# 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:** 145
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2021, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2944 "2021-11-05T12:36:34Z")
Not discussed here I don’t think but it is all very welcome news. The more the merrier as it opens up the possibility of combination treatments. (in fact the trial of the new Pfizer drug is in combination with an existing anti-viral, ritonavir) so expect to see more of that in future. The great thing about these treatments as well is that they are much less likely to be affected by new variants that arise. Again, I think it worth emphasising that these treatments mean that we are close to a position where taking a treatment at home will make it highly unlikely that anyone needs to go to hospital and almost certainly you won’t die. This comes in the same week as the pretty incredible news of the [success of the HPV jab](https://www.bbc.com/news/health-59148620) which is in the same ballpark of efficacy as these antivirals. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2021, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2945 "2021-11-05T13:09:33Z")
Geez…will it ever end? > **[Europe facing 500,000 more Covid deaths by February, WHO warns | CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/04/europe/europe-covid-winter-who-projection-intl/index.html)** > > Europe is facing a potentially devastating winter that could see half a million people die with Covid-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Thursday, as it sounded the alarm over a surge in cases and bemoaned stuttering vaccination... ---
**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:** [November 6, 2021, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2946 "2021-11-06T08:00:09Z")
249,896,797 total cases 5,054,842 dead 226,236,319 recovered In the US: 47,280,449 total cases 774,673 dead 37,269,509 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 248,812,788 total cases > 5,036,921 dead > 225,433,596 recovered > > In the US: > > 47,105,468 total cases > 770,854 dead > 37,116,604 recovered Tomorrow the world will have recorded more than 250,000,000 total cases of COVID-19; it took 1 year, 11 months and 7 days to get here. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2021, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2947 "2021-11-06T17:44:14Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 5,054,842 dead The Economist does [estimates of excess deaths](https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/11/02/the-number-of-people-who-have-died-from-covid-19-is-likely-to-be-close-to-17m?utm_campaign=coronavirus-special-edition) due to covid, since official counts are likely to be undercounts for various reasons. Although the article is paywalled (you can see their chart, though), the bottom line is that the real covid death count is more like 17 million. I’m not sure how they handle countries like India which, even in non-pandemic times, do not record all deaths. So it’s possible that even that estimate is on the low side. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2021, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2948 "2021-11-07T02:56:50Z")
[A federal appeals court suspended the Biden administration’s new vaccine requirement for private companies](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/11/06/court-suspends-biden-vaccine-mandate/) I think this was an inevitable challenge in court. Should be interesting to see how it plays out in light of declining deaths and 2 new drugs that should gain approval this month. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2021, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2949 "2021-11-07T03:34:24Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > [A federal appeals court suspended the Biden administration’s new vaccine requirement for private companies](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/11/06/court-suspends-biden-vaccine-mandate/) This was the Fifth Circuit. Isn’t that the same conservative-leaning circuit that upheld all those right-leaning states that tried to sue a bunch of other states over last November’s election? ---
**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:** [November 7, 2021, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2950 "2021-11-07T06:41:43Z")
250,292,059 total cases 5,060,683 dead 226,570,427 recovered In the US: 47,313,412 total cases 775,095 dead 37,311,666 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 249,896,797 total cases > 5,054,842 dead > 226,236,319 recovered > > In the US: > > 47,280,449 total cases > 774,673 dead > 37,269,509 recovered ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2021, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2951 "2021-11-07T12:58:53Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > The Economist does [estimates of excess deaths](https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/11/02/the-number-of-people-who-have-died-from-covid-19-is-likely-to-be-close-to-17m?utm_campaign=coronavirus-special-edition) due to covid, since official counts are likely to be undercounts for various reasons. Although the article is paywalled (you can see their chart, though), the bottom line is that the real covid death count is more like 17 million. I’m not sure how they handle countries like India which, even in non-pandemic times, do not record all deaths. So it’s possible that even that estimate is on the low side. A non-paywalled article on the same topic can be found in the Guardian by [David Spiegelhalter and Anthony Masters](https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/commentisfree/2021/nov/07/we-can-be-confident-there-have-been-far-more-than-5-million-covid-deaths) They’ve been well across the numbers since the start and are a source of really solid and unbiased interpretations and explanations. ---
**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:** [November 8, 2021, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2952 "2021-11-08T07:14:35Z")
250,626,940 total cases 5,065,131 dead 226,879,670 recovered In the US: 47,336,577 total cases 775,218 dead 37,332,949 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 250,292,059 total cases > 5,060,683 dead > 226,570,427 recovered > > In the US: > > 47,313,412 total cases > 775,095 dead > 37,311,666 recovered ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2021, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2953 "2021-11-08T18:53:30Z")
Singapore is going to start charging people who are unvaccinated by choice for their medical treatment. > **[Unvaccinated by choice? COVID patients in Singapore must pay for own medical...](https://news.yahoo.com/unvaccinated-by-choice-covid-patients-must-pay-own-medical-bills-122406658.html)** > > From 8 December, COVID-19 patients who are unvaccinated by choice must pay for their bills incurred at hospitals and COVID treatment facilities. ---
**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:** [November 8, 2021, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2954 "2021-11-08T20:58:57Z")
The Fifth Circuit covers Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. State v State cases like _Texas v. Pennsylvania_ go straight to the Supreme Court. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2021, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2955 "2021-11-08T22:16:14Z")
> [@Max\_S](#): > > The Fifth Circuit covers Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. State v State cases like _Texas v. Pennsylvania_ go straight to the Supreme Court. > > ~Max   Okay, I may be confusing this case (Texas v. a whole bunch of swing states) with some other case(s) where Texas (AG Paxton in particular) pushed some anti-democratic election dispute or voter suppression or similar. ---
**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:** [November 9, 2021, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2956 "2021-11-09T15:23:39Z")
I was just thinking that we’ve mostly stopped hearing about “superspreader” events. Just saw this: ## [A Vermont college says Halloween parties fueled a Covid outbreak.](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/11/08/world/us-travel-restrictions-ban-covid-19#a-vermont-college-blames-halloween-parties-for-covid-outbreak) It’s one of the articles on [this page](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/11/08/world/us-travel-restrictions-ban-covid-19/a-vermont-college-blames-halloween-parties-for-covid-outbreak). Not paywalled AFAIK. > Officials at a college in Colchester, Vt., are blaming Halloween parties for a Covid outbreak, which comes as the state of Vermont has reported a record number of coronavirus cases over the past week. > > The virus is surging in Vermont as more people gather inside to avoid the cold weather. Experts warn that holiday gatherings could lead to more cases this winter. > > New daily cases have increased **51 percent over the past two weeks** , according to a [New York Times database](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/vermont-covid-cases.html). Hospitalizations are also trending upward, fueling anxiety about the state’s hospital capacity as winter approaches. My bold. 😱 Yikes. Here comes Thanksgiving. ⚠ ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2957 "2021-11-09T21:46:35Z")
Re: Superspreader events in Vermont? Is this happening elsewhere in the country too? Why Vermont? Maybe this has something to do with our fellow poster **agzem** ranting in a nearby thread, about vaxxes not working, citing news articles about Vermont as his data? ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2958 "2021-11-09T22:26:13Z")
It’s easier to identify an event as a super-spreader if case rates are relatively low and the population is relatively small. I would guess the same thing is happening everywhere. ---
**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:** [November 9, 2021, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2959 "2021-11-09T22:56:05Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Maybe this has something to do with our fellow poster **agzem** ranting in a nearby thread, about vaxxes not working, citing news articles about Vermont as his data? Well, if agzem bothered to do a quick google search, he would have come up with these stats: > That data shows that not-fully-vaccinated Vermonters have been about four times more likely to get sick, four times more likely to be hospitalized and twice as likely to die of the virus than fully vaccinated people in recent weeks. > **[Vermont reports 377 Covid cases, releases latest breakthrough case data -...](https://vtdigger.org/2021/11/05/vermont-reports-377-covid-cases-releases-latest-breakthrough-case-data/)** > > Three new deaths were also reported, and 45 people are in the hospital with Covid. Covid act now shows that risk levels per county are nearly the inverse of vaccination levels. > **[U.S. COVID Risk & Vaccine Tracker](https://covidactnow.org/us/vermont-vt/?s=25291442)** > > Covid Act Now has real-time tracking of your community's COVID risk level. Explore how Vermont is doing. ---
**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:** [November 10, 2021, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2960 "2021-11-10T06:16:14Z")
251,563,772 total cases 5,079,930 dead 227,782,251 recovered In the US: 47,536,536 total cases 778,316 dead 37,604,540 recovered YesterdayTwo days ago’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 250,626,940 total cases > 5,065,131 dead > 226,879,670 recovered > > In the US: > > 47,336,577 total cases > 775,218 dead > 37,332,949 recovered ---
**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:** [November 10, 2021, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2961 "2021-11-10T21:03:48Z")
This is frustrating news: > **[WHO: Coronavirus cases declining everywhere except Europe](https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-united-nations-world-health-organization-europe-pandemics-c46daeb01619a1b824cb0fa7c31e7a0e)** > > LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization reported Wednesday that coronavirus deaths rose by 10% in Europe in the past week, making it the only world region where both COVID-19 cases and deaths are steadily increasing. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2021, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2962 "2021-11-10T21:35:48Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > This is frustrating news: It is, but it is part of a wider pattern that is pretty much expected. Absent complete lockdowns and complete vaccination coverage this is what the virus is now going to do. Yoyo-ing along in different places at different times but with the peaks getting less peakier and the deaths and hospitalisations smoothing out somewhat due to boosters and anti-virals until it ends up a background rumble. Even with cases increasing the countries affected are doing the minimum required to avoid hospital overload rather than reaching for drastic measures. There are quite a few noises now that we may see it mostly subside to a background level by spring. Which would be nice. ---
**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:** [November 11, 2021, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2963 "2021-11-11T05:18:04Z")
252,153,722 total cases 5,088,521 dead 228,227,926 recovered In the US: 47,647,745 total cases 780,102 dead 37,701,765 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 251,563,772 total cases > 5,079,930 dead > 227,782,251 recovered > > In the US: > > 47,536,536 total cases > 778,316 dead > 37,604,540 recovered [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428.md?page=144) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428.md?page=146)