The COVID-2019 Thread

[OhOh]

Coronavirus Pandemic Data Explorer - Our World in Data

It appears that the bottom 4 countries, with the fewest cumulative deaths, are 4 Asian countries, Vietnam, Thailand, China and Singapore.

It could be the bottom 5 but Laos shows 0 deaths.

Good work by Third World countries or .......

[harrybarracuda]

You might find it easier to post something that isn't unintelligible garbage if you stick to....

Coronavirus Update (Live): 104,117,405 Cases and 2,253,854 Deaths from COVID-19 Virus Pandemic - Worldometer

It shows 18 territories that have reported 0 deaths, although I suspect Laos and Cambodia are lying through their teeth.

[Joe 90]

RIP legend!

Captain Sir Tom Moore has died with coronavirus.

The 100-year-old, who raised almost £33m for NHS charities by walking laps of his garden, was admitted to Bedford Hospital on Sunday.

The Queen led tributes to Capt Sir Tom, "recognising the inspiration he provided for the whole nation and others across the world".

His daughters said they "shared laughter and tears" with their father in their final few hours together.

Announcing his death, Hannah Ingram-Moore and Lucy Teixeira said the last year of their father's life had been "nothing short of remarkable".

He tested positive for Covid-19 last week. His family said due to other medication he was receiving for pneumonia, he was unable to be vaccinated.

[OhOh]

I suspect Laos and Cambodia

As illustrated in the explanation at the top of the posted graph, re possible reasons for errors.

One maybe inclined to question all "reported" numbers, total deaths due to a virus or vaccine effectiveness, irrespective of origin.

If one wanted to be a cynic.

[hallelujah]

Some more good news regarding the vaccines. This time the Oxford/AstraZeneca one and spacing the shots out:

Single dose of AstraZeneca vaccine could cut transmission by 67%. One jab could also offer protection of up to 76% for up to 12 weeks, a new study shows.

Single dose of AstraZeneca vaccine could cut transmission by 67% | Vaccines and immunisation | The Guardian

[Switch]

If one wanted to be a cynic.

Even if one organisation agreed to collate results, using a single, simple, metric, not one country could be certain that such information was collected, stored and reported honestly, and neither could the organisation guarantee such accuracy and trust involved in the production of such results.

I am a cynic, and I don’t trust anyone.

[harrybarracuda]

As illustrated in the explanation at the top of the posted graph, re possible reasons for errors.

One maybe inclined to question all "reported" numbers, total deaths due to a virus or vaccine effectiveness, irrespective of origin.

If one wanted to be a cynic.

Yes, the second part of that documentary "54 days" about the chinkies covering up the Wuhan virus should be up by now. Thanks for reminding me.

[harrybarracuda]

Talking of the chinkies, they are so desperate these days.

A team of experts from the World Health Organisation is to be sent to Kazakhstan to investigate the cause of the sharp rise in pneumonia cases in the country. The head of the organisation’s Kazakhstan office, Dr. Caroline Clarinval made the announcement in an interview with the UN’s in-house news service (in Russian).
Kazakhstan has seen a dramatic increase in both COVID-19 infections and severe pneumonia cases in recent weeks, the latter often presenting negative PCR test results for the coronavirus. Over 40,000 people were recently stated to be undergoing treatment for pneumonia around the country, 31,000 of them with negative COVID-19 test results. 415 patients were said to have died in the week ending on 5 July alone, more than the country’s entire official coronavirus death toll to date. The anomalous situation in Kazakhstan (which is actually shared by neighbouring Kyrgyzstan) caused a global media storm last week when the Chinese embassy in the country published a warning about an “unknown pneumonia” with a “much higher” fatality rate than COVID-19. The embassy later reworded its statement following a denunciation by the Kazakh authorities of the story as “fake news”.

WHO to send team to Kazakhstan to investigate “mystery” pneumonia

[panama hat]

So, China is happily killing people off and - again - covering it up. No surprise.

[strigils]

Wondering when my sisters old company would pop up. Interesting comment that GSK has obviously assessed that COVID and its variants could be a long term play. This from the Guardian live stream.



British pharmaceutical group GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and German biotech firm CureVac today announced plans to jointly develop a coronavirus vaccine with the potential to counter multi-variants of Covid-19.

“The development programme will begin immediately, with the target of introducing the vaccine in 2022, subject to regulatory approval,” a joint statement said.

GSK will also support the manufacture this year of up to 100 million doses of CureVac’s first generation Covid-19 vaccine, it added.

The collaboration, building on an existing relationship, is to develop next generation Covid-19 vaccines “with the potential for a multi-valent approach to address multiple emerging variants in one vaccine”, AFP reports.

GSK chief executive Emma Walmsley said “next generation vaccines will be crucial in the continued fight against Covid-19”.

[OhOh]

Mexico greenlights emergency use of Sputnik V after Lancet data shows Russian coronavirus vaccine is 91% effective

3 Feb, 2021 03:44 / Updated 2 hours ago

"Mexican regulators have approved the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, the country’s coronavirus czar said, hours after the UK’s esteemed Lancet journal published data showing the Russian drug is 91 percent effective. Deputy Health Secretary Hugo Lopez-Gatell told reporters on Tuesday that the vaccine had been authorized for import and use on an emergency basis, after hinting last week that approval would come within a matter of days.

“COFEPRIS has just granted a permit for the emergency use of the Sputnik V vaccine, developed by the Gamaleya Epidemiology and Microbiology Center,” Lopez-Gatell said at a press conference, referring to Mexico's federal health regulator.

Thus, it is becoming possible to import the drug and use it.

The authorization came soon after the Lancet medical journal released Phase III clinical trial results, with data from nearly 20,000 volunteers showing Sputnik V is 91.6 percent effective against the virus. For trial participants older than 60 – a more vulnerable population – the immunization showed 91.8 percent efficacy, while it proved 100 percent effective in preventing severe cases of the illness.

Mexico City recently inked a deal with Moscow to obtain some 7.4 million doses of Sputnik V between February and April, with another delivery set for May. The vaccine, the first to be deployed in the global battle against Covid-19, is set to become Mexico’s most heavily used inoculation during that period, especially as Pfizer temporarily halted deliveries of its own jab last month, citing supply chain issues in European factories. It will be distributed alongside China’s CanSino Biologics vaccine, as well as that of British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca.

Tuesday’s announcement also comes a little over a week after Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador tested positive for the coronavirus himself, though health officials noted over the weekend that his symptoms remain “mild.” He is now about halfway through his quarantine, after which he will return to his regular public schedule.
Throughout the pandemic, Mexico has tallied more than 1.8 million coronavirus infections and just shy of 160,000 deaths, according to data gathered by Johns Hopkins University."

Mexico greenlights emergency use of Sputnik V after Lancet data shows Russian coronavirus vaccine is 91% effective — RT Russia & Former Soviet Union

‘All vaccines welcome’: Merkel eyes Russia’s Sputnik V jab after ‘good data’ show over 91% effectiveness in clinical trial

2 Feb, 2021 21:31 / Updated 11 hours ago

"Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she is open to Germany using Russia’s Sputnik V Covid-19 jab after a study in The Lancet reported its effectiveness as 91.6 percent against the virus overall and 100 percent against severe cases.

“We have received good data today from the Russian vaccine,” Merkel said on Tuesday in a TV interview with public broadcaster ARD after interim analysis of Phase III clinical trial data was published by the esteemed British journal.

“Every vaccine is welcome in the EU, but only after it has been approved by EMA,” Merkel said, referring to the European Medical Agency that regulates drugs. Merkel also said she had already spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the prospect of the Sputnik V jab being administered in the EU.

Sputnik V was tested on 19,866 volunteers in the study, which found that it had an even higher efficacy of 91.8 percent among the 2,144 study subjects aged over 60 – and is also 100 percent effective against severe coronavirus cases.

The jab has already been approved for use outside Russia by 15 countries worldwide.

The EMA has so far approved the three Covid-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and the AstraZeneca-University of Oxford partnership, respectively, for use in the bloc.
The vaccine rollout across the EU’s 27 member states has been criticized as sluggish compared to nations like Israel, the US and UK, which have immunized higher percentages of their populations.
Merkel has also come under fire in Germany over the country’s vaccination strategy, which has seen around three out of every 100 people given the jab, compared to the rate of 15 per 100 reported in the US and UK.

On Monday, the chancellor responded to claims that the German vaccination strategy is inadequate, saying “something can always occur during production that cannot be anticipated.”

Vaccination campaigns across the EU have been dogged by shortages of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs. Both companies cited production issues at European manufacturing plants for a temporary drop in their projected deliveries.

Pfizer has since said it will deliver up to 75 million more vaccine doses in the second quarter of 2021, while AstraZeneca has pledged to deliver 40 million doses in the first quarter – 9 million more than it had previously promised after the production issues arose.

Last week, the official Twitter account promoting the Sputnik V vaccine said that, if the jab is approved by EU regulators, the Russian Direct Investment Fund could provide the bloc with 100 million doses in the second quarter of this year."

‘All vaccines welcome’: Merkel eyes Russia’s Sputnik V jab after ‘good data’ show over 91% effectiveness in clinical trial — RT Russia & Former Soviet Union

[harrybarracuda]

Mexico greenlights emergency use of Sputnik V after Lancet data shows Russian coronavirus vaccine is 91% effective

Poor Mexico.

‘All vaccines welcome’: Merkel eyes Russia’s Sputnik V jab after ‘good data’ show over 91% effectiveness in clinical trial

Poor Germany.

[strigils]

This is where the hope of getting out of this "lockdown" cycle lies.

Covid news - live: Oxford vaccine may cut transmission by two thirds as antibodies ‘last for six months’

Oxford vaccine director on jab's impact on transmission

The Oxford coronavirus vaccine appears to offer 76 per cent protection for up to 12 weeks after the first dose, according to new analysis.

Researchers at the University of Oxford said their vaccine, developed with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, may also reduce transmission of the virus by 67 per cent.

The vaccine’s effectiveness in preventing Covid-19 disease rises to 82.4 per cent once a second dose is administered after three months, according to a pre-print paper.

Health secretary Matt Hancock welcomed the findings, saying the study was “really encouraging” and that “vaccines are the way out of the pandemic”.

A separate study also found coronavirus antibodies last for at least six months after infection for the majority of people who have had the virus.

The research by UK BioBank, the UK's major biomedical database and research resource, measured the levels of previous infection in various population groups across the UK and how long antibodies persisted in those who were infected.

According to the study, 99 per cent of participants who tested positive for previous infection retained coronavirus antibodies for three months after being infected, while 88 per cent did so for the full six months of the study.

[Klondyke]

Originally Posted by OhOh
Mexico greenlights emergency use of Sputnik V after Lancet data shows Russian coronavirus vaccine is 91% effective

Poor Mexico.

‘All vaccines welcome’: Merkel eyes Russia’s Sputnik V jab after ‘good data’ show over 91% effectiveness in clinical trial

Poor Germany.

Rather than to be kept alive by a Russian jab better to croak by a non-Russian one...

[misskit]

FDA : Johnson & Johnson is seeking to register its singl-shot COVID-19 vaccine in Thailand

BANGKOK (NNT) - According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Johnson & Johnson is seeking to register its single-shot COVID-19 vaccine in Thailand.


Dr Surachoke Tangwiwat, deputy secretary-general of the FDA said the company has applied to register their vaccine with the FDA but some documents were missing.


The company is required to have the relevant papers and file them within 30 days, he said.


In the meantime, the FDA is examining the filed papers that have been submitted, Dr Surachoke said, adding that no other company has recently applied to register their coronavirus vaccine.


The FDA last week revealed that it approved the registration of AstraZeneca Co’s vaccine after the firm submitted nearly 10,000 pages of documents in December.


As for the registration of China’s Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine, Dr Surachoke said although it has yet to be registered for use in China, the jab could be allowed to be used in Thailand if the FDA determines it is safe and effective.


National News Bureau Of Thailand

[misskit]

Over 300 million Indians may have COVID-19, source says citing government study, India News News | wionews.com

[strigils]

^ Gawd knows how many variants must be growing in that petri dish, scary.

[bsnub]

So glad I get my jab in two weeks.

[taxexile]

andrew macgregor marshall has some very interesting things to say about the thailands vaccine procurement fxck-up on his twitter feed.

i would cut and paste it here, but teak door would probably be closed down and the owners in court.

Wondering why Thailand's vaccine procurement strategy has turned out to be a disaster, and why the regime is so paranoid about criticism of the plan? The issue is too sensitive for local media to fully report. Here comes a THREAD with the full story #WhatsHappeningInThailand 1/24

[Joe 90]

Cheers for that Tax, very interesting.

[misskit]

St. Barts is shutting down due to COVID-19

[russellsimpson]

I am a cynic, and I don’t trust anyone.

.

Me too. All nations are sometimes inclined to stretch the truth though most are more comfortable simply lying. tip o the hat to master Twain . Western liberal democracies like the US (with one recent notable recent exception) are inclined to fiddle while Vietnam would find it easier to simply lie. There are probably several good explanations here but those discussions are generally beyond my pay scale.

[russellsimpson]

[QUOTE=strigils;4217728]Wondering when my sisters old company would pop up. Interesting comment that GSK has obviously assessed that COVID and its variants could be a long term play.

Long term play I agree. Listening and watching I can't help but be struck by how much long term planning is starting to emerge. Canada, a nation of 37M , has purchased or has options to purchase 600 million doses, three hundred million people given both doses. Canada also has decided at long last to throw billions more at building manufacturing facilities. This won't be functional until next year. There seem to be a group of people in high places who understand that this battle with CoVid is going to go on for years. Vaccine nationalism is for real and this will prevent wealthy nations ensuring a supply to everyone else. Which is most unfortunate.

Vaccine politics here we come.

[strigils]

^ i think we'll see more focus on development targeted at variants which implies that sadly they think its going to be a fixture in our lives for the foreseeable. Still the fact they have developed effective treatments in such a short timeframe gives hope that that can react quickly to emergent strains.

[harrybarracuda]

^ i think we'll see more focus on development targeted at variants which implies that sadly they think its going to be a fixture in our lives for the foreseeable. Still the fact they have developed effective treatments in such a short timeframe gives hope that that can react quickly to emergent strains.

mRNA vaccines are the best bet, as it was designed to be modular.