Cases rise, new variant in US

UK. Cases, + 50,023 = 2,432,888

Hospitalised, + 2,430 = 23,771 (ventilated, 1,847)

Previous peak, 12 April = 21,683

Injections versus infections

Vaccinated, 616,933

Deaths, + 981 = 72,548

Deaths, + 3,270 = 82,624

COVID symptom tracker data

Cases, + 55,266 (plus 20%)

Verbier

About a dozen British tourists out of about 420 left in resort

Swiss health minister, Alain Berset

We are aware of that. It’s obviously a problem. There was an order to quarantine that has not been respected

About 3,500, from UK to Switzerland for Christmas

VOC Updates

Report 42 - Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Lineage B.1.1.7 in England: insights from linking epidemiological and genetic data

Imperial College with MRC for Global Infectious Diseases Analysis

Available data indicate a shift in the age composition of reported cases, with a larger share of under 20 year olds among reported VOC than non-VOC cases

Lineage-specific growth of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 during the English national lockdown

B.1.1.7 proliferated in England, 87% (213/244) of lower tier local authorities

Average R value of 1.25

At the same time other lineages, R = 0.85 in most regions

Leading to 83% (203/244) of regions showing B.1.1.7 proliferation while other lineages diminished

United States

CDC trends (Saturday, 28th December)

Official US hospitalizations

Cases, + 225,671 = 19,493,586

Up 6.9% over past 7 days

Hospitalizations, 125,220 (23,069) (7,930)

Deaths, 333,524

Vaccinations 2.1 million

Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, US

Dr. Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific adviser for Operation Warp Speed

May be authorized for emergency use in the US in April

Several tens of millions should be manufactured in the US by then

VOC spread?

Colorado

B.1.1.7, is (VOC), 202012/01

Variant has 17 mutations, eight alter the spike protein

First known cases in the United States

Two National Guard members

In isolation in Elbert County

No travel history, (Gov. Jared Polis)

Indicating likely community spread

Contact tracing interviews ongoing

National Guard, deployed Dec. 23 to the Good Samaritan Society assisted-living facility

All 26 residents tested positive for the familiar strain of the virus, four died

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

could lead to more cases and place greater demand on already strained health care resources

Southern California

San Diego County, 30-year-old man, tested Wednesday

No known travel history

Gov. Gavin Newsom

this new strain that we’ve identified obviously from the United Kingdom …

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

November, will eventually be able to analyse as many as 3,500 virus genomes per week

Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health

If there was a reason to work really hard on stopping community transmission, we have an even better reason now, because we’re up against a more formidable enemy

Things are getting bad enough already, just from the previous viral strain

Iran

Has launched human trials of its first domestic vaccine candidate

65,000 volunteers

Time scale, 45 to 60 days

N = 56

Buying vaccines from the World Health Organization-led Covax alliance

Planning to import a Chinese vaccine.

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Hard copy of the Physiology Notes text book on ebay,

John’s research on text book efficacy,