Coronavirus COVID-19 Thread

[NaffNaffBobFace]

COVID Catharsis Corner - Reports from around the world from today Monday 22nd of March:

- World: 123,349,088 confirmed cases and 2,717,306 confirmed deaths.

- US: Trial indicates AstraZeneca vaccine 79% effective with no indication of increased blood clot risk.

- EU: To hold meeting on Thursday to decide whether to restrict vaccine exports.

- AstraZeneca: Company indicates no vaccine has been exported from EU to UK aside from one "tiny" batch which was from an Oxford University/Astra partner manufacturer in the Netherlands which has not yet been approved for production. The EU is apparently being supplied by plants in the Bloc and the USA.

- France/Germany: A poll of public opinion revealed 60% of people in France consider the Oxford/Astra vaccine unsafe, with the same opinion for over 50% of German respondents.

- France: Number of COVID sick in intensive care doubles in a week.

- India: Sees spike of 260,000 new cases in one week, one of the worst increases on record.

- Isle Of Man: Man jailed for a month after he broke Quarantine to top up his mobile phone with credit.

- Taiwan: Begins vaccination program.

- Austria: Delays relaxing restrictions.

- Germany: Extends lockdown into April.

- Bosnia: Sees record high new daily deaths.

 

[Michael]

Looking at the graphs, there is clear guidance...OPEN EVERYTHING UP /s

Looks like we are getting version "D" in germany.

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

COVID Catharsis Corner - Reports from around the world from today, Tuesday 23rd of March:

- World: 123,964,077 confirmed cases and 2,728,117 confirmed deaths.

- UK: Marks one year to the day the nation entered its first lockdown with a minutes silence.

- UK: Health Secretary indicates steroid dexamethasone which was found in a study to help with COVID recovery, has saved 22,000 people in the UK.

- US/AstraZeneca: AstraZeneca data on US Trials efficiency announced yesterday called into question today by independent review body as the numbers were found to only run to half way through February. The omission of information caused concerns however it was noted the vaccine was likely still good.

- US: Texas to make Vaccines available for all adults from Monday.

- Brazil: WHO representative warns of the virus surge in the country: "Unfortunately, the dire situation in Brazil is also affecting neighbouring countries,"

- Germany: Announces the UK variant has become dominant, the countries leader saying: “Essentially, we have a new virus, it is much deadlier, much more infectious and infectious for much longer.” and that they were basically, in the face of the new variant, facing a new pandemic.

- France: President calls for a pace change in vaccination in the country, and that there should be "no weekend and days off when it comes to vaccinations".

- Norway: Abandons plans to relax restrictions and tightens them instead.

- WHO: Director General says: "The inequitable distribution of vaccines is not just a moral outrage. It's also economically and epidemiologically self-defeating,” as data indicates most vaccines still going to high income countries.

 

[Montoya]

Its a beautiful thing!

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

COVID Catharsis Corner - Reports from around the world from today Wednesday 24th of March:

- World: 124,523,142 confirmed cases and 2,738,905 confirmed deaths.

- World: Passes 124 million cases, we passed 123 million on Sunday meaning another million in the last 3/4 days.

- Brazil: COVID deaths pass record high of 3,000 in a day for first time.

- India: "Double Mutant" variant located, investigations are now ongoing to see if this means it is more infectious or better at evading vaccine efficiency.

- India: Pauses AstraZeneca vaccine exports to try to satisfy domestic demand as cases continue to rise.

- Germany: Unexpectedly abandons plans for a strict Easter lockdown.

- Belgium: Starts a fresh Lockdown.

- Iceland: Starts a three week Shutdown.

- Italy: At request of European Union, Italian police attended AstraZeneca vaccine factory near Rome on Saturday. Following reports in the media that they found a 29 million dose stockpile supposedly bound for the UK, AstraZeneca released a statement calling it inaccurate: “There are 13m doses of vaccine waiting for quality control release to be dispatched to Covax as part of our commitment to supply millions of doses to low-income countries, the vaccine was made outside the EU and brought to the Anagni plant to be filled into vials,” and “Close to 10m doses will be delivered to EU countries during the last week of March, [and] the balance in April as the doses are approved for release after quality control.” indicating apart from COVAX the plant had no plans to export any of its vaccines.

- UK: Joke backfires as Prime Minister tells video call conference of politicians that the UK's vaccine program success was down to "Capitalism" and "Greed". Apparently he was trying to rib an attendee who was eating a sandwich in his presence.

- Spain: Restarts use of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.

- EU/UK: Earlier in the day EU announces plans to discuss options to block vaccine exports to countries which had better vaccination rates than member states did. Later in the day EU and UK announce they are aiming for a "win-win" compromise.

- Ukraine: Sees record high deaths and hospitalizations.

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

COVID Catharsis Corner - Reports from around the world from today Thursday 25th of March:

- World: 124,985,317 confirmed cases and 2,746,720 confirmed deaths.

- US: Passes 30 million confirmed cases. 29 million was passed on March 8th meaning another million in 18 days.

- Brazil: Passes 300,000 deaths.

- EU: Country leaders meet in a Bloc virtual summit to discuss if the group should limit vaccine exports to better supply their countries.

- EU: Vaccine maker Novavax delays signing a contract to supply the EU as the manufacturer has concerns raw material supply issues may put it in a position to not be able to fulfill contractual obligations to the Bloc.

- Denmark: Halts AstraZeneca vaccine use for another 3 weeks.

- Israel: Has now filly vaccinated 50% of its adult population.

- US: Resistant COVID variants lead Department of Health to stop distribution of Eli Lilly’s Covid-19 antibody therapy, bamlanivimab: “We believe that sites with access to bamlanivimab and etesevimab for administration together should use that therapy over bamlanivimab alone,” the company said.

- Poland: Sees record high daily new cases, at 34,000 in a single day.

- Portugal: To ban domestic travel over Easter.

- UK: Emergency COVID powers due to expire soon, an extension would last for 6 months. Talks are being conducted at Parliament to see if this is appropriate.

- Scotland: Devolved Scottish Government indicates it will be giving Health Staff a 4% pay rise (excluding Doctors).

- Germany: Sees sharp spike in new infections.

- Spain: Indicates they have only vaccinated 50% of over 80 year olds.

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

COVID Catharsis Corner - Reports from around the world from today, Friday 26th of March:

- World: 125,747,004 confirmed cases and 2,759,232 confirmed deaths.

- World: Passes 125 million cases. We passed 124 million on Wednesday meaning another million cases in the last 2/3 days.

- EU: Stops short of banning exports but states AstraZeneca must catch up with contractual obligations and that the option of stricter measures may be needed but they hope they will not have to call upon them.

- EU: Clears two new factories in the EU for vaccine production.

- France: French official says: "We need to build a co-operative relationship with the UK, so that AstraZeneca fulfils its commitment to the EU. But one can’t play with blackmail, having given a lot of first jabs and then run into problems with the second. The EU shouldn’t be paying the price for that policy,"

- WHO: Head of the World Health Organisation requests that countries planning on sharing vaccines do so immediately: "Covax is ready to deliver, but we can't deliver vaccines we don't have. Bilateral deals, export bans and vaccine nationalism have caused distortions in the market with gross inequities in supply and demand,"

- US: To send $15 million in aid to Palestine to assist with the COVID response in the area.

- WHO: Virus Origin report will be released in the next few days.

- Mexico: Passes 200,000 confirmed deaths.

- Poland: Sees record high new cases.

- Vaccines: Report finds people who have had COVID-19 have a 6 times stronger immune response to a single dose of Pfizer vaccine than those who have not.

- UK: Confirmed COVID cases remain stable at around 5,000 a day, with a detectable increase in children between 5 and 15 years old following schools reopening earlier in the year.

- Estonia: Draws up plans for digital vaccine passports: "We are trying to do the best in order to provide our citizens with the best possible digital information, no matter where it will be used - whether at border crossings or some other usage that is still open."

- India: Fire at COVID hospital kills at least 9.

- Germany: Tightens boarders as third wave grows.

- Kenya: Introduces strict measures to curb virus cases, with no road, rail or air travel allowed at all in five areas.

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

COVID Catharsis Corner - Reports from around the world from today, Saturday 27th of March:

- World: 126,409,918 confirmed cases and 2,771,414 confirmed deaths.

- World: Passes 126 million cases, we passed 125 yesterday meaning another million cases... in 1 day...

- UK: Analysis indicates the UK has passed 150,000 deaths which mention COVID on the death certificate. Official number of deaths is anyone who has died within 28 days of an official COVID positive test. As some people have spent 100+ days on ventilators before recovering, it is not outside of the bounds of possibility that the 150,000 number may be, sadly, accurate.

- UK: One in 25 people administered to hospital with COVID since December had already had a vaccine. It is suggested they either already had it before being vaccinated, got it while being vaccinated, or got it very soon after before immunity could develop.

- UK: Multiple days of violent protest in the city of Bristol, which has many residents protesting against the governmental attempt to keep COVID police powers to control and break up protest gatherings even after COVID restrictions have been removed, reach a disturbing peak with several reports of police turning on several members of the press observing and reporting on the disturbances, with threats of arrest, physical manhandling, and beating with truncheons. Many Government Officials that commented that the protests were "disgusting"... which is what some officials had said about the Black Lives Matter protests in Bristol in the summer, which resulted in a public statue of a slave trader responsible for many hundreds of thousands of slave lives lost, being dumped in the harbor to a cheering crowd.

- Turkey: Sees highest number of new daily cases in 2021 (not including 2020) at over 30k.

- Ireland: A Dublin Hospital suspended from administering COVID Vaccines following 20 left over doses being given to 20 teachers of a private school.

- Brazil: Experts estimate the countries death toll will overtake the USA's by the end of 2021 as the situation continues to deteriorate.

- Venezuela: Facebook freezes presidents account for 30 days under sharing false information, following his claims of a herbal remedy cure.

- Serbia: Long lines form in Belgrade as authorities offer vaccines to anyone from neighboring countries who attended a first-come-first-served session in the city.

 

[PeppaPigKilla]

- UK: Multiple days of violent protest in the city of Bristol, which has many residents protesting against the governmental attempt to keep COVID police powers to control and break up protest gatherings even after COVID restrictions have been removed, reach a disturbing peak with several reports of police turning on several members of the press observing and reporting on the disturbances, with threats of arrest, physical manhandling, and beating with truncheons.

I've seen some of the videos online and it's shocking, whats sad about this is there will be no repercussions for it either.

 

[Montoya]

Here is the new challenge we are facing:

As we get further into this year, the red part there of people that do not want the vaccine will increase.

 

[Jolly_Green_Giant]

Here is the new challenge we are facing:

View attachment 20537

As we get further into this year, the red part there of people that do not want the vaccine will increase.

"Yes, but only after others have gotten it and it seems safe".

Did not expect those numbers to be so low. Almost everyone I have talked to about this has had some sort of hesitance towards getting the vaccine.

 

[stockish]

SO in a fun turn of events, my work finally sent out certification letters so us "essential" workers in the transport industry can go get vaccinated, only for AZ to open up full eligibility on top of it seemingly being impossible to get an appointment set up.

I have this week off so I will try, but for all the talk of "we're doing good!" we could be doing better.

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

COVID Catharsis Corner - Reports from around the world from today, Sunday 28th of March:

- World: 126,927,603 confirmed cases and 2,780,266 confirmed deaths.

- Mexico: New report which includes Excess Deaths rather than those confirmed leaps total deaths by 60% to 321,000. The total number of excess deaths for the pandemic period is 417,000. The former president tweeted: “more than 400,000 Mexicans have died, above the average for previous years ... probably the highest figure in the world”

- Ireland: Two of three people who escaped mandatory quarantine in a hotel located. Police still searching for the third.

- Spain: Barcelona, and band "Love of Lesbian" permitted to hold a 5000 attendee concert as part of a trial to see if mass testing can allow big events to resume - all participants took a COVID test and only those testing negative allowed to attend. "We expect it to be completely safe. Over the next 14 days we will look at how many of the audience test positive for Covid and will report back,"

- Malta: Tightens restrictions to combat expected increase in meetings over the Easter period.

- France: Intends to up the vaccine program pace, with President Macron saying in a newspaper interview: “In a few weeks we will have completely caught up with the British, who will meanwhile be increasingly dependent on us to vaccinate their population,”

- UK: Easter expected to stand in for 2020's Christmas as searches for celebration items such as "Easter Trees" and gazebos for garden meeting reported to be up by 1000% by some retailers.

 

[Montoya]

SO in a fun turn of events, my work finally sent out certification letters so us "essential" workers in the transport industry can go get vaccinated,

Congrats!

Its going to be a bit of a relief to know that you can now go lick door handles and kiss strangers on the lips once again.

 

[PeppaPigKilla]

- UK: Easter expected to stand in for 2020's Christmas as searches for celebration items such as "Easter Trees" and gazebos for garden meeting reported to be up by 1000% by some retailers.

What in the flip flop, tell ya, us brits will do anything for a party, its cringe sometimes

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

COVID Catharsis Corner - Reports from around the world from today, Monday 29th of March:

- World: 127,313,479 confirmed cases and 2,785,719 confirmed deaths.

- World: Passes 127 million cases, we passed 126 on Saturday meaning another Million in the last 2/3 days.

- World: WHO virus origin report does not entirely rule out any one theory, but states it was likely passed to humans from bats via a third party animal.

- UK: Restrictions eased, two households or Rule Of Six now able to meet outside, outdoor sports also now starting up again. The situation will be monitored with more restrictions only to be eased if cases continue to fall/remain low.

- UK: London, and the city reports zero COVID deaths in a day for the first time in half a year.

- UK: After requests from COVAX and The Republic Of Ireland for surplus vaccines to be shared, UK official indicates there are no surplus doses at present: “Our first priority is to protect the British public, and the vaccine rollout is continuing to that end, we don’t currently have a surplus of vaccines, but we will consider how they are best allocated as they become available. We continue to talk and work with the EU to ensure we have a reciprocally beneficial relationship, and to ensure we are collaborating on Covid-19. We have said before that it is an international effort and that openness and global co-operation will be key to overcoming this pandemic. So our work and our talks with the EU continue.”

- US: CDC extends a nationwide order which was due to expire this week, preventing renters from being evicted, now to run on to the 30th of June.

- US: Deborah Birx states COVID deaths should be lower: "There were about 100,000 deaths that came from that original surge, [...] all of the rest of them, in my mind, could have been mitigated or decreased substantially."

- Europe/China: Chinese vaccine maker CanSino states it is in talks with "a number of European countries" to supply as vaccines continue to be scarce.

- Japan/EU: Japanese official warns the EU if vaccine supply from production plants in the Bloc doses does not remain stable it will harm relations.

- Russia/China: Deal struck to have Russian SputnikV vaccine produced in China.

- Australia: City of Brisbane to enter a snap 3 day lockdown as seventh case detected.

- France: Intensive Care hospital patients continue to climb, nearing 5000 active cases nearing the Second Wave peak in November but still a distance away from the highest point of the coutries pandemic at 7000. Minister indicates the situation is worsening and all options are on the table to protect the public.

- Germany: Thousands found to be traveling to Majorca for an upcoming Easter break. A german official said: “an Easter holiday under current circumstances is simply not justifiable”.

- Germany: Leader threatens to centralize Pandemic response as several states found not to be enacting defense measures as cases climb.

- Philippines: Record high new daily cases as passes 10,000 for first time.

- Kosovo: Starts vaccine program.

- UK: Passes 30 million vaccines administered.

- China: Passes 100 million vaccines administered.

 

[Bambooza]

Congrats!

Its going to be a bit of a relief to know that you can now go lick door handles and kiss strangers on the lips once again.

Wait we had to stop?

But on a serious note. In all honesty I find myself hesitant towards the vaccine. Its not due to any concern about hidden agenda or fear of chip implant or mind controlling substances. Its purely on the realization that these vaccines were fast tracked and while there was some due diligence performed there was also a lot of money involved, political pressure and a large scale roll out on technology prior was used in very closely monitored specific tailored treatment for cancer. While the technology is amazing and I am eager to see where it takes us I find myself weighing the risks of the possible long term unknown side effects that might manifest themselves in a percent of the population against the possible risks of exposure to Covid-19 and possible complications. Given the reality that catching Covid has a high chance of being asymptomatic and even if I do develop flu like symptoms given my current medical situation I have a 99% chance of bouncing back unaffected a week later. The added part is the chance of catching Covid continues to decrease daily due to both natural immunity from people having already been infected plus the slow increase in people who are getting immunized against one of the strains.

I am not saying don't get the vaccine, just attempting to share my personal hesitation to highlight that there are a plethora of reasons and everyone should be allowed to weight their own risks as nothing is truly safe.

 

[Montoya]

News today is my region is going into a 3wk lock down.

Apparently everybody was thinking now that the vaccine is out, you can go crazy.

Well, the numbers spiked and now

 

[Radegast74]

Apparently everybody was thinking now that the vaccine is out, you can go crazy.

Yeah, that was one of the things the epidemiologists were concerned about --> that having a vaccine available would lead to people going out and engaging in more risky behavior.

The irony is, people are going out and doing things before they even get vaccinated! Maybe we can all get a little crazy *after* 80%+ have been vaccinated, but until then...

 

[Montoya]

Spring break was the problem.

Also the Brazilian variant showed up, so now they are locking down everything.