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Useful news for all to advance knowledge of the world and how it works

Peak of third COVID-19 wave still weeks away | TheHill

Forty-three states and the District of Columbia recorded more cases last week than the week prior. More than 1 percent of North Dakota’s population tested positive for the coronavirus this week, as did nearly one in 100 residents in Wyoming.

Twenty-seven states now have higher per capita infection rates than did Arizona during its summer surge. More than 83,000 people are in U.S. hospitals with COVID-19, the highest figure during the pandemic. And more than 80 percent of intensive care unit beds are occupied in 16 states.

The case surge has been most acute in rural communities, where health care options are fewer. Many small hospitals are full to overflowing, and patients can wait six to eight hours for a transfer to a larger medical center that can admit them — if those larger facilities aren’t overrun themselves.

“We’re full,” said Rob Davidson, an emergency room physician in a western Michigan hospital that has 25 beds. “The only time you get a bed is if someone dies.”

Source: Peak of third COVID-19 wave still weeks away | TheHill

Opinion | Myanmar Still Loves Aung San Suu Kyi, but Not for the Reasons You Think – The New York Times

In other words, voting for Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi was partly an expression of gratitude to a mother figure who is seen as having sacrificed her personal well-being, her life and now, too, her iconic reputation worldwide for Myanmar’s democracy and development.

On Nov. 12, the N.L.D. sent a letter to 48 ethnic political parties inviting them to join it in building a federal democratic union and “ending civil war.” “The ethnic parties’ objectives are the same as the N.L.D.’s, and the N.L.D. will prioritize the ethnic peoples’ desires in the future,” the letter said. A party spokesman also said that new government “must be a national unity government.”

This is a welcome step, and it suggests that the N.L.D. is aware that even its apparently commanding mandate and ringing popularity have political limits in such a divided society. The risk, though, is that the party might only be gesturing at a government of national unity and will then try to co-opt the ethnic parties with various political rewards.

AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 vaccine: Why it’s different – Vox

While the efficacy outcome falls short of the 95 percent preliminary result recently reported by both Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech, the result is still very promising. At around $3 to $4 per dose, the AstraZeneca-Oxford shot is also the cheapest of the three options and should be easier to distribute globally (since it can be stored in regular refrigerators). That’s why lower-income countries around the world have been pre-purchasing access.

AstraZeneca said the company has the capacity to supply 3 billion doses of the vaccine in 2021.

The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine, however, can be stored in a normal refrigerator for at least six months.

That’s why the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine has become the leading contender lower-income countries are relying on to end their epidemics. According to Bloomberg, the shot “accounts for more than 40% of the supplies” going to low- and middle-income countries.

“[T]he vaccine’s simple supply chain and our no-profit pledge and commitment to broad, equitable and timely access means it will be affordable and globally available supplying hundreds of millions of doses on approval,” said Pascal Soriot, CEO of AstraZeneca, in a statement.

Source: AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 vaccine: Why it’s different – Vox

Why Even A Small Thanksgiving Is Dangerous | FiveThirtyEight

Imagine a Thanksgiving dinner with 10 people. Unless all those people have been in strict quarantine for a couple of weeks, you have no way of knowing they’re COVID-19-free. Even getting a pre-dinner test isn’t a great way to ensure you’re not contagious, experts told me, because the results are only a snapshot of a moment in time. “You could test negative today and be infectious tonight, with no symptoms until tomorrow morning,” said Donald Milton, a professor of environmental and occupational health at the University of Maryland.

How likely is it one of those 10 people is infected? That depends on where you are. Some states are estimated to have as much as an 80 percent chance of having someone with COVID-19 attend a 10-person gathering. But even if there’s a far lower chance at your individual dinner, the risk to the community of a bunch of dinners quickly becomes clear.

Source: Why Even A Small Thanksgiving Is Dangerous | FiveThirtyEight