Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #76

[tresir2012]

Wow, wonder if this is true? What does everyone think?

Trump reportedly considers fast tracking AstraZeneca vaccine before election

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is considering fast tracking an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed in the U.K. for use in the United States ahead of the nation’s upcoming presidential election, according to a Financial Times report, which cited three people briefed on the plan.

One option, according to the FT report, would involve the U.S. Food and Drug Administration awarding “emergency use authorization” for the vaccine, which was developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca.

The latest revelation comes amid reports that Trump on Sunday will announce the emergency authorization of convalescent plasma for Covid-19.

On Saturday, President Donald Trump made a baseless accusation that the FDA was standing in the way of drug companies’ efforts to test potential coronavirus vaccines and treatments for political reasons.

Continued at link

 

[Yvettea]

Wow, wonder if this is true? What does everyone think?

Trump reportedly considers fast tracking AstraZeneca vaccine before election

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is considering fast tracking an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed in the U.K. for use in the United States ahead of the nation’s upcoming presidential election, according to a Financial Times report, which cited three people briefed on the plan.

One option, according to the FT report, would involve the U.S. Food and Drug Administration awarding “emergency use authorization” for the vaccine, which was developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca.

The latest revelation comes amid reports that Trump on Sunday will announce the emergency authorization of convalescent plasma for Covid-19.

On Saturday, President Donald Trump made a baseless accusation that the FDA was standing in the way of drug companies’ efforts to test potential coronavirus vaccines and treatments for political reasons.

Continued at link

From the article:

AstraZeneca told the FT that it hasn’t discussed an emergency use authorization for its potential vaccine with the U.S. government. A spokesperson for Health and Human Services, which includes the FDA, told FT that any claim of an emergency authorization for a vaccine before the election is “absolutely false.”

ETA (edited): Peter Marks, director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, has vowed to resign if the Trump administration approves a vaccine before it is proved to be safe and effective.

 

[Trino]

Missing school is 'worse than virus for children'

Children are more likely to be harmed by not returning to school next month than if they catch coronavirus, the UK's chief medical adviser says.

Prof Chris Whitty said "the chances of children dying from Covid-19 are incredibly small" - but missing lessons "damages children in the long run".

Millions of pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are due to return to school within weeks.

Prof Whitty also said Covid-19 would be a challenge for at least nine months.

He said it was unlikely there would be a vaccine in 2020 but there was a "reasonable chance" of a successful jab being ready for the following winter in 2021-22.

• Will pupils do a full school day next term?
• Could reopening schools spread coronavirus?
• Pubs 'may need to shut' to allow schools to reopen

The government has said all pupils, in all year groups, in England will be expected to return to class full-time in September. Schools have already reopened in Scotland.

Prof Whitty, who is also England's chief medical officer, said "many more [children] were likely to be harmed by not going than harmed by going" to school.

"There's also very clear evidence from the UK and around the world that children much less commonly get a severe illness and end up having to be hospitalised if they get symptomatic Covid," he added.

Continued at link above.


Below is a report about Scottish schools. Some cases reported but appeared to be outside school transmissions.

Advice 'may change' on face coverings in schools

Wonder what the traumatic effect is going to be on kids because of social distancing and wearing masks at school. No data yet, of course, but it has to have an effect.

It is oft repeated that kids are resilient and adaptable, so I hope it will be true in the case of this generation of children living through this pandemic.

When on my trail walks, I sometimes encounter families with their young kids in masks. I have been happily impressed that the kids have not been fussing with the masks at all! So, I think modeling and practice and the attitude of the adults in their lives can “normalize” the mask-wearing and physical distancing safety measures for the children.

Can't have it both ways. Kids will have emotional problems if they do not attend school. Kids will have emotional problems if they attend with social distancing and cannot interact with peers and must wear a mask. Next book to appear in a few years: "I was a COVID Kid."

 

[tresir2012]

Dupe

 

[CSIDreamer]

Zuni Pueblo goes two weeks without seeing any new COVID-19 cases

"Since Aug. 3rd to the 11th, we had no positive cases," said Val Panteah, the Zuni Pueblo governor.

In fact, that downward trend is continuing this week, leaving the pueblo at 489 cases as of Monday.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Scientists searching for a COVID-19 vaccine have received assistance from an unlikely source — Australia's top spies.

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) has been working with medical institutions and scientific organisations to ensure their highly sought-after research is not stolen.

The threat comes at a time when the nation's defence and space sectors are already being targeted, and there are more foreign spies in Australia than ever before.ASIO working to prevent foreign spies from stealing Australian coronavirus vaccine research

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Scientists searching for a COVID-19 vaccine have received assistance from an unlikely source — Australia's top spies.

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) has been working with medical institutions and scientific organisations to ensure their highly sought-after research is not stolen.

Medical research under attack
Intelligence agencies say there has been a noticeable increase in attempts by other countries to steal medical information relating to coronavirus.

ASIO working to prevent foreign spies from stealing Australian coronavirus vaccine research

 

[10ofRods]

I looked at Alisha Morris's Google docs page at her spreadsheet and the Tableau map linked from her page, and for Orange County, NC, it shows 170 student cases at UNC-Chapel Hill. There are 5 cases at a private school in Chapel Hill. The public schools in Orange County and Chapel Hill-Carrboro are having online classes only for the first 9 weeks (same in my county).

ETA: IMO this is going to be a great resource for seeing what happens in the schools all over the country.

Thank you for that - it's an outstanding resource.

I don't think parents here where I live would be okay if a CV+ kid was in their kids' class and all kids were not notified (and as soon as the information is known, which is the hard part). It's a kink we have to work out so that we can reopen schools again. Wait times for testing are apparently getting shorter in my town, but it turns out the rapid tests are too expensive (and perhaps too unreliable). Wait times are 2-5 days. So, in effect, useless for school issues.

It is true that very few kids get tested and most become contagious without having symptoms, which is the crux of the problem.

I worry a lot about the university age students, as the data coming in on their course of CoVid says they are not healthy for quite a while (much like old school measles, only worse).

 

[Simply Southern]

Wow, wonder if this is true? What does everyone think?

Trump reportedly considers fast tracking AstraZeneca vaccine before election

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is considering fast tracking an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed in the U.K. for use in the United States ahead of the nation’s upcoming presidential election, according to a Financial Times report, which cited three people briefed on the plan.

One option, according to the FT report, would involve the U.S. Food and Drug Administration awarding “emergency use authorization” for the vaccine, which was developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca.

The latest revelation comes amid reports that Trump on Sunday will announce the emergency authorization of convalescent plasma for Covid-19.

On Saturday, President Donald Trump made a baseless accusation that the FDA was standing in the way of drug companies’ efforts to test potential coronavirus vaccines and treatments for political reasons.

Continued at link

Well having Azar, HHS and Hahn FDA its bound to be a biggie.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Wow, wonder if this is true? What does everyone think?

Trump reportedly considers fast tracking AstraZeneca vaccine before election

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is considering fast tracking an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed in the U.K. for use in the United States ahead of the nation’s upcoming presidential election, according to a Financial Times report, which cited three people briefed on the plan.

One option, according to the FT report, would involve the U.S. Food and Drug Administration awarding “emergency use authorization” for the vaccine, which was developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca.

The latest revelation comes amid reports that Trump on Sunday will announce the emergency authorization of convalescent plasma for Covid-19.

On Saturday, President Donald Trump made a baseless accusation that the FDA was standing in the way of drug companies’ efforts to test potential coronavirus vaccines and treatments for political reasons.

Continued at link

I fully expect a "we found a tremendous cure" announcement sometime in October. That's what I think.

 

[Tillicum]

Well having Azar, HHS and Hahn FDA its bound to be a biggie.

Presser ended but we can rewind and watch from the beginning.

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[Yvettea]

FDA to authorize plasma treatment over scientists' objections

 

[tmar]

ASIO working to prevent foreign spies from stealing Australian coronavirus vaccine research

ASIO working to prevent foreign spies from stealing Australian coronavirus vaccine research

Exclusive by political reporter Stephanie Borys

2 hrs ago
Scientists searching for a COVID-19 vaccine have received assistance from an unlikely source — Australia's top spies.

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) has been working with medical institutions and scientific organisations to ensure their highly sought-after research is not stolen.

The threat comes at a time when the nation's defence and space sectors are already being targeted, and there are more foreign spies in Australia than ever before.

Medical research under attack
Intelligence agencies say there has been a noticeable increase in attempts by other countries to steal medical information relating to coronavirus.
The Australian Cyber Security Centre has publicly stated it has been working to prevent cyber-attacks related to COVID-19.

In an exclusive interview with the ABC, ASIO director-general Mike Burgess confirmed some of his officers were also assisting.

"There is great interest in medical breakthroughs … sometimes it can be done through covert means [and] that is on the rise," he said.

 

[Tillicum]

Trump announces emergency authorization of ‘breakthrough’ coronavirus treatment

 

[Cool Cats]

How to Set Pandemic Boundaries for Relatives

August 23, 2020, 12:12 PM EDT

Creating healthy boundaries is the antidote. (Getty Images)

Excerpts from article:

“People are afraid to set boundaries, because they think it risks the relationship...
“When you want to say ‘no,’ to a loved one, you’re afraid that they’re going to make that ‘no’ mean that you’re a bad mother or grandparent or friend. You figure, I’m just going to say ‘yes,’ so I don’t have to feel guilty later,” she said.

“Boundaries create a context for the preservation of love and peace,”

“If you don’t have boundaries, you’ve got chaos,” he said. “Boundaries create an organized structure that people can go, ‘I can live with this. I can tolerate this. I can feel peaceful and still love people.’”

For many people, that’s a lot more easily said than done.

Tell the truth, then let go.

“And ask yourself, ‘Do I want my kids and grandkids to love me because I do something I don’t want to do for them? Or do I want them to love me because I’m honest and I’m being myself?’”

“Boundaries done right help people be more clear and more intimate, because there’s not the unspoken expectation, like, ‘of course you’re going to keep doing this because you’re my mother and I need you to do it.

So how do you let go if things don’t go well, despite your best efforts?

“It’s OK to be upset,” Anderson said. “Tolerating uncomfortable feelings builds emotional resilience. And standing in our truth is hard, but it’s the key to honest relationships. It’s also the key to creating healthy boundaries.”

 

[tresir2012]

I fully expect a "we found a tremendous cure" announcement sometime in October. That's what I think.

I just listened to the briefing and the FDA have approved convalescent plasma, which has shown an decrease in mortality rate of 35%. So 35 out of 100 patients are more likely to live. Dr. Hahn from the FDA, who is a cancer doctor, said if he had a 35% reduction to a cancer fatality rate, that would be pretty incredible and a great outcome. So that is the level of this treatment. (Do we have this in the UK? I haven't heard of it here have you? )

There was a question from the press about the public having a "right to try" regarding things that are in Phase III trials and the FDA agreed the public had that right. Not sure if he was talking about the plasma or a vaccine with that question though. Very positive briefing. Once a transcript is up on the WH site I will post it on here.

ETA To put this into perspective 35% reduction in fatality would have reduced the US deaths by 61,000 ( from 175k down to 114k) and UK deathz by 14,000 ( from 41k down to 27k ).

 

[Simply Southern]

Thank you for that - it's an outstanding resource.

I don't think parents here where I live would be okay if a CV+ kid was in their kids' class and all kids were not notified (and as soon as the information is known, which is the hard part). It's a kink we have to work out so that we can reopen schools again. Wait times for testing are apparently getting shorter in my town, but it turns out the rapid tests are too expensive (and perhaps too unreliable). Wait times are 2-5 days. So, in effect, useless for school issues.

It is true that very few kids get tested and most become contagious without having symptoms, which is the crux of the problem.

I worry a lot about the university age students, as the data coming in on their course of CoVid says they are not healthy for quite a while (much like old school measles, only worse).

Looking at the Virginia map is very misleading. Two of the counties I see have teachers and a couple of cafeteria workers have tested positive from beach trips. Schools are online in those two counties.

Also Richmond and Henrico Counties are closed, but teachers tested positive on the first day. Henrico closed the schools to teachers and they are working from home. Henrico also, rented all schools to the local YMCA and they are providing care for working parents. The kids are in socially distanced classrooms, and they utilized all other available space.
Working parents in Henrico are upset to say the least. Now they have to pay full child care rates to send their kids to the school for online learning.

If you look at the top left we have many area with no school cases, these schools are in very rural areas, 90% no internet connectivity. They are doing really well, no cases. These communities have really stepped up and most all residents are working hard to keep kids in school.

 

[Satchie]

Weddings as a Coronavirus Super-Spreader Worry

“When asked whether he would make the same decision again, his answer was absolutely: “The day was very memorable, it felt like a normal wedding. Minus the part about people getting sick.”
———————
Getting sick? It’s not a cold.
People are dying.

IMO his is a defensive reaction: most people will never, ever, admit they were thoughtless or made a mistake. He knows this is all over the news and everyone is tut tutting over it, but is he going to back down? H*** no! 'Reason' has nothing to do with it, it's just lizard brain.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

I just listened to the briefing and the FDA have approved convalescent plasma, which has shown an increase in mortality rate of 35%. So 35 out of 100 patients are more likely to live. Dr. Hahn from the FDA, who is a cancer doctor, said if he had a 35% reduction to a cancer fatality rate, that would be pretty incredible and a great outcome. So that is the level of this treatment. (Do we have this in the UK? I haven't heard of it here have you? )

There was a question from the press about the public having a "right to try" regarding things that are in Phase III trials and the FDA agreed the public had that right. Not sure if he was talking about the plasma or a vaccine with that question though. Very positive briefing. Once a transcript is up on the WH site I will post it on here.

There was talk about plasma treatments as far back as March:
Coronavirus survivors’ blood plasma could be used to fight infection

And this lady had plasma treatment in London in June:
'Right thing' to be part of Covid-19 plasma trial

 

[mickey2942]

Contact Tracing Is Failing in Many States. Here’s Why.

What would your response be if someone random called you, told you that you were under an order of quarantine, and needed to get a Covid test? This person cannot tell you how he/she got your phone number, and then asks for your address and e mail, to mail your "Order of Quarantine" letter.

I can see how this is going no where in the United States.