As omicron continues to spread across the country, COVID-19 cases are continuing to emerge on cruise ships. Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International and MSC Cruises are among the cruise lines currently dealing with clusters of cases on board resulting in a myriad of scenarios including protocols kicking in to mitigate spread, itinerary changes and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigations. The CDC has been working with global public health experts and industry partners to learn about omicron, spokesperson Dave Daigle told USA TODAY Thursday. “We are still learning how easily it spreads, the severity of illness it causes, and how well available vaccines and medications work against it.” Continue reading “U.S. CDC investigating nearly 70 cruise ships hit by COVID-19 cases”
For third day, COVID-19 crimps Americans’ holiday travels
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, Dec 26 (Reuters) – U.S. airlines canceled more than 1,300 flights on Sunday as COVID-19 thinned out the number of available crews, while several cruise ships had to cancel stops after outbreaks on board, upending the plans of thousands of Christmas travelers. Commercial airlines had canceled 1,318 flights within, into or out of the United States by mid-afternoon, according to a tally on flight-tracking website FlightAware.com. At least three cruise ships were also forced to return to port without making scheduled port calls after COVID-19 cases were detected on board, according to multiple media reports. It was the third straight day of pain for some Americans traveling over the weekend as the Christmas holidays, typically a peak time for travel, coincided with a rapid spread of the Omicron variant nationwide.
Continue reading “For third day, COVID-19 crimps Americans’ holiday travels”
NY dept of health warns of rise in child covid hospitalizations
The New York State Department of Health warned of an increase in children hospitalized with COVID-19, in a notice sent to doctors on Christmas Eve. “NYSDOH is closely monitoring an upward trend in pediatric hospitalizations associated with COVID-19,” the notice read. The jump in hospitalizations of children — who usually face very mild COVID-19 cases — is “concentrated in New York City and the surrounding greater metropolitan area,” according to the health advisory.
Pediatric admissions in the city have risen four-fold from the week starting December 5, 2021, to the week starting December 19, according to the bulletin, which did not quantify the actual number of children hospitalized.
The DOH did not immediately return a message seeking the number of hospitalizations. About half of the children hospitalized were under five, and therefore ineligible for the vaccine, according to the notice, which encouraged physicians to continue to promote social distancing and wearing “a well-fitting mask” among their younger patients. In addition, the notice advises doctors to remind parents “not to assume a mild respiratory illness is a routine ‘cold’; test for COVID-19.” NN: as you know I am adamantly opposed to sending vaccinate kids to school. If you must I urge you to give them our N95 fun masks or the kiddie sized N95 masks we offer. Fun masks with filters here
And kids sized N95 masks here 10 pack kiddie sized N95 filters
China’s local COVID case count driven to 21-month high by Xian outbreak…. S. Korea adds 5,419 COVID cases, 69 deaths…. France reports more than 100,000 COVID-19 infections for first time….Italy report record number of COVID-19 infections…..UK reports new record of 122,186 COVID cases……Irish COVID-19 infections hit record
Reuters BEIJING (Reuters) – China reported its highest daily rise in local COVID-19 cases in 21 months as infections more than doubled in the northwestern city of Xian, China’s latest COVID hot spot.
The city of 13 million, which entered its fourth day of lockdown, detected 155 domestically transmitted cases with confirmed symptoms for Saturday, up from 75 a day earlier, official data showed on Sunday.
Continue reading “China’s local COVID case count driven to 21-month high by Xian outbreak…. S. Korea adds 5,419 COVID cases, 69 deaths…. France reports more than 100,000 COVID-19 infections for first time….Italy report record number of COVID-19 infections…..UK reports new record of 122,186 COVID cases……Irish COVID-19 infections hit record”
Biden says no one saw Omicron 4th wave coming…For the record I did and starting barking in August
President Biden is defending his administration’s response to the omicron variant of COVID as Americans struggle to get tested amid a potent new surge of cases and illness. “You could argue that we should have known,” Biden told ABC News in an exclusive sit-down interview that aired Thursday night. “Nothing has been good enough.” He rebuffed accusations that the administration should have prepared for a lightning-spreading strain of COVID like omicron by making sure testing capacity could handle any surge. “You’re chasing whatever comes on the scene,” Biden said. “No one saw it coming. Who in the world saw it coming?” NN: I did and so said Biden heads into the end-of-year holidays in a major political slump, his standing dented both by setbacks in Congress and inflation that has rattled consumers. But he is betting that his ability to lead America out of the crippling pandemic will eventually win back the legion of supporters that sent him to the White House with a record-setting 81 million votes. Biden told World News Tonight host John Muir that he’s proud of getting lifesaving vaccines in the arms of more than 200 million Americans. He also boasted about ordering some 20 million doses of the newly approved Pfizer pill to treat COVID, which some doctors believe will be a game-changer in the roller coaster fight against the pandemic. “I hope we don’t even need them,“ the president said. “If people get two shots and the booster, they’re not going be in a position where they would need the pills.” Biden also dropped some political news, making it clearer than ever that he plans to seek a second four-year term in the White House in 2024 if he’s healthy. He insisted he would welcome a potential rematch with former President Donald Trump, suggesting he would relish the chance to whip his rival again. “Why would I not run against Trump?” Biden said. “If he’s the nominee … that would increase the prospect.” NN: Do you remember when they destroyed the test kits? How about CDC telling vaccinated people no need to wear masks. So do not let them shit you. The experts were so fast to declare victory they ignored the science. And millions of people will be dead in the next 90 days…….
Two years too late The CDC Wants Your Masks to Meet New Standards
https://youtu.be/kn2xWB0sqhE
Masks have–understandably—been incredibly popular during the COVID-19 pandemic, though when officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that people who are fully vaccinated against the virus no longer needed to mask up, there was certainly a temporary drop in use.
Those recommendations have now changed and, with the rapid spread of the Omicron variant across the country along with a recent sharp uptick in COVID-19 cases, people are suddenly paying more attention to their masks once more. This being said, new CDC guidelines for masks are now in place.
Continue reading “Two years too late The CDC Wants Your Masks to Meet New Standards”
Austria’s vaccine board recommends fourth COVID jab for some
ZURICH (Reuters) – Austria should offer some healthcare staff and other key workers a fourth COVID-19 jab, the National Vaccination Board said in updated guidance published late on Thursday, citing risks from the fast-spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus. But it said there was not enough scientific data for it to recommend fourth shots be given more widely. “In view of an imminent Omicron wave, (a fourth vaccination) can be offered in high-risk areas (e.g., exposed health care personnel) and in systemically critical areas from six months after the third vaccination,” the board said. Austria said on Wednesday it will tighten restrictions again from Dec. 27 to slow the spread of the Omicron variant. In November, the government announced a fourth national lockdown and said it would make vaccinations compulsory for all Austrians, the first European Union country to do so. While that three-week lockdown slashed daily COVID-19 infections from record levels, the country is bracing for another surge. Several hundred Omicron cases have been confirmed already. In its updated guidelines, the National Vaccination Board said fourth COVID-19 shots could be given “off label” to groups in healthcare and other critical areas following medical consultation. “There is still no evidence that this additional vaccination can prevent infections. However, it can be it can be assumed that serious illnesses can be prevented,” it said.
S&P 500 hits record close as Omicron fears ebb
(Dec 24): Wall Street’s main indexes posted solid gains for a third straight session on Thursday, with the S&P 500 marking a record-high close, as encouraging developments gave investors more ease about the economic impact of the Omicron coronavirus variant. Stocks ended the holiday-shortened week on a positive note, lifting sentiment heading into Christmas. Gains were broad among S&P 500 sectors, led by consumer discretionary and industrials, which both rose about 1.2%. Vaccine makers AstraZeneca Plc and Novavax Inc said their shots protected against Omicron as UK data suggested it may cause proportionally fewer hospital cases than the Delta variant, though public health experts warned the battle against COVID-19 was far from over.
Continue reading “S&P 500 hits record close as Omicron fears ebb”
United, Delta cancel more than 200 U.S. Christmas Eve flights amid COVID surge
(Reuters) – United Airlines and Delta Air Lines on Thursday said they had each canceled dozens of Christmas Eve flights, as the spreading COVID-19 Omicron variant takes a toll on its flight crews and other workers. Chicago-based United canceled 120 flights for Friday, while Atlanta-based Delta said it has canceled about 90. Both said they were working to contact passengers so they would not be stranded at airports. “The nationwide spike in Omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation. As a result, we’ve unfortunately had to cancel some flights and are notifying impacted customers in advance of them coming to the airport,” United said. Delta said it has “exhausted all options and resources — including rerouting and substitutions of aircraft and crews to cover scheduled flying — before canceling around 90 flights for Friday.” Delta cited potential inclement weather and the impact of the Omicron variant for the cancellations. On Tuesday, Delta Chief Executive Ed Bastian asked the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to shrink quarantine guidelines for fully vaccinated individuals who experience breakthrough COVID-19 infections, citing the impact on the carrier’s workforce. Bastian asked that the isolation period be cut to five days from the current 10. That request was echoed both by Airlines for America, a trade group representing major cargo and passenger carriers, which wrote to the CDC on Thursday, and by JetBlue on Wednesday. The CDC released updated quarantine guidance for healthcare workers on Thursday, cutting the isolation time to seven days for workers who test positive for COVID-19 but are asymptomatic, providing they test negative.
France adds record 91,608 COVID infections….. Britain reported more than 100,000 cases for a second straight day
(Bloomberg) — French Covid-19 infections hit a record as the spread of the more easily transmissible omicron variant gathered pace across much of Europe. New daily cases totaled 91,608 in France on Thursday, public health office data show. That surpassed the previous high of almost 87,000 from November of last year. Health Minister Olivier Veran said earlier this week that the omicron strain will become dominant in France during the period between Christmas and New Year’s, and that infections will likely reach 100,000 a day by the end of December. On Thursday, he said the threshold will probably be crossed closer to Dec. 25 than Dec. 31, BFM TV reported. French authorities are watching trends in the U.K., which has 10 to 14 days lead time in terms of progression of omicron over France, Veran said this week. Continue reading “France adds record 91,608 COVID infections….. Britain reported more than 100,000 cases for a second straight day”