Covid-19 miscellany

[Jimmy Higgins]

Save lives? In America? Half the country gave up on that months ago!

Also, that'd involve getting as many people vaccinated and trying to get people to stop pretending that there isn't a pandemic.

But who in the US is going to want "half a dose" of vaccine? It also sends a clear message... we don't have nearly as much coming in as we thought. And the US has already distributed a decent amount of vaccinations that aren't finding its way into people's bodies! The Trump Administration has effectively fucked up nearly every possible part of the response to the pandemic.

Ultimately, it might be fine, based on what the study showed, but the time to set the dose was earlier, not later.

They're not caricature villains. The people making the decisions are very probably trying to save lives with the reduced dose (US) or shots given further apart (UK).

The people making the decisions at the FDA never had any plans to go to half doses. That was a lie from the Trump Administration who is trying to save face due to the lower supply and the wickedly slow pace the vaccine is being distributed because for some fucking reason, the US isn't using the national guard!

 

[Jarhyn]

Save lives? In America? Half the country gave up on that months ago!

Also, that'd involve getting as many people vaccinated and trying to get people to stop pretending that there isn't a pandemic.

But who in the US is going to want "half a dose" of vaccine? It also sends a clear message... we don't have nearly as much coming in as we thought. And the US has already distributed a decent amount of vaccinations that aren't finding its way into people's bodies! The Trump Administration has effectively fucked up nearly every possible part of the response to the pandemic.

Ultimately, it might be fine, based on what the study showed, but the time to set the dose was earlier, not later.

They're not caricature villains. The people making the decisions are very probably trying to save lives with the reduced dose (US) or shots given further apart (UK).

The people making the decisions at the FDA never had any plans to go to half doses. That was a lie from the Trump Administration who is trying to save face due to the lower supply and the wickedly slow pace the vaccine is being distributed because for some fucking reason, the US isn't using the national guard!

I don't think an act of clear and direct biological warfare using conventional munitions could even be a tenth as effective at destabilization as informational bioweapons like facebook turned out to be.

 

[marc]

Not sure if I posted it before, but saw a good meme saying we need to get rid of the saying "Avoided it like the plague" because it turns out people don't do that.

Case in point: at a Pro-Trump rally one of the speakers, podcast host Clay Clark, who apparently still thinks Covid is a hoax, encouraged people to hug the person next to them, and called it a mass-spreader event.

 

[ZiprHead]

Wealthy donors received vaccines through Florida nursing home

The invitation to affluent Floridians arrived in writing and by telephone.

“He asked me if I wanted to have a vaccine,” said Ryna Greenbaum, 89, recounting the phone message she got last week. “I’m one of the people who has given him some money.”

The call, she said, had come from Keith Myers, chief executive of MorseLife Health System, a high-end nursing home and assisted-living facility in West Palm Beach, Fla., to members of the board and major donors.

MorseLife has made scarce coronavirus vaccines — provided through a federal program intended for residents and staff of long-term-care facilities — available not just to its residents but to board members and those who made generous donations to the facility, including members of the Palm Beach Country Club, according to multiple people who were offered access, some of whom accepted it. The precise number of invitations, and how many may have also gone to non-donors, could not be learned.

 

[lpetrich]

These three states have the worst Covid infection rates of anywhere in the world

Arizona currently has the highest per-capita rate of new Covid-19 infections, with 785 cases per 100,000 people over the past seven days. That rate not only leads the U.S., but is the highest in the world, according to NBC News data. For comparison, the Czech Republic, the country with the highest per-capita rate of infection, has reported 653 cases per 100,000 over the past seven days.

Rhode Island and California also have higher per-capita rates of infection than any other country. Over the past seven days, Rhode Island reported 671 new cases per 100,000, and California had 658 per 100,000.

Pelosi tells two conservative lawmakers to wear face masks on floor after tense exchange with House staff - CNNPolitics

Two conservative lawmakers got into a contentious exchange with House staff Tuesday over rules requiring members to wear a mask on the floor, which prompted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to get involved and order them to follow the chamber's rules.

The two lawmakers, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Chip Roy of Texas, were voting on Tuesday when the exchange occurred.

 

[lpetrich]

Tangling with AOC is *not* a good idea.

Jennifer Griswold on Twitter: "Governor Ricketts just said during a news conference, ..." / Twitter

Governor Ricketts just said during a news conference, "AOC is someone who does not care about Nebraska."

He called the below information "fake news"

For context, I'm quote tweeting what he's referencing. #Ricketts #N

Governor Ricketts had previously said you need to be documented to be working at plants so whether to vaccinate undocumented workers at these plants is not an issue.

He is repeating this now. And he says they won't be checking status when giving vaccinations at meat packing plants because that already should've been checked for employment.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Given that I want EVERY Nebraskan to have vaccine access, including *every* meatpacker and not just *some*, I think I care about more Nebraskans than even Ricketts does." / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "And @GovRicketts if the reporting about denying vaccine access to undocumented workers is “fake news,” I am happy to be corrected by you publicly stating that all undocumented Nebraskans, including meatpacking workers, will have access to the vaccine. Thank you! " / Twitter

 

[Angra Mainyu]

Save lives? In America? Half the country gave up on that months ago!

Also, that'd involve getting as many people vaccinated and trying to get people to stop pretending that there isn't a pandemic.

But who in the US is going to want "half a dose" of vaccine? It also sends a clear message... we don't have nearly as much coming in as we thought. And the US has already distributed a decent amount of vaccinations that aren't finding its way into people's bodies! The Trump Administration has effectively fucked up nearly every possible part of the response to the pandemic.

Ultimately, it might be fine, based on what the study showed, but the time to set the dose was earlier, not later.

They're not caricature villains. The people making the decisions are very probably trying to save lives with the reduced dose (US) or shots given further apart (UK).

The people making the decisions at the FDA never had any plans to go to half doses. That was a lie from the Trump Administration who is trying to save face due to the lower supply and the wickedly slow pace the vaccine is being distributed because for some fucking reason, the US isn't using the national guard!

The people considering the idea of using half-doses are not caricature villains, either. Saving lives is a much more probable motivation than what you accuse them of.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

CNN-Los Angeles ambulance crews told not to transport patients who stand little chance of survival

No big deal--those were hail-mary cases in the first place and "survival" would generally not be neurologically intact.

The shocker in there is they are running out of oxygen!

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Egypt: Entire ICU ward dies after oxygen supply fails

Failed, or simply ran out?

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Wealthy donors received vaccines through Florida nursing home

The invitation to affluent Floridians arrived in writing and by telephone.

“He asked me if I wanted to have a vaccine,” said Ryna Greenbaum, 89, recounting the phone message she got last week. “I’m one of the people who has given him some money.”

The call, she said, had come from Keith Myers, chief executive of MorseLife Health System, a high-end nursing home and assisted-living facility in West Palm Beach, Fla., to members of the board and major donors.

MorseLife has made scarce coronavirus vaccines — provided through a federal program intended for residents and staff of long-term-care facilities — available not just to its residents but to board members and those who made generous donations to the facility, including members of the Palm Beach Country Club, according to multiple people who were offered access, some of whom accepted it. The precise number of invitations, and how many may have also gone to non-donors, could not be learned.

Surprise factor zero. I suspect there has been a lot of diversion going on, the messed up response makes it a lot easier.

 

[bilby]

Egypt: Entire ICU ward dies after oxygen supply fails

Failed, or simply ran out?

I dunno about this specific case, but many hospitals are having problems with ice build up blocking oxygen lines.

The systems typically supply oxygen to each bed in the hospital, but were designed with the expectation that only a fraction of patients would be on supplemental oxygen at any given time. With CoVID, the total throughput is higher than the design specifications, as a much larger fraction of patients are being given oxygen. High throughput causes significant adiabatic cooling at pressure reducing regulators, and if these ice up, the whole system stops supplying oxygen until the ice melts.

Of course, the system could also fail due to simply running out of oxygen.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Over 4,000 deaths today from Covid-19.

 

[lpetrich]

Ben Jacobs on Twitter: "This from @PunchbowlNews today is really unsettling https://t.co/87nMlbnAHu" / Twitter

Is a COVID outbreak coming?

A House lawmaker sends us this: "There's: severe covid outbreak coming among members. At the secure location yesterday at least 50 GOP members refused to wear masks. They were asked repeatedly. Older dem members pleaded. And they wouldn't do it ... The sergeant at arms made announcements."

Jake Tapper on Twitter: "Turns out that electing selfish dipshits isn’t a good idea" / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

Donna Imam on Twitter: "Send the $2,000 check.
Break this promise to deny millions of Americans urgently needed cash relief and Sen Joe Manchin will cause 2022 congressional seat losses.

And forget turning Texas blue. (image link)" / Twitter
From the Washington Post

Biden push for new stimulus checks runs into roadblock from key Democratic senator

President-elect aims to move quickly on stimulus plan as economy sheds jobs, but already faces divisions within party

President-elect Joe Biden's plans for a major new economic relief package boosting stimulus payments to $2,000 ran into possibly fatal opposition from his own party Friday as Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) said he would "absolutely not" support a new round of checks.

With economic conditions deteriorating, Biden wants to get a new relief package passed as quickly as possible after his Jan. 20 inauguration. Biden has made new stimulus checks a central promise, specifically telling Georgia voters that they would be getting $2,000 payments if Democrats won Senate elections in the state this week.

Democrats did win those races, clinching a majority in the Senate and unified control of Washington for the first time since the start of the Obama administration. Following the Georgia wins, incoming Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) also pledged that the $2,000 checks would be an early priority.

 

[lpetrich]

Joe Biden on Twitter: "Folks, I just received the second dose of my COVID-19 vaccine — and just like the first dose, it was safe, quick, and painless.

I urge everyone to get vaccinated once it’s your turn. Because only together can we save lives and beat this virus. (pic link)" / Twitter
then
Kamala Harris on Twitter: "Leadership." / Twitter

 

[blastula]

Rep. Jayapal has tested positive, second one to do so after what is turning out to be a superspreader event at the Capitol. Jayapal is not pleased.

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/RepJayapal/status/1348871119688900610[/TWEET]

 

[lpetrich]

It's now three.
Reps. Pramila Jayapal, Brad Schneider And Bonnie Coleman Test Positive : Insurrection At The Capitol: Live Updates : NPR

Rep. Bonnie Coleman is D-NJ, Pramila Jayapal is D-WA, and Brad Schneider is D-IL.

Schneider shared a video of the scene, saying, "Several Republican lawmakers in the room adamantly refused to wear a mask, as demonstrated in video from Punchbowl News, even when politely asked by their colleagues."

Punchbowl Midday: January 8, 2021 - YouTube

Provoking this response:
Democrats to levy fines on maskless lawmakers on House floor | TheHill - first time: $500, second time: $2,000

 

[ZiprHead]

J&J’s one-shot Covid vaccine is safe and generates promising immune response in early trial

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I read that Biden's 100 million shot plan is likely doomed because the Trump Admin has amassed no infrastructure leadership up to now, and they are virtually starting from scratch.

 

[TSwizzle]

Getting their excuses in early I see.

Newsom is fucking this up in California, Trump's fault probably.