The COVID-2019 Thread

[Buckaroo Banzai]

In Florida where I am it is reported that we has 1.7 million cases. The population in Fl is 21,4 million people. Which means that one out of 12.5 people in florida already had covid 19.
Of course some of these reported cases are of people visiting in Florida, but even if adjusted for that, the number is staggering.
number of covid cases in florida today - Google-haku

[harrybarracuda]

In Florida where I am it is reported that we has 1.7 million cases. The population in Fl is 21,4 million people. Which means that one out of 12.5 people in florida already had covid 19.
Of course some of these reported cases are of people visiting in Florida, but even if adjusted for that, the number is staggering.
number of covid cases in florida today - Google-haku

You can blame that on your Republican governor who has done his absolute best to both deny the disease and hide the data.

[Latindancer]

The thing is, there are some small centres there where the rate is much lower. So in places like Miami, it must be a lot higher.

[harrybarracuda]

The thing is, there are some small centres there where the rate is much lower. So in places like Miami, it must be a lot higher.

I guess you missed this bit....

hide the data

[harrybarracuda]

They don't even hide it.

PHNOM PENH: The first 600,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines donated by China to Cambodia arrived in Phnom Penh on Sunday by special plane, with the doses earmarked to vaccinate health workers and the military.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2064083/coronavirus-vaccines-from-china-arrive-in-cambodia

[misskit]

Putin’s once-scorned vaccine now favorite in pandemic fight

President Vladimir Putin’s announcement in August that Russia had cleared the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine for use before it even completed safety trials sparked skepticism worldwide. Now he may reap diplomatic dividends as Russia basks in arguably its biggest scientific breakthrough since the Soviet era.


Countries are lining up for supplies of Sputnik V after peer-reviewed results published in The Lancet medical journal last week showed the Russian vaccine protects against the deadly virus about as well as U.S. and European shots, and far more effectively than Chinese rivals.


At least 20 countries have approved the inoculation for use, including European Union member-state Hungary, while key markets such as Brazil and India are close to authorizing it. Now Russia is setting its sights on the prized EU market as the bloc struggles with its vaccination program amid supply shortages.

MORE Putin’s once-scorned vaccine now favorite in pandemic fight | The Japan Times

[Buckaroo Banzai]

I guess you missed this bit....

Hide the data only served in providing a false narrative that justified in the minds of some the self serving attitudes and resulting policies .
I started with Bike week last march, while every scientist was telling them to cancel it , the moron in the white house and mini me in Tallahassee were telling people that the Virus was a fake media lie, and not to take any warnings seriously.
So the trump idiots, from all over the country came to Florida on their steel horses to play cowboys. By the time they canceled the event the damage was done.
All business are open , restaurants are open, it was not that long ago that nobody wore masks, some still dont, because real man don't wear masks,
Schools are open , and we all know how disciplined kids are at social distancing and proper hygiene, then those kids come home , and we all know that parents don't love their kids, hug them , kiss them, or touch them at all.
Then they wonder , how they got infected? Why does Florida have such a high rate of infection?

[harrybarracuda]

Hide the data only served in providing a false narrative that justified in the minds of some the self serving attitudes and resulting policies .
I started with Bike week last march, while every scientist was telling them to cancel it , the moron in the white house and mini me in Tallahassee were telling people that the Virus was a fake media lie, and not to take any warnings seriously.
So the trump idiots, from all over the country came to Florida on their steel horses to play cowboys. By the time they canceled the event the damage was done.
All business are open , restaurants are open, it was not that long ago that nobody wore masks, some still dont, because real man don't wear masks,
Schools are open , and we all know how disciplined kids are at social distancing and proper hygiene, then those kids come home , and we all know that parents don't love their kids, hug them , kiss them, or touch them at all.
Then they wonder , how they got infected? Why does Florida have such a high rate of infection?

They don't though - they have no idea how bad it is because he hides the numbers and sacked and subsequently had arrested a woman who was publishing the data.

[harrybarracuda]

It's "highly likely" vaccination certificates will be required for international travel, Australia's Federal Minister for Government Services said today.

"There is still a range of decisions for governments to make, it's highly likely that a certificate will be required for international visitors to Australia and we will continue to work with our international counterparts on our framework for vaccination certificates," Stuart Robert said.

"Australians can have assurance the certificate they will have will be robust, it will be anchored to them, so they will know it's their certificate, and it will be widely accepted."

He didn't confirm, however, whether they'll lead to a faster opening of international borders, saying he'd leave "any commentary" up to Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Covid 19 coronavirus: Travellers won'''t be allowed into Australia without a vaccination certificate, minister signals - NZ Herald

[harrybarracuda]

Pfizer expects to nearly cut in half the amount of time it takes to produce a batch of COVID-19 vaccine, from 110 days to an average of 60, as it makes the process more efficient and production is built out, the company told USA TODAY.

As the nation revs up its vaccination programs, the increase could help relieve bottlenecks caused by vaccine shortages.

"We call this 'Project Light Speed,' and it's called that for a reason," said Chaz Calitri, Pfizer's vice president for operations for sterile injectables, who runs the company's Kalamazoo, Michigan plant. "Just in the last month we've doubled output."

The increased speed and capacity is not unexpected, said Robert Van Exan, president of Immunization Policy and Knowledge Translation, a vaccine production consulting firm.

“Nobody’s ever produced mRNA vaccines at this scale, so you can bet your bottom dollar the manufacturers are learning as they go. I bet you every day they run into some vaccine challenge and every day they solve it and that goes into their playbook,” he said.

Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine is made at three different Pfizer plants: starting in Chesterfield, Missouri, moving to Andover, Massachusetts, and finishing in Kalamazoo, Michigan. As of Saturday, about 20.6 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine had been administered nationwide.

Pfizer based its production system on how the vaccine was developed in the laboratory, Calitri said. Normally engineers would spend years improving efficiencies and cost-effectiveness. That's not what happened with COVID-19.

"We just went right to commercial production," Calitri said.

As soon as vials of vaccine began coming off the production line, engineers started analyzing how the process could work faster and better.

"We made a lot of really slick enhancements," he added.

Production is getting faster. For example, making the DNA that starts the vaccine process first took 16 days; soon it will take nine or 10. While quality control and testing has accelerated, company officials say FDA regulations and best manufacturing practices are still being met.

Along with improving speed, Pfizer also is increasing output by adding more manufacturing lines in all three plants.

As the vaccine effort continues, more efficiencies are expected.

"There are going to be profound shifts in the way we do business," Calitri said. "We just demonstrated to ourselves that we can go from a phone call in March to having now delivered 50 to 60 million doses."

Pfizer expects to cut COVID-19 vaccine production time by almost 50%

[HermantheGerman]

In Florida where I am it is reported that we has 1.7 million cases. The population in Fl is 21,4 million people. Which means that one out of 12.5 people in florida already had covid 19.
Of course some of these reported cases are of people visiting in Florida, but even if adjusted for that, the number is staggering.
number of covid cases in florida today - Google-haku

21,4 / 1,7 = 12,58 Floridia

328,2 / 26,9 = 12,2 U.S.

sorry but did I miss something?
is my calculation wrong?

Folks from New York tell me that everybody knows someone who had covid or worse knows someone who has died from it.
I guess you Floridians really don't know what's going on around you. Too much sun?

[russellsimpson]

I note that Burundi and Tanzania have both opted out of wanting any C-Vid vaccines. In Burundi the health minister is arguing that "as 95 percent of people are recovering" no vaccine is requires. Up in Tanzania the government argues that with the help of God and local herbs the vaccines will be unnecessary.

This African country says it doesn't need COVID-19 vaccines, for now


Since more than 95% of patients are recovering, we estimate that the vaccines are not yet necessary, health minister of Burundi said
The country closed its land and water borders last month. It now has well over 1,600 confirmed coronavirus cases.
The minister spoke while announcing new measures against the pandemic. The country closed its land and water borders last month. It now has well over 1,600 confirmed coronavirus cases.

Neighbouring Tanzania this week said it had no plans to accept COVID-19 vaccines after President John Magufuli expressed doubt about them, without giving evidence. He insists the country has long defeated the virus with God’s help but faces growing pushback from fellow citizens, and officials with the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have urged Tanzania to cooperate.

This African country says it doesn't need COVID-19 vaccines, for now

[Troy]

Meanwhile the UK is still registering over 1000 deaths daily, which is rather sad.

Cheltenham down to 109 new infections per 100K, a much lower average than the rest of the UK. My area in Bavaria is just over 53/100K with a couple of weeks of lockdown to go.

Comparing the figures after another week and things are certainly improving. Cheltenham is down to 59.6/100K with another couple of weeks lockdown expected and where I am in Bavaria is down to 31.4 with a week left. Remember the target was under 50/100K new infections before lifting restrictions.

Overall, Germany is at 82.3/100K and the UK is at 218/100K. These figures suggest that Germany could lift restrictions as early as the end of next week but the UK should extend to the beginning of March and reassess then. I wonder if that's how it will play out.

UK is well ahead in the vaccination program, Bavaria lagging, well behind, with no dates yet for people >70 that I know.

[panama hat]

I wonder if that's how it will play out.

Germany should start the mass-vaccination program asap, the infrastructure is in place and the UK has shown that at least this art of the pandemic is calculable. With the 'Ordnung Muß Sein' mentality this part should be a relative breeze, though braving -15 degrees and snow like in Berlin would throw a spanner in the works.

[Mandaloopy]

Someone just ended it all by setting themselves alight in the main square. Apparently a businessman who had lost money due to these never-ending lockdowns.

[HuangLao]

Because of a narcissist ex president who wont accept blame and blames other for his failures.

Yeah. Can't dismiss the general indifference and mismanagement that he displayed, coupled with unpreparedness of the medical/health communities.
Largely, the grotesque and astounding numbers in the U.S. can be attributed to a broader societal thing - a refusal to abide by simple mitigation protocol by a greater percentage of the population.

....and the numbers have been increasingly staggering for 10 months on.

[OhOh]

Australia to fund Covid vaccines for 1.5m Cambodians

China and India are also expected to provide vaccines for the impoverished country

UCA News reporter, Phnom Penh


Updated: February 01, 2021 10:06 AM GM

"Cambodian efforts to inoculate 80 percent of its population against the Covid-19 pandemic are gathering pace, with Australia emerging as its biggest donor with a pledge of US$28 million to help vaccinate 1.5 million people. The pledge was announced by the Australian embassy in Phnom Penh and the Cambodian government on Feb. 1 and will enable inoculations through a Covax facility to be approved by the World Health Organization (WHO).

“As a neighbor and long-standing friend of Cambodia, we are pleased to be able to lend a hand in this time of need,” Australian ambassador Pablo Kang said.

China has promised one million doses of its Sinopharm vaccine for 500,000 Cambodians, which requires two jabs for each person. They are expected to be available later this month and are favored because they can be stored at temperatures of 2-8 degrees Celsius. Some other vaccines require storage temperatures of at least minus 70C.

On a recent regional tour, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also promised vaccines for Myanmar, Indonesia and the Philippines amid claims China is using vaccination for diplomatic leverage with vaccine deliveries also tied to trade and investment deals.

Cambodia has also asked India to contribute vaccines that can be stored at up to 18C.

“We are grateful for Australia’s support, which will help us meet critical needs of our people and economy,” said Aun Pornmoniroth, Cambodia’s deputy prime minister.

“We applaud Australia and her people for their solidarity and commitment in jointly fighting against this pandemic so that we can recover and prosper together.”

Cambodia has emerged relatively unscathed from the pandemic with just 466 confirmed Covid-19 cases. Nearly all were among people arriving from abroad, either across land borders or by air. To date, there have been 443 recoveries and no deaths.

Foreign assistance packages are in addition to vaccines Cambodia will receive from the multilateral WHO-Covax, which hopes to cover about 3 percent of populations within the world’s poorest countries within the first six months of 2021.

Kang said that although Cambodia has so far avoided serious health impacts from the pandemic, widespread vaccination remains critical for preventing future outbreaks and rebuilding economic activity.

He also said the Australian package would also help Cambodia to distribute and administer vaccines, to monitor the safety and efficacy of vaccinations, and to ensure Cambodians have access to clear information about the vaccination process.

“In recognition that nobody is safe until everyone is safe, our support is likely to help vaccinate at least 1.5 million Cambodians and will go a long way towards supporting widespread access to WHO-approved vaccines in Cambodia,” Kang added."

Australia to fund Covid vaccines for 1.5m Cambodians - UCA News


China at it again, allegedly.

[russellsimpson]

On a recent regional tour, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also promised vaccines for Myanmar, Indonesia and the Philippines amid claims China is using vaccination for diplomatic leverage with vaccine deliveries also tied to trade and investment deals.

"Using vaccines for diplomatic leverage" I think all countries are doing that to some extent. If they weren't wouldn't they would give the resources to Covac and leave it at that.

[harrybarracuda]

"Using vaccines for diplomatic leverage" I think all countries are doing that to some extent. If they weren't wouldn't they would give the resources to Covac and leave it at that.

I think it's better if they give their resources to Covax, don't you?

[harrybarracuda]

China at it again, allegedly.

In fairness, they might as well give their shit away, not a lot of people would pay good money for it.

[HermantheGerman]

In fairness, they might as well give their shit away, not a lot of people would pay good money for it.

Vaccination for animals ? Bats, Pangolin, Jinping

[russellsimpson]

In terms of vaccine diplomacy, I think Sputnik 5 and Sinopharm have probably a good leg up on western manufacturers. I do believe these these are quite adequate for the job and it seems the European Union may agree. Of course we won't be seeing any of these any time soon over here in North America. Not bloody likely.

These are highly political decisions. India is definitely in line to indulge in the game soon enough. They're already shipping millions of doses to select countries., nothing on the scale of Sputnik and Sinopharm though.

[Latindancer]

The SARS-CoV-2 variant identified in the UK, dubbed B.1.1.7, is now spreading in the US, the Washington Post reports. It adds that this variant is suspected to be more easily transmitted than the original pandemic strain and could soon become the dominant strain circulating in the US.

A Scripps Research Institute-led team examined the prevalence of the strain in the US based on both the slightly different pattern of PCR testing results it gives and follow-up sequencing of those samples. In a preprint posted to MedRxiv, they report that the strain was introduced into the US numerous times since the end of November 2020 and that, given that many initial B.1.1.7 US cases were not linked to international travel, there appears to be community transmission of the strain.
They further report that while this strain is currently at a low frequency in the US, it appears to be doubling every week and a half, the Post notes.
"There could indeed be a very serious situation developing in a matter of months or weeks," Nicholas Davies, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine who was not involved in the study, tells the New York Times. "These may be early signals warranting urgent investigation by public health authorities."

https://www.genomeweb.com/scan/and-n...s#.YCIJ33kRXIU

[Shutree]

Yeah. Can't dismiss the general indifference and mismanagement that he displayed, coupled with unpreparedness of the medical/health communities.
Largely, the grotesque and astounding numbers in the U.S. can be attributed to a broader societal thing - a refusal to abide by simple mitigation protocol by a greater percentage of the population.

....and the numbers have been increasingly staggering for 10 months on.

Despite the apparent mismanagement, it continues to puzzle me that the death rates per 100,000 population in UK (167.5) and Italy (150.5) both exceed that in the USA (141.1).

Covid map: Coronavirus cases, deaths, vaccinations by country - BBC News

Great to see the Brits becoming world leaders at something. It seems strange, what with their free National Health Service, that the UK can lead the world at dying. Is it something to do with the way the numbers are compiled?

[harrybarracuda]

Despite the apparent mismanagement, it continues to puzzle me that the death rates per 100,000 population in UK (167.5) and Italy (150.5) both exceed that in the USA (141.1).

Covid map: Coronavirus cases, deaths, vaccinations by country - BBC News

Great to see the Brits becoming world leaders at something. It seems strange, what with their free National Health Service, that the UK can lead the world at dying. Is it something to do with the way the numbers are compiled?

Perhaps it's that, because everyone in the UK has access to free healthcare and thus we have more old people per capita than the US?

Oh look, it is.