Promising New Coronavirus Vaccine

[Alan Klein]

By the way, this is the point Joe Kitchen had been making here for over a year to keep the economy open because most people would survive or have little to worry about.  So now the administration is coming around to that "belief". They're using Walensky science to justify the change.

[TechTalk]

Bait Shop — Now Open

[Manoli]

https://youtu.be/GMA Interview New Study Vaccines Prevent Severe Disease Omicron

fm the comments below the link,

'Comorbidity' in medicine sounds much scarier than it is, it literally means ANY condition. This seriously needs a fact check before people run with it. How was comorbidity defined in this percentage? Someone’s 4 comorbidities could be depression, anxiety, a UTI, and a sprained ankle. A pregnancy could be a comorbidity- it’s a medical condition. Acne or a mole or skin cancer could be a comorbidity. Hyper flexibility. Migraines. Iron deficiency. Insomnia. I would say probably most people have 4 comorbidities whether they’re in their medical chart or not.

[Manoli]

from the WP:

The spread of the omicron variant has hit the world of coronavirus vaccine diplomacy hard. And the impact will be felt most keenly in Beijing and Moscow, as Chinese and Russian vaccines struggle with data showing they are less effective against the fast-spreading variant, dimming hopes for wider global uptake of their product.

The two most widely available Chinese coronavirus vaccines use technology that uses an inactivated version of the virus to produce an immune response — an older though more established technology than the messenger RNA platform used by vaccines widely available in the United States and Europe.

However, some studies now suggest that two doses of these vaccines, which are produced by Sinopharm and Sinovac, may provide relatively lower protection against omicron. The Post’s Eva Dou and Lyric Li reported Monday that China is facing the looming question of how to administer booster shots to its population of 1.4 billion, of whom more than 80 percent have been vaccinated, mostly with Sinopharm and Sinovac.

[LesPalenik]

That was a point I was trying to make. That the administration is currently letting out statistics kept quiet before to their turnabout regarding keeping the economy open more than before. The rationale being that 75% of the population that died had four co-morbidities.
Previously, she mentioned the statistic that 600000 of the 800,000 Americans who died were 65 and over. If you combine those two statistics, young people seem to get through this okay. So why shut the economy for the young and healthy?  Just keep the old and ill isolated.

Meanwhile, Covid-19 hospitalizations reach levels not seen since last winter.

The spread of the Omicron variant is causing widespread disruption across the US as hospitalizations reach a level not seen since the 2020-21 holiday surge.
More than 141,000 Americans were hospitalized with Covid-19 as of Monday, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services, nearing the record of 142,246 hospitalizations on January 14, 2021.
The burden is straining health care networks as hospitals juggle staffing issues caused by the increased demand coupled with employees, who are at a higher risk of infection, having to isolate and recover after testing positive.

"Omicron continues to burn through the commonwealth, growing at levels we have never seen before. Omicron is significantly more contagious than even the Delta variant," said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, noting the earlier variant that spurred a surge of cases in the summer and fall months. "If it spreads at the rate we are seeing, it is certainly going to fill up our hospitals," he said, and Kentucky is "down to 134 adult ICU beds available."

https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/11/health/us-coronavirus-tuesday/index.html

[TechTalk]

fm the comments below the link,

'Comorbidity' in medicine sounds much scarier than it is, it literally means ANY condition. This seriously needs a fact check before people run with it. How was comorbidity defined in this percentage? Someone’s 4 comorbidities could be depression, anxiety, a UTI, and a sprained ankle. A pregnancy could be a comorbidity- it’s a medical condition. Acne or a mole or skin cancer could be a comorbidity. Hyper flexibility. Migraines. Iron deficiency. Insomnia. I would say probably most people have 4 comorbidities whether they’re in their medical chart or not.

The term "comorbid" has three definitions:

1. to indicate a medical condition existing simultaneously but independently with another condition in a patient.

2. to indicate a medical condition in a patient that causes, is caused by, or is otherwise related to another condition in the same patient.

3. to indicate two or more medical conditions existing simultaneously regardless of their causal relationship.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comorbidity

As applied to comorbidities related to, or associated with, COVID-19 (Definition #2), see the link below from the CDC for detailed information for health care providers...

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/clinical-care/underlyingconditions.html

... or for information written for the general public, see the link below.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions

[LesPalenik]

Reuters reports 1.35 million new cases in USA just in one day. As Trump said 18 months ago, "rounding the corner".

Jan 11 (Reuters) - The United States reported 1.35 million new coronavirus infections on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, the highest daily total for any country in the world as the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant showed no signs of slowing. The previous record was 1.03 million cases on Jan. 3. A large number of cases are reported each Monday due to many states not reporting over the weekend. The seven-day average for new cases has tripled in two weeks to over 700,000 new infections a day.

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-reports-least-11-mln-covid-cases-day-shattering-global-record-2022-01-11/

Canada reporting also record number of new cases.

[digitaldog]

Meanwhile, Covid-19 hospitalizations reach levels not seen since last winter.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/11/health/us-coronavirus-tuesday/index.html

Meanwhile, folks are paying attention to the fool who wrote this, less than a month ago:

So now that Covid is on the way out, we're left with the economic damage.

What a relief that the LuLa virologist has confirmed that "now that Covid is on the way out..."

[LesPalenik]

Imperial College study concluded that making it through a common cold may protect you from covid.

LONDON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - High levels of T-cells from common cold coronaviruses can provide protection against COVID-19, an Imperial College London study published on Monday has found, which could inform approaches for second-generation vaccines.

The study, which began in September 2020, looked at levels of cross-reactive T-cells generated by previous common colds in 52 household contacts of positive COVID-19 cases shortly after exposure, to see if they went on to develop infection. It found that the 26 who did not develop infection had significantly higher levels of those T-cells than people who did get infected. Imperial did not say how long protection from the T-cells would last.

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/t-cells-common-colds-can-provide-protection-against-covid-19-study-2022-01-10/

[Robert Roaldi]

Imperial College study concluded that making it through a common cold may protect you from covid.

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/t-cells-common-colds-can-provide-protection-against-covid-19-study-2022-01-10/

It would be interesting to know if regular flu shots also provide some protection. We've been getting annual flu shots since forever and we've noticed that we're far less bothered by colds (not to mention flus) than people we know who do not receive flu shots. Makes me wonder if this seeming resistance doesn't carry over to other infections more generally.

[Robert Roaldi]

A short article about why it's a bad idea to deliberately catch Covid/Omicron with the aim of acquiring "natural" immunity, https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/11/health/deliberate-omicron-infection-wellness/index.html.

[Alan Klein]

Meanwhile, Covid-19 hospitalizations reach levels not seen since last winter.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/11/health/us-coronavirus-tuesday/index.html

And...?

[Alan Klein]

Reuters reports 1.35 million new cases in USA just in one day. As Trump said 18 months ago, "rounding the corner".

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-reports-least-11-mln-covid-cases-day-shattering-global-record-2022-01-11/

Canada reporting also record number of new cases.

Who cares about Trump?  He was the last president.  Another distraction from what Biden is not doing.  You can't blame the last guy for the problems now.  The current president has to solve them.

If we're short hospital beds and ICU's, why isn't the current president getting the government or military to build temporary facilities and hospitals like Trump did?  Why doesn't he station the two hospital ships from our navy in harbors where most needed to help those short on beds and ICU facilities like Trump did?  Why did he wait 11 months to order test kits?  He was aware they have been short since he started his term. I seem to remember when we were short rebreathers, Trump expedited manufacturing to the point we supplied other parts of the world as well. 

The fact is Trump jumped in there with all these medical supplies and got the vaccinations going under Operation Warp Speed.  You would think Biden could have learned something from that.  He's doing nothing.  Yet you point to Trump as if he's in charge.  That's a distraction.  Sorry but Biden is president.  He's in charge and not doing his job.  What is he waiting for? It's not going to happen by itself.

[Alan Klein]

from the WP:

The spread of the omicron variant has hit the world of coronavirus vaccine diplomacy hard. And the impact will be felt most keenly in Beijing and Moscow, as Chinese and Russian vaccines struggle with data showing they are less effective against the fast-spreading variant, dimming hopes for wider global uptake of their product.

The two most widely available Chinese coronavirus vaccines use technology that uses an inactivated version of the virus to produce an immune response — an older though more established technology than the messenger RNA platform used by vaccines widely available in the United States and Europe.

However, some studies now suggest that two doses of these vaccines, which are produced by Sinopharm and Sinovac, may provide relatively lower protection against omicron. The Post’s Eva Dou and Lyric Li reported Monday that China is facing the looming question of how to administer booster shots to its population of 1.4 billion, of whom more than 80 percent have been vaccinated, mostly with Sinopharm and Sinovac.

How effective are Sinopharm and Sinovac?

[TechTalk]

I'm not saying it's a trap... but it's a trap.

[Alan Klein]

Bait Shop — Now Open

No bait.  The point is Biden is more concerned with the polls than science.  The polls tell him the science is a losing position now.  More people want things to get back to normal so they're willing to take chances.  So he's backing off shutting everything down as he once promised.  Now for example he's all in favor of opening Chicago schools because that's what more parents want.  Science be damned.

[Alan Klein]

Imperial College study concluded that making it through a common cold may protect you from covid.

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/t-cells-common-colds-can-provide-protection-against-covid-19-study-2022-01-10/

Due to isolation and masks, I haven't had a cold in two years.  Neither has my wife. 

[digitaldog]

I'm not saying it's a trap... but it's a trap.

Is there anyone here besides Alan that doesn’t know he has a habit of asking (stupid) questions without any desire to hear any answers? Of course, it is a trap. 

[TechTalk]

Due to isolation and masks, I haven't had a cold in two years.  Neither has my wife.

And...?

[Chris Kern]

A short article about why it's a bad idea to deliberately catch Covid/Omicron with the aim of acquiring "natural" immunity . . .

Unfortunately, once ideas of this kind start circulating widely on social media, there's almost no way that medically-sound advice will catch up with them—in part, I suspect, because people who rely on social media for general information are unlikely to read or watch conventional curated news outlets.

Another fallacy I've noticed—one that also afflicts even intelligent, well-educated people—is a tendency to believe that statistical information that is valid for large populations is a useful predictor of individual outcomes.  This leads to claims such as "I personally am fully-vaccinated, so if I get infected with the coronavirus that means I won't get very sick."