# 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:** 163
**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 17, 2021, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3304 "2021-12-17T19:11:04Z")
Covid vaccine for kids under 5 is delayed. The two-dose trial failed to generate enough immunity in the older portion of the 6 months to 5 years age group, so there will be further testing with a third dose included. I think this may not be behind a paywall due to the subject – not sure, but I wanted to post the news. > **[Pfizer to test a third dose of coronavirus vaccine in young children after...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/12/17/pfizer-vaccine-young-children-third-shot/)** > > Results from the modified trials in children as young as 6 months old are expected in the first half of 2022. ---
**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 17, 2021, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3305 "2021-12-17T19:38:51Z")
Reading further, I realize I made a mistake in summarizing. Any delay might be minimal: > “It is important to note that this adjustment is not anticipated to meaningfully change our expectations that we would file for emergency use authorization and conditional approvals in the second quarter of 2022,” said Kathrin Jansen, head of vaccine research and development for Pfizer in a call with investors. (From the article I linked above.) ---
**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 17, 2021, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3306 "2021-12-17T19:44:05Z")
Op-ed: sports & COVID: > **[Column: Sports let their guard down, COVID makes a comeback](https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-nfl-nhl-soccer-sports-951ad424d2329943bc5ec195cfbb01cf)** > > When you saw the packed stadiums and arenas, when you knew that nearly all athletes had been vaccinated, when there was little mention of positive tests or quarantines, it was so easy to believe the worst was over. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3307 "2021-12-18T00:38:58Z")
Here is a nice chronological/geographical display of COVID in the U.S. I’m not a subscriber to Nat Geo, so if I can see it, I assume everyone can. > **[Coronavirus in the U.S.: Where cases are growing and declining](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/graphics/graphic-tracking-coronavirus-infections-us)** > > Many Americans still haven’t received their updated COVID-19 boosters. ---
**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 18, 2021, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3308 "2021-12-18T00:54:49Z")
Appeals court reinstates Biden’s vaccine policy for businesses, setting up a likely showdown at Supreme Court > **[Appeals court reinstates Biden’s vaccine policy for businesses, setting up a...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/12/17/biden-vaccine-mandate-private-companies/)** > > Under the policy, private employers with more than 100 workers must require staff to get vaccinated or face weekly testing and mandatory masking. ---
**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 18, 2021, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3309 "2021-12-18T01:16:43Z")
That is a fantastic article with FANTASTIC graphics. The monthly display of confirmed cases is REALLY cool. ---
**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 18, 2021, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3310 "2021-12-18T02:08:40Z")
273,977,023 total cases 5,360,767 dead 245,846,006 recovered In the US: 51,610,281 total cases 826,719 dead 40,474,346 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 273,218,485 total cases > 5,352,581 dead > 245,296,117 recovered > > In the US: > > 51,435,652 total cases > 824,520 dead > 40,406,796 recovered ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3311 "2021-12-18T02:20:00Z")
I posted this in the Omicron thread along with the cite, but Orlando has been tresti;g sewage and found that almost 100% of the virus in the sewage was the Omicron variant. And yet, almost all hospitalizations are currently from Delta. More anecdotal evidence that Omicron is less dangerous, although maybe it’s just too early to say. ---
**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:** [December 18, 2021, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3312 "2021-12-18T05:58:03Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > > > 803,045 dead > > Snowboarder\_Bo posted yesterday, when there were 30 days left in the month of December. So when the ball drops on New Year’s Day, we’re looking at 833,045 Americans dead of COVID. ☹ > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 51,610,281 total cases > 826,719 dead > 40,474,346 recovered 14 days left, 6,326 deaths to go… ---
**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 18, 2021, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3313 "2021-12-18T07:44:14Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > 14 days left, 6,326 deaths to go… Somehow I’m hearing this to the tune of “99 beers on the wall”. @Snowboarder_Bo Thank you for continuing to post the daily numbers. ---
**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 18, 2021, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3314 "2021-12-18T19:44:35Z")
I rarely acknowledge “thank you” posts butIt isn’t because I’m not grateful for the kind words: I am. So please, to everyone who has posted one: you’re welcome and _thank you_. I didn’t start the thread for personal gratification and I don’t want to become the focus of the thread so I have quietly let most of them go. I didn’t want people to think I was being rude, tho; hence this post. Thank you all for the kind words and for your participation in these threads. ---
**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 18, 2021, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3315 "2021-12-18T19:55:48Z")
We now return to our regularly scheduled programming: > **[Hits 'keep coming': Hospitals struggle as COVID beds fill](https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-hospitals-struggle-as-covid-beds-fill-5e98f09c578a231be1411516e9dfff58)** > > DETROIT (AP) — Hospitals across the country are struggling to cope with burnout among doctors, nurses and other workers, already buffeted by a crush of patients from the ongoing surge of the COVID-19 delta variant and now bracing for the fallout of... ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3316 "2021-12-18T20:35:31Z")
Looking at the number of covid deaths per million, it’s weird that the USA is doing worse in this epidemic than any other developed country, and worse than the great majority of developing countries too. In North America, the US has higher deaths per million than both Canada and Mexico. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3317 "2021-12-18T20:51:06Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > In North America, the US has higher deaths per million than both Canada and Mexico. Canada vaccination rate for 12+ = 87% US vaccination rate for 12+ = 70% Mexico’s death rate is very close to the US, and I would wager there are likely some reporting issues there as well. Obviously other factors like comorbidity rates (obesity in particular) and population age factor into that as well. But from what I’m seeing if you took out the “preventable deaths” due to the unvaccinated, which the CDC put at [163,000 in mid-December](https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/covid19-and-other-leading-causes-of-death-in-the-us/), you would have a death/1M rate of 1,989 (rather than 2,478). That still isn’t as good as Canada (but is better than Mexico), but tells you that poor vaccine uptake is certainly a large part of the difference. ---
**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:** [December 18, 2021, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3318 "2021-12-18T20:56:27Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > Looking at the number of covid deaths per million, it’s weird that the USA is doing worse in this epidemic than any other developed country, and worse than the great majority of developing countries too. I don’t have firm evidence for this but I wonder if the narrow window between 1st and 2nd doses inthe USA may have contributed to this as well. It was 3 weeks early on so I’m sure that many tens of millions were dosed under that regime. We now know that longer=better and if those people have not been caught with a booster yet it may be that their protection has waned to a point where higher death rates could be expected. ---
**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:** [December 18, 2021, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3319 "2021-12-18T20:57:15Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Thank you all for the kind words and for your participation in these threads. Still applies in 2021. Who knew this would turn into a long-term volunteer job? [![](https://i.imgur.com/3xIDvWG.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/3xIDvWG.jpg) ---
**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:** [December 18, 2021, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3320 "2021-12-18T22:20:18Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > I don’t have firm evidence for this but I wonder if the narrow window between 1st and 2nd doses inthe USA may have contributed to this as well. > It was 3 weeks early on so I’m sure that many tens of millions were dosed under that regime. > We now know that longer=better and if those people have not been caught with a booster yet it may be that their protection has waned to a point where higher death rates could be expected. I don’t think so because if you look at the stats of vaccinated vs. unvaccinated infections, hospitalizations, and deaths, the vaccinated did very well throughout the summer/fall delta surge. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3321 "2021-12-18T22:20:30Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Still applies in 2021 Here’s another set of thanks! ---
**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:** [December 18, 2021, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3322 "2021-12-18T22:36:55Z")
> [@Tfletch1](#): > > I don’t think so because if you look at the stats of vaccinated vs. unvaccinated infections, hospitalizations, and deaths, the vaccinated did very well throughout the summer/fall delta surge. They’d still do better than unvaccinated by quite some way and the summer was well within the window aforded by even a short-window vaccination regime. What would be instructive is the fatality rate for vaccinated/unaccinated both in the summer and now. ---
**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 18, 2021, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3323 "2021-12-18T22:37:35Z")
Estimates in very highly vaccinated Denmark, even for a mild omicron, are bad news due to the sheer numbers overwhelming hospitals. > [@](#): > > As omicron drives a new phase of the pandemic, many are looking to Denmark — and particularly the government institute devoted to testing, surveillance and modeling — for warnings about what to expect. > > The emerging answer — even in this highly vaccinated, wealthy northern European country — is dire. For all the defenses built over the last year, the virus is about to sprint out of control, and scientists here expect a similar pattern in much of the world. > > “The next month will be the hardest period of the pandemic,” said Tyra Grove Krause, the chief epidemiologist at Denmark’s State Serum Institute, a campus of brick buildings along a canal. > > Ever since the omicron variant emerged in November, the best hope has been that it might cause less severe sickness than the delta version it is competing with, which in turn might make this wave more manageable and help the transition of covid-19 into an endemic disease. But Denmark’s projections show the wave so fully inundating the country that even a lessened strain will deliver an unprecedented blow. > > Scientists caution that the knowledge of omicron remains imprecise. Denmark’s virus modelers have many scenarios. But even in a middle-of-the-road scenario, Danish hospitals will soon face a daily flow of patients several times beyond what they’ve previously seen. > **[Highly vaccinated countries thought they were over the worst. Denmark says...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/12/18/omicron-variant-denmark/)** > > In a country that tracks the spread of coronavirus variants as closely as any in the world, the signals have never been more concerning. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428.md?page=162) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428.md?page=164)