Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #92

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U.S. Rep. Ron Wright of Texas dies after battle with COVID-19 — Star-Telegram

“Republican Rep. Ron Wright, known as a staunch constitutional conservative, principled leader and member of the Freedom Caucus, died Sunday after a battle with COVID-19. He was 67.

Wright, a lifelong Texan, represented the 6th Congressional District, which includes southeast Tarrant County, including most of Arlington and Mansfield, and all of Ellis and Navarro counties. He had held the office since 2018.

For the previous two weeks, Ron and his wife Susan had been admitted to Baylor Hospital in Dallas after contracting COVID-19. Wright was also being treated for lung cancer.”
 
weepingangel said:
Throw a super bowl. and They will come. And party.
This ain’t rocket science
‘It’s not safe or smart. It’s stupid.’ Tampa mayor slams maskless Super Bowl celebrations
More at link
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — So much for the mayor’s order requiring masks at Super Bowl parties. Throngs of mostly maskless fans took to the streets and packed sports bars as the clock inside Raymond James Stadium ticked down on a hometown Super Bowl win for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“It is a little frustrating because we have worked so hard,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said during a Monday morning news conference with the Super Bowl Host Committee. “At this point in dealing with COVID-19, there is a level of frustration when you see that.”
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It was so predictable, especially in Florida--- sigh
 
Also from Dr. Ding, re efficacy of the 6 vaccines currently in use.
https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1358757953772355585

I believe the notes in red in the far right column were added by Dr. Ding. The chart was created by Monica Gandhi, M.D., M.P.H.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1358645754248761346

EttHKAmXYAAdY0v
 
anneg said:
https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1358645754248761346


Eric Feigl-Ding
@DrEricDing

Damnit, why Florida, why?!?! Don’t you know the new more infectious #B117 variant is spreading the fastest already in Florida? Doubling every 9 days there. #COVID19

1.5M views
0:17 / 0:19

From
Tampa Bay Times
12:16 AM · Feb 8, 2021·Twitter for iPhone
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I am glad that my husband and I did not go to Florida this year. I hate the cold winter, but I believe that many of the citizens of Florida are going to regret their recklessness exhibited during the super bowl
 
SouthAussie said:
In the early hours of Febuary 2, nine-year-old Makenzie Gongora died unexpectedly after being tucked into bed by her mother, Kristle Gongora.

Her distraught family in the US state of Texas say she died three days after testing positive for COVID-19.

Both aunts shared that later in the afternoon on the day Makenzie died, her family got COVID-19 tests administered, and her dad and 8-year-old sister’s tests came back positive.

https://7news.com.au/travel/coronav...hree-days-after-positive-covid-test-c-2117714
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And no prior complications, scary. Isn’t the word on the street that kids don’t get ill from Covid?
 
ilovewings said:
While I love the super bowl, as I was watching the celebration on the field, I was cringing. hugging, no masks, and those were only the players: the crowds were massive on the streets in Tampa and I am sure the bars and restaurants were full of unmasked screaming people hugging each other--- and then think of all the private superbowl parties--- In approx 2 weeks we will see the result of this madness.
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But...the players have been a heavily supervised pod - with daily testing for COVID. Anyone who had tested positive would have lost their chance at a million dollar paycheck - and at glory.

The NFL learned early on that it had to be quite strict/issue fines for COVID policy violations, which were in general much more strict than what the average working person encounters. The players stayed in essentially quarantined hotel rooms, etc.

The players had to be tested frequently, as it is the locker rooms that are the spreading places - not the field itself.

The crowds are a different matter. Some NFL teams played the entire season without a single COVID case.

Everyone - staff, etc. had to be tested right before the Superbowl and both teams had Zero Covid. That shows that they were quite serious about going into the remaining 3 days of isolation right before the SuperBowl.

Sadly, we probably won't be able to disentangle the Superbowl Fan Spread from regular spread - as most of them went back to where ever they were from all across Florida and all across the US. It'll be guesswork - like Sturgis.

I thought the COVID information that was broadcast as part of the pre-game show was wonderful. Football fans are on both sides of the political spectrum and a lot of them were COVID deniers - the entire presentation made it clear that COVID is real. All of the TV crew were wearing masks, and some of the players/coaches were clearly wearing masks while still indoors (you could see them removing them as they approached the field).

Bartenders, waitstaff and others who attended the indoor celebrations are the ones most at risk and most likely to become superspreaders.
 
SouthAussie said:
One or two people packed in at the Superbowl, isn't there? We are seeing footage on our morning TV. A mixture of masked and unmasked people in the huge crowd, from what I can see. No socially distanced seating. Is there not a pandemic raging in the US?
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This has already been addressed by someone else, but I thought the same thing at first glance. It was completely socially distanced and in a way that still made the event seem festive and well-attended.

The NFL agreed with the White House that their stadiums can be used nation-wide for vaccine distribution, which is very cool.

One third of the people in that stadium had been vaccinated and others were COVID survivors. There were many seats empty between pairs/pods of people who arrived together - I thought it was pretty cool how they managed it. Plus of course, it was outdoors. Still, it's possible that someone in that stadium was COVID+ - but they were supposed to be wearing masks and I didn't see any who weren't.

All of this was talked about - a lot - on national news programs/sports channels, but I'm sure the coverage was not very extensive in Oz!

Another interesting factor is that if we use figures that include excess deaths, about 12% of American adults have already had COVID. 10% of American adults have had COVID, for a total of early one quarter of us with immunity (give or take a few people who didn't develop full immunity - mostly people who had mild cases). Mask use in FL (per several medically conducted surveys) isn't optimal (about 70% - but that's way better than it was 6 months ago).

All these things together truly lower the risk of the pandemic getting out of control again.
 
SouthAussie said:
So now we have a returned traveller who tested positive after they did their 14 day quarantine and had been released.
Keeping in mind they are tested prior to being let out of quarantine, as well as a couple of other times while in quarantine.

NSW has introduced a Day 16 (after quarantine) test, to try to capture things like this. And the person tested positive when they went for their Day 16 test.


"Test results indicate that the person has a low level of infection and their household contacts have returned negative results to date.
"Investigations to date suggest the infection was likely acquired overseas and there is no indication at this stage that there was transmission in the hotel quarantine setting.
"Close contacts of the case not associated with venues have been identified and are already in self isolation.
NSW Health say COVID-19 streak unbroken despite mystery case
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This is so scary! So great that your government had a 16 day test - very smart. People have managed not to show up positive for longer periods than earlier thought.

Australia doesn't have the UK or South African variants, right?
 
10ofRods said:
This is so scary! So great that your government had a 16 day test - very smart. People have managed not to show up positive for longer periods than earlier thought.

Australia doesn't have the UK or South African variants, right?
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Returned travellers are coming back with the UK variant. We still have no community transmission, due to quarantining.

However, all states are revamping their quarantine requirements. There is a lot of discussion about that right now.

Some want the quarantine centres moved from the cities, better ventilation is being looked at, consideration to extending the quarantine period ... and, of course, some want us to stop taking returned travellers until we are vaccinated.

My own state opens a dedicated facility on Monday ... it is for covid positive returned travellers only. Being operated by our Health and Police Depts only. And the people working there can only work there, no other locations/jobs. Trying to isolate the risk even more from the general public (and from covid negative returned travellers).
 
Mo Thuairim said:
Hi Rosalinda, it's going fine here. Not as fast as the UK obviously but then few places are vaccinating that fast! They did the frontline healthcare workers first then nursing home residents with Pfizer and Moderna. (My 101-year-old granny got her second jab yesterday! No ill effects at all!)

A load of AstraZeneca doses arrived yesterday and we're getting more next week but the plan has changed on those... They had been earmarked for the over-85s and then the over-70s, which are the next vaccination phases to be rolled out, but then the decision was made that they are not to be used for older people because of lack of data on AZ efficacy in over-70s... So now the older groups will get Pfizer and Moderna via their GPs and the AZ will go to younger groups.

To be honest, optics of the ugly EU vaccine row aside (and let's not get into the brief, idiotic triggering of Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol!! The political fallout from that is still rumbling on here)... being an EU member has realistically helped Ireland as we could never have procured enough vaccine on our own as a small country. So yeah, it's a mixed bag! But going OK. Hope you are keeping well.

Here's an overview of the general public vaccine rollout plan for anyone interested...

Over 21,000 AstraZeneca vaccines arrive in Ireland

And reasoning for the Oxford/AZ decision...

'Lack of data' on AZ jab reason for over 70s decision
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Hi Mo, I was wondering how your granny was getting on, that's great she has been vaccinated. To get to 101 years old is incredible isn't it?
I wish the UK had enough Pfizer to make the same decision that Ireland and a lot of countries are making about the AstraZeneca vaccine. I'm hoping that as we started off with Pfizer that at least some of the most vulnerable will have received that one. I am concerned that we are walking into another huge blunder with the lesser efficacy overall of the AZ jab (especially against the SA strain) and the lack of data regarding older people. I guess we will find out! But hoping that even if it just knocks out the deaths/serious infections it is good enough and so much easier to transport which is a huge benefit. Hoping so much that the single dose J&J jab will show good results and that we can get some!
I know we had 7 million doses of Moderna that should come to the UK in March, can't find the link now but was on yougov.uk a while ago but of course that can change. Given the data at the moment it makes more sense to give the elderly Pfizer and Moderna but in the UK's situation I still think we have to throw whatever we have "in stock" at older/vulnerable people. I am hoping that by the time my age group comes around I will be offered Pfizer or Moderna, but I will take whatever I can get.
I predicted the return of UK bungling ( I am never disappointed in this) and now they have announced that over 70s can now contact their GP for a vaccine appt - wrong decision, just tell them where and when by letter, it's much fairer. The people who need it most are usually the ones who can't handle a website or who won't hang on the phone for fear of their phone bill.
 
Covid-19 US: NYC man in 70s dies 25 minutes after getting vaccine | Daily Mail Online

70 year old man in New York collapses and dies 25 minutes after getting the vaccine.

These deaths, though extremely rare, scare me. This is the third death related to the vaccine (though not proven to be caused by the vaccine)- A 56 year old doctor, a woman in her 50's, and now this man.

With respect to the death of this man, they are saying it was not an allergic reaction.

It seems to me that these deaths are related to the vaccine, but the mechanism is obviously not known.
 
What Boston doctors want you to know as capacity limits ease in Mass. | Boston.com
Much More at link
“I wouldn’t participate in some of the activities that are now allowed to be open, as an infectious diseases doctor,” Dr. Louise Ivers, executive director of Massachusetts General Hospital Global Health and interim head of MGH’s Division of Infectious Diseases, told Boston.com.


soo depressing
Despite dip in COVID-19 cases, expert says US is in the 'eye of the hurricane' as variants spread
More at link
While a recent dip in COVID-19 infections may seem encouraging, experts warn now is not the time for Americans to let their guard down.

That's largely because of new variants circulating in the U.S., putting the country once again in the "eye of the hurricane," according to one expert.


"I've been on Zoom calls for the last two weeks about how we're going to manage this," Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, told CNN Sunday. "The big wall is about to hit us again and these are the new variants."

Nearly 700 cases of COVID-19 variants first spotted in the UK, South Africa and Brazil have been reported in the U.S. so far, according to data updated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


New coronavirus variants keep popping up. Here's what we know about them
The vast majority of those cases are the B.1.1.7 strain, which was first detected in the UK and has now been spotted in at least 33 states. Experts say the highly contagious variant will likely soon become dominant in the U.S., and a new study found significant community transmission may already be occurring.

"This could be really, very dire for our country as we head into the spring," Hotez said of the variants. "Now, we're in a race. We're in a race to see how quickly we can vaccinate the American people."
 
SouthAussie said:
This is a photo of people celebrating pre-superbowl in Ybor City district, in Tampa .... I see 3 masks, with just one being worn correctly.

View attachment 283156

"This is officially the wildest I’ve ever seen Ybor. EVER. 1:40am."

The virus has killed more than 459,000 people in the US.

'Wildest I've seen': Photos spark fears of Super Bowl super-spreader event
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Wow, that is just crazy! I haven't seen a soul going about without a mask and not distancing, for months! It just looks so horrible to see crowds of people show so little regard for their own health and that of others.
 
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musicaljoke said:
Wow, that is just crazy! I haven't seen a soul going about without a mask and not distancing, for months! It just looks so horrible to see crowds of people show so little regard for their own health and that of others.
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Really? It varies here - about 1/3 of the people don’t wear masks. Social distancing- sure (sarcasm).
JMO
 
ilovewings said:
Covid-19 US: NYC man in 70s dies 25 minutes after getting vaccine | Daily Mail Online

70 year old man in New York collapses and dies 25 minutes after getting the vaccine.

These deaths, though extremely rare, scare me. This is the third death related to the vaccine (though not proven to be caused by the vaccine)- A 56 year old doctor, a woman in her 50's, and now this man.

With respect to the death of this man, they are saying it was not an allergic reaction.

It seems to me that these deaths are related to the vaccine, but the mechanism is obviously not known.
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Are 3 deaths out of the Millions who have received the vaccines, really statistically significant? I mean, even if they were all confirmed to be related to the vaccine, it still has to be Many times less deadly than the rate at which someone could die if they came down with the virus itself.

I'd be more concerned if we were hearing about deaths happening all over the place. I find it difficult to believe these various vaccines would be authorized around the world, if they posed a significant risk to the lives of people who take them.
 
SouthAussie said:
My own state opens a dedicated facility on Monday ... it is for covid positive returned travellers only. Being operated by our Health and Police Depts only. And the people working there can only work there, no other locations/jobs. Trying to isolate the risk even more from the general public (and from covid negative returned travellers).
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This is an excellent idea. Are they allowing known positive cases to travel back for quarantine in this new facility, or is it just for travelers who come in initially negative but then test positive during the quarantine period?
 
SoCalDavidS said:
Are 3 deaths out of the Millions who have received the vaccines, really statistically significant? I mean, even if they were all confirmed to be related to the vaccine, it still has to be Many times less deadly than the rate at which someone could die if they came down with the virus itself.

I'd be more concerned if we were hearing about deaths happening all over the place. I find it difficult to believe these various vaccines would be authorized around the world, if they posed a significant risk to the lives of people who take them.
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Exactly!! We’ve now vaccinated more individuals than have tested positive for covid over the last year here in the US. What’s the known covid death toll? Approaching half a million? So the way I see it, if we have WAY less than half a million deaths from the vaccine, we’re better off with the vaccine vs getting covid.

I have no doubt a small percentage of people will die or suffer serious harm from the vaccine. Nothing is without risk, and so much is unknown. But we’ve vaccinated enough at this point to pretty conclusively determine that covid is far more likely to kill you than the vaccine.
 
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