Coronavirus Morning News Brief – Dec. 27: U.S. Braces for Post-Holiday Virus Surge, Beijing to Hand Out Paxlovid

Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavilion, in Kyoto

Good morning. This is Jonathan Spira reporting. Here now the news of the pandemic from across the globe on the 992nd day of the pandemic.

If you attended a large family gathering and didn’t don a face mask you might wish to read further.  U.S. public health officials are bracing for a surge of coronavirus cases in the post-holiday period as well as an increase in case figures of influenza and RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus.

The populace has largely shunned and abandoned preventative measures, including getting the new bivalent booster shots, and that leaves many people vulnerable.

A quick look at CDC case figures from after Thanksgiving paints an image of what may be to come.

An increase in cases emerged after Thanksgiving, which was celebrated in the United States on November 24.  The CDC’s weekly new case data as reported on November 30 reported 308,578 new infections, and was at 470,963 in the December 7 report.  That figure was slightly lower in the December 14 report, dropping to 455,028, but rose to 487,367 in the December 21 report.

Tomorrow’s report will be telling.

In other news we cover today, a German virologist said he believes that the pandemic has come to an end, although most epidemiologists disagree with that statement.  In addition, the Beijing government said it will distribute Paxlovid to patients and Japan will require a negative PCR test for visitors coming from China.

UNITED STATES

The Rose Parade, also known as the Tournament of Roses,  will return next Monday sans pandemic restrictions for the first time in three years, despite concerns of a tripledemic of SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus. The Rose Parade is held along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California.  First held on January 1, 1890, the parade is watched by hundreds of thousands of spectators.

GLOBAL

Christian Dorsten, a leading German virologist, said he believes that the coronavirus pandemic is over, and that SARS-CoV-2 is now an endemic disease. Most epidemiologists disagree with that sentiment, especially given the dramatic surge in new cases in China and in other parts of Asia.

The city of Beijing will begin to distribute the Pfizer antiviral drug Paxlovid to the city’s community health centers in coming days, state media reported Monday.

As western medicines become in short supply, the price of lemons and peaches is going up as is the cost of traditional Chinese medicine. The fruits are highly sought after as they are rich in vitamin C and antioxidants.

TRAVEL

As a result of the rapid surge of cases in China, Japan will require a negative coronavirus test upon arrival for travelers from the country, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday.

TODAY’S STATISTICS

Now here are the daily statistics for Tuesday, December 27.

As of Tuesday morning, the world has recorded 662.4 million Covid-19 cases, an increase of 0.5 million cases, and 6.69 million deaths, according to Worldometer, a service that tracks such information. In addition, 634.9 million people worldwide have recovered from the virus, an increase of 0.5 million.

Worldwide, the number of active coronavirus cases as of Tuesday at press time is 20,750,602, a decrease of 25,000. Out of that figure, 99.8%, or 20,736,965, are considered mild, and 0.2%, or 39,077, are listed as critical. The percentage of cases considered critical has not changed over the past 24 hours.

The United States reported 4,923 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday for the previous day, compared to 3,449 on Monday, 4,923 on Sunday, 31,370 on Saturday, 157,552 on Friday, and 186,957 on Thursday, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The 7-day incidence rate is now 63,076.  Figures for the weekend (reported the following day) are typically 30% to 60% of those posted on weekdays due to a lower number of tests being conducted.

The average daily number of new coronavirus cases in the United States over the past 14 days is 66,014, a decrease of 1% averaged over the past 14 days, based on data from the Department of Health and Human Services, among other sources.  The average daily death toll over the same period is 426, a decrease of -9% over the same period, while the average number of hospitalizations for the period was 40,156, an increase of 3%. In addition, the number of patients in ICUs was 4,931, an increase of 11%.

In addition, since the start of the pandemic the United States has, as of Tuesday, recorded over 102.2 million cases, a higher figure than any other country, and a death toll of just over 1.1 million. India has the world’s second highest number of officially recorded cases, just under 44.7 million, and a reported death toll of 530,696.

The newest data from Russia’s Rosstat state statistics service showed that, at the end of July, the number of Covid or Covid-related deaths since the start of the pandemic there in April 2020 is now 823,623, giving the country the world’s second highest pandemic-related death toll, behind the United States.  Rosstat reported that 3,284 people died from the coronavirus or related causes in July, down from 5,023 in June, 7,008 in May and 11,583 in April.

Meanwhile, France is the country with the third highest number of cases, with 39.2 million, and Germany is in the number four slot, with over 37.2 million total cases.

Brazil, which has recorded the third highest number of deaths as a result of the virus, 693,017, has recorded 36.2 million cases, placing it in the number five slot.

The other five countries with total case figures over the 20 million mark are South Korea, with 28.8 million cases, Japan, with 28.5 million, placing it in the number seven slot, and Italy, with over 25 million, as number eight, as well as the United Kingdom, with 24.1 million, and Russia, with just under 21.8 million.

VACCINATION SPOTLIGHT

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that, as of the past Thursday, 268.1 million people in the United States – or 80.8% – have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Of that population, 69%, or 228.9 million people, have received two doses of vaccine, and the total number of doses that have been dispensed in the United States is now 660.4 million. Breaking this down further, 91.7% of the population over the age of 18 – or 236.8 million people – has received at least a first inoculation and 78.7% of the same group – or 203.2 million people – is fully vaccinated.  In addition, 16.8% of the same population, or over 43.4 million people, has already received an updated or bivalent booster dose of vaccine.

Starting on June 13, 2022, the CDC began to update vaccine data on a weekly basis and publish the updated information on Thursdays by 8 p.m. EDT, a statement on the agency’s website said.

Some 68.8% of the world population has received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine by Tuesday, according to Our World in Data, an online scientific publication that tracks such information.  So far, 13.11 billion doses of the vaccine have been administered on a global basis and 3.21 million doses are now administered each day.

Meanwhile, only 25.1% of people in low-income countries have received one dose, while in countries such as Canada, China, Denmark, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States, at least 75% of the population has received at least one dose of vaccine.

Only a handful of the world’s poorest countries – Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia and Nepal – have reached the 70% mark in vaccinations. Many countries, however, are under 20% and, in countries such as Haiti, Senegal, and Tanzania, for example, vaccination rates remain at or below 10%.

In addition, with the start of vaccinations in North Korea in late September, Eritrea remains the only country in the world that has not administered vaccines.

Anna Breuer contributed reporting to this story.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)