Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #94

[acutename]

Thanks for this link. The quote above was in relation to a similar condition called heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, or HITT, although it may also be true for vaccine-induced thrombocytopenia, or VITT.

More from your link:

Most of the time, it's difficult to directly connect a serious health problem with a vaccine, but with the J&J and AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccines, "there is a smoking gun," said Dr. Theodore Warkentin, who co-wrote an April 9 paper describing unusual blood clotting conditions in 11 patients who received the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine.

Anyone who develops the condition one to three weeks after vaccination, who hasn't been taking the blood-thinner heparin, almost certainly got sick from the vaccine, he said.

Diagnosis may be challenging
Warkentin and his colleagues named the condition vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia, or VITT. It is believed to be similar to a rare problem seen either in patients recovering from surgery or from those on heparin, said Warkentin, a hematologist at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.

In all cases, the immune system creates antibodies that activate platelets in the bloodstream, he said. The platelets, which normally promote wound healing, end up clumping and causing blood clots, often in the brain.

That also leads to low levels of platelets circulating in the bloodstream, which is called thrombocytopenia.

article also says:

"
VITT seems to occur five to 13 days after vaccination with the J&J or AstraZeneca-Oxford shots – after the normal vaccine side effects have abated.

Anyone who develops an unusual or severe headache during that time, severe abdominal pain or a painful, swollen leg, possibly accompanied by a skin rash of tiny reddish-purple spots, should seek immediate medical attention, Marks said.

People with suspected VITT should not be given the blood thinner heparin because it could exacerbate the problem, Padmanabhan said."

as I said before, I am not a dr, and not sure if medical professionals agree on what should be done. we are lucky that it is one in a million who is impacted.

 

[GRT]

heard on the radio recently that the clots from birth control can be treated with anticoagulants (heparin) which I imagine is like the aspirin effect- BUT these new 6 possibly vaccine (?) related clots are accompanied by low platelets, so you do not want blood thinners for them. I am not a dr so IMO, see what news you hear- I will check for a citation.

[USA TODAY: Latest World and US News - USATODAY.com › story › news › 2021/04/14
3 hours ago — Blood clots and COVID-19 vaccines: How scientists are starting to unravel ... The Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which has been delivered to more than 6.8 ... taking the blood-thinner heparin, almost certainly got sick from the vaccine, he said. ... "If you mistreat it, people die," she said, "and if you don't treat it, ...]

counter intuitive...

Thanks for that! Good info to have!

 

[margarita25]

—

Why Americans should "be very worried" about the COVID variant tearing through Brazil - CBS News

“Scientists believe the P-1 variant is fueling the surge. Dr. Miguel Nicolelis, a Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience at Duke University's School of Medicine, told CBS New that the strain is two-and-a-half times more easily transmitted from person to person, and that's a concern for everyone, even outside Brazil's borders.

"If I were talking to someone in Oklahoma, I would tell him or her to be very worried about it," Nicolelis told Bojorquez. "Because if Brazil is out of control, the world will be out of control in a few weeks. Because variants that are brewing here every day, every week… they will escape."

 

[SouthAussie]

—

Why Americans should "be very worried" about the COVID variant tearing through Brazil - CBS News

“Scientists believe the P-1 variant is fueling the surge. Dr. Miguel Nicolelis, a Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience at Duke University's School of Medicine, told CBS New that the strain is two-and-a-half times more easily transmitted from person to person, and that's a concern for everyone, even outside Brazil's borders.

"If I were talking to someone in Oklahoma, I would tell him or her to be very worried about it," Nicolelis told Bojorquez. "Because if Brazil is out of control, the world will be out of control in a few weeks. Because variants that are brewing here every day, every week… they will escape."

I was reading about the Brazil variant last night ... it seems that every single vaccines efficacy drops substantially against the Brazilian variant. 42% efficacy is one figure that jumps to mind. (Just sipping morning coffee, so not alert enough yet to jump into find-a-link mode )

 

[margarita25]

Spatiotemporal pattern of COVID-19 spread in Brazil

“Abstract
Brazil has been severely hit by COVID-19, with rapid spatial spread of both cases and deaths. We use daily data on reported cases and deaths to understand, measure, and compare the spatiotemporal pattern of the spread across municipalities. Indicators of clustering, trajectories, speed, and intensity of the movement of COVID-19 to interior areas, combined with indices of policy measures show that while no single narrative explains the diversity in the spread, an overall failure of implementing prompt, coordinated, and equitable responses in a context of stark local inequalities fueled disease spread. This resulted in high and unequal infection and mortality burdens. With a current surge in cases and deaths and several variants of concern in circulation, failure to mitigate the spread could further aggravate the burden.“

 

[LadyL]

AstraZeneca vaccine: Denmark stops rollout completely

 

[margarita25]

AstraZeneca vaccine: Denmark stops rollout completely

“Danish officials said that all 2.4 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine would be withdrawn until further notice.

The Danish Health Authority said studies had shown a higher than expected frequency of blood clots following doses, affecting about one in 40,000 people.

It comes after two cases of thrombosis in Denmark were linked to vaccinations, AFP reported. One of the cases, in a 60-year-old woman, was fatal.

Director General Soren Brostrom said it had been a "difficult decision" but Denmark had other vaccines available and the epidemic there was currently under control.“

 

[LadyL]

Covid lockdown eases: England 'buzzing' after first night out in 97 days

 

[margarita25]

This video summarizes all the points I’ve been making lately - I agree with this video a thousand percent.

I had actually placed my prediction recently that we will be here for “4 years” - this doctor says estimates “3 to 5 years”:

—

—

Notes:

* ”The Founder Effect”

* D614G aka “Doug”
* N501Y aka “Nelly”
* E484K aka “Eek”

(I knew about the nickname Eek, but hadn’t heard nicknames Doug and Nelly until now.)

*COG UK= Fast sequencing & Data Sharing

 

[margarita25]

 

[margarita25]

I’m subscribed to an Apple podcast, “Coronavirus Fact vs. Fiction” with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Today his podcast is focused specifically on the pause of the J&J vaccine:

“CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta walks through what we currently know about the CDC and FDA's decision to pause the use of Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine, what this means for people who recently received a J&J shot, and why he isn’t panicking.”

‎Coronavirus: Fact vs Fiction on Apple Podcasts

Hitting Pause on the J&J Vaccine - Coronavirus: Fact vs Fiction - Omny.fm

 

[10ofRods]

So...even with just a 1-shot vaccine program, UK has finally pulled way ahead of the US in terms of daily cases of COVID (and deaths).

And that's because we have several states that are still having high numbers:

Michigan
Florida
New York (lower per capita of course than Michigan or Florida)
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
Illinois
Texas

Per capita, those states are really high (in cases and deaths per day). Two standard deviations away from the mean for the US.

Why?

 

[10ofRods]

article also says:

"
VITT seems to occur five to 13 days after vaccination with the J&J or AstraZeneca-Oxford shots – after the normal vaccine side effects have abated.

Anyone who develops an unusual or severe headache during that time, severe abdominal pain or a painful, swollen leg, possibly accompanied by a skin rash of tiny reddish-purple spots, should seek immediate medical attention, Marks said.

People with suspected VITT should not be given the blood thinner heparin because it could exacerbate the problem, Padmanabhan said."

as I said before, I am not a dr, and not sure if medical professionals agree on what should be done. we are lucky that it is one in a million who is impacted.

I wish they'd clarify whether a moderate headache counts (who knows what "severe" means here?)

I had a rash on one hand of tiny reddish spots about 2 weeks after my last (Moderna) vaccine. Was it blood clots?

 

[ilovewings]

Airline middle seats are a COVID risk, CDC research says, with caveats

Interesting article stating the middle seat on an airplane presents a risk for Covid

 

[MimosaMornings]

Whitmer defends DHHS director vacationing out of state without being fully vaccinated

“The head of the Michigan health department recently traveled to Alabama without being fully vaccinated as the state grappled with the worst COVID-19 trends in the nation.

That means Department of Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Hertel did not follow the guidance of the department she directs.

But Gov. Gretchen Whitmer defended Hertel's actions on Wednesday, saying it's not her business what her top aides do on their off time.”

Maybe a guest appearance while she was spring breaking at Gulf Shores - the reality show “Floribama Shore” is filmed there.

 

[10ofRods]

So basically, in some places, people still aren't following guidelines.

Things are definitely slowing down - although 915 deaths in one day (yesterday GMT) is awful. It's concentrated in certain areas, though. Surely airplane travel or other travel cannot be responsible for that.

If there is a new variant (less detectable, more asymptomatic) then travel could be related. But even so, is that some places are resisting vaccines? Or that there's a lot non-masking people spending time indoors?

Whitmer defends DHHS director vacationing out of state without being fully vaccinated

“The head of the Michigan health department recently traveled to Alabama without being fully vaccinated as the state grappled with the worst COVID-19 trends in the nation.

That means Department of Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Hertel did not follow the guidance of the department she directs.

But Gov. Gretchen Whitmer defended Hertel's actions on Wednesday, saying it's not her business what her top aides do on their off time.”

Maybe a guest appearance while she was spring breaking at Gulf Shores - the reality show “Floribama Shore” is filmed there.

Well, she sure could tell them that their job evaluations would be affected by their moral and ethical character whether at work or otherwise - you know, like teachers have to face? Or doctors? Lots of professions have ethics.

Not a fan of Hertel or Whitmer.

 

[margarita25]

DeSantis/Florida is suing the CDC & the Federal Government

 

[SouthAussie]

So...even with just a 1-shot vaccine program, UK has finally pulled way ahead of the US in terms of daily cases of COVID (and deaths).

And that's because we have several states that are still having high numbers:

Michigan
Florida
New York (lower per capita of course than Michigan or Florida)
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
Illinois
Texas

Per capita, those states are really high (in cases and deaths per day). Two standard deviations away from the mean for the US.

Why?

This article says that it is just the beginning. That new variants are driving the increase, but that this will spread.
They seem to be considering sending more vaccines to these areas, to try to suppress the increase in cases.


New virus variants are clearly one of the drivers in the increase, said Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, chair of the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California at San Francisco.
Failure to suppress the rise in cases will lead to more people getting sick and dying, she said, and drive increases in other parts of the country.

In Florida, relaxed safeguards during a busy spring break season likely helped spread virus variants, said University of South Florida epidemiologist Jason Salemi. (I wonder if this is the case for Texas, as well. Another popular spring break destination.)

Nearly half of new US virus infections are in just 5 states

 

[SouthAussie]

There is a decent graph here showing how much the variants are taking over in the US.

The UK variant B 1.1.7 being the predominant one at the moment at 44.1% of cases.
The Louisiana/New Mexico variant the next most common at 10% of cases.
The NY variant B 1.526 ramping up in numbers at 9.2% of cases.
The CA variant B 1.429 going strong at 6.9% of cases.

The Brazilian variant P1 showing at 1.4% of cases at the moment.



CDC seem to be tracking the variants quite well, which is good. At least we can see what the heck is going on now.
COVID Data Tracker

 

[Niner]

I'm supposed to get an AZ vaccine next week. My bro had his first one a couple of weeks ago.
Should I ask for a different one? Pfizer? if they have that available??

I see Denmark discontinued the AZ vaccine....

TIA!