Tag Archives: pandemic

CDC Set To Recommend Shorter Quarantine Period

The Wall Street Journal reports: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may soon shorten the length of time it recommends that a person self-quarantine after potential exposure to the coronavirus, hoping that such a step will encourage more people to comply, a top agency official said. CDC officials are finalizing recommendations for a new quarantine period that would …

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UK Nations Allow Households To Form “Xmas Bubbles”

Reuters reports: The four nations of the United Kingdom have agreed to relax COVID-19 restrictions for Christmas to allow up to three households to meet at home for five days. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have taken differing approaches to handling the pandemic so far but the leaders of the devolved nations reached agreement with London on Tuesday on …

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Russia Claims Its Vax Is 95% Effective, Will Cost $20

The Hill reports: Russia on Tuesday said its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine will cost less than $10 per dose on international markets and is more than 95 percent effective. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the country’s sovereign wealth fund that is bankrolling the country’s vaccine efforts, said vaccination would be free of charge for Russian citizens beginning next year …

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CO Hospitals Allowed To Stop Admitting New Patients

Denver’s NBC News affiliate reports: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed an executive order Monday that grants the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) extraordinary ability over patient care within the state’s already-taxed hospital system. Executive Order 260 authorizes CDPHE to order hospitals and freestanding emergency rooms to transfer or cease the admission of patients should those facilities reach …

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AP: Russian Hospitals Overrun With COVID Patients

The Associated Press reports: Three times last week, the Russian government reported a record number of daily deaths, and the number of daily new infections per 100,000 people has more than doubled since Oct. 1, from 6 to over 15. Overall, Russia has recorded over 2 million cases and over 35,000 deaths, but experts say all numbers worldwide understate the …

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Trump Skips Virtual G-20 Pandemic Summit For Golf

CNN reports: It does not appear President Trump will participate in a side-event at the G20 virtual summit focused on pandemic preparedness. The event — which is due to begin this hour — will feature remarks from the leaders of Germany, France, South Korea and Argentina. The goal of the event is to “foster international cooperation and to find solutions …

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Yesterday: 193,000 New Cases, 82,000 Hospitalized

CNN reports: The number of Americans hospitalized with Covid-19 and the number of new US cases reported rose to record levels for a second day in a row on Friday. More than 82,000 people were hospitalized, according to the Covid Tracking Project, topping Thursday’s record. More than 193,000 new cases were reported, according to Johns Hopkins University data — the …

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2000+ US COVID Deaths Yesterday, Highest Since May

CNN reports: More than 2,000 American deaths were recorded by Johns Hopkins University on Thursday — the highest number since early May. And as the virus runs unabated across US communities, experts warn the coming weeks will likely be brutal and the pandemic’s death toll will keep climbing. By December 18, more than 2,300 Americans could be losing their lives …

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Emotional Rachel Maddow Reveals Partner’s Struggle With COVID: “We Really Thought That It Might Kill Her”

CBS News reports: After being off the air for two weeks, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow made an emotional return Thursday night, telling viewers her partner, Susan Mikula, “the center of her universe,” has COVID-19. Maddow said that “at one point, we really thought there was a possibility that it might kill her,” and urged viewers to “do whatever you can to …

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CDC Recommends Against Traveling For Thanksgiving

USA Today reports: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending against travel for Thanksgiving. During a press briefing Thursday, Dr. Henry Walke, the CDC’s COVID-19 incident manager, said the agency is “recommending against travel during the Thanksgiving period.” “The tragedy that could happen is that one of your family members from coming to this family gathering and they …

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Yesterday: 172,391 New COVID Cases, 1923 Deaths

The New York Times reports: At least 1,923 new coronavirus deaths and 172,391 new cases were reported in the United States on Nov. 18. Over the past week, there has been an average of 162,816 cases per day, an increase of 77 percent from the average two weeks earlier. As of Thursday morning, more than 11,613,800 people in the United …

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US Passes 250,000 COVID Deaths, 1707 Just Yesterday

NBC News reports: The United States has recorded a quarter-million Covid-19 deaths, the latest NBC News numbers showed Wednesday, and the death rate has been accelerating in recent weeks as cases have been surging across the country. The 250,000th death was logged Wednesday morning, the data revealed. In the last four weeks there has been a 42 percent increase in …

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Estimate: 3 Million Americans Contagious With COVID

The Washington Post reports: More than 3 million people in the United States have active coronavirus infections and are potentially contagious, according to a new estimate from infectious-disease experts tracking the pandemic. That number is significantly larger than the official case count, which is based solely on those who have tested positive for the virus. The vast — and rapidly …

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Berlin Police Fire Water Cannons On Covidiots [VIDEO]

The Associated Press reports: German police fired water cannons Wednesday at demonstrators protesting coronavirus restrictions in Berlin’s government district, after crowds ignored calls to wear masks and keep their distance from one another in line with pandemic regulations. As the cannons soaked protesters outside the landmark Brandenburg Gate, police in riot gear moved through the crowd carrying away some participants. …

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White House Task Force Issues Dire Warning To Pence: Surge Of COVID Patients Could Soon Overrun Hospitals

CBS News reports: Doctors on the White House Coronavirus Task Force stressed to Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday that the coronavirus pandemic situation is dire and only getting worse, two senior administration officials familiar with the meeting told CBS News. The doctors fear the U.S. could see an average of 1,500 deaths a day next week, and up to …

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FDA Approves First At-Home 30-Minute COVID Test

Via press release from the FDA: Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the first COVID-19 diagnostic test for self-testing at home and that provides rapid results. The Lucira COVID-19 All-In-One Test Kit is a molecular (real-time loop mediated amplification reaction) single use test that is intended to detect the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 …

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Pfizer Says Vax Has No Serious Side Effects, Works In 94% Of Older Adults, Will Seek FDA Approval In Days

The New York Times reports: The drug maker Pfizer said on Wednesday that its coronavirus vaccine was 95 percent effective and had no serious side effects — the first set of complete results from a late-stage vaccine trial as Covid-19 cases skyrocket around the globe. The data showed that the vaccine prevented mild and severe forms of Covid-19, the company …

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ND Has World’s Highest Coronavirus Mortality Rate

The Hill reports: North Dakota’s coronavirus mortality rate is the highest of any U.S. state or country, according to an analysis of data from last week conducted by the Federation of American Scientists. The analysis shows that North Dakota has a rate of 18.2 deaths per 1 million people. South Dakota, meanwhile, has 17.4 deaths per million, the third-worst rate …

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US Adds One Million New COVID Case In Eight Days

Reuters reports: The number of coronavirus cases in the United States crossed the 11-million mark on Sunday reaching yet another grim milestone, according to a Reuters tally, as the third wave of COVID-19 infections surged across the country. Reuters data shows the pace of the pandemic in the United States has quickened, with one million more new cases from just …

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States Rush To Buy Specialty Freezers For COVID Vax

Reuters reports: U.S. states, cities, and hospitals are scrambling to buy ultra-cold freezers that can safely store Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, ignoring advice from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to hold off. The push reveals a lack of infrastructure to support a super cold vaccine campaign, including equipment to store millions of doses of Pfizer’s vaccine at …

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