# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2021, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/81 "2021-01-08T20:32:38Z")
In the UK, all workers in certain parts of our health service are required to be vaccinated against certain bio-hazards - you can’t work in ER or theatre without the various Hepatitis jabs - there are other jabs but this will do for example. In other occupations such as prisons and police you are offered such jabs - but not flu - and if later on you suffer any ailments through not having those jabs then your claims for compensation - enhanced sick retirement - will be reduce to the lower level of sickness innefficiency (currently unable to offer efficient attendance and perrformance) In other words, those staff who are in close contact with vulnerable patients cannot be part of their health safeguard if they have not or are unable to accept the vaccine - there should be consequencies and choices for the workers. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2021, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/82 "2021-01-08T20:49:06Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > COVID is raging and still Trump has managed to make it the second most important story. **Moderator Note** Keep political commentary out of this forum. Colibri QZ Moderator ---
**Author:** ![metonymic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@metonymic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/metonymic)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2021, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/83 "2021-01-08T21:04:36Z")
Yup, I totally agree. The messaging has been really haphazard and almost certainly has been trying to placate people (eg. before Christmas, Quebec was told they could get together with family in small gatherings over a couple of specific days if they promised to isolate before and after, using the honour system? but then that was rescinded as numbers continued to rise: [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-christmas-covid-legault-1.5826939](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-christmas-covid-legault-1.5826939) ) and it’s just confusing overall. People likely still got together over the holidays despite the new rules, and who knows if this lockdown can slow the numbers, given that elementary schools are apparently being reopened next week…sigh ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2021, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/84 "2021-01-08T21:05:24Z")
> [@casdave](#): > > In the UK, all workers in certain parts of our health service are required to be vaccinated against certain bio-hazards - you can’t work in ER or theatre without the various Hepatitis jabs - there are other jabs but this will do for example Is there a defined list of vaccines the health workers are required to have or is it a general statement like “You’ll have to be vaccinated with any and all vaccines we decide at anytime”? ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2021, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/85 "2021-01-08T22:16:55Z")
I do not know the exact mechanism for this, I used to work as a sparky in a UK hospital and it was routine for us to be offered vaccinations without going to our GP. We also had to declare which ones we hadn’t had - we were not compelled to have those jabs but its not hard for the employer in the case of compensation claims to discover that we had declined offers. Frankly you’d be completely mad not to have hep jabs in hospital maintenance due to the high probability of needlestick injury. It also works the other way too, we used to have our hearing assessed and also if we had any work acquired infections such as MRSA then we would have proof of declines in hearing or other health conditions. (I can think of one person who had a very specific bite from a Rogets Ant that caused infection and nearly cost him his leg - those ants are very uncommon except in one area of the hospital undercroft so it supported his compensation claim ) Medical staff have differant rules, so I don’t know what happens if they decline certain vaccinations, but likely it would simply disqualify them from specific fields - even if they had genuine medical reasons for declining said vaccinations - due to the risk to patient safety. ---
**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:** [January 9, 2021, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/86 "2021-01-09T00:57:24Z")
> **[Delaware reports first coronavirus-related child death](https://apnews.com/article/public-health-john-carney-delaware-coronavirus-pandemic-dover-0c2a9382473dbd170c87a127f21d165c)** > > DOVER, Del. (AP) — Public health officials on Friday reported the first COVID-19-related death of a child in Delaware. Officials said the death involved a child under the age of 5 from New... ---
**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:** [January 9, 2021, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/87 "2021-01-09T05:08:40Z")
89,358,986 total cases 1,922,156 dead 64,010,529 recovered In the US: 22,456,902 total cases 378,149 dead 13,259,949 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 88,503,304 total cases > 1,906,749 dead > 63,612,605 recovered > > In the US: > > 22,132,045 total cases > 374,124 dead > 13,143,317 recovered The US had more than 301,000 new cases today, a new single day record. ---
**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:** [January 9, 2021, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/88 "2021-01-09T14:03:43Z")
What are the current theories in the public health/medical communities about why some people breeze through a mild case of COVID and others die, sometimes quickly, and still others (even those who have had a mild case) suffer long-term after effects? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2021, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/89 "2021-01-09T14:16:07Z")
^It’s also interesting how clusters of severe disease are happening. My sister’s husband’s family spread COVID-19 amongst themselves. Although they all survived, every one of them had hospital stays with severe illness and guarded prognosis’s. ---
**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:** [January 9, 2021, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/90 "2021-01-09T14:27:03Z")
I’ve also read of families where only two of five tested positive. One had a mild case and the other one died rather quickly. There’s so much we still don’t know about this virus… Nitpick: _prognoses_ ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2021, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/91 "2021-01-09T14:39:48Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Nitpick: _prognoses_ Thank you. I knew there had to be a plural. ---
**Author:** ![Monocracy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monocracy/32/4493_2.png) [@Monocracy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monocracy)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2021, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/92 "2021-01-09T14:44:15Z")
The 7 day moving average exceeded 3000 deaths yesterday. ---
**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:** [January 9, 2021, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/93 "2021-01-09T15:06:49Z")
I’ve posted this in various COVID threads before, but it pretty well summarizes my attitude about COVID vaccine skepticism: > **[I Just Don't Trust Them](https://xkcd.com/2397/)** > > I believe in getting immunity the old-fashioned way: By letting a bat virus take control of my lungs and turn my face into a disgusting plague fountain while my immune system desperately Googles 'how to make spike protein antibodies'. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2021, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/94 "2021-01-10T02:20:08Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > What are the current theories in the public health/medical communities about why some people breeze through a mild case of COVID and others die, sometimes quickly, and still others (even those who have had a mild case) suffer long-term after effects? I don’t know, except getting a bigger initial viral load is bad. What you write is, in broad stokes, common with deadly diseases. It is certainly true of other viruses including smallpox and polio. As for the flu, what you write isn’t so true when the victim is middle aged, but probably is true for people 85 and older. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2021, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/95 "2021-01-10T05:07:36Z")
90,084,772 total cases 1,934,925 dead 64,467,005 recovered In the US: 22,699,938 total cases 381,480 dead 13,393,078 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 89,358,986 total cases > 1,922,156 dead > 64,010,529 recovered > > In the US: > > 22,456,902 total cases > 378,149 dead > 13,259,949 recovered ---
**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:** [January 10, 2021, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/96 "2021-01-10T09:15:15Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Meanwhile, with only 0.07% of the population vaccinated so far, Austria’s vaccination program is almost the slowest in the European Union. (Only France, at 0.01%, is worse.) No cite, but there’s a cartoon pointing out that Switzerland, who is not part of the EU, is even worse than France. R is staying above 1, and finally the federal government has decided to step in again and implement a federal rule, instead of letting each canton earn the right to have restaurants open. > The Swiss government said on January 6 that nationwide measures imposed on December 18 – closure of bars, restaurants, sports and cultural facilities – would likely be extended until the end of February. A final decision on the extension, and on possible further measures, will be taken on January 13. The government also said it supports uniform measures across cantons. Article [here](https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/covid-19_coronavirus--the-situation-in-switzerland/45592192). One of the scientists in the task force has gotten fed up with the politicians and has [quit](https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/health-official-urges-vaccination-patience--expert-resigns/46273880). > Meanwhile epidemiologist Christian Althaus says he is quitting the government’s expert advisory group on Covid-19. In a Tweet on Saturday announcing his departure, Althaus criticised politicians, saying they should learn to treat science on an equal footing. No link, but there’s a number of restaurants which are planning to open, illegally, on Monday the 11th. The constantly changing rules are making it difficult for the restaurants to plan, and they end up wasting food. ---
**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:** [January 11, 2021, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/97 "2021-01-11T04:35:39Z")
Vaccinations in the US are not, y’all may have noticed, happening all that quickly or smoothly: > **[Vaccine rollout confirms public health officials' warnings](https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-rollout-us-f1c942e2d3d23cfd4fca571426154a42)** > > PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Public health officials sounded the alarm for months, complaining that they did not have enough support or money to get COVID-19 vaccines quickly into arms. > [@](#): > > “The recurring theme is the lack of a national strategy and the attempt to pass the buck down the line, lower and lower, until the poor people at the receiving end have nobody else that they can send the buck to,” said Gianfranco Pezzino, who was the public health officer in Shawnee County, Kansas, until retiring last month. > > Operation Warp Speed, the federal vaccine program, had promised to distribute enough doses to immunize 20 million people in the U.S. in December. It [missed that target](https://apnews.com/article/public-health-anthony-fauci-coronavirus-pandemic-coronavirus-vaccine-3db1583f627efcd7f06a1762209e6f36), and as of Friday, about 6.6 million people had received their first shot, according to a [tracker](https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 22 million doses have been delivered to states. > > The American Hospital Association has estimated that 1.8 million people need to be vaccinated daily from Jan. 1 to May 31 to reach widespread immunity by the summer. The current pace is more than 1 million people per day below that. ---
**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:** [January 11, 2021, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/98 "2021-01-11T05:07:10Z")
90,691,625 total cases 1,943,131 dead 64,813,561 recovered In the US: 22,917,334 total cases 383,275 dead 13,483,490 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 90,084,772 total cases > 1,934,925 dead > 64,467,005 recovered > > In the US: > > 22,699,938 total cases > 381,480 dead > 13,393,078 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:** [January 11, 2021, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/99 "2021-01-11T13:02:56Z")
Bad news is that the Pope’s personal doctor just died of Covid. Better news is that the Pope will be vaccinated soon. > **[Pope's personal doctor dies from Covid-19 complications](https://www.tbsnews.net/coronavirus-chronicle/popes-personal-doctor-dies-covid-19-complications-183424)** > > Pope Francis chose Soccorsi as a personal doctor in 2015. He was 78 years old when he died > **[Pope Francis calls opposition to Covid vaccine ‘suicidal denial’ and says...](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/pope-francis-vaccine-coronavirus-b1785051.html?utm_source=reddit.com)** > > Pontiff says he feels ‘ethically everyone should receive’ coronavirus protection  Bad news is that Japan found a new strain of Covid distinct from UK and Africa strains. The better news is that the vaccine will likely work against that strain too, and so far, it’s not deadlier. > **[Japan finds new COVID virus strain, distinct from UK and Africa types](https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/Japan-finds-new-COVID-virus-strain-distinct-from-UK-and-Africa-types)** > > Variant detected in four passengers who arrived in Tokyo from Brazil > **[Folkspaper - Researches Say You Shouldn't Worry About Covid Variants Found In...](https://www.folkspaper.com/topic/researches-say-you-shouldnt-worry-about-covid-variants-found-in-japan-south-africa-and-the-uk-5727893244084224.html)** > > After the U.K. and South Africa, another variant of the Covid-19 virus has been discovered in Japan, the country’s health ministry confirmed on Sunday, revealing that while there are similarities ... Another study showing that children have the disease in numbers unexpected, but the transmission part of the study is not very strong. > **[Children can spread the coronavirus – DW – 01/08/2021](https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-children-can-be-spreaders-but-are-often-symptomless/a-56176606)** > > So far, many people have underestimated the role that children can play in spreading the novel coronavirus. Researchers say they can contract and spread the virus without showing symptoms. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2021, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/100 "2021-01-11T13:38:44Z")
States reporting record high daily reported cases (seven day average) over the weekend (Jan 8-10 2021) Vermont Massachusetts New York New Jersey Delaware Maryland Virginia West Virginia District of Columbia North Carolina Kentucky Georgia Alabama Mississippi Arkansas Louisiana Oklahoma Texas Arizona California Nevada That’s twenty states and D.C. I realize that this is across the span from Friday to Sunday, but a.) it’s still over only one weekend and b.) it’s worth recalling that this isn’t reporting a rising rate of new cases, or higher cases than the previous day. These are **record** highest-ever daily cases (seven day average). We need to stop setting new records every week before we can see cases start to decline. In several of those states (including Massachusetts, where I am), the rate appears to be shooting up rapidly. Even Hawaii, which has not had a record number in a long time, appears poised to set a new record soon. It’s scary that, even after the start of distribution of vaccines, and despite what appeared to be a dip, the worldwide number of new daily cases, as reported on the Johns Hopkins site, still appears to be rising. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428.md?page=6)