# 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:** 168
**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 25, 2021, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3430 "2021-12-25T20:21:04Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Surely this is the tragedy that will motivate the world: To be fair, there is enough of them. I think they replicate via cellular mitosis so give them a stable temperature and a suitable nutrient and I think they’ll be back up to strength by next weekend. ---
**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 26, 2021, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3431 "2021-12-26T00:01:12Z")
Hawaii has skyrocketed from low double-digit daily cases reported to over 1000 daily. In fact, Thursday’s 1511 new cases reported was the second-highest single day number reported at the time. Then we broke the old record of 1588 cases reported on August 27, with 1828 new cases reported yesterday. “Only” 1591 new cases reported today, but that means yesterday and today account for the highest and second-highest single-day new case load, respectively. So this week, we have had the highest, second-highest and fourth-highest reported, with the old record of 1588 four months ago now being third-highest. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2021, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3432 "2021-12-26T00:50:47Z")
I’m planning to read this later, but for now I’ll just quote the description from Twitter for this article, “Counting the neurological cost of COVID-19”. There is a link to a PDF of the article. > SARS-CoV-2 Induces cell death by apoptosis in neurons. A slow loss of neurons by this mechanism may be causing neurological features now been reported in Long-COVID. [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41582-021-00593-7](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41582-021-00593-7) ---
**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 26, 2021, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3433 "2021-12-26T02:05:36Z")
279,829,699 total cases 5,413,118 dead 250,029,656 recovered In the US: 53,026,765 total cases 837,779 dead 41,001,184 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 279,345,816 total cases > 5,409,044 dead > 249,652,717 recovered > > In the US: > > 52,986,307 total cases > 837,671 dead > 40,994,250 recovered ---
**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 26, 2021, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3434 "2021-12-26T02:07:54Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 837,779 dead Happy Christmas. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2021, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3435 "2021-12-26T03:56:14Z")
[Worldometers](https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/) provides daily global covid case numbers. The figures for the last two days are the highest on record, and there is no sign of the trend for this peak, the fourth of the epidemic, to diminish. Two days ago the figure was 982,822 and the day before 917,000. The previous peak was in April. Because they are dailies we’ll get a bit of a weekend / Christmas holiday drop, but I expect the trend to kick up next week again and crack the 1,000,000 cases per day mark easily. I expect its a combination of the spread of Omicron, more countries using test-isolation management, and even countries - like here in Australia - committing to opening up with high vaccination rates still not being enough to forestall the spread of infection. ---
**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 26, 2021, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3436 "2021-12-26T13:06:41Z")
Australia: > **[Australian state sees record cases, lab sends false results](https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-australia-new-south-wales-1f5aaad4f4495870ca0655a860617d38)** > > SYDNEY (AP) — Australia’s most populous state reported a record number of new COVID-19 cases on Sunday and a sharp jump in hospitalizations while thousands of people were isolating at home after contracting the virus or coming into contact with... ---
**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 26, 2021, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3437 "2021-12-26T16:13:25Z")
France: > **[France sees over 100,000 daily virus infections for 1st time](https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-health-pandemics-france-7b8135c0465d27a4be0c580f74b74b00)** > > PARIS (AP) — France has recorded more than 100,000 virus infections in a single day for the first time in the pandemic and COVID-19 hospitalizations have doubled over the past month, as the fast-spreading omicron variant complicates the French... ---
**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 26, 2021, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3438 "2021-12-26T16:46:33Z")
I love how they make “1 in 100 in Paris area tested positive in the past week” sound horrible. The rate in Miami-Dade county is nearly three times that. Way to go, Miami! 🙄 ---
**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 27, 2021, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3439 "2021-12-27T02:02:15Z")
280,332,696 total cases 5,416,370 dead 250,360,687 recovered In the US: 53,222,424 total cases 837,854 dead 41,031,018 recovered YesterdayTwo days ago’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 279,829,699 total cases > 5,413,118 dead > 250,029,656 recovered > > In the US: > > 53,026,765 total cases > 837,779 dead > 41,001,184 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:** [December 27, 2021, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3440 "2021-12-27T04:03:38Z")
Hawaii surpassed 2000 new Covid cases for the first time today, racking up 2205 new cases. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3441 "2021-12-27T06:02:00Z")
[Pfizer antiviral pills may be risky with other medications](https://www.aol.com/news/pfizer-covid-pills-may-risky-093036098.html) > The Food and Drug Administration authorized [Pfizer’s Paxlovid](https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fda-authorizes-first-covid-pill-pfizer-emergency-use-rcna8760) for mild to moderate Covid in people as young as 12 who have underlying conditions that raise the risk of hospitalization and death from the coronavirus, such as heart disease or diabetes. However, one of the two drugs in the antiviral cocktail could cause severe or life-threatening interactions with widely used medications, including statins, blood thinners and some antidepressants. What percentage of elderly and even mid-aged people take statins? [This article](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/21/well/live/for-older-people-reassuring-news-in-the-statin-debate.html) claims 60% of “older” adults (undefined age) take them… ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3442 "2021-12-27T07:02:06Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > What percentage of elderly and even mid-aged people take statins? [This article](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/21/well/live/for-older-people-reassuring-news-in-the-statin-debate.html) claims 60% of “older” adults (undefined age) take them… They could stop taking them while taking the anti-covid drug. Their cholesterol will go up some, but it’s not an immediately fatal condition. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3443 "2021-12-27T16:09:55Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > They could stop taking them while taking the anti-covid drug. Their cholesterol will go up some, but it’s not an immediately fatal condition. The pills only work if taken within the first handful of days that you have covid. And statins take [more than 3 days](https://www.drugs.com/medical-answers/long-atorvastatin-stay-system-after-stopping-drug-527313/) to fully leave your system after being discontinued. ---
**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 28, 2021, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3444 "2021-12-28T02:33:22Z")
[quote=“Snowboarder\_Bo, post:3439, topic:929428, full:true”] 281,803,325 total cases 5,422,427 dead 250,937,882 recovered In the US: 53,737,689 total cases 839,429 dead 41,190,170 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 280,332,696 total cases > 5,416,370 dead > 250,360,687 recovered > > In the US: > > 53,222,424 total cases > 837,854 dead > 41,031,018 recovered I’m not sure how I copied things incorrectly but it seems that the numbers I posted yesterday were actually from sometime on 25 December or very early on the 26th 🤬 Sorry, folks; we should be back on point now, tho. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3445 "2021-12-28T03:20:47Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 53,222,424 Holy crap, 515,265 cases in one day. Biggest spike of the whole pandemic. The fat lady is backstage, napping peacefully. ---
**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 28, 2021, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3446 "2021-12-28T03:38:03Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 839,429 dead Question: Why is the number I see in news reports about 20,000 lower than the numbers posted in this thread? ---
**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 28, 2021, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3447 "2021-12-28T04:12:25Z")
Note that in the United States, cases, hospital admissions, patients in ICU, and deaths are all LOWER than they were this time last year:   [![](https://i.ibb.co/p2CLSVb/stats02.png) ](https://i.ibb.co/p2CLSVb/stats02.png) ---
**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 28, 2021, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3448 "2021-12-28T04:13:36Z")
Highly recommended for looking at data: > **[COVID-19 Data Explorer](https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/coronavirus-data-explorer)** > > Research and data to make progress against the world’s largest problems ---
**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 28, 2021, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/3449 "2021-12-28T04:16:11Z")
They are pretty high, though. I was looking at figures for my state, and cases are at or close to an all time high. Hospitalizations are significantly lower than peak. But high enough that the state is asking that non-urgent procedures be delayed. Again, not as bad as when even some fairly urgent visits weren’t happening. But pretty bad. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428.md?page=167) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428.md?page=169)