Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #71

[TootsieFootsie]

The global search for a vaccine has entered a new chapter — and Australia is manoeuvring

This week, the global search for one of the most important medical prizes ever entered a new chapter.

The UK's Oxford University, considered one of the leaders in the search for a COVID-19 vaccine, announced its candidate is safe and has produced an immune response in early-stage clinical trials.

The UK Government has committed to producing 100 million doses of the Oxford vaccine candidate, if it is successful.


Australia's wait-and-see approach

Australia has invested $5 million in the University of Queensland (UQ) vaccine candidate — which entered into human trials earlier this month — and Australian manufacturer CSL hopes to produce up to 100 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of next year, if it is successful.

The Government has also invested a further $14 million to help with vaccine development, and claims it has spent $256 million in "vaccine-related activity".

There are now more than 200 COVID-19 vaccine candidates across the world, with 22 in clinical trials.

Australians would be first in line to receive the UQ vaccine, but no formal commercial arrangement like the UK's has yet been announced by the Australian Government.

And according to vaccine expert and Federal Government adviser Tony Cunningham, the UK's broader strategy of looking at multiple vaccines is something the Government needs to consider.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Opinion | I got AIDS because I didn't use protection. People refusing to wear masks are no different.

I see people who are making the same error I made 34 years ago when I ignored all the warnings, all the news and all the numbers.

In 1985, New York Gov. Mario Cuomo urged the public to have safe sex by using condoms to help stop the spread of AIDS. Condoms were the face masks of the 1980s.

Some people wanted to use them during sex, some did not; many who chose the latter, including myself, suffered the consequences. In 1986, I decided to ignore Cuomo and every medical expert — and became infected with HIV.

Today we are once again in the middle of a war being waged between these two camps, personal freedom and staying alive. Too many people still don’t seem to accept that if they are fighting for the right to not wear a mask, it will very likely come at the price of their life or that of someone they love. The power of free choice can kill you...

 

[SoCalDavidS]

Hey Texas, Florida, Georgia, etc. I know you're focused on that pandemic thingie you spectacularly failed to control, but guess what?

Hurricane Season just started. Right on schedule.

 

[tresir2012]

How Fauci says the U.S. can get control of the pandemic

Full transcript of 17th July interview with Dr. Fauci.


Here is part of the transcript.

• Judy Woodruff:
  
  Well, I know you don't like to talk about politics, but, in the state of Georgia, for example, where you have several mayors who have said, I want everybody in my city, they have to wear a mask, the governor is saying mayors can't do that.
  
  How do you have a consistent statewide message, when you have this kind of difference?
  
  
• Anthony Fauci:
  
  Well, you're right, Judy. I don't want to get involved in politics.
  
  But all I can do is plead with the people out there to be consistent and listen to what health officials like myself, if I may, are saying. Put everything else aside, and uniformly do the right thing.
  
  
• Judy Woodruff:
  
  Even if the governor of a state, like Governor Kemp in Georgia, is saying something else?
  
  
• Anthony Fauci:
  
  Well, I would appeal to them to just not do that.
  
  Again, you're right. If I get involved in politics, what happens is, it diverts the message. And my message is, if you're doing it this way, and it's not working, please reconsider, to be consistent with your message.
  
  
• Judy Woodruff:
  
  Let me ask you, Dr. Fauci, about testing.
  
  It has now — it's now clear that there aren't enough tests. Yes, they have been ramped up across the country. There are many more than there were being done months ago. But, with this surge, there aren't enough.
  
  What has to happen in order for there to be enough tests in enough places for the country to get its arm around this virus — its arms around this virus?
  
  
• Anthony Fauci:
  
  We have got to get the tests in the right place at the right time.
  
  As you know, we have been told by the people responsible for the tests that there are a lot of tests out there and, as we get into the next weeks to months, there could be millions of more tests.
  
  We have got to use them in the right manner. We have got to get them to the right people who can do the proper identification, isolation and contact tracing, and even go beyond that, Judy, to be able to test more widely in a more surveillance way, so you can get a feel for the extent and the penetrance of this community spread.
  
  
• Judy Woodruff:
  
  But there's going to need to be — as I understand it, there needs to be support, there needs to be funding for a number of these labs to open up. That hasn't happened yet.
  
  What — do you know of a solution to get this ramped up immediately?
  
  
• Anthony Fauci:
  
  We have got to make sure the dots are connected, Judy.
  
  When the Congress, in — with a great deal of generosity, gave billions of dollars to try and solve this problem, they gave something like $10 billion to the CDC to give to the states to do these kinds of implementing.
  
  We have got to make sure that it gets well spent and that it gets done in the right way. Again, we have a problem. We need to admit it and own it. But we have got to do the things that are very clear that we need to do to turn this around, remembering we can do it.
  
  We know that, when you do it properly, you bring down those cases. We have done it. We have done it in New York. New York got hit worse than any place in the world. And they did it correctly by doing the things that you're talking about.
  
  
• Judy Woodruff:
  
  Vaccines.
  
  You have been saying — we have seen some promising developments in the last few days and weeks on vaccines. You have been saying maybe later this year, into 2021.
  
  And yet there was a cautionary word from the head of a major pharmaceutical company this week. Merck, Ken Frazier, who's the CEO, said — and I'm quoting here — he said: "Anybody who says that" — he says: "Officials are doing a great disservice by telling the American people there could be a vaccine by the end of this year," because there are a whole lot of hurdles that yet have to be dealt with before there will be a vaccine.
  
  How do you answer that?
  
  
• Anthony Fauci:
  
  Well, first of all, I know Ken. He's a good friend and he's a good person. But I have to disagree with him, respectfully, on this.
  
  I don't think that's outlandish at all, because what we have been doing is that we have been putting certain things in line with each other in a way that's unprecedented.
  
  If you look at the history — and I don't want to spend a lot of time going in on it — we have gone from the sequence of the virus to a vaccine development program in days. We went from that, 62 days later, to get a phase one trial going.
  
  What you just mentioned was published two days ago, and showed very robust antibody — neutralizing antibody responses that were comparable to what you see when someone recovers from infection.
  
  Generally — and Ken is right — generally, that would take a couple of years to get to that point. We're already there. We're going into a phase three trial at the end of the month. And there are a number of other candidates that we will be following sequentially.
  
  One is right. When you're dealing with vaccines, you can't guarantee things. But you can say, based on the science and the way things are going, that I'm cautiously optimistic that we can meet that projection that we made, that I made months ago.
  
  And that is — and I will repeat it — that, by the end of this calendar year and the beginning of 2021, I feel optimistic. Nobody guarantees, but I feel optimistic that we will have a vaccine, one or more, that we can start distributing to people, because, if you look at the infections that are going on right now, and phase three trials that are now starting at the end of the month, we could get a signal of safety and efficacy by — as we get into the late fall and the early winter.
  
  And if we do, then, by the beginning of 2021, we could have a vaccine.
  
  
• Judy Woodruff:
  
  Available to hundreds of millions of Americans?
  
  
• Anthony Fauci:
  
  On day one, Judy, it's not going to be available to hundreds of millions.
  
  But what we're hearing from the companies, who have been given a lot of money by the federal government to do this, is to start making doses before you know that the trial works, which means that, if it works, you have saved months. If it doesn't, you have lost a lot of money.
  
  So, we think we can start getting doses in the beginning of 2021. And the companies have said hundreds of millions of doses within that year. So it's not going to be from day one, but it will be quick.
  
  
• Judy Woodruff:
  
  Do you have a worry, though, Dr. Fauci, that the anti-vaccine movement could interfere with this timetable?
  
  
• Anthony Fauci:
  
  Yes, I do, because, I mean, we have to admit and realize that there is an anti-vax movement that we have had to struggle with in this country.
  
  And I believe the solution to that would be community engagement and community outreach, to get people that are trusted by the community to go out there and explain to them the importance of not only getting engaged in the vaccine trial, but the importance of, when the vaccine is shown to be safe and effective, to actually take the vaccine, because it could be lifesaving, and it certainly would be the solution to this terrible pandemic.
  

 

[Rose in SC]

I also am a supplement guzzler. lol The one time my family got the flu I had the easiest case. I had a low grade fever and barely felt ill for 48 hrs. If family hadn't tested positive for flu B I'd never have guessed I actually had the flu. I also always use my infrared mat when ill and we have a sauna. Sauna seems to knock everything out for us.

BBM
beatrixpotter - Oh man, I wish we had a sauna! I've heard great things about them and I understand you can get a decent affordable one for home use but I wouldn't have any idea what to look for in a good sauna.

I'm not familiar with infrared mats (off to Google) but I'm sure they're more my price range. Is there a particular brand you can recommend?

Tying this back to Covid-19, I just gotta say whatever it takes - supplements, saunas, infrared mats, all in addition to face masks, hand washing, and social distancing - whatever it takes, that's what I want to do to dodge this beast!

 

[JerseyGirl]

San Francisco bus driver assaulted with bat over mask order

The driver asked the 3 passengers multiple times to wear a mask but they refused, so the driver pulled over to let them off.

“As the victim was escorting the males off the bus one of the males pulled out a wooden bat and struck the victim several times, which caused the victim to be injured," he said.

The passengers fled on foot.

The driver was left with injuries that were not life-threatening and is recovering, police said.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant dies of coronavirus after attending training course — NBC News

“A Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant who was one of 17 people to test positive for coronavirus after attending in-person training event, died Tuesday, the company confirmed.

Jeff Kurtzman and 16 others contracted the respiratory illness after attending the course in Honolulu in late June, the company confirmed to NBC Los Angeles, adding that it is now investigating if the cluster of cases stemmed from the training.”

“Those at the training session were exposed to the virus in part because social distancing was nonexistent and masks were optional, according to the Hawaii Department of Health. Some of the at least 16 employees that were infected went on to expose eight household members.

The health department said an infected person from the training program is also responsible for 20 additional cases at two Hawaii recreational gyms.”

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Ali and Hayden could only have five guests at their wedding, but then they came up with this ingenious plan

Alison and Hayden were only allowed five people at their wedding but friends and family jogged past in activewear, and carried water bottles filled with champagne, so they could witness the ceremony while complying with distancing rules

 

[JerseyGirl]

Disney Alters Theme Park Coronavirus Mask Guidelines Amid Growing Spikes

The Disney theme parks announced that it would alter its mask guidelines for the second time since reopening earlier in July.

The revised rules now state that face coverings have to be made with at least two layers of breathable material, whether they're disposable or not. They also must fully cover the nose and mouth and secure under the chin, fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face and be secured with ties or ear loops to allow the guest to remain hands-free.

The prior revision also forbids guests from eating and drinking outside designated areas. "You may remove your face covering while actively eating or drinking, but you should be stationary and maintain appropriate physical distancing," the official guidelines state.

Specifically, neck gaiters and open-chin triangle bandanas "are not considered appropriate and are prohibited from being worn.”

 

[tresir2012]

This is the part of the Dr. Fauci interview that deals with the coming winter in the US. He says it is important to get a flu vaccination.

• 
  
• Judy Woodruff:
  
  The winter.
  
  As you probably have heard, the city of Philadelphia, the mayor has said there won't be any large gatherings through February, with concern about the colder weather, what's going to happen with the coronavirus, coupled with people being — having to deal with the flu.
  
  How much worry do you have, Dr. Fauci, that this pandemic is going to be harder to control once we get into the winter? And I know there's the vaccine question out there. But, setting vaccine aside, what about this pandemic and cold weather?
  
  
• Anthony Fauci:
  
  Yes.
  
  Well, first of all, the thing that I hope we do successfully, Judy — and it would really, really impact greatly on the answer to your question — is that I would like to see us get back down to baseline as we enter the late fall and early winter.
  
  If you look at the curve for many of the European countries, it goes way up, and then it comes down. They may have had thousands of cases, but their baseline is measured in 10s and maybe hundreds of cases.
  
  Our baseline is in the tens of thousands. So, we went up and then came down to 20,000, 20, 20, 20, and then 30, 40, 50, 60, 70.
  
  So, my main concern right now is, I want to get that curve down to a really low level. If we go into the late fall and winter at that baseline level, as cases emerge, it will be infinitely easier to contain them than trying to chase them in a mitigation way.
  
  Having said that, what does concern me is that — the overlap of the influenza season with another respiratory virus, where you have got to be able to determine the difference of those two.
  
  And that's the reason why I think what we should be doing is making sure that, as we get into the fall, we get as many people vaccinated as we possibly can against influenza to try, to the extent possible, get that off the table.

The rest of the transcript is about schools and the White House relationship.

 

[Rose in SC]

Also I saw someone online refer to it as "the mask of the beast" today. They said people who take the mask of the beast will take the mark of the beast and "we know who they are". lol Moron.....trying to seriously threaten and intimidate religious people into refusing to comply so they don't feel like they are committing some moral crime. It makes me just flat out angry.

I work in a large church office and our head custodian is somewhat like this but he also believes that the strip of metal/wire to pinch around your nose is somehow a tracking device. Seriously!

He uses the plain blue and white type masks that you see everywhere nowadays and he always digs in and removes the metal so he won't be tracked. Now I love a good conspiracy theory as much as the next person, but I've tried to tell him how ridiculous that is and if he's really worried about being tracked he needs to give up his smart phone, lol. He will not be swayed. People can be so weird.

 

[beatrixpotter]

BBM
beatrixpotter - Oh man, I wish we had a sauna! I've heard great things about them and I understand you can get a decent affordable one for home use but I wouldn't have any idea what to look for in a good sauna.

I'm not familiar with infrared mats (off to Google) but I'm sure they're more my price range. Is there a particular brand you can recommend?

Tying this back to Covid-19, I just gotta say whatever it takes - supplements, saunas, infrared mats, all in addition to face masks, hand washing, and social distancing - whatever it takes, that's what I want to do to dodge this beast!

Is there a way to message you? I don't see it on your profile. But I figure it would be better to message you sauna than post here.

 

[beatrixpotter]

I work in a large church office and our head custodian is somewhat like this but he also believes that the strip of metal/wire to pinch around your nose is somehow a tracking device. Seriously!

He uses the plain blue and white type masks that you see everywhere nowadays and he always digs in and removes the metal so he won't be tracked. Now I love a good conspiracy theory as much as the next person, but I've tried to tell him how ridiculous that is and if he's really worried about being tracked he needs to give up his smart phone, lol. He will not be swayed. People can be so weird.

Oh, wow. That's just nuts! His smart phone isn't tracking him but the government is actually tracking the little pieces of wire in face masks? LOL

 

[TootsieFootsie]

My tummy got a good much needed workout from laughing myself silly

I work in a large church office and our head custodian is somewhat like this but he also believes that the strip of metal/wire to pinch around your nose is somehow a tracking device. Seriously!

 

[tresir2012]

Oh, wow. That's just nuts! His smart phone isn't tracking him but the government is actually tracking the little pieces of wire in face masks? LOL

I call that paranoia while LMAO.

He should just make his own. Or are those little metal bits in pony tail hair bands doing the same thing????

 

[tabitha111]

NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans’ mayor is shutting down the city’s bars because of rising coronavirus numbers and is also forbidding restaurants to sell alcoholic drinks to go.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell said Friday that some lines of people waiting to buy drinks were so long they became “a gathering in themselves, and no mask-wearing and the like.”

Cantrell says the city is seeing daily increases in confirmed coronavirus cases about double its threshold of 50 a day for more relaxed rules. The rule against take-out sales of alcoholic drinks takes effect at 6 a.m. Saturday.

The mayor’s orders came as the Louisiana Department of Health reported more than 2,000 new confirmed coronavirus cases, for a total of 103,734. New Orleans’ total rose 103, to 9,752.

The Latest: New Orleans shuts bars, bans takeout booze sales

Our guv here in Virginia has said he is going to release new rules this week for our area. Here in Virginia Beach we have the highest rate of increase in cases and hospitalizations in all of Virginia. We are a mandatory masked state already. (doesn't mean everyone does that though)

A few places have been shut down due to non-compliance (people working without masks or overcrowding) They are allowed to reopen if they get with the program.

The federal task force visited our area last week.
I think it will be indoor restaurant dining closed and bar closures. (although during our lockdown, alcoholic drinks to go were allowed).

Much pushback from the community expected since tourist dollars are relied on heavily in the summer.
We shall see....
MOO

 

[justbeachy]

Not sure if this video has been shared here before or not. It was my first time seeing it and it brought tears to my eyes. I have a son in high school (who I am in the process of making choices for regarding his school) and a daughter in college, so this hit home.

It's quite short and worth the watch if you haven't seen it.

Teen’s Short Film Hauntingly Captures How A Pandemic Loop Feels

 

[musicaljoke]

Well, there is one positive thing that has happened for us this winter ... our flu deaths have dropped dramatically.

36 deaths from flu this year, as compared to 430 last year, Australia wide.

They are attributing this to the measures we are taking to keep covid under control.

This time last year 430 people had died from influenza. This year it's just 36

Wow, that is significant. I wonder if in the future, we will continue to control other contagious illnesses by using the same protocol .. wash hand, stand back, wear a mask.

 

[musicaljoke]

Two students tested positive for coronavirus after taking the ACT at an Oklahoma high school

From the article:
The 18-year-old senior was placed in a room with about 16 other students, only one who was wearing a mask, with a desk in between each of them, he said.
"The proctor waited to ask us if anyone tested positive for Covid or came in contact with someone who tested positive after we were already sitting grouped together," Frederick DeCoster told CNN.
"Almost no one was wearing a mask, even the proctor was constantly taking it off. I didn't feel safe. Then there was a kid sitting behind me sneezing, coughing hard, breathing really heavily. If you were to describe someone with coronavirus showing all the symptoms, it would be this guy. I was really worried."
...
The DeCosters said they filed a complaint with ACT officials to bring awareness to what goes on inside testing centers, but were told the investigation would likely take five weeks -- which Greta Rasmussen DeCoster said is more than enough time "for many other students to get the virus from an ACT testing center."

 

[tabitha111]

When asked about this letter, Dr. Fauci said that he doesn't think it is necessary to shut down the country and start over. He said some areas might want to hit "pause" if they are surging, or go back to an earlier phase of their reopening, but if people would practice social distancing, wear face coverings, and wash their hands often, then that would be best while we wait for the vaccine.

Dr. Fauci: Don’t think it’s necessary to shut down the country amid coronavirus pandemic

I love Dr. Fauci, but is he really seeing what is going on out there? Preaching social distancing and mask wearing for months and months... it's like nagging a teenager to clean up their room, you can nag and nag but will it get done? Only if there are strict consequences perhaps...
It is just not being done.
My daughter in law has received invites to out of state wedding showers where she is the only one not going due to the virus! The other girls are all onboard.
My sister with the lake house entertained a young niece and her boyfriend (college age) this past weekend who came up from Florida of all places. I saw loads of photos of them on the boat, in the house, etc. My own parents didn't see them while they were up because of concerns, but my sister who has had a revolving door at her home this summer was all in. Then she worries about the virus after they leave on our family text group!! smh
Its a combo of people can't say no, or it happens to other people, not them, or the "eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we shall die" philosophy.
A lockdown across the nation in my eyes, will be the only thing that works unless we get a vaccine. MOO