International COVID-19 Megathread

[parochial boy]

And going back to countries having meltdowns about the vaccine. Switzerland has completely dropped the AstraZeneca one from its vaccine strategy, having placed larger orders with Curevac and Novavax and because swissmedic are still refusing to approve the AZ one. The authorities are apparently now trying to work on cancelling the contract, or selling on the purchased doses. But well, otherwise it’s the same here as what has been mentioned elsewhere, the AZ vaccine’s reputation is in the gutter. Even though we aren’t in the EU, aren’t involved in their vaccine purchase programme, and haven’t had a public fight with AstraZeneca.

[CumbrianLefty]

A "roadmap" for the UK exiting lockdown is due to be announced by Johnson today.

[President Johnson]

Looks like the drop in cases has stalled in Germany. Numbers are actually slightly rising again. There are still 60 infections per 100k in seven days. Target was actually 50 or later 35 for lifting the lockdown. However, elementary resumed in person classes today, while barber shops will reopen on March 1. But non-essential shops and gastronomy are still closed since December, which is an economic disaster.

[Omega21]

Looks like the drop in cases has stalled in Germany. Numbers are actually slightly rising again. There are still 60 infections per 100k in seven days. Target was actually 50 or later 35 for lifting the lockdown. However, elementary resumed in person classes today, while barber shops will reopen on March 1. But non-essential shops and gastronomy are still closed since December, which is an economic disaster.

It will take a lot of the EU half a decade to recover.

However, we made our own bed with the endless lockdowns and mismanaged vaccine program, so we shouldn't complain.

[Tender Branson]

There's no overmortality in Austria any longer ...

In the calendar week 6 (Feb. 8-14), 1.751 people died in Austria.

The 5-year (2016-2020) average for that week was 1.788 people who died.

https://www.statistik.at/web_en/press/125479.html

https://www.statistik.at/web_de/presse/125475.html

[CumbrianLefty]

Next stages in the UK vaccine rollout have been announced.

(though as an over-50, I am still waiting to hear when I will get my first jab)

[Silent Hunter]

I am getting mine on Sunday.

[Alcibiades]

Next stages in the UK vaccine rollout have been announced.

(though as an over-50, I am still waiting to hear when I will get my first jab)

My parents are both in their 50s, and they haven’t been told anything either about their jabs.

[Mike88]

Portugal update:

Aximage poll for JN/DN newspaper and TSF radio on the vaccination plan:

Q1: How do you rate the ongoing vaccination plan against Covid-19?

35% Negative
33% Average
31% Positive
  1% Undecided

Q2: How big is your trust in the government's ability to implement the plan in the defined deadlines?

43% Small
28% Big
27% Average
  2% Undecided

Q3: How big is your trust in the NHS's ability to implement the plan in the defined deadlines?

58% Big
23% Average
18% Small
  1% Undecided

Q4: Should politicians have priority in the vaccination plan?

54% No
46% Yes

Q5: Purchase of vaccines: Should the EU purchase:

The Russian vaccine?

39% Yes
34% No
27% Undecided

The Chinese vaccine?

43% No
33% Yes
24% Undecided

Q6: Do you agree with the statement?: "When a Covid-19 vaccine is available, I will take it":

78% Agree (+16)
12% Disagree (-11)
10% Undecided (-5)

Poll conducted between 17 and 20 February 2021. Polled 822 voters. MoE of 3.40%.

Also, cases continue to drop, as well hospitalizations and ICU's. As of today, there are 72,037 active cases, which compared with exactly a month ago is minus 95,344 cases. Deaths are also drooping and continue well bellow 100 per day.

[President Johnson]

Next stages in the UK vaccine rollout have been announced.

(though as an over-50, I am still waiting to hear when I will get my first jab)

It's pathetic how slow and incompetent EU countries and the commission have administered the vaccine rollout and purchase, especially compared to the UK, Israel and the US. Even Trump at least ordered more doses a lot sooner than the EU did.

When it comes to that, I'm actually kinda relieved to have a "natural immunity" now, at least for the coming months until they (hopefully) get things moving.

[urutzizu]

Yes, I have been very critical of Anglo-American Individualism (as opposed to the German or Chinese models), especially during this crisis, I even wrote it off at one point. But I'll admit that whatever it's deficiencies and failures at containing the Virus during the first wave have been, it has compensated for with it's Vaccination programs. Their model stimulates creativity, efficiency and open mindedness and we'd be wise to learn from those things for the future competition of systems.

All models have shown both strengths and weaknesses over this last period and to identify any one as superior, as was done prematurely in Europe during the summer and is being done in China now, is probably misguided. The French statist model might need the greatest introspection though, having performed badly by most metrics and being the only major power not to have developed a vaccine, with both Sanofi and Pasteur disappointing. In fact French entrepreneurs and scientists have made great achievements, take Stéphane Bancel for instance, but mostly, well, not in France or not for French companies.

[Hash]

Canada has finally approved the AstraZeneca vaccine, after really taking their sweet time. It's not like there was any rush or anything.

Meanwhile, the public health bureaucrats are continuing to downplay the vaccine and the 'mass vaccination' they've been talking about since January is still nowhere to be seen. Canada has a catastrophically slow vaccination rollout which is leaving us more vulnerable for the impending third wave. And, more tragically for our incompetent politicians at all levels, they no longer have Trump to deflect from their failures.

[Mike88]

Portugal update:

Cases continue to drop and, as of yesterday, only 394 new cases were reported and 34 new deaths. There are currently 68,370 active cases. Hospitalizations seem to have stabilized at around 2,000 but ICU's continue to drop.

Also, 60% of the municipalities are now at the "moderate risk" level, meaning the risk of infection is low (green):
https://twitter.com/cmjornal/status/1366479777612386309

Adding also, the government has extended the time between the 1st and 2nd dose of the vaccine from the previous 21 days to, now, 28 days. The government says this meassure will allow to vaccinate an additional 100,000 people until the end of March.

[Silent Hunter]

Had my first Oxford jab yesterday. Felt pretty awful this morning, but a lot better now.

[President Johnson]

Barber shops have reopened in Germany today, after being closed since December. Some even took their first customers at midnight.

I was early in getting an appointment for tomorrow. About damn time, I got my last haircut in early December.

[Hash]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/astra-zeneca-vaccine-naci-age-1.5932347

Somehow Canada's 'national advisory committee on immunization' morons are even more stupid than Macron.

[CumbrianLefty]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/astra-zeneca-vaccine-naci-age-1.5932347

Somehow Canada's 'national advisory committee on immunization' morons are even more stupid than Macron.

I wonder where the last holdouts on this will be?

[Tender Branson]

Every second student with depressive symptoms

The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a significant increase in psychological symptoms among schoolchildren: 56 percent suffer from depressive symptoms, half from anxiety, a quarter from sleep disorders, and 16 percent have suicidal thoughts. This is the result of a study by Danube University Krems in cooperation with the Medical University of Vienna with the support of the Ministry of Education. 3,052 schoolchildren were examined from February 3rd to 28th.

“The frequency of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, but also sleep disorders has meanwhile increased five to tenfold, and the trend is rising. The results are worrying. In particular, that such a high proportion of young people currently have suicidal thoughts, ”said the head of the study, Christoph Pieh from Danube University Krems.

“Particularly alarming is the fact that around 16 percent report suicidal thoughts either daily or on more than half of the days. This is a significant increase compared to the last available data from Austria, ”said Paul Plener, the author of the study and head of the University Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at MedUni Vienna.

Cell phone usage doubled

Another result is the significant increase in mobile phone use: around half of the schoolchildren now spend five or more hours on their smartphones every day. This has doubled compared to 2018. "This is all the more worrying as the frequency of psychological complaints increases significantly with increasing daily cell phone use," said Pieh. At the same time, there is a clear decrease in physical activity.

Pieh and Plener see "an urgent need for action". In addition to rapid and, depending on the severity, adapted psychological care, physical activity should be encouraged.

https://orf.at/#/stories/3203595/

[Clarko95 📚💰📈]

It's really strange that cases have ticked up from 4000/day one month ago to 6000/day currently, and SUDDENLY alarms are going off like crazy here and everyone is freaking out. Funny how we're doing this now and not like, 1 year ago or back in October/November. But okay.

[Silent Hunter]

What about hospital admissions?

[Middle-aged Europe]

Federal and state governments in Germany have agreed upon the next phase of lifting of Corona restrictions, starting next Monday. Some have already called them the most inconsistent/most political/most non-medical Corona restrictions decisions ever made.

1) In early January, the state governments had agreed upon that Corona restrictions will be lifted at a 7-day incidence of 35 (and not 50 as it had been previously agreed upon in December). This had been justified by the increasing number of more infectious mutations. Despite the fact the British mutation has become and continues to become more dominant and that the 7-day indicence is stagnating (/slightly increasing) at around 60-70, state governments have yesterday agreed upon that many Corona restrictions will be lifted at a 7-day incidence of either 50 or in - some cases - of 100. So, in essence right now. They have basically admitted that the previous goal of 35 - or maybe even 50 for that matter - will probably never be reached and have given up on it.

2) Starting next Monday people from two households are now allowed to meet again. Contrary to earlier rules, couples who don't live together in the same appartment/house are also counted as "one household" now. So technically, up to four households are allowed to meet, provided it includes people who have sex with each other (but nesessarily at that meeting, I guess ).

[Tender Branson]

Close cooperation on vaccines agreed upon

Austria, Israel and Denmark want to set up a joint foundation for research and development to fight Covid-19. The heads of government Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP), Mette Frederiksen and Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Thursday in Jerusalem. The foundation should be the cornerstone for a cooperation regarding the coronavirus vaccines.

The focus of the announced collaboration will also be on vaccine production, vaccine research and drug development. According to Netanyahu, the three countries now want to set up a fund for vaccine research and development and start efforts for joint production. According to the APA, the Israeli head of government has not yet given an exact schedule.



According to Kurz, experts assume that Austria alone will need around 30 million doses in the coming years - with a population of around nine million people. Therefore, cooperation is necessary in the EU, but also worldwide. A close vaccine cooperation was the declared goal of Kurz and Frederiksen's trip to Israel in advance.

https://orf.at/stories/3203967

[Tender Branson]

Number of deaths remains below the five-year average

Vienna, 2021-03-04

In the 7th calendar week of 2021 - from February 15 to 21 - 1,726 people died in Austria according to preliminary data from Statistics Austria.

"The number of deaths fell in the third week of February for the fourth time in a row and, according to preliminary data, is 1.9% below the average of the 7th week of the previous five years from 2016 to 2020. Corona-related excess mortality could not be observed" says Statistics Austria General Director Tobias Thomas.

The age-standardized death rates, at which the deaths are adjusted for the age structure of the population using a standard population, are roughly at the level of the same calendar week of the previous year and below the mortality level of the comparative week of the strong flu year 2017 in the 5th calendar week of 2021 Austria's standard population from Eurostat, a total of 21 out of 100,000 people would have died in the 5th calendar week 2021; in 2017, 24 out of 100,000 people would have died in the 5th calendar week. However, due to the increase in life expectancy and the associated decline in age-standardized death rates, comparisons with years ago are only of limited value.

http://www.statistik.at/web_en/press/125505.html

[Clarko95 📚💰📈]

It's really strange that cases have ticked up from 4000/day one month ago to 6000/day currently, and SUDDENLY alarms are going off like crazy here and everyone is freaking out. Funny how we're doing this now and not like, 1 year ago or back in October/November. But okay.

Turns out that now it's Northern Sweden that's getting clobbered in addition to the main population centers: Norrbotten County reporting 747 cases per 100,000 residents, Västra Götaland County 647 (where Gothenburg is), Stockholm County 552, and Skåne County 440 for example.

While regional health authorities up north are still investigating, they theorize that a major outbreak at a local battery factory in Skellefteå run by Northvolt and quickly spread north to Luleå.

In Norrbotten, around 14 percent of positive cases are currently the variant first discovered in the UK, but in other regions the figure is much higher, for example 60 percent in Gävleborg.

[President Johnson]

The situation is the Czech Republic seems extremely worrisome, especially because the B117 British mutation is so far spread over there. The Czech government has officially requested assistance from Germany, Poland and Switzerland because their hospitals are running out of ressources. Germany has already responded by accepting to take Czech patients to give them some relief. The same has been done for France, Belgium and Italy in the past.