Promising New Coronavirus Vaccine

[Alan Klein]

It seems the French are having a harder time with their president regarding taking the vaccines than in America.  The French are welcome to come here where the governor of Florida will honor them with open arms and a $10 coupon for a cocktail at the gay bar AOL drank at.

Macron under fire after arguing France should make life miserable for the unvaccinated.
President Emmanuel Macron of France drew fierce criticism on Wednesday after bluntly arguing that the government should make life miserable for the unvaccinated, as skyrocketing infection rates have put him under pressure to rein in the coronavirus pandemic ahead of a key presidential election.

“I really want to piss off the unvaccinated,” Mr. Macron said in an interview with the newspaper Le Parisien.  “And so we are going to continue doing that, until the end.”

Mr. Macron said that those who had refused coronavirus vaccines were part of a small minority. About three-quarters of France’s 67 million people are fully vaccinated, but roughly five million French people have not received a single shot.

“I’m not going to put them in prison,” he said. “I’m not going to vaccinate them by force.”

Instead, the government is pushing a bill through Parliament that will tighten the eligibility of France’s health pass by no longer allowing people to obtain one with negative tests. The pass grants access to restaurants, cafes, museums and other public spaces.

Once the bill is approved, only proof of vaccination — or, in some cases, of recovery from Covid-19 — will be accepted, effectively barring the unvaccinated from large sections of French social life.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/05/world/macron-france-life-miserable-unvaccinated.html

[digitaldog]

“I really want to piss off the unvaccinated,” Mr. Macron said in an interview with the newspaper Le Parisien. 

If you are allowed to piss off the intelligent, he should be allowed to piss off the unvaccinated.

[TechTalk]

I would place myself in the category of bored. Bored of hearing the same repetitive talking points recycled and resurrected like zombies at every opportunity.

[LesPalenik]

Reuters and webmd reported nearly 1 million new coronavirus infections on Monday in US, the highest daily tally of any country in the world and nearly double the previous U.S. peak set a week ago as the spread of the Omicron variant showed no signs of slowing. Worldometer reported 515K infections on Monday (567K on Tuesday), although the real number could well be 1 million. Why such a variance between those the Worldometer and the other 2 sources?

The U.S. blew through global records on Monday, reporting more than 1 million diagnosed COVID-19 cases as the Omicron variant continues to drive surges.
Monday’s unfortunate tally is almost double the previous domestic record of 590,000 set just 4 days ago, which doubled case numbers from the week before, according to Bloomberg News. The number is also more than twice the case count reported by any other country at any time during the pandemic. The previous record was set by India, which reported more than 414,000 cases during a surge of the Delta variant in May 2021, the news outlet reported.

New infections reported globally are up 83% over the previous week, and more than 11 million cases are being logged each week worldwide, USA Today reported.
COVID-19 hospitalizations have surpassed 100,000 patients again, according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Nearly 113,000 people are hospitalized across the country for the coronavirus, which marks an increase of 26% from the week before. About the same number of patients were hospitalized during the peak of the Delta variant, USA Today reported.

https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20220104/one-million-cases

[digitaldog]

With more and more self testing not always being officially reported, accuracy iffy, keeping an eye on hospital numbers may be a better indication of how bad we are..
https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Health/wireStory/covid-case-counts-losing-importance-amid-omicron-82071670

“Hospitalizations are where the rubber meets the road,” Noymer said. “It’s a more objective measure." He added: "If I had to choose one metric, I would choose the hospitalization data.”

[TechTalk]

Why such a variance between those the Worldometer and the other 2 sources?

Perhaps it's confirmed cases compared to estimated cases, but I haven't looked into it. That would be my first guess, however. There are often differences in reporting time of cases from various locations. I have noticed that the numbers will change for a given date as new data is reported and recorded for those dates.

[TechTalk]

With more and more self testing not always being officially reported, accuracy iffy, keeping an eye on hospital numbers may be a better indication of how bad we are..
https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Health/wireStory/covid-case-counts-losing-importance-amid-omicron-82071670

U.S. COVID-19 Patients in Hospital

• November 7, 2021 - 40,471

• November 28, 2021 - 50,451

• December 9, 2021 - 60,371

• December 27, 2021 - 74,644

• December 29, 2021 - 85,466

• January 1, 2022 - 96,350

• January 3, 2022 - 107,083

* Recent data may change due to variations in reporting times from different locations.

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/current-covid-patients-hospital-country=USA

[TechTalk]

So the question is just how prevalent are hospitals actually filled up?  If it's just a few out of thousands of hospitals, that doesn't prove much.  It's not really that bad.  It would seem media is just scaring everyone.  Bad news sells.

Perhaps what the media was trying to tell you was not the percentage of hospital beds occupied but the accelerating rate at which they were being occupied. Perhaps you weren't listening or heard what you wanted to hear.

And for hospitals in locations that are overloaded or their capacity strained, it is "really that bad". That's when they start refusing patients or transferring patients to other hospitals adding to the burden elsewhere.

Perhaps it's you that's trying to scare everyone with bad news about the media (whatever THE media is supposed to be). That kind of bad news sells in some circles.

[digitaldog]

Getting a booster shot decreases Covid-19 mortality by 90% compared to being fully vaccinated, according to data highlighted Wednesday by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
During a White House coronavirus briefing, Walensky shared data on booster dose efficacy from studies conducted in Israel while the Delta variant was dominant.
The data Walensky presented indicated that a booster dose of a Covid-19 vaccine:

    decreased infection by 10 times compared to those who were fully vaccinated
    decreased severe disease by 18 times in people over age 60
    decreased severe disease by 22 times in people ages 40 to 59
    decreased mortality from Covid-19 by 90% compared to those who were fully vaccinated

Ivermectin is still on sale at Chewy.com

[LesPalenik]

Getting a booster shot decreases Covid-19 mortality by 90% compared to being fully vaccinated.

The definition of "fully vaccinated" may have been correct a year ago, but by now the protective effect of two vaccine shots is fading, and to maintain the body immunity you increasingly need a third and soon a fourth shot. Using the term fully vaccinated for 2 shots is misleading and may lead to overconfidence. As it happens, last week one of my acquaintances mentioned to me that she is not getting the booster shot, because she feels safe with her one shot received in 2020.

A study in England examined the vaccines’ effectiveness against the Delta variant over time. It found that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is about 90 percent effective at preventing symptomatic infection two weeks after the second dose but drops to 70 percent effective after five months.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/11/11/science/vaccine-waning-immunity.html

[digitaldog]

The definition of "fully vaccinated" may have been correct a year ago, but by now the protective effect of two vaccine shots is fading, and to maintain the body immunity you increasingly need a third and soon a fourth shot.

Sure, the science changes. It is quite likely 3 or 4 shots will be the definition going forward.
I got a flu shot two years ago, and last year, and this year, you see where this may be going. When the data and science says I need another vaccine, I'll get one.
I had 6 vaccines in 2021 alone. The two for Shingles was the worst for me in terms of feeling crappy, and the science so far says, I'm done with that.

As it happens, last week one of my acquaintances mentioned to me that she is not getting the booster shot, because she feels safe with her one shot received in 2020.

The stupidity will not change even if the science will.

[TechTalk]

There have been two recent studies that show good results with two doses of the J&J vaccine providing protection against the Omicron variant.

https://www.npr.org/2021/12/30/1069053093/johnson-johnson-covid-booster-studies

New COVID studies show promise for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine booster - December 30, 2021

Two new studies of a Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine booster showed promise against the omicron variant at a time when public health officials are urgently recommending booster shots against the fast-spreading variant.

One study was conducted in some 69,000 health care workers in South Africa. Results showed the vaccine reduced hospitalizations by 85% when comparing people who got two doses of the J&J vaccine to people who had a single dose.

Unlike Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which require two initial doses before a booster six months later, Johnson & Johnson is a single shot that can be followed by a booster dose after at least two months for people 18 and older.

The booster study was done at a time when omicron was the dominant variant in South Africa.

"This data should reassure health care workers who have not taken their booster to get vaccinated as soon as possible," said Dr. Nicholas Crisp, the deputy director general of the South African National Department of Health.

[TechTalk]

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/01/05/1070744591/covid-19-boosters-pfizer-adolescents

Children as young as 12 should get Pfizer COVID-19 booster vaccines, CDC advisers say - January 5, 2022

Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted on Wednesday to recommend that adolescents age 12-17 should receive a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster five months after being immunized.

The advisers voted 13-1 in favor of the change. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky is expected to sign off on the recommendation, which could make the booster shots available for children as early as this week.

Earlier this week, the Food and Drug Administration also authorized the use of a Pfizer-BioNTech booster in adolescents, while also shortening the time between the completion of primary vaccination of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and a booster dose from six months to five.

"Throughout the pandemic, as the virus that causes COVID-19 has continuously evolved, the need for the FDA to quickly adapt has meant using the best available science to make informed decisions with the health and safety of the American public in mind," acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D., said in a statement on the agency's change.

In a statement Tuesday, the CDC's Walensky urged eligible Americans to get a COVID booster as quickly as possible.

"As we have done throughout the pandemic, we will continue to update our recommendations to ensure the best possible protection for the American people," Walensky said.

"Today's recommendations ensure people are able to get a boost of protection in the face of omicron and increasing cases across the country, and ensure that the most vulnerable children can get an additional dose to optimize protection against COVID-19," she continued.

[LesPalenik]

Worldometer reports 751K new cases on Thursday in USA and CDC adds that the country hasn't reached the peak yet.
Many hospitals are postponing elective surgeries due to high number of hospitalizations.

Hospital systems in nearly half of U.S. states including Maryland, Virginia and Ohio have announced they would postpone elective surgeries, a Reuters review of public statements and local media reports found, and at least three state governments; New York, Illinois, and Massachusetts, have implemented or recommended state-wide delays.

Most of the areas where hospitals are suspending surgeries have seen either a peak or surge in daily COVID-19 hospitalization rates during December or January, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show.

The Omicron surge has also forced the National Institutes of Health to postpone elective surgeries at the largest hospital in the United States devoted to clinical research, Reuters reported. Suspending elective surgeries can create a backlog of cases, cause millions of dollars in lost revenue for hospitals, and in some cases lead to serious illness or deaths.

U.S. hospitals lost an estimated $22.3 billion between March and May of 2020 as a result of those cancellations, according to a January 2021 study published in the Annals of Surgery. And now there are even fewer staff to handle both COVID patients and those needing elective surgery. Around 450,000 healthcare workers, or 3% of the industry's workforce, quit between February 2020 and November 2021, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/overwhelmed-by-omicron-surge-us-hospitals-delay-surgeries-2022-01-07/

[PeterAit]

Worldometer reports 751K new cases on Thursday in USA and CDC adds that the country hasn't reached the peak yet.
Many hospitals are postponing elective surgeries due to high number of hospitalizations.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/overwhelmed-by-omicron-surge-us-hospitals-delay-surgeries-2022-01-07/

Any trace of sympathy I have for the willfully unvaccinated vanishes when I read about the people with non-Covid illnesses who have died because they needed an ICU bed but none was available due to unvaxxed covid patients. Here's one account: https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/09/13/1036593269/coronavirus-alabama-43-icus-at-capacity-ray-demonia

[Alan Klein]

How should children, schools, teachers, and politicians handle vaccinations and other Covid related matters?  Science begins to take a back seat to other political issues. As you make your bed, that's how you have to lie in it.

As More Teachers’ Unions Push for Remote Schooling, Parents Worry. So Do Democrats.
Chicago teachers have voted to go remote. Other unions are agitating for change. For Democrats, who promised to keep schools open, the tensions are a distinctly unwelcome development.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/08/us/teachers-unions-covid-schools.html

[Alan Klein]

Where was Biden a year ago? Where was BARDA?

Biden administration signs first contract for free rapid Covid-19 test distribution
The Biden administration has signed its first contracts with a Covid-19 test manufacturer as part of President Joe Biden's efforts to distribute half a billion free rapid tests throughout the country, a White House official confirms to CNN.

The Department of Defense awarded a $51 million contract to Goldbelt Security, LLC, "for delivery of over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits." With this contract, the administration is purchasing existing tests that the company has, according to a White House official. The administration plans to sign other contracts for manufacturing.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/07/politics/covid-19-rapid-test-contract-signed/index.html

[TechTalk]

For those confused about in which thread they are posting, this is not the political thread.

[digitaldog]

For those confused about in which thread they are posting, this is not the political thread.

Confused posting agenda indeed.
"When a man's knowledge is not in order, the more of it he has the greater will be his confusion."- Herbert Spencer

[Alan Klein]

For those confused about in which thread they are posting, this is not the political thread.

I'm posting about vaccinations, test kits, and Covid.  How they're distributed, where we are in distribution, and the problems we face because some of those responsible for our health are derelict in handling these things.  These ideas are pertinent to the discussion.  To split the discussion up makes no sense. 

Why didn't you complain when Peter in his last post made a political statement knocking those who refuse to take the vaccine? It seems you have no problem with opinions and politics as long as you agree with them.  You're not consistent. You just want to silence those you disagree with.