Biden: Folks keep asking are we going back to March 2020? The answer is no bc 1) More than 200M Americans are vaccinated, 2) We are prepared today for what is coming bc we have stockpiled medical resources, 3) We know a lot more than in 2020 including how to keep schools open.
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) December 21, 2021
I know that I'm an utterly basic normie liberal who offends this website every day by suggesting that Joe Biden is not the literal Devil. But my hot take for today is that it is actually a healthy sign when the White House reverses course after a mistake. https://t.co/2rStBGnAvw
— Ian Millhiser (@imillhiser) December 21, 2021
Average new cases in the US has risen to 145,397 per day, its highest since September. pic.twitter.com/yYDuW60oBd
— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) December 21, 2021
And the daily death toll in the US from COVID-19 has remained fairly stable at just over 1,200 per day. pic.twitter.com/WBw94Wr0xw
— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) December 21, 2021
End of a thread:
5/#Biden #WinterSolstice2021 speech
•FEMA is setting up Pop-Up Vaccination Clinics nationwide
•Deploying more vaccinators to 12 States and tribes
•Allowing surge in pharmacy teams & scaling up drugstore capacities pic.twitter.com/Gl46mlJNIu— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) December 21, 2021
Just as Americans and Europeans were eagerly awaiting their most normal holiday season in couple of years, omicron has unleashed a fresh round of fear and uncertainty — for travelers, shoppers, party-goers and economies. @PaulWisemanAP and @ADInnocenzio: https://t.co/9qcYXgxZ2f
— AP Business News (@APBusiness) December 21, 2021
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Global #COVID19 distribution, latest 18,400+ #SARSCoV2 genomes posted to @GISAID :
Africa 77% #Omicron, 19% #Delta, 3% Others
Asia 94% Delta, 5% Omicron
Europe 94% Delta, 5.6% Omicron
North America 97.5% Delta, 2.5% Omicron
South America 96% Delta, 2.7% Omicron pic.twitter.com/SaS0h5AMnW— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) December 21, 2021
Despite consumption hit, China to stand fast on tough COVID-19 curbs https://t.co/TRMtKV626I pic.twitter.com/U1r7c1tIBR
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 22, 2021
Japan reports first case of community spread of Omicron https://t.co/ccjXiL0agw pic.twitter.com/bFfQJB1vvu
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 22, 2021
Singapore to freeze new ticket sales for quarantine-free arrivals https://t.co/ufoLOv4YZy pic.twitter.com/8xjZNs5TtH
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 22, 2021
… Under the vaccinated travel lane (VTL) programme, Singapore allows quarantine-free entry for fully vaccinated travellers arriving from certain countries on designated flights or buses. The travellers have to undergo regular testing.
About two dozen countries are listed in the programme including Australia, India, Malaysia, Britain and the United States.
But no new tickets would be issued for people hoping to arrive from any of those countries from Thursday to Jan. 20, the government said on Wednesday…
Australia:
I have to admit, when looking at the absolutely immense quantity of vaccines that the government ordered for delivery in Q4 2021 and Q1 2022, I thought they were psychologically overcompensating for the slow supply in early 2021. It turned out to be a great move. https://t.co/E1YSJIbcN1
— John B (@johnb78) December 22, 2021
Israel, like America, has a stubborn minority of anti-vaxxers who are making things more difficult for everybody:
Israel will roll out a 4th dose of vaccine. Medical teams will begin giving the shots to people 60 and older as well as to health care personnel https://t.co/HHB3KbB53E pic.twitter.com/8kHEA5C9zZ
— delthia ricks
(@DelthiaRicks) December 22, 2021
Russia on Wednesday confirmed 25,264 Covid-19 infections and 1,020 deathshttps://t.co/Qdb2pVI1tq
— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) December 22, 2021
Omicron will push Europe towards brink, says WHO https://t.co/FDPkvmFtYj
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 22, 2021
France could soon have 100,000 COVID cases a day, health minister says https://t.co/xMirJydNNl pic.twitter.com/fRHxNFC8d9
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 22, 2021
Portugal is renewing restrictions, including closing bars and discos and making it mandatory to work from home, fearing the threat from the omicron variant. https://t.co/kCeXfYf8sc
— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) December 21, 2021
No further Covid restrictions for England before Christmas, UK PM Boris Johnson says – but he “can’t rule out any further measures after Christmas” https://t.co/qQYWwUtFth
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) December 21, 2021
Doctors are under more work pressure than during height of covid-19 pandemic in 2020 | The BMJ https://t.co/cs4BB2nKIB
— Equity & Health (@equitylist) December 19, 2021
Medical experts in South Africa say the noticeable drop in new COVID-19 cases in recent days may signal that the country's dramatic omicron-driven surge has passed its peak. https://t.co/i63uAgc7X7
— AP Africa (@AP_Africa) December 22, 2021
There it goes, the South African R0 is below one, from as high as possibly 4 in late November. pic.twitter.com/q4GVGEiBg8
— Mike Bird (@Birdyword) December 22, 2021
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Scoop: FDA to authorize coronavirus pills as soon as tomorrow. Pfizer’s Paxlovid and Merck’s molnupiravir are intended for higher-risk people. The pills, taken at home over several days, could ease burden on hospitals as infections soar through the winter.https://t.co/y8yks7pnRm
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) December 21, 2021
While we’re asking Santa for presents…
Huge if true—
Walter Reed scientists “expect to announce that they have developed a vaccine that protects people from COVID-19 and all its variants, even Omicron, as well as from previous SARS-origin viruses that have killed millions of people worldwide.”https://t.co/M0FNuOeLe2
— David Priess (@DavidPriess) December 22, 2021
US army scientists are developing a pan-coronavirus vaccine, possibly effective against all variants:
SARS-CoV-2 ferritin nanoparticle vaccine elicits protective immune responses in nonhuman primates https://t.co/zj9XulfWZl There are also now promising phase 1 results in humans.
— Nicholas A. Christakis (@NAChristakis) December 22, 2021
Covid: Australian trial tests blood thinner as nasal spray https://t.co/FJrFhbU53o
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 22, 2021
… The nasal spray uses the cheap drug heparin in an attempt to neutralise Covid’s spike protein.
When sprayed into the nose of a Covid-infected person it appears to make them non-infectious, the researchers say.
The trial will not conclude until mid-2022. If effective, it could be used with vaccines and other measures.
Researchers hope the spray could help both as an early treatment and as a nasal mask to stop the virus spreading.
It could be applied “anywhere where you mix with the public in a crowded situation”, lead researcher Prof Don Campbell told the BBC.
“For people like me who are afraid of Covid, the idea that I might take a squirt before I go shopping or to the football is going make to feel a heck of a lot less anxious. It’s a tool that gives me control.”…
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Deaths do lag cases but New York City's major omicron outbreak does not seem to be translating so far to a higher mortality rate. One person died of COVID yesterday in NYC (population: 8.8M) and the city's 7-day death average actually ticked down slightly. pic.twitter.com/D3kANz5vp7
— Byron Tau (@ByronTau) December 21, 2021
BREAKING: Boston will now begin banning unvaccinated people from going to all restaurants, bars, nightclubs, sports arenas, fitness centers, movie theaters, concert venues, museums, and entertainment venues.
— Kim Mangone (@KimMangone) December 20, 2021
Chicago will require proof of coronavirus vaccination at restaurants, bars, gyms and other indoor venues starting Jan. 3, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Tuesday. The requirement comes as the omicron variant drives a nationwide spike in COVID-19 infections. https://t.co/a4QEbfUNiv
— The Associated Press (@AP) December 21, 2021
California will require healthcare workers to get booster shots against the coronavirus. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the mandate Tuesday, citing the rise of the omicron variant. https://t.co/7SBXiX5zd2
— The Associated Press (@AP) December 22, 2021
Intel will put unvaccinated employees on unpaid leave https://t.co/dQ6YsREFrc pic.twitter.com/dAgZEtNeXe
— The Verge (@verge) December 22, 2021
if the vax uptake was even 15% higher than it is -roughly half of the holdouts- you’re talking about halving hospitalizations and deaths. every action biden took to twist those arms was met with screams and shrieks and court cases. this is the bed you’ve made. https://t.co/dFYLnWi6TU
— kilgore trout, tucker carlson’s mailman (@KT_So_It_Goes) December 21, 2021
for some reason salena zito can never find these people, probably because they aren’t involved in somebody’s campaign for office
— kilgore trout, tucker carlson’s mailman (@KT_So_It_Goes) December 21, 2021
reminder: spreading Covid is Fox/GOP’s top priority https://t.co/wNs6A5AUzR
— Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert) December 22, 2021
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