Coronavirus (NO POLITICAL OR SOCIAL COMMENTARY PLEASE)

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Pondosinatra

New mutated version of Covid found in S. England...

Hopefully the vaccine is still effective against this mutation. If not, it could set us back many months.

[Blu Lemmy]

Viruses mutate, it's what they do. Although if you read the media they always have us fear the worst.

Hold fast, it'll end

[Lee A Stewart]

The U.S. death toll from Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, crossed 300,000 on Monday. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio warned residents they should be prepared for a full shutdown.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mark...cid=spartandhp

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Hopefully the vaccine is still effective against this mutation. If not, it could set us back many months.

While watching Sky News to gain some insight as to the big upcoming soccer match on Wednesday, I heard your Health Secretary (Mr. Hancock?), who, after speaking with your medical experts, wasn’t worried about the mutation. Personally, I wouldn’t be too concerned about it and even if it turns out to be a significant problem, the mRNA vaccines can be tweaked.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

next up, another mRNA technology vaccine, this time from Moderna to be assessed in open session by VRBPAC scheduled for this coming Thursday –

Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee - 12/17/2020 - YouTube

briefing doc - https://www.fda.gov/media/144453/download
^ data indicates Moderna vaccine prevents infectivity and thusly limits transmissibility

[Pondosinatra]

More info on the new mutation...

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55312505

[dublinbluray108]

There is a very grave situation evolving in several hosptials located in Northern Ireland this evening.

All 400 beds inside the Antrim Area hospital are being occupied by Covid-19 patients with no beds left for other patients coming into it's Emergency department. Right now; there are at least another 43 patients waiting for treatment inside the Emergency department right now. All of those 43 patients are being checked by doctors & nurses in separate consultation rooms to see whether or not they have Covid. But to add to the problem; more sets of Covid patients are being treated in queues of ambulances which are parked outside the hospital's Emergency department & several other hospitals within Northern Ireland with their engines being left turned on to keep the Covid patients alive.

Hospital capacity across this region of the UK is at 104% at the moment & rising. And all of this happening in over a week left to Christmas. Holy Sweet Jesus. Words fail me on how Covid can be so destructive on us all. The level of deterioration seen here is just absolutely shocking.

It is looking very likely right now that the planned relaxation of restrictions for people living in NI this Christmas will not happen from Thursday onwards. There will be fresh restrictions to be enforced instead to try & slow down the spread of Covid-19 further in this part of the UK.

https://www.rte.ie/news/ulster/2020/...oronavirus-ni/

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

briefing doc - https://www.fda.gov/media/144453/download
^ data indicates Moderna vaccine prevents infectivity and thusly limits transmissibility

^ follow-up in easy-to-understand laypersons’ language ->

FDA Expected To Grant Emergency Authorization To Moderna Covid Vaccine | Hallie Jackson | MSNBC - YouTube

plus, good news ^ in that apparently more and more people are interested in getting the vaccine

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

While watching Sky News to gain some insight as to the big upcoming soccer match on Wednesday, I heard your Health Secretary (Mr. Hancock?), who, after speaking with your medical experts, wasn’t worried about the mutation. Personally, I wouldn’t be too concerned about it and even if it turns out to be a significant problem, the mRNA vaccines can be tweaked.

Yes, hopeful news.

[ctujackbauer]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

is people who defiantly ignored public health guidelines, caught COVID-19 and are taking up an ICU bed of another patient who has been more responsible leading us to this - https://occovid.com/hospitalizations (no ICU beds left)

ctujackbauer, or any other OC folks, try to avoid getting into a serious accident around here and if on hypertensive medication, be compliant in talking it, because the last thing you need is to have a hemorrhagic stroke with the ICU capacity the way it is

I'm not really surprised either, although I hope that either the unadjusted available ICU beds means there's some capacity or that we can shut off portions of the hospital system like New York City to go to emergency COVID wards to increase capacity.

I say I'm not surprised because a couple of weeks after Trump being infected outside in the Rose Garden, I went to the local park and there were like 5% of the people wearing masks. Probably one of the first times I was legitimately nervous because people believe the 'you're outside, no virus here' line. On the route I walk, or used to walk, I'd say its 50/50 masks. Chances are good that I wouldn't get it because I'm outside, but if its ramping then its ramping.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by ctujackbauer

I'm not really surprised either, although I hope that either the unadjusted available ICU beds means there's some capacity or that we can shut off portions of the hospital system like New York City to go to emergency COVID wards to increase capacity.

There may be a little bit of wiggle room and day-to-day fluctuations in full capacity, but unfortunately, even if more simulation ICU beds/wards are set-up, we just don’t have the same specialized ICU-experienced in-house personnel to staff them. Plus, you can’t get locums physicians, nurses and respiratory therapists because other hospital systems in the country have already recruited them. Hospitals can produce more beds, but the quality of the staffing will deteriorate when the system is overstretched -> increased suffering and mortality.

Meanwhile, back east at our National Cathedral and just up the road from Georgetown Hospital, remembering…..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd_H9xIn3rk#t=5m25s

[ctujackbauer]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

There may be a little bit of wiggle room and day-to-day fluctuations in full capacity, but unfortunately, even if more simulation ICU beds/wards are set-up, we just don’t have the same specialized ICU-experienced in-house personnel to staff them. Plus, you can’t get locums physicians, nurses and respiratory therapists because other hospital systems in the country have already recruited them. Hospitals can produce more beds, but the quality of the staffing will deteriorate when the system is overstretched -> increased suffering and mortality.

Meanwhile, back east at our National Cathedral and just up the road from Georgetown Hospital, remembering…..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd_H9xIn3rk#t=5m25s

We have travel nurses that live here, but they're all deployed to the midwest and Dakotas. Honestly they need the travel nurses more than us, unless we start ramping to the point that it gets completely out of control like the Dakotas.

I read in the WSJ about how recruiters get their phone numbers and they have to keep fielding those calls, sometimes during their shift. They say that the recruiters keep calling.

[Pondosinatra]

So the gist is - this can't happen - well, er, unless you're infected with a retrovirus, because apparently that's exactly how HIV works. But the chance is small. So no worries mate!

"You can't go from RNA back to DNA in human cells. It's not possible because we just don't have the machinery to deal with it. So there should not be concerns about the RNA vaccine somehow getting into the human DNA and transforming it."

There is one kind of microbe that can produce DNA from RNA — retroviruses such as HIV. And the DNA generated by retroviruses can sometimes integrate into cells, Matthew Miller, an associate professor of infectious diseases and immunology at McMaster University, said in an email.

That has led some researchers to propose that infection with a retrovirus might theoretically provide the proteins necessary for integration of mRNA, although that's considered "extremely unlikely."

[Pondosinatra]

While we're on the subject - and I get it, people want to be hopeful - but I'm pissed at all the media coverage of the vaccine, everyone's reacting like this is the end of our worries - no one is asking any hard questions, and it's increasingly likely that as I said way back at the beginning, we'll all be asked to get our yearly Covid shot.

Oh well, time to buy more stock in Pfizer, Moderna, Astrazenica, and Johnson & Johnson I supposed. Endless money for those companies...

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by Blu Lemmy

Viruses mutate, it's what they do. Although if you read the media they always have us fear the worst.

Hold fast, it'll end

Indeed. This virus has already mutated lots of times. It has been called a stable virus by the scientists and the mutations are very minor and so far would have no effect on any vaccinations. The media just loves to irresponsibly post any tidbit they can get to create panic and clicks.

From the BBC article on the mutation posted earlier:

I have one simple rule for making sense of "new variant" or "new strain" coronavirus stories.

Ask: "Has the virus's behaviour changed?"

A mutated virus sounds instinctively scary, but to mutate and change is what viruses do.

Most of the time it is either a meaningless tweak or the virus alters itself in such a way that it gets worse at infecting us and the new variant just dies out.

Occasionally it hits on a new winning formula.

There is no clear-cut evidence the new variant of coronavirus - which has been detected in south-east England - is able to transmit more easily, cause more serious symptoms or render the vaccine useless.

Mutations to the spike protein lead to questions about the vaccine because the three leading jabs - Pfizer, Moderna and Oxford - all train the immune system to attack the spike.

However, the body learns to attack multiple parts of the spike. That is why health officials remain convinced the vaccine will work against this variant.

This is a virus that evolved in animals and made the jump to infecting people around a year ago.

Since then it has been picking up around two mutations a month - take a sample today and compare it to the first ones from Wuhan in China and there would be around 25 mutations separating them.

Coronavirus is still trying out different combinations of mutations to properly nail infecting humans.

But soon mass vaccination will put a different kind of pressure on the virus because it will have to change in order to infect people who have been immunized.

If this does drive the evolution of the virus, we may have to regularly update the vaccines, as we do for flu, to keep up.

[LordoftheRings]

Only ten days till Christmas and the grocery stores and electronic stores are jammed packed...the parking lots. Masks are mandatory here so 100% of people inside those places wear one.

We will survive; it is inevitable. But, this Christmas is going to be a real challenge, and the New Year's too.
Dad used to say "the best is yet to come" ... I'm not sure if it still holds today.
Better be alive than dead. RIP Dad.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Pondosinatra

While we're on the subject - and I get it, people want to be hopeful - but I'm pissed at all the media coverage of the vaccine, everyone's reacting like this is the end of our worries - no one is asking any hard questions, and it's increasingly likely that as I said way back at the beginning, we'll all be asked to get our yearly Covid shot.

Oh well, time to buy more stock in Pfizer, Moderna, Astrazenica, and Johnson & Johnson I supposed. Endless money for those companies...

I’m not a fan of Big Pharma, e.g. the ridiculous cost of Duexis and other meds you may be unfamiliar with, but in the case of the COVID-19 vaccine situation, I unaware of abusive practices. Personally, I have no problem if the stock prices of, for instance Moderna or BioNTech, jump because I feel it is deservedly so given they’ve provided proof of concept for mRNA vaccine technology.

Aside from the initial over emphasis of the side effects of Pfizer vaccine, the local and national media coverage I’ve watched has always reminded viewers with the caveat that the vaccines are a first step to normalcy and not to let one’s guard down and comply with public health guidelines.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Pondosinatra

and it's increasingly likely that as I said way back at the beginning, we'll all be asked to get our yearly Covid shot.

I can appreciate your disillusionment to that ^ if you’ve never felt the need for ever getting a flu vaccine.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

gadget guys who tend to worship at the alter of inanimate objects.....

don’t forget your best friend -

Microsoft Holiday Commercial 2020 – FindÂ*Your Joy (A Dog’s Dream) - YouTube

[Lee A Stewart]

Originally Posted by Pondosinatra

While we're on the subject - and I get it, people want to be hopeful - but I'm pissed at all the media coverage of the vaccine, everyone's reacting like this is the end of our worries - no one is asking any hard questions, and it's increasingly likely that as I said way back at the beginning, we'll all be asked to get our yearly Covid shot.

Oh well, time to buy more stock in Pfizer, Moderna, Astrazenica, and Johnson & Johnson I supposed. Endless money for those companies...

February 2016 . . . I caught the Flu. It nearly killed me. Spent a week in the hospital and a month at home recovering.

First week in October 2016 - Lee gets a Flu Shot and every year since.

COVID-19 Shot . . . you bet your ass I will get one every year. I'm still jumping through hoops with the New Mexico Department Of Health trying to get my first one.