# 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:** 39
**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:** [March 12, 2021, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/791 "2021-03-12T01:55:43Z")
Keep the good new coming! ---
**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:** [March 12, 2021, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/792 "2021-03-12T01:56:20Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > > [@teelabrown](#): > > > > This is really important, because it would greatly reduce transmission. > > If quarantine and control are greatly reducing transmission, reducing asymptomatic transmission greatly reduces quarantine and control failure. > > For places which do not have strict quarantine and control measures in place, reducing asymptomatic transmission will have minimal effect, because transmission does not greatly come from asymptomatic carriers. I’m not sure I follow this logic. Or maybe I’m tripping over the terminology. At least here in the USA there is negligible quarantine and control. Folks do what they please, mask or not as they choose, etc. Morons. Even if they test positive, they go out in public or not as they will. With or without a mask as their party affiliation dictates. In that environment, the only thing limiting transmission is that overtly sick people mostly stay home in bed. Anyone infected but asymptomatic is likely going about their normal public business blithely, and perhaps completely unwittingly. So in that scenario, the majority of infection comes from exposure to asymptomatic or nearly asymptomatic carriers. Because those are the only carriers out in public to be spreading. Normally I agree wholeheartedly with your COVID posts. What have I failed to understand here? ---
**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:** [March 12, 2021, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/793 "2021-03-12T05:12:12Z")
119,120,511 total cases 2,641,790 dead 94,731,229 recovered In the US: 29,925,902 total cases 543,721 dead 20,797,298 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 118,638,111 total cases > 2,632,074 dead > 94,251,029 recovered > > In the US: > > 29,862,124 total cases > 542,191 dead > 20,640,270 recovered The US will have more than 30,000,000 total cases tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2021, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/794 "2021-03-13T01:45:14Z")
This seems rather lighthearted after your post Bo but I have been noticing that several of [our cats’ legs seem to be getting shorter.](https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/08/us/pandemic-overweight-pets-trnd/index.html) 'Pets are often celebrated for matching their owner’s mannerisms. Walking at the same pace? A sign of good training. Cuddling and watching TV together? Adorable. Stress-eating together because you’re both home all day due to a harrowing pandemic? Less endearing – and potentially dangerous. Veterinarians across the US are noticing weight gain and higher levels of obesity in pets since the pandemic began, said Dr. Ernie Ward, veterinary food therapist and founder of the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention." ---
**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:** [March 13, 2021, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/795 "2021-03-13T07:28:13Z")
119,627,569 total cases 2,651,985 dead 96,270,132 recovered In the US: 29,993,423 total cases 545,544 dead 22,031,220 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 119,120,511 total cases > 2,641,790 dead > 94,731,229 recovered > > In the US: > > 29,925,902 total cases > 543,721 dead > 20,797,298 recovered Ah, well: just shy of 30,000,000 today. We’ll hit it tomorrow for sure. The US has the most cases in the world; Brazil & India are neck-and-neck for 2nd with 11,300,000+ and counting each. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2021, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/796 "2021-03-13T21:13:07Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > So in that scenario, the majority of infection comes from exposure to asymptomatic or nearly asymptomatic carriers. Because those are the only carriers out in public to be spreading. > > Normally I agree wholeheartedly with your COVID posts. What have I failed to understand here? Those people are pre-symptomatic. Prevention of asymptomatic transmission is also important, but not nearly as numerically significant as suppression of pre-symptomatic transmission. The distinction is important, so it hadn’t occurred to me that other people might be using the words in a different way than I do. ---
**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:** [March 13, 2021, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/797 "2021-03-13T21:43:53Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > …so it hadn’t occurred to me that other people might be using the words in a different way than I do. 😲 Seriously?? One of the gifts I’ve acquired from posting here is the ~~awareness~~ certainty that no matter how clear I think I’m being someone will take it the wrong way and either dismiss me outright or be offended. It’s best to explain and clarify before hitting “reply.” Then reread your post for all the ways it might be misunderstood. And then explain and clarify some more. You know: like in real life. Carry on. ---
**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:** [March 13, 2021, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/798 "2021-03-13T22:21:07Z")
Missouri: > **[Missouri virus cases tick upward after months of decline](https://apnews.com/article/michael-brown-health-ticks-coronavirus-pandemic-st-louis-19688811c22ee4fcb7fbada0d8c7c114)** > > ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri’s rate of new coronavirus cases is ticking upward after months of decline. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the state’s coronavirus infection rate has... ---
**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:** [March 14, 2021, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/799 "2021-03-14T07:46:43Z")
120,074,370 total cases 2,660,131 dead 96,597,473 recovered In the US: 30,043,662 total cases 546,605 dead 22,108,596 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 119,627,569 total cases > 2,651,985 dead > 96,270,132 recovered > > In the US: > > 29,993,423 total cases > 545,544 dead > 22,031,220 recovered ---
**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:** [March 14, 2021, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/800 "2021-03-14T09:52:23Z")
Worldometers has the US at 90,000 case per million (and yes we know that is probably a gross under-estimate). I wonder whether the vaccine rollout will stop it reaching 100K, or 1 in 10 of the population? ---
**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:** [March 14, 2021, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/801 "2021-03-14T14:07:42Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Those people are pre-symptomatic. Prevention of asymptomatic transmission is also important, but not nearly as numerically significant as suppression of pre-symptomatic transmission. > > The distinction is important, so it hadn’t occurred to me that other people might be using the words in a different way than I do. Thank you. Makes sense now. ---
**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:** [March 14, 2021, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/802 "2021-03-14T14:59:25Z")
A bright note… 🎵 > **[Yo-Yo Ma gives a surprise cello concert at a Massachusetts vaccination site....](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/14/world/yo-yo-ma-berkshire-community-college.html)** > > He used the 15-minute observation period after receiving his second dose to play “Ave Maria” and Bach’s Prelude in G Major. Video available on the [Berkshire Community College Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/berkshirecc/posts/10159601326713013). I don’t know if you have to have a FB acct to see this. Or try [this link.](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/14/world/yo-yo-ma-berkshire-community-college.html?smid=em-share) ---
**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:** [March 14, 2021, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/803 "2021-03-14T15:22:28Z")
Ma has always been supremely cool and a class act. ---
**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:** [March 14, 2021, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/804 "2021-03-14T23:27:30Z")
Bars reopened on Oahu a few days ago. While I’m fully vaccinated, I think I’ll wait until the wife is too before I partake. ---
**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:** [March 15, 2021, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/805 "2021-03-15T06:08:51Z")
120,417,285 total cases 2,665,249 dead 96,972,282 recovered In the US: 30,081,657 total cases 547,234 dead 22,169,237 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 120,074,370 total cases > 2,660,131 dead > 96,597,473 recovered > > In the US: > > 30,043,662 total cases > 546,605 dead > 22,108,596 recovered ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/806 "2021-03-15T20:10:52Z")
A couple of pre-release articles came out today. Here is an news article summarizing them. > **[2% of people carry 90% of COVID-19 virus, and roommates are safer than you think](https://www.colorado.edu/today/2021/03/15/2-people-carry-90-covid-19-virus-and-roommates-are-safer-you-think)** > > New research finds that only one in five college students who tested positive for COVID-19 while living in residence halls infected their roommates. The articles can be found at > **[2021.03.01.21252250.full.pdf](https://www.medrxiv.org/content/medrxiv/early/2021/03/05/2021.03.01.21252250.full.pdf)** > > 1149.59 KB and > **[Higher viral load drives infrequent SARS-CoV-2 transmission between...](https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.03.09.21253147v1)** > > In 2019-2020, the COVID-19 pandemic spread to over 200 countries in less than six months. To understand the basis of this aggressive spread, it is essential to determine the transmission rate and define the factors that increase the risk of... These have not yet been peer reviewed, and I do not have the molecular or epidemiological expertise to judge them myself. They are being released by well respected researchers, so I would be surprised if there are _serious_ problems. Here is my take away from them. Some of these things I find quiet surprising. - Viral load distributions are the same for the symptomatic and asymptomatic groups. - Viral load is related to contagion. - The vast majority of active virions in the community are reservoired in a very small fraction of infected people. They claim 90% of the virions in the community are in 2% of the patients, and 99% are in 12% of the infected individuals. If these results hold up, it does go a long way to explaining superspread events. As they say, and one whole paper goes into, being near (or living with) an infected individual in most cases isn’t going to lead to infection. Except, in the rare cases where the infected individual is one of the unlucky people with a high viral load, then the chance of contagion goes way up. This brings up a side question, do we know if other diseases work like this, like rhino or RSV related colds? Or, are we discovering it about SARS-Cov-2 because the technology to get virus counts is relatively cheap, and there is funding and motivation to do this kind of research? I’m really looking forward to future work which gets into why some people are symptomatic, and others not, and why some people have very high viral loads, and others don’t. ---
**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:** [March 15, 2021, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/807 "2021-03-15T20:29:45Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > This brings up a side question, do we know if other diseases work like this, like rhino or RSV related colds? Or, are we discovering it about SARS-Cov-2 because the technology to get virus counts is relatively cheap, and there is funding and motivation to do this kind of research? I’m going to go out on a limb and bet a million internet dollars that much of what we’re learning about covid is undiscovered stuff true of many diseases. The lingering effects, non-homogeneous spread, and asymptomatic cases are all things we’ve known about but this year of disease study will turn a lot of the common wisdom on its head. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/808 "2021-03-15T20:35:36Z")
I’m surprised that deaths are still as high as they are. At this point I would have expected that vast majority of high-risk people are vaccinated (e.g. in Mass we’ve opened vaccinations to lower-risk groups). I thought at this point of the roll-out we’d see maybe 10% of peak deaths. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/809 "2021-03-15T20:44:37Z")
Deaths lag infection by ~3 weeks (???). At this point you’re seeing how many people were vaccinated 3 weeks ago. (With a sharply declining infection rate, daily deaths lag infection by even more, because the death rate is swamped by the small tail of the large peak, and there are no short-term deaths to pull down the average) ---
**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:** [March 15, 2021, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/810 "2021-03-15T21:51:11Z")
Israeli case counts kept rising well into their much more efficient vaccine rollout. At least 4 weeks in before case numbers were being obviously affected, iirc. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428.md?page=38) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428.md?page=40)