COVID-19 News and Discussions

[R8Z]

too much of the who created the virus, it's really just a flu that isn't even killing as many as they claim, the vaccines will change your DNA, ... Is all rooted in resistance to being told anything by somebody that might be more knowledgable than them. No amount of reasoning resolves their resistence to being told things.

Oppositional defiant disorder or variations of it, enough said.

I am sorry but was CTCCTCGGCGGGCACGTAG already clearly explained? Maybe I've missed that.

[weatheriscool]

140 million Americans have had coronavirus, CDC estimates

About 140 million Americans have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus through the end of January, according to an estimate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The percentage of individuals who have antibodies to COVID-19, known as seroprevalence, is 43.3 percent for the total U.S. population, the CDC study found, much higher than regularly cited infection rates.

The data for the study was collected from late December to late January and relied on tests of nearly 72,000 samples.

The percentage of those with antibodies to the virus was lower in older age groups, with children having a seroprevalence of about 58 percent compared to 23 percent for those over the age of 65, the study found.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... ar-AAUttUH

[weatheriscool]

Biden extends FEMA coronavirus aid for states through July 1
Source: AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is extending the federal government’s 100% reimbursement of COVID-19 emergency response costs to states, tribes and territories through July 1, the White House announced Tuesday.

White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients informed governors on a conference call that Biden is approving the extension of Federal Emergency Management Agency support to help continue FEMA-backed efforts like vaccination clinics, mass testing sites and surging hospital resources to deal with local case spikes.

“FEMA’s priority throughout the response to COVID-19 has been to coordinate and provide the necessary resources and personnel states, tribes and territories need to adequately respond to the pandemic,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said. “Today’s extension of the 100% cost-share through July 1, 2022, builds on our efforts to assist impacted communities across state and federal levels.”

The extension through the first half of the year is a sign that the White House continues to see a need for federal resources in combating COVID-19 even as Biden tries to guide the country to live with the coronavirus while case counts recede.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... ar-AAUtrD5

[iridescentrae]

Headline: Pfizer Covid vaccine was just 12% effective against omicron in kids 5 to 11, study finds

Sorry, I’m new to this thread. Have they run simulations that show how many of these kids will eventually get infected/die? Seems like kids and Republicans will keep catching/spreading it like the common cold, and eventually everyone will die of it (or a heart attack, cancer, or car crash, I’ve read), so...shouldn’t we all still be wearing our masks all the time? I don’t get why people would say it’s “safe” when there are vulnerable populations out there and it’s one of the most probable causes of death.

Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/28/pfizer- ... finds.html

[andmar74]

Kids are fine with Omicron.

[andmar74]

https://endpts.com/weaker-omicron-varia ... al-trials/

As the world cheers over the weaker (but still not quite mild) Omicron variant, with its reduced Covid-related hospitalizations and deaths when compared to the Delta variant, sponsors of clinical trials that depend on new Covid-19 cases to finish their work are being altered or halted because of Omicron.

[raklian]

Kids are fine with Omicron.

That's a blanket statement. I would choose my words more carefully. The fact is some kids died and many are suffering debilitating symptoms of Long Covid after surviving it.

There is no "fine" with living with any variant of Covid.

[andmar74]

That's a blanket statement. I would choose my words more carefully

Sorry. I was in a bit of a hurry. As you know I have written many times about the seemingly mild Omicron variant.

[iridescentrae]

But what about the next variant? And the next?

Surely simulations take that all into account

[andmar74]

[caltrek]

I am sorry but was CTCCTCGGCGGGCACGTAG already clearly explained? Maybe I've missed that.

I would explain it to you, but that is outside my area of professional experience and academic training. So, my answer would be somewhat speculative.

I think those that have taken a hardline position against your arguments do owe you an explanation. Perhaps if you reworded the question, it would help them to better understand your argument.

[caltrek]

New Study Shows Vaccine and Antibody Treatment Effectiveness Blunted by all Three Omicron Subvariants
March 3, 2022

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/945314

Introduction:

(EurekAlert) When Omicron was first identified in November 2021, the dominant variant was BA.1. Since December, BA.1 cases have declined, while BA1.1 cases have risen and now make up around 40% of all Omicron cases sequenced globally. The BA.2 subvariant currently represents only 10% of all Omicron cases globally but is increasing in prevalence.

In laboratory experiments, Ho and his team studied the ability of 19 monoclonal antibodies and the sera from individuals immunized with one of two available mRNA vaccines to neutralize the three known subvariants of Omicron.

Consistent with their previous study on the BA.1 variant, the researchers observed a similar loss of neutralization activity against BA.1.1 and BA.2 in blood samples from individuals who had received two mRNA shots. However, the decline in neutralization was less prominent in blood samples from individuals who had received three mRNA shots, reinforcing the importance of booster shots for sustaining immunity.

In neutralization experiments, all three variants exhibited a strong resistance to most of the monoclonal antibodies tested. Of 19 antibodies, 17 were ineffective against the BA.2 subvariant. The researchers found that bebtelovimab, the latest monoclonal antibody to receive FDA Emergency Use Authorization, is the only currently available antibody therapy that can adequately treat all three Omicron subvariants.

“The emergence of new variants is narrowing our treatment options and challenging the effectiveness of our current vaccines,” says Ho. “It is critical that we don’t relax prematurely and continue to devise novel strategies to contain this ever-evolving pathogen.”

[caltrek]

A Cat in Pennsylvania Caught the Delta Variant. But It's Not All Bad News
by Carly Cassella
March 3, 2022

https://www.sciencealert.com/domestic-c ... tudy-finds

Introduction:

(Science Alert) SARS-CoV-2 is not picky about its host. Since the virus first started spreading among humans, it has jumped from our species to pets, livestock, and even wild animals.

Cats appear to be particularly susceptible to contracting COVID, although they often don't show symptoms, and it's unlikely that they can pass the virus back to us. Even amongst each other, there appears to be low transmission.

Still, if SARS-CoV-2 is silently circulating among our pets, there's always a chance it could mutate into something even more dangerous, spreading from household to household via a community of free-roaming cats and dogs.

That's why some scientists are trying to track COVID variants among our household pets. And, at least for now, it seems like there's little to worry about.

[R8Z]

I am sorry but was CTCCTCGGCGGGCACGTAG already clearly explained? Maybe I've missed that.

I would explain it to you, but that is outside my area of professional experience and academic training. So, my answer would be somewhat speculative.

I think those that have taken a hardline position against your arguments do owe you an explanation. Perhaps if you reworded the question, it would help them to better understand your argument.

Yea, I agree. Suffice to say that we hope the creator of COVID has a large and available bank account to be able to pay the royalties to Moderna. Jokes aside, let's wait and see if any natural explanation comes to light and anyway this is just a very minor part of the whole mess this whole endeavor was considering now long-term efficacy and safety.

Additionally: It's been a few years now but finally they are releasing the documents from the trials they've performed so we can review and evaluate if we should or not take this highly experimental vaccine.

[Ken_J]

good news everybody we cross the 6million deaths world wide on worldometer the other day, a bit over a week later than I predicted we would. So for reals it's not a serious disease at all, it's all hype. I mean it couldn't even kill 6 million by the 21st of february.

[Yuli Ban]

Real death toll is undoubtedly around 20-25 million at this point.

[Ken_J]

wouldn't surprise me. But just going off the official numbers, if things stay around where they are now in the US. In about 20 days we will hit the mark of 1 million official covid deaths in the US. (if I'm doing the maths right).

[wjfox]

[weatheriscool]

Death toll nears 6 million as pandemic enters its 3rd year
Source: AP

The official global death toll from COVID-19 is on the verge of eclipsing 6 million — underscoring that the pandemic, now entering its third year, is far from over. The death toll, compiled by Johns Hopkins University, stood at 5,997,994 as of Sunday afternoon.

Remote Pacific islands, whose isolation had protected them for more than two years, are just now grappling with their first outbreaks and deaths, fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant. Hong Kong, which is seeing deaths soar, is testing its entire population of 7.5 million three times this month as it clings to mainland China’s “zero-COVID” strategy.

As death rates remain high in Poland, Hungary, Romania and other Eastern European countries, the region has seen more than 1 million refugees arrive from war-torn Ukraine, a country with poor vaccination coverage and high rates of cases and deaths.
And despite its wealth and vaccine availability, the United States is nearing 1 million reported deaths on its own.

Death rates worldwide are still highest among people unvaccinated against the virus, said Tikki Pang, a visiting professor at the National University of Singapore’s medical school and co-Chair of the Asia Pacific Immunization Coalition.
“This is a disease of the unvaccinated.”

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukrai ... fe33d9afbd

[R8Z]

Interesting results from a study the university I went to made. They performed a 220k+ people analysis about IVM prophylactic use in a nearby city down here. Note that there's some peer review comments left open (cureus has an open peer review section), but the evidence for IVM keeps increasing, always with impressive % values in reduction.

---

Ivermectin Prophylaxis Used for COVID-19: A Citywide, Prospective, Observational Study of 223,128 Subjects Using Propensity Score Matching
Lucy Kerr, Flavio A. Cadegiani, Fernando Baldi, Raysildo B. Lobo, Washington Luiz O. Assagra, Fernando Carlos Proença, Pierre Kory, Jennifer A. Hibberd, Juan J. Chamie-Quintero
January 15, 2022
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.21272

Results: Of the 223,128 citizens of Itajaí considered for the study, a total of 159,561 subjects were included in the analysis: 113,845 (71.3%) regular ivermectin users and 45,716 (23.3%) non-users. Of these, 4,311 ivermectin users were infected, among which 4,197 were from the city of Itajaí (3.7% infection rate), and 3,034 non-users (from Itajaí) were infected (6.6% infection rate), with a 44% reduction in COVID-19 infection rate (risk ratio [RR], 0.56; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.53-0.58; p < 0.0001). Using PSM, two cohorts of 3,034 subjects suffering from COVID-19 infection were compared. The regular use of ivermectin led to a 68% reduction in COVID-19 mortality (25 [0.8%] versus 79 [2.6%] among ivermectin non-users; RR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.20-0.49; p < 0.0001). When adjusted for residual variables, reduction in mortality rate was 70% (RR, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.19-0.46; p < 0.0001). There was a 56% reduction in hospitalization rate (44 versus 99 hospitalizations among ivermectin users and non-users, respectively; RR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.31-0.63; p < 0.0001). After adjustment for residual variables, reduction in hospitalization rate was 67% (RR, 0.33; 95% CI, 023-0.66; p < 0.0001).

https://www.cureus.com/articles/82162-i ... e-matching