The COVID-2019 Thread

[harrybarracuda]

Baldy orange cunto's America looks very, very silly.

Orange County's chief health officer resigned on Monday night after facing backlash over her countywide mask order in response to the coronavirus pandemic. CBS Los Angeles reports Dr. Nichole Quick had been receiving increased security after she began facing threats and protests at her home due to her health guidelines.

Quick issued an order on May 23 making face coverings a requirement while in public as other business operations, including in-person shopping, in-person dining, hair salons and barbershops were given the green light to reopen. Prior to that, masks were only mandated for employees interacting with the public.

Orange County health officer who mandated face masks resigns after facing threats and protests at her home - CBS News

[harrybarracuda]

The US Environmental Protection Agency has ordered Amazon and eBay to stop selling pesticides that falsely claim to kill the novel coronavirus. The order applies to some products the EPA has already declared illegal, like a supposed disinfectant called “Virus Shut Out,” as well as chemicals like methylene chloride, which is hazardous and partially banned in the US. In addition to coronavirus claims, the order applies to inflated safety claims and other false advertising.

The orders are based on consumer tips dating back to 2018, and they follow an earlier EPA settlement with Amazon, which was found to be distributing illegal pesticides. Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and other retailers met with the EPA in April to discuss fraudulent and restricted disinfectant sales, but an agency press release claims “Amazon and eBay have thus far failed to consistently keep unregistered, misbranded, or restricted-use pesticides, and pesticide devices off their websites.” It stops short of issuing fines or other penalties.

At the time of the EPA’s announcement, Virus Shut Out was still listed on eBay (but not Amazon), and methylene chloride was listed on both platforms but without coronavirus-related claims. An Amazon spokesperson told The Verge that the company had systems to “proactively block inaccurate claims about COVID-19,” and had “removed the products in question.” An eBay spokesperson said that “we have taken significant measures to block or quickly remove items from our marketplace that are unsafe, make false health claims or violate our zero-tolerance price gouging policy.”

Several federal agencies and state attorneys general have tried to crack down on fake coronavirus treatments and preventives, including products sold by media figures like radio host Alex Jones and televangelist Jim Bakker. And Amazon has faced particular scrutiny over third-party seller price gouging. The pressure hasn’t all come from governments, either; manufacturer 3M recently sued a third-party seller for selling fake N95 masks.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/11/2...s-disinfectant

[harrybarracuda]

Researchers piecing together how the body’s immune system responds to the virus that causes Covid-19 are exploring a tantalizing effect: Some people who have never encountered the pathogen before appear to be able to mobilize parts of their immune system to ward it off.

That response suggests that infection with other coronaviruses, such as those responsible for severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, and even the common cold, may aid the body’s fight against the new invader. Harnessing the biological processes at play.

Before Catching Coronavirus, Some People’s Immune Systems Are Already Primed to Fight It - WSJ

[Latindancer]

Of course this happens ! Infection with cowpox, purposely given to people by Edward Jenner, immunised people against smallpox....

[bowie]

tantalizing effect: Some people who have never encountered the pathogen before appear to be able to mobilize parts of their immune system to ward it off.

I really can't consider this "tantalizing" - I kind of consider each and every infected person who is asymptomatic as having an immune system prepped or primed to fight it off.

[baldrick]

I think I should do a study on the effect of rhum in combating covid-19

Everyone knows it is good for cold and flu

[misskit]

Coronavirus resurgence in Beijing prompts return of tough measures

BEIJING, June 15 (Reuters) - Beijing reported its second consecutive day of record new numbers of COVID-19 cases on Monday, adding urgency to efforts to rein in a sudden resurgence of the coronavirus in the Chinese capital.


The recent outbreak has been traced to a major wholesale food market, Xinfadi, which accounts for 80% of Beijing's farm produce supply sourced both domestically and from overseas.


The market has been shut, tens of thousands of nearby residents are being tested for the virus and a city-wide campaign launched to identify people who have recently visited the market or have been in contact with people who have.


Beijing officials on Monday confirmed 36 new COVID-19 cases for June 14, the same as a day earlier, which was the city's highest daily infection count since late March. Officials have now reported 79 cases over just four days, the biggest concentration of infections since February.


A number of neighbourhoods in the west and southwest of Beijing have been upgraded to medium-risk, including Financial Street where banks and financial firms converge, which calls for measures such as strict control of people and vehicle movements, disinfections and temperature checks. One neighbourhood in the same district as the food market was raised to high-risk, denoting the most severe level of infection.


As three other provinces reported new cases linked to the Beijing cluster, several provinces warned their residents against non-essential travel to the capital and implemented isolation protocols for travellers from riskier parts of Beijing.


The World Health Organization said on Sunday it was informed of the outbreak by Chinese officials who were investigating its source and extent. WHO called for thorough investigations to better understand the source of the cluster.


The Xinfadi market spans an area the size of near 160 soccer pitches. Thousands of tonnes of vegetables, fruits and meats are traded at Asia's largest wholesale food centre. (Reporting by Ryan Woo; editing by Jane Wardell)

Coronavirus resurgence in Beijing prompts return of tough ...

[misskit]

China declares martial law on city after new ‘cluster’ outbreak

China has declared martial law in Baoding, a city near Beijing where there is a new “cluster” outbreak in wholesale markets, while residents of 10 cities on the mainland have been told to avoid travelling to the capital. Baoding, based in Hebei province, is about 145 kilometres southwest of Beijing and has a population of 11 million.


“Baoding is close to Beijing, and goods and people constantly go back and forth between the two cities. Now, we have to put in place advanced surveillance measures,” a statement from the provincial authorities said.

Baoding authorities are monitoring 11 communities in the city and are offering free Covid-19 tests to people who have been to the Xinfadi market since May 30.

Meanwhile, residents of at least 10 cities in China, including Harbin and Dalian, have been told to avoid travelling to Beijing, and if travel to the capital cannot be avoided, then to inform the authorities.


At least 49 new Covid-19 cases were reported in China on Monday (July 15), 36 of whom were Beijing residents who had visited Xinfadi market.

China declares martial law on city after new ‘cluster’ outbreak

[HuangLao]

I think I should do a study on the effect of rhum in combating covid-19

Everyone knows it is good for cold and flu

A decent strain of Ganja is said to be beneficial, as well.....

[jabir]

Nobody up there knows what they're actually doing and why, so they experiment on 'expert' advice from experts that are in the dark and can't agree on much, incubation varies from a few days to a month, masks might be useless or do some good and better than nothing so let's make them compulsory, but social distancing which is the more likely transmission mode remains voluntary, while countries move a step forward and two back in their desire to normalise, which depends on the progress of the virus and physical steps to contain it, not wishful thinking. Sheep led by blind sheep.

[HuangLao]

Nobody up there knows what they're actually doing and why, so they experiment on 'expert' advice from experts that are in the dark and can't agree on much, incubation varies from a few days to a month, masks might be useless or do some good and better than nothing so let's make them compulsory, but social distancing which is the more likely transmission mode remains voluntary, while countries move a step forward and two back in their desire to normalise, which depends on the progress of the virus and physical steps to contain it, not wishful thinking. Sheep led by blind sheep.

Since we really know shit [that's obvious], perhaps we might just let it run it's natural course.
In the long run, all this might be beneficial to the earthly realm.


....as there's nothing special about our presence.

[harrybarracuda]

Since we really know shit [that's obvious], perhaps we might just let it run it's natural course.
In the long run, all this might be beneficial to the earthly realm.


....as there's nothing special about our presence.

Be good for reducing pension outgoings, eh Jeff?

[harrybarracuda]

(ANSA) - Rome, June 15 - Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza and his counterparts from Germany, France and the Netherlands have, after launching a vaccine alliance several days ago, signed a contract with Astrazeneca "for the supply of up to 400 million doses of vaccine for all of the European population".

Minister Speranza announced that the candidate vaccine in question stems from University of Oxford studies and "will involve important Italian entities in the phase of development and production".

Speranza said the signing of the contract was "a promising first step for Italy and for Europe.

"The vaccine is the only definitive solution to COVID-19," he continued.

"In my opinion it should always be considered a global public good, a right for everyone, not a privilege for the few".

The vaccine is at an advanced stage, with tests on humans having started in April in Great Britain.

"With the signing of this contract, Italy is on the front line of the great worldwide challenge to find a vaccine," the minister said in an interview with Corriere della Sera.

"Italy is emerging from the dramatic experience of the last few months with is head held high and it is planning for its future.

"It is redemption for a country that was hit hard first and now wants to get back up". He explained that the agreement for 400 million doses includes a first batch of 60 million, "which will be available from the autumn.

"The State will pay (for the vaccine). It will distributed for free, starting with the groups most at risk," he said, giving the examples of the elderly and health workers. He said this step forward is of double value to Italy because "a significant part of the production process will take place here, thanks to two important organizations in Pomezia and Anagni".



COVID-19 vaccine will be free, 1st doses in autumn -Speranza - English - ANSA.it

[Latindancer]

Mutation of Coronavirus Is Significantly Increasing Its Ability To Infect

A tiny genetic mutation in the SARS coronavirus 2 variant circulating throughout Europe and the United States significantly increases the virus’ ability to infect cells, lab experiments performed at Scripps Research show.

“Viruses with this mutation were much more infectious than those without the mutation in the cell culture system we used,” says Scripps Research virologist Hyeryun Choe, PhD, senior author of the study.

The mutation had the effect of markedly increasing the number of functional spikes on the viral surface, she adds. Those spikes are what allow the virus to bind to and infect cells.

“The number—or density—of functional spikes on the virus is 4 or 5 times greater due to this mutation,” Choe says.

The spikes give the coronavirus its crown-like appearance and enable it to latch onto target cell receptors called ACE2. The mutation, called D614G, provides greater flexibility to the spike’s “backbone,” explains co-author Michael Farzan, PhD, co-chairman of the Scripps Research Department of Immunology and Microbiology.

More flexible spikes allow newly made viral particles to navigate the journey from producer cell to target cell fully intact, with less tendency to fall apart prematurely, he explains.

“Our data are very clear, the virus becomes much more stable with the mutation,” Choe says.

There has been much debate about why COVID-19 outbreaks in Italy and New York have so quickly overwhelmed health systems, while early outbreaks in places like San Francisco and Washington state proved more readily managed, at least initially. Was it something about those communities and their response, or had the virus somehow changed?

All viruses acquire minute genetic changes as they reproduce and spread. Those changes rarely impact fitness or ability to compete. The SARS-CoV-2 variant that circulated in the earliest regional outbreaks lacked the D614G mutation now dominating in much of the world.

But was that because of the so-called “founder effect,” seen when a small number of variants fan out into a wide population, by chance? Choe and Farzan believe their biochemical experiments settle the question.

“There have been at least a dozen scientific papers talking about the predominance of this mutation,” Farzan says. “Are we just seeing a ‘founder effect?’ Our data nails it. It is not the founder effect.”

Choe and Farzan’s paper is titled “The D614G mutation in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein reduces S1 shedding and increases infectivity.” Now undergoing peer review, it is being posted prior to publication to the pre-print site bioRxiv, and released early, amid news reports of its findings.

Choe and Farzan note that their research was performed using harmless viruses engineered to produce key coronavirus proteins. Whether the changes they observed also translate to increased transmissibility in the real world requires additional epidemiological studies, they note.

Encouragingly, the duo found that immune factors from the serum of infected people work equally well against engineered viruses both with and without the D614G mutation. That’s a hopeful sign that vaccine candidates in development will work against variants with or without that mutation, Choe says.

Choe and Farzan have studied coronaviruses for nearly 20 years, since the first outbreak of SARS, a similar virus. They were the first to discover in 2003 that SARS bound to the ACE2 receptor on cells. Others’ experiments have shown the SARS-CoV-2 virus binds the same ACE2 receptor.

But Farzan and Choe note a key structural difference between spike proteins on the first SARS virus and this new pandemic strain. With both, under an electron microscope, the spike has tripod shape, with its three segments bound together at a backbone-like scaffold. But SARS-CoV-2 is different. Its tripod is divided in two discreet segments, S1 and S2.

Initially, this unusual feature produced unstable spikes, Farzan says. Only about a quarter of the hundreds of spikes on each SARS-CoV-2 virus maintain the structure they need to successfully infect a target cell. With the mutation, the tripod breaks much less frequently, meaning more of its spikes are fully functional, he says.

The addition of the D614G mutation means that the amino acid at that location is switched from aspartic acid to glycine. That renders it more bendable, Farzan says. Evidence of its success can be seen in the sequenced strains that scientists globally are contributing to databases including GenBank, the duo reports. In February, no sequences deposited to the GenBank database showed the D614G mutation. But by March, it appeared in 1 out of 4 samples. In May, it appeared in 70 percent of samples, Farzan says.

“Over time, it has figured out how to hold on better and not fall apart until it needs to,” Farzan says. “The virus has, under selection pressure, made itself more stable.”

It is still unknown whether this small mutation affects the severity of symptoms of infected people, or increases mortality, the scientists say. While ICU data from New York and elsewhere reports a preponderance of the new D614G variant, much more data, ideally under controlled studies, are needed, Choe says.

Reference
The D614G mutation in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein reduces S1 shedding and increases infectivity. Lizhou Zhang, Cody B Jackson, Huihui Mou, Amrita Ojha, Erumbi S Rangarajan, Tina Izard, Michael Farzan, Hyeryun Choe. bioRxiv, doi:https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.12.148726.

Mutation of Coronavirus Is Significantly Increasing Its Ability To Infect | Technology Networks

[AntRobertson]

Coronavirus: Petition calls on UK to declare war on New Zealand 'then immediately surrender' - NZ Herald

Petition calls on UK to declare war on New Zealand 'then immediately surrender'


"The British Government has shown itself to be completely incapable of controlling the Covid-19 virus outbreak in the UK and has the highest death rate per head of population in the world," the petition states.

"The New Zealand Government has on the other hand carefully controlled the outbreak, presumable based on the same science as the British Government. and is now 'Covid-free'.

"Under international law if you defeat a country in a war you become the de facto government of that country until new arrangements are made. Therefore if the UK declares war on New Zealand and then immediately surrenders Jacinda Ardern and her Government will have to take over running the UK and will do a much better job that the present bunch of clowns,"

[AntRobertson]

^ And in related news, shots fired!

The UK have retaliated with viral warfare:

Covid 19 coronavirus: New Zealand has two new Covid-19 cases - NZ Herald


There are two new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand.

The cases are related to the border as a result of recent travel from the United Kingdom, the Ministry of Health confirmed in a statement.

The cases are connected.

[harrybarracuda]

^ And in related news, shots fired!

The UK have retaliated with viral warfare:

Covid 19 coronavirus: New Zealand has two new Covid-19 cases - NZ Herald


There are two new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand.

The cases are related to the border as a result of recent travel from the United Kingdom, the Ministry of Health confirmed in a statement.

The cases are connected.

Ah, but it doesn't say if they are simply expatriate barmen from Earl's Court returning home...

[harrybarracuda]

Tom Rice, Republican:



Also Tom Rice, Republican:

Rep. Tom Rice (R-S.C.) announced Monday that he and his family had tested positive for the coronavirus, becoming the eighth member of Congress to have a confirmed or presumed case of the disease.

[OhOh]

Timeline: Beijing swiftly curbs new COVID-19 cases

Timeline: Beijing swiftly curbs new COVID-19 cases - Chinadaily.com.cn

Possibly an optimistic title.

[harrybarracuda]

Possibly an optimistic title.

"Possibly"

[Shutree]

Ah, but it doesn't say if they are simply expatriate barmen from Earl's Court returning home...

"Both women, who are from the same family, had travelled from the UK and were given special permission to attend the funeral of a parent."
According to the BBC.
New Zealand's first Covid cases in 24 days came from UK - BBC News

[harrybarracuda]

"Both women, who are from the same family, had travelled from the UK and were given special permission to attend the funeral of a parent."
According to the BBC.
New Zealand's first Covid cases in 24 days came from UK - BBC News

Ah so barpersons then.

[harrybarracuda]

Yesterday's 124,000 took the global tally of cases so far over 8,000,000.

[AntRobertson]

Some very angry and upset punters in NZ over all of this.

I can see why what with all the stresses of the lock down and stuff and then relief at becoming COVID free only to let a couple of cases in but then on the other hand it shows the system of testing / detecting and tracing is working too.

[Latindancer]

Breaking news : A world-first for Australian researchers !


“Super Potent” COVID-19 Neutralizing Antibodies Isolated and Successfully Tested in Animals

A team led by Scripps Research has discovered antibodies in the blood of recovered COVID-19 patients that provide powerful protection against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the disease, when tested in animals and human cell cultures.

The research, published in Science, offers a paradigm of swift reaction to an emergent and deadly viral pandemic, and sets the stage for clinical trials and additional tests of the antibodies, which are now being produced as potential treatments and preventives for COVID-19.

“The discovery of these very potent antibodies represents an extremely rapid response to a totally new pathogen,” says study co-senior author Dennis Burton, PhD, the James and Jessie Minor Chair in Immunology in the Department of Immunology & Microbiology at Scripps Research.

In principle, injections of such antibodies could be given to patients in the early stage of COVID-19 to reduce the level of virus and protect against severe disease. The antibodies also may be used to provide temporary, vaccine-like protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection for healthcare workers, elderly people and others who respond poorly to traditional vaccines or are suspected of a recent exposure to the coronavirus.

The project was led by groups at Scripps Research; IAVI, a nonprofit scientific research organization dedicated to addressing urgent, unmet global health challenges; and University of California San Diego School of Medicine.

“It has been a tremendous collaborative effort, and we’re now focused on making large quantities of these promising antibodies for clinical trials,” says co-lead author Thomas Rogers, MD, PhD, an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Immunology & Microbiology at Scripps Research, and assistant professor of Medicine at UC San Diego.

An approach that’s worked for other deadly viruses

Developing a treatment or vaccine for severe COVID-19 is currently the world’s top public health priority. Globally, almost 8 million people have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection, and more than 400,000 have died of severe COVID-19. The daily toll of new infections is still rising.

One approach to new viral threats is to identify, in the blood of recovering patients, antibodies that neutralize the virus’s ability to infect cells.

These antibodies can then be mass-produced, using biotech methods, as a treatment that blocks severe disease and as a vaccine-like preventive that circulates in the blood for several weeks to protect against infection. This approach already has been demonstrated successfully against Ebola virus and the pneumonia-causing respiratory syncytial virus, commonly known as RSV.

Potent patient antibodies block the virus

For the new project, Rogers and his UC San Diego colleagues took blood samples from patients who had recovered from mild-to-severe COVID-19. In parallel, scientists at Scripps Research and IAVI developed test cells that express ACE2, the receptor that SARS-CoV-2 uses to get into human cells. In a set of initial experiments, the team tested whether antibody-containing blood from the patients could bind to the virus and strongly block it from infecting the test cells.

The scientists were able to isolate more than 1,000 distinct antibody-producing immune cells, called B cells, each of which produced a distinct anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody. The team obtained the antibody gene sequences from these B cells so that they could produce the antibodies in the laboratory. By screening these antibodies individually, the team identified several that, even in tiny quantities, could block the virus in test cells, and one that could also protect hamsters against heavy viral exposure.

All of this work—including the development of the cell and animal infection models, and studies to discover where the antibodies of interest bind the virus—was completed in less than seven weeks.

“We leveraged our institution's decades of expertise in antibody isolation and quickly pivoted our focus to SARS-CoV-2 to identify these highly potent antibodies,” says study co-author Elise Landais, PhD, an IAVI principal scientist.

If further safety tests in animals and clinical trials in people go well, then conceivably the antibodies could be used in clinical settings as early as next January, the researchers say.

“We intend to make them available to those who need them most, including people in low- and middle-income countries,” Landais says.

In the course of their attempts to isolate anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies from the COVID-19 patients, the researchers found one that can also neutralize SARS-CoV, the related coronavirus that caused the 2002-2004 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Asia.

“That discovery gives us hope that we will eventually find broadly neutralizing antibodies that provide at least partial protection against all or most SARS coronaviruses, which should be useful if another one jumps to humans,” Burton says.

Reference: Rogers et al. (2020). Isolation of potent SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies and protection from disease in a small animal model. Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.abc7520.

“Super Potent” COVID-19 Neutralizing Antibodies Isolated and Successfully Tested in Animals | Technology Networks