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:
Ars Technica’s 2021 Deathwatch—2020 was just the beginning
These companies might have survived COVID and a recession, but will they survive 2021?
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/12/ars-technicas-2021-deathwatch-2020-was-just-the-beginning/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/banking/fintech-trends-after-the-pandemic/
Tomi Engdahl says:
United States Passes 20 Million Covid-19 Cases As Deaths Remain Near Record High
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/2021/01/01/united-states-passes-20-million-covid-19-cases-as-deaths-remain-near-record-high/
Tomi Engdahl says:
20 Numbers From 2020 That Are Almost Too Crazy To Believe
http://themostimportantnews.com/20-numbers-from-2020-that-are-almost-too-crazy-to-believe/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The U.S. Government Has Authorized More Than $10,000 Per Person In Stimulus Spending This Year
https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2021/12/30/the-us-government-has-authorized-more-than-10000-per-person-in-stimulus-spending-this-year/
Tomi Engdahl says:
”Toivoa, turhautumista ja normaalin kesän odotusta” – sosiologi ja sosiaalipsykologi arvioivat, miten uuden vuoden arki alkaa
https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11719074
Voi olla, että suomalaiset pesevät koronapandemian jälkeen ahkerammin käsiään ja kättelykin saattaa vähentyä, mutta kotoilubuumi tuskin jatkuu kun vapaammat ajat koittavat.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://thl.fi/web/thlfi-en/-/age-and-underlying-conditions-multiply-risk-of-hospitalisation-or-death-among-those-who-have-covid-19
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iflscience.com/space/the-events-that-shaped-2020-as-seen-by-satellite-images/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Your Covid Year In Review And 10 Things To Let Go Of In 2021
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/2020/12/07/your-covid-year-in-review-and-10-things-to-let-go-of-in-2021/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Britannian vakavaa virusmuotoa on löytynyt Suomesta lisää – Marin väläytti pääministerin haastattelutunnilla tiukempia rajoituksia
https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11722759
Hallitus on keskustellut uusien rajoitusten mahdollisuudesta. Oikeuskansleri pitää jopa valmiuslakia mahdollisena, jos muut keinot ensin käydään läpi.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Los Angeles Ambulances Instructed To Leave Patients With Little Chance Of Survival
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/01/05/los-angeles-ambulances-instructed-to-leave-patients-with-little-chance-of-survival/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie
Dealing with one of the worst Covid-19 outbreaks in the U.S., Los Angeles County’s Medical Services Agency (EMS) has instructed ambulance crews not to transport patients who have little chance of survival to overwhelmed hospitals.
Countering normal pre-pandemic procedure, CNN first reported Monday night that the EMS told LA ambulance crews to perform resuscitation for at least 20 minutes on patients who are showing no signs of breathing or pulse instead of taking them directly to the hospital.
Only if the patient can be stabilized during the resuscitation period should they be transported, instructs the memo.
The EMS also asked ambulance crews to conserve the use of oxygen by only administering it to patients with oxygen saturation levels below 90%.
Tomi Engdahl says:
It has the potential to dramatically increase the number of COVID-19 cases across a population.
Mounting Evidence Suggests UK COVID-19 Variant Is More Contagious Than Other Strains
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/mounting-evidence-suggests-uk-covid19-variant-is-more-contagious-than-other-strains/
After first being identified in England last month, the new variant of COVID-19 has now been found in at least 32 countries. A huge amount of uncertainty still surrounds this variant, but scientists are slowly revealing what it’s all about. The long and short of it: mounting evidence does indicate the variant is more contagious than other strains, but scientists are hopeful the virus will respond to vaccines. It also doesn’t look like the new variant will make you sicker than other strains of the new coronavirus.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mitä koronapotilaan tehohoidossa käytännössä tapahtuu? Ylilääkäri: Ihminen ei kestä hengitysputkea selvin päin
Suurin osa koronapotilaista tarvitsee tehohoidossa hengityslaitetta. Potilas on itse yleensä tietämätön tilastaan.
https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11300346
Tomi Engdahl says:
World Bank Warns Stimulus Spending And ‘Dangerous’ Debt Crisis Could Could Trigger Recession And Wipe Out A Decade Of Income Gains
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/2021/01/05/world-bank-warns-stimulus-and-dangerous-debt-crisis-could-could-trigger-recession-and-wipe-out-a-decade-of-income-gains/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie
Unprecedented government spending has helped ward off a grave economic depression in nations around the world, but the debt load governments like the U.S. are taking on to fund such stimulus measures could stall economic growth for years to come, the World Bank warned Tuesday, echoing concerns among experts worried inflation could trigger another recession.
Global economic output, as measured by worldwide GDP, is expected to increase 4% in 2021, the World Bank said in a Friday report, marking a nearly complete recovery after a 4.3% contraction in 2020 as the pandemic forced tens of millions of people into poverty and nearly stalled economic activity.
The World Bank predicts slowed growth of 3.8% in 2022 that could get worse if countries don’t reinvest assets to become less dependent on their surging debt loads.
Tomi Engdahl says:
EU Drug Authority Gives Thumbs Up To Moderna Vaccine, Paving Way For Second COVID Vaccine
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/eu-drug-authority-gives-thumbs-up-to-moderna-vaccine-paving-way-for-second-covid-vaccine/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Appears Resistant To New Covid Variant, Study Finds, As U.S. Records Deadliest Day
https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/01/08/pfizer-biontech-vaccine-appears-resistant-to-new-covid-variant-study-finds-as-us-records-deadliest-day/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie
New research from the University of Texas and U.S. drugmaker Pfizer suggests that the company’s Covid-19 vaccine, developed with Germany’s BioNTech, is still effective against the new highly-contagious coronavirus variants spreading rapidly through South Africa and the U.K., which have already been found in several U.S. states, as the U.S. records its deadliest day in the pandemic with 4,085 deaths on Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Tomi Engdahl says:
‘Close To A Worst-Case Scenario’—Former CDC Director Issues ‘Horrifying’ Outlook For New Covid Strain
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2021/01/08/close-to-a-worst-case-scenario-former-cdc-director-issues-horrifying-outlook-for-new-covid-strain/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie
Former CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden is warning that the U.S. may soon face “close to a worst-case scenario” as a new, highly-contagious strain of Covid-19 spreads around the country, warning that full hospitals in the U.S. may soon be the norm.
Frieden said of the strain that is rapidly spreading around the U.K. and Ireland that “I’ve never seen an epidemic curve like this.”
The U.K. is averaging nearly 60,000 new cases a day now, after averaging around 15,000 new cases a day at the start of December, while Ireland’s rise has been even more rapid.
Both countries are under strict lockdowns, yet cases continue to rise at a rate Frieden—who has spent decades working in public health—says he has never seen.
There’s worry the strain is already widely spreading in the U.S.; the first confirmed case on Dec. 29 was from a man in rural Colorado who had no history of recent travel.
“Next 11+ days are horrifying. Uncontrolled spread. Slow vaccine rollout. Worrisome variants,” Frieden wrote in a tweet Friday. “Potential for perfect storm. Political turmoil and leadership vacuum.”
56%. That’s how much more transmittable the new strain may be compared to other Covid-19 strains, according to a study from the London School of Hygiene And Tropical Medicine.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Covid Has Killed 1 In Every 500 New York Residents
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2021/01/09/covid-has-killed-1-in-every-500-new-york-residents/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie
The coronavirus pandemic has taken an extraordinarily heavy toll on New York state, where more than 1 in every 500 residents has now died of Covid-19, as the state’s massive new coronavirus surge shows no signs of slowing down.
According to Johns Hopkins University, 39,282 residents of New York state (population estimated at over 19 million) have died of coronavirus since the pandemic began—the most of any state in the country.
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/region/us/new-york
Tomi Engdahl says:
New York is one of eight states that are known to have a new variant of Covid-19 that studies have suggested is 56% more contagious than the strain previously in the United States.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/01/07/new-more-contagious-uk-coronavirus-strain-found-in-pennsylvania—here-are-the-states-with-cases-so-far/?sh=2d9f3c80215b
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.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ravintolaruoan kotiin tilaaminen hurjassa nosteessa, eikä ilmiö selity pelkällä koronalla
Pyöräileviä ja autoilevia ruokalähettejä on Suomessa jo yli 5 000.
https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11719615
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/historian-highlights-eerie-parallels-between-reactions-to-cholera-and-covid19-outbreaks/
Tomi Engdahl says:
China Finally Green Lights WHO Investigation Into Coronavirus Origins As Daily Covid-19 Cases Spike To Five-Month High
https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/01/11/china-finally-green-lights-who-investigation-into-coronavirus-origins-as-daily-covid-19-cases-spike-to-five-month-high/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie
Tomi Engdahl says:
Dr. Anthony Fauci warned that “things will get worse” as the U.S. hit a new daily death record Thursday.
Two People Have Died From Covid-19 In Every Minute Of 2021
http://on.forbes.com/6189HnS2z
In the first week of 2021, roughly two people died from Covid-19 in the U.S. every minute, amid a struggling national vaccination effort, soaring coronavirus cases and the deadliest day of the pandemic yet.
Tomi Engdahl says:
WHO Warns Of ‘Highly Problematic’ New Covid-19 Variants, Says Hospitals And Essential Health Services At Risk
https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2021/01/11/who-warns-of-highly-problematic-new-covid-19-variants-says-hospitals-and-essential-health-services-at-risk/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday issued a dire warning about the new variants of Covid-19 that are emerging across the globe, noting that because those variants can be more contagious, the surge in cases they’re likely to cause could further stress hospitals and health workers already stretched to the brink.
During a press briefing Monday, Ghebreyesus said that more contagious variants of the coronavirus “can drive a surge of cases and hospitalizations, which is highly problematic for health workers and hospitals already close to the breaking point.”
While these variants have been found to be more contagious, experts say they don’t appear to cause more severe sickness or increase the risk of death.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Moderna Says Its Covid-19 Vaccine Provides One Year’s Immunity
https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/01/12/moderna-says-its-covid-19-vaccine-provides-one-years-immunity/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie
Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine should provide immunity from disease for at least one year after vaccination, the company announced at a conference Monday, Reuters reports, adding that the company is “on track” to deliver at least 600 million doses of the vaccine in 2021.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Healthvana’s digital COVID-19 vaccination records are about communication, not passports for the immune
https://techcrunch.com/2021/01/11/healthvanas-digital-covid-19-vaccination-records-are-about-communication-not-passports-for-the-immune/?tpcc=ECFB2021
Tomi Engdahl says:
“We are not going to achieve any levels of population immunity or herd immunity in 2021.”
WHO Chief Scientist: COVID-19 Herd Immunity Unlikely In 2021 Despite Vaccines
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/who-chief-scientist-covid19-herd-immunity-unlikely-in-2021-despite-vaccines/
During a press briefing on Monday in Geneva, the chief scientists for the World Health Organization said that it would be very unlikely for the majority of countries around the globe to achieve herd immunity in 2021. This is even with the current efforts to innoculate populations with the various approved COVID-19 vaccines.
“We are not going to achieve any levels of population immunity or herd immunity in 2021,” the WHO’s chief scientist, Dr Soumya Swaminathan told a news briefing on Monday.
“Even if it happens in a couple of pockets in a few countries, it’s not going to protect people across the world.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
A moment that has been feared since the pandemic began has now occurred.
https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/first-covid19-cases-in-great-apes-seen-in-san-diego-gorillas/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Launches $3 Million Fund To Tackle Covid-19 Vaccine Misinformation
https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/01/12/google-launches-3-million-fund-to-tackle-covid-19-vaccine-misinformation/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie
Amid an ongoing effort by Google to counter the deluge of misinformation and conspiracy theories about the coronavirus pandemic, the tech giant said Tuesday it will devote up to $3 million to back fact-checking initiatives to counter vaccine misinformation, which it says has emerged as a particularly troubling phenomenon as global immunization efforts get underway.
The Covid-19 Vaccine Counter-Misinformation Open Fund is intended to support journalistic “projects that aim to broaden the audience of fact checks,” particularly in audiences “disproportionately affected by misinformation,” the tech giant announced in a blog post.
Google said that while the Covid-19 “infodemic has been global in nature, misinformation has also been used to target specific populations,” adding that these populations are not necessarily the ones seeking fact checks.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nearly Half Of ICU Staff Working Through Pandemic Have Mental Health Issues, U.K. Study Shows
https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/01/13/nearly-half-of-icu-staff-working-through-pandemic-have-mental-health-issues-uk-study-shows/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie
Almost half of healthcare staff working in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) through the Covid-19 pandemic in England could be suffering from problem drinking, severe anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), new research from scientists at King’s College London and University College London suggests, highlighting the mental toll shouldered by health workers fighting the virus.
In a survey of over 700 clinical workers across nine different English ICUs, published in the journal Occupational Medicine, the researchers found that nearly half “met the threshold for probable clinical significance” for severe depression, PTSD, severe anxiety or problem drinking, or a combination of these.
Out of all professions surveyed, nurses reported worse mental health across a range of different measures, the scientists said.
Covid-19 has exacted a heavy mental toll on a vast number of people in the U.S. and the U.K., with many warning of a silent mental health pandemic running alongside the coronavirus pandemic. Isolation, stress and fear of the virus affect everyone, especially as lockdown measures are put in place, but those working to tackle the pandemic directly face a unique set of stressors, highly challenging work environments and long, high-pressure hours. The British study adds to a growing mound of evidence warning of the significant psychiatric risks the pandemic poses to front line workers as well as survivors of the disease. A recent survey from Mental Health America showed 76% of healthcare workers reporting burnout and exhaustion. NPR reported on nurses in LA quitting as hospitals are stretched to breaking point.
Covid-19 survivors are also at considerable psychiatric risk. One study found that one in five patients was diagnosed with a mental illness within three months of testing positive. Puzzlingly, the researchers also found that those with pre-existing psychiatric illnesses were 65% more likely to contract Covid-19, a finding researchers said needed further investigation.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iflscience.com/brain/zombie-movies-may-have-prepared-people-for-a-pandemic-suggests-study/
Tomi Engdahl says:
CDC Projects Nearly 25% Increase In U.S. Covid-19 Deaths In Next Three Weeks
https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/01/14/cdc-projects-nearly-25-increase-in-us-covid-19-deaths-in-next-three-weeks/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie
Up to a further 92,000 Americans are projected to die from Covid-19 in the next three weeks, according to an ensemble forecast put together by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost a troubling 25% increase in total deaths from the virus as experts warn things will get worse before they get better.
The national ensemble forecast, an aggregate of a number of independently developed forecasts intended to boost predictive power, projects up to 477,000 total Covid-19 deaths reported across the U.S. by February 6, an increase of over 90,000 in three weeks.
Widespread vaccination, which could help turn the tide against the virus, has failed to gain momentum and the U.S. is way behind its inoculation targets — only around a third of vaccine doses distributed have been administered.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Past Covid-19 Infection Gives Vaccine-Like Immunity For Months, Study Finds
https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/01/14/past-covid-19-infection-gives-vaccine-like-immunity-for-months-study-finds/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie
Most people who have recovered from Covid-19 have similar levels of immunity against future infection to those who received a coronavirus vaccine, a study by Public Health England found, offering early hope against fears of a short-lived immunity spurred on by reports of people catching the virus twice, though the researchers warn that those with immunity may still be able to carry and transmit the virus to others.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Pfizer, Moderna and other companies are banking on regular Covid-19 vaccinations as an important business line for years to come.
The Pharma Industry Expects Covid-19 To Be Around For The Long Haul
https://www.forbes.com/sites/katiejennings/2021/01/13/the-pharma-industry-expects-covid-19-to-be-around-for-the-long-haul/?sh=52f577ef5a05&utm_source=FBPAGE&utm_medium=social&utm_content=4402776108&utm_campaign=sprinklrForbesMainFB
“I’m optimistic we will get this virus under control,” the Operation Warp Speed director said on a panel at the annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. “But we cannot forget. We forgot with Ebola. We forgot with Zika.” While the general public may still be holding out hope that this will all just go away, the pharmaceutical industry is preparing for the Covid-19 line of business to be recurring and long-lasting.
“Our thesis as a company is Sars-CoV-2 is not going away, we are going to deal with this virus we think forever,” said Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel. The key moving forward, he said, is to stay on top of the variants and mutations and “to very quickly find a regulatory pathway to evolve our product so that we can keep protecting people.” There are still many unknowns surrounding the duration of the vaccine’s protection and how frequently people will need to receive boosters.
“We’re bullish about what our vaccine is going to be able to do to respond to the various mutations and variants,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
1 In 3 Los Angeles Residents Have Been Infected With Covid-19, Officials Say
https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2021/01/14/1-in-3-los-angeles-residents-have-been-infected-with-covid-19-officials-say/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie
The model suggests that, since the beginning of the pandemic, an estimated 3 million people in Los Angeles County have had the coronavirus.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://cybernews.com/security/how-phishing-attacks-are-evolving-and-why-you-should-care/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=rm&utm_content=phishing_evolving&fbclid=IwAR2rnBXwKHuV7KxG_NVeHrjmVvlX_1-Vhiih9seGaWb1clR7–ZN3Zu-sSE
Tomi Engdahl says:
2 Million People Worldwide Died Of Covid—U.S. Contributed Heavily To Total
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2021/01/15/2-million-people-worldwide-died-of-covid-us-contributed-heavily-to-total/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie&sh=417d3d1a4f9a
The global Covid-19 death toll officially topped 2 million early Friday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins University, with the U.S. contributing nearly one-fifth to that loss of life.
Tomi Engdahl says:
More Contagious UK Covid-19 Variant To Become Dominant Strain In U.S. By March, CDC Model Says
https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2021/01/15/more-contagious-uk-covid-19-variant-to-become-dominant-strain-in-us-by-march-cdc-model-says/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie&sh=5a3987926287
The Centers for Disease Control said Friday that a highly contagious mutation of Covid-19 first found in the U.K. would become the dominant strain in the U.S. by March, according to the agency’s modeling, a dire warning that the country will continue to see increased transmission in the coming months.
Since the variant is more contagious than previous strains, the agency warned that transmission may stretch health care resources, require more restrictions and increase the number of people that need to be vaccinated in order to control the virus.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Two People Have Died From Covid-19 In Every Minute Of 2021
http://on.forbes.com/6186Hkelr
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ice Cream In Northeastern China Tests Positive For COVID-19
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ice-cream-tianjin-covid-19_n_600215fbc5b697df1a05b059
Three ice cream samples — chocolate, strawberry and taro — tested positive for traces of the coronavirus after they were submitted for a food inspection in northeastern China’s Tianjin municipality, according to a report from local Chinese media on Friday.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Fauci Warns Of ‘Ominous’ New Covid-19 Strains, Says Biden Can Achieve Aggressive Goal Of Vaccinating 100 Million In 100 Days
https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2021/01/17/fauci-warns-of-ominous-new-covid-19-strains-says-biden-can-achieve-aggressive-goal-of-vaccinating-100-million-in-100-days/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie&sh=5464267e43ac
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, expressed confidence in President-elect Joe Biden’s plan to vaccinate 100 million Americans during his first 100 days in office and added that the aggressive vaccination effort is one of the “easiest ways” to avoid the negative effects of new, more contagious strains of the virus that are emerging in the United States and across the world.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The pandemic boomeranged the airline industry back to 1999.
The Last 10 Months Wiped Out 21 Years Of Air Travel Growth
http://on.forbes.com/6185Hk01F
More than two decades of growth in air travel has been erased during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a new report by air travel data analytics company Cirium. In less than a year, the number of air travelers has dropped by 67% compared to 2019, boomeranging back to levels last seen in 1999.
Unsurprisingly, the raw number of flights flown also dropped precipitously last year. During the period from January 1 to December 20, 2020, 16.8 million scheduled passenger flights were completed globally. That’s a 49% drop from the 33.2 million flights from the same period in 2019.
Meanwhile, domestic flights were down 40% for 2020. Over 13 million domestic flights were flown this year in the United States, compared to 21.5 million in the same period in 2019, per Cirium’s calculations.
The pandemic has decimated the gobal airline industry and led to more than 40 carriers worldwide completely ceasing or suspending operations, according to the Cirium report.
Others are not so bullish. “Lockdowns, travel restrictions, and quarantines add to the uncertainty,” writes Henry Harteveldt, President of Atmosphere Research Group, in Cirium’s report. “The result: historic airline demand patterns, traveler pricing sensitivities and booking behaviors have been scrambled like eggs.”
When Harteveldt’s market research firm, Atmosphere Research Group, recently asked 43 airline executives when they expected the industry to bounce back, the consensus was that it would be 2024 at the earliest. “They currently expect it will take 3.1 years from when one or more vaccines become available to the general public for the industry to return to 2019 pre-Covid-19 levels of traffic and revenue,” writes Harteveldt.
Tomi Engdahl says:
South African Coronavirus Strain Is 50% More Infectious, Scientists Say
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/01/18/south-african-coronavirus-strain-is-50-more-infectious-scientists-say/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie&sh=6fecb35a4475
The coronavirus mutation first identified in South Africa last year is 50% more contagious than previous strains, the country’s top scientists announced Monday, as high numbers of new daily coronavirus infections continue to put South Africa’s healthcare system under massive pressure.
Salim Abdool Karim, one of South Africa’s leading infectious disease experts — dubbed in the media as “South Africa’s Anthony Fauci” — confirmed suspicions that the country’s recent surge of infections is likely being driven by a new strain first detected in October, known as 501.V2.
Abdool Karim told The Sunday Times a mutation in the strain changed the shape of the small protein spikes on the surface of the coronavirus cell, allowing it to better grip onto human cells and increase chances of infection.
Tomi Engdahl says:
China, World Health Organization Failed To Act Quickly At The Start Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Report Finds
https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/01/19/china-world-health-organization-failed-to-act-quickly-at-the-start-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-report-finds/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie&sh=10aac3ce375b
China and the World Health Organization (WHO) failed to act quickly and more forcefully at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, an independent panel set up by the WHO said on Monday, putting a spotlight on China’s lack of transparency early during the outbreak and the global health body’s decision to wait until January 30, 2020, to declare an international emergency.
In an interim report, the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response said that public health measures should have been applied “more forcefully” by local and national health authorities in China in January 2020.
The panel noted that early evidence of human-to-human transmission should have been taken more seriously adding, “in far too many countries, this signal was ignored.”
The panel’s report also takes the WHO to task for holding its first emergency committee meeting in the fourth week of January and then waiting until a second meeting before declaring a ‘public health emergency of international concern.’
Two of the report’s key conclusions are that the “global pandemic alert system is not fit for purpose” and the WHO has been “underpowered to do the job expected of it.”
CRUCIAL QUOTE
“Although the term pandemic is neither used nor defined in the International Health Regulations (2005), its use does serve to focus attention on the gravity of a health event. It was not until 11 March that WHO used the term,” the report said.
A WHO team arrived in China last week to investigate the origins of the coronavirus outbreak, weeks later than originally planned as Beijing initially blocked them from flying into the country. The investigation follows several nations, like the United States and Australia, having accused China of underplaying the virus during the initial stages of the pandemic, after it was first detected in the city of Wuhan in late 2019.
After repeatedly antagonizing the WHO for its failures, President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the global body last year, cutting off its largest source of funding.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Swiss ski resort St Moritz quarantines hotels to contain COVID variant
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-moritz/swiss-ski-resort-st-moritz-quarantines-hotels-shuts-schools-to-contain-covid-variant-idUSKBN29N0DB
ST MORITZ, Switzerland (Reuters) – Officials in the upscale Swiss mountain resort of St Moritz quarantined employees and guests of two luxury hotels, closed ski schools and kept schoolchildren home on Monday after a dozen positive tests for a highly infectious coronavirus variant.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Fact Check: 23 Elderly People Died In Norway After COVID-19 Vaccine
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/fact-check-23-elderly-people-died-in-norway-after-covid19-vaccine/
Norway has reported that several elderly people have died shortly after receiving the vaccine for COVID-19. This has sparked some concern regarding the safety of the vaccine, but there’s currently no evidence of a direct link between the deaths and the vaccines. Here’s what you need to know.
Tomi Engdahl says:
“We are not going to achieve any levels of population immunity or herd immunity in 2021.”
WHO Chief Scientist: COVID-19 Herd Immunity Unlikely In 2021 Despite Vaccines
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/who-chief-scientist-covid19-herd-immunity-unlikely-in-2021-despite-vaccines/
During a press briefing on Monday in Geneva, the chief scientists for the World Health Organization said that it would be very unlikely for the majority of countries around the globe to achieve herd immunity in 2021. This is even with the current efforts to innoculate populations with the various approved COVID-19 vaccines.
“We are not going to achieve any levels of population immunity or herd immunity in 2021,” the WHO’s chief scientist, Dr Soumya Swaminathan told a news briefing on Monday.
“Even if it happens in a couple of pockets in a few countries, it’s not going to protect people across the world.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Virologi Olli Vapalahti: Nyt jylläävästä koronaviruksesta voi tulla ihmiskunnassa kiertävä lapsuuden influenssavirus
https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11739898
Tomi Engdahl says:
Researchers have developed a low-cost, highly sensitive wearable sensor to detect early COVID-19 symptoms and monitor heart disease.
Mechano-Acoustic Sensor Can Detect Early COVID-19 Symptoms and Heart Disease
https://www.hackster.io/news/mechano-acoustic-sensor-can-detect-early-covid-19-symptoms-and-heart-disease-fc874e1bad49
Researchers have developed a low-cost, highly sensitive wearable sensor to detect early COVID-19 symptoms and monitor heart disease.