Written by Steven Hansen

The U.S. new cases 7-day rolling average are 39.9 % HIGHER than the 7-day rolling average one week ago and U.S. deaths due to coronavirus are now 36.8 % HIGHER than the rolling average one week ago.

Today’s posts include:

• U.S. Coronavirus New Cases are 127,108
• U.S. Coronavirus deaths are at 574
• Intel agencies scour reams of genetic data from Wuhan lab in Covid origins hunt
• FDA Reportedly Planning For COVID Vaccine Booster Shot Approval By September
• Potential military vaccine mandate brings distrust, support
• Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine offers decreased protection six months after the second dose, suggests Israeli study
• ‘Breakthroughs’ in Highly Vaxxed Bay Area Spur Interest in Boosters
• Recovered COVID Patients Suffering ‘Significant Cognitive Deficits’ According To Large-Scale UK Study
• COVID Vax Doubled Protection for the Previously Infected
• Even for vaccinated people, now is the time for masks and testing, public health experts say
• Pfizer has manufactured the first batch of Delta variant vaccines
• Lambda COVID Variant ‘a Potential Threat to Human Society,’ Researchers Say
• Novavax delays Covid vaccine emergency authorization submission to FDA until the fourth quarter
• Moderna recommends a third shot of vaccine to defend against new coronavirus strains
• 15 states are keeping COVID breakthrough cases under wraps
• Climate crisis: Scientists spot warning signs of Gulf Stream collapse
• Plus many more headlines …

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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 and Recovery News You May Have Missed

We Were Told Our Lives Would Get Back To Normal With The Vaccines. Now The Reality Is They Do Not Work As Well As Advertised – Econintersect

[1] Today’s vaccines provide only a fraction of the true level of protection required. Their actions are in many ways similar to applying weed killer at half the strength needed to kill the weeds or providing antibiotics at half the dose required to stop the spread of bacteria.

[2] In a way, getting sick from a virus is helpful. It tells us to stay at home, away from others. It is the fact that humans experience symptoms from viruses that tends to limit their spread.

[3] It is becoming clear that people immunized with today’s vaccines can both catch the delta variant and spread it to others.

[4] With nearly all of the current vaccines, the immune system is trained to look for the spike protein from the original Wuhan virus. This narrow focus makes it relatively easy for the virus to mutate in ways that outsmart the vaccine.

[5] Given the likelihood of mutations away from the narrow target, it seems strange that the governments have set very high expectations for the new vaccines.

[6] Leaky vaccines, if widely used, can encourage the virus to mutate toward more virulent (severe) forms. Ultimately, the problem becomes viruses that mutate to more virulent forms faster than the vaccine system can keep up.

[7] Another potential problem with COVID-19 vaccines is Antibody Dependent Enhancement (ADE). When this occurs, it worsens later infections by different variants.

[8] Another problem with the current vaccines against COVID-19 is that immunity may not last very long.

[9] The public has been led to believe that vaccines are the only solution to COVID-19 when, in fact, they are at best a very poor and temporary band-aid.

[10] The pharmaceutical industry has been telling the world that inexpensive drugs can’t fix our problem. However, there are several low-cost drugs that appear helpful.

[11] Conclusion. Governments, businesses, and citizens need to understand that today’s vaccines are not really solutions to our COVID-19 problem. At the same time, they need better solutions.

[editor’s note: this post deserves a full read. Also read CDC head says vaccines prevent severe Covid-19 illness and death — but they can’t prevent transmission]

Recovered COVID Patients Suffering ‘Significant Cognitive Deficits’ According To Large-Scale UK Study – ZeroHedge

Over 190 million people have officially contracted SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes Covid-19. Of that, the vast majority have recovered – while up to one-third reportedly suffer from lingering symptoms of varying severity, known as ‘long covid.’

Common complaints include a lack of smell and taste, as well as “brain fog” – in which sufferers often complain of ongoing confusion, lack of focus, and migraines – well after they’ve ‘recovered’ from the disease.

Last week, The Independent reported that Covid-19 may accelerate the onset of Alzheimer’s disease in patients suffering from neurological symptoms, while another study noted in the report found that coronavirus patients “are more susceptible to long-term memory and thinking problems.”

Last September, a study offered the first clear evidence that Covid-19 ‘hijacks’ brain cells to make copies of itself – starving nearby cells of oxygen. The same researchers found last July that some Covid-19 patients have developed serious neurological complications, including nerve damage.

Now, a large-scale study in the UK of more than 80,000 participants “offers convincing evidence that COVID-19 may indeed result in long-term cognitive deficits – even in those who suffer the mildest form of the disease,” according to Dr. Rhonda Patrick.

COVID Vax Doubled Protection for the Previously Infected – MedPage

Unvaccinated adults who were previously infected with COVID-19 were twice as likely to be reinfected as those previously infected but also fully vaccinated, researchers found.

A case-control study in Kentucky found a more than two times higher risk of COVID-19 cases among unvaccinated adults with prior infection compared with their fully vaccinated counterparts (OR 2.34, 95% CI 1.58-3.47), reported Alyson Cavanaugh, PhD, of the CDC, and colleagues, writing in an early edition of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Notably, the data were from May to June 2021, prior to reports of the Delta variant becoming the predominant strain in the U.S.

“This study shows you are twice as likely to get infected again if you are unvaccinated,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, said in a statement. “Getting the vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and others around you, especially as the more contagious Delta variant spreads around the country.”

Cavanaugh’s group added that not only does the study suggest that being unvaccinated is associated with a higher likelihood of being reinfected, but “full vaccination is associated with reduced likelihood of reinfection” among those previously infected.

Potential military vaccine mandate brings distrust, support – AP

Since President Joe Biden asked the Pentagon last week to look at adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the military’s mandatory shots, former Army lawyer Greg T. Rinckey has fielded a deluge of calls.

His firm, Tully Rinckey, has heard from hundreds of soldiers, Marines and sailors wanting to know their rights and whether they could take any legal action if ordered to get inoculated for the coronavirus.

“A lot of U.S. troops have reached out to us saying, ‘I don’t want a vaccine that’s untested, I’m not sure it’s safe, and I don’t trust the government’s vaccine. What are my rights?'” Rinckey said.

Generally, their rights are limited since vaccines are widely seen as essential for the military to carry out its missions, given that service members often eat, sleep and work in close quarters.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said he is working expeditiously to make the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for military personnel and is expected to ask Biden to waive a federal law that requires individuals be given a choice if the vaccine is not fully licensed. Biden has also directed that all federal workers be vaccinated or face frequent testing and travel restrictions.

Lawyers say the waiver will put the military on firmer legal ground so it can avoid the court battles it faced when it mandated the anthrax vaccine for troops in the 1990s when it was not fully approved by the federal Food and Drug administration.

The distrust among some service members is not only a reflection of the broader public’s feelings about the COVID-19 vaccines, which were quickly authorized for emergency use, but stems in part from the anthrax program’s troubles.

Scores of troops refused to take that vaccine. Some left the service. Others were disciplined. Some were court martialed and kicked out of the military with other-than-honorable discharges.

[editor’s note: also read DoD could announce mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy as early as Friday – Military Times]

‘Breakthroughs’ in Highly Vaxxed Bay Area Spur Interest in Boosters – MedPage

As breakthrough COVID infections among staff at Bay Area hospitals garner attention as the latest Cape Cod-like cluster, one of these facilities has started offering booster shots for some.

Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG), a public hospital that is part of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, said it will accommodate special requests for a supplemental dose of COVID-19 vaccine — using either Pfizer or Moderna’s mRNA shot — from people who have previously received the Johnson & Johnson viral vector vaccine.

However, the Department of Public Health has been emphatic in stating that the move doesn’t represent a change in policy, and that in many cases of such requests, individuals have consulted with their doctor about receiving the supplemental dose.

The department said it continues to align with CDC guidance and is not currently recommending booster shots. “We will continue to review any new data and adjust our guidance, if necessary,” they noted. ZSFG declined to make a member of its leadership team available for an interview on the availability of supplemental vaccine doses.

Out of 7,000 staff members at ZSFG, 55 are currently COVID-positive, the hospital said in a statement. To its knowledge, none of the infected employees have been hospitalized.

“Breakthrough cases were and still are expected,” they said. “We know vaccines won’t completely prevent infections, but they are very effective at making hospitalizations and death preventable.”

Climate crisis: Scientists spot warning signs of Gulf Stream collapse – Guardian

Climate scientists have detected warning signs of the collapse of the Gulf Stream, one of the planet’s main potential tipping points.

The research found “an almost complete loss of stability over the last century” of the currents that researchers call the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). The currents are already at their slowest point in at least 1,600 years, but the new analysis shows they may be nearing a shutdown.

Such an event would have catastrophic consequences around the world, severely disrupting the rains that billions of people depend on for food in India, South America and West Africa; increasing storms and lowering temperatures in Europe; and pushing up the sea level off eastern North America. It would also further endanger the Amazon rainforest and Antarctic ice sheets.

Moderna recommends third shot of vaccine to defend against new coronavirus strains – Yahoo

Moderna said Thursday that people will likely need a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose to protect against future mutations of the coronavirus, touting the “robust” antibody response generated by the additional shot.

Vaccine developers at Moderna “are looking forward towards our vision of a single dose annual booster that provides protection against COVID-19, flu and [respiratory syncytial virus] for adults. … We believe this is just the beginning,” CEO Stephane Bancel said.

The company has conducted studies to determine the benefits of administering a third “booster” shot of its two-dose vaccine to protect against the highly contagious delta variant that accounts for a majority of COVID-19 cases, as well as any future strains of the virus that develop.

Moderna’s Phase 2 trial of a 50-microgram booster dose generated a strong immune response against the delta, gamma, and beta variants — all of which seem to spread more easily and quickly than other variants, which could lead to more COVID-19 outbreaks. The third dose produced an antibody response nearly as strong as the response generated in previously unvaccinated people who received the first two doses of the vaccine.

The company also reported that its two-dose vaccine created lasting immunity months after receiving the second shot. The vaccine was still 93% effective after six months, compared to an efficacy rate of about 94% two weeks after received the second shot.

Pfizer has manufactured the first batch of Delta variant vaccines – FreeThink

Pharma giant Pfizer has already developed and manufactured ingredients for a COVID-19 vaccine targeting the highly contagious Delta variant.

The Delta variant: As the coronavirus spreads, its genetic code can undergo mutations. Versions of the virus with a unique set of mutations are called a new variant or strain.

New strains are common and usually fizzle out on their own.

But the coronavirus’s Delta variant, however, has taken off across the world since its discovery — it’s now behind more than 90% of new coronavirus cases in the U.S.

The challenge: Data suggests that the Delta variant is possibly twice as transmissible as the original strain, and there’s some early evidence that it might lead to more severe cases.

Even for vaccinated people, now is the time for masks and testing, public health experts say – NBC

As the highly transmissible delta variant sweeps across every state in the country as the dominant strain of Covid-19, public health experts warn now is not the time to ditch masks or forgo testing.

If anything, the United States, particularly in areas where vaccination rates have stalled and coronavirus cases are rising, is at an urgent juncture in the pandemic, in which continued mask-wearing and testing are pivotal because of how quickly the variant has been spreading, the experts say.

“I think it’s critical to be masking indoors no matter where you live,” Susan Hassig, an epidemiologist at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, said Wednesday as her home state of Louisiana was poised to exceed the peak of hospitalized Covid patients since the pandemic began.

Lambda COVID Variant ‘a Potential Threat to Human Society,’ Researchers Say – Newsweek

There is concern over the threat posed by the Lambda variant of COVID-19 which may be more resistant to vaccines than the original version of the virus.

Research by a team from the University of Tokyo, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, found that three mutations in Lambda’s spike protein help it resist neutralization by vaccine-induced antibodies.

Meanwhile, two mutations in the Lambda variant—T76I and L452Q—make it more infectious than the COVID variant that swept through the world in 2020.

The conclusions of the study posted on BiorXiv on July 28 matched findings—also not yet peer-reviewed—by a team in Chile that found the variant might also evade vaccine antibodies, Infection Control reported.

FDA Reportedly Planning For COVID Vaccine Booster Shot Approval By September – ZeroHedge

Confirming what we have all suspected (and The White House, France, and Germany all confirmed), The FDA has tonight confirmed, according to people familiar with discussions within the agency, expects to have a strategy on Covid-19 vaccine boosters by early September that would lay out when and which vaccinated individuals should get the follow-up shots.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Biden administration is pushing for the swift release of a booster strategy because some populations – people age 65 or older and people who are immunocompromised, as well as those who got the shots in December or January shortly after they were rolled out – could need boosters as soon as this month, two of the people said.

So we have gone from double-masking to triple-jabbing… one wonders when it will end?

Will the obese, old, or immunocompromised be expected to take bi-annual booster shots for the rest of their lives… and what do they think this will do to the masses of unvaccinated people?

And what happens when the ‘Delta’ variant runs it’s course?

Perhaps it’s time to switch from ‘Greek’ identifiers for variants to Cambodian (the Khmer alphabet has 74 letters).

Novavax delays Covid vaccine emergency authorization submission to FDA until fourth quarter – CNBC

• Novavax announced that it will delay submission of its Covid-19 vaccine to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization until its fourth quarter.
• Shares of the biotechnology company slipped 10% after the bell.
• The company says it is still on track to produce 100 million doses per month by the end of the third quarter and 150 million per month by the end of the fourth quarter.

[editor’s note: as far as I remember, Novavax got $1.7 billion from operation warpspeed. Also read Novavax loses federal funding to make more of its yet-to-be-approved vaccine.]

Intel agencies scour reams of genetic data from Wuhan lab in Covid origins hunt – CNN

US intelligence agencies are digging through a treasure trove of genetic data that could be key to uncovering the origins of the coronavirus — as soon as they can decipher it.

This giant catalog of information contains genetic blueprints drawn from virus samples studied at the lab in Wuhan, China which some officials believe may have been the source of the Covid-19 outbreak, multiple people familiar with the matter tell CNN.

It’s unclear exactly how or when US intelligence agencies gained access to the information, but the machines involved in creating and processing this kind of genetic data from viruses are typically connected to external cloud-based servers — leaving open the possibility they were hacked, sources said.

Still, translating this mountain of raw data into usable information — which is only one part of the intelligence community’s 90-day push to uncover the pandemic’s origins — presents a range of challenges, including harnessing enough computing power to process it all. To do that, intelligence agencies are relying on supercomputers at the Department of Energy’s National Labs, a collection of 17 elite government research institutions.

Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine offers decreased protection six months after second dose, suggests Israeli study – News-Medical

… The median time between when the participants had received the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and received an RT-PCR test was 146 days. However, over 50% of the participants had received an RT-PCR test over 146 days since their second dose.

Using 146 days as their cut-off, the researchers found that within the 60 and over age group, 2.19% of vaccinated individuals tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Comparably, the positivity rate in the 40-59 and 18-39 age groups was 1.93% and 1.39%, respectively. Taken together, the increase in SARS-CoV-2 infection rates across all patient populations was significant.

Notably, at the time when the study was conducted, the dominant circulating variant was the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant B.1.617.2. Of the 113 isolates that were sent for sequencing in this study, 93% tested positive for the Delta variant.

Conclusion

While the incidence of breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections was significant across all age groups, the strongest increase was observed for patients aged 60 and older. These results therefore support the concept that the immune response to vaccines is influenced by age-related changes of the immune system.

Since Israel was one of the first nations to initiate a large-scale national vaccination campaign, most of the participants in this study received their second dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine at least six months before the study was conducted. The results described here therefore demonstrate the diminishing protection offered by COVID-19 vaccines over time from when the individual received their second dose. This study also provides information on the protection offered by the BNT162b2 vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 Delta strain that is now dominant worldwide.

[editor’s note: also read Vaccination more than halves your chance of Covid-19 reinfection, study suggests]

15 states are keeping COVID breakthrough cases under wraps – The Hill

State health departments across the country are taking various approaches to how they keep records on COVID-19 breakthrough cases, with 15 states deciding not to publish any data on the rare incidents.

An analysis by The Hill found that 35 states have disclosed some data on fully vaccinated people who later contracted COVID-19. The information ranged from a one-time percentage of residents who experienced a breakthrough infection to weekly detailed overviews broken down by demographics such as age, sex and race.

Figures on breakthrough cases are not available on the health department websites, social media or other publicly accessible sites for the other 15 states: Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin.

The Hill reached out to the health departments of all 15 states for comment. A handful of states, including New York, Texas and Wisconsin, provided the numbers upon request.

Alicia Shoults, a spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Health, told The Hill that the agency plans to publish a dashboard with breakthrough hospitalizations and deaths Friday.

Of the states already reporting data, Utah topped the list, with 0.36 percent or 5,265 breakthrough cases in its 1,462,313 fully vaccinated residents from Jan. 16 until this week. In that period, the state reported approximately 115,000 coronavirus cases.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stopped monitoring nonsevere breakthrough cases in May.

The following are foreign headlines with hyperlinks to the posts

Blaming a slow vaccine rollout in Australia, Premier Daniel Andrews of Melbourne announced the city’s sixth lockdown to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Thousands more flee fires outside Athens amid heat wave

China Is Exporting More Sophisticated Products Despite Trade War

SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant associated with more critical and fatal disease than Alpha, suggests Qatar study

Double vaccinated three times less likely to test positive for COVID-19 than unvaccinated, says study. In new research, scientists at Imperial College London report that double vaccinated individuals could be three times less likely than unvaccinated people to test positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Top French Court Approves Macron’s COVID-19 Health Pass Rules

Seven Vaccinated People in Care Home Die of Colombian COVID Variant. Twenty fully vaccinated residents of the Ter Burg facility in Nossegem, near Brussels, contracted the B.1.621 variant, according to Belgian media reports.

Singapore to start relaxing Covid restrictions Aug. 10 as vaccination rate rises

France warns fourth wave of Covid-19 “knocking at hospital doors”

The following additional national and state headlines with hyperlinks to the posts

Coronavirus booster shots for the immunocompromised expected to be authorized soon

The U.S. will pause funding on Novavax’s vaccine production, the company said. Novavax has been struggling to produce the shots.

Virginia will require state employees to be vaccinated or get tested weekly. In New Jersey, public school students will have to wear masks.

CNN said it had fired three unvaccinated employees who went into the office.

Biden’s embrace of Trump-era border policy frustrates Democrats

Moms are hit hardest with camps, day cares and schools closing again

Despite Biden’s vaccine order for feds, delta surge causes some back-to-work plans to be scrapped

‘Privacy Company’ Apple Plans To Monitor All US iPhones For Evidence Of Child Porn

U.S. vaccinations increased by 864,000 on Wednesday, the highest single-day total since July 3, according to the White House.

FDA may make COVID boosters available for immunosuppressed people in the coming weeks, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Seven states, primarily located in the South, accounted for about half of all new infections in the past week, whereas two states — Maine and Vermont — have not reported high rates of community transmission.

Four of the seven states with high transmission rates — Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana — have doubled their vaccination rates since July.

As COVID-related hospitalizations more than tripled in the past month, hospitals have returned to actions taken during the early phases of the pandemic: reinstating strict prevention measures, postponing elective surgery, and closing admission of new patients with the viral illness.

Despite the ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases, as many as 700,000 people are expected to attend the 81st Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, beginning today and continuing through next week.

US COVID-19 Cases Hit 6-Month High at Over 100,000: Reuters Tally

White House to require visitors, including journalists, to confirm vaccination status

New Jersey to require masks in all schools this year

California mandates vaccinations for all health care workers

Arkansas hospital exec says health care workers are walking off the job amid spike in COVID-19 cases

Fla. to Give Private School Vouchers for Experiencing ‘COVID-19 Harassment’. Parents can request vouchers for their children experiencing “harassment” over COVID-19 measures under provisions usually meant for bullied children.

Tent City Grows, as Nonprofits Struggle to Care for Migrants With COVID-19. As the recent wave of migrants makes its way through McAllen, Texas, local nonprofits and city officials have become overwhelmed.

Las Vegas, Among First Cities Hit by COVID Delta Variant, Sees Cases Fall

Lambda COVID Variant, Showing Vaccine Resistance, Detected in Louisiana

Dr. Fauci Praises Trump for ‘Wise Investment’ in COVID-19 Vaccines

United Airlines will require employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

The social network for doctors is full of vaccine disinformation

White House says US is not headed toward lockdown despite Delta variant surge

Covid-19 vaccination rates are lower among adults with disabilities, according to Census Bureau survey data

Challenge to Indiana University vaccine mandate reaches Supreme Court

Today’s Posts On Econintersect Showing Impact Of The Pandemic and Recovery With Hyperlinks

30 July 2021 ECRI’s WLI Growth Rate Decline Continues

June 2021 Headline Wholesale Sales Improved and Inventories Grow

July 2021 BLS Jobs Situation – Job Gains Again Excellent

Rail Week Ending 31 July 2021 – Year-over-Year Growth Up 3.8% For July

COVID-19 Vaccines Don’t Really Work As Hoped

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