Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Eddie Teach]

That's two prominent black Republicans. Clarence Thomas better watch out.

[Barrister]

That's two prominent black Republicans. Clarence Thomas better watch out.

Who was the first?

[Eddie Teach]

Herman Cain

[Barrister]

Herman Cain

Not so sure about prominent.  And he died July 2020.

[Eddie Teach]

Of corona.

[Caliga]

He had immune system suppressing cancer

Get out of here with your so-called facts, Timmy.

[PDH]

He likely deserved a thread of his own.

[Barrister]

Herman Cain

Not so sure about prominent.  And he died July 2020.

Also Colin Powell did say he no longer considered himself a Republican earlier this year.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/11/politics/colin-powell-no-longer-republican-cnntv/index.html

[Admiral Yi]

RIP

[mongers]

UK currently recording about 50,000 new infections a day and a daily average of 124 deaths. 

I expect Shelf to be along shortly to say how spiffingly things are going. 

[Sheilbh]

The booster campaign and roll-out in schools is going very badly (which, interestingly, Cummings said would happen because the booster campaign was going to be run by the DHSC as a BAU vaccination campaign). From what I've read (John Burn-Murdoch did a long thread recently) the big issue we're facing now is a faltering booster campaign and waning effectiveness of vaccines. For example around 35% of older people in France and Italy had two doses five months ago (when effectiveness starts to wane), in the UK it's 75% - given that, the incredible slowness of the booster campaign is a big problem (though weirdly I got mine very quickly for some reason ).

Having said that pandemic end when societies decide that the level of lethality is acceptable and I think that's maybe the level the UK is at. I read the piece in the Guardian about why the UK is so indifferent about this - and I think the one fact they didn't mention is crucial and what AR has said: everyone who wants a vaccine either has had it or can get it. Obviously that shouldn't stop government trying to convince people who haven't had it to have it, but I think it does impact the willingness of wider society to go into any form of lockdowns/new restrictions.

Even the focus of people who are unhappy at current levels focus on masks. They are helpful, they are great for allowing/encouraging social shaming for people who miss judging park folk, but there's a mask mandate in Scotland and there's no material difference with the death rate v England (if anything it looks a little worse in Scotland). So masks alone are not enough, what we'd actually need to get numbers down are restrictions on gatherings etc. All of which might happen over the winter - but to be clear if we want to get that number down it's not a case of mask mandates alone doing it but re-instating limits on gatherings etc which, so far, no-one seems to want.

[Duque de Bragança]

UK currently recording about 50,000 new infections a day and a daily average of 124 deaths. 

I expect Shelf to be along shortly to say how spiffingly things are going. 

Take it on the chin. 

[spoiler]You should have known, by now.[/spoiler]

[HVC]

Canadian Mennonites come out in favour of vaccines

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/other/mennonite-church-says-it-won-t-seek-exemptions-for-covid-19-vaccinations/ar-AAPFE7Y?ocid=entnewsntp

[Grey Fox]

Poor Travis Hamonic. Throwing away his career for nothing.

[HVC]

Poor Travis Hamonic. Throwing away his career for nothing.

and evander kane submitted a forged vaccine card. out for 21 games