# 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:** 131
**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 26, 2021, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2663 "2021-09-26T03:14:08Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Hawaii has seen two (2) separate air-rage incidents today, but no one is yet quite sure if they were Covid-related. First, on a flight from Honolulu to Hilo on the Big Island this morning, [a local passenger just up and punched a male flight attendant twice](https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2021/09/23/hawaiian-airlines-plane-diverted-honolulu-after-passenger-allegedly-punches-flight-attendant/). It was by all accounts totally unprovoked. At first the news speculated it was mask-related, but now they’re saying no. They’re speculating maybe he was drunk, but it was 7:30am. The attendant was just walking through picking up the passengers’ trash when the guy up and attacked him with no warning. The plane turned back to Honolulu, and the perp is in FBI custody. It looks certain now that the Hilo flight’s incident was not Covid-related. They still don’t sound completely certain, but now it seems the attendant might have accidentally bumped into the passenger while collecting trash, thereby offending said passenger’s sense of honor. It makes sense, as you get that a lot in Hawaii, there’s a big macho culture here. The guy was supposed to be arraigned before a judge yesterday morning, but that had to be postponed until Monday, because the passenger, who remains in FBI custody, experienced “an episode.” That’s all they said, “an episode.” My take is someone clued him in that instead of the minor slap on the wrist he may have been expecting, he is now facing a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. That could have made him go ballistic. Asshole. The other incident, the flight to Seattle, was definitely Covid-related. It was a lady this time, and two hours into the flight she just took off her mask and said, “I’m not putting it back on, nyah, nyah, nyah,” or words to that effect. I wish I could have seen her face when she realized they were turning around back to Honolulu just because of her. ---
**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 26, 2021, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2664 "2021-09-26T07:29:48Z")
232,295,615 total cases 4,757,625 dead 208,911,749 recovered In the US: 43,725,604 total cases 706,058 dead 33,162,044 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 231,919,269 total cases > 4,751,656 dead > 208,529,845 recovered > > In the US: > > 43,668,680 total cases > 705,293 dead > 33,112,993 recovered ---
**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 26, 2021, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2665 "2021-09-26T13:35:29Z")
> [@Trom](#): > > Infection Fatality Rate by age: > > 0-34: 0.004% > 35-44: 0.068% > 45-54: 0.23% > 55-64: 0.75% > 65-74: 2.5% > 75-84: 8.5% > 85+: 28.3% Very helpful info — thanks. ---
**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 27, 2021, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2666 "2021-09-27T04:03:49Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > It looks certain now that the Hilo flight’s incident was not Covid-related. They still don’t sound completely certain, but now it seems the attendant might have accidentally bumped into the passenger while collecting trash, thereby offending said passenger’s sense of honor. It makes sense, as you get that a lot in Hawaii, there’s a big macho culture here. The guy was supposed to be arraigned before a judge yesterday morning, but that had to be postponed until Monday, because the passenger, who remains in FBI custody, experienced “an episode.” That’s all they said, “an episode.” My take is someone clued him in that instead of the minor slap on the wrist he may have been expecting, he is now facing a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. That could have made him go ballistic. Asshole. Sorry to keep beating this since it turned out not to be Covid after all, but it’s a fascinating case. Now they’re saying the guy has had to be kept in solitary confinement all weekend due to “behavior issues.” Can’t wait to see what’s going to happen in court tomorrow. ---
**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 27, 2021, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2667 "2021-09-27T04:12:31Z")
232,602,292 total cases 4,761,948 dead 209,239,576 recovered In the US: 43,750,983 total cases 706,317 dead 33,186,261 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 232,295,615 total cases > 4,757,625 dead > 208,911,749 recovered > > In the US: > > 43,725,604 total cases > 706,058 dead > 33,162,044 recovered ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2021, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2668 "2021-09-27T09:30:11Z")
Yesterday there were some state and municipal elections here in Austria. The head of the far-right party, Herbert Kickl of the Freedom Party (FPÖ), was so desperate to court the antivax vote that, a couple days before the election, he called a press conference for the sole purpose of proclaiming that he himself had _not_ been vaccinated. As proof of this he exhibited the notarized(!) result of an coronavirus antibody test that he had taken at a public hospital. Representatives of the other major parties (all of which support the vaccination campaign) were quick to denounce the stunt as irresponsible or even “sick”. Complete official results of the elections are not yet available but preliminary results seem to indicate that the FPÖ lost about a third of their vote share in Upper Austria, going from 30.4% to 19.8%. For those who speak German, here’s some news coverage: [https://www.kleinezeitung.at/politik/innenpolitik/6038259/Antikoerpertest\_Kickls-letzter-Versuch-die-Karten-der-FPOe-vor-den](https://www.kleinezeitung.at/politik/innenpolitik/6038259/Antikoerpertest_Kickls-letzter-Versuch-die-Karten-der-FPOe-vor-den) ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2021, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2669 "2021-09-27T15:43:11Z")
Legal battles over vaccine mandates are beginning: [Judge temporarily suspends mandate for New York City school personnel](https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/new-york-schools-vaccine-mandate/2021/09/25/67441624-1e27-11ec-8380-5fbadbc43ef8_story.html) The deadline was to be midnight today, and about 18 percent of 150,000 employees had not presented proof of vaccination. ---
**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 27, 2021, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2670 "2021-09-27T16:17:44Z")
Interesting. I work VERY part time for a major university that has a vaccine mandate. They required me to give them permission to look me up in the state vaccine registry. And I heard via the grapevine that they’ve already fired a couple of people for failure to comply with their mandate. (I don’t know the details of what they do for people with medical and/or religious reasons to avoid vaccination. I’m vaccinated, so I don’t know what the next questions might have been if I’d said “no”.) ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2021, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2671 "2021-09-27T16:59:55Z")
Teachers in my district will start being fired after the first of the year if not vaccinated. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2021, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2672 "2021-09-27T17:22:56Z")
> **[A daily pill to treat Covid could be just months away, scientists say](https://qz.com/2064787/a-daily-pill-to-treat-covid-could-be-just-months-away)** > > Millions of Americans soon could have access to a daily orally administered medication that could be taken for five to 10 days at the first confirmation of Covid infection. _The Kellys have a role in developing what could be the world’s next chance to thwart Covid: a short-term regimen of daily pills that can fight the virus early after diagnosis and conceivably prevent symptoms from developing after exposure._ _“Oral antivirals have the potential to not only curtail the duration of one’s Covid-19 syndrome, but also have the potential to limit transmission to people in your household if you are sick,” said Timothy Sheahan, a virologist at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill who has helped pioneer these therapies._ _Antivirals are already essential treatments for other viral infections, including hepatitis C and HIV. One of the best known is Tamiflu, the widely prescribed pill that can shorten the duration of influenza and reduce the risk of hospitalization if given quickly._ This could be interesting. I wonder what the reaction will be among those who refuse the vaccine? ---
**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 27, 2021, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2673 "2021-09-27T17:37:30Z")
Like vaccines, antivirals are by no means perfect, and there is probably a timeframe beyond which they’re ineffective. Taking Tamiflu, for instance, it has to be used within 48 hours of first symptoms. A lot of times, people miss their opportunity to take Tamiflu because they may mistake flu for a ‘really bad cold’ that they can fight off. I’m glad more research is being done for post-infection treatment but none of it replaces the vaccine - it’s vaccination that matters. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2021, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2674 "2021-09-27T17:59:25Z")
Pfizer says they’ll submit a request for approval of the vaccine for kids within days. That’s what I’ve been waiting for. I’ll be counting the minutes until my son can get the vax. > **[Daily pace of new Covid-19 vaccinations is the lowest since the CDC started...](https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/27/health/us-coronavirus-monday/index.html)** > > The daily pace of new Covid-19 vaccinations in the United States is the lowest it has been since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention started tracking it in mid-January, data shows. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2021, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2675 "2021-09-27T17:59:54Z")
Yay! Great news. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2021, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2676 "2021-09-27T18:58:52Z")
As a federal employee, I just had to upload a copy of my vax card. I don’t know procedure, if any, exists for those claim a religious or medical exemption. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2021, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2677 "2021-09-27T19:03:00Z")
I presume those are approved by HR and thus put in the database directly. ---
**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 27, 2021, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2678 "2021-09-27T19:05:55Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > As a federal employee, I just had to upload a copy of my vax card. I don’t know procedure, if any, exists for those claim a religious or medical exemption. I had to upload a copy of my vax card, too. But that’s not proof – that’s easily faked. And my employer didn’t just accept it. Two weeks later, after (I believe) they checked it for accuracy against the state registry, they told me they had accepted my evidence of vaccination. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2021, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2679 "2021-09-27T19:58:39Z")
AFAIK they accepted the photo of my card as sufficient proof. I guess I have an honest face. ---
**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 27, 2021, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2680 "2021-09-27T20:15:54Z")
I would hope that most employers would consider a falsified document that purports to provide information that is a condition of employment, to be a fireable offense. And I also hope that most are getting permission to check. ---
**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 27, 2021, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2681 "2021-09-27T20:22:43Z")
Yeah, trust but verify. My employer accepted what i wrote on the application about my prior employers, but they also did a background check. ---
**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 27, 2021, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2682 "2021-09-27T21:32:49Z")
I’m pretty sure that since E-Sign any electronic image of a document is considered the same as the document itself. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428.md?page=130) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428.md?page=132)