COVID-19 Megathread 6: Return of the Omicron

[MasterJedi]

COVID cases down to record lows not seen since September in Texas, three weeks after Gov Abbott allowed the mask mandates to expire.  There has been zero coverage of this from mainstream media outlets outside Fox News.  I wonder why. 🤔

Answer: Because the mainstream media is totally, completely corrupt and in the tank for the democratic party. Also: they get more $$$ from fearmongering

Hard edge there.

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

COVID cases down to record lows not seen since September in Texas, three weeks after Gov Abbott allowed the mask mandates to expire.  There has been zero coverage of this from mainstream media outlets outside Fox News.  I wonder why. 🤔

Answer: Because the mainstream media is totally, completely corrupt and in the tank for the democratic party. Also: they get more $$$ from fearmongering

Hard edge there.

Am I wrong? How are CNN/MSNBC/ABC/WAPO not in the tank for the democratic party? They're only slightly less partisan than Fox News. You make more $$$ by appealing to a specific audience, and that specific audience are democratic-aligned partisan.

And their COVID fearmongering is absolutely insane

[MasterJedi]

COVID cases down to record lows not seen since September in Texas, three weeks after Gov Abbott allowed the mask mandates to expire.  There has been zero coverage of this from mainstream media outlets outside Fox News.  I wonder why. 🤔

Answer: Because the mainstream media is totally, completely corrupt and in the tank for the democratic party. Also: they get more $$$ from fearmongering

Hard edge there.

Am I wrong? How are CNN/MSNBC/ABC/WAPO not in the tank for the democratic party? They're only slightly less partisan than Fox News. You make more $$$ by appealing to a specific audience, and that specific audience are democratic-aligned partisan.

I do love when the right says this, well, the truth, the actual truth, generally does tilt to the left. Guess that means everything is biased and bad!

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

COVID cases down to record lows not seen since September in Texas, three weeks after Gov Abbott allowed the mask mandates to expire.  There has been zero coverage of this from mainstream media outlets outside Fox News.  I wonder why. 🤔

Answer: Because the mainstream media is totally, completely corrupt and in the tank for the democratic party. Also: they get more $$$ from fearmongering

Hard edge there.

Am I wrong? How are CNN/MSNBC/ABC/WAPO not in the tank for the democratic party? They're only slightly less partisan than Fox News. You make more $$$ by appealing to a specific audience, and that specific audience are democratic-aligned partisan.

I do love when the right says this, well, the truth, the actual truth, generally does tilt to the left. Guess that means everything is biased and bad!

But the truth is that COVID cases went down in TX over the past month. Why are CNN/ABC/WAPO/etc. not reporting about this? Why aren't they saying the truth? They kept telling us that COVID cases would skyrocket. But they didn't. Why are they not giving us the accurate information?

I keep seeing constant segments on these news shows telling me that cases are probably going to skyrocket, that there's an impending disaster... and then cases have remained flat or even gone down...

They also carried water for Andrew Cuomo for months and months despite his super sh!tty record.

[KoopaDaQuick 🇵🇸]

COVID cases down to record lows not seen since September in Texas, three weeks after Gov Abbott allowed the mask mandates to expire.  There has been zero coverage of this from mainstream media outlets outside Fox News.  I wonder why.

Average # cases per day, Texas
March 1st: 7,693
March 7th: 6,083
March 14th: 4,540
March 21st: 3,898
March 28th: 4,005

Let's compare that with Florida, where measures have been laissez-faire for months.  Cases steady.

Average # cases per day, Florida
March 1st: 5,428
March 7th: 5,111
March 14th: 4,545
March 21st: 4,506
March 28th: 5,094

And Michigan, where measures were harsh and only recently have begun to lift.  Mask mandate still in place.  Large increase here, where variant is now the prevalent strain and population has not yet reached any form of herd immunity.  Dangerous situation unfolding.


Average # cases per day, Michigan
March 1st: 1,349
March 7th: 1,510
March 14th: 1,975
March 21st: 3,040
March 28th: 4,605

Do the harsh lockdowns and mandates have any impact?  The "science" is not very clear, but I would argue no.  If anything, it has resulted in harsher case spikes during reopening phases, as seen in Michigan and in Ontario and Italy at the international level.

This is some pretty lazy cherrypicking. Your entire "science" breaks down if I choose a state like, say, California.

Average # cases per day, California
March 1st: 4,197
March 7th: 2,754
March 14th: 2,248
March 21st: 1,948
March 28th: 2,169

A state almost twice the size of Florida and Texas is getting only half the number of cases.

So according to my "science", the states that didn't do mandates and lockdowns are doing worse than the states that did.

What I'm doing isn't scientific in the slightest either, but at least I acknowledge that I'm cherrypicking.

Calfornia has less than half the cases as Florida, but three times as many deaths.  How can you say California is doing better?

Pandemic restrictions do not have any effect on the number of deaths. It only stops people from contracting the disease. Therefore, Zaybay's point still applies as the infection rate can be easily cherrypicked, seeing as California has less COVID cases in Florida despite having a higher population.

[YE]

COVID cases down to record lows not seen since September in Texas, three weeks after Gov Abbott allowed the mask mandates to expire.  There has been zero coverage of this from mainstream media outlets outside Fox News.  I wonder why. 🤔

Answer: Because the mainstream media is totally, completely corrupt and in the tank for the democratic party. Also: they get more $$$ from fearmongering

Hard edge there.

Am I wrong? How are CNN/MSNBC/ABC/WAPO not in the tank for the democratic party? They're only slightly less partisan than Fox News. You make more $$$ by appealing to a specific audience, and that specific audience are democratic-aligned partisan.

I do love when the right says this, well, the truth, the actual truth, generally does tilt to the left. Guess that means everything is biased and bad!

But the truth is that COVID cases went down in TX over the past month. Why are CNN/ABC/WAPO/etc. not reporting about this? Why aren't they saying the truth? They kept telling us that COVID cases would skyrocket. But they didn't. Why are they not giving us the accurate information?

They also carried water for Andrew Cuomo for months and months despite his super sh!tty record.

I don’t really disagree with what your saying but I don’t think it’s as simple as they’re in the tank for the Democratic Party. They’re just looking for clicks.

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

Re: school re-openings

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/03/31/world/covid-19-coronavirus#in-san-francisco-turmoil-over-reopening-schools-turns-a-city-against-itself
In San Francisco, turmoil over reopening schools turns a city against itself.

The pandemic has brought grinding frustrations for parents, educators and students across the United States. But perhaps no place has matched San Francisco in its level of infighting, public outrage and halting efforts to reopen schools.

In February, the city sued its own school system, which has been entirely remote for a year, and board of education, accusing them of violating state law by not resuming in-person instruction.

Soon after, two parents infuriated by the school board’s decision to rename 44 schools, even as it kept them closed, started a drive to recall three of the board members. Some 9,000 people have joined the campaign’s mailing list, and they are expected to begin collecting signatures soon.

In the realm of education, the pandemic has reinforced the notion of a city divided by wealth and race. Around one-third of the city’s schoolchildren, many of them white, go to private schools, one of the highest rates of any major city in the United States. Many of those private-school students have been sitting in classrooms for months while public school students, who are disproportionately Black, Latino and Asian-American, have spent the year in virtual classes.

Man, what an article! My favorite "joke" re:re-openings always has been that Wealthy Woke Liberals would fight the inequality by changing the names of buildings and tearing down the statues of Columbus... and it is exactly what SF did. It is both very sad and very ironical. American "Liberals" (so called libs) love a cheap talks about equality and diversity [of outcome] muh "most diverse cabinet". European Liberals care about equality of Opportunities and therefore try to keep schools open. Hell, by this measure DeSantis is the most prominent Liberal of US   

[Former President tack50]

But the truth is that COVID cases went down in TX over the past month. Why are CNN/ABC/WAPO/etc. not reporting about this? Why aren't they saying the truth? They kept telling us that COVID cases would skyrocket. But they didn't. Why are they not giving us the accurate information?

I keep seeing constant segments on these news shows telling me that cases are probably going to skyrocket, that there's an impending disaster... and then cases have remained flat or even gone down...

They also carried water for Andrew Cuomo for months and months despite his super sh!tty record.

The real answer is that news media usually if not always centers on negative events over positive ones. If you want to be extra cynical you can argue that it is because negative news stories generate more engagement/viewership and therefore more profit.

But it's not really "the liberal media"; all media do that.

There is a reason why "No news is good news" is a real thing

[Bandit3 the Worker]

4-3 strike down of the mask mandate by the WISC

They struck it down on the grounds that it lasted more than 60 days, which is the limit for emergency orders.

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

But the truth is that COVID cases went down in TX over the past month. Why are CNN/ABC/WAPO/etc. not reporting about this? Why aren't they saying the truth? They kept telling us that COVID cases would skyrocket. But they didn't. Why are they not giving us the accurate information?

I keep seeing constant segments on these news shows telling me that cases are probably going to skyrocket, that there's an impending disaster... and then cases have remained flat or even gone down...

They also carried water for Andrew Cuomo for months and months despite his super sh!tty record.

The real answer is that news media usually if not always centers on negative events over positive ones. If you want to be extra cynical you can argue that it is because negative news stories generate more engagement/viewership and therefore more profit.

But it's not really "the liberal media"; all media do that.

There is a reason why "No news is good news" is a real thing

Sure, Jan.

https://twitter.com/PhilWMagness/status/1376608036161265664

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

But the truth is that COVID cases went down in TX over the past month. Why are CNN/ABC/WAPO/etc. not reporting about this? Why aren't they saying the truth? They kept telling us that COVID cases would skyrocket. But they didn't. Why are they not giving us the accurate information?

I keep seeing constant segments on these news shows telling me that cases are probably going to skyrocket, that there's an impending disaster... and then cases have remained flat or even gone down...

They also carried water for Andrew Cuomo for months and months despite his super sh!tty record.

The real answer is that news media usually if not always centers on negative events over positive ones. If you want to be extra cynical you can argue that it is because negative news stories generate more engagement/viewership and therefore more profit.

But it's not really "the liberal media"; all media do that.

There is a reason why "No news is good news" is a real thing

Sure, Jan.

https://twitter.com/PhilWMagness/status/1376608036161265664

Yeah, we're definitely being gaslighted when people say the media isn't biased. And people wonder why we're gravitating towards politicians like DeSantis, who actually fight the media.

I'm lol'ing at the emphasis of "especially among young people"... who really cares? This virus is deadly to old people, not younger people.


Like, c'mon, we have a year worth of COVID data by now.

[President Johnson]

Usually not a fan of Chris Christie, but credit where credit is due for his efforts. Unfortunately it took him hospitalization for coming out that way.

https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/1377324095164063751

[Progressive Pessimist]

Usually not a fan of Chris Christie, but credit where credit is due for his efforts. Unfortunately it took him hospitalization for coming out that way.

https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/1377324095164063751

The fact that it took him having to get the virus to reach this point nullifies any credit I would otherwise want to give him.

[Dr. Arch]

The updated numbers for COVID-19 in the U.S. are in for 3/31 per: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

I'm keeping track of these updates daily and updating at the end of the day, whenever all states finish reporting for that day.

ΔW Change: Comparisons of Weekly Day-to-day Growth or Decline of COVID-19 Spread/Deaths.

• IE: Comparing the numbers to the same day of last week, are we flattening the curve enough?

Σ Increase: A day's contribution to overall percentage growth of COVID-19 cases/deaths.

• IE:What's the overall change in the total?

Brackets []: These represent the total change for the day, including backlogged reports, if any.

• These numbers are inflated relative to the actual reports for the day, so they are not used to calculate the comparative percentage shifts.

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3/21: <Sunday>

• Cases: 30,521,765 (+39,496 [+41,655] | ΔW Change: ↑3.95% | Σ Increase: ↑0.14%)
• Deaths: 555,314 (+455 | ΔW Change: ↓27.66% | Σ Increase: ↑0.08%)

3/22: <M>

• Cases: 30,576,962 (+45,748 [+55,197] | ΔW Change: ↑9.99% | Σ Increase: ↑0.18%)
• Deaths: 555,945 (+631 | ΔW Change: =0% | Σ Increase: ↑0.11%)

3/23: <T>

• Cases: 30,636,534 (+59,572 | ΔW Change: ↑16.17% | Σ Increase: ↑0.19%)
• Deaths: 556,883 (+938 | ΔW Change: ↓17.28% | Σ Increase: ↑0.17%)

3/24: <W>

• Cases: 30,704,292 (+67,758 | ΔW Change: ↑7.91% | Σ Increase: ↑0.22%)
• Deaths: 558,422 (+1,405 [+1,539] | ΔW Change: ↑0.64% | Σ Increase: ↑0.28%)

3/25: <Þ>

• Cases: 30,774,033 (+67,046 [+69,741] | ΔW Change: ↑7.05% | Σ Increase: ↑0.23%)
• Deaths: 559,744 (+1,165 [+1,322] | ΔW Change: ↓31.67% | Σ Increase: ↑0.24%)

3/26: <F>

• Cases: 30,853,032 (+78,999 | ΔW Change: ↑19.09% | Σ Increase: ↑0.26%)
• Deaths: 561,142 (+1,398 | ΔW Change: ↑10.69% | Σ Increase: ↑0.25%)

3/27: <S>

• Cases: 30,917,130 (+64,098 | ΔW Change: ↑16.76% | Σ Increase: ↑0.21%)
• Deaths: 562,012 (+787 [+870] | ΔW Change: ↑3.55% | Σ Increase: ↑0.16%)

3/28: <Sunday>

• Cases: 30,957,997 (+40,867 | ΔW Change: ↑3.47% | Σ Increase: ↑0.13%)
• Deaths: 562,495 (+483 | ΔW Change: ↑6.15% | Σ Increase: ↑0.09%)

3/29: <M>

• Cases: 31,033,801 (+59,707 [+75,804] | ΔW Change: ↑23.38% | Σ Increase: ↑0.24%)
• Deaths: 563,206 (+639 [+711] | ΔW Change: ↑1.27% | Σ Increase: ↑0.13%)

3/30 (Yesterday): <T>

• Cases: 31,097,154 (+63,353 | ΔW Change: ↑6.35% | Σ Increase: ↑0.20%)
• Deaths: 564,138 (+932 | ΔW Change: ↓0.64% | Σ Increase: ↑0.17%)

3/31 (Today): <W>

• Cases: 31,166,344 (+69,190 | ΔW Change: ↑2.11% | Σ Increase: ↑0.22%)
• Deaths: 565,256 (+1,118 | ΔW Change: ↓20.43% | Σ Increase: ↑0.20%)

[GP270watch]

 Apparently 15 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are being scrapped because there was an ingredients mix-up and they didn't pass a quality check. J&J says they still plan to deliver 100 million doses by June.

Johnson & Johnson Halts Shipment of COVID Vaccine after Factory Mistake Ruins 15 Million Doses

Bummer

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

https://twitter.com/AamerISmad/status/1375298639787139072

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

I said rising Covid cases isn't good news for D's and the border crisis, it looks like Biden won't get his amnesty program thru, he won't break Filibuster

[Alben Barkley]

I went to Ohio yesterday and got the vaccine (J&J). Feel like absolute crap now, side effects are hitting me like a ton of bricks. Feels exactly like the flu.

Obviously that shouldn’t stop anyone from getting the vaccine, but be prepared with some Tylenol.

[GeorgiaModerate]

I went to Ohio yesterday and got the vaccine (J&J). Feel like absolute crap now, side effects are hitting me like a ton of bricks. Feels exactly like the flu.

Obviously that shouldn’t stop anyone from getting the vaccine, but be prepared with some Tylenol.

It's weird how much of a range of side effects there are.  I know two people who have gotten the J&J vaccine; one reported feeling feverish and achy afterward, while the other had no effects at all. 

For some of the other vaccines, I got extremely sleepy about 3 hours after Pfizer #1, but that was all.  I haven't had the second one yet.  Among other people I know:

Moderna #1 - very sore arm for a day

Another Moderna #1 - feeling giddy & hyper starting about an hour after the shot

Pfizer #1 - severe soreness and swelling of the arm (and hand) where he got the shot.  Couldn't wear his wedding ring for 5 days.

Pfizer #2 (not the same person as above) - dizzy and throwing up 90 minutes after the shot, accompanied by a big spike in blood pressure, but subsided quickly

[Person Man]

Apparently 15 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are being scrapped because there was an ingredients mix-up and they didn't pass a quality check. J&J says they still plan to deliver 100 million doses by June.

Johnson & Johnson Halts Shipment of COVID Vaccine after Factory Mistake Ruins 15 Million Doses

Bummer

Hopefully someone lost their job over that. That's too much.

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

https://twitter.com/business/status/1377609973941862405

Pfizer Inc.’s and BioNTech SE’s Covid-19 vaccine generated strong antibody responses in 98% of elderly people in a U.K. study.

The patients aged 80 to 96 were also able to mount a defense against the Brazil variant after two injections, although it was less robust, according to the research conducted by the University of Birmingham.

https://twitter.com/business/status/1377582779504992257

Pfizer Inc.’s Covid-19 vaccine remained highly effective after six months, according to new long-term results that the company said could be used to seek an expansion of its regulatory status.

Follow-up data from a final-stage trial of 46,307 people showed the vaccine was 91.3% effective in preventing symptomatic cases starting one week after the second dose through as long as six months. In the U.S. alone, the efficacy rate was 92.6%, according to a report Thursday by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech SE.

At the same time, the companies provided some of the first data on how their vaccine might handle the immune-evading B.1.351 variant that arose in South Africa. Nine of 800 trial participants in that country got sick with Covid, including six infected with B.1.351. However, all were in the placebo group, suggesting the shot retains efficacy against the variant.

[...]

The six-month result is only slightly lower than the 95% efficacy rate that was originally found for the vaccine, based on much shorter term results. The two-shot vaccine also prevented all or nearly all severe cases of the disease over six months, depending on the exact definition used.

The data was released in a joint company statement and hasn’t been independently reviewed and published in a scientific journal. Nonetheless, it provides an early reassuring sign that the vaccine’s strong efficacy seen in the short-term results will hold up and not fade away quickly.

Incredibly good vaccine.

[Calthrina950]

Apparently 15 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are being scrapped because there was an ingredients mix-up and they didn't pass a quality check. J&J says they still plan to deliver 100 million doses by June.

Johnson & Johnson Halts Shipment of COVID Vaccine after Factory Mistake Ruins 15 Million Doses

Bummer

I saw this on the news this morning. Johnson & Johnson's vaccine rollout has been marred with difficulties, while the rollouts of Pfizer and Moderna (especially Pfizer) have been much smoother and have had far fewer problems.

[Not Me, Us]

Officially scheduled for my first Pfizer dose on April 9th!

[jamestroll]

Will the johnson and johnson be delay the return to normalcy?

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

Will the johnson and johnson be delay the return to normalcy?

It sounded to me like J&J still believes they will deliver all promised doses to the US on schedule through June.