# 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:** 31
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/603 "2021-02-18T23:01:48Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Not disputing the article or your points. But Original article posted in this thread [Coronavirus COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) Thread - 2021 Breaking News - #183 by Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/183). Discussion similar to your post > [@Coronavirus COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) Thread - 2021 Breaking News](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/189): > > I can’t be bothered to wade through that entire PNAS paper, but it’s very unclear to me what exactly this could mean. Life expectancy for who, exactly? The abstract and a table halfway through say they are talking about life expectancy at birth. I don’t see how they could possibly make any reliable inference about the effect of COVID on life expectancy for someone born today, but surely there’s a good chance that it’s negligible once we have vaccines and herd immunity. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/604 "2021-02-18T23:13:29Z")
Thanks. I’ll dig into that thread. Which is actually _this_ thread, just ~400 posts ago. Unrelated to the above … Here’s a good current blog post on virus variants: [https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2021/02/18/coronavirus-variants](https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2021/02/18/coronavirus-variants) Here’s one of the punchline paragraphs about how dangerous mutations form: > The most likely way that these things happen is for the whole process to take place inside the body of a single patient – one with a grinding long-term coronavirus infection that their immune system is having trouble clearing. [This report](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2031364) from December of an immune-compromised patient is exactly that situation: this unfortunate person suffered from at least 154 days of coronavirus before dying from it and his underlying conditions. Sequencing of the virus at different points during this infection shows [unmistakeable evidence](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2031364) of its evolution under these forcing conditions – constant immune system attack, but never quite enough to kill the infection off. The terrifying thing is that, writ large, that’s exactly what we as a species are doing about COVID in general. We now have widespread infection with humanity collectively mounting a constant but half-assed ineffective counterattack via masking, distancing, and vaccination. All of this is enough to slow it down, but also to produce stronger, better viruses among those who survive. You as an individual body or we as a collective humanity win by applying overwhelming force without exception until the last virus dies of old age after a month or so. Half-assed measures don’t cut 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:** [February 19, 2021, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/605 "2021-02-19T05:03:29Z")
110,837,382 total cases 2,452,582 dead 85,777,631 recovered In the US: 28,523,524 total cases 505,309 dead 18,703,421 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 110,435,805 total cases > 2,441,044 dead > 85,328,408 recovered > > In the US: > > 28,453,526 total cases > 502,544 dead > 18,596,497 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:** [February 19, 2021, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/606 "2021-02-19T05:04:37Z")
Here’s some news: > **[Experts warn against COVID-19 variants as states reopen](https://apnews.com/article/experts-warn-virus-variants-states-open-ef733cb1b2546492c24996377a0f20a7)** > > NEW YORK (AP) — As states lift mask rules and ease restrictions on restaurants and other businesses because of falling case numbers, public health officials say authorities are overlooking potentially more dangerous COVID-19 variants that are quietly... > [@](#): > > Scientists widely agree that the U.S. simply doesn’t have enough of a handle on the variants to roll back public health measures and is at risk of fumbling yet another phase of the pandemic after letting the virus rage through the country over the last year and kill nearly 500,000 people. > > “Now is not the time to fully open up,” said Karthik Gangavarapu, a researcher at Scripps Research Institute whose team works closely with San Diego health officials to watch for mutant versions of the coronavirus. “We need to still be vigilant.” ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/607 "2021-02-19T06:20:23Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > [In the Pipeline – 18 Feb 21](https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2021/02/18/coronavirus-variants) > > ### [Coronavirus Variants: Down to the Details](https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2021/02/18/coronavirus-variants) > > It’s my impression that the pace of headlines and tweets, etc. about the many COVID-19 variants has increased recently (and it wasn’t exactly an unexplored topic before). Some of the coverage is just horse-race stuff (here comes this one, around the… THE Derek Lowe - chemist who blogs about stuff in labs he won’t work with because; humor, smells, explosions, etc… all good stuff and great reads. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2021, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/608 "2021-02-19T07:45:59Z")
And here’s a decent 5 minute video that also talks about the variants: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/mQxsInE7UQ4/maxresdefault.jpg "The U.S. Can’t Keep Up With Mutant COVID Strains") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQxsInE7UQ4) ---
**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:** [February 20, 2021, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/609 "2021-02-20T05:14:00Z")
111,249,648 total cases 2,463,652 dead 86,123,535 recovered In the US: 28,603,813 total cases 507,746 dead 18,803,723 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 110,837,382 total cases > 2,452,582 dead > 85,777,631 recovered > > In the US: > > 28,523,524 total cases > 505,309 dead > 18,703,421 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:** [February 20, 2021, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/610 "2021-02-20T23:05:19Z")
[Hawaii is found to be the second-safest state in terms of the pandemic](https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2021/02/18/survey-hawaii-nd-safest-state-during-covid-/), behind only Alaska. (Ohio, South Carolina and New York get the lowest marks.) To date, Hawaii has had 27,107 Covid-19 cases with 430 deaths. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2021, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/611 "2021-02-20T23:12:51Z")
I don’t think Hawaii is surprising. A state of isolated islands should be the easiest to protect. ---
**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:** [February 21, 2021, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/612 "2021-02-21T04:44:30Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > I’ve been to Thailand and am still in touch with some friends I made there; like a lot of Thailand, they’re in the hospitality/tourist side of things and not doing real well. One is moving far up country to family until things improve. My best friend, a fellow American who lives in northeastern Thailand, has a daughter who finished her bachelor’s degree in tourism a couple years ago at Khon Kaen University. That plus her being a fluent English speaker landed her a plum job at a five-star resort in Chiang Mai, in the North. That was shortly before Covid hit. She got laid off of course. Her parents are helping her out financially. She’s sticking it out in Chiang Mai for the time being. ---
**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:** [February 21, 2021, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/613 "2021-02-21T05:34:58Z")
111,654,017 total cases 2,472,387 dead 86,819,096 recovered In the US: 28,706,473 total cases 509,875 dead 18,899,272 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 111,249,648 total cases > 2,463,652 dead > 86,123,535 recovered > > In the US: > > 28,603,813 total cases > 507,746 dead > 18,803,723 recovered ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/614 "2021-02-21T06:00:26Z")
Some good news. UC Davis hospital claims to have 95% immunity in its staff. The level of staff sickness is way down since the vaccines have been administered. Some of the staff are converted believers in the vaccine. This newsclip says that 56M people have been vaccinated in the country. https://www.youtube.com/embed/kmly4rgQ__s?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=TLPQMjAwMjIwMjGhUzztE59sdw California is setting aside 10% of vaccines for its teachers so that schools can open faster. Newsom feels that the April 15 target is not aggressive enough, so he’s trying to get more of the school workers vaccinated faster. > **[California Will Begin Setting Aside 10% Of COVID-19 Vaccine Doses For Teachers](https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/02/20/969716941/california-will-begin-setting-aside-10-of-covid-19-vaccine-doses-for-teachers)** > > Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the plan on Friday as part of an effort to accelerate in-person learning across the state. LA is cautiously optimistic with the case rates and hospitalizations going down that the worst is over. They’re hoping that the vaccine and the level of immunity reached from being getting coronavirus will prevent another huge spike. But they’re advising not to let your guard down. > **[New optimism that COVID-19 is finally dwindling as L.A. gains some herd immunity](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-20/covid-19-pandemic-herd-immunity-vaccinations-plummeting-cases)** > > In L.A., so many people now have immunity to the coronavirus from past infections and vaccination that transmission is slowing and inching toward herd immunity. ---
**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:** [February 21, 2021, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/615 "2021-02-21T06:15:01Z")
Good news, though a bit optimistic as compared to the [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/covid-19-vaccine-doses.html): > The [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention](https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations) said on Saturday about 42.8 million people have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, including about 17.9 million people who have been fully vaccinated. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/616 "2021-02-21T06:26:30Z")
> [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](#): > > This newsclip says that 56M people have been vaccinated in the country. After seeing **susan** ’s post, I need to amend this statement. That’s 56M doses, not people. ---
**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:** [February 21, 2021, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/617 "2021-02-21T19:59:15Z")
At this point, they need to get the first dose out to as many people as possible; it’s better to have some immunity spread out across the population than to have a select few who are fully vaccinated. It’s basic math. ---
**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:** [February 21, 2021, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/618 "2021-02-21T20:01:51Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > It’s basic math. It may seem like basic math but it isn’t basic medical science, immunology or epidemiology. ---
**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:** [February 21, 2021, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/619 "2021-02-21T20:23:40Z")
If circumstances were different, I’d be inclined to agree, but what we’re talking about is the difference between more widespread distribution and use of a partial vaccine does that very likely provides some protection and a limited distribution of a more complete vaccination that, while offering stronger immunity in those who receive the dose, offers less protection to the population as a whole. The way I see it, the vaccine rollout is what it is. It’s not going to be perfect by any stretch - that ship has left port. But we can give at least partial protection to a much larger group of people, which is the better option, IMO. ETA: One expert agrees with this approach: [Top epidemiologist says Biden administration needs to focus on first vaccine doses](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/meet-the-press/top-epidemiologist-says-biden-administration-needs-focus-first-vaccine-doses-n1256293) ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/620 "2021-02-21T21:16:48Z")
> [@BippityBoppityBoo](#): > > It may seem like basic math but it isn’t basic medical science, immunology or epidemiology. Well said. That’s speaking as someone who will have to wait 12 weeks for my second dose (UK). As it happens, I had the A-Z vaccine, where there is (some) evidence to support this; but if I had been given Pfizer or Moderna I would still have to wait - and there’s no evidence to support an extended gap between doses for those 2 vaccines. @asahi - I take your point, but there’s no reason to assume plain sailing if second doses are delayed. I posted this upthread - the article is very balanced (and worth a read), and the quote below is from the “case against”, as it were. [Covid-19 vaccination: What’s the evidence for extending the dosing interval?](https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n18) > Could the gap lead to vaccine resistant strains of SARS-CoV-2? > > Paul Bieniasz, a retrovirologist from Rockefeller University who is studying how the virus can acquire mutations, has warned that the UK was taking a gamble that risked fostering vaccine resistant forms of the virus. He told the news site STAT, **“My concern, as a virologist, is that if you wanted to make a vaccine-resistant strain, what you would do is to build a cohort of partially immunized individuals in the teeth of a highly prevalent viral infection**.” My bold. j ---
**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:** [February 21, 2021, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/621 "2021-02-21T21:51:58Z")
Somewhat breaking news is > In research published Friday in the Lancet medical journal, one dose of Pfizer’s vaccine was shown to be 85% effective in preventing symptomatic disease 15 to 28 days after being given, according to a peer-reviewed observational study of about 9,000 people conducted by the Israeli government-owned Sheba Medical Center. [https://www.wsj.com/articles/single-dose-of-pfizer-vaccine-is-85-effective-israeli-study-shows-11613723218](https://www.wsj.com/articles/single-dose-of-pfizer-vaccine-is-85-effective-israeli-study-shows-11613723218) Probably paywalled, but I quoted the bit with numbers. Another article i read, but can’t find now, said that they didn’t see the effectiveness of one dose immediately because they didn’t distinguish between people who’d just gotten vaccinated and those who’d been vaccinated \>2 weeks prior in the initial studies. (Also, I think the initial studies gave everyonea second dose after 21 days, so they didn’t have a lot of data for “one dose a while ago”.) The other article also said that most of what was circulating in Israel when this study was done was the note contagious UK variant, so that’s extra food news. ---
**Author:** ![FigNorton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fignorton/32/5619_2.png) [@FigNorton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FigNorton)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/622 "2021-02-21T21:53:21Z")
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