TEXAS LEADERS FAILED—power outages raise fears that herds could run short of food and water. Some farmers are being forced to dump tankers of milk on fields because it can’t be processed, & livestock maybe euthanized if no water or food. #texaspoweroutagewsj.com/articles/texas…
2) “No feed, no water, and no heat doesn’t make for a good situation,” said Texas agriculture commissioner. Some areas had gone without power for >30 hours straight—while fielding calls from cattlemen losing calves to the cold & poultry farmers struggling with frozen water pipes.
3) Sanderson Farms Inc., one of the biggest U.S. chicken companies, estimated that as many as 200 of its approximately 1,900 Texas chicken houses were without power, & dozens have ruptured or frozen water pipes. Mills are struggling to make animal feed without access to power
4) Select Milk Producers Inc., a Dallas dairy coop that processes and markets milk for >100 farms, over the weekend was forced to shut down its Littlefield, Texas, processing plant after the plant’s natural-gas supplier had to ration supply to help heat residential homes.
5) Separate shutdowns of the cooperative’s processing plants in El Paso and Lubbock have left Select’s chief executive, Rance C. Miles, with about 150 tanker loads of milk each day that the cooperative can’t process.
6) Now Select’s dairy farmers are dumping that milk, worth more than $1 million daily, onto their fields. Mr. Miles said the rapid shutdowns may have damaged Select’s plant equipment, and that the wasted milk will cut into farmers’ paychecks.
7) For Brad Cotton, who raises cattle near Floresville, Texas, the main challenge has been keeping his herd watered. Texan cattle aren’t accustomed to snow and don’t instinctively recognize it as a source of moisture, Mr. Cotton said.
8) Between phone calls, Mr. Miller spent part of the past few days leading his own 60 head of cattle to a pond, where he broke ice to let them drink while he tried to warm himself in his truck.
“The leading energy state has no power,” Mr. Miller said. “That’s crazy.”
9) Texas blame is squarely on the bottom chasing price over reliability & preparation.
Outbreak of 69 #COVID19 cases in 2 schools, plus 20 at daycare centers in one Danish city—all #B117. “Something going on with the infection of [🇬🇧 variant] #B117 among children that we have not seen with the old coronavirus” says an epidemiologist. 🧵 cphpost.dk/?p=122479
2) Two schools and eight daycare institutions in the central Jutland city of Kolding will remain closed until Friday following coronavirus outbreaks that experts claim underline the devastating potential of the British variant of COVID-19.
3) Speaking to DR, Viggo Andreasen, an professor at Roskilde University who is swiftly becoming favorite 🇩🇰 epidemiologist, questions whether there is “something going on with the infection of #B117 among children that we have not seen with the old coronavirus”.
BREAKING—new #COVID19 vaccine efficacy study from Israel concludes that Pfizer/BioNTech's jab is up to 85% effective after the first dose after 15 days to day 28—and even 75% including asymptomatic cases—meaning it stops infections by 75%! Huge. 🧵 news.sky.com/story/covid-19…
2) The research, conducted by the Sheba Medical Centre, the country's largest hospital, has been published in the Lancet medical journal.
The hospital assessed the effectiveness of the first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine among 7,000 of its healthcare employees.
3) Professor Eyal Leshem, an infectious disease expert and director of Sheba's Institute for Travel and Tropical Medicine, told Sky News: "This is first real-world evidence of effectiveness that shows up after the first dose of the vaccine.” 👀
Sudden Kindergarten outbreak—a once small #COVID19 outbreak in an Austrian🇦🇹 kindergarten exploded from 10 cases Monday to suddenly *32 cases* by Wed—20 cases in kids, 12 adults & caregivers.
2) “some caregivers complained of symptoms on Saturday. They were then tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on Saturday, despite negative rapid tests on Friday. Already on Sunday, the parents of the 75 kindergarten children were informed via the kindergarten app "KidsFox".
3) “Since then, all children and caregivers have been quarantined, the kindergarten and, for safety reasons, the afternoon care KiLo, are closed until further notice.”
So... @GovRonDeSantis misled the public, again. @RonDeSantisFL’s “Florida is 34th” claim excludes teens over 14 year old. When included, Florida pediatric cases is 9th. #COVID19
Wow—Cuban 🇨🇺 government says it is on the brink of a successful #COVID19 vaccine invented in Cuba & mass production for export. 1 of 4 vaccines developed by Cuban scientists will enter final phase of testing next month. It may even offer it to tourists. nytimes.com/2021/02/17/wor…
2) The vaccine heading for Phase 3 trial, is called Sovereign 2, in a nod to the pride the island takes in its autonomy. Already, Cuba is floating the idea of enticing tourists to its shores with the irresistible cocktail of sun, sand and a shot of Sovereign 2.
3) Vicente Vérez, one of the scientists leading the team that developed the vaccine, has said that the island could offer vaccinations to all foreigners who travel there.
Just 10 wealthy countries have monopolized 75% of all vaccinations delivered worldwide.
Now the United Nations has sharply criticized developed countries for hogging #COVID19 vaccines and called for global sharing. on.mktw.net/3pwhkwp
2) 130 countries have not received a single dose of vaccine and declared that “at this critical moment, vaccine equity is the biggest moral test before the global community.”
3) Of the countries with vaccination, it is dominated by a top few.