will give $1 million to a winner each week for five weeks as well as 50 "groceries for a year" prizes, a release from the company said. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced the "Shots of a Lifetime" giveaway series to incentivize vaccinations in the state. Awards will include cash prizes totaling $2 million, tuition and expense assistance for higher education, sports tickets and gear, gift cards, airline tickets as well as game systems and smart speakers, he said. "We're making this investment today because we know every life in the state of Washington has value," said Inslee. "I'm excited to announce these strong incentives that will bring the potential to save thousands of lives."
Will young students return to school with masks?
Meanwhile, Walensky expressed a particular concern about vaccinating young people, citing a rise in the number of young people hospitalized this spring which should "force us to redouble our efforts."
"I want to highlight a specific population that we were hoping will join the tens of millions who have already been vaccinated -- and that is adolescents," Walensky said on Thursday. In May, the US Food and Drug Administration expanded its authorization of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to include the younger ages of 12 to 15. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on CNN's New Day on Thursday that he is "cautiously optimistic" that children younger than 12 could get a Covid-19 vaccine by Thanksgiving. "We are now doing studies that are ongoing as we're speaking, studies that are looking at what we call age de-escalation, children from 12 to 9 and then 9 to 6 and then 6 to 2 and then 6 months to 2 years," Fauci told CNN's John Berman. While Thanksgiving may be a quick timeline in the development of vaccines, it poses a particular problem for students who may be in school months before they can be vaccinated. That could mean children younger than 12 returning to school in the fall wearing masks, though Walensky said the policy is being revisited. When asked if there might be a change to mask guidance in time for school in the fall, Walensky said, "I think we will. We are looking at the evidence now and we will be coming out with that guidance, soon to come."
_____________________________________________________________
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: June 5, 2021 03:26
Quote
georgie48Quote
Hairball
In 2021 Olympic news...
10,000 volunteers drop out; Tokyo Olympics open in 50 days
Corona2021
TOKYO (AP) — The countdown clock for the Tokyo Olympics hit 50-days-to-go on Thursday, and the day also brought another problem for the delayed games. About 10,000 of 80,000 unpaid volunteers for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics have told organizers they will not participate when the games open on July 23. Organizers said some dropped out because of worries about COVID-19. Few volunteers are expected to be vaccinated since most will have no contact with athletes or other key personnel. Only about 2-3% of Japan’s general population has been fully vaccinated in a very slow rollout that is just now speeding up. Conversely, the IOC expects at least 80% of athletes and residents of the Olympic Village to be fully vaccinated. “We have not confirmed the individual reasons,” organizers said in a statement. “In addition to concerns about the coronavirus infection, some dropped out because they found it would be difficult to actually work after checking their work shift, or due to changes in their own environment.” Organizers said the loss would not affect the operations of the postponed Olympics. Unpaid volunteers are a key workforce in running the Olympics and save organizers millions of dollars in salaries. Volunteers typically get a uniform, meals on the days they work, and have daily commuting costs covered. They pay their own lodging. A study done for the International Olympic Committee on volunteers at the 2000 Sydney Olympics said their value was at least $60 million for 40,000 volunteers.
To mark 50 days, organizers unveiled the podiums, costumes and music that will be used during the medal ceremonies. Organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto again promised the Olympics will be safe for the athletes.“The Tokyo 2020 organizing committee will absolutely make sure to protect the health of the athletes,” she said. Support for the Olympics continues to lag in Japan with 50-80% — depending how the question is phrased — saying the games should not open on July 23. Tokyo is officially spending $15.4 billion to organize the Olympics, and several government audits say it’s much more. All but $6.7 billion is public money. The IOC’s contribution is about $1.5 billion. Japan has attributed just over 13,000 deaths to COVID-19, far lower than most comparable countries, but higher than many Asian neighbors. On Thursday, the Japanese soccer association said a member of the Ghana team had tested positive upon arrival in Tokyo. The player was separated from the team and placed in quarantine. Earlier in the week, soccer players from Jamaica were unable to go to Japan because of issues with coronavirus testing. They were to have played the Japanese national team in a friendly.
The signs of protests are increasing, but in fact all 80.000 volunteers should drop out to make a stand. Also more sponsors should speak out against the Games, like, bravely, Asahi Shimbum (second largest national newspaper) did. A campaign focussing on shame should be launched toward companies that still sponsor the games. The Japanese people should boycot the products of those companies.
But ... agh, I know that we're dealing with Japanese people. Suffering is a part of the culture, so when all (harm) is done, they can blame others
More chaos and confusion...
Olympics
“We have been cornered into a situation where we cannot even stop now. We are damned if we do, and damned if we do not.
The IOC also seems to think that public opinion in Japan is not important. What will these Olympics be for, and for whom?
The games have already lost meaning and are being held just for the sake of them. I believe we have already missed the opportunity to cancel.”
- Kaori Yamaguchi. an executive member of the Japanese Olympic Committee, a former world champion in Judo, and one of Japan's best-known Olympians (Bronze medal, Judo, 1988)
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Rockman
()
Date: June 5, 2021 10:23
THE AGE --- 5 June 2021
ROCKMAN
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Rockman
()
Date: June 5, 2021 10:49
THE AGE --- 5 June 2021
ROCKMAN
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
MAF
()
Date: June 5, 2021 18:43
Mutation B.1.617.2 (also called "Delta") is spreading over Europe. It's more dangerious than the other ones. There might come a next Covid wave - hopefully not.
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Hairball
()
Date: June 5, 2021 20:19
Quote
MAF
Mutation B.1.617.2 (also called "Delta") is spreading over Europe. It's more dangerious than the other ones. There might come a next Covid wave - hopefully not.
Hopefully not MAF, but I just read this from CNN
UK records over 5,700 new Covid cases, reaching highest 7-day rolling average in 2 months
From CNN’s Martin Goillandeau
The United Kingdom on Saturday recorded 5,765 new Covid-19 cases — making the 7-day rolling average of new daily cases the highest since April 1 — as the debate continues around whether the government should delay its plans to remove most coronavirus restrictions by June 21. On Friday, the country’s authorities reported 6,238 new infections, exceeding 6,000 daily cases for the first time since late March. The slight increase in cases comes as concerns mount over the spread of the Delta variant – first identified in India – in the UK. Public Health England said on Thursday that the variant was now believed to be the dominant coronavirus variant in the country. According to government data, 76.2% of the UK’s adult population had receive a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine as of Saturday, with 51,6% vaccinated with both doses.
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Nate
()
Date: June 5, 2021 20:38
Here in the U.K. the Covid cases are rising but it should pose no danger in dropping all restrictions later this month as the vast majority of these cases will not be translating to hospital admissions due to the fact that anyone who is considered vulnerable to severe sickness from Covid has been offered the vaccine.
Those stupid enough to decline the vaccine because of religious beliefs or other equally ludicrous reasons can take their chance and should not expect the rest of society to tolerate an extension to restrictions in order to protect them.
Nate
Those stupid enough to decline the vaccine because of religious beliefs or other equally ludicrous reasons can take their chance and should not expect the rest of society to tolerate an extension to restrictions in order to protect them.
Nate
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Hairball
()
Date: June 5, 2021 21:27
From National Geographic:
Are we there yet? What happens if the U.S. can't reach herd immunity.
Without herd immunity, the country will see localized surges. But even if we don't get there, experts say there's still reason for hope.
Herd Immunity
Herd immunity is often seen as the end game of the COVID-19 pandemic. This threshold is reached when the virus cannot easily spread because most people have built up immunity through vaccination or natural infection. Then, “the virus just can’t find anyone to infect,” says Monica Gandhi, a professor of medicine and infectious diseases expert at the University of California, San Francisco, and the threat fades. Experts estimate that we’ll reach herd immunity for COVID-19 when 65 to 80 percent of the population is vaccinated—a number that seemed within reach in the U.S. once highly effective vaccines started being administered. But after peaking at a seven-day average of more than three million doses in early April, the rate declined, and the country is now administering an average of a million doses a day. Amid a swirl of misinformation, distribution issues, and legitimate hesitancy, as of June 3, only 51 percent of Americans have received at least one shot, and just 41 percent are fully vaccinated.
On June 1, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that anyone in America can get a free round of beer from Anheuser-Busch if they get vaccinated. It’s one of the latest government incentives being offered to help meet his administration’s goal of getting 70 percent of adults at least partially vaccinated by July 4, a key milestone in the nation’s bid to reach herd immunity. Some states are also offering big lottery winnings, free iced coffee, or—in West Virginia—trucks and custom hunting rifles. Still, other experts say it’s possible the U.S. will never reach herd immunity. In a recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey, 13 percent of U.S. adults said they will “definitely not” get a vaccine. So what happens then? Here’s what scientists have to say about where the U.S. stands now, what that means for the return to life as we once knew it, and why there’s still cause for hope even if we can’t hit the target number for herd immunity.
What is herd immunity?
The concept of herd immunity is fairly simple: Picture a herd of cattle. If one animal in the herd gets infected by a virus and none of the rest are immune, then the virus can spread throughout the whole group, potentially sickening or killing each animal. But if some cows gain immunity, they can block transmission to their neighbors. Calculating how many people within a population need to develop immunity to protect the rest of the herd depends on a few factors: how quickly a pathogen can spread from person to person; how susceptible the population is to infection; and individual behaviors that can either promote or mitigate transmission, such as whether people adopt masking and social distancing. Herd immunity occurs when an infected person spreads the virus to an average of less than one other person. In the earliest stages of the pandemic, the average for SARS-CoV-2 transmission was between three and four new cases per infected individual. At that point, scientists believed achieving herd immunity would require 60 to 70 percent of the population to be vaccinated. But as more virulent variants have emerged that spread more easily, that threshold has risen to 65 to 80 percent, says Saad Omer, an infectious disease epidemiologist and director of the Yale Institute for Global Health.
In December, White House advisor Anthony Fauci even suggested herd immunity might require vaccinating up to 90 percent of the population. But herd immunity is not the same thing as eradication—a fact that experts say has often been misunderstood during the pandemic. Crucially, while herd immunity slows transmission, outbreaks can continue even after a society reaches that threshold, says Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. Think of the measles or diphtheria: Even though the general public doesn’t have to worry about them, local outbreaks still occur. As with seasonal influenza, diseases can also become endemic, circulating in a population at a less virulent level but capable of breaking through when our defenses slip. (Here’s why COVID-19 will likely be with us forever.)
“What herd immunity thresholds get you is more sustainable, more long-term control of the outbreak,” says Omer.
What happens if we don’t reach herd immunity?
Some experts worry, however, that this threshold is slipping out of reach. Even with the authorization of Pfizer’s vaccine for emergency use in adolescents, the New York Times estimates that the country won’t get first doses into 70 percent of its population until October—and that’s only if the vaccination rate doesn’t continue to decline. Meanwhile, large pockets of unvaccinated people remain throughout the country, including children under 12, who are not yet eligible. Osterholm likens the herd immunity threshold to a weather forecaster reporting on a nationwide average temperature rather than local conditions. Vaccination rates—and the protections that come with them—vary from community to community. While most states in the Northeast have given at least one dose to more than 60 percent of their population, a slew of Southern, states including Mississippi and Louisiana, have reached fewer than 40 percent. “The nature of coronavirus and other infectious diseases is they find where we’re vulnerable,” says Amber D’Souza, professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “So wherever the pockets of people are that are not protected, there will be flare-ups in infections. It’s just a question of how long it takes for them to happen.” (The next phase of the U.S. pandemic? Pockets of localized outbreaks.) Natural infections can help fill in the immunity gap, but Omer says it’s impossible to say for sure how much of the population has natural immunity. It’s also unclear how long natural immunity lasts and to what extent; however, Osterholm says it’s clear that the vaccines offer superior immunity.
If the U.S. doesn’t reach herd immunity, there will be more outbreaks than if the country did cross the threshold. But the situation likely won’t be as dire as it was in January, when hospitalizations and deaths peaked across the nation. Instead, Omer says, there would be periodic smaller surges and loss of life as people head back indoors in the fall and winter. “That does not mean that we will have to shut down the whole country every time that happens,” Omer says. “But remember if there’s a flood in one month and it’s up to your neck in another month, it’s still pretty bad even if it’s not above your head.” Osterholm also cautions against a false sense of security in communities with low levels of vaccination—including Southern states—even if their case rates are falling right now. “Why the virus does what it does, why does it come and go, we don’t know,” he says. “We have to be careful not to interpret the absence of cases right now as meaning that we’re protected.” D’Souza adds that infectious diseases are dynamic: As long as the virus is allowed to circulate anywhere—both in pockets of the U.S. and in countries that don’t yet have wide access to vaccines—it poses a threat to the immunocompromised and others who can’t get vaccines. It also has the potential to give rise to variants that evade the vaccines. And there’s still much that’s unknown about how long the vaccines protect against the virus and whether booster shots will be needed. Even if the U.S. reaches herd immunity, it could easily be lost. “One of the challenges we’re going to have with herd immunity is that it’s also not a static situation,” Osterholm says. “Vaccinated today doesn’t mean necessarily vaccinated next year.”
Why there’s reason for hope
But scientists stress that it’s not all doom and gloom. “I’m concerned about the slowing pace [of vaccinations], but on the other hand there are signs of hope as well,” Omer says, citing the country’s falling rates of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. “I think that we are seeing the indirect effects of the vaccines kick in.” Just as herd immunity does not mean a virus has been eradicated, it also is not a hard line that you have to cross to receive any benefits from vaccination. D’Souza argues that herd immunity should be thought of as a gradient rather than a single number: As more people get vaccinated, the entire population is better protected. “We may never get to 80 percent vaccination, and that could be okay,” she says. Omer points to the impressive rates of immunization among people who are more vulnerable to death and severe disease. According to the CDC, 75 percent of people age 65 and older are fully vaccinated and nearly 86 percent have received at least one dose. Omer, who was on a committee advising the CDC on how to prioritize vaccination, says this was intentional. “We all want to see infection rates go down, but we want to see the deaths go down first and more sharply,” he says. Indeed, those numbers have been falling. Nationwide deaths are down from an average of more than 3,500 per day to about 500. New cases have fallen, too, to a seven-day average of fewer than 15,000. “That has given us room to do a lot more stuff socially and physically.”
Gandhi points out that since behavioral restrictions are one way of controlling an epidemic, you need to ease controls somewhat to know whether you’ve actually achieved herd immunity. Some good news on that front comes from Israel, where the country’s case rate had dropped so low by April 19—when just 54 percent of the population had received two doses—that it prompted the government to ease restrictions. “It was pretty fascinating because as they’ve done that gradual opening, there were no increases in cases,” Gandhi says. Osterholm says that, while he doesn’t believe true herd immunity is in the cards in the U.S., that doesn’t diminish the importance of getting more people vaccinated. Vaccinating 50 to 70 percent of the population with a vaccine that’s 95 percent effective at preventing COVID-19 will go a long way. “It’s going to be harder for the virus to find anybody,” he says. “It’ll still find them, but it’ll be slower. And the closer we get to having more people vaccinated, the more protected unvaccinated people will be.” In the U.S., D’Souza says the coming weeks and months will be critical to see if state vaccination rollouts sputter out, or if children are vaccinated at high rates as shots for younger age groups come available. “The more people we get vaccinated, the higher that benefit will be,” she says. “We want to get back to a place where people can go to a big concert and not worry, where schools can be open when they’re distancing or masking. That’s the goal—to be able to get back to no worrying.”
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
Are we there yet? What happens if the U.S. can't reach herd immunity.
Without herd immunity, the country will see localized surges. But even if we don't get there, experts say there's still reason for hope.
Herd Immunity
Herd immunity is often seen as the end game of the COVID-19 pandemic. This threshold is reached when the virus cannot easily spread because most people have built up immunity through vaccination or natural infection. Then, “the virus just can’t find anyone to infect,” says Monica Gandhi, a professor of medicine and infectious diseases expert at the University of California, San Francisco, and the threat fades. Experts estimate that we’ll reach herd immunity for COVID-19 when 65 to 80 percent of the population is vaccinated—a number that seemed within reach in the U.S. once highly effective vaccines started being administered. But after peaking at a seven-day average of more than three million doses in early April, the rate declined, and the country is now administering an average of a million doses a day. Amid a swirl of misinformation, distribution issues, and legitimate hesitancy, as of June 3, only 51 percent of Americans have received at least one shot, and just 41 percent are fully vaccinated.
On June 1, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that anyone in America can get a free round of beer from Anheuser-Busch if they get vaccinated. It’s one of the latest government incentives being offered to help meet his administration’s goal of getting 70 percent of adults at least partially vaccinated by July 4, a key milestone in the nation’s bid to reach herd immunity. Some states are also offering big lottery winnings, free iced coffee, or—in West Virginia—trucks and custom hunting rifles. Still, other experts say it’s possible the U.S. will never reach herd immunity. In a recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey, 13 percent of U.S. adults said they will “definitely not” get a vaccine. So what happens then? Here’s what scientists have to say about where the U.S. stands now, what that means for the return to life as we once knew it, and why there’s still cause for hope even if we can’t hit the target number for herd immunity.
What is herd immunity?
The concept of herd immunity is fairly simple: Picture a herd of cattle. If one animal in the herd gets infected by a virus and none of the rest are immune, then the virus can spread throughout the whole group, potentially sickening or killing each animal. But if some cows gain immunity, they can block transmission to their neighbors. Calculating how many people within a population need to develop immunity to protect the rest of the herd depends on a few factors: how quickly a pathogen can spread from person to person; how susceptible the population is to infection; and individual behaviors that can either promote or mitigate transmission, such as whether people adopt masking and social distancing. Herd immunity occurs when an infected person spreads the virus to an average of less than one other person. In the earliest stages of the pandemic, the average for SARS-CoV-2 transmission was between three and four new cases per infected individual. At that point, scientists believed achieving herd immunity would require 60 to 70 percent of the population to be vaccinated. But as more virulent variants have emerged that spread more easily, that threshold has risen to 65 to 80 percent, says Saad Omer, an infectious disease epidemiologist and director of the Yale Institute for Global Health.
In December, White House advisor Anthony Fauci even suggested herd immunity might require vaccinating up to 90 percent of the population. But herd immunity is not the same thing as eradication—a fact that experts say has often been misunderstood during the pandemic. Crucially, while herd immunity slows transmission, outbreaks can continue even after a society reaches that threshold, says Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. Think of the measles or diphtheria: Even though the general public doesn’t have to worry about them, local outbreaks still occur. As with seasonal influenza, diseases can also become endemic, circulating in a population at a less virulent level but capable of breaking through when our defenses slip. (Here’s why COVID-19 will likely be with us forever.)
“What herd immunity thresholds get you is more sustainable, more long-term control of the outbreak,” says Omer.
What happens if we don’t reach herd immunity?
Some experts worry, however, that this threshold is slipping out of reach. Even with the authorization of Pfizer’s vaccine for emergency use in adolescents, the New York Times estimates that the country won’t get first doses into 70 percent of its population until October—and that’s only if the vaccination rate doesn’t continue to decline. Meanwhile, large pockets of unvaccinated people remain throughout the country, including children under 12, who are not yet eligible. Osterholm likens the herd immunity threshold to a weather forecaster reporting on a nationwide average temperature rather than local conditions. Vaccination rates—and the protections that come with them—vary from community to community. While most states in the Northeast have given at least one dose to more than 60 percent of their population, a slew of Southern, states including Mississippi and Louisiana, have reached fewer than 40 percent. “The nature of coronavirus and other infectious diseases is they find where we’re vulnerable,” says Amber D’Souza, professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “So wherever the pockets of people are that are not protected, there will be flare-ups in infections. It’s just a question of how long it takes for them to happen.” (The next phase of the U.S. pandemic? Pockets of localized outbreaks.) Natural infections can help fill in the immunity gap, but Omer says it’s impossible to say for sure how much of the population has natural immunity. It’s also unclear how long natural immunity lasts and to what extent; however, Osterholm says it’s clear that the vaccines offer superior immunity.
If the U.S. doesn’t reach herd immunity, there will be more outbreaks than if the country did cross the threshold. But the situation likely won’t be as dire as it was in January, when hospitalizations and deaths peaked across the nation. Instead, Omer says, there would be periodic smaller surges and loss of life as people head back indoors in the fall and winter. “That does not mean that we will have to shut down the whole country every time that happens,” Omer says. “But remember if there’s a flood in one month and it’s up to your neck in another month, it’s still pretty bad even if it’s not above your head.” Osterholm also cautions against a false sense of security in communities with low levels of vaccination—including Southern states—even if their case rates are falling right now. “Why the virus does what it does, why does it come and go, we don’t know,” he says. “We have to be careful not to interpret the absence of cases right now as meaning that we’re protected.” D’Souza adds that infectious diseases are dynamic: As long as the virus is allowed to circulate anywhere—both in pockets of the U.S. and in countries that don’t yet have wide access to vaccines—it poses a threat to the immunocompromised and others who can’t get vaccines. It also has the potential to give rise to variants that evade the vaccines. And there’s still much that’s unknown about how long the vaccines protect against the virus and whether booster shots will be needed. Even if the U.S. reaches herd immunity, it could easily be lost. “One of the challenges we’re going to have with herd immunity is that it’s also not a static situation,” Osterholm says. “Vaccinated today doesn’t mean necessarily vaccinated next year.”
Why there’s reason for hope
But scientists stress that it’s not all doom and gloom. “I’m concerned about the slowing pace [of vaccinations], but on the other hand there are signs of hope as well,” Omer says, citing the country’s falling rates of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. “I think that we are seeing the indirect effects of the vaccines kick in.” Just as herd immunity does not mean a virus has been eradicated, it also is not a hard line that you have to cross to receive any benefits from vaccination. D’Souza argues that herd immunity should be thought of as a gradient rather than a single number: As more people get vaccinated, the entire population is better protected. “We may never get to 80 percent vaccination, and that could be okay,” she says. Omer points to the impressive rates of immunization among people who are more vulnerable to death and severe disease. According to the CDC, 75 percent of people age 65 and older are fully vaccinated and nearly 86 percent have received at least one dose. Omer, who was on a committee advising the CDC on how to prioritize vaccination, says this was intentional. “We all want to see infection rates go down, but we want to see the deaths go down first and more sharply,” he says. Indeed, those numbers have been falling. Nationwide deaths are down from an average of more than 3,500 per day to about 500. New cases have fallen, too, to a seven-day average of fewer than 15,000. “That has given us room to do a lot more stuff socially and physically.”
Gandhi points out that since behavioral restrictions are one way of controlling an epidemic, you need to ease controls somewhat to know whether you’ve actually achieved herd immunity. Some good news on that front comes from Israel, where the country’s case rate had dropped so low by April 19—when just 54 percent of the population had received two doses—that it prompted the government to ease restrictions. “It was pretty fascinating because as they’ve done that gradual opening, there were no increases in cases,” Gandhi says. Osterholm says that, while he doesn’t believe true herd immunity is in the cards in the U.S., that doesn’t diminish the importance of getting more people vaccinated. Vaccinating 50 to 70 percent of the population with a vaccine that’s 95 percent effective at preventing COVID-19 will go a long way. “It’s going to be harder for the virus to find anybody,” he says. “It’ll still find them, but it’ll be slower. And the closer we get to having more people vaccinated, the more protected unvaccinated people will be.” In the U.S., D’Souza says the coming weeks and months will be critical to see if state vaccination rollouts sputter out, or if children are vaccinated at high rates as shots for younger age groups come available. “The more people we get vaccinated, the higher that benefit will be,” she says. “We want to get back to a place where people can go to a big concert and not worry, where schools can be open when they’re distancing or masking. That’s the goal—to be able to get back to no worrying.”
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Big Al
()
Date: June 6, 2021 01:08
Quote
Nate
Here in the U.K. the Covid cases are rising but it should pose no danger in dropping all restrictions later this month as the vast majority of these cases will not be translating to hospital admissions due to the fact that anyone who is considered vulnerable to severe sickness from Covid has been offered the vaccine.
Those stupid enough to decline the vaccine because of religious beliefs or other equally ludicrous reasons can take their chance and should not expect the rest of society to tolerate an extension to restrictions in order to protect them.
Nate
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Rockman
()
Date: June 6, 2021 03:34
THE AGE -- 6 June 2021
ROCKMAN
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
treaclefingers
()
Date: June 6, 2021 15:36
Quote
Rockman
THE AGE -- 6 June 2021
Pretty terrifying if you live in these regions right now I would imagine. Thanks R-man.
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
MisterDDDD
()
Date: June 6, 2021 16:11
The ‘two societies’: 97% of new COVID cases are among people who haven’t gotten the shots
By Danny Westneat
Seattle Times columnist
June 5, 2021 at 6:00 am Updated June 5, 2021 at 6:38 am
This being America, it was probably inevitable that we would turn the scientific breakthrough of a pandemic-ending vaccine into a game show.
It’s like “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” with cash prizes, or “The Price is Right,” where you can “come on down!” to get a jab and a chance at an Xbox or free flights to Cancún or gift cards redeemable for topsoil (yes, really, topsoil).
Whatever works. It’s a little strange, though, that there’s not more hoopla around what’s happening with the vaccines themselves.
“For those of us in public health, it’s nothing short of amazing,” Dr. Jeff Duchin, the chief health officer for Seattle and King County, told me the other day.
I had called Duchin to ask about a startling claim he made recently. At a weekly health briefing, he offhandedly remarked that of King County’s recent COVID-19 cases, 97% had occurred in unvaccinated people.
It effectively meant the only people still catching coronavirus here in King County are people who haven’t gotten the shots. It also means the disease that just a few months ago threatened the entire nation is now almost exclusively circulating among a shrinking few.
Like a game show contestant, one of the reporters at the briefing exclaimed that this figure was “crazy,” too out there to be true.
What happened is Duchin had been noticing that disease transmission seemed to be increasingly located in spots around the county where vaccination rates were low.
Example: In the 98022 ZIP code, in the Enumclaw area, only 52.9% of the folks there 12 and up had been vaccinated as of this past week — which is one of the lowest rates in King County. In the two-week period ending in mid-May, that ZIP code also had the highest COVID case rate in the county, at more than 400 cases per 100,000 people.
At the same time, there are ZIP codes with vaccination rates that top 90%, and these had disease rates ranging from just one-fourth to one-tenth of Enumclaw’s. Examples include Sammamish and Mercer Island.
So epidemiologists at King County decided to take a deeper look at 15,397 local COVID cases, spread over April and May. The state disease surveillance network told them who these patients were. They then cross-referenced each case history with the statewide vaccination registry (when you get vaxxed, it gets recorded with the state — that’s also how you’re being entered into our new “Shot of a Lifetime” million-dollar lottery.)
What they discovered is that of the 15,397 positive cases, 14,895 were in people who hadn’t been fully vaccinated. That’s 96.7% of all local cases in April and May — a period in which King County passed the 50% vaccinated threshold, meaning half the population had been inoculated and half had not.
“It’s a very clear result,” Duchin said. “It leads to a basic conclusion: Who’s left to catch COVID-19? People who are unvaccinated.”
This isn’t an isolated finding. Across the state, the Washington State Department of Health reports that between April 3 and May 29, there were 1,358 “breakthrough” cases in which someone who was fully vaxxed still caught COVID. But during that same period, the state reported 63,751 cases among the unvaccinated — which is 98% of the total.
“We’re getting to the point where it’s a tale of two societies,” says Dr. Umair Shah, the state health secretary.
Shah reported this past week that unvaccinated people between ages 45 and 64 are now being hospitalized for COVID at rates 21 times higher than the vaccinated.
“It’s throughout the country that you’re seeing this split,” he said. “You have one society that is protected fully and is starting to go about its business … and another that is still at high risk of transmission and infection.”
Recently the hospital in Bend, Oregon, reported that it had seen 500 COVID patients since March — and 98% of them were unvaccinated.
This is real-world, snapshot-in-time data, so of course it may change going forward. It doesn’t mean the vaccines will always work this well. But Duchin said you rarely see such bright-line results in medicine (the annual flu vaccine by contrast is about 40% to 60% effective).
“This is why people were so excited by these vaccines back during the clinical trials,” he said. “We would have been happy if they were 70% effective. We would have been able to make do with 50%. But this is just amazing.”
The implications are clear. One is: Get vaccinated, if you can. As of May 31, only seven of the state’s 39 counties had passed the mark where half the population had at least one shot. In nine counties, fewer than a third had gotten a shot.
Duchin insists it isn’t true that everybody has had the chance to get a shot. It’s not time yet, he said, to assume that all have made their personal health choices, and to just let the virus run.
But that day is coming. Some sizable share of people are going to refuse to get vaccinated, he suggested, and with the disease already so overwhelmingly concentrated among them, the “two societies” appears inevitable.
“We will have to live in equilibrium with a level of disease that results from having a proportion of the population unvaccinated,” he said. Meaning: Periodic outbreaks, hospitalizations, deaths, potentially cycling for years.
Or: If 97% protection can’t entice you, then … come on down! Can we interest you in some of that topsoil?
[www.seattletimes.com]
By Danny Westneat
Seattle Times columnist
June 5, 2021 at 6:00 am Updated June 5, 2021 at 6:38 am
This being America, it was probably inevitable that we would turn the scientific breakthrough of a pandemic-ending vaccine into a game show.
It’s like “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” with cash prizes, or “The Price is Right,” where you can “come on down!” to get a jab and a chance at an Xbox or free flights to Cancún or gift cards redeemable for topsoil (yes, really, topsoil).
Whatever works. It’s a little strange, though, that there’s not more hoopla around what’s happening with the vaccines themselves.
“For those of us in public health, it’s nothing short of amazing,” Dr. Jeff Duchin, the chief health officer for Seattle and King County, told me the other day.
I had called Duchin to ask about a startling claim he made recently. At a weekly health briefing, he offhandedly remarked that of King County’s recent COVID-19 cases, 97% had occurred in unvaccinated people.
It effectively meant the only people still catching coronavirus here in King County are people who haven’t gotten the shots. It also means the disease that just a few months ago threatened the entire nation is now almost exclusively circulating among a shrinking few.
Like a game show contestant, one of the reporters at the briefing exclaimed that this figure was “crazy,” too out there to be true.
What happened is Duchin had been noticing that disease transmission seemed to be increasingly located in spots around the county where vaccination rates were low.
Example: In the 98022 ZIP code, in the Enumclaw area, only 52.9% of the folks there 12 and up had been vaccinated as of this past week — which is one of the lowest rates in King County. In the two-week period ending in mid-May, that ZIP code also had the highest COVID case rate in the county, at more than 400 cases per 100,000 people.
At the same time, there are ZIP codes with vaccination rates that top 90%, and these had disease rates ranging from just one-fourth to one-tenth of Enumclaw’s. Examples include Sammamish and Mercer Island.
So epidemiologists at King County decided to take a deeper look at 15,397 local COVID cases, spread over April and May. The state disease surveillance network told them who these patients were. They then cross-referenced each case history with the statewide vaccination registry (when you get vaxxed, it gets recorded with the state — that’s also how you’re being entered into our new “Shot of a Lifetime” million-dollar lottery.)
What they discovered is that of the 15,397 positive cases, 14,895 were in people who hadn’t been fully vaccinated. That’s 96.7% of all local cases in April and May — a period in which King County passed the 50% vaccinated threshold, meaning half the population had been inoculated and half had not.
“It’s a very clear result,” Duchin said. “It leads to a basic conclusion: Who’s left to catch COVID-19? People who are unvaccinated.”
This isn’t an isolated finding. Across the state, the Washington State Department of Health reports that between April 3 and May 29, there were 1,358 “breakthrough” cases in which someone who was fully vaxxed still caught COVID. But during that same period, the state reported 63,751 cases among the unvaccinated — which is 98% of the total.
“We’re getting to the point where it’s a tale of two societies,” says Dr. Umair Shah, the state health secretary.
Shah reported this past week that unvaccinated people between ages 45 and 64 are now being hospitalized for COVID at rates 21 times higher than the vaccinated.
“It’s throughout the country that you’re seeing this split,” he said. “You have one society that is protected fully and is starting to go about its business … and another that is still at high risk of transmission and infection.”
Recently the hospital in Bend, Oregon, reported that it had seen 500 COVID patients since March — and 98% of them were unvaccinated.
This is real-world, snapshot-in-time data, so of course it may change going forward. It doesn’t mean the vaccines will always work this well. But Duchin said you rarely see such bright-line results in medicine (the annual flu vaccine by contrast is about 40% to 60% effective).
“This is why people were so excited by these vaccines back during the clinical trials,” he said. “We would have been happy if they were 70% effective. We would have been able to make do with 50%. But this is just amazing.”
The implications are clear. One is: Get vaccinated, if you can. As of May 31, only seven of the state’s 39 counties had passed the mark where half the population had at least one shot. In nine counties, fewer than a third had gotten a shot.
Duchin insists it isn’t true that everybody has had the chance to get a shot. It’s not time yet, he said, to assume that all have made their personal health choices, and to just let the virus run.
But that day is coming. Some sizable share of people are going to refuse to get vaccinated, he suggested, and with the disease already so overwhelmingly concentrated among them, the “two societies” appears inevitable.
“We will have to live in equilibrium with a level of disease that results from having a proportion of the population unvaccinated,” he said. Meaning: Periodic outbreaks, hospitalizations, deaths, potentially cycling for years.
Or: If 97% protection can’t entice you, then … come on down! Can we interest you in some of that topsoil?
[www.seattletimes.com]
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Hairball
()
Date: June 6, 2021 21:02
There's the ant-vaxxers (and there are many), and then there are those who are simply hesitant throughout the world.
From Forbes:
31% Of Americans Still Hesitant About Covid-19 Vaccine, Poll Finds — Here’s How That Measures Up Against Other Countries
Hesitancy
As the U.S. attempts to combat widespread vaccine hesitancy and persuade more Americans to get the Covid-19 shot, new polling from Morning Consult finds even higher rates of people unwilling or uncertain about getting the vaccine in countries like Russia, Australia and South Korea—while nearly everyone in India and China is planning to get inoculated.
Key Facts
Among 40,408 U.S. respondents polled between May 25-31, 31% were either unwilling or uncertain about getting the Covid-19 vaccine—19% are unwilling and 12% are uncertain—which is the sixth-highest vaccine hesitancy rate among the 15 countries Morning Consult polled. Russia had the highest vaccine hesitancy rate with 53% unwilling or uncertain, followed by Australia (37%), South Korea (33%), Japan (33%) and France (31%). The countries with the lowest rates of vaccine hesitancy are the United Kingdom (14%), India (12%) and China (8%), according to the poll, which surveyed between 1,864 and 4,566 respondents within non-U.S. countries. Other North American countries have markedly lower rates of vaccine hesitancy than the U.S.: 19% of those in Mexico are uncertain or unwilling to get vaccinated, and 17% say the same in Canada. The European countries polled had rates of vaccine hesitancy that are on par with or lower than the U.S.: In addition to France, 30% of Germans are uncertain or unwilling to get the vaccine, along with 20% in Italy and 17% in Spain. Brazil has a 19% vaccine hesitancy rate, even as President Jair Bolsonaro has at various points downplayed and spread misinformation about the vaccines.
Big Number
5.5%. That’s by how many percentage points the rate of vaccine skepticism has fallen on average in the 15 countries polled over the past seven weeks, according to Morning Consult, as rates of vaccine hesitancy trend downward worldwide. The countries with the biggest drops in skepticism are Germany (hesitancy rate went down by 10 percentage points), China (10%), France (9%) and Spain (8%).
Crucial Quote
“Every adult citizen of Russia has the opportunity to get vaccinated completely free of charge,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday at the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum, as his country faces high rates of vaccine hesitancy. “I'd like to ask our citizens to use this opportunity to protect themselves and their loved ones.”
Tangent
Many countries with both high and low rates of vaccine hesitancy are also struggling with slow vaccine rollouts and low rates of vaccination. While vaccination rates are higher in countries like the U.S. and the U.K.—where approximately 51% and 59% of residents have received at least one dose, respectively, according to data compiled by the New York Times—rates are far lower in major countries like Japan (8.7% at least partially vaccinated), India (13% vaccinated), Mexico (18%) and Australia (16%). In Canada, which is using a strategy of delaying their second vaccine doses, 60% of the population has now received at least one vaccine dose but only 6.4% are fully vaccinated.
Key Background
Vaccine hesitancy has been a significant fear amid the Covid-19 vaccine rollout, as countries like France and Japan have historically been heavily resistant to vaccines. The Morning Consult poll found respondents were most likely to turn down the shot due to concern about side effects and that the clinical trials moved too quickly, with other reasons including being generally against vaccines, distrust in the companies behind them and believing the risk of them contracting Covid-19 is too small. The White House and state officials have tried to combat vaccine hesitancy in the U.S. by offering numerous vaccine incentives—ranging from million-dollar lotteries to guns—and the White House has declared June a “National Month of Action” with an array of public-private partnerships to help persuade more people to get vaccinated. The Biden Administration has a goal of 70% of all U.S. adults receiving at least one vaccine shot by July 4.
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
From Forbes:
31% Of Americans Still Hesitant About Covid-19 Vaccine, Poll Finds — Here’s How That Measures Up Against Other Countries
Hesitancy
As the U.S. attempts to combat widespread vaccine hesitancy and persuade more Americans to get the Covid-19 shot, new polling from Morning Consult finds even higher rates of people unwilling or uncertain about getting the vaccine in countries like Russia, Australia and South Korea—while nearly everyone in India and China is planning to get inoculated.
Key Facts
Among 40,408 U.S. respondents polled between May 25-31, 31% were either unwilling or uncertain about getting the Covid-19 vaccine—19% are unwilling and 12% are uncertain—which is the sixth-highest vaccine hesitancy rate among the 15 countries Morning Consult polled. Russia had the highest vaccine hesitancy rate with 53% unwilling or uncertain, followed by Australia (37%), South Korea (33%), Japan (33%) and France (31%). The countries with the lowest rates of vaccine hesitancy are the United Kingdom (14%), India (12%) and China (8%), according to the poll, which surveyed between 1,864 and 4,566 respondents within non-U.S. countries. Other North American countries have markedly lower rates of vaccine hesitancy than the U.S.: 19% of those in Mexico are uncertain or unwilling to get vaccinated, and 17% say the same in Canada. The European countries polled had rates of vaccine hesitancy that are on par with or lower than the U.S.: In addition to France, 30% of Germans are uncertain or unwilling to get the vaccine, along with 20% in Italy and 17% in Spain. Brazil has a 19% vaccine hesitancy rate, even as President Jair Bolsonaro has at various points downplayed and spread misinformation about the vaccines.
Big Number
5.5%. That’s by how many percentage points the rate of vaccine skepticism has fallen on average in the 15 countries polled over the past seven weeks, according to Morning Consult, as rates of vaccine hesitancy trend downward worldwide. The countries with the biggest drops in skepticism are Germany (hesitancy rate went down by 10 percentage points), China (10%), France (9%) and Spain (8%).
Crucial Quote
“Every adult citizen of Russia has the opportunity to get vaccinated completely free of charge,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday at the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum, as his country faces high rates of vaccine hesitancy. “I'd like to ask our citizens to use this opportunity to protect themselves and their loved ones.”
Tangent
Many countries with both high and low rates of vaccine hesitancy are also struggling with slow vaccine rollouts and low rates of vaccination. While vaccination rates are higher in countries like the U.S. and the U.K.—where approximately 51% and 59% of residents have received at least one dose, respectively, according to data compiled by the New York Times—rates are far lower in major countries like Japan (8.7% at least partially vaccinated), India (13% vaccinated), Mexico (18%) and Australia (16%). In Canada, which is using a strategy of delaying their second vaccine doses, 60% of the population has now received at least one vaccine dose but only 6.4% are fully vaccinated.
Key Background
Vaccine hesitancy has been a significant fear amid the Covid-19 vaccine rollout, as countries like France and Japan have historically been heavily resistant to vaccines. The Morning Consult poll found respondents were most likely to turn down the shot due to concern about side effects and that the clinical trials moved too quickly, with other reasons including being generally against vaccines, distrust in the companies behind them and believing the risk of them contracting Covid-19 is too small. The White House and state officials have tried to combat vaccine hesitancy in the U.S. by offering numerous vaccine incentives—ranging from million-dollar lotteries to guns—and the White House has declared June a “National Month of Action” with an array of public-private partnerships to help persuade more people to get vaccinated. The Biden Administration has a goal of 70% of all U.S. adults receiving at least one vaccine shot by July 4.
_____________________________________________________________
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: June 6, 2021 21:11
From the NY Times:
"We'll Probably Need Booster Shots for COVID-19. But When? And Which Ones?"
"Although many scientists estimate that the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines authorized in the United States will last at least a year, no one knows for sure. It is also unclear whether emerging variants of the coronavirus will change our vaccination needs."
“We’re in uncharted waters here in terms of boosters,” said Dr. Edward Belongia, a physician and public health researcher at the Marshfield Clinic Research Institute in Marshfield, Wisconsin."
“Even in the trials, we don’t know what the immune response is a year out,” said Dr. Kirsten Lyke, a vaccine expert at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and a leader of the NIH’s booster trial.
"But early signs are encouraging. Researchers have been drawing blood from volunteers in vaccine trials and measuring their levels of antibodies and immune cells that target the coronavirus. The levels are dropping, but gradually."
No one can or should make any kind of definitive statement about the vaccine longevity, especially since the experts are still weighing the evidence.
[www.yahoo.com]
"We'll Probably Need Booster Shots for COVID-19. But When? And Which Ones?"
"Although many scientists estimate that the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines authorized in the United States will last at least a year, no one knows for sure. It is also unclear whether emerging variants of the coronavirus will change our vaccination needs."
“We’re in uncharted waters here in terms of boosters,” said Dr. Edward Belongia, a physician and public health researcher at the Marshfield Clinic Research Institute in Marshfield, Wisconsin."
“Even in the trials, we don’t know what the immune response is a year out,” said Dr. Kirsten Lyke, a vaccine expert at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and a leader of the NIH’s booster trial.
"But early signs are encouraging. Researchers have been drawing blood from volunteers in vaccine trials and measuring their levels of antibodies and immune cells that target the coronavirus. The levels are dropping, but gradually."
No one can or should make any kind of definitive statement about the vaccine longevity, especially since the experts are still weighing the evidence.
[www.yahoo.com]
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
stickyfingers101
()
Date: June 7, 2021 15:54
we've got Fake Vax Cards....
....I guess that's better than Fake Vaccines....
[www.wsj.com]
Humanity. The Worst.
....I guess that's better than Fake Vaccines....
[www.wsj.com]
Humanity. The Worst.
Re: Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world
Posted by:
Hairball
()
Date: June 7, 2021 20:26
Quote
stickyfingers101
we've got Fake Vax Cards....
....I guess that's better than Fake Vaccines....
[www.wsj.com]
Humanity. The Worst.
"Proof of vaccine" at concerts and other places where it's required is pretty much a meaningless waste of time when anyone can get a phony Vax card.
Seems to be a growing problem, but glad they're attempting to crack down on them.
_____________________________________________________________
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: June 7, 2021 20:51
Still doing better than many places in the world, but......
US is on track to fall short of Biden's July 4 vaccine goal
It turns out that the latest campaigns to get people vaccinated (e.g. relaxing mask mandates for those vaccinated) don't seem
to have had much of an effect in the long run. Mainly, they got people who were going to get vaccinations to get them sooner
CNN: Vaccinations
The United States is in danger of not meeting President Joe Biden's July 4 vaccination goal. Biden wants at least 70% of all adults (i.e. those aged 18 and above) to receive at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine by that date.
An examination of the latest stats and polling reveals that if we continue on the current trajectory, we will not reach Biden's goal. The latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data reveals that the vaccination rate is really slowing down. As of the CDC's June 3 report, 63% of adults had received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. That was up slightly from 62% from the report a week prior (May 27). An additional 1% of adults a week completing their first dose is the lowest since the CDC started tracking this statistic in mid-February. On May 27 and before, the 7-day rolling average for new adults getting a first shot never dropped below 1.5%.
The slippage in new adults getting the vaccine isn't shocking, but it is a bit surprising. While fewer new people were getting vaccinated after hitting a vaccination rate peak in mid-April, the slide seemed to come to an end in mid-May. The 7-day rolling average of new adults getting vaccinated stayed pretty consistent in the 13 days between May 14 and May 27. This was right around the time that the CDC announced that vaccinated people didn't need to wear masks in most situations. That announcement led to a spike in interest for people searching for where to get a vaccine and apparently in getting a dose of the vaccine itself. The problem is that the uptick looks to have been temporary, and it has occurred when we're well short of Biden's 70% target. Simply put, the current weekly rate of vaccination will not get us to 70% by July 4. With just a month to go until July 4, the current vaccination rate will put the US at somewhere between 67% and 68% of the adult population with at least one dose by Independence Day. To reach 70% by July 4, we'll need a reversal of the current downward trend. We need to be averaging around 1.6% of the population getting their first dose each week from now until July 4. This is significantly higher than the vaccination rate this week. Such a swing up is not impossible. Having 1.6% taking their first dose a week is actually pretty much what we had from May 14 to May 27. This is less than an additional 0.1 points more of the population needing to get a first dose a day than the rate that occurred during the week ending with the June 3 report. The issue is that we really haven't seen the vaccination rate pick up since they become readily available in April. We've only seen declines pause.
The fact is, we're running out of people who have indicated that they want the vaccine as soon as possible. The latest Kaiser Family Foundation poll from late May found that 66% of Americans either had received a first Covid-19 vaccine dose or wanted one as soon as possible. This 66% is near the same percentage as where the current vaccination rate trendline indicates we'll end up by July 4. The percentage of people who have either gotten their first dose or would get one as soon as possible in Kaiser's late April to late May poll barely jumped from 64% to 66%. It turns out that the latest campaigns to get people vaccinated (e.g. relaxing mask mandates for those vaccinated) don't seem to have had much of an effect in the long run. Mainly, they got people who were going to get vaccinations to get them sooner. To reach Biden's 70% goal, it's clear that some people will have to be convinced to get the vaccine in the next month. There is 4% (enough to just get the US 70% when added to the previously mentioned 66%) who either have a vaccine appointment scheduled or plan to get their first dose in the next three months. The key over the next month will be for these unvaccinated people to have a sense of urgency to receive their first dose.
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
US is on track to fall short of Biden's July 4 vaccine goal
It turns out that the latest campaigns to get people vaccinated (e.g. relaxing mask mandates for those vaccinated) don't seem
to have had much of an effect in the long run. Mainly, they got people who were going to get vaccinations to get them sooner
CNN: Vaccinations
The United States is in danger of not meeting President Joe Biden's July 4 vaccination goal. Biden wants at least 70% of all adults (i.e. those aged 18 and above) to receive at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine by that date.
An examination of the latest stats and polling reveals that if we continue on the current trajectory, we will not reach Biden's goal. The latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data reveals that the vaccination rate is really slowing down. As of the CDC's June 3 report, 63% of adults had received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. That was up slightly from 62% from the report a week prior (May 27). An additional 1% of adults a week completing their first dose is the lowest since the CDC started tracking this statistic in mid-February. On May 27 and before, the 7-day rolling average for new adults getting a first shot never dropped below 1.5%.
The slippage in new adults getting the vaccine isn't shocking, but it is a bit surprising. While fewer new people were getting vaccinated after hitting a vaccination rate peak in mid-April, the slide seemed to come to an end in mid-May. The 7-day rolling average of new adults getting vaccinated stayed pretty consistent in the 13 days between May 14 and May 27. This was right around the time that the CDC announced that vaccinated people didn't need to wear masks in most situations. That announcement led to a spike in interest for people searching for where to get a vaccine and apparently in getting a dose of the vaccine itself. The problem is that the uptick looks to have been temporary, and it has occurred when we're well short of Biden's 70% target. Simply put, the current weekly rate of vaccination will not get us to 70% by July 4. With just a month to go until July 4, the current vaccination rate will put the US at somewhere between 67% and 68% of the adult population with at least one dose by Independence Day. To reach 70% by July 4, we'll need a reversal of the current downward trend. We need to be averaging around 1.6% of the population getting their first dose each week from now until July 4. This is significantly higher than the vaccination rate this week. Such a swing up is not impossible. Having 1.6% taking their first dose a week is actually pretty much what we had from May 14 to May 27. This is less than an additional 0.1 points more of the population needing to get a first dose a day than the rate that occurred during the week ending with the June 3 report. The issue is that we really haven't seen the vaccination rate pick up since they become readily available in April. We've only seen declines pause.
The fact is, we're running out of people who have indicated that they want the vaccine as soon as possible. The latest Kaiser Family Foundation poll from late May found that 66% of Americans either had received a first Covid-19 vaccine dose or wanted one as soon as possible. This 66% is near the same percentage as where the current vaccination rate trendline indicates we'll end up by July 4. The percentage of people who have either gotten their first dose or would get one as soon as possible in Kaiser's late April to late May poll barely jumped from 64% to 66%. It turns out that the latest campaigns to get people vaccinated (e.g. relaxing mask mandates for those vaccinated) don't seem to have had much of an effect in the long run. Mainly, they got people who were going to get vaccinations to get them sooner. To reach Biden's 70% goal, it's clear that some people will have to be convinced to get the vaccine in the next month. There is 4% (enough to just get the US 70% when added to the previously mentioned 66%) who either have a vaccine appointment scheduled or plan to get their first dose in the next three months. The key over the next month will be for these unvaccinated people to have a sense of urgency to receive their first dose.
_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......
This Thread has been closed
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