COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Weekend Update 4th and 5th December 2021
UK Daily Statistics:
Cases: 10,464,389 (+43,992)
Losses of Life: 145,605 (+54)
Tests: 1,128,774
Vaccinations 1st Dose: 51,094,640 (88.8% 0f UK aged 12+)
Vaccinations 2nd Dose: 46,527,302 (80.9%)
Boosters: 20,258,417 (35.2%)
Rep. Of Ireland: 594,250 (+5,156) cases and 5,707 losses of life.
World: 265,970,075 reported cases and 5,267,130 losses of life.
Omicron Watch:
86 additional confirmed cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 have been reported across the UK today (68 in England and 18 in Scotland).
The total number of confirmed Omicron COVID-19 cases is now 246 (Scotland 48, Wales 1).
Frankly, this is among us...
From December 7th until January 9th in the Republic of Ireland:
Nightclubs close
Hospitality is table service only, rule of 6.
Indoor events maximum 50% capacity
Only 3 other households can visit your household at any time.
The UK has tightened travel rules:
"In light of the most recent data we are taking further action to slow the incursion of the Omicron variant.
From 4am Monday, only UK/Irish citizens & residents travelling from Nigeria will be allowed entry and must isolate in a managed quarantine facility.
And - from 4am Tuesday, anyone travelling to the UK from countries not on the Red List will be required to take a pre-departure test, regardless of their vaccination status."
The antiviral pill Molnupiravir will be rolled out in the UK imminently, possibly before Christmas.
Taiwan's Chang Geng Hospital has released data from their mixed vaccination trial of AstraZeneca and Taiwan's own vaccine Medigen.
Data from the trial shows those receiving AZ + Medigen at day 10 had created an average number of antibodies 1.8 times as high as those receiving AZ+AZ (almost double). By 28 days after the second dose, mixed results were still slightly higher - 1.1 times.
Earlier today India reported their 5th confirmed case of Omicron - in a traveller returning from Tanzania.
The UK have always been a bit laissez-faire about people who are isolating. Other countries are a lot more cautious and supportive. While we have the Health Security Agency, Mumbai in India have the "Ward War Room" team. They have just announced they'll call international arrivals who are on home quarantine 5 times a day to monitor their health. You really wouldn't feel alone.
US scientists have developed a rapid test which tells you how well your antibodies can fight COVID - including variants such as Omicron. It won't make you a superhero, but it'll identify you if you are one - and it can also help medics decide who needs extra help, such as receiving the monoclonal antibody treatments.
Australia's regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Association, has approved the Pfizer vaccine (Comirnaty) for children aged 5-11.
You can now tell which party the majority of voters in each US county or state voted for, by measuring the number of deaths due to COVID. NPR have an in-depth article, which makes it clear they haven't been able to consider other impacts, such as poverty, but based purely on the percentage vote for Biden/Trump, there is a direct relationship to number of people per 100,000 who have died, and the percentage of the population who are vaccinated.
The fact this ever became political is astounding. VIRUS DO NOT CARE WHO YOU VOTE FOR.
Hoax Of The Day:
Omg we are back with the Nuremburg Code. How many times during a single pandemic do you have to repeat the same hoax?
No, it doesn't apply. It doesn't apply to fully tested and legitimately approved vaccines. It doesn't apply when the patient freely gives informed consent. It doesn't apply to rules which have different clauses for vaccinated/non-vaccinated people.
It did apply to the horrendous experimentation which took place on prisoners during the war. A long hard stare every time someone somewhere in the world shouts "Nuremburg Code" because they refused vaccination and are no longer allowed to go to the cinema, or on a plane, or to a concert...
Irish Hoax Of The Day:
A poster listing COVID-19 vaccine side effects is a hoax, and contains false information. Ireland's Health Products Regulatory Authority are asking that you take your information from official sources - or at least do a quick Google before you share something which looks too scandalous to be true.
The Washington Post is running a story on a pre-print study (not yet peer-reviewed) which suggests COVID could recombine with a different coronavirus/virus and become less serious. It is getting an absolute slating by the big shot scientists online. The general view seems to be that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are more likely.
"Following two confirmed cases of the Omicron variant which attended the Châtaigneraie campus of the International School of Geneva this week, the cantonal medical services of the cantons of Vaud and Geneva have jointly taken the decision to quarantine all of the students and campus staff for ten days"
Geneva health authorities. (That is over 2,000 people in quarantine.)
EuroNews have compiled data on Cancer care from 200 sources in 17 European countries. They have found:
100 million screening tests were not performed
Half of all cancer patients were affected by treatment delays
As many as 1 million Europeans could be living with undiagnosed cancer
If you have missed a check up - get it booked in as soon as you are able...
We have some early hospital figures from the Steve Biko/Tshwane District Hospital Complex in South Africa, where the Omicron outbreak was first noted. They didn't sequence the COVID of all patients to see if it was Omicron, but it does account for almost all cases. During 14th-29th November:
- 21% of COVID19 patients were on oxygen - which is lower than previous waves.
- 76% of patients were 'incidental COVID admissions' - they were admitted for other conditions and found out they had COVID when they did a test. (Low or no COVID symptoms.)
- On 2nd December there were 38 adults in COVID19 wards:
6 vaccinated / 24 unvaccinated / 8 unknown
- Of 9 patients with COVID pneumonia:
8 unvaccinated (inc 1 child) / 1 vaccinated
- From 14th to 29th November, 80% of admissions were younger than age 50. 19% were children aged 0-9 and 28% were adults aged 30-39. (Remember the average age of this population is lower than the UK, but this is still younger than previous waves.)
- There were 10 deaths of COVID+ patients between 14-29 Nov:
4 aged 26-36 years / 5 aged 60+ / 1 death of a child which was unrelated to COVID
- The in-hospital death rate of COVID19 patients was 6.6% (10/166 admissions died). There were no COVID deaths among 34 COVID admissions in the pediatric wards.
(This is substantially lower than previous waves, but it is REALLY EARLY DAYS. Some of the patients already in hospital could still succumb. That said, these figures really are very hopeful... )
Anti-maskers are really driving me insane at the moment. They always say "show me a study with clear proof they work". No. There isn't one. There will never be one. No population is going to remove all COVID restrictions except masks, just so that we can get definitive numbers for Cheryl the anti-masker. It would be unethical Cheryl. This is the equivalent of driving everywhere at 90 if you're wearing a seatbelt, because we can't prove exactly what difference to safety a lower speed alone would make.
You have a simple, cheap, harmless, easy to use tool, which could reduce casual spread of COVID and help protect any vulnerable people you happen to walk past, or who stand in the same spot as you 10 minutes later - and everything we have suggests it will be pretty effective - but you refuse to use it until you have definitive proof of precisely how well it works. That's all I need to know about you. Ever.
Talking of people who refuse to wear face coverings, UK Prime Minister Boris and current wife Carrie have done their official "Happy Christmas" message. What the heck? It's December 5th!! Most people have got another 3 weeks at work before they break up. I know its been literally days since their last holiday, but please tell me they haven't knocked off for Christmas already?..
While we're on the Johnson's and Christmas, Cressida Dick, head of the met police has implied she won't be investigating last year's Christmas parties at no.10 Downing Street because they happened in the past, and UK Justice Minister Dominic Raab was on the telly this morning confirming that:
"The police don't normally look back and investigate things that have taken place a year ago"...
(Erm... what? Since when? What is this? Minority Report? If you are thinking of committing a crime, should you let the cops know in advance? Is that the time limit for all crimes, or just some? Asking for a friend...)
It's also been implied it would be too hard to work out who was present.
(Psst Cressida - number 10 has actual live police on the door, and everyone who enters is signed in... I don't really want to question your detective skills, but come on... )
Numbers watch.
Across the Northern hemisphere we are heading into the depths of Winter. It is very easy to become complacent or side-tracked. The fact is that 21 months into the pandemic, many countries are currently reporting huge numbers, and record figures. Delta was already set to make it a hard Winter. Omicron is an extra.
We are reaching the point whereby if you catch COVID, you could be isolating over Christmas, or worse. My partner was released from hospital at 4pm Christmas Eve 4 years ago, when we all had flu. He mentions it often, because he knows how lucky he was to be able to come off oxygen and go home.
Use the free rapid home tests, limit contacts to a sensible number, open the windows, wear a mask.
Live, sensibly. Keep everywhere open, and keep everyone well.
Some numbers. All people on this rock we call home:
Countries / Cases / Losses of life (since midnight GMT. In larger countries, such as the USA and India, some states /provinces have yet to report today):
UK 10,464,389 (+43,992) 145,605 (+54)
Russia 9,801,613 (+32,602) 281,278 (+1,206)
Germany 6,175,838 (+31,982) 103,594 (+64)
Netherlands 2,751,954 (+23,078) 19,668 (+26)
Poland 3,671,421 (+22,389) 85,675 (+45)
Italy 5,109,082 (+15,021) 134,195 (+43)
Vietnam 1,309,092 (+14,314) 26,260 (+199)
Czechia 2,240,721 (+10,967) 33,665 (+48)
Slovakia 729,475 (+7,367) 14,826 (+55)
Ukraine 3,497,477 (+6,622) 88,280 (+278)
Austria 1,198,478 (+5,192) 12,796 (+43)
Ireland 594,250 (+5,156) 5,707
S. Korea 473,034 (+5,127) 3,852 (+43)
Thailand 2,141,241 (+4,704) 20,942 (+27)
Jordan 975,956 (+4,555) 11,761 (+46)
Portugal 1,166,787 (+3,786) 18,537 (+23)
Greece 966,221 (+3,526) 18,595 (+79)
Georgia 865,293 (+3,410) 12,344 (+46)
Iran 6,134,465 (+3,109) 130,200 (+76)
Denmark 509,111 (+3,026) 2,946 (+7)
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Sources:
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/
https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://twitter.com/PCSoblahdeehell/status/1466821671122350093?t=O_I6VoGveSft1HQE06RWyg&s=19
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/12/05/1059828993/data-vaccine-misinformation-trump-counties-covid-death-rate
https://twitter.com/nprpolitics/status/1467434463512580096
https://twitter.com/ArisKatzourakis/status/1467223515220914179?t=a5MMyQvAXG27dClwa1QP1A&s=19
https://www.tga.gov.au/media-release/pfizers-covid-19-vaccine-comirnaty-provisionally-approved-use-individuals-5-years-and-over
Be a COVID hero - World Health Organisation image
https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1467060434192769024?t=GySsh1gcLI1Vvpip2zYU5g&s=19
UK Gov face coverings shops and public transport image
https://twitter.com/DHSCgovuk/status/1467059852757241857?t=cHbezhf-8UYobwmKn8GljQ&s=19
https://metro.co.uk/2021/12/04/rapid-test-identifies-how-well-antibodies-fight-covid-variants-15715144/
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/mumbais-latest-home-quarantine-rules-amid-omicron-variant-threat-in-5-points-2636668
Picture
https://twitter.com/UKHSA/status/1466714089783189507?t=2qx4z1UxeE6TjCbj8dw86g&s=19
https://twitter.com/TheProleStar/status/1467495644613029890
https://twitter.com/UKHSA/status/1467495350575448066
Here’s 4 minutes on the Dec 18 party. https://t.co/nUHQaOk9Zd
https://twitter.com/BBCRosAtkins/status/1467198434901962754?t=k1ADQ3Pcqqve768fCwt_ZA&s=19
Medigen:
https://twitter.com/WilliamYang120/status/1467057270643380226
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/firstnews/202112040115.aspx
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/covid-pill-molnupiravir-antiviral-drug-christmas-b970083.html
https://twitter.com/sajidjavid/status/1467198272842481667?t=sueh3fv2hwMbuG8wyACyJA&s=19
"COVID-19 vaccines and restrictions do not violate the World War II-era Nuremberg Code, fact-checkers say" https://twitter.com/i/events/1413173001969827844?t=-mdXzSJe7S3b9fOn66-cxw&s=09
"Revealed: New data shows devastating impact of COVID on cancer treatment in Europe" https://twitter.com/i/events/1466371167858552842?t=HwEgN0c4uSYfVhg6GhW7fg&s=09
https://twitter.com/miamalan/status/1467172016918773775?t=Hq7suhYmNTEKAe3j9qg6LQ&s=19
https://www.samrc.ac.za/news/tshwane-district-omicron-variant-patient-profile-early-features
Timeline of Omicron EU etc
https://twitter.com/kakape/status/1466390168051585029?t=ePFoqxWW0QB_RXdlNN0-gA&s=19
https://twitter.com/kakape/status/1466395107234619396?t=oBWIAQUVD0XRUk-yEyhLGg&s=19
Senator Jackie Lambie's vaccination speech
https://youtu.be/VSldjsHs1WY
https://youtu.be/2y-44y_jv8U
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