Coronavirus thread

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Denmark is the World's largest producer of mink furs, and it's now been decided to euthanize the complete stock consisting of millions, in order to avoid virus mutations among them, that could also endanger future vaccine efficiency. There's a production of almost 18 mio furs per year, but it's under conditions that can't be described as animal-friendly.

Oh my God!    1) I hadn't realized that they were so susceptible to the virus and 2) Couldn't they release them some how or another?  Or figure out something else? 

PD

[Karl Henning]

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/04/north-dakota-man-who-died-of-covid-19-wins-seat-in-state-legislature.html

Curiously perfect.

[André]

Oh my God!    1) I hadn't realized that they were so susceptible to the virus and 2) Couldn't they release them some how or another?  Or figure out something else? 

PD

12 people got infected by them already. I don't think letting the little buggers free would be a good idea...

[pjme]

Oh my God!    1) I hadn't realized that they were so susceptible to the virus and 2) Couldn't they release them some how or another?  Or figure out something else? 
PD

The Netherlands and Belgium are struggling with the same problem: all mink farms will be closed, all the animals must be destroyed. Apparently the minks can contaminate humans, so there is no other way.
Anyway, these animals are bred in truly horrific conditions - even in Denmark, Belgium and The Netherlands (and the US).
(see YT - if you want....)

[prémont]

12 people got infected by them already. I don't think letting the little buggers free would be a good idea...

The situation is now considered so serious, that the Danish government tomorrow will introduce more restrictions in Northern Jutland, where this is taking place.

[MusicTurner]

Oh my God!    1) I hadn't realized that they were so susceptible to the virus and 2) Couldn't they release them some how or another?  Or figure out something else? 

PD

  Release wouldn't work with that amount of animals and the already found viruses. Unfortunately transfer of virus from mink (where investigations have shown that the animals got the virus from a seagull's feet) to humans and then from humans back to mink, and between humans, involving several new virus mutations, and 12 people or more getting tested positive - but not sick - from mink (these people have now been isolated, and the geographical areas face further lock-downs) has been identified. This could affect the efficiency of future vaccines in particular. In reality it might mean the closure of Danish mink business, consisting 0.7 % of the country's export, since the refined breeding animals will be culled too. But the entrepreneurs have accepted it due to protecting public, potentially global, health. They might-might try to work to isolate a few particularly good breeding animals in some locked facility.

[prémont]

It has only been suggested - and not proven, that the seagulls are the transmitting factor, since so far virus only has been found on one seagull's foot.

One of the mink-mutated vira (cluster 5) is particularly dangerous, since it in vitro very recently has been shown to react less well to virus antibodies, and it has already been transmitted to some humans in Northern Jutland. It has been estimated, that 5% of the infected persons in Northern Jutland carries it.

[drogulus]

     The US reached 100,000 cases today.

[71 dB]

361 corona deaths in Finland now...

[MusicTurner]

The mink story, resulting in the culling of 1100 local mink farms and a rather severe lock-down in Northern Jutland here in Denmark, and quick mass testing among the population, seems to evolve; mink corona has now been found in Sweden too, besides the other countries already mentioned above. It raises the overall question whether the mink mutation problems are potentially related to all mink and mink production in general, and then, what to do about it. You can't euthanize all mink everywhere. It's not that these mutations are more dangerous, it's just that it will delay work with effective vaccines, at least for several months. So far, there's the local lock-down from tomorrow here. But the mutations might have spread further already.

[Karl Henning]

The mink story, resulting in the culling of 1100 local mink farms and a rather severe lock-down in Northern Jutland here in Denmark, and quick mass testing among the population, seems to evolve; mink corona has now been found in Sweden too, besides the other countries already mentioned above. It raises the overall question whether the mink mutation problems are potentially related to all mink and mink production in general, and then, what to do about it. You can't euthanize all mink everywhere. It's not that these mutations are more dangerous, it's just that it will delay work with effective vaccines, at least for several months. So far, there's the local lock-down from tomorrow here. But the mutations might have spread further already.

alarming.

[T. D.]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54851759

Covid-19: US hits record daily case rise three days running

More than 127,000 infections were reported in 24 hours, as well as 1,149 deaths.

The news comes as officials announced that White House chief of staff Mark Meadows had also tested positive for the virus.

He is the latest Trump administration official to contract the disease.

The US is the worst affected nation in the world by Covid-19, with more than 9.7 million confirmed cases and a death toll of more than 230,000.

Tracking the global pandemic
Why are infections rising again in US?
It was not immediately clear how Mr Meadows - who has often appeared at public events without a face mask - was infected.

According to the New York Times he first tested positive on Wednesday. Trump election campaign adviser Nick Trainer also has the virus, the paper said.

Mr Meadows travelled with the president on the final days of campaigning and was at an election night party attended by dozens of Trump supporters at the White House.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Read a short while ago that non-UK citizens coming from Denmark are now currently banned from traveling to the UK (due to widespread outbreaks of corona virus at mink farms):

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54851042

PD

[MusicTurner]

Read a short while ago that non-UK citizens coming from Denmark are now currently banned from traveling to the UK (due to widespread outbreaks of corona virus at mink farms):

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54851042

PD

A lot of debate here - whether it's all exaggerated, including the drastic measures and the quick culling of 17 mio minks (hoped to be carried through within a couple of days from now) + the expensive closure of 1100 farms, since so far the last found example of the mutated virus ('Cluster 5') actually goes back to September; or, alternatively, whether the authorities have been too slow at reacting - the mink farms have had some unchecked workers' traffic from and to Croatia, for example.

The mass testing in Northern Jutland will hopefully give more answers within not many days.
This might cause a lot of future problems, or it might be over already, or soon. But no matter what, mutations might occur later - though not in Denmark.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

A lot of debate here - whether it's all exaggerated, including the drastic measures and the quick culling of 17 mio minks (hoped to be carried through within a couple of days from now) + the expensive closure of 1100 farms, since so far the last found example of the mutated virus ('Cluster 5') actually goes back to September; or, alternatively, whether the authorities have been too slow at reacting - the mink farms have had some unchecked workers' traffic from and to Croatia, for example.

The mass testing in Northern Jutland will hopefully give more answers within not many days.
This might cause a lot of future problems, or it might be over already, or soon. But no matter what, mutations might occur later - though not in Denmark.

Hi MT,

I just read another article (believe that it was on CBS website) saying that it was believed that the transmission was from humans to mink and no other-way-around.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-mink-denmark-to-cull-15-million-animals-concern-mutated-covid-infections-in-humans/

In any event, good luck!

PD

[MusicTurner]

Yes, the humans to mink transition was originally the case here, but then it reversed too. That's the result of studies here.
Thanks. Of course, we all hope for a relative normalization, including options to travel around and abroad a bit next year ...

[Karl Henning]

Gosh!

[Karl Henning]

President-Elect Biden to name his coronavirus task force Monday.

[prémont]

Northern Jutland, where this mutation (cluster 5) has been found in 5 mink-farms and 12 humans, has been closed very much down. We (I live there) are not allowed to leave our commune for the next four weeks, unless we have a critical funktion. Restaurants are closed, public transport discontinued et.c. and the aim is to test all inhabitants and analyse  the RNA sequence of all positive tests to find the ones with cluster 5.

[MusicTurner]

Northern Jutland, where this mutation (cluster 5) has been found in 5 mink-farms and 12 humans, has been closed very much down. We (I live there) are not allowed to leave our commune for the next four weeks, unless we have a critical funktion. Restaurants are closed, public transport discontinued et.c. and the aim is to test all inhabitants and analyse  the RNA sequence of all positive tests to find the ones with cluster 5.

All the best from here ...
hopefully the mass testing and accompanying efforts will succeed, and rather quickly. At least it's not an introduced curfew. But if they find it spread all over the country, we might be in for further measures nationwide, unless they give up. But WHO today said that it might not represent a vaccine problem anyway. Confusing info at times ...