Promising New Coronavirus Vaccine

[LesPalenik]

Forget vaccines. We are talking about a cure. I know no one who was cured from Covid, thanks to a medication. Medication just mitigates the symptoms. It is always one's immune system.

You'll be pleased to know that a cure is coming.

Therapeutic applications for CRISPR are on the rise, with the technology playing a key role in the development of potential cures for a variety of genetic diseases by directly editing the genome. Meanwhile, taking a different approach and looking outside the human genome, researchers from Stanford University (CA, USA) are working towards a CRISPR-based therapeutic for infectious disease. Beginning their work targeting the influenza virus, the team have followed suit of many before them and refocused the aim of their gene-targeting antiviral agent towards COVID-19 and the global battle against the pandemic.

The Prophylactic Antiviral CRISPR in huMAN cells – or PAC-MAN – technology includes the Cas13 enzyme and a strand of gRNA that is specific to nucleotide sequences in the SARS-CoV-2 genome. In targeting and subsequently destroying the viral genome, PAC-MAN technology effectively eliminates the threat of the virus by preventing viral replication. Further, by targeting RNA sequences that are conserved across all members of the Coronaviridae family, the researchers suggest that PAC-MAN could become a pan-coronavirus inhibition strategy that is effective against all disease-causing coronaviruses.

https://www.future-science.com/doi/10.2144/btn-2020-0145

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

You'll be pleased to know that a cure is coming...

Which is just a confirmation that it doesn't exist today.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... What is kind of ironic is that you seem happy to sacrifice millions of lives on the altar of ideological purity?...

It only appears to you so, because you are obsessed only with direct deaths from Covid, while I look at the much broader measure of overall casualties, mostly due to our misguided  response to Covid (see how my vocabulary has mellowed? - in the past I would say "idiotic"  )

[LesPalenik]

Which is just a confirmation that it doesn't exist today.

and also it is an entirely different matter than the previously discussed comparison of CC19 with Spanish flu.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

and also it is an entirely different matter than the previously discussed comparison of CC19 with Spanish flu.

As well as completely different matter than Biden's dog having more bite than the owner

[dreed]

Not reduced... just postponed... that your and many other countries have to resort to 3rd or 4th lockdown is a proof of that. Just like masks. Since one is not effective, the current advice is two or even three. As demonstrated before, countries with stricter lockdowns do not have better (and often worse) results than those with more lax (or none). The same goes with strict vs. lax mask mandates.

The problem with statements like this is that it can be shown to be wrong wtih some good examples: Australia, China, New Zealand and Vietnam.

There is now close to 0 community transmission of SARS-CoV-19 in Australia, China, New Zealand and Vietnam.

The problem was only gotten on top of in Wuhan by a very strict lockdown and that worked.

Summary: lockdowns work.

For lockdowns to work there are some essential requirements:
- the area being locked down has to have a reduced number of people entering and leaving that area to critical people only (transport workers for freight, etc)
- people within the locked down zone also need to limit travel, curfews are one way of doing that
- they need to be long enough to get to the point of 0 unknown causes of infection (this can take 2-3 months)

Which is to say that if California went into "lockdown" but still allowed people to fly in from Florida or NYC or Houston then it is not going to be very effective because you've still got the potential for new infection to arrive by plane.

The Spanish Flu was limited to traveling between continents by boat. SARS-CoV-19 gets a free ride on planes that will take it from one side of the planet to the other before a victim because symptomatic.

Mask wearing was part of how the Spanish Flu was defeated.

[jeremyrh]

You are hiding behind weasel words "also." "some," "a lot" etc. These are media panic-porn headlines. The percentages are miniscule.

We simply don't know that at this point. A year ago we'd never even heard of "long covid".

[jeremyrh]

It only appears to you so, because you are obsessed only with direct deaths from Covid, while I look at the much broader measure of overall casualties, mostly due to our misguided  response to Covid (see how my vocabulary has mellowed? - in the past I would say "idiotic"  )

"Obsessed" - no.  Your "much broader measure" is 99% imagination.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

The problem with statements like this is that it can be shown to be wrong wtih some good examples: Australia, China, New Zealand and Vietnam...

Exceptions that prove the rule.

Australia and New Zealand are islands, small population, at the end of the world, and draconian, fascist measures.

China is a completely different matter, given the opacity and questionable accuracy of information coming from there, plus knowing the true nature of the virus, given that they created it.

Have no clue about Vietnam.  But doubt Vietnam has a large obese population, which is the main predictor of covid spread.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

"Obsessed" - no.  Your "much broader measure" is 99% imagination.

Some "imagination":

https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/150-million-additional-children-plunged-poverty-due-covid-19-unicef-save-children

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/coronavirus-food-children-hunger-lockdown-a9497166.html

https://www.dhakatribune.com/world/2021/03/05/unicef-mental-health-alert-for-332-million-children-linked-to-covid-19-lockdown-policies

[jeremyrh]

Some "imagination":

https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/150-million-additional-children-plunged-poverty-due-covid-19-unicef-save-children

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/coronavirus-food-children-hunger-lockdown-a9497166.html

https://www.dhakatribune.com/world/2021/03/05/unicef-mental-health-alert-for-332-million-children-linked-to-covid-19-lockdown-policies

I'm not sure how those kids are better off by letting their parents die in the street ?  Or doesn't your "broader measure" include that?

[Alan Klein]

The problem with statements like this is that it can be shown to be wrong wtih some good examples: Australia, China, New Zealand and Vietnam.

There is now close to 0 community transmission of SARS-CoV-19 in Australia, China, New Zealand and Vietnam.

The problem was only gotten on top of in Wuhan by a very strict lockdown and that worked.

Summary: lockdowns work.

For lockdowns to work there are some essential requirements:
- the area being locked down has to have a reduced number of people entering and leaving that area to critical people only (transport workers for freight, etc)
- people within the locked down zone also need to limit travel, curfews are one way of doing that
- they need to be long enough to get to the point of 0 unknown causes of infection (this can take 2-3 months)

Which is to say that if California went into "lockdown" but still allowed people to fly in from Florida or NYC or Houston then it is not going to be very effective because you've still got the potential for new infection to arrive by plane.

The Spanish Flu was limited to traveling between continents by boat. SARS-CoV-19 gets a free ride on planes that will take it from one side of the planet to the other before a victim because symptomatic.

Mask wearing was part of how the Spanish Flu was defeated.

They locked-down Wuhan to other parts of China only.  But they allowed Wuhans to travel to other countries and spread the disease to the world.  Yes, China is a great example.

[jeremyrh]

They locked-down Wuhan to other parts of China only.  But they allowed Wuhans to travel to other countries and spread the disease to the world.  Yes, China is a great example.

What's that got to do with anything? Try to think for yourself instead of just playing mini-Trump and parroting his propaganda.

[chez]

They locked-down Wuhan to other parts of China only.  But they allowed Wuhans to travel to other countries and spread the disease to the world.  Yes, China is a great example.

Could you imagine the uproar if the Chinese locked down Wuhan from people leaving and they trapped American citizens for 2 months. I'm sure you would be singing a different tune.

[dreed]

Exceptions that prove the rule.

I love that

Australia and New Zealand are islands, small population, at the end of the world, and draconian, fascist measures.

Whether the measures were fascist or not depends on your point of view. Governments are elected to govern and sometimes that means making hard decisions that a lot of people don't like. While the measures were extreme, they also worked.

There are also nations in the Pacific Ocean that cut off external contact to prevent the virus from landing.

Money was sacrificed, not people.

China is a completely different matter, given the opacity and questionable accuracy of information coming from there, plus knowing the true nature of the virus, given that they created it.

Agreed.

Well we don't know for sure that they created it but it came from there. I agree it feels rather coincidental that there's that lab in Wuhan and lots of strange things going on there in late 2019. Those more knowledgable about me on this say that if China could have created SARS-CoV-19 then they'd be able to cure cancer. Note that both SARS and MERS are naturally occuring with no conspiracy theories. This coronavirus is not the first and won't be the last:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/types.html

- there are 7 known coronaviruses.

Have no clue about Vietnam.  But doubt Vietnam has a large obese population, which is the main predictor of covid spread.

As I understand it, Vietnam has managed it because everyone acts in a community minded fashion. There aren't anti-maskers on internet forums or TV - they all get that some amount of personal inconvenience is necessary for the benefit of everyone. There's a somewhat unique sense of commuity there and less sense of individuals being important.

[Alan Klein]

Could you imagine the uproar if the Chinese locked down Wuhan from people leaving and they trapped American citizens for 2 months. I'm sure you would be singing a different tune.

  They could have allowed Americans to leave.  That is a strawman.  The question is why did they allow Wuhan Chinese to travel to other countries to infect the world but not to other parts of their own country to infect their own people?  What they did is criminal. 

[Alan Klein]

I love that

Whether the measures were fascist or not depends on your point of view. Governments are elected to govern and sometimes that means making hard decisions that a lot of people don't like. While the measures were extreme, they also worked.

There are also nations in the Pacific Ocean that cut off external contact to prevent the virus from landing.

Money was sacrificed, not people.

Agreed.

Well we don't know for sure that they created it but it came from there. I agree it feels rather coincidental that there's that lab in Wuhan and lots of strange things going on there in late 2019. Those more knowledgable about me on this say that if China could have created SARS-CoV-19 then they'd be able to cure cancer. Note that both SARS and MERS are naturally occuring with no conspiracy theories. This coronavirus is not the first and won't be the last:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/types.html

- there are 7 known coronaviruses.

As I understand it, Vietnam has managed it because everyone acts in a community minded fashion. There aren't anti-maskers on internet forums or TV - they all get that some amount of personal inconvenience is necessary for the benefit of everyone. There's a somewhat unique sense of commuity there and less sense of individuals being important.

You would prefer to live in a Communist dictatorship like China or Vietnam?

As Benjamin Franklin once said: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

[jeremyrh]

You would prefer to live in a Communist dictatorship like China or Vietnam?

Where did he say that? Oh yes. That's right. He didn't.

[chez]

  They could have allowed Americans to leave.  That is a strawman.  The question is why did they allow Wuhan Chinese to travel to other countries to infect the world but not to other parts of their own country to infect their own people?  What they did is criminal.

Did they in fact let Chinese nationals from Wuhan to fly to the US after their lockdown? I know many Americans came home from China, but where did you read that Chinese came to the US after their lockdown? Remember, not all of China was under a lockdown.

[chez]

You would prefer to live in a Communist dictatorship like China or Vietnam?

As Benjamin Franklin once said: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

I'd have zero problems living in Vietnam. In fact many Americans have moved to Vietnam to live out their lives. What issue do you have with living in Vietnam?