Coronavirus

[FemMecha]

Kinda strange reading youtube comments in response to vaccine videos. I'd say about half the comments are completely unclear which position the person is taking. They speak like their position is so obvious with statements like, "I hate how there’s always a denial of the obvious." But they don't clarify what they mean. I think it reveals extreme lack of intellectual empathy, an inability to read your comment as though someone else is reading. It surprised me that about 40% of comments read like that. It was a video about a lady who went to the ER with liver failure because she OD'd on acetaminophen after getting the vaccine. Incredibly sad story, and something to be aware of if you have chronic pain. I need to cut back the acetaminophen, although I don't take more than the daily dose, but just too many days in a row.

Also, I just got an email from my mother's nursing home facility and a vaccinated staff worker tested positive for COVID-19. I bought 8 home tests for this year, and finished stocking up in case we are about to see the Delta-plus and the inevitable Epsilon variant (doesn't exist yet, but it's the one I fear the most).

 

[Virtual ghost]

US +112 200

This is evidently going up.




Also +20 600 in Mexico are worth of mentioning as well. Especially since the testing is bad and the real number is evidently much higher. Since in testing per capita from the start Mexico seem to be 24.5 times weaker than US. A little bit more cases and Mexico should start hitting record daily numbers.

 

[Virtual ghost]

WHO calls for moratorium on booster vaccines


This actually makes sense, since overprotecting some countries will not end the pandemic globally.
What is the actual final goal. Since allowing the virus to mutate in some banana republic isn't really smart thing to so.

 

[Vendrah]

To be honest, I don't really like much the generation that has been in charge lately on the west (those on their 50's and up, 40's would be the transition, as a whole). Really, just compare to the conservatives of [MENTION=4347]Virtual ghost[/MENTION] with the ones we know, with the GOP or whichever equivalent (since its not GOP here). I may be wrong but in the past, science was like "look, we can now clone animals!", "look, we got into space!", "Look, particle physics!" stuff like that... and today is more like "look, take the vaccine otherwise you will die" (like it probably was on the beginning of the 20th century), "look, the earth is round, not flat" (like it was on the beginning of the 20th century) and that goes on on that level. More recently, I even got a whatsapp group message where there was an image of old people "going to another plane" (aka dying and going to afterlife, not necessarily heaven or hell) and a text message below firstly saying about the old people who died of COVID to just then quickly jump to their main point in caps CRYSTAL GENERATION VERSUS IRON GENERATION talking about how great their old generation was and how bad/fragile etc.. their generation is, using the COVID deaths. So disgusting, ugh! I mean, I don't really think it was like that 30-50 years ago, even though I wasn't alive to say so (and trust me, they take advantage of that to distort the past either).

 

[Virtual ghost]

To be honest, I don't really like much the generation that has been in charge lately on the west (those on their 50's and up, 40's would be the transition, as a whole). Really, just compare to the conservatives of [MENTION=4347]Virtual ghost[/MENTION] with the ones we know, with the GOP or whichever equivalent (since its not GOP here).

This is why EU is considering itself to be the most progressive place in the world. Since even the right is very advanced when compared to most other places. From healthcare that isn't pay to play, quite affordable college, GMO ban, precise election laws, green new deal, gay rights .... etc. While in most other places this would be seen as very progressive, while here it is kinda normal and mainstream (as well as implemented).

 

[Kephalos]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/08/06/sturgis-motorocycle-rally-covid-superspreader/

This is taking "stupid" to a whole new level, TBH. All those people need to be arrested.

 

[Jonny]

Illinois: 543 deaths/million ; 6,770 deaths total
Texas: 79 deaths/million; 2,293 deaths total

Did the Illinois governor put in measures to protect nursing homes like the Florida governor? or did the Illinois governor put nursing home patients in danger by putting them in close proximity to Covid-19 patients like Cuomo?

Texas and Florida are the gold standards on how to handle a pandemic. Every Democrat governor should try to learn from Texas and Florida.

Update on this...

Illinois: 2,051 deaths/million ; 25,992 deaths total ; +18 deaths yesterday (+1.4 deaths/million)
Texas: 1,855 deaths/million ; 53,794 deaths total ; +78 deaths yesterday (+2.7 deaths/million)
Florida: 1,844 deaths/million ; 39,602 deaths total ; +199 deaths yesterday (+9.3 deaths/million)

 

[ceecee]

Update on this...

Illinois: 2,051 deaths/million ; 25,992 deaths total ; +18 deaths yesterday (+1.4 deaths/million)
Texas: 1,855 deaths/million ; 53,794 deaths total ; +78 deaths yesterday (+2.7 deaths/million)
Florida: 1,844 deaths/million ; 39,602 deaths total ; +199 deaths yesterday (+9.3 deaths/million)

The gold standard...lol

Just for the record there is very little difference between Andrew Cuomo, DeSantis, Abbot and especially Trump (who is just like Andrew Cuomo, btw).

 

[FemMecha]

Oh looky what I found. Epsilon variant does exist in Pakistan.

 

[ceecee]

If Masks Work, Why Can I Smell Farts? | by Rhett Allain | Geek Physics | Medium

But here we are. There is a group of individuals that just plain don’t like masks. I guess, there could be a number of anti-mask reasoning:
I don’t like breathing through them, it’s uncomfortable and hot.
I feel dumb wearing one.
They make me look silly or they don’t match my outfit.
Wearing a mask makes me acknowledge that this whole coronavirus thing is legit.

Umm, my masks match my outfits nearly 100% of the time.

 

[Virtual ghost]

Florida +28 300


What means "someone" is basically in the checkmate, since he will have to do a lockdown in order to prevent "the meltdown".

 

[Virtual ghost]

Record day in Mississippi.


+3400

 

[FemMecha]

I've been comparing numbers this August to last in the U.S. The numbers are climbing faster, by about 50%. This is all before school starts, but the ramifications of summer gatherings like the motorcycle rally in the Dakotas. What also concerns me is that the upward trajectory this year is a much steeper curve than last year like it's coming back with a vengeance. July 2021 was much lower than 2020, but August 2021 is outrunning August 2020 quickly.

 

[FemMecha]

It is interesting that no news stories are covering the Epsilon variant. I think it is because the agreed-upon narrative is that getting the vaccine is the answer. I think there is concern that if they talk about a variant that is jumping the vaccine barrier, people will respond thinking that it isn't worth getting the vaccine. I have noticed people reacting that way which is bizarre because it's like saying, "I don't need a polio vaccine because it doesn't protect me from smallpox". I agree that people need to be vaccinated, but the epsilon variant seems like a big deal over-runing Pakistan and India, having three mutations, and resisting antibodies when studied in the lab. They are carefully avoiding the subject and only talking about all the variants that do respond to the vaccine: alpha, beta, gamma, delta, and lambda.

 

[Virtual ghost]

It is interesting that no news stories are covering the Epsilon variant. I think it is because the agreed-upon narrative is that getting the vaccine is the answer. I think there is concern that if they talk about a variant that is jumping the vaccine barrier, people will respond thinking that it isn't worth getting the vaccine. I have noticed people reacting that way which is bizarre because it's like saying, "I don't need a polio vaccine because it doesn't protect me from smallpox". I agree that people need to be vaccinated, but the epsilon variant seems like a big deal over-runing Pakistan and India, having three mutations, and resisting antibodies when studied in the lab. They are carefully avoiding the subject and only talking about all the variants that do respond to the vaccine: alpha, beta, gamma, delta, and lambda.

Well, delta is already punching through the vaccine to some degree in people of poorer health. So this isn't new.
However all the variants seem to be similar enough that current vaccine still offers protection, it isn't 100% protection but it makes a difference.


Plus there is plenty of variants out there and we are just hearing about the ones that are nastier and/or faster spreading.

 

[FemMecha]

News from India and Pakistan

"Researchers have said that the Epsilon strain of Covid-19 is resistant to all available vaccines."

Vaccine-Resistant Epsilon Variant of Covid-19 Detected in Pakistan, Raises Alarm For India

In the Epsilon variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, three mutations in the spike protein have been found to dampen the neutralising potency of antibodies induced by vaccines or past Covid infections. The mutations also reduce the effectiveness of antibodies from the plasma of vaccinated people, researchers have found.

Their findings have been published in Science.

Epsilon cases have been widespread in the United States and reported in at least 34 other countries.

In an international project led by the University of Washington in Seattle and Vir Biotechnology, scientists visualised this variant’s infection machinery to see what is different from the original configuration of the pandemic coronavirus, and what the implications of these changes are.


The researchers tested the resilience against the Epsilon variant of plasma taken from people who were exposed to the virus, as well as people who had been vaccinated. The neutralising potency of the plasma against the Epsilon variant of concern was reduced about 2 to 3.5 fold.

The researchers found that the Epsilon mutations were responsible for rearrangements in critical areas of the spike protein; electron cryomicroscopy studies showed structural changes in these areas.

One of the three mutations affected the receptor binding domain on the spike protein. This mutation reduced the neutralising activity of 14 out of 34 neutralising antibodies specific to that domain, including clinical stage antibodies.

The other two mutations affected the N-terminal domain on the spike glycoprotein. This resulted in a total loss of neutralisation by 10 out of 10 antibodies tested specific to the N-terminal domain, the researchers found, according to details of the study posted on the University of Washington School of Medicine (UW Medicine) website.

The international project was led by David Veesler’s lab at the University of Washington in Seattle and by Luca Piccoli and Davide Corti of Vir Biotechnology.

For several years, the Veesler lab and its collaborators have been exploring the molecular conformation and infection mechanics of SARS-like coronaviruses. They also examine how antibodies attempt to block infection mechanisms, and how variants come up with new dodges, according to UW Medicine.

Epsilon variant of Covid-19 explained: New findings on mutations in spike protein

Article of research on epsilon published in "Science". Maybe a scientist poster can help translate this.

A novel variant of concern (VOC) named CAL.20C (B.1.427/B.1.429), which was originally detected in California, carries spike glycoprotein mutations S13I in the signal peptide, W152C in the N-terminal domain (NTD), and L452R in the receptor-binding domain (RBD). Plasma from individuals vaccinated with a Wuhan-1 isolate–based messenger RNA vaccine or from convalescent individuals exhibited neutralizing titers that were reduced 2- to 3.5-fold against the B.1.427/B.1.429 variant relative to wild-type pseudoviruses. The L452R mutation reduced neutralizing activity in 14 of 34 RBD-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). The S13I and W152C mutations resulted in total loss of neutralization for 10 of 10 NTD-specific mAbs because the NTD antigenic supersite was remodeled by a shift of the signal peptide cleavage site and the formation of a new disulfide bond, as revealed by mass spectrometry and structural studies.

SARS-CoV-2 immune evasion by the B.1.427/B.1.429 variant of concern | Science

 

[Virtual ghost]

News from India and Pakistan

"Researchers have said that the Epsilon strain of Covid-19 is resistant to all available vaccines."

Vaccine-Resistant Epsilon Variant of Covid-19 Detected in Pakistan, Raises Alarm For India

In the Epsilon variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, three mutations in the spike protein have been found to dampen the neutralising potency of antibodies induced by vaccines or past Covid infections. The mutations also reduce the effectiveness of antibodies from the plasma of vaccinated people, researchers have found.

Their findings have been published in Science.

Epsilon cases have been widespread in the United States and reported in at least 34 other countries.

In an international project led by the University of Washington in Seattle and Vir Biotechnology, scientists visualised this variant’s infection machinery to see what is different from the original configuration of the pandemic coronavirus, and what the implications of these changes are.


The researchers tested the resilience against the Epsilon variant of plasma taken from people who were exposed to the virus, as well as people who had been vaccinated. The neutralising potency of the plasma against the Epsilon variant of concern was reduced about 2 to 3.5 fold.

The researchers found that the Epsilon mutations were responsible for rearrangements in critical areas of the spike protein; electron cryomicroscopy studies showed structural changes in these areas.

One of the three mutations affected the receptor binding domain on the spike protein. This mutation reduced the neutralising activity of 14 out of 34 neutralising antibodies specific to that domain, including clinical stage antibodies.

The other two mutations affected the N-terminal domain on the spike glycoprotein. This resulted in a total loss of neutralisation by 10 out of 10 antibodies tested specific to the N-terminal domain, the researchers found, according to details of the study posted on the University of Washington School of Medicine (UW Medicine) website.

The international project was led by David Veesler’s lab at the University of Washington in Seattle and by Luca Piccoli and Davide Corti of Vir Biotechnology.

For several years, the Veesler lab and its collaborators have been exploring the molecular conformation and infection mechanics of SARS-like coronaviruses. They also examine how antibodies attempt to block infection mechanisms, and how variants come up with new dodges, according to UW Medicine.

Epsilon variant of Covid-19 explained: New findings on mutations in spike protein

Article of research on epsilon published in "Science". Maybe a scientist poster can help translate this.

A novel variant of concern (VOC) named CAL.20C (B.1.427/B.1.429), which was originally detected in California, carries spike glycoprotein mutations S13I in the signal peptide, W152C in the N-terminal domain (NTD), and L452R in the receptor-binding domain (RBD). Plasma from individuals vaccinated with a Wuhan-1 isolate–based messenger RNA vaccine or from convalescent individuals exhibited neutralizing titers that were reduced 2- to 3.5-fold against the B.1.427/B.1.429 variant relative to wild-type pseudoviruses. The L452R mutation reduced neutralizing activity in 14 of 34 RBD-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). The S13I and W152C mutations resulted in total loss of neutralization for 10 of 10 NTD-specific mAbs because the NTD antigenic supersite was remodeled by a shift of the signal peptide cleavage site and the formation of a new disulfide bond, as revealed by mass spectrometry and structural studies.

SARS-CoV-2 immune evasion by the B.1.427/B.1.429 variant of concern | Science

If it got Greek letter assigned to it that means that it is a variant of concern.
Plus from what I gathered "resistant" means that the vaccine doesn't have easy time fighting it, but not that it is useless (that would be "immune"). Basically all variants of concern are the ones where vaccine struggles to some degree.


I am not a doctor but from what I gathered out of this there is a visible reduction in how effective are vaccines. But that isn't 100%. Plus fairly low number of cases over time suggests that this isn't too fast spreading variant. If this was really "fast spreading vaccine avoider" we would hear more about this (since the variant is out there for a while from what I have seen). Therefore the reality would simply put this into news all over the place in the case that it is ultra alarming. The families would report this to the press everywhere.

 

[Virtual ghost]

Children’s hospitals are swamped with Covid patients — and it may only get worse

 

[Virtual ghost]

Mexico: +22700


New daily record.

 

[Virtual ghost]

Thailand +22700


New daily record.
The whole south Asia seem to be a pandemic mess at this point.