WHO is investigating possible link between Covid-19 vaccinations and tinnitus (leading to hearing loss). Note, this phenomenon is rare, but because it has shown up in multiple registries WHO must examine.
Post vaccine – so after December 2020 – Covid-19 deaths in `red’ states were 38% higher than `blue’ states.
7-day moving average of Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. has fallen to their lowest point since last summer.
Jury is still out on BA.2. Thus far, thankfully, I’m not that impressed by U.S. numbers. I do see a rise in cases in certain regions, but it’s not as widespread as it `ought’ to be by now. Stay tuned. Let’s hope for good news on this front.
US regulators on Tuesday authorized another COVID-19 booster for people age 50 and older, a step to offer extra protection for the most vulnerable in case the coronavirus rebounds.
The Food and Drug Administration’s decision opens a fourth dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines to those people at least four months after their previous booster.
Does anyone know the spacing recommended between third and fourth. And are other countries recommending a fourth and specific spacing?
This May kind of answer my questions below but found it last night and saved to post here today.
At this point, the most relevant indicators are hospitalizations and deaths. This is because case counts have essentially halted or been downgraded in many countries and jurisdictions in the U.S.
The UK reported 303 deaths today (that’s a large – and growing – number for a nation of 67 million). Also, hospitalizations have increased another 30% this week.
US hospitalizations and deaths continue to decline. Important to keep an eye on these two indicators.
On general health policy, but also climate policy, the U.S. government has invariably been mostly hands-off in terms of using fiscal instruments to steer consumption (cigarettes are an exception to the rule). European governments, on the other hand, have been hands-on for decades. The Dutch conservative (!) government is considering a tax hike on gas. Gas is already around $13 a gallon. They want people to drive less, use public transport more, and bike/walk more. They’re also considering a meat tax to incentivize less meat consumption, in addition to steep increases in taxes on sugary drinks of any kind, candy, and even savory junk food, and a modest increase in tax on alcoholic drinks.
It would seem that the Dutch government just want to tax people to death. Let the citizens enjoy themselves. Eat, drink, drive and be merry I say.
That’s not a fair assessment at all. I mentioned very specific items – gas, meat, and sugary drinks/candy for which the government there increased taxes. But, by and large, income and goods taxes in the Netherlands aren’t that high, actually. I know. I lived there. When you include state and local taxes here (which don’t exist in the Netherlands; everything is national), my tax burden here and there were roughly the same. For richer folks, taxes are higher in the Netherlands, but not as high as Scandinavia. The highest bracket is 45% in the Netherlands. Note, that includes ALL taxes, as there are no state and local taxes. As far as taxes on goods and other items, they’re generally higher than here but there are many exceptions, including no taxes for clothes, most groceries, and no property taxes. Capital gains taxes are lower than here. Higher education is MUCH less expensive than here. And healthcare is MUCH less expensive than here. Roads are in perfect shape, as is all infrastructure. Childcare is MUCH less expensive than here. Rent is generally less expensive than here. Food is generally less expensive than here (though restaurants are more expensive in the Netherlands).
Thanks, Joshua, I knew this from Mac. We would do well to mirror some other countries. It is after all what some of our founders envisioned
Well, I guess the Netherlands does have its good points based on your examples. I certainly do like the no property taxes. I still take issue though with the proposal to tax certain foods that actually can provide great “comfort” if you know what I mean.
True. But that “comfort” can lead to disease. Not saying that the Dutch are always healthy, or always eat right, because they don’t always do so. But, fiscal incentives can make a difference. I do agree with you that it’s a paternalistic view that many Americans would oppose (though they do not oppose for cigarettes).
The Dutch tax system is highly centralized. So, folks wind up being taxed on their properties through asset taxes, which are quite low by the way. Renters obviously avoid such a tax. They also have a road tax that applies to anyone with a motor vehicle. The larger the vehicle the higher the tax. If you owned a Chevy Suburban (though I’ve never seen one in all my years in Europe) your road tax would be about 5 times what you’d pay if you owned a little Fiat. There are minimal local taxes, but they’re hardly worth mentioning. I remember paying a local water tax of around $50 a year, for example.
Influenza is tearing through my kids’ daycare and school. Both my kids are down for the count. Was talking to some of the teachers and admins today and they all agree they rather it be COVID. Kids would be much less ill.
I’m surprised they didn’t agree masks should be back.
I typed this a while ago. Got side tracked. And forgot to post
I sure hope your kids feel better soon. Did they have flu shots? Although, I’ve always thought that flu shots in fall didn’t help a lot with flu in spring.
Influenza is much less contagious than the current variants of Covid – BA.1 and BA.2. The fact that flu has reared its ugly head in earnest recently suggests there may indeed be a correlation with the lifting of precautions. Flu had been way down since early 2020.
Generally speaking, young children are impacted more by influenza than Covid. Also, unlike Covid, the majority of the population does not have antibodies to different flu strains. With Covid, the estimates are that at least 90% – in England, 98%! – have antibodies. This means that usually if a person contracts Covid they may get sick, but their immune system will kick into high gear quickly.
At the same time, the problem with Covid is the merry-go-round effect. It keeps reinfecting people. In turn this could lead to new variants. Reinfections account for the vast majority of infections int the where 97-99% of UK residents have SARS-CoV-2 antibodies already. Most people are fine when they get reinfected, but some clearly are not. 303 deaths were reported in the UK today, which is a number that even in a bad flu season would account for 7 days’ worth of deaths, not 1 day’s worth.
One caveat to mention is that of the variants in circulation in the past 2 years, Omicron impacts young children the most.
Another thing to note regarding reinfections, the U.S. does NOT count reinfections that occur within a 90 day period. This is insane, in my view. It’s a way to make things look better than they are. It would surprise me in the slightest to see an uptick in hospitalizations soon that has a greater slope than the uptick in cases, due to reporting issues with cases.
Ace, I forgot to wish your children well. I’m sorry about that. Being sick ain’t fun at any age.
Vicki, the flu shot this year was atrociously bad in terms of efficacy. So, it wouldn’t have mattered much.
Ahhh. Good to know…..I think.
Seriously…..can we just move past all of this.
Thanks both Vicki and Joshua. Yes, both flu shots. I had heard recently this years flu shot efficacy was below 20%. Just terrible.
Deep sighhhhh.
I’d say that might be a reason to have kept masking in place but I think we are past using any semblance of common sense.
I hope you and Mrs Ace stay healthy
C-19 for 3-30 is ready.
Comments are closed.
Your no-hype southeastern New England weather blog!
Thanks TK.
Today’s round-up:
WHO is investigating possible link between Covid-19 vaccinations and tinnitus (leading to hearing loss). Note, this phenomenon is rare, but because it has shown up in multiple registries WHO must examine.
Post vaccine – so after December 2020 – Covid-19 deaths in `red’ states were 38% higher than `blue’ states.
7-day moving average of Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. has fallen to their lowest point since last summer.
Jury is still out on BA.2. Thus far, thankfully, I’m not that impressed by U.S. numbers. I do see a rise in cases in certain regions, but it’s not as widespread as it `ought’ to be by now. Stay tuned. Let’s hope for good news on this front.
US regulators on Tuesday authorized another COVID-19 booster for people age 50 and older, a step to offer extra protection for the most vulnerable in case the coronavirus rebounds.
The Food and Drug Administration’s decision opens a fourth dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines to those people at least four months after their previous booster.
Does anyone know the spacing recommended between third and fourth. And are other countries recommending a fourth and specific spacing?
This May kind of answer my questions below but found it last night and saved to post here today.
https://twitter.com/erictopol/status/1508582239189098496?s=21&t=EghJxYL_JsVld-7K92gRrA
Yes, indeed.
I do know that the spacing in England and in several European countries, including the Netherlands, is as short as 3 months.
Global excess deaths ~20 million: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FPBFG0KWQAcrEjy?format=jpg&name=small
At this point, the most relevant indicators are hospitalizations and deaths. This is because case counts have essentially halted or been downgraded in many countries and jurisdictions in the U.S.
The UK reported 303 deaths today (that’s a large – and growing – number for a nation of 67 million). Also, hospitalizations have increased another 30% this week.
US hospitalizations and deaths continue to decline. Important to keep an eye on these two indicators.
On general health policy, but also climate policy, the U.S. government has invariably been mostly hands-off in terms of using fiscal instruments to steer consumption (cigarettes are an exception to the rule). European governments, on the other hand, have been hands-on for decades. The Dutch conservative (!) government is considering a tax hike on gas. Gas is already around $13 a gallon. They want people to drive less, use public transport more, and bike/walk more. They’re also considering a meat tax to incentivize less meat consumption, in addition to steep increases in taxes on sugary drinks of any kind, candy, and even savory junk food, and a modest increase in tax on alcoholic drinks.
It would seem that the Dutch government just want to tax people to death. Let the citizens enjoy themselves. Eat, drink, drive and be merry I say.
That’s not a fair assessment at all. I mentioned very specific items – gas, meat, and sugary drinks/candy for which the government there increased taxes. But, by and large, income and goods taxes in the Netherlands aren’t that high, actually. I know. I lived there. When you include state and local taxes here (which don’t exist in the Netherlands; everything is national), my tax burden here and there were roughly the same. For richer folks, taxes are higher in the Netherlands, but not as high as Scandinavia. The highest bracket is 45% in the Netherlands. Note, that includes ALL taxes, as there are no state and local taxes. As far as taxes on goods and other items, they’re generally higher than here but there are many exceptions, including no taxes for clothes, most groceries, and no property taxes. Capital gains taxes are lower than here. Higher education is MUCH less expensive than here. And healthcare is MUCH less expensive than here. Roads are in perfect shape, as is all infrastructure. Childcare is MUCH less expensive than here. Rent is generally less expensive than here. Food is generally less expensive than here (though restaurants are more expensive in the Netherlands).
Thanks, Joshua, I knew this from Mac. We would do well to mirror some other countries. It is after all what some of our founders envisioned
Well, I guess the Netherlands does have its good points based on your examples. I certainly do like the no property taxes. I still take issue though with the proposal to tax certain foods that actually can provide great “comfort” if you know what I mean.
True. But that “comfort” can lead to disease. Not saying that the Dutch are always healthy, or always eat right, because they don’t always do so. But, fiscal incentives can make a difference. I do agree with you that it’s a paternalistic view that many Americans would oppose (though they do not oppose for cigarettes).
The Dutch tax system is highly centralized. So, folks wind up being taxed on their properties through asset taxes, which are quite low by the way. Renters obviously avoid such a tax. They also have a road tax that applies to anyone with a motor vehicle. The larger the vehicle the higher the tax. If you owned a Chevy Suburban (though I’ve never seen one in all my years in Europe) your road tax would be about 5 times what you’d pay if you owned a little Fiat. There are minimal local taxes, but they’re hardly worth mentioning. I remember paying a local water tax of around $50 a year, for example.
Influenza is tearing through my kids’ daycare and school. Both my kids are down for the count. Was talking to some of the teachers and admins today and they all agree they rather it be COVID. Kids would be much less ill.
I’m surprised they didn’t agree masks should be back.
I typed this a while ago. Got side tracked. And forgot to post
I sure hope your kids feel better soon. Did they have flu shots? Although, I’ve always thought that flu shots in fall didn’t help a lot with flu in spring.
Influenza is much less contagious than the current variants of Covid – BA.1 and BA.2. The fact that flu has reared its ugly head in earnest recently suggests there may indeed be a correlation with the lifting of precautions. Flu had been way down since early 2020.
Generally speaking, young children are impacted more by influenza than Covid. Also, unlike Covid, the majority of the population does not have antibodies to different flu strains. With Covid, the estimates are that at least 90% – in England, 98%! – have antibodies. This means that usually if a person contracts Covid they may get sick, but their immune system will kick into high gear quickly.
At the same time, the problem with Covid is the merry-go-round effect. It keeps reinfecting people. In turn this could lead to new variants. Reinfections account for the vast majority of infections int the where 97-99% of UK residents have SARS-CoV-2 antibodies already. Most people are fine when they get reinfected, but some clearly are not. 303 deaths were reported in the UK today, which is a number that even in a bad flu season would account for 7 days’ worth of deaths, not 1 day’s worth.
One caveat to mention is that of the variants in circulation in the past 2 years, Omicron impacts young children the most.
Another thing to note regarding reinfections, the U.S. does NOT count reinfections that occur within a 90 day period. This is insane, in my view. It’s a way to make things look better than they are. It would surprise me in the slightest to see an uptick in hospitalizations soon that has a greater slope than the uptick in cases, due to reporting issues with cases.
Ace, I forgot to wish your children well. I’m sorry about that. Being sick ain’t fun at any age.
Vicki, the flu shot this year was atrociously bad in terms of efficacy. So, it wouldn’t have mattered much.
Ahhh. Good to know…..I think.
Seriously…..can we just move past all of this.
Thanks both Vicki and Joshua. Yes, both flu shots. I had heard recently this years flu shot efficacy was below 20%. Just terrible.
Deep sighhhhh.
I’d say that might be a reason to have kept masking in place but I think we are past using any semblance of common sense.
I hope you and Mrs Ace stay healthy
C-19 for 3-30 is ready.