Coronavirus outbreak - From China to the World.

[conon394]

@sumskiltz

And

Really it is amazing how quick and how effective the vaccine development was.

[Aexodus]

While it's nothing unexpected, here's some good news:

And...

I just received my second dose on Thursday and have been experiencing some mild side effects. Specifically, it feels as if someone jammed a needle into my shoulder and injected some foreign substance.

This is the most common side effect - mild soreness at the point of injection, so keep that in mind when you read the side effect statistics. It's more noticeable on the second dose, so I assume it's mostly inflammation related to the immune response. Rather than a side effect, I would have thought this would be sort of expected, but whatever.

Elderly privilege:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

In contrast, I got my last injection staring at the side of a tent in a parking lot.

Wait, did you get injected in Washington or Israel?

[sumskilz]

Really it is amazing how quick and how effective the vaccine development was.

Yeah, there was a time I really wasn't very optimistic about it.

Wait, did you get injected in Washington or Israel?

In Israel. I have a type of visa granted to those who are eligible for immigration that gives me all the entitlements of a permanent resident, but they're now also vaccinating everyone who has been in the country since prior to March 2020 regardless of legal status. The borders are still closed except for to a few stranded citizens who are being brought in on special flights. They're attempting to completely stop circulation of the disease within the country.

[conon394]

Yeah, there was a time I really wasn't very optimistic about it

Particularity because other mRNA attempts had a bad track record of really good animal model performance and than failing humans. That two ( or more) worked is also good since it could usher in a lot quicker development times in the future. The simple fact that we finally started caring about vaccines and anti viral research (compare how small and slow the work on say Ebola was) and dumped a ton of money into seems to be paying off. I saw a short note that some early trials of anti covid pre treatment might also be effective vs some of the common cold virus variants as well. Although since its a nasal application you have to do over and over might if it works be a wealth gap kinda thing.

[Pontifex Maximus]

So Cuomo has egg on his face. I wonder if his Covid accolades will be rescinded now that he has been exposed as the angel of death.

[Cyclops]

I dunno... Scotty from marketing is pretty good at not being in front of cameras when things go wrong - pushing the state premiers out into the spot light... but pulling them back in and stepping out himself whenever there's praise to go around. "Where the bloody hell are ya?".

ScoMo may go down for one of the three or for current scandals but as you say he's survived a couple of serious PM-killers already. That said he's definitely been the right man in terms of clear messaging: someone had the masterful idea of telling truth (mostly) to wrongfoot the critics (if only they'd done that with the rapes, and the sports rorts, and the....). Weirdly Andrews in Victoria has arrived at the same point from the other direction, brute Union boss statements of fact laden with implied threat has turned out to be appropriate rather than blackmail this time.

Seems to be a move towards setting up a purpose built quarantine village at Avalon - the plan looks like it would be better for the quarantinees as well as the rest of us. That's interesting.

Yeah not sure about the details but we're slowly putting in place the sort of basic provisions to handle more frequent pandemics down the track. Robust contact tracing, bagging your international arrivals, masks, no silver bullets but useful interlocking strategies. We've reinvented the wheel a bit of course, Mrs Cyclops tells me the CDC playbook has turned out to be pretty useful, its just taken real-world experience for politicians and bureaucrats (bit surprising but the bureaucrats have been more trouble than the politicians in a huge number of instances) to put it into action.

Back when it was politically expedient the Orange Idiot was shutting the CDC down, has that jackass-tier decision be reversed yet? They are regarded as the gold standard in a lot of international health measures. Biden's a stiff but his apparatchiks are going to score a lot of points by just applying notTrump policy settings in a lot of areas.

[Infidel144]

Il Duce Cuomo, the Emmy Award winning seniorcide, whom Dr. Do As You Are Told Fauci praised as a model for the Chinese Cave Bat Lab Lung AIDS virus response, is reportedly under investigation by the FBI and federal prosecutors, and has been threatening legislators who criticize him:

The FBI and federal prosecutors in Brooklyn are investigating Gov. Andrew Cuomo's coronavirus task force with a particular focus on his administration's handling of nursing homes early in the coronavirus pandemic, two sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.


The investigation, first reported by the Albany Times Union, is in its initial stages. Subpoenas have been issued, the sources said.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/york...ry?id=75960261

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been pleading with lawmakers for support and even threatening political retribution against Democrats who have criticized him in an aggressive effort to contain political fallout from revelations that his administration had concealed the full extent of nursing home-related deaths during the Covid pandemic.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/17/polit...ome/index.html

[Infidel144]

"The arrival of spring will likely aid the ongoing precipitous drop in coronavirus cases, as warmer weather allows people to spend more time outdoors and creates a less hospitable environment for the virus, experts say."

https://www.latimes.com/california/s...ummeting-cases

But, but, but STAY HOME!!! Only Go Out if Absolutely Necessary!! Lockdowns Forever!!! Grandma Killer!!

[Ludicus]

I just received my second dose on Thursday and have been experiencing some mild side effects.

Lucky man.
In the next day,I felt like I had played a game of tennis for four hours. I could barely walk.

[PointOfViewGun]

Can you guys point out which vaccines you got when you mention getting it?

[Lifthrasir]

"The arrival of spring will likely aid the ongoing precipitous drop in coronavirus cases, as warmer weather allows people to spend more time outdoors and creates a less hospitable environment for the virus, experts say."

https://www.latimes.com/california/s...ummeting-cases

But, but, but STAY HOME!!! Only Go Out if Absolutely Necessary!! Lockdowns Forever!!! Grandma Killer!!

In Dunkirk we have reached the 1% incidence rate while the rest of France is 5 time less in average (except in Nice). Basically, nearly 300% progresssion rate in a week. Results: curfew during the week from 18:00 to 6:00 (as already) and complete lockdown during the week-end. Any shop bigger than 5000m2 has to remain closed (latest news today).
Fair enough.
But why our gouvernement refused to close the schools 1 week before the winter holidays despite the mayor request and considering that half of the students were already at home (request made twice 12 days ago)?
I work 45 km away from Dunkirk, in Calais to be precise, where there's a lot less cases, and I take the train every day. Am I not a potential factor of spreading that bloody virus?
During the lockdown people from other areas less infected can come to Dunkirk but people from Dunkirk aren't allowed to move (except for professional purposes)

Welcome in Absurdistan

[sumskilz]

Can you guys point out which vaccines you got when you mention getting it?

Pfizer for me. I assume Ludicus probably had the same based on where he's at. Pfizer and Moderna are similar vaccines, and should have similar side effects, but there's always going to be some variability in reaction just based on personal physiology. It's not a big deal for most people, but I'd suggest making sure they inject your non-dominant arm.

[Infidel144]

In Dunkirk we have reached the 1% incidence rate while the rest of France is 5 time less in average (except in Nice). Basically, nearly 300% progresssion rate in a week. Results: curfew during the week from 18:00 to 6:00 (as already) and complete lockdown during the week-end. Any shop bigger than 5000m2 has to remain closed (latest news today).

Bigger shops have to remain closed?
From what I have noticed it seems to have been done the other way (smaller 'mom and pop' types forced to close while the big stores get to remain open), generally.
Was the 'smaller open', 'larger closed' typical in France?

[Lifthrasir]

For the whole country, only museums, bars, restaurants, theaters, cinemas and night clubs aren't allowed to open. Restaurants can sell by pick up.
Recently, shopping moles bigger than 20000 m2 were closed as well.
Others are still open but with a limited amount of people allowed inside depending on their size.
I have to rectify my previous post. It is not confirmed yet how is gonna work for people outside Dunkirk during the week-end. I can not say if they will be allowed to come. I don't think so tbh.

[antaeus]

But why our gouvernement refused to close the schools 1 week before the winter holidays despite the mayor request and considering that half of the students were already at home (request made twice 12 days ago)?

Re: Schools

Governments are usually resistant to close schools because they act as child care for those people still able or required to work. For example, closing schools impacts on the number and length of time nurses, police officers, fire workers can spend on the job, because they have to look after kids and help with home schooling. Closing schools has proven to be one of the most disruptive parts of lockdowns. When you combine it with the low incidence of serious Covid symptoms amongst children, then it's sometimes better to keep schools open, and ensure families don't mix with each other outside school.

[TheDarkKnight]

Found out that my brother and his wife hosted a Christmas party, no masks, in December.

He and his wife (with many health conditions) both caught it, and a friend who attended caught it as well from someone else who was there. The friend has since passed on after fighting it for weeks. Both my brother and his wife have not fully recovered yet but never had to be hospitalized.

I have no words, nor much sympathy. He should have known better.

In other news, I am getting my Bill Gates microchip this week. My work county is doing very well with the microchip distribution while my home county is not, so luckily for me I get to choose. The site alone has done ~4,000 chip injections this week.

Happy competent people are in charge. Wish the best for everyone who is being responsible and getting it.

[sumskilz]

Another update on the efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine:

A real-world test of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in more than half a million people confirms that it’s very effective at preventing serious illness or death, even after one dose.

Wednesday’s published results, from a mass vaccination campaign in Israel, give strong reassurance that the benefits seen in smaller, limited testing persisted when the vaccine was used much more widely in a general population with various ages and health conditions.

The vaccine was 92% effective at preventing severe disease after two shots and 62% after one. Its estimated effectiveness for preventing death was 72% two to three weeks after the first shot, a rate that may improve as immunity builds over time.

It seemed as effective in folks over 70 as in younger people.

Interesting strategy, if people won't bother to come in to a vaccination center, wait for them where they're likely to buy their next drink:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Mithradates]

Can you guys point out which vaccines you got when you mention getting it?

Pfizer, no side effects. (no change in my 5G speed either)

[Lifthrasir]

Re: Schools

Governments are usually resistant to close schools because they act as child care for those people still able or required to work. For example, closing schools impacts on the number and length of time nurses, police officers, fire workers can spend on the job, because they have to look after kids and help with home schooling. Closing schools has proven to be one of the most disruptive parts of lockdowns. When you combine it with the low incidence of serious Covid symptoms amongst children, then it's sometimes better to keep schools open, and ensure families don't mix with each other outside school.

There are other parameters to take into account in France.
- 50% of the teenagers (those who go to colleges and lycées) stay at home 1 week on 2 while the other 50% go to school. The next week, they swap. So, giving to them 1 extra week of holidays wouldn't impact that much their scolarity and I think that it wouldn't have impacted their parents' activity either.
- A recent study (can't find it again unfortunately) says that there are more "chance" to be infected at school than in a cinema.
- Our "beloved" Minister for education, Mr Blanquer is preparing is own reform of our education system (one more ), increasing the inequities btw (but that's another subject). Don't you think that beside the economic and socio-educative purposes, there's a political one as well?

Last spring, after the 1st lockdown they (politics) promised earth to the medical staff. Unfortunately, it didn't go further than promises.
To summarize, we're currently paying the price of 30 years of sacrifice of our education and health systems based on the sacrosanct principle of rentability.

And just to conclude on a humor note: what can we expect from a president with a marine gastropod name
I know, that was an easy one

Regarding the vaccins, I'm still sceptical. There are doubts about their efficiency against the Brazilian and South African stains which seem to be able to "escape" to the immune response. Future will tell.

[conon394]

Regarding the vaccins, I'm still sceptical. There are doubts about their efficiency against the Brazilian and South African stains which seem to be able to "escape" to the immune response. Future will tell.

Problem is you seem to be over focused on the front line number. The simple fact even with the variants that data remains beyond remarkably good. But critically the the numbers that are not included remain unchallenged lack of sever illness and or death. The data from Israel is remarkable and large scale. The simple fact is if you can get shot no matter the reason get a shot period. If thay say they broke open a batch and running out of time and you are lucky enough to be in the waiting room - get a shot.