MAGNITUDE 4.8 NEAR THE COAST OF WESTERN TURKEY
Depth: 10 km
Distances: 112 km WNW of İzmir, Turkey / pop: 2,500,000 / local time: 08:46:52.4 2021-02-01
7 die at Spanish care home after getting Pfizer Covid-19 jab as ALL residents test positive for virus, second doses still to come
All 78 residents at a nursing home in central Spain have tested positive for Covid-19 after being given their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and at least seven people have died, staff confirmed on Monday.
Most of those who succumbed to the virus had existing conditions, according to Spanish news agency EFE, while four residents are currently hospitalized, and 12 staff have also been infected.
The huge outbreak is at the Lagartera Residence for the Elderly in the Toledo area, southwest of the capital Madrid.
The home’s 33 staff must now present a negative PCR test before they start work, and a spokesperson said that health measures to contain the spread of the virus are in place “at all times.”
“On January 13, all residents, including nursing home staff, were vaccinated with the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, and after six days the first symptoms began to appear in ten of the residents,” they said in a statement.
Some members of staff began to go off sick with the virus five days after being inoculated.
On January 21, management approved the decision to test all residents of the home and quarantine them to their rooms, with families informed of the move.
The testing results, on January 25, showed that all the residents had caught the virus apart from one, who then also tested positive at a later date.
In December, Spain’s Supreme Court ordered an investigation into deaths at nursing homes, which were a disturbing feature of the early pandemic, making up 69 percent of all Covid-19 fatalities between April 6 and June 20.
The Lagartera Residence for the Elderly insisted the current outbreak was its first of the pandemic, having remained virus-free during the first two waves of infections.
The next doses of the vaccine are to be administered at the home on February 3, and the next round of PCR tests will be carried out on February 5.
Across Spain, almost 1.5 million people have been injected with either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
More than 58,000 people have died from Covid-19 in Spain and the country has registered more than 2.7 million cases of the virus in total.
Courtesy of rt.com
FURTHER SNOW IS FALLING IN PARTS OF THE ALPS WITH ‘HIGH’ AVALANCHE DANGER
Huge amounts of snow have fallen in parts of the Alps. Some people have been caught in avalanches, villages were cut off and more snow is on the way. There have been some large spontaneous avalanches. There are some excellent skiing conditions, but it’s highly dangerous off piste.
The fiercest storms started in the north and western Alps, in Switzerland and France.
Up to 2m has fallen at altitude in a few places.
There are some spontaneous avalanches happening.
Further east, Austria has also seen some heavy snow in the Tirol and Salzburg.
The new snow has been falling on the snowpack that has an extremely weak, and widespread, layer near the base of the snow.
The fresh snow is putting extra pressure on this already very weak snowpack.
The temperatures have been warm in the Alps and heavy rain has also fallen with flooding worries.
The Avalanche Death Toll in the Alps Continues to Climb and the latest incidents we have heard about come from Austria
Four people were killed in avalanches in the Tirol in Austria over the weekend.
Extreme caution is urged across many parts of the Alps.
It is one of the most dangerous periods in recent years across the Alps.
There have been 45 deaths so far this winter and that comes as many resorts are closed.
After easing on Sunday more snow is on the way, though not in such large amounts.
Here’s the scene in Val d’Isere, France, first thing on Monday morning.
30cm is forecast and the avalanche danger is at Level 4.
People in Val d’Isere are being asked to clear the snow from the roof of buildings as it could slide off and bury passing pedestrians.
And Val Thorens has been monitoring the snow levels over the past few days.
It was quite a storm last week with Level 5 avalanche danger in parts of France and Switzerland, plus Level 4 in some places in Austria.
Up to 2m fell in a few spots with many others having well over a metre.
Ski resorts remain open across Switzerland with some lift closures due to the snow levels.
In Switzerland for Monday there remains a ‘considerable’ risk of avalanche with Level 3 in many places and ‘high’ at Level 4 in some areas in the east of the country.
“The large amounts of fresh fallen snow and freshly generated snowdrifts from this last week are continuing to consolidate,” said the Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Studies.
“Beneath the thick layers of fresh snow, particularly in the Valais and in Grisons, there are strikingly weak layers.
“Avalanches can be triggered in these layers by persons, as various large-spread avalanche releases of the last few days have amply demonstrated.”
There is now excellent levels of snow across many parts of the Alps with conditions above average for the time of year.
For an analysis we turn to Fraser Wilkin from weathertoski.co.uk
“Following last week’s wild weather, snow depths are now way above average across the north-western Alps (e.g. Tignes, Val Thorens, Chamonix, Verbier, Zermatt, Mürren, Engelberg, Laax), especially at altitude where three-day storm totals (between Wednesday and Saturday) were between 1m and 1.5m above 2200m, with even more in places.
“Indeed, all parts of the Alps currently have excellent snow cover, though we do appreciate that publicly accessible lift-served skiing is still only possible in Austria and Switzerland.
“If skiing in the Alps does become more accessible to greater numbers of people later on this season, even if that means skiing in the Alps beyond the “normal” season (i.e. later in spring or in summer) then there is plenty to be optimistic about, from a snow perspective at least.”
Courtesy of planetski.eu
Powerful storm blankets Southern California mountains with snow
A powerful stormed moved its way through Southern California and blanketed mountains with snow on Friday.
Big Bear got more than a foot of snow. The snow dumped within 24 hours is in addition to the two feet that fell on Monday.
It’s great news for skiers and snowboarders, and for local businesses. The economy there has been hit hard by the pandemic.
At Snow Valley Mountain Resort in Running Springs, about 18 to 24 inches of snow fell within 24 hours and the area was still seeing fresh snow Friday morning.
The mid-winter storm meant better conditions at Mountain High Resort in Wrightwood, allowing them to open their east side resort for the first time this season. About 18 to 24 inches of snow was reported at Mountain High on Friday.
In Oak Glen, one of the burn areas, snow levels were dropping, which left minimal flooding. Flash floods were a concern in several burn areas in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
Those planning a trip to the mountains will need chains on their vehicle.
Courtesy of abc7.com
Major Snow Storm Slams the Northeast, USA, Crippling Air Travel and Closing the Subway
A powerful winter storm pummeled much of the Northeastern United States on Monday, canceling flights, causing outdoor subway closures and disrupting travel for millions of people along the I-95 corridor.
In New York City, a forecast of up to two feet of snow by Tuesday could make the snowstorm one of the biggest in the city’s history. More than 13 inches of snow had fallen in Central Park by 1 p.m., including eight inches in the previous six hours, the National Weather Service said on Twitter.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said that heavy snow would give way to icy, dangerous conditions on Tuesday and that in-person learning at city schools would be canceled until Wednesday. The storm was also hampering the city’s ability to deal with pandemic and the city postponed coronavirus vaccination appointments scheduled for Monday and Tuesday to later in the week.
“At the most intense points, you’re going to see two to four inches of snow per hour,” Mr. de Blasio said. “That’s extremely intense snow. That’s blinding snow. You do not want to be out if there’s any way to avoid it.”
On Sunday, Mr. de Blasio issued a local emergency declaration, barring most travel in the city starting at 6 a.m. on Monday except in cases of emergencies. Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey declared a state of emergency beginning at 7 p.m. Sunday and said most of New Jersey Transit’s bus and rail operations would be temporarily suspended on Monday because of the storm.
As of 10:45 a.m. on Monday, a band of heavy snow was developing over parts of Pennsylvania and into the early afternoon with a mix of sleet and freezing rain that was expected to change back to snow soon, according to the National Weather Service, with accumulations of 12 to 24 inches forecast for the northeastern part of the state, as well as northern portions of New Jersey. Wind gusts could reach up to 35 m.p.h. Areas in central New Jersey could see snow totals around 15 inches, the service said, making travel extremely difficult.
In Philadelphia, about two inches of snow had fallen in the early hours of Monday, with about five inches in the suburbs. Conditions across the area were expected to dramatically worsen as the day progressed, local meteorologists said, an by day’s end Philadelphia may have eight to 12 inches of snow. Areas around the city were expected to get over a foot and more than 18 inches of snow was possible in the Lehigh Valley and Poconos. A combination of heavy snow and strong winds up to 60 m.p.h. in some areas could create power outages.
In New England, blizzard-like conditions were forecast on Monday, meteorologists said. At noon, a wall of snow moved over the coastal areas of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut with snow falling at a rate of one two inches an hour. A foot was expected by the evening. Wind gusts up to 70 m.p.h. and moderate coastal flooding could occur.
By Monday evening, the snow will shift into Northern New England, according to the National Weather Service. Areas of rain and freezing rain could occur along the I-95 corridor from Washington to Philadelphia.
On Sunday, as much as three inches of snow fell across the Washington area, and forecasters predicted another inch or so on Monday.
Outdoor subway service in New York City was suspended starting at 2 p.m. on Monday because of the snowstorm, officials said.
There were no immediate plans to pause underground service, but that could change, said Sarah E. Feinberg, the interim president of New York City Transit, which runs the city’s subway and buses.
“This is a dangerous, life-threatening situation,” Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said at a news conference on Monday. “And expect major closures, so you’re not surprised. And we don’t want anyone to be stranded in a location where they can’t get home again.”
The shut down affected lines across the city and closed 204 of the system’s 472 stations, mostly n Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, according to a map shared by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Passengers were required to disembark at the last underground station before the train goes above ground.
Southbound service on the F line ended in Brooklyn at the Jay Street-MetroTech station, for example. In Queens, the 7 line ended northbound service at Hunters Point Avenue. In the Bronx, northbound service on the 6 line ended at Hunts Point Avenue.
Patrick J. Foye, the chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees the subway, buses and two commuter lines, said the Long Island Railroad would stop running between 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., while the last Metro-North Railroad trains would leave Grand Central Terminal around 3 p.m.
PATH trains, which link Manhattan with New Jersey, would also stop running at 3 p.m., according to Rick Cotton, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Courtesy of nytimes.com
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