Russian hackers, infamous for the SolarWinds attack, have now targeted the USAID Microsoft email system. Welcome to an era where cyberattacks seem almost perpetual.
On another note, a major global meat producer has fallen victim to a cyberattack. Factories across the globe are shutting down, with some U.S. facilities and shifts potentially affected. This could impact up to 20% of the beef supply. Interestingly, despite the operational disruptions, the company’s stock price hasn’t dropped significantly yet:
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This JBS hack looks pretty severe. Meat plants in both Canada and Australia have been halted. Labor representatives say shifts are being canceled at U.S. meat plants too. [Link]
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In Texas, officials reported 151 deaths during the Great Freeze. However, excess death data from the CDC suggests the actual number could be 3 to 6 times higher. I’m unsure how journalists differentiated between potential COVID deaths and other excess mortality causes in their analysis. Regardless, it’s clear Texas is severely underestimating the damage caused by the power and gas failures.
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In India and Bangladesh, Cyclone Yaas has displaced 150,000 people. This area, already at high risk due to climate change, is one of the most densely populated regions globally.
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U.S. dam infrastructure is aging rapidly. Scores of locations urgently need repairs, increasing the risk of failures over time. Beyond flooding and loss of life, toxic industrial contamination spreading to vast areas is a serious concern. Half of America’s dams are older than 50 years.
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Amazon is stepping up to help with disaster recovery efforts, planning to ship relief supplies alongside the Red Cross.
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The world is nearing 171.9 million confirmed COVID cases. In the past week alone, there were 4 million new cases. Globally, nearly 3.6 million lives have been lost. In the U.S., there are nearly 34.1 million cases, with over 610,000 deaths. Since yesterday, there were only 9,500 new cases, though holiday reporting may distort accuracy. The U.S. saw 231 deaths in the last day. India recorded over 3,200 deaths, while Brazil tallied over 2,200. India added nearly 133,000 cases in the last 24 hours.
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The UK variant dominates in the U.S., but our vaccination rates are keeping things manageable. However, in the UK, where 59% are vaccinated, the Delta variant (originating from India) is rising, potentially foreshadowing what lies ahead for the U.S.
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Scientists worldwide are racing to improve COVID vaccines—making them safer, more effective against variants, and accessible globally. Future versions may not require cold storage and could even be single-dose options.
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The WHO is adopting Greek letters to label variants. While this might simplify things, I wonder if it’ll cause confusion instead. For instance:
- Alpha: B.1.1.7 (UK)
- Beta: B.1.351 (South Africa)
- Gamma: P.1 (Brazil)
- Delta: B.1.617.2 (India)
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A rare strain of bird flu has infected someone in China. Luckily, it’s mild, and there’s no sign of human-to-human transmission yet.
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The Indian variant is gaining traction in the U.S., accounting for about 7% of cases. It’s expected to surpass the UK variant soon. More contagious than others, it produces rapid chains of infection.
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Peru has doubled its official COVID death count, acknowledging previous underreporting and lack of testing. Peru has one of the highest per capita death rates globally.
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New Yorkers are embracing digital vaccine passports en masse—1.1 million have been issued. Though over 10 million residents are vaccinated, skepticism about these passports remains strong in the U.S.
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Vietnam is curtailing some international travel due to concerns over a hybrid variant combining the UK and Indian strains.
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