International COVID-19 Megathread

[2016]

France lifting Vaccine Passport & Mandates starting March 14!

How convinient when there is an Election in April and possibly May (if there is a Runoff) given the pushback the Macron Govtm has received over these Mandate Crappolas.

Macron needs to go regardless! Hopefully he loses bad!

[Astatine]

France lifting Vaccine Passport & Mandates starting March 14!

How convinient when there is an Election in April and possibly May (if there is a Runoff) given the pushback the Macron Govtm has received over these Mandate Crappolas.

Macron needs to go regardless! Hopefully he loses bad!

ain't happening

https://twitter.com/spignal/status/1498636902639017985

[Frodo]

It is like March 2020 all over again in Hong Kong:

https://twitter.com/eelarson/status/1500648622324690944

[Frodo]

https://twitter.com/KUTV2News/status/1500846721827434497

[Pericles]

I heard only 30% of elderly Hong Kongers are vaccinated even while the overall population rate is much higher. I'm not sure what causes that weird phenomenon, but it would explain the death rate. New Zealand did the elimination strategy right with less than 5% of over 12s unvaccinated and Omicron didn't really take off until a majority were triple vaccinated. This is how the elimination strategy is supposed to work, buying time for science to make the virus milder.

[urutzizu]

I heard only 30% of elderly Hong Kongers are vaccinated even while the overall population rate is much higher. I'm not sure what causes that weird phenomenon, but it would explain the death rate. New Zealand did the elimination strategy right with less than 5% of over 12s unvaccinated and Omicron didn't really take off until a majority were triple vaccinated. This is how the elimination strategy is supposed to work, buying time for science to make the virus milder.

The problem is not just the low rate of vaccination among the elderly, but also the vaccine used. The older you are the more likely you are to use Sinovac (Chinese vaccine) and refuse Biontech (Pfizer vaccine). The younger, the more likely you are to use Biontech and refuse Sinovac. The problem is, while Sinovac was ok-ish until the Alpha variant, it has become almost totally ineffective as the virus has mutated, in a way the mrna vaccines have not.



The reason for this specific effect are generally seen as political polarization in pro-china and anti-china. Also information sources, young people are more likely to use western social media/media sources in which the Chinese vaccines were from the start questioned. While the older generations (if at all) more use Chinese social media/media sources, where there was a huge amount of anti-western vaccine disinformation (state-endorsed), especially at the start of 2021.

But low vaccination rate among elderly overall (Sinovac or no sinovac) does not really have political reasons: older generations of Chinese just tend to have more superstitious beliefs on medicine and science than their western counterparts. There are good ways to reconcile and compliment traditional Chinese medicine with modern, but older generations are particularly recalcitrant.

This can be seen in that Hong Kong's vaccination problem is a actually remarkably similar to mainland China, just it doesn't notice there due to the lower number of cases. But China has the same problem, with in some provinces those over 70 have only a 50% vaccination rate, and over 80 even lower. Macau has the same problem even more extreme than HK, and it can even be seen a little bit (a much, much lesser level though) in other ethnic Chinese countries like Taiwan and Singapore.

The problem is that the central Government sees this current outbreak as a direct threat to the entirety of China as it is putting elimination on the mainland in danger, and the inability to get it under control as the fault of the insubordinance of the local population and the inadequacy of (the remnants of) Hong Kongs "western" political system and autonomy. The risk is that they for this reason decide to destroy the remaining parts of Hong Kongs difference (which, aside from democracy, are still significant) and fully incorporates it into the mainland.

[icemanj]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/13/china-battles-worst-covid-outbreak-for-two-years-as-cases-double-in-24-hours

China reported nearly 3,400 daily Covid-19 cases on Sunday, double the previous day, forcing lockdowns on virus hotspots as the country contends with its gravest outbreak in two years.

A nationwide surge in cases has seen authorities close schools in Shanghai and lock down several north-eastern cities, as almost 19 provinces battle clusters of the Omicron and Delta variants.

The city of Jilin has been partially locked down, with hundreds of neighbourhoods sealed up, an official announced Sunday, while Yanji, an urban area of nearly 700,000 bordering North Korea, was fully closed off.

China, where the virus was first detected in late 2019, has maintained a strict zero-Covid policy enforced by swift lockdowns, travel restrictions and mass testing when clusters have emerged.

But the latest flare-up, driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant and a spike in asymptomatic cases, is challenging that approach.

Zhang Yan, an official with the Jilin provincial health commission, admitted on Sunday that local authorities’ virus response so far had been lacking.

Seriously, how long can China keep this up?

[Frodo]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/13/china-battles-worst-covid-outbreak-for-two-years-as-cases-double-in-24-hours

China reported nearly 3,400 daily Covid-19 cases on Sunday, double the previous day, forcing lockdowns on virus hotspots as the country contends with its gravest outbreak in two years.

A nationwide surge in cases has seen authorities close schools in Shanghai and lock down several north-eastern cities, as almost 19 provinces battle clusters of the Omicron and Delta variants.

The city of Jilin has been partially locked down, with hundreds of neighbourhoods sealed up, an official announced Sunday, while Yanji, an urban area of nearly 700,000 bordering North Korea, was fully closed off.

A man in a mask reads his phone on the Tube
Call to offer more people fourth jab as Covid rises in England
Read more
China, where the virus was first detected in late 2019, has maintained a strict zero-Covid policy enforced by swift lockdowns, travel restrictions and mass testing when clusters have emerged.

But the latest flare-up, driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant and a spike in asymptomatic cases, is challenging that approach.

Zhang Yan, an official with the Jilin provincial health commission, admitted on Sunday that local authorities’ virus response so far had been lacking.

Seriously, how long can China keep this up?

If they are trying to prove their authoritarian system is superior to the democracies of the West in fighting COVID via their 'Zero-COVID' policy, it looks like they are failing. 

[President Johnson]

China's zero Covid policy has pretty much failed at this point.

https://twitter.com/cnni/status/1503804127901622276

[It’s so Joever]

China's zero Covid policy has pretty much failed at this point.

https://twitter.com/cnni/status/1503804127901622276

China had THE PERFECT chance to transition. They can’t do this forever or the regim will collapse, I’m not even kidding.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Germany is maybe entering the weirdest COVID phase yet. Infection rates are the highest ever in the pandemic, but most measures will be discontiuned in most states over the next two weeks (federally on March 20). FDP pushed hard for it. Scholz kind of seems to concur with them. Greens are in theory pretty opposed to it, but not hard enough to let the governing coalition fall apart over it. Many state governments, including the SPD ones, are also pretty unhappy over the end of restrictions, but their hands are tied here because the federal level sets the parameters within they can act and those parameters have been defined rather narrow now. Theoretically, a general vaccine mandate is still on the agenda (especially in light of possible COVID mutations next winter), but that mandate really seems to go nowhere now, especially with Omicron and Ukraine and all. This is the era of: meh, whatever... Putin is on TV again.

[It’s so Joever]

Germany is maybe entering the weirdest COVID phase yet. Infection rates are the highest ever in the pandemic, but most measures will be discontiuned in most states over the next two weeks (federally on March 20). FDP pushed hard for it. Scholz kind of seems to concur with them. Greens are in theory pretty opposed to it, but not hard enough to let the governing coalition fall apart over it. Many state governments, including the SPD ones, are also pretty unhappy over the end of restrictions, but their hands are tied here because the federal level sets the parameters within they can act and those parameters have been defined rather narrow now. Theoretically, a general vaccine mandate is still on the agenda (especially in light of possible COVID mutations next winter), but that mandate really seems to go nowhere now, especially with Omicron and Ukraine and all. This is the era of: meh, whatever... Putin is on TV again.

As grim as it may be, the new rises in Covid-19 cases in Western Europe may offer US officials a glimpse into what they should be preparing for soon. After all, the same "following" of Western Europe trend happened in March 2020, Winter 2020, Spring/Summer 2021, AND winter 2021 to differing degrees. Of course I fully expect such trends to be ignored by US leadership.

[lfromnj]

Why is China instituting such harsh lockouts but not rounding up old people and forcibly jabbing them ?

[Frodo]

It is true that African countries generally have terrible record-keeping, but even by word-of-mouth the death toll seems unusually low.  It could just be that the overwhelming majority of people in Africa are young:

Africa’s COVID immunity is a medical mystery as mortality rates fall below early pandemic projections

Despite pessimistic projections that the coronavirus would cripple the African continent, it seems that wealthier and more well-equipped countries have higher death tolls and that the effect of COVID in Africa was comparatively minimal.

Since the first recorded death in 2020, a whopping 1,883,711 people have died from COVID in Europe as of Mar. 13, according to Statista. In France specifically, 140,600 people have died from COVID, according to Statista. As of 2018 there were 6.5 doctors per 10,000 people in France, according to The World Bank. And even with over four times as many health professionals as an African country like Sierra Leone—there are 1.4 doctors, nurses and midwives per 10,000 people in the country as of 2019—over 99% more people died from the coronavirus in France than Sierra Leone. In Sierra Leone only 125 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported according to Reuters.

And in Kamakwie, Sierra Leone in particular, the district’s COVID response center has registered a mere 11 cases since the beginning of the pandemic and no deaths, as reported by The New York Times.

And it’s not just Sierra Leone that has a low death toll. Ghana has reported 1,445 deaths since the pandemic started, according to Reuters. Some countries in Africa are reporting coronavirus-related deaths that don’t even reach the four-figure mark, like Tanzania which has reported 800 COVID-related deaths since the start of the pandemic, and Togo which has reported 272 total coronavirus-related deaths. And one thing is for certain, the low COVID mortality rates in various African countries are not owed to incredibly widespread vaccine access. Vaccine inequity is an ongoing issue in many African countries like Uganda, Zambia, and more. Liberia, for example, has administered about 1.2 million doses of the COVID vaccine which would amount to about 12.2% of the country being vaccinated and yet has only reported 294 total coronavirus-related deaths.  On the other hand, a European country like Portugal has administered over 22 million doses of the COVID vaccine and is reportedly over 92% vaccinated, but still has reported 21,342 total coronavirus-related deaths.

As a result of this inescapable discrepancy, many are wondering: how are African countries faring better than other parts of the world?

[It’s so Joever]

Atlas in SHAMBLES!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/04/01/singapore-ends-outdoor-mask-mandate-covid/

[Middle-aged Europe]

Germany has ended most of its COVID restrictions - except for stuff like mask mandates in public transportation and hospitals - this weekend. Mandatory quarantines for infected people will end May 1.

From what I've gathered most people continue to wear masks in supermarkets and shops voluntarily though. That's probably because according to polls a majority of the population actually opposes lifting the restrictions.

[President Johnson]

Germany has ended most of its COVID restrictions - except for stuff like mask mandates in public transportation and hospitals - this weekend. Mandatory quarantines for infected people will end May 1.

From what I've gathered most people continue to wear masks in supermarkets and shops voluntarily though. That's probably because according to polls a majority of the population actually opposes lifting the restrictions.

Yeah, in some stores I'll probably continue to wear a mask, although I find it uncomfortable. However, at work, in our entire office building nobody really seemed to care anymore today (though there's still a lot of remote working and Covid measures were strictly enforced before).

[parochial boy]

The situation in China sounds absolutely nuts right now. People in Shanghai being forcibly removed to quarantine areas when they test positive, not allowed to go out to walk your dog or even buy groceries, basically impossible to get food delivered and people with chronic conditions dying because the entire hospital system has been re-oriented towards Covid. And apparently.... "zero deaths"

What as incredible demonstration of the eventual failure of "zero covid".

[Mike88]

The situation in China sounds absolutely nuts right now. People in Shanghai being forcibly removed to quarantine areas when they test positive, not allowed to go out to walk your dog or even buy groceries, basically impossible to get food delivered and people with chronic conditions dying because the entire hospital system has been re-oriented towards Covid. And apparently.... "zero deaths"

What as incredible demonstration of the eventual failure of "zero covid".

Plus, factories closed, harbours at half. We know how this will probably end...

[Middle-aged Europe]

Germany has ended most of its COVID restrictions - except for stuff like mask mandates in public transportation and hospitals - this weekend. Mandatory quarantines for infected people will end May 1.

From what I've gathered most people continue to wear masks in supermarkets and shops voluntarily though. That's probably because according to polls a majority of the population actually opposes lifting the restrictions.

Yeah, in some stores I'll probably continue to wear a mask, although I find it uncomfortable. However, at work, in our entire office building nobody really seemed to care anymore today (though there's still a lot of remote working and Covid measures were strictly enforced before).

Health minister Karl Lauterbach has reversed his position on mandatory quarantines - which will remain in place now after all - in a stunning 180 turn that led most people to conclude that he's sinply in over his head. The chaos is the point, I guess.

[CumbrianLefty]

The situation in China sounds absolutely nuts right now. People in Shanghai being forcibly removed to quarantine areas when they test positive, not allowed to go out to walk your dog or even buy groceries, basically impossible to get food delivered and people with chronic conditions dying because the entire hospital system has been re-oriented towards Covid. And apparently.... "zero deaths"

What as incredible demonstration of the eventual failure of "zero covid".

Plus, factories closed, harbours at half. We know how this will probably end...

Well, how?

[Mike88]

The situation in China sounds absolutely nuts right now. People in Shanghai being forcibly removed to quarantine areas when they test positive, not allowed to go out to walk your dog or even buy groceries, basically impossible to get food delivered and people with chronic conditions dying because the entire hospital system has been re-oriented towards Covid. And apparently.... "zero deaths"

What as incredible demonstration of the eventual failure of "zero covid".

Plus, factories closed, harbours at half. We know how this will probably end...

Well, how?

Probably adding with the current inflation rise due to the war, it could create supply shortages as China isn't exporting goods. Prices could rise even more and pressure for many economies could be unsustainable. China's zero covid strategy is really a massive disaster.

[lfromnj]

Its really absurd because for such a draconian response they didn't just go around jabbing people.

[MATTROSE94]

The situation in China sounds absolutely nuts right now. People in Shanghai being forcibly removed to quarantine areas when they test positive, not allowed to go out to walk your dog or even buy groceries, basically impossible to get food delivered and people with chronic conditions dying because the entire hospital system has been re-oriented towards Covid. And apparently.... "zero deaths"

What as incredible demonstration of the eventual failure of "zero covid".

Plus, factories closed, harbours at half. We know how this will probably end...

Well, how?

Maybe a very short economic recession for China. I expect that China will soon be sending in some troops to help Russia, Iran, Chechnya, Belarus, and the Wagner Group in Ukraine, so the Chinese economy might rebound a bit due to war production.

[Middle-aged Europe]

The vaccine mandate crashed and burned spectularly in German parliament yesterday. Funny thing, back in December when this legislative process was initiated there seemed to be a huge multi-partisan consensus for a vaccine mandate for everyone older than 18. Yesterday, a compromise proposal for a vaccine mandate for everyone older than 60 (scaled back from a previous compromise for everyone older than 50) failed to win a majority due to opposition from FDP and CDU/CSU. It was a combination of Omicron turning out to be mostly harmless and new CDU leader Friedrich Merz' desire to demonstrate his power to block government proposals.

The "interesting" question is what will happen politically to the country if we happen to end up in situation next December that is very similar to the one we had last year, especially considering that polling numbers from yesterday showed that 46% support a vaccine mandate for everyone older than 18, an additional 13% support a vaccine mandate for everyone older than 50, and 37% oppose a vaccine mandate. Up until now, it was seen as the "fault" of the unvaccinated if the healthcare system is threatened by collapse. From here on in, it could be seen as the politicians' fault.