Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #97

[nhmemorymaker]

Very good interview on "Science Friday" on NPR yesterday...

The discussion was about Angela Merkel getting the MOderna vaccine AFTER her first Astra Zeneca shot...

Angela Merkel receives Moderna as second jab after AstraZeneca shot


The doctor on the show said that we will be seeing more of this... there is apparently research coming down the pike about mixing-matching types of vaccine for stronger immunity.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Just showing why Florida residents are so wary of the information received. you just cannot trust it.

Florida is the only state that updates its coronavirus caseloads and data once a week. Although weekly reports can be more reliable than daily updates, experts warn that infrequent data updates may delay identifying emerging trends.

As of June 4, the state no longer reports non-resident vaccinations, coronavirus cases and fatalities. The state has declined repeated requests to provide non-resident data to the Tampa Bay Times.

Positivity: Florida’s positivity rate rose to 18.5 percent in the past week, up from 18.1 percent the week before.

Before reopening, states should maintain a positivity rate of 5 percent or less for at least two weeks, according to the World Health Organization. A positivity rate of 5 percent or less indicates testing is widespread enough to capture mild, asymptomatic and negative cases.

Florida adds 134,506 coronavirus cases, 616 deaths in the past week.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

And on the conspiracy side of things.............. this "story" is gaining momentum ...again.

The "hiding of data" in Florida was the issue surrounding Rebekah Jones, the data analyst who DeSantis fired and then had arrested.

"Worse still, the government attempted to silence those who wanted to get to the truth. It fired then data analyst Rebekah Jones, who refused to manipulate the data in May 2020, and raided her home later that year."
Questions mounting over deleted early COVID-19 data and layoff of analyst in Florida, hinting on possible cases before Wuhan - Global Times **

"There is evidence, however, that community spread of COVID-19 began in Florida much earlier, perhaps as early as the first week of January,[4] with as many as 171 people in Florida who had shown symptoms now identified with COVID-19, prior to receiving confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
COVID-19 pandemic in Florida - Wikipedia


"Though the vast majority of the state’s cases have swamped South Florida, the data show the virus spread silently through Central and even North Florida during January, a time when testing for the contagion didn’t exist in the United States."

As late as March 11, Gov. Ron DeSantis denied that community spread was taking place in Florida

Coronavirus was in Florida before we knew it

** I feel this might be a questionable source on what it reports... but the article just appeared about one hour ago, and does reference, what many feel was criminal---Florida Government's treatment of Jones.

 

[anneg]

It is like watching rich nations scraping food into the bin, when little kids in other countries are starving to death.

Good analogy, IMO.

 

[WichitaFalls]

South Dakota's Sturgis rally roars back as delta rising

STURGIS, S.D. (AP) — The Black Hills of South Dakota roared with motorcycles and crowds Friday as the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally kicked off, with mostly mask-less rallygoers packed shoulder-to-shoulder at bars and rock shows, despite a rise in COVID-19 cases in the state.

Organizers expect at least 700,000 people during the 10-day event that is a rendezvous for bikers, who connect over their love for motorcycles. For some, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime goal to make it to Sturgis; others faithfully make the pilgrimage year after year.

“It’s just a great big family atmosphere, everybody’s out here for the same purpose — we all love motorcycles,” said Aaron Harper. “If you’re a motorcyclist, you have to see it at least once in your life.”

Soon we'll be flooded with cases of some of these same people in ICU saying they did not realize how awful COVID was, they were wrong, and for everyone watching to please get the vaccination asap. Why, why, why? I feel sad that so many Americans are completely short sighted, foolish and selfish. I think seeing what our fellow citizens are "made of" makes me sadder than the ongoing COVID pandemic.

 

[WichitaFalls]

While I'm hoping for the best for our fall/winter COVID cases, I also want to take this time to think about what we should personally do to prepare for another large surge and the issues that we faced with the first surge (pre vaccinations) as far as shortages and associated challenges.
I was wondering if anyone here would care to share what they are doing as far as planning for the coming months? What shortages do you anticipate?
I'm so grateful for all of the knowledge and shared community here. Thank God for this group, you keep me sane and most of all validate so much of what I'm feeling and thinking. That's huge for me.

 

[ilovewings]

The U.S. Is Now Averaging 100,000 New COVID-19 Infections A Day

We are now averaging 100,000 new covid cases per day in the United States.
Do these numbers not contribute to herd immunity along with the vaccines?

 

[CoverMeCagney]

The U.S. Is Now Averaging 100,000 New COVID-19 Infections A Day

We are now averaging 100,000 new covid cases per day in the United States.
Do these numbers not contribute to herd immunity along with the vaccines?

Yes, it will contribute to the overall rate of antibodies, so as long as most people continue to suffer only mildly, it’s not a terrible thing. Though of course, the hospitalisation and deaths will inevitably keep increasing along with cases. How many will have to die to reach the magic 93% or whatever the presumed herd immunity rate is? The jury is still out on that one.

 

[weepingangel]

Unvaccinated More Than Twice as Likely to Get Covid-19 Again, CDC Says
More at link
Unvaccinated people are more than twice as likely to be reinfected with Covid-19 than people who are fully vaccinated, a new study suggests, underscoring the importance of vaccines in containing the pandemic.

The study, published Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, looked at nearly 250 patients in Kentucky who had Covid-19 in 2020 and tested positive again between May and June 2021. The authors compared the vaccination status of those patients with those of nearly 500 similar people who also had an infection in 2020 but hadn’t been reinfected through June 2021.

People who were unvaccinated were 2.34 times more likely to be reinfectedthan those who were fully vaccinated, the researchers found.

“If you decide you’re just going to trust that natural immunity is going to protect you, you’re more than twice as likely to get infected as those people who decide to get vaccinated,” said Daniel Griffin, chief of infectious disease at healthcare provider network ProHealth New York, who wasn’t involved in the study.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Delta variant and viral load: What scientists are watching in the Covid pandemic (nbcnews.com)

What sets delta apart, experts say, is how much virus is produced by those who are infected — a measure known as viral load.

The delta variant of the coronavirus, now the most common strain circulating in the United States, is causing cases of Covid-19 to surge across the country. Key to the variant's dominance is its supercharged transmissibility, driven in part by how the mutated virus behaves in the body after infection.

The delta variant is thought to be the most contagious of all the known variants to date, with research suggesting it's more than twice as transmissible as the original strain of the coronavirus. What sets delta apart, experts say, is how much virus is produced by those who are infected — a measure known as viral load.

"We've seen through testing that people infected with the delta variant have more virus in their samples than people who had any other subtype of the virus," said Susan Butler-Wu, a clinical microbiologist at the University of Southern California. "That's a large part of what's going to account for this enhanced transmissibility."...

 

[mickey2942]

How many of you have significantly changed your lifestyle since the Pandemic? I stopped going to the health club, and have significantly reduced trips away from my home, aside from work.

No more random shopping trips, or long lunches. We never go out to dinner any longer, forget travel. We used to plan trips, weekend get aways...now, nothing. I guess that there are people who still live the way they used to, like Sturgis...wild and free. No thanks. I am perfectly happy at home now.

 

[SoCalDavidS]

New Orleans Church Vandalized After Putting Up Pro-Vaccine Message

A New Orleans church’s sign urging people to get vaccinated was vandalized overnight.

Someone spray painted over the sign in front of First Grace United Methodist Church in Mid-City, crossing out the message to “Love thy neighbor, get vaccinated.”

Pastor Shawn Moses Anglim said that a bible verse and the message “faith over fear” were also spray-painted at the scene, leading him to believe whoever did it is a fellow Christian.

New Orleans church vandalized after putting up pro-vaccine message | wwltv.com

 

[anneg]

Very good interview on "Science Friday" on NPR yesterday...

The discussion was about Angela Merkel getting the MOderna vaccine AFTER her first Astra Zeneca shot...

Angela Merkel receives Moderna as second jab after AstraZeneca shot


The doctor on the show said that we will be seeing more of this... there is apparently research coming down the pike about mixing-matching types of vaccine for stronger immunity.

Yes... as I wrote here previously, my grandson in college in the spring got a Moderna vaccine, then the place where he got it couldn't offer him a second one. Since he was having trouble finding a second shot, his mom (infectious disease specialist and vaccine researcher) said it would be OK for him take the J&J vaccine, which was what he could get. I know this is probably a rare situation, but it happened, and as far as I know, his college considers him fully vaccinated.

 

[musicaljoke]

New Orleans Church Vandalized After Putting Up Pro-Vaccine Message

A New Orleans church’s sign urging people to get vaccinated was vandalized overnight.

Someone spray painted over the sign in front of First Grace United Methodist Church in Mid-City, crossing out the message to “Love thy neighbor, get vaccinated.”

Pastor Shawn Moses Anglim said that a bible verse and the message “faith over fear” were also spray-painted at the scene, leading him to believe whoever did it is a fellow Christian.

New Orleans church vandalized after putting up pro-vaccine message | wwltv.com

I'm reminded of the story told in the Bible (Num. 21) of how the Israelites were attacked by poisonous snakes. They asked God to take the snakes away, but God nixed that request. Instead God told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it way up high on a pole so that those who were bitten could look at the pole and be healed.

It would have been interesting to read about the people who didn't look at the pole, but instead believed that God would either take the snakes away or, because of their faith, God would heal them when they were bitten. They didn't accept the cure because it didn't fit their version of what God would do. IMO, people who turn away from live-saving vaccines and claim that God will protect them because of their "faith", are like those who refused to look at the pole in Moses time.

People are still the same.

That snake on a pole symbol is still used in medicine today.
The Biblical Caduceus—Symbol of Medicine

 

[Sundog]

Osterholm Update: COVID-19
Episode 63: Ebbs and Flows
August 5, 2021
In this episode, Dr. Osterholm and host Chris Dall discuss the ebbs and flows of this pandemic, the latest Delta-driven activity, breakthrough cases, and considerations for effective respiratory protection.

Email your questions: OsterholmUpdate@umn.edu(link sends e-mail)

[...]

This podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts.

Good discussion of airborn aerosols at the end of the podcast, he definitely advises to wear N95 masks, same as advice by Scott Gottlieb (former FDA director), and says they are plentiful for health care workers now, so people shouldn't hesitate to buy them. He recommended the industrial supply company Grainger, where he buys his N95 masks. I just ordered some, wasn't sure what size to order or what brand and model, but will try them out. He says that cloth masks just are not very effective with the Delta spread, and that surgical masks aren't that great in this situation either (my paraphrasing). He also says that they are affordable now, given that you can re-wear the N95 masks as long as you don't crush them and put them in your pocket, etc.

 

[weepingangel]

One J&j is considered fully vaxed. Have they mentioned boosters for that one anywhere?

Yes... as I wrote here previously, my grandson in college in the spring got a Moderna vaccine, then the place where he got it couldn't offer him a second one. Since he was having trouble finding a second shot, his mom (infectious disease specialist and vaccine researcher) said it would be OK for him take the J&J vaccine, which was what he could get. I know this is probably a rare situation, but it happened, and as far as I know, his college considers him fully vaccinated.

 

[jjenny]

Yes... as I wrote here previously, my grandson in college in the spring got a Moderna vaccine, then the place where he got it couldn't offer him a second one. Since he was having trouble finding a second shot, his mom (infectious disease specialist and vaccine researcher) said it would be OK for him take the J&J vaccine, which was what he could get. I know this is probably a rare situation, but it happened, and as far as I know, his college considers him fully vaccinated.

He is fully vaccinated because J&J is a one dose vaccine. So once he got that, he is considered fully vaccinated.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Texas 11-month-old with COVID-19 airlifted 150 miles because of hospital bed shortage

“The child tested positive for COVID-19, according to Amanda Callaway, a spokeswoman for Harris Health System. Callaway said the girl was having seizures and needed to be intubated but Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital, where she was first taken, does not offer pediatric services.

None of the major pediatric hospitals in the area had beds available, Callaway said.

In a video released by Harris Health, the baby is seen being lifted onto an air ambulance on Thursday morning for a flight to the hospital in Temple.

"Like us, a lot of the children's hospitals are at or near capacity," Lucia told CNN Friday. "That's where we are a lot of days right now. We, fortunately, once they reached out to us, although we're a long way away, were able to help her."
—————

This is what jumped out at me......

None of the major pediatric hospitals in the area had beds available, Callaway said.

 

[SouthAussie]

Texas 11-month-old with COVID-19 airlifted 150 miles because of hospital bed shortage

“The child tested positive for COVID-19, according to Amanda Callaway, a spokeswoman for Harris Health System. Callaway said the girl was having seizures and needed to be intubated but Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital, where she was first taken, does not offer pediatric services.

None of the major pediatric hospitals in the area had beds available, Callaway said.

In a video released by Harris Health, the baby is seen being lifted onto an air ambulance on Thursday morning for a flight to the hospital in Temple.

"Like us, a lot of the children's hospitals are at or near capacity," Lucia told CNN Friday. "That's where we are a lot of days right now. We, fortunately, once they reached out to us, although we're a long way away, were able to help her."
—————

This is what jumped out at me......

None of the major pediatric hospitals in the area had beds available, Callaway said.

For me, it was also .... needed to be intubated.

The gravity of that.

And do they need special intubation equipment for little children? An 11 month old baby would have very small airways and lungs. It makes me shudder to think of intubating a little child (let alone an adult).

 

[weepingangel]

Some Americans are getting COVID-19 boosters. But the FDA hasn't approved it