Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #91

[tabitha111]

Troubling news out of Australia:
UK variant - in Brisbane they have had an incident where the UK variant spread to 6 other people on the same floor of a quarantine hotel.
Genomic analysis confirms direct spread - all these ppl have the same source of infection despite never being in the same room. All arrived from different countries and tested negative on arrival in Australia.
All acquired the UK variant while locked in their hotel rooms in quarantine. CCTV footage confirms no breach of protocol around PPE etc, no common contact between cases.
Investigation is underway but this implies airborne transmission via air conditioning and that this new variant is incredibly aerosolized.
Doctors warn of missing piece in Hotel Grand Chancellor investigation

 

[margarita25]

It will be one year on Sunday, one year we’ve been here, since @Amonet started this thread. Just incredible.

For me, I feel like it’s gone by fast, but for the healthcare workers and others, it may not feel that way.

Amonet / Jan 17, 2020:

“The number of people already infected by the mystery virus emerging in China is far greater than official figures suggest, scientists have told the BBC.
There have been 41 laboratory-confirmed cases of the new virus, but UK experts estimate the figure is closer to 1,700.
New virus in China ‘will have infected hundreds'
China may have caught the same strain of coronavirus that has killed two people, scientists fear.
Health officials in Wuhan – the city at the heart of the outbreak which started in December – confirmed four new cases today, taking the total to 48.
But Imperial College London researchers say this may be the 'tip of the iceberg' after analysing flights out of the city.

 

[dmac55]

ASU researchers say COVID-19 will soon be leading cause of death in Arizona | Coronavirus in Arizona | azfamily.com
ASU researchers say COVID-19 will soon be leading cause of death in Arizona

 

[margarita25]

US coronavirus: More Covid-19 deaths reported in the past two weeks than any other 14-day period in the pandemic - CNN

COVID-19 Deaths Are 25 Percent Higher Than in Any Previous Week
The Covid-19 Death Toll Is Even Worse Than It Looks

CDC projects up to 90,000 U.S. COVID deaths in next 3 weeks

Coronavirus updates: Biden announces $1.9 trillion economic and health-care rescue plan; daily death toll again exceeds 4,000

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Andy Slavitt @[URL='https://twitter.com/ASlavitt']ASlavitt·[/URL]
2h
I am resigning as Board Chair of @USofCare
, the non-profit I founded when I left the Obama Administration to get health care to all Americans. Consider following & following Executive Director
@ebarsonand (congrats to) new board chair
@drjmariomolina
.

NOTE: He is past head of Medicare/Medicaid for Obama/Biden
.

 

[weepingangel]

In Los Angeles, ambulances circle for hours and ICUs are full - STAT
more at link
LOS ANGELES — The situation here is dire. Every minute, 10 people test positive for Covid-19. Every eight minutes, someone dies. Ambulances circle for hours, unable to find ERs that can accept patients. Hospitals are running out of oxygen. ICU capacity is at zero. Patients lie in hallways and tents. Emergency room nurses have more patients than they can handle — sometimes six at a time.

The National Guard has arrived, not to help treat patients, but to manage the flood of bodies. As Los Angeles County approaches its millionth case of Covid-19, doctors describe their wards as war zones. Even the gorillas at the San Diego Zoo have gotten sick.

Just why did conditions deteriorate so badly in Southern California? And do the overwhelmed hospitals here offer a glimpse of what other regions may soon face as case counts rise steeply and a seemingly more infectious strain takes hold? Or did the unique and long-standing vulnerabilities of the nation’s second largest city conspire to ignite this current “surge on top of surge” that so many had feared but few predicted would get so bad that residents would be urged to refrain from entering grocery stores and, in some cases, to wear masks even while they are at home

 

[weepingangel]

Oh boy

Troubling news out of Australia:
UK variant - in Brisbane they have had an incident where the UK variant spread to 6 other people on the same floor of a quarantine hotel.
Genomic analysis confirms direct spread - all these ppl have the same source of infection despite never being in the same room. All arrived from different countries and tested negative on arrival in Australia.
All acquired the UK variant while locked in their hotel rooms in quarantine. CCTV footage confirms no breach of protocol around PPE etc, no common contact between cases.
Investigation is underway but this implies airborne transmission via air conditioning and that this new variant is incredibly aerosolized.
Doctors warn of missing piece in Hotel Grand Chancellor investigation

 

[MimosaMornings]

In Los Angeles, ambulances circle for hours and ICUs are full - STAT
more at link
LOS ANGELES — The situation here is dire. Every minute, 10 people test positive for Covid-19. Every eight minutes, someone dies. Ambulances circle for hours, unable to find ERs that can accept patients. Hospitals are running out of oxygen. ICU capacity is at zero. Patients lie in hallways and tents. Emergency room nurses have more patients than they can handle — sometimes six at a time.

The National Guard has arrived, not to help treat patients, but to manage the flood of bodies. As Los Angeles County approaches its millionth case of Covid-19, doctors describe their wards as war zones. Even the gorillas at the San Diego Zoo have gotten sick.

Just why did conditions deteriorate so badly in Southern California? And do the overwhelmed hospitals here offer a glimpse of what other regions may soon face as case counts rise steeply and a seemingly more infectious strain takes hold? Or did the unique and long-standing vulnerabilities of the nation’s second largest city conspire to ignite this current “surge on top of surge” that so many had feared but few predicted would get so bad that residents would be urged to refrain from entering grocery stores and, in some cases, to wear masks even while they are at home

Thinking back, I remember a post months ago...couldn’t be true, not hearing ambulance sirens or tripping over dead bodies in the street...

 

[anneg]

I apologize if this has already been posted. Tweet from Oregon Governor Kate Brown about vaccine:

https://twitter.com/OregonGovBrown/status/1350109252807913473
Last night, I received disturbing news, confirmed to me directly by General Perna of Operation Warp Speed: States will not be receiving increased shipments of vaccines from the national stockpile next week, because there is no federal reserve of doses.

@Lilibet

 

[Cool Cats]

15 pre-pandemic photos from a year ago that will make you cringe now

It's hard to believe that just a year ago, people were packing stadiums, eating in restaurants, hugging strangers, and generally going about their business without worrying about a pandemic.

Giant crowd packed into Times Square to watch the ball drop on January 1, 2020.

Kansas City Chiefs fans celebrated Super Bowl victory in Kansas City, Missouri on February 5, 2020.

Celebrities crowded into the 3,400-seat Dolby Theatre in Hollywood for the 92nd Academy Awards on February 9, 2020.

Looking back in 2021, the buffet tables of 2020 look like giant germ factories.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were still carrying out royal engagements, like their visit to Canada House in London on January 7.

 

[LadyL]

England

Hundreds gather for mass snowball fight despite lockdown rules

 

[sds71]

Biden administration to retire 'Operation Warp Speed' moniker - CNNPolitics

 

[LadyL]

Woman Who Refused to Comply With Airline Mask Rules Arrested After Landing at Washington, D.C. Airport

"I remember guys chanting, like, 'Kill him with his own gun,'"

Fanone, who said he's generally in good health, was hospitalized later that day and learned that he had suffered a mild heart attack.

DC police officers speak out after US Capitol siege: 'I thought ... I might die'

 

[dmac55]

Arizona:
The report said the man was wearing a mask.
The problem?
The owner of Teeslanger, Scott Cerkoney, declared his business to be “mask free.”

Argument over Cave Creek store’s anti-mask policy ends with gun drawn on customer | 12news.com
Argument over Cave Creek store’s anti-mask policy ends with gun drawn on customer | 12news.com

I'm from literally the middle of nowhere in Kansas
I was lured to Arizona a couple of years ago by little great-grandchildren, which are hard to resist
But I often feel like I'm living in the wild wild west:/

 

[anneg]

I apologize if this has already been posted. Tweet from Oregon Governor Kate Brown about vaccine:

https://twitter.com/OregonGovBrown/status/1350109252807913473
Last night, I received disturbing news, confirmed to me directly by General Perna of Operation Warp Speed: States will not be receiving increased shipments of vaccines from the national stockpile next week, because there is no federal reserve of doses.

@Lilibet

Story from Washington Post:
Vaccine reserve was already exhausted when Trump administration vowed to release it, dashing hopes of expanded access

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/01/15/trump-vaccine-reserve-used-up/

 

[book-thinker]

I just wanted to send my best wishes to all of you as we continue to battle this unimaginable horrific tragedy that is causing devastation all over the world. Sincere condolences to any of you who have lost a loved one to the virus. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you who have lost a family member or friend or if you or a loved one are battling the virus.

Have we lost any members here as a result of the virus? Or is anyone here seriously ill with it?

I’m really sorry I have not been able to be here to keep updated on how everyone is doing every day. I do care about how all of you and your loved ones are. I am absolutely heartbroken and devastated by the number of people who have lost their lives and all the people who are suffering because of the virus. It has been an extremely distressing time for all of us. I have had to take a step back from following what has been happening with the virus constantly and also the missing persons and murder cases I followed daily. It has been a very difficult struggle to cope with the magnitude of tragedy that has happened and my depression became significantly worse.

Thank you to all of you who have contacted me to see how I am doing I really appreciate your good wishes. I have been trying to stay safe from the virus. I moved to a new apartment which I am really happy to be in. Unfortunately I was in a car accident last year, a car went into the back of mine whilst I was stationary. Thankfully the other driver is ok but I have whiplash. Because I am disabled with spinal problems it has taken longer for me to fully recover but hopefully the remaining additional pain I am in will go away completely eventually.

Best wishes to all of you.

gregj, I truly hope you began to feel better after last years car accident. This has been a difficult year for families losing love ones to the virus. It breaks my heart knowing people are suffering from this virus.
Please know you are in our thoughts.

 

[24Roses]

Iowa numbers and news today: As of 10:00-11:00 a.m., we had 1,347 new confirmed cases for a total of 302,789 confirmed cases of which 263,836 are recovering (+1,611). 6 more were reported to have passed for a total of 4,257. 88 were hospitalized in the last 24 hrs. for a total of 513 (-19). According to KWWL, there are 34,696 active positive cases with a 24 hr. positivity rate of 30%.
Jan. 15: 1,347 new cases of COVID-19, six more deaths
access
Fired Tyson managers dispute alleged 'betting pool' stories as false and distorted
Iowa’s COVID-19 positivity rates continue to decline
See how Iowa ranks in COVID-19 vaccine distribution

 

[anneg]

I just wanted to send my best wishes to all of you as we continue to battle this unimaginable horrific tragedy that is causing devastation all over the world. Sincere condolences to any of you who have lost a loved one to the virus. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you who have lost a family member or friend or if you or a loved one are battling the virus.

Have we lost any members here as a result of the virus? Or is anyone here seriously ill with it?

I’m really sorry I have not been able to be here to keep updated on how everyone is doing every day. I do care about how all of you and your loved ones are. I am absolutely heartbroken and devastated by the number of people who have lost their lives and all the people who are suffering because of the virus. It has been an extremely distressing time for all of us. I have had to take a step back from following what has been happening with the virus constantly and also the missing persons and murder cases I followed daily. It has been a very difficult struggle to cope with the magnitude of tragedy that has happened and my depression became significantly worse.

Thank you to all of you who have contacted me to see how I am doing I really appreciate your good wishes. I have been trying to stay safe from the virus. I moved to a new apartment which I am really happy to be in. Unfortunately I was in a car accident last year, a car went into the back of mine whilst I was stationary. Thankfully the other driver is ok but I have whiplash. Because I am disabled with spinal problems it has taken longer for me to fully recover but hopefully the remaining additional pain I am in will go away completely eventually.

Best wishes to all of you.

I have only just seen your post (thanks to book-thinker's post above) and am so glad that you have checked in. I'm sorry for all you have been going through and pray that you will recover from your injuries. You have been greatly missed by so many here on WS.

I have two quite elderly relatives who have died of Covid. They were in a nursing home in another state that had an outbreak of the virus. But my own family is healthy, so far, and my husband and I got our first vaccine dose (Pfizer) two days ago.

I normally follow this thread pretty closely but have been spending most of my WS time on the U.S. Capitol breach thread lately. Even though Covid is a huge, huge problem, at the moment I don't have enough time for much other than reading about treason.

 

[ilovewings]

Troubling news out of Australia:
UK variant - in Brisbane they have had an incident where the UK variant spread to 6 other people on the same floor of a quarantine hotel.
Genomic analysis confirms direct spread - all these ppl have the same source of infection despite never being in the same room. All arrived from different countries and tested negative on arrival in Australia.
All acquired the UK variant while locked in their hotel rooms in quarantine. CCTV footage confirms no breach of protocol around PPE etc, no common contact between cases.
Investigation is underway but this implies airborne transmission via air conditioning and that this new variant is incredibly aerosolized.
Doctors warn of missing piece in Hotel Grand Chancellor investigation

This is very very frightening news- I hope we hear more about this-

 

[weepingangel]

Charles Barkley: Athletes should jump vaccine line because they pay more in taxes