The COVID-2019 Thread

[Latindancer]

They are making it up as they go along.....the situation is constantly evolving, as is the medical opinion.

[harrybarracuda]

I swear they are making it up as they go along, thats tomorrows appointments cancelled..

Do you know how science works?

[harrybarracuda]

Horrible chinky bastards. Someone should beat them to death with a crowbar.

Video of Chinese health workers killing pet dog with a crowbar triggers backlash, World News | wionews.com

[harrybarracuda]

Nov 18 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca (AZN.L) on Thursday cemented its lead in bringing a preventative COVID-19 shot for the non-infected to market for people who do not respond well to vaccines, saying its antibody drug cocktail offered 83% protection over six months.

The therapy, called AZD7442 or Evusheld, had previously been shown to confer 77% protection against symptomatic illness after three months, in an earlier readout of the late-stage PROVENT trial in August.

The Anglo-Swedish company also said a separate study in patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 showed a higher dose of AZD7442 cut the risk of symptoms worsening by 88% when given within three days of first symptoms.

The treatment is given in one go, as two sequential shots in the arm.

The latest results from the longer-term follow-ups potentially position AstraZeneca, like rival Pfizer (PFE.N) as a future supplier of both COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, with AstraZeneca having said the therapy's "real advantage" was as a preventative shot.

AstraZeneca'''s preventative COVID-19 shot shown to work longer-term | Reuters

[harrybarracuda]

Delta may have killed itself in Japan.

Why did Japan’s fifth and biggest wave of the coronavirus pandemic, driven by the supercontagious delta variant, suddenly come to an abrupt end following a seemingly relentless rise in new infections? And what made Japan different from other developed countries that are now seeing a fresh surge in new cases?
According to one group of researchers, the surprising answer may be that the delta variant took care of itself in an act of “self-extinction.”

What's behind the rapid disappearance of the delta variant in Japan? It could be self-extinction. | The Japan Times

[harrybarracuda]

Scientist have found a biomarker that can help predict the severity of Covid after infection.

Biomarker predicts severity of COVID-19 infection early on | Max-Planck-Gesellschaft

[harrybarracuda]

MANILA: The Philippines has approved a plan to allow entry soon to foreign tourists vaccinated against Covid-19, its tourism ministry said on Friday, following moves by other Southeast Asian countries to relax travel curbs.

The coronavirus task force "approved in principle the entry of fully vaccinated tourists" from countries with low Covid-19 cases, the ministry said, adding that guidelines must be finalised.

The Philippines, known for its diving and thousands of tropical islands, saw an 83% drop in foreign arrivals last year, receiving nearly 1.4 million visitors, compared to nearly 8.2 million in 2019. Japan, South Korea and China are its biggest tourism markets.

It imposed some of Asia's tightest entry requirements during the pandemic and has been one of the region's worst hit countries in terms of cases, deaths and economic losses. Just over a quarter of its population has been vaccinated.
Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia have also announced various degrees of reopening in recent weeks, after progress in vaccinating their local populations.

"Allowing tourists from green countries or territories that have the majority of its population vaccinated and with low infection rate, will greatly help in our recovery efforts," tourism minister, Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, said in the statement.

Philippines to reopen 'soon' to vaccinated foreign tourists

[harrybarracuda]

VIENNA (AP) — Austria will go into a national lockdown to contain a fourth wave of coronavirus cases, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg announced Friday, as new COVID-19 infections hit a record high amid a pandemic surge across Europe.

The lockdown will start Monday and initially will last for 10 days, Schallenberg said. And starting Feb. 1, the country will also make vaccinations mandatory.

Most stores will close and cultural events will be canceled next week. People will be able to leave their homes only for certain specific reasons, including buying groceries, going to the doctor or exercising.

Wolfgang Mueckstein, the country’s health minister, said that kindergartens and schools would remain open for those who needed to go there but all parents were asked to keep their children at home if possible.

“We do not want a fifth wave,” Schallenberg said, according to ORF. “Nor do we want a sixth or seventh wave.”

The full lockdown is the latest effort to control rapidly rising case numbers. It’s the fourth nationwide lockdown since the outbreak of the pandemic last year. On Friday, the country reported 15,809 new infections, an all-time high.

Austria Returns To Full Lockdown, Makes COVID-19 Vaccinations Mandatory | HuffPost Latest News

[malmomike77]

Well its taking off....again

WHO: Another 500,000 people in Europe could die of Covid by March

WHO’s Europe director calls more public health measures to be implemented as fresh wave of infections spreads across continent

The World Health Organization has said another 500,000 people in Europe could die of Covid by March next year unless urgent action is taken.

The WHO’s Europe director, Dr Hans Kluge, said he was very worried about a fresh wave of infections that had spread across the continent and led countries to announce new restrictions.

Austria announced this week that it would become the first country to legally require people to have the vaccines from February. It has the lowest vaccination rate in western Europe, and recorded another 15,809 cases on Friday.

The country will go into a full lockdown for the third time on Monday until at least 12 December. Tighter restrictions have also been announced in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Kluge said factors such as the winter season, when there is normally an increase in viral infections, and low vaccine coverage were responsible for the increase in cases. He called for more people to get vaccinated, basic public health measures to be implemented and new treatments to be developed, but said mandatory vaccination should be the last resort.

“Covid-19 has become once again the number one cause of mortality in our region,” he told the BBC. “We know what needs to be done” to fight the disease.

Rioting erupted in the Netherlands on Friday in response to new Covidrestrictions. Police opened fire on protesters and seven people were injured during a demonstration in Rotterdam.

The German health minister, Jens Spahn, said the situation in the country was a “national emergency” and would not rule out another national lockdown. Christmas markets were cancelled in the south-eastern state of Bavaria, which has some of the lowest vaccination rates in the country.

The UK’s rolling seven-day average of daily new coronavirus casesis higher than EU countries, and has been since June. Other EU members, including Ireland, Hungary, Greece and the Baltic states have higher infection rates than the UK’s, but many with high vaccination rates and stricter social distancing rules do not.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/20/covid-deaths-europe-who-warning-

[Buckaroo Banzai]

Do you know how science works?

Isn't science where you postulate a hypothesis, and regardless of what new evidence present you stick to your guns because real man are not wishy-washy

[harrybarracuda]

Isn't science where you postulate a hypothesis, and regardless of what new evidence present you stick to your guns because real man are not wishy-washy

It might be in your world, but no.

[harrybarracuda]

Might be worth a flutter on someone other than Djokovic then.

Australian Open Will Require Players to Be Fully Vaccinated

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/11/19/world/covid-vaccine-boosters-mandates#australian-open-vaccine-requirement

[baldrick]

Bit more work required on the "wonder pill".

wonder if the anti vax crowd will take the pill as the microchips need to be injected and the pill will not "change your DNA "

but good news for people in nations lacking infrastructure to roll out the current version of vaccines

[malmomike77]

all kicking off in the EU

Dutch

Austrians

[OhOh]

good news for people in nations lacking infrastructure to roll out the current version of vaccines

Agree.

Once it has been thoroughly tested on the more fragile, malleable, western donkeys.

[Buckaroo Banzai]

all kicking off in the EU

You mean, some kicking in the EU?

Since a small percentage is unvaccinated, and even if we were to assume that every single unvaccinated person was out protesting, a small percentage of the EU is "Kicking off"
which if you were to do a search for "Percentage of mild retardation in the EU" oddly enough you will find a similar number.
Coincidence ? I don't know you decide.

[harrybarracuda]

Agree.

Once it has been thoroughly tested on the more fragile, malleable, western donkeys.

You may find it remarkable that they can actually choose to say no.

I seem to remember you crowing about not having to take a vaccine....

On Aug. 31, Hunan police went to Zhang Jianping’s home and questioned him about why he refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Both the Ministry of Education and the National Health Commission stipulated that vaccination should only be carried out with informed consent, Mr. Zhang says he told them. He stated explicitly that he was not informed, did not agree and did not want to be jabbed. Later, the police officers forced him into a car heading to a hospital. With several people holding down his legs and arms, Mr. Zhang was injected with a vaccine.
Mr. Zhang’s story is not an isolated account. A frenzy of forced vaccinations began in July after President Xi Jinping set a target of fully vaccinating 1.1 billion people, or 80 per cent of the population, by the end of October.

China’s use of force and coercion to drive up its COVID-19 vaccination rate is not the answer | Human Rights Watch

[malmomike77]

Since a small percentage is unvaccinated, and even if we were to assume that every single unvaccinated person was out protesting, a small percentage of the EU is "Kicking off"

Calm down precious. We have anti-vaxer and anti-lockdown protests in the UK, the difference was in the former i don't recall anyone getting shot and in the latter we certainly didn't have the local chapter of the Nazi party out and about waving flags.

[baldrick]

Once it has been thoroughly tested on the more fragile, malleable, western donkeys

is that after they test them on eastern bats ?

I am of the opinion that the people who oppose the stay at home orders do so because if they are unable to invade other peoples space and force them to converse with them

no one wants to talk to them - so when their only way to communicate with someone is via remote means where the other party can easily say no - they are very upset

how many anti-vax fcukwits does it take to screw in a lightbulb ?

none - I want to talk to the manager

[malmomike77]

The Germans - all three results are possible

Covid news – live: German minister says citizens will be ‘vaccinated, recovered or dead’ by end of winter

Amid skyrocketing Covid cases, Germany’s health minister said that not enough people had come forward for their vaccinations, and issued a grim warning.


“It’s probable by the end of winter that pretty much everyone in Germany will have been vaccinated, recovered or died,” health minister Jens Spahn said, adding that anyone who had not received a vaccine would “likely” be infected in the coming months.


He urged the millions of Germans who have not yet come forward for a jab to do so.

[panama hat]

The Germans - all three results are possible

So, you're saying the options are different elsewhere?

UK - population 67 million - covid deaths 144.000

Germany - population 80 million - covid deaths 99.000


Let's hope Germany doesn't reach the UK percentage but given the lacklustre uptake of the vaccine by far too many it looks likely.

[harrybarracuda]

Covid-19 is no longer a disease of the vaccinated, the head of the Oxford jab programme has said.

The “ongoing horror” of patients gasping for breath in hospital is now “largely restricted” to people who are unvaccinated, according to Prof Sir Andrew Pollard.

Even though the more transmissible Delta variant continues to infect thousands, most of those who are fully vaccinated will experience only “mild infections” that are “little more than an unpleasant inconvenience”.

Writing for the Guardian, Pollard said: “Among the general public, the pandemic is still regarded as a silent pestilence, made visible in the images of patients fighting for their next breath … This ongoing horror, which is taking place across ICUs in Britain, is now largely restricted to unvaccinated people.

“Generally, Covid-19 is no longer a disease of the vaccinated; vaccines tend to limit its suffocating affliction, with a few exceptions.”

Scientists are hopeful that the booster jabs rollout and immunity from the summertime spread of the Delta variant should help the UK escape the surge in infections seen in parts of Europe.

The UK, which saw measures eased in the summer and has higher vaccination levels than some European countries, will probably not be hit as hard, Pollard said. “In countries with lower vaccination rates, the impact of the current wave in hospital ICUs will be far worse than in Britain.”
However, Pollard, one of those behind the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, said Covid would still pile pressure on the NHS this winter – with unvaccinated patients requiring intensive care and double-jabbed patients who are older and frail still at risk of “life-threatening” health issues.

Covid patients in ICU now almost all unvaccinated, says Oxford scientist | Coronavirus | The Guardian

[harrybarracuda]

An experimental chewing gum containing a protein that "traps" coronavirus particles could limit the amount of virus in saliva and help curb transmission when infected people are talking, breathing or coughing, researchers believe. The gum contains copies of the ACE2 protein found on cell surfaces, which the virus uses as a gateway to break into cells and infect them. In test-tube experiments using saliva and swab samples from infected individuals, virus particles attached themselves to the ACE2 "receptors" in the chewing gum. As a result, the viral load in the samples fell by more than 95%, the research team from the University of Pennsylvania reported in Molecular Therapy. The gum feels and tastes like conventional chewing gum, can be stored for years at normal temperatures, and chewing it does not damage the ACE2 protein molecules, the researchers said. Using gum to reduce viral loads in saliva , they suggest, would add to the benefit of vaccines and would be particularly useful in countries where vaccines are not yet available or affordable.

https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/experimental-chewing-gum-may-reduce-virus-spread-booster-shot-protection-may-be-2021-11-22/

[OhOh]

I seem to remember you crowing about not having to take a vaccine....

Not mandatory, yet 'arry.

Nothing in the requirements for an additional years' extension.

[Little Chuchok]