the no-nonsense, nothing-but-the-facts-m'am C19 thread

[Atticus]

That lack of diversity of antibodies makes the monoclonal treatment highly effective against the variant(s) which were selected for, but also makes them vulnerable to losing effectiveness when the virus has significant mutations.

Why does it feel so much like we are in a bad 1980s horror film?

[1.609]

Why does it feel so much like we are in a bad 1980s horror film?

Was this January 6th?

day-of-the-dead-1539962922.jpg

[18.99s]

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/omicron-variant-accounts-73-percent-new-covid-cases-us-rcna9434

The omicron variant has overtaken delta as the dominant coronavirus variant in the United States: As of Friday, more than 73 percent of new cases in the country were caused by omicron, according to data the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted Monday.

[1.609]

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/omicron-variant-accounts-73-percent-new-covid-cases-us-rcna9434

The omicron variant has overtaken delta as the dominant coronavirus variant in the United States: As of Friday, more than 73 percent of new cases in the country were caused by omicron, according to data the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted Monday.

I hope they don't call the next one Ventilon. How about Wobegon?

[TN1965]

EU backs Novavax shot as region's fifth COVID-19 vaccine

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu-regulator-backs-novavax-regions-fifth-covid-19-vaccine-2021-12-20/

The European Union on Monday approved the use of Novavax's (NVAX.O)COVID-19 vaccine in people 18 years and older, giving a boost to the U.S. biotech after long delays and paving the way for a fifth shot in the EU as the Omicron variant spreads.

[Halfmiler2]

After the hiatus for the USATF meetings, we are back and things have changed quite a bit in three weeks…

Weekly Update:
The Monday (12/13/21) Afternoon Numbers:

Cumulative Totals:
Globally: 269.076 million cases & 5,291K deaths
The USA: 49.882 million cases & 797K deaths
NY State: 2.835 million cases & 47.2K deaths
NJ State: 1.131 million cases & 25.7 deaths
Bergen Co: 110,808 cases & 2,715 deaths

NJ & NY Detail:
The RT in NJ has risen to 1.41.
NJ had 1,650 & NY has 3,683 hospitalizations.
NJ has 8.02% & NY has 4.6% positivity.
NJ had 6.3 million full vaccines, 7.0 first shots, & 1.7 million boosters for 9.2 million people.

21-Day Daily Averages:
Globally: 572K cases & 7.3K deaths
The USA: 104K cases & 1.2K deaths
NY State: 7.1K cases & 72 deaths
NJ State: 2. 9K cases & 25 deaths
Bergen Co: 235 cases & 1 death

Weekly Update:
The Monday (12/20/21) afternoon numbers:

Cumulative Numbers:
Globally: 274.114 million cases & 5,345K deaths
The USA: 50.812 million cases & 806K deaths
NY State: 2.964 million cases & 47,613 deaths
NJ State: 1.170 million cases & 25,888 deaths
Bergen Co: 114,662 cases & 2,736 deaths

NJ & NY Details:
The RT for NJ fell to 1.21.
NJ has 1,902 & NY has 4,020 hospitalizations
NJ has 6.36 million full vaccines out of 9.2 million
NY has 14.985 million full vaccines out of 20.2 mill

7-Day Daily Averages:
Globally: 730K cases & 8.4K deaths
The USA: 134K cases & 1.3K deaths
NY State: 18,327 cases & 60 deaths
NJ State: 5,600 cases & 18.6 deaths
Bergen Co: 550 cases & 3 deaths

[18.99s]

Why does it feel so much like we are in a bad 1980s horror film?

It feels like we're characters in a video game or simulation.

There's a pandemic simulation video game called Plague Inc. (released in 2012, but is having a resurgence during Covid) where the goal is to orchestrate a pandemic that destroys the world, in a race against scientists and governments who scramble to develop and distribute a vaccine or cure. You have to make tradeoffs with severity and transmissibility, while recognizing that faster spreading and greater severity will cause countries to invest more into vaccines and cures.

You have some ability to affect mutations, and when a new mutation occurs it quickly becomes the dominant strain like what Omicron has done. It's like some higher beings are playing their own version of the game, with all of us as the plebs and pawns in the game.

[Halfmiler2]

The New Year’s (1/1/21) early afternoon cumulative numbers:

Globally: 83,493K cases & 1,816K deaths
The USA: 20,213K cases & 349K deaths
NY State: 991K cases & 37,557 deaths
NYC only: 431K cases & 25,144 deaths
NJ State: 483K cases & 19,160 deaths
Bergen: 47,570 cases & 2,330 deaths

The above are as close to 2020 year-end numbers as you are going to get. Global numbers exclude China (87K cases, 4.6K deaths) as unreliable.

NJ: 5,541 new cases.
NJ has 3,625 & NY has 7,886 hospitalizations.
The Rt for NJ fell to 0.92.
The NJ spot positivity test rate was 11.14%.

For comparison sake, the above is where we were at the beginning of 2021. I will try to do an annual update on 1/1/22.

By the way, China has reported zero deaths in 2021. It has reported an average of fewer than 1K cases each month but not a single one is reported to have died.

[gh]

great news from the vaccine world?

US Army Creates Single Vaccine Against All COVID & SARS Variants, Researchers Say

Within weeks, Walter Reed researchers expect to announce that human trials show success against Omicron—and even future strains.

https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2021/12/us-army-creates-single-vaccine-effective-against-all-covid-sars-variants/360089/

[bambam1729]

great news from the vaccine world?

US Army Creates Single Vaccine Against All COVID & SARS Variants, Researchers Say

Within weeks, Walter Reed researchers expect to announce that human trials show success against Omicron—and even future strains.

https://www.defenseone.com/technolog...riants/360089/

👍

[J Rorick]

👍

So that's where all that Defense money's been going to.

[bambam1729]

great news from the vaccine world?

US Army Creates Single Vaccine Against All COVID & SARS Variants, Researchers Say

Within weeks, Walter Reed researchers expect to announce that human trials show success against Omicron—and even future strains.

https://www.defenseone.com/technolog...riants/360089/

Motto of the Army Corps of Engineers:

"The difficult we do immediately - the impossible may take a little longer."

[wamego relays champ]

Motto of the Army Corps of Engineers:

"The difficult we do immediately - the impossible may take a little longer."

Some Hurricane Katrina survivors have a lower opinion of the Army Corps, but to me the more burning question is whether the vaccine hesitant will be more willing to risk getting an Army vaccine than a Big Pharma vaccine.

[El Toro]

It feels like we're characters in a video game or simulation.

There's a pandemic simulation video game called Plague Inc. (released in 2012, but is having a resurgence during Covid) where the goal is to orchestrate a pandemic that destroys the world, in a race against scientists and governments who scramble to develop and distribute a vaccine or cure. You have to make tradeoffs with severity and transmissibility, while recognizing that faster spreading and greater severity will cause countries to invest more into vaccines and cures.

You have some ability to affect mutations, and when a new mutation occurs it quickly becomes the dominant strain like what Omicron has done. It's like some higher beings are playing their own version of the game, with all of us as the plebs and pawns in the game.

Wellcome to Simulation Theory!: https://now.northropgrumman.com/is-o...lated-reality/

[NotDutra5]

Motto of the Army Corps of Engineers:

"The difficult we do immediately - the impossible may take a little longer."

I look at it this way. I received 3 Pfizer vax shots. 2 by nurses and 1 by a member of the Army Corps of Engineers. The arm hurt the least after the Army shot.