Coronavirus Special Report
March 27-April 2, 2021
March 27-April 2, 2021
Read all about it! The CDC now believes fully vaccinated Americans can fly and travel again. More than 547,000 550,000 553,000 Americans have died from the virus and more than 135 140 145 150 154 million vaccine doses have been administered. U.S. flying roars back and was 52.5% of 2019 volume. American Airlines says bookings are 90% of 2019 levels and United says domestic leisure demand has almost returned to normal. European nations continue to lock down, however. And more. Read from the bottom for context.
Coronavirus Update: Friday, April 2, 2021
As expected by everyone, the CDC announced today that it thinks fully vaccinated people can resume traveling. It urges continued mask use and social distancing during trips, however. The new guidance is here. Today's other developments:
This is very bad There were 79,029 new Coronavirus cases in the United States on Thursday, says Johns Hopkins. That is a distressing jump over recent days and points to a new wave of infections despite the wider distribution of vaccines. The death toll was 1,064. No April fooling According to the TSA, 1,562,239 people passed through U.S. airport security checkpoints on Thursday, April 1. That represents 64.8% of 2019's volume. The Netherlands has stopped distributing the AstraZeneca vaccine to people under the age of 60. The worry continues to be some cases of severe blood clots. Melbourne One of Australia's key international gateways, Melbourne, will once again accept international flights. The first is scheduled for Thursday, April 8. Yer out! The entire series between the New York Mets and Washington Nationals this weekend now has been cancelled due to Coronavirus issues. Paradise lost Nassau and Paradise Island, the driver of the tourism industry in the Bahamas, registered a 90% decline in hotel revenue during January. In February, official figures say visitor totals were down 96.6%. Both numbers compare to similar months in 2020.Coronavirus Update: Thursday, April 1, 2021
It's baseball's Opening Day. One game has been rained out and another (the New York Mets versus the Washington Nationals) was cancelled due to virus protocols. Unlike last year's truncated season, fans will be allowed in the stadiums. Most will permit about 20-25% of capacity, but the Texas Rangers say they will allow 100% of seats to be filled at its home opener. And, of course, the Toronto Blue Jays are playing their home games in Florida due to the strictures on crossborder travel. Here are today's other developments: Not good There were 67,029 new Coronavirus cases in the United States on Wednesday, says Johns Hopkins. The death toll was 1,076. That's a jump from Tuesday and is happening despite the brisk pace of vaccinations. United Airlines Scott Kirby, chief executive of United Airlines, says its domestic leisure-travel demand "has almost fully recovered." March is for flyers According to the TSA security-checkpoint statistics, slightly more than 38 million people flew in March compared to around 72.5 million in 2019. That's 52.5% of 2019 volume, an astonishing 12-point jump over the February-to-February numbers. Alaska Airlines generated a positive cash flow in March, according to chief executive officer Ben Mincucci. Overruled The Wisconsin Supreme Court yesterday declared the statewide mask mandate null and void. The court also ruled Governor Tony Evers may not mandate face masks without the approval of the state Legislature. It was another 4-3 ruling in the closely divided court. Locked down again French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday announced a three-week nationwide school closure and a month-long domestic travel ban. Until yesterday's move, France had been trying to address the surge in Coronavirus cases on a regional rather than national basis. The 7pm nationwide curfew remains in effect. Spoiled Shipments of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been halted while the FDA investigates a Baltimore manufacturing plant. Human error there ruined 15 million doses.Coronavirus Update: Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Germany suspended distribution of the AstraZeneca vaccine to anyone younger than 60. The concern: rare blood clots. However, the European Medicines Agency said today the vaccine's benefits outweigh the risks and it has not identified a risk factor linked to clotting. Here are today's other developments: Delta does it Delta Air Lines says that it will stop blocking seats on all flights beginning May 1. It was the last carrier to offer systemwide seat-blocking. Cruising along The TSA says 1,130,520 people passed through U.S. airport checkpoints on Tuesday. That represents 55.8% of 2019 volume and more than five points higher than last Tuesday, March 23. Down a bit There were 61,240 new Coronavirus cases in the United States on Tuesday, says Johns Hopkins. The death toll was 875. That is a slight decline in new infections from yesterday. Paris when it doesn't sizzle The pandemic cost Paris about 15 billion euros in tourist revenue in 2020, according to government statistics. Longer lockdown Vienna's lockdown was extended for ten more days and will continue until April 11. Two other regions, Lower Austria and Burgenland, also extended its lockdown until April 11.Coronavirus Update: Tuesday, March 30, 2021
While announcing another speed-up of vaccine distribution, President Biden yesterday urged states to resume their mask mandates. Biden cited the obvious rise in new infections in recent weeks. Here are today's other developments: Settling in The TSA says 1,406,234 people passed through U.S. airport checkpoints Monday. That represents 59.6% of 2019 volume and seems to be where we are now: about 60% of 2019 volume. Shooting up There were 69,417 new Coronavirus cases in the United States on Monday, says Johns Hopkins. That's nearly 40% higher than the 50,000-case plateau that has worried experts. The death toll was 701. Some good news: More than 50 million Americans have now been fully vaccinated. That represents 15.35% of the population. South of the border Mexico's Coronavirus death toll has been massively under-reported. The BBC has the gruesome details. Separately, summer bookings at major tourist destinations are reported to be as high as 62%, according to government tourism sources. Florida man's gonna Florida man More credible evidence that Florida has lowballed its Coronavirus statistics to make Governor Ron DeSantis look good and justify his "everyone's normal" approach. Yahoo News has details. Meanwhile, DeSantis has vowed to stop any effort to use vaccine passports. Because, apparently, DeSantis knows nothing about the history of vaccines for smallpox, polio or other diseases and even less about not-too-long-past standards of international travel. The Miami Herald has details. Let's get small The Biden Administration's federal mass-vaccination sites haven't been a big hit. What has? Putting vaccines in the hands of local pharmacists so they can distribute shots. Politico has the details in a story that posted just before Biden yesterday announced another huge tranche of supply for local pharmacies.Coronavirus Update: Monday, March 29, 2021
Rochelle Walensky, head of the CDC, says she has a "recurring feeling I have of impending doom" about a new wave of Coronavirus infections. "Right now I'm scared." Here are today's other developments: On the road again--for real The TSA says that 1,574,228 people passed through U.S. airport checkpoints on Sunday. It represents 62.7% of 2019 volume and nearly nine times the volume of 2020's traffic on a similar day. It was also the busiest flying day since March 13, 2020. Sunday respite There were 43,694 new Coronavirus cases in the United States on Sunday, says Johns Hopkins. The death toll was 506. American booking bonanza American Airlines says that its seven-day moving average of net bookings has reached 90% of 2019 levels. Domestic load factor on existing flights is about 80% and the carrier expects to "reactivate most of its aircraft" in the second quarter. Who's flying now? Despite various levels of lockdown being reimposed on many countries in Europe, Eurocontrol says the number of flights increased by 19% during the past two weeks. The Philippines will lock down through at least Easter after the country confirmed a record 9,829 new Coronavirus cases on Saturday.Coronavirus Update: Sunday, March 28, 2021
New York State has released the digital Excelsior Pass--Excelsior is the state motto--designed to allow vaccinated people to attend concerts, dine out and safely attend other public events. The first version is now available via the Apple Store for iPhones or Google Play for Android phones. The New York Post has some background details. Here are today's other developments: Alarming ... There were 62,062 new Coronavirus cases in the United States on Saturday, says Johns Hopkins. The death toll: 741. The consistently high new-case rate is alarming experts who fear a new wave of infections. Bit of good news? More than 140,000,000 vaccines have been administered and 14.42% of Americans are now fully vaccinated. Humming along The TSA says that 1,408,198 people passed through U.S. airport checkpoints on Saturday. It represents 64.8% of 2019 volume. Its superpower is idiocy Comic-Con announced its in-person show returns November 26-28. If you don't have a calendar in front of you, that's Thanksgiving weekend. Which means the Comic-Con people think celebrities, exhibitors, media and 100,000 or so attendees would rather be in San Diego for the event than with families for what could be the first gatherings in 18 months. Thailand is preparing to allow vaccinated visitors to visit the resort island of Phuket without a quarantine. ABC News has the details via the Associated Press.Coronavirus Update: Saturday, March 27, 2021
Fourteen percent of the U.S. population has now been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, according to statistics compiled by Johns Hopkins. That's 45.8 million people. Here are today's other developments: Surging The TSA says that 1,535,156 people passed through U.S. airport checkpoints on Friday. It represents 60.4% of 2019 volume, two points higher than last Friday, March 19. Distressingly high There were 77,339 new Coronavirus cases in the United States Friday, says Johns Hopkins. The death toll was 1,265. The numbers are distressingly high and point to a new surge, many virologists and health officials fear. The "new" New York New York City was America's first Coronavirus epicenter. A year later, it's a different city, for worse and for better. Politico.com offers one view. Denmark The Danish government says that it will extend current entry restrictions and the travel ban until at least April 20. Switzerland makes a hole Citizens of the United States and the United Kingdom are now eligible to enter Switzerland for essential purposes without being subject to a compulsory quarantine.