# 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:** 157
**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:** [December 3, 2021, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3184 "2021-12-03T13:16:53Z")
> [@tofor](#): > > Is it possible that Omicron is simply less lethal than other variants? It seems like there have been enough cases by now we should expect at least some reportable deaths. We haven’t seen many cases, yet. And a lot of them have been among little with some prior immunity, from vaccination or previous infection. (the expectation is that cellular immunity from prior infection is not likely to remain than antibody immunity. Cellular immunity takes longer to kick in, and doesn’t level infection, but does tend to make infection much milder and shorter-lived.) > [@tofor](#): > > Of course there haven’t been deaths from it yet. The last week just seems soooo long. There’s a reporting lag, though. A few of the cases were from a couple weeks ago. It takes a while for sequencing to happen, i think. I’ve read of a couple of people who were already recovered when they learned they had gotten omicron. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3185 "2021-12-03T13:34:49Z")
Damn! New Hampshire Daily case rate sets a new record high for fourth day running! And still climbing fast **New Hampshire** – 2052 on Dec 2 (seven-day average) **Vermont** – 754 also a record high, and climbing fast **Indiana** – sets a new record high of 7062, the highest since 6900 set a year ago today Following the trends, I predict new record highs to be set in the following states before the weekend is out; they’re shooting up at astronomical levels, and are very close to the previous record highs already: **Massachusetts** (prior record set Jan. 9) **Rhode Island** (Jan 5) **Minnesota** (Nov 5 2020) **Wisconsin** (Nov 15, 2020) **Illinois** (Nov 13 2020) **New Mexico** (Nov 20 2020) The rates are also shooting up spectacularly in these states, although they’re not yet near record levels **South Dakota** **New Jersey** **Washington** (state) **Oregon** **Nevada** **Utah** **Colorado** Looking at the country as a whole, the rate of new reported infections has suddenly skyrocketed upwards pretty dramatically. I really do suspect Thanksgiving as the reason, probably combined with the new omicron variant perhaps. This doesn’t bode well for the Christmas-New Years holiday. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3186 "2021-12-03T14:12:16Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I really do suspect Thanksgiving as the reason, probably combined with the new omicron variant perhaps. This doesn’t bode well for the Christmas-New Years holiday. If this is really caused by Thanksgiving (which I’m not fully on board with yet), hold onto your seats. Eight days later, those numbers would mostly be direct and secondary transmissions, which is typically long before the peak of previous waves. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3187 "2021-12-03T15:34:46Z")
Where are your numbers from? NYT shows Oregns cases down by 13%. ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3188 "2021-12-03T15:44:26Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > are very close to the previous record highs already: > > **Massachusetts** (prior record set Jan. 9) Are you looking at 7 day averages or daily reports? I’m seeing Mass. rates at about the same level as last December. Not great, but nowhere near the peak. Over the past several months Massachusetts reports numbers less consistently on a daily basis. Every now and then there is a huge number surrounded by low numbers, which is why 7-day averages are more telling than an individual day. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3189 "2021-12-03T15:56:46Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > New Hampshire Daily case rate sets a new record high for fourth day running! And still climbing fast Second highest daily death rate of the entire pandemic one day this week too. I’d like to know if they’ve looked for the new variant in New England yet… ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3190 "2021-12-03T16:01:36Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > Am I correct in reading that the new US entry requirements include a negative COVID test result with a test taken within 24 hours of entry (along with the vaccination requirement)? If so, does that kill off foreign travel to the US? I don’t know how someone can take a PCR test and guarantee results back within 24 hours. The U.S. accepts a rapid antigen test that gives immediate results. (There are also facilities at most major airports that can do a more expensive rapid PCR test that gives results in hours, but the U.S. does not require PCR.) Also, it’s not 24 hours, it’s “one day”. The CDC allows you to take the test at any time on the day preceding your flight. So if your flight leaves on Tuesday evening, you can take the test on Monday morning. cites on this page, although I can’t link directly to the relevant paragraphs - look in the FAQ section [https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html](https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3191 "2021-12-03T18:07:09Z")
> [@susan](#): > > Where are your numbers from? NYT shows Oregns cases down by 13%. As I’ve repeatedly – repeatedly - stated, I’m using seven-day averages of daily reports posted on the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus page. I’m not surprised that other places report different numbers; they have different ways of gathering data and sources. But Johns Hopkins is a reliable source, and the general numbers and trends tracks across all reporting that I’ve seen. Seven-day averages are reasonable, because there’s clearly a seven day periodicity to the data that this compensates for. A good thing, too. If you look at the daily numbers the daily reported cases are frequently outrageously higher than the seven day average, and people hearing them would really freak out. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3192 "2021-12-03T18:31:49Z")
Hey. No need to be defensive, it was a real question. I’m sorry I haven’t remembered your source in the thousands of posts in this thread. What you reported wasn’t what I was seeing in my source, so I asked. That’s it. ---
**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:** [December 4, 2021, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3193 "2021-12-04T04:25:32Z")
265,196,916 total cases 5,258,080 dead 238,969,323 recovered In the US: 49,878,049 total cases 808,116 dead 39,463,245 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 264,424,953 total cases > 5,249,117 dead > 238,458,754 recovered > > In the US: > > 49,716,825 total cases > 806,390 dead > 39,389,646 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:** [December 4, 2021, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3194 "2021-12-04T09:51:27Z")
California, by way of Wisconsin: > **[5 in California contract omicron linked to Wisconsin wedding](https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-lifestyle-weddings-california-c3de275dbe7c3a8529e66d0bfe2a96d1)** > > OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — At least five people in Northern California have contracted the omicron variant of the coronavirus, and the outbreak is linked to a wedding in Wisconsin last month, public health officials said Friday. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3195 "2021-12-04T13:23:06Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > The U.S. accepts a rapid antigen test that gives immediate results. (There are also facilities at most major airports that can do a more expensive rapid PCR test that gives results in hours, but the U.S. does not require PCR.) Fortunately. However, [Switzerland](https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien/aktuelle-ausbrueche-epidemien/novel-cov/empfehlungen-fuer-reisende/quarantaene-einreisende.html) now requires a PCR test for entry, plus a second test, antigen or PCR, between 4 and 7 days after arrival. ---
**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:** [December 4, 2021, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3196 "2021-12-04T15:38:28Z")
South Korea: > **[SKorea sets daily records for new coronavirus cases, deaths](https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-africa-seoul-south-korea-942f0eff7002c882e5391b94145132cf)** > > SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea again broke its daily records for coronavirus infections and deaths and confirmed three more cases of the new omicron variant as officials scramble to tighten social distancing and border controls. ---
**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:** [December 4, 2021, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3197 "2021-12-04T22:31:50Z")
We do have Omicron now in Hawaii. The patient has no record of travel outside the state. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2021, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3198 "2021-12-05T03:26:20Z")
What if omicron is something that evolves on its own from existing variants? No outside influence necessary. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2021, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3199 "2021-12-05T03:28:10Z")
> The omicron variant is likely to have picked up genetic material from another virus that causes the common cold in humans, according to a new preliminary study, prompting one of its authors to suggest omicron could have greater transmissibility but lower virulence than other variants of the coronavirus. > **[Omicron possibly more infectious because it shares genetic code with common...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/12/04/omicron-coronavirus-transmissible-cold-variant/)** > > As a virus evolves to become more transmissible, it generally “loses” traits that are likely to cause severe disease, researchers said. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2021, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3200 "2021-12-05T06:52:05Z")
Big counties in the US that are very highly vaccinated have much lower death rates than the national rate, or the rates in their states. As low as an eighth of the national rate for Montgomery County Maryland, which is 93% fully vaccinated (over age 12) and had a death rate of 0.4 per million. That’s compared with a national death rate of 3.4 per million. > **[Analysis | The most-vaccinated big counties in America are beating the worst...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/12/04/big-counties-are-proving-how-vaccination-works/)** > > Much has been made of the split between less-vaccinated (often red) states and more-vaccinated (often blue) ones. It's even more pronounced at the county level. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2021, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3201 "2021-12-05T07:00:04Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > We do have Omicron now in Hawaii. And we have a case in my county in Washington state now, too. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2021, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3202 "2021-12-05T11:12:54Z")
It’s probably in every state in the union. Or will be soon, where “soon” means within a week. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2021, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3203 "2021-12-05T13:29:25Z")
> [@eschrodinger](#): > > Big counties in the US that are very highly vaccinated have much lower death rates than the national rate, or the rates in their states. As low as an eighth of the national rate for Montgomery County Maryland, which is 93% fully vaccinated (over age 12) and had a death rate of 0.4 per million. That’s compared with a national death rate of 3.4 per million. > > [https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/12/04/big-counties-are-proving-how-vaccination-works/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/12/04/big-counties-are-proving-how-vaccination-works/) I think I read that study. At least, I read a study with similar results, and it looked at age-adjusted mortality and found that vaccinated people have a much lower mortality rate than unvaccinated people. The difference is so large that it has to be driven, at least in part, by healthier people and/or people with better access to healthcare being more likely to be vaccinated. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428.md?page=156) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428.md?page=158)