Covid 19 C&P [Archive] - Australian Land Rover Owners

bob10

7th September 2020, 11:39 AM

The peril of opening the border too early.

How the pandemic ‘smashed’ India’s engine

Not so long ago, India had a sizzling economy that was lifting millions out of poverty. Leaders aimed to give the people a middle-class lifestyle, update the military and become a regional superpower that could some day rival China.

But the pandemic’s devastation is imperiling such aspirations (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/LM6pBD64z5JcZNH0FFf-JQ~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhN8eJP0T5aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMC 8wOS8wNS93b3JsZC9hc2lhL2luZGlhLWVjb25vbXktY29yb25h dmlydXMuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zJmVtYz1lZGl0X01CQV VfcF8yMDIwMDkwNiZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yMTk2NiZubD1tb3Ju aW5nLWJyaWVmaW5nJnJlZ2lfaWQ9ODQ1MzQ2Njkmc2VjdGlvbj 10b3BOZXdzJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9Mzc1NDQmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lk PTM4YjY1M2Y1OWQ4YTc4OGQyYjgwMjlkMzQ5ZmIwNWYxVwNueX RCCgAiiUJVXwizMMtSGXJvYmVydGxha2U0Mjk0M0BnbWFpbC5j b21YBAAAAAA~). Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s early, abrupt lockdown hurt the economy but ended without having fully reined in the virus. India now has the fastest-growing outbreak, reporting a global record of more than 90,632 new cases on Sunday. Its economy has shrunk faster than that of any other major nation. As many as 200 million people could slip back into poverty.

Quotable: “The engine has been smashed,” said Arundhati Roy, one of India’s pre-eminent writers. “The ability to survive has been smashed. And the pieces are all up in the air. You don’t know where they are going to fall or how they are going to fall.”

bob10

8th September 2020, 09:11 AM

How Google and Apple changed tactics on contact tracing tech. in the USA.

Google and Apple Change Tactics on Contact Tracing Tech | WIRED (https://www.wired.com/story/google-apple-change-tactics-contact-tracing-tech/?bxid=5cc9e26e3f92a477a0ea0693&cndid=52475003&esrc=subscribe-page&source=EDT_WIR_NEWSLETTER_0_TRANSPORTATION_ZZ&utm_brand=wired&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_mailing=WIR_FastForwardTopClickers%202020-09-07&utm_medium=email&utm_source=nl&utm_term=WIR_TopClickers_EXCLUDE_Transportation)

bob10

10th September 2020, 07:55 AM

An adverse reaction brings the Oxford coronavirus trial to a halt. The trial has just been put on hold to investigate the reaction, which is normal practise.

National deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth said the delay did not necessarily mean the vaccine deal was dead, but the adverse reaction needed to be investigated.
Dr Coatsworth said he was not worried about the trial being put on hold and praised the transparency of those testing the vaccine.

'Adverse reaction' brings Oxford coronavirus vaccine trial to a halt (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2020/09/09/oxford-coronavirus-vaccine-trial-halt/)

bob10

10th September 2020, 08:15 AM

From the New York Times.

A vaccine front-runner hits the brakes

AstraZeneca yesterday paused the late-stage trials for its coronavirus vaccine (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/0GdLVijGSuKWnVYBhpuHIQ~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhO8-jP0T0aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMC8wOS8wO C9oZWFsdGgvY29yb25hdmlydXMtYXN0cmF6ZW5lY2EtdmFjY2l uZS1zYWZldHkuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0xNTQmZW1jPWVka XRfY2JfMjAyMDA5MDkmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MjIwNDgmbmw9Y29 yb25hdmlydXMtYnJpZWZpbmcmcmVnaV9pZD04NDUzNDY2OSZzZ WdtZW50X2lkPTM3NzIwJnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD0zOGI2NTNmNTl kOGE3ODhkMmI4MDI5ZDM0OWZiMDVmMVcDbnl0QgoAQaNKWV8Jr J7CUhlyb2JlcnRsYWtlNDI5NDNAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) because of a suspected adverse reaction in a participant. Now it will investigate whether the vaccine caused the illness, which several people familiar with the situation said was transverse myelitis (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/_LJpJd_2U18QLuRSpOS-_g~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhO8-jP0TsaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMC8wOS8wO S93b3JsZC9jb3ZpZC1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWd uX2lkPTE1NCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9jYl8yMDIwMDkwOSZpbnN0YW5jZ V9pZD0yMjA0OCZubD1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1icmllZmluZyZyZWd pX2lkPTg0NTM0NjY5JnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9Mzc3MjAmdGU9MSZ1c 2VyX2lkPTM4YjY1M2Y1OWQ4YTc4OGQyYjgwMjlkMzQ5ZmIwNWY xI2xpbmstMzhjYjBiZmNXA255dEIKAEGjSllfCayewlIZcm9iZ XJ0bGFrZTQyOTQzQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) — an inflammation of the spinal cord that is often prompted by viral infections.

This is the second time that AstraZeneca, which is developing its vaccine with the University of Oxford, has put its trials on hold. Another participant developed symptoms of transverse myelitis, researchers reported in July, but it was later attributed to an “unrelated neurological illness.”

AstraZeneca’s vaccine has garnered attention as one of the most promising and advanced candidates (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/JFLzmFFnCBigb1qw07vtwA~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhO8-jP0TwaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vaW50ZXJhY3Rpd mUvMjAyMC9zY2llbmNlL2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXZhY2NpbmUtdHJ hY2tlci5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1NCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9jY l8yMDIwMDkwOSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yMjA0OCZubD1jb3JvbmF 2aXJ1cy1icmllZmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTg0NTM0NjY5JnNlZ21lb nRfaWQ9Mzc3MjAmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTM4YjY1M2Y1OWQ4YTc 4OGQyYjgwMjlkMzQ5ZmIwNWYxVwNueXRCCgBBo0pZXwmsnsJSG XJvYmVydGxha2U0Mjk0M0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~). To understand what the pause may mean in the race for a vaccine, we spoke with our colleague Katherine Wu, a science reporter. Our conversation has been lightly edited and condensed.

What does pausing the vaccine trials mean?

AstraZeneca is not giving the vaccine to any more people until they can determine whether the person’s sickness was directly linked to the vaccine.

How is AstraZeneca’s vaccine different from the other coronavirus vaccines in development?

AstraZeneca’s vaccine is based on what’s called a viral vector (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/R-P1geBFOUyn_NWY0hIXNw~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhO8-jP0T6aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vaW50ZXJhY3Rpd mUvMjAyMC8wNS8yMC9zY2llbmNlL2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXZhY2N pbmUtZGV2ZWxvcG1lbnQuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0xNTQmZ W1jPWVkaXRfY2JfMjAyMDA5MDkmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MjIwNDg mbmw9Y29yb25hdmlydXMtYnJpZWZpbmcmcmVnaV9pZD04NDUzN DY2OSZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTM3NzIwJnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD0zOGI 2NTNmNTlkOGE3ODhkMmI4MDI5ZDM0OWZiMDVmMVcDbnl0QgoAQ aNKWV8JrJ7CUhlyb2JlcnRsYWtlNDI5NDNAZ21haWwuY29tWAQ AAAAA). You want to produce an immune response to the coronavirus, but instead of using the coronavirus itself, they use what’s called an adenovirus that they took from a chimpanzee.

This is meant to be a modified virus that they have genetically altered to be harmless to humans, but they’ve also modified it to express some genes from the coronavirus. The idea is that this virus is like a chauffeur that can bring coronavirus genes into the body and then will allow the body to mount a response to the products of those coronavirus genes, but the body will not be infected with the coronavirus.

What happens now with the trial?

The U.S. vaccine trials were not in full swing yet. AstraZeneca was planning to enroll 30,000 people at 80 sites. They’ve enrolled at only 62 sites, so this may mess up their timeline.

AstraZeneca has previously said they were hoping to roll something out early next year. That could still be possible. It really depends on what other data emerges from the Phase 3 trials. But if this hold takes awhile to investigate, it could be longer than that.

It is also possible that if they notice more of these adverse events or if the event is bad enough, the trial could be stopped. In that case the researchers have to be pretty sure they are seeing something that resulted from the vaccine. That’s a big question mark right now. We don’t know whether this person was in the placebo group or the vaccine group.

How long could the investigation take?

That is totally unclear at this point. AstraZeneca released statements yesterday saying they were going to expedite the process as much as possible so that their plans for the Phase 3 trial weren’t going to be derailed.

But obviously the most important thing here is to make sure that the participant is safe and being followed up on. They’ve made it sound as if they’re not going to cut corners.

How should people think about this pause?

One of the most important things is that people should not be worried. I see this as an optimistic development. If the researchers notice an adverse effect, the right thing to do is to pause the trial and figure out what’s going on.

The other upshot is that if adverse events happen and they have a relationship to any of the vaccine candidates, this is what Phase 3 trials are for. This is why it’s so important to see the data through and to really monitor these patients. We wouldn’t know that this is happening if we were rushing through these trials, so this is science working as it should.

bob10

11th September 2020, 08:21 AM

Victoria to accelerate contact tracing efforts with a new data management system.

Victoria's coronavirus contact tracing is about to get faster. Let's make it the first step in a larger digital boost (https://theconversation.com/victorias-coronavirus-contact-tracing-is-about-to-get-faster-lets-make-it-the-first-step-in-a-larger-digital-boost-145759?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20 for%20September%2011%202020%20-%201728216702&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20f or%20September%2011%202020%20-%201728216702+CID_8c182bf91c326604301f4049d94f0e10&utm_source=campaign_monitor&utm_term=Victorias%20coronavirus%20contact%20traci ng%20is%20about%20to%20get%20faster%20Lets%20make% 20it%20the%20first%20step%20in%20a%20larger%20digi tal%20boost)

bob10

14th September 2020, 07:24 AM

How coronavirus affects the whole body. Do we really want to open up too early?
(CNN)Coronavirus damages not only the lungs, but the kidneys, liver, heart, brain and nervous system, skin and gastrointestinal tract, doctors said Friday in a review of reports about Covid-19 patients.

Their comprehensive picture shows the coronavirus attacks virtually every major system in the human body, directly damaging organs and causing the blood to clot, the heart to lose its healthy rhythm, the kidneys to shed blood and protein and the skin to erupt in rashes. It causes headaches, dizziness, muscle aches, stomach pain and other symptoms along with classic respiratory symptoms like coughing and fever.
"Physicians need to think of COVID-19 as a multisystem disease," said Dr. Aakriti Gupta, a cardiology fellow at Columbia who worked on the review, in a statement. "There's a lot of news about clotting but it's also important to understand that a substantial proportion of these patients suffer kidney, heart, and brain damage, and physicians need to treat those conditions along with the respiratory disease."
How coronavirus affects the entire body - CNN (https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/10/health/coronavirus-entire-body-effects-columbia/index.html)

bob10

16th September 2020, 08:03 AM

If you've just had COVID, exercise may not be good for you. Wonder where this leaves Usain Bolt , currently recovering from the virus after hosting a birthday party.[ just click on the inverted arrow on the ad to continue]

If You'''ve Just Had Covid, Exercise Can Cause Serious Complications, Including Heart Disease | WIRED (https://www.wired.com/story/if-youve-just-had-covid-exercise-might-not-be-good-for-you/?bxid=5cc9e26e3f92a477a0ea0693&cndid=52475003&esrc=subscribe-page&mbid=mbid%3DCRMWIR012019%0A%0A&source=EDT_WIR_NEWSLETTER_0_DAILY_ZZ&utm_brand=wired&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_content=A&utm_mailing=WIR_Daily_091520&utm_medium=email&utm_source=nl&utm_term=list1_p4)

bob10

16th September 2020, 08:23 AM

WA quarantine dodger freed from jail after an appeal.

Quarantine dodger freed from jail after winning appeal (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/wa/2020/09/15/quarantine-dodger-jail-perth/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20News%20-%2020200916)

bob10

17th September 2020, 04:41 PM

Australian labour force data provides a pleasant surprise.

August labour force data delivers pleasant employment surprise (https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/2020/09/17/august-2020-jobless-data/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PM%20Extra%20-%2020200917)

bob10

17th September 2020, 04:46 PM

Super spreader fears over Melbourne virus cluster.

'Super spreader' fears over Melbourne virus cluster (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2020/09/17/super-spreader-casey-cluster/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PM%20Extra%20-%2020200917)

bob10

18th September 2020, 07:56 PM

The Vic. Premier vents his frustration over families breaking COVID rules. 33 positive cases linked to 5 households visiting each other.

Victorian Premier vents his frustration after rule-breaking causes cluster (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2020/09/18/casey-cluster-virus-households/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PM%20Extra%20-%2020200918)

bob10

18th September 2020, 08:25 PM

Coronavirus is surging at an “alarming” rate in Europe, creating a “very serious situation on the continent”, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned.
Cases are spiking at record highs in several nations such as France as Europe surpassed infections from the first peak of the pandemic in March.
As the second wave takes hold, the WHO’s European director Dr Hans Kluge has warned of “alarming rates of transmission”, with many European governments now considering more lockdowns.
France registered a record 10,593 new confirmed coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours in the country’s highest single-day count since the pandemic began.
The UK government has imposed tougher restrictions on people and businesses in parts of northeastern England amid efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19 before the colder winter months.

WHO warns of 'alarming' coronavirus second peak in Europe (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/2020/09/18/coronavirus-europe-cases-peak/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20News%20-%2020200918)
https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/7e0ab78152e4d6827c4b83155007620e's=96&d=blank&r=g (https://thenewdaily.com.au/author/tndandaap/)

DiscoMick

19th September 2020, 06:14 AM

Last thing Melbourne needs is another big outbreak just when people are desperate for the situation to improve.

bob10

21st September 2020, 09:23 AM

Last thing Melbourne needs is another big outbreak just when people are desperate for the situation to improve.

Another twist to COVID that should make early openers think again.

'Mystery' cases have New Zealand COVID contact tracers stumped (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/2020/09/20/covid-mystery-baffles-nz/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20News%20-%2020200921)

bob10

22nd September 2020, 10:23 AM

QLD to open borders 5 local NSW government areas , including Byron Bay.

Queensland to reopen borders to five NSW local government areas as state records zero coronavirus cases - ABC News (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-22/coronavirus-queensland-to-open-borders-to-nsw-no-new-cases/12678878)

bob10

22nd September 2020, 11:02 AM

The CDC ' posted in error ' CDC cancels its advice on airborne particles.

It now states COVID-19 is spread mainly between people who are in close contact – 1.8 metres – for a prolonged period.

'Posted in error': CDC scraps advice on airborne particles (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2020/09/22/cdc-advice-airborne-particles/)

bob10

22nd September 2020, 05:14 PM

Vic. Premier defends the lockdown, again. Polls show 62% of Victorians support the Premier.

'Absolutely on track': Premier's promise as he defends virus shutdown (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2020/09/22/melbourne-virus-shutdown-announcement/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PM%20Extra%20-%2020200922)

bob10

24th September 2020, 11:36 AM

COVID World map. Tracking the global outbreak.

Covid World Map: Tracking the Global Outbreak - The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/world/coronavirus-maps.html?campaign_id=154&emc=edit_cb_20200923&instance_id=22466&nl=coronavirus-briefing&regi_id=84534669&segment_id=38871&te=1&user_id=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1)

bob10

26th September 2020, 07:32 AM

England braces for more deaths as 2nd wave hits.

Tesco has become the latest supermarket to reintroduce rationing of toilet rolls to prevent panic-buying as UK coronavirus (https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/coronavirus) cases hit another record high.
The NHS Test and Trace app showed that not one single local area in England can currently be considered “low risk” for infection amid a second wave of deaths is on the way.
London (https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/london) has been added to the government’s official “watch list” and Leeds (https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/leeds) residents were told they faced a local lockdown (https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/local-lockdown) - including a ban on households mixing - from midnight. The two biggest cities in Wales, Cardiff and Swansea, will be placed under restrictions from 6pm on Sunday.

Coronavirus news: Pubs hit by 10pm Friday night curfew as 38 new areas added to watchlist (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/uknews/coronavirus-news-live-pubs-hit-by-10pm-friday-night-curfew-as-38-new-areas-added-to-watchlist/ar-BB19pjHa?ocid=msedgdhp)

bob10

26th September 2020, 07:42 AM

France hits over 500,000 cases for the first time, 15,797 on Friday alone.

France reports total coronavirus cases over 500,000 for first time (https://www.msn.com/en-au/lifestyle/wellbeing/france-reports-total-coronavirus-cases-over-500-000-for-first-time/ar-BB19qzjV?ocid=msedgntp)

bob10

26th September 2020, 07:45 AM

Europe's COVID cases , Hospitalisations, head in the wrong direction. WHO.

"Europe has a lot of work to do to stabilise the situation and bring transmission under control," Mike Ryan, WHO's emergency expert told a press conference. "Overall within that very large region we are seeing a worrying increase in disease."

Europe's Covid-19 cases, hospitalisations head in wrong direction: WHO (https://www.msn.com/en-au/lifestyle/wellbeing/europe-s-covid-19-cases-hospitalisations-head-in-wrong-direction-who/ar-BB19qo9p?ocid=msedgntp)

bob10

26th September 2020, 07:47 AM

Spain, 10,000 cases / day for most of last week.

Spain's confirmed coronavirus cases rise to 716,481 (https://www.msn.com/en-au/lifestyle/wellbeing/spain-s-confirmed-coronavirus-cases-rise-to-716-481/ar-BB19qmHD?ocid=msedgntp)

bob10

26th September 2020, 07:49 AM

Holland's 2nd wave " very worrying "

Dutch PM Rutte warns of need for restrictions amid surging COVID-19 infections (https://www.msn.com/en-au/lifestyle/wellbeing/dutch-pm-rutte-warns-of-need-for-restrictions-amid-surging-covid-19-infections/ar-BB19q2MV?ocid=msedgntp)

bob10

26th September 2020, 07:52 AM

Australia's 'COVID safe' APP has identified just 14 cases, and none in Victoria.

The COVIDSafe app has identified just 14 COVID-19 cases — and not a single one in Victoria (https://www.msn.com/en-au/money/markets/the-covidsafe-app-has-identified-just-14-covid-19-cases-and-not-a-single-one-in-victoria/ar-BB19oRaj?ocid=msedgntp)

bob10

26th September 2020, 08:05 AM

South America, graft and corruption cause many deaths.

Some of those deaths, state and federal prosecutors now say, may have been avoidable. They allege that top officials here sought to pocket up to 400 million reais ($72.2 million) via corruption schemes that steered inflated state contracts to allies during the pandemic. The deals, they said, included three contracts for 1,000 ventilators, most of which never arrived.

But the virus has also been aided by greed. 
Similar to Brazil, investigators in Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru have likewise alleged that officials there lined their pockets through pandemic-related graft schemes.
In court documents detailing the alleged scams in Rio, Brazilian prosecutors describe a series of inter-related criminal enterprises, in which emergency contracts for masks, coronavirus tests - even hand gel – were allegedly rigged.

The ventilators never came: How graft hampered Brazil's COVID-19 response (https://www.msn.com/en-au/lifestyle/wellbeing/the-ventilators-never-came-how-graft-hampered-brazil-s-covid-19-response/ar-BB19pJty?ocid=msedgntp)

bob10

26th September 2020, 08:33 AM

" A stark warning to us all " The UK COVID crisis.

A record number of new coronavirus cases have been recorded, with a senior Public Health (https://www.theguardian.com/society/health) England official saying the increase in infections should be a “stark warning to us all”.
The UK recorded 6,634 cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, the highest reported figure during the course of the pandemic, up from the highs of May. There were 40 deaths in all settings, bringing the total to 41,902.
Figures separately published by the UK’s statistics agencies show there have now been 57,600 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

'Stark warning to us all': UK reports record daily number of Covid-19 cases (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/stark-warning-to-us-all-uk-reports-record-daily-number-of-covid-19-cases/ar-BB19ok6m?ocid=msedgntp)

bob10

26th September 2020, 09:52 AM

New York threatens a lockdown. The New York Times.

New York threatens a lockdown

Facing a worrying surge in coronavirus cases in some Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods, New York City health officials carried out emergency inspections at private religious schools on Friday (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/jBiRME0KK6zea1vRyIVvmg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhUN1EP0T3aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMC 8wOS8yNS9ueXJlZ2lvbi9jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1vcnRob2RveC1q ZXdpc2gtY29tbXVuaXRpZXMuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0xNT QmZW1jPWVkaXRfY2JfMjAyMDA5MjUmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MjI1 NTEmbmw9Y29yb25hdmlydXMtYnJpZWZpbmcmcmVnaV9pZD04ND UzNDY2OSZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTM5MDg5JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD0z OGI2NTNmNTlkOGE3ODhkMmI4MDI5ZDM0OWZiMDVmMVcDbnl0Qg oAJERYbl_jNiuPUhlyb2JlcnRsYWtlNDI5NDNAZ21haWwuY29t WAQAAAAA). The police also stepped up enforcement of public health guidelines in several Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods in Queens and in Brooklyn, where residents often do not wear masks or follow social-distancing guidelines.

The Health Department said that if significant progress toward following guidelines did not occur by Monday — which is Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar — it may issue fines, limit gatherings, or force closings of businesses or schools. Four yeshivas have already been closed because of violations of social-distancing rules.

When Times reporters visited Borough Park, one of the neighborhoods that health officials are calling the “Ocean Parkway Cluster,” they saw “hardly a face mask in sight, as if the pandemic had never happened.”

Officials warned of rising cases in some Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods, where test positivity rates are 3 percent to 6 percent — significantly more than the city’s overall rate of 1 percent to 2 percent. If cases continue to rise, they could threaten the city’s easing lockdown, including the opening of public schools this month, which will automatically close if citywide positivity rates reach 3 percent.

“This may be the most precarious moment we are facing since we emerged from lockdown,” said Dr. Dave Chokshi, the city’s health commissioner.

bob10

26th September 2020, 09:55 AM

Why children may be protected from the virus The New York Times

Why children may be protected from the virus

Why does the coronavirus terrorize some adults but leave children relatively untouched?

The vast majority of children do not get sick at all; if they do contract the virus, almost all recover fully. A new study — the first to compare the immune response in children and adults — suggests that in children, a branch of the immune system that evolved to protect people from unfamiliar pathogens quickly destroys the virus before it can damage their bodies (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/ehqZ_SP4ZWg9FSvXD_WJxQ~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhUN1EP0TpaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMC 8wOS8yNS9oZWFsdGgvY29yb25hdmlydXMtY2hpbGRyZW4taW1t dW5lLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MTU0JmVtYz1lZGl0X2NiXz IwMjAwOTI1Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTIyNTUxJm5sPWNvcm9uYXZp cnVzLWJyaWVmaW5nJnJlZ2lfaWQ9ODQ1MzQ2Njkmc2VnbWVudF 9pZD0zOTA4OSZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9MzhiNjUzZjU5ZDhhNzg4 ZDJiODAyOWQzNDlmYjA1ZjFXA255dEIKACREWG5f4zYrj1IZcm 9iZXJ0bGFrZTQyOTQzQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~).

When our bodies encounter new germs, they respond with a flurry of immune activity. Children’s bodies typically respond with an innate response that is quick and overwhelming because most pathogens they encounter are new. Adult bodies, on the other hand, react in a more specialized and sophisticated way, since it’s rare that they encounter new germs. Children and adults have both systems, but the innate response is much stronger in children.

Our colleague, Apoorva Mandavilli, put it this way: If the strong innate immune response resembles emergency responders first on the scene, the adaptive response represents the skilled specialists at the hospital. In the time it takes for an adult body to get the specialized adaptive system up and running, the virus has had more time to do harm.

bob10

26th September 2020, 09:58 AM

Resurgences. New York Times.

Resurgences

The mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, asked older people to stay at home and businesses to move to remote work (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/cg9N6XmclTjSfYQAXJaK5A~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhUN1EP0TuaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMC 8wOS8yNS93b3JsZC9jb3ZpZC0xOS1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy5odG1s P2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1NCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9jYl8yMDIwMDkyNS ZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yMjU1MSZubD1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1icmll ZmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTg0NTM0NjY5JnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MzkwOD kmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTM4YjY1M2Y1OWQ4YTc4OGQyYjgwMjlk MzQ5ZmIwNWYxI2xpbmstMTMwZTA0NFcDbnl0QgoAJERYbl_jNi uPUhlyb2JlcnRsYWtlNDI5NDNAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) as cases rise in the city.

London will be made an “area of concern” (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/WxgUaoBNuzyfUbP2h8EJDA~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhUN1EP0TSaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvbS9uZXdzL3VrLW VuZ2xhbmQtbG9uZG9uLTU0Mjk2NTk3P2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1 NCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9jYl8yMDIwMDkyNSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yMj U1MSZubD1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1icmllZmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTg0 NTM0NjY5JnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MzkwODkmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPT M4YjY1M2Y1OWQ4YTc4OGQyYjgwMjlkMzQ5ZmIwNWYxVwNueXRC CgAkRFhuX-M2K49SGXJvYmVydGxha2U0Mjk0M0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ ) and added to the British government’s watch list of hot spots that could soon be subject to a local lockdown.

The death rate in Argentina is soaring (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/6s2wlzsx-bLu7wnOcxnU8Q~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhUN1EP4QcAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm55dGltZXMuY29tLzIwMj AvMDkvMjUvd29ybGQvY292aWQtY29yb25hdmlydXMuaHRtbD9h Y3Rpb249Y2xpY2smY2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MTU0JmVtYz1lZGl0X2 NiXzIwMjAwOTI1Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTIyNTUxJm1vZHVsZT1U b3ArU3RvcmllcyZubD1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1icmllZmluZyZwZ3 R5cGU9SG9tZXBhZ2UmcmVnaV9pZD04NDUzNDY2OSZzZWdtZW50 X2lkPTM5MDg5JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD0zOGI2NTNmNTlkOGE3OD hkMmI4MDI5ZDM0OWZiMDVmMSNsaW5rLTYzMjU2NTIzVwNueXRC CgAkRFhuX-M2K49SGXJvYmVydGxha2U0Mjk0M0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ ) as the virus spreads in provinces far from the capital.

Officials in Oklahoma reported 1,276 new cases (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/OYu4l4RY6bamiyaVsm-RAA~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhUN1EP0TqaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vaW50ZX JhY3RpdmUvMjAyMC91cy9va2xhaG9tYS1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1j YXNlcy5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1NCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9jYl 8yMDIwMDkyNSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yMjU1MSZubD1jb3JvbmF2 aXJ1cy1icmllZmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTg0NTM0NjY5JnNlZ21lbn RfaWQ9MzkwODkmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTM4YjY1M2Y1OWQ4YTc4 OGQyYjgwMjlkMzQ5ZmIwNWYxVwNueXRCCgAkRFhuX-M2K49SGXJvYmVydGxha2U0Mjk0M0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ ), a single-day record for the state. More cases have been announced in Oklahoma over the past week than in any other seven-day stretch of the pandemic.

bob10

26th September 2020, 10:25 AM

Beware the young spreaders. New York Times.

Beware the young spreaders

Young adults make up a growing percentage of coronavirus cases in the United States and Europe, and early indications are that they tend to fare better with the disease, suffering fewer deaths and hospitalizations. But the story doesn’t end there.

New research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that young adults who catch the virus may seed waves of infection that travel up the generations (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/hDvEeOPs1TmpuLIjTcTjPg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhT6AEP0TmaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMC 8wOS8yNC9oZWFsdGgvY29yb25hdmlydXMteW91bmctYWR1bHRz Lmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MTU0JmVtYz1lZGl0X2NiXzIwMj AwOTI0Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTIyNTAzJm5sPWNvcm9uYXZpcnVz LWJyaWVmaW5nJnJlZ2lfaWQ9ODQ1MzQ2Njkmc2VnbWVudF9pZD 0zODk4MCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9MzhiNjUzZjU5ZDhhNzg4ZDJi ODAyOWQzNDlmYjA1ZjFXA255dEIKACwEG21fyCfGEVIZcm9iZX J0bGFrZTQyOTQzQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~), infecting middle-aged and then older people. The new data suggests that outbreaks linked to bars, restaurants and college dorms aren’t just dangerous for the 20-somethings — but for their friends, families and neighbors as well.

After analyzing case data and hospital visits this summer, C.D.C. researchers concluded that spikes in cases among young people were often quickly followed by a jump in infections in older people. In Southern states like Alabama, Florida and Georgia, a spike in cases among those ages 20 to 39 led to a jump in cases nine days later among those ages 40 to 59, followed by a jump in cases 15 days later among those 60 and older.

College campuses are a particular threat. In a recent study (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/l72zSludbcOEtB3KVx6j6A~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhT6AEP0TcaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWVkcnhpdi5vcmcvY29udG VudC8xMC4xMTAxLzIwMjAuMDkuMjIuMjAxOTYwNDh2MT9jYW1w YWlnbl9pZD0xNTQmZW1jPWVkaXRfY2JfMjAyMDA5MjQmaW5zdG FuY2VfaWQ9MjI1MDMmbmw9Y29yb25hdmlydXMtYnJpZWZpbmcm cmVnaV9pZD04NDUzNDY2OSZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTM4OTgwJnRlPT EmdXNlcl9pZD0zOGI2NTNmNTlkOGE3ODhkMmI4MDI5ZDM0OWZi MDVmMVcDbnl0QgoALAQbbV_IJ8YRUhlyb2JlcnRsYWtlNDI5ND NAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA), researchers found that spikes in cases occurred about two weeks after colleges reopened, with a higher increase for those adopting in-person models than those teaching online.

A similar pattern also seems to be emerging in Europe (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/jRgzJikLynOvxQScERsrPQ~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhT6AEP0T0aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMC 8wOS8yNC93b3JsZC9ldXJvcGUvY292aWQtZXVyb3BlLWhvc3Bp dGFscy1sb2NrZG93bnMuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0xNTQmZW 1jPWVkaXRfY2JfMjAyMDA5MjQmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MjI1MDMm bmw9Y29yb25hdmlydXMtYnJpZWZpbmcmcmVnaV9pZD04NDUzND Y2OSZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTM4OTgwJnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD0zOGI2 NTNmNTlkOGE3ODhkMmI4MDI5ZDM0OWZiMDVmMVcDbnl0QgoALA QbbV_IJ8YRUhlyb2JlcnRsYWtlNDI5NDNAZ21haWwuY29tWAQA AAAA), where infections “are moving up the age bands, from younger people to older people,” according to Chris Whitty, the U.K.’s chief medical officer.

bob10

27th September 2020, 05:43 PM

More restrictions eased.

Melbourne coronavirus lockdown to ease, Daniel Andrews confirms (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2020/09/27/dan-andrews-victorian-lockdown-eased/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=News%20Alert%20-%2020200927)

bob10

28th September 2020, 12:01 PM

Meanwhile in the UK.

British PM Boris Johnson called for a “spirit of togetherness” as he announced new restrictions on life in the UK in the hopes of stopping a new spike in cases there. The new rules could last for six months, he said Tuesday, in what the AP called (https://apnews.com/7b236c1959dda06a34ef7b98ba43251b) “a speech with deliberate echoes of World War II communal spirit.”

He said that if the new curbs did not slow the outbreak, “we reserve the right to deploy greater firepower, with significantly greater restrictions.”
Johnson’s government has faced a barrage of criticism over its handling of the pandemic, notably over big problems in the testing regime.

It has also been criticized over its perceived mixed messaging and sudden lurches in policy.
Just last month it was encouraging people back to pubs and restaurants with a discount scheme. Only weeks ago, Johnson was encouraging workers to go back into offices to keep city centers from becoming ghost towns, and had even expressed hope that society could return to normal by Christmas.

UK'''s Johnson urges '''spirit of togetherness''' to combat virus (https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-cabinets-england-michael-gove-london-7b236c1959dda06a34ef7b98ba43251b)

bob10

3rd October 2020, 03:44 PM

COVID forces the Queen out of London.

Buckingham Palace shuts up shop as virus sends Queen to Windsor (https://thenewdaily.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/royal/2020/10/03/queen-elizabeth-coronavirus/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Saturday%20News%20-%2020201003)

bob10

5th October 2020, 08:29 AM

Britain's 'cavalier ' approach to COVID . Keep Calm and Carry On may not work in a pandemic.
Every morning, I take my children to school on the public bus, where the 14-passenger limit is routinely breached along with face mask rules. We angle for a spot near an open window.
At our international school, the children must wear masks. But as I walk home through the leafy streets, I see children and parents chatting jovially without masks as they await the opening of their school gates. They look like people lining up to board the Titanic.

Beyond the obvious ways that this cavalier behavior is disconcerting, it has enhanced a widely shared sense that Britain — famously rule-abiding — is now operating without adult supervision. Public confidence has plummeted, with more than half of respondents in a recent survey (https://news.sky.com/story/public-confidence-in-governments-handling-of-coronavirus-pandemic-drops-survey-12064867) declaring the government has botched its handling of the pandemic, up from 39 percent in May.

‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ May Not Work in a Time of Pandemic - The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/04/world/europe/britain-london-coronavirus.html?campaign_id=3&emc=edit_MBAU_p_20201004&instance_id=22800&nl=morning-briefing&regi_id=84534669&section=longRead&segment_id=39816&te=1&user_id=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1)

bob10

5th October 2020, 10:49 AM

Victoria's virus roadmap target in doubt.

Nine more cases as Melbourne schoolkids cleared to return to classrooms (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/vic/2020/10/05/melbourne-virus-nine/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=News%20Alert%20-%2020201005)

bob10

7th October 2020, 02:02 PM

In the USA, the Joint Chiefs are in isolation after the Coast Guard Vice Commandant tests positive.

But the sudden quarantine of almost all of the nation’s top military officers underscored the extent to which the White House itself became a superspreader location, and elevated worst-case scenario fears (https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2020/10/pentagon-downplays-national-security-concerns-trumps-diagnosis/168973/) of a national security apparatus hollowed of senior leaders by a virus that observes no distinction between ranks.

Joint Chiefs In Isolation After Coast Guard Vice Commandant Tests Positive For COVID - Defense One (https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2020/10/joint-chiefs-isolation-after-coast-guard-vice-commandant-tests-positive-covid/169055/)

bob10

7th October 2020, 08:40 PM

NSW has three " mystery " cases, none related.
On Wednesday, Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles said NSW must trace the source of the new cases by Thursday night or the timer to reopen the border would be set back to zero.

NSW mystery infections throw border plans into jeopardy (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2020/10/07/nsw-mystery-infections-queensland/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PM%20Extra%20-%2020201007)

DiscoMick

8th October 2020, 08:05 AM

bob10

8th October 2020, 04:03 PM

Interstate people are abandoning Victoria and moving to Qld to escape Covid.

Queensland schools in demand with families fleeing coronavirus-hit states
Queensland schools in demand with families fleeing coronavirus-hit states - ABC News (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-08/qld-schools-in-demand-for-families-fed-up-with-covid-19-lockdown/12726284)
Bit different from the story from the haters. Good luck to them.

"You didn't know when you got to the border what was going to happen, but everything worked — the police there were great," he said.
The family spent one night in hotel quarantine in Toowoomba and the rest of the mandated two weeks on the Sunshine Coast.

The Mulder family left regional Victoria for a coastal town where COVID-19 restrictions had eased
Schools on the Sunshine Coast say inquiries from southern states have spiked
The Education Department says it will have a better idea of the scale of the trend after school begins next year

DiscoMick

8th October 2020, 07:42 PM

Business likes NZ's 'go hard, go early', response.
New Zealand's Covid-19 response the best in the world, say global business leaders | New Zealand | The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/08/new-zealands-covid-19-response-the-best-in-the-world-say-global-business-leaders?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other)

bob10

10th October 2020, 07:48 PM

Europe's economic recovery is a summer memory.

Europe’s Economic Recovery Is a Summer Memory - The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/10/business/European-economy-coronavirus.html)

bob10

11th October 2020, 05:49 PM

Berlin's first curfew in 70 years kicks in. Some Berliners still have a sense of humour.

It's just before midnight in Berlin's bustling Friedrichshain district and the curfew is about to begin.
Leaving a Späti — the Berlin colloquialism for a kiosk — a group of friends is struggling to haul a crate of beer outside into the heavy drizzle, joking that they need to stockpile supplies — or, as Germans would say "hamster" (https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-scare-when-will-hamsterkauf-become-an-english-word/a-52635400) — before the new curfew kicks in.

The German capital has implemented a nighttime curfew in response to a dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases. On the first night of the new regulations the mood was somber in the Friedrichshain district, a virus hot spot.

Coronavirus: Berlin′s first curfew in 70 years kicks in | Germany| News and in-depth reporting from Berlin and beyond | DW | 10.10.2020 (https://www.dw.com/en/new-berlin-coronavirus-restrictions-curfew/a-55226645'maca=en-newsletter_en_bulletin-2097-xml-newsletter&r=2716464884229336&lid=1648436&pm_ln=55383)

bob10

11th October 2020, 05:54 PM

European travel restrictions, where can non EU travellers enter?

European travel restrictions: Where can non-EU travelers enter? | DW Travel | DW | 09.10.2020 (https://www.dw.com/en/european-travel-restrictions-where-can-non-eu-travelers-enter/a-55221911'maca=en-newsletter_en_bulletin-2097-xml-newsletter&r=2716464884229336&lid=1648436&pm_ln=55386)

bob10

12th October 2020, 08:04 PM

Germany tightens COVID rules.

Germany extends list of cities under coronavirus clampdown | News | DW | 11.10.2020 (https://www.dw.com/en/germany-extends-list-of-cities-under-coronavirus-clampdown/a-55235404'maca=en-newsletter_en_bulletin-2097-xml-newsletter&r=2716464885229371&lid=1648571&pm_ln=55492)

bob10

14th October 2020, 08:24 PM

It's the second time a ship has arrived from the Philippines with a COVID infected crew.

WA seeks federal help with virus outbreak among ship's crew (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/wa/2020/10/13/wa-ships-covid/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20News%20-%2020201014)

bob10

15th October 2020, 07:11 AM

Europe's 2nd stage is worse than their first. What lessons does Vietnam have to offer?

Europe's second wave is worse than the first. What went so wrong, and what can it learn from countries like Vietnam? (https://theconversation.com/europes-second-wave-is-worse-than-the-first-what-went-so-wrong-and-what-can-it-learn-from-countries-like-vietnam-147907?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20 for%20October%2015%202020%20-%201758717043&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20f or%20October%2015%202020%20-%201758717043+CID_66f7dd0a6b23e9a71587de2e3aafe8e3&utm_source=campaign_monitor&utm_term=Europes%20second%20wave%20is%20worse%20th an%20the%20first%20What%20went%20so%20wrong%20and% 20what%20can%20it%20learn%20from%20countries%20lik e%20Vietnam)

bob10

15th October 2020, 07:57 AM

3 COVID trials have been closed for safety, and that's a good thing.
Experts were comforted that companies are following safety precautions. They pointed out that pauses in vaccine trials are common, but pauses in treatment trials like Eli Lilly’s are rare.

pausing treatment trials — like that of Eli Lilly’s antibody drug — is rarer, and perhaps more worrisome.
That trial was testing the treatment on hospitalized patients — a group that was already sick, and in which declines in health would not be surprising. So for a trial like that one to be paused, the safety concerns must have been significant, they said.
“I’ve done 50-plus monitoring committees, and it’s quite a rare thing to do,” said Tim Friede, a biostatistician at University Medical Center Göttingen in Germany, referring to his role as a safety monitor for drug trials.

For now, the companies behind the trials aren’t saying much. In a statement in September, AstraZeneca said it paused its trial (https://www.astrazeneca.com/content/astraz/media-centre/press-releases/2020/statement-on-astrazeneca-oxford-sars-cov-2-vaccine-azd1222-covid-19-vaccine-trials-temporary-pause.html) to investigate “a single event of an unexplained illness.” But two vaccinated volunteers reportedly developed (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/19/health/astrazeneca-vaccine-safety-blueprints.html) the same condition, an inflammation of the spinal cord called transverse myelitis.
Johnson & Johnson said that it was pausing its vaccine trial because of an “unexplained illness.” (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/12/world/johnson-johnson-pauses-its-coronavirus-vaccine-trial-because-of-a-volunteers-unexplained-illness.html) Eli Lilly’s trial of the antibody treatment was paused because (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/13/health/eli-lilly-antibody.html) of a — so far undisclosed — health difference between the group that received the drug and the group that received a placebo.

3 Covid-19 Trials Have Been Paused for Safety. That’s a Good Thing. - The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/14/health/covid-clinical-trials.html?campaign_id=3&emc=edit_MBAU_p_20201014&instance_id=23138&nl=morning-briefing&regi_id=84534669&section=topNews&segment_id=41026&te=1&user_id=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1)

bob10

15th October 2020, 08:16 AM

Vaccine chaos looming in the USA.

Vaccine Chaos Is Looming - Defense One (https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2020/09/vaccine-chaos-looming/168844/)

bob10

15th October 2020, 11:49 AM

Authorities plead for " nothing but the truth" from NSW and Victorian residents.

'Nothing but the truth': More local cases in NSW, amid plea from authorities (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/nsw/2020/10/15/nsw-local-virus-lakemba/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=News%20Alert%20-%2020201015)

bob10

16th October 2020, 08:16 AM

In France, police raid the homes of French government officials as part of an investigation into the French governments response to the pandemic.

"Police have raided the homes and offices of France’s health minister, public health director and former prime minister as part of an investigation into the country’s response to the pandemic.
The country is in the grip of a worsening second wave, with new daily coronavirus infections hitting a record – jumping above 30,000 for the first time.
The judicial probe was launched in July following dozens of complaints by doctors, local authorities and nursing homes.
It aims to establish whether those in charge at the start of the outbreak showed a “lack of will to fight a disaster”."

Police raid homes of French government in virus probe (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2020/10/16/coronavirus-france-police-raid/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20News%20-%2020201016)

bob10

21st October 2020, 05:35 PM

A previous unknown strain of the virus in Australia & NZ, has been discovered on a ship, off the QLD coast.

A cargo ship has been forced to anchor off the Sunshine Coast amid concerns a previously undetected strain of COVID-19 is on board.
The ship, Sofrana Surville, sailed into Australian waters (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/queensland/2020/10/21/sofrana-surville/) from New Zealand via Noumea on Monday.
An engineer who worked on the Liberian-registered Sofrana as well as another ship tested positive to coronavirus in New Zealand at the weekend.

The engineer has a strain of the virus not previously detected in New Zealand or Australia, officials say.

Ship with mystery virus strain poses problems for Qld health authorities (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2020/10/21/myster-virus-strain-ship-queensland/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=News%20Alert%20-%2020201021)

bob10

21st October 2020, 05:45 PM

European COVID cases surge, with the Melbourne example suggested as the fix.

Alex Polyakov, an epidemiologist at the University of Melbourne, said in getting COVID figures down to single digits Victoria had “achieved what a lot of people thought was unachievable”.

European coronavirus cases surge with Melbourne model suggested as fix (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/2020/10/20/europe-coronavirus-victoria/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20News%20-%2020201021)

bob10

22nd October 2020, 05:27 PM

The people who helped, and hindered , during the Victorian crisis.

The people who helped and hindered during the Victorian crisis (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2020/10/22/victoria-restrictions-deserved/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20News%20-%2020201022)

bob10

26th October 2020, 04:31 PM

Shutterstock
Of all the places that have seen off a second coronavirus wave, only Vietnam and Hong Kong have done as well as Victorians

Of all the places that have seen off a second coronavirus wave, only Vietnam and Hong Kong have done as well as Victorians (https://theconversation.com/of-all-the-places-that-have-seen-off-a-second-coronavirus-wave-only-vietnam-and-hong-kong-have-done-as-well-as-victorians-148520?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20 for%20October%2026%202020%20-%201768317142&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20f or%20October%2026%202020%20-%201768317142+CID_4fc6e506bf3c507063a17f648608a176&utm_source=campaign_monitor&utm_term=Of%20all%20the%20places%20that%20have%20s een%20off%20a%20second%20coronavirus%20wave%20only %20Vietnam%20and%20Hong%20Kong%20have%20done%20as% 20well%20as%20Victorians)

bob10

27th October 2020, 07:10 AM

Doctors in Europe who test positive for COVID have been asked to keep working.

Doctors who test positive to coronavirus asked to keep working (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/2020/10/27/belgium-doctors-coronavirus/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20News%20-%2020201027)

bob10

28th October 2020, 07:47 AM

Germans urged to maintain discipline, to head off a second wave of the virus. Interestingly, German States decide on measures to combat the virus.

Merkel is meeting with Germany's 16 state premiers, who she must convince to agree to the restrictions, which were described by Bild as "lockdown light." Measures taken to combat the coronavirus pandemic in Germany are decided at the state level.

Coronavirus: Merkel urges discipline as Germany mulls tougher restrictions | News | DW | 27.10.2020 (https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-merkel-urges-discipline-as-germany-mulls-tougher-restrictions/a-55411637'maca=en-newsletter_en_bulletin-2097-xml-newsletter&r=2716466817229362&lid=1661762&pm_ln=58287)

bob10

28th October 2020, 07:50 AM

More on the German system, one country, 17 governments.

One country, 17 governmentsRather like the US, and in stark contrast to France, Germany's 16 states hold considerable political power. In fact, Article 70 of Germany's constitution explicitly states that all lawmaking rests in the states' hands unless stated otherwise in the Basic Law itself.
This list of regional powers is therefore long: Health provision, education, policing, cultural policy, construction planning — each state even has its own independent domestic intelligence service and its own court system.

Coronavirus in Germany: How the federal system hampers the fight against the pandemic | Germany| News and in-depth reporting from Berlin and beyond | DW | 12.10.2020 (https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-in-germany-how-the-federal-system-hampers-the-fight-against-the-pandemic/a-55241135)

bob10

28th October 2020, 08:20 AM

"Totally under control ", the COVID -19 documentary all Americans need to see.

" I forgot, for instance, that in February and March, cruise ships that couldn’t dock had been petri dishes that carried infected Americans while the administration dismissed the virus’s threat (https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/06/how-white-house-coronavirus-response-went-wrong/613591/). I forgot that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention once discouraged the general public from wearing masks, because health-care workers needed the limited supply. I also forgot that Nancy Messonnier, of the CDC, warned (https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/25/health/coronavirus-us-american-cases/index.html) at the end of February that the virus would spread in the U.S., and days later, she stopped appearing in the White House’s briefings

.If Totally Under Control simply presented all of these facts as events on a timeline, it would have come off as a brutal but rote history lesson. Instead, Gibney and his co-directors make the scope of America’s failures clear by comparing America’s response with that of South Korea. The two first-world countries found their first cases on the same day in January, but only one managed to avoid shutdowns and an economic free fall.

In a rather wistful interview, the South Korean doctor Kim Jin Yong speaks candidly about how much he admired America and the CDC. He points out that 90 percent of the medical textbooks in South Korea are American, and that America has paved the way for medical advances, including inventing the N95 face mask in the 1990s. So watching America flounder has been, he says bluntly, “so sad.”

The COVID-19 Documentary All Americans Need to See - Defense One (https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2020/10/covid-19-documentary-all-americans-need-see/169417/)

DiscoMick

28th October 2020, 09:36 AM

Thought this was a interesting statement about how Germany is coping with the second wave, from an expert and MP. There are lessons we could learn, I think.

Will Germany's effective Covid strategy work again as it enters a second wave? | Karl Lauterbach | Opinion | The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/oct/19/germany-covid-second-wave-virus?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other)

bob10

29th October 2020, 09:20 AM

Why autopsies are proving crucial during COVID-19. EDIT.

Why Autopsies Are Proving Crucial During Covid-19

Advances in medical imaging have reduced the need for the procedure, but it is leading to discoveries that may help with better treatment

"As those autopsies began, though, pathologists started to make discoveries that could change the way physicians and researchers understand the effects of Covid-19 on the body. “When you look at autopsies now,” National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci told CNN in April, “we’re seeing things that we didn’t expect.”
In particular, early autopsies showed that Covid-19 was causing blood clots all over the body. Some were fatal: Fowkes says that in the first 17 patients her team autopsied, four had died from pulmonary emboli, blockages in the blood vessels of the lungs. Jeffrey Jhang, a pathologist at Mount Sinai who runs laboratory tests for living patients, had noticed some large clots in blood samples he received early on. As autopsies also demonstrated the pervasiveness of clotting, the team at Mount Sinai decided they should treat Covid-19 patients with blood thinners and regularly test for signs of clotting.
It seemed to work: Out of the next 83 Covid-19 patients Fowkes’ team autopsied, only one had died from a pulmonary embolus. Based on autopsy reports and other findings, anticoagulants are being tested in several randomized trials, and some national treatment guidelines (https://www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov/adjunctive-therapy/antithrombotic-therapy/) now call for doctors to give clot-reducing medication to most Covid-19 patients.
Still, doctors are debating whether the treatment is beneficial for all hospitalized Covid-19 patients — barring those with certain underlying conditions — and at what dose. Some experts have criticized (https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/88209) physicians at Mount Sinai for not conducting a randomized controlled trial when they adjusted their protocol, in order to better gauge its effects.

Autopsies have also built on observations made by physicians. As patients exhibited neurological symptoms like confusion and loss of smell, Fowkes and her team found the virus in the frontal lobe of a patient’s brain. The finding, published in the Journal of Medical Virology (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jmv.25915) in April, provided some of the earliest evidence of the virus invading the central nervous system. But she was surprised to also find the virus in the lining of the brain’s blood vessels. The pathologists continued searching other organs for signs of SARS-CoV-2 infiltration and found clues that the virus may hide in vasculature throughout the body. She and her team now wonder if some patients may have low levels of virus “hanging around in the body” with the potential to reignite infection — a question that has inspired extensive debate (https://undark.org/2020/09/02/kids-covid-19-long-haulers/) among experts."

Why Autopsies Are Proving Crucial During Covid-19
|
Science

| Smithsonian Magazine (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-autopsies-are-increasing-during-covid-19-180976122/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20201028-daily-responsive&spMailingID=43785556&spUserID=ODU1Njc2OTEyODIyS0&spJobID=1862341999&spReportId=MTg2MjM0MTk5OQS2)

bob10

29th October 2020, 10:11 AM

How Latin America's pandemic defences were broken. Trump has a lot to answer for.

How Latin America’s pandemic defenses were broken

Latin America has one-third of all Covid-19 deaths and has suffered more acutely from the virus than any other region in the world.

Why has it fared so poorly?

New York Times reporters looked into this question in the latest installment of the Behind the Curve series (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/ffku1KR0rY9mDvpTguhg_g~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhezYVP0TOaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vc2VyaW VzL2JlaGluZC10aGUtY3VydmU_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MTU0JmVt Yz1lZGl0X2NiXzIwMjAxMDI3Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTIzNTUxJm 5sPWNvcm9uYXZpcnVzLWJyaWVmaW5nJnJlZ2lfaWQ9ODQ1MzQ2 Njkmc2VnbWVudF9pZD00MjUxNyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9MzhiNj UzZjU5ZDhhNzg4ZDJiODAyOWQzNDlmYjA1ZjFXA255dEIKAEIV sZhfzbR_tlIZcm9iZXJ0bGFrZTQyOTQzQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAA AAAA~~), which explores the missteps and misunderstandings that have allowed Covid-19 to spread around the world.

In Latin America, weak health systems and overcrowded cities made the region inherently vulnerable to the coronavirus. But President Trump and President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, with their shared disregard for science and fierce opposition to leftist governments, made a bad situation worse by dismantling the region’s defenses (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/SjX1Lcskf6iJFUtHmqFZjw~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhezYVP4QmAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm55dGltZXMuY29tLzIwMj AvMTAvMjcvd29ybGQvdHJ1bXAtYm9sc29uYXJvLWNvcm9uYXZp cnVzLWxhdGluLWFtZXJpY2EuaHRtbD9hY3Rpb249Y2xpY2smY2 FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MTU0JmVtYz1lZGl0X2NiXzIwMjAxMDI3Jmlu c3RhbmNlX2lkPTIzNTUxJm1vZHVsZT1SZWxhdGVkTGlua3Mmbm w9Y29yb25hdmlydXMtYnJpZWZpbmcmcGd0eXBlPUFydGljbGUm cmVnaV9pZD04NDUzNDY2OSZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTQyNTE3JnRlPT EmdXNlcl9pZD0zOGI2NTNmNTlkOGE3ODhkMmI4MDI5ZDM0OWZi MDVmMVcDbnl0QgoAQhWxmF_NtH-2Uhlyb2JlcnRsYWtlNDI5NDNAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA).

Mr. Trump and Mr. Bolsonaro drove 10,000 Cuban doctors and nurses out of impoverished areas of Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia and El Salvador. Many left without being replaced only months before the pandemic arrived.

The two presidents attacked the international agency most capable of fighting the virus — the Pan American Health Organization — citing its involvement with the Cuban medical program. With help from Mr. Bolsonaro, Mr. Trump nearly bankrupted the agency by withholding promised funding at the height of the outbreak, to an extent not previously disclosed.

And with help from Mr. Trump, Mr. Bolsonaro made hydroxychloroquine the centerpiece of Brazil’s pandemic response, despite a medical consensus that the drug was ineffective and even dangerous.

bob10

1st November 2020, 08:53 AM

The danger of asymptomatic cases of COVOD-19. Studies in the UK show the virus may be asymptomatic in 20 % of people tested. This means without testing the whole community, you will never find the extent of infection. This puts Australia's system of contact tracing and testing of individuals under scrutiny. Should we be testing the entire population of centres of infection, instead of close contacts. Perhaps we are doing it wrong, and will never be free of the virus . I guess that is the argument between suppression and eradication. An interesting article about Asymptomatic cases;

The COVID wild card: Researchers battle to solve the riddle of asymptomatic cases | The New Daily (https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/wellbeing/2020/10/31/danger-of-asymptomatic-cases/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Sunday%20Best%20-%2020201101)

DiscoMick

1st November 2020, 07:48 PM

bob10

1st November 2020, 08:38 PM

I think sewage testing could pinpoint areas for mass testing.
I also think you are right that we will never be free of Covid 19, it will stay around forever. Vaccines will just suppress it, if at least 80% of punters actually get vaccinated.
Otherwise, we're screwed.

Well, I wish I were smart enough to make educated statements about COVID, I have to settle for informed statements. Finding the best information isn't easy, and often that information changes from morning to night. But it has become obvious to me, a vaccine is our only long term hope. And discipline. Get slack with that, we are screwed. To me, it seems our Federal government is driven by big business, and profit. I can not believe our leaders would put pressure on states to open up , knowing the consequences of such action if it all went pear shaped, if not put under such pressure themselves from their major donors. Qantas is a prime example. Thousands of Australians overseas stuck, and Qantas would not bring them back using cheap fares. Then cry foul if the borders aren't opened , stating they had thousands of seats available for internal flights for tourism. I can't help thinking the founders of Qantas would be appalled at such heartless business acumen. Especially when JobKeeper has allowed big business to game the system. It's time we shifted away from the American political model, and back to the Australian one. [ I feel better now]

DiscoMick

2nd November 2020, 07:17 AM

I've had some interesting conversations with my brother in law the vet who specializes in treating exotic diseases like Hendra in livestock and thinks humans are complacent.
He thinks of Coronaviruses as normal, says there are millions of them and they will never be eradicated, and all that has happened is one of them has jumped to humans.
He points out this has happened three times in 20 years (SARS, MERS and SARS2) and expects it to keep happening.
So we're going to be chasing our tails. Not a happy thought. Reality bites.

bob10

3rd November 2020, 08:31 PM

Dr Deborah Birx, privately warns White House officials of a new deadly phase of the virus in the USA.

Covid-19: Birx Delivers Stark Warning to White House on Eve of Election Day - The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/11/02/world/covid-19-coronavirus-updates?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20201102&instance_id=0&nl=breaking-news&ref=cta&regi_id=84534669&segment_id=43265&user_id=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1)

bob10

3rd November 2020, 08:45 PM

How the coronavirus hacks the immune system.

How the Coronavirus Hacks the Immune System | The New Yorker (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/11/09/how-the-coronavirus-hacks-the-immune-system?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Magazine_Daily_110220&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&bxid=5cc9e26e3f92a477a0ea0693&cndid=52475003&hasha=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1&hashb=acd4725d670d172aa9d05ce7f671dc63250efce1&hashc=c17365ab07572ed90614d245ada5ad675f6bc00189fa 766123c70d76d1d7cddf&esrc=Auto_Subs&utm_term=TNY_Daily)

bob10

7th November 2020, 05:08 PM

WHO probes coronavirus mutation in minks as millions of animals culled (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2020/11/07/coronavirus-mink-farms/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Saturday%20News%20-%2020201107)

bob10

8th November 2020, 08:54 AM

COVID Nasal Spray vaccine begins human testing in Perth, W.A..

Nasal spray vaccines under way: How to beat COVID-19 by a nose (https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/wellbeing/2020/11/07/nasal-spray-vaccines-covid-19/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Sunday%20Best%20-%2020201108)

bob10

13th November 2020, 05:53 PM

Italy struggles, " COVID -19 is not tired ".

A man who had been waiting to get tested for the coronavirus has been found dead in the bathroom of a busy hospital emergency room in Italy as the virus runs ‘out of control’.

Video of corpse in hospital toilet shocks Italy as virus runs 'out of control' (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2020/11/13/corpse-hospital-virus-italy/)

bob10

14th November 2020, 05:46 PM

The pandemic's winter surge has hit the USA.
The mortality rate for the virus has fallen substantially since the start of the pandemic, probably because of improvements in care and a shift in viral demographics: many of the newly infected are young. But a lower death rate combined with a vast rise in infections will still create profound suffering. One model predicts that, by the end of the year, two thousand Americans could be dying from covid-19 each day. The American death toll could reach four hundred thousand by January. Speaking about the coming winter with the Washington Post, Anthony Fauci concluded (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/fauci-covid-winter-forecast/2020/10/31/e3970eb0-1b8b-11eb-bb35-2dcfdab0a345_story.html) that the U.S. is “in for a whole lot of hurt.” The challenge now, for citizens and leaders, is to shift from anticipating the winter surge to recognizing that it is already here.

The Pandemic’s Winter Surge Is Here | The New Yorker (https://www.newyorker.com/science/medical-dispatch/the-pandemics-winter-surge-is-here?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Daily_111220&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&bxid=5cc9e26e3f92a477a0ea0693&cndid=52475003&hasha=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1&hashb=acd4725d670d172aa9d05ce7f671dc63250efce1&hashc=c17365ab07572ed90614d245ada5ad675f6bc00189fa 766123c70d76d1d7cddf&esrc=bounceX&mbid=mbid%3DCRMNYR012019&utm_term=TNY_Daily)

bob10

16th November 2020, 07:20 AM

Damage to multiple organs found in long COVID cases . Study of low risk individuals finds impairments four months after infection. I guess this makes the " herd immunity " theory redundant.

"Young and previously healthy people with ongoing symptoms of Covid-19 are showing signs of damage to multiple organs four months after the initial infection, a study suggests.
The findings are a step towards unpicking the physical underpinnings and developing treatments for some of the strange and extensive symptoms experienced by people with “long Covid”, which is thought to affect more than 60,000 people in the UK. Fatigue, brain fog (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/09/brain-fog-the-people-struggling-to-think-clearly-months-after-covid), breathlessness and pain are among the most frequently reported effects.
On Sunday, the NHS announced it would launch a network of more than 40 long Covid specialist clinics (https://www.england.nhs.uk/2020/11/nhs-launches-40-long-covid-clinics-to-tackle-persistent-symptoms/) where doctors, nurses and therapists will assess patients’ physical and psychological symptoms."

Damage to multiple organs recorded in 'long Covid' cases | World news | The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/15/damage-to-multiple-organs-recorded-in-long-covid-cases)

bob10

16th November 2020, 09:50 PM

The pandemic has revealed a new kind of National power.
When the coronavirus arrived, as the historian Sulmaan Khan has observed (https://www.chinafile.com/reporting-opinion/viewpoint/how-will-historians-look-back-coronavirus-outbreak), it “didn’t care how many aircraft carriers you had or how many Confucius Institutes you could stick up around the world or what size your economy was. The virus asked simply how your least wealthy people would be treated in times of illness. How effectively you could trace the contacts of those it afflicted. How swiftly your medical system could cope with unexpected demands. It wouldn’t spare you completely, of course, but if you could meet it with a dull, technocratic honesty, it would be easier to survive.”

The Pandemic Is Revealing a New Form of National Power - Defense One (https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2020/11/pandemic-revealing-new-form-national-power/170061/)

bob10

19th November 2020, 08:31 AM

Does Coronavirus mass testing make sense?
Austria plans to introduce mass testing for COVID-19, a measure already taken by Luxembourg and Slovakia. Should larger countries like Germany also make the effort to check their entire population?

Does coronavirus mass testing make sense? | Europe| News and current affairs from around the continent | DW | 17.11.2020 (https://www.dw.com/en/covid-19-mass-testing-germany/a-55637576'maca=en-newsletter_en_bulletin-2097-xml-newsletter&r=2716467892229383&lid=1679283&pm_ln=62199)

bob10

19th November 2020, 09:13 AM

The US passes 250,000 deaths .
The United States passed a grim milestone on Wednesday, hitting 250,000 coronavirus-related deaths, with the number expected to keep climbing steeply as infections surge nationwide.
Experts predict that the country that will soon be reporting 2,000 deaths a day or more, matching or exceeding the spring peak, and that 100,000 to 200,000 more Americans could die in the coming months.
There is always a lag in deaths, compared with the rate of infection and hospitalizations, and with the latter measure now hitting records every day — 76,830 Americans were hospitalized on Tuesday, (https://covidtracking.com/data)according to the Covid Tracking Project — the death toll is certain to go on rising.

Live Covid-19 Updates: NYC Public Schools Will Close Indefinitely on Thursday - The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/11/18/world/covid-19-coronavirus?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20201118&instance_id=0&nl=breaking-news&ref=cta&regi_id=84534669&segment_id=44869&user_id=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1#a-quarter-of-a-million-people-have-died-in-the-us-from-covid-19)

bob10

19th November 2020, 09:04 PM

Seeking a post COVID-19 reset for the World.

Think tanks and key leaders from around the world will meet in a massive online event this week to search for ways to reset history in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
On Friday 20 November, ASPI will take part in the ‘Global Town Hall (https://www.gth2020.com/)’, a set of moderated discussions on foreign and security policy matters with a strong focus on the Indo-Pacific region.
It will take in the pandemic, the implications of climate change and cooperative measures that might head off disaster, and the impact of nationalism and populism, and examine the likely role of the United States under Joe Biden and in the fallout from Donald Trump’s reign.

Seeking a post-Covid-19 reset for the world | The Strategist (https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/seeking-a-post-covid-19-reset-for-the-world/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Weekly%20The%20Strategist&utm_content=Weekly%20The%20Strategist+CID_1a21d70f 4a4eccff5917e912b29e3b9e&utm_source=CampaignMonitor&utm_term=Seeking%20a%20post-Covid-19%20reset%20for%20the%20world)

bob10

30th November 2020, 08:46 PM

SA health says COVID - positive man was a casual contact, and not told to quarantine.

SA Health says COVID-positive shopper was not told to quarantine (thenewdaily.com.au) (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2020/11/30/sa-quarantine-breach-shopper/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PM%20Extra%20-%2020201130)

bob10

1st December 2020, 08:39 AM

California's ICU beds could be full before Xmas.
The total number of coronavirus cases in the United States for November surpassed four million on Saturday, more than double the record set in October of 1.9 million cases. And the sharp escalation is likely to continue after Americans traveled by the millions for the long Thanksgiving weekend.
By contrast, after three weeks of lockdown in England (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/30/world/after-weeks-of-lockdown-cases-in-england-drop-30-percent.html), the number of new cases has fallen 30 percent, according to new data.

Gov. Newsom warns California’s I.C.U. beds could be full before Christmas. (https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/11/30/world/covid-19-coronavirus?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20201130&instance_id=0&nl=breaking-news&ref=cta&regi_id=84534669&segment_id=45713&user_id=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1#gov-newsom-warns-californias-icu-beds-could-be-full-before-christmas)

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/11/30/fashion/weddings/30virus-brief-calif-hospitals/merlin_180575235_cab0e1f4-e13b-4ca8-82d6-834c5a86765d-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale
A Covid-19 patient at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Los Angeles. California is one of several states that had appeared to have gained control of the virus, only to see it spread rapidly throughout the fall. Credit...Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

California’s intensive care units could be overloaded by the middle of December, and its hospitals could be dangerously close to full by Christmas, according to sobering projections that Gov. Gavin Newsom presented on Monday.
And the strain could be even worse in the hardest-hit areas, like the San Joaquin Valley (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/28/us/newsom-coronavirus-valley.html), which was projected to reach 83 percent of its hospital capacity by Dec. 24.

“If these trends continue, California will need to take drastic action,” Mr. Newsom said during a virtual briefing, adding that more severe restrictions, including full stay-at-home orders, could come within the next few days.
California is one of several states that had appeared to have gained control of the virus, only to see it spread rapidly throughout the fall. On Sunday it became the first state to record over 100,000 cases in just a week, according to a New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/california-coronavirus-cases.html) database.

A University of Arizona Covid-19 modeling team recently urged the state of Arizona to take action to stem hospitalizations or else “risk a catastrophe on a scale of the worst natural disaster the state has ever experienced.”
And in New York, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said the state will take a series of emergency actions (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/30/nyregion/coronavirus-hospitalization-ny.html) as it faces a new “nightmare of overwhelmed hospitals.”

Already, 99 percent of California’s residents are under a curfew (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/20/us/california-covid-curfew.html) that bans them from leaving their homes to gather or to go to nonessential businesses after 10 p.m. Los Angeles County health leaders have gone even further, announcing a ban on all gatherings (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/27/us/los-angeles-bans-almost-all-public-gatherings-to-stop-virus-surge.html)in public or at private homes that goes into effect on Monday.
Officials had spent the weekend talking with local leaders and health care providers about their concerns, said Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state’s secretary of health and human services, who also spoke during the Monday briefing.
“Everything is on the table, in terms of how we guide the state through this,” he said. “And we want to make sure what we do is impactful and as time-limited as possible.”

But unlike early in the pandemic, when just a few coastal states bore the brunt, the governor noted that the tidal wave of cases slamming the entire country has limited the likelihood of aid from the federal government or other states.
The total number of coronavirus cases in the United States for November surpassed four million on Saturday, more than double the record set in October of 1.9 million cases. And the sharp escalation is likely to continue after Americans traveled by the millions for the long Thanksgiving weekend.
By contrast, after three weeks of lockdown in England (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/30/world/after-weeks-of-lockdown-cases-in-england-drop-30-percent.html), the number of new cases has fallen 30 percent, according to new data.
Mr. Newsom emphasized that California will be able to build on work that the state began earlier this year, including a registry of retired or otherwise non-practicing health care workers (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/31/us/california-health-corps-newsom.html) who would be willing to return to work. Eleven surge health care facilities could be prepared quickly to receive patients.
“We don’t anticipate this,” the governor said, referring to the alarming hospitalization figures (https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom/status/1333516194662342661). “I want folks to know we intend to bend this proverbial curve.”

bob10

2nd December 2020, 09:30 AM

That loud thud was a Nation coming back to Earth. Sweden is a text book case in motivated perception.

Garry Linnell: How Sweden's magic trick fooled the anti-lockdown brigade (thenewdaily.com.au) (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2020/12/02/garry-linnell-sweden-coronavirus/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20News%20-%2020201202)

bob10

2nd December 2020, 09:46 AM

In the USA, the free market approach to this pandemic isn't working.

The US health care system has always been unequal, but Covid-19 has revealed it to be absurd.

Take testing, for instance. The number of tests being done has increased by more than an order of magnitude since last spring, yet we still don’t have enough to meet demand. The privileged and connected, however, don’t seem to be having any problems. Billionaire Elon Musk recently tweeted (https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1327125840040169472's=20) that he had taken four rapid antigen tests for Covid in succession, and then sent off (https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1327126667651932161's=20) multiple PCR tests (with an enviable 24-hour turnaround) for confirmation.

Musk may be an eccentric example of how the wealthy and powerful cut to the front of the testing line, but he’s not the biggest offender. More uncomfortable is the use of widespread testing to keep college campuses and professional sports (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/12/sports/we-didnt-want-to-sit-idle-a-rush-to-meet-pro-sports-testing-needs.html) open. Schools like the University of Illinois (https://go.illinois.edu/COVIDTestingData) can run more than 10,000 tests per day, while nursing homes—the places hardest hit by the disease—struggle (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2772656) to keep their turnaround times acceptable. This is America’s free market health care system at work: If you can pay more or have the right connections, you get what you need; if you don’t, you suffer.

The Free-Market Approach to This Pandemic Isn't Working | WIRED (https://www.wired.com/story/the-free-market-approach-to-this-pandemic-isnt-working/?bxid=5cc9e26e3f92a477a0ea0693&cndid=52475003&esrc=subscribe-page&mbid=mbid%3DCRMWIR012019%0A%0A&source=EDT_WIR_NEWSLETTER_0_DAILY_ZZ&utm_brand=wired&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_content=Final&utm_mailing=WIR_Daily_120120&utm_medium=email&utm_source=nl&utm_term=list1_p1)

bob10

3rd December 2020, 07:59 AM

Dispatches from a Pandemic. The Virus got on the move when 5 million people moved out of Wuhan during a National festival. 50 million people have travelled in the USA for thanksgiving. What are they thinking ?.

‘You hear stories from Europe and China. You tell yourself it is not going to happen here.’— Andy Dunn, chief of staff at the Wyoming Medical Center in Casper, Wyo.

It’s 2:30 a.m. in Wyoming: ‘You’re holding a smartphone to let a husband say goodbye to his wife via FaceTime after 60 years of marriage’ - MarketWatch (https://www.marketwatch.com/story/its-230-am-in-north-dakota-youre-holding-a-smartphone-to-let-a-husband-say-goodbye-to-his-wife-via-facetime-after-60-years-of-marriage-2020-11-23'mod=article_inline)

bob10

3rd December 2020, 08:04 AM

The U.S. set a record for COVID-19-related hospitalizations on Tuesday at almost 100,000 patients (https://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-is-heading-for-100000-covid-19-patients-in-hospitals-as-experts-worry-about-a-coming-thanksgiving-travel-related-spike-2020-12-01'mod=article_inline), and health professionals worry about a forthcoming spike resulting from Thanksgiving. Epidemiologist Michael Osterholm, a member of President-elect Joe Biden’s COVID-19 advisory panel, told CBS (https://www.cbsnews.com/video/biden-adviser-michael-osterholm-on-likely-post-thanksgiving-coronavirus-surge/): “What happened during Thanksgiving is a lot like a 100-mile-an-hour wind going into a forest fire.”

Thanksgiving is over. Christmas is coming. What now? - MarketWatch (https://www.marketwatch.com/story/50-million-people-will-travel-this-thanksgiving-as-more-than-250000-americans-have-died-from-covid-19-2020-11-19'mod=article_inline)

bob10

3rd December 2020, 08:05 AM

Joe Bidens Pandemic plan.

Joe Biden’s pandemic plan: Restore Obamacare, mandatory masks, paid sick leave and free COVID-19 tests - MarketWatch (https://www.marketwatch.com/story/joe-bidens-pandemic-plan-2020-11-07'mod=article_inline)

bob10

3rd December 2020, 09:03 AM

Redfield warns this winter may be ‘the most difficult time in the public health history’ of the U.S. (https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/12/02/world/covid-19-coronavirus?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20201202&instance_id=0&nl=breaking-news&ref=cta&regi_id=84534669&segment_id=45910&user_id=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1#redfield-warns-this-winter-may-be-the-most-difficult-time-in-the-public-health-history-of-the-us)

Video

TRANSCRIPT

0:00/1:56

C.D.C. Director Warns of High Winter Death Toll

Dr. Robert R. Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, urged Americans to practice precautions, especially wearing masks.

We are at a very critical time right now about being able to maintain the resilience of our health care system. In the spring, we were dealing with New York, Detroit, you know, New Orleans, Los Angeles. We could shift health care capacity from one part of the country to another. We saw similar when we had the Southern wave. We could shift health care capacity from the heartlands and from the northern Plains. Right now, we unfortunately have a pandemic. It’s really throughout the nation.

The reality is December and January and February are going to be rough times — I actually believe they’re going to be the most difficult time in the public health history of this nation, largely because of the stress that’s going to put on our health care system.

We’re in that range potentially now starting to see 1,500 to 2,000 to 2,500 deaths a day from this virus. So yeah, the mortality concerns are real. And I do think, unfortunately, before we see February we could be close to 450,000 Americans have died from this virus.

But you know that’s not a fait accompli. If the American public really embraces social distancing, wearing masks, not letting your guard down in family gatherings, limiting crowds, maintaining ventilation, doing events outdoors rather than indoors, making sure you’re vigilant in hand hygiene; and that, coupled with some strategies that we’re pushing states to do to begin to diagnose through surveillance, the asymptomatic infections will begin to help us.
0:1:
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1:55
C.D.C. Director Warns of High Winter Death TDr. Robert R. Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, urged Americans to practice precautions, especially wearing masks.CreditCredit...Stefani Reynolds for The New York TimesThe director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned on Wednesday that the nation is facing a devastating winter, predicting that total deaths from Covid-19 could reach “close to 450,000” by February unless a large percentage of Americans follow precautions like mask-wearing.

“The reality is, December and January and February are going to be rough times,” said Dr. Robert Redfield, the head of the C.D.C., in an address to the Chamber of Commerce Foundation. “I actually believe they’re going to be the most difficult time in the public health history of this nation.”
The C.D.C. has been posting aggregate forecast models of the potential for a mounting death toll as the pace of the coronavirus outbreaks in various states has accelerated.
“We’re in that range potentially now, starting to see 1,500 to 2,000 to 2,500 deaths a day from this virus,” Dr. Redfield said. “The mortality concerns are real, and I do think, unfortunately, before we see February, we could be close to 450,000 Americans” dead from the virus.

Dr. Redfield added that the death toll could be lessened if the public would embrace mitigation strategies, most importantly wearing masks.
“It’s not a fait accompli,” he said. “We’re not defenseless. The truth is that mitigation works. But it’s not going to work if half of us do what we need to do. Probably not even if three-quarters do.”
The death toll in the United States is also approaching another set of dire milestones: The country has reported nearly 275,000 total deaths (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html), and came closer on Tuesday to the single-day death record of 2,752 (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/28/us/covid-deaths-united-states.html), set in April.
Dr. Redfield’s talk occurred on the same day that C.D.C. officials reiterated warnings against holiday travel. The agency also outlined two ways to shorten (https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/12/02/world/covid-19-coronavirus/the-cdc-warns-americans-not-to-travel-for-the-holidays-and-outlines-ways-to-shorten-quarantine-times) the recommended quarantine times for people who may have been exposed to the virus, especially those who may choose to travel anyway.

Dr. Redfield pointed to a recent C.D.C. report (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6947e2.htm)that found that sample counties with mask mandates had a six percent decrease in new cases, while those without mandates saw a 100 percent increase in new cases.
He also indirectly criticized President Trump and Scott Atlas, the president’s most recently departed coronavirus adviser. (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/30/us/politics/scott-atlas-trump-coronavirus-adviser-resigns.html) Both mocked mask-wearing and often questioned the usefulness of mask protection against the virus. The C.D.C. was blocked from its plan to require masks on all public transportation (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/09/health/coronavirus-covid-masks-cdc.html), and Dr. Redfield was publicly skewered by the president after saying, at a congressional hearing, that masks might be as protective as a vaccine.

On Wednesday, Dr. Redfield alluded to the confusion caused by such mixed public pronouncements.
“When you really want to get everybody on board, you’ve got to have clear, unified, reinforced messaging,” Dr. Redfield said on Wednesday. “The fact that we were still arguing in the summer about whether masks work,’’ he said, “was a problem.”
“The time for debating whether or not masks work or not is over. We clearly have scientific evidence,” he said, pointing specifically to a C.D.C. study in Kansas that showed areas with mask mandates saw a decline in virus transmission, while those without a mandate saw a 100 percent increase.

The C.D.C. director also expressed frustration at states and local jurisdictions that have not adopted mask mandates (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/18/us/covid-state-restrictions.html). They are especially important, he said, to protect people over 40 from those under 40; younger patients may not display such Covid-19 symptoms as fever and coughing, even when they are infectious.
Dr. Redfield also recommended that more schools reopen, and said that the C.D.C. would issue guidelines later this week on routine Covid screening for teachers.
“I was very disappointed in New York when they closed schools,” he said, adding that he had not seen evidence of clusters of infections from open schools. He said most teachers’ infections can be traced to a spouse or community exposure.

bob10

5th December 2020, 10:42 AM

WHO gives a warning, the vaccine may not be the end of COVID.

WHO warns vaccine not the only answer to end pandemic (thenewdaily.com.au) (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2020/12/05/coronavirus-who-vaccine/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Saturday%20News%20-%2020201205)

bob10

5th December 2020, 11:59 AM

An interview with Atul Gawande , [ part of Biden's COVID-19 advisory board] on coronavirus vaccines and the prospects of ending the Pandemic.

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic (https://www.newyorker.com/tag/coronavirus), Gawande has been sharp in his criticism of the Trump Administration and, like Anthony Fauci and other prominent figures in public health, insistent on clear, basic measures to reduce levels of disease. After the election in November, President-elect Biden formed a covid-19 advisory board and included Gawande among its members. Earlier this week, I spoke with Gawande for The New Yorker Radio Hour. In the interview, which has been edited for length and clarity, Gawande says that President Trump’s relative silence on the issue after the election might be a blessing (considering the alternative). He suggests that the development of vaccines promises great things down the line, a return to relative normalcy some months from now. But, before that happens, he says, we may not only see terrible rates of illness and death—we will also experience an almost inevitably contentious rollout of the vaccine. Questions of who gets the vaccine and when will test a deeply divided society. As Gawande put it, “The bus drivers never came before the bankers before.”

Atul Gawande on Coronavirus Vaccines and Prospects for Ending the Pandemic | The New Yorker (https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-new-yorker-interview/atul-gawande-on-coronavirus-vaccines-and-prospects-for-ending-the-pandemic?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Daily_120420&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&bxid=5cc9e26e3f92a477a0ea0693&cndid=52475003&hasha=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1&hashb=acd4725d670d172aa9d05ce7f671dc63250efce1&hashc=c17365ab07572ed90614d245ada5ad675f6bc00189fa 766123c70d76d1d7cddf&esrc=bounceX&mbid=mbid%3DCRMNYR012019&utm_term=TNY_Daily)

bob10

6th December 2020, 08:42 AM

Who discovered the first vaccine? It may come as no surprise.

And yet the idea to intentionally infect a patient with a lethal virus to help them did first occur to someone—and it was perhaps the greatest idea in the history of medicine.
It was not Jenner’s idea, nor was it Dimsdale’s. But it may have been a single person’s. Remarkably, variolation may not have been independently discovered. Instead, the earliest documentation suggests it began in China—probably in the southwestern provinces of either Anhui or Jiangxi—before spreading across the globe in a cascading series of introductions

Chinese merchants introduced variolation to India and brought knowledge of the practice to Africa, where it became widespread. In 1721 an enslaved African man named Onesimus–who may have been born in West Africa though exactly where is unknown–was variolated as a child before slave traders brought him to Boston. Once in New England, Onesimus taught his enslaver Cotton Mather the practice, and Mather successfully convinced doctors in the Americas of its efficacy.

Who Discovered the First Vaccine? | WIRED (https://www.wired.com/story/who-discovered-first-vaccine/?bxid=5cc9e26e3f92a477a0ea0693&cndid=52475003&esrc=subscribe-page&mbid=mbid%3DCRMWIR012019%0A%0A&source=EDT_WIR_NEWSLETTER_0_DAILY_ZZ&utm_brand=wired&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_content=Final&utm_mailing=WIR_Daily_120520&utm_medium=email&utm_source=nl&utm_term=list1_p3)

bob10

8th December 2020, 08:15 AM

The States of NSW and Victoria lose their AAA credit rating.

Debts plunge NSW, Victoria into AAA downgrade - but economy will soar (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/debts-plunge-nsw-victoria-into-aaa-downgrade-but-economy-will-soar/ar-BB1bI4cZ?ocid=msedgdhp)

bob10

8th December 2020, 02:17 PM

Just when we were feeling all warm and fuzzy, there's this;

Hundreds sick, one dead after unexplained illness breaks out in India (thenewdaily.com.au) (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/2020/12/08/mystery-illness-india/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20News%20-%2020201208)

bob10

10th December 2020, 04:00 PM

And now, for some shocking news. Coronavirus has killed more Americans in a single day than 9-11. How on Earth can the Americans reconcile with that.

Coronavirus kills more people in the US in one day than on September 11 (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/coronavirus-kills-more-people-in-the-us-in-one-day-than-on-september-11/ar-BB1bNyyV?ocid=msedgntp)

bob10

10th December 2020, 09:10 PM

Why thousands of Victorian health workers caught COVID

Healthcare workers caught COVID-19 in Victoria in their thousands, so what went wrong? - ABC News (https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2020-12-10/how-health-care-workers-in-victoria-caught-covid/12961340)

bob10

11th December 2020, 08:05 PM

What is wrong with these people?

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/12/10/world/10virus-briefing-newhampshire/10virus-briefing-newhampshire-articleLarge-v2.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale
Richard Hinch was elected speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives at an outdoor meeting Dec. 2. He died a week later.Credit...Elise Amendola/Associated Press

The New Hampshire State Legislature was already fiercely divided over the coronavirus when the new Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, Richard Hinch, died suddenly on Wednesday. Then came the news on Thursday that the cause of his death was Covid-19.
Mr. Hinch, who was 71, died just a week after he was sworn in as speaker — and about three weeks after an indoor meeting of his caucus that led to several members contracting the virus, an event that Mr. Hinch had tried to play down in public remarks. It was not clear whether he, too, had caught the virus at the caucus meeting.

The news will undoubtedly heighten tensions among state lawmakers, who have been at odds over the refusal of many Republican lawmakers to wear masks or take other pandemic precautions seriously. Splits have opened not just along partisan lines but also within the Republican ranks.
William M. Marsh, a Republican state representative, said the responsibility for Mr. Hinch’s death lies on the shoulders of a group of Republican members who refused to take precautions like wearing masks and maintaining social distance, and who leaned on others to do the same. “The peer pressure from colleagues is the root cause of what happened to my friend,” Mr. Marsh said of Mr. Hinch.
Democratic lawmakers, who held a majority before the Nov. 3 election, have been in an uproar over the Republican caucus meeting, which was held on Nov. 20 at a ski area. Democrats say they were kept in the dark about the infected lawmakers while Republicans were informed.

The Democratic former speaker, Steve Shurtleff, said he was troubled by Mr. Hinch’s support of Republican lawmakers who refused to wear masks on the House floor, whom Mr. Hinch had called the “patriot section” and the “freedom group.”
“It’s so ironic, looking back,” Mr. Shurtleff said on Thursday. “I know he was just doing his job as a Republican leader, defending his members and his caucus, but it seems so senseless now.”
Mr. Shurtleff said he hoped that the acting speaker would arrange for the House to meet remotely when its next session convenes in January, because he did not expect the mask-resistant Republicans to change their behavior. “I don’t think there will be any remorse,” he said. “There may be remorse at his passing, but not so much at the cause.”

Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican, said on Wednesday that Mr. Hinch was “a fierce defender” of the state, “a close friend and a respected public servant.” He, too, was critical of lawmakers who refuse to wear masks. “For those who are out there doing just the opposite, just to make some sort of bizarre political point, it’s horribly irresponsible,” he said. “Use your heads, don’t act like a bunch of children.”

The State Senate and House each held their organizational meetings outdoors in 40-degree weather last week. About 130 members of the 400-seat House did not attend in person and were sworn in remotely, according to The Associated Press.
Republican lawmakers in at least two other states where mask wearing and other restrictions have been politically contentious have tested positive in recent days:

A South Dakota state senator who attended a dinner with the governor on Monday, and then joined dozens of lawmakers for a budget speech on Tuesday, tested positive on Wednesday. Senator Helene Duhamel of Rapid City posed for a group photo, shoulder to shoulder with Gov. Kristi Noem and more than two dozen other women who attended the dinner. Governor Noem has fiercely resisted imposing a mask mandate or any other restrictions throughout the pandemic, even as the coronavirus raged through the state in the fall, overwhelming its hospitals. The governor’s office insisted that she had not had close contact with Ms. Duhamel, even though they were photographed standing only a few feet apart.
Bismarck Tribune on Thursday that The chairman of the appropriations committee in the North Dakota State Senate, Ray Holmberg, confirmed to TheBismark Tribune he had tested positive, and said he believed he was infected with the virus during the legislature’s organizational session last week. Three employees of the legislature’s nonpartisan research agency have also tested positive, The Associated Press reported.

bob10

12th December 2020, 12:06 PM

Portrait of a country preparing for a vaccine.

Covid Vaccines Are Coming. A Divided and Distrustful America Awaits. - The New York Times (nytimes.com) (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/11/us/us-covid-vaccine-reaction.html?campaign_id=154&emc=edit_cb_20201212&instance_id=24980&nl=coronavirus-briefing&regi_id=84534669&segment_id=46724&te=1&user_id=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1)

bob10

13th December 2020, 07:57 PM

Anthony Fauci's biggest COVID vaccine fear.

Anthony Fauci Reveals His Biggest COVID Vaccine Fear (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/us/anthony-fauci-reveals-his-biggest-covid-vaccine-fear/ar-BB1bSATO?ocid=msedgntp)

bob10

17th December 2020, 08:11 AM

Rich countries [ including Australia] accused of hogging COVID vaccine.

Rich countries hogging COVID-19 vaccine may leave billions without (thenewdaily.com.au) (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2020/12/16/coronavirus-vaccine-wealthy-countries/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20News%20-%2020201217)

bob10

17th December 2020, 09:52 AM

The American tragedy.

On average, 2,500 Americans are dying each day from the disease. Every 30 seconds, a family like the Carters loses someone.
Last week, the nation recorded more deaths in a single day than in the 9/11 terrorist attacks (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-10/coronavirus-us-marks-deadliest-day-since-september-11/12953842), which was previously the country's deadliest day in modern history.
"We built a monument for 9/11. We would have to build a monument every day for the last two weeks based on the numbers we've been getting in the US," said epidemiologist Gavin Macgregor-Skinner.
"Nobody's building monuments. That's just how colossal the loss of life is."

Mr Macgregor-Skinner is an Australian infectious diseases specialist who has been advising the US Government and agencies on how to handle the pandemic.
He also treats patients and has been on the frontline in nursing homes and hospitals right across the country.
"The numbers we're seeing are mind-boggling," he said.
"The nurses and doctors we talk to everyday, they're just done, they've had enough, it's not going to get any better.
"We've just had Thanksgiving, we're going into the holiday season, we've got Christmas and New Year — things are going to happen, it's going to turn out bad."

Mr Macgregor-Skinner has set up Ebola hospitals in West Africa, covered the tsunami in Banda Aceh in 2004, Bosnia during the war in the 90s, and yet he's never seen anything like this.

"This COVID-19 right now is setting new parameters, it's raising the bar, it's setting challenges that I thought I was professionally prepared for — but we're getting challenged everyday," he said.

Family grieves for 13-year-old Anna as COVID-19 deaths surge in US - ABC News (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-17/family-grieves-for-13-year-old-anna-as-covid-19-deaths-surge-us/12988962)

bob10

18th December 2020, 07:27 AM

The Swedish King says the country's coronavirus response " failed ".

Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf says country's coronavirus response 'failed' - ABC News (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-18/swedish-king-says-countrys-coronavirus-response-failed/12995732)

bob10

18th December 2020, 07:30 AM

A family caught up in the virus have been separated for 10 months.

Rinlada Apiwantanakorn, better known as Kam, grew up in Thailand and considers Tasmania home.
Key points:

Rinlada Apiwantanakorn and her three year old son Tharin were visiting family in Thailand when the pandemic struck
The childcare educator has lived in Tasmania with her husband for five years, but has been denied a travel exemption to return four times
She has not seen her husband for 10 months, and the young family has no idea when they'll be reunited

But she and her son Tharin have been stuck on the outskirts of Bangkok for 10 months.
"My feeling is Thailand is now my second home, because I've lived in Tasmania for five years," she said.
"I work there, my child was born there, all my friends [are there], they're my family now.
"Tasmania is my home."

Family caught up in coronavirus desperate for Christmas reunion after 10 months in limbo - ABC News (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-18/apiwantanakorn-family-split-after-covid-interrupts-thai-visit/12986306)

bob10

18th December 2020, 08:55 AM

The French President tests positive.

French President Emmanuel Macron tests positive for COVID-19 (thenewdaily.com.au) (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/2020/12/17/french-president-emmanuel-macron-tests-positive-for-covid-19/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20News%20-%2020201218)

bob10

18th December 2020, 09:00 AM

Super funds shake off COVID to end up in positive territory. One of the common threads about the pandemic at the beginning was that we would all be ruined, with a depression era outcome. Thankfully, that hasn't happened.

Superannuation funds set to deliver positive returns for 2020 (thenewdaily.com.au) (https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/superannuation/2020/12/17/superannuation-funds-positive-returns/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20News%20-%2020201218)

bob10

18th December 2020, 08:25 PM

America is running out of nurses.

America Is Running Out of Nurses | The New Yorker (https://www.newyorker.com/science/medical-dispatch/america-is-running-out-of-nurses?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Daily_121520&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&bxid=5cc9e26e3f92a477a0ea0693&cndid=52475003&hasha=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1&hashb=acd4725d670d172aa9d05ce7f671dc63250efce1&hashc=c17365ab07572ed90614d245ada5ad675f6bc00189fa 766123c70d76d1d7cddf&esrc=bounceX&mbid=mbid%3DCRMNYR012019&utm_term=TNY_Daily)

bob10

18th December 2020, 08:35 PM

The vaccine alone will not make us safe.

Emerging evidence suggests the first-generation vaccines currently in clinical trials have a good chance of preventing SARS-CoV-2 related illness, but they are less likely to prevent infection with the virus altogether. This means it is unlikely current vaccines will adequately suppress viral transmission.

This means there’s not yet a “silver bullet” that can return Australia and the world to pre-COVID normality. Instead, we anticipate a scenario in which vaccines, antiviral therapies and other tools that become available will help reduce COVID-associated hospitalisation and deaths.

Vaccines alone won't keep Australia safe in 2021. Here's what else we need to do (theconversation.com) (https://theconversation.com/vaccines-alone-wont-keep-australia-safe-in-2021-heres-what-else-we-need-to-do-152078?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20 for%20December%2016%202020%20-%201812817620&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20f or%20December%2016%202020%20-%201812817620+CID_5352cffd8062648c9561b381a686c189&utm_source=campaign_monitor&utm_term=Vaccines%20alone%20wont%20keep%20Australi a%20safe%20in%202021%20Heres%20what%20else%20we%20 need%20to%20do)

bob10

19th December 2020, 07:50 AM

NSW response to the virus is putting Australia at risk.

NSW coronavirus response puts Australia at risk, experts warn (thenewdaily.com.au) (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2020/12/19/nsw-covid-outbreak-lockdown/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Saturday%20News%20-%2020201219)

bob10

19th December 2020, 01:16 PM

New lock down orders for Sydney.

New lockdown health orders for Northern Beaches (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/sydney/new-lockdown-health-orders-for-northern-beaches/ar-BB1c3upo?ocid=msedgntp)

bob10

19th December 2020, 01:35 PM

Are we sure it is from the USA ?

A Whitehall source insider told The Sun (http://thesun.co.uk/): 'This is a fluid situation but it's not looking good and we have to act fast.'
UK experts have so far found more than 1,000 people carrying the new variant, called VUI – 202012/01, Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the House of Commons on Monday.
There have been reports of the strain in at least 60 local authority areas and it is believed to be similar to other strains in Europe, he claimed.
The fast-spreading strain is believed to have originated in Kent before spreading to London and the Home Counties.

London and south east could be 'cut off' from the rest of the UK (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/uknews/london-and-south-east-could-be-cut-off-from-the-rest-of-the-uk/ar-BB1c3sPH?ocid=msedgntp)

bob10

20th December 2020, 09:15 AM

Britains new COVID strain IS more contagious.

Chris Whitty confirms new Covid strain IS more contagious (https://www.msn.com/en-au/health/medical/chris-whitty-confirms-new-covid-strain-is-more-contagious/ar-BB1c4bk7?ocid=msedgntp)

bob10

20th December 2020, 05:06 PM

The UK has cancelled Xmas.

UK cancels Christmas as mutated virus 'is now spreading very fast' (thenewdaily.com.au) (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/uk-news/2020/12/20/coronavirus-uk-christmas-restrictions/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Sunday%20Best%20-%2020201220)

bob10

20th December 2020, 06:27 PM

The variant is up to 70 percent more transmissible than earlier versions, officials said. People in southeast England, including London, were told to stay at home.

U.K. Imposes Harsher Lockdown on London, Citing New Version of Virus - The New York Times (nytimes.com) (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/19/world/europe/coronavirus-uk-new-variant.html)

bob10

21st December 2020, 05:52 PM

Another day, another announcement about a COVID-19 vaccine. Whether that’s talk of results from clinical trials (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32661-1/fulltext), emergency approval (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-medicines-regulator-gives-approval-for-first-uk-covid-19-vaccine) or plans for countries to prioritise certain groups (https://edition.cnn.com/2020/12/14/health/us-coronavirus-monday/index.html) for vaccination.
But we still don’t know if current vaccines prevent disease and also prevent people transmitting the virus (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30773-8/fulltext) to others.

A COVID-19 vaccine that prevents both the disease and viral transmission is the aim. Until then, here's what we need to do (theconversation.com) (https://theconversation.com/a-covid-19-vaccine-that-prevents-both-the-disease-and-viral-transmission-is-the-aim-until-then-heres-what-we-need-to-do-151839?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20 for%20December%2021%202020%20-%201817117665&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20f or%20December%2021%202020%20-%201817117665+CID_1644ddd4e01810b03069e9b732998d72&utm_source=campaign_monitor&utm_term=A%20COVID-19%20vaccine%20that%20prevents%20both%20the%20dise ase%20and%20viral%20transmission%20is%20the%20aim% 20Until%20then%20heres%20what%20we%20need%20to%20d o)

bob10

21st December 2020, 08:39 PM

The story of Henrietta Lacks—a Black woman who died in 1951 of cervical cancer, and whose cancerous cells had been harvested for research, without her knowledge, by Johns Hopkins Hospital, replicated, sent to labs around the world, and later sold commercially—has likewise become shorthand for medical exploitation. That history, chronicled in works such as Harriet Washington’s “Medical Apartheid (https://www.amazon.com/Medical-Apartheid-Experimentation-Americans-Colonial/dp/076791547X?ots=1&tag=thneyo0f-20&linkCode=w50)” and Dorothy Roberts’s “Killing the Black Body (https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Black-Body-Reproduction-Meaning/dp/0679758690?ots=1&tag=thneyo0f-20&linkCode=w50),” is, in part, what hampered efforts to recruit African-American volunteers for the trials, and now hampers efforts to get African-Americans vaccinated.

African-American Resistance to the COVID-19 Vaccine Reflects a Broader Problem | The New Yorker (https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/african-american-resistance-to-the-covid-19-vaccine-reflects-a-broader-problem?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Daily_121920&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&bxid=5cc9e26e3f92a477a0ea0693&cndid=52475003&hasha=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1&hashb=acd4725d670d172aa9d05ce7f671dc63250efce1&hashc=c17365ab07572ed90614d245ada5ad675f6bc00189fa 766123c70d76d1d7cddf&esrc=bounceX&mbid=mbid%3DCRMNYR012019&utm_term=TNY_Daily)

bob10

22nd December 2020, 05:24 PM

What we know about the new variant of the virus, The New York Times.

A new variant: What we know

This weekend, Britain imposed a wholesale lockdown (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/eTGS9Z4iqpDB5JX8guUlDQ~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhw7RtP0TuaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMC 8xMi8xOS93b3JsZC9ldXJvcGUvY29yb25hdmlydXMtdWstbmV3 LXZhcmlhbnQuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0xNTQmZW1jPWVkaX RfY2JfMjAyMDEyMjEmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MjUyODImbmw9Y29y b25hdmlydXMtYnJpZWZpbmcmcmVnaV9pZD04NDUzNDY2OSZzZW dtZW50X2lkPTQ3NTMxJnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD0zOGI2NTNmNTlk OGE3ODhkMmI4MDI5ZDM0OWZiMDVmMVcDbnl0Qgpf2m0v4V9ayJ nsUhlyb2JlcnRsYWtlNDI5NDNAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) on London and most of the country’s southeast, citing fears about a new strain of the coronavirus, which officials say is more contagious..

Countries in the European Union, the Middle East and Asia raced to bar travelers (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/7zt2onYIrAR-XkVDGCVnWg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhw7RtP0TqaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMC 8xMi8yMS93b3JsZC9ldXJvcGUvY292aWQtdWstZXVyb3BlLWJy ZXhpdC5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1NCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9jYl 8yMDIwMTIyMSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yNTI4MiZubD1jb3JvbmF2 aXJ1cy1icmllZmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTg0NTM0NjY5JnNlZ21lbn RfaWQ9NDc1MzEmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTM4YjY1M2Y1OWQ4YTc4 OGQyYjgwMjlkMzQ5ZmIwNWYxVwNueXRCCl_abS_hX1rImexSGX JvYmVydGxha2U0Mjk0M0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) from the United Kingdom, suspending flights and cutting off trade routes. People crowded into train stations and airports, trying to flee the city before the restrictions went into effect.

But from a contagion perspective, scientists and experts say, the travel bans may be an overreaction. Here’s what we know so far.

Viral variants are not a shock. As our colleague Apoorva Mandavilli has reported (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/vmiCVH97L2fbcw6NysT0Cg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhw7RtP4QZAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm55dGltZXMuY29tLzIwMj AvMTIvMjAvaGVhbHRoL2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzLWJyaXRhaW4tdmFy aWFudC5odG1sP2FjdGlvbj1jbGljayZjYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0xNT QmZW1jPWVkaXRfY2JfMjAyMDEyMjEmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MjUy ODImbW9kdWxlPVJlbGF0ZWRMaW5rcyZubD1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy 1icmllZmluZyZwZ3R5cGU9QXJ0aWNsZSZyZWdpX2lkPTg0NTM0 NjY5JnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NDc1MzEmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTM4Yj Y1M2Y1OWQ4YTc4OGQyYjgwMjlkMzQ5ZmIwNWYxVwNueXRCCl_a bS_hX1rImexSGXJvYmVydGxha2U0Mjk0M0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBA AAAAA~), the new variant has worried scientists, but not surprised them. Researchers have recorded thousands of tiny modifications in the genetic material of the coronavirus as it has hopscotched across the world.

Natural selection tends to make viruses more contagious. As immunity and vaccinations make it harder for the coronavirus to spread, random mutations occur. Those changes can enable the virus to spread more easily or to escape detection by the body’s immune system.

We’re still learning about the mutations. Scientists estimate the variant is 50 percent to 70 percent more transmissible than the original virus. But that number is based on modeling and has not been confirmed in lab experiments, experts told Apoorva.

The vaccines should still work. Experts say it would take years, not months, for the virus to evolve enough to render the current vaccines impotent. “No one should worry that there is going to be a single catastrophic mutation that suddenly renders all immunity and antibodies useless,” said Jesse Bloom, an evolutionary biologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. “It’s not going to be like an on-off switch.”

The travel bans might be too late. A similar version of the virus has emerged in South Africa (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/3jZrMp22LqT9AYS0T_HNFg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhw7RtP0T9aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMC 8xMi8xOS93b3JsZC9zb3V0aC1hZnJpY2EtYW5ub3VuY2VzLWEt bmV3LWNvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXZhcmlhbnQuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl 9pZD0xNTQmZW1jPWVkaXRfY2JfMjAyMDEyMjEmaW5zdGFuY2Vf aWQ9MjUyODImbmw9Y29yb25hdmlydXMtYnJpZWZpbmcmcmVnaV 9pZD04NDUzNDY2OSZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTQ3NTMxJnRlPTEmdXNl cl9pZD0zOGI2NTNmNTlkOGE3ODhkMmI4MDI5ZDM0OWZiMDVmMV cDbnl0Qgpf2m0v4V9ayJnsUhlyb2JlcnRsYWtlNDI5NDNAZ21h aWwuY29tWAQAAAAA), which shares one of the mutations seen in the British variant, according to scientists who detected it. It is possible that the variant has already spread beyond those countries.

Human behavior drives transmission. Even without the new variant, the biggest variable driving contagion is human behavior. Wherever you are in the world, it is sensible to limit your exposure to other people. And, of course, wear a mask.

bob10

23rd December 2020, 05:52 AM

The value of waste water analysis for COVID.

In Greece, wastewater analysis gives clues to COVID-19 viral load (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-au/lifestyle/wellbeing/in-greece-wastewater-analysis-gives-clues-to-covid-19-viral-load/ar-BB1c8IAY?ocid=msedgdhp)

bob10

23rd December 2020, 07:22 AM

COVID alerts for regional NSW.

Coronavirus alerts for Gundagai and Orange, hours from Sydney epicentre (thenewdaily.com.au) (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2020/12/23/orange-gundagai-sydney-covid-where/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20News%20-%2020201223)

bob10

23rd December 2020, 07:27 AM

The story behind the Twitter " war " over the Melbourne lockdown.

#IStandWithDan v #DictatorDan: How Twitter manipulated Melbourne (thenewdaily.com.au) (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2020/12/22/twitter-melbourne-lockdown/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20News%20-%2020201223)

bob10

23rd December 2020, 07:47 AM

The mystery of where the virus started.

The coronavirus was circulating in Europe and China months before officials identified the outbreak in Wuhan, studies show (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/the-coronavirus-was-circulating-in-europe-and-china-months-before-officials-identified-the-outbreak-in-wuhan-studies-show/ar-BB1c9gdR?ocid=msedgdhp)

bob10

23rd December 2020, 05:50 PM

Dr. Ugur Sahin is co-founder and CEO of German biotech firm BioNTech. In cooperation with US pharmaceutical company Pfizer, the company is the first to have a coronavirus vaccine approved in the EU. Sahin is a medical doctor specialized in immunotherapy and oncology. He spoke with DW about the roll-out of the vaccine, the company's response to the new, more contagious strain of COVID-19, and why the BioNTech scientists are not superheroes.

BioNTech CEO: ′The science we did was important′ | Science| In-depth reporting on science and technology | DW | 22.12.2020 (https://www.dw.com/en/biontech-ceo-the-science-we-did-was-important/a-56032805'maca=en-newsletter_en_bulletin-2097-xml-newsletter&r=2716471834229399&lid=1713499&pm_ln=68286)

bob10

24th December 2020, 06:20 AM

Authorities are urgently investigating how a Qantas crew member contracted Covid-19 after arriving in Darwin from Paris and then flying to Sydney without being tested or quarantined.
New South Wales, Northern Territory and federal health authorities are working with Qantas to understand how the man, who landed in Darwin on 17 December after working on a repatriation flight from Paris, became infected.

The case has again drawn attention to the relaxed rules for aircrews arriving in Australia, as officials acknowledged he was not required to undergo testing for coronavirus at any stage of his journey.
Under the special health provisions extended to Australian flight crew workers, the man was allowed to leave the overseas flight, use a private car to go to a regular, non-quarantine hotel in Darwin, where he spent one night before flying on the QF841 Darwin to Sydney service on 18 December.

Australian health officials scramble after Qantas crew member tests Covid-positive (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/australian-health-officials-scramble-after-qantas-crew-member-tests-covid-positive/ar-BB1ca6F9?ocid=msedgntp)

bob10

24th December 2020, 06:55 AM

There has been a scare in an aged care home at Castle hill. A man tasked with transporting sick returned travellers to hotel quarantine, was tasked with transporting an elderly resident of a Castle Hill Aged care home to get medical treatment. The driver has tested positive to COVID . Thankfully, staff and the elderly resident have tested negative, but wait in isolation for 14 days .

Coronavirus: Concern aged care residents have been exposed to coronavirus (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/coronavirus-concern-aged-care-residents-have-been-exposed-to-coronavirus/vi-BB1cbmsN?ocid=msedgntp)

bob10

24th December 2020, 07:05 AM

Nurses in the USA are not looking forward to the Xmas holidays, with a large increase of infections expected.

The COVID-19 surge after Thanksgiving resulted in record hospitalizations (http://www.businessinsider.com.au/us-sets-active-covid-19-hospitalizations-record-after-thanksgiving-2020-12). More than 47,000 Americans died of COVID-19 (http://www.businessinsider.com.au/thanksgiving-coronavirus-death-surge-is-here-2020-12) since Thanksgiving, after 13% of Americans travelled more than 31 miles from home to celebrate the holiday, according to an analysis of smartphone data (https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/12/03/940893224/smartphone-data-many-americans-ignored-thanksgiving-travel-warnings-from-the-cdc). Some parts of California have almost no available intensive care unit beds left (https://covidactnow.org/us/ca/'s=1463421).

'I'm absolutely terrified for Christmas': Nurses say they're bracing for record-shattering COVID-19 hospitalizations after the holidays (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/i-m-absolutely-terrified-for-christmas-nurses-say-they-re-bracing-for-record-shattering-covid-19-hospitalizations-after-the-holidays/ar-BB1cb59w?ocid=msedgntp)

bob10

24th December 2020, 07:43 AM

And yet another breach in the system.

International pilots took an Uber to hotel quarantine after touching down (thenewdaily.com.au) (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2020/12/23/international-pilots-uber-hotel-quarantine/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20News%20-%2020201224)

bob10

24th December 2020, 08:00 AM

Another Island successful in handling COVID, Iceland. How they did it.

Learning from an island in a pandemic | The Interpreter (lowyinstitute.org) (https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/learning-island-pandemic)

bob10

24th December 2020, 01:04 PM

Why new coronavirus variants suddenly arose in South Africa and England.

Why new coronavirus variants 'suddenly arose' in the U.K. and South Africa (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-au/health/medical/why-new-coronavirus-variants-suddenly-arose-in-the-u-k-and-south-africa/ar-BB1cbwx6?ocid=msedgntp)

bob10

26th December 2020, 06:44 AM

The new mutant, called 501.V2, was announced in Cape Town last Friday and is believed to be a more extreme variant than Britain's new Covid strain which has plunged millions into miserable Christmas lockdowns.

South African doctors say their patients are younger and do not always have other conditions that amplify the virus' effect, but are nonetheless suffering from more severe forms of Covid-19.

Why is South Africa's new variant so scary? UK bans travel to SA (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-au/travel/news/why-is-south-africa-s-new-variant-so-scary-uk-bans-travel-to-sa/ar-BB1cbbHF?ocid=msedgdhp)

bob10

28th December 2020, 04:46 PM

May as well put this here as well.

Coronavirus Rhapsody (Parody of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody) (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/coronavirus-rhapsody-parody-of-queens-bohemian-rhapsody/vi-BB12347b)

bob10

29th December 2020, 12:53 PM

Denial, then fear. COVID-19 patients in their own words. From the USA.

This is terrible.

Meredith Case: Today was the worst day anyone has ever seen, but tomorrow will be worse. We are on the precipice of rationing. Needless to say, these decisions run counter to everything we stand for and are incredibly painful.
Mary Macdonald: I didn’t choose nursing or the health care field to not help people, and that’s exactly what the choices are that they’re giving us. They’re giving us no choice but to help only the people that they think can survive.
Rob Davidson: In addition to our own safety, some of us have faced—and others will face—decisions we never thought possible in this country. We are making life-or-death decisions not based on research, data and evidence...but based on a lack of ventilators.

Esther Choo: This country is beginning to feel like the devil’s romper room

First Denial, Then Fear: Covid-19 Patients in Their Own Words | WIRED (https://www.wired.com/story/first-denial-then-fear-covid-19-patients-in-their-own-words/?bxid=5cc9e26e3f92a477a0ea0693&bxid=5cc9e26e3f92a477a0ea0693&cndid=52475003&cndid=52475003&esrc=subscribe-page&esrc=subscribe-page&hasha=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1&hasha=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1&hashb=acd4725d670d172aa9d05ce7f671dc63250efce1&hashb=acd4725d670d172aa9d05ce7f671dc63250efce1&hashc=c17365ab07572ed90614d245ada5ad675f6bc00189fa 766123c70d76d1d7cddf&hashc=c17365ab07572ed90614d245ada5ad675f6bc00189fa 766123c70d76d1d7cddf&mbid=mbid%3DCRMWIR012019%0A%0A&mbid=mbid%3DCRMWIR012019%0A%0A&source=EDT_WIR_NEWSLETTER_0_DAILY_ZZ&source=EDT_WIR_NEWSLETTER_0_DAILY_ZZ&utm_brand=wired&utm_brand=wired&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_mailing=WIR_Daily_122720&utm_mailing=WIR_Daily_122720&utm_medium=email&utm_medium=email&utm_source=nl&utm_source=nl&utm_term=list1_p3&utm_term=list1_p3)

bob10

31st December 2020, 08:38 AM

A coffin maker in Los Angeles is running out of wood to make coffins . Words fail me.

Coffin manufacturer in east Los Angeles is facing a wood shortage amid rising demand due to COVID-19 deaths (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/coffin-manufacturer-in-east-los-angeles-is-facing-a-wood-shortage-amid-rising-demand-due-to-covid-19-deaths/ar-BB1ckVaU?ocid=msedgdhp)

bob10

2nd January 2021, 07:12 PM

Madness in France.

France couldn’t stop the New Year’s parties. One rave drew 2,500 people who fought off the police. (https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/01/world/covid-19-coronavirus-updates#france-rennes-new-years-rave)

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/01/01/world/01virus-briefing-rennes-france-1/merlin_181859211_0b0453a2-8032-4598-a293-447b9d6575c5-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale
Some of the estimated 2,500 partiers dancing at a New Year’s Eve rave held in a disused hangar near Rennes, France. The party was still going on Friday morning. Credit...Jean-Francois Monier/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Faced with a resurgence of Covid-19 infections (https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/12/10/world/covid-19-coronavirus/france-will-delay-easing-some-virus-restrictions), French authorities pulled out all the stops to ensure that France would step into 2021 in safety. An existing nationwide overnight curfew was enforced on New Years’s Eve by some 130,000 police officers; all public celebrations were banned and the government advised to limit private gatherings to six people.

That did not prevent some 2,500 partygoers from attending an illegal New Year rave near the city of Rennes, in northwestern France.
A statement from local authorities said that many of the revelers were still on the site of the illegal party on Friday morning and that police had failed to stop it. Paramedics were deployed around the site to distribute gel and masks in a bid to limit the risks of coronavirus contaminations and prosecutors announced that they opened an investigation into the illegal organization of the event.

Police officers tried to prevent the rave “but faced fierce hostility from many partygoers,” the statement read, adding that stones and bottles were thrown at them and that a police car was set on fire.
The rave near Rennes, and some other large-scale illegal parties throughout France that were broken up by the police, sparked concern about the spread of the coronavirus, as the country still suffers from the second wave of the pandemic.

With more than 2.6 million confirmed cases of coronavirus — the highest number of cases in Europe — and some 65,000 deaths, France has paid a heavy toll to the pandemic.

On Thursday, health authorities announced that a first case of a new coronavirus variant linked to South Africa (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/19/world/south-africa-announces-a-new-coronavirus-variant.html) had been reported in France, while the seven-day average of new daily infections cases has surpassed 13,000 (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/world/europe/france-coronavirus-cases.html) — more than double the government’s daily target of 5,000 new infections to ease restrictions.

To fight back a rise in infections in parts of the country, French authorities on Friday announced that it would bring forward by two hours the nighttime curfew in 15 of France’s 101 departments, or administrative divisions. The curfew will be at 6 p.m. rather than 8 p.m., starting on Saturday.
With hospitals still struggling to cope with the second wave of the pandemic and while authorities fear that end-of-year holiday gatherings will result in a rebound of Covid-19 infections, the French government is under pressure to act.
In a note submitted to the government on Dec. 23 and made public on Tuesday, France’s scientific council — a government advisory body for the Covid-19 crisis — recommended to act swiftly in the face of a “possible” resumption of the pandemic that could soon be “out of control.”

The French government has for the moment ruled out a return to a full lockdown, despite pressure from some local authorities, but Olivier Véran, France’s health minister, warned that a relaxation of the restrictions that have forced bars, restaurants, museums and theaters to close is likely to be delayed.
“At this stage, and depending on the evolution in the coming days, it seems hardly conceivable to lift all the restrictions,” Mr. Véran said.
— Constant Méheut (https://www.nytimes.com/by/constant-meheut)

bob10

2nd January 2021, 07:46 PM

Panic in the UK.

Britain authorizes mix-and-match vaccinations, but experts warn vaccines may not be interchangeable. (https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/01/world/covid-19-coronavirus-updates#britain-authorizes-mix-and-match-vaccinations-but-experts-warn-vaccines-may-not-be-interchangeable)

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/01/01/world/01virus-briefing-britain-vaccines-1/01virus-briefing-britain-vaccines-1-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale
It is far from certain that the vaccines are so interchangeable, several researchers warned.Credit...Andrew Testa for The New York Times

Amid a sputtering vaccine rollout, an onslaught of cases and fears of a new, highly transmissible variant of the coronavirus, Britain has quietly updated its vaccination playbook (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/948757/Greenbook_chapter_14a_v4.pdf) to allow for a mix-and-match vaccine regimen. If a second dose of the vaccine a patient originally received isn’t available, or if the manufacturer of the first shot isn’t known, health officials said, another vaccine may be substituted.

But it is far from certain that the vaccines are so interchangeable, several researchers warned.
“There are no data on this idea whatsoever,” said John Moore, a vaccine expert at Cornell University. Officials in Britain “seem to have abandoned science completely now and are just trying to guess their way out of a mess.”

In a separate, controversial move, the British government this week also decided to front-load its vaccine rollout, delivering as many first doses to people as possible — a decision that could delay second shots up to 12 weeks.
Britain, which is seeing tens of thousands of new infections (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/world/europe/united-kingdom-coronavirus-cases.html) reported each day, has issued emergency authorizations for two vaccines, one developed by Pfizer and BioNTech (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/02/world/europe/pfizer-coronavirus-vaccine-approved-uk.html) and the other by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/30/world/europe/uk-covid-19-vaccine-oxford-astrazeneca.html). According to the new guidance, “every effort should be made” to complete a dosing regimen with the same shot first used. But when “the same vaccine is not available, or if the first product received is unknown, it is reasonable to offer one dose of the locally available product” the second time around.
“This option is preferred if the individual is likely to be at immediate high risk or is considered unlikely to attend again,” the recommendations say. Because both vaccines target the spike protein (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/health/oxford-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine.html) of the coronavirus, “it is likely the second dose will help to boost the response to the first dose.”

The new guidance contradicts guidelines in the United States, where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has noted that the authorized Covid-19 vaccines “are not interchangeable (https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/info-by-product/clinical-considerations.html#:~:text=Interchangeability%20w ith%20other%20COVID%2D19%20vaccine%20products,-Either%20of%20the&text=Both%20doses%20of%20the%20series,are%20recomm ended%20at%20this%20time.),” and that “the safety and efficacy of a mixed-product series have not been evaluated. Both doses of the series should be completed with the same product.”
Some scientists say Britain is gambling with its new guidance. “None of this is being data driven right now,” said Dr. Phyllis Tien, an infectious disease physician at the University of California, San Francisco. “We’re kind of in this Wild West.”
— Katherine J. Wu (https://www.nytimes.com/by/katherine-j--wu)

bob10

3rd January 2021, 09:00 AM

Trump and Congress’s failure is mostly to blame

When a failure in the US is nationwide, chances are the problem is rooted in a common variable: a systemic factor that’s influencing the behavior of leaders across the country.
Particularly with an infectious disease, a big failure in one part of the country is typically going to result in some level of spread to others. It’s just too difficult, if not impossible, to restrict travel among states, due to the social, legal, and political issues involved. That’s what made a federal strategy so important for every single state — but such a federal plan never came, and the Trump administration and Congress actually pulled back from offering aid to states, counties, and cities as the pandemic progressed.

Everyone failed on Covid-19 (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/everyone-failed-on-covid-19/ar-BB1c34rp?ocid=msedgdhp)

bob10

6th January 2021, 06:00 PM

National Cabinet to meet on Friday to discuss mutant UK strain of COVID-19 (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/national-cabinet-to-meet-on-friday-to-discuss-mutant-uk-strain-of-covid-19/ar-BB1cvkKW?ocid=msedgntp)

bob10

7th January 2021, 06:46 AM

Professor Bowtell called it “crazy” for flight crew to not be subject to tighter virus controls.
“Infections in Sydney and Victoria are linked to flight crews. There’s no occupation that gives you exemption from infection. This is crazy,” he said.
“The failure is at quarantine. People are coming in who aren’t being properly tested.”

“The United Kingdom is disintegrating,” University of NSW adjunct professor and infectious disease expert Bill Bowtell told The New Daily.
“The new caseload is like a rocket taking off … everything is going wrong at once.”

VIC, WA mull UK bans, tougher quarantine for mutant COVID protection (thenewdaily.com.au) (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2021/01/05/coronavirus-uk-strain-flight-ban-australia/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20News%20-%2020210106)

bob10

10th January 2021, 06:51 PM

How fast can Scientists find the new coronavirus strains ?
Like all viruses, SARS-CoV-2 mutates as it moves through a population. Most of these mutations are trivial and don’t change how the virus behaves. But by making a record of these mutations, scientists can track the coronavirus’s spread (https://www.wired.com/story/microbe-mappers-are-tracking-covid-19s-invisible-traces/) and better understand the origins of different outbreaks (https://www.wired.com/story/covid-19-was-here-earlier-than-most-americans-thought-now-what/).

Two of the samples belonged to members of a household in Big Bear, California, who got sick after one of them had contact with a traveler who had recently returned from the United Kingdom. And during (https://www.wired.com/story/how-fast-can-scientists-find-the-new-coronavirus-strains/?bxid=5cc9e26e3f92a477a0ea0693&bxid=5cc9e26e3f92a477a0ea0693&cndid=52475003&cndid=52475003&esrc=subscribe-page&esrc=subscribe-page&hasha=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1&hasha=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1&hashb=acd4725d670d172aa9d05ce7f671dc63250efce1&hashb=acd4725d670d172aa9d05ce7f671dc63250efce1&hashc=c17365ab07572ed90614d245ada5ad675f6bc00189fa 766123c70d76d1d7cddf&hashc=c17365ab07572ed90614d245ada5ad675f6bc00189fa 766123c70d76d1d7cddf&mbid=mbid%3DCRMWIR012019%0A%0A&mbid=mbid%3DCRMWIR012019%0A%0A&source=EDT_WIR_NEWSLETTER_0_DAILY_ZZ&source=EDT_WIR_NEWSLETTER_0_DAILY_ZZ&utm_brand=wired&utm_brand=wired&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_content=Final&utm_content=Final&utm_mailing=WIR_Daily_010920&utm_mailing=WIR_Daily_010920&utm_medium=email&utm_medium=email&utm_source=nl&utm_source=nl&utm_term=list2_p3&utm_term=list2_p3)standard diagnostic testing (https://www.wired.com/story/everything-you-need-to-know-about-coronavirus-testing/), something strange had happened to both samples. The test detected bits of a protein that protects the virus’s genome, but not the spike protein (https://www.wired.com/story/to-beat-covid-19-scientists-try-to-see-the-invisible-enemy/) SARS-CoV-2 uses to invade cells (https://www.wired.com/story/can-a-database-of-animal-viruses-help-predict-the-next-pandemic/). That meant that whatever strain had infected these people had probably acquired at least one mutation in the virus’s spike protein gene. Mutations in that location are one signature of the new, seemingly more contagious variety of the coronavirus that has been rapidly spreading in the UK (https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/12/what-we-know-about-the-new-sars-strain-thats-shutting-down-the-uk/) and now around the world (https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/01/02/uk-variant-continues-spread-around-world-coronavirus-pandemic-enters-2021/).

How Fast Can Scientists Find the New Coronavirus Strains? | WIRED (https://www.wired.com/story/how-fast-can-scientists-find-the-new-coronavirus-strains/)

bob10

11th January 2021, 10:52 AM

The Premier of WA has said NSW must look outside its borders to see how other States are handling the virus. Victoria say they gave NSW plenty of warning that their border was being shut. Their seems to be a disconnect between NSW and the other States regarding the best way to handle the virus. Seems to me they have to work it all out before we can fight this virus in the best way.

A senior Victorian government source said: "If NSW had done the decent, proper and fast intervention that Queensland had done, we wouldn't have closed the border."

Coronavirus Australia: NSW-Victoria border tensions reignited as Gladys Berejiklian takes swipe at Daniel Andrews (smh.com.au) (https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/tensions-over-border-closures-rise-as-victoria-insists-it-warned-nsw-20210110-p56t19.html)

bob10

12th January 2021, 08:47 AM

Sweden changes the law to allow lock downs to control the virus.

Sweden has passed a new law allowing coronavirus lockdown restrictions after its death toll reached a new high (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/sweden-has-passed-a-new-law-allowing-coronavirus-lockdown-restrictions-after-its-death-toll-reached-a-new-high/ar-BB1cEsFn?ocid=msedgntp)

bob10

12th January 2021, 09:52 AM

The Biden pandemic plan.

The Biden pandemic plan

President-elect Joe Biden will assume the presidency in nine days, and with it the responsibility of fighting a raging pandemic that is killing more than 3,000 Americans a day (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/CJ23cma9fDnHJC5Z4W1qiw~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRh32KsP0TkaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vaW50ZX JhY3RpdmUvMjAyMC91cy9jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy11cy1jYXNlcy5o dG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1NCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9jYl8yMDIxMD ExMSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yNTg5MiZubD1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1i cmllZmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTg0NTM0NjY5JnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9ND kwMDYmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTM4YjY1M2Y1OWQ4YTc4OGQyYjgw MjlkMzQ5ZmIwNWYxVwNueXRCCl_2rN38XyHxPQNSGXJvYmVydG xha2U0Mjk0M0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~).

Democrats have also won control of the Senate and narrowly preserved their majority in the House of Representatives. My colleague Abby Goodnough, who covers health care for The Times, told me that controlling the White House and both chambers of Congress will unlock fresh options as Mr. Biden battles the pandemic.

“He has some really ambitious ideas, and he now has, presumably, a willing Congress to go along and support him in carrying out these ideas,” Abby said. “Now we’re going to see if his vision turns out to be better than Trump’s and the Republicans’ vision and methods for approaching the pandemic.”

Mr. Biden has said he wants 100 million vaccines administered in his first 100 days in office — a plan that includes the creation of federally run mass vaccination sites across the country (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/GGWBCFfceEaCvKvmst1Eiw~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRh32KsP0TaaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS 8wMS8wOC93b3JsZC9iaWRlbi12YWNjaW5lLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFp Z25faWQ9MTU0JmVtYz1lZGl0X2NiXzIwMjEwMTExJmluc3Rhbm NlX2lkPTI1ODkyJm5sPWNvcm9uYXZpcnVzLWJyaWVmaW5nJnJl Z2lfaWQ9ODQ1MzQ2Njkmc2VnbWVudF9pZD00OTAwNiZ0ZT0xJn VzZXJfaWQ9MzhiNjUzZjU5ZDhhNzg4ZDJiODAyOWQzNDlmYjA1 ZjFXA255dEIKX_as3fxfIfE9A1IZcm9iZXJ0bGFrZTQyOTQzQG dtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~). He has also pledged to push a new stimulus package through Congress to provide relief for struggling Americans, businesses, local governments and schools that “will be in the trillions of dollars.” (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/2r3v30a4j7wKT8EMapzHtQ~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRh32KsP0TpaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS 8wMS8wOC91cy9wb2xpdGljcy9iaWRlbi1lY29ub215LXBhbmRl bWljLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MTU0JmVtYz1lZGl0X2NiXz IwMjEwMTExJmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTI1ODkyJm5sPWNvcm9uYXZp cnVzLWJyaWVmaW5nJnJlZ2lfaWQ9ODQ1MzQ2Njkmc2VnbWVudF 9pZD00OTAwNiZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9MzhiNjUzZjU5ZDhhNzg4 ZDJiODAyOWQzNDlmYjA1ZjFXA255dEIKX_as3fxfIfE9A1IZcm 9iZXJ0bGFrZTQyOTQzQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~)

With the Democrats in control, Abby said, Mr. Biden also has a chance to make moves on health care. Big structural changes like “Medicare for all” or a public option face a tough road (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/j0kp4SpMGh1-4t2kH3Sd6Q~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRh32KsP0TpaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS 8wMS8wNy91cHNob3QvYmlkZW4tZGVtb2NyYXRzLWhlYXRoLXBs YW5zLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MTU0JmVtYz1lZGl0X2NiXz IwMjEwMTExJmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTI1ODkyJm5sPWNvcm9uYXZp cnVzLWJyaWVmaW5nJnJlZ2lfaWQ9ODQ1MzQ2Njkmc2VnbWVudF 9pZD00OTAwNiZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9MzhiNjUzZjU5ZDhhNzg4 ZDJiODAyOWQzNDlmYjA1ZjFXA255dEIKX_as3fxfIfE9A1IZcm 9iZXJ0bGFrZTQyOTQzQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~), but Democrats could make improvements to the Affordable Care Act that could bring immediate benefits in the coronavirus effort.

“Getting more people on health insurance,” Abby said, “could go a lot further to preventing people from getting Covid by keeping their pre-existing conditions in check, and for paying for the ongoing effects of Covid for some of these long-haulers.”

Mr. Biden has said he wants to invoke the Defense Production Act so that American companies will be obliged to increase their production of vaccine-related materials. He wants to reopen schools — though his political allies in the teachers’ unions will have something to say on that matter — and he has asked that every American wear a mask for the first 100 days of his presidency. With fewer health care workers getting the vaccine than expected, public health officers have told Abby that they are also hoping the new president will address vaccine hesitancy.

“There’s a feeling that if Biden gives an address from the Oval Office about the safety data behind the vaccines, and really reinforces that this vaccine is safe and effective, we could see more uptake,” Abby said. “That’s something that he could do that would be vastly different from the current administration.”

bob10

12th January 2021, 10:22 AM

Don't wear a mask? think again

On Monday, Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman, Democrat of New Jersey, said she had been infected with the coronavirus (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/2zBK0bWuqyLzp2htTQs2vw~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRh32KsP4QNAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm55dGltZXMuY29tL2xpdm UvMjAyMS8wMS8xMS93b3JsZC9jb3ZpZC0xOS1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1 cy9jYXBpdG9sLWNvbmdyZXNzLXBvc2l0aXZlLWNvdmlkLWNvcm 9uYXZpcnVzP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1NCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9jYl8y MDIxMDExMSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yNTg5MiZubD1jb3JvbmF2aX J1cy1icmllZmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTg0NTM0NjY5JnNlZ21lbnRf aWQ9NDkwMDYmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTM4YjY1M2Y1OWQ4YTc4OG QyYjgwMjlkMzQ5ZmIwNWYxVwNueXRCCl_2rN38XyHxPQNSGXJv YmVydGxha2U0Mjk0M0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) after being in lockdown at the Capitol.

“Following the events of Wednesday, including sheltering with several colleagues who refused to wear masks, I decided to take a Covid test,” she wrote. “I have tested positive.”

bob10

14th January 2021, 09:01 AM

Two new srains found in the USA. It's to be expected that the virus will mutate into different strains , and with the number of cases in the USA, it's not a surprise to see that happen. So far the difference seems to be easier transmission, but no difference in the effectiveness of the vaccines.

New 'Columbus strain' of coronavirus evolved in the US (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-au/health/medical/new-columbus-strain-of-coronavirus-evolved-in-the-us/ar-BB1cJ8vj?ocid=msedgdhp)

bob10

14th January 2021, 03:11 PM

More covid news.

CAMP OUT, CAMP IN

According to The Australian ($) (https://edm.crikey.com.au/e/272522/63e7b68d8eb655844781825e49a1f7/dw1d2y/808040710?h=wp4cdir43J5B7Wqc497FxIl0WXgLznjP0ox6kT OFGOE), the Queensland government is considering flying international travellers into remote workers camps after an outbreak of the UK COVID-19 strain at a Brisbane hotel led to hundreds of people being forced to repeat quarantine.
The plan, which could be rolled out nationally and was originally backed by police last year before being dropped following a fall in community transmissions, will be discussed today by Queensland Health, police, and managers of proposed facilities.
In other domestic COVID-19 news:

Residents of 14 Sydney suburbs have been warned to check for symptoms after virus fragments were found at a West Hornsby treatment plant: Glenorie, Wahroonga, Thornleigh, Pennant Hills, Cherrybrook, Castle Hill, Galston, Dural, Westleigh, Glenhaven, Waitara, Hornsby, Normanhurst and West Pennant Hills (7News) (https://edm.crikey.com.au/e/272522/detected-in-sewerage-c-1950419/dw1d31/808040710?h=wp4cdir43J5B7Wqc497FxIl0WXgLznjP0ox6kT OFGOE)
Gladys Berejiklian has announced the NSW government will require travellers to quarantine for 14 days from the start of their symptoms if they test positive for the UK strain of COVID-19 (AFR $) (https://edm.crikey.com.au/e/272522/-mutant-strain-20210113-p56txd/dw1d33/808040710?h=wp4cdir43J5B7Wqc497FxIl0WXgLznjP0ox6kT OFGOE)
Chief medical officer Paul Kelly attempted to calm debate over the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine by declaring the drug is effective, locally-manufactured, and therefore “available to give the maximum rollout” to “save lives” (ABC (https://edm.crikey.com.au/e/272522/pfizer-cmo-paul-kelly-13053760/dw1d35/808040710?h=wp4cdir43J5B7Wqc497FxIl0WXgLznjP0ox6kT OFGOE))

Unlike members of the Morrison government, Kelly also hosed down Craig Kelly’s false claims over ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine as COVID-19 treatments (The Sydney Morning Herald (https://edm.crikey.com.au/e/272522/-theories-20210113-p56tuq-html/dw1d37/808040710?h=wp4cdir43J5B7Wqc497FxIl0WXgLznjP0ox6kT OFGOE))

A foreign military official and the partner of another have tested positive in a Darwin quarantine hotel, while the Department of Defence says they have not come into contact with any locals (ABC (https://edm.crikey.com.au/e/272522/id-19-in-darwin-hotel-13055266/dw1d39/808040710?h=wp4cdir43J5B7Wqc497FxIl0WXgLznjP0ox6kT OFGOE))
Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan has announced that masks are now mandatory in every airport across the state, with failure to comply carrying fines of up to $50,000 (7News) (https://edm.crikey.com.au/e/272522/llers-risk-huge-fine-c-1950777/dw1d3c/808040710?h=wp4cdir43J5B7Wqc497FxIl0WXgLznjP0ox6kT OFGOE)

bob10

14th January 2021, 03:14 PM

All we can say is we are not as bad as the USA.

The scramble to meet vaccine demand

As Americans focus their attention on the fallout from the Capitol siege and the debate over another presidential impeachment, the pandemic is reaching what only a few months ago was considered a nightmare scenario (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/Xceis1YFJBm-ejB5pAT43g~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRh4fYgP4QNAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnJvbGxpbmdzdG9uZS5jb2 0vcG9saXRpY3MvcG9saXRpY3MtbmV3cy9mYXVjaS13YXJucy12 aXJ1cy1kZWF0aC10b2xsLWNvdWxkLXN1cnBhc3MtNDAwMDAwLT EwOTA3NTAvP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1NCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9jYl8y MDIxMDExMyZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yNTk3OSZubD1jb3JvbmF2aX J1cy1icmllZmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTg0NTM0NjY5JnNlZ21lbnRf aWQ9NDkyMjEmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTM4YjY1M2Y1OWQ4YTc4OG QyYjgwMjlkMzQ5ZmIwNWYxVwNueXRCCl_9IHH_X7qyogJSGXJv YmVydGxha2U0Mjk0M0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~).

Yesterday’s death count — at least 4,406 people — set another daily record (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/enz9ShINXazBwl3wmuAKsA~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRh4fYgP4Q0AWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm55dGltZXMuY29tL2xpdm UvMjAyMS8wMS8xMy93b3JsZC9jb3ZpZDE5LWNvcm9uYXZpcnVz P2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1NCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9jYl8yMDIxMDExMy ZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yNTk3OSZubD1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1icmll ZmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTg0NTM0NjY5JnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NDkyMj EmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTM4YjY1M2Y1OWQ4YTc4OGQyYjgwMjlk MzQ5ZmIwNWYxI3RoZS1mYWxsb3V0LWZyb20tdGhlLWNhcGl0b2 wtc2llZ2UtaGFzLW92ZXJzaGFkb3dlZC10aGUtc3VyZ2luZy11 cy12aXJ1cy1kZWF0aC10b2xsVwNueXRCCl_9IHH_X7qyogJSGX JvYmVydGxha2U0Mjk0M0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~), and represents at least 1,597 more people than those killed in the Sept. 11 attacks. The U.S. death toll, already the highest in the world by a wide margin, is soaring toward 400,000 — only one month after the country crossed the 300,000 threshold.

From the beginning, the country’s coronavirus strategy relied heavily on quickly making a vaccine. Multiple candidates were developed in record time, and if given out quickly, could rein in the pandemic and save thousands of lives. But so far the rollout has been slow, and riddled with challenges (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/KHrKG0kvp5vmT_ZGMSdy_Q~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRh4fYgP4QrAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm55dGltZXMuY29tL2xpdm UvMjAyMS8wMS8xMy93b3JsZC9jb3ZpZDE5LWNvcm9uYXZpcnVz P2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1NCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9jYl8yMDIxMDExMy ZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yNTk3OSZubD1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1icmll ZmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTg0NTM0NjY5JnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NDkyMj EmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTM4YjY1M2Y1OWQ4YTc4OGQyYjgwMjlk MzQ5ZmIwNWYxI3N0YXRlcy1hY3Jvc3MtdGhlLXVzLXNjcmFtYm xlLXRvLW1lZXQtdGhlLXNreXJvY2tldGluZy1kZW1hbmQtZm9y LXZhY2NpbmVzVwNueXRCCl_9IHH_X7qyogJSGXJvYmVydGxha2 U0Mjk0M0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~).

After the federal government yesterday abruptly reversed course (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/N2iYgXMf2mPrE_hWlwWHwQ~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRh4fYgP0TbaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS 8wMS8xMi91cy9jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy10b2RheS5odG1sP2NhbXBh aWduX2lkPTE1NCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9jYl8yMDIxMDExMyZpbnN0YW 5jZV9pZD0yNTk3OSZubD1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1icmllZmluZyZy ZWdpX2lkPTg0NTM0NjY5JnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NDkyMjEmdGU9MS Z1c2VyX2lkPTM4YjY1M2Y1OWQ4YTc4OGQyYjgwMjlkMzQ5ZmIw NWYxVwNueXRCCl_9IHH_X7qyogJSGXJvYmVydGxha2U0Mjk0M0 BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) and cleared vaccinations for people over 65 and adults with certain medical conditions, states have been scrambling to meet a surge in demand for doses.

Local officials have struggled to set up phone and online sign-up systems. Many of the oldest Americans, who are most vulnerable to the disease, are encountering byzantine online registration sites, error messages and crashing servers. Appointments are snatched up as soon as they become available, and some in the highest priority group have only managed to book their shots weeks from now.

As of this morning, the federal government has delivered almost 30 million doses, and more than 10 million have been administered. The Trump administration originally said that 20 million Americans would be vaccinated by Jan. 1.

In Georgia, a man spoke to Atlanta’s Channel 2 Action News about how he had repeatedly called his county’s hotline to try to make an appointment for his mother.

“No one’s ever picking up,” Eric Moore said. “I promise you, I called 134 times.”

bob10

15th January 2021, 07:45 AM

COVID on the rise in China.

China reports most new COVID-19 cases in more than 10 months (thenewdaily.com.au) (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/asia-news/2021/01/14/china-covid-outbreak/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20News%20-%2020210115)

bob10

15th January 2021, 10:55 AM

Darwin's strict daily routines in Quarantine facility stop COVIDS spread.

In Darwin's international arrival quarantine facility, strict daily routines stop COVID-19's spread (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/in-darwin-s-international-arrival-quarantine-facility-strict-daily-routines-stop-covid-19-s-spread/ar-BB1cLd1d?ocid=msedgntp)

bob10

15th January 2021, 08:33 PM

A very British crisis. One expat's trip back home.

A very British crisis | The Interpreter (lowyinstitute.org) (https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/very-british-crisis)

bob10

16th January 2021, 10:49 AM

Inside China's outbreak. How do they approach the problem of quarantine? Why , build a 82 acre quarantine centre. Of course.

Inside China’s outbreak

China is experiencing its worst surge of the virus since the summer (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/Hesa7Ye4Es04aKnjgyLDfw~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRh5J3kP0TmaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS 8wMS8xMy93b3JsZC9hc2lhL2NoaW5hLWNvdmlkLWxvY2tkb3du Lmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MTU0JmVtYz1lZGl0X2NiXzIwMj EwMTE1Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTI2MDc2Jm5sPWNvcm9uYXZpcnVz LWJyaWVmaW5nJnJlZ2lfaWQ9ODQ1MzQ2Njkmc2VnbWVudF9pZD 00OTQ1NiZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9MzhiNjUzZjU5ZDhhNzg4ZDJi ODAyOWQzNDlmYjA1ZjFXA255dEIKX_3kGAJgykcbyVIZcm9iZX J0bGFrZTQyOTQzQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~), forcing 28 million people into lockdown and challenging the government’s success in subduing the disease.

The country’s National Health Commission said that 144 new cases had been recorded yesterday (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/Imoakd092ZRdco5twVnzoQ~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRh5J3kP4QwAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm55dGltZXMuY29tL2xpdm UvMjAyMS8wMS8xNS93b3JsZC9jb3ZpZDE5LWNvcm9uYXZpcnVz L2NoaW5hLXNheXMtaXRzLWFjdGl2ZS1jYXNlbG9hZC1leGNlZW RzLTEwMDAtYW5kLW1vcmUtbmV3cy1mcm9tLWFyb3VuZC10aGUt d29ybGQ_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MTU0JmVtYz1lZGl0X2NiXzIwMj EwMTE1Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTI2MDc2Jm5sPWNvcm9uYXZpcnVz LWJyaWVmaW5nJnJlZ2lfaWQ9ODQ1MzQ2Njkmc2VnbWVudF9pZD 00OTQ1NiZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9MzhiNjUzZjU5ZDhhNzg4ZDJi ODAyOWQzNDlmYjA1ZjFXA255dEIKX_3kGAJgykcbyVIZcm9iZX J0bGFrZTQyOTQzQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) along with one death — the county’s first since May. Across China, more than 1,000 people are being treated for Covid-19.

The flare-up is mostly in Hebei, a northern province surrounding Beijing. The region’s capital, Shijiazhuang, a city of 11 million people, is scrambling to build an 82-acre quarantine center.

Our colleague Keith Bradsher, the Times’s Shanghai bureau chief, told us that the Chinese authorities “are very concerned about stamping this out, because they have taken a zero-tolerance approach in which they have tested as many as two million people a day in a city if there are even a handful of cases discovered.”

Keith said that for the past few months many people in China had been living as though the virus was a distant threat. They’ve been pulling off their masks, particularly outdoors, and restaurants, bars and theaters have hummed with activity. “Almost all people in China were able to go about their daily lives in the second half of last year as though practically nothing had happened,” he said.

But things have started to change, even for people who live outside the areas in lockdown. In Shanghai, Keith said, office buildings and apartment compounds are, once again, checking smartphone location tracking codes, to ensure that individuals haven’t traveled to hot spots. If someone has traveled to a risky area, that person must immediately report to the authorities and enter a home- or government-supervised quarantine.

“Mandatory immediate quarantine by the government, in total isolation, of every symptomatic or asymptomatic person, plus all of their close contacts” has been China’s secret to containing the coronavirus, Keith said. “In some cases, they identify 800 close contacts per person, so their definition of a close contact is not very close at all.”

With the U.S. and Europe in the throes of another brutal surge, there has been a great deal of nationalistic sentiment in China, promoting the country’s approach to the virus. “There are definite worries about the latest outbreaks,” Keith said. “But I have found a quiet confidence among many people that China has beaten this problem before and can do so again.”

bob10

16th January 2021, 08:24 PM

Scientists say they have identified a new variant of SARS-CoV-2—the virus which causes COVID-19—in the United States that may be the most dominant form in the country.

New COVID Variant in U.S. May Now Be Dominant Form, Scientists Say (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-au/health/medical/new-covid-variant-in-u-s-may-now-be-dominant-form-scientists-say/ar-BB1cMO4d?ocid=msedgntp)

bob10

17th January 2021, 07:34 AM

Now this story has all the makings of a great Monty Python script. Life imitating art ?

The pandemic is a bit of a worry, but we are taking all precautions,” said organiser Siddharth Chakrapani, who expected between 800,000 and a million people to attend on Thursday alone.

Holy men known as sadhus – boasting extraordinary dreadlocks and often smoking cannabis – are a regular feature at the Kumbh Mela, camping by the river and offering blessings to those who come for the holy immersion.
On Wednesday, the river’s banks teemed with pilgrims and vendors while families laid out plastic sheets to put their belongings on while they took turns to plunge in the river.
Most were oblivious to the threat of coronavirus.
:spudnikbeanie:
:no2:

India holds massive ‘Kumbh Mela’ festival amid COVID worries | Coronavirus pandemic News | Al Jazeera (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/14/india-holds-massive-kumbh-mela-pilgrimage-amid-covid-worries?campaign_id=3&emc=edit_MBAU_p_20210114&instance_id=26009&nl=morning-briefing&regi_id=84534669&section=whatElse&segment_id=49311&te=1&user_id=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1)

bob10

17th January 2021, 09:59 AM

The Coronavirus in Thailand. How they got caught out.

Thailand was nailing coronavirus until they started to see a sudden spike. Here’s how they got caught out (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/thailand-was-nailing-coronavirus-until-they-started-to-see-a-sudden-spike-here-s-how-they-got-caught-out/ar-BB1cNtIx?ocid=msedgntp)

bob10

17th January 2021, 10:51 AM

Six new cases in NSW.

Six new cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in NSW (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/sydney/six-new-cases-of-covid-19-diagnosed-in-nsw/ar-BB1cOFRs?ocid=msedgntp)

bob10

18th January 2021, 10:33 AM

5 countries, 5 experiences of the pandemic.

As the pandemic rolls on, the sheer persistence of the virus, including in countries once believed to have suppressed it, has upended narratives about the superiority of some responses over others. “It’s too early to moralize about how countries have responded to covid,” Tyler Cowen, an economist at George Mason University who has followed global outcomes closely, told me. “We shouldn’t issue definitive judgments yet.” Meaningful scorecards on what worked and what didn’t may be years, if not decades, away.

Cowen also believes that how countries handle their responses has implications beyond the immediate infection rate. In many places, even modestly effective containment efforts have boosted public support for the state, so long as officials are seen as concerned and trustworthy; other countries have found that failing to mount a competent response has not only risked people’s health but shaken their faith in government.

There are some threats—war, terrorism, pandemics—that leaders simply cannot afford to mismanage.

Countries that fail, over time, to protect their people “could enter a crisis of legitimacy,” Cowen said. “A poor pandemic response exacts a big toll in terms of health and lives. But there’s also a cost in terms of trust and morale. People can’t feel good about their country when it’s doing so badly.”

The new coronavirus vaccines represent another opportunity for governments to prove themselves or fail. Like the pandemic, vaccines will have an effect that falls unevenly on people across the world; in different places, they’ll confer protection and usher a return to normality at different times and to differing degrees. Governments will rush to produce, procure, and distribute the vaccines in needed quantities; many will struggle, and that will lead to its own set of inequities and inefficiencies.

Five Countries, Five Experiences of the Coronavirus Pandemic | The New Yorker (https://www.newyorker.com/science/medical-dispatch/five-countries-five-experiences-of-the-pandemic?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Daily_011721&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&bxid=5cc9e26e3f92a477a0ea0693&cndid=52475003&hasha=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1&hashb=acd4725d670d172aa9d05ce7f671dc63250efce1&hashc=c17365ab07572ed90614d245ada5ad675f6bc00189fa 766123c70d76d1d7cddf&esrc=bounceX&mbid=mbid%3DCRMNYR012019&utm_term=TNY_Daily)

bob10

20th January 2021, 07:59 AM

American COVID deaths reach 400,000. Tipped to be 500,000 by the end of Febuary.

The blame for the enormous loss of American life, many experts say, lies in a failure of leadership by President Trump, whose administration politicized the use of masks and left states to implement a patchwork of inconsistent measures that did not bring the virus under control.
“It wasn’t that he was just inept,” said Jeffrey Shaman, a Columbia University professor of environmental health sciences who has modeled the virus’s spread. “He made something that could have very easily turned into a point of patriotism, pride and national unity — protecting your neighbors, protecting your loved ones, protecting your community — into a divisive issue, as is his wont, and it cost people’s lives.”

Coronavirus Death Toll in the US Passes 400,000 - The New York Times (nytimes.com) (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/19/us/coronavirus-deaths-usa-400000.html)

bob10

21st January 2021, 08:50 AM

What Scientists Are Learning About Covid-19 Using the Nation’s Blood Supply

Labs and blood banks collect millions of blood samples each month, offering a distinctive source of data on the disease

https://thumbs-prod.si-cdn.com/s-q_TK_gcmXVv6pP2J4dEVaORKc=/800x600/filters:no_upscale():focal(792x609:793x610)/https://public-media.si-cdn.com/filer/af/c6/afc60285-632c-4e96-8d63-44e5e7a02d68/gettyimages-1224218357_web.jpgA volunteer donates blood during an event at the Field Museum in Chicago in May, 2020. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)Nathaniel Scharping, Undark (https://undark.org/2021/01/13/blood-supply-covid-19-spread/?xid=PS_smithsonian)
SMITHSONIANMAG.COM
JANUARY 20, 2021 8:00AM

In March, as the Covid-19 pandemic began to shut down major cities in the U.S., researchers were thinking about blood. In particular, they were worried about the U.S. blood supply — the millions of donations every year that help keep hospital patients alive when they need a transfusion.

The researchers were able to put to rest their initial concerns about the virus spreading via the blood supply. But they quickly realized that all those blood donations might offer a vital source of data on the pandemic.

"When Covid-19 infects someone, the immune system’s response to the virus leaves behind detectable proteins in their blood. In March, with funding from the National Institutes of Health, a group of scientists working with blood banks around the country quickly launched a program to surveil the blood supply in certain regions for those traces of Covid-19 infection. With funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that initial program expanded to a nationwide effort known as the Multistate Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/blood-bank-serosurvey.html) (MASS) study, which has analyzed roughly 800,000 donations so far."

"Their data so far suggest that a lot of people have had Covid-19 without ever receiving a diagnosis. Confirmed case counts suggest that almost 7 percent of people in the U.S. have had the virus. Data (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2773576) from the arm of the study looking at blood from clinical laboratory tests from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico found rates of antibody positivity that at times ranged from under 1 percent in some states to 23 percent in New York."

What Scientists Are Learning About Covid-19 Using the Nation's Blood Supply | Science | Smithsonian Magazine (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-scientists-are-learning-about-covid-19-using-nations-blood-supply-180976772/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20210120-daily-responsive&spMailingID=44296929&spUserID=ODU1Njc2OTEyODIyS0&spJobID=1921646341&spReportId=MTkyMTY0NjM0MQS2)

bob10

23rd January 2021, 07:23 PM

Covid and Japan, and why the government insists the games will go ahead.

The conservative LDP government has consistently prioritised the economy over public health. With the backing of the Japan Business Federation, the powerful lobby group of Japan’s large corporations, for instance, Suga continued Abe’s “Go To Travel” campaign, which subsidised domestic tourism and support for the hospitality sector. He reluctantly suspended the program last month after it was blamed for spreading COVID-19 around the country (https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/1424/).

Why are Japan's leaders clinging to their Olympic hopes? Their political fortunes depend on it (theconversation.com) (https://theconversation.com/why-are-japans-leaders-clinging-to-their-olympic-hopes-their-political-fortunes-depend-on-it-153533?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20 for%20January%2022%202021%20-%201840717915&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20f or%20January%2022%202021%20-%201840717915+CID_b9cdcc08db755d409250bf8b760ed43c&utm_source=campaign_monitor&utm_term=Why%20are%20Japans%20leaders%20clinging%2 0to%20their%20Olympic%20hopes%20Their%20political% 20fortunes%20depend%20on%20it)

bob10

25th January 2021, 10:10 AM

The truth about North Korea's ultra lock down against Covid-19.

Despite reporting no cases of Covid-19, North Korea has been quarantining potential suspected cases. As of December 3, 33,223 people had been released from quarantine, according to the figures reported to the WHO—though no numbers have been reported since.

Quarantine rules in North Korea are also strict, according to reports. When an outbreak occurred in China, North Korea tracked down all Chinese visitors in the town of Rason and quarantined them on an island for a month.

The Truth About North Korea's Ultra-Lockdown Against Covid-19 | WIRED (https://www.wired.com/story/truth-about-north-koreas-ultra-lockdown-covid-19/?bxid=5cc9e26e3f92a477a0ea0693&bxid=5cc9e26e3f92a477a0ea0693&cndid=52475003&cndid=52475003&esrc=subscribe-page&esrc=subscribe-page&hasha=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1&hasha=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1&hashb=acd4725d670d172aa9d05ce7f671dc63250efce1&hashb=acd4725d670d172aa9d05ce7f671dc63250efce1&hashc=c17365ab07572ed90614d245ada5ad675f6bc00189fa 766123c70d76d1d7cddf&hashc=c17365ab07572ed90614d245ada5ad675f6bc00189fa 766123c70d76d1d7cddf&mbid=mbid%3DCRMWIR012019%0A%0A&mbid=mbid%3DCRMWIR012019%0A%0A&source=EDT_WIR_NEWSLETTER_0_DAILY_ZZ&source=EDT_WIR_NEWSLETTER_0_DAILY_ZZ&utm_brand=wired&utm_brand=wired&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_content=Final&utm_content=Final&utm_mailing=WIR_Daily_012421&utm_mailing=WIR_Daily_012421&utm_medium=email&utm_medium=email&utm_source=nl&utm_source=nl&utm_term=list1_p4&utm_term=list1_p4)

bob10

26th January 2021, 12:39 PM

How Singapore is gearing up for conferences in the time of COVID.

Marina Bay beckons as Singapore gears up for 'Davos in Asia' (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-au/money/other/marina-bay-beckons-as-singapore-gears-up-for-davos-in-asia/ar-BB1d5yJs?ocid=msedgntp)

bob10

28th January 2021, 06:39 AM

How COVID changed Germany, one year on.

The first person in Germany to test positive for the novel coronavirus was in late January 2020. The year that followed has changed Germany — and the rest of the world.

How COVID changed Germany, one year on | Germany| News and in-depth reporting from Berlin and beyond | DW | 27.01.2021 (https://www.dw.com/en/how-covid-changed-germany-one-year-on/a-56350430'maca=en-newsletter_en_bulletin-2097-xml-newsletter&r=2716473879229379&lid=1737979&pm_ln=74507)

bob10

28th January 2021, 08:22 AM

Worriesome new coronavirus mutations are emerging. Why now?

He walked upstairs, to the office of South Africa’s corollary to Anthony Fauci (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/10/salim-abdool-karim-none-of-us-are-safe-from-covid-if-one-of-us-is-not-we-have-mutual-interdependence), an epidemiologist named Salim Abdool Karim, to tell him the news. Days later, they alerted the World Health Organization. Now on the lookout, scientists in the United Kingdom soon discovered one of those mutations (https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/12/mutant-coronavirus-united-kingdom-sets-alarms-its-importance-remains-unclear) spreading in the southeast part of Britain. A few weeks later, an eerily similar cluster of genetic changes surfaced among travelers from Brazil (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/new-coronavirus-variant-found-travelers-brazil-japan-says-n1253655). But neither was a case of jet-setters seeding a single new strain around the world. Analyses of global coronavirus genome databases (https://www.wired.com/story/data-sharing-open-source-software-combat-covid-19/) showed that these were in fact three distinct versions of the virus—three distantly related branches of the SARS-CoV-2 family tree that had independently acquired some of the same mutations despite emerging on three different continents.

That pattern is what scientists refer to as “convergent evolution,” and it’s a sign of trouble ahead.

Worrisome New Coronavirus Mutations Are Emerging. Why Now? | WIRED (https://www.wired.com/story/worrisome-new-coronavirus-strains-are-emerging-why-now/?bxid=5cc9e26e3f92a477a0ea0693&bxid=5cc9e26e3f92a477a0ea0693&cndid=52475003&cndid=52475003&esrc=subscribe-page&esrc=subscribe-page&hasha=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1&hasha=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1&hashb=acd4725d670d172aa9d05ce7f671dc63250efce1&hashb=acd4725d670d172aa9d05ce7f671dc63250efce1&hashc=c17365ab07572ed90614d245ada5ad675f6bc00189fa 766123c70d76d1d7cddf&hashc=c17365ab07572ed90614d245ada5ad675f6bc00189fa 766123c70d76d1d7cddf&mbid=mbid%3DCRMWIR012019%0A%0A&mbid=mbid%3DCRMWIR012019%0A%0A&source=EDT_WIR_NEWSLETTER_0_DAILY_ZZ&source=EDT_WIR_NEWSLETTER_0_DAILY_ZZ&utm_brand=wired&utm_brand=wired&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_content=A&utm_content=A&utm_mailing=WIR_Daily_012721&utm_mailing=WIR_Daily_012721&utm_medium=email&utm_medium=email&utm_source=nl&utm_source=nl&utm_term=list1_p4&utm_term=list1_p4)

bob10

28th January 2021, 09:03 AM

Pandemic fatigue in the US, a real thing. We don't know how bad this can get. We mustn't let our guard down.

Pandemic Fatigue Grows As People Wait For The Vaccine (buzzfeednews.com) (https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/pandemic-fatigue-vaccine-biden-election?campaign_id=3&emc=edit_MBAU_p_20210127&instance_id=26470&nl=morning-briefing&regi_id=84534669&section=whatElse&segment_id=50405&te=1&user_id=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1)

bob10

30th January 2021, 09:39 AM

The good, the bad , and the unknowns of Australia's COVID vaccine roll out.

Coronavirus vaccines: Where we're at in the fight against COVID-19 (thenewdaily.com.au) (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2021/01/30/coronavirus-vaccine-covid-19-australia/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Saturday%20News%20-%2020210130)

bob10

31st January 2021, 05:35 PM

Two US Lawmakers test positive to coronavirus, one after receiving both doses of Vazccine.
Two members of Congress from Massachusetts have tested positive for the coronavirus (https://www.washingtonpost.com/coronavirus/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2), one after receiving both doses of the vaccine, a reminder that people can still be vulnerable to infection after being vaccinated, particularly in the two weeks after receiving the second dose.

]Rep. Stephen F. Lynch (D-Mass.) tested positive for the virus on Friday afternoon after a staff member in his Boston office tested positive earlier in the week, his spokeswoman Molly Rose Tarpey said.[/COLO

]Lynch received a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine before the inauguration of President Biden on Jan. 20, but his office declined to specify the date it was administered. Lynch had tested negative for the virus before attending the inaugural ceremonies, Tarpey said.

Reps. Stephen Lynch and Lori Trahan test positive for covid-19, one after receiving both doses of vaccine - The Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/30/two-lawmakers-test-positive-coronavirus-one-after-receiving-both-doses-vaccine/)

bob10

1st February 2021, 07:38 PM

Canada leads the way.
As frustration mounts in Canada over lockdowns and the glacial pace of vaccinations, a consortium of some of the country’s largest companies has begun a rapid testing program with the aim of protecting their 350,000 employees.
The program is believed to be the first of its kind among the Group of 7 industrialized nations, and has already attracted the attention of the Biden administration.
The 12 companies, including Canada’s biggest airline and grocery chain, have worked together for four months,creating a 400-page operating manual on how to run rapid antigen tests in various work settings. They began piloting the tests in their workplaces this month, and expect to expand the program to 1,200 small and medium-size businesses.

Covid-19: Snowstorm Disrupts Vaccinations Across Northeast - The New York Times (nytimes.com) (https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/31/world/covid-19-coronavirus?campaign_id=3&emc=edit_MBAU_p_20210131&instance_id=26611&nl=morning-briefing&regi_id=84534669&section=topNews&segment_id=50726&te=1&user_id=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1#canadian-companies-are-trying-to-ramp-up-virus-testing)

OOPS.

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/01/30/world/30virus-briefing-canada-testing-1/merlin_182721468_c2f34942-2b94-4038-a9b6-4ccdb575cbb5-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale
An Abbott Laboratories Panbio Covid-19 rapid antigen testing kit.Credit...Tara Walton for The New York Times

As frustration mounts in Canada over lockdowns and the glacial pace of vaccinations, a consortium of some of the country’s largest companies has begun a rapid testing program with the aim of protecting their 350,000 employees.
The program is believed to be the first of its kind among the Group of 7 industrialized nations, and has already attracted the attention of the Biden administration.
The 12 companies, including Canada’s biggest airline and grocery chain, have worked together for four months,creating a 400-page operating manual on how to run rapid antigen tests in various work settings. They began piloting the tests in their workplaces this month, and expect to expand the program to 1,200 small and medium-size businesses.
They also plan to share their test results with the government health authorities, greatly raising test counts in the country and providing an informal study of the virus’s spread among asymptomatic people.
The companies in the consortium were brought together in the spring by Ajay Agrawal, the founder of the University of Toronto’s Creative Destruction Lab, which helps science and technology start-ups. They were inspired by the most Canadian of muses: Margaret Atwood, the author.
“How soon can we have a cheap, buy-it-at-the-drugstore, self-administered test?” Ms. Atwood asked during a virtual meeting last May of business leaders and others tasked with brainstorming ideas for economic recovery during the pandemic.
The problem, the group posited, was the “information gap” — since there was no way to tell who might be an asymptomatic carrier, everyone was treated as a potential threat.
Ms. Atwood envisioned something like a home pregnancy test.
“That would be a game changer,” she said.
— (https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/31/world/covid-19-coronavirus?campaign_id=3&emc=edit_MBAU_p_20210131&instance_id=26611&nl=morning-briefing&regi_id=84534669&section=topNews&segment_id=50726&te=1&user_id=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1#canadian-companies-are-trying-to-ramp-up-virus-testing)Catherine Porter (https://www.nytimes.com/by/catherine-porter)

bob10

1st February 2021, 07:58 PM

bob10

2nd February 2021, 10:25 AM

For some perspective, a coronavirus briefing from the USA. From the N.Y. Times.

https://static.nytimes.com/email-images/New_Headers/NYT-Headers-N-CoronavirusBriefing%402x.png (https://www.nytimes.com/news-event/coronavirus'te=1&nl=coronavirus-briefing&emc=edit_cb_20210202)
February 1, 2021

An informed guide to the pandemic, with the latest developments and expert advice about prevention and treatment.

(Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here (https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/coronavirus-briefing'te=1&nl=coronavirus-briefing&emc=edit_cb_20210202).)

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/02/01/multimedia/01coronavirus-nl/01coronavirus-nl-articleLarge.png

The New York Times

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2018/08/24/multimedia/author-jonathan-wolfe/author-jonathan-wolfe-blogSmallThumb.png (https://www.nytimes.com/by/jonathan-wolfe'te=1&nl=coronavirus-briefing&emc=edit_cb_20210202)
By Jonathan Wolfe (https://www.nytimes.com/by/jonathan-wolfe'te=1&nl=coronavirus-briefing&emc=edit_cb_20210202)

Germany’s BioNTech said it would make 75 million additional doses (https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/02/01/world/covid-19-coronavirus/biontech-promises-75-million-additional-vaccine-doses-for-the-eu'te=1&nl=coronavirus-briefing&emc=edit_cb_20210202) of its vaccine for the European Union.
The Congressional Budget Office predicted that the U.S. economy will return to its pre-pandemic size by the middle of this year (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/01/business/economy/cbo-economy-estimate.html'te=1&nl=coronavirus-briefing&emc=edit_cb_20210202).
Vaccinations are slowly picking up speed (https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/02/01/world/covid-19-coronavirus/vaccinations-are-rising-as-the-us-races-to-outrun-the-rapidly-spreading-variants'te=1&nl=coronavirus-briefing&emc=edit_cb_20210202) in the U.S., averaging about 1.3 million doses per day over the past week.
Get the latest updates here (https://www.nytimes.com/news-event/coronavirus'te=1&nl=coronavirus-briefing&emc=edit_cb_20210202), as well as maps (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/world/asia/china-wuhan-coronavirus-maps.html?action=click&pgtype=Article&state=default&module=styln-coronavirus&variant=show&region=TOP_BANNER&context=storyline_menu&te=1&nl=coronavirus-briefing&emc=edit_cb_20210202) and vaccines in development (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/science/coronavirus-vaccine-tracker.html'te=1&nl=coronavirus-briefing&emc=edit_cb_20210202).

‘No one is safe until everyone is safe’

More than 90 million people around the world have received a coronavirus vaccine outside of clinical trials — but only 25 people total have in all of sub-Saharan Africa, a region of about one billion people.

That has set the stage for a “catastrophic moral failure,” in the words of Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization. But it is also a failure of self-interest for wealthier nations, as a hiccup in one country can quickly become a tragedy for everyone (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/31/world/africa/coronavirus-south-africa-variant.html'te=1&nl=coronavirus-briefing&emc=edit_cb_20210202).

South Africa and the variant discovered there offer a powerful example. Recent research suggests that the highly contagious variant is less responsive to at least four vaccines. The variant is estimated to make up 90 percent of all cases in the country, and has quickly turned up in dozens of others, including the United States. The lesson here is that if the world fails to stop the spread in some areas, the virus will keep mutating in ways that could make all vaccines less effective, potentially leaving inoculated populations vulnerable once again.

“This idea that no one is safe until everyone is safe is not just an adage, it is really true,” said Andrea Taylor, the assistant director at Duke Global Health Innovation Center.

Even in the best-case scenarios, Ms. Taylor said, at the current rate of production, there will not be enough vaccines for everyone in the world until 2023. South Africa, which received its first shipment of vaccines today (https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/02/01/world/covid-19-coronavirus/south-africa-where-a-worrisome-variant-emerged-gets-its-first-vaccine-supply'te=1&nl=coronavirus-briefing&emc=edit_cb_20210202), has secured just 22.5 million doses for its 60 million people, and many nations lag further behind. At the same time, some wealthy countries have secured enough vaccine doses to inoculate their populations many times over.

bob10

2nd February 2021, 11:32 AM

Vic government to vote on extending the Coronavirus State of Emergency for another 9 months.

The Victorian government has launched a bid to extend its coronavirus state of emergency for another nine months to December 2021.
Premier Daniel Andrews said it was “always better to err on the side of protecting what we’ve built”, and the move was based on health advice.
He said the state government would introduce legislation this week to keep the emergency powers in place beyond March 15, when they are due to expire. If the bill passes, the powers will be extended in four-week blocks until December 15.
“The sorts of rules that the state of emergency underpins is the order for someone to isolate for 14 days, is the order that means hotel quarantine is mandatory, wearing face masks in certain settings,” Mr Andrews said on Tuesday.
“All of those common-sense things, but particularly hotel quarantine, without a state of emergency, the chief health officer simply has no power to be able to compel people to isolate in a hotel.
“These rules are all about staying safe and staying open.”
Mr Andrews said the legal framework was also important to allow Victoria to continue receiving Australians returning home after being trapped overseas for months.
“That’s why we’ll put this bill into the Parliament today [Tuesday] and we’ll have those good-faith discussions with everybody across the Parliament and hopefully that can pass in an orderly way,” he said.

Victoria extends state of emergency, while WA aims for more zero days (thenewdaily.com.au) (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2021/02/02/victoria-state-emergency-wa/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=News%20Alert%20-%2020210202)

bob10

3rd February 2021, 09:09 AM

A break through in the coronavirus fight. A chicken disease found a century ago may be the key to fighting COVID-19.

The poultry industry has a lot to teach the world about the future of coronavirus infection control, according to a University of Melbourne academic.
Professor Amir Hadjinoormohammadi works in avian medicine in the Asia Pacific Centre for Animal Health.
Although the term coronavirus was yet to be coined, Professor Hadjinoormohammadi said the illness was first detected in chickens.

Professor Hadjinoormohammadi said IBV not only presented with almost identical symptoms to COVID-19 but it also had a similar physical make-up.

"The name coronavirus was established later on, but in the 1930s' they actually determined the structure and the shape of the virus," he said.

Chicken disease found almost a century ago could be key to controlling COVID-19 outbreaks, expert says (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/chicken-disease-found-almost-a-century-ago-could-be-key-to-controlling-covid-19-outbreaks-expert-says/ar-BB1dkvbH?ocid=msedgdhp)

bob10

3rd February 2021, 06:44 PM

Victoria investigates hotel transmission between guests,

COVID Quarantine Victoria said late on Wednesday afternoon it was investigating how two separate resident groups at Melbourne’s Park Royal Hotel returned positive tests for the same strain of the highly infectious B117 variant first detected in Britain.

It is understood genetic tracing revealed two guests on the same floor at the hotel have somehow transmitted the same British variant of the virus between the groups.
“That means it’s as if they have been in the same room together,” Victoria’s Police Minister Lisa Neville said on Wednesday.
“This is a hotel transmission, it is not a community transmission. The public health team … have indicated there is an exceptionally low risk of any community transmission.”
The manner in which the virus was likely transmitted points to how infectious the strain is.

Vic authorities investigate potential hotel transmission of British virus strain (thenewdaily.com.au) (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2021/02/03/victoria-hotel-quarantine-virus/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PM%20Extra%20-%2020210203)

bob10

4th February 2021, 09:40 PM

There is always some one worse off.;

A German military plane just carried medical personnel and equipment to Portugal to help with a worsening COVID-19 crisis, Reuters reports. “The German team will manage a new unit of eight ICU beds in a private hospital in Lisbon, Hospital da Luz, which was equipped but lacked the staff to operate.”
Context: “Hospitals across Portugal, a nation of about 10 million people, appear on the verge of collapse, with ambulances sometimes queuing for hours because of a lack of beds while some health units are struggling to find enough refrigerated space to preserve the bodies of the deceased.” More here (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-portugal-germany/a-symbol-of-hope-german-military-aid-arrives-in-portugal-idUSKBN2A31W0?il=0).

"A symbol of hope" - German military aid arrives in Portugal | Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-portugal-germany/a-symbol-of-hope-german-military-aid-arrives-in-portugal-idUSKBN2A31W0?il=0)

bob10

5th February 2021, 09:23 AM

The pandemic is in tenuous retreat in the USA. From the COVID tracking project, THE ATLANTIC.;

The good news in COVID-19 data continued this week, as new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths all dropped. For the seven-day period running January 28 to February 3, weekly new cases were down more than 16 percent over the previous week, and dropped below 1 million for the first time since the week of November 5. This is still an astonishing number of new cases a week, but far better than the nearly 1.8 million cases reported the week of January 14 (https://covidtracking.com/analysis-updates/soaring-death-numbers-and-highly-regional-outbreaks-this-week-in-covid-19-data-jan-14). Tests also declined nationally, but by less than 3 percent, nowhere near enough to explain the steep drop in cases.

The Pandemic Is in Tenuous Retreat (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/us/the-pandemic-is-in-tenuous-retreat/ar-BB1doJie?ocid=msedgdhp)

bob10

5th February 2021, 09:28 AM

THE ATLANTIC newspaper has had a project " the COVID tracking project" going for some time in the US, the latest ;

The Pandemic is in tenuous retreat. The first paragraph reads;

The good news in COVID-19 data continued this week, as new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths all dropped. For the seven-day period running January 28 to February 3, weekly new cases were down more than 16 percent over the previous week, and dropped below 1 million for the first time since the week of November 5. This is still an astonishing number of new cases a week, but far better than the nearly 1.8 million cases reported the week of January 14 (https://covidtracking.com/analysis-updates/soaring-death-numbers-and-highly-regional-outbreaks-this-week-in-covid-19-data-jan-14). Tests also declined nationally, but by less than 3 percent, nowhere near enough to explain the steep drop in cases.

The beginning of the end ?

bob10

5th February 2021, 12:05 PM

The path out of the pandemic;

The path out of the pandemic

Countries that are moving quickly to vaccinate their populations are poised to move out of the deadliest phase of the pandemic in a matter of weeks.

At the front of the pack is Britain, (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/S_DnQJmin-MKiApivTt1Sw~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRh_vdQP0T1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vaW50ZX JhY3RpdmUvMjAyMS8wMi8wNC93b3JsZC9ldXJvcGUvY292aWQt dmFjY2luZS11ay1yYXRlLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MTU0Jm VtYz1lZGl0X2NiXzIwMjEwMjA0Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTI2Nzcx Jm5sPWNvcm9uYXZpcnVzLWJyaWVmaW5nJnJlZ2lfaWQ9ODQ1Mz Q2Njkmc2VnbWVudF9pZD01MTAxOCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9Mzhi NjUzZjU5ZDhhNzg4ZDJiODAyOWQzNDlmYjA1ZjFXA255dEIKYB pQchxg9ca1PVIZcm9iZXJ0bGFrZTQyOTQzQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgE AAAAAA~~) which is on track to give everyone in the country the first shot of a two-dose regimen by the end of June, if supply and logistical issues don’t get in the way. The most vulnerable people in the U.K. — those over 70, health care workers, and nursing home residents and staff members — are on schedule to receive their first dose within the next two weeks. If achieved, it could considerably reduce the number of deaths, as together these groups account for 88 percent of all Covid deaths in the country.

The timeline below shows Britain’s path out of the pandemic through inoculations, and even if the pace of vaccinations slowed down by 20 percent, the country should still be able to give everyone a shot by the end of July.

https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/kf9FIb3hUwtDiytQPaXTX_18CoXmVgTi8Bt3lFnHq94x50qdty IF0KTbgrY9-5qNctDJbfjubvbJRulbx3M080PzHd_dUM4U0hii5dSj91gJBNz tCzSSBI_kdAeBl8hJVgE6WYixSDdwJmIB0AuCw9rYfioyy7kcX 1ing0dJYj3E=s0-d-e1-ft#https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/02/04/multimedia/04coronavirus-image/04coronavirus-image-articleLarge.png

The New York Times. Source: Public Health England

The country has been able to move quickly by delivering shots through the highly centralized National Health Service, which covers all Britons, and because of its quick approval process for experimental vaccines.

While the U.K. has vaccinated over 15 percent of its population (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/HCJcMuHexysN-FeR5MMb8w~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRh_vdQP0TtaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vaW50ZX JhY3RpdmUvMjAyMS93b3JsZC9jb3ZpZC12YWNjaW5hdGlvbnMt dHJhY2tlci5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1NCZlbWM9ZWRpdF 9jYl8yMDIxMDIwNCZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yNjc3MSZubD1jb3Jv bmF2aXJ1cy1icmllZmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTg0NTM0NjY5JnNlZ2 1lbnRfaWQ9NTEwMTgmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTM4YjY1M2Y1OWQ4 YTc4OGQyYjgwMjlkMzQ5ZmIwNWYxVwNueXRCCmAaUHIcYPXGtT 1SGXJvYmVydGxha2U0Mjk0M0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~), Israel leads the world in Covid inoculations, having delivered doses to more than 37 percent of the country, as of Wednesday. In comparison, the U.S. was over 8 percent, and the European Union was below 3 percent.

Israel offers a first glimpse at what happens when a country inoculates a large percentage of its population — and the results are encouraging. (However, almost all of the Palestinians in Israeli-occupied territory have yet to receive their first dose (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/mW8IkAek73HCSv34OjND0w~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRh_vdQP0TzaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS 8wMi8wNC93b3JsZC9taWRkbGVlYXN0L2lzcmFlbC1wYWxlc3Rp bmlhbnMtdmFjY2luZS5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1NCZlbW M9ZWRpdF9jYl8yMDIxMDIwNCZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yNjc3MSZu bD1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1icmllZmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTg0NTM0Nj Y5JnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NTEwMTgmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTM4YjY1 M2Y1OWQ4YTc4OGQyYjgwMjlkMzQ5ZmIwNWYxVwNueXRCCmAaUH IcYPXGtT1SGXJvYmVydGxha2U0Mjk0M0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAA AAA~).)

A study released yesterday reported that cases of Covid-19 and hospitalizations in Israel had dropped markedly among people who have been vaccinated (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/TW5cVTIuL_fpgls0gzLs7Q~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRh_vdQP0TsaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYnV6emZlZWRuZXdzLmNvbS 9hcnRpY2xlL3BldGVyYWxkaG91cy9pc3JhZWwtY29yb25hdmly dXMtdmFjY2luZXM_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MTU0JmVtYz1lZGl0X2 NiXzIwMjEwMjA0Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTI2NzcxJm5sPWNvcm9u YXZpcnVzLWJyaWVmaW5nJnJlZ2lfaWQ9ODQ1MzQ2Njkmc2VnbW VudF9pZD01MTAxOCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9MzhiNjUzZjU5ZDhh Nzg4ZDJiODAyOWQzNDlmYjA1ZjFXA255dEIKYBpQchxg9ca1PV IZcm9iZXJ0bGFrZTQyOTQzQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~).

Eran Segal, a quantitative biologist at the Weizmann Institute of Science, a co-author of the study, tweeted: “We say with caution, the magic has started.”

bob10

8th February 2021, 10:01 AM

South Africa halted use of the AstraZeneca-Oxford coronavirus vaccine on Sunday after evidence emerged that the vaccine did not protect clinical-trial participants from mild or moderate illness caused by the more contagious virus variant that was first seen there.
The findings were a devastating blow to the country’s efforts to combat the pandemic.
Scientists in South Africa said on Sunday that a similar problem held among people who had been infected by earlier versions of the coronavirus: the immunity they acquired naturally did not appear to protect them from mild or moderate cases when reinfected by the variant, known as B.1.351.

South Africa Says AstraZeneca's Covid-19 Vaccine is Not Effective at Stopping Variant - The New York Times (nytimes.com) (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/07/world/south-africa-astrazeneca-vaccine.html)

bob10

8th February 2021, 10:38 AM

No more acting like " stunned mullets ".

The world must decide what needs to change to prevent events like the COVID-19 pandemic happening again, according to the former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark.

The review’s full recommendations are due in May, but she spoke about the panel’s interim report at the University of Otago Public Health Summer School on February 1. Clark painted a grim picture of the findings to date, including:

pre-existing shortcomings in pandemic preparedness

a lack of appetite by nations to comply with the basic provisions of the International Health Regulations (https://www.who.int/health-topics/international-health-regulations#tab=tab_1)

no mechanisms for co-operation or financing when a crisis hits

key metrics such as the Global Health Security Index (https://www.ghsindex.org/) possibly giving false reassurances due to leadership and political factors

One failure leading to another’The review committee is developing an authoritative chronology of COVID-19. It’s a timeline of virus spread, knowledge acquisition, recommendation sharing and actions taken. Clark said this “will speak for itself” about the deadly delays the world suffered.
https://images.theconversation.com/files/382639/original/file-20210204-20-1quwlsu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip
(https://images.theconversation.com/files/382639/original/file-20210204-20-1quwlsu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip)Helen Clark. GettyImagesThe big questions arising from that chronology are:

why it took a month and two meetings for the WHO’s Emergency Committee to declare a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC (https://www.who.int/ihr/procedures/pheic/en/)) — in a densely interconnected world where hours may be the difference between catastrophic spread and containment

why travel restrictions were specifically recommended against at that time, seeming to undercut the gravity of the PHEIC declaration

why the world stood around like “stunned mullets” while disaster unfolded.

No more acting like 'stunned mullets' — bigger, better, faster responses needed to meet future bio-threats (theconversation.com) (https://theconversation.com/no-more-acting-like-stunned-mullets-bigger-better-faster-responses-needed-to-meet-future-bio-threats-154719?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20 for%20February%208%202021%20-%201856518088&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20f or%20February%208%202021%20-%201856518088+CID_7beaa9a22f5832d5605a08412210e15b&utm_source=campaign_monitor&utm_term=No%20more%20acting%20like%20stunned%20mul lets%20%20bigger%20better%20faster%20responses%20n eeded%20to%20meet%20future%20bio-threats)

bob10

8th February 2021, 11:08 AM

Why we need to keep on top of the COVID variants. ;

A more contagious variant of the coronavirus first found in Britain is spreading rapidly in the United States, doubling roughly every 10 days, according to a new study (https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.02.06.21251159v1).

Dr. Andersen’s team estimated that the transmission rate of B.1.1.7 in the United States is 30 percent to 40 percent higher than that of more common variants, although those figures may rise as more data comes in, he said. The variant has already been implicated in surges in other countries, including Ireland, Portugal and Jordan.

Analyzing 212 American B.1.1.7 genomes, Dr. Andersen’s team concluded that the variant most likely first arrived in the United States by late November, a month before it was detected.

The C.D.C. has recorded (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/transmission/variant-cases.html) only 611 B.1.1.7 cases, attesting to the inadequacy (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/health/coronavirus-variant-tracking.html) of the country’s genomic surveillance.
In parts of the country where Helix doesn’t do much testing, it is likely delivering an underestimate of the spread, Dr. Andersen cautioned. “I can guarantee you that there are places where B.1.1.7 might be relatively prevalent by now that we would not pick up,” he said.

Coronavirus Variant First Found in Britain Now Spreading Rapidly in US - The New York Times (nytimes.com) (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/07/health/coronavirus-variant-us-spread.html?auth=login-email&campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20210207&instance_id=0&login=email&nl=breaking-news&ref=cta&regi_id=84534669&segment_id=51180&user_id=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1)

bob10

10th February 2021, 09:04 PM

South Africa will pause its rollout of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-08/south-africa-will-suspend-use-of-the-astrazeneca-vaccine/13131142) vaccine after a small study suggested it offers minimal protection against mild and moderate infection from the South African coronavirus strain known as B.1.351 (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/science-and-research/scientific-brief-emerging-variants.html).

The analysis is yet to be peer reviewed or published.

Work is already underway at the University of Oxford and in conjunction with partners to produce a second generation of the vaccine which has been adapted to target variants of the coronavirus with mutations similar to B.1.351, if it should prove necessary to do so.

South Africa has paused AstraZeneca COVID vaccine rollout but it's too early to say Australia should follow suit (theconversation.com) (https://theconversation.com/south-africa-has-paused-astrazeneca-covid-vaccine-rollout-but-its-too-early-to-say-australia-should-follow-suit-154824?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20 for%20February%209%202021%20-%201857118098&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20f or%20February%209%202021%20-%201857118098+CID_5f3cfab32c43b7a6fd87b683fc12e0fa&utm_source=campaign_monitor&utm_term=South%20Africa%20has%20paused%20AstraZene ca%20COVID%20vaccine%20rollout%20but%20its%20too%2 0early%20to%20say%20Australia%20should%20follow%20 suit)

bob10

10th February 2021, 10:31 PM

Why the UK strain hasn't wreaked havoc in Aus.-Yet.

Professor William Rawlinson, a senior medical virologist at UNSW, said the new strain was more infectious, but “it’s not wildfire”.
“It has replaced other strains in other countries, but I think it needs to be put in perspective,” he said.
“It’s more infectious, not a super-virus.”
Professor Rawlinson added the increased transmissibility of a virus was just one important way the virus jumps from person to person.
There are lots of other contributing factors, like whether or not people were socially distancing.
“In Australia, we’re not seeing it spread because we’re getting very, very little community spread of virus. Once you stop that spread, you stop the spread of whatever the most recent strain is.”

UK coronavirus strain hasn't wreaked havoc in Australia – yet (thenewdaily.com.au) (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2021/02/09/uk-coronavirus-strain-australia/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20News%20-%2020210210)

bob10

12th February 2021, 12:05 PM

NZ to start vaccinations next week.
New Zealand's COVID-19 inoculation program will begin on February 20, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced, bringing forward the schedule after the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was received earlier than anticipated.

New Zealand to start coronavirus vaccinations on February 20 - ABC News (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-12/nz-to-start-coronavirus-vaccinations-february-20/13148442)

bob10

12th February 2021, 06:02 PM

NSW residents told to isolate after Vic virus exposure. 7,000 people being contacted.

'You are at risk': NSW residents told to isolate after Vic virus exposure (thenewdaily.com.au) (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2021/02/12/nsw-victoria-virus-lockdown/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PM%20Extra%20-%2020210212)

bob10

13th February 2021, 11:28 AM

Another 'Rona variant emerges in Uganda.

A coronavirus variant has been detected in Uganda that has a mutation similar to the fast-spreading variant in the UK, and has quickly become the most common coronavirus in Uganda's capital city Kampala, a pre-print (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/a-coronavirus-variant-with-a-similar-change-to-the-fast-spreading-variant-in-the-uk-and-us-has-emerged-in-uganda/ar-BB1dCXAz?ocid=msedgdhp)study (https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.02.08.21251393v1) reported Thursday.

The newly emerged coronavirus variant has evolved separately from the variant in the UK, which is from the "B lineage" and called B.1.1.7. The variant in Uganda is from the "A lineage," and referred to as A.23.1 in the study. This thing is mutating quicker now.

If you are asked to go into lock down, just do it. Save the complaints until afterwards.

In the UK, A.23.1 is being formally investigated by Public Health England because it has the E484K mutation â€" the mutation that is found in the variant in South Africa, that scientists believe helps it evade antibodies.
There are 43 reported cases of (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-variants-genomically-confirmed-case-numbers/variants-distribution-of-cases-data)A.23.1 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-variants-genomically-confirmed-case-numbers/variants-distribution-of-cases-data)in the UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-variants-genomically-confirmed-case-numbers/variants-distribution-of-cases-data), according to Public Health England (PHE). The A.23.1 variant with E484K is different to the variant in UK, B.1.1.7, which also appears to have evolved into a E484K mutation (http://www.businessinsider.com.au/covid-variant-mutation-uk-vaccines-work-2021-2) and has been designated a "variant of concern" by PHE. There have been 22 people in the UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-variants-genomically-confirmed-case-numbers/variants-distribution-of-cases-data) infected with the B.1.1.7 variant that has a E484K mutation, according to PHE.

A coronavirus variant with a 'similar change' to the fast-spreading variant in the UK and US, has emerged in Uganda (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/a-coronavirus-variant-with-a-similar-change-to-the-fast-spreading-variant-in-the-uk-and-us-has-emerged-in-uganda/ar-BB1dCXAz?ocid=msedgdhp)

bob10

13th February 2021, 03:54 PM

New allegations of a cover up in New York nursing homes over Covid virus toll;

The revelation, which came from a leaked conversation, added to a cascading series of reports and court orders that have nearly doubled the state’s official toll of nursing home deaths in the last two weeks.

New Allegations of Cover-Up by Cuomo Over Nursing Home Virus Toll - The New York Times (nytimes.com) (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/12/nyregion/new-york-nursing-homes-cuomo.html?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20210212&instance_id=0&nl=breaking-news&ref=cta&regi_id=84534669&segment_id=51536&user_id=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1)

bob10

15th February 2021, 03:49 PM

COVID is living proof of Charles Darwin's converging evolution theory.

Charles Darwin first recognized convergent evolution by studying living animals. In recent years, virologists have found that viruses can evolve convergently (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coviro.2018.12.006), too. H.I.V., for example, arose when several species of viruses shifted from monkeys and apes to humans. Many of those lineages of H.I.V. gained the same mutations as they adapted to our species.
As the coronavirus now branches into new variants, researchers are observing Darwin’s theory of evolution in action, day in and day out.

Dr. Kamil stumbled across some of the new variants while he was sequencing samples from coronavirus tests in Louisiana. At the end of January, he observed an unfamiliar mutation in a number of samples.
The scientists wondered whether the lineage they had discovered was the only one to have a 677 mutation. Probing the database, Dr. Kamil and his colleagues found six other lineages that independently gained the same mutation on their own.

Still, scientists are worried because the mutation could plausibly affect how easily the virus gets into human cells.
Convergent evolution has transformed a few other spots on the spike protein as well. The 501st amino acid (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/health/coronavirus-variant-tracker.html#N501Y) has mutated in a number of lineages, for example, including the contagious variants first observed in the United Kingdom and South Africa. Experiments have revealed that the 501 mutation alters the very tip of the spike. That change allows the virus to latch onto cells more tightly, and infect them more effectively.
Scientists anticipate that coronaviruses will converge on more mutations that give them an advantage — against not only other viruses but also our own immune system.

7 Virus Variants Found in U.S. Carrying the Same Mutation - The New York Times (nytimes.com) (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/14/health/coronavirus-variants-evolution.html?campaign_id=3&emc=edit_MBAU_p_20210214&instance_id=27125&nl=morning-briefing&regi_id=84534669&section=topNews&segment_id=51674&te=1&user_id=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1)

bob10

15th February 2021, 03:58 PM

An interview with a W.H.O. researcher on his trip to China, seeking the origins of the coronavirus.

An interview with Peter Daszak, an animal disease specialist, just after his return from an investigative research mission to Wuhan, the site of the original Covid outbreak, and surrounding areas.

W.H.O. Researcher Seeking Coronavirus Origins on His Trip to China - The New York Times (nytimes.com) (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/14/health/WHO-covid-daszak-china-virus.html?action=click&campaign_id=3&emc=edit_MBAU_p_20210214&instance_id=27125&module=Top%20Stories&nl=morning-briefing&pgtype=Homepage&regi_id=84534669&section=backStory&segment_id=51674&te=1&user_id=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1)

bob10

17th February 2021, 11:34 AM

Testing vaccines for teenagers, From the N.Y.Times.

Testing vaccines in teenagers

When it comes to reaching herd immunity, vaccinated teenagers are crucial. But that doesn’t mean developing a vaccine that works for teens is easy.

While teenagers don’t fall as severely ill as often as adults, they become infected at almost twice the rate of younger children. Research also suggests that they can spread the virus widely — to each other and to older family members — because they are often asymptomatic and casual about social distancing.

So far, the vaccines authorized in the U.S. are only for adults, and enrolling teenagers in clinical trials has presented its own challenges (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/_-UdOHWUgiONCVBRYWUKUA~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiDtcYP0ThaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS 8wMi8xNi9oZWFsdGgvY292aWQtdmFjY2luZS10ZWVucy5odG1s P2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1NCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9jYl8yMDIxMDIxNi ZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yNzE3OCZubD1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1icmll ZmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTg0NTM0NjY5JnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NTE3Nz AmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTM4YjY1M2Y1OWQ4YTc4OGQyYjgwMjlk MzQ5ZmIwNWYxVwNueXRCCmAhGFIsYJaOxRRSGXJvYmVydGxha2 U0Mjk0M0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~). Adolescents can struggle to comply with the strict rules of a clinical study, which requires keeping a symptom diary and showing up to multiple appointments. And smaller studies, to minimize the potential risk to minors, can result in slower turnaround times.

Researchers must also obtain a parent’s consent or permission. Information sessions for each can be protracted and painstaking. Objection by either child or parent terminates the application. And researchers often caution young subjects to keep their participation off social media, because vaccine disinformation and online personal attacks are so widespread.

Pfizer’s trial for children ages 12 through 15 is fully enrolled, and the company expects results in the first quarter of this year, which it will then submit to the Food and Drug Administration for review. Moderna is still recruiting for its adolescent trials, with data anticipated sometime this summer.

The pandemic has upended life for many teens — shutting down in-person school, sports and socializing — and experts are warning of a “mental health pandemic” among young adults in isolation (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/uUs7RPAFLhX0o0g2gR768w~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiDtcYP0TtaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS 8wMi8xNC93b3JsZC9ldXJvcGUveW91dGgtbWVudGFsLWhlYWx0 aC1jb3ZpZC5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1NCZlbWM9ZWRpdF 9jYl8yMDIxMDIxNiZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yNzE3OCZubD1jb3Jv bmF2aXJ1cy1icmllZmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTg0NTM0NjY5JnNlZ2 1lbnRfaWQ9NTE3NzAmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTM4YjY1M2Y1OWQ4 YTc4OGQyYjgwMjlkMzQ5ZmIwNWYxVwNueXRCCmAhGFIsYJaOxR RSGXJvYmVydGxha2U0Mjk0M0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) that has pushed many to despair. Some children say signing up for trials is a way to fight back.

Sam, 12, who entered the Pfizer trial at Cincinnati Children’s hospital, said he wanted to participate “because it would be helping science and beat the pandemic.”

He added, “And it was my way of saying thank you to the frontline workers who are keeping us healthy.”

It wasn’t a painless decision. After his second shot, Sam had a throbbing headache, chills and a low-grade fever. His mother said she felt guilty for letting him participate, and she apologized to him. Sam was mystified by her reaction. “I’m so happy,” he replied. “This means I got the real thing!”

A deadly syndrome: About 2,060 children have also contracted a dangerous rare condition related to the coronavirus, multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, which can shut down the heart and other organs. Doctors across the country say they are seeing a striking increase in the condition (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/B--AqQr0K1d7cUXevchVDQ~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiDtcYP0TyaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS 8wMi8xNi9oZWFsdGgvY292aWQtY2hpbGRyZW4taW5mbGFtbWF0 b3J5LXN5bmRyb21lLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MTU0JmVtYz 1lZGl0X2NiXzIwMjEwMjE2Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTI3MTc4Jm5s PWNvcm9uYXZpcnVzLWJyaWVmaW5nJnJlZ2lfaWQ9ODQ1MzQ2Nj kmc2VnbWVudF9pZD01MTc3MCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9MzhiNjUz ZjU5ZDhhNzg4ZDJiODAyOWQzNDlmYjA1ZjFXA255dEIKYCEYUi xglo7FFFIZcm9iZXJ0bGFrZTQyOTQzQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAA AA~~) with more children falling seriously ill than during the first wave of cases in the spring.

My teens are the coronavirus guinea pigs. Sheila Mulrooney Eldred, a health journalist in Minneapolis, wrote about her front-row seat to one of the most-anticipated pediatric trials in history (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/zDek0U-_E4R76I0B_En0rw~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiDtcYP0TwaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS 8wMi8xNi9wYXJlbnRpbmcvdGVlbi1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy12YWNj aW5lLXRyaWFsLmh0bWwvP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1NCZlbWM9ZW RpdF9jYl8yMDIxMDIxNiZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yNzE3OCZubD1j b3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1icmllZmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTg0NTM0NjY5Jn NlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NTE3NzAmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTM4YjY1M2Y1 OWQ4YTc4OGQyYjgwMjlkMzQ5ZmIwNWYxVwNueXRCCmAhGFIsYJ aOxRRSGXJvYmVydGxha2U0Mjk0M0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ ).

bob10

19th February 2021, 10:46 AM

An important message from Madonna King, on vaccinations.

Madonna King: Time to end the dangerous anti-vaccination conspiracy theories

Play Video

What do vaccines actually do?

Vaccines help to prevent disease by stimulating the immune system to produce antibodies, which help to identify and tackle invaders such as viruses and bacteria. Millions of deaths are prevented every year through immunization for more than 20 life-threatening diseases. Many children in the United States die from preventable diseases, partly because of the rise of the anti-vaccination or anti-vaxxer...

OPINION

https://1v1d1e1lmiki1lgcvx32p49h8fe-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/1610600394-madonna-king-transparent-96x96.png (https://thenewdaily.com.au/author/madonna-king/)Madonna King (https://thenewdaily.com.au/author/madonna-king/)

The silver lining in the COVID-19 cloud is how communities across our nation have bonded.
Families are looking after aged-care residents they’d never met – until they discovered they had no one visiting them.
Neighbours are routinely grocery shopping for those worried about the daily threat of infection.

Psychologists are staying open, late at night, to listen to anxious children tearfully explain their inability to sleep.
Nurses and police, and paramedics, and teachers, and scientists are fronting up to work, worn out, in a bid to bring certainty back to our lives.

Related: Facebook news shutdown on eve of vaccine rollout ‘bad idea’ (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2021/02/18/facebook-ban-covid/)

It’s a unique brand of ‘COVID Kindness’ that should headline this tumultuous time in history.
But the theme – in policy and practice – has been to look out for someone else. Whether that’s in helping out or social distancing, in our work practices or at home.
And that makes the false and fanciful arguments about the vaccine rollout, currently being spread by a merry band of ignorant anti-vaxxers, particularly foul.

Do they genuinely believe that those receiving the jab are being secretly injected with a chip to allow Bill Gates to track our every move?

Or that our chances of having children are doomed by a *****, that has been tried and tested across the globe?

Do they really, genuinely, think that vaccines – which have killed off smallpox, polio and dozens of other diseases – turn into mutant murderers in some people?

In journalism, you meet a lifetime of conspiracy theorists. Often it makes good dinner party talk, and that’s where it ends.

But when the conspiracy arguments threaten the health – and lives – of others, the joke loses its punchline.

Related: Australia vaccine rollout plan announced (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2021/02/18/australian-coronavirus-vaccine-rollout-plan/)

Yes, we’ve played at the periphery in dealing with those trading in mistruths. “No jab, no play. No jab, no pay”. But that’s not enough any more.
Those thousands and thousands of Australians who refuse to immunise their children – and risk spreading disease to others – need to be held to account in a stronger way.
Inciting violence is a crime. So is hate speech. Why isn’t the refusal to vaccinate against those diseases that can spread to others? Like COVID?
https://1v1d1e1lmiki1lgcvx32p49h8fe-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/anti-vax.png (https://1v1d1e1lmiki1lgcvx32p49h8fe-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/anti-vax.png)Protesters who believe vaccines are poison and 5G networks spread COVID-19 take to the streets in Sydney.COVID-19 has brought this issue into sharp focus.
The anti-vaccination gang are already preying on the vulnerable, and those anxious about a vaccine that’s come, via science, to the market quickly.
Surveys in some areas overseas have shown the numbers of those lining up for the jab are not high enough to immunise local communities.
The reach of those promoting anti-vaccine messages is also rising sharply on social media. On Instagram, for example, a UK study showed big anti-vaccination accounts grew almost five-fold last year.

But in good news, vaccination rates are also rising as more doses become available.

That cannot afford to be stopped by the risk of what many are calling ‘a vaccine hesitancy’; a risk the World Health Organisation nominated in 2019 as one of the top-10 threats to global health.
Vaccine priorities

This week, debate has revolved around the priority list for early vaccination in Australia.

Front-line workers. Those manning quarantine and borders. The ill. The vulnerable. The aged. It all makes perfect sense. And we cannot allow it to be undermined by the ignorant, brash, and bizarre claims of those now letterboxing homes, calling talkback radio or promoting rants on Facebook.

(Truly, if Facebook wanted to do something to make itself relevant again, it could perhaps bring back news of the pandemic and remove the fake news around it!)

Our politicians have handled this pandemic in wildly different ways; but each of them – despite their politician affiliation – has done what they think is best to stop its spread.
It’s time they turned their attention to a small, loud and ignorant group that is working to kill the kindness so many others are growing in our communities

bob10

20th February 2021, 09:10 AM

From the USA, the pandemic's deadly winter surge is rapidly easing.

Nationally, all signs point to continued rapid easing of the pandemic’s deadly winter surge. Cases are down 23 percent from the previous week and down 57 percent from the country’s all-time peak in early January when the U.S. recorded 1.7 million new cases in a single week. Hospitalization numbers confirm this rapid decline: There were about 77,000 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the U.S. as of February 10, down 42 percent from the country’s January 6 record of about 132,000 people. Reported deaths dropped for the second week in a row, with 19,266 deaths reported this week—almost 10 percent fewer than were reported in the previous week. (We have excluded from this count the 1,507 historical deaths Indiana reported with no corresponding dates on February 4; these deaths are included in our API and cumulative death count.) Testing dropped 8 percent this week, the third week of declines for that metric.

The Pandemic’s Deadly Winter Surge Is Rapidly Easing - Defense One (https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2021/02/pandemics-deadly-winter-surge-rapidly-easing/172034/)

bob10

20th February 2021, 09:54 AM

COVID-19 may lead to male fertility issues.

Coronavirus: Can it spread via sex and does COVID-19 reduce fertility? (thenewdaily.com.au) (https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/wellbeing/2021/02/19/coronavirus-semen-covid-male-fertility/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Saturday%20News%20-%2020210220)

bob10

20th February 2021, 10:01 AM

The early doomsday merchants may have been close to the mark, when they spruked the virus was natures way of controlling the World's population, but not in the way they meant. Research from South Africa and the UAE has found male COVID-19 patients sustain damage to the tersticles and sperm. They found;

There is testicular injury and inflammatory infiltration
Viral orchitis (swelling) may occur, as patients experienced scrotal discomfort
There are altered semen parameters and
The number of spermatozoa with DNA fragmentation is increased.

bob10

20th February 2021, 06:14 PM

And then the Gorilla's started coughing.

Humans are spreading the coronavirus to other animals. What does that mean for all of us?

Opinion | When Covid Spread to Gorillas - The New York Times (nytimes.com) (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/19/opinion/covid-symptoms-gorillas.html?campaign_id=39&emc=edit_ty_20210219&instance_id=27281&nl=opinion-today&regi_id=84534669&segment_id=51960&te=1&user_id=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1)

bob10

20th February 2021, 06:44 PM

New rules in a vaccinated society.

New rules in a vaccinated society

Israel’s vaccination campaign is the fastest in the world, and in the coming days it will reach a milestone, inoculating half of its population with at least one dose.

The rapid rollout is giving the rest of the world a first glimpse into the rules that may govern a vaccinated society — and they’re raising thorny questions (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/tuO_NK2Y4fAZMsksplYdbg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiEXl7P0TzaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS 8wMi8xOC93b3JsZC9taWRkbGVlYXN0L2lzcmFlbC1jb3ZpZC12 YWNjaW5lLXJlb3Blbi5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1NCZlbW M9ZWRpdF9jYl8yMDIxMDIxOCZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yNzI2MSZu bD1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1icmllZmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTg0NTM0Nj Y5JnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NTE5MjgmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTM4YjY1 M2Y1OWQ4YTc4OGQyYjgwMjlkMzQ5ZmIwNWYxVwNueXRCCmAte_ QuYGdEdc9SGXJvYmVydGxha2U0Mjk0M0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAA AAA~).

This week, the government is allowing the reopening of shopping malls, gyms, sport events, hotels and other venues for the first time in months — but only for people who are fully vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19. Under a new “Green Badge” system, customers and attendees will have to carry a certificate of vaccination with a QR code to gain entrance to many areas of public life, from restaurants and event halls, to conferences and swimming pools.

The system is fueling a heated debate about personal rights versus the greater good. But for the country’s health minister, the situation is cut and dry: “Getting vaccinated is a moral duty. It is part of our mutual responsibility,” he said. “Whoever does not get vaccinated will be left behind.”

The health ministry is now proposing legislation that would require some unvaccinated employees to be tested every 48 hours for the virus, and the health minister is promoting a bill that would identify unvaccinated people to the local authorities.

While four million people out of a population of nine million have been vaccinated, about two million citizens who are eligible have not sought a vaccine. In some cities, unvaccinated employees have been threatened with dismissal, including hotel workers and educators. A quarter or more of Israel’s teachers have not sought a first dose, and critics say they pose a danger to students under 16, who are too young to be vaccinated.

Rights groups have pushed back and have written a letter to the attorney general demanding that he issue a clear opinion that, under the law, employers may not demand vaccination status from workers. But with so many competing interests involved, resolving these issues may require legislative action from Parliament.

Dr. Maya Peled Raz, an expert in health law and ethics at the University of Haifa, defended some limits on personal liberties for the greater good. Employers cannot force employees to get vaccinated, she said, but they might be allowed to employ only vaccinated workers if not doing so could harm their business.

“It’s your choice,” she added of leisure activities. “If you are vaccinated, you can enter. As long as you aren’t, we can’t let you endanger others.”

bob10

21st February 2021, 10:23 AM

No one knows if some one vaccinated can carry the virus and spread it to others . Yet.The usual precautions should be taken, even after vaccination.

With Covid-19 vaccines rolling out across the United States, the beginning of the end of the nation’s struggle with the pandemic may be coming into sight. But while the two currently approved Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are more than 90 percent effective at preventing the development of serious illness, scientists don’t know whether someone who has been vaccinated can carry the live virus and spread it to others.

Initial vaccine trials focused on vaccine safety. These were designed to gather data quickly and accurately on how effectively the vaccines prevented large groups of people from getting seriously sick with Covid-19.

In the push to get a vaccine approved for emergency use as quickly as possible, other effects of the vaccines were left untested. Scientists must test a smaller pool of people with greater frequency to understand how the virus travels between people after vaccination—an effort that became secondary to studying vaccine safety and efficacy.
“We design the trials to determine how we reduce the disease burden and keep people from progressing to hospitalization and death and being on a ventilator—that was and I think, still is, the first primary purpose of developing a vaccine,” says Larry Corey, co-director of the Covid-19 Prevention Network, a group formed in part by the National Institutes of Health to address the need for vaccines.
Now, as new, highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 variants from California, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil spread globally, understanding transmission as it relates to vaccine rollout efforts is vital.

Can You Spread Covid-19 After Getting Vaccinated? | Science | Smithsonian Magazine (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/yes-you-should-still-wear-mask-after-covid-19-vaccination-180977054/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20210218-daily-responsive&spMailingID=44472878&spUserID=ODU1Njc2OTEyODIyS0&spJobID=1941695552&spReportId=MTk0MTY5NTU1MgS2)

bob10

21st February 2021, 10:35 AM

I don't mind if some people choose not to or cannot be vaccinated. Not sure why people would be protesting about what is there existing right. Perhaps they think it is also their right to impose themselves on others? Aged care workers and similar who choose to protect them selves would then be a risk to the people they are supposed to care for may be a situation prompting complaints?

Its pretty clear people who do not get a Covid vax are a risk to themselves and others so will not be covered by some types of insurance or be allowed on Planes and into many countries assuming planes start moving again. When in hospital, a guy refused to allow a blood transfusion during surgery as he felt other peoples blood was "dirty". His drug taking, drinking and smoking might have had most people feeling that way about his blood had he been a blood donor. He didn't bleed to death happily for the surgeons and staff that just might have had to watch his choice kill him. I am also certain he is not a blood donor happily. I did ask him. I did not tell him I was[biggrin].

Even after vaccination, no one knows if those vaccinated can carry the virus and pass it on to other people. Precautions taken now [ masks, social distancing] will need to carry on until proof , one way or the other, is determined. From the Smithsonian magazine.;

"With Covid-19 vaccines rolling out across the United States, the beginning of the end of the nation’s struggle with the pandemic may be coming into sight. But while the two currently approved Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are more than 90 percent effective at preventing the development of serious illness, scientists don’t know whether someone who has been vaccinated can carry the live virus and spread it to others.

Initial vaccine trials focused on vaccine safety. These were designed to gather data quickly and accurately on how effectively the vaccines prevented large groups of people from getting seriously sick with Covid-19.

In the push to get a vaccine approved for emergency use as quickly as possible, other effects of the vaccines were left untested. Scientists must test a smaller pool of people with greater frequency to understand how the virus travels between people after vaccination—an effort that became secondary to studying vaccine safety and efficacy.
“We design the trials to determine how we reduce the disease burden and keep people from progressing to hospitalization and death and being on a ventilator—that was and I think, still is, the first primary purpose of developing a vaccine,” says Larry Corey, co-director of the Covid-19 Prevention Network, a group formed in part by the National Institutes of Health to address the need for vaccines.
Now, as new, highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 variants from California, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil spread globally, understanding transmission as it relates to vaccine rollout efforts is vital."

bob10

24th February 2021, 10:06 AM

A pandemic question mark: The variants

Epidemiologists have been warning for months that more contagious and deadly coronavirus variants have been bubbling just beneath the surface in the U.S. and could soon lead to another powerful surge of the virus — just as many places are easing up on restrictions.

And yet, there have been a number of signs in the U.S., and across the world, that the pandemic is in decline. During the last month, new cases globally have dropped to half their peak (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/S8SXAxjmXQ2XVxTElyA6Ig~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiGBM1P0T1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vaW50ZX JhY3RpdmUvMjAyMS8wMi8yMi93b3JsZC9jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy13 b3JsZC10dXJuYXJvdW5kLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MTU0Jm VtYz1lZGl0X2NiXzIwMjEwMjIzJmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTI3NDE1 Jm5sPWNvcm9uYXZpcnVzLWJyaWVmaW5nJnJlZ2lfaWQ9ODQ1Mz Q2Njkmc2VnbWVudF9pZD01MjIwNCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9Mzhi NjUzZjU5ZDhhNzg4ZDJiODAyOWQzNDlmYjA1ZjFXA255dEIKYD U1jjVgIsDWnFIZcm9iZXJ0bGFrZTQyOTQzQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgE AAAAAA~~) while hospitalizations in the U.S. have reached their lowest point since November (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/wfveotvsc-yUfJy-_JSFwg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiGBM1P4Q1AWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm55dGltZXMuY29tL2xpdm UvMjAyMS8wMi8yMi93b3JsZC9jb3ZpZC0xOS1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1 cy9wZW9wbGUtYXJlLXNtaWxpbmctdXMtaG9zcGl0YWxzLWZlZW wtdGhlLWRyb3AtaW4tY292aWQtMTktcGF0aWVudHMtYnV0LXVy Z2UtY2F1dGlvbj9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0xNTQmZW1jPWVkaXRfY2 JfMjAyMTAyMjMmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9Mjc0MTUmbmw9Y29yb25h dmlydXMtYnJpZWZpbmcmcmVnaV9pZD04NDUzNDY2OSZzZWdtZW 50X2lkPTUyMjA0JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD0zOGI2NTNmNTlkOGE3 ODhkMmI4MDI5ZDM0OWZiMDVmMVcDbnl0QgpgNTWONWAiwNacUh lyb2JlcnRsYWtlNDI5NDNAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA). Recorded deaths around the world are also falling, declining roughly 50 percent (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/prhq_mcr7GFVVfXIlpT-0A~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiGBM1P0TjaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vaW50ZX JhY3RpdmUvMjAyMC93b3JsZC9jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1tYXBzLmh0 bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MTU0JmVtYz1lZGl0X2NiXzIwMjEwMj IzJmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTI3NDE1Jm5sPWNvcm9uYXZpcnVzLWJy aWVmaW5nJnJlZ2lfaWQ9ODQ1MzQ2Njkmc2VnbWVudF9pZD01Mj IwNCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9MzhiNjUzZjU5ZDhhNzg4ZDJiODAy OWQzNDlmYjA1ZjFXA255dEIKYDU1jjVgIsDWnFIZcm9iZXJ0bG FrZTQyOTQzQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) since late January.

So then, are the variants losing?

My colleague Carl Zimmer, who writes about science for The Times, told me that assuming the positive trends will continue was “presumptuous.”

“The dynamics of viruses are weird,” Carl said. “And this is our third peak, so you’d think we’d have learned our lesson by now not to be too smug.”

It’s not certain that variants — like those discovered in South Africa or Brazil — will spread rapidly when they arrive in new territory. They may have showed up too late to the party, when another variant was already dominant, Carl said. Or the new population could be healthier, or with high rates of previous infection and antibodies.

But in the U.S., we just don’t know exactly what the variants are doing. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has ramped up its sequencing of genomes, to about 9,000 cases per week, when it comes to our ability to watch the variants, Carl said, “Our eyesight is not great.”

Denmark, however, has 20/20 virus vision, and its experience may act as a warning to the U.S. The country sequences the genome of the vast majority of its coronavirus cases, and has found that even as a national lockdown drove down cases over the last few months, the virus variant B.1.1.7., first discovered in Britain, has continued to gain steam.

Camilla Holten Moller of the Statens Serum Institute, which models the epidemic for the Danish government, told me that they think the variant could make up as much as 80 percent of cases in the country, possibly by the end of this month. If that happens, she expects a sudden rise in infections and hospitalizations.

“And with B.1.1.7, it’s like speeding in a car,” she said. “Your reaction time is shorter.”

The California variant. Two new studies show that the variant first discovered in California in December is more contagious than earlier forms of the coronavirus (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/5jqinUlPKuJawnb8b7HfsA~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiGBM1P0TsaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS 8wMi8yMy9oZWFsdGgvY29yb25hdmlydXMtY2FsaWZvcm5pYS12 YXJpYW50Lmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MTU0JmVtYz1lZGl0X2 NiXzIwMjEwMjIzJmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTI3NDE1Jm5sPWNvcm9u YXZpcnVzLWJyaWVmaW5nJnJlZ2lfaWQ9ODQ1MzQ2Njkmc2VnbW VudF9pZD01MjIwNCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9MzhiNjUzZjU5ZDhh Nzg4ZDJiODAyOWQzNDlmYjA1ZjFXA255dEIKYDU1jjVgIsDWnF IZcm9iZXJ0bGFrZTQyOTQzQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~), and may be better at evading vaccines. The findings added to concerns that emerging mutants could hamper a decline in cases.

bob10

24th February 2021, 10:09 AM

Future COVID vaccines depend on something in short supply- monkeys. N.Y. Times.

As new variants of the coronavirus threaten to make the current batch of vaccines obsolete, scientists are racing to find new sources of monkeys, and the United States is reassessing its reliance on China, a rival with its own biotech ambitions.
The pandemic has underscored how much China controls the supply of lifesaving goods, including masks (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/05/business/china-medical-supplies.html) and drugs (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/business/economy/coronavirus-china-trump-drugs.html), that the United States needs in a crisis.

Future Vaccines Depend on Test Subjects in Short Supply: Monkeys - The New York Times (nytimes.com) (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/23/business/covid-vaccine-monkeys.html?campaign_id=154&emc=edit_cb_20210223&instance_id=27415&nl=coronavirus-briefing&regi_id=84534669&segment_id=52204&te=1&user_id=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1)

bob10

25th February 2021, 06:50 PM

Healthcare CEO stood down over vaccine bungle.

Healthcare CEO stood aside over vaccine dosage bungle (thenewdaily.com.au) (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2021/02/25/healthcare-australia-ceo-stood-aside/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PM%20Extra%20-%2020210225)

bob10

26th February 2021, 10:52 AM

A New York variant of the virus has been identifird in N.Y. City, and it contains an alarming mutation that may make it less susceptible to vaccines. From the N.Y. Times.

The New York variant

A new variant of the coronavirus has been identified in New York City, and it contains an alarming mutation that may make it less susceptible to vaccines (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/qQrKemYeztSTT-z-rE7PcQ~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiGqaWP4RFAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm55dGltZXMuY29tLzIwMj EvMDIvMjQvaGVhbHRoL2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXZhcmlhbnQtbnlj Lmh0bWw_YWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrJmFjdGlvbj1jbGljayZjYW1wYW lnbl9pZD0xNTQmZW1jPWVkaXRfY2JfMjAyMTAyMjUmaW5zdGFu Y2VfaWQ9Mjc0ODgmbW9kdWxlPVJlbGF0ZWRMaW5rcyZtb2R1bG U9UmVsYXRlZExpbmtzJm5sPWNvcm9uYXZpcnVzLWJyaWVmaW5n JnBndHlwZT1BcnRpY2xlJnBndHlwZT1BcnRpY2xlJnJlZ2lfaW Q9ODQ1MzQ2Njkmc2VnbWVudF9pZD01MjM0NCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJf aWQ9MzhiNjUzZjU5ZDhhNzg4ZDJiODAyOWQzNDlmYjA1ZjFXA2 55dEIKYDeWIThg5NgGhFIZcm9iZXJ0bGFrZTQyOTQzQGdtYWls LmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~).

Known as B.1.526, the variant first appeared in samples collected in November, and it has since been spreading rapidly in the city. By the middle of February, it was present in more than one in four samples in the city’s virus database.

Two studies published online this week by researchers at Caltech and Columbia University found that the variant in New York shared characteristics similar to variants discovered in South Africa and Brazil, which have been shown to weaken the effectiveness of vaccines. One study found that patients infected with the variant were about six years older on average and more likely to have been hospitalized.

The studies also found evidence that the South Africa and Brazil variants had been circulating in the city. And the British variant continues to gain steam in New York City, making up 6.2 percent of cases, up from 2.7 percent in late January.

New York City officials said today that the risks posed by the variant were not yet fully understood. The city is not yet making any major changes to its public health response.

While cases in the city have fallen since the holiday surge, they have been declining more slowly compared to the rest of the nation (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/DHD_o-YGpl9Caize00iYbg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiGqaWP0TyaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS 8wMi8yNS9ueXJlZ2lvbi9uZXcteW9yay1jaXR5LWNvcm9uYXZp cnVzLXZhY2NpbmVzLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MTU0JmVtYz 1lZGl0X2NiXzIwMjEwMjI1Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTI3NDg4Jm5s PWNvcm9uYXZpcnVzLWJyaWVmaW5nJnJlZ2lfaWQ9ODQ1MzQ2Nj kmc2VnbWVudF9pZD01MjM0NCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9MzhiNjUz ZjU5ZDhhNzg4ZDJiODAyOWQzNDlmYjA1ZjFXA255dEIKYDeWIT hg5NgGhFIZcm9iZXJ0bGFrZTQyOTQzQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAA AA~~). Even so, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has begun reopening many sectors, including indoor dining, major sports stadiums, movie theaters and wedding venues.

The city so far has vaccinated about one million people. The positivity rate among people over 75 in New York has dropped quickly, and emergency room visits for people over 65 are falling.

But a new paper from the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy argues that as more contagious variants spread, vaccinations needed to speed up.

The paper notes: “A major peak in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in the near future remains a strong possibility.”

bob10

26th February 2021, 10:57 AM

Pfizer will test a booster shot and develop an adapted vaccine to address variant concerns.

As concerns grow that new coronavirus variants could blunt the protective effects of vaccines, Pfizer and BioNTech said on Thursday (https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210225005515/en/Pfizer-and-BioNTech-Initiate-a-Study-as-Part-of-Broad-Development-Plan-to-Evaluate-COVID-19-Booster-and-New-Vaccine-Variants) that they planned to test a third booster shot as well as update their original vaccine.
Laboratory experiments have found that the levels of antibodies neutralized by the Pfizer-BioNTech shot was reduced against a variant (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/25/health/coronavirus-moderna-vaccine-variant.html) first identified in South Africa, which could hint at reduced efficacy. But there is no evidence yet from clinical trials there suggesting that the vaccine does not offer strong protection.
“We are taking multiple steps to act decisively and be ready in case a strain becomes resistant to the protection afforded by the vaccine,” Dr. Albert Bourla, the chief executive of Pfizer, said in a statement.

Pfizer will test a booster shot and develop an adapted vaccine to address variant concerns. - The New York Times (nytimes.com) (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/25/world/pfizer-covid-booster-shot.html?)

bob10

26th February 2021, 06:52 PM

Another major bungle at an aged home.

Pfizer doses tossed out as more coronavirus vaccine bungles emerge (thenewdaily.com.au) (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2021/02/26/vaccine-bungles-rollout/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PM%20Extra%20-%2020210226)

bob10

1st March 2021, 11:31 AM

Medical experts cast doubt on an October deadline for Australia's vaccines. Courtesy of The New Daily.

Medical experts cast doubt on Australia's October vaccination deadline (thenewdaily.com.au) (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2021/03/01/australia-vaccine-october/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=News%20Alert%20-%2020210301)

bob10

3rd March 2021, 11:28 AM

Coronavirus briefing , courtesy of the N.Y. Times. The rise of the new Brazil variant, P1.

The rapid rise of P.1

Three new studies into the coronavirus variant that first arose in Brazil, known as P.1, depict it as an alarming double threat — capable of both spreading more rapidly and evading antibodies (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/H8jdXv97UcsqQfUIe-jBQg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiIUI1P0TxaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS 8wMy8wMS9oZWFsdGgvY292aWQtMTktY29yb25hdmlydXMtYnJh emlsLXZhcmlhbnQuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0xNTQmZW1jPW VkaXRfY2JfMjAyMTAzMDImaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9Mjc2NTQmbmw9 Y29yb25hdmlydXMtYnJpZWZpbmcmcmVnaV9pZD04NDUzNDY2OS ZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTUyNjQxJnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD0zOGI2NTNm NTlkOGE3ODhkMmI4MDI5ZDM0OWZiMDVmMVcDbnl0QgpgNzW9Pm D10vgKUhlyb2JlcnRsYWtlNDI5NDNAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA ).

The new research tracked the variant’s destructive rise in the Amazonian city of Manaus, which was hit particularly hard in the spring, but seemed to have gotten past the worst of the pandemic by April. (Some scientists believed that the city had reached herd immunity.)

But sometime probably around November, P.1 appeared in Manaus, sparking a record-breaking surge in cases. The variant was particularly devastating because of its increased contagiousness; researchers found it to be 1.4 to 2.2 times more transmissible than other lineages of coronaviruses.

More troubling perhaps was the fact that the variant also gained the ability to infect people who had immunity from past Covid-19 infections. Researchers estimated that out of 100 people who were infected with non-P.1 variants in Manaus last year, between 25 and 61 of them could have been reinfected if they were exposed to P.1.

One big unknown is whether what happened in Manaus will be replicated in other areas. P.1 is now spreading across the rest of Brazil and has been found in 24 other countries. In the United States, it has been found in Alaska, Florida, Maryland, Minnesota and Oklahoma, and experts believe it will become more common.

Nuno Faria, a virologist at Imperial College London who helped lead much of the new research, said it was important to double down on every measure known to slow the spread of the virus.

“The ultimate message is that you need to step up all the vaccination efforts as soon as possible,” he said. “You need to be one step ahead of the virus.”

The variant previously known as: The naming conventions for viruses were fine as long as variants remained esoteric topics of research. But now that they are a source of anxiety for billions of people, the World Health Organization is looking for a single naming convention system that would hopefully give the variants names that roll off the tongue — without stigmatizing the people or places associated with them (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/jiZI4maNqAuE6KbtKHXIOw~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiIUI1P0ThaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS 8wMy8wMi9oZWFsdGgvdmlydXMtdmFyaWFudC1uYW1lcy5odG1s P2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1NCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9jYl8yMDIxMDMwMi ZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yNzY1NCZubD1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1icmll ZmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTg0NTM0NjY5JnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NTI2ND EmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTM4YjY1M2Y1OWQ4YTc4OGQyYjgwMjlk MzQ5ZmIwNWYxVwNueXRCCmA3Nb0-YPXS-ApSGXJvYmVydGxha2U0Mjk0M0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~).

bob10

3rd March 2021, 11:31 AM

Variant P1, and the city of Manaus, Brazil.

Virus Variant in Brazil Infected Many Who Had Already Recovered From Covid-19 - The New York Times (nytimes.com) (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/01/health/covid-19-coronavirus-brazil-variant.html?campaign_id=154&emc=edit_cb_20210302&instance_id=27654&nl=coronavirus-briefing&regi_id=84534669&segment_id=52641&te=1&user_id=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1)

bob10

6th March 2021, 09:16 PM

We are vaccinated. Everyone wants to visit. Now what? From WIRED.

You're Vaccinated and People Want to Visit. Now What? | WIRED (https://www.wired.com/story/were-vaccinated-everyone-wants-to-visit-now-what/?bxid=5cc9e26e3f92a477a0ea0693&bxid=5cc9e26e3f92a477a0ea0693&cndid=52475003&cndid=52475003&esrc=subscribe-page&esrc=subscribe-page&hasha=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1&hasha=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1&hashb=acd4725d670d172aa9d05ce7f671dc63250efce1&hashb=acd4725d670d172aa9d05ce7f671dc63250efce1&hashc=c17365ab07572ed90614d245ada5ad675f6bc00189fa 766123c70d76d1d7cddf&hashc=c17365ab07572ed90614d245ada5ad675f6bc00189fa 766123c70d76d1d7cddf&mbid=mbid%3DCRMWIR012019%0A%0A&mbid=mbid%3DCRMWIR012019%0A%0A&source=EDT_WIR_NEWSLETTER_0_DAILY_ZZ_Intro_Rate_Pa nelA&source=EDT_WIR_NEWSLETTER_0_DAILY_ZZ_Intro_Rate_Pa nelA&utm_brand=wired&utm_brand=wired&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_content=A&utm_content=A&utm_mailing=WIR_Daily_030521_CMTest&utm_mailing=WIR_Daily_030521_CMTest&utm_medium=email&utm_medium=email&utm_source=nl&utm_source=nl&utm_term=list1_p4&utm_term=list1_p4)

bob10

13th March 2021, 04:43 PM

Several European countries suspend use of AstraZeneca vaccine, because of blood clots.

COVID: Several European countries halt use of AstraZeneca vaccine | News | DW | 11.03.2021 (https://www.dw.com/en/covid-several-european-countries-halt-use-of-astrazeneca-vaccine/a-56835406'maca=en-newsletter_en_bulletin-2097-xml-newsletter&r=2716477879229385&lid=1777985&pm_ln=81681)

bob10

13th March 2021, 06:44 PM

From the NY Times, the week our reality broke.

An opinion piece on a year of living with the coronavirus, and how it has affected American society.

The empty shelves; the people in masks
on the bus; the email saying the
office would be closed. A year ago, we realized
that everything was about to change.
For a brief moment, it felt like we were all
in this together. What happened?

Opinion | The Week Our Reality Broke - The New York Times (nytimes.com) (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/03/11/opinion/covid-us-one-year.html?campaign_id=39&emc=edit_ty_20210311&instance_id=27944&nl=opinion-today&regi_id=84534669&segment_id=53217&te=1&user_id=38b653f59d8a788d2b8029d349fb05f1)

bob10

14th March 2021, 12:25 PM

The blame game starts over the vaccine roll out.

Coronavirus vaccine: Rollout go-slow puts 4 million target in doubt (thenewdaily.com.au) (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2021/03/11/coronavirus-vaccine-rollout-slow/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Sunday%20Best%20-%2020210314)

bob10

16th March 2021, 09:35 AM

PNG's COVID crisis. Qld has been helping PNG with testing , out of 500 tests last week, more than half were positive. A lot of Qlders are FIFO workers at the OK TEDI gold mine. PNG is just a tinnie ride away from Torres Strait islands. Our closest neighbour needs urgent help.

A catastrophe looms with PNG's COVID crisis. Australia needs to respond urgently (theconversation.com) (https://theconversation.com/a-catastrophe-looms-with-pngs-covid-crisis-australia-needs-to-respond-urgently-156953?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20 for%20March%2015%202021%20-%201889218450&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20f or%20March%2015%202021%20-%201889218450+CID_5bae547e6fab5a6b5f948fc6e87f9c27&utm_source=campaign_monitor&utm_term=A%20catastrophe%20looms%20with%20PNGs%20C OVID%20crisis%20Australia%20needs%20to%20respond%2 0urgently)

bob10

16th March 2021, 09:43 AM

Europe in chaos, the third wave of COVID. From the New York Times. Plus thumbs up for AstraZeneca

"Leading public health agencies, including the World Health Organization, have said that millions of people have received the vaccine without experiencing blood clotting issues, and they caution that experts have not found a causative link between the vaccine and the conditions. AstraZeneca has defended its vaccine as safe."

Chaos returns to Europe

A third wave of infections is hammering Europe, and the situation is looking startlingly similar to the early days of the pandemic (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/Clcwpw1fddhoo5Jc5qNT9w~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiMmWnP0ThaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS 8wMy8xNS93b3JsZC9pdGFseS1jb3ZpZC1sb2NrZG93bi5odG1s P2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1NCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9jYl8yMDIxMDMxNS ZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yODA4NSZubD1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1icmll ZmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTg0NTM0NjY5JnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NTM0Nz QmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTM4YjY1M2Y1OWQ4YTc4OGQyYjgwMjlk MzQ5ZmIwNWYxVwNueXRCCmBIp-BPYPS96rhSGXJvYmVydGxha2U0Mjk0M0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAA AAA~).

Cases are surging. Street protests are becoming violent. Hospitalizations are soaring in places like France and Hungary. And in Italy, new restrictions were put in place today, blanketing the country in an eerie silence one year after it became the first European country to impose a national lockdown.

For months Italy relied on a color-coded system of restrictions that tried to target outbreaks while avoiding a national lockdown, but it doesn’t seem to have worked. A surge of new, more contagious variants, paired with a lackluster vaccine rollout, sent cases and hospitalizations skyrocketing.

“History repeats itself,” Massimo Galli, one of Italy’s top virologists, told the daily newspaper Corriere della Sera. “Unfortunately we all got the illusion that the arrival of the vaccines would reduce the necessity of more drastic closures,” he said. “But the vaccines did not arrive in sufficient quantities.”

The vaccine rollout was thrown into further chaos today after Germany, France and Italy pulled AstraZeneca’s vaccine from use (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/iv_9qSWQd92zXdc-3JO5fA~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiMmWnP4QwAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm55dGltZXMuY29tL2xpdm UvMjAyMS8wMy8xNS93b3JsZC9jb3ZpZC0xOS1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1 cy9nZXJtYW55LWZyYW5jZS1hbmQtaXRhbHktYXJlLXRoZS1sYX Rlc3QtdG8tc3VzcGVuZC11c2Utb2YtYXN0cmF6ZW5lY2FzLXZh Y2NpbmU_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MTU0JmVtYz1lZGl0X2NiXzIwMj EwMzE1Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTI4MDg1Jm5sPWNvcm9uYXZpcnVz LWJyaWVmaW5nJnJlZ2lfaWQ9ODQ1MzQ2Njkmc2VnbWVudF9pZD 01MzQ3NCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9MzhiNjUzZjU5ZDhhNzg4ZDJi ODAyOWQzNDlmYjA1ZjFXA255dEIKYEin4E9g9L3quFIZcm9iZX J0bGFrZTQyOTQzQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) after some recipients experienced blood clotting. In some of those cases, people died, but it is unclear whether the vaccine — one of the most commonly available on the continent — caused the clots. The European Medicine Agency, or E.M.A. said it was investigating.

Leading public health agencies, including the World Health Organization, have said that millions of people have received the vaccine without experiencing blood clotting issues, and they caution that experts have not found a causative link between the vaccine and the conditions. AstraZeneca has defended its vaccine as safe.

While European countries said the suspension was a temporary precaution as they wait for more information from the E.M.A., officials and immunologists are worried that the pause would cost vital time in the race against fast-spreading variants, and that it would embolden vaccine skeptics.

bob10

18th March 2021, 09:19 PM

What else the N. Y. Times is following.

What else we’re following

The Biden administration will spend (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/g5osqqAgJYq2o38kiFjnVA~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiNRFMP4RZAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm55dGltZXMuY29tL2xpdm UvMjAyMS8wMy8xNy93b3JsZC9jb3ZpZC0xOS1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1 cy90aGUtYmlkZW4tYWRtaW5pc3RyYXRpb24td2lsbC1pbnZlc3 QtYmlsbGlvbnMtb2YtZG9sbGFycy10by1leHBhbmQtdmlydXMt dGVzdGluZy1pbi1zY2hvb2xzLWFuZC11bmRlcnNlcnZlZC1jb2 1tdW5pdGllcz9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0xNTQmZW1jPWVkaXRfY2Jf MjAyMTAzMTcmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MjgxNzgmbmw9Y29yb25hdm lydXMtYnJpZWZpbmcmcmVnaV9pZD04NDUzNDY2OSZzZWdtZW50 X2lkPTUzNjQ4JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD0zOGI2NTNmNTlkOGE3OD hkMmI4MDI5ZDM0OWZiMDVmMVcDbnl0QgpgUkyMUmA85jmmUhly b2JlcnRsYWtlNDI5NDNAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) $10 billion to expand coronavirus screening for students returning to in-person learning and another $2.25 billion to increase testing in underserved communities.
Poland, which has had a significant upswing in coronavirus cases, will temporarily close many businesses (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/p14YCxaH8zZP6DCDdx_-_A~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiNRFMP4QoAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm55dGltZXMuY29tL2xpdm UvMjAyMS8wMy8xNy93b3JsZC9jb3ZpZC0xOS1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1 cy9wb2xhbmQtd2lsbC10aWdodGVuLXJlc3RyaWN0aW9ucy1zdG FydGluZy1zYXR1cmRheS1hcy12aXJ1cy1jYXNlcy1yaXNlP2Nh bXBhaWduX2lkPTE1NCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9jYl8yMDIxMDMxNyZpbn N0YW5jZV9pZD0yODE3OCZubD1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1icmllZmlu ZyZyZWdpX2lkPTg0NTM0NjY5JnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NTM2NDgmdG U9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTM4YjY1M2Y1OWQ4YTc4OGQyYjgwMjlkMzQ5 ZmIwNWYxVwNueXRCCmBSTIxSYDzmOaZSGXJvYmVydGxha2U0Mj k0M0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) and move schools entirely online starting on Saturday.
Covid-19 units in Brazil’s hospitals are nearing capacity as the country logged 2,841 deaths within the last day (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/ufUljPJOMEfIMdjIp5cyIQ~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiNRFMP0TUaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvbS9uZXdzL3dvcm xkLWxhdGluLWFtZXJpY2EtNTY0MjQ2MTE_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9 MTU0JmVtYz1lZGl0X2NiXzIwMjEwMzE3Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPT I4MTc4Jm5sPWNvcm9uYXZpcnVzLWJyaWVmaW5nJnJlZ2lfaWQ9 ODQ1MzQ2Njkmc2VnbWVudF9pZD01MzY0OCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaW Q9MzhiNjUzZjU5ZDhhNzg4ZDJiODAyOWQzNDlmYjA1ZjFXA255 dEIKYFJMjFJgPOY5plIZcm9iZXJ0bGFrZTQyOTQzQGdtYWlsLm NvbVgEAAAAAA~~), a record, the BBC reports.
People with social anxiety (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/Hj-luULf56P7OFb21McwTw~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiNRFMP0TmaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS 8wMy8xNy9oZWFsdGgvVVMtcmVvcGVuaW5nLWFueGlldHktb2Nk Lmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MTU0JmVtYz1lZGl0X2NiXzIwMj EwMzE3Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTI4MTc4Jm5sPWNvcm9uYXZpcnVz LWJyaWVmaW5nJnJlZ2lfaWQ9ODQ1MzQ2Njkmc2VnbWVudF9pZD 01MzY0OCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9MzhiNjUzZjU5ZDhhNzg4ZDJi ODAyOWQzNDlmYjA1ZjFXA255dEIKYFJMjFJgPOY5plIZcm9iZX J0bGFrZTQyOTQzQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) are worried about returning to in-person life.
Here are 14 lessons for the next pandemic (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/WS9GiQUG_ju5BUpSNyRQpQ~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiNRFMP0T4aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vaW50ZX JhY3RpdmUvMjAyMS8wMy8xNS9zY2llbmNlL2xlc3NvbnMtZm9y LXRoZS1uZXh0LXBhbmRlbWljLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MT U0JmVtYz1lZGl0X2NiXzIwMjEwMzE3Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTI4 MTc4Jm5sPWNvcm9uYXZpcnVzLWJyaWVmaW5nJnJlZ2lfaWQ9OD Q1MzQ2Njkmc2VnbWVudF9pZD01MzY0OCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9 MzhiNjUzZjU5ZDhhNzg4ZDJiODAyOWQzNDlmYjA1ZjFXA255dE IKYFJMjFJgPOY5plIZcm9iZXJ0bGFrZTQyOTQzQGdtYWlsLmNv bVgEAAAAAA~~), according to experts.
The Times asked scientists, community leaders and public health experts to look back on the coronavirus pandemic and complete this phrase: “In 100 years, people will say … (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/f5pwWgNHWT6MZPoIHcpHMg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiNRFMP0TwaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vaW50ZX JhY3RpdmUvMjAyMS8wMy8xNS9zY2llbmNlL2NvdmlkLXBhbmRl bWljLWZ1dHVyZS5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1NCZlbWM9ZW RpdF9jYl8yMDIxMDMxNyZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yODE3OCZubD1j b3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1icmllZmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTg0NTM0NjY5Jn NlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NTM2NDgmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTM4YjY1M2Y1 OWQ4YTc4OGQyYjgwMjlkMzQ5ZmIwNWYxVwNueXRCCmBSTIxSYD zmOaZSGXJvYmVydGxha2U0Mjk0M0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ )”
Double masking is hard. Here’s a hack (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/viM32qDyEpP72A_zmNUVzA~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiNRFMP0TjaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vYXJ0aW NsZS9kb3VibGUtbWFza2luZy10aXBzLWNvcm9uYXZpcnVzLmh0 bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MTU0JmVtYz1lZGl0X2NiXzIwMjEwMz E3Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTI4MTc4Jm5sPWNvcm9uYXZpcnVzLWJy aWVmaW5nJnJlZ2lfaWQ9ODQ1MzQ2Njkmc2VnbWVudF9pZD01Mz Y0OCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9MzhiNjUzZjU5ZDhhNzg4ZDJiODAy OWQzNDlmYjA1ZjFXA255dEIKYFJMjFJgPOY5plIZcm9iZXJ0bG FrZTQyOTQzQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) to keep it all safely in place.
Our colleague Anemona Hartocollis, who covers higher education, sampled some of the more than 900 college application essays sent to The Times by high school seniors (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/AEYLpJe2o_upzASyQEPNHg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiNRFMP0TiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS 8wMy8xNy91cy9jb3ZpZC1jb2xsZWdlLWFkbWlzc2lvbnMuaHRt bD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0xNTQmZW1jPWVkaXRfY2JfMjAyMTAzMT cmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MjgxNzgmbmw9Y29yb25hdmlydXMtYnJp ZWZpbmcmcmVnaV9pZD04NDUzNDY2OSZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTUzNj Q4JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD0zOGI2NTNmNTlkOGE3ODhkMmI4MDI5 ZDM0OWZiMDVmMVcDbnl0QgpgUkyMUmA85jmmUhlyb2JlcnRsYW tlNDI5NDNAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA). “Reading them is like a trip through two of the biggest news events of recent decades: the devastation wrought by the coronavirus, and the rise of a new civil rights movement,” she wrote.
In The Times Opinion section, Dr. Zeynep Tufekci, an associate professor at the University of North Carolina, called for the U.S. to start exporting doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to other countries (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/mEpiJpBjkUEbKyqwyJSw_g~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiNRFMP0TiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS 8wMy8xNy9vcGluaW9uL2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXZhY2NpbmUuaHRt bD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0xNTQmZW1jPWVkaXRfY2JfMjAyMTAzMT cmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MjgxNzgmbmw9Y29yb25hdmlydXMtYnJp ZWZpbmcmcmVnaV9pZD04NDUzNDY2OSZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTUzNj Q4JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD0zOGI2NTNmNTlkOGE3ODhkMmI4MDI5 ZDM0OWZiMDVmMVcDbnl0QgpgUkyMUmA85jmmUhlyb2JlcnRsYW tlNDI5NDNAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA). (The F.D.A. has not yet authorized it.)
The Times is hosting a live event centered on the coronavirus on March 23. Marc Lacey, assistant managing editor, will interview Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland and San Francisco’s mayor, London Breed, about how we reckon with the pandemic’s toll and our path to normalcy. R.S.V.P. here. (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/KMT0t9XLFVz4EfFV3RaKPA~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiNRFMP4RkAmh0dHBzOi8vbmwubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vZi9hL3 lVc1BXTzNGUFVmTDl1VHRUSlhUN1F-fi9BQUFBQVFBfi9SZ1JpTkltQ1AwVGxhSFIwY0hNNkx5OTNkM2 N1Ym5sMGFXMWxjeTVqYjIwdmFXNTBaWEpoWTNScGRtVXZNakF5 TUM5aFpHMXBiaTlzYVhabExXVjJaVzUwY3k1b2RHMXNQMk5oYl hCaGFXZHVYMmxrUFRRNUptVnRZejFsWkdsMFgyTmhYekl3TWpF d016RTNKbWx1YzNSaGJtTmxYMmxrUFRJNE1UVTBKbTVzUFdOaG JHbG1iM0p1YVdFdGRHOWtZWGttY21WbmFWOXBaRDAyTXpneU16 WTFOQ1p6WldkdFpXNTBYMmxrUFRVek5UZzVKblJsUFRFbWRYTm xjbDlwWkQwNU9EQXpaV1ZpTmpobFpqUXpabUpsWmpVMlptWmlO emt5T0dKaVpqQTFOeU5sZG1WdWRDMVVSblo0YUZjRGJubDBRZ3 BnU0lJRVVtRDVFYmNzVWg5cWIyNWhkR2hoYmk1aGJtUnlaWGN1 ZDI5c1ptVkFaMjFoYVd3dVkyOXRXQVFBQUFBQT9jYW1wYWlnbl 9pZD0xNTQmZW1jPWVkaXRfY2JfMjAyMTAzMTcmaW5zdGFuY2Vf aWQ9MjgxNzgmbmw9Y29yb25hdmlydXMtYnJpZWZpbmcmcmVnaV 9pZD04NDUzNDY2OSZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTUzNjQ4JnRlPTEmdXNl cl9pZD0zOGI2NTNmNTlkOGE3ODhkMmI4MDI5ZDM0OWZiMDVmMV cDbnl0QgpgUkyMUmA85jmmUhlyb2JlcnRsYWtlNDI5NDNAZ21h aWwuY29tWAQAAAAA)