# 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:** 47
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2021, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/951 "2021-04-01T00:40:42Z")
Of course it’s not as good. But there’s a wide excluded middle between “not as good” and “irreparable harm.” We are an adaptable species, currently adapting to a pandemic. Which, in case you’re unaware, we have done before (see: bubonic plague, cholera, smallpox, polio). For most of these we couldn’t get out of the way fast enough to avoid harm as much as we are right now, but the number of enduring and significant deep social changes that resulted from just the bubonic plague, cholera, and malaria alone are staggering. Look into the way we changed how we access water once we learned how cholera circulates. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2021, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/952 "2021-04-01T00:41:54Z")
Though here’s a sort of a counterargument: [“CHOLERA FORCING” The Myth of the Good Epidemic and the Coming of Good Water - PMC](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2759804/) ---
**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:** [April 1, 2021, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/953 "2021-04-01T01:28:39Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Of course it’s not as good. But there’s a wide excluded middle between “not as good” and “irreparable harm.” Yeah, speaking of which, I didn’t say “irreparable” nor Boppity’s choice of “grave”. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2021, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/954 "2021-04-01T01:32:56Z")
You said it would screw up some kids for a long time. I sincerely doubt it will screw up many kids for even a short time. In little bands of hunter gatherers there may not have been other same-age children at all, and I bet those kids learned to make facial expressions from doing so with their parents and other “authority figures”. Plus, kids are on zoom and watch TV and stuff. And outdoors they can talk to other kids they aren’t close to. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2021, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/955 "2021-04-01T01:34:22Z")
What’s a short time to you? I think they will have a couple years of catch up. I consider that long for a child under 6. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2021, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/956 "2021-04-01T01:35:24Z")
I doubt many kids will be screwed up at all. 🤷‍♀️ ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2021, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/957 "2021-04-01T02:01:25Z")
> [@BippityBoppityBoo](#): > > A few hours a week masked in a playgroup won’t cause grave harm. As phrased, I totally agreed. The kids most harmed are those who have a miserable home life mitigated when they spend most of the day in school, and after-school activities, ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2021, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/958 "2021-04-01T02:59:03Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Though here’s a sort of a counterargument: [“CHOLERA FORCING” The Myth of the Good Epidemic and the Coming of Good Water](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2759804/) Closest analogue to COVID is Spanish Flu. I don’t know that much of anything was actually learned from that. I may have missed something, however. As the paper says, societies can certainly fail to meet many challenges again and again. Famine, drought, pestilence, you name it. I suppose, maybe, we’ll learn to respond more quickly. Like New Zealand. We certainly could get closer. I’m unconvinced we’ll do any better. I don’t think we’ll learn. Plus, the masks and social distancing required to mitigate the pandemic have potentially negative downstream affects on society in their increase in isolation. I suppose we could compensate for that. Don’t know if we will in the short run, or even the long run. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2021, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/959 "2021-04-01T04:23:02Z")
Lots of people suffered psychological damage from growing up during WWII living in one of the combatant countries. Oddly enough society continues today in all those countries. Was/is WWII or COVID a durn shame compared to a nicer friendlier world where those things never happened? You bet. Is it beyond collective human coping to deal with these challenges? Not even remotely. We will adapt and (mostly) overcome. As we always do. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2021, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/960 "2021-04-01T04:54:53Z")
129,472,290 total cases 2,828,157 dead 104,426,372 recovered In the US: 31,166,344 total cases 565,256 dead 23,673,462 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 128,839,816 total cases > 2,816,997 dead > 103,969,784 recovered > > In the US: > > 31,097,154 total cases > 564,138 dead > 23,586,796 recovered ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2021, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/961 "2021-04-01T13:58:39Z")
My grandmother always boiled any water she would drink or use in cooking. If you gave her water from a tap she would set it aside until it was boiled. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2021, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/962 "2021-04-01T15:52:45Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > In bad news. > > [https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/545856-shipments-of-johnson-johnson-vaccine-halted](https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/545856-shipments-of-johnson-johnson-vaccine-halted) A follow-up: > **[Company producing J&J vaccine had history of violations](https://apnews.com/article/virus-vaccine-johnson-and-johnson-emergent-biosolutions-d9edd171f8013e17c0be8b13a6db7fed)** > > The company at the center of quality problems that led Johnson & Johnson to discard 15 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine has a string of citations from U.S. health officials for quality control problems. But [the news isn’t all bad today](https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-south-korea-asia-pacific-coronavirus-pandemic-c3255b92ff955505366dd2f2d74b7dff): > [@](#): > > Pfizer says its vaccine continues to be effective against COVID-19 up to six months later. > > Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, announced updated results Thursday from their ongoing late-stage study of more than 44,000 volunteers. > > The companies said the vaccine was 91% effective against symptomatic disease and was even more protective in preventing severe disease. Of 927 confirmed COVID-19 cases detected through March 13, 77 were among people who received the vaccine and 850 were among people who got dummy shots. > > There were no serious safety concerns and the vaccine also appeared to work against a variant first detected in South Africa, the companies said. > > The U.K. and U.S. gave the emergency green light to roll out Pfizer’s vaccine late last year followed by many other countries. The vaccine is authorized for ages 16 and up. > > This week, the companies said the vaccine is safe and strongly protective in kids as young as 12, based on a study of 2,260 U.S. volunteers. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2021, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/963 "2021-04-01T16:25:52Z")
Yeah, I posted a link to an article about the last of those > [@Coronavirus COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) Thread - 2021 Breaking News](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/937): > > In better news: A study of kids 12-15 found the Pfizer vaccine safe and effective, with similar side effects and similar levels of neutralizing antibodies formed as in the previously studied 16-25 year olds. And yes, excellent Pfizer news today. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2021, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/964 "2021-04-01T20:32:27Z")
I can’t believe they didn’t catch the wrong ingredient error in the J&J vaccine until after 15 million doses were affected. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2021, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/965 "2021-04-01T21:37:27Z")
If one batch is 15 million doses then it is entirely believable. It’s not like they are mixing one dose at a time. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2021, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/966 "2021-04-01T22:31:48Z")
1 dose is 1/2 of a mL. So 15,000,000 doses = 7,500,000 mL = 7,500 L = very roughly 2000 gallons of vaccine as a finished product. Not knowing how much dilution is done during production, they may well have only screwed up 2, 20, or 200 gallons of active ingredient. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2021, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/967 "2021-04-02T07:49:23Z")
130,225,240 total cases 2,841,223 dead 104,931,613 recovered In the US: 31,244,639 total cases 566,611 dead 23,754,391 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 129,472,290 total cases > 2,828,157 dead > 104,426,372 recovered > > In the US: > > 31,166,344 total cases > 565,256 dead > 23,673,462 recovered ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2021, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/968 "2021-04-02T08:25:28Z")
> [@FigNorton](#): > > I think 2 years of socializing without facial cues is going to screw some kids up for a long time. I have very little trouble recognizing facial cues with masks. I don’t think I’m extraordinary in this respect. The eyes seem to be enough for me. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2021, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/969 "2021-04-02T13:38:19Z")
Well, that’s simply ridiculous. You aren’t a child learning to socialize. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2021, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/970 "2021-04-02T13:52:48Z")
Maybe kids who see a lot of people in masks will develop _better_ skills at reading faces. 🤷‍♀️ I really don’t think it’s going to make a huge difference for most kids. They’ll all see their parents unmasked. They’ll probably all see people on TV, too. The fact that social distancing makes it easier for shitty abusive parents to hide the abuse from outsiders is likely the biggest problem for kids. But i know that social workers are still going into the homes of foster kids to monitor stuff. And teachers now get to see the parents interact with kids, too. It’s not as if we’ve completely removed all barriers to abuse. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428.md?page=46) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428.md?page=48)