Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #94

[10ofRods]

Good news for us today. We are about to have our first two-way travel bubble .... with New Zealand. No quarantine required. Very happy about that. Baby steps.

Could be that I will soon be able to use the significant Qantas credit that I was given when I had to cancel my trip to the US last year. New Zealand is such a beautiful country and I have only explored a small portion of it, so far.


Australians could book an overseas holiday as early as today with the trans-Tasman bubble between Australia and New Zealand possibly ready for takeoff after months of setbacks.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is set to announce today when the trans- Tasman bubble will finally begin, allowing people to travel between New Zealand and Australia without needing to quarantine.
The two-way travel bubble is expected to start either on April 12 or 19.
Overseas trips to NZ to soon become a reality

This is so cool. No words to express how wonderful and exciting this is for all of you.

While it would have been hard for all North America to get this degree of control and cooperation, one wonders why some of the more isolated/island areas didn't go for it. Israel made itself into an island, I believe, and so did South Korean (and Vietnam).

Geography is so important in understanding what's going on - and it's very concerning that Ottawa/Michigan and Washington/British Columbia have got surges - possibly due to weather, possibly due to human behavior, possibly due to "variants." I hope we know soon.

 

[SouthAussie]

This is so cool. No words to express how wonderful and exciting this is for all of you.

While it would have been hard for all North America to get this degree of control and cooperation, one wonders why some of the more isolated/island areas didn't go for it. Israel made itself into an island, I believe, and so did South Korean (and Vietnam).

Geography is so important in understanding what's going on - and it's very concerning that Ottawa/Michigan and Washington/British Columbia have got surges - possibly due to weather, possibly due to human behavior, possibly due to "variants." I hope we know soon.

It has been interesting to read how they are going to direct airport traffic for our new travel bubble.

All Aussies going to and from NZ will have to follow a green path/zone at the airport and on the flights. This path is going to keep us away from any other international travellers who will be going into quarantine.

They are putting a lot of work into the safety and integrity of the system.


Instead of being taken to MIQ, Honan and other travellers from Australia will be on 'green zone' flights and airport routes, so they don't come into contact with people from other parts of the world.

Green zone flights have no passengers who have come from anywhere but Australia in the previous 14 days and are flown by crew who have not been on any high-risk routes for a set period of time.

The government says travellers will need to wear masks, be prepared for random temperature checks and can't have cold or flu symptoms or be waiting on a Covid test.
Trans-Tasman bubble brings in 'green zone' flights and airport routes

 

[Mo Thuairim]

P.1 variant is spreading in Canada. What do we know about it and vaccines?

A good informational article about the P.1 variant, which I was not familiar with.

The conclusion of that article is sobering...

Getting more people vaccinated will “absolutely” help in the fight against the P.1 variant, Markland (Dr. Darren Markland, an intensive care physician at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton) said, but it’s a “double-edged sword” because it can also cause people to let their guard down too soon.

“Combine that with a little bit of spring fever and you can see people becoming significantly more lax towards preventative healthcare measures,” he said.

“This virus is highly infectious and is spreading exponentially. We are not vaccinating exponentially. So right now, the variants will win this race. And every person who dies of any form of COVID-19 is a preventable death.”

 

[margarita25]

• One third of Covid-19 patients experience psychological or neurological diagnoses over 6 months, study shows
  
  
• Also, from above, “India reported more than 115,000 new Covid-19 cases in the highest single-day total since the pandemic began” - remember they have the double mutant, now found in the Bay Area.

 

[margarita25]

Covid-19 Variant From Brazil Has Taken Hold in Canada
The province of British Columbia is struggling to contain the variant, which is more contagious and is sending younger patients to hospitals

 

[GRT]

* I am very worried about P1 (and other VOCs, B117, etc., but P1.....).

...respectfully snipped for focus...

I also have a bad feeling about P1, and I wish the public was being made more aware of how it's spreading and how it's affecting younger people.

I get it that local news channels have many stories to cover, which may be why they're not spending a lot of time talking about P1. It's too bad we don't have a free dedicated channel that covers all things Covid--24/7--so anyone can tune in at any time and get a good sense of what's happening.

 

[margarita25]

“LIMA, Peru — With a sense of dread, the doctor watched the patients stream into his intensive care unit.

For weeks, César Salomé, a physician in Lima’s Hospital Mongrut, had followed the chilling reports. A new coronavirus variant, spawned in the Amazon rainforest, had stormed Brazil and driven its health system to the brink of collapse. Now his patients, too, were arriving far sicker, their lungs saturated with disease, and they were dying within days. Even the young and healthy didn’t appear protected.

The new variant, he realized, was here.

“We used to have more time,” Salomé said. “Now, we have patients who come in and in a few days they’ve lost the use of their lungs.”

The P.1 variant, which packs a suite of mutations that make it more transmissible and potentially more dangerous, is no longer just Brazil’s problem. It’s South America’s problem — and the world’s.“

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/04/05/brazil-variant-coronavirus-south-america/

—

“Doctors say they're seeing younger patients with the disease — aged 20 to 50 — requiring critical care, in contrast with predominantly elderly people who got badly sick during the first year of the pandemic.“

Coronavirus variants causing growing alarm in B.C. as cases surge, hospitalizations rise
Number of cases involving more transmissible P1 variant almost doubled over Easter weekend: health minister

—

Covid: Brazil has more than 4,000 deaths in 24 hours for first time

—

Covid Has Killed 3 Million Worldwide
As a covid uptick in India takes the daily infection rate past 100,000, variants like P.1 cause worry in Peru and the Philippines is suffering a huge surge, it's estimated 3 million people have died as a result of the pandemic coronavirus.

Covid Has Killed 3 Million Worldwide

 

[SouthAussie]

So far, they think the vaccines are effective against the variants. Though this article says that multivalent vaccines might be more effective in the long run, as we will be needing covid vaccines for many years.


Currently available vaccines will likely offer protection against prevailing variants of SARS-CoV-2. However, multivalent vaccines might be more robust in the longer term. Multivalent vaccines would probably include the viral nucleoprotein, which has less selection pressure than the spike glycoprotein, due to critical functions in binding the viral genome.

Vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 will be needed for many years, and those vaccines will change as variants become too divergent, similar to vaccines against influenza. National and global surveillance, together with well controlled assays to rapidly identify and characterise variants of concern, will allow us to move from current reactive approach to something much more proactive.
Covid-19: variants and vaccination

 

[SouthAussie]

Researchers are trying to get ahead of variants like those identified in the U.K., South Africa and Brazil

Drugmakers are crafting Covid-19 vaccines that would target more than one strain of the virus, hoping to strengthen the immunization campaign against the pathogen as it evolves.

Researchers at Moderna Inc., Novavax Inc. and the University of Oxford are designing the shots, known as multivalent vaccines, to protect not only against the form of the virus commonly circulating globally but also potentially contagious strains that have emerged or might in the future.

Covid-19 Vaccines Targeting Multiple Variants Are in the Works at Moderna, Novavax

 

[margarita25]

CIDRAP: Global COVID-19 cases climb for 6th straight week

“Hot spots in multiple regions
In its weekly snapshot of COVID-19 activity, the World Health Organization (WHO) said 4 million new cases were reported last week, with deaths on the rise for the third week in a row.

The five countries reporting the highest case numbers shifted last week, with India reporting the most, followed by Brazil, the United States, Turkey, and France.

The part of the world that felt the biggest case increase was the WHO's South-East Asia region, which includes India, followed by the Western Pacific region, which includes the Philippines, another current COVID-19 hot spot.

Countries reporting some of the steepest illness rises last week include Bangladesh (67%), Argentina (46%), Turkey (43%), Japan (43%), Iran (38%), India (38%), and the Philippines (27%).“

 

[margarita25]

So far, they think the vaccines are effective against the variants. Though this article says that multivalent vaccines might be more effective in the long run, as we will be needing covid vaccines for many years.


Currently available vaccines will likely offer protection against prevailing variants of SARS-CoV-2. However, multivalent vaccines might be more robust in the longer term. Multivalent vaccines would probably include the viral nucleoprotein, which has less selection pressure than the spike glycoprotein, due to critical functions in binding the viral genome.

Vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 will be needed for many years, and those vaccines will change as variants become too divergent, similar to vaccines against influenza. National and global surveillance, together with well controlled assays to rapidly identify and characterise variants of concern, will allow us to move from current reactive approach to something much more proactive.
Covid-19: variants and vaccination

We know we’re good with B117, knock on wood. Some outlets report reduced efficacy wrt P1 and 1351 - the Chinese vaccine Sinovac iirc looks promising for P1.

Wrt reduced efficacy for P1 and 1351: here’s a quick non scientific article, but the main point is echoed in many other articles I’ve seen - some protection may certainly be offered, but there seems to be potentially reduced efficacy with P1 and 1351 / I have seen a lot of varying reports.

“The variants are concerning because there’s evidence they could be more transmissible and cause a more severe disease. There’s also evidence the current COVID-19 vaccines may not protect against them as well as they do the original virus.

So far, research shows the approved vaccines have been effective at preventing infections from the U.K. variant, also known as the B.1.1.7 variant, according to Dr. Rachel Herlihy, state epidemiologist.

But the vaccines may not be able to completely protect against COVID-19 variants from Brazil and South Africa.“
Source

* this is one of many articles.

Yes they are indeed tweaking in real time vaccines during development, which there are hundreds being studied, and as you cited, there will likely have to be some modifications as done with influenza vaccines, etc., etc.

Goodnight

 

[SouthAussie]

Wrt We know we’re good with B117, knock on wood. Some outlets report reduced efficacy wrt P1 and 1351 - the Chinese vaccine Sinovac iirc looks promising for P1, imo.

Wrt reduced efficacy for P1 and 1351: here’s a quick non scientific article, but the main point is echoed in many other articles I’ve seen - some protection may certainly be offered, but there seems to be potentially reduced efficacy with P1 and 1351 / I have seen a lot of varying reports.

“The variants are concerning because there’s evidence they could be more transmissible and cause a more severe disease. There’s also evidence the current COVID-19 vaccines may not protect against them as well as they do the original virus.

So far, research shows the approved vaccines have been effective at preventing infections from the U.K. variant, also known as the B.1.1.7 variant, according to Dr. Rachel Herlihy, state epidemiologist.

But the vaccines may not be able to completely protect against COVID-19 variants from Brazil and South Africa.“

* this is one of many articles.
Yes they are indeed tweaking in real time vaccines during development, which there are hundreds being studied, and as you mentioned will likely have to modify as done with influenza, etc., etc.

goodnight

Yes, the article I linked a couple of posts ago says they have identified the differences in the variants we know about.
The scientists and researchers seem to be on top of it, it is just translating their findings into improved protective behaviour among populations - as well as tweeking the vaccines.


Considerable attention has been paid to changes in the spike glycoprotein and how these influence transmission dynamics and risk of immune escape. All the current variants of concern (lineages B.1.351, B.1.1.7, and P1) have multiple differences from the original Wuhan variant that affect the function of the spike glycoprotein and other SARS-CoV-2 proteins.

That these mutations seem to be associated with greater transmission suggests that spike variants should be monitored carefully as part of routine genomic surveillance.
Covid-19: variants and vaccination

 

[Inthedetails]

U.S. Bet Big on Covid Vaccine Manufacturer Even as Problems Mounted

"More than eight years ago, the federal government invested in an insurance policy against vaccine shortages during a pandemic. It paid Emergent BioSolutions, a Maryland biotech firm known for producing anthrax vaccines, to have a factory in Baltimore always at the ready....

Previously undisclosed internal documents and interviews with current and former federal officials and former company employees depict a factory operation that was ill-equipped to take on such a mammoth manufacturing task, despite Emergent’s having received a $163 million federal contract to improve the facility and prepare it for high-volume production."

more at the link

 

[Inthedetails]

CDC's messaging problem highlights pandemic's uncertain future
Muuch more at link
At a particularly crucial juncture in the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a messaging problem.

Ugh. The messaging has been terrible from the start. Really bad. I do think they are trying to turn it around.

Add on top of that, half the population was primed to shout "fake news" at the drop of the hat. And attention span has been nurtured in recent years on professional wrestling-style soap opera scripts by leaders at rallies and on social media.

Any important message has to be clear, simple, accurate, consistent - and with an action step we all understand and can agree to. In a changing environment like the new virus, it needs to be communicated that the situation will change and the consistency will be "what we know now."

I also think they overestimated what people would comprehend/believe.

The communication aspect of this whole thing has interested me from the start. It could've been awesome and something to be proud of.

jmo

 

[Inthedetails]

44% of USA's virus cases are currently concentrated in five states:

New York
Michigan
Florida
Pennsylvania
New Jersey

Nearly half of new US virus infections are in just 5 states

 

[ilovewings]

We know we’re good with B117, knock on wood. Some outlets report reduced efficacy wrt P1 and 1351 - the Chinese vaccine Sinovac iirc looks promising for P1.

Wrt reduced efficacy for P1 and 1351: here’s a quick non scientific article, but the main point is echoed in many other articles I’ve seen - some protection may certainly be offered, but there seems to be potentially reduced efficacy with P1 and 1351 / I have seen a lot of varying reports.

“The variants are concerning because there’s evidence they could be more transmissible and cause a more severe disease. There’s also evidence the current COVID-19 vaccines may not protect against them as well as they do the original virus.

So far, research shows the approved vaccines have been effective at preventing infections from the U.K. variant, also known as the B.1.1.7 variant, according to Dr. Rachel Herlihy, state epidemiologist.

But the vaccines may not be able to completely protect against COVID-19 variants from Brazil and South Africa.“
Source

* this is one of many articles.

Yes they are indeed tweaking in real time vaccines during development, which there are hundreds being studied, and as you cited, there will likely have to be some modifications as done with influenza vaccines, etc., etc.

Goodnight

Thank goodness scientists are working on this.

 

[Inthedetails]

More colleges/universities are requiring proof of vaccination for enrollment, including schools in Florida and Texas.

The list now includes:
Brown University, Rhode Island
Northeastern University, Massachusetts
Cornell, New York
Rutgers, New Jersey
Fort Lewis College, Colorado
Nova Southeastern, Florida
St. Edward's University, Texas.

At least 7 colleges - including Brown, Rutgers, and Northeastern - will require students to get vaccinated to return to campus this fall

 

[MimosaMornings]

Are youth sports an engine of B.1.1.7 outbreaks? — The Washington Post

“Culhane, who died on Feb. 28 of covid-19, is one of more than 189 people confirmed or suspected to be linked to an unusual youth sports outbreak of the coronavirus in Carver County, Minn., driven by the B.1.1.7 variant that was first seen in the United Kingdom.”


“When the Minnesota Department of Health first confirmed the outbreak, it pleaded with sports organizers and families for a two-week pause on activities.

Few complied.”


“That reaction was not entirely unexpected, as youth sports have become one of the most impassioned reopening debates. In Montgomery County, Md., parents peppered roads with signs that declared, “Youth Hockey is not a community health risk.”

Ummm, obviously it is.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

P.1 variant is spreading in Canada. What do we know about it and vaccines?

A good informational article about the P.1 variant, which I was not familiar with.

Honestly the P-1 (Brazil) is just so deadly....
We really do have to stay on guard with this one....
So far, the pockets in Massachusetts, Colorado, Canada.............
Many of us (especially Margarita) are really following this deadly strain....

Probably the South AFrican one too.... but it has been relatively quiet of late.
And geezzzzz the "double mutant" coming out of India......
How dangerous is India’s ‘double mutant’ COVID-19 variant?

 

[ilovewings]

Are youth sports an engine of B.1.1.7 outbreaks? — The Washington Post

“Culhane, who died on Feb. 28 of covid-19, is one of more than 189 people confirmed or suspected to be linked to an unusual youth sports outbreak of the coronavirus in Carver County, Minn., driven by the B.1.1.7 variant that was first seen in the United Kingdom.”


“When the Minnesota Department of Health first confirmed the outbreak, it pleaded with sports organizers and families for a two-week pause on activities.

Few complied.”


“That reaction was not entirely unexpected, as youth sports have become one of the most impassioned reopening debates. In Montgomery County, Md., parents peppered roads with signs that declared, “Youth Hockey is not a community health risk.”

Ummm, obviously it is.

It is believed that youth sports may also be the driving force in the massive increase in cases in Michigan.