Coronavirus thread

[Mandryka]

https://www.youtube.com/v/qw5QsA9Z5co&ab_channel=TomKearney

Disturbing (if accurate) glimpse into the state of union involvement in COVID health and safety in the UK.

[Irons]

https://www.youtube.com/v/qw5QsA9Z5co&ab_channel=TomKearney

Disturbing (if accurate) glimpse into the state of union involvement in COVID health and safety in the UK.

Unions role is to protect the interests of it's members against "fat cat" employers. When "fat cat" union leaders sip from the same bowl then workers rights and welfare slip down the pecking order.

https://www.taxpayersalliance.com/trade_union_rich_list_2020_teaching_union_bosses_share_1m_pay_pot

[Mandryka]

Unions role is to protect the interests of it's members against "fat cat" employers. When "fat cat" union leaders sip from the same bowl then workers rights and welfare slip down the pecking order.

https://www.taxpayersalliance.com/trade_union_rich_list_2020_teaching_union_bosses_share_1m_pay_pot

Sure, but UNITE wasn't included in the study, unless I missed it.

[Que]

Exit AstraZeneca? 


Covid: South Africa halts AstraZeneca vaccine rollout over new variant

Oxford Covid vaccine has 10% efficacy against South African variant, study suggests

[JBS]

My father, who is 88 and lives in the inner ring of Boston's suburbs (Belmont)  told me tonight he has an appointment tomorrow for the first vaccine dose.

He's not keen to go because of the weather forecast, but apparently if he doesn't go he would be pushed to a much later place in the queue.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

My father, who is 88 and lives in the inner ring of Boston's suburbs (Belmont)  told me tonight he has an appointment tomorrow for the first vaccine dose.

He's not keen to go because of the weather forecast, but apparently if he doesn't go he would be pushed to a much later place in the queue.

Hopefully his appointment is fairly early this morning?  Is someone driving him or will he be traveling there himself?

In any event, I hope that all goes well.

Best wishes,

PD

[DavidW]

I saw some encouraging news this morning.  1 in 10 Americans have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

And the daily covid rates are the lowest they've been in SC for the past two months.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I saw some encouraging news this morning.  1 in 10 Americans have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

And the daily covid rates are the lowest they've been in SC for the past two months.

1 in 10?!  Wow!  I didn't think that it was that good.  May I ask where you heard that news?  Just curious.

Glad to hear that things are improving in SC too!

PD

[T. D.]

1 in 10?!  Wow!  I didn't think that it was that good.  May I ask where you heard that news?  Just curious.

Glad to hear that things are improving in SC too!

PD

CDC report Monday.
It's buried on this page (scroll way down): https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/08/covid-live-updates.html

[Pohjolas Daughter]

CDC report Monday.
It's buried on this page (scroll way down): https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/08/covid-live-updates.html

Thank you!    That's encouraging.

I have some friends who own a second home in Florida; they've received both doses of their vaccines.  Meanwhile, some of the state governors have lifted requirements on things like mask wearing in public (like in Iowa).    Sigh....

PD

[Irons]

Sure, but UNITE wasn't included in the study, unless I missed it.

Perhaps Len McCluskey, the General Secretary of Unite, wasn't mentioned in the piece as he only receives a £140.300 salary. Unite funded £415.000 for him to decorate his flat. To be fair to Len he did give the money back when reported in the press. Had some great trips abroad though paid by Unite.
Yes, there are Tory fat cats who are far worse and corrupt. Take a look at the new Chinese Embassy to be built in London. They are all at it.

[T. D.]

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/09/covid-vaccine-jj-ceo-says-people-may-get-annual-shots-for-the-next-several-years.html

People may need to get vaccinated against Covid-19 annually, just like seasonal flu shots, over the next several years, Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky told CNBC on Tuesday.

"Unfortunately, as [the virus] spreads it can also mutate," he told CNBC's Meg Tirrell during a Healthy Returns Spotlight event. "Every time it mutates, it's almost like another click of the dial so to speak where we can see another variant, another mutation that can have an impact on its ability to fend of antibodies or to have a different kind of response not only to a therapeutic but also to a vaccine."

Public health officials and infectious disease experts have said there is a high likelihood that Covid-19 will become an endemic disease, meaning it will become present in communities at all times, though likely at lower levels than it is now. Health officials will have to continuously watch for new variants of the virus, so scientists can produce vaccines to fight them, medical experts say.

Gorsky's comment came after J&J said it applied for an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for its coronavirus vaccine. Unlike Pfizer's and Moderna's vaccines, which require two doses given about three to four weeks apart, J&J's only requires one dose, easing logistics for health-care providers.

[71 dB]

My dad, 82, finally gets vaccinated next Monday. It has been a wait... 

[MusicTurner]

That's nice to hear!
My family members in their 70s still have a good deal of waiting to do, but one who's 97 had both.

Here, the UK B117 is increasing its share, but the total number of infections isn't going up yet, so far. It's expected to, however.

[Holden]

This makes interesting reading.

https://www.qut.edu.au/research/article?id=173374

[71 dB]

That's nice to hear!
My family members in their 70s still have a good deal of waiting to do, but one who's 97 had both.

Here, the UK B117 is increasing its share, but the total number of infections isn't going up yet, so far. It's expected to, however.

Thanks! Sorry to hear your family members in their 70s have to wait. It's the same here in Finland. We don't have that many UK B117 cases (225 known) yet here, but the computer simulations say it could become the dominant strain in 3 months time. Hopefully at that point in time the most vulnerable people have been vaccinated at least once. As of now 187,000+ people (~3.4 % of pop.) in Finland have been vaccinated.

[71 dB]

This makes interesting reading.

https://www.qut.edu.au/research/article?id=173374

I can foresee a MASSIVE global shortage of asthma inhalers in the near future! What will happen to those with asthma? 

[Mandryka]

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/chronic-infection-uk-coronavirus-variant

I thought that the above shows that truth is stranger than fiction.

[71 dB]

Finnish company DEEP SENSING Algorithms has been developing technology to detect Covid-19 fast from breath. So, it's like an alcotester, but for corona virus.

copy-pasted from their pages:

The unit contains a set of carefully selected and configured nanosensors that record Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and other substances connected to the biomarkers to be identified in exhaled breath gas. The biomarker VOC's are born in human metabolism and their known relation – the VOC profile – with a given disease forms the basis for the analysis.

DSA BreathPass™ communicates with an Artificial Intelligence based cloud algorithm to calculate how well the measured breathprint of the individual's VOC profile matches with the known COVID-19 features. The results are available immediately.

DSA BreathPass™ and future development versions will be brought available for early detection of diseases such as lung and colon cancers and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The company is supposed to be able to start production and deliveries all over the World in the near future.

[T. D.]

Here's some unpleasant news in my county. Some posturing going on, but basically not good. It even appears farcical.

ULSTER COUNTY EXECUTIVE PAT RYAN OUTLINES VACCINE PRE-REGISTRATION AND PRIORITIZATION LIST 


List will allow residents to pre-register for the vaccine, prioritize residents based on health risk, and provide an estimated timeline for available vaccines


Starting Monday, Ulster County will have over 120,000 residents eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, but has only received 12,000 total doses from New York State


This week, Ulster County received 1,500 vaccines from NYS, a 20% reduction from last week 


KINGSTON, N.Y. - Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan today outlined a plan that establishes a pre-registration and prioritization list for all residents eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. With the announced expansion of the eligibility list from the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) this week to include those with comorbidities, the number of those eligible within Ulster County will expand significantly from 70,000 through Phases 1A and 1B, to 120,000 residents starting on February 15th. This means that over two-thirds of the county's residents are eligible for the vaccine, despite the very limited supply being allocated to the county by New York State.

This week, New York State allocated a total of 1,500 vaccines to Ulster County, split between Ulster County's Health Department, private pharmacies, and local health providers. This represents a reduction of over 20% from the week prior. Ulster County currently has the capacity to vaccinate up to 50,000 people a month but lacks the needed supply.

"Given the very limited supply of vaccine that we are receiving from New York State, it's critical that we prioritize those at greatest risk within our community. Implementing our pre-registration and prioritization list for the 120,000 residents now eligible for vaccination is an important step to both prioritize those most in need and to help all residents better understand when they will be able to receive a vaccine," Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan said. "I am hopeful that we will receive additional vaccine supply from the State and Federal government soon. We remain ready and able to scale up our distribution efforts immediately, administering up to 50,000 doses per month. I will continue to advocate to State and Federal representatives to ensure that we get the vaccines that we so urgently need."

The prioritization list, created by the Ulster County Department of Health based on CDC and New York State DOH guidance and in consultation with infectious control physicians and leaders in the region, outlines the following groups based on health risk:

Group Red - Residents over the age of 75 with a qualifying health condition, and 1B essential workers with an underlying condition

Estimated time for vaccination: April*

Group Orange - Residents ages 65 to 74 with an underlying health condition, and essential workers without an underlying health condition

Estimated time for vaccination: June*

Group Yellow - Adults (all ages) with a qualifying health condition, and 65 + without qualifying health condition

Estimated time for vaccination: October*

Group Green - Any other priority group as directed by the NYSDOH

Estimated time for vaccination: TBD

*Estimated times of vaccination are based on the current supply of vaccines.