Covid-19 pandemic

[ursus arctos]

Story on "extra.doses" here
https://www.npr.org/sections/coronav...panding-supply

The Food and Drug Administration says that some of the vials of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine being distributed throughout the U.S. contain extra doses and the agency is encouraging hospitals and clinics to use the additional shots to speed up the nationwide immunization campaign.

The agency issued the guidance Wednesday after health care workers reported throwing out the excess vaccine, fearing it would be against the rules to use it.

"At this time, given the public health emergency, FDA is advising that it is acceptable to use every full dose obtainable (the sixth, or possibly even a seventh) from each vial, pending resolution of the issue," the FDA wrote in a tweet.

[S. aureus]

It just isn't practical or plausible to be re-inoculating entire populations annually.

Is this actually true? We do it for the flu.

[ursus arctos]

The rate for adult flu vaccinations in the US is reliably under 50 percent, and often in the mid 40s

[Amor de Cosmos]

Is this actually true? We do it for the flu.

Not entire populations surely?

[Amor de Cosmos]

Prolonging the effect is not 'virtually nothing'. It is absolutely vital.

That's not what I said: "it adds virtually nothing beyond prolonging the effect," which of course is of inestimable importance.

[S. aureus]

Not entire populations surely?

According to the CDC 2018-2019 US flu vaccination coverage was 62.5% in children and 45.3% in adults, so while this isn't the entire population it's only two-fold off it.

[S. aureus]

And, possibly incorrectly, I don't view a two-fold increase as an insurmountable obstacle, at least in terms of practicality (take up would be a different question).

[S. aureus]

Indeed there are efforts to increase uptake of flu vaccines, which presumably would not be the case if it was impractical to vaccinate more than are already getting it.

[Hot Pepsi]

BD has orders for a billion syringes. That’s a lot of syringes. I talked to them about it. Eventually, vaccines will be shipped in the syringes, but for now, they ship it in multidose vials and the nurse or who ever has to put it in the syringe.

[ursus arctos]

This is distressing

https://twitter.com/brian4ny/status/1339778716927455232

[Incandenza]

I was always afraid of the logistics and distribution side of things. I have no confidence in this country to manage something like this well, no matter what administration is in power.

[Sporting]

Since yesterday the curfew in La Comunidad Valenciana is 11 o'clock at night (save for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve when it will be 1). No social meetings of more than 6 people; no more than two family units allowed to mix; and no moving in or out of the region except to return home, work or other unavoidable causes.

[Nefertiti2]

Schools

after suing schools to stay open they now want a staggered start in the New Year

they also want schools to devise and set up a testing programme

https://twitter.com/lewis_goodall/status/1339601067701542914?s=20

[Nefertiti2]

Fantastic rant against AfD Covid denials [in German]

https://twitter.com/ZiaWeise/status/1339859148201193472?s=20

[Antepli Ejderha]

Schools

after suing schools to stay open they now want a staggered start in the New Year

they also want schools to devise and set up a testing programme

https://twitter.com/lewis_goodall/status/1339601067701542914?s=20

All of this is announced on Thursday when most schools are finishing for the Christmas break.

I've been teaching online for the past week, it's so draining and requires much more preparation with little way of seeing how each individual student is doing our even if they are doing the work.

So after a term of stress and looking forward to a well earned break I've now got to prepare for a week's worth of online teaching during my holiday along with my normal classes.

[diggedy derek]

Big sympathies with the unimaginably huge workload teaching online.

Our local school in Waltham Forest abruptly closed on Monday afternoon. Then working from home on Tuesday. Then reopened after aggressive government prodding on Wednesday. So we were in a position where in 24 hours they went from "cases are rising at an alarming rate" to "please come back to school". Screw that. He stayed at home.

[Guy Profumo]

If the vaccine is being offered to people in order of priority, how come actors and TV presenters are being offered theirs first?

[anton pulisov]

Because the Tories are a bunch of cunts.

[Guy Profumo]

I hope you're not including national treasures like Sir Ian McKellen and Prue Leith in that?

[Patrick Thistle]

Ian and Prue are both over 80, so qualify on age grounds. I'm not sure why you even asked the question.

[Satchmo Distel]

beginning at 00.01 on December 26th.

This is just bonkers. How are you supposed to plan around a deadline that cuts Xmas in half for most families? How can you behave one way on Dec 18-25 but suddenly switch on Boxing Day, when everyone is already with the families they planned to be with?

[Patrick Thistle]

52 deaths in Wales today. Very likely to top the 3000 deaths total tomorrow. <1% of the population of Merthyr Tydfil has tested positive for Covid.

38 more reported deaths today and a grand total of 3,011 for Wales. Almost 120,000 cases now.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Big sympathies with the unimaginably huge workload teaching online.

Our local school in Waltham Forest abruptly closed on Monday afternoon. Then working from home on Tuesday. Then reopened after aggressive government prodding on Wednesday. So we were in a position where in 24 hours they went from "cases are rising at an alarming rate" to "please come back to school". Screw that. He stayed at home.

Thanks.

Just received an email from the Head that we're going to be preparing for mass testing but nobody knows how that will work.

Thankfully the beginning of January only sees a potentially huge rise in Covid-19 cases and no other potential national emergency.

[Moonlight Shadow]

Ian and Prue are both over 80, so qualify on age grounds. I'm not sure why you even asked the question.

Plus it makes sense to have celebs taking the vaccine, however daft the whole logic is...

[S. aureus]

Does anyone know if data for where people are transmitting the virus in South Korea (or possibly Japan, though I'm less sure they're on the ball enough) is available anywhere? Googling wasn't helping me, though maybe I was phrasing the question badly.