TheCG Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 10 hours ago, Homesteader said: She's always pilfering through my cupboards for medicinal cough medicines. Nite Mother. My doctor feels that asymptomatic people don't have enough virus load to get sick let alone give it to others. Since his wife, also a doctor, ended up on the city health department my doctor has been spending his nights researching and using up forests of trees through his printer. He used to think that objectors to the gene therapy were wackos and conspiracy theorists. He's changed his mind. He's also finding out that much of the non-mainstream researchers are having their videos and charts wiped from the net. I remember seeing something on a virologist from ... I want to say Norther Europe ... who basically quit his research because he was being targeted. I'm surprised some of the people I follower are still on Facebook - not sure how Ivor Cummins has managed not to get kicked off. Many of the natural health groups are hard to search for info, because they use vack seen, bite a min sea, etc., so if you're trying to search for something you have to know all the alternate terms. 3 1 Quote Link to comment
Jeepers Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 The CG. you are so correct about Facebook and Youtube too. They are shutting down a lot of survivalist, prepper and political websites. I check in on quite a few prepper sites and nearly all of them have had a video removed. Not necessarily for content but because of certain words. They have their Bots trained to look for certain words. Most people are using alternative words now on their websites. The most popular one seems to be 'Boom Stick'. I like your phrases. 3 Quote Link to comment
Jeepers Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 I was looking for an article to post about Denmark permanently banning Astrazeneca and ran across this. I thought it was pretty interesting. I removed some of the spaces because it's so long. Also it was all jumbled together. Covid-19 has killed over 2.97M people and infected nearly 138M others globally. Here are the latest developments for April 14: France to offer free therapy for children affected by Covid French President Emmanuel Macron has announced free psychological counselling will be provided to children and teenagers having mental health difficulties because of the coronavirus pandemic. Those ages 3 to 17 will be entitled to 10 free sessions with a psychologist, with a doctor’s prescription. Macron announced the additional help after meeting doctors and families at a paediatric psychiatric unit. His office says the plan will run for the duration of the pandemic. Doctors have reported surges of psychiatric emergencies involving young people, including attempted suicides, panic attacks and other symptoms of mental anguish. Italy to get 7 million does of Pfizer vaccine Italy is set to receive an additional 7 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine by the end of June. “Finally, a bit of good news,” the commissioner for Italy’s Covid emergency, Franceso Paolo Figliuolo, says from the tiny northern region of Aosta. He says the additions were the result of an increase in arrivals to Europe of 50 million Pfizer doses. It is the third boost in doses of the Pfizer vaccine ordered by Italy, which already was set to receive some 25 million doses by the end of June. Puerto Rico government closes all beaches The government of Trinidad and Tobago says it is closing all beaches in the twin-island nation for three weeks to stem a rise in coronavirus cases. Officials also say they’re banning indoor dining at restaurants, bars and casinos. Only groups of five, instead of 10, will be allowed to gather in public. The measures take effect at midnight Thursday. Trinidad and Tobago had previously canceled one of the biggest carnival celebrations in the Caribbean for this year. EU President announces contract extension for vaccines with Pfizer The head of the European Union’s executive arm has announced plans for a major contract extension for vaccines with Pfizer stretching to 2023. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that the EU will start negotiating to buy 1.8 billion doses of the Pfizer vaccine through 2023. Pfizer has been a mainstay of the EU’s vaccination drive so far. Von der Leyen expressed full confidence in the technology used for the Pfizer vaccine, which is different from the technology behind the AstraZeneca vaccine. Romanian health minister fired Romania’s prime minister fired the country’s health minister, after a series of incidents related to the virus pandemic created tensions within the governing coalition. The move came a day after Health Minister Vlad Voiculescu reportedly made changes to the criteria the government uses to determine which virus-control restrictions to impose on local areas without informing Prime Minister Florin Citu. Citu said the leader of USR-PLUS political alliance, Dan Barna, will serve as interim health minister. Malawi to destroy 16,000 expired Covid vaccines Malawi will destroy over 16,000 expired coronavirus vaccines donated to the impoverished country by the African Union three weeks before their use-by-date, a health official said. The southern African country received 102,000 doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jabs last month but 16,400 were not administered before they expired. "We will now destroy and dispose of (them)," Malawi's health secretary Charles Mwansambo told AFP. India authorises emergency use of Russia's Sputnik V India has authorised the emergency use of Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine and will fast-track approval for other shots already passed by other major countries, authorities said, as infection rates soared to a new record high. The government has faced mounting calls to approve more vaccines during the surge among the 1.3 billion population and a slower-than-expected mass inoculation drive. Belgium to allow restaurants, cafes to serve outdoors from May 8 Belgium will allow restaurants, cafes and bars to reopen outdoor eating and drinking areas on May 8, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo told a news conference. The country will also on Sunday end a blanket ban on non-essential travel abroad, but only for trips to other EU countries, and testing and quarantine requirements remain in place. And a nighttime curfew will be lifted from May 8, with a condition that groups were no bigger than three people, he said. Production of Russia's Sputnik vaccine to begin in Serbia – makers Moscow announced the start of production of its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in Serbia, the first European country outside Russia and Belarus to begin manufacturing the jab. "Serbia has become the first country in Southern Europe to produce Sputnik V," the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which has backed the financing of the vaccine, said in a statement. A RDIF spokesman told AFP that Serbia would be the first European country apart from Russia and Belarus to produce Sputnik. US administers 194.8 million doses of vaccines - CDC The United States had administered 194,791,836 doses of Covid-19 vaccines in the country and distributed 250,998,265 doses, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The tally is for Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, and Johnson & Johnson's vaccines as of 6:00 am ET, the agency said. Moderna shot production unlikely to rise significantly in next few months - CEO The pace of Moderna Inc's vaccine production is unlikely to speed up markedly in the next few months, though the US drug maker expects output to have increased significantly by 2022, its chief executive said. The US government has urged Moderna to speed up its production and delivery schedules for the shots after it temporarily halted the shipment of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine amid reports that six women developed rare blood clots after getting the shot. "Adding big chunks of capacity takes time," Chief Executive Stephane Bancel said during an investor call. Spain confident on vaccination targets despite J&J suspension Spain is confident it can maintain its current vaccination targets despite a US suspension of the Johnson & Johnson shot and delays to its European rollout over clotting concerns, Industry Minister Reyes Maroto said. Spain received an initial delivery of 300,000 doses of the single-shot drug on Wednesday, which the Health Ministry said would be kept in storage pending new guidance from the European Medicines Agency, expected next week. Greece orders Covid self-testing for service workers Greece will make self-testing for Covid-19 compulsory for service workers in sectors including shops, restaurants and transport, authorities said, as the government looks to gradually reopen the economy. Greece, which coped relatively well during the first wave of the pandemic, was forced to tighten restrictions to combat a surge in infections from late last year. After starting mass distribution of home-testing kits for high school students and teachers before they returned to classes this week, testing will be extended to more workers, Greek ministers said. As well as retail, restaurant and transport staff, workers in cleaning services, hair salons and betting shops will be required to do one test a week from April 19, Labour Minister Kostis Hatzidakis told a weekly briefing. Ireland's first dose vaccination target still on track - minister Ireland's plan for 80 percent of adults to receive at least one dose of a vaccine by the end of June remains on track after Pfizer Inc-BioNTech announced additional European deliveries, its health minister said. Ireland restricted the use of AstraZeneca's vaccine this week, while Johnson & Johnson delayed delivery of its shot to Europe. Dublin will also decide over the next week whether to extend the gap between inoculations of the Pfizer jab to eight or 12 weeks, Stephen Donnelly said. "It's been a bumpy week but ultimately we're still on target," Donnelly told Newstalk radio, adding the government would focus on first doses, having previously forecast that 70 percent of adults would be fully vaccinated by July. Turkey logs highest daily virus infections, deaths Turkey recorded 62,797 new coronavirus cases and 279 deaths in the last 24 hours, health ministry data showed, registering the highest daily death toll and rise in cases since the beginning of the pandemic. With Wednesday's numbers, the total number of cases recorded in Turkey have surpassed 4 million. The total death roll rose to 34,737, according to the data. President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday announced several new restrictions and a "partial closure" for the first two weeks of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan to curb the surge in cases. Portugal extends virus emergency until end of April Portugal's parliament extended a state of emergency for 15 days as health experts warned that a gradual relaxation of strict lockdown rules now underway could soon lead to a significant jump in coronavirus cases. The state of emergency grants the government powers to take emergency measures such as imposing a nighttime curfew if deemed necessary, though the general trend is currently to ease a lockdown imposed in January to curb what was then the world's worst virus surge. Portugal started lifting restrictions last month and has since reopened some schools, restaurant and cafe terraces, museums and hair salons. People have flocked out of doors to enjoy the warmer spring weather, to see loved ones and enjoy a meal outside after more than two months stuck at home. Fauci says pause on J&J shot should not prompt vaccine hesitancy Top US health officials urged Americans to get vaccinated against the virus saying US regulators' pause on Johnson & Johnson shots, following reports it can cause blood clotting, should boost confidence in the vaccines' safety. White House Covid-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said that US regulators' quick response to the clotting reports should give Americans more confidence, not less, that any shots they receive will be safe. Italy reports 469 coronavirus deaths Italy reported 469 coronavirus-related deaths against 476 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose to 16,168 from 13,447. Italy has registered 115,557 deaths linked to the virus since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the seventh-highest in the world. The country has reported 3.81 million cases to date. Patients in hospital - not including those in intensive care - stood at 26,369, down from 26,952 a day earlier. There were 216 new admissions to intensive care units, down from 242 on Tuesday. The total number of intensive care patients decreased slightly to 3,490 from a previous 3,526. Some 334,766 tests were carried out in the past day, compared with a previous 304,990, the health ministry said. Canada says it won't restrict use of AstraZeneca vaccine at this time Canada's health ministry said it would not restrict use of AstraZeneca PLC's vaccine at this time after a review showed the benefits outweighed the very rare risk of blood clots. A separate advisory council had earlier recommended Canada stop offering the vaccine to people under 55. The panel is now reviewing that advice, the health ministry said in a statement. Finland latest to mix vaccines as AstraZeneca crisis delays rollout Finland said people aged under 65 who got a first dose of the AstraZeneca shot may get a different vaccine for their second dose, as authorities warned about delays to the country's roll-out. The Institute of Health and Welfare said it was possible to give a second dose from another manufacturer to people aged under 65 who have already been given AstraZeneca and are scheduled to receive a second dose in the coming weeks. It's the third country after France and Germany to consider mixing vaccines as they limit the use of the AstraZeneca shot amid concerns about blood clots. UK reports daily cases up slightly at 2,491 Britain reported 2,491 new cases, government data showed, up slightly from 2,472 on Tuesday. A further 38 people were reported as having died within 28 days of a positive test for Covid-19, meaning there were 234 deaths between April 8 and 14, an increase of 9.3 percent compared with the previous seven days. A total of 32.37 million people had received a first dose of a vaccine against coronavirus and 8.17 million people had received a second dose. Lithuania to introduce 'Covid-19 passports' for certain groups Lithuania agreed to roll out national digital Covid-19 immunity certificates by early May to allow some people to bypass restrictions on certain activities including dining indoors, attending sporting events and holding large parties. A QR code called Freedom ID will be available to those who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus as well as those who have previously contracted the virus and recovered. Those who test negative for the virus also will be eligible. "This will be an incentive for the decision to get vaccinated", Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte told a televised government meeting. Swiss gov't looks to boost domestic Covid-19 vaccine, therapy production Switzerland will investigate ways to strengthen domestic vaccine and drug development and production, the government said, reacting as global demand far outstrips supply due to rising infections at home and abroad. "The Interior Ministry will be tasked with working together with the Finance Ministry and Department of Economic Affairs to determine in what form the federal government can strengthen the development and production of Covid-19 medicines, including vaccines and treatment, in Switzerland," the Swiss government said in a statement. Officials in Bern added that changes to the country's Covid-19 law last month have already provided flexibility for the government in boosting domestic production for the pandemic. Brazil's P1 coronavirus variant mutating, may become more dangerous - study Brazil's P1 coronavirus variant, behind a deadly Covid-19 surge in the Latin American country that has raised international alarm, is mutating in ways that could make it better able to evade antibodies, according to scientists studying the virus. Research conducted by the public health institute Fiocruz into the variants circulating in Brazil found mutations in the spike region of the virus that is used to enter and infect cells. Those changes, the scientists said, could make the virus more resistant to vaccines - which target the spike protein - with potentially grave implications for the severity of the outbreak in Latin America's most populous nation. Hungary to reopen restaurant terraces next week – PM Orban Hungary will allow restaurant terraces to reopen once 3.5 million people are inoculated against Covid-19, a target expected to be hit sometime next Wednesday or Thursday, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said. Orban also said schools can be reopened gradually, meaning kindergartens will reopen from next Monday, while classroom teaching will resume only in the first four grades of primary schools, with other years to go back to school on May 10. EU drug regulator to issue recommendation on J&J vaccine next week Europe's drug regulator said on Wednesday it expects to issue a recommendation on Johnson & Johnson's vaccine next week and that it continues to believe that the benefits of the shot outweighed the risks of side effects. The European Medicines Agency said J&J was in contact with national authorities, recommending to store the doses already received until the safety committee issues an expedited recommendation. Armenia to receive 1 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V shot Armenia has reached a deal for 1 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V virus vaccine, Russia's state-run TASS news agency cited Armenian authorities as saying. The Armenian health ministry approved the vaccine for domestic use on February 1. Elderly show equally strong antibody response to first dose of Astra, Pfizer shots The first study to directly compare immune reactions between Pfizer's and AstraZeneca's vaccines has found similarly strong antibody responses in over 80-year-olds after a first dose of either shot, UK scientists said. The study also found, however, that a critical component of the immune system known as T cells showed a more enhanced response in those who got the AstraZeneca vaccine than in those who got the Pfizer one - a finding scientists behind the study called worthy of more investigation. Sweden registers 8,879 new virus cases, 60 deaths Sweden, which has shunned lockdowns throughout the pandemic, registered 8,879 new coronavirus cases, health agency statistics showed. The country of 10 million inhabitants registered 60 new deaths, taking the total to 13,720. The deaths registered have occurred over several days and sometimes weeks. Sweden's death rate per capita is many times higher than that of its Nordic neighbours' but lower than in most European countries that opted for lockdowns. Bangladesh virus shutdown triggers exodus from capital Tens of thousands of people scrambled to get the last trains, buses and ferries out of Dhaka before a nationwide transport shutdown to halt the spread of coronavirus took hold. With new cases and deaths hitting record numbers, Bangladesh's government has ordered all offices and shops to close for eight days from 6.00 am (midnight GMT). The country will become virtually cut off with all international flights halted, and domestic transport curtailed. Denmark to permanently discontinue use of AstraZeneca vaccine Denmark will become the first country to entirely cease administering AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine following its possible link to very rare cases of blood clots, several Danish media outlets reported, citing unnamed sources. The decision, which would remove the shot from Denmark's vaccination scheme, could delay the country's vaccine rollout by up to four weeks, based on previous statements by health bodies. Danish health authorities are expected to announce the decision to halt using the vaccine and present a new timeline for the country's vaccination programme. The European Union's drug watchdog said last week it had found a possible link between the vaccine and very rare blood clot cases, but said the risk of dying from Covid-19 was "much greater" than the risk of mortality from rare side effects. Denmark has also put Johnson & Johnson's vaccine on pause pending further investigations into a possible link to rare blood clot cases. Almost one million Danes have received their first jabs, 77 percent with Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine, 7.8 percent with Moderna's shot and 15.3 percent with AstraZeneca's, before it was suspended. Russian President Putin gets second vaccine shot Russian President Vladimir Putin says he has gotten his second vaccine shot, three weeks after getting the first dose. The Russian leader announced getting the jab, which was kept out of the public eye, at a session of the Russian Geographical Society, in which he took part via video link. Putin got his first coronavirus shot on March 23, also out of sight of the cameras, and the Kremlin wouldn't reveal which of the three vaccines currently approved for use in Russia the president has taken. Ukrainian capital Kyiv extends strict lockdown until April 30 The Ukrainian capital Kyiv will stay in strict lockdown until April 30 as the daily number of new coronavirus cases and coronavirus-related deaths continues to climb despite tight restrictions imposed in March. "We have no other choice, otherwise the medical system will not cope with such a number of patients, otherwise there will be even more deaths," mayor Vitali Klitschko told a televised briefing. Earlier, in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus, Kyiv limited its public transport services, closed schools and kindergartens, theatres and shopping centres, and banned spectators from sporting events. South Africa not considering terminating J&J contract South Africa is not considering terminating its contract with Johnson & Johnson (J&J) for 31 million doses of its vaccine, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said a day after it suspended its rollout. The suspension followed US federal health agencies recommending pausing use of the J&J shot because of rare cases of blood clots. The pause in the United States is expected to be a matter of days. Poland registers more than 800 deaths Poland has reported 803 more deaths from Covid-19, its second-highest daily death toll since the start of the pandemic. Some 21,283 more infections were detected over the past day, raising the overall tally to 2,621,116, including 59,930 fatalities, according to health authorities. Poland has witnessed an alarming virus surge this month, with the single-day case count hitting a record high of 35,25 1 on April 1 and daily fatalities peaking at 954 on April 8. Ireland considers extending gap between Pfizer vaccine doses Ireland is considering extending the gap between inoculations of the Pfizer vaccine to more than four weeks to keep its vaccine programme on track while other vaccines are restricted, the health minister said. "We are looking for options for how we can keep the pace of the vaccine programme going given the news we've had" on restrictions to AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, Stephen Donnelly told journalists. "Certainly extending the interval for Pfizer beyond the four weeks is something that is being looked at," he said. Poland plans to use newly arrived J&J vaccines Poland plans to go ahead with immunisations using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after receiving its first batch of 120,000 doses on Wednesday. Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said Poland is following the latest recommendations from the European Medicines Agency, which said it is “currently not clear” whether the J&J shot caused rare blood clots reported in some recipients. The EMA approved the vaccine for use in the European Union last month. The Food and Drug Administration temporarily paused Johnson & Johnson shots in the United States to investigate possible links to blood clots in six women six to 13 days after vaccination. Poland is trying to speed up its vaccination drive amid high numbers of daily coronavirus cases and Covid-related deaths. India's new coronavirus infections hit record high India's new coronavirus infections have hit a record as crowds of pilgrims gathered for a religious festival despite oxygen shortages and strict curbs in other areas. The country reported 184,372 cases in the last 24 hours, health ministry data showed, taking total infections to 13.9 million. Deaths rose by 1,027, to a toll of 172,085. Still, hundreds of thousands of devout Hindus gathered to bathe in the Ganges river, the third key day of the weeks-long Kumbh Mela - or pitcher festival. Olympic torch relay cancelled in Japanese city over virus surge A western Japanese city has cancelled the Tokyo Olympics torch relay over spiking coronavirus cases , the second area to scrap the event as the clock ticks down to the postponed Games. The decision comes 100 days before the 2020 Olympics begin and accompanies fresh concerns about the viability of the event, with virus cases surging in Japan and abroad. "We will cancel the torch relay in Matsuyama city. We will hold the celebration for the arrival of the flame in a way that will not involve ordinary spectators," said Tokihiro Nakamura, governor of Ehime prefecture. Thailand reports daily record of 1,335 new cases Thailand has reported 1,335 new cases, the biggest daily rise since the start of the pandemic and the third record rise this week, as the country struggles with a new wave of infections. No new deaths were reported. The new cases took the total number of infections to 35,910, with deaths remaining at 97. Germany records 21,693 more cases The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany has increased by 21,693 to 3,044,016. The data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed that the death toll rose by 342 to 79,088. South Korea reports 731 new cases South Korea has reported 731 new coronavirus cases, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said as the country battles to stem the number of infections with more testing and vaccination efforts. Congo to start delayed vaccination with AstraZeneca shots The Democratic Republic of Congo will start its Covid-19 vaccination campaign on April 19 with 1.7 million AstraZeneca doses it received from the COVAX global vaccines sharing scheme after delaying the rollout for more than a month. Congo received the vaccines on March 2 and was expected to begin the inoculation campaign almost immediately but delayed rollout after several European countries suspended use of the shots. A government statement late on Tuesday said a task force had determined that the AstraZeneca vaccines already available in the country presented no risks to the population. Lack of exercise linked to more severe symptoms and a higher risk of death – study Among Covid-19 patients, a lack of exercise is linked to more severe symptoms and a higher risk of death, according to a study covering nearly 50,000 people who were infected with the virus. People physically inactive for at least two years before the pandemic were more likely to be hospitalised, to require intensive care, and to die, researchers reported in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. As a risk factor for serious Covid disease, physical inactivity was surpassed only by advanced age and a history of organ transplant, the study found. Indeed, compared to other modifiable risk factors such as smoking, obesity or hypertension, "physical inactivity was the strongest risk factor across all outcomes," the authors concluded. Brazil registers 3,808 Covid-19 deaths Brazil has registered 3,808 Covid-19 deaths and 82,186 additional coronavirus cases, according to data released by the nation's Health Ministry. The South American country has now registered 358,425 total Covid-19 deaths and 13,599,994 total confirmed cases. Australia returns to 'war footing' amid Covid-19 vaccine turmoil Australia's national cabinet will begin meeting twice a week from Monday, marking a return to a "war footing" in the country's battle against the coronavirus pandemic amid turmoil in its national vaccination programme. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the return to more frequent meetings of the group of federal and state government leaders was necessary to address "serious challenges" caused by patchy international vaccine supplies and changing medical advice. "This is a complex task and there are problems with the programme that we need to solve to ensure more Australians can be vaccinated safely and more quickly," Morrison said in a statement. Australia has fared much better than many other developed countries during the pandemic, with just over 29,400 Covid-19 cases and 910 deaths. Colombian capital to hold another weekend lockdown Colombia's capital Bogota will repeat a three-day lockdown this weekend in a bid to slow coronavirus infections, Mayor Claudia Lopez has said. A similar lockdown last weekend has helped slow the transmission of the disease, Lopez said in a press conference. People should stay home on Friday through Sunday, she added, and limits on when people can shop based on their ID number will continue. Intensive care units in Bogota have an occupancy rate of 76 percent, less than other cities like Medellin, which has also imposed quarantine measures. Officials will evaluate again next week whether to extend the lockdown measures, Lopes said. Colombia has reported more than 2.5 million coronavirus cases, as well as 66,000 deaths. It has administered more than 3.1 million vaccines doses, including more than 600,000 in Bogota. US pauses use of J&J vaccine over rare blood clots US federal health agencies have recommended pausing use of Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine for at least a few days after six women under age 50 developed rare blood clots after receiving the shot, dealing a fresh setback to efforts to tackle the pandemic. Johnson & Johnson said it would delay rollout of the vaccine to Europe, a week after regulators there said they were reviewing rare blood clots in four recipients of the shot in the United States. South Africa also suspended use of J&J's vaccine. Acting US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Janet Woodcock said the agency expected the pause to be a matter of days, and was aimed at providing information to healthcare providers on how to diagnose and treat the clots. The moves come after European regulators said earlier this month they had found a possible link between AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine and a similar rare blood clotting problem that led to a small number of deaths. FDA official Peter Marks said it was "plainly obvious" the J&J cases were "very similar" to the AstraZeneca ones. He said there had been no similar blood clot cases reported among recipients of the Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines, which use a different technology and accounted for the vast majority of US vaccinations so far. But J&J's single-dose shot and AstraZeneca's low-cost vaccine are seen as vital weapons in the fight against a pandemic that has claimed more than three million lives. UK trial on switching Covid-19 vaccines adds Moderna and Novavax shotsA UK study into using different Covid-19 vaccines in two-dose inoculations is being expanded to include shots made by Moderna and Novavax, researchers have said. The trial, known as the Com-Cov study, was first launched in February to look at whether giving a first dose of one type of Covid-19 shot, and a second dose of another, elicits an immune response that is as good as using two doses of the same vaccine. The idea, said Matthew Snape, the Oxford University professor leading the trial, "is to explore whether the multiple Covid-19 vaccines that are available can be used more flexibly". Britain and many other countries in Europe are currently using AstraZeneca's and Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccines in nationwide immunisation campaigns against the coronavirus pandemic. But reports of very rare blood clots have prompted some governments - including France and Germany - to say the AstraZeneca shot should only be given to certain age groups, or that people who have had a first dose of AstraZeneca's vaccine should switch to a different one for their second dose. 2 2 Quote Link to comment
Midnightmom Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 2 hours ago, Jeepers said: UK trial on switching Covid-19 vaccines adds Moderna and Novavax shots A UK study into using different Covid-19 vaccines in two-dose inoculations is being expanded to include shots made by Moderna and Novavax, researchers have said. The trial, known as the Com-Cov study, was first launched in February to look at whether giving a first dose of one type of Covid-19 shot, and a second dose of another, elicits an immune response that is as good as using two doses of the same vaccine. The idea, said Matthew Snape, the Oxford University professor leading the trial, "is to explore whether the multiple Covid-19 vaccines that are available can be used more flexibly". Britain and many other countries in Europe are currently using AstraZeneca's and Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccines in nationwide immunisation campaigns against the coronavirus pandemic. But reports of very rare blood clots have prompted some governments - including France and Germany - to say the AstraZeneca shot should only be given to certain age groups, or that people who have had a first dose of AstraZeneca's vaccine should switch to a different one for their second dose. So, once again those who were "jabbed" (and need to be jabbed again) are actively going to become a PART of the STUDY/experiment! If I had received one brand and they wanted me to be a guinea pig to receive a second one from a different company, I would have to decline. But, since this is the UK and not the USA, I wonder if they will have a choice??? 5 Quote Link to comment
TheCG Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 So...the Pentagon has developed a chip that sits under your skin and alerts if you have COVID. https://nypost.com/2021/04/12/microchip-developed-by-pentagon-to-detect-covid-19/ Nope, not paranoia-inducing at all. 5 Quote Link to comment
Ambergris Posted April 16, 2021 Share Posted April 16, 2021 This business with the J&J vaccine is concerning in no small part because they have been lying about the problems. At one point, they said they were pulling it because of specific problems, enumerated and detailed, that did not include blood clots in these specific places. Now, suddenly, there were blood clots in those specific places after all. Keep the lies consistent, people! 5 Quote Link to comment
Midnightmom Posted April 16, 2021 Share Posted April 16, 2021 7 hours ago, TheCG said: So...the Pentagon has developed a chip that sits under your skin and alerts if you have COVID. From the article: Quote “We can have that information in three to five minutes,” Hepburn said. “As you truncate that time, as you diagnose and treat, what you do is you stop the infection in its tracks.” The segment also revealed technology that would allow a standard dialysis machine to remove COVID-19 from the blood using a customized filter. Blood is passed through the machine, where it’s detoxed, then pumped back into the body in a continuous stream until the body is rid of the virus. I was wondering what method/medication they would use to "diagnose and treat?" HCQ, Ivermectin, Vit D, etc. Then the very next paragraph talked about using a dialysis machine to "scrub" the virus from the blood! But I don't think that that would be the first treatment, so the question remains, what would be??? All of the methods that were mentioned by Trump and poo-pooed by Fauci, etc? Or are there other more effective yet less invasive treatments than dialysis? At any rate, it appears that members of the military are becoming "lab rats" for testing out these new "seek and destroy" methods. I wonder if they are allowed to decline as they are, technically, "owned" (gov't property) by the gov't while enlisted. 1 3 Quote Link to comment
Jeepers Posted April 16, 2021 Share Posted April 16, 2021 Owned by the government indeed. When D-ex was in the military, albeit decades ago, he had no choices. He had to sign papers indicating that he understood that if he had to have surgery and started talking before, during or after anesthesia was administered, everyone had to clear the room immediately. He had a high security clearance. Even so, he was expendable. 1 2 Quote Link to comment
Midnightmom Posted April 16, 2021 Share Posted April 16, 2021 Here is an interesting video time stamped to the point where it starts the reporting on the military's response to the vaccine and the chip and dialysis treatment. BTW- he says that the military (Marines are used as the example) are allowed to refuse the vaccine - "at least at the moment" - because of its status as an Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA. =================================== Facts Matter with Roman Balmakov "About 40 percent of U.S. Marines have declined to get a shot, according to Pentagon officials. Let's examine why." Print version: https://www.theepochtimes.com/nearly-40-percent-of-marines-declining-to-get-covid-19-vaccine-official_3771057.html 2 Quote Link to comment
Homesteader Posted April 16, 2021 Share Posted April 16, 2021 (edited) 22 hours ago, Jeepers said: Lack of exercise linked to more severe symptoms and a higher risk of death – study Among Covid-19 patients, a lack of exercise is linked to more severe symptoms and a higher risk of death, according to a study covering nearly 50,000 people who were infected with the virus. People physically inactive for at least two years before the pandemic were more likely to be hospitalised, to require intensive care, and to die, researchers reported in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. As a risk factor for serious Covid disease, physical inactivity was surpassed only by advanced age and a history of organ transplant, the study found. Indeed, compared to other modifiable risk factors such as smoking, obesity or hypertension, "physical inactivity was the strongest risk factor across all outcomes," the authors concluded. Just in time for me to start spreading that FREE truckload of wood chips from our local tree trimmers. Not to mention the tons of manure I need to shovel and spread into the garden. Did I mention the seven cord of wood that needs to be cut, split, and stacked this Spring? Early on, the military was questioning the requirement of having all the troops get a vacc. When the rollout began, the paper stated that only those who wanted to serve on a submarine were 'required' to get it. Since men have to wait for years for the assignment, they were forced to get poked. Edited April 16, 2021 by Homesteader 2 Quote Link to comment
Ambergris Posted April 16, 2021 Share Posted April 16, 2021 9 hours ago, Jeepers said: Owned by the government indeed. When D-ex was in the military, albeit decades ago, he had no choices. He had to sign papers indicating that he understood that if he had to have surgery and started talking before, during or after anesthesia was administered, everyone had to clear the room immediately. He had a high security clearance. Even so, he was expendable. My friend X is now living out his life in a VA hospital, and oddly enough is under medication that keeps him from being able to talk coherently. 4 Quote Link to comment
Ambergris Posted April 16, 2021 Share Posted April 16, 2021 India's desperate Covid-19 patients turn to black market for drugs By Vikas Pandey BBC News, Delhi Published13 hours ago Akhilesh Mishra started getting a fever and a cough last Thursday but he initially thought it was just the flu. Akhilesh began to worry the next day, when his father Yogendra developed similar symptoms. The two men decided to get Covid RT-PCR tests done and tried to book a slot online but the next available appointment was three days later. They finally managed to get a slot on Sunday. In the meantime, Yogendra was running a very high fever and his doctor advised him to look for a hospital bed, which turned out to be another daunting task. They were turned away by many private hospitals in the city of Noida and also in the capital, Delhi. The family finally managed to get a bed for him in a private hospital in Delhi and he is now recovering. Akhilesh had thought he would lose his father. "I felt depressed," he said. "I feared that he was going to die without getting treatment. No son should have to go through what I went through. Everybody should have equal access to care." The family's story is not unique. Accounts of family members struggling to find a bed, or life-saving drugs or oxygen cylinders, are being reported all over India. In some cities, there is a long waiting list at the crematoriums. People also have to wait for several hours to get tested for Covid-19 at labs in many cities, including Delhi. And results are coming after 48-72 hours. "I have had symptoms for three days and it's making me anxious that I have to wait for 2-3 days to get a report," a 35-year-old man said outside a lab in Noida. Black-marketing of drugs In recent days in India, social media has been awash with desperate requests for help finding the drugs remdesivir and tocilizumab. The effectiveness of the two drugs is being debated across the world but some countries, including India, have given emergency use authorisation to both. The antiviral drug remdesivir is being prescribed by doctors across the country, and it is in high demand. India has banned exports, but manufacturers are still struggling to meet the demand. India has reported more than 150,000 Covid cases a day for the past three weeks. Hetero Pharma, one of seven firms manufacturing remdesivir in India, said the company was trying to ramp up production. The BBC has found that the shortage in supply is leading to black marketing of the drug in Delhi and several other cities. At least three agents contacted by the BBC in Delhi agreed to supply each 100mg vial of remdesivir for 24,000 rupees ($320; £232) - five times the official price. India's health ministry recommends six doses of 100mg vials for a patient for one course of the drug, but doctors say up to eight doses are needed in some cases. That is a lot of money for a middle-class family. "I had to spend so much money to get the drug, said Atul Garg, whose mother was admitted to a private hospital in Delhi. Finding the drug required "hundreds of calls and many anxious hours", Atul said. Tocilizumab, a drug normally used to treat arthritis, has been proven to save lives in some clinical trials. But it has almost disappeared from the market in India. Rajiv Singhal, general secretary of the All India Chemists and Druggists Association, said his phone was ringing through the day as people asked him to help find the drugs. "The situation is so bad that I can't even get the drugs for my own family members," he said. "We are trying to take action against those who are black marketing, but I admit that there are leakages in the system." Oxygen, X-rays and Covid tests The demand for medical oxygen has also soared in several Indian sates. Several hospitals are turning patients away because they lack supplies. Maharashtra state Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray asked the federal government to send oxygen by army aircraft, as road transportation was taking too long to replenish the supply in hospitals. The situation is much worse in small cities and towns. When patients are not able to find a hospital bed, doctors advise them to arrange oxygen cylinders at home. Nabeel Ahmed's father was diagnosed with Covid on Friday in a small town in northern India. Five days later, he started having difficulty in breathing. The doctor advised Nabeel to get an oxygen cylinder at home. He had to drive for four hours to another city to pick one up. "It took me eight hours to get a cylinder for my dad while he was struggling to breathe," he said. Another major problem patients are facing in smaller towns is that private labs are refusing to conduct chest X-rays and CT scans. Doctors often ask for these tests to assess the progress of the disease. Yogesh Kumar, who lives in the northern town of Allahabad, said the only way for him to get an X-ray done was to either get admitted to a hospital or to get the test done at a government-run hospital, where the waiting list was too long. A doctor in Allahabad told the BBC: "It's unbelievable that I am unable to get X-rays done for my patients. We have to just rely on blood reports to assess the disease in some cases, which is not ideal." Busy crematoriums Crematoriums in many badly affected cities are running day and night. In some cases, families have to wait for several hours to cremate the deceased. A recent report said that the metal structure of the furnaces inside a crematorium in the western Indian city of Surat had started melting because it had been running day and night without any break. A short video clip went viral recently showing dozens of funeral pyres burning in the northern city of Lucknow in the middle of the night. Many staff members at crematoriums are working without a break. They are getting exhausted. Many around India are asking if these situations were avoidable. "We did not learn lessons from the first wave. We were aware that the second wave was coming but we didn't plan to avoid unfortunate incidences like shortages of drugs, beds and oxygen," said epidemiologist Dr Lalit Kant. "We didn't even learn from other countries which faced similar circumstances," he said. Some names have been changed on request. 1 5 Quote Link to comment
Homesteader Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 I don't spend much time on researching the vaccine these days because I'm not interested in the jab, but found some interesting tidbits from the article. Hindsight is generally full of theories that can come true in one form or another. I did learn a lot from his phone interview, and am surprised that the info is still on the net. Here are a few of his thought. Article link at the bottom. Dr. Michael Yeadon, Pfizer's former Vice President and Chief Scientist for Allergy & Respiratory who spent 32 years in the industry leading new medicines research and retired from the pharmaceutical giant with “the most senior research position” in his field, spoke with LifeSiteNews in a telephone interview. His main points included: There is “no possibility” current variants of COVID-19 will escape immunity. It is “just a lie.” Yet, governments around the world are repeating this lie, indicating that we are witnessing not just “convergent opportunism,” but a “conspiracy.” Meanwhile media outlets and Big Tech platforms are committed to the same propaganda and the censorship of the truth. Pharmaceutical companies have already begun to develop unneeded “top-up” (“booster”) vaccines for the “variants.” The companies are planning to manufacture billions of vials, in addition to the current experimental COVID-19 “vaccine” campaign. Regulatory agencies like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency, have announced that since these “top-up” vaccines will be so similar to the prior injections which were approved for emergency use authorization, drug companies will not be required to “perform any clinical safety studies.” Thus, this virtually means that design and implementation of repeated and coerced mRNA vaccines “go from the computer screen of a pharmaceutical company into the arms of hundreds of millions of people, [injecting] some superfluous genetic sequence for which there is absolutely no need or justification.” Why are they doing this? Since no benign reason is apparent, the use of vaccine passports along with a “banking reset” could issue in a totalitarianism unlike the world has ever seen. Recalling the evil of Stalin, Mao, and Hitler, “mass depopulation” remains a logical outcome. The fact that this at least could be true means everyone must “fight like crazy to make sure that system never forms.” https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/exclusive-former-pfizer-vp-your-government-is-lying-to-you-in-a-way-that-could-lead-to-your-death 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment
TheCG Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 So...does anyone know WHEN the emergency is over? When do they no longer fall under emergency use and have to have the regular studies and authorizations? 1 Quote Link to comment
Midnightmom Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 (edited) 6 hours ago, TheCG said: So...does anyone know WHEN the emergency is over? When do they no longer fall under emergency use and have to have the regular studies and authorizations? The short answer is NO. The longer answer is Dr. Fauci REFUSES to give a timeline. Here is a vid of Congressman Jim Jordan trying to elicit that information from Fauci during a hearing in the House Coronavirus Subcommittee. Congessman Jordan gets another shot at questioning Dr. Fauci during the same hearing. Edited April 18, 2021 by Midnightmom 1 2 Quote Link to comment
Jeepers Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 (edited) It's all about the vaccine! It doesn't matter about the Covid cases. The determining factor is what percentage of people take the vaccine. That's why he wouldn't answer. When they are satisfied with how many people take the shots (plural) then restrictions will ease. Dr. Fauci has a T.V. monitor right in front of him and his glasses right next to him yet he complains he can't see the chart. Go Mr. Jordan! He said to Fauci's face what the rest of us can't. Who else couldn't keep their eyes off of Jordan's mask? Edited April 18, 2021 by Jeepers Posted Too Soon 2 Quote Link to comment
Ambergris Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Doses May Soon Be a Reality. Here’s What Experts Know So Far. Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson are trying to stay ahead of highly infectious coronavirus variants. By Korin Miller Apr 16, 2021 In an attempt to ensure the effectiveness of their COVID-19 vaccines against new variants of the novel coronavirus, both Pfizer and Moderna are testing a third booster shot of their respective two-dose vaccines. On February 25, Pfizer announced that it is studying a third booster dose in some people who received their first dose of the vaccine more than six months ago. The company specifically stated that emerging and future variants of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, were the reason for the study. Pfizer also said that it is exploring the possibility of a new, “variant-specific vaccine” that would target B.1.351 (the highly infectious South African variant). Moderna also announced that it has finished making a variant-specific vaccine to target B.1.351, and the company has begun a Phase 1 clinical trial of the vaccine. Moderna says that it will explore the use of the new vaccine as a “booster dose” for people who are already fully vaccinated, to see if it can “boost immunity against the variants of concern.” Pfizer’s CEO Albert Bourla, Ph.D., has said that people can anticipate the need for a booster. He made the comments in an interview with CNBC, explaining that it’s “likely” people who have received the full two-dose regimen of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will need to have another dose “somewhere between six and 12 months and then from there, there will be an annual revaccination, but all of that needs to be confirmed.” Moderna’s CEO Stephane Bancel confirmed to CNBC that the company will likely have a booster dose for its vaccine ready by the fall, so that additional protection is ready ahead of peak flu season. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. The vaccines, which do not contain live virus, encode a part of the spike protein—the piece of the virus that latches onto human cells—found on the surface of SARS-CoV-2, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This gives your cells instructions to develop a piece of that protein that is unique to SARS-CoV-2. Your immune system recognizes these new pieces of protein as foreign invaders and mounts an immune response to fight off what it interprets as an infection (even though there is no threat). This causes you to develop antibodies specific to SARs-CoV-2, which will help you fight off future infections. Your body eventually eliminates both the mRNA and the proteins, but the antibodies stick around. Just how long they last, though, is still being studied—the CDC specifically says that more data from both vaccines is needed, but current studies suggest at least six months for the mRNA vaccines. Both vaccines were found to be highly effective during Phase 3 clinical trials. Research from Pfizer’s Phase 3 clinical trial showed that its vaccine is 52% effective after the first dose, and about 95% effective after the second dose in adults ages 16 and up. Results of Moderna’s Phase 3 clinical trial, which were published in The New England Journal of Medicine, found that the company’s vaccine is about 94.1% effective against COVID-19 in people ages 18 and older. But—and this is a big but—the trials were conducted before variants like B.1.1.7, which was first detected in the U.K., and B.1.351 began spreading rapidly, says William Schaffner, M.D., an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. In other words, there is a possibility that the effectiveness of the vaccines today may be lower than what the data from months ago indicates. With the new research being conducted, both Pfizer and Moderna are “trying to preemptively address whether the variants could impact the immunity generated by their vaccines,” says Reynold Panettieri, M.D., director of the Institute for Translational Medicine and Science at Rutgers University. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine works differently than its mRNA competitors. It modifies an existing cold virus with the spike protein. The resulting adenovirus doesn’t have the ability to reproduce in your body, so it can’t cause COVID-19 or other illnesses. The modified virus is pulled inside your cells after the single dose, where it travels to the nucleus, home to its DNA. The adenovirus then puts its DNA into the nucleus, the spike protein gene is read by the cell, and it’s copied into mRNA. This prompts an immune response, causing your body to produce antibodies to the perceived threat. The vaccine is 85% effective at preventing a severe or critical form of COVID-19 that can lead to hospitalization or death at least 28 days after vaccination, according to data released by the company, which has been confirmed in a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) analysis. In a February interview with CNBC, Johnson & Johnson’s CEO Alex Gorsky said that people may need to get the single-dose vaccine each year for several years, similar to the annual flu shot. “Unfortunately, as [the virus] spreads, it can also mutate,” he said. “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 off antibodies.” That said, the future of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is currently unclear after the FDA and CDC temporarily paused its use in the U.S. while investigating reports of extremely rare blood clots believed to be linked to the vaccine. All six reported cases out of 6.8 million doses administered, as of April 12, occurred in women between the ages of 18 and 48, with symptoms emerging six to 13 days after vaccination. The agencies stress that the clots “appear to be extremely rare” and the step is out of an “abundance of caution” until a thorough investigation is completed. It’s hard to say at this point, given that not enough time has passed to collect data on this, says infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. (Remember: The first COVID-19 vaccines were distributed in the U.S. in December 2020.) Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson have all suggested that they are concerned about the South African variant’s potential impact on the effectiveness of their vaccines, as well as the possibility that future variants may make their vaccines less effective. “It’s still early days in the science,” Dr. Schaffner says. “It may well be that we could use the standard vaccine as a booster to protect against variants—if we need it. We still don’t know how long the standard two-dose vaccine will protect us.” There are different strategies to deal with variants, adds Dr. Adalja. “One is to reformulate the vaccine, and the other is to add another booster with the same formulation,” he explains. Creating a booster could increase antibodies and T cells (a type of white blood cell that’s an essential part of your immune system) enough to help tackle variants of the original, dominant SARS-CoV-2 strain. It’s also possible that a booster shot may make an already effective vaccine even more effective. “They may be trying to see if they can get the efficacy up closer to 100%,” Dr. Panettieri says. Until medical experts know more, Dr. Adalja emphasizes that receiving two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine will still offer worthy protection. “The priority still should be getting people vaccinated with the original vaccine, which does have an impact on all of the variants when it comes to what matters—serious illness, hospitalization, and death,” he says. Plus, people across the country are still waiting to get their first dose of the vaccine. “[A third dose] would be logistically difficult in the short term,” Dr. Adalja says. But, he adds, distribution should get easier with time as more vaccination systems and supplies become available. 3 Quote Link to comment
Ambergris Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 (edited) A more scientific version of what Homesteader was saying: Vaccines Adapted for Variants Will Not Need Lengthy Testing, F.D.A. Says By Noah Weiland, Katie Thomas and Carl Zimmer Feb. 22, 2021 The Food and Drug Administration said on Monday that vaccine developers would not need to conduct lengthy randomized controlled trials for vaccines that have been adapted to protect against concerning coronavirus variants. The recommendations, which call for small trials more like those required for annual flu vaccines, would greatly accelerate the review process at a time when scientists are increasingly anxious about how the variants might slow or reverse progress made against the virus. The guidance was part of a slate of new documents the agency released on Monday, including others addressing how antibody treatments and diagnostic tests might need to be retooled to respond to the virus variants. Together, they amounted to the federal government’s most detailed acknowledgment of the threat the variants pose to existing vaccines, treatments and tests for the coronavirus, and came weeks after the F.D.A.’s acting commissioner, Dr. Janet Woodcock, said the agency was developing a plan. “The emergence of the virus variants raises new concerns about the performance of these products,” Dr. Woodcock said in a statement Monday. “We want the American public to know that we are using every tool in our toolbox to fight this pandemic, including pivoting as the virus adapts.” Most of the vaccine manufacturers with authorized vaccines or candidates in late-stage trials have already announced plans to adjust their products to address the vaccine variants. The Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines use mRNA technology that the companies have said can be used to alter the existing vaccines within six weeks, although testing and manufacturing would take longer. Moderna has already begun developing a new version of its vaccine that could be used as a booster shot against a virus variant that originated in South Africa, known as B.1.351, which seems to dampen the effectiveness of the existing vaccines. A fast-spreading coronavirus variant first observed in Britain has also gained a worrisome mutation that could make it harder to control with vaccines. That variant with the mutation was found in the United States last week. Still, the guidance did not appear to be written with the assumption that new vaccines were imminent, or would be needed at all. Despite the recent indications that some variants — and particularly B.1.351 — make the currently authorized vaccines less effective, the shots still offer protection and appear to greatly reduce the severity of the disease, preventing hospitalizations and death. Asked at a news briefing on Monday afternoon how much the variants would need to spread before updated vaccines were necessary, Dr. Woodcock did not give any specific criteria. “We need to anticipate this and work on it so that we have something in our back pocket before the threshold is upon us,” she said. An updated Covid-19 vaccine can skip the months-long process of a randomized clinical trial that would compare it with a placebo, the agency said. But a tweaked vaccine will still need to go undergo some testing. In trials proposed by the F.D.A., researchers will draw blood from a relatively small group of volunteers who have been given the adapted vaccine. Scientists will then observe what percentage of volunteers’ samples produce an immune response to the variants in the lab, and how large that response is. The vaccines will be judged acceptable if they produce an immune response that is relatively close to the one prompted by the original vaccines. Dr. Peter Marks, the top vaccine regulator at the F.D.A., said at the news briefing that studies would include a “few hundred” people and last several months. Volunteers will also be monitored carefully for side effects. The agency said the testing could be done in a single age group and then extrapolated to other age groups. The guidance also encouraged the use of animal studies to support the case for modified vaccines, in case immune response studies come up with ambiguous conclusions. The F.D.A. acknowledged that many questions remained unanswered, such as what type of data would trigger the need for an adapted vaccine and who would make that decision. The agency also noted that scientists had not yet determined the minimum level of antibodies in a vaccinated person’s blood that would protect someone from the virus. Some other vaccines are regularly updated in a similar way. Because the influenza virus evolves rapidly from one year to the next, vaccine developers have to come up with new recipes annually. The newly tweaked Covid-19 vaccines would be authorized under an amendment to the emergency authorization granted to the original vaccine, regulators said. BOLD MINE ++++ The article above had a paragraph I cut out about "what you need to know" about the Johnson & Johnson "pause" in vaccine distribution. It was far from what you need to know. Did y'all notice for example that the Johnson & Johnson blood clots (at least the ones they're telling us about now) showed up only in women of childbearing age? These are the people who never get into the test groups when they're testing drugs -- for very good reason. Edited April 19, 2021 by Ambergris 4 Quote Link to comment
TheCG Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 https://www.bmj.com/content/373/bmj.n958/rapid-responses Comment by Hamid Merchant: Quote Dear Editor Many women across the world after receiving CoViD vaccines are complaining of irregularities in their menstrual bleeding; some experiencing heavy menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia), some bleeding before their periods were due or bleeding frequently (metrorrhagia/polymenorrhea), whereas some are complaining of postmenopausal bleeding. As of 5th April 2021, there have been ~958 cases of post-vaccination menstrual irregularities, including vaginal haemorrhages, that were recorded in MHRA’s adverse event reports. There were twice more cases of menstrual irregularities with CoViD Vaccine AstraZeneca than Pfizer (643 vs 315 respectively) [1]. It is anticipated that the actual numbers of cases are much higher than the numbers recorded in the pharmacovigilance systems as many women in different cultural context may have felt uncomfortable to talk about it, may not have thought that it was vaccine-related, or may have not been encouraged by their clinicians to make an official report into the adverse events reporting system. There have been recent reports of haemorrhage, blood clots and thrombocytopenia following administration of CoViD-19 vaccines that have raised concerns over the safety of genetic vaccines for people with pre-existing coagulation disorders or those on certain medications. Regulatory bodies have also issued warnings to the patients and healthcare professionals to be vigilant and seek prompt medical assistance if they experienced typical symptoms of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), a potentially fatal clot in the brain [2,3]. European Medicines Agency has also revised the summary of product characteristics and listed thrombocytopenia (very low platelets) as a ‘common’ side effect (i.e., 1 in 100 to 1 in 10) of Vaxzevria, i.e., the CoViD vaccine AstraZeneca [4]. The pharmacovigilance data also suggests that thrombocytopenia is also a frequent observation followed by mRNA CoViD vaccines such as Pfizer or Moderna. The ‘heavy menstrual bleeding’ has been previously reported in females with underlying platelets disorders [5]. It is plausible that the vaccine-induced thrombocytopenia may be an explanation for the recent incidences of heavy menstrual bleeding experienced by women in different countries after the CoViD-19 vaccination. The significant loss of blood in many women may lead to severe anaemia, further exacerbate thrombocytopenia, and therefore may significantly increase the risk of haemorrhages and clots. Clinicians and front-line healthcare workers are advised to encourage women to report heavy menstrual bleeding or other extraordinary bleeding events post-vaccination formally into the vaccine adverse events reporting system and seek prompt medical advice. Public health agencies and regulatory authorities are also requested to investigate these incidences and issue further warnings, as this can, possibly be an early sign of potentially fatal vaccine-induced prothrombotic thrombocytopenia leading to rare CVST events in younger women. There may be some women with pre-existing conditions or those on certain medications that may be at increased risk of experiencing post-vaccination severe adverse events and early warnings will help saving lives. References: [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine-... [2] https://doi.org/10.1186/s40545-021-00315-w [3] https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca-benefits-... [4] https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/product-information/vaxzevria-pre... [5] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1083318816001637 Competing interests: No competing interests 2 1 Quote Link to comment
Ambergris Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 California goes from worst to first in virus infections BRIAN MELLEY Thu, April 22, 2021, 8:13 PM LOS ANGELES (AP) — Just a few months ago, California was the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. Hospitals in Los Angeles were drowning in patients, and ambulances were idling outside with people struggling to breathe, waiting for beds to open. The death count was staggering — so many that morgues filled and refrigerated trucks were brought in to handle the overflow. Now as cases spike in other parts of the country, California has gone from worst to first with the lowest infection rate in the U.S. even as it has moved quickly to reopen more businesses with greater customer counts and allow larger gatherings. A scramble to get COVID-19 vaccinations has given way to an open invite in many places. Where people lined up hours and counties struggled to get doses, there now appears to be a glut of the shots in many locations. “It has been a success story for California to have gone from our, if you will, viral tsunami that happened after the back-to-back holiday season to where we are now,” said Dr. Robert Kim-Farley of the University of California, Los Angeles' public health school. At the peak of California's winter surge that followed the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's holidays, the state was recording 40,000 new cases daily and well above 500 deaths per day. Those numbers have dwindled to 2,300 new cases and 68 deaths daily. The state surpassed Hawaii on Thursday with the lowest average number of cases per capita in the past two weeks, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. One in every 2,416 people in California tested positive in the past week. At the other end of the spectrum, one in every 223 people in Michigan was diagnosed with the virus. Kim-Farley said it's been like turning around a massive tanker ship to reach today's level of improvement. He credited government and public health agencies with providing clear guidelines that businesses, schools and individuals largely followed, including mask mandates and social distancing. Gov. Gavin Newsom has been allowing businesses and schools to reopen by county based on case levels. At different points in the pandemic, he has faced heavy criticism for being too restrictive, and now some worry he is moving too quickly. All counties have improved enough to move out of the strictest of four tiers, and 38 of the 58 counties — accounting for 87% of the state's population — now are in the second least-restrictive tier. Newsom said he plans to lift most remaining coronavirus restrictions by June 15. The pandemic has surged unevenly across the U.S. Cases were low in California a year ago, compared with New York, where hospitals were overwhelmed last spring. When California was in the throes of a second winter spike in mid-January, Michigan cases were tapering to a low point in February before surging to the highest current infection rate in the U.S. Kim-Farley said California's surge had put fear into more people to wear masks, a rule still in place that he said he has helped prevent a resurgence. “Some states in the United States that lifted mask mandates are suffering the consequences of that with increasing numbers of cases while we are continuing to see decreases,” he said. California struggled with its vaccine rollout like other states, limiting doses to health workers and elderly who were more at risk of being hospitalized or dying. Doses have increased as cases have tapered, and the high number of infections over the winter also led to a certain level of natural immunity. Only weeks ago, counties struggled to get doses. The state limited eligibility for the precious vaccine, and stories abounded of cheaters jumping the line to get a shot. The Vaccine Spotter website that helps book appointments showed a state map Thursday awash in green dots, indicating available appointments. Many were available the same day, and some sites were allowing people to show up without appointments. Los Angeles County opened up sites in Palmdale and Lancaster to walk-ups. The largest mass vaccination clinic in Napa County saw demand drop from a flood to a trickle just days after California last week expanded vaccine eligibility to everyone 16 and older. It's also allowing walk-ins. “We definitely have the capacity,” county spokeswoman Janet Upton said. “But now what we’re lacking is, seemingly, public interest.” California has about 40 million residents, and a little more than half the 32 million eligible for vaccines have gotten at least one shot. A combination of concern over reports of rare complications along with misinformation and conspiracy theories and a sense among some that the danger has waned has led to vaccine hesitancy. Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer tried to persuade more people to set aside worries about the vaccine, noting that the chance of a serious side effect is the same as dying in a 200-mile road trip that most people would not hesitate to take. "The risk of having a serious side effect from COVID vaccine is about one in a million,″ she said. “We take these tiny risks every day as we go about our lives because we know what’s on the other side of it is so worthwhile. Similarly, the return to normal that’s on the other side of vaccination is worthwhile.” With the rollout of the vaccine, mortuaries that had run out of space have returned to normal. “It’s the difference between night and day,” said Todd Beckley, the general manager of Inglewood Cemetery Mortuary. “There was a time where we had nine deaths a day, and they were all COVID. We haven’t had a COVID death in four days.” 1 Quote Link to comment
Ambergris Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 India's COVID tsunami is the worst in the world. Why that should concern Americans. Andrew Romano·West Coast Correspondent Thu, April 22, 2021, 10:02 AM In America, it’s easy to believe — and likely correct, given the country’s rapid pace of vaccination and high level of prior infection — that the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is over. But in India right now, every day is worse than the last. “In the last 24 hours alone, [India has] had 300,000 cases, and that’s most certainly an undercount,” said Dr. Kavita Patel. “In some parts of India, like Mumbai and New Delhi, as high as 1 in 3 or 1 in 4 people are testing positive, [and that’s] actually, again, an underestimate. As a result, India’s hospitals are completely full. There is now rationing of everything, including doctors, nurses, oxygen, beds, supplies.” More than one year into the pandemic, the deepening disparities between two of the world’s largest countries should remind optimistic Americans that the light at the end of their own tunnel remains a long way off for most of the planet’s population — and that it’s probably time for the U.S. to start thinking about how it can help end the pandemic elsewhere too. At its peak this winter, the U.S. was recording an average of 260,000 new COVID-19 cases each day. Yet after skyrocketing 122 percent over the last 14 days, India’s daily case counts have already crossed that threshold twice this week. The curve is so steep, it’s almost vertical. If the virus continues to spread at the same clip, according to Bhramar Mukherjee, a biostatistician at the University of Michigan, India could be averaging half a million new daily cases within the next month — a figure that no other country has ever come close to. Deaths are likely to follow: Over the past two weeks alone, they have soared 128 percent. At this point, India accounts for about 1 in every 3 new cases globally. Its rate of spread is the fastest in the world. And the tsunami shows no sign of subsiding anytime soon. But the bigger problem is that these terrible numbers tell only part of the story. For one thing, India is currently testing at a much lower rate (about 1 test per 1,000 residents per day) than the recent high-water marks in Western countries such as the U.S. (5.5), France (8) or the U.K. (21). Meanwhile, in Delhi, one of India’s hardest-hit areas, test positivity reached 30 percent this week, prompting a six-day lockdown. The combination of inadequate testing and high positivity suggests that hundreds of thousands of infections are going undetected each day. Many — perhaps most — COVID-19 deaths are being missed as well. India is currently averaging more than 1,100 daily deaths, the second-highest level in the world after Brazil. But as Ramanan Laxminarayan, an economist and epidemiologist who is the founder and director of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy, explained in a recent interview with the New Yorker, “We don’t know the cause of death for four out of five people in normal times” in India because “only one in five deaths is medically recorded” — and “that has continued during COVID.” At the same time, Laxminarayan continued, “the levels of testing are so low that the people who didn’t get tested and then died of a stroke or a heart attack that was likely COVID-related would not be reported as a COVID death.” The undercount, in other words, is probably huge. Reports from the frontlines of India’s spiraling surge support this theory. According to a Reuters investigation published Monday, “Several major cities are reporting far larger numbers of cremations and burials under coronavirus protocols than official COVID-19 death tolls, according to crematorium and cemetery workers, media and a review of government data.” In Surat, for instance, Reuters reported that over the last week, two facilities have cremated more than 100 bodies a day under COVID protocols — far in excess of the city’s official daily COVID death toll of around 25. At one of them, gas and firewood furnaces have been running so long without a break that “metal parts have begun to melt.” In Lucknow, data from the largest COVID-only crematorium shows that the number of bodies that arrived on six different days in April was twice as high as the official number of deaths recorded across the entire city. Elsewhere, India Today reported that two Bhopal facilities alone cremated 187 bodies on days when the city’s official death toll stood at five, and in Ahmedabad last week, 63 bodies left a single COVID-only hospital for cremation on a day when the entire city recorded just 20 coronavirus deaths. Hospitals, likewise, are on the brink of collapse. “There are two patients per bed in the big hospitals in New Delhi, and that’s if you can get into the hospital in the first place. There are literally lines of ambulances that are fifty or a hundred long,” Laxminarayan said. The result is a vicious cycle: the more patients have to compete for limited beds, oxygen and medicine, the more care suffers — and the more people die who could have been saved. “The huge pressure on hospitals and the health system right now will mean that a good number who would have recovered had they been able to access hospital services may die,” Gautam Menon, a professor at Ashoka University, told Reuters. The point is not just that the situation is bad in India, and likely to deteriorate even further. The point is that India is not all that unique. Like many poorer countries across the developing world, it seemed to dodge a bullet during earlier stages of the pandemic, leaving most of its population untouched — and lacking any immunity. Like many of those same countries, India was lulled into a false sense of security after a seemingly successful lockdown and a recent ebb in infections; less than two months ago, the country’s health minister announced that it had entered “the endgame” of the pandemic, and mass gatherings — cricket matches, large weddings, election rallies — promptly resumed. And as in nearly all other developing countries, barely anyone in India — just 8 percent of its vast population — has received at least one vaccine dose. To put that in perspective, 40 percent of Americans, 50 percent of Britons and 60 percent of Israelis have received at least one vaccine dose. Yet globally, the U.S., the U.K. and Israel are outliers. So far, just 33 countries have administered one vaccine dose to at least 20 percent of their residents. The other 160 or so haven’t — and more than 100 of them are lagging even further behind than India. Epidemiologists tend to tell Americans they should care about these inequities because they pose a direct risk to America’s progress against the pandemic in the form of variants, or mutant versions of the virus that can potentially dodge immunity, evade vaccines and/or transmit more efficiently from person to person. Why? Because dangerous variants are most likely to evolve in places where spread is high and lots of people are sick for long periods of time. And it’s true, for what it’s worth, that India is now battling a concerning variant of its own. Called B.1.617, it is a “double mutant,” with a pair of protein-spike changes that may increase its transmissibility and help it partly resist immunity. Scientists are still trying to figure out what role, if any, B.1.617 is playing in India’s surge. To be safe, the U.K. on Monday banned travel from India, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson canceled his own trip there. The bottom line, however, is that India — with its relative lack of prior immunity, its slow rate of vaccination, its mass gatherings and its close quarters — was vulnerable to a massive COVID-19 surge even without a new variant making matters worse. And so are most other countries around the world. By the same token, a country like the U.S. — home to just 4.3 percent of the world’s population but a full 23.9 percent of its vaccinations — is increasingly invulnerable. Even the risk of variants is likely overhyped in America: The existing vaccines still protect against them, and extra-effective booster shots are already in development. So as U.S. supply starts to exceed demand — and as even the nation with the world’s largest vaccine maker struggles to vaccinate its own people — the question then becomes: What is America, with a population of 328 million, ultimately going to do with the rest of the 1.2 billion vaccine doses it has already secured? “Now that we have experienced our own supply and it is sufficient for our entire population, [the United States] should shift gears to thinking about allocating any excess vaccines, as well as our own domestic manufacturing ability, to help other countries,” said Patel. “That is something that we’re going to have to contend with as we are getting closer and closer to our own herd immunity … but other countries are significantly behind.” 1 2 Quote Link to comment
Ambergris Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 Countries reporting the most new infections each day (averaged over 7 days) INDIA 281,683 USA 64,173 BRAZIL 60,185 TURKEY 59,204 FRANCE 31,532 Countries reporting the most deaths each day (averaged over 7 days) BRAZIL 2,580 INDIA 1,802 USA 714 POLAND 508 MEXICO 412 Note that Canada's infection rate (reported infection numbers) is not huge but is about as high as it has ever been, with last week's number being higher, and that next week's death rate for them might be their highest death week since this began. 1 2 Quote Link to comment
Homesteader Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 LC.org (April 21, 2021) The Arizona executive order prohibits all government agencies and private companies that receive government funding from requiring a vaccine passport. While it does not include schools (from daycare to university), Arizona law permits opt-outs for medical, philosophical and religious reasons. Moreover, the federal Emergency Use Authorization law prohibits these COVID vaccines from being forced on people—at least for now.In addition, the Tennessee Senate passed a bill (26-4) that would ban the state from requiring private businesses to push vaccine passports. Today, this legislation has a hearing scheduled in a House subcommittee.Tennessee's Republican Gov. Bill Lee has come out against vaccine passports. So also has New Hampshire's governor. When asked, Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) responded, "Absolutely not. No way. ... Anyone that's going to mandate a first-trial vaccine really could be potentially asking for trouble, and this is the ‘live free or die' state."So has South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, who tweeted, "Vaccine passports will have no place in South Carolina. The very idea is un-American to its core." But freedom is not for everyone, even in America. A town in Alaska called Kongiganak is demanding that people must be fully vaccinated before they can go shopping inside stores. Even the local gym is closed to anyone who is not fully vaccinated, reported Alaska Public Media (APM).Harvey Paul, general manager of a local store, told APM that his store is only allowing four people in at a time. Paul said his employees verify a customer is good to enter by checking their name against a list of vaccinated individuals."Every couple of days, they'll give us a new list," Paul told an APM reporter. "The list keeps getting bigger and bigger." But if your name is not on that government-issued list of verified, fully vaccinated people, then "they can still make phone orders and their orders are delivered to their home." But they cannot set foot inside Paul's store.This is coercion. "It gives them the incentive, ‘Hey look, I better get vaccinated too so I can go to the store,'" Paul told APM. 3 Quote Link to comment
Ambergris Posted April 26, 2021 Share Posted April 26, 2021 Good morning. Many people in India thought the country had escaped the worst of Covid-19. What happened? April 26, 2021 By David Leonhardt There is a new Covid-19 mystery in India, and it is far grimmer than the first one. For most of the past year, Covid deaths across much of Asia and Africa have been strikingly low, as I described last month. And they remain low in nearly all of Africa and East Asia — but not India, which is suffering a terrible outbreak. Hospitals are running out of oxygen to treat patients, and confirmed Covid deaths have climbed to 2,000 per day, up from fewer than 100 in February. The true death toll is even higher. The sharp increase has surprised many people, both inside and outside India. “India’s massive Covid surge puzzles scientists,” as Smriti Mallapaty wrote in Nature. “I was expecting fresh waves of infection,” Shahid Jameel, a virologist at Ashoka University, said, “but I would not have dreamt that it would be this strong.” The price of hubris To make some sense of what’s happening, it helps to go back to last year, when Indian doctors and officials were preparing for waves of serious Covid illnesses. But those waves never quite arrived. Instead, millions of people contracted only mild cases. The most plausible explanations — the amount of time people spend outdoors in India, the low levels of obesity, the population’s relative youth and the possibility that previous viruses had created some natural immunity — all seemed to suggest that India was not simply on a delayed Covid timetable. The country, like many of its neighbors, seemed to be escaping the worst of the pandemic. Scientific research suggesting that about half of adults in major cities had already been infected was consistent with this notion. “It led to the assumption that India had been cheaply, naturally vaccinated,” Dr. Prabhat Jha, an epidemiologist at the University of Toronto, told me. Government officials acted particularly confident. As Ramanan Laxminarayan, a Princeton University epidemiologist based in New Delhi, told Nature, “There was a public narrative that India had conquered Covid-19.” Some scientists who thought that a new Covid wave remained possible were afraid to contradict the message coming from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Modi has a record of stifling dissent, and Freedom House, the democracy watchdog group, recently said India had become only a “partly free” country that was moving “toward authoritarianism.” Confident they had beaten Covid, government officials relaxed restrictions on virtually all activities, including weddings, political rallies and religious gatherings. The northern town of Haridwar held one of the world’s biggest gatherings this month, with millions of people celebrating the Hindu festival Kumbh Mela. By mid-March, though, the virus was beginning to reassert itself. A major factor appears to be that many people who previously had mild or asymptomatic cases of Covid remained vulnerable to it. (A recent academic study, done in China, suggests that mild cases confer only limited immunity.) The emergence of contagious new variants is playing a role, too. This combination — less immunity than many people thought, new variants and a resumption of activities — seems to have led to multiple superspreader events, Dr. Jennifer Lighter of New York University told me. The situation is so dire that some Indian crematories are overwhelmed. Suresh Bhai, who works in one in the western state of Gujarat, told The Times that he had never seen such a never-ending assembly line of death. What now? The available solutions are no secret. The same two strategies have worked around the world: restricting the activities that spread the virus, and accelerating the pace of vaccinations. Over the past two weeks, some local governments, including in Delhi and Mumbai, have announced restrictions on travel, weddings, shopping and other activities. Speeding up vaccinations will be more complicated. About 10 percent of India’s population has received at least one shot, leaving more than a billion people to vaccinate fully. To do so, India — a major vaccine manufacturer — has recently cut back on exporting doses. Indian officials have also criticized the Biden administration for not exporting more vaccine supplies to India, given the large U.S. supply. (The U.S. said yesterday that it would do so.) Amid all the suffering, there is one glimmer of potential good news, Jha said. Caseloads in India’s second-most populous state — Maharashtra, home to Mumbai — have often been a leading indicator of national trends, and cases there have leveled off over the past week. It’s too early to know whether that’s just a blip, but it would be a big deal if the situation in Maharashtra stabilized. The latest: In another anti-democratic move, India’s government ordered Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to take down posts critical of its handling of the pandemic. 2 Quote Link to comment
Ambergris Posted April 26, 2021 Share Posted April 26, 2021 India leads the world in the daily average number of "new infections reported," accounting for one in every 3 infections reported worldwide each day Average number of new infections reported each day in Bulgaria falls by more than 1,800 over the last 3 weeks, 52% of its previous peak Greece crosses 10,000 "reported coronavirus-related deaths." Countries reporting the most new infections each day (7-day average) INDIA 321,606 USA 58,447 BRAZIL 56,817 TURKEY 51,646 FRANCE 29,788 Countries reporting the most deaths each day (7-day average) BRAZIL 2,495 INDIA 2,336 USA 710 POLAND 483 COLOMBIA 432 I am looking at the numbers for the flu season this year. What flu season? Was I the only person who got it? There was ONE pediatric death reported. Or maybe one in the state of New York. I need to chew the numbers more before I feel like I can taste a pattern. 2 Quote Link to comment
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