Coronavirus

[Z Buck McFate]

The first batch of vaccines are being shipped this morning to medical workers. This makes me tear up. I am beyond thankful that help is coming for the people working the front lines, then the elderly and vulnerable, and then the rest of us.

With any luck perhaps the violent and willfully irrational people will refuse to take the vaccine and karma can do its work unfettered.

100%. I'm not proud of it, but I'm so tired of senselessly reactive people riling each other up with contagious outrage over a shut down that's - in no small part - their own fault. As you said, and as others have occasionally pointed out since June, masks could have minimized shut down; the simultaneous outrage about shut down and masks belies some psychological need to feel outrage (e.g. externalizing shame onto some 'us vs. them' other) far more than revealing any injustice that merits outrage. I know this is the exhaustion speaking (and me giving in to a certain degree of 'us vs. them' thinking myself), but I'm ready for that part of the herd to be culled. (And, like you, relieved the vaccine means they'll be taking less healthcare workers people with them).

 

[FemMecha]

100%. I'm not proud of it, but I'm so tired of senselessly reactive people riling each other up with contagious outrage over a shut down that's - in no small part - their own fault. As you said, and as others have occasionally pointed out since June, masks could have minimized shut down; the simultaneous outrage about shut down and masks belies some psychological need to feel outrage (e.g. externalizing shame onto some 'us vs. them' other) far more than revealing any injustice that merits outrage. I know this is the exhaustion speaking (and me giving in to a certain degree of 'us vs. them' thinking myself), but I'm ready for that part of the herd to be culled. (And, like you, relieved the vaccine means they'll be taking less healthcare workers people with them).

I feel like society is quite dangerous, and I do think some people could learn a lesson experiencing COVID-19 and recovering. If the people planning to kidnap and murder the governor of Michigan die of Covid-19, I'll not cry, but feel peaceful that they are gone. I wish the most violent people did not exist, but I don't believe in enacting violence, but just notice nature initiating its own rebalancing.

 

[JAVO]

Chemical Compounds in Foods Can Inhibit a Key SARS-CoV-2 Enzyme | NC State News

Computer simulations showed that the studied chemical compounds from green tea, two varieties of muscadine grapes, cacao powder and dark chocolate were able to bind to different portions of Mpro.

“Mpro has a portion that is like a ‘pocket’ that was ‘filled’ by the chemical compounds,” Xie said. “When this pocket was filled, the protease lost its important function.”

In vitro lab experiments completed by Yue Zhu, an NC State Ph.D. student in Xie’s lab, showed similar results. The chemical compounds in green tea and muscadine grapes were very successful at inhibiting Mpro’s function; chemical compounds in cacao powder and dark chocolate reduced Mpro activity by about half.

Of course these are lab studies done only in test tubes, meaning the effects on the COVID virus when humans consume these have not been studied.

Still, green tea, grapes, cacao, chocolate... I think I need a snack!

 

[The Cat]

 

[Virtual ghost]

Despite Sunday globally it is not falling bellow half a million new cases in a day.

 

[The Cat]

A note to the tough guys who wont wear a mask or watch the video:
Even if it doesnt kill you; Covid can fuck up your dick. Good luck standing firmly for your "rights".

 

[Galena]

If we judge by the standards of the developed countries this problem is visibly more pronounced in US. Since the narrative is "You decide" and then people take justice into their own hands, even over pointless details. What in the end makes everyone nervous and in combination with economic system that is on "sink or swim" basis makes sure that you have plenty of people that are out of balance. Since everyone has to constantly dodge disasters and tell others to piss off. What basically inevitably leads to mass depression and economic problems that will only amplify one another.

Our style of capitalism demands perfectionism and - inconsistently - rewards it. The inconsistency of the reward makes the neurosis even more compulsive.

 

[Virtual ghost]

Our style of capitalism demands perfectionism and - inconsistently - rewards it. The inconsistency of the reward makes the neurosis even more compulsive.

I am not sure I agree with perfectionism part. Perfectionism in maximizing profits - perhaps. But consumer protection, mental health protection, health related safety of the products, legal safety .... that is also capitalism.

 

[Virtual ghost]

Looks like new daily global record in deaths.

 

[The Cat]

Looks like new daily global record in deaths.

TGI hump day.

 

[Virtual ghost]

French President Emmanuel Macron tests positive for COVID

 

[FemMecha]

"With a current average of more than 2,200 deaths per day, Covid-19 is, for at least this moment, surpassing heart disease and cancer as the leading killer in the United States. About 1,800 people on average die from heart disease each day, and 1,640 from cancer, according to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 2018, the latest full data available." link

 

[FemMecha]

U.S. Covid-19 deaths for December 16th 3,611 the record number so far.

 

[Virtual ghost]

Here we are introducing much tougher measures since the numbers aren't good (something that should have been done weeks ago). So it seems that the numbers are starting to fall.
Plus again it seems that we will ban moving between the regions of the country in order to reduce family related infections during the holidays.

 

[Jaguar]

A note to the tough guys who wont wear a mask or watch the video:
Even if it doesnt kill you; Covid can fuck up your dick. Good luck standing firmly for your "rights".

DeSantis is his governor? The poor bastard.

 

[Red Herring]

Well, I felt sort of in a nice save bubble living in a wealthy university town with a worldclass hospital, where most people are reasonable and follow hygiene rules. So reading that said clinic is spending a few Covid-19 cases to hospitals in other cities because our ICU is getting too full was sobering. They were transporting them in special buses on the autobahn, no less, because the weather wouldn't allow the use of helicopters (very foggy all day).

The clinic is currently treating 102 Covid-19 cases. 46 of them in intensive care, out of which 44 are on a respirator (expect about a quarter of those not to survive). Like in most German hospitals, the bottleneck is neither beds nor respirators (of which Germany had/has more than many other countries) but qualified personnel attending to the patients day and night. ICU treatment is extremely labor intensive and there was a shortage of nurses even before the pandemic started (many of them migrants).

There are hospitals in the East of the country where doctors already have to practice triage and decided who gets to be treated because ressources are too scarce for all the patients. Numbers of deaths have risen sharply these last few days.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

 

[Jaguar]

Dr. Fauci Ensures Kids He Vaccinated Santa Claus Against COVID-19

Fauci vaccinated Santa Claus and his birthday is Christmas Eve.

 

[FemMecha]

I wonder if the virus will mutate after people are vaccinated - better said I wonder if another mutation of the virus will be successful. Virologist have been describing that COVID-19 hasn't had other mutations take hold because the current virus is so successful. From what I understand, once there is a barrier to it, another mutation could take hold. I know there is a cluster 5 mutation from the mink farm populations that is more resistant to antibodies. I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer, but it is a point worth keeping in the back of one's mind, so that people don't recklessly let their guard down after being vaccinated. Hopefully it will be easier to address just like the influenza mutations are addressed every year in the flu vaccines.

WHO | SARS-CoV-2 mink-associated variant strain – Denmark

 

[Jaguar]

I wonder if the virus will mutate after people are vaccinated - better said I wonder if another mutation of the virus will be successful. Virologist have been describing that COVID-19 hasn't had other mutations take hold because the current virus is so successful. From what I understand, once there is a barrier to it, another mutation could take hold. I know there is a cluster 5 mutation from the mink farm populations that is more resistant to antibodies. I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer, but it is a point worth keeping in the back of one's mind, so that people don't recklessly let their guard down after being vaccinated. Hopefully it will be easier to address just like the influenza mutations are addressed every year in the flu vaccines.

WHO | SARS-CoV-2 mink-associated variant strain – Denmark

More than 16 million Britons are now required to stay at home as a lockdown came into force Sunday in London and southeast England, part of Boris Johnson’s attempt to control a fast-spreading new strain of the coronavirus.

The measures ban household mixing in the capital and the southeast, and restrict socializing to just Christmas Day across the rest of England. Residents across the country were told to keep to their local areas.

Johnson had originally planned to ease pandemic rules for five days during the holiday, but made an abrupt change of tack after emergency talks on the virus mutation with his top officials. Emerging scientific evidence suggests the new variant -- which currently appears virtually unique to the U.K. -- can spread significantly more quickly than previous strains in circulation and is behind a huge surge in infections in recent days.

London Begins Emergency Lockdown as U.K. Fights New Covid Strain - Bloomberg