COVID-19 News and Discussions

[Yuli Ban]

[Yuli Ban]

[Yuli Ban]

[wjfox]

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[erowind]

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[wjfox]

[caltrek]

Health Minister Says 'Highly Transmissible' Omicron Hitting Young Children Hard in South Africa
by Julia Conley
December 3, 2021

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/ ... hard-south

Introduction:

(Common Dreams) Top government health officials in South Africa briefed the press on Friday regarding the Omicron variant, warning that the country's newest wave of Covid-19 infections has included an alarmingly sharp rise in hospital admissions among young children under the age of five.

In Gauteng province—which includes Johannesburg—patients under the age of five are now the second largest group being admitted to hospitals, after patients over the age of 60, according to Dr. Waasila Jassat, a public health specialist at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).

Rising hospital admissions have been seen across all age groups in South Africa since the latest wave began in mid-November, but "the trend that we're seeing now, that is different to what we've seen before, is a particular increase in hospital admissions in children under five years," Jassat told reporters.

The South African Health Ministry released a graph showing that in the first two weeks of the fourth wave in Tshwane Metro, hospitalizations of children up to age four topped 100, compared to less than 20 during the third wave.

[wjfox]

[Yuli Ban]

[Ken_J]

wow they really captured zuckerbergs likeness in there, not so much his actions or stance on the topic but the likeness is uncanny.

[Yuli Ban]

[weatheriscool]

COVID outbreak on cruise ship approaching New Orleans
Source: Associated Press

today

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ten people aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship approaching New Orleans have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said Saturday night.

The Norwegian Breakaway had departed New Orleans on Nov. 28 and is due to return this weekend, the Louisiana Department of Health said in a news release. Over the past week, the ship made stops in Belize, Honduras and Mexico.

More than 3,200 people are on board the ship, officials said.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus- ... 61d800056f

[wjfox]

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[caltrek]

Here’s How Roger Stone Brought Anti-Vax Conspiracy Theorists into the Republican Party
by Bob Brigham
December 6, 2021

https://www.alternet.org/2021/12/roger-stone/

Introduction:

(Alternet) Notorious GOP dirty trickster Roger Stone has become a "key connector" bringing anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists into the Republican Party.

"In October, a conference filled with anti-vaccine activists in Nashville, Tenn., received a high-profile political guest: former President Donald Trump's son, Eric Trump," NPR reported. "The day before Trump's speech, a homeopathic doctor named Edward Group stood on the same stage and suggested to the audience they should drink their urine as an alternative to getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Another speaker, Carrie Madej, said that the vaccines contained microscopic technology designed to put 'another kind of nervous system inside you.' The true purpose of the vaccines, she claimed, was to turn humans into cyborgs."

NPR noted that pre-COVID, the anti-vaccine movement was largely nonpartisan, with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. supporting some liberal causes while "well-known anti-vaccine activist" Del Bigtree describes himself as a registered Democrat.

"Stone, who spoke at the conference, says he's quite open to some of the ideas presented there about vaccines. But he also sees the shot as a powerful wedge issue that Republicans can use to motivate conservative voters during next year's midterm elections. Citing public polls, Stone says that in particular, vaccine mandates are 'highly likely' to be a campaign issue," NPR reported. "But the result of this union increasingly appears to be an even higher death toll from COVID, in part because it's causing many people to resist getting the shot."

The gambit appears to be that it's okay for Republicans to sacrifice their own voters if it helps them win during the 2022 midterms.

[wjfox]

Another 51,000 cases in the UK today.

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/

Many firms are now asking staff to delay or cancel their Christmas parties (I myself today cancelled two party invites).

[wjfox]