Omicron squashes New Year festivities: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-soccer-sports-lifestyle-health-beab3be1a11d1ef021e66fa3c6061c47 . Since when does a late December state “spreads global doom”? Well, 2021 expresses the widespread frustration of coping with COVID. However, we do know with certainty that the new vaccine technology will ultimately knock down COVID. Still, we face a harsh winter.
Navy crew hammered by COVID: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-jacksonville-us-navy-cb7d190b7c1c1c52f5441b56740d44de . Young, healthy, fit, vaccinated soldiers quickly have 25% of the crew with breakthrough infections. This is an arms race with the virus. We must keep updating our immunizations and vaccines.
Louisiana COVID hospitalizations double in one week: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-louisiana-0ee1abd2fc92b53db27e1824ecd65b69 . Pandemic data analysis should focus on hospitalizations now more than cases, because the high level of protection of vulnerable groups should reduce hospitalizations relative to cases. And our concern for the next few months is hospital capacity. To simplify, if Omicron’s severity causes only half the hospitalizations of Delta, but its infectiousness causes 3 times more cases, that’s 50% more hospitalizations. Unfortunately, the initial news is not great.
Alabama also seeing rise in hospitalizations: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-alabama-public-health-e445fba7ab4f8a8f567fed6646020069 . In short, there is considerable severe illness among the unvaccinated.
Maryland hospitals under stress: https://www.baltimoresun.com/coronavirus/bs-md-maryland-hospitals-strain-more-pronounced-20211227-ezdok3shvfda5fsil4di5cfrpm-story.html .
CDC reduces recommended quarantine period: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-business-health-rochelle-walensky-d7d609c9c01e200d250df7ca7282c9d6 . This is really ridiculous in the face of the Omicron surge. There certainly is a time to loosen restrictions, but it can’t be at the same time as a surge of the most infectious variant yet. WSJ: The “reason” behind this lunacy: https://www.wsj.com/articles/governments-race-to-ease-staff-shortages-as-omicron-spreads-11640605845 .
Vaccine mandates for US air travel discussed: https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2021-12-27/fauci-us-should-consider-vaccine-mandate-for-us-air-travel . This is sound public health. The feds unquestionably have this authority (it’s interstate commerce). But the political will is likely not there.
Mixing and matching boosters: https://www.aol.com/lifestyle/covid-vaccine-cocktails-guide-mixing-123834855.html . This is not new information, but a good summary of the latest information
Activists want Biden to be more aggressive on abortion rights: https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-us-supreme-court-voting-rights-election-2020-congress-66401422fde51ba3c1df72f23e395c99 . This is clearly very important to these people, but every signal is that the train has left the station. The Supreme Court has signaled that 5 justices want to overturn Roe. The only person who can change that through advocacy is John Roberts. That is our system, and those are the well-known facts.
Biden did appoint a Supreme Court commission to study the Court’s composition. Apparently the activists have no further suggestion about what can be done to save Roe. Abortions won’t end, their movement will just fly people out of red states to blue states. And as previously reported, the FDA has approved an abortion pill by mail.
More bad cruise news: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/teen-plunges-death-cruise-ship-was-returning-miami-rcna10042 . We are left with the impression that the teen jumped, but struck a lower deck.
For lack of a bed, a life was lost: https://www.aol.com/news/man-dies-15-day-wait-131609963.html . So the pandemic has come to their door. The overwhelmed hospital is not able to find beds. “Nearness” is not the priority issue with sepsis, which is obviously likely to be fatal if not aggressively treated. The family should have medically evacuated Dad to another state at the diagnosis. Actually, based on his condition at the time, formal medical evacuation may not have been needed. And this is where we are headed with abortion, as noted above.
Cable news networks see large drop in viewership: https://thehill.com/homenews/media/587401-news-networks-see-major-viewership-drop-in-2021 . Note that both CNN and Fox have lost over a third of their viewers compared to the prior year.
India bans foreign contributions to group founded by Mother Teresa: https://www.wsj.com/articles/india-bars-foreign-donations-to-christian-group-founded-by-mother-teresa-11640642739 . Freedom is in decline in democracies around the world.
Bowl cancellations grow: https://theweek.com/coronavirus/1008426/3-more-colleges-drop-from-bowl-games-as-covid-surges . Is there any doubt that the bowls that do occur have the potential for super-spreading events? Breakthrough infections are growing rapidly right now. More: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-sports-health-basketball-mens-college-basketball-1b9385106cf4812e4f6f1b5e7f3094b7 .
Evergrande resumes most construction: https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-evergrande-says-construction-has-resumed-at-vast-majority-of-its-projects-11640602229 . Um, you’re in default. This seems like a method of pressuring the government to keep them going.
Word of the Year for 2021: Allyship: https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-year/ . Allyship is “standing beside us when we need support, standing behind us when we need backup, and stepping in front when we need protection”: https://www.aol.com/lifestyle/word-2021-151731926.html .