# Coronavirus COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) Thread - 2022 Breaking News **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [January 1, 2022, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2022-breaking-news/957022 "2022-01-01T05:02:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 32
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2022-breaking-news/957022/623 "2022-05-10T16:33:02Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Last time I looked it up less than 1/2 of homes in my state (NH) had connections to town sewers and water. Wow! That seems so low to me, but I just looked up some [national stats which appear to bear that out](https://www.circleofblue.org/2015/world/infographic-americas-septic-systems/) with nice shaded maps. Even the national stat of ~20% seems very high to me, but apparently that is not only city-boy bias on my part but West coast bias, as septic systems are much rarer out here. ---
**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:** [May 10, 2022, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2022-breaking-news/957022/624 "2022-05-10T22:59:55Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > There is an issue with comparing current and historical hospitalisation rates. > > Imagine a situation where you had 500 people in ICU that test positive for Covid, 90% of which are due to Covid as a primary cause. > Then imagine having 1000 people in ICU that test positive for Covid with only 20% of them in there with Covid as the primary cause. > Is the situation worse now? Do the simple hospitalisation numbers tell us anything useful? > This is the situation in many countries right now. I think you’re missing the point of the post you’re replying to. The concern was that reported case counts are not reflecting the magnitude or even the onset of a surge because people are no longer testing or they’re doing home tests and aren’t reporting the results. I think they’re saying that hospitalization numbers are good for catching trends even if only 50% of the hospitalized people were admitted specifically because of covid. ---
**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:** [May 11, 2022, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2022-breaking-news/957022/625 "2022-05-11T09:12:08Z")
I don’t think I was missing the point. It is certainly true that hospitalisation is a better indicator of whether the virus presents or not than simple case rate. I agree with that. The point was made that it has greater _consistency_, that’s also true. but only to a point, certainly when it comes to comparing rates now with historical rates. That is not something you can easily do without further stratifying factors. Countries do not all use consistent definitions and nor do they provide additional info that helps you understand what is actually going on. e.g. for those in hospital now, even those purely _because of_ Covid, can they be directly compared to previous situations? If the average hospitalisation stay now were 1 night, compared to 7 nights in previous waves, if the treatment intensity is very high now versus previous waves etc. etc. then the pure “hospitalisation” number stops being quite so illustrative of what is going on. It is not a suggestion that the hospitalisation rate is completely useless or hopelessly misleading, merely that one should be very careful about drawing conclusions about trends and the implications that follow from that without being certain about whether the data is up to the job. We shouldn’t extrapolate beyond what the data will bear or we should at the very least be open about what the limitations of the data are when we do so. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2022, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2022-breaking-news/957022/626 "2022-05-12T00:46:43Z")
> **[North Korea declares 'major national emergency' as first case of Covid-19...](https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/11/asia/north-korea-covid-omicron-coronavirus-intl-hnk/index.html)** > > North Korea has identified its first ever case of Covid-19, according to state media, which called the situation a "major national emergency." ---
**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:** [May 12, 2022, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2022-breaking-news/957022/627 "2022-05-12T03:02:43Z")
> **[COVID claims 1 million U.S. lives](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/covid-claims-1-million-us-lives-leaving-trail-loss-2022-05-11/)** > > The United States has now recorded more than 1 million COVID-19 deaths, according to a Reuters tally, crossing a once-unthinkable milestone about two years after the first cases upended everyday life and quickly transformed it. ---
**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:** [May 12, 2022, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2022-breaking-news/957022/628 "2022-05-12T03:03:32Z")
Moderating: Please take this sort of discussion out of the breaking news thread. I know it’s hard to resist the urge to elaborate (I’ve certainly been guilty of that) but we have a lot of other threads for that kind of discussion. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2022-breaking-news/957022/629 "2022-05-13T06:34:36Z")
Covid exploding through totally unvaccinated North Korean population: > **[N. Korea reports 6 deaths after admitting COVID-19 outbreak](https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-south-korea-north-545c208da2802a79d2187b853d0622ee)** > > SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Six people have died and 350,000 have been treated for a fever that has spread “explosively” across North Korea, state media said Friday, a day after the country acknowledged a COVID-19 outbreak for the first time in the... ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2022-breaking-news/957022/630 "2022-05-13T12:52:55Z")
Yikes. If they’re publicly reporting “6 deaths” what do you think the _real_ number is? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2022-breaking-news/957022/631 "2022-05-13T23:14:50Z")
Worms In The Journal, part XXVIII: Yet another paper promoting the use of ivermectin for Covid-19 has bit the dust. Do not read the comments posted following the article, unless you’re a connoisseur of brain-busting stypidity. > **[Another ivermectin-COVID-19 paper is retracted](https://retractionwatch.com/2022/05/10/another-ivermectin-covid-19-paper-is-retracted/?fbclid=IwAR1pEag8F5Px2hAGm1lE7iBt1Yl4sBdIKXC1-rle2y6lPeg-PKRH_z9elTE)** > > A paper on the potential use of ivermectin to treat Covid-19 has been retracted for a litany of flaws, joining at least 10 other articles on the therapy some liked to promote without evidence to fa… ---
**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:** [May 14, 2022, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2022-breaking-news/957022/632 "2022-05-14T02:30:17Z")
> **[Jacinda Ardern, whose restrictions buffered New Zealand from the worst of the...](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/13/world/jacinda-ardern-covid-positive.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuomT1JKd6J17Vw1cRCfTTMQmqxCdw_PIxftm3iWka3DIDm8ZiPsSGYyMvEXEbqtla9J21i6XScVHdbQoWv1-i_dYJE1xShel5JuYnZBPawMElbWOZEJklZTcQeJ_tjbwcmiyLOo4ne20tEzfa2L1DfDY0GkmcVlvvZs1clq1iXYMw66RR-Ej3NV0zu5hUs4hPUoIZiWJtvHiCxVsap7RPlyHtF5AC6wOUirTnNWc97sHbA1UbFvGR3h76ms9g8hObJJVZO2sak59J7etxOkZGWdqL4y2BpIuR4Kylr5isrHFrBbk29MP5FGtq-O8nHJojdiZFZcp&smid=url-share)** > > The prime minister’s rules kept transmission at bay for two years, and by the time the highly infectious Omicron variant hit, the vast majority of New Zealand’s population had been vaccinated. (Gift link) > … > New Zealand maintained some of the world’s tightest coronavirus restrictions, especially regarding international travel, in an effort to keep the pandemic that was sweeping the rest of the world at bay. And it was largely successful, until an outbreak of the highly infectious Omicron variant took hold this spring. > > But by the time Omicron arrived, the country was well protected. New Zealand’s [vaccination rate is high](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/world/covid-vaccinations-tracker.html): 83 percent of the entire population is fully vaccinated. Coronavirus cases have remained flat over the last two weeks, and the population of five million is averaging about 7,600 new daily cases, and fewer than 14 daily deaths. > … I have been wondering how things are going on New Zealand. ---
**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:** [May 15, 2022, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2022-breaking-news/957022/633 "2022-05-15T22:14:03Z")
[Laos is reopening to visitors](https://laotiantimes.com/2022/05/07/laos-drops-testing-for-vaccinated-tourists-announces-full-reopening/?fbclid=IwAR1fsXWfr6W3RgHtZHNsowP402399JvAS2uG-1DXfEAmxLbdRG9U9KhfjvE), dropping all entry restrictions except for the requirement to be fully vaccinated. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2022, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2022-breaking-news/957022/634 "2022-05-17T16:31:19Z")
> **[FDA authorizes Pfizer Covid booster for children 5 to 11 years old](https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fda-authorizes-pfizer-covid-booster-children-5-11-years-old-rcna28355)** > > A study in February found that two doses of the vaccine offered little protection against the omicron variant. ---
**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:** [May 18, 2022, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2022-breaking-news/957022/635 "2022-05-18T11:14:40Z")
The US has hit 1 million cases, per the widely-used John’s Hopkins numbers: > **[In wave after deadly wave, COVID has claimed 1 million lives in the U.S.](https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/05/17/1093651037/us-one-million-deaths?sc=18&f=1093651037)** > > The virus became the third leading cause of death in the U.S., and caused so many to die in the prime of life that the country experienced the biggest drop in life expectancy since World War II. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2022, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2022-breaking-news/957022/636 "2022-05-18T12:24:13Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > The US has hit 1 million cases, per the widely-used John’s Hopkins numbers: Well, it’s not used here. The Worldometers site got to 1 M weeks ago. Not that either is a very accurate count of the number of excess deaths due to covid. That figure reached 1 M in February. > **[U.S. ‘excess deaths’ during pandemic surpassed 1 million, with covid killing...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/02/15/1-million-excess-deaths-in-pandemic/)** > > Beyond the toll directly attributable to the virus, the excess death count exposes the unusually high rates of heart disease, hypertension, dementia and other ailments across two years of pandemic misery. ---
**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:** [May 18, 2022, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2022-breaking-news/957022/637 "2022-05-18T12:44:44Z")
When worldometer hit 1M, there was discussion here about why it wasn’t in the news. Now it’s in the news. I got several news alerts in the past day about the impact of one million dead, how it compared to the aids epidemic, the civil war, large cities… This is the number the US media mostly follows. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2022, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2022-breaking-news/957022/638 "2022-06-10T19:21:19Z")
Starting Sunday, COVID tests will no longer be required to enter the US by plane. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2022-breaking-news/957022/639 "2022-06-15T22:07:04Z")
Dr. Fauci has covid. He’s experiencing mild symptoms and working from home. > **[Fauci tests positive for coronavirus](https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/06/15/fauci-tests-positive-coronavirus/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWJpZCI6IjI3Njk2MTk2IiwicmVhc29uIjoiZ2lmdCIsIm5iZiI6MTY1NTMzMDkxNiwiaXNzIjoic3Vic2NyaXB0aW9ucyIsImV4cCI6MTY1NjU0MDUxNiwiaWF0IjoxNjU1MzMwOTE2LCJqdGkiOiJjYjM4ZGY4ZS03ZmM1LTRkZmEtYWRlYi1jZGFmNjBhYWFjZTkiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy53YXNoaW5ndG9ucG9zdC5jb20vaGVhbHRoLzIwMjIvMDYvMTUvZmF1Y2ktdGVzdHMtcG9zaXRpdmUtY29yb25hdmlydXMvIn0.VwKqIF-fnWxqOqd29VHEzL24BiBx_LZkex9Ov4JdPpM&itid=gfta)** > > The 81-year-old doctor, who is experiencing mild symptoms, is working from home. ---
**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:** [June 15, 2022, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2022-breaking-news/957022/640 "2022-06-15T22:32:08Z")
> **[U.S. FDA advisers back COVID vaccines for children as young as 6 months](https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-fda-panel-weighs-covid-vaccines-children-young-6-months-2022-06-15/)** > > Advisers to the U.S Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday unanimously recommended the agency authorize COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna Inc and Pfizer Inc /BioNTech SE for millions of the youngest American children. Both the Pfizer 3 dose vaccine and the Moderna 2 dose vaccine were recommended by the FDA advisory panel. The full FDA is expected to sign on, and the CDC is scheduled to meet to discuss this Friday and Saturday. If it’s fully approved, the Biden administration plans to roll out vaccines for small children starting June 21. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2022, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2022-breaking-news/957022/641 "2022-06-17T17:44:44Z")
Imagine a world where 50%+ of the global human population is disabled with long Covid… (I’m personally skeptical of this possibility, but the number of people getting this implication from this article is nonzero. OTOH, so is the number of Flat Earthers…) > **[People who caught Covid in first wave get ‘no immune boost’ from Omicron](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/14/people-who-caught-covid-in-first-wave-get-no-immune-boost-from-omicron)** > > Study of triple vaccinated people also says Omicron infection does little to reduce chance of catching variant again ---
**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:** [June 17, 2022, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2022-breaking-news/957022/642 "2022-06-17T18:42:04Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > The full FDA is expected to sign on Done. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2022-breaking-news/957022.md?page=31) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2022-breaking-news/957022.md?page=33)