Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #92

[weepingangel]

US Rep. Stephen Lynch tests postive for COVID despite receiving two doses of vaccine
more at link
Lynch is not the first person to test positive for coronanvirus despite receiving the vaccine.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ”it typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity (protection against the virus that causes COVID-19) after vaccination. That means it’s possible a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination and still get sick. This is because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection.”

 

[CrimeAway]

Covid-19 Clinical Update from the TWIV team

 

[weepingangel]

South African COVID-19 variant case identified in Maryland

more at link
Health officials identified a case of the South African COVID-19 B.1.351 variant in Maryland.

The case announced Saturday involves an adult living in the Baltimore metro area who has no recent international travel. Comprehensive contact tracing is underway, state officials said.

The new variant's presence in Maryland was confirmed by the Maryland Department of Health in consultation with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

State officials said the B.1.351 variant has not been shown to cause more severe illness or increased risk of death when compared to other variants. The variant is believed to be more transmissible than other strains.

 

[SouthAussie]

This is what Aussies are reading in our news .... (BBM)

Rose Hills Memorial Park and Mortuary in Whittier, California, may be the biggest cemetery in North America but the 566-hectare park is struggling to cope with the number of bodies awaiting funeral services due to an increase in COVID-19-related deaths.

Despite the numerous facilities at Rose Hills, there is about a month's delay before families can receive funeral services for their loved ones.

Staff at Rose Hills are also finding it extremely stressful, Mr Monroe said, as they witness grief from families.
"Funeral workers, cemetery workers, I think are heroes just like the healthcare folks," he said.

America's biggest cemetery struggling to cope with funeral services as COVID deaths keep rising

 

[SouthAussie]

Children in the US will “hopefully” start to be vaccinated against Covid-19 by late spring or early summer, Dr Anthony Fauci said on Friday.

Covid-19 vaccines are not yet approved for children. Supplies for adults and the logistics of providing shots are proving steep challenges for manufacturers, the administration and state governments.

As of Thursday, only about 1.3% of Americans had received the required two doses of currently available vaccines.

But vaccination of children is a key step in the pursuit of widespread immunity to a virus that has infected nearly 26 million in the US and killed more than 433,000.

For the US to reach “herd immunity”, or widespread resistance, about 70% to 85% of the population must be vaccinated. Children make up about 25% of the population.

US children will 'hopefully' get vaccines in late spring or early summer, says Fauci

 

[SouthAussie]

Here we go with that unwise travel again ... travel to the UK and bring the UK variant back.


Fourteen University of Michigan students are in quarantine after being diagnosed with the British variant of the virus. One of the students is reported to have traveled to Britain over the winter break.

US Issues Mask-Wearing Mandate

 

[LadyL]

very sobering

Surging in remote and poor areas, Brazil's COVID-19 death toll is 2nd highest in the world

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/petri...SbYQf5fyVn45YLiZwspl29AdlFVUxeEoT97SFv52YAMMI

 

[MimosaMornings]

Children in the US will “hopefully” start to be vaccinated against Covid-19 by late spring or early summer, Dr Anthony Fauci said on Friday.

Covid-19 vaccines are not yet approved for children. Supplies for adults and the logistics of providing shots are proving steep challenges for manufacturers, the administration and state governments.

As of Thursday, only about 1.3% of Americans had received the required two doses of currently available vaccines.

But vaccination of children is a key step in the pursuit of widespread immunity to a virus that has infected nearly 26 million in the US and killed more than 433,000.

For the US to reach “herd immunity”, or widespread resistance, about 70% to 85% of the population must be vaccinated. Children make up about 25% of the population.

US children will 'hopefully' get vaccines in late spring or early summer, says Fauci

“Biden has also set a goal of reopening most schools by the summer, and directed government agencies to work with communities to advance it.”

By summer? When we can’t even get 75 year olds vaccinated until April/May?

 

[SouthAussie]

“Biden has also set a goal of reopening most schools by the summer, and directed government agencies to work with communities to advance it.”

By summer? When we can’t even get 75 year olds vaccinated until April/May?

He hopes to reopen with the assistance of widespread testing.

I have linked to the Rescue Plan. There is a section about schools.

" ..... a national strategy for safely reopening schools, including requiring the Departments of Education and HHS to provide guidance on safe reopening and operating, and to develop a Safer Schools and Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse to share lessons learned and best practices from across the country.
.... has called on Congress to provide at least $130 billion in dedicated funding to schools
.... $350 billion in flexible state and local relief funds that will help districts avoid lay-offs and close budget gaps
.... additional resources so that schools can safely reopen, including funds to implement screening testing

The Administration will release a handbook that helps schools and local leaders implement the precautions and strategies necessary for safe reopening. It will also work with states and local school districts to support screening testing in schools, including working with states to ensure an adequate supply of test kits."

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-conte...VID-19-Response-and-Pandemic-Preparedness.pdf

 

[SouthAussie]

How hero health workers brave war zones, long hikes and treacherous paths to deliver vaccines around the world every day

UNICEF

 

[sds71]

Credit for Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine belongs in part to discoveries dating back 15 years. The team behind it was inspired by two infant deaths.
https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/n...oderna-covid-vaccine-science-fast/6555783002/
COVID vaccine: The inside story of the fastest vaccine ever developed

 

[acutename]

Somedays I feel we will never get out of this pandemic...just a casual look at my facebook pages tells me that.
One friend - her daughter is getting married next week- 100 guests are coming to an indoor wedding and reception - oh but "there is plenty of room for social distancing and masks will be handed out" ...
another wants advice on a baby shower and do "not tell her anything about Covid" as she wants an in person event.
Everyday I see these kinds of postings....and some in my extended family posting photos of themselves hugging "friends" or posing with family that they flew to visit.. sometimes with masks on sometimes without.

I was being cajoled into going to a big wedding (planned for over a year) this March. I did not want anything to do with it ... was imagining staying alone in a pool house and standing outside a restaurant deck with a mask, 12 feet from everybody else and imagining someone getting sick and maybe dying after ward. .... fortunately it was moved to 2022- a big weight off my mind because I was going to be criticized and ostracized. What finally caused the change was that the venue was going to charge 2X as much to have it- guess the cleaning, staffing, insurance, etc. Wrong reason in my mind, but at least it forced the bride/groom/family to make the right decision.

 

[LadyL]

Astronaut David Saint-Jacques trades spacesuit for scrubs to help in fight against COVID-19

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/mont...4AIfWhdcOK_BZE4MNC0-4GwznY5yBpkwk-9U8oyEpyoqM

 

[acutename]

I feel like I am in a "bubble". I literally go nowhere, do nothing. But, like you, I see Facebook friends traveling, having pedicures, going to yoga classes...like nothing is wrong.

And I am so tempted to join them in their revelry! Fling the mask, and let the good times roll! Bread and circuses. The ICU beds are completely full here, and bars are now fully open. Can anyone figure this out? If hospitals are full to capacity, why are people going out to bars, working out at the gym, and dining out?

because people under about age 50 feel that it will not be them and the stats mostly bear this out. I have slowly come to the conclusion that a lot of younger people are just ignoring and/or circumnavigating this whole thing. Should they be worried about the rest of society? yes, but....
did you worry about your cholesterol level when you were 20 yrs old? Also, I think IMHO that people, esp younger people who had COVID and recovered from it, feel immune.

 

[SoCalDavidS]

I have slowly come to the conclusion that a lot of younger people are just ignoring and/or circumnavigating this whole thing. Should they be worried about the rest of society? yes, but....
did you worry about your cholesterol level when you were 20 yrs old? Also, I think IMHO that people, esp younger people who had COVID and recovered from it, feel immune.

I don't worry about my cholesterol that much, and I'm in my 50's. But whatever cholesterol problems I might have, aren't going to transmit to someone else and potentially kill them. Or kill someone they come in contact with.

 

[margarita25]

“In South Africa, another variant of SARS-CoV-2 (known as 20H/501Y.V2 or B.1.351) emerged independently of B.1.1.7. This variant shares some mutations with B.1.1.7. Cases attributed to this variant have been detected in multiple countries outside of South Africa. This variant was reported in the US at the end of January 2021.“

Source:
CDC
Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants
Updated Jan. 28, 2021
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

B.1.351 lineage (a.k.a. 20H/501Y.V2)

• This variant has multiple mutations in the spike protein, including K417T, E484K, N501Y. Unlike the B.1.1.7 lineage detected in the UK, this variant does not contain the deletion at 69/70.
• This variant was first identified in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa, in samples dating back to the beginning of October 2020, and cases have since been detected outside of South Africa, including the United States
• The variant also was identified in Zambia in late December 2020, at which time it appeared to be the predominant variant in the country.
• Currently there is no evidence to suggest that this variant has any impact on disease severity.
• There is some evidence to indicate that one of the spike protein mutations, E484K, may affect neutralization by some polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies.[4],[5]

 

[acutename]

I don't worry about my cholesterol that much, and I'm in my 50's. But whatever cholesterol problems I might have, aren't going to transmit to someone else and potentially kill them. Or kill someone they come in contact with.

I know that it is not an exact analogy, and I am not agreeing with the lack of concern, but my observations lead me to conclude that most younger people are not seriously worried about COVID -not really on their radar screen- and they are just doing whatever. -obviously not everyone, and some people are really worried about their parents or other relatives or their children, or they know some one personally who got very ill or died, but IMHO, a significant portion of the population wants to fly, go to sporting events, hang out in bars, etc. and they are not losing sleep over doing so.

 

[margarita25]

“In Brazil, a variant of SARS-CoV-2 (known as P.1) emerged that was first was identified in four travelers from Brazil, who were tested during routine screening at Haneda airport outside Tokyo, Japan. This variant has 17 unique mutations, including three in the receptor binding domain of the spike protein. This variant was detected in the US at the end of January 2021.“

Source:
CDC
Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants
Updated Jan. 28, 2021
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

P.1 lineage (a.k.a. 20J/501Y.V3)

• The P.1 variant is a branch off the B.1.1.28 lineage that was first reported by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) in Japan in four travelers from Brazil, sampled during routine screening at Haneda airport outside Tokyo.
• The P.1 lineage contains three mutations in the spike protein receptor binding domain: K417T, E484K, and N501Y.
• There is evidence to suggest that some of the mutations in the P.1 variant may affect its transmissibility and antigenic profile, which may affect the ability of antibodies generated through a previous natural infection or through vaccination to recognize and neutralize the virus.
  • A recent study reported on a cluster of cases in Manaus, the largest city in the Amazon region, in which the P.1 variant was identified in 42% of the specimens sequenced from late December.[5] In this region, it is estimated that approximately 75% of the population had been infected with SARS-CoV2 as of October 2020. However, since mid-December the region has observed a surge in cases. The emergence of this variant raises concerns of a potential increase in transmissibility or propensity for SARS-CoV-2 re-infection of individuals.
• This variant was identified in the United States at the end of January 2021.

 

[mickey2942]

I seriously can't believe that they are having a Super Bowl next week. Talk about "Super Spreader" event! Bunch of folks, drinking beer and cheering in a crowd. What could possibly go wrong?

On the news was a blurb by a bar owner, that people "need" to be able to go to the sports bar, drink, and watch TV. Really?!

"Boise sports bars gear up for large Super Bowl Sunday crowds | ktvb.com" Boise sports bars gear up for large Super Bowl Sunday crowds

Not one mention of Covid!

 

[SouthAussie]

The covid unicorn ... in Australia

The unicorn is a 50-year-old father of three named Damian living on the NSW Central Coast who developed symptoms of Covid-19 in March. His symptoms were severe enough to take him to the hospital emergency department, but after being given oxygen he was sent home the same day. Bizarrely, when he was tested for the virus with the gold-standard PCR nasal swab, the lab kept returning a negative result for Covid-19.

“When they initially diagnosed him they couldn’t find virus in his nasopharyngeal area [the upper part of the throat behind the nose],” Turville told Guardian Australia.

“So they kept on swabbing him and swabbing him, but they couldn’t find it. He kept on saying to them, ‘Look, I’m sick, my son’s got it, I have to have it’. And it was only when they looked at his blood, his serum, they said; ‘Oh, yeah, you’ve had it. And you’ve got the most amazing immune response’.”

Not only is Damian’s immune response lasting but it has not weakened much over time, offering strong ongoing protection against the virus, which is what makes him so unique.

After being told about his unicorn status, Damian offered himself up for medical research. Turville estimates that Damian has donated blood and plasma upwards of 15 times.

‘Immunological unicorn’: the Australian lab growing coronavirus – and its startling discovery