TallGuyJohninBKK

The latest August 30 COVID projections by independent COVID tracker and infectious disease modeler Jay Weiland, who is forecasting that the current surge should soon begin subsiding: https://twitter.com/JPWeiland/status/1829650388511047960

My summary: Amid the country's continuing mid-year COVID surge, U.S. weekly COVID deaths rose again to a partial tally of 881 for the week ending August 10, nearly triple the weekly low of 308 COVID deaths in early June. Still, the current weekly COVID deaths tally also remains about one-third of that reported at the beginning of 2024 amid the now-typical year-end surge. The rate of sampled hospitalizations due to COVID also continued increasing for the week ending August 10. But two other publicly reported COVID forward-looking indicators showed moderation in the latest update through August 24, with the rates of sampled emergency department COVID visits and COVID testing positivity both declining slightly, albeit the latter to a still very high 17% rate. CDC COVID update for August 30, 2024: "COVID-19 activity is elevated nationally, with continued increases in many areas and early signs of decline in others. COVID-19 test positivity, emergency department visits, and rates of COVID-19–associated hospitalizations remain elevated, particularly among adults 65+ and children under 2 years. Surges like this are known to occur throughout the year, including during the summer months." https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/data/index.html https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home * the three gray columns above indicate totals for those recent weeks remain partial. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_weeklydeaths_select_00 With the absence of any comprehensive COVID infection testing and reporting program in the U.S. and reduced reporting of COVID hospitalization data, public health officials increasingly have turned to wastewater monitoring of COVID viral content as a primary forward-looking indicator of COVID activity and trends in the country, as follows: "Wastewater (sewage) can be tested to detect traces of infectious diseases circulating in a community, even if people don’t have symptoms. You can use these data as an early warning that levels of infections may be increasing or decreasing in your community." https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-nationaltrend.html https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-currentlevels.html

Here's the charts from the latest UKHSA weekly COVID update for England as of Aug. 29: My text summary - Newly reported weekly COVID deaths (at 166, down 17% for the week ending Aug. 16) fell to their lowest level in the past month, while two other publicly reported COVID indicators both showed substantial improvement in the government's latest weekly COVID update. Those included a 19% decline in new weekly COVID cases (not an especially reliable indicator these days due to sparse testing), and the good sign of a fifth consecutive weekly decline in the positivity rate for COVID testing (7-day rolling average), which dropped from 11.4% to 10% as of Aug. 17. In comparison, the testing positivity rate had peaked at almost 16% and weekly deaths had hit a recent high of 216 in mid-July. There was no updated data for COVID new hospital admissions since the last weekly report. The latest numbers are a possible sign that the spring COVID surge is finally easing. https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/ https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/topics/covid-19#deaths Weekly COVID deaths from the recent low in May: Weekly data for deaths with COVID-19 on the death certificate in England Up to and including 16 August 2024 (some recent prior week figures have been revised vs prior weekly reports): Date -- Amount 16 Aug 2024 -- 166 9 Aug 2024 -- 200 2 Aug 2024 -- 194 26 Jul 2024 -- 177 19 Jul 2024 -- 216 12 Jul 2024 -- 205 5 Jul 2024 -- 165 28 Jun 2024 -- 186 21 Jun 2024 -- 149 14 Jun 2024 -- 158 7 Jun 2024 -- 146 31 May 2024 -- 113 24 May 2024 -- 147 17 May 2024 -- 168 10 May 2024 -- 93 https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/ https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/ https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/topics/covid-19#testing

Don't believe the UK, the subject of the thread here, has ever recommended COVID vaccines for the entire group of "toddlers" -- which typically means those aged 1 to 3. But as the study below reports, COVID vaccines in the UK have had a "favourable safety profile" among children/young people in general, and better health outcomes for the vaccinated vs. the unvaccinated. Safety outcomes following COVID-19 vaccination and infection in 5.1 million children in England 27 May 2024 "The United Kingdom (UK) approved COVID-19 vaccination for all children aged 12 and over in September 2021. This was extended to 5–11-year-olds in April 2022 in a one-off programme offering a primary course of COVID-19 vaccination to children who were not in a vulnerable or high-risk group." ... In the UK, the vast majority of vaccinated children received the BNT162b2 (Pfizer/BioNTech) COVID-19 vaccine, as the UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised against using ChAdOX1 (AstraZeneca) in people under 40 or mRNA-1273 (Moderna/SpikeVax) in children under 18 during the time period that most children were vaccinated3 ... They have advised to continue vaccinating clinically vulnerable children aged 6 months and above and to vaccinate otherwise healthy children aged 12 years and above living with immunosuppressed individuals4. ... We report a favourable safety profile of COVID-19 vaccination in under-18s." https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-47745-z

A nonsense paper by several authors, among others, affiliated with the RFK Jr. anti-vax quack group Children's Health Defense, along with others whose backgrounds very fittingly are food-agriculture and psychiatry. "Overall, we rate the Children’s Health Defense a strong conspiracy and quackery level advocacy group that frequently promotes unsupported claims. We also rate them low for factual reporting due to the promotion of propaganda and several failed fact checks. ... Besides promoting anti-vaccination propaganda, the Children Health Defense has also promoted the debunked conspiracy that fluoride lowers the IQ in children. At this time, there is not enough evidence to make that claim. Other conspiracies and/or pseudoscience promoted on this website includes the dangers of 5G. During the Coronavirus pandemic, the group accused the United States government of supporting research on a vaccine as part of a plan to increase revenues for the pharmaceutical industry. Further, as seen below they routinely promote false and misleading claims regarding Covid-19 and vaccines." https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/childrens-health-defense/ And further on the general anti-vaxer claims relating to spike proteins: The spike protein encoded in the COVID-19 vaccines has been the subject of much alarmism from anti-vaxxers. None of it is actually worrisome. 8 Jun 2024 "Our office recently celebrated its 25th anniversary—25 years of, among other things, separating sense from nonsense on scientific matters. I would argue that our work is harder now than it has ever been: as the dance of science becomes ever more convoluted, pseudoscience follows in its footsteps, imitating its complexity and looking more and more convincing. ... The COVID vaccines, administered over 13 billion times, are really, really safe. A massive review looking at 41 randomized controlled trials of 12 different COVID-19 vaccines on a total of nearly half a million participants concluded that there was probably little to no difference between most vaccines and placebos when it came to serious side effects. ... Take-home message: - The claim that the spike protein or its messenger RNA can be detected for weeks or months after vaccination is based on studies where fragments were barely detectable, often trillionths of a gram, which is in keeping with our understanding of biology." McGill University Office for Science and Society Separating Sense from Nonsense https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/covid-19-medical-critical-thinking/spikeopathy-speculative-fiction-contaminates-blood-supply

The COVID pandemic has claimed many millions of lives since its start in 2020, including some 7 million officially found directly caused by COVID, which is widely considered an undercount. But there also have been many other less direct victims of the pandemic, people who didn't get the medical care they needed for other conditions, and yes, a comparatively much smaller number who incurred injuries and deaths believed related to COVID vaccines. Any death, whether due to COVID itself or due to other factors relating to the pandemic, is sad and regrettable. But considering that the BBC decided to spend some 60 paragraphs (by my count) in their article on two particular deaths believed related to what a government spokesman in the BBC report called "extremely rare" cases of blood clotting associated with the already discontinued Astra Zeneca COVID vaccine, there's a lot of additional context on that topic that could have been, but wasn't, provided. Such as: --More people are dying and have been dying of COVID every week in England, some 200 from the last weekly update, even now 4-1/2 years into the pandemic than ALL of the claimed UK blood clotting deaths believed related to the Astra Zeneca vaccine since the beginning --The blood clotting deaths in the UK that have been attributed to the AZ vaccine, some 80+ in total, occurred out of some 50 million AZ doses that were given in the UK in the late 2020, mostly 2021 period of time, rendering those a very rare side effect of the vaccine, which is why the clotting issue didn't surface in the vaccine's original clinical trials. --Balance against that, COVID vaccines are estimated to have prevented some 400,000 COVID deaths just in the UK, including preventing up to 130,000 UK deaths early in the pandemic thru fall 2021 when the AZ vaccine was being used along with two others. --The COVID virus/illness itself during the pandemic, even with the use of vaccines, still has ended up claiming more than 232,000 lives in the UK. As the UK-based fact checking site Full Fact reported in 2023: "Overall, the vaccines have therefore saved vastly more lives than they have cost." --The risk of blood clots was HIGHER from COVID itself than it was from the AZ vaccine: "The risk of a serious blood clot [from the vaccine] is about 1 in 250,000 people or 4 in 1 million. COVID-19 carries a much higher risk of blood clots: 7.8 percent of people who have had COVID-19 also had a pulmonary embolism, and 11.2 percent experience deep vein thrombosis." https://www.healthline.com/health/adult-vaccines/astrazeneca-vaccine#blood-clot-risk And last, as the BBC report finally adds near the end of its long report -- the AZ vaccine has been credited with saving more than 6 million lives worldwide in the first year of the COVID vaccines rollout. "From the body of evidence in clinical trials and real-world data, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has continuously been shown to have an acceptable safety profile and regulators around the world consistently state that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of extremely rare potential side effects. ... "According to independent estimates, over six million lives were saved in the first year of use alone and over three billion doses were supplied globally." So, by all means, those believed harmed by COVID vaccines deserve full and fair investigations into their cases, and to have their days in court to seek judgments and compensation for those who choose to pursue that path, if they prevail in their cases. But for every report like the BBC one presented here, let's also not forget or fail to recognize the hundreds of thousands of UK residents and many more around the world who are still living today because they were protected by those vaccines.

Sheryl, just a query about your comment above. AFAIK, lots of people during the course of the pandemic had COVID infections and were never formally tested for them for various reasons, including both those who had symptoms at the time and those who didn't, at least to the level of recognizing them as such. Thus, the absence of a positive COVID test result doesn't necessarily mean someone never became infected with COVID. Though I believe there are retrospective blood tests (serology) that can better answer that one way or the other.

And more of the same from Agence France-Presse (AFP): Experts rubbish Covid vaccine 'detoxification' supplement July 19, 2023 "Sponsored social media posts advertise a "detoxification supplement" called nattokinase that can supposedly counteract harmful effects from Covid-19 shots. This is false; experts and public health authorities told AFP there is no evidence the product -- which regulators are reviewing for unproven claims -- destroys harmless spike proteins from the jabs. ... Anti-vaccine advocates have for years promoted supplements and pseudoscientific treatments as a way to "detox" or reverse the purported negative effects of the Covid-19 shots. AFP has previously debunked such claims. Posts touting nattokinase are similarly unfounded, experts say -- and regulators in the United States and Canada have acted against companies hawking the supplement." https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.33PA8L4 along with... No scientific evidence for the claim that nattokinase can treat long COVID or “detox” COVID-19 vaccines 2023-03-24 "Nattokinase is an enzyme that was first isolated from natto, a traditional Japanese dish made of fermented soybeans. Research so far has shown that it can break apart proteins involved in blood clotting, which enables it to dissolve blood clots. While one study by Tanikawa et al. found that nattokinase could break down spike protein, the study was unrelated to long COVID and the experiments were performed in cells in the lab. Therefore, the results may not reflect what happens in the human body and also provide no information about its effects on long COVID. ... Incorrect: There’s no evidence that the spike protein generated through vaccination causes harm. COVID-19 vaccines haven’t been shown to be toxic, so it is unnecessary to “detox” from it. Unsupported: The nattokinase study cited was performed only in vitro, not in people, so it provides no information about nattokinase’s effect in people with long COVID. The exact cause of long COVID still remains unknown. The assertion that long COVID is due to persistent spike protein and can be treated with nattokinase is unsupported by scientific evidence. https://science.feedback.org/review/no-scientific-evidence-for-claim-nattokinase-treat-long-covid-detox-covid19-vaccines/

Then as far as the Japanese food ingredient natto / nattokinase is concerned along with COVID quackster Peter McCullough: False claim that nattokinase dissolves COVID-19 spike protein in your body | Fact check The claim: Nattokinase dissolves the spike protein found on the COVID-19 virus ... "A July 14 Instagram post (direct link) includes a quote from a controversial cardiologist known for spreading COVID-19 misinformation. The video's caption quotes Dr. Peter McCullough as saying a supplement called nattokinase “is the only enzyme we’re aware of right now that dissolves the spike protein.” ... Our rating: False Experts have consistently said there is no evidence spike proteins from the vaccines pose any danger to the public or that nattokinase dissolves those proteins in the body. Public health officials have taken action against those making false claims about the supplement in advertisements. ... Study conducted in lab, not human body A Feb. 21 essay McCullogh posted to Substack about nattokinase’s effect on the spike protein included a reference to a study by 10 researchers in Japan. That study, published in August 2022, found the enzyme “exhibits potential” for inhibiting COVID-19 infection by degrading that protein. But the study was conducted in vitro, not in the body, and looked only at those spike proteins from an infection, not an mRNA vaccination. USA TODAY reached out to its lead author, researcher Takashi Tanikawa, but did not immediately receive a response." https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2023/07/21/false-claim-nattokinase-dissolves-covid-19-spike-protein-fact-check/70443445007/

No, NIH is not acknowledging the issue, at least, not via the link you provided. The link you provided merely is a citation and weblink to an 3rd party article included in the NIH's online library of published research, both good and bad. And as the NLM/NIH website page you linked to notes at the very top: "As a library, NLM provides access to scientific literature. Inclusion in an NLM database does not imply endorsement of, or agreement with, the contents by NLM or the National Institutes of Health." Beyond that, the authors of the article you cited include several with dubious credentials, including one (Paul Marik) affiliated with the group Frontline COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC), which is renowned for hawking unproven COVID treatments and supposed remedies, including the discredited use of Ivermectin as a COVID treatment. Earning it the following designation: Front Line Covid-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) – Bias and Credibility PSEUDOSCIENCE "Overall, we rate the Front Line Covid-19 Critical Care Alliance as a strong pseudoscience website based on the promotion of unproven alternative medicines that falsely mislead people and several failed fact checks. The Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) is a small U.S. organization of physicians and former journalists formed in March 2020 that has advocated for various alternative treatments for COVID-19, including the anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin. Paul E. Marik and Pierre Kory lead the group. ... The website also features a disclaimer that reads, “The Ivermectin/Mask+ Protocol has not been adopted as a medical consensus. While clinical experience and research to date are promising, these products have not been proven safe and effective by prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies acceptable to US medical associations and regulatory bodies.” In general, the FLCCC promotes alternative treatments for the prevention and treatment of Covid-19 while downplaying vaccines." https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/front-line-covid-19-critical-care-alliance-flccc-bias/

I think both versions related above are correct regarding whether/when BKK CW requires bank-issued annual statements showing proof of the 800K deposit for retirement extensions. In many years of obtaining extensions there, the ONLY time I was ever requested to provide a bank issued annual statement was several years ago when my bankbook due to a snafu had a time gap for listed entries at one point during the year. Similar to the episode Jack related above. In all the other years where my Krungsri account and its bank book showed multiple transactions every month due to interest being credited monthly and then tax with withheld, in those cases, I was never asked for a separate bank-issued annual bank statement. In all those years, just bringing the bankbook with monthly transactions posted and providing signed photocopies for the bank book pages of the past year was sufficient and accepted.

Thailand MoPH Weekly COVID report for Aug. 18 - 24, 2024: The latest MOPH COVID update below shows further improvements in all reported categories, and the various numbers are back below spring surge levels. As a result for the future, as long as the various reported COVID stats remain relatively low and stable, I'll simply let the weekly MOPH reports speak for themselves, without any elaboration, explanation or comparisons. If past history is any indicator, though, Thailand likely can expect another COVID surge toward the end of 2024 and moving into early 2025. https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=main

The latest mpox clade doesn't appear to be playing out the same way in Africa as mentioned in the OP... Right now, children are bearing the brunt of it there. Why is mpox being transmitted mainly between children? In the absence of details on how the new variant behaves, experts believe that the biggest difference is not in the virus itself, but in the environment AUG 21, 2024 "One of the big differences between the mpox outbreak spreading across Africa and the 2022 outbreak in Europe is how it is being transmitted. While transmission two years ago was confined almost exclusively to sexual intercourse, now the victims are mainly children, who account for 70% of cases. It seems that something has changed in the way in which this new variant (Clade 1b) is transmitted, and the extent to which this has changed is still to be clarified. But perhaps it is not changes in the virus we should be looking at so much as changes in the environment. ... What is not in doubt is that transmission is behaving differently. But this should not be surprising either, according to Aginagalde: “Poxviruses (such as smallpox, and now mpox) have always spread more among children than adults, and more among women than men, because it is usually women who take care of children. This is not new, and it has already happened with mpox in Africa,” he says. ... In principle, the transmission route is still considered to be direct and continuous contact. That clearly exists in the case of sexual relations, but it also happens when touching the secretions of an infected person, touching their clothing or even talking in close proximity for a period of time, with the potential for saliva droplets to be exchanged. These are the possible transmission routes cited by the World Health Organization (WHO). The more contact and the longer the contact, the greater the likelihood of transmission." (more) https://english.elpais.com/health/2024-08-21/why-is-mpox-being-transmitted-mainly-between-children.html The children bearing the brunt of the mpox outbreak 12 hours ago "Children in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo are worst-affected by the current outbreak of mpox, which has been declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization. The country accounts for nearly all of this year’s recorded cases and more than 450 deaths. ... Some 75% of the cases being seen by medics there are under the age of 10, according to Dr Pierre-Olivier Ngadjole who works for the charity Medair. Young people seem to be particularly badly affected by the mpox outbreak because of their less developed immune systems." (more) https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdjwz77mmgmo

FYI, I filed my online 90-day report yesterday afternoon to BKK CW Immigration without any incident or complication. Easy peasy. Then got my confirmation receipt via email this afternoon in a bit less than 24 hours from my original filing. That's one of the quickest online 90-day reporting turnaround times I've ever experienced in many many years of living here and using the online system whenever it has been available. And, despite my fears going in, it was nice to find the online 90-day reporting web portal was actually up and functioning on a Sunday/weekend, which didn't always used to be the case in the past.

Well, technically, Thai Taco Bell does have rice, not as a standalone menu item, but as an ingredient in some of their dishes, including some burritos and I think what they call their California bowl... But I agree with you about the beans / frijoles issue... TTB simply doesn't have ANY of those in any form. And without frijoles, to me, they're simply not a real TB.

If nothing else, it's my way of reminding people here that COVID hasn't gone away, and is still killing people and sending many to hospitals, mostly but not entirely older folks, on a daily basis. From the U.S. CDC, by way of example -- at least 763 COVID deaths (partial count) during the first week of August. A weekly tally of COVID deaths that's more than doubled over the past two months. Much better than at the start of the year, and much better than the peaks of 2021 and 2022... But still too many deaths, many of them entirely preventable. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_weeklydeaths_select_00

And yet here you are again.... Nice to have an interested and dedicated audience. 🙂

The WHO's last global update on COVID, in so far as data still is tracked and made public by a limited number of countries, was about 10 days ago in mid-August: COVID-19 Epidemiological Update Edition 170 published 13 August 2024 [emphasis added]... "Wastewater surveillance remains important as an early warning system and monitoring SARS-CoV-2 circulation. Around 30 countries from five WHO Regions have publicly available wastewater surveillance information. According to estimates obtained from wastewater surveillance, clinical detection of cases underestimates the real burden from 2 to 19-fold. • Globally, during the 28-day period from 24 June to 21 July 2024, 96 countries reported COVID-19 cases, and 35 countries reported COVID-19 deaths. Note that this does not reflect the actual number of countries where cases or deaths occur, as many countries have stopped or changed the frequency of reporting. From the available data, the number of reported cases and deaths have increased during the 28-day period, with over 186 000 new cases and more than 2800 new deaths, an increase of 30% and 26%, respectively, compared to the previous 28 days (27 May to 23 June 2024). Trends in the number of reported new cases and deaths should be interpreted with caution due to decreased testing and sequencing, alongside reporting delays in many countries. • During the 28-day period from 24 June to 21 July 2024, 46 and 35 countries provided data at least once on COVID-19 hospitalizations and admissions to an intensive care unit (ICU), respectively. From available data, over 23 000 new hospitalizations and more than 600 new ICU admissions were reported during this period. Among the countries reporting these data consistently over the current and past reporting period, there was an overall increase of 11% and 3% in new hospitalizations and new ICU admissions, respectively. The increasing trends in hospitalization and ICU admissions is mainly driven by countries from the Region of the Americas and the European Region." https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/covid-19_epi_update_170.pdf?sfvrsn=af869e8a_2&download=true

I can't speak to Canada, specifically. But, if you look at the CDC info right now regarding the U.S., it says levels of "respiratory illnesses" are low, in general, meaning flu, RSV, etc. In the very next sentence, though, they go on to add that levels of COVID are HIGH! Also, the U.S. has always had higher and more serious levels of COVID illness than Canada, AFAIK. It also could be your image is a generic hospital flyer on masking policy that was posted and has remained since who knows when. Current respiratory illness info postings from the U.S. CDC, by way of example: https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/data/index.html

What to Know About the KP.3.1.1 Variant of COVID-19 August 23, 2024 "Chances are, at least one person you know—and probably many people you know—have caught COVID-19 this summer. Ever since the “FLiRT” variants emerged this spring, the U.S. has been hit with one new variant after another, leading to a seemingly never-ending wave of cases. The amount of virus in wastewater has steadily risen since May and levels are now “very high,” in part because there’s yet another new variant on the scene: KP.3.1.1. KP.3.1.1 was to blame for more than a third of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. during the two weeks ending Aug. 17, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data show. And that’s a lot of cases: about one in 34 people in the U.S. currently has COVID-19, independent data scientist and infectious-disease modeler Jay Weiland tells TIME. CDC data also show that lots of people are testing positive and that hospital visits and deaths related to COVID-19 are on the rise. ... “I think we’re at the peak of this summer wave,” he says. KP.3.1.1’s ascent might prolong the surge a bit, but Weiland thinks it’s unlikely to lead to a major second spike given how much immunity there currently is in the population. The exception may be among kids who are returning to school while COVID-19 is still spreading widely. There may be a noticeable uptick in cases within that age group, Weiland says. (more) TIME https://time.com/7014374/new-covid-19-variant-kp311/ https://twitter.com/JPWeiland/status/1827075333553607121

Rick, which location in the building is the exit 4 you're referring to? The one facing toward Soi 7 with the big planters area on the exterior to the right?

U.S. weekly COVID deaths reached a partial tally of 763 through early August, up from a low of 302 in early June, meaning U.S. COVID deaths now have more than doubled over the past two months. The rate of sampled hospitalizations due to COVID also increased through early August. But two other publicly reported COVID indicators plateaued in the latest update through mid-August, with the rates of sampled emergency department COVID visits and COVID testing positivity both remaining flat, albeit the latter at a very high 18% rate. From the CDC: CDC COVID update for August 23, 2024: "Many areas of the country are continuing to experience increases in COVID-19 activity, though other areas are experiencing declines in COVID-19 activity following increases this summer. COVID-19 test positivity, emergency department visits, and rates of COVID-19–associated hospitalizations remain elevated, particularly among adults 65+ and children under 2 years. Surges like this are known to occur throughout the year, including during the summer months." https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/data-research/dashboard/snapshot.html https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home * the three gray columns above indicate totals for those recent weeks remain partial. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_weeklydeaths_select_00 With the absence of any comprehensive COVID infection testing and reporting program in the U.S. and reduced reporting of COVID hospitalization data, public health officials increasingly have turned to wastewater monitoring of COVID viral content as a primary forward-looking indicator of COVID activity and trends in the country, as follows: "Wastewater (sewage) can be tested to detect traces of infectious diseases circulating in a community, even if people don’t have symptoms. You can use these data as an early warning that levels of infections may be increasing or decreasing in your community." https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-nationaltrend.html https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-currentlevels.html

Here's the charts from the latest UKHSA weekly COVID update for England as of Aug. 22: My text summary - Although new weekly COVID deaths rose for the second straight week back to the 200 level by the first week of August, two other publicly reported COVID indicators for England showed improvement / declines in the latest weekly update. Those included declines in new weekly COVID cases (not an especially reliable indicator these days), and a fourth consecutive weekly decline in the positivity rate for COVID tests (7-day rolling average), which dropped from 13.2% previously to 11.4% in the latest weekly report. In comparison, the positivity rate had peaked at almost 16% in mid-July. There was no updated data for COVID new hospital admissions since the last weekly report. https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/ https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/topics/covid-19#deaths Weekly COVID deaths from the recent low in May: Weekly data for deaths with COVID-19 on the death certificate in England Up to and including 9 August 2024 (some recent prior week figures have been revised vs prior weekly reports): Date -- Amount 9 Aug 2024 -- 200 2 Aug 2024 -- 193 26 Jul 2024 -- 174 19 Jul 2024 -- 212 12 Jul 2024 -- 205 5 Jul 2024 -- 165 28 Jun 2024 -- 186 21 Jun 2024 -- 149 14 Jun 2024 -- 158 7 Jun 2024 -- 146 31 May 2024 -- 113 24 May 2024 -- 147 17 May 2024 -- 168 10 May 2024 -- 93 https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/ https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/ https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/topics/covid-19#testing

FDA green-lights season's updated mRNA COVID vaccines Amid rising US COVID-19 cases, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its approval of the updated 2024-25 monovalent (single-strain) mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for people aged 12 and older and granted emergency use authorization for those aged 6 months to 11 years. The updated vaccines are called 2024-2025 Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine and Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine (2024-2025 Formula) for those aged 6 months through 11 years and Comirnaty (made by Pfizer/BioNTech) and Spikevax (by Moderna) for those 12 years and older. Updated vaccine dose strongly encouraged The vaccine, intended as a single dose for those 5 years and older previously vaccinated at least 2 months earlier, is adapted to the currently circulating Omicron KP.2 strain of the JN.1 SARS-CoV-2 lineage to better protect against hospitalization and death. (more) https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/fda-green-lights-seasons-updated-mrna-covid-vaccines

With the summer Covid wave still rising in the U.S., experts say the timing for getting vaccinated is important Aug. 22, 2024 The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the new Covid vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. It’s the third time the vaccines have been updated to match circulating strains since the original series. The shots should be available within days. The agency hasn't yet approved a third vaccine, from drugmaker Novavax. The timing of the new vaccines — last year's rollout was in mid-September — is significant, since most of the U.S. is still caught in the summer wave of Covid illness. As of Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported, the number of people testing positive for Covid keeps rising and emergency room visits for Covid have been increasing since mid-May. Hospitalizations are rising, too. (more) https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/new-covid-vaccine-what-know-when-available-timing-rcna167121