The COVID-2019 Thread

[Switch]

Yes, army medics have been helping out with vaccination for some time.

The 3 services all have qualified doctors and nursing staff who train under the same syllabus as civilians. They have additional trauma expertise for minor injuries like gun shot wounds and amputations.

Army medics are all trained and qualified in the subcutaneous and arterial delivery of medication.

The trained strength of all 3 forces is much smaller than it used to be due to redundancies. The Army for example, is around 80k trained strength. Of those, the majority will be teeth arms, infantry, armour, commas and engineers.
A very small percentage will be doctors, nurses, and combat medical technicians. Military paramedics can be used to supplement ambulance staff shortages.
Other roles such as porterage, caterers and cleaners can be filled by general duty personnel with familiarisation training.

There are limits.

The attrition rates in health support is staggering, but as Harry points out, if you are infectious, even with a head cold, you can still spread the infection to the aged, vulnerable people and the very young.

When does it end?

[panama hat]

Seeing quite a few reports that the Omicron variant does not indicate well with nasal swabs. Many that test negative with a nasal swab test positive with a throat swab.

So far only two have passed border security . . . and were caught quickly.

[harrybarracuda]

When does it end?

Well hopefully if Omicron provides immunity, when most people have either been vaccinated, infected, or both.

[harrybarracuda]

Seeing quite a few reports that the Omicron variant does not indicate well with nasal swabs. Many that test negative with a nasal swab test positive with a throat swab.

That would be why our medical staff are now doing two separate rapid tests, one up the nose and one from the throat. Of course they started this the day I got back.

[Troy]

^ The UK PCR test I was required to take on Day 2 consisted of a throat and nasal swab. It was a home test requiring you to take swab from left and right throat area followed by left and right nostril. Wouldn't this be the simplest way to go?

[HermantheGerman]

8 Jan. 2022

"If we get a variant that is as contagious as Omikron, but much more deadly, we should be able to develop and produce a new vaccine in the shortest possible time. The federal government is preparing for it with high pressure. We are currently in the process of creating a structure for this. We need a permanent infrastructure. It would be sensible to design the vaccination infrastructure in such a way that the population can be vaccinated as quickly as possible at any time. Germany is currently in a vulnerable phase. Another severe outbreak can occur at any time. We must not fall into the naive assumption that it will be over soon. It's not over."

Karl Lauterbach Germany’s health minister


https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...c3c_story.html

[harrybarracuda]

^ The UK PCR test I was required to take on Day 2 consisted of a throat and nasal swab. It was a home test requiring you to take swab from left and right throat area followed by left and right nostril. Wouldn't this be the simplest way to go?

Two separate ATKs?

[Troy]

^ No, a single test that required you to take sample from throat and nose. I threw away the box and instructions after use but I picked it up from a UK approved chemist in Cheltenham back in October.

[malmomike77]

Seeing quite a few reports that the Omicron variant does not indicate well with nasal swabs. Many that test negative with a nasal swab test positive with a throat swab.

The PCR tests i've had swab both nose and throat

[harrybarracuda]

^ No, a single test that required you to take sample from throat and nose. I threw away the box and instructions after use but I picked it up from a UK approved chemist in Cheltenham back in October.

That was the surprise; they used two separate test kits.

Not sure what the logic is.

[harrybarracuda]

The light at the end of the tunnel grows brighter.

At the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in the City of Tshwane, doctors compared 466 infected patients admitted since mid-November 2021 to 3,976 patients admitted before then. The mortality rate during the Omicron surge was 4.5%, compared to 21.3% in the earlier period, they reported in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases. Omicron patients were discharged after an average of 4 days, compared to 8.8 days for patients with earlier variants. At the peak of the Omicron surge, the number of beds filled with infected patients was half of that in the earlier period, and 63% of Omicron patients were hospitalized for other reasons, with the virus only detected by mandatory tests.

"The Omicron outbreak has spread and declined... with unprecedented speed, peaking within four weeks," the researchers said. They noted that outcomes may vary in countries with different population characteristics and levels of immunity from infection and vaccination. But if the pattern seen in South Africa "continues and is repeated globally ... Omicron may be a harbinger of the end of the epidemic phase" of the health crisis.
Unique strings of molecules may predict variants' success

Researchers believe they have discovered an important way to identify SARS-CoV-2 variants that are likely to spread.
Looking at 9-unit strings of molecules called nucleotides - the building blocks of genes - they found that except for Beta, which did not circulate widely outside of South Africa, each new variant has had more unique strings than the variant that immediately preceded it. The original, or wild, version of the virus had 45 unique so-called 9-mers, the researchers reported on Thursday on medRxiv ahead of peer review. Alpha had 109 unique 9-mers, Beta 69, Gamma 122 and Delta 181. The currently dominant Omicron variant has 295.
Many of these stretches of altered polynucleotides have nothing to do with the spike the virus uses to break into cells, which suggests researchers should not focus only on the spike protein, said Venky Soundararajan of Massachusetts-based data analytics company nference. The spike is the target of most current COVID-19 vaccines and antibody treatments.
Soundararajan said a variant circulating in France, called IHU, has more distinct 9-mers than Delta but has been unable to out-compete Omicron. Because IHU has not circulated widely outside of France, he said, populations have not acquired immunity to it, and variants that have yet to emerge in other places may find it "useful" to develop some of the same 9-mer mutations. Vaccine manufacturers should pay attention to IHU's unique nucleotide signatures because there is a good chance they will show up again in future variants, Soundararajan said.

South African hospital sees less serious disease, coming end of Omicron surge | Reuters

[hallelujah]

Omicron scariant may be less deadly than seasonal flu.

If Omicron is 99 per cent less lethal than Delta, it suggests the current IFR could be as low as 0.0025 per cent, the equivalent of one in 40,000, although experts say this is unlikely. Instead, the Washington modelling estimates the figure actually sits in the region of 0.07 per cent, meaning approximately one in 1,430 people who get infected will succumb to the illness.

Leading researchers estimate flu's IFR to sit between 0.01 and 0.05 per cent.

Omicron may be up to nearly 100 TIMES less deadly than Delta, scientists believe | Daily Mail Online

[happynz]

[harrybarracuda]

Even allowing for the 5-10 day lag, South Africa is showing that things are looking up.

[bsnub]

Hospitals here locally are jammed full of covid patients at the moment and the intensive care wards are full. The governor of my state has mobilized the national guard to help with this crisis.

Washington hospitals ‘closer to a crisis situation’ than ever before amid omicron surge



Washington hospital nearing '''crisis situation''' amid omicron surge | king5.com

Omicron surge pushes U.S. COVID hospitalizations toward record high

U.S. COVID hospitalizations approached 123,000, appearing poised to top the record above 132,000, according to the tally. Deaths, a lagging indicator, remain fairly steady at about 1,400 a day, well below last year's peak.

Omicron surge pushes U.S. COVID hospitalizations toward record high | Reuters

This is not the flu FFS.

[hallelujah]

Hospitals here locally are jammed full of covid patients at the moment and the intensive care wards are full. The governor of my state has mobilized the national guard to help with this crisis.

Washington hospitals ‘closer to a crisis situation’ than ever before amid omicron surge



Washington hospital nearing '''crisis situation''' amid omicron surge | king5.com

Omicron surge pushes U.S. COVID hospitalizations toward record high




Omicron surge pushes U.S. COVID hospitalizations toward record high | Reuters
.

Is the omicron variant less severe? And what are its symptoms? : Shots - Health News : NPR

"This is a pretty different surge," says Dr. Brendan Carr, chair of emergency medicine for the Mount Sinai Health System — where the emergency rooms are busier than ever but many of the COVID-19 patients are not sick enough to be admitted.
But as with any variant of SARS-CoV-2, your absolute risk depends on many factors, including whether you're vaccinated and boosted, your age, your overall health and your economic situation.
"In the older age group, it's still a nasty disease, even if it's less [nasty] than the delta variant," says Dr. Pamela Davis, who's a pulmonologist at Case Western Reserve University and a senior author on the new study.

[hallelujah]

That is one wack job out of how many other scientists? A total clown and nothing more..

He's a fucking professor of infectious diseases at Edinburgh University.

This is what I was calling bullshit on. You can't back that horseshit up with a link.



You really are a clueless wanker. I had no idea that you were actually a trumpanzee moron.

So you want more evidence on the numbers of people being included in the stats who aren't actually there for Covid?

Happy to help with official data from the NHS.

Nearly four in ten Covid patients in hospitals in England are not primarily being treated for the virus, according to official data that highlights the mildness of Omicron.
NHS figures released today show there were around 13,000 beds occupied by coronavirus sufferers on January 4, of which nearly 4,850 were not mainly sick with the disease. It means close to 40 per cent of patients included in the Government's daily Covid statistics may have been admitted for something else, such as a broken leg.

Covid-19 UK: Nearly 40% of NHS Covid 'patients' are not being treated for virus, official data shows | Daily Mail Online

Anything else I can do for you?

[bsnub]

"In the older age group, it's still a nasty disease, even if it's less [nasty] than the delta variant," says Dr. Pamela Davis, who's a pulmonologist at Case Western Reserve University and a senior author on the new study.

That is justification alone to continue the lockdown. Just because people are old does not make them disposable, what a sick justification to make. I posted up links to what is happening in my state. There are no open beds in the ICU and hospital are jammed full and that means people are dying.

where the emergency rooms are busier than ever but many of the COVID-19 patients are not sick enough to be admitted.

Did you read that correctly? Just because the ER is crammed with people who should not be there does not mean that the ICU's and hospital beds are not crammed full because they are and the links I posted prove it. You are just blowing smoke.

[happynz]

Here's another one, World.

Coronavirus: Health experts not alarmed by variant identified in France

Despite its many mutations, experts are not overly concerned about new coronavirus variant B.1.640.2, first discovered in a traveler returning from Cameroon to France.




The World Health Organization has said that the new coronavirus variant B.1.640.2, first detected in France, is not a variant of concern.
WHO scientist Abdi Mahmud said that the WHO has been monitoring the variant since November. "That virus has had a lot of chances to pick up," he said Tuesday in Geneva.

OK. no cause for concern...

Oh oh...hang on.

Yet epidemiologist Didier Raoult — who was behind the preprint study — is controversial, among other reasons because he treats COVID-19 patients with the malaria medication hydroxychloroquine, which has not been proven effective.
In an investigation, German public media outlet Tagesschau found that the French chamber of doctors had reprimanded Raoult for this at the start of December. Additionally, his clinic at IHU Mediterrannee in Marseille has violated the rules of clinical studies in connection to studies around COVID-19, Tagesschau reported. Raoult founded the clinic but has since stepped down as director.
The doctor has himself not been vaccinated, as he believes COVID-19 is not deadly. He enjoys a kind of cult status among COVID-19 skeptics — which may have helped contribute to spread of the preprint. Whether scientific standards were followed in this study has not yet been established.

Coronavirus: Health experts not alarmed by variant identified in France | Science | In-depth reporting on science and technology | DW | 07.01.2022

[malmomike77]

^^ new variants are going to continue to emerge but hopefully like Omicron they become milder...fingers crossed.

[hallelujah]

Here's another one, World.



OK. no cause for concern...

Oh oh...hang on.

Bird flu in the UK too!

Anyway, gym. Go. Now.

I stood on the scales this morning and it said "one at a time please."

[happynz]

Enjoy. Nice chatting with you.

[hallelujah]

Enjoy. Nice chatting with you.

You too. It's good when we keep it civil.

[misskit]

Bangkok to open 41 community COVID-19 isolation facilities on Sunday

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is to open 41 triage or community isolation facilities in Bangkok on Sunday, with combined accommodation for 5,158 patients.


The permanent secretary of the city administration, Khachit Chatchavanich, inspected the triage centre in Dusit district today (Saturday), which will only accommodate children aged 5-12.


He said that the communicable disease committee of Bangkok is concerned about pub-restaurants, a number of which do not meet the required standards and may pose a risk of spreading COVID-19.


He said members of the public who come across such non-compliant venues can lodge a complaint with the district office, so that an investigation can be launched. If it can be verified that the venue in question is at risk of spreading the disease, the district chief officer is empowered to close it down for improvements.


Bangkok to open 41 community COVID-19 isolation facilities on Sunday | Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world

[misskit]

Thai PM orders troops to prepare resources to set up field hospitals

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed Thailand’s three armed forces and the police to tighten up COVID-19 safety measures, to prevent clusters of infections among their men, and to prepare the resources needed to set up field hospitals and screening facilities to cope with the surge in COVID-19 infections.


General Kongcheep Tantravanich, spokesman for the Ministry of Defence, said today (Saturday) that the prime minister, who is also defence minister, also ordered troops and police to step up border surveillance, to prevent illegal immigrants from slipping into the country, and to assist ethnic Karen fleeing fighting in Myanmar.


During the last wave of the pandemic, many field hospitals were set up to ease the burden on general hospitals, which were overwhelmed with patients, including severe cases, many of whom needed ventilators. Most of these field facilities were closed down as the situation improved. Now, however, after the New Year holiday, the number of new cases, including Omicron variant, is rising sharply.


The Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) reported 8,263 new COVID-19 cases today, including 351 cases among foreign arrivals. This tally does not, however, include 1,766 cases detected using rapid antigen tests. The death toll today is 14.


Chon Buri logged the most cases at 847, followed by 669 in Bangkok, 552 in Ubon Ratchathani, 542 in Samut Prakan, 385 in Phuket, 339 in Nonthaburi, 329 in Khon Kaen, 304 in Chiang Mai, 277 in Buri Ram and 239 in Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Thai PM orders troops to prepare resources to set up field hospitals | Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world