A Fifth of Coronavirus

[Zoraptor]

5 hours ago, Totally not Gorgon said:

There is also the fact that the UK handled their covid response pretty poorly overall, and that as a result needed preferential treatment. Lockdowns are expensive and they didn't initially want to pay. 

They funded the AstraZeneca vaccine and put in the earliest order for it. Indeed, iirc they put in both their big orders before the EU made theirs. If you ordered two Teslas from Elon Musk you'd expect them to be delivered before someone who ordered after you even if you weren't also a share holder; and the preferential treatment would be if the person who made the late orders got theirs first to reward them for backing DeLorean equivalents.

The UK may have stuffed up their covid response bad initially, but there really isn't much to criticise in the vaccine rollout.

[Gorth]

Poor Melbourne. Headed into total lockdown again for an unknown time. This time a somewhat severe outbreak with a still unknown number of people affected. All starting with a returning international traveler that brought "gifts" from abroad. He spent the mandatory two weeks in hotel quarantine in Adelaide and tested negative before leaving. Yet 5 days after that (last time I read it) started developing symptoms and tested positive. In the meantime, he had been all over Melbourne infecting a number of people. Didn't help that contact tracers messed up badly by announcing the wrong grocery store as a possible infectious spot (as they forgot that particular area had two grocery stores from the same chain) and didn't start tracking people who had visited the correct store until way later...

 

Edit: this is from before the weekend:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-27/victoria-covid-cases-melbourne-outbreak-lockdown-restrictions/100169172

"The state's outbreak has now reached 26 cases, with 11 new cases recorded from Wednesday to Thursday.

Around 14,000 Victorians are either required to quarantine for 14 days, or test and isolate until negative.

One of the cases was in hospital on a ventilator, but it is understood they were moved out of intensive care on Thursday night."

[rjshae]

I went to the chemist today and asked the assistant "what kills the Corona Virus?"

She replied to me "Ammonia Cleaner"

I said "Oh, I am sorry, I thought you worked here"

[rjshae]

The dream team: Scientists find drug duo that may cure COVID-19 together

Quote

the researchers found two drugs that provided effective SARS-CoV-2 suppression: cepharanthine, which is used to treat inflammation, and nelfinavir, which is approved for the treatment of HIV infection.

The screening technology also looks intriguing.

[rjshae]

[Gfted1]

US has bought and will donate 500 million doses of Pfizer's vaccine worldwide.

Youre welcome, world.

[Totally not Gorgon]

Got the covid jab. 

Waiting for superpowers/government mind control

[Keyrock]

9 minutes ago, Totally not Gorgon said:

Got the covid jab. 

Waiting for superpowers/government mind control

I haven't felt any compulsion to pledge my undying loyalty to Bill Gates yet, but I figure they're just waiting for maximum adoption before turning the microchips on.

[Elerond]

18 hours ago, Gfted1 said:

US has bought and will donate 500 million doses of Pfizer's vaccine worldwide.

Youre welcome, world.

https://www.euro.who.int/en/media-centre/events/events/2021/04/european-immunization-week-2021/news/news/2021/04/covax-helps-make-equitable-access-to-covid-19-vaccines-a-reality-in-the-who-european-region

COVAX aims to deliver 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of the year, which should be enough to protect high-risk and vulnerable people, including frontline health workers. Its goal is to ensure equitable access for all participating economies across the globe, regardless of size or income level.

So far, COVAX has shipped over 40.5 million COVID-19 vaccines to 118 participants. This includes both self-financing and funded countries and territories. Within the Region, COVAX has delivered initial batches of Pfizer–BioNTech and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses to Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, the Republic of Moldova, Serbia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, as well as Kosovo (in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 [1999]).

Team Europe, which brings together the European Union and its Member States, is one of the lead contributors to COVAX, with over €2.2 billion pledged to help secure 1.3 billion doses of vaccines for 92 low- and middle-income countries by the end of 2021.

 

We need only 10 billion dozes more and we can put this pandemic behind us.

[rjshae]

2 hours ago, Totally not Gorgon said:

Got the covid jab. 

Waiting for superpowers/government mind control

I had my second shot on Monday. The side effects were pretty mild and lasted barely a day. Now I'm looking forward to the state dropping all the quarantine measures. Any day now...

We're already subject to mind control through the media outlets on a daily basis, so how will we know the difference? Is there a tell? 

[Keyrock]

@rjshaeHow are things up in the Pacific Northwest? In the Southeast and Midwest things are essentially back to normal. You still see some people wearing masks, but the mandate is gone and all businesses are open AFAIK.

Edited June 10, 2021 by Keyrock

[rjshae]

1 hour ago, Keyrock said:

@rjshaeHow are things up in the Pacific Northwest? In the Southeast and Midwest things are essentially back to normal. You still see some people wearing masks, but the mandate is gone and all businesses are open AFAIK.

The state has been in phase III since mid May, which essentially only limits large gatherings. Mask requirements are still in place though, following the CDC guidance. The vaccination program has been fairly successful here. Gov. Inslee has said there will be a statewide reopening on June 30th; possibly earlier if we hit the 70% vaccination mark.

https://www.governor.wa.gov/news-media/inslee-announces-statewide-reopening-date-june-30-and-short-term-statewide-move-phase 3

[LadyCrimson]

I wonder when real estate home walkthru's won't have to be by appointment/one at a time anymore.  I refuse to buy a home only viewing it via some online "Zoom video tour."

Also, I *wish* the vaccine had given me telekinetic powers, even if that meant a cost of, say, a slightly shortened lifespan. I would've had so much fun.  Sadly, it did not.

[Keyrock]

I'm convinced that even if the vaccine gave me a superpower, it would be a really lame one. I'd get Jubilee's powers. Wow, I can shoot fireworks, whoopee! On the bright side, I'd be great a parties. I would probably get invited to barbecues a lot. 

[LadyCrimson]

12 minutes ago, Keyrock said:

I'm convinced that even if the vaccine gave me a superpower, it would be a really lame one. I'd get Jubilee's powers. Wow, I can shoot fireworks, whoopee! On the bright side, I'd be great a parties. I would probably get invited to barbecues a lot. 

You'd probably at least get tons of free beer/drinks. 

[Guard Dog]

I just saw on the news celebrity cruise lines had their first post opening all vaccinated crews. And two people on it tested positive. Is it just me or is it starting to sound like the Masque of the Red Death.  Only it’s not that red or all that deadly.

[BruceVC]

@Zoraptor

If you get exposed to the virus you normally have a 2-7 day incubation period before you may actually get the virus

During this incubation period if you take a virus test is it effective because I cant see how it would work unless you have the virus either asymptomatically or symptomatically

So what I am trying to understand is what is the point of taking a Corona test during the incubation period? Or do these Corona tests still provide some value   

[Zoraptor]

Speaking generally; you have to have enough virus there for the test to detect. If you've been exposed and are incubating but have a low initial viral load you'll still test negative. The good news though is that that also means you'll have extremely low infectivity since you need a decent viral load to be shedding it. That's why you have sporting or other events where you need a negative test result before going; you may be infected and get sick later but you won't (shouldn't) be infecting people at the event with a viral load low enough to get a negative result.

That's the idea behind the testing regime we have for our quarantine. You have a test before traveling from most places and can only travel with a negative test. That doesn't guarantee that you don't have it, but if you do at least you're not infectious while aboard a plane and infecting more people there. They'll then do a series of tests during a two week isolation, and if you test negative to all of them you're free to go. There have been some unlucky people whose incubation has been longer than two weeks, but it's very rare.

[BruceVC]

17 minutes ago, Zoraptor said:

Speaking generally; you have to have enough virus there for the test to detect. If you've been exposed and are incubating but have a low initial viral load you'll still test negative. The good news though is that that also means you'll have extremely low infectivity since you need a decent viral load to be shedding it. That's why you have sporting or other events where you need a negative test result before going; you may be infected and get sick later but you won't (shouldn't) be infecting people at the event with a viral load low enough to get a negative result.

That's the idea behind the testing regime we have for our quarantine. You have a test before traveling from most places and can only travel with a negative test. That doesn't guarantee that you don't have it, but if you do at least you're not infectious while aboard a plane and infecting more people there. They'll then do a series of tests during a two week isolation, and if you test negative to all of them you're free to go. There have been some unlucky people whose incubation has been longer than two weeks, but it's very rare.

Thats makes sense, great explanation 

The reason I am asking is we are trying to address the virus spread in SA and we have several illogical and counter-productive measures in place that different institutions within both  private and public sector implement when their is a case of the virus and some of these measures seem pointless to me based on what we are discussing. So our problems are not just lack of vaccines but how we seem to understand the virus 

For example last year in the public and private sector schools, but mostly public sector schools, when their is a case of the virus that either children or teachers manifest the following happens 

• They immediately shut down the schools and send everyone home for 2 weeks
• Then they deep clean the school as if that will somehow eradicate the virus but the virus is spread by people and not desks and floors
• After 2 weeks if you not feeling sick then everyone goes back to school with NO confirmation  testing. So this completely ignores asymptomatic carriers who could get the virus 2 days before going back to school and also the unusual case of  a longer 2 week incubation period 

Last year the pointless strategy of deep cleaning cost us R500 million rand in one province alone 

https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2021-05-28-schools-deep-cleaning-no-different-from-spring-cleaning/

Anyway my frustration is I want SA to be able to address the virus spread until vaccines arrive and our approach is inconsistent with what the science tells us 

 

 

[Gfted1]

We have another highly effective COVID vaccine, based on different tech.

[InsaneCommander]

The vaccination in some parts of Brazil is now expected to happen much earlier. Last I had checked I would only be vaccinated in August or September. But now it seems it will happen in the next weeks.

[BruceVC]

17 minutes ago, InsaneCommander said:

The vaccination in some parts of Brazil is now expected to happen much earlier. Last I had checked I would only be vaccinated in August or September. But now it seems it will happen in the next weeks.

What vaccine will you be taking and how are things with the virus spread in Brazil, are things better now overall ?

[InsaneCommander]

38 minutes ago, BruceVC said:

What vaccine will you be taking and how are things with the virus spread in Brazil, are things better now overall ?

Probably Astra Zeneca, which is the one people are getting right now.

The situation is definitely better than it was recently, but the number of deaths/million is still pretty high.

[rjshae]

7 hours ago, InsaneCommander said:

Probably Astra Zeneca, which is the one people are getting right now.

The situation is definitely better than it was recently, but the number of deaths/million is still pretty high.

The Astra Zeneca vaccine has been working very well in the UK. Too bad they messed up some of the testing in the USA.

Two doses of vaccine highly effective against Delta variant, U.K. officials say

[rjshae]

This was an interesting read on anti-mask behavior:

Negative attitudes about facemasks during the COVID-19 pandemic: The dual importance of perceived ineffectiveness and psychological reactance

There's a disturbing conclusion at the end:

Quote

PR [i.e. anti-mask wearing] is strongly correlated (r = .51) with psychopathic personality traits such as a tendency toward angry, impulsive behavior. Accordingly, confronting people who refuse to wear masks could be hazardous. Indeed, there have been media reports of people reacting violently when confronted about not wearing masks.

Yoikes. Well that explains certain news stories.