Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #108

[ilovewings]

"Two weeks after the United Kingdom dropped its last remaining Covid-19 mitigation measure -- a requirement that people who test positive for the virus isolate for five days -- the country is seeing cases and hospitalizations climb once again."

What rising Covid-19 infections in the UK and Europe could mean for the US - CNN

This is so depressing

 

[MimosaMornings]

"Two weeks after the United Kingdom dropped its last remaining Covid-19 mitigation measure -- a requirement that people who test positive for the virus isolate for five days -- the country is seeing cases and hospitalizations climb once again."

What rising Covid-19 infections in the UK and Europe could mean for the US - CNN

Neighbor down the street just tested positive via at home rapid for Covid as well as her 6 year old and 8 year old who attend the same school. I talked to her a month ago and she was in good spirits, girls doing well and had not been sick once in a year which was wonderful because they usually got whatever was going around at school several times a year.

 

[Sundog]

BREAKING NEWS ALERT
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its partner, BioNTech, will seek emergency authorization for a second booster shot of their coronavirus vaccine for people 65 and older, an effort to bolster waning immunity that occurs several months after the first booster, according to three people familiar with the situation.

The submission to the Food and Drug Administration, anticipated as soon as Tuesday, is expected to include "real world data" collected in Israel.

Read the full story on Globe.com.

 

[ilovewings]

BREAKING NEWS ALERT
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its partner, BioNTech, will seek emergency authorization for a second booster shot of their coronavirus vaccine for people 65 and older, an effort to bolster waning immunity that occurs several months after the first booster, according to three people familiar with the situation.

The submission to the Food and Drug Administration, anticipated as soon as Tuesday, is expected to include "real world data" collected in Israel.

Read the full story on Globe.com.

I would imagine this type of information applies to those who had the Moderna shot (but who knows for sure??)

 

[Sundog]

I would imagine this type of information applies to those who had the Moderna shot (but who knows for sure??)

We'll probably hear more details later this week, if they proceed as planned. And I imagine that Moderna won't be too far behind.

 

[jjenny]

This is so depressing

Yep, covid doesn't give up easily. And people are doing the same thing over and over again. Cases drop, then restrictions are dropped, and cases go back up. And then everybody is surprised as to why cases go back up. We now have no restrictions. What does anyone expect?

 

[Chelly]

Four more of my neighbors tested positive over the weekend. One of the four already had COVID two months ago, recovered and now has it again. Here is a variation of what my 70-85 year old friends are saying?: "I am old, I want to be able to live the rest of my life as I want", which means they do not wear masks, do not social distance and spend a lot of time in groups of people they don't know.

I don't understand this thinking. I just don't get it.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Yep, covid doesn't give up easily. And people are doing the same thing over and over again. Cases drop, then restrictions are dropped, and cases go back up. And then everybody is surprised as to why cases go back up. We now have no restrictions. What does anyone expect?

Just in time for spring break!

 

[MimosaMornings]

I Was A COVID Doctor. Here's The One Thing I Refuse To Do As We 'Get Back To Normal.' — HuffPost

 

[weepingangel]

Pfizer asks FDA to authorize 2nd Covid booster for people 65 and older



Second gentleman Doug Emhoff tests positive for Covid

 

[ilovewings]

Just in time for spring break!

Here in Florida they are partying down pretty good-!!!!
I read there are 500,000 spring breakers here in Florida
Though that figure seems somewhat inflated to me!!

 

[anneg]

I Was A COVID Doctor. Here's The One Thing I Refuse To Do As We 'Get Back To Normal.' — HuffPost

What a good article! Thanks.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Once again, America is in denial about signs of a fresh Covid wave — The Guardian

“When it comes to Covid, the United States specializes in denialism. Deny the human-to-human transmission of the virus when China’s first cases were publicized in late 2019. Deny that the virus is airborne. Deny the need for boosters across all adult age groups. There are many more examples, but now one stands out – learning from other countries.

In early 2020, with the major outbreak in the Lombardy region of Italy that rapidly and profoundly outstripped hospital resources and medical staffing, Americans expressed confidence that it won’t happen here. That it couldn’t happen here. And then it did.

Fast forward two years of the pandemic: the United Kingdom and Europe have provided five unmistakable warnings to America that a new surge was occurring. Within weeks, each time, the United States experienced a new wave, some not as severe (such as with the Alpha variant), some worse (Delta and Omicron variants). From this Covid track record over two years, it is palpable: what happens in the UK and Europe doesn’t stay in the UK and Europe.

In the past couple of weeks, the UK and several countries in Europe, including Germany, France and Switzerland, are experiencing a new wave. At least 12 countries, geographically extending from Finland to Greece, are experiencing new increases in cases, some quite marked, such as Austria exceeding its pandemic peak, and Finland with an 85% increase from the prior week. Many of these countries are also showing a rise in hospital admissions.

This is the sixth warning from the UK and Europe to the United States.

As with the first five warnings from the UK and Europe, the United States did not take heed. Instead of proactively gearing up with non-pharmaceutical interventions (masks, quality of masks, distancing, air filtration, ventilation, aggressive testing, etc.), it just reacted to the surges when they were manifest. Now we are at a point with very low vaccination and booster rates, only 64% of the populations has had two shots, and 29% three shots. That puts the United States at 65th and 70th in the world ranking of countries, respectively.”

 

[Niner]

We here in Latvia still have restrictions. Must wear masks, certain amount of people can enter a store. The only thing changed was we don't have to show our QR code vaccine card or our ID.
Went to the store today - and did not see one person unmasked...

from the WorldMeter:
March 16 (GMT)
Updates: 5,138 new cases and 20 new deaths in Latvia [source]

link: Latvia COVID - Coronavirus Statistics - Worldometer


Did not realize our cases were in the the thousands!!

 

[jjenny]

We here in Latvia still have restrictions. Must wear masks, certain amount of people can enter a store. The only thing changed was we don't have to show our QR code vaccine card or our ID.
Went to the store today - and did not see one person unmasked...

from the WorldMeter:
March 16 (GMT)
Updates: 5,138 new cases and 20 new deaths in Latvia [source]

link: Latvia COVID - Coronavirus Statistics - Worldometer


Did not realize our cases were in the the thousands!!

We are not doing anything anymore here in US. Mask mandate is over. Everybody is going unmasked.

 

[anneg]

Once again, America is in denial about signs of a fresh Covid wave — The Guardian

“When it comes to Covid, the United States specializes in denialism. Deny the human-to-human transmission of the virus when China’s first cases were publicized in late 2019. Deny that the virus is airborne. Deny the need for boosters across all adult age groups. There are many more examples, but now one stands out – learning from other countries.

In early 2020, with the major outbreak in the Lombardy region of Italy that rapidly and profoundly outstripped hospital resources and medical staffing, Americans expressed confidence that it won’t happen here. That it couldn’t happen here. And then it did.

Fast forward two years of the pandemic: the United Kingdom and Europe have provided five unmistakable warnings to America that a new surge was occurring. Within weeks, each time, the United States experienced a new wave, some not as severe (such as with the Alpha variant), some worse (Delta and Omicron variants). From this Covid track record over two years, it is palpable: what happens in the UK and Europe doesn’t stay in the UK and Europe.

In the past couple of weeks, the UK and several countries in Europe, including Germany, France and Switzerland, are experiencing a new wave. At least 12 countries, geographically extending from Finland to Greece, are experiencing new increases in cases, some quite marked, such as Austria exceeding its pandemic peak, and Finland with an 85% increase from the prior week. Many of these countries are also showing a rise in hospital admissions.

This is the sixth warning from the UK and Europe to the United States.

As with the first five warnings from the UK and Europe, the United States did not take heed. Instead of proactively gearing up with non-pharmaceutical interventions (masks, quality of masks, distancing, air filtration, ventilation, aggressive testing, etc.), it just reacted to the surges when they were manifest. Now we are at a point with very low vaccination and booster rates, only 64% of the populations has had two shots, and 29% three shots. That puts the United States at 65th and 70th in the world ranking of countries, respectively.”

An excellent article by Eric Topol, one of the experts in the U.S. with an important message I hope is getting through.

 

[anneg]

Speaking of Eric Topol, he posted a link to this PSA from the U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services (about getting a booster shot) on his Twitter account.

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https://twitter.com/EricTopol

 

[Deleted member 39678]

We are not doing anything anymore here in US. Mask mandate is over. Everybody is going unmasked.

I'm still wearing a mask. I still use hand sanitizer, take Vitamin D and use mouthwash.

 

[GRT]

"Experts are warning that the United States will soon see another spike in COVID-19 cases as wastewater samples in parts of the country show an increase in infections and the BA.2 subvariant spreads in Europe."​

Experts Warn of Another Rise in U.S. COVID Cases as BA.2 Variant Spreads in Europe

 

[jjenny]

Fasten up your seatbelts. Here comes the next wave.
"An analysis by the UK Health Security Agency shows that the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron is about 80% more contagious than BA.1, the virus that caused the last wave of infections in the US over the winter. Cases and hospitalizations are rising in the UK and several other European countries where BA.2 has become the dominant strain."

This key indicator may determine how bad a BA.2 wave could be in the US - CNN