I am living in the middle of the emergency over coronavirus in Finland. Due this reason the update cycle to make posting to this blog could be slowed down.
The Finnish government announced on Monday nationwide school closures in order to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. Read more on the following aricles:
Finland closes schools, declares state of emergency over coronavirus
https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finland_closes_schools_declares_state_of_emergency_over_coronavirus/11260062
Daycare centres are to stay open but parents were asked to keep their kids home if possible. The government also published a 19-point list of emergency legislation that takes effect on 18 March.
Coronavirus latest: 359 cases confirmed in Finland, S-Group shuts its Helsinki eateries, bankruptcy fears mount
https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/coronavirus_latest_359_cases_confirmed_in_finland_s-group_shuts_its_helsinki_eateries_bankruptcy_fears_mount/11249610
Here is a link to an earlier post related to Coronavirus:
https://www.epanorama.net/blog/2020/02/12/mobile-trends-2020-mwc-canceled/
1,657 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Trump Signs Executive Order Prioritizing U.S. For Covid Vaccine — But It’s Unclear Whether It Accomplishes Anything
https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2020/12/08/trump-signs-executive-order-prioritizing-us-for-covid-vaccine—but-its-unclear-whether-it-accomplishes-anything/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie
The order does not directly increase vaccine production or order additional doses from Pfizer and Moderna (the two drugmakers whose candidates could be approved by regulators in the next two weeks), beyond the 200 million from the two companies already slated for U.S. distribution, which is enough to immunize 100 million people.
Trump said if there are any “problems” securing doses, he could invoke the Defense Production Act, a 70-year-old law that allows Trump to force private manufacturers to ramp up production and give the federal government priority on any orders it places — a strategy supported by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
If Trump uses the Defense Production Act to stop vaccine doses from being exported, he’d likely face legal battles to force drugmakers out of their contracts with other countries, law professor Lawrence Gostin told the Washington Post, and the maneuver could frustrate U.S. allies that have already ordered millions of vaccine doses.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Agents raid home of fired Florida data scientist who built COVID-19 dashboard
DeSantis “sent the Gestapo”: Video shows FDLE agents with guns drawn at home of woman fired over COVID-19 data.
https://eu.tallahassee.com/story/news/2020/12/07/agents-raid-home-fired-florida-data-scientist-who-built-covid-19-dashboard-rebekah-jones/6482817002/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Techies Want a Vaccine Mandate Before Returning To the Office
https://spectrum.ieee.org/view-from-the-valley/at-work/tech-careers/techies-vaccine-mandate
With the United States poised to issue emergency use authorization for at least one COVID-19 vaccine, tech professionals are thinking about what that will mean for the workplace and returning to an office. Last week Blind, a company that operates private social networks for tech employees, asked its users three simple questions about the tech workplace and the COVID vaccine:
Do employers have the right to ask employees to get vaccinated before returning to the office?
Would you get vaccinated if your employer asked you to?
Would you go back to the office if vaccines are not mandatory?
An overwhelming majority (69 percent) of the survey’s 3273 respondents indicated that employers do have the right to mandate vaccination. Even more would comply with such a mandate.
Indeed, a vaccine mandate may be necessary to bring the majority of tech workers back into company offices. Only 36 percent of respondents indicated that they would be willing to return to in-person work without such a mandate.
Tomi Engdahl says:
FDA Has Authorized Emergency Use Of The Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine In America
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/fda-has-authorized-emergency-use-of-the-pfizerbiontech-covid19-vaccine-in-us/
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the Pfizer/BioNTech Vaccine for emergency use after it received recommendations about its safety on Thursday by a panel of 23 experts.
“We have clear evidence that the vaccine is highly effective at least three months after getting the first dose, and given the other data they presented, I think it’s likely to be effective for much longer,” Dr. Paul Offit told NPR in advance of the FDA announcement.
The US now joins the UK, Canada, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. Vaccinations in the UK began on December 8.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://techcrunch.com/2020/12/09/labcorp-covid-19-test-kit-has-just-been-approved-for-sale-over-the-counter/?tpcc=ECFB2020
Tomi Engdahl says:
Despite the pandemic, small business optimism persists
https://techcrunch.com/2020/12/08/despite-the-pandemic-small-business-optimism-persists/?tpcc=ECFB2020
Even amidst the pandemic, the survey showed 75% of small business owners are optimistic about their business’s recovery.
Tomi Engdahl says:
2020 IS ENDING WITH 93% OF GLOBAL ECONOMIES CONTRACTING… AND WITH MARKETS AT ALL TIME HIGHS
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/2020-ending-93-global-economies-contracting-and-markets-all-time-highs
As BofA’s European credit strategist, Barnaby Martin, puts it in one of the final issues of his European Credit Strategist report for the year, “2020 is ending with one of the most predictable and potent themes of the last decade: central bank activism.”
At the same time, global stocks are trading at all time highs, and 2020 is ending with 70% of European IG bonds having tightened year-to-date now, almost entirely because of the monetary support heaped on markets by central banks in Q2. According to Martin, this dichotomy is nowhere greater than in the case of the UK, whose expected contraction (BofA estimates -11.3%) will go down as the worst economic decline since 1709, according to Bank of England data (back then, the “Great Frost” scuppered global trade, leading to significant food shortages and deaths). Nonetheless, Sterling credit has generated excess returns of +3.2% year-to-date.”
Finally, and worst of all, even though it is only a matter of time before a big “wobble” hits, assets now have virtually no margin for error, so anyone buying here is virtually assured of losses:
Note that November ’20 was not only a record month for many global equity markets (ex-US stocks, for instance), but it was also a strong month for global fixed-income returns…a rare combination (Chart 4),
And periphery debt has rallied so strongly of late, that average peripheral government debt yields are now a smidgen away from turning negative (Chart 5).
Of course, there is another glaringly obvious reason why the piper will have to paid for the euphoria of 2020, and that’s the ugliest four letter-word of them all: “Debt” – as Martin notes – has been synonymous with the 2020 COVID crisis, as economic shutdowns have battered sovereign revenues (leading to record budget deficits) and governments have unleashed a fiscal firehose to protect society from collapse. The latest BIS debt data now available for Q2, shows jumps in debt/GDP of “epic proportions” in this crisis:
The global debt-to-GDP ratio surged to an all-time high in 1H-20 of 267%, jumping 11pp in Q1 ’20 and then a further 15.7pp in Q2 ’20. This is the largest QoQ change on record (Chart 8).
While global debt/GDP surged everywhere, it was governments that sustained the biggest increase in leverage, with the global sovereign debt/GDP ratio jumping 21pp in 1H’20 to 99.3% (Chart 9).
In this crisis, governments have sought to shield the private non-financial sector, and households. Accordingly, global non-financial sector debt/GDP ticked-up by “only” 10pp in Q2 ’20, vs Q1 ’20. Households’ debt-to-GDP rose by only 3pp.
Advanced economies, which were at the centre of the Covid-19 outbreak in the spring and the autumn, have deployed greater policy measures than their Emerging Markets (EM) peers. Hence the sharp 25pp increase in debt/GDP this year for the former (Chart 10).
The global economy added $11tr of debt in 1H ’20, a record, while the Covid-related recession shaved near $4tr to the global output (Chart 12).
Non-financial corporates (NFCs) in the largest economies have increased debt to build up cash buffers in this crisis (Chart 11). This is a striking difference with the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in ’08/’09, when NFCs, especially in the Euro Area, focused on debt reduction.
For now this unprecedented debt tsunami is not an issue, but the moment inflation does pick up in earnest and the selling of duration (and by implication the ultra-high duration “growth” stocks which have led the S&P for the past decade…
… begins, we suggest you panic.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Research says that loneliness is a major threat to public health.
Loneliness And Social Isolation Could Be Deadlier Than Obesity
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/loneliness-and-social-isolation-could-be-deadlier-than-obesity/
Although we’re more connected than ever in some ways, many parts of the world are facing what’s being called a “loneliness epidemic”, with over 42 million adults over age 45 in the US suffering from chronic loneliness.
Tomi Engdahl says:
“There is robust evidence that social isolation and loneliness significantly increase risk for premature mortality, and the magnitude of the risk exceeds that of many leading health indicators,” said Holt-Lunstad.
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/loneliness-and-social-isolation-could-be-deadlier-than-obesity/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Gov. Cuomo shuts down indoor dining in NYC amid COVID-19 surge
https://nypost.com/2020/12/11/andrew-cuomo-shuts-down-indoor-dining-in-nyc-amid-covid-19-surge/?utm_source=facebook_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site+buttons&utm_campaign=site+buttons
In a major setback for New York City’s economic recovery amid the coronavirus pandemic, indoor dining will shut down yet again Monday due to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday.
Cuomo, during a virtual press briefing, explained that the Big Apple’s coronavirus-related hospitalization rate has been dramatically increasing over the last two weeks.
The governor pumped the brakes on indoor dining even though the state’s own contact tracing data – released Friday — shows that restaurants and bars account for just 1.43 percent of recent known COVID-19 exposures.
That data, based on 46,000 coronavirus cases across the state from September and November, shows that private household gatherings are linked to the majority of infections at 74 percent.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Gov. Cuomo blithely destroys restaurants — and people’s jobs — for no reason
https://nypost.com/2020/12/11/gov-cuomo-destroys-restaurants-and-jobs-for-no-reason/?utm_source=facebook_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site+buttons&utm_campaign=site+buttons
Owners spent tons of precious dough to make changes as government kept moving the goalposts — for ventilation, space heaters, outdoor shed construction, and closing times.
As many as 25 percent of city eateries had already closed for good, from high-end Aureole and Gotham Bar & Grill to countless diners, bagel joints and pizza parlors.
Count on some of our most world-renowned, Michelin-starred institutions to perish next in the months ahead
Cuomo paid lip service to restaurants’ dire plight, suggesting that the federal government bail it out. That’s his solution to everything: Let Washington pay.
Maybe he wanted to give the impression of taking dramatic action against the virus after his catastrophic decision to pack COVID-19 victims into nursing homes, where at least 6,000 died.
That’s the most generous interpretation.
Tomi Engdahl says:
So far there is no solid evidence that Covid-19 can lead to tooth loss, just anecdotes, so here’s what a dentist thinks.
People Claim Their Teeth Have Fallen Out Following Covid-19, So We Asked A Dentist If That’s A Thing
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/people-claim-their-teeth-have-fallen-out-following-covid19-so-we-asked-a-dentist/
So far there is no solid evidence that Covid-19 can lead to tooth loss, other than anecdotes – such as those described in the New York Times piece – of people losing teeth after infection.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Gates Says Next 4-6 Months Could Be ‘Worst Of Pandemic’ As Vaccine Shipments Roll Out
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2020/12/13/gates-says-next-4-6-months-could-be-worst-of-pandemic-as-vaccine-shipments-roll-out/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie
With optimism rising that an end to the coronavirus pandemic is in sight as shipments of Pfizer’s vaccine began Sunday, Bill Gates warned in a television interview that the U.S. was far from out of the woods yet and is facing what is likely to be the deadliest period over the winter.
“Sadly the next four to six months could be the worst of the pandemic,” Gates, the co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has committed significant resources to the quest for a vaccine, told CNN on Sunday.
Healthcare workers and nursing home residents will get the vaccine first, and it won’t be until the spring or summer before shots are widely available.
For that reason, health officials say the virus is not likely to be under control in the U.S. until the “back half of 2021”—as Dr. Anthony Fauci recently said—when most of the population, around 75%, is vaccinated, generating an “umbrella of herd immunity.”
“In the near term, it’s bad news,” Gates went on, citing an Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation model that shows the U.S. could suffer more than 200,000 additional deaths by April 1, 2021 from the virus.
Tomi Engdahl says:
U.S. Coronavirus Hospitalizations Reach All-Time High
https://www.forbes.com/sites/elanagross/2020/12/14/us-coronavirus-hospitalizations-reach-all-time-high/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie
A record 109,331 people were in the hospital for coronavirus in the U.S. on Sunday, according to the Covid Tracking Project, as new diagnosed cases and deaths have continued to surge and concern has risen that hospitals nationwide will be overwhelmed.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Almost Half Of Americans Don’t Wear Masks Around Family And Friends, Poll Suggests
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2020/12/14/almost-half-of-americans-dont-wear-masks-around-family-and-friends-poll-suggests/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie
Nearly half of Americans don’t regularly wear masks during private gatherings with people from outside their household, a new poll suggests, as the first signs of a post-Thanksgiving coronavirus surge begin to appear and while health officials warn Christmas gatherings could worsen the country’s outbreak.
Tomi Engdahl says:
THL paljasti kevään koronaskenaariot – nykyisellä kasvuvauhdilla tautihuippu ajoittuisi maaliskuuhun https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000007682122.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
The recession of 2020 is a retirement crisis recession. Millions of older workers quickly lost their jobs. Older workers often confronted the unenviable choice of retiring without enough money or working longer and facing massive financial and physical risks.
The Pandemic Recession Is Also A Retirement Crisis Recession
http://on.forbes.com/6188HPYXY
In the end, the pandemic proved a fork in the road for many near retirement. Some left the labor market into comfortable retirement while many others struggled in a rapidly declining labor market. The pandemic illustrated widespread economic inequities. It also showed how working longer was simply not a meaningful retirement plan.
Tomi Engdahl says:
‘New variant’ of coronavirus identified in England
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55308211
A new variant of coronavirus has been found which is growing faster in some parts of England, MPs have been told.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said at least 60 different local authorities had recorded Covid infections caused by the new variant.
“We’ve currently identified over 1,000 cases with this variant predominantly in the South of England although cases have been identified in nearly 60 different local authority areas.
“We do not know the extent to which this is because of the new variant but no matter its cause we have to take swift and decisive action which unfortunately is absolutely essential to control this deadly disease while the vaccine is rolled out.”
England’s Chief Medical Officer Prof Chris Whitty said current coronavirus swab tests would detect the new variant that has been found predominantly in Kent and neighbouring areas in recent weeks.
The changes or mutations involve the spike protein of the virus – the part that helps it infect cells, and the target Covid vaccines are designed around.
It is too soon to know exactly what this will do to the behaviour of the virus.
Prof Alan McNally, an expert at the University of Birmingham, told the BBC: “Let’s not be hysterical. It doesn’t mean it’s more transmissible or more infectious or dangerous.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Largest Increase In U.S. Poverty Recorded In 2020
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2020/12/16/largest-increase-in-us-poverty-recorded-in-2020/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie
Due to the coronavirus pandemic’s decimation of the labor market and the expiration of benefits form the government relief package keeping families afloat, the poverty rate in the United States surged from 9.3% in June to 11.7% in November, according to a report released Wednesday by analysts at the University of Chicago and the University of Notre Dame, creating the biggest increase in a single year since the government began tracking poverty in 1960.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Report: WHO Likely To Fail In Goal To Deliver 2 Billion Coronavirus Vaccine Doses To 92 Lower-Income Countries By End Of 2021
https://www.forbes.com/sites/elanagross/2020/12/16/report-who-likely-to-fail-in-goal-to-deliver-2-billion-coronavirus-vaccine-doses-to-92-lower-income-countries-by-end-of-2021/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie
The World Health Organization’s goal of delivering 2 billion coronavirus vaccine doses to 92 low and middle-income countries by the end of 2021 has a “very high risk” of being unsuccessful and vaccine doses may not be delivered until 2024, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing internal documents it obtained.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Siirtyykö pandemian päättyminen hamaan tulevaisuuteen? Köyhät maat eivät saa koronarokotusta ennen vuotta 2024
https://www.iltalehti.fi/ulkomaat/a/e3e0171b-0272-4b3c-985a-2fe038e8a7ca
Maailman terveysjärjestön WHO:n rokoteohjelma Covax on huolissaan koronarokotteiden riittävyydestä.
Nykyisen koronapandemian alussa Maailman terveysjärjestön WHO:n lähettämä viesti oli selvä: tämä ei lopu ennen kuin jokainen ihminen nauttii laumasuojan tuomasta turvasta.
Käytännössä se tarkoittaa, että koronarokotteen pitää levitä tarpeeksi laajasti jokaiseen kolkkaan maapallolla.
Nyt kun ensimmäiset maat ovat jo alkaneet oman rokotuskampanjansa, viesti on entistäkin selvempi. Rikkaat teollisuusmaat kahmivat varmuuden vuoksi vähän ylimääräisiäkin rokotteita, kun taas köyhemmät maat joutuvat odottamaan vuoroaan vuosikausia.
WHO yritti saada kaikki maailman maat yhteisen Covax-ohjelman alle, mutta harmikseen se huomasi, miten itsekkyys ja omaneduntavoittelu ajoivat yhteisen rokotussuunnitelman ohi.
Alun perin Covaxin piti saada käyttöönsä Intian Serum-instituutin kehittämä rokote, mutta lopulta sekin päätti ensin keskittyä vain oman maan kansalaisten suojaamiseen.
Lisäksi ohjelmaa vaivaa akuutti rahapula. Sen pitäisi nopeasti saada kokoon vajaan viiden miljardin euron lisäbudjetti, jotta ensi vuodelle korvamerkitty tavoite 20 prosentin rokotekattavuudesta kehitysmaissa täyttyisi.
– Epäonnistumisen riski Covax-ohjelmassa on äärimmäisen suuri, raportissa luki Reutersin mukaan.
Arvioiden mukaan osa ihmisistä ei saisi rokotetta ennen vuotta 2024. Käytännössä se tarkoittaisi pandemian jatkuvan jossain määrin ainakin sinne asti.
Brittiläisruotsalainen AstraZeneca-yritys on luvannut toimittaa rokotteita sovittuun hintaan, mutta sen tuote ei ole vielä läpäissyt kaikkia tieteellisiä kontrolleja. EU:ssä käyttöön otettavat Pfizerin ja BioNTechin sekä yhdysvaltalaisen Modernan rokotteet ovat joka tapauksessa liian kalliita Covax-ohjelmalle.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Koronarokotteiden hinnat livahtivat vahingossa julkisuuteen – tämän verran EU-maat maksavat per pistos
https://www.iltalehti.fi/koronavirus/a/24f02847-25ad-466e-a160-709e51be80e7
Hinnat yhtä rokoteannosta kohden ovat taulukon mukaan seuraavat:
Oxford/AstraZeneca: 1,78 € (EU varannut 300 miljoonaa annosta)
Johnson & Johnson: 8,50 (6,94 €, EU varannut 200 miljoonaa annosta)
Sanofi/GSK: 7,56 € (EU varannut 300 miljoonaa annosta)
CureVac: 10 € (EU varannut 225 miljoonaa annosta)
Pfizer/BioNTech: 12 € (EU varannut 200 miljoonaa annosta)
Moderna: 18 (14,7 €, EU varannut 80 miljoonaa annosta)
Kaikkiaan koronarokotus maksaa siis 3,56–29,4 euroa EU-jäsenvaltion asukasta kohden, sillä rokoteannoksia tulee ottaa kaksi.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The FDA Is Set To Approve Moderna’s Covid Vaccine—Yet The Three Billionaires Behind The Company Are Nearly $2 Billion Poorer
https://www.forbes.com/sites/giacomotognini/2020/12/18/the-fda-is-set-to-approve-modernas-covid-vaccine-yet-the-three-billionaires-behind-the-company-are-nearly-2-billion-poorer/?sh=1ea4a07a5189&utm_source=FBPAGE&utm_medium=social&utm_content=4335454035&utm_campaign=sprinklrForbesMainFB
Good news in Moderna’s quest for a Covid-19 vaccine is not translating to good fortune for the three billionaires behind the Massachusetts-based biotech company. Moderna’s vaccine was endorsed by a Food and Drug Administration panel on Thursday, and will likely be approved for emergency use by the FDA later today — making it the second FDA-approved vaccine for the virus that has caused a global pandemic. That should lead to billions in revenues in 2021. Yet Moderna shares have been falling. Since peaking on December 8 at $169.86, Moderna stock has dropped 17% to $140.23 at the close of trading on Friday, December 18.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Stanford Apologizes For Botched Vaccine Rollout After Doctors Revolt
https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2020/12/18/stanford-apologizes-for-botched-vaccine-rollout-after-doctors-revolt/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie
As officials work to distribute the first vaccines to workers who actually need it, Stanford Health Care apologized Friday for failing to prioritize frontline residents and fellows, who say the university used a faulty algorithm to determine who gets vaccinated first.
Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine was given emergency FDA approval last week, setting into motion a hasty nationwide effort to deliver as many doses to healthcare workers as possible. The plan hasn’t been without hiccups. Disgraced former Alabama governor Robert Bentley, who works at a dermatology clinic, was among the first to receive the vaccine, drawing criticism from frontline workers in the state who haven’t yet been vaccinated. And on Thursday, Pfizer said it had millions of doses sitting in warehouses because it hasn’t received shipping instructions from the federal government.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lawsuits, unpaid rent and shuttered offices: 2020 has been a brutal year for these once hot startups.
The End Of Co-Working? Breather’s Demise Closes A Terrible Year For Flexible Office Space
https://www.forbes.com/sites/noahkirsch/2020/12/18/the-end-of-coworking-breathers-demise-closes-a-terrible-year-for-flexible-office-space/?sh=3a032dd26860&utm_source=FBPAGE&utm_medium=social&utm_content=4333764428&utm_campaign=sprinklrForbesMainFB
When Brian Murphy, CEO of flexible office space Breather, threw in the towel on his startup’s business model this week, he left no doubt that 2020 has been a defining year for the entire industry.
The once-hot business is the latest co-working casualty.
The setback isn’t an isolated one.
“The pandemic has exposed the precarious nature of running a lease arbitrage business,” says Francesco De Camilli, the head of flexible workspace consulting for the Americas at Colliers International. “This sustained period of weakened demand has provoked a necessary debate about the sharing of risk across operators and landlords.”
The industry has been in tumult ever since the demise of WeWork, whose valuation soared to an incomprehensible $47 billion before plummeting more than 90%. Its crash, fueled by billions of dollars from SoftBank and high-flying rhetoric from cofounder Adam Neumann, brought increased scrutiny and scared off many potential investors.
“The typical [flexible workspace] company has probably taken a revenue hit of somewhere between 25% and 50%,”
“There’s basic math—you can either withstand a revenue hit in that range or not.”
The survivors are clinging to hopes for a more promising future, including renewed demand for office space, which CBRE says fell 45% this year.
“It’s a uniquely real estate-related crisis,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://techcrunch.com/2020/12/10/covid-19-made-our-tech-addiction-worse-its-time-to-do-something-about-it/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Agents raid home of fired Florida data scientist who built COVID-19 dashboard
DeSantis “sent the Gestapo”: Video shows FDLE agents with guns drawn at home of woman fired over COVID-19 data.
https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2020/12/07/agents-raid-home-fired-florida-data-scientist-who-built-covid-19-dashboard-rebekah-jones/6482817002/
Did coronavirus data whistleblower hack Florida’s emergency alert system? Police raid home
Rebekah Jones was fired from her job in May as the geographic information system manager after she complained in an email to users of a state data portal that the state was manipulating data.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2020/12/07/florida-police-seize-computer-of-covid-data-whistleblower/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.mtvuutiset.fi/artikkeli/cnn-ylistaa-suomen-koronastrategiaa-tasta-syysta-siina-onnistuttiin-miten-olla-paras-tai-miten-olla-suomi/8018546
Tomi Engdahl says:
The U.S. Does Not Have Plans For U.K. Travel Ban As New Covid-19 Strain Pushes More Than 40 Countries To Halt Arrivals From Britain
http://on.forbes.com/6184HRYii
As dozens of countries ban U.K. arrivals because of a new coronavirus variant spreading rapidly in parts of the country, the U.S. is not currently planning to ban travel from Britain although it is a possibility, U.S. Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Adm. Brett Giroir told CNN Monday.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the nation’s leading infectious disease experts and a member of the task force, told CNN he would advise the task force against a ban, saying the U.S. should continue to monitor the situation carefully.
Belgium, Germany, Canada, Italy, Romania, Ireland, Russia and Switzerland are among the more than 40 countries that have banned travel from the U.K., according to BBC. U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Sunday told BBC the new variant is “getting out of control” and that it will be “very difficult” to get it under control until there is widespread vaccination. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday said the new strain could be up to 70% more transmissible and has contributed to the “rapid” increase in cases in London, the South East and the East of England. Johnson said the research by the government’s advisory group, New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats, is still in its early stages but has not found any evidence that the variant causes a more severe illness, is more deadly or is less effective against vaccination. Johnson said the government has shared the data with the World Health Organization, while he urged people across the nation not to travel and introduced stronger restrictions in London and the South East—the areas hardest hit by the new strain.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rand Paul EXPLODES On Senate Floor Over $600 COVID Stimulus Checks
https://rumble.com/vc2pid-rand-paul-explodes-on-senate-floor-over-600-covid-stimulus-checks.html
Rumble — “If money really grew on trees, why not give more free money?”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Pfizer-BioNTech And Moderna Covid-19 Vaccines: Here Are 5 Differences
http://on.forbes.com/6182HRlq8
Yes, the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines do have many similarities. Yes, they are both mRNA vaccines. Yes, both recently received emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with the Moderna vaccine receiving the EUA on Friday, as Leah Rosenbaum reported for Forbes. Both vaccines may enjoy long walks on the beach as long as they are stored properly. However, there are important differences between the two vaccines that may affect vaccine roll-outs and who can get each.
First the similarities, because as 2020 comes to a close, we don’t want to just dwell on differences in our society. The two vaccines are supposed to work by the same mechanism. Both contain mRNA, which is not like MMMBop, but stands for messenger (small “m”) ribonucleic acid (RNA). Every living cell and microorganism has a collection of genetic material like deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or RNA that serve as the library of blueprints for making its protein parts. A cell or microorganism can then make copies of these blueprints or recipes form the library in the form of mRNA. These blueprint copies or mRNA then travel to “factories” in the cell or microorganism called ribosomes. These factories put together the proteins that are specified by these “blueprints,” i.e., the mRNA.
Once the mRNA gets inside your immune system cells, the factories inside your cells use the mRNA to start making the SARS-CoV2 spike protein. Not the entire virus but just the spike protein. Once spike protein is made, the rest of your immune system is supposed to go, “WTH is this,” and then mobilize a response against the spike proteins. This hopefully will get your immune system to remember the spike protein and act quickly if and when the real virus covered in spike proteins gets into your body.
So far, there are no clear differences between the efficacy and safety of the two vaccines. During the first several months of their Phase 3 clinical trials, both have registered efficacies of 90% or greater. Neither has had an unacceptable rate of serious side effects.
1. The age limits for the vaccines are different.
2. The time in between the first and second doses are different.
3. They have different storage requirements.
mRNA is rather fragile so you can’t just keep it in the refrigerator or outside indefinitely. While you can store the Moderna vaccine at -4 degrees Fahrenheit (F), Pfizer’s vaccine requires colder temperatures. In fact, much colder at -94 degrees F. That’s a big difference.
4. The quantity of vaccine in each dose and the amount you can order will differ.
5. Their containers will hold different quantities of vaccines.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Uusimmat tiedot koronaviruksesta
https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11212596
Tomi Engdahl says:
Suomen valtio kantaa korvausvastuun koronarokotteiden mahdollisista haitoista – lääkevakuutusyhtiön johtaja: järjestelmämme on monia muita maita kattavampi
https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11700240
Tomi Engdahl says:
Leaked Documents Show How China’s Army of Paid Internet Trolls Helped Censor the Coronavirus
https://www.propublica.org/article/leaked-documents-show-how-chinas-army-of-paid-internet-trolls-helped-censor-the-coronavirus
As the coronavirus spread in China, the government stage-managed what appeared on the domestic internet to make the virus look less severe and the authorities more capable, according to thousands of leaked directives and other files.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why Americans will be demanding proof of vaccination
https://www.axios.com/vaccine-proof-americans-demand-74778b08-7e1c-40f5-a83e-1a1649eb835d.html
You’ve received a coronavirus vaccination — but can you prove it? The answer to that question will help determine how the global economy functions for the next few years.
Why it matters: The federal government will probably neither mandate nor encourage digital immunity passports or other proofs of vaccination. But privately-operated digital certificates are already being developed — and U.S. law means that anybody who gets vaccinated here should be able to obtain the proof they need.
The big picture: Your employer has a clear interest in knowing whether you’ve been vaccinated, as do the immigration staff in any foreign country you want to visit. Many workers, from nursing-home aides to opera singers, have a clear desire and even need to be vaccinated before doing their jobs. Which means they’ll need some kind of proof of vaccination.
What they’re saying: “Those who get vaccinated deserve more freedom,” wrote the FT’s John Gapper last month. Private companies “should be allowed, even encouraged, to protect customers and employees from harm.”
There’s also an “urgent need to restore confidence in travel and mobility,” says Paul Meyer, CEO of the Commons Project, a group attempting to build a global platform for proof-of-vaccination apps.
The other side: The federal government “should discourage the use of vaccination cards or apps for virtually any purpose other than guiding individual medical care,” argued Duke University professor Nita Farahany in the Washington Post. “Vaccine cards (and immunization apps) could turn into powerful weapons of exclusion and discrimination,” she wrote.
The catch: The official documentation that Americans receive upon being vaccinated is little more than a flimsy, easily-forged paper card. As Gavi, the global vaccination alliance, notes, that in turn creates “concerns that documentation could be fraudulently reproduced”.
It’s a real concern: A recent flight from Russia to China was canceled after more than 190 of the passengers attempted to board with “completely identical” serology tests.
Between the lines: Trustworthy and reliable digital proof of vaccination is not only possible, Meyer tells Axios, it’s also quite easy and will almost certainly happen.
That’s because the government doesn’t need to be involved.
Individual Americans have the right, under HIPAA, to access digital copies of their health information. Once they’ve done that, they can upload that information to any app or service that requests it.
“People shouldn’t be happy walking out of getting their jab with just a piece of paper,” says Meyer — they should be sure to demand digital access to their vaccination records as well.
Tomi Engdahl says:
2020 was bad — but not nearly the worst
https://www.axios.com/the-coronavirus-pandemic-doesnt-make-2020-the-worst-year-ever-97a3557c-1dcd-459f-81d8-53ef1ed4fd2f.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
New Coronavirus Strain Is 56% More Infectious, Scientists Estimate
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2020/12/24/new-coronavirus-strain-is-56-more-infectious-scientists-estimate/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie
A study at the London School of Hygiene And Tropical Medicine found the new coronavirus mutation spreading in the U.K. is upwards of 50% more contagious, less than the figure floated by the government when it instituted harsh lockdowns last week but still enough to dramatically worsen the country’s coronavirus outbreak, researchers suggest.
The study (which has not been peer reviewed) suggests the new coronavirus variant is about 56% more transmissible than previously existing strains.
However, researchers maintain there is still no evidence that suggests the new strain is any more dangerous, deadly or resistant to coronavirus vaccines.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Many Americans Need To Get Vaccinated To Reach Herd Immunity? It Could Be 90%, Fauci Says.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2020/12/24/how-many-americans-need-to-get-vaccinated-to-reach-herd-immunity-it-could-be-90-fauci-says/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday that 90% of the population may need to be immune in order to stop the coronavirus from spreading, a marked increase from estimates earlier in the pandemic that put the figure closer to 60-70% and that shows the steep challenge the U.S. faces as it tries to get the virus under control.
In the New York Times interview published Thursday, Fauci estimated the herd immunity threshold could be as high as 90%, his highest estimate to date.
Even if enough people get vaccinated this year, experts say Covid-19 may never be eradicated entirely and it may stick around forever like the flu—but what is clear is that vaccines will allow Americans to return to their normal lives by significantly reducing Covid-19’s ability to spread.
“We need to have some humility here. We really don’t know what the real number is. I think the real range is somewhere between 70 to 90%,” Fauci told the New York Times.
Fauci told Vox last week that even with 40% or 50% of American population vaccinated, the country should “start seeing an effect on the dynamic of the virus.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Verifying who is vaccinated and who is not should mean creating apps, secure and reliable databases, scannable codes, authenticated and unbreakable record keeping, and above all, communication between different systems at different levels and across different countries.
The Vaccination Rollout Will Only Work If It’s Driven By Technology
http://on.forbes.com/6186Hr9fE
That said, I see insufficient planning and a failure to fully explore technology’s potential to solve many of the problems associated with the rollout. The Covid-19 vaccine is a milestone and a huge advance in medical science, but the negativity and doubt being spread by some is very irresponsible: there have been absurd and ignorant suggestions that in reality we will be injected with some sort of not yet developed nanochip, while others have raised concerns about individual liberties: exactly the kind of stupidity that has brought back diseases that had been almost eradicated.
Going one step further, what is the best policy toward people who refuse to be vaccinated? Should organizations be able to fire or suspend employees who say they prefer to wait or who just say no? What if that employee deals directly with the public? And similarly, should certain sectors be entitled to refuse service to customers who cannot prove they have been vaccinated? As things stand, we know very little about how long immunity lasts and whether or not somebody who has been vaccinated can develop and transmit the disease asymptomatically. In short, for the time being we should continue to wear a mask and maintain social distancing even if we have been vaccinated.
Will we need a certificate from now on to show we’ve been vaccinated? So far we haven’t had to provide such evidence on a daily basis, but it’s not such a strange idea: schools usually require parents to provide a vaccination certificate for new pupils, many countries ask for a proof of vaccination against certain endemic diseases, and right now, most countries require proof of a negative Covid-19 test before they’ll let you in. In response, there’s already a flourishing black market in fake test results: are we going to allow this to continue, or will we develop some kind of blockchain system to try to prevent it?
Verifying who is vaccinated and who is not, or how to ensure that whoever received their first dose also receives the second (at the moment, all the vaccines available require two doses, up to three weeks apart) will mean creating apps, secure and reliable databases, scannable codes, authenticated and unbreakable record keeping, and above all, immediate communication between different systems at different levels and across different countries. Many countries run the risk of repeating the fiasco from earlier in the year with traceability apps. Equally, we haven’t even been able to count the dead properly, so when it comes to the living, let’s try to do better.
Rolling out a vast vaccination program without knowing who has received their jab would make the whole process pretty much redundant. In short, if being vaccinated is going to be the key to returning to normal life… how are we going to monitor it? Are we going to require paper documents with a signature and a stamp, which are easy to forge, to be looked at in a few seconds at the entrance to a cinema or when passing through customs at an airport? Surely not. We failed to make the most of technology’s potential in the early stages of the pandemic, so let’s at least try to get it right this time and avoid mistakes that could delay a recovery.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The conspiracy theorists used to call this “the Digital Pass”. When they coined the issue, almost everyone were laughing at them. Now, what they coined is coming out to be true. They also said that through the vaccine, the corporations supported by big state powers would control the certain human behaviors – particularly economic and religious.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Democrats Are Nearly Twice As Willing As Republicans To Receive Vaccine, Poll Finds
http://on.forbes.com/6188HR7oE
The new USA Today/Suffolk University poll—conducted December 16-20 in a survey of 1,000 registered voters—found 67% of Democrats say they are ready to get the vaccine “as soon as possible” while just 35% of Republicans say the same.
36% of Republicans say they will never take the vaccine.
Health officials say it is imperative most of the public get the vaccine to stop the spread of Covid-19: Dr. Anthony Fauci recently said 75%-80% of the public would need to be immunized for the U.S. to reach herd immunity.
Asked who they would listen to when deciding when to take the shot, more than 40% of Americans said they trust their own doctor most, while three in 10 said Fauci; no other person cracked double digits (5% said Trump, while 1% said Biden.)
63% said their reason for not getting inoculated is that they are “worried it is not safe,” even though health officials have roundly said the vaccine is not dangerous.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The battle against Covid-19 has seen the concept of herd immunity become widely misunderstood, misrepresented, and turned into a deeply dangerous idea.
Why Herd Immunity Is Scientifically Problematic And Unethical
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/why-herd-immunity-is-scientifically-problematic-and-unethical/
The battle against Covid-19 has seen the concept of herd immunity become widely misunderstood, misrepresented, and turned into a deeply dangerous idea. Now, with the White House starting to toy with the idea of achieving herd immunity in the US through infections rather than a vaccine, there are fresh warnings from scientists and public health experts that this idea isn’t just unscientific, it’s brutally unethical.
In its purest sense, herd immunity is used in the context of vaccinations. When the vast majority of a population are immune against a disease, such as after receiving a vaccine, the remaining minority of the population will also have a reduced risk of catching the infection. This is because immune individuals are unlikely to contribute to the transmission of disease and chains of infection are cut.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Here’s Where 3 New Strains Of Covid-19 Have Traveled So Far
http://on.forbes.com/6180HrYRu
Tomi Engdahl says:
A new study from the University of Houston finds that ignoring CDC guidelines for employee safety ruins their trust in an organization.
New Research: When Organizations Ignore CDC Covid-19 Guidelines, Employees Get Angry
http://on.forbes.com/6186HrvUC
It was big news when Amazon warehouse employees went public about unsafe working conditions early in the coronavirus pandemic. Workers accused the company of downplaying safety precautions meant to reduce their risk of getting sick with Covid-19.
A new study from the University of Houston finds that the best way to ruin employees trust in an organization is to ignore their safety. When workplaces that ignore CDC guidelines, employees react with fear and anger.
“If I feel angry toward you, I’m not going to trust you. And if I don’t trust you, I’m not going to be committed to you. I may want to work somewhere else,” said study co-author Juan Madera in a press release. “Employees are more grateful when their employer tells them to do the obvious, which is what scientists are telling them to do. Wear a mask, wash your hands and social distance. Social norms dictate that there’s safety in numbers.”
The study noted in particular that when business communications focused on the bottom line, employee felt more fear. That fear then had a direct impact on their trust in the organization. And trust ties in to productivity.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Coronavirus: How The Pandemic Could Play Out In 2021
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/coronavirus-how-the-pandemic-could-play-out-in-2021/
Vaccines for COVID-19 are now being rolled out, but in some parts of the world, this good news has been tempered by the emergence of new, potentially more infectious strains of the virus. Exactly how the pandemic will evolve has become more uncertain.
Certainly, the next three or so months will be challenging, and a virus-free life is probably some way off. Some things may not return to how they were before.
What impact will the new strain have?
There’s currently only limited information about the new viral strain. Although yet to be confirmed, it appears to be more infectious, but not to lead to more severe disease or be able to evade vaccine-derived immunity.
However, the variant suggests the virus is able to produce significant mutations, and further mutations could change the course of the outbreak. Suppressing the pandemic quickly therefore has become an even more urgent task.
Stricter restrictions on behaviour are likely to last well into the new year, and we may need further restrictions to control the virus if it is indeed more infectious.
two doses of the Pfizer vaccine need to be given 21 days apart, with full immunity arriving seven days after the second jab. Other vaccines – such as AstraZeneca’s – require an even longer period between doses. It will take at least a month (if not more) to see the full effect in each vaccinated person.
In countries that relaxed social distancing rules for Christmas, we might see a post-Christmas spike in cases. In this case, vaccines are unlikely to change much initially – the disease will have too much momentum in early 2021.
Tomi Engdahl says:
New Coronavirus Strain Detected In More Countries
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2020/12/26/new-coronavirus-strain-detected-in-more-countries/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie
Spain is the latest country to confirm cases of a new coronavirus strain first detected in the U.K. that early studies suggest is far more contagious, sparking worries that it could worsen the pandemic.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Holiday E-Commerce Sales Surged Nearly 50% Amid Pandemic
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2020/12/26/holiday-e-commerce-sales-surged-nearly-50-amid-pandemic/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie
Tomi Engdahl says:
As Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are distributed across the country, hospitals and pharmacies work to keep doses locked away, using lessons learned from managing prescriptions during the opioid epidemic.
Locked Rooms, Tracking Devices And Bulletproof Glass: How Pharmacies Are Securing Covid-19 Vaccines
https://www.forbes.com/sites/leahrosenbaum/2020/12/24/locked-rooms-tracking-devices-and-bulletproof-glass-how-pharmacies-are-securing-covid-19-vaccines/?sh=173a1a5410e9&utm_source=FBPAGE&utm_medium=social&utm_content=4364058840&utm_campaign=sprinklrForbesMainFB
As vaccines from Pfizer and BioNTech, and now Moderna, are shipped across the country, hospital administrators, pharmacists and security experts are tasked with figuring out how to keep the limited number of vaccines safe. Luckily, most hospitals and pharmacies already have systems in place to secure highly sought after drugs, protocols that have been honed during the opioid epidemic.
“Hospital pharmacies have generally had security concerns for years,”
For example, opioid supplies have their every movement—from shipment to pharmacy—logged and documented. Similarly, the Covid-19 vaccines at Sanford are logged into and out of a tracking system any time the vaccines leave the ultra-cold freezer where they are stored.
There’s reason for the concern. More than 300,000 Americans have now died from Covid-19, and while the recent Emergency Use Authorizations of two vaccines have become a light at the end of the tunnel, it will be months before there are enough doses of the vaccine for everyone who wants one. Most states are initially distributing vaccines in accordance with CDC recommendations that prioritize frontline healthcare workers, as well as elderly residents of long-term care facilities. But there are already rumors of people who want to cut the line, from politicians to the ultra-rich. Luckily, hospitals, clinics and pharmacies are prepared.
Multiple healthcare systems told Forbes that they are keeping their supply of Covid-19 vaccines in locked rooms, with limited access.
And it’s not just the hospitals that are thinking about security. The vaccine companies themselves are also taking steps to ensure that vaccines are staying safe in transit. Pfizer, which is shipping its vaccines in ultra-cold thermal shippers, has equipped each shipper with a GPS device that tracks both the temperature of the vaccines as well as the location of the shipper. These tracking devices will be on 24/7, the company says, and “will allow Pfizer to proactively prevent unwanted deviations” to the shipment routes.
Thankfully, Breidenbach says, there haven’t been any security concerns yet in regards to the Covid-19 vaccines. But, he says, “hospital pharmacies are always on alert.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Approved In The UK
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/oxfordastrazeneca-covid19-vaccine-approved-in-the-uk/
Tomi Engdahl says:
New Research: When Organizations Ignore CDC Covid-19 Guidelines, Employees Get Angry
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisonescalante/2020/12/21/new-research-when-organizations-ignore-cdc-guidelines-employees-get-angry/