Ummmm… #P1 🇧🇷 variant’s case fraction % in New York City just rose over 30% in just one week. Any others growing? Not really—#B117 (while more common) only rose tiny bit, and the NY variant #B1526 is mostly flat.
I’ve seen this movie before—in BC🇨🇦—it didn’t end well. #COVID19
2) that said, NYC is more heavily vaccinated than BC 🇨🇦. Let’s hope it’s enough to hold back any #P1 surge. I’m just trying to spot signals. And a 30% relative jump is notable in just a week.
3) BC’s #P1 started slow, but then it became a huge problematic of an outbreak.
6) BC’s health chief initially took an ostrich approach to it all, thinking variants are no different. Then #P1 variant raged like a storm and she had to quickly backtrack and admit #P1 is more problematic.
India PM Narendra Modi's #COVID19 task force didn’t meet for months. His health minister @drharshvardhan assured the public that 🇮🇳 pandemic had reached the “endgame.”
Now, a 2nd wave has made India the worst-hit country in the world. Shortages abound. 🧵 nytimes.com/2021/05/01/wor…
2) Overconfidence and missteps contributed to the country’s devastating second wave, his critics say, tarnishing the prime minister’s aura of political invulnerability.
3) @narendramodi boasted to global leaders that his nation had triumphed over the coronavirus. India “saved humanity from a big disaster by containing corona effectively,” Mr. Modi told a virtual gathering at the @wef in late January.
Overlooked—India’s overworked and underpaid crematorium workers, who often face caste-based discrimination as Dalits, are the invisible warriors of India’s #COVID19 crisis. The poorly paid & underappreciated undertakers in the overflowing crematoriums.🧵 vice.com/en/article/y3d…
2) The Dalit community is considered the lowest in the Hindu caste system, which is over 3,000 years old and divides Hindus into rigid hierarchical groups dictating their standing in Indian society.
3) They work 12-hour shifts, earning only Rs 10,000 ($134) a month, and can easily be spotted in crematoriums: unlike the families of the deceased, they rarely wear personal protective gear (PPE).
Boosters for variants—UK 🇬🇧 has now ordered 60 million more doses to support a COVID-19 booster vaccination programme starting in the autumn, with Health Minister Hancock adding that the biggest risk to 🇬🇧 rollout so far was a new variant. #COVID19 reuters.com/world/uk/brita…
2) "We're working on our plans for booster shots," Hancock said.
"These further 60 million doses will be used, alongside others, as part of our booster programme from later this year, so we can protect the progress that we've all made."
3) “Earlier on Wednesday, Public Health England said the details of any booster programme were still being worked out, and it would be designed primarily with new variants in mind.
Liquid oxygen—we know a major user of liquid oxygen is actually the space industry. Has anyone asked why can’t major rocket companies & space programs pause their rocket 🚀 launches that use liquid oxygen & divert them to India🇮🇳? Curious.
2) I’m hearing comments about “medical grade oxygen”, but is that true? And can it not be purified somehow? I’m honestly wondering.
3) if it’s just oxygen tanks and the logistical transport, then surely equipment can be sent to India. But some articles say it’s the supply issue too.
India 🇮🇳 recorded over 400,000 cases for the first time. Just 3 weeks ago, India only logged 100k a day. Quadrupling in 3 weeks is a log, even if it’s a dramatic undercount. The 3523 single day deaths is also a substantial undercount. #COVID19#CovidIndia ndtv.com/india-news/cor…
2) It’s time— to waive the vaccine patents. Time is of the essence. Life is of the essence.
📍Israel 🇮🇱 Health Ministry has identified 41 new cases of Indian #COVID19 variant, which experts say may be more contagious, including 4 who were vaccinated. 24 from abroad, but other 17 contracted via community transmission, including 5 schoolchildren.🧵 haaretz.com/israel-news/do…
2) Health Ministry statement said that new restrictions which would forbid Israelis from traveling to countries with high infection rates (save for exceptional cases) are awaiting approval from the relevant ministries before it can be sent to government approval.
3) Israelis returning from these countries would also need to quarantine, even if they have been vaccinated against or recovered from COVID-19. Foreign nationals from these countries would also not be allowed to enter Israel