# Coronavirus COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) Thread - 2021 Breaking News **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [January 1, 2021, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428 "2021-01-01T08:03:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 126
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2563 "2021-09-17T10:37:04Z")
A year ago the word “collapse” was kicked around, and we wondered what that meant, what “collapse” of healthcare systems would look like. India was a preview. It got to the point where they stopped counting the dead - they just couldn’t count them. Many just dropping dead in the streets before being quickly buried. Hospitals out of beds, out of oxygen, out of healthcare crews who physically ran out of endurance. This seems to be close to happening here, if it isn’t already. The US healthcare system is increasingly under such strain in many places that its going to end up having third world outcomes for many treatable diseases. Not just COVID but for diseases that our system can normally treat with few complications. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2564 "2021-09-17T15:10:16Z")
Florida is a solid fourth right now but is looking to muscle into the top three; look out New York! > **[Florida surpasses 50K COVID deaths after battling delta wave](https://apnews.com/article/health-florida-pandemics-coronavirus-pandemic-centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention-e614f50ef331b2bb0990c3a0f0369bb3)** > > MIAMI (AP) — Florida surpassed 50,000 coronavirus deaths since the pandemic began, health officials reported Thursday, with more than one fourth of those succumbing this summer as the state battled a fierce surge in infections fueled by the delta... > [@](#): > > Florida surpassed 50,000 coronavirus deaths since the pandemic began, health officials reported Thursday, with more than one fourth of those succumbing this summer as the state battled a fierce surge in infections fueled by the delta variant. > > The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tallied 50,811 deaths after adding more than 1,500 COVID-19 deaths provided Thursday by the state’s health department. Those reported deaths occurred over various dates in recent weeks. > > Florida has the 11th worst per-capita death rate among the 50 states, the CDC says. New Jersey, Mississippi and New York have had the worst, but Florida has risen from the 17th spot in the past two weeks. > > Overall, about one in every 400 Florida residents who were alive in March 2020 has since died of COVID-19. Only cancer and heart disease have killed more Floridians during that period, according to state health department statistics. Those have each killed about 70,000 Floridians. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2565 "2021-09-17T15:17:55Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > . I spent two weeks this summer with my relatives in Alaska. Whether they’re politically left or (more often) right, Alaskans are, almost by definition, folks who want to get away from people telling them what to do. (Well, they’re happy to accept the state’s yearly petroleum-based funds, and they do drive on the right side of the road…but anyway…) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2566 "2021-09-17T15:26:06Z")
No, what I meant was express mathematically how much more valuable a military person was than an ordinary person. The 1:500 number is just a measurement, not a value judgement. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2567 "2021-09-17T20:26:35Z")
## FDA vaccine advisers reject Pfizer’s booster request [https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-vaccine-booster-news-09-17-21/h\_46e81c404d07d06b93236c26a7a24862](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-vaccine-booster-news-09-17-21/h_46e81c404d07d06b93236c26a7a24862) ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2568 "2021-09-17T20:29:55Z")
But I think they approved it for people 65 and over, right? Or did I misread the article that I thought I read? I saw that initial headline and shook my head, but if they’re saying “_Let’s wait for general approval on the booster now but give it to people 65 and over, in addition to the immunocompromised_,” that doesn’t seem to unreasonable to me. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2569 "2021-09-17T20:39:07Z")
They rejected Pfizer’s proposal, but left open the possibility that they might spruce it for some subset of the population, like old people. Oh, wait, they have approved it for older folks. That happened a little after the first announcement: FDA Advisory Panel Endorses Covid-19 Boosters for People 65-Plus or at High Risk [https://www.wsj.com/articles/fda-panel-to-weigh-covid-19-booster-shots-as-health-officials-debate-need-11631871003](https://www.wsj.com/articles/fda-panel-to-weigh-covid-19-booster-shots-as-health-officials-debate-need-11631871003) > _ **Breaking News** _ > _FDA Advisory Panel Endorses Covid-19 Booster Shots for People 65 Years and Older_ > _Panel Also Endorses Covid-19 Booster Shots for People at High Risk of Covid-19_ > _Panel Vote Followed Earlier Vote That Rejected Boosters for People 16 Years and Older_ > > _ **The following article will be updated shortly.** _ > A Food and Drug Administration voted against recommending the approval of extra doses of the Covid-19 vaccine for most people in the U.S., but a second vote on a narrower recommendation could follow. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2570 "2021-09-17T20:41:32Z")
WSJ article is paywalled. If that’s right, though, I’d be eligible on at least one ground and maybe two. Wonder what the best timing was? I had both Pfizer shots last March; so I’m about five months out. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2571 "2021-09-17T20:45:21Z")
Yes, the Washington Post says, as I understand it, they rejected the application to add boosters to the protocol for the approved vaccine. They recommended emergency use authorization for third shots for people over 65, and those at high risk of severe disease. That may be more than just immunocompromised people – there weren’t any details yet. I’m not surprised by that, considering the small size and short duration of the booster study. And there were no 16 or 17 year olds in that study. They are at highest risk from the vaccine, and lowest risk from covid. It makes sense to me that they recommended a more granular approach than just adding it to the approved protocol. > **[FDA panel endorses coronavirus boosters for older adults and those at risk of...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/09/17/covid-booster-shots-fda-recommendation/)** > > The Biden administration has said it wants to begin offering boosters next week. > BREAKING: In an all-day FDA advisory meeting, experts unanimously recommended a coronavirus vaccine booster be authorized for people 65 and older and those at high risk of severe disease. The panel earlier resoundingly voted against approving Pfizer’s application for a broader approval of boosters for everyone 16 and older. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2572 "2021-09-17T20:46:40Z")
Right, the advisory panel unanimously recommended emergency use authorization of boosters for age 65+ and others with conditions that put them at high risk of severe COVID-19. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Tfletch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tfletch1/32/5340_2.png) [@Tfletch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tfletch1)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2573 "2021-09-17T20:49:30Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Oh, wait, they have approved it for older folks. That happened a little after the first announcement: > > FDA Advisory Panel Endorses Covid-19 Boosters for People 65-Plus or at High Risk [FDA Advisory Panel Endorses Covid-19 Boosters for People 65-Plus or at High Risk of Severe Illness - WSJ](https://www.wsj.com/articles/fda-panel-to-weigh-covid-19-booster-shots-as-health-officials-debate-need-11631871003) Great news. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2574 "2021-09-17T20:53:47Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > WSJ article is paywalled Yeah, although you can get a couple of free articles each month. I pay for it because i have been very happy with their reporting. But i posted the main points. Israel is recommending boosting after 5 months. I think the FDA is likely to recommend 6 or 8 months. There’s not a big reduction in efficacy through 6 months, per other studies I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2575 "2021-09-17T21:03:45Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > FDA vaccine advisers reject Pfizer’s booster request From that article: > "I don’t **think** a booster dose is going to **significantly** contribute to controlling the pandemic,” said Dr. Cody Meissner, a professor of pediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine. My bold. That’s a pretty wishy-washy statement. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2576 "2021-09-17T21:42:05Z")
I am finally, cautiously, getting more optimistic that the FDA and CDC are beginning to recognize that their protocols on everything from surveillance to guidance to recommendations on vaccine approval (FDA purview), though successful in many other situations and well-founded, may not be what we need for a threat that evolves constantly and requires real-time surveillance and response. I think it’s just been a matter of adhering to well-established, historically effective, protocols on one hand and dealing with this emergent threat on the other. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2577 "2021-09-17T21:46:15Z")
One in 500 Americans has died of COVID, per CNN and WaPo and other sites: > **[The pandemic marks another grim milestone: 1 in 500 Americans have died of...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/interactive/2021/1-in-500-covid-deaths/)** > > The burden of death in the prime of life has been disproportionately borne by Black, Latino, and American Indian and Alaska Native people. I thought that seemed too high - but per Worldometer there have been 690,000 deaths, and US population is something like 330 million - so the math works. Yikes. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2578 "2021-09-17T21:59:00Z")
> **[Texas doctors, seeing unprecedented numbers of pregnant patients with...](https://www.texastribune.org/2021/09/16/coronavirus-texas-pregnancy-vaccine/)** > > Pregnant women are getting vaccinated at lower rates than the general population. “This variant is much more aggressive, \[and\] pregnant women are getting sicker much faster,” one doctor says. Complete headline: **Texas doctors, seeing unprecedented numbers of pregnant patients with COVID-19, urge pregnant people to get vaccinated** > … > Pregnant women have one of the lowest vaccination rates in the United States: As of Sept. 4, about 25% of pregnant women ages 18 to 49 have received at least one vaccine dose nationally, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s significantly less than the most recent national average for that age group, which is about 61%. > … Aside: I think it would have been okay to say “pregnant _women_” in the headline. “Pregnant people” just sounds weird. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2579 "2021-09-18T04:59:36Z")
228,415,001 total cases 4,692,850 dead 204,998,087 recovered In the US: 42,799,907 total cases 690,714 dead 32,434,166 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 227,836,038 total cases > 4,684,149 dead > 204,513,177 recovered > > In the US: > > 42,634,054 total cases > 688,486 dead > 32,347,726 recovered ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2580 "2021-09-18T05:56:13Z")
Hawaii set a new record for Covid deaths today, 15. More than 100 have died since the start of the month. I know that’s chicken feed compared with some states, but it’s a significant boost for us. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2581 "2021-09-18T14:37:27Z")
> **[Big gap between Pfizer, Moderna vaccines seen for preventing COVID...](https://www.yahoo.com/news/big-gap-between-pfizer-moderna-034719881.html)** > > Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine does a significantly better job of preventing COVID-19 hospitalizations compared with Pfizer's shot. > Data collected from 18 states between March and August suggest [the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine](https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2021-08-23/fda-full-approval-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine) reduces the risk of being hospitalized with COVID-19 by 91% in the first four months after receiving the second dose. Beyond 120 days, however, that [vaccine efficacy drops](https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7038e1.htm?s_cid=mm7038e1_w)[to 77%](https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7038e1.htm?s_cid=mm7038e1_w). > > Meanwhile, Moderna’s vaccine was 93% effective at reducing the short-term risk of COVID-19 hospitalization and remained 92% effective after 120 days. I guess I’m glad I got the Moderna shots. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2582 "2021-09-18T14:51:55Z")
This doesn’t seem like a good idea to me: > **[UN using honor system to check vaccinations for big meeting](https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-general-assembly-health-russia-coronavirus-pandemic-europe-1645d82caf4f41bfe5e1f31e616d45e8)** > > UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly is relying on an honor system — and only an honor system — to ensure that world leaders have been vaccinated before they speak at next week's big meeting, the assembly president said. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428.md?page=125) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428.md?page=127)