Dear Reader:

Worldometer, Dec 7: Yesterday-  there were more than 175 thousand new cases and 1,087 new deaths in the U.S., over 32 thousand new cases and 374 new deaths in India; over 29 thousand new cases and 457 new deaths in Russia; over 26 thousand new cases and 321 new deaths in Brazil; close to 19 thousand new cases and 564 new deaths in Italy; close to 15 thousand new cases and 184 new deaths in Germany; over 17 thousand new cases and 231 new deaths in the UK; over 11.6 thousand new cases and 593 new deaths in Mexico;  over 11.5 thousand new cases and 294 new deaths in Iran; over 11 thousand new cases and 174 new deaths in France; over 9 thousand new cases and 228 new deaths in Poland; over 6 thousand new cases and 76 new deaths in Canada; over 2 thousand new cases and 32 new deaths in Japan; over 1.7 thousand new cases and 7 new deaths in Denmark; 631 new cases and 5 new deaths in South Korea; 272 new cases and 5 new deaths in Sudan; 9 new cases and zero new deaths in Australia; zero new cases and zero new deaths in China.

Reuters, Denmark tightens lockdown to curb Covid-19 spike, Dec 7: “Restaurants, museums, cinemas and other cultural institutions will have to close on Dec. 9 in 38 of 98 municipalities, including Copenhagen, and students in upper primary school, high schools and universities will be sent home… In the last 24 hours, 2,026 new infections have been registered out of more than 78,000 tests and 328 people have been hospitalized… The new restrictions will be in place until Jan 3. Countrywide restrictions already in place will be extended until March”.

Politico, Brix frustrated by ‘parroting back’ of virus misinformation, Dec 6: “White House coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx said Sunday she’s frustrated with the persistence of false claims about the spread of the virus… ‘When I go out, I just don’t meet with healthcare providers and governors and mayors, but I also meet with the community,’ Birx said. ‘And so I hear community members parroting back…  that masks don’t work, parroting back that we should work toward herd immunity, parroting back that gatherings don’t result in super-spreading events. And I think our job is to constantly say those are myths.’..

“Public health officials have stepped up their warnings as coronavirus cases hit record levels. A million new cases were diagnosed in the United States in the first five days of December… ‘I think it’s really important that every single person understands that the way this virus is spread is if you’re with anyone indoors without a mask, that’s a viral spreading opportunity,’ Birx said. ‘If you’re outdoors and hugging and kissing individuals, that is a viral spreading opportunity. We have to really understand how contagious, how infectious, this virus is…You cannot gather without masks in any indoor or close outdoor situation'”.

anita

Dear Reader:

According to Worldometer, yesterday, December 9, in the U.S. there were 3.265 new deaths, a higher number of Covid-19 deaths in a day than in any other day during the pandemic, an all-time pandemic record high, and the first day with 3,000 + deaths per day.

anita

Dear Reader;

Worldometer, Dec 25: yesterday, Christmas Eve, there were more than 193 thousand new cases and 2,835 new deaths in the U.S.; more than 39 thousand new cases and 574 new deaths in the UK; almost 39 thousand new cases (an all-time pandemic record high) and 635 new deaths (an all-time pandemic record high) in Russia.

anita

Dear Reader;

Worldometer, Dec 30: yesterday was an all-time pandemic record high of new cases in the UK, over 53 thousand new cases, almost 12 thousand more new cases than the previous record high of the day before. Yesterday was also an all-time pandemic record high of new deaths in the U.S., 3,717 new deaths.

USA Today, California reports first case of more contagious Covid-19 strain, Dec 30: “California has reported its first case of a more contagious Covid-19 variant first identified in the United Kingdom- the second confirmed case in the U.S… Scientists in the United Kingdom said the variant strain, known as B.1.1.7, is more contagious than previously identified strains but not more severe. According to models, it has an increased transmission rate of 70% compared with other variants in the U.K.

“The strain was first spotted in September in southeastern England and accounted for a quarter of cases in London by November. By the week of Dec. 9, it was responsible for 60% of cases in the city. As Britain cheered the emergency authorization Wednesday of a coronavirus vaccine produced by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, the government extended its highest tier of restrictions to three-quarters of England’s population, beyond London and the southeast to large swaths of central, northern and southwest England…

“The strain has been identified in France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Japan, Singapore, India, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates…

“SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, mutates regularly and acquires about one new mutation in its genome every two weeks, according to the CDC. The U.K. variant has several mutations that affect the so-called “spiked protein” on the virus surface that attaches to human cells. ‘The overwhelming majority of mutations are irrelevant,’ Fauci said. ‘Every once in a while, you get a mutation that does impact the function of the virus. This particular mutation does in fact make the virus better at transmitting from one person to another.’

“Researchers believe current COVID-19 vaccines will likely protect against the new variant, but data is needed. The virus would ‘likely need to accumulate multiple mutations in the spike protein to evade immunity induced by vaccines or by natural infection,’ according to the CDC. ‘From what we know from experience with this mutation and other mutations, it’s unlikely to have a large impact on vaccine-induced immunity, or existing immunity from previous strains,’ said Dr. Greg Armstrong, director of the CDC’s Office of Advanced Molecular Detection…

“South Africa has also identified a strain similar to the one first identified in the U.K., but it emerged independently of the U.K. strain and is not related to it, according to the CDC. U.S. health officials said Wednesday they did not know if the South Africa strain was also circulating in the U.S.”

anita

Dear Reader:

Worldometer, January 5, 2021: so far, there have been a pandemic total of over 365 thousand Covid-19 deaths in the U.S., almost 200 thousand deaths in Brazil, more than 150 thousand deaths in India, more than 76 thousand deaths in the UK (and a new all-time record high of almost 61 thousand new case), and more than 76 thousand new cases in Italy,  more than 66 thousand deaths in France,  almost 60 thousand deaths in Russia, more than 51 thousand new cases in Spain.

CNN: Los Angeles County ambulance crews are told not to transport Covid-19 patients with little chance of survival, Jan 5: “Hospitals are declaring internal disasters and having to open church gyms to serve as hospital units,” County Supervisor Hilda Solis said. ‘Our health care workers are physically and mentally exhausted and sick.’ Solis called the situation a ‘human disaster.’ Almost 7,900 people are hospitalized with Covid-19, in just Los Angeles County. And 21% of them are in intensive care units, officials said Tuesday…On Tuesday, another 224 deaths were announced, bringing the total in the county to more than 11,000. Now, ambulance crews in LA County have been told not to take patients with little chance of survival to hospitals.”

anita

• This reply was modified 3 years, 11 months ago by .

Dear Reader:

Worldometer, Jan 7, 2021: yesterday, in the US, there were two record-high numbers in all of the pandemic: almost 261 thousand new cases, and 4,100 new deaths.

The UK had its record-high number of new cases in all of the pandemic: over 63 thousand new cases, and 1,041 deaths- a record-high in this winter wave of the pandemic. There were 4 days in April with the same or higher number of new deaths.

anita

Dear Reader:

Worldometer, January 21, 2021: yesterday in the U.S., there were 4,385 new deaths, the second highest number in all of the pandemic, second only to the all-time pandemic record high of 4,482 new deaths on January 12 of this year. Yesterday in the UK there were 1,820 new deaths, an all-time pandemic record high, 210 more new deaths yesterday than the day before.

Yesterday, there were more new cases in Spain than at any day before, an all-time pandemic high number of new cases, over 41.5 thousands.

In India, the curve of new cases and new deaths has been flattening since about mid- September, with over 15 thousand new cases and 152 new deaths yesterday.

anita

Dear Reader:

Worldometer, Feb 5, 2021: yesterday, there were 4,032 new deaths in the U.S.,  1,322 new deaths in the UK, 1,291 new deaths in Brazil, 673 in Germany, 526 in Russia, 476 in France, 432  in Spain, 421 in Italy, 254 in Columbia, 120 in India, 113 in Turkey… and a total  Covid-19 death count of2,306,283 in the world, so far.

And each one of the 2,306,283 people who died from Covid, and all those who died from other causes at all times, each and every person was born to desire a life full of magic and adventure, a life of dreams and promise, filled with a desire to live and to love forevermore.

anita