COVID-19 News and Discussions

[Time_Traveller]

Restrictions could remain until spring 2022 ‘if freedom day is delayed’

Sunday 13 Jun 2021

Some government ministers are worried lockdown restrictions could end up staying in place until 2022, reports say.

Boris Johnson is set to announce whether the so-called ‘freedom day’ on June 21 can go ahead tomorrow.

It’s widely expected the date will be delayed by as much as four weeks as dire warnings about the spread of the Delta variant – first detected in India – pile up.

Almost 48,000 people have tested positive in the last seven days, up by more than 50%, and experts warn the variant could be fuelling an exponential explosion in cases.

A chorus of scientists and health experts have called for a delay in recent days, but some ministers are reportedly pushing back.

https://metro.co.uk/2021/06/13/covid-re ... i=14762642

[weatheriscool]

Blinken says China "has to cooperate" with international probe into coronavirus origins
Source: CBS

Washington — Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that China must cooperate with further investigations from the United States and the World Health Organization into the origins of COVID-19, with the world now "insisting" that Beijing do so.

In an interview with "Face the Nation," Blinken said the main purpose of the examinations is to ensure proper policies and mechanisms can be put in place to prevent another pandemic from happening again or mitigate another outbreak.

"China has to cooperate with that," the secretary of state told "Face the Nation." "Transparency, access for international experts, information sharing, that has to happen and, again, I think you're seeing countries come together to insist on that."

While President Biden ordered last month the U.S. intelligence community to redouble efforts to investigate the origins of COVID-19, the Group of Seven leaders are also calling for a so-called "Phase II" study from the World Health Organization (WHO) into how the pandemic started, Blinken said.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/antony-bli ... he-nation/

[weatheriscool]

Novavax: Large study finds COVID-19 shot about 90% effective
Source: AP

By LINDA A. JOHNSON

Vaccine maker Novavax said Monday its shot was highly effective against COVID-19 and also protected against variants in a large, late-stage study in the U.S. and Mexico.

The vaccine was about 90% effective overall and preliminary data showed it was safe, the company said.

While demand for COVID-19 shots in the U.S. has dropped off dramatically, the need for more vaccines around the world remains critical. The Novavax vaccine, which is easy to store and transport, is expected to play an important role in boosting vaccine supplies in the developing world.

That help is still months away, however. The company says it plans to seek authorization for the shots in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere by the end of September and be able to produce up to 100 million doses a month by then.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus- ... 1baabde4f7

[weatheriscool]

[deleted]

[wjfox]

[Time_Traveller]

Here is an alternative link.

COVID-19: England lockdown easing delayed until 19 July as Delta variant cases rise

Monday 14 June 2021

Boris Johnson has announced a four-week delay in lifting lockdown restrictions in England to 19 July amid rising cases of the Delta variant.

The PM said the postponement of step four of the government's roadmap, which was due to take place on 21 June, will allow for more people to receive their second jab before further easing of restrictions takes place.

By 19 July there will be a "very considerable wall of immunity around the whole of the population", he added.

The proposed extension will be reviewed to see if action can be taken two weeks sooner on Monday 5 July.

MPs will get to have their say on the delay in a Commons vote, the PM's spokesperson has said.

https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-eng ... e-12332607

[caltrek]

As a resident of California and from a purely selfish point of view, I hope this good news (see below) continues.

California Reopens Economy and Lifts All Restrictions
June 15, 2021

Introduction:

(USA Today via MSN) The nation's largest state will reopen Tuesday, effectively ending a slew of 15-month restrictions to stem the COVID-19 pandemic.

California is ranked 41st among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, according to a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data. With 11.87% of the country's population, California had 6.19% of the country's cases in the last week.

The Golden State is in a markedly different place than it was in December when it was declared by many to be the epicenter of the pandemic. California broke records for hospitalizations and single-day case numbers multiple days in a row. Deaths topped 30,000, then 45,000 the next month, and many funeral homes in Southern California were overrun by the surge.

Last week, California recorded 792 to 1,136 new infections every day, down from a December peak of nearly 54,000. In Los Angeles County, which in January lifted air quality restrictions so crematoriums could burn bodies, the number of cases reported Monday was 135.

"It's a new day," Gov. Gavin Newsom said during a news conference Monday, before the state's reopening. "This state is not poised to recover, it's poised, as was noted, to come roaring back."

Of course, the GOP is in the middle of a recall of Governor Newsome on the grounds of his poor performance in handling the pandemic. Cuz we all know how much better Donald Trump was at that task.

[caltrek]

Rich Nations' Vaccine Pledge Includes Just 613 Million New Doses—Well Short of Promised 1 Billion

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/ ... t-promised

Introduction:

(Common Dreams) A group of the world's richest nations vowed Sunday to collectively donate at least 1 billion coronavirus vaccine doses to developing nations over the next year, but a closer look reveals that the pledge includes just 613 million new doses—a paltry sum compared to the 11 billion doses that experts say will be needed to inoculate 70% of the global population.

Bloomberg's Josh Wingrove and Alberto Nardelli reported that in order to reach the promised 1 billion-dose figure, G7 leaders "included pledges made starting back in February."

"So far, the G7 countries have promised 613 million truly new doses—including some funded in part by previously announced aid," Wingrove and Nardelli noted. "If doses already announced in recent weeks by G7 and E.U. nations are included, the tally grows to roughly 870 million doses."

"The 500 million doses pledged by the U.S. will be funded in part by $2 billion that Biden had initially promised for Covax, the World Health Organization-backed initiative aimed at facilitating equitable global distribution. Biden will claw that money back and buy doses directly, then work with Covax to distribute them," the pair continued. "The Canadian pledge includes 13 million directly donated doses as well as a previously announced C$440 million ($361.9 million) pledge to Covax. Counting that money, Canada framed its donation as up to 100 million doses total, though only the 13 million are new."

Already outraged by the inadequacy of the 1 billion-dose commitment—which, if fulfilled, would provide enough shots to protect just 11% of the world's unvaccinated population—public health campaigners said the G7 countries' inflation of their pledge with older promises further underscores the failure of the closely watched summit in Cornwall, England over the weekend. The gathering took place as developing nations in Africa, South America, and Asia are experiencing deadly Covid-19 waves as they struggle to get their vaccination campaigns off the ground.

I do remember articles where it looked like Trump and his gang were trying to actively figure out how to monopolize the supply, even if that meant restricting available sources. At least in Biden, we have a leader who is attempting to meet the need.

[weatheriscool]

US COVID-19 deaths hit 600,000, equal to yearly cancer toll
Source: AP

By JANIE HAR and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN

The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 topped 600,000 on Tuesday, even as the vaccination drive has drastically brought down daily cases and fatalities and allowed the country to emerge from the gloom and look forward to summer.

The number of lives lost, as recorded by Johns Hopkins University, is greater than the population of Baltimore or Milwaukee. It is about equal to the number of Americans who died of cancer in 2019. Worldwide, the COVID-19 death toll stands at about 3.8 million.

The real totals in the U.S. and around the globe are thought to be significantly higher, with many cases overlooked or possibly concealed by some countries.

The milestone came the same day that California, the most populous state and the first to impose a coronavirus lockdown, lifted most of its remaining restrictions and ushered in what has been billed as its “Grand Reopening” just in time for summer.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus- ... f6e996dfbe

[weatheriscool]

More evidence suggests COVID-19 was in US by Christmas 2019
By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer 3 hrs ago

NEW YORK (AP) — A new analysis of blood samples from 24,000 Americans taken early last year is the latest and largest study to suggest that the new coronavirus popped up in the U.S. in December 2019 — weeks before cases were first recognized by health officials.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/more- ... d=msedgntp