Coronavirus
California hospitals overrun even as vaccine is rolled out
Even as high profile figures like U.S. Vice President Mike Pence rolled up their sleeves for COVID-19 vaccinations, patients already ill with the disease crowded emergency rooms and overran intensive care units in California, now a worldwide epicenter. Another 41,000 people tested positive in the most populous U.S. state on Thursday, and 300 died, state public health officials said. In a state with 40 million residents, only about 1,200 intensive care beds remained available by Friday – just 2.1% of the total, the California Department of Public Health said. “We anticipated a surge, but I’m not sure if anyone imagined it would be as bad as it has been,” said Adam Blackstone, a spokesman for the Hospital Association of Southern California. Hospitals are strained under the press of patients,...
NIMC insists on deadline for linking of NIN to mobile numbers
File Photo Despite criticisms from many Nigerians of the two-week ultimatum for the registration and linking of National Identity Number (NIN) to mobile numbers, the federal government has insisted on the deadline. The director-general of the National Identity Management Commission, (NIMC), Aliyu Abubakar, in an interview with newsmen on Friday said there was no extension for the announced deadline. “Right now, the way it is, there is no extension. We should not be complaining, rather we should see how it can be done,” he said. “It is until after 10 to 12 days then we will see how far it has gone before we beg the government for anything.” When the agency issued a two-week ultimatum for the enrolment, Nigerians took to social media platforms to kick against such a deadline. “In the whole o...
Wuhan’s coronavirus survivors share lessons one year on
In late 2019, Wuhan businesswoman Duan Ling and her surgeon husband Fang Yushun began to hear snippets in hospital chat groups about a disease emerging in the city’s respiratory wards. Duan didn’t pay much attention at first. Fang had that year returned from a stint studying in the United States, and the pair, both 36-years-old, were planning a family, starting a costly round of fertility treatments. “But as more and more news came, we began to realise this was something different from previous infectious diseases,” said Duan. In just over a month, Fang would become one of the first people in the world to contract what came to be known as COVID-19, which has since infected over 74 million worldwide and killed more than 1.5 million. During the early days of the outbreak, the city’s hospital...
Sir Ian McKellen Gets COVID-19 Vaccine: “I Feel Very Lucky”
Sometimes being a hero is helping a ragtag party to destroy the One Ring, and sometimes it’s leading by example. Earlier today, Sir Ian McKellen shared a photograph of himself receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. “I feel very lucky to have had the vaccine,” he wrote on Twitter. “I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone.” Via BBC and itv, the 81-year-old McKellen accepted his inoculation at Queen Mary’s University Hospital in London from Dr. Phil Bennett-Richards. The procedure took less than ten seconds, and afterwards the acclaimed actor bumped elbows with his GP. “Next time I come — well no, six days after I next come I’m going to give them all a big hug,” McKellen said, referring to the vaccine’s second booster dose. “Is [hugging] allowed? I...
U.S. records 247,403 new coronavirus infections, 3,656 deaths
The daily number of new coronavirus (COVID-19) infections and deaths has hit new highs in the U.S. On Wednesday, December 16, there were 247,403 new infections and 3,656 deaths with confirmed COVID-19 infection registered within the past 24 hours, a data released on Thursday, December 17 by the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) in Baltimore said. The highest values before those 233,133 new cases and 3,306 deaths were recorded on December 11, 2020. In total, around 16.9 million people have been proven to be infected with the COVID-19 in the country with around 330 million inhabitants. Since the beginning of the pandemic, no fewer than 307,500 people have died from the COVID-19 pandemic. In absolute terms, that is more than in any other country in the world. The Johns Hopkins University website...
Vietnam begins human trial of home-grown coronavirus vaccine
Human trials began on Thursday for Nanocovax, Vietnam’s first home-grown COVID-19 vaccine, a Director of a National Medical Research Centre said. “In the first phase, we will choose a group of 60 volunteers. This morning, we have finished vaccinating three people. “They will be monitored for three days, and if they remain in good condition, we will continue to vaccinate the rest.’’ Ho Anh Son, Deputy Director of the Military Medical Research Institute, told dpa. The trial is the first of three phases of testing for the vaccine. The second phase will involve testing on between 400 and 600 volunteers, according to the Health Ministry’s reports. Researchers told local media that an independent monitoring organisation will be hired to ensure the safety of volunteer participants and guarantee t...
Once-Relevant Actor Kirk Cameron Holds Large Caroling Event in the Middle of the Pandemic
You might remember Kirk Cameron from his role in the TV series Growing Pains, the movie Like Father Like Son, or any of the cringey Christian dramas he made throughout the 2000s. But in 2020, the 50-year-old Evangelical Christian has pivoted from acting to anti-masking. On December 7th and December 13th, Cameron hosted gatherings of hundreds of people at The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks, California to sing Christmas carols and commiserate in close quarters. In a video of the second event that Cameron posted to his Instagram with the caption “Joy over Fear” — a pointed rebuke of social distancing restrictions — very few attendees are seen wearing masks and almost everyone is singing in unison, mouth germs abound. That same day, Ventura County (the location of the gathering) reported...
Oliver Stone Received Russia’s Controversial COVID-19 Vaccine, Is “Hopeful” It Will Work
Oliver Stone has become one of the first people to receive Russia’s controversial Sputnik V vaccine. Stone is in the country filming a documentary on climate change. He revealed his inoculation in an appearance on the state-run network Channel One Russia, and the story was subsequently picked up by Associated Press. “I got a vaccine shot, yeah,” he said, adding, “I don’t know if it’s going to work. I got it a few days ago. I’ve heard good things about the Russian vaccine. I have to get a second shot in 45 days or so. I have to come back. But I’m hopeful.” Via Newsweek, the Sputnik V vaccine is only recommended for people between the ages of 18 and 60, and experts have warned of potentially harmful consequences for people 61 and up. This makes the 74-year-old director’s choice som...
Tom Cruise Goes Off at Mission: Impossible 7 Crew for Breaking COVID-19 Protocol
Tom Cruise has had several infamous breakdowns over the years where he’s yelled at the people around him. Surprisingly, his latest rant was not only justified, but completely necessary. Nearly 50 crew members watched as the Mission: Impossible 7 star went off on two coworkers after he noticed they weren’t following COVID-19 safety protocols. In audio obtained by The Sun, Cruise can be heard threatening to fire two crew members after spotting them standing less than three feet apart by a computer. “If I see you do it again, you’re fucking gone,” he screamed. “And if anyone on this crew does it, that’s it — and you too and you too. And you, don’t you ever fucking do it again. That’s it!” Following the CDC guidelines during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic is essential to slow the spread of C...
Why coronavirus will not be last pandemic – UN report
United Nations The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the latest crisis facing the world, will not be the last until humans release their grip on nature, says a new UN report published on Tuesday. According to the report titled “The Next Frontier: Human Development and the Anthropocene,” world leaders need to take bold steps to reduce the immense pressure that is being exerted on the environment and the natural world, or humanity’s progress will stall. “Humans wield more power over the planet than ever before. Redefining issues of our time “In the wake of COVID-19, record-breaking temperatures and spiraling inequality, it is time to use that power to redefine what we mean by progress, where our carbon and consumption footprints are no longer hidden,” said Achim Steiner, the Administrator of ...
Sharon Osbourne Tests Positive for COVID-19, Briefly Hospitalized
Sharon Osbourne has revealed that she has tested positive for COVID-19, and was briefly hospitalized as a result. She is now recuperating at a location away from her husband, Ozzy Osbourne, who recently disclosed that he has emphysema, among his other health issues. The 68-year-old host of the daytime TV program The Talk reported her positive test result via Twitter on Monday evening (December 14th), writing, “I wanted to share I’ve tested positive for COVID-19. After a brief hospitalization, I’m now recuperating at a location away from Ozzy (who has tested negative) while The Talk is on scheduled hiatus. Everyone please stay safe and healthy.” Sharon, who is also Ozzy’s manager, went public with her COVID-19 diagnosis just a few days after her Talk co-host Carrie Ann Inaba had shared that...
U.S. sanctions Turkey over purchase of Russian defense system
The United States imposed long-anticipated sanctions on Turkey on Monday over Ankara’s acquisition of the Russian S-400 air defense systems, further complicating already strained ties between the two NATO allies. Turkey condemned the sanctions as a “grave mistake” and urged Washington to revise its “unjust decision.” Senior U.S. officials said in a call with reporters that Ankara’s purchase of the S-400s and its refusal to reverse its decision left the United States with no other choice. The sanctions, first reported by Reuters last week, target Turkey’s top defence procurement and development body Presidency of Defence Industries, its chairman Ismail Demir and three other employees. While limited to one company, they are still likely to weigh on the Turkish economy, analysts said, at a ti...
