The COVID-2019 Thread

[harrybarracuda]

Stupid woman and husband leave four kids orphaned.

Neonatal nurse practitioner Dottie Jones warned her cousin, Lydia Rodriguez, of the "brutal" death and complications that come from COVID-19. But Jones said her warnings didn't make a difference; her cousin was adamantly against vaccinations.
Weeks later, Rodriguez and her husband died after testing positive for COVID-19. The couple left behind four children.
"She spent her whole life against vaccines, and then before she was intubated, she asked doctors for the vaccine, but it was too late," Jones told USA TODAY.
Last month, Rodriguez, her husband and their kids attended a weeklong church camp. Each member of the family contracted COVID-19 afterward. While the kids remained asymptomatic, conditions for Rodriguez and her husband Lawrence Rodriguez worsened.
Jones said Rodriguez's last plea was that her family made sure her kids received the COVID-19 vaccine.
"She said, 'I need my kids to get vaccinated. Please make sure,'" Jones said. "It was too late to save her life, but she wanted them to be safe."
Lydia Rodriguez, 42, died Monday, two weeks after her husband also died following COVID-19 related complications. Lawrence Rodriguez was 49.

Mother who died from COVID shares last wish: Get her kids vaccinated

[PAG]

[harrybarracuda]

Good to see the numbers going down (unless the testing is going down too).

[harrybarracuda]

A nasal spray vaccine is in Phase I trials.

COVID-19 - Codagenix

[Klondyke]

Blood clots associated with AstraZeneca vaccine are ‘rare but devastating,’ study says
AUG 12 2021

Blood clots linked to AstraZeneca shot have 22% mortality rate: study

[harrybarracuda]

JERUSALEM, Aug 22 (Reuters) - A third dose of Pfizer (PFE.N)'s COVID-19 vaccine has significantly improved protection from infection and serious illness among people aged 60 and older in Israel compared with those who received two shots, findings published by the Health Ministry showed on Sunday.

The data were presented at a meeting of a ministry panel of vaccination experts on Thursday and uploaded to its website on Sunday, though the full details of the study were not released.

The findings were on par with separate statistics reported last week by Israel's Maccabi healthcare provider, one of several organisations administering booster shots to try to curb the Delta coronavirus variant.

Breaking down statistics from Israel's Gertner Institute and KI Institute, ministry officials said that among people aged 60 and over, the protection against infection provided from 10 days after a third dose was four times higher than after two doses.

A third jab for over 60-year-olds offered five to six times greater protection after 10 days with regard to serious illness and hospitalisation.

That age group is particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 and in Israel was the first to be inoculated when the vaccine drive began in late December.

Israel finds COVID-19 vaccine booster significantly lowers infection risk | Reuters

[harrybarracuda]

Rather jumping the gun I think.

JAKARTA, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Weeks after the Delta variant of the coronavirus ripped through Jakarta, the Indonesian capital has reached "herd immunity", the city's deputy governor said, ahead of an expected decision by the president on Monday on whether to extend COVID-19 curbs.

For much of last month, Jakarta was devastated by the outbreak with inundated hospitals, oxygen shortages and COVID-19 patients dying at home, but in recent weeks case numbers have dropped sharply, while vaccination rates have climbed.

On July 12, Jakarta recorded more than 14,600 infections, but by Sunday the figure had fallen to 700.

"Jakarta has entered the green zone and has reached herd immunity," deputy Jakarta governor Ahmad Rizia Patria told reporters on Sunday.

The deputy governor was referring to high vaccination rates in the capital, where more than 54% of residents are fully vaccinated and most have received one shot.

Nationally, just over 11% of the population have been fully vaccinated since the Southeast Asian nation began its inoculation program this January.

Pandu Riono, an epidemiologist at the University of Indonesia said the deputy governor had misunderstood the concept of herd immunity.

"Even if we reach 100% vaccine coverage, the immunity level is still below 80%," he said, adding that vaccine efficay levels were only about 55%.

Home to more than 10 million people, Jakarta has predominately administered China's Sinovac vaccine, while some residents have received Astra Zeneca and Sinopharm shots.

President Joko Widodo is expected to announce on Monday whether current social restrictions that have been in place since July in Java and Bali will be relaxed or extended.

The government has in recent weeks maintained social curbs but permitted limited capacity at malls and restaurants.

Despite an overall decline in cases nationally, Indonesia still recorded more than 12,000 cases on Sunday, as it continues to battle one of Asia’s worst coronavirus outbreaks.

Since mid-July the country has also recorded more than than 1,000 deaths from COVID-19 each day, one of the highest rates globally.

While cases have declined in Jakarta and some parts of Java, the highly contagious Delta continues to surge in other islands, including in parts of Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and remote Papua.

Indonesia official says vaccines help Jakarta reach '''herd immunity''' | Reuters

[harrybarracuda]

The Ivermectin retards should look into fenofibrate

Came into use in 1975 and is actually showing some impressive results in testing. Phase III trials are underway.

Israeli researchers: 'Astounding results' from new COVID treatment - Israel National News

[misskit]

Lockdown to lift next week after fall in new cases

The Department of Disease Control (DDC) announced on Monday that Covid-19 cases had peaked and were now declining. In response, lockdown measures would be lifted at the end of this month, it added.


Infections had reached their highest point and would gradually reduce, DDC director-general Dr Opas Kankawinpong said in an online briefing on Monday.


However, this tendency would be monitored for another three or four days, he added.


New cases fell to 17,491 on Monday, though the number of deaths was still high at 242.


Dr Opas attributed the downward trend to lockdown restrictions, along with people’s cooperation, vaccine distribution and other factors.


He added that Thailand could gradually begin reopening to foreign travellers, starting with safe areas and following the example of the sandbox scheme in Phuket.


Opas said the national communicable disease committee will propose policies for reopening to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The main focus will be to procure Covid-19 vaccine and impose practical measures to deal with the Red Zones of high infection in Bangkok and nearby areas.


Meanwhile, lockdown restrictions will be cautiously lifted from September when they expire at the end of this month, he said.

Lockdown to lift next week after fall in new cases

[misskit]

Pentagon: US military will make Covid-19 vaccines mandatory following FDA approval of Pfizer's shot

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said that the US military will now require all service members to be vaccinated from Covid-19 following the FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine.


Speaking at a press conference this morning, Kirby said that the Department of Defense is "prepared to issue updated guidance requiring all service members to be vaccinated," adding that a "timeline for vaccination completion will be provided in the coming days" by DOD.


"We're going to move forward, making that vaccine mandatory. We're preparing the guidance to the force right now. And the actual completion date of it, in other words, how fast we want to see it get done, we're working through that guidance right now."


Some context: Previously, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that it was his intent to mandate the Covid-19 vaccine for the military upon FDA licensure or by mid-September to seek a waiver from the President.

Pentagon: US military will make Covid-19 vaccines mandatory following FDA approval of Pfizer'''s shot

[harrybarracuda]

Thailand is preparing for life with Covid, with preliminary plans being drawn up to relax some restrictions and reopen its borders to vaccinated visitors even as new cases hover around 20,000 a day.

The National Communicable Disease Committee on Monday approved a shift in the country’s strategy to "learning to live with Covid-19", recognising the endemic nature of the virus, according to Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control.

The focus going forward will be on containing infections to a level that doesn’t exceed capacity of the public-health system, with key measures being total vaccination coverage for vulnerable groups and faster case-tracing on the assumption that everyone can become infected and transmit the virus, he said.

Among the preliminary proposals are easing some quasi-lockdown rules next month and replication of a tourism-reopening project in October based on a pilot project in Phuket. Other planned measures weren’t announced.

Thailand was considered a success story at the outset of the pandemic, reporting relatively few infections even though it was the first nation after China to detect a case.

Early confidence was one reason the government was slow to secure vaccine deals and ramp up inoculations. A series of stumbles in its inoculation programme resulted in a shortfall just as the delta variant arrived, leading to a near-relentless surge of infections since April.

But the latest data related to infections, test results, patients in critical care and spread patterns suggested that the current outbreak has peaked, health officials said Monday. That should enable some restrictions to be eased, according to Dr Opas.

The country on Monday reported 17,491 new cases, the lowest single-day increase since July 30, compared to more than 20,000 infections daily much of this month.

That slight drop has come at a steep cost. Currently, cities and provinces that are home to more than 40% of the population and generate more than three-quarters of economy output are under strict curbs, including closure of all "non-essential" businesses, restrictions on inter-provincial travel and a curfew between 9pm and 4am.

Thira Woratanarat, an associate professor at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine, said that the number of new infections being reported doesn’t reflect the real situation given the variants, the omission of cases found using self-test kits and fewer tests being administered.

While conveyed as a strategy shift, the wording on Monday mirrors that of a speech in June by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, in which he said much of the country would be reopened in October "to start reducing the enormous suffering of people who have lost their ability to earn an income." He called it a "calculated risk" and asked that people "be ready to live with some risk."

About 8% of the population nationwide has been fully inoculated. Vaccination rates are higher in regions that have reopened under special tourism programmes, including the island of Phuket, and those with the worst outbreaks, including Bangkok.

Dr Opas said that Phuket’s reopening on July 1 to fully vaccinated tourists showed that if the situation can be controlled, economic activities can be stepped up and people can resume their everyday lives.

Last week, the government said it plans to issue "Thai Covid Pass" to inoculated residents, which would allow access to certain places including restaurants.

Thailand to shift strategy to ‘learning to live with Covid-19’

[harrybarracuda]

Good evening and welcome to the imprecise news headlines.

Woman, aged 60-79, dies with COVID-19 in Derry/Strabane

A woman aged 60 to 79 from Derry/Strabane died with COVID-19 on Saturday, the Department of Health confirmed this afternoon.

Woman, aged 60-79, dies with COVID-19 in Derry/Strabane | Derry Journal

[PAG]

[Shutree]

But the latest data related to infections, test results, patients in critical care and spread patterns suggested that the current outbreak has peaked, health officials said Monday.

Good if it is true, but why is it going down? Is it because the PM told us that we'd pass the peak this month?

Thira Woratanarat, an associate professor at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine, said that the number of new infections being reported doesn’t reflect the real situation given the variants, the omission of cases found using self-test kits and fewer tests being administered.

Okay, let's wait and see.

[harrybarracuda]

"Each of these stories is unique, but they also have many things in common: They’re filled with regret, death and acceptance. And they’re all centered around people who didn’t get vaccinated for some reason or another."

21 heartbreaking stories of people who regret not getting a COVID-19 vaccine

[harrybarracuda]

It beggars belief that so-called "medical professionals" can be this fucking stupid. No-one says they *have* to be vaccinated, and requiring Covid tests before they are in close contact with patients seems remarkably fucking common sense.

Employees at a Staten Island, New York, hospital are protesting Covid-19 vaccination and testing requirements from their parent healthcare network, as the area leads the city in new cases per capita and as hospitals in the nation's hotspots are overrun.

On August 16, Staten Island University Hospital, which is part of Northwell Health, started requiring employees to be vaccinated or face weekly testing.

<snip>

John Matland, a CT scan technician working at Staten Island University Hospital, has been one of the main organizers of the protest.
"For me, it's personal choice," Matland told CNN. "

Yes, you can choose to fuck off.


Staten Island hospital employees protest Covid-19 vaccine mandate - CNN

[harrybarracuda]

The overwhelming majority of Alabama’s COVID cases and deaths have been among the unvaccinated, according to the latest data from the state health officials.

From April 1-Aug. 18, 90% of Alabama’s COVID cases were among unvaccinated people. Unvaccinated Alabamians accounted for 95% of the state’s COVID deaths.

“Current data shows that fully vaccinated persons who get COVID-19 are much less likely to get severely ill, go to the hospital or die from COVID-19,” ADPH said. “The COVID-19 vaccines are working.”

95% of Alabama’s COVID deaths, 90% of cases among unvaccinated: ADPH - al.com

[harrybarracuda]

Europe’s medicines regulator has approved additional manufacturing sites for mRNA-based coronavirusvaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna to help boost production amid a resurgence in infections.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Tuesday that its human medicines committee had approved a site at Saint Remy sur Avre in France for making the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Comirnaty.

The Delpharm-operated site will help provide up to 51 million additional doses of Comirnaty in 2021, the EMA said.

The regulator also said it had approved a new manufacturing line at BioNTech’s site at Marburg in Germany, which would help boost capacity for the vaccine’s active substance by about 410 million doses this year.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/heal...oses-1.4655079

[panama hat]

The overwhelming majority of Alabama’s COVID cases and deaths have been among the unvaccinated,

I'm surprised this even needs mentioning anymore . . .

[Buckaroo Banzai]

A very encouraging trend that I hope continues. We were planning to go to Greece the end of August but then Thailand was placed in the "Red" category requiring a 14 day quarantine upon for arrivals from Thailand. In addition the situation here had us concerned about our return prospects.( after being away for a couple of month , when I come back I want to go home, not at a hotel for 24 days). Anyway I was very depressed over it because I have not seen my brother for two years, and he just turned 74, who knows how much time we have together, (we are very close, and we constantly crack each other up when we are together) Also being retired and finally having the time I like to do some traveling around Thailand. Like most of you this covid restrictions situation had me on edge.
These trend is certainly good news . I hope it is not a statistical blip due to testing.
Thank you for posting the above it made my day. .

[PAG]

[harrybarracuda]

I'm surprised this even needs mentioning anymore . . .

You would be surprised at some of the conversations I'm having on Facetubegram even now....

The top two most popular:

1. Vaccines are killing people
2. Vaccines don't work

[harrybarracuda]

A very encouraging trend that I hope continues.

Yeah but no.

[harrybarracuda]

WASHINGTON: The effectiveness against infection of the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines dropped from 91%t before the Delta variant became dominant to 66% afterwards, according to a large study of US health workers published Tuesday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been examining the real-world performance of the two vaccines since they were first authorized among healthcare personnel, first responders and other frontline workers.

Thousands of workers across six states were tested weekly and upon onset of Covid-19 symptoms, allowing researchers to estimate efficacy against symptomatic and asymptomatic infection.

By looking at the rate of infections among vaccinated and unvaccinated people and the amount of time they were tracked, vaccine effectiveness was estimated at 91 percent in the initial study period of Dec 14, 2020 to April 10, 2021.

But during weeks in the run-up to Aug 14, when the ultra-contagious Delta variant became dominant, effectiveness fell to 66%.

The report's authors said there were a number of caveats, including that the protection from vaccines could be waning over time anyway, and the 66 percent estimate was based on a relatively short study period with few infections.

"Although these interim findings suggest a moderate reduction in the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines in preventing infection, the sustained two thirds reduction in infection risk underscores the continued importance and benefits of Covid-19 vaccination," they said.

A number of studies have now concluded vaccine efficacy has dropped against Delta, even though the precise level of that drop differs between papers.

Protection against severe disease appears more stable, exceeding 90%, according to a recent CDC study of patients in New York.

Another CDC study of Los Angeles patients released Tuesday that was carried out from May 1 to July 25 showed unvaccinated people were 29.2 times more likely to be hospitalised with Covid-19 than the vaccinated -- corresponding to efficacy of about 97%.

Delta became the dominant strain in the United States in early July.

According to a recent paper in the journal Virological, the amount of virus found in the first tests of patients with the Delta variant was 1,000 times higher than patients in the first wave of the virus in 2020, greatly increasing its contagiousness.

Messenger RNA Covid vaccines 66% effective against Delta: US study

[harrybarracuda]

I like the "after new information emerged". As if.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has reversed his previous order specifying that only Covid-19 antigen test kits (ATK) approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) may be imported.

Apparently aimed at ending a dispute between the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) and the Rural Doctor Society (RDS) over a plan to procure 8.5 million ATKs for mass testing, Gen Prayut last week ordered that only WHO-certified ATKs be purchased.

However, after new information emerged that WHO has not yet approved any home-use ATKs, Gen Prayut rescinded his order during the weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday, said an informed source.

Prayut reverses stance on test kit criteria