Remember SARS and MERS? Coronavirus blasts from the past. How about one over 20,000 years old. Australian and US researchers have found evidence of a coronavirus epidemic in East Asia 20,000 years ago. They studied the genomes of over 2,500 people from 26 different populations around the world, and found genetic signals related to a coronavirus in five different populations in China, Japan, and Vietnam.
Vaccine drop-in centers are opening throughout England. People 18 and older can get a first dose, while those over 40 who had their first dose at least eight weeks ago can get their second dose along with folks under 40 who had their first dose at least 12 weeks ago. Right now, 43.87 million people--83.3 percent of the adult population--have gotten a first dose, while 32 million people have gotten a second. The goal is to have offered a first dose to all adults by July 19 and have at least 65 percent of all adults fully vaccinated by July 21 when the final stage of lockdown is supposed to ease.
Want to get back out on the water in a resort with a keel? Celebrity Edge, the first major cruise ship to restart operations from a US port, has sailed at 35 percent capacity. All of the crew members and 95 percent of passengers are fully vaccinated. Guests over the age of 16 who can't (or won't) show proof of vaccination are required to wear masks on board and take a series of antigen tests at their own expense. Guests who have been vaccinated get antigen tests for free. The CDC guidance under which the Edge sailed expires as of July 18.
The Delta variant accounted for 21 percent of all new cases in the US for the two weeks ending on June 19. Delta has now been found in 49 states and the District of Columbia. Only South Dakota did not report any Delta cases. Bangladesh is locking down for a week thanks to an outbreak fueled by Delta. At least 200 Delta Plus cases have been identified worldwide. Delta Plus has some worrisome traits including increased transmissibility, stronger binding to receptors of lung cells, and potential reduction in antibody response.
Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere and has yet to be able to begin a vaccination program. One Haitian clinic is seeing 15 to 20 new cases every day. Even health care workers cannot get vaccinated. A handful of workers were able to fly to the US to get vaccinated, and about 30 more got special permission to get vaccinated at the US embassy. At the same time, as many as four-fifths of health care workers may choose not to get vaccinated. Health workers in Haiti have tried getting vaccine doses from Florida that are about to expire but so far have not been successful. Health authorities in Florida say that they cannot send the vaccines without formal permission from the US government, permission that has yet to be granted.
The NCAA College World Series is happening right now in Omaha, Nebraska. Covid was not an issue until 14 of the 27 players on North Carolina State's team tested positive. NC State chose to play Vanderbilt yesterday with the 13 other players. They lost that game and were supposed to play a second game today until the NCAA cancelled the game and forfeited NC State. No specific reason was given, though I wonder if it might have been the possibility that some of the remaining 13 players might also be positive.
Had covid? Need or want to have elective surgery? It is not clear how long someone who has had covid should wait for elective surgery once they're through with covid. Obviously, the respiratory system is integrally involved in anesthesia. A recent study suggested that waiting at least seven weeks reduces the risk of death when compared to that of people who did not have covid. The American Society of Anesthesiologists and the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation have offered the following guidelines.
Wait four weeks after an asymptomatic or mild case with only non-respiratory symptoms.
Wait six weeks after being symptomatic but not hospitalized.
Wait eight to 10 weeks if symptomatic with diabetes, immuno-compromised, or were hospitalized.
Wait 12 weeks if spent time in intensive care.
Obviously, one's mileage may vary, and one's doctor may disagree. The point is to have a discussion with that doctor about how long to wait. Elective means just that; you don't have to have it done at any specific time.
1 comment:
I said way back that the offer of vaccination by July would be easily obtained by sending out a letter a week beforehand, it's an offer, meets the target but achieves nothing. I was wrong about that, as each age group has become eligible they can get an appointment within a few days rather than it being months away. The second jab is months away but that's how we are working, I think there's a strong chance my son might be getting his second shot well before the end of August, they won't have the numbers of first doses to deal with unless there's something very scary that forces the stragglers out of the woodwork.
I suspect that you're only weeks away from Delta being the predominant strain. No cough, no temperature, no loss of taste or smell - you would assume it's a cold and maybe get on with your life as normal.
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