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Corona virus

581K views 2K replies 32 participants last post by  Flook 
#1 ·
Everybody by now has heard plenty on the world-wide spread of the corona virus. It seems to be everywhere. Washington state had a death attributed to it in recents news. So what is happening in your neck of the woods?
Any local or national news concerning this is welcome. I'm not sure as to what to make of it myself. Maybe by combining any information here as some kind of information port. A greater understand of what is going on can be ascertained.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/29/worse-than-flu-busting-coronavirus-myths
 
#1,195 ·
According to news reports this morning, California's Governor Gruesome has recalculated and tweaked his virus safety regulations (based upon his science and data, of course). He will be announcing the end of his lock-down order for the state (did anyone pay any attention to that?) and will be allowing outdoor dining and other outdoor business activities again. I wonder if that has anything to do with restaurants and other businesses suing him and asking what "science and data" he was using to prohibit outdoor business activities?

Also a university medical professor was interviewed by a news reporter a few days ago and he mentioned that the medical community has been trying to obtain a copy of the state's scientific formula and data that they use to determine their virus regulations, which they say are based upon a future 4-week projection of ICU beds in the state. The response from the state has been that the public would just be confused if they provided that information and would not respond to the request. The professor responded that just didn't sound right and he was sure that researchers would be able to understand the formula. A few days after that request had been made the lock-down is being lifted. Kind of makes you wonder what is going on in California's ivory towers and how these decisions that affect the entire state are being made. :confused:

I might add that I was very surprised to hear that the lock-down would be lifted even for the Los Angles area, where things are really bad in all of their hospitals due to virus infections. It really does give the appearance that decisions are being made in the capital based more upon politics than medical science.
 
#1,196 ·
It really does give the appearance that decisions are being made in the capital based more upon politics than medical science.
That simply reflects the general situation among the American populace. To wear a mask or not wear a mask became largely a matter of the average Joe's political leaning, not anything related to do with medical science.

Wear a mask. Red or blue, winner or loser, just wear a mask.

The rest of the world has been laughing at America. I realise Americans don't care about that, what with all that 'America Number One' rah rah. They can hardly point out out any other country on a map by name (except Canada cos that is up the top of the map, oh and Mexico cos they have "bad dudes" and that wall they talk about on Fox) and think 'Africa' is a country [lol].

The rest of the world now pities* America, the stoopidest country in the pandemic.

*Maybe not China and Russia. They don't do the pity part, they're still just laughing.[lmao]
 
#1,197 ·
Here is another example of big government at work. As usual the example is from California: According to an article in my newspaper today, written by George Avalos of the Bay Area News Group, the state's Employment Development Department (EDD) says that $11 Billion of fraud has been sucked up by scammers and crime rings. And the cost could be as high as $30 Billion. The Federal pandemic unemployment relief money was sent to rings operating out of Nigeria, China and Russia (no mention was made of North Korea - so far :rolleyes: ) that unleashed a wave of fraud that focused on California's unemployment benefits as their most tempting target. Apparently the department handed out the money as fast as they could without verifying who it was going to. The state has already acknowledged that it has paid about $400 million in the names of prison inmates. Easy come, easy go, I guess. [:(!]
 
#1,198 ·
Millionaire Canadians flew by private plane to a remote province to get vaccines meant for elderly First Nations people, officials say

-Two rich Canadians travelled to remote Yukon province to cut in line for a vaccine, officials said.

-Rodney and Ekaterina Baker flew more than 1,000 miles in a private plane, Yukon News reported.

-They received a vaccine there, where doses are meant to be for vulnerable indigenous people.

A wealthy Canadian couple was fined after officials said they flew to Canada's remote north to access vaccines meant for vulnerable indigenous people who live there.
Rodney and Ekaterina Baker were accused of leaving Vancouver and travelling more than 1,000 miles to Beaver Creek, Yukon, for a coronavirus shot, per the Yukon News. At least part of the trip was allegedly by private plane.

Rodney Baker was head of the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation. According to Yukon News, his total annual compensation in 2019 was $10.6 million.

The company announced his resignation on January 25, four days after he and his wife were fined. He was first appointed president in 2010, after previously working as a senior advisor.
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/millionaire-canadians-flew-private-plane-132449778.html
 
#1,199 ·
Update on this story; Following outrage over the relatively small fine.

The Bakers were fined C$2,300 (US$1,800) for breaching Covid rules but community elders are demanding a tougher penalty be handed down.
On Wednesday, they were ordered to appear in court and have had their tickets home put on hold. If convicted they face a maximum of six months in jail.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...fe-flew-indigenous-community-Covid-shots.html
 
#1,201 ·
I have a couple of comments regarding the virus that I was pondering last night:

I wonder what the U.S. government is paying for each dose of vaccine and if the cost is different depending upon the manufacturer? What with buying hundreds of millions of doses, I would hope they are getting a volume discount. :confused: So far I haven't heard a peep about the cost of each dose anywhere in the news media. I bet it isn't cheap, though.

My other question revolves around the state of California apparently that is planning to contract with the private medical insurance company, Blue Shield, to distribute and manage the vaccination system in the state. I wonder how that is going to work? While I have never had Blue Shield insurance, I do know people (like my daughter) who don't think too much about the company and the way they operate - and make money. Being the kind of person that I am, it sounds to me like Blue Shield is being set up to take the heat off of the governor should things go wrong during the vaccination process. It is always nice for a politician to have a big bad private company to take the blame when the poop hits the fan. :rolleyes:
 
#1,202 ·
I'm sure that with decades of 'me-me-me-first USA' foreign policy the US will have been well positioned to bully smaller countries out of any semblance of a fair access to the early rounds of the vaccine. So rest assured Richard the USA will get a volume discount at the expense of others, as usual. Happy now?

What will be an interesting number will be the just how many vaccine doses are wasted by the USA*. Because the USA has been such an abject failure in terms of true public health policy and administration and lacks the infrastructure and incentive to provide care for those that need it but can't easily pay there will be millions of doses thrown in the trash, rather than jabbed in arms. As Ivanka said 'Muricans don't like to be given anything for free'.

The cost (for the dummies) is infinitely small compared to the costs of a hospital admission for a COVID-19 patient which months ago was about US$90,000 on average.

So whilst listening to or reading the constant whining of Americans about the confusing COVID-19 pandemic is both hilarious and sad at the same time, please rest assured that the cost of vaccination and prevention of cases is less than the cost of treating cases, ok? That has been in the media.

* Continuing its role as the stoopidest country in the pandemic. USA Number 1
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...garbage-because-fed-state-guidelines-n1254364
https://www.propublica.org/article/covid-vaccine-wastage
https://khn.org/news/article/delica...ng-to-shots-given-out-of-turn-or-worse-waste/
https://observer.com/2020/12/covid-19-vaccine-distribution-doses-wasted-chaos/
https://apnews.com/article/science-...irus-vaccine-8fbf27850e507b49ffda83d64b9cd5c6
 
#1,203 ·
I heard on the news last night that a group of anti-vaccine protesters shut down the LA vaccine clinic, one of the largest in the country, for an hour yesterday. Apparently they don't believe in vaccine and don't want to get it and they don't want anyone else to get it, either. Gotta stay safe from the deadly vaccine. :confused: Fun and games in LA. :rolleyes:
 
#1,204 ·
People are amazing. If they don't believe in the vaccine - then don't get it and let Darwinism test out. Don't prevent the others who want it from having it. It is amazing to me what a political and irrationally passionate issue to vaccinate is.
 
#1,205 ·
If they don't believe in the vaccine - then don't get it...
Same same for those who are anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage: if you don't believe in abortion, be sure not to obtain one. If you don't believe in gay marriage, be sure to not marry someone of the same sex. With these issues the irony is blatant: often these same people are anti-government control, and yet they want government to codify both of these issues.
 
#1,206 ·
The m-RNA vaccines do pose some interesting questions. Just a couple days ago I posed one to the authors of some scientific articles that were circling around the question but never addressed it directly. Brief background: ACE2 = angiotensin 2 converting enzyme. When angiotensin binds to an available ACE2 receptor its inherently pathogenic nature is favorably attenuated: it loses its hypertensive & pro-inflammatory effects, both of which play major roles in severity of Covid 19 disease. Covid-19's spike protein binds to these same ACE2 receptors, which are ubiquitously present on the cell membranes of various tissues in the body including endothelial lining, airway lining and more. So the ACE2 receptor is the portal by which the virus enters the cell to replicate, and in doing so ties up the ACE2 receptor so that it is no longer available to degrade angiotensin 2.

m-RNA viruses challenge our immune system to produce antibodies which act in effect as ACE2 receptor decoys so as to bind w/ Covid-19 spike proteins and so prevent the virus from binding to ACE2 receptors. This begs an important plausible: what is the affinity for angiotensin 2 to bind to ACE2 receptor decoys, which we can safely presume will not degrade away angiotensin's deleterious effects. Does this imply there will be increased levels of unconverted angiotensin 2 therefore increasing hypertension and inflammation?

It's a little spooky to me the m-RNA vaccines work in this fashion, specifically designed to mimic our ubiquitous ACE2 receptors which therefore suggest it has the potential to have far-reaching interactions w/ this giant aspect of our physioregulatory systems. Potential only, but still....

I will take the vaccine as soon as its offered since I am in the highest risk group for a poor outcome. The new J&J vaccine w/ it's 66% efficacy should be offered to lower risk people, but I've not heard that yet. In general we're using just age as a criteria for vaccine eligibility, yet comorbidities play a giant role in risk for severe disease. A healthy, lean & fit 75y/o is at far lower risk than someone like myself at 68y/o and a 30+ year history of diabetes. I think some docs and clinics are trying to target their high risk patients.
 
#1,207 ·
My daughter knows a woman who is an anti-masker. She tried to book a hotel in the Southeast for a convention of anti-maskers (who knew it was a thing that needed a convention?) and was told by the hotel that everyone would have to wear a mask within the hotel. So she canceled the convention and the hotel said don't let the door hit you in the behind on the way out.
 
#1,210 ·
In other news: I am a member of the Kaiser medical/hospital plan, which has something like 9.5 million members. I heard on the news last night that at the current rate of vaccine distribution to their system in California, it will take about 4 years to vaccinate all of their members. [:0]

And another item: I just heard on this morning's CBS network news that a number of people are not returning for their second shot of the virus vaccine. They receive appointments, but just don't bother showing up, and when contacted say they had other things to do or it was just too much of a hassle to get another shot. And there have also been reports that more and more people say they don't want to get vaccinated at all because they don't think it is safe for the usual list of reasons. One example was that 38% of a nursing home staff at one facility refused to get vaccinated. There may come a day when an employee will have to prove that they have been vaccinated in order to keep their job. No doubt that will result in some political and social kickback drama.

And so it goes.....
 
#1,214 ·
My wife and I contemplated the same thought of 'who has the time and the money to protest and march?' When we moved to NYC metro many years ago we were amazed that every day there seemed to be a protest. We are too busy in our work and such, Not that we don't have beliefs and passions..but it amazing people have time for a convention of non-maskers.
 
#1,215 ·
Some of the MAGA mob rioters who violently stormed the US Capitol to protest Joe Biden becoming president never even voted in the 2020 election.

At least eight of the protesters who have been charged over the Capitol riots did not cast ballots in November's election, a CNN analysis of voting records has shown.

The mob, who declared themselves patriots, stormed the Capitol building after attending Donald Trump's 'Stop the Steal' rally in Washington DC back on January 6.

Among those who didn't vote but declared that the election had been stolen included an Ohio militia member, a University of Kentucky senior, a young Tennessee man who declared the 'Calvary is coming' and a New Yorker ready for a revolution.

Voting records for some of those who were charged were unavailable due to varying rules in different states.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/some-capitol-rioters-didn-t-even-vote-in-the-election/ar-BB1di4OY
 
#1,216 ·
This is an update on my Moderna vaccine on2/2/21.

12 hours after the shot, I had a very mild headache. I never have headaches, but, this was tolerable. I did not show any fever. I had no pain in my arm at the inoculation spot, my wife did. I have taken no aspirin etc.. I did not make an attempt at any exercise. Can not say if that was good or bad.
 
#1,219 ·
This cartoon points out what I believe is the root of this refusal to accept the scientific community's recommendations for beating back the pandemic; it is a lack of education. While stupid is forever, ignorance is not. In general, U.S. voters have needed, for the last 60+ years, to be dragged kicking and screaming to pay the taxes to support our schools. After a couple of generations of this incompetent education, there is the likelihood of school board personnel being too ignorant to know what they don't know.

Add this to areas of the country that prefer to teach creation rather than evolution and maintain, despite overwhelming scientific evidence, that the earth is only 8,000 years old.

Perhaps this is an atypical example of the decline of education over the years, but I think of my maternal grandmother who graduated high school in 1904 knowing algebra, geometry, trigonometry, Latin, German, and having read most of the classics. Her level of education was, in my opinion, the equal of today's four year college degree.
 
#1,221 ·
While stupid is forever, ignorance is not...
I'd say that something like that is happening also here, luckily we have good level public schools first, and, generally speaking, the mock of stupidity and/or ignorance.
Last year, a couple of guys were rescued at sea on their sail boat, when it came out that they believed in the flat earth theory, everyone start laughing at them, we're still laughing [lol]
Just try and tell you're going to refuse the vaccine, and in the zones of Italy hitten harder by the virus, you'll risk to get lynched, or, at least, tarr and feather
 
#1,222 ·
Just try and tell you're going to refuse the vaccine, and in the zones of Italy hitten harder by the virus, you'll risk to get lynched, or, at least, tarr and feather
Yes Gunther, good communication does help,,. I recall news reports from last March when they were just starting to get the message out, this will likely of saved many lives,!!

We will send police. With flame-throwers': Italian mayors lose it at people refusing to self isolate

As the death toll climbs at the world's new epicenter, mayors in Italy are cussing out citizens leaving their homes: 'Where the f*** are you all going?'
"I'm getting news that some [people] would like to throw graduation parties," said Vincenzo De Luca, the president of Campania, said in a Facebook live statement. "We will send police. With flame-throwers."
https://nationalpost.com/news/world...rs-lose-it-at-people-refusing-to-self-isolate
 
#1,223 ·
[lol]
Anyway, it looks like people don't trust anymaore in ... anything ?! Yesterday I read about O. Newton-John saying she's not going to get the vaccine; she told she got infos about vaccines and she absolutely don't want to get injected with mercury or pesticedes :confused:. Is she a doctor? what about mercury in the fish we eat, or pesticides on vegetables (this is for vegetarians)? And what about vaccines we got when we were children? I can't even remember how many I had, without a problem, like everyone here in Italy, and now, for few years, mothers are worried for their children having too many vaccines :confused: Are they f.....g kidding me?
By the way, as far as I know, in USA class actions can have "huge results"; that being said, can you figure a pharmaceutical society producing a vaccine, or else, which can be potentially harmful?
 
#1,224 ·
That mercury in vaccine story is fake news perpetuated by anti-vaxxers. My understanding is that there is absolutely no mercury, much less pesticides, used to manufacture any vaccine. It is all BS that apparently came from some sort of fake news report by an English researcher years ago - if my recollection is correct. I have been taking the flu vaccine for many years and have never had the flu during that time and I am not feeling like a swordfish, either. :rolleyes:
 
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#1,226 ·
What motivates the Antivaxxers, watch this, money, what else,,!!

Leaders of the anti-vaccine movement used 'Stop the Steal' crusade to advance their own conspiracy theories

In the wake of Trump's electoral defeat, some leaders of the anti-vaccine movement latched onto the "Stop the Steal" crusade, advancing their own conspiratorial claims and, in some cases, promoting private business ventures, CNN has found. Some prominent anti-vaxxers say they directly coordinated with organizers of the DC rallies in January and pushed their message at other MAGA demonstrations, and on pro-Trump podcasts and social media platforms.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/04/politics/anti-vaxxers-stop-the-steal-invs/index.html
 
#1,229 ·
I love the U.S. representative (from Georgia?) who was saying that Jewish space lasers were responsible for starting wildfires in California last year. That was a good one. :rolleyes: I bet even Hitler couldn't have come up with that when going after the Jewish people during the 1930's. [:(] What drives these people to think like that. What is worse is that I heard that woman captured something like 80% of the vote in her district. Maybe they hand out free moonshine at the voting booths in Georgia. [:0]

There is definitely something seriously wrong with our education system. [:(!]
 
#1,231 ·
What is worse is that I heard that woman captured something like 80% of the vote in her district. Maybe they hand out free moonshine at the voting booths in Georgia. [:0] [:(!]
The crazy thing is that she(Green)ran against republican John Cowan a neurosurgeon who owns a toy company. John grew up on a cattle farm in northwest Georgia, and his conservative values are deeply rooted in his upbringing. As a physician, entrepreneur and small businessman, John has spent his life investing in the community. John is married to Dr. Annie Cowan, an anesthesiologist, and they have four children. The Cowans attend First Presbyterian Church of Rome, where John has served as an Elder, Deacon and Sunday school teacher. This is a Republican that supported DJT and the boarder wall,,!!
https://cowanforcongress.com/john-cowan/
 
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