Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #110

[Sundog]

I don't think I want to inhale anything from China....

The biopharmeceutical companies in the PRC are pretty advanced, a lot of our pharmaceuticals originate in the PRC.

Regarding this latest development -

A vaccine taken as mist could fend off the virus before it reaches the rest of the respiratory system, though that would depend in part on the size of the droplets, one expert said.

Larger droplets would train defenses in parts of the mouth and throat, while smaller ones would travel further into the body, said Dr. Vineeta Bal, an immunologist in India.

 

[ilovewings]

Here's a link with no paywall -

Afraid of needles? China using inhalable COVID-19 vaccine

Shanghai, China, is administering a COVID-19 vaccine which can be inhaled rather than injected, which appears to be the world's first vaccine mist

www.foxnews.com

The inhalable vaccine was developed by Chinese biopharmaceutical company CanSino Biologics Inc. as an aerosol version of the company's one-shot adenovirus vaccine, which uses a relatively harmless cold virus.

<snipped>

The traditional one-shot vaccine has been approved for use in more than 10 markets including China, Hungary, Pakistan, Malaysia, Argentina and Mexico. The inhaled version has received a go-ahead for clinical trials in Malaysia, a Malaysian media report said last month.

Regulators in India have approved a nasal vaccine, another needle-free approach, but it has yet to be rolled out. The vaccine, developed in the U.S. and licensed to Indian vaccine maker Bharat Biotech, is squirted in the nose.

About a dozen nasal vaccines are being tested globally, according to the World Health Organization.

So the vaccine was developed in the United States but is not being utilized here, so why is that? If it is good enough for other countries, why isn't it approved here? Just wondering- I know there are several nasal vaccines being tested -I hope that one day soon it will be available here: it makes so much sense to use a nasal vaccine that can stop the virus where the virus starts: in the nasal passages

 

[Sundog]

So the vaccine was developed in the United States but is not being utilized here, so why is that? If it is good enough for other countries, why isn't it approved here? Just wondering- I know there are several nasal vaccines being tested -I hope that one day soon it will be available here: it makes so much sense to use a nasal vaccine that can stop the virus where the virus starts: in the nasal passages

I think the nasal vaccine that they are testing in India right now is made in the U.S., working closely with a pharmaceutical company in India.

The vaccine that is designed to be inhaled and is being tested in the PRC right now is made by a biopharmaceutical company in the PRC.

(If I have interpreted the article correctly.)

 

[sds71]

'Scrabble variants' now cause the majority of new Covid-19 infections in the US | CNN

The Omicron BA.5 subvariant is no longer the dominant cause of Covid-19 infections in the United States, according to estimates released Friday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

www.cnn.com

 

[dmac55]

“The nickname refers to the letters that are used to define the variants like B, X and Q, which would rack up many points in a game of Scrabble.”

Covid-19 'Scrabble' variants: Here's what you need to know
How concerned should you be about Covid-19 ‘Scrabble' variants? Here's what we know so far

 

[sds71]

CDC Director Tests Positive for Covid Again

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the head of the CDC, had mild symptoms Sunday and is isolating at her home in Massachusetts, the CDC said Monday

time.com

 

[ilovewings]

Scientists have their eyes on several "Deltacrons”—new COVID variants with the potential to attack the lungs like Delta and spread as easily as Omicron

The so-called Deltacron variant is back this fall, with the potential to be the next big thing in COVID viral evolution, scientists say.

fortune.com

 

[weepingangel]

So it makes sense that immunity debt (as a result of masking and distancing etc) plays a part in the current surge of respiratory illness. But iirc TN,Alabama and SC (and other maroon states) weren’t exactly at the top of the chart for utilizing Covid precautions. Interesting.

Stay safe everyone!

 

[margarita25]

5 days ago

 

[Timothy Love]

Safety is very important

 

[Lilibet]

Friends of ours…a family of four…went on a trip to visit family and sight-see. They all have covid now. Surprise surprise. I feel awful for them. They did another trip like this during the summer and it was fine. Go figure.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Friends of ours…a family of four…went on a trip to visit family and sight-see. They all have covid now. Surprise surprise. I feel awful for them. They did another trip like this during the summer and it was fine. Go figure.

Final payment for our January 2023 cruise was due October 29. We have not been away from home since January 2020 (our annual cruise for my birthday and a winter escape) when Covid set in shortly thereafter. We have also missed our summer/fall trips to Mackinac Island. We need a vacation and hope that we will be safe from Covid. There are currently no restrictions: No masking onboard, no pre-cruise testing (unless you don't have proof of vaccination). Of course, this could change as winter approaches, but for now it seems that Covid is not an issue. We had already booked our flights but learned that the time had changed, so we switched to an earlier flight that was actually cheaper. We will definitely be masking during the flights as we've done for many years prior to Covid. We are vaxxed and double-boosted and will get our Pfizer bivalent boosters next week. After nearly three years cooped up at home, it's time for us to enjoy retirement

 

[anneg]

Final payment for our January 2023 cruise was due October 29. We have not been away from home since January 2020 (our annual cruise for my birthday and a winter escape) when Covid set in shortly thereafter. We have also missed our summer/fall trips to Mackinac Island. We need a vacation and hope that we will be safe from Covid. There are currently no restrictions: No masking onboard, no pre-cruise testing (unless you don't have proof of vaccination). Of course, this could change as winter approaches, but for now it seems that Covid is not an issue. We had already booked our flights but learned that the time had changed, so we switched to an earlier flight that was actually cheaper. We will definitely be masking during the flights as we've done for many years prior to Covid. We are vaxxed and double-boosted and will get our Pfizer bivalent boosters next week. After nearly three years cooped up at home, it's time for us to enjoy retirement

I hope you enjoy your cruise and stay healthy! Is this a Caribbean cruise?

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I hope you enjoy your cruise and stay healthy! Is this a Caribbean cruise?

Thank you We've done a few Mexican Riviera cruises from San Francisco and Los Angeles but prefer the Caribbean. We've been to almost all of the islands in the Caribbean and have visited some islands multiple times. We mostly like being on the ship and the respite from Michigan winter. We don't necessarily disembark at every port as we've done most of the shore excursions that interested us on previous sailings. Sometimes we'll find a restaurant that is walking distance from the cruise port so we can savor local cuisine and culture. We've only planned one shore excursion on this trip: We visited Martinique once many years ago and remember doing a guided walking tour but didn't see much of the rest of the island. We booked a 3-hour tour on an open-air trolley that takes us to the interior of the island with views of the landscape and points of interest. We plan to have dinner at the French restaurant on the ship after our day in Martinique. I hope we stay well prior to the trip and that there isn't a Covid outbreak on the ship.

 

[tabitha111]

Here at the Retirement Home, there is a particular woman who loves to go around and give everyone hugs. She comes up to me and says "let me give you a hug!" I say " no, no, you know Covid, the Flu, all that stuff." She replies "oh who cares about Covid anymore?" as she adjusts her oxygen tubes that she has to wear full time and carries around her O2 bottles.....because she got Covid pneumonia and never fully recovered.

 

[ilovewings]

Here at the Retirement Home, there is a particular woman who loves to go around and give everyone hugs. She comes up to me and says "let me give you a hug!" I say " no, no, you know Covid, the Flu, all that stuff." She replies "oh who cares about Covid anymore?" as she adjusts her oxygen tubes that she has to wear full time and carries around her O2 bottles.....because she got Covid pneumonia and never fully recovered.

All you can do is roll your eyes and walk away from this uninformed person. Sigh

 

[Niner]

Thank you We've done a few Mexican Riviera cruises from San Francisco and Los Angeles but prefer the Caribbean. We've been to almost all of the islands in the Caribbean and have visited some islands multiple times. We mostly like being on the ship and the respite from Michigan winter. We don't necessarily disembark at every port as we've done most of the shore excursions that interested us on previous sailings. Sometimes we'll find a restaurant that is walking distance from the cruise port so we can savor local cuisine and culture. We've only planned one shore excursion on this trip: We visited Martinique once many years ago and remember doing a guided walking tour but didn't see much of the rest of the island. We booked a 3-hour tour on an open-air trolley that takes us to the interior of the island with views of the landscape and points of interest. We plan to have dinner at the French restaurant on the ship after our day in Martinique. I hope we stay well prior to the trip and that there isn't a Covid outbreak on the ship.

Hope you have a GREAT trip!! Sounds good! Never been on a cruise.

 

[ilovewings]

Final payment for our January 2023 cruise was due October 29. We have not been away from home since January 2020 (our annual cruise for my birthday and a winter escape) when Covid set in shortly thereafter. We have also missed our summer/fall trips to Mackinac Island. We need a vacation and hope that we will be safe from Covid. There are currently no restrictions: No masking onboard, no pre-cruise testing (unless you don't have proof of vaccination). Of course, this could change as winter approaches, but for now it seems that Covid is not an issue. We had already booked our flights but learned that the time had changed, so we switched to an earlier flight that was actually cheaper. We will definitely be masking during the flights as we've done for many years prior to Covid. We are vaxxed and double-boosted and will get our Pfizer bivalent boosters next week. After nearly three years cooped up at home, it's time for us to enjoy retirement

Your planned trip sounds so exciting--Hoping you and DH have a wonderful time-
It will be extra special after being cooped up for so long!!!!

 

[slowpoke]

Final payment for our January 2023 cruise was due October 29. We have not been away from home since January 2020 (our annual cruise for my birthday and a winter escape) when Covid set in shortly thereafter. We have also missed our summer/fall trips to Mackinac Island. We need a vacation and hope that we will be safe from Covid. There are currently no restrictions: No masking onboard, no pre-cruise testing (unless you don't have proof of vaccination). Of course, this could change as winter approaches, but for now it seems that Covid is not an issue. We had already booked our flights but learned that the time had changed, so we switched to an earlier flight that was actually cheaper. We will definitely be masking during the flights as we've done for many years prior to Covid. We are vaxxed and double-boosted and will get our Pfizer bivalent boosters next week. After nearly three years cooped up at home, it's time for us to enjoy retirement

Have a wonderful trip!

We went on a European River Cruise in August 2022. We were vaxxed and double-boosted, too. Unfortunately, my husband caught Covid and passed it to me. Fortunately, it did not exhibit until we were back home, so we were able to enjoy ourselves for the whole of the cruise.

Fever for 1-2 days. A cough lingered, after feeling well, about a week, but the cough was not that bad. No problem with loss of taste or smell. No nasal congestion. We reported our Covid cases to our health care provider, but we did not get Paxlovid or take anything besides acetaminophen (Tylenol). I had not had fever in probably decades, so that in itself was not pleasant. For us, it felt similar to a flu. I feel very lucky to have gotten over Covid pretty easily, and without lasting aftereffects. This was our first time getting Covid.

I was very apprehensive of going on this trip because of Covid, but like you, felt it’s time to get out there and try to do things, take reasonable precautions, and hope for the best. I wish you all the best!

 

[Sundog]

California hospitals using overflow tents for rising number of flu patients

California's early flu season has begun to putting pressure on local emergency departments forcing hospital to use overflow tents outside emergency rooms.

www.foxnews.com