Coronavirus COVID-19

[Gil Dobie]

Interesting article on Iceland. 43% of people that tested positive, were asymptomatic. They were able to trace a wave of covid to 2 tourist that defied orders.

Iceland link

[kalm]

A new variant or mutation is showing up in the UK and South Africa.

So much still to learn.

Some variants become more common in a population simply by luck, not because the changes somehow supercharge the virus. But as it becomes more difficult for the pathogen to survive — because of vaccinations and growing immunity in human populations — researchers also expect the virus to gain useful mutations enabling it to spread more easily or to escape detection by the immune system.

“It’s a real warning that we need to pay closer attention,” said Jesse Bloom, an evolutionary biologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. “Certainly these mutations are going to spread, and, definitely, the scientific community — we need to monitor these mutations and we need to characterize which ones have effects.”

The British variant has about 20 mutations, including several that affect how the virus locks onto human cells and infects them. These mutations may allow the variant to replicate and transmit more efficiently, said Muge Cevik, an infectious disease expert at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and a scientific adviser to the British government.

But the estimate of greater transmissibility — British officials said the variant was as much as 70 percent more transmissible — is based on modeling and has not been confirmed in lab experiments, Dr. Cevik added.
“Over all, I think we need to have a little bit more experimental data,” she said. “We can’t entirely rule out the fact that some of this transmissibility data might be related to human behavior.”

In South Africa, too, scientists were quick to note that human behavior was driving the epidemic, not necessarily new mutations whose effect on transmissibility had yet to be quantified.

The British announcement also prompted concern that the virus might evolve to become resistant to the vaccines just now rolling out. The worries are focused on a pair of alterations in the viral genetic code that may make it less vulnerable to certain antibodies.

But several experts urged caution, saying it would take years — not months — for the virus to evolve enough to render the current vaccines impotent.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/20/heal ... GC9374SHVg

[Pwns]

https://reason.com/2020/12/18/vaccine-c ... l-covid-19

Leftists who think protecting livelihoods from lockdowns is sacrificing grandma want to sacrifice grandma to ease their neurotic white guilt.

[kalm]

https://reason.com/2020/12/18/vaccine-c ... l-covid-19

Leftists who think protecting livelihoods from lockdowns is sacrificing grandma want to sacrifice grandma to ease their neurotic white guilt.

Hogie already posted about this (not to go all BDK on ya).

It’s a tough issue and Iglesias makes a valid point and proposal but your politicization is disingenuous starting with...

Grandma can still avoid the disease while she waits a few months or maybe less for a vaccine.

[CAA Flagship]

Oldest son came home from Virginia Tech on Friday. Then received a text from a friend that he tested positive. Son was at his fraternity house on Wednesday night watching a movie when this guy entered the room and sat down abut 10 feet across from him for about 30 minutes.

So my son is in isolation in his room. Got tested yesterday and still waiting on results. No symptoms.

Sounds like low risk. There was some distance even though no masks were being worn (my son was the only one in the room that hadn't caught the COVIDs prior to this other guy walking in). And since they were watching a movie, there wasn't much talking/yelling that would create a bigger viral cloud.

[kalm]

Oldest son came home from Virginia Tech on Friday. Then received a text from a friend that he tested positive. Son was at his fraternity house on Wednesday night watching a movie when this guy entered the room and sat down abut 10 feet across from him for about 30 minutes.

So my son is in isolation in his room. Got tested yesterday and still waiting on results. No symptoms.

Sounds like low risk. There was some distance even though no masks were being worn (my son was the only one in the room that hadn't caught the COVIDs prior to this other guy walking in). And since they were watching a movie, there wasn't much talking/yelling that would create a bigger viral cloud.

[SDHornet]

Love how the goalposts keep moving with the China virus. No masks, now masks, everyone has to wear them, everyone is wearing them but now they aren't worn properly...

Stay locked down until a vaccine, but don't trust a vaccine developed while Trump is in office, oh now a vaccine is rolling out but we still have to stay locked down even after everyone gets it.

We have plenty of data to show who is at risk and who should be concerned. Anyone buying into the fear porn at this point is hopeless.

I would say that anyone who would type something like you typed there is hopeless.

The mask thing is simple. It has always been the recommendation that people who were infected and capable of transmission wear masks. The change in position is due to the realization that, with this virus, people can transmit when they are not showing symptoms. And, yes, masks have to be worn properly to be effective in preventing transmission.

Nobody said not to trust a vaccine while Trump is in office. Trump's behavior has caused doubt. But it has always been the case that people in the "limelight" have said that if the FDA says a vaccine if safe and effective they will accept that. Fauci has said it. Biden has said it. Many others have said it. They are not the problem.

A very large proportion of the population falls into the set of risk groups. Obesity is a risk group. More than one third of adults in the United States are obese. Diabetes is a risk group. About 10% of the population has diabetes.

You are in denial about the severity of the problem. You should stop.

Says the guy that posts his own graphs with curated data.

Masks were not always recommended. Nice revisionist history there.

Kamala Harris is on video saying not to trust a vaccine from "this Administration".

Yes there are lots of people at risk, and those that fall into those categories should do what they need to do to protect themselves and not depend on others to "keep them safe".

I'm not in denial about anything, those not in the risk groups don't face any kind of eminent danger. The fact is those not in the at risk groups are more likely to die driving to work than from the China Virus. I know this because the data tells me so. For someone who claims to have a higher than average IQ you really do suck at interpreting the data on this topic.

[SDHornet]

[Col Hogan]

[Gil Dobie]

Just got word of another friend dying from covid. Moved to Washington state a year or so ago. He was 61.

[AshevilleApp]

Just got word of another friend dying from covid. Moved to Washington state a year or so ago. He was 61.

Damn. Sorry Gil.

[HI54UNI]

The stimulus bill gives us peons $600 while giving millions in foreign aid to other countries. 5,500 page bill. House rules require 72 hours before a vote so people can read the bill. All but 5 Democrats voted to suspend the rule and a vote was held about 8 hours after it was released.

House lawmakers voted 359-53 in favor, with only two Democratic representatives defecting on the measures. The Senate voted 92-6 in support of the relief as a handful of Republicans broke ranks with party leadership.

We get what we deserve because we keep re-electing these assclowns.

[HI54UNI]

So we lock down our own country, businesses, no Christmas, etc. but it's OK to let people travel from the UK where the latest fear porn is going on? Maybe it's racist to ban travel from the UK?



Fauci warns against 'overreacting' to new strain, advises against banning UK flights

Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, said Monday that he would not recommend suspending flights from the United Kingdom over a more infectious coronavirus strain detected in southern England.

The U.S. should “without a doubt keep an eye on it,” but “we don’t want to overreact,” Fauci told CNN.

"Follow it carefully, but don't overreact to it," he added.

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5 ... banning-uk

[kalm]

The stimulus bill gives us peons $600 while giving millions in foreign aid to other countries. 5,500 page bill. House rules require 72 hours before a vote so people can read the bill. All but 5 Democrats voted to suspend the rule and a vote was held about 8 hours after it was released.

House lawmakers voted 359-53 in favor, with only two Democratic representatives defecting on the measures. The Senate voted 92-6 in support of the relief as a handful of Republicans broke ranks with party leadership.

We get what we deserve because we keep re-electing these assclowns.

[kalm]

So we lock down our own country, businesses, no Christmas, etc. but it's OK to let people travel from the UK where the latest fear porn is going on? Maybe it's racist to ban travel from the UK?



Fauci warns against 'overreacting' to new strain, advises against banning UK flights

Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, said Monday that he would not recommend suspending flights from the United Kingdom over a more infectious coronavirus strain detected in southern England.

The U.S. should “without a doubt keep an eye on it,” but “we don’t want to overreact,” Fauci told CNN.

"Follow it carefully, but don't overreact to it," he added.

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5 ... banning-uk

Darth Fauci is not alone.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/22/worl ... unGzFFAv9Q

[GannonFan]

So we lock down our own country, businesses, no Christmas, etc. but it's OK to let people travel from the UK where the latest fear porn is going on? Maybe it's racist to ban travel from the UK?



Fauci warns against 'overreacting' to new strain, advises against banning UK flights

Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, said Monday that he would not recommend suspending flights from the United Kingdom over a more infectious coronavirus strain detected in southern England.

The U.S. should “without a doubt keep an eye on it,” but “we don’t want to overreact,” Fauci told CNN.

"Follow it carefully, but don't overreact to it," he added.

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5 ... banning-uk

Darth Fauci is not alone.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/22/worl ... unGzFFAv9Q

I bet New Zealand isn't allowing free travel with the UK. Or are we not holding New Zealand out as an example of how to do things correctly?

[kalm]

Darth Fauci is not alone.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/22/worl ... unGzFFAv9Q

I bet New Zealand isn't allowing free travel with the UK. Or are we not holding New Zealand out as an example of how to do things correctly?

Apples to oranges...or..er...kiwi.

[GannonFan]

I bet New Zealand isn't allowing free travel with the UK. Or are we not holding New Zealand out as an example of how to do things correctly?

Apples to oranges...or..er...kiwi.

Nah, just throwing out the example of how travel bans can and have worked. Of course, it helps if you're a tiny island in a remote part of the world that most people don't go to anyway, but it was clearly a travel ban that has worked stupendously.

[kalm]

Apples to oranges...or..er...kiwi.

Nah, just throwing out the example of how travel bans can and have worked. Of course, it helps if you're a tiny island in a remote part of the world that most people don't go to anyway, but it was clearly a travel ban that has worked stupendously.

Right. So it’s literally apples to oranges.

[HI54UNI]

So we lock down our own country, businesses, no Christmas, etc. but it's OK to let people travel from the UK where the latest fear porn is going on? Maybe it's racist to ban travel from the UK?



Fauci warns against 'overreacting' to new strain, advises against banning UK flights

Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, said Monday that he would not recommend suspending flights from the United Kingdom over a more infectious coronavirus strain detected in southern England.

The U.S. should “without a doubt keep an eye on it,” but “we don’t want to overreact,” Fauci told CNN.

"Follow it carefully, but don't overreact to it," he added.

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5 ... banning-uk

Darth Fauci is not alone.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/22/worl ... unGzFFAv9Q

So we can travel on packed airplanes between countries with complete strangers but we can't dine with our own families on Christmas? If it's truly more contagious than the earlier versions shouldn't we be doing everything to prevent its spread? Shouldn't we be locking down further? Aren't we going to overwhelm the hospitals? Don't we have 15 days to slow the spread?

[HI54UNI]

Rules for thee but not for me

https://nypost.com/2020/12/20/birx-went ... -warnings/

[Gil Dobie]

Minnesota active cases dropping. Less than half of Thanksgiving total.

[GannonFan]

Rules for thee but not for me

https://nypost.com/2020/12/20/birx-went ... -warnings/

Isn't she resigning now as a result? Indeed, just another of way too many examples of folks in power demanding adherence to restrictions and then not following those restrictions themselves. But nothing will beat the Austin mayor, vacationing in Mexico, and making a video spot while there telling people they shouldn't travel. And people wonder why there's a distressingly growing faction in this country that not only doesn't trust government, but actively hates government. Gotta stop fueling that fire.

[kalm]

Rules for thee but not for me

https://nypost.com/2020/12/20/birx-went ... -warnings/

Isn't she resigning now as a result? Indeed, just another of way too many examples of folks in power demanding adherence to restrictions and then not following those restrictions themselves. But nothing will beat the Austin mayor, vacationing in Mexico, and making a video spot while there telling people they shouldn't travel. And people wonder why there's a distressingly growing faction in this country that not only doesn't trust government, but actively hates government. Gotta stop fueling that fire.

Agreed.

[kalm]

Darth Fauci is not alone.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/22/worl ... unGzFFAv9Q

So we can travel on packed airplanes between countries with complete strangers but we can't dine with our own families on Christmas? If it's truly more contagious than the earlier versions shouldn't we be doing everything to prevent its spread? Shouldn't we be locking down further? Aren't we going to overwhelm the hospitals? Don't we have 15 days to slow the spread?

Without looking it up, I’ll guess there are still less people traveling than having family get togethers. It’s also a plausible compromise against the economics of complete lockdowns. For your comparison to work we’d need all families to have dinner in well ventilated tubes for a specific limit of time, masked up, no hugging, etc.

I don’t know about your family, but mine isn’t worth all that nonsense.