Written by Steven Hansen
The U.S. new cases 7-day rolling average are 19.5 % LOWER than the 7-day rolling average one week ago and U.S. deaths due to coronavirus are now 8.6 % LOWER than the rolling average one week ago. Today’s posts include:
- U.S. Coronavirus New Cases are 33,041
- U.S. Coronavirus deaths are at 291
- U.S. Coronavirus immunizations have been administered to 81.8 doses per 100 people.
- The 7-day rolling average rate of growth of the pandemic shows new cases were little changed and deaths were little changed
- SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617 variant shows modest resistance to vaccine-induced antibodies
- Found 192,954 cases where a COVID-19 Vaccine Had Side Affects
- COVID Cases in India Plummet [After Government Promotes Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine Use]
- COVID-19 vaccination: Thrombosis can be prevented by prompt treatment
- How the CDC Is Covering Up Breakthrough Cases
- Most COVID-19 patients have neurological symptoms
- Covid Is Airborne, Scientists Say. Now Authorities Think So, Too
- Delaying the second shot of a COVID vaccine, a path followed by the U.K., may have tripled the antibody response in those over 80
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Hospitalizations Are The Only Accurate Gauge
Hospitalizations historically appear to be little affected by weekends or holidays. The hospitalization growth rate trend continues to improve.
source: https://gis.cdc.gov/grasp/covidnet/COVID19_3.html
Historically, hospitalization growth follows new case growth by one to two weeks.
As an analyst, I use the rate of growth to determine the trend. But, the size of the pandemic is growing in terms of real numbers – and if the rate of growth does not become negative – the pandemic will overwhelm all resources.
The graph below shows the rate of growth relative to the growth a week earlier updated through today [note that negative numbers mean the rolling averages are LOWER than the rolling averages one week ago]. As one can see, the rate of growth for new cases peaked in early December 2020 for Thanksgiving, and early January 2021 for end-of-year holidays – and it now shows that the coronavirus effect is improving.
In the scheme of things, new cases decline first, followed by hospitalizations, and then deaths. The potential fourth wave did not materialize likely due to immunizations.
Coronavirus News You May Have Missed
SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617 variant shows modest resistance to vaccine-induced antibodies – News-Medical
The World Health Organization (WHO) has labeled the double mutant B.1.617 variant — first discovered in India —a variant of concern for its high transmission rate and ability to evade immune responses. New research posted to the preprint server bioRxiv* finds B.1.617 can modestly reduce neutralizing antibody responses generated from the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
The presence of L452R and E484Q mutations on the receptor-binding domain appears to be contributing to antibody evasion. The preliminary findings show vaccinated individuals are susceptible to B.1.617 infection. Considering infections in vaccinated individuals were not severe, the international team of researchers suggests the variant of concern does not cause substantial antibody evasion — reinforcing the need for expanding vaccination to control the spread.
“At population scale, extensive vaccination will likely protect against moderate to severe disease and will reduce transmission of B.1.617 given the in vitro neutralization data we and others have presented,” concluded the researchers.
[editor’s note: also read Pfizer and Moderna vaccines appear to protect against variants first seen in India, lab experiments suggest]
Found 192,954 cases where COVID19 Vaccine Had Side Affects – National Vaccine Information Center
Event Outcome Count Percent Death 4,057 2.1% Permanent Disability 2,475 1.28% Office Visit 32,801 17% Emergency Room 37 0.02% Emergency Doctor/Room 25,566 13.25% Hospitalized 11,538 5.98% Hospitalized, Prolonged 34 0.02% Recovered 73,297 37.99% Birth Defect 112 0.06% Life Threatening 3,548 1.84% Not Serious 75,805 39.29% TOTAL † 229,270 † 118.82% † Because some cases have multiple vaccinations and symptoms, a single case can account for multiple entries in this table. This is the reason why the Total Count is greater than 192954 (the number of cases found), and the Total Percentage is greater than 100.
COVID Cases in India Plummet After Government Promotes Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine Use – The Gateway Pundit
With India’s health care system failing, clandestine markets for hospital beds, oxygen and more have emerged.
…The India health ministry updated its guidelines on April 28 for quarantines, treating the asymptomatic and those with mild symptoms of COVID-19. The agency now says that asymptomatic patients should “consider Tab Ivermectin (200 mcg/kg once a day, to be taken empty stomach) for 3 to 5 days.” Caregivers of patients in quarantine are instructed to “take Hydroxychloroquine prophylaxis as per protocol and as prescribed by the treating medical officer.” See the full document here.
There are 292 studies (219 are peer-reviewed) proving the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine as both a treatment and prophylaxis against COVID-19. Ivermectin has 93 studies (54 peer-reviewed) showing its effectiveness as treatment and prophylaxis against COVID-19. Despite the now-indisputable fact that these drugs essentially kill COVID-19 within hours or days, the Bill Gates-funded World Health Organization (WHO) and big pharma are having fits over India’s new guidelines and the results.
And now the COVID cases are plummeting.
[editor’s note: this cause and effect is circumstantial and not proven. Also read COVID Cases in Mumbai Down 70%, Slowing in Other Parts of India]
How the CDC Is Covering Up Breakthrough Cases – Mercola
As part of its COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough case investigation, the CDC has issued guidelines11 for public health, clinical and reference laboratories on how to test and diagnose cases where fully vaccinated individuals are suspected of having contracted COVID-19. In those guidelines, it specifies using a CT value of 28 or less.
So, in other words, while healthy people have, for the past year, been misdiagnosed as having COVID-19 when they really didn’t because the CT was set to 40 or 45, they’re now trying to minimize the recorded number of breakthrough cases by using a CT that will minimize false positives.12
Had a CT of 28 been used all along, we would have had nowhere near the number of “cases” currently touted and the pandemic would have been declared over sometime in 2020. Conversely, were a CT of 40 or 45 used to diagnose breakthrough cases, you can be sure the numbers would be far higher than currently reported.
As of April 26, 2021, the CDC had received a total of 9,245 reports of vaccine breakthrough infections via its national COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough REDCap database, into which state health department investigators can enter and manage data from their respective jurisdictions.13
Of those 9,245 breakthrough cases, 55% were under the age of 60, 835 required hospitalization (9%) and 132 died (1%). With an estimated 95 million Americans having been vaccinated, the reported breakthrough rate is only 0.0097%. However, the CDC also stresses that:14
“It is important to note that reported vaccine breakthrough cases will represent an undercount. This surveillance system is passive and relies on voluntary reporting from state health departments which may not be complete. Also, not all real-world breakthrough cases will be identified because of lack of testing.”
Delaying the second shot of a COVID vaccine, a path followed by the U.K., may have tripled the antibody response in those over 80. – Nature
Facing a limited vaccine supply, the United Kingdom embarked on a bold public-health experiment at the end of 2020: delaying second doses of COVID-19 vaccines in a bid to maximize the number of people who would be at least partially protected from hospitalization and death.
Now, a study suggests that delaying the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine could boost antibody responses after the second inoculation more than threefold in those older than 80.
It is the first direct study of how such a delay affects coronavirus antibody levels, and could inform vaccine scheduling decisions in other countries, the authors say. “This study further supports a growing body of evidence that the approach taken in the UK for delaying that second dose has really paid off,” Gayatri Amirthalingam, an epidemiologist at Public Health England in London and a co-author of the preprint, said during a press briefing.
… Peak antibody levels were 3.5 times higher in those who waited 12 weeks for their booster shot than were those in people who waited only 3 weeks. Peak T-cell response was lower in those with the extended interval. But this did not cause antibody levels to decline more quickly over the nine weeks after the booster shot.
The results are reassuring, but are specific to the Pfizer vaccine, which is not available in many low-to-middle income countries, says Alejandro Cravioto, chair of the World Health Organization’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization. Countries will need to consider whether the variants that are circulating in their particular region might raise infection risk after only one vaccine dose, he says.
Covid Is Airborne, Scientists Say. Now Authorities Think So, Too – Bloomberg
A quiet revolution has permeated global health circles. Authorities have come to accept what many researchers have argued for over a year: The coronavirus can spread through the air.
That new acceptance, by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, comes with concrete implications: Scientists are calling for ventilation systems to be overhauled like public water supplies were in the 1800s after fetid pipes were found to harbor cholera.
Cleaner indoor air won’t just fight the pandemic, it will minimize the risk of catching flu and other respiratory infections that cost the U.S. more than $50 billion a year, researchers said in a study in the journal Science on Friday. Avoiding these germs and their associated sickness and productivity losses would, therefore, offset the cost of upgrading ventilation and filtration in buildings.
The study’s authors, comprising 39 scientists from 14 countries, are demanding universal recognition that infections can be prevented by improving indoor ventilation systems. They want the WHO to extend its indoor air quality guidelines to cover airborne pathogens, and for building ventilation standards to include higher airflow, filtration and disinfection rates, and monitors that enable the public to gauge the quality of the air they’re breathing.
A “paradigm shift is needed on the scale that occurred when Chadwick’s Sanitary Report in 1842 led the British government to encourage cities to organize clean water supplies and centralized sewage systems,” they wrote.
[editor’s note: And was a decades-old screw-up to blame for the delayed acceptance of airborne transmission with SARS-CoV-2?>
Most COVID-19 patients have neurological symptoms – News-Medical
In the continuing evolution of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), more information is emerging regarding how the virus affects the human body.
Studies have shown that COVID-19 is not exclusively a respiratory disorder, but may also affect the cardiovascular, digestive, and nervous systems.
In a new study, published in the journal JAMA Network, University of Pittsburgh researchers for the Global Consortium Study of Neurologic Dysfunction in COVID-19 found that neurological manifestations were prevalent among patients hospitalized with COVID-19. The patients were also at a higher risk of in-hospital mortality.
The team revealed that 82 percent of the COVID-19 hospitalized patients developed neurologic complications and were six times more likely to die. While most of the conditions were mild to moderate, about half of the patients experienced altered brain function or structure, while approximately one in five patients was in a coma.
COVID-19 vaccination: Thrombosis can be prevented by prompt treatment – EurekAlert
A rare syndrome has been observed in people following vaccination against Covid-19. This involves thrombosis at unusual sites in the body, associated with a low thrombocyte (blood platelet) count and a clotting disorder. In medical jargon, this syndrome is referred to as VITT (vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia). Doctors at the Department of Medicine I of MedUni Vienna and Vienna General Hospital (Division of Hematology and Hemastaseology) have now successfully treated an acute instance of this syndrome.
VITT is most probably caused by a defective immune response, whereby thrombocyte-activating antibodies are produced resulting in thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) and thrombosis. The mortality rate in VITT is high (40-50 %) and the syndrome requires immediate and appropriate treatment. However, the current recommendations are only empirical and are based on in-vitro data.
A team of doctors at the Department of Medicine I of MedUni Vienna and Vienna General Hospital, led by coagulation specialist Paul Knöbl, has now successfully treated a patient suffering from vaccine-induced prothrombotic immune thrombocytopenia (VIPIT). The female patient was admitted to the Department with a low platelet count and low fibrinogen levels. Fibrinogen is a protein that plays a major role in blood clotting. Knöbl reports: “Apart from that, her D-dimer values, which indicate thrombosis, were very high and an ELISA assay produced a clear positive result for heparin-PF4 antibodies – all signs of incipient thrombosis.”
The doctors acted quickly, and the patient responded immediately to treatment with a high dose of intravenous immunoglobulin concentrates, cortisone and specific anticoagulants, so that thrombosis was prevented. Immunoglobulin concentrates contain antibodies that can block the misdirected immune response. The usual heparin preparations must not be used to prevent clotting, since they can trigger thrombosis, or aggravate it.
“In this case we were able to describe, for the first time, the efficacy of a potentially life-saving treatment strategy for vaccine-induced thrombosis,” says Knöbl. These new findings have been published in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis. On the one hand, the findings support the current treatment recommendations, but they also show that prompt diagnosis and immediate initiation of treatment are necessary in order to prevent a life-threatening thrombosis. “This experience could be of great help in treating other patients with similar conditions.”
White House to send US-authorized vaccines overseas for first time – The Hill
The U.S. will share an additional 20 million doses of domestically authorized coronavirus vaccines with the rest of the world by the end of June, President Biden announced Monday.
The vaccine exports will consist of doses from either Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech or Johnson & Johnson, which are the only three vaccines authorized for use in the U.S.
The move is in addition to a previous commitment to send 60 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses overseas as soon as they are cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, and comes amid mounting pressure on the Biden administration to provide more help to other countries.
It is not known how long it will take for the FDA to declare the AstraZeneca vaccine safe.
“We know America will never be fully safe until the pandemic that’s raging globally is under control,” Biden said during a White House address. “No ocean’s wide enough, no wall is high enough, to keep us safe.”
Biden has pledged that the U.S. would soon become an “arsenal” of global vaccine supply. He said on Monday that the 80 million doses will represent 30 percent of the vaccines produced by the United States by the end of June.
How to Get COVID Vaccine Bracelets That Show You’ve Had Your Shot – Newsweek
People can now wear bands to help prove their COVID-19 vaccination status by purchasing a bracelet.
At least two companies are offering wristbands they say will allow people to demonstrate that they have received a shot—though the method and standards of proof vary and the bands are not endorsed by federal health bodies.
ImmunaBand, which launched its silicone bracelet of the same name on March 15, claims to have released the “first-to-market wearable COVID-19 vaccination documentation”.
Each ImmunaBand, priced at $19.99, has a metal tag with a unique QR code attached to it which, when scanned, links to a copy of the wearer’s vaccination card. A more expensive one is available which has the wearer’s name and vaccine type engraved on it. Both are sold on the ImmunaBand website.
ImmunaBand requires that people upload a photograph of their vaccination card to an ImmunaBand server. The company says this photo is stored and end-to-end encrypted “to ensure data privacy and security.” It is also protected with a password.
The following are foreign headlines with hyperlinks to the posts
Doctors in Brazil are perplexed as to why babies and young children there are dying of the virus at higher than normal rates.
In India, hundreds of thousands of residents on the country’s western coast are being evacuated and COVID-19 vaccinations paused in anticipation of a cyclone.
Covid-19 vaccine shortage leaves Delhi with four days’ worth of supplies
COVID Spread in Crowded Storm Shelters a Concern in India as Cyclone Nears
Government’s covid-19 travel plan will let new variants into the UK, experts warn
Enhanced version of CureVac’s COVID-19 vaccine could help address supply shortages
EU regulator says Pfizer coronavirus vaccine can be stored in regular refrigeration for a month
Peruvians Digging Unpermitted Graves as Cemeteries Run Out of Space
Dozens Protest to Cancel Tokyo Olympics as COVID Hospitalizations Rise
Man Loses Much of Small Intestine After Blood Clot From AstraZeneca Vaccine
A vaccine from Sanofi and GSK is said to produce strong immune responses in a midstage study.
Taiwan will temporarily ban entry to foreign nationals following record Covid-19 day
Disneyland Paris will reopen June 17
Thailand reports record Covid-19 cases as outbreaks in prisons rise
The following additional national and state headlines with hyperlinks to the posts
New data, not political pressure, triggered the CDC’s reversal on masking recommendations for the fully vaccinated, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, told Fox News Sunday.
Democrats in both chambers of Congress have a 100% vaccination rate, and at least 92% of Senate Republicans are vaccinated, but the vaccination rate among House Republicans is below 50%.
Delta Air Lines plans to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for new hires and may ban unvaccinated staff from international flights.
A ninth vaccinated member of the New York Yankees has tested positive for coronavirus, though only one has shown symptoms.
Survey Shows Latinos Are the Most Eager to Get Vaccinated
New OSHA Standards Coming for COVID-19 Workplace Safety
COVID-19 Lab Leak Theory Cannot Be Ruled Out, Leading Scientists Say
Poll Shows Low Trust in US Public Health Systems
Walmart Offers Workers $75 Incentive to Get COVID Vaccine
Texas Has Zero COVID Deaths After Biden Said Reopening Was ‘Neanderthal’
Some fully vaccinated people plan to keep wearing masks, possibly forever.
Biden warns states with low Covid vaccination rates may see cases rise again
California will wait a month before dropping mask mandate for vaccinated residents
US hits new pandemic air travel record
Today’s Posts On Econintersect Showing Impact Of The Pandemic With Hyperlinks
Federal Reserve Board Issues Report On The Economic Well-Being Of U.S. Households
May 2021 Empire State Manufacturing Index Declines
Womens Labor Force Participation Was Rising To Record Highs – Until The Pandemic Hit
Greasing The Slide Toward Deflation
Inflation Expectations Increase Mildly
Warning to Readers
The amount of politically biased articles on the internet continues. And studies and opinions of the experts continue to contradict other studies and expert opinions. Honestly, it is difficult to believe anything anymore.
I assemble this coronavirus update daily – sifting through the posts on the internet. I try to avoid politically slanted posts (mostly from CNN, New York Times, and the Washington Post) and can usually find unslanted posts on that subject from other sources on the internet. I wait to publish posts on subjects that I cannot validate across several sources. But after all this extra work, I do not know if I have conveyed the REAL facts. It is my job to provide information so that you have the facts necessary – and then it is up to readers to draw conclusions.
Analyst Opinion of Coronavirus Data
There are several takeaways that need to be understood when viewing coronavirus statistical data:
- The global counts are suspect for a variety of reasons including political. Even the U.S. count has issues as it is possible that as much as half the population has had coronavirus and was asymptomatic. It would be a far better metric using a random sampling of the population weekly. In short, we do not understand the size of the error in the tracking numbers.
- Just because some of the methodology used in aggregating the data in the U.S. is flawed – as long as the flaw is uniformly applied – you establish a baseline. This is why it is dangerous to compare two countries as they likely use different methodologies to determine who has (and who died) from coronavirus.
- COVID-19 and the flu are different but can have similar symptoms. COVID-19 so far is much more deadly than the flu. [click here to compare symptoms]
- From an industrial engineering point of view, one can argue that it is best to flatten the curve only to the point that the health care system is barely able to cope. This solution only works if-and-only-if one can catch this coronavirus once and develops immunity. In the case of COVID-19, herd immunity may need to be in the 80% to 85% range. WHO warns that few have developed antibodies to COVID-19 when recovering from COVID-19. Herd immunity does not look like an option as the variants are continuing to look for ways around immunity.
- Older population countries will have a significantly higher death rate as there is relatively few hospitalizations and deaths in younger age groups..
- There are at least 8 strains of the coronavirus.
What we do or do not know about the coronavirus [actually there is little scientifically proven information]. Most of our knowledge is anecdotal, from studies with limited subjects, or from studies without peer review.
- How many people have been infected as many do not show symptoms?
- Masks do work. Unfortunately, early in the pandemic, many health experts — in the U.S. and around the world — decided that the public could not be trusted to hear the truth about masks. Instead, the experts spread a misleading message, discouraging the use of masks.
- Current thinking is that we develop at least 12 months of immunity from further COVID infection.
- The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines have an effectiveness rate of about 95 percent after two doses. That is on par with the vaccines for chickenpox and measles. The 95 percent number understates the effectiveness as it counts anyone who came down with a mild case of Covid-19 as a failure.
- To what degree do people who never develop symptoms contribute to transmission? Research early in the pandemic suggested that the rate of asymptomatic infections could be as high as 81%. But a meta-analysis, which included 13 studies involving 21,708 people, calculated the rate of asymptomatic presentation to be 17%.
- The accuracy of rapid testing is questioned – and the more accurate test results are not being given in a timely manner.
- Can children widely spread coronavirus? [current thinking is that they are a minor source of the pandemic spread]
- Why have some places avoided big coronavirus outbreaks – and others hit hard?
- Air conditioning contributes to the pandemic spread.
- It appears that there is increased risk of infection and mortality for those living in larger occupancy households.
- Male patients have almost three times the odds of requiring intensive treatment unit (ITU) admission compared to females.
- Outdoor activities seem to be a lower risk than indoor activities.
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