Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #83

[CoverMeCagney]

Interestingly, I just read that the UK is now enacting its new tiered covid restrictions in law. I wonder if they are the first country to do that. And I wonder if others will follow that lead, if non-compliance remains a big issue for other countries.

"Everything will be law now rather than simply advice."
What does three-tier Covid lockdown system mean for England?

It has been illegal for me (not just me, my region!) to set foot in anyone else’s houses, or have anyone visit my house, for a couple of weeks now. Longer in some areas. As of tomorrow I also cannot meet up with a friend anywhere indoors, including cafes/restaurants etc.

It’s also illegal across the whole of the U.K. to gather in groups of more than six people (unless your household is more than six). All enforceable by fixed penalty fines.

 

[MimosaMornings]

CDC says teen gave COVID-19 to 11 relatives across 4 states during a family vacation.

“A COVID-19 outbreak that infected 11 people across four states began with a 13-year-old girl who transmitted the virus during a three-week family vacation over the summer, according to a Centers for Disease Control report.

The report said the initial patient, a 13-year-old girl, was exposed to COVID-19 during a large outbreak in June. A rapid antigen test four days after her exposure came back negative, before her symptoms began. Two days later she had some nasal congestion, her only symptom. That day she traveled with her parents and two brothers to attend a large family gathering, which began the following day, according to the CDC report.“

13-year-old spreads COVID-19 to 11 family members on vacation, after negative test

So, exposed during a large outbreak. Four days after exposure, did a rapid antigen test which came back negative. Two days later, nasal congestion as a symptom on way to large family gathering in one house.

If you’ve been exposed (especially during a large outbreak) - isn’t 4 days a bit quick to test?
And even with a rapid antigen test - exposing others within 7 days sounds risky. JMO

 

[JerseyGirl]

The Czech Republic is imposing a new three-week state of emergency from midnight (22:00 GMT) to combat coronavirus, shutting schools, bars and clubs and restricting restaurants to deliveries and takeaways.

Coronavirus: Czech schools and bars shut in new emergency

 

[nhmemorymaker]

There is a good article here, published by National Geographic, that states:

In July, David Robertson, a viral genomics researcher at University of Glasgow, authored a peer-reviewed paper in Nature Medicine that showed the lineage behind SARS-CoV-2 and its closest known ancestor, a virus called RaTG13, have been circulating in bat populations for decades.
Virologists think this relative, which is 96-percent identical to the novel coronavirus, probably propagated and evolved in bats or human hosts and then went undetected for about 20 years before adapting its current form and causing the ongoing pandemic.


The article also points out the wrong information in the "Yan report".

Why misinformation about COVID-19’s origins keeps going viral
September 18, 2020

Love this quote: “If you hear something twice, you're more likely to think that it's true than if you've only heard it once.” So prevalence turbocharges false news, and echo chambers then turn into self-perpetuating whirlwinds of misbelief.

In my review, the Yan pre-print is full of holes.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I had a phone consult today with my GP re my suspected Long Covid, thought you guys might be interested to hear about it.

He asked what my symptoms are - exhaustion, brain fog, aches - and went through what happened in March when I believe I had it.

He said it is very likely I had it in March (the colleague's antibody test was the clincher) and now very possible I do have Long Covid.

He said there wasnt a lot they can offer yet (understandably) other than signing me off work. I thanked him but declined, as genuinely my work do need me right now (in my role I have to advise them on Covid protocols and safety etc) and I work from home three out of five days so it's not too bad.

The advice from him is:

Rest as much as possible
Reduce caffeine (I said I have two coffees per day max, he said cut down)
Reduce alcohol (I hardly have any)
Gradually increase exercise but only with a pulse oximeter to hand so I can monitor levels. I just bought one from Amazon and will start doing that.

He said (as we here know) it is v fortunate that I was taking Vit D for the year beforehand, to get my levels up.

Reading today about the re-infections, I told Mr HKP that we need to seriously start a lose weight campaign and he's on board with it. Reduce as many risk factors as we can.

Downside.. No coffee, no wine, no chocolate ....

 

[CoverMeCagney]

View attachment 267705

I can still have all these things! Just send them to me and I’ll keep them safely away from HKP

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Yes, I agree that "germ warfare" is a very scary thought.

I did notice in an article I just read that the US restarted its gain-of-function experiments on Dec 19, 2017.
Once it felt that it had dealt with its internal safety breaches in this regard, and put in place a new policy.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(18)30006-9/fulltext

Well...learning too much about gain-of-function today! So in 2017 the US was back in heavy support of g-o-f??? Who knew?

Your article in The Lancet led me to the brief prepared by the the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity to end the ban on g-o-f. Lots of US oversight and working tightly with the international community. Massive guidelines, systems and processes to keep g-o-f in check internationally. Many many scientists, including Fauci, are members of this committee.

This is the group that should be working with China, and others internationally, to get to the root of the origins on this virus.

https://osp.od.nih.gov/wp-content/u...rsight_Proposed_Gain_of_Function_Research.pdf


Finding 6. Managing risks associated with GOF research of concern, like all life sciences research, requires both federal and institutional oversight, awareness and compliance, and a commitment by all stakeholders to safety and security.
Finding 7. Funding and conducting GOF research of concern encompasses many issues that are international in nature.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

It has been illegal for me (not just me, my region!) to set foot in anyone else’s houses, or have anyone visit my house, for a couple of weeks now. Longer in some areas. As of tomorrow I also cannot meet up with a friend anywhere indoors, including cafes/restaurants etc.

It’s also illegal across the whole of the U.K. to gather in groups of more than six people (unless your household is more than six). All enforceable by fixed penalty fines.

Wow....the word illegal is just so ominous! I know in Sweden, Asian countries, and believe that includes Australia.... that "it is just what has to be"...

I am reminded of the article that @mickey2942 posted last week..... that I found so thought provoking..........
Pandemic Deniers: What’s With Them?

It turns out there is a path forward that I can see, and that I had overlooked. It is a path that was before me all the time, but I had ignored it.

It is that face masks and social distancing must become compulsory and with consequences. This path, I hurry to point out, derives entirely from my experience and observations as a practicing psychotherapist, not from any personal frustration or law-enforcement predilections.

It is that there are two paths to recovery, not one, from self-defeating types of behaviors. We are taught that insights and understanding are what can lead to behavior change. But it is clinical experience that reveals that the reverse is also true. Behavior change, including compulsory behavior change, can be followed by insights and understanding.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I can still have all these things! Just send them to me and I’ll keep them safely away from HKP

This is a necessary diet... I know that coffee is the energy, that the wine is fruit... isn't chocolate a protein??

 

[CSIDreamer]

This is a necessary diet... I know that coffee is the energy, that the wine is fruit... isn't chocolate a protein??

IMO, chocolate is a superfood and should be respected as such. Highly respected, actually.

 

[HongKongPhooey]

I can still have all these things! Just send them to me and I’ll keep them safely away from HKP

You're such a good pal!

 

[CSIDreamer]

Memorandums regarding CV19 from the White House

Briefing Statements | The White House

 

[JerseyGirl]

Iran's coronavirus daily death tolls hit record highs as currency falls to historic low

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Wow....the word illegal is just so ominous! I know in Sweden, Asian countries, and believe that includes Australia.... that "it is just what has to be"...

I am reminded of the article that @mickey2942 posted last week..... that I found so thought provoking..........
Pandemic Deniers: What’s With Them?

It turns out there is a path forward that I can see, and that I had overlooked. It is a path that was before me all the time, but I had ignored it.

It is that face masks and social distancing must become compulsory and with consequences. This path, I hurry to point out, derives entirely from my experience and observations as a practicing psychotherapist, not from any personal frustration or law-enforcement predilections.

It is that there are two paths to recovery, not one, from self-defeating types of behaviors. We are taught that insights and understanding are what can lead to behavior change. But it is clinical experience that reveals that the reverse is also true. Behavior change, including compulsory behavior change, can be followed by insights and understanding.

Yeah it does sound bad but I don’t think you’d get a criminal record for breaking those rules, just an on-the-spot fine, like for a driving or littering offence.

The British government did suggest guidelines and advised against certain things, but unfortunately some people just did what they bloody pleased... and here we are with rising cases.

 

[RANCH]

Risks and Benefits of Gain-of-Function Experiments with Pathogens of Pandemic Potential, Such as Influenza Virus: a Call for a Science-Based Discussion

THE RISK-BENEFIT CONUNDRUM

Proponents of continued GOF experiments emphasize the benefit and downplay or even deny the risk, while opponents do the converse. Since both risk and benefit involve quantitative assessments, in this case with limited information, the debate is fueled by the reality that weighing risks and benefits involves judgment calls. The risks fall into two general categories that are separate but related: namely, biosecurity and biosafety. Biosecurity risk is the likelihood that someone would use products or information gained from GOF experiments that led to a more pathogenic virus to carry out intentional damage in the form of bioterrorism. Biosafety risk is the likelihood of accidental escape that could trigger an outbreak and epidemic.

Risks and Benefits of Gain-of-Function Experiments with Pathogens of Pandemic Potential, Such as Influenza Virus: a Call for a Science-Based Discussion

 

[beatrixpotter]

Peru has opened the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu for a single Japanese tourist who had waited almost seven months to visit the world heritage site.

Jesse Katayama was due to visit Machu Picchu in March but it closed because of coronavirus.

[...]

Mr Katayama planned to spend only a few days in Peru, but became stranded in the town of Aguas Calientes, near Machu Picchu, in mid-March because of coronavirus travel regulations.

Peru opens Machu Picchu for single tourist stranded by Covid

It's nice to read of something so kind! Imagine waiting that long and then having to leave before getting to visit. I'm glad they allowed him in.

 

[tresir2012]

A strategy to prevent future epidemics similar to the 2019-nCoV outbreak - ScienceDirect

Over the past 10 years collaborating with scientists in China, we collected samples from over 10,000 bats and ~2000 other mammals across South China and discovered 52 novel SARSr-CoVs, 122 other β-CoVs, more than 350 novel α-CoVs (including the new Swine Acute Diarrheal Syndrome Coronavirus SADS-CoV), and a new “lineage E” β-CoV clade [11,12]. We found SARS-related CoVs that can bind to human cells, and that cause SARS-like disease in humanized mouse models that was not prevented with a vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV, and were not treatable with almost all of the monoclonal therapies being developed for SARS [8,[13], [14], [15], [16]]. Finally, we showed serological evidence that people living at the wildlife-human interface in rural China were being exposed to SARS-related coronaviruses, perhaps even the same virus as nCoV-2019, between the emergence of SARS and the current outbreak [17,18]. Together these data mark wildlife-origin coronaviruses as a ‘clear and present danger’. They also highlight exactly the issue of key concern in the current outbreak — that there is a large diversity of viral strains in wildlife in China with significant potential for emergence in people. Further, we estimate that there are thousands of other CoVs in bats across Southeast Asia, many of which will have pandemic potential. We strongly urge that scientists in these countries work to discover all of these viruses so that we can catalog them, develop a reference library for rapid pathogen identification and risk assessment, and test vaccines and therapies against them [19,20].

Makes my skin crawl. Especially the new pigs**t one SADS-COV.

 

[CharlestonGal]

Idaho woman in the hospital after being infected with coronavirus for the second time | ktvb.com

BOISE, Idaho — Carol Ruhter is battling serious symptoms after testing positive for COVID-19. She was taken to St. Luke's in Twin Falls as her condition got progressively worse.

“I thought I was dying, my whole body was so hot. My temperature when I got to the hospital was 103.8 degrees and I couldn’t breathe,” Ruhter said. “It’s been a nightmare.”

Unfortunately, Ruhter is all too familiar with COVID-19: this is now the second time she’s gotten the virus.

Getting COVID-19 twice is not impossible; research has drawn some conclusions on immunity to the virus, according to retired CEO and president of St. Luke's Health System Dr. David Pate.

"It certainly isn’t common, but it’s well documented,” Pate said. "If you get infected with COVID, we have reason to believe that immunity is short-lived.”

“We have seen a couple of cases now where the reinfection has been far more severe than the initial infection," Pate said. "Obviously there is still much for us to learn about this virus."

Contrary to cautious optimism, the body's natural immune response to COVID-19 is not overly impressive, further emphasizing the need for a successful vaccine.

 

[astheworldfallsdown]

Coronavirus: Cristiano Ronaldo tests positive for COVID-19

Football star Cristiano Ronaldo has tested positive for coronavirus, the Portuguese Football Federation (PFF) has said.

The 35-year-old, who also plays for the Italian side Juventus, is said to be "doing well, without symptoms, and in isolation".

However, no further positive tests have been reported in the squad ahead of the Sweden match.

 

[Sprockett7701]

Hmmm. Not sure if we can use one with a family member on oxygen.

Do your parks have shelters with power points...maybe electric throw blankets, under a shelter...for a while possibly...