The COVID-2019 Thread

[raycarey]

548 new cases in samut sakhon.

fuck.

[OhOh]

New COVID Strain Can Spread Quicker Than Before, English Chief Medic Whitty Warns

More than 1,000 cases of a new strain of the coronavirus were detected in the United Kingdom earlier this week, predominantly in southern England and the London area. The new variation was said to spread faster than the existing one and could cause a very sharp rise in cases.

A new coronavirus variant detected in the United Kingdom can spread more quickly, prompting urgent work to establish whether it causes a higher mortality rate, England's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said on Saturday in a statement.

"As announced on Monday, the UK has identified a new variant of COVID-19 through Public Health England’s genomic surveillance. As a result of the rapid spread of the new variant, preliminary modelling data and rapidly rising incidence rates in the South East, the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) now consider that the new strain can spread more quickly", Whitty said.

Whitty noted that there is a lack of evidence at the present stage to suggest the new strain of virus can affect vaccine efficacy or lead to a higher mortality rate.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced on Monday that a new variant of COVID-19 had been identified in the south of England, and was responsible for roughly 1,000 cases.

The new strain - dubbed VUI - 202012/01 - causes the same symptoms as the regular coronavirus infection, such as cough, fever, and loss of taste and smell, according to NHS.

The emergence of the new coronavirus variation has raised concerns that the UK government could be forced to ramp up the restrictions in southeast England due to the highly contagious properties of the strain."

New COVID Strain Can Spread Quicker Than Before, English Chief Medic Whitty Warns - Sputnik International


Nobody expects the "M25 barriers", to arrive.

[TheMadBaron]

^ BoJo is addressing the nation right now. He's cancelled Christmas.

[harrybarracuda]

Study proves conspiracy theorists wrong - coronavirus came from nature - NZ Herald

Proves them wrong but won't stop them. In fact, that actual study will be twisted and distorted and used as 'proof' itself.

These people are immune to facts and logic.

I supposed that depends if you consider munching bats and pangolins to be "natural".

[harrybarracuda]

He's absolutely right.

Anti-vaxxers should forgo ventilators, German doctor says

A German geneticist has said those who turn down the new COVID-19 vaccine should carry a note also refusing intensive care treatment. He also said medical decisions should not be left to conspiracy theorists.

Anti-vaxxers should forgo ventilators, German doctor says | News | DW | 19.12.2020

[harrybarracuda]

More Republican retards.

Coffee length.

The Family Court Judge Who Threatened a Mother With Contempt of Court for Getting Her Child a COVID-19 Test — ProPublica

[harrybarracuda]

Mutations Mutations Mutations...

Another coronavirus mutation was discovered – and this one might be more dangerous – BGR

[harrybarracuda]

A single protein that appears necessary for the COVID-19 virus to reproduce and spread to other cells is a potential weakness that could be targeted by future therapies.

The molecule, known as transmembrane protein 41 B (TMEM41B), is believed to help shape the fatty outer membrane that protects the virus’ genetic material while it replicates inside an infected cell and before it infects another.

The latest finding comes from a pair of studies led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, and colleagues at Rockefeller University and elsewhere.

Published in the journal Cell online December 8, 2020, the studies revealed that TMEM41B was essential for SARS-CoV-2 to replicate. In a series of experiments, researchers compared how the COVID-19 virus reproduces in infected cells to the same processes in two dozen deadly flaviviruses, including those responsible for yellow fever, West Nile, and Zika disease. They also compared how it reproduces in infected cells to three other seasonal coronaviruses known to cause the common cold.

“Together, our studies represent the first evidence of transmembrane protein 41 B as a critical factor for infection by flaviviruses and, remarkably, for coronaviruses, such as SARS-CoV-2, as well,” says the studies’ co-senior investigator John T. Poirier, PhD.

“An important first step in confronting a new contagion like COVID-19 is to map the molecular landscape to see what possible targets you have to fight it,” says Poirier, an assistant professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health.

“Comparing a newly discovered virus to other known viruses can reveal shared liabilities, which we hope serve as a catalog of potential vulnerabilities for future outbreaks.”

“While inhibiting transmembrane protein 41 B is currently a top contender for future therapies to stop coronavirus infection, our results identified over a hundred other proteins that could also be investigated as potential drug targets,” says Poirier, who also serves as director of the Preclinical Therapeutics Program at NYU Langone and Perlmutter Cancer Center.

For the studies, researchers used the gene-editing tool CRISPR to inactivate each of more than 19,000 genes in human cells infected with each virus, including SARS-CoV-2. They then compared the molecular effects of each shutdown on the virus’ ability to replicate.

In addition to TMEM41B, some 127 other molecular features were found to be shared among SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses. These included common biological reactions, or pathways, involved in cell growth, cell-to-cell communication, and means by which cells bind to other cells. However, researchers say, TMEM41B was the only molecular feature that stood out among both families of viruses studied.

Interestingly, Poirier notes, mutations, or alterations, in TMEM41B are known to be common in one in five East Asians, but not in Europeans or Africans. He cautions, however, that it is too early to tell if this explains the relatively disproportionate severity of COVID-19 illness among some populations in the United States and elsewhere. Another study finding was that cells with these mutations were more than 50 percent less susceptible to flavivirus infection than those with no gene mutation.

Poirier says more research is needed to determine if TMEM41B mutations directly confer protection against COVID-19 and if East Asians with the mutation are less vulnerable to the disease.

The research team next plans to map out TMEM41B’s precise role in SARS-CoV-2 replication so they can start testing treatment candidates that may block it. The team also has plans to study the other common pathways for similar potential drug targets.

Poirier adds that the research team’s success in using CRISPR to map the molecular weaknesses in SARS-CoV-2 serves as a model for scientists worldwide for confronting future viral outbreaks.

Potential Weakness in SARS-CoV-2 Discovered – Single Protein Needed for COVID-19 Virus to Reproduce and Spread

[misskit]

Thailand to test over 10,000 people after record COVID-19 surge

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand plans to test more than 10,000 people after a record daily surge in coronavirus cases to over 500, most of which were among migrant workers linked to a shrimp market near the capital, an official said on Sunday.


By Wednesday the authorities aim to conduct 10,300 tests in the southwest province of Samut Sakhon, where the outbreak appeared, and such nearby provinces as Samut Songkhram and Nakhon Pathom, Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman for Thailand’s COVID-19 taskforce, told a news conference.


“Active case findings will continue in several provinces, actually across the country,” he said.

Thailand, the first country outside China to report coronavirus infections, has largely kept the outbreak under control with 4,907 cases and 60 deaths.


On Sunday, Thailand confirmed 576 new infections, including 516 migrant worker cases announced locally the day before.


The new cases include 19 locally transmitted cases in Bangkok and in Samut Sakhon province, where the 516 infections were also found. All of them were linked to the shrimp market in Samut Sakhon. There were also 41 imported cases.


Most of the migrant workers in Samut Sakhon are from Myanmar, which has suffered a far worse outbreak than Thailand, where health authorities credit early action with limiting the spread of the virus.


Other Southeast Asian countries, including Singapore and Malaysia, have also reported thousands of cases among migrant workers.


The surge in cases in Thailand comes just as it is seeking to revive a tourist industry devastated by the pandemic. On Thursday, it eased restrictions to allow more foreign tourists to return.


Thailand to test over 10,000 people after record COVID-19 surge | Reuters

[harrybarracuda]

[Latindancer]

Belgian minister tweets EU's Covid vaccine price list to anger of manufacturers


Pharmaceutical companies complain of breach of confidentiality after amount EU has agreed to pay for leading vaccines goes public


A Belgian minister has blown the lid off a sensitive and commercial secret – the price that the EU has agreed to pay for the leading Covid vaccines.



This is the list of what the EU is paying:

• Oxford/AstraZeneca: €1.78 (£1.61).
• Johnson & Johnson: $8.50 (£6.30).
• Sanofi/GSK: €7.56.
• Pfizer/BioNTech: €12.
• CureVac: €10.
• Moderna: $18.
  
  Belgian minister tweets EU's Covid vaccine price list to anger of manufacturers | Coronavirus | The Guardian

[thailazer]

Mutations Mutations Mutations...

Another coronavirus mutation was discovered – and this one might be more dangerous – BGR

With so many people now infected, the chances of iteration are much higher. Welcome to the new world!

[harrybarracuda]

I wouldn't call this a reputable website, but one doesn't know where they got their information. Take it as you will.

Outbreak spreads to at least 821 cases in 7 Thai provinces. Here’s the latest. | Coconuts Bangkok

[harrybarracuda]

The official version:

Samut Sakhon Covid cases to keep rising

[HermantheGerman]

Mutations Mutations Mutations...

Another coronavirus mutation was discovered – and this one might be more dangerous – BGR

Who needs Brexit, we got covid . This shit is getting very nasty now.
Coronavirus digest: Germany bans flights from UK over COVID 'mutation'.

Coronavirus digest: Germany bans flights from UK over COVID ′mutation′ | News | DW | 20.12.2020



.....and South Africa

[panama hat]

^ Many countries have banned flights from the UK . . . damn, it is good being in NZ at the moment.

[Cujo]

It doesn't look good for the U.K.

France’s decision to block lorries arriving from the UK for 48 hours in response to the emergence of a new strain of Covid-19 will have a “devastating effect” on the supply of food and other consumer goods to Britain, industry representatives have warned.

The French government said on Sunday that all passenger and human-handled freight transport from the UK to France would be suspended for 48 hours from 11pm GMT.

Eurotunnel said access to its Folkestone terminal would be suspended for passenger and freight traffic from 11pm, adding: “Customers with bookings after this time are advised NOT to travel to the terminal as they will not be able to cross to France.”

Although there is no ban in the other direction, many of the 10,000 trucks that cross the Channel every day through the tunnel and via the port of Dover are empty, with regular pick-ups for perishable food from big distribution centres in north France and Belgium, including winter vegetables such as cauliflower, cabbage and brussels sprouts.


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The Port of Dover said on Sunday evening it was closing to all lorry traffic, tweeting: “Ferry terminal at the Port of Dover is closed to all accompanied traffic leaving the UK until further notice due to border restrictions in France.” It asked “accompanied freight [trucks] and passenger customers not to travel to the port”.

The decision is expected to create chaos in Kent from midnight with thousands of trucks returning to the EU unable to travel and the Brexit lorry park in nearby Ashford not ready until 1 January. The Department for Transport also has a facility in north-east Kent for lorries at Manston airport that may be forced to open on Monday.

Rod McKenzie, policy director at the Road Haulage Association, said: “It’s only 48 hours, but the French ban will have a devastating effect on the supply chain.

“We have seen in recent days the queues on both sides of the channel because of Brexit stockpiling and the Christmas rush and now border closures will mean everything including perishable food supplies will be impacted.

“We depend on the short straits for our daily supplies. What we are talking about is everything: factory parts, fresh and frozen vegetables, and all the Christmas deliveries.”

Announced with little more than a few hours notice, the ban is expected to cause chaos at ports including Dover and Portsmouth, with the prospect of trucks destined for France being held up on the British side of the Channel alongside their drivers for a full two days.

It comes at a time when cross-Channel freight was already under huge pressure. Queues stretching back at least five miles on the two main approach roads to Dover and the Eurotunnel terminal have been forming almost every day for the past three weeks because of a mix of Brexit stockpiling, Christmas demand and coronavirus measures restricting ferry capacity.

Drivers on the French side have had to queue for hours to get back into Britain, with additional police security checks for migrants causing major tailbacks of up to 17km (10.5 miles).

Logistics UK, which represents freight owners from supermarkets to factories, said it was “very concerned about the welfare of drivers travelling from the UK to France at this time and is urgently seeking more information for our members”.

more here

France's Covid freight ban 'will have devastating effect' on UK supplies | World news | The Guardian

[lom]

It doesn't look good for the U.K.

Don't worry, it is only the dress rehearsal for Brexit

[panama hat]

Don't worry, it is only the dress rehearsal for Brexit

Yup, according to chico it's planned chaos where people like he will keep a calm head - the UK has Europe by the short and curlies now, eh!!!!

[happynz]

...as of 21 December 2020

Event


The Saudi government has suspended all international flights and closed its land and sea borders to travelers effective Dec. 20 in response to the discovery of a new strain of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The closure, which will remain in effect for at least one week, does not apply to freight and goods shipments from countries where the virus mutation has not manifested. Foreign aircraft already in Saudi Arabia are exempt and will be allowed to depart. It remains unclear what other exemptions, if any, the government will allow.

Blechhh...bastard virus.

[misskit]

India bans flights from UK over new Covid-19 variant spread, India News News | wionews.com

[Switch]

British men who normally do their shopping on Christmas Eve, will not be buying Brussel Sprouts or cabbage anyway.
NFU claims no shortage of chipolatas, at least in Kent. Pattaya may be more problematic however.��

[misskit]

Jeez, you in the UK are getting cut off from the world.


Britain cut off by Canada and others as new Covid strain spreads

LONDON — The United Kingdom was increasingly isolated on Monday as countries around the world shut their doors to the island nation after a possibly more infectious strain of the coronavirus was detected.


Almost two dozen countries including Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Iran, Colombia and Morocco have suspended flights from the U.K. for 48 hours or more. Saudi Arabia has closed its borders and suspended all flights regardless of destination or origin.


Crisis meetings were scheduled in London and Brussels as officials grappled with how to respond to the variant, which experts estimate is 70 percent more transmissible than others in circulation.

MORE Britain cut off by Canada and others as new Covid strain spreads

[misskit]

Covid-19 vaccination drive heads to nursing homes


The U.S. government and two of the nation's largest pharmacy chains kick off a nationwide campaign to vaccinate nursing home residents against Covic-19 on Monday, a week after the first vaccines authorized in the country began being administered to healthcare workers.

Covid-19 vaccination drive heads to nursing homes

[misskit]

Tense atmosphere for UK passengers held at German airports - France 24