International COVID-19 Megathread

[CumbrianLefty]

Their negligence in getting the population vaxed during lockdown is staggering.

[Mike88]

Portugal update:

Madeira islands starts vaccinating young people above 12 years old, even though the national health authorities announced they aren't ready yet to start doing that. Nonetheless, there are massive lines of young people waiting to get a vaccine in Funchal city:

https://twitter.com/dnoticiaspt/status/1421491375942430722

Big turnout to vaccination for young people from 12 years of age: There is great turnout to vaccination for young people from 12 years of age, which is about to start at Madeira Tecnopolo

[President Johnson]

Germany goes to more strict rules for travelers; also quick Covid tests won't be free for unvacccinated very soon anymore.

https://twitter.com/dwnews/status/1421693170241376259

[_.]

We've been lucky in Pakistan for far too long

Delta Variant has broken out in Karachi megacity and they have been put under lockdown. Positivity rates in non-Sindh parts of the country remain low though for now.

National Positive Rate last six days: 7.88%

Sindh: 13.54%
Punjab: 3.38%
KPK: 3.95%
Balochistan: 4.95%
ICT: 9.07% (also getting into yikes territory)
AJK: 20.65% (damn)
Gilgit-Baltistan: 8.26%

Vaccination efforts are speeding up as 1 Million new people take shots every day but it isn't a fast process.

24 Million people (11% of population) have Dose One (+750K yesterday)
6.5 Million have (3%) have Dose Two (+200K yesterday)

[President Johnson]

https://twitter.com/dwnews/status/1422233316871348224

[President Johnson]

I support these decisions.

https://twitter.com/dwnews/status/1425143404745437188

[_.]

Positivity Rates in Pakistan on the downtrend:

Image Link

India-style crisis averted once again

[Zinneke]

https://www.twitter.com/ESYudkowsky/status/1425619567703773184

But yeah the world will continue to drive a 500km/h supercar of globalism without the seatbelts and breaks required in their new technical monstrosity, because Western populates got a bit tired of ThE sAnITaRy DiCtAtOrShIp

[Former President tack50]

https://www.twitter.com/ESYudkowsky/status/1425619567703773184

But yeah the world will continue to drive a 500km/h supercar of globalism without the seatbelts and breaks required in their new technical monstrosity, because Western populates got a bit tired of ThE sAnITaRy DiCtAtOrShIp

This is literally a once in a century event though? I do not expect any new pandemics after covid at least until the 22nd century. At that point there will be very few if any Atlas posters left; including myself (doubt I'll live to my 100s). We need those factories and stuff now. We don't need to keep having them in the 2040s or 2050s. There is no need for pandemic preparedness. A pandemic already hit, and the next one isn't due until decades from now

[Zinneke]

https://www.twitter.com/ESYudkowsky/status/1425619567703773184

But yeah the world will continue to drive a 500km/h supercar of globalism without the seatbelts and breaks required in their new technical monstrosity, because Western populates got a bit tired of ThE sAnITaRy DiCtAtOrShIp

This is literally a once in a century event though? I do not expect any new pandemics after covid at least until the 22nd century. At that point there will be very few if any Atlas posters left; including myself (doubt I'll live to my 100s). We need those factories and stuff now. We don't need to keep having them in the 2040s or 2050s. There is no need for pandemic preparedness. A pandemic already hit, and the next one isn't due until decades from now

Umm that's not how viruses work? Especially when certain governments fund weird experiments and have open wet markets for 1 billion man economies? That didn't exactly exist on such a scale before.

There's also the speed at which an undetected virus can spread. I think the movie Contagion showed exactly the existential issue in that sense.

[Omega21]

I support these decisions.

https://twitter.com/dwnews/status/1425143404745437188

I have an issue with Govts. telling businesses who they can do business with.

If a business and its employees agree on serving the unvaccinated, they should be free to do so.

It is their money, their risk, and ultimately, should be up to them.

If they put up a sign that they serve everyone, it's up to each person to freely decide if they will take the risk of entering or not.

This is, and will likely remain the case for public transport, which is much more of a risk in rush hour than a cinema.

[It’s so Joever]

https://www.twitter.com/ESYudkowsky/status/1425619567703773184

But yeah the world will continue to drive a 500km/h supercar of globalism without the seatbelts and breaks required in their new technical monstrosity, because Western populates got a bit tired of ThE sAnITaRy DiCtAtOrShIp

Absolutely horrendous.

[Mike88]

Portugal update:

The country surpassed the 1 million mark of cases since March 2020, 1,001,118, as 2,571 new cases were reported today as well 12 new deaths. However, hospitalizations and ICUs have been falling each day since some time now, standing at 727 hospitalization and 161 at ICUs.

The vaccination program continues at record pace with a total of 13,216,662 jab already given, numbers of the last few days. During this weekend, more than 160,000 young people between 16 and 17 years old, will be vaccinated and until mid afternoon this Saturday, more than 98,000 had already received a shot. Portugal places at 10th place, worldwide, in terms of % of population vaccinated, with 73.6% with at least one dose and almost 64% completely vaccinated.

[SnowLabrador]

https://www.twitter.com/ESYudkowsky/status/1425619567703773184

But yeah the world will continue to drive a 500km/h supercar of globalism without the seatbelts and breaks required in their new technical monstrosity, because Western populates got a bit tired of ThE sAnITaRy DiCtAtOrShIp

Not everything LessWrong says is correct, but this is 100% spot-on.

[CumbrianLefty]

https://www.twitter.com/ESYudkowsky/status/1425619567703773184

But yeah the world will continue to drive a 500km/h supercar of globalism without the seatbelts and breaks required in their new technical monstrosity, because Western populates got a bit tired of ThE sAnITaRy DiCtAtOrShIp

This is literally a once in a century event though? I do not expect any new pandemics after covid at least until the 22nd century. At that point there will be very few if any Atlas posters left; including myself (doubt I'll live to my 100s). We need those factories and stuff now. We don't need to keep having them in the 2040s or 2050s. There is no need for pandemic preparedness. A pandemic already hit, and the next one isn't due until decades from now

Well, that is......brave.

[Real Texan Politics]

Australia and New Zealand are gonna be on eternal lockdowns at this point.
https://twitter.com/Quicktake/status/1427523355977166852?s=20

[Pericles]

Australia is in a perpetual (well until they're mostly vaccinated) lockdown because they locked down after a lot more than one case.* NZ saw that, knows we can't take risks with Delta, and so we'll get this done in the next two weeks and have our freedom back. Remember, this has been a world-beating approach in the pandemic so far, with hard and early lockdowns we have had more freedom than most countries and much less deaths.

*Australia has to lock down though because Delta is so contagious that there's no way an outbreak could be controlled when most Australians are unvaccinated.

[Hammy]

https://www.twitter.com/ESYudkowsky/status/1425619567703773184

But yeah the world will continue to drive a 500km/h supercar of globalism without the seatbelts and breaks required in their new technical monstrosity, because Western populates got a bit tired of ThE sAnITaRy DiCtAtOrShIp

America does not deserve to govern itself

[Mike88]

Portugal: During this weekend more than 140,000 young people, so far as the number will still rise, between 12 and 17 years old have already received a jab.

https://twitter.com/ominhopt/status/1429452968974299139

Twenty thousand users vaccinated this Sunday morning

The task force announced today that around 20 thousand users have been vaccinated during the Sunday morning, until 10:30 am.

In a note sent to TSF, those responsible also said that "between August 19 and 21, more than 47 thousand self-scheduling requests were made for young people aged between 12 and 17 years, to be vaccinated on the weekends of 28 and 29 of August".

Vaccination from 12 to 15 began this weekend (and continues into the next), reaching 120 thousand inoculations on Saturday (more 20 thousand this Sunday).

Young people who are going to take the second dose of the vaccine must do so on the weekend of September 11th and 12th, that is, before the school year.

Portugal is one the countries with the highest share of the population vaccinated, with almost 80% with at least one jab and almost 68% fully vaccinated.

[CumbrianLefty]

https://www.twitter.com/ESYudkowsky/status/1425619567703773184

But yeah the world will continue to drive a 500km/h supercar of globalism without the seatbelts and breaks required in their new technical monstrosity, because Western populates got a bit tired of ThE sAnITaRy DiCtAtOrShIp

America does not deserve to govern itself

Not many countries do, arguably.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

https://www.twitter.com/ESYudkowsky/status/1425619567703773184

But yeah the world will continue to drive a 500km/h supercar of globalism without the seatbelts and breaks required in their new technical monstrosity, because Western populates got a bit tired of ThE sAnITaRy DiCtAtOrShIp

Funny how the "Department of Defense" gets close to $1 trillion a year. You'd think that protecting us against pandemics and climate change would do more for defense than to murder Shia children in Yemen for Saudi Arabia.

[CumbrianLefty]

https://www.twitter.com/ESYudkowsky/status/1425619567703773184

But yeah the world will continue to drive a 500km/h supercar of globalism without the seatbelts and breaks required in their new technical monstrosity, because Western populates got a bit tired of ThE sAnITaRy DiCtAtOrShIp

Funny how the "Department of Defense" gets close to $1 trillion a year. You'd think that protecting us against pandemics and climate change would do more for defense than to murder Shia children in Yemen for Saudi Arabia.

Where's the revenue maximisation for megacoropation shareholders in the former, though.

[Silent Hunter]

The DoD will have trained quite a few of the medics now treating Covid patients though.

[lfromnj]

https://twitter.com/9newssyd/status/1430707532134236163?s=21

[Sir Mohamed]

Ugh.

https://twitter.com/axios/status/1430868742267879424