Wednesday, January 12, 2022
Nation proves Omicron lockdowns don’t work
Neighbouring nations have fared little differently but have seen far fewer restrictions on daily life.
Residents of the Netherlands must now be wondering if all the pain of stay at home orders and cancelled or scaled back Christmas celebrations with the family were all worth it.
The lockdown was due to end this weekend. However with cases reaching 35,000 a day on Friday and the seven-day average marching ever upwards there are fears any relaxation of rules could result in an even steeper surge.
“The amount of infections is taking on British proportions,” epidemiologist Marino van Zelst told the website Politico.
That’s not entirely the case – Holland is still faring better on many metrics.
The UK has been recording daily cases around the 140,000 mark and its rate of infection for every million people stands at 2513 according to website Our World in Data.
The Netherlands has an average of 25,300 cases a day which is an infection rate of 1598 cases per million people.
But cases in the UK appear to be falling – or at least slowing – while in Holland they’re shooting on up.
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Most Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients in New Jersey Admitted for Non-COVID Reasons: Officials
The majority of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in New Jersey were actually admitted for reasons other than COVID-19, officials said on Jan. 10.
Of the 6,075 people with COVID-19 and hospitalized in the state, just 2,963 were admitted for COVID-19, New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said during a briefing.
“We have a fair number of what I’ve started to call COVID incidental, or incidental COVID, meaning you went in because you broke your leg, but everyone’s getting tested and it turns out you’ve got COVID. You didn’t even know it,” Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, said. “My wife didn’t know it and still she’s not back in the in the game, but never had any symptoms, so there is a significant amount of that.”
Previously during the pandemic, states largely neglected to distinguish COVID-19 hospitalizations from incidental COVID-19.
However, after large numbers of people began testing positive after the emergence of the Omicron variant, including those who have been vaccinated—some of whom have required hospital care—a growing number of officials have started making clear that not all COVID-19 hospitalizations are the same.
New York state for the first time reported last week its hospitalizations with COVID-19 versus its hospitalizations for COVID-19. Almost half of the hospitalizations listed as COVID-19 were incidental, state officials said.
Massachusetts is among the other states planning to soon make such data public.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on Jan. 9 that some hospitals that her agency has spoken to have up to four in 10 COVID-19 patients who are being admitted for other reasons. She didn’t know how many of the deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the nation were because of other reasons, and the agency hasn’t responded to a request for that information.
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Doctor’s Court Testimony: Ventilators ‘Causing Harm,’ Death in COVID Patients
The use of ventilators seem to push patients on to a path of death, says Dr. Eduardo Balbona, an independent Jacksonville doctor
“In New York, over 65 ICU ventilated patients [had] a mortality of 97 percent,” he testified before Judge Aho.
“I know in [Ascension’s] St. Vincent’s [Southside Hospital in Jacksvonille, in the] ICU, Delta last summer had a mortality of 93 percent. It’s very hard to get those kind of mortality levels from the virus itself. I believe the treatment we’re using is doing harm.”
Balbona was trained at the National Naval Medical Center and was an official doctor providing care for members Congress at the U.S. Capitol. Because he is not officially associated with Mayo Clinic, he cannot provide care to Pisano there.
His hope is that a judge will order Mayo Clinic doctors to provide the treatment he’s prescribed, allowing Pisano to be weaned from the ventilator and discharged. Only then would the Pisano family be free to follow his directives. His experience treating seriously ill patients leads him to believe Pisano could improve quickly, once started on the protocol he has recommended.
Mayo Clinic has refused to treat Pisano with the medications and supplements the family believes are his only chance to survive.
The organization’s attorneys submitted an affidavit from Dr. Pablo Moreno Franco that said, ‘“In general, it is difficult to know what the side effects would be for the medication [ivermectin] if administered at the requested level.”
More than 90 peer-reviewed studies have been published demonstrating the drug’s efficacy at treating patients suffering from COVID-19.
Since sharing his opinions about the case in interviews with news media, Balbona’s office has been flooded with calls from people angry that he wants to prescribe “horse medication.”
“I only want to do the right thing by my patients,” he told The Epoch Times. “I’m shocked others feel they must stop me. In my 30 years of practice, this has never happened.”
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T Cells From Common Colds Cross-Protect Against Infection With COVID-19: Study
A type of cells produced by the body when fighting common cold viruses cross-protects people against infection with the virus that causes COVID-19, according to a study.
T cells have been recognized as a measure of protection against severe COVID-19, and previous research indicated that recovery from common colds could provide some level of shielding against the virus that causes COVID-19.
Researchers with Imperial College London found in the new study that the presence of such cells can also prevent infection by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, also known as SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease.
The scientists assessed 52 contacts of newly diagnosed COVID-19 cases to pinpoint when they were first exposed and determined that people who tested negative for COVID-19 had higher cross-reactive T cell levels. They also took blood samples from the participants within 6 days of exposure.
“Being exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus doesn’t always result in infection, and we’ve been keen to understand why. We found that high levels of pre-existing T cells, created by the body when infected with other human coronaviruses like the common cold, can protect against COVID-19 infection,” Dr. Rhia Kundu, the lead author, of Imperial’s National Heart & Lung Institute, said in a statement.
Professor Ajit Lalvani, another author, said the study “provides the clearest evidence to date that T cells induced by common cold coronaviruses play a protective role against SARS-CoV-2 infection,” adding that “these T cells provide protection by attacking proteins within the virus, rather than the spike protein on its surface.”
The discovery could help scientists develop a new version of the COVID-19 vaccine, the researchers said.
“The spike protein is under intense immune pressure from vaccine-induced antibody which drives evolution of vaccine escape mutants. In contrast, the internal proteins targeted by the protective T cells we identified mutate much less. Consequently, they are highly conserved between the various SARS-CoV-2 variants, including omicron,” Lalvani said. “New vaccines that include these conserved, internal proteins would therefore induce broadly protective T cell responses that should protect against current and future SARS-CoV-2 variants.”
They also urged people to get a COVID-19 vaccine instead of relying on the protection from cross-reactive T cells.
The currently available vaccines have proven less effective against the Omicron variant of the CCP virus, including against severe disease. While booster shots restore some of the lost protection, early data signals the boost quickly drops in effectiveness against infection after administration. Whether boosters last for longer periods of time remains unknown.
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Nasal spray could prevent Covid infection for up to eight hours and is believed to be effective against ALL variants of the virus
The treatment, under development by scientists at the University of Helsinki, in Finland, has shown an ability to block coronavirus infection for up to eight hours in lab studies.
It hasn't yet been tested in humans and the lab studies are not yet peer reviewed.
This nasal spray is intended for use by immunocompromised patients and others with severe vulnerabilities to Covid.
It works by blocking the virus from replicating in the nose and, in lab studies, has performed well against all variants - unlike popular monoclonal antibody treatments that are less effective against Omicron.
In addition to continued vaccinations, many researchers are now pursuing treatments specifically for immunocompromised and other high-risk people that can supplement vaccination.
For example, in December, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized a monoclonal antibody treatment made by AstraZeneca that's designed to prevent Covid infection in high-risk patients.
A new nasal spray treatment, under development by scientists at the University of Helsinki, may also become a useful option for these patients.
The treatment was described in a preprint posted in late December, which has not yet been peer reviewed.
'Its prophylactic use is meant to protect from SARS-CoV-2 infection,' Kalle Saksela, virologist at the University of Helsinki and lead author on the study, told Gizmodo in an email.
'However, it is not a vaccine, nor meant to be an alternative for vaccines,' Saksela said, 'but rather to complement vaccination for providing additional protection for successfully vaccinated individuals in high-risk situations, and especially for immunocompromised persons - for example, those receiving immunosuppressive therapy.'
The new drug builds on previous research showing that tissue inside the nose is a prime spot for the coronavirus to replicate.
After multiplying in the nose, the virus typically progresses through the respiratory tract to the lungs - where it causes more severe symptoms.
As a result, sending anti-Covid antibodies straight into the nose can stop the virus from replicating at the earliest possible stage of disease.
The researchers first tested their drug against pseudoviruses - lab-made viruses that mimic the coronavirus.
In this test, the drug was able to stop viral replication in the original Wuhan strain, as well as the Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants.
Next, the researchers tested the drug against human cells in cell culture. Once again, it was able to neutralize several different coronavirus variants.
Finally, the researchers tested the drug in mice - administering the nasal spray to lab mice, then following it up with nasal inoculations of the coronavirus.
Among the mice that didn't receive treatment, the coronavirus spread through their nasal cavities, respiratory tracts, and lungs.
Among the mice that did receive the nasal spray, the coronavirus didn't spread at all - these animals were 'entirely free of viral antigen' and didn't show symptoms, the researchers wrote.
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Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:
http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)
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Tuesday, January 11, 2022
COVID-19: British Health Secretary directly challenged on mandatory coronavirus jabs by unvaccinated NHS doctor
Health Secretary Sajid Javid has been directly challenged by an unvaccinated hospital consultant over the government's policy of compulsory COVID jabs for NHS staff.
During a visit to King's College Hospital in south London, Mr Javid asked staff members on the intensive care unit about their thoughts on new rules requiring vaccination for NHS workers.
And Steve James, a consultant anaesthetist who has been treating coronavirus patients since the start of the pandemic, told the health secretary about his displeasure.
"I'm not happy about that," he said. "I had COVID at some point, I've got antibodies, and I've been working on COVID ICU since the beginning.
"I have not had a vaccination, I do not want to have a vaccination. The vaccines are reducing transmission only for about eight weeks for Delta, with Omicron it's probably less.
"And for that, I would be dismissed if I don't have a vaccine? The science isn't strong enough."
Mr James also revealed another of his colleagues held the same position.
Mr Javid replied: "I respect that, but there's also many different views. I understand it, and obviously we have to weigh all that up for both health and social care, and there will always be a debate about it."
The consultant suggested the health secretary could use the "changing picture" of the COVID pandemic during the Omicron wave to "reconsider" the rule.
Alternatively, Mr James suggested, the government could "nuance" the rules to allow those who have antibodies - but acquired from infection and not vaccination - to not be required to have a jab.
He told the health secretary that it "didn't make sense" to dismiss doctors who already had COVID antibodies, but who did not want to be vaccinated. "The protection that I've got from transmission is probably the equivalent to someone who is vaccinated," Mr James said.
But Mr Javid told him "at some point that will wane as well". He added that the government takes the "very best advice" from vaccine experts.
"I respect your views and more than that I respect everything you're doing here and the lives you're saving," the health secretary told Mr James.
A King's College Hospital spokesperson said: "While currently it is not a mandatory requirement for staff to get their COVID-19 vaccination or disclose vaccine status to patients, we strongly support and encourage all our staff to get their jab, in line with national guidance - and nearly 90% of our staff have already done so."
When does the requirement come in?
MPs last month voted to make vaccinations mandatory for NHS workers who have direct, face-to-face contact with patients, unless they are exempt.
The legal requirement for NHS staff to be fully vaccinated as a condition of their deployment to work is set to come into force from 1 April.
It means those health and care workers who have not yet had a first dose are likely to have to do so by early February.
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UK Politics: Boris Johnson warned by top Tory MP to ditch Covid restrictions or face leadership challenge
An influential Conservative MP has warned Boris Johnson that he faces a challenge to his leadership unless he scraps all remaining coronavirus restrictions at the end of this month and vows they will not return.
Former chief whip Mark Harper, the chair of the lockdown-sceptic Covid Recovery Group of Tory backbenchers, warned that “prime ministers are on a performance-related contract” and that MPs are asking themselves whether Mr Johnson is the best-placed leader to help them retain their seats at the next election.
He told the Financial Times that the prime minister would be in trouble after May’s local elections unless he has shown that he can change his approach.
Mr Harper said it was time to accept that Covid-19 will become endemic in the UK and to focus on treatments, the vaccination of hesitant people and the creation of special wards in hospitals, while ruling out any further controls on social and economic life.
“At some point you’ve got to say, whatever happens, whatever variants turn up, we’re not going to respond by shutting down parts of the country,” he told the FT. “That’s not a sustainable position.”
Mr Harper - who stood against Johnson for the leadership in 2019 - said that if the PM attempts to extend Plan B restrictions beyond the scheduled review date of 26 January, he will face a rebellion larger than the one seen in December when 99 Tories opposed Covid passes.
“The problem is he sort of wants to agree with us, then he says he wants to keep restrictions in reserve or won’t rule them out,” Harper said. “That’s becoming an unsustainable position.
“If I was running a hospitality business I would be very nervous about investing, growing my business, taking any risks because I literally have no idea about what’s going to happen.”
If Tories do badly in the May elections and continue to trail Labour in the polls, Conservative MPs will ask themselves which potential leader is best able to help them keep their seats, said Mr Harper.
And he added: “Conservative MPs have asked themselves that question in the past and decided they need to do something about it. Prime ministers are on a performance-related contract.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-mark-harper-covid-b1989618.html
*******************************************************Biden administration guidance prioritizes race in administering COVID drugs
Guidance issued by the Biden administration states certain individuals may be considered "high risk" and more quickly qualify for monoclonal antibodies and oral antivirals used to treat COVID-19 based on their "race or ethnicity."
In a fact sheet issued for healthcare providers by the Food and Drug Administration, the federal agency approved emergency use authorizations of sotrovimab – a monoclonal antibody proven to be effective against the Omicron variant – only to patients considered "high risk."
The guidance, updated in December 2021, says "medical conditions or factors" such as "race or ethnicity" have the potential to "place individual patients at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19," adding that the "authorization of sotrovimab under the EUA is not limited to" other factors outlined by the agency.
Older age, obesity, pregnancy, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease are among the multiple medical conditions and factors associated with what are considered "high risk" individuals by the FDA.
Some states, including New York and Utah, have made it clear they will prioritize certain racial minorities over other high-risk patients when it comes to the distribution of particular COVID treatments.
Last week, New York’s Department of Health released a document detailing its plan to distribute treatments such as monoclonal antibody treatment and antiviral pills.
The plan includes a section on eligibility for the scarce antiviral pills that people must meet to receive the treatment, including a line stating a person needs to have "a medical condition or other factors that increase their risk for severe illness."
One such "risk factor" is being a race or ethnicity that is not White due to "longstanding systemic health and social inequities."
"Non-white race or Hispanic/Latino ethnicity should be considered a risk factor, as longstanding systemic health and social inequities have contributed to an increased risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19," the memo reads.
In guidelines issued by the state of Utah for the distribution of monoclonal antibodies in the state, residents who are "non-white race or Hispanic/Latinx ethnicity" receive 2 additional points when calculating their "COVID-19 risk score."
"Race/ethnicity continues to be a risk factor for severe COVID-19 disease, and the Utah COVID Risk Score is one approach to address equitable access to hard hit communities," the Utah guidance stated, adding a reminder that national guidance from the FDA "specifically states that race and ethnicity may be considered when identifying patients most likely to benefit from this lifesaving treatment."
Similarly, the framework issued by the state of Minnesota advises clinicians and health systems to "consider heightened risk of progression to severe COVID-19 associated with race and ethnicity when determining eligibility" for the allocation for monoclonal antibody therapies.
"FDA’s acknowledgment means that race and ethnicity alone, apart from other underlying health conditions, may be considered in determining eligibility for mAbs," the framework states. "It is ethically appropriate to consider race and ethnicity in mAb eligibility decisions when data show elevated risk of poor COVID-19 outcomes for Black, Indigenous and other people of color (BIPOC populations), and that this risk cannot be adequately addressed by determining eligibility based on underlying health conditions (perhaps due to underdiagnosis of health conditions that elevate risk of poor COVID-19 outcomes in these populations)."
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Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:
http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)
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Monday, January 10, 2022
My Debate with an ICU Doctor About the Possible Dangers of the COVID-19 Vaccine
It's so easy to win a debate with an ignorant liberal. They have no facts. They have no brilliant oratory. Just name-calling. After my national TV interviews last week explaining why I believe the COVID-19 vaccine is killing and injuring thousands of Americans, I received an email from an intensive care unit doctor. He called me a "moron." Below is my reply filled with common sense, logic, facts and most importantly, SCIENCE about the dangers of the COVID-19 vaccine. Needless to say, the doctor never replied.
Dear David,
First, I read and answer all my own emails. I'm answering you personally. I don't engage in ignorant terms like "moron" toward people that disagree with me.
Second, this country (and world) is filled with both unvaccinated and vaccinated who are sick with COVID-19. It's a nasty and contagious flu. At this moment almost every vaccinated person I know is sick with COVID-19. A report released by the Robert Koch Institute stated that in Germany over 96% of those with COVID-19 are vaccinated.
Third, some studies show that the COVID-19 vaccine damages the immune system, thereby making it more likely that the vaccinated will get sick with each successive variant.
Fourth, if the vaccine is so great, why do the deep blue states like New York have massive COVID-19 outbreaks? New York City just set the all-time record for COVID-19 infections in a day. New York right now has almost 30% of all the COVID-19 cases nationwide. How could this happen if vaccines, masks and lockdowns worked?
Fifth, if the vaccine is so great, why are there far more COVID-19 deaths in 2021 with the vaccine than there were in 2020 -- without it?
Sixth, as a M.D., why don't you pay attention to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System? It's been the gold standard for decades to identify if any vaccine is causing more harm than good.
This COVID-19 jab may have killed over 21,000 Americans. That's separate from the cardiac arrests, strokes, blood clots and permanent disabilities that could be associated with the vaccine. And this jab has potentially caused a staggering 1 million "adverse effects." These numbers are from VAERS -- user-reported data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Seventh, are you aware Columbia University researchers found that adverse events associated with vaccines could be vastly underreported? They suggest you must multiply by 20 to approximate the accurate number of deaths and injuries. So according to the math of Columbia researchers, there are actually over 400,000 deaths and millions of injuries that could be tied to the vaccine.
How could you doubt VAERS? Pfizer's own research showed that there were 1,200 deaths during the initial first few weeks of their vaccine rollout. That's Pfizer's reporting.
Anyone who wants the vaccine should get it. It's called choice. They should thank former President Donald Trump for the availability of this vaccine.
The rest of us who are relatively healthy and/or relatively young have a 99.9% recovery rate from COVID-19. No one should be FORCED to vaccinate, mask, endure lockdowns, lose their job or close their business in America. We have choices. We take risks every day.
Certainly, people should agree that no baby, toddler, child or teen should ever be forced to take this jab. As a John Hopkins study proved, the risk of a child dying is basically zero. Out of 48,000 childhood cases of COVID-19 they studied, no healthy child died.
I've had COVID-19. It was gone in 48 hours after I took ivermectin, plus antibiotic (Z Pak), plus megadoses of vitamins C, D3, zinc and quercetin. Plus, I received intravenous vitamin C. Worked like a charm. Gone in 48 hours. Mild.
I now have immunity. No one with immunity needs to vaccinate. I believe the risks far outweigh the benefits. I make healthy lifestyle choices. I'm not anti-vaccine. I'm pro-immune system.
Justus R. Hope, M.D., and others report that in India, the government ended the worst COVID-19 outbreak anywhere in the world by handing out free packets of ivermectin plus vitamins. They report that COVID-19 went away literally overnight, and deaths dropped to virtually zero. That's exactly what America should have done and should be doing right now.
There are dozens of studies around the world that demonstrate the efficacy of ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as antivirals versus COVID-19.
I wish you well. I hope I've opened your eyes to the alternatives out there. I know what you see each day in your ICU: the sickest of the sick. It's tragic they have no access to ivermectin or HCQ, plus vitamins like C, D3 and zinc. Early treatment (in the first three to five days) with this combination would almost guarantee few ever wind up at the ICU -- where you see them and where it may already be too late.
It's important to allow different opinions and questions. If "science" won't respect or allow discussion or debate, it's no longer science; it's just propaganda
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Treat Covid like the FLU: Ex-chief of the UK's vaccine taskforce calls for 'new targeted strategy' to manage the virus
Coronavirus should be treated like the flu and Britain's mass jabs programme should be scrapped after the booster campaign is complete, the ex-chief of the UK's vaccine taskforce has said.
Dr Clive Dix, who was chairman of the government agency from December 2020 until April, called for a return to a 'new normality' and a volte-face on the approach throughout the pandemic.
He said the country needs to learn to manage the disease rather than focus on halting the spread of the virus amid hope the Omicron variant is even less severe than the flu.
The latest vaccination figures showed that 22,526 first dose jabs, 32,455 second doses and 207,801 booster jabs were delivered on Friday. It brings the total number of people to have received at least two doses of a vaccine to 47,632,483, whilst 35,273,945 have received a booster jab.
It comes as Britain's daily Covid figures fell for the third day in a row on Saturday, official data showed in a sign the worst of the latest wave may be over.
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) figures show there were 146,390 new positive tests over the last 24 hours, down 18.5 per cent on the previous week's figure of 179,637.
It marked the biggest week-on-week fall since the start of November, well before the supermutant strain sent cases soaring across the country.
But the number of people dying with the virus continued to increase, with 313 fatalities recorded — up 103 per cent on last week's number.
It meant that more than 150,000 people have now died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic nearly two years ago.
Dr Dix, who is now CEO for pharmaceutical firm C4X Discovery, told the Observer: 'We need to analyse whether we use the current booster campaign to ensure the vulnerable are protected, if this is seen to be necessary. Mass population-based vaccination in the UK should now end.'
He told the newspaper ministers need to support research into immunity from the virus beyond antibodies.
The scientist called for them to help study B-cells and T-cells and how they could make jabs to battle certain types of Covid variants.
'We now need to manage disease, not virus spread. So stopping progression to severe disease in vulnerable groups is the future objective,' he said.
He added: 'We should consider when we stop testing and let individuals isolate when they are not well and return to work when they feel ready, in the same way we do in a bad influenza season.'
His comments about flu came after scientists suggested the Omicron variant could be less deadly than the seasonal virus.
MailOnline analysis showed Covid killed one in 33 people who tested positive at the peak of the devastating second wave last January, compared to just one in 670 now. But experts believe the figure could be even lower because of Omicron.
Last week, Professor Robert Dingwall, a former JCVI member of and expert in sociology at Nottingham Trent University, told MailOnline it will be a few weeks until there are definitive Omicron fatality rates, but if they are consistent with the findings that it is less severe 'we should be asking whether we are justified in having any measures we would not bring for a bad flu season'.
He said: 'If we would not have brought in the measures in November 2019, why are we doing it now? What's the specific justification for doing it?
'If the severity of Covid infection is falling away to the point that it is comparable with flu then we really shouldn't have exceptional levels of intervention.'
Dr Dix's intervention came after Professor Andrew Hayward, who sits on the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) said the death figure total passed on Saturday was an 'absolute tragedy' made worse because 'many of them were avoidable if we had acted earlier in the first and second wave'.
With a total of 150,057 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, the UK became the seventh country to pass the milestone, following the US, Brazil, India, Russia, Mexico and Peru. It means it is also the first in Europe
It comes as Conservative MPs but Boris Johnson under pressure to announce a 'Covid Freedom Day' and lift all curbs on public movement.
They argued that the money generated from the move could be used to combat the soaring cost of energy bills.
Former chief whip Mark Harper, who chairs the Covid Recovery Group of Tory MPs, told The Sun: 'As we head into what will be a difficult few months for many, a great way to help people with the cost of living would be to get the economy motoring.
Dr Nick Davies said that he and his team were working on revised scenarios that will soon be presented to scientific advisers and senior civil servants.
'That starts by removing Plan B Covid restrictions when they are meant to expire in two and a half weeks’ time. We need a Learn-to-live-with-it Day. I’m not saying Covid won’t present challenges in the future, but we are going to have to live with it and not deal with it as an emergency crisis forever.'
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Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:
http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)
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Sunday, January 09, 2022
Prime Age Mortality up 40 Percent, Majority of Deaths Not From COVID-19
The obvious but unstated point arising from the figures below is that many of the extra deaths would have been related not to COVID but to the government response to it. A big problem would seem to be (for instance) that many people bombed themselves out with drugs to enable them to cope with isolation etc. Ill-advised government policies were a major cause of deaths
Mortality among young-to-middle-age Americans went through the roof last year. The majority of the increase didn’t involve COVID-19, according to official death certificate data.
Deaths among people aged 18 to 49 increased more than 40 percent in the 12 months ending October 2021 compared to the same period in 2018–2019, before the pandemic, based on death certificate data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
That’s more than 90,000 additional deaths in this age group, of which less than 43 percent involved COVID.
The federal agency doesn’t yet have full 2021 numbers, as death certificate data usually trickle in with an 8-week lag or more.
The mortality increase was most notable for the 30–39 age group, where deaths skyrocketed by nearly 45 percent, with only a third involving COVID.
CDC data on the exact causes of those excess deaths aren’t yet available for 2021, aside from those involving COVID, pneumonia, and influenza. There were close to 6,000 excess pneumonia deaths that didn’t involve COVID-19 in the 30–39 age group in the 12 months ending October 2021. Influenza was only involved in 50 deaths in this age group, down from 550 in the same period pre-pandemic. The flu death count didn’t exclude those that also involved COVID or pneumonia, the CDC noted.
A chunk of the mortality spike could be likely explained by drug overdoses, which increased from about 72,000 in 2019 to more than 100,000 in the 12 months ending May 2021, the CDC estimated. About two-thirds of those deaths involved synthetic opioids including fentanyl that are often smuggled to the United States from China through Mexico. Overdoses involving methamphetamine or other psychostimulants also significantly increased, from fewer than 17,000 in 2019 to more than 28,000 in the 12 months ending May 2021.
For older age groups, mortality increased too. For those 50–84, it went up more than 27 percent, making for a total of more than 470,000 excess deaths. Almost four out of five of the excess deaths reportedly involved COVID.
For those 85 or older, mortality increased about 12 percent with more than 100,000 excess deaths. Given the more than 130,000 COVID-related deaths in this group, the data indicates that these people were less likely to die of a non-COVID-related cause from November 2020 to October 2021 than during the same months of 2018–2019.
Comparing 2020 to 2019, mortality increased some 24 percent for those 18–49, with less than a third of those excess deaths involving COVID. For those 50–84, it increased less than 20 percent, with over 70 percent of that involving COVID. For those even older, mortality jumped about 16 percent, with nearly 90 percent of that involving COVID.
For those under 18, mortality decreased about 0.4 percent in 2020 compared to 2019. In the 12 months ending October 2021, it decreased some 3.3 percent compared to the same period in 2018–2019.
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The Collins and Fauci Attack on Traditional Public Health
On Oct. 4, 2020, with professor Sunetra Gupta of Oxford University, we wrote the Great Barrington Declaration (GBD). Our purpose was to express our grave concerns over the inadequate protection of the vulnerable and the devastating harms of the lockdown pandemic policy adopted by much of the world; we proposed an alternative strategy of focused protection.
The key scientific fact on which the GBD was based—a more than thousand-fold higher risk of death for the old compared to the young—meant that better protection of the old would minimize COVID deaths. At the same time, opening schools and lifting lockdowns would reduce the collateral harm to the rest of the population.
The declaration received enormous support, ultimately attracting signatures from more than 50,000 scientists and medical professionals and more than 800,000 members of the public. Our hope in writing was two-fold. First, we wanted to help the public understand that—contrary to the prevailing narrative—there was no scientific consensus in favor of lockdown. In this, we succeeded.
Second, we wanted to spur a discussion among public health scientists about how to better protect the vulnerable, both those living in nursing homes (where approximately 40 percent of all COVID deaths have occurred) and those living in the community. We provided specific proposals for focused protection in the GBD and supporting documents to spur the discussion. Though some in public health did engage civilly in productive discussions with us, in this aim we had limited success.
Unbeknownst to us, our call for a more focused pandemic strategy posed a political problem for Dr. Francis Collins and Dr. Anthony Fauci. The former is a geneticist who, until Dec. 19, 2021, was the director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH); the latter is an immunologist who directs the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). They are the biggest funders of medical and infectious disease research worldwide.
Collins and Fauci played critical roles in designing and advocating for the pandemic lockdown strategy adopted by the United States and many other countries. In emails written four days after the Great Barrington Declaration and disclosed recently after a FOIA request, it was revealed that the two conspired to undermine the declaration. Rather than engaging in scientific discourse, they authorized “a quick and devastating published takedown” of this proposal, which they characterized as by “three fringe epidemiologists” from Harvard, Oxford, and Stanford.
Across the pond, they were joined by their close colleague, Dr. Jeremy Farrar, the head of the Wellcome Trust, one of the world’s largest nongovernmental funders of medical research. He worked with Dominic Cummings, the political strategist of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Together, they orchestrated “an aggressive press campaign against those behind the Great Barrington Declaration and others opposed to blanket COVID-19 restrictions.”
Ignoring the call for focused protection of the vulnerable, Collins and Fauci purposely mischaracterized the GBD as a “let-it-rip” “herd immunity strategy,” even though focused protection is the very opposite of a let-it-rip strategy. It’s more appropriate to call the lockdown strategy that has been followed a “let-it-rip” strategy. Without focused protection, every age group will eventually be exposed in equal proportion, albeit at a prolonged “let-it-drip” pace compared to a do-nothing strategy.
When journalists started asking us why we wanted to “let the virus rip,” we were puzzled. Those words aren’t in the GBD, and they are contrary to the central idea of focused protection. It’s unclear whether Collins and Fauci ever read the GBD, whether they deliberately mischaracterized it, or whether their understanding of epidemiology and public health is more limited than we had thought. In any case, it was a lie.
We were also puzzled by the mischaracterization of the GBD as a “herd immunity strategy.” Herd immunity is a scientifically proven phenomenon, as fundamental in infectious disease epidemiology as gravity is in physics. Every COVID strategy leads to herd immunity, and the pandemic ends when a sufficient number of people have immunity through either COVID-recovery or a vaccine. It makes as much sense to claim that an epidemiologist is advocating for a “herd immunity strategy” as it does to claim that a pilot is advocating a “gravity strategy” when landing an airplane. The issue is how to land the plane safely, and whatever strategy the pilot uses, gravity ensures that the plane will eventually return to earth.
The fundamental goal of the GBD is to get through this terrible pandemic with the least harm to the public’s health. Health, of course, is broader than just COVID. Any reasonable evaluation of lockdowns should consider their collateral damage to patients with cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other infectious diseases, as well as mental health and much else. Based on long-standing principles of public health, the GBD and focused protection of the high-risk population is a middle ground between devastating lockdowns and a do-nothing, let-it rip strategy.
Collins and Fauci surprisingly claimed that focused protection of the old is impossible without a vaccine. Scientists have their own specialties, but not every scientist has deep expertise in public health. The natural approach would have been to engage with epidemiologists and public health scientists for whom this is their bread and butter. Had they done so, Collins and Fauci would have learned that public health is fundamentally about focused protection.
It’s impossible to shut down society completely. Lockdowns protected young low-risk affluent work-from-home professionals, such as administrators, scientists, professors, journalists, and lawyers, while older high-risk members of the working class were exposed and died in necessarily high numbers. This failure to understand that lockdowns couldn’t protect the vulnerable led to the tragically high death counts from COVID.
We don’t know why Collins and Fauci decided to do a “takedown” rather than use their esteemed positions to build and promote vigorous scientific discussions on these critical issues, engaging scientists with different expertise and perspectives. Part of the answer may lie in another puzzle—their blindness to the devastating effects of lockdowns on other public health outcomes.
Lockdown harms have affected everyone, with an extra-heavy burden on the chronically ill; on children, for whom schools were closed; on the working class, especially those in the densely populated inner cities; and on the global poor, with tens of millions suffering from malnutrition and starvation. For example, Fauci was a major advocate for school closures. These are now widely recognized as an enormous mistake that harmed children without affecting disease spread. In the coming years, we must work hard to reverse the damage caused by our misguided pandemic strategy.
While tens of thousands of scientists and medical professionals signed the Great Barrington Declaration, why didn’t more speak up in the media? Some did, some tried but failed, while others were very cautious about doing so. When we wrote the declaration, we knew that we were putting our professional careers at risk, as well as our ability to provide for our families. That was a conscious decision on our part, and we fully sympathize with those who instead decided to focus on maintaining their important research laboratories and activities.
Scientists will naturally hesitate before putting themselves in a situation in which the NIH director, with an annual scientific research budget of $42.9 billion, wants to take them down. It may also be unwise to upset the director of NIAID, with an annual budget of $6.1 billion for infectious disease research, or the director of the Wellcome Trust, with an annual budget of $1.5 billion. Sitting atop powerful funding agencies, Collins, Fauci, and Farrar channel research dollars to nearly every infectious disease epidemiologist, immunologist, and virologist of note in the United States and UK.
Collins, Fauci, and Farrar got the pandemic strategy they advocated for, and they own the results together with other lockdown proponents. The GBD was and is inconvenient for them because it stands as clear evidence that a better, less deadly alternative was available.
We now have more than 800,000 COVID deaths in the United States, plus the collateral damage. Sweden and other Scandinavian countries—less focused on lockdowns and more focused on protecting the old—have had fewer COVID deaths per population than the United States, the UK, and most other European countries. Florida, which avoided much of the collateral lockdown harms, currently ranks 22nd best in the United States in age-adjusted COVID mortality.
In academic medicine, landing an NIH grant makes or breaks careers, so scientists have a strong incentive to stay on the right side of NIH and NIAID priorities. If we want scientists to speak freely in the future, we should avoid having the same people in charge of public health policy and medical research funding.
https://www.independent.org/news/article.asp?id=13941
*********************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:
http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)
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Friday, January 07, 2022
Fauci’s strategy Causing ‘Thousands of People’ to Die Each Month
While promoting the use of masks and vaccines to fight the coronavirus, Dr. Anthony Fauci and many U.S. health officials have discouraged the use of therapeutics.
In a conversation with his father Ron Paul, Republican Sen. Rand Paul said Fauci’s strategy is causing thousands of needless deaths every month.
“I think Fauci is of the philosophy that vaccines are incredibly successful and are the way to go versus therapeutics, for example,” Paul said.
“As the AIDS epidemic came up, he wanted to develop a vaccine. There’s nothing wrong with that.” Of course, this turned out to be unsuccessful — a vaccine for AIDS has still not been created.
In Paul’s eyes, Fauci did not learn from his mistake as he led the response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I would venture to say that thousands of people die in our country every month now from COVID because he’s de-emphasized the idea that there are therapeutics,” he said.
While Paul’s claim may be unverifiable, it is correct that the Biden administration has hindered the availability of therapeutics to treat COVID-19.
In August, CBS News reported that the CDC had issued an advisory warning against the use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19. It said there was “insufficient data” to show the anti-parasite drug could treat the virus.
Ivermectin had already been approved by the FDA to treat conditions like head lice and rosacea in humans. The CDC said the drug was “generally safe and well tolerated” as a prescription for those issues.
However, the CDC’s warning against ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment led to widespread disparaging of the drug. Establishment media outlets spoke out against its use, and doctors refused to prescribe it even as a last resort.
The FDA has not approved the use of ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19
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Mum woke from 28-day Covid coma after being treated with Viagra
A nurse fighting for her life in a 28-day Covid coma was saved after colleagues used Viagra to treat her.
Monica Almeida, 37, was just 72 hours from her ventilator being turned off when medics had the idea to use the erectile dysfunction drug, reports The Sun.
The level of oxygen the mum-of-two needed dropped by half and her condition improved after a week - meaning she made it home for Christmas.
Monica has now praised the quick-thinking doctors for using the drug, which helped opened up her airways.
The specialist respiratory nurse, from the UK, said: “I had a little joke with the consultant after I came round because I knew him.
“He told me it was the Viagra, I laughed and thought he was joking, but he said ‘no, really, you’ve had a large dose of Viagra’. “It was my little Christmas miracle.”
Monica, who treated Covid patients while working for NHS Lincolnshire, tested positive for the disease in October.
The double-jabbed mum had lost her sense of taste and smell and was coughing up blood by day four of her diagnosis.
After her oxygen levels dropped the next day, she went to hospital but was discharged with a prescription and no treatment.
Within just two hours of being home, Monica woke up unable to breathe and was rushed to Lincoln County Hospital where she went straight to the resuscitation room.
Medics battled to restore her oxygen levels to normal but her condition deteriorated and she was taken to ICU.
She was placed in a coma on November 16 with her condition so severe, her parents were told to fly from Portugal to England to say their goodbyes.
Monica said: “I could have been gone at just 37 years old, but I suppose I was a bit of a monkey and kept on fighting.”
With the prognosis looking bleak, doctors decided to use the unusual treatment to help Monica.
The brave Covid victim emerged from her coma on December 14 and was allowed to return home on Christmas Eve.
Viagra has previously been banded around as a possible way to treat Covid patients as the little blue pill dilates blood vessels and opens the airways.
Scientists are carrying out tests to determine whether it can be used in the same way as inhaling nitric oxide, which can boost oxygen levels in the blood.
Viagra can be given to Brit coronavirus patients if they have agreed to be in a study to try experimental drugs.
Monica said: “It was definitely the Viagra that saved me. “Within 48 hours it opened up my airways and my lungs started to respond.
“If you think how the drug works, it expands your blood vessels.
“I have asthma and my air sacs needed a little help.”
The mum is now recovering at her home with her husband Artur and two sons aged nine and 14.
She is now urging people to get the vaccine after being told she would have died if she hadn’t been jabbed.
Covid booster jabs offer the best chance to get through the pandemic, health officials have repeatedly said.
Monica said: “There are people out there saying the vaccine has killed people. I’m not denying there are people who react and get poorly with the vaccine, but when we look at the amount of deaths we have in unvaccinated people there is a big message there to have your jab.
“It does worry me, especially in Lincolnshire, that people are against having the vaccine.
“I never expected at 37 years of age to get as ill as I did. I never thought this would happen to me and I want people to take it more seriously.”
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Active ingredient in magic mushrooms could help treat mental health disorders including PTSD, research suggests
Scientists say that small doses of the psychedelic drug psilocybin, found in 'magic' mushrooms are not only good at easing disorders resistant to treatment but they also have no short or long-term side effects in healthy people.
Researchers in a study led by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London, found that the drug can be given safely in doses of either 10mg or 25mg to up to six patients.
The report, in partnership with COMPASS Pathways, is an essential first step for experts to prove the safety and feasibility of drug psilocybin as a treatment alongside talking therapies for a range of conditions including treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and PTSD.
It is the first drug to go head-to-head with the traditional and often ineffective treatments on the market.
Early research hailed the mushroom as a promising treatment but no human trials have been conducted until now.
It is the first trial of its kind to thoroughly investigate the magic of the mushroom.
A sample of 89 participants who had not used psilocybin within a year were recruited to take part in the trial. Then 60 people were picked at random to receive either 10mg or 25mg of the drug in a controlled lab environment. The patients received one-to-one support from trained psychotherapists after the doses were administered.
A placebo drug was given to the remaining 29 participants who acted as the control group and were also given psychological support.
The participants were closely monitored for six to eight hours and they were then followed up for 12 weeks.
During this time, they were assessed to track the number of possible changes, including sustained attention, memory, planning, as well as their ability to process emotions.
Dr James Rucker, a clinical scientist from the National Institute for Health Research, was the study's lead author. He said: 'This rigorous study is an important first demonstration that the simultaneous administration of psilocybin can be explored further.
'If we think about how psilocybin therapy (if approved) may be delivered in the future, it's important to demonstrate the feasibility and the safety of giving it to more than one person at the same time, so we can think about how we scale up the treatment.'
Dr Rucker, who is also an honorary consultant psychiatrist at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust added: 'This therapy has promise for people living with serious mental health problems, like treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and PTSD.
'They can be extremely disabling, distressing and disruptive, but current treatment options for these conditions are ineffective or partially effective for many people.'
There were no suggestions that either of the psilocybin doses had any short or long-term negative effects on the participant and no one withdrew from the study.
Professor Guy Goodwin the chief medical officer at COMPASS Pathways, said: 'This study was an early part of our clinical development programme for COMP360 psilocybin therapy.
'It explored the safety and feasibility of simultaneous psilocybin administration, with one to one support, in healthy participants, and provided a strong foundation to which we have now added positive results from our Phase IIb trial in 233 patients with TRD, and from our open-label study of patients taking SSRI antidepressants alongside psilocybin therapy.
'We are looking forward to finalising plans for our phase three programme, which we expect to begin in Q3 2022.'
Since this study was conducted, the researchers have completed phase two of the study, which has explored the efficacy and safety of psilocybin in people living with TRD and PTSD, and are now analysing their findings.
This study was published in The Journal of Psychopharmacology.
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Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:
http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)
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Thursday, January 06, 2022
A sign of what’s to come for others? South Africa’s Omicron wave has ‘subsided’ after striking up to HALF of nation as doctor says they’re now in a ‘good place’
South Africa's Omicron wave has completely collapsed and the country has reached the 'turning point in the pandemic', a doctor on the frontline in Johannesburg claimed today amid growing hopes that Britain's outbreak will also be short-lived.
Professor Shabir Madhi, a vaccine expert at the University of the Witwatersrand, said the variant was 'very much subsiding' and had already 'pretty much subsided' in Gauteng — the first province to fall victim to the extremely-infectious variant.
He estimated up to 50 per cent of the country's 58.8million people caught Omicron since it first emerged, despite just 500,000 infections being recorded since the strain was first spotted on November 23.
While Covid infections soared to an 'unprecedented' level, Professor Madhi said there was a 'complete uncoupling' of hospitalisation and deaths. Figures show hospitalisations barely reached a third of rates seen in previous peaks, while fatalities stayed 10 times lower.
Professor Madhi told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I think we are in a good place in South Africa and I think we've reached the turning point in this pandemic.'
It comes after another 8,078 cases were recorded in South Africa yesterday, a rise of 12 per cent in a week, after tumbling for 17 days in a row. Officially, daily cases peaked at nearly 27,000 on December 15.
Hospital admissions also rose 8 per cent with 309 reported, however they have also been trending downwards for the past fortnight. Deaths — the biggest lagging indicator — rose to 139, the highest since the Omicron wave took off. But they are still a far cry from the 600 per day at the peak of the Delta wave.
The shrinking wave comes despite only a quarter of South Africans being double-jabbed. There is growing hope that Britain's variant-fuelled outbreak will follow a similar trajectory, where more than 70 per cent have had two jabs and half have had three.
In London — the UK's Omicron epicentre — infections and hospitalisations appear to be flatlining already. There were 347 admissions in the capital on New Year's Day, the latest day with data, down 7 per cent compared to the previous week. It is the second day in a row admissions have fallen week-on-week.
While daily infections nationally are running at record levels — 218,000 Britons tested positive yesterday — the number of Covid patients in hospital is still a fraction of previous peaks.
There are 15,000 Covid inpatients now compared to nearly 40,000 last January and about a third of current patients are not primarily sick with the virus. Fewer sufferers are also requiring ventilation.
Professor Madhi told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Across the country the wave is very much subsiding.
'Certainly, what was initially the epicentre Gauteng, the wave has pretty much subsided and what we’ve experienced is an unprecedented number of cases compared to what was experienced in the past.
Professor Madhi said: 'This time around it‘s probably been a greater proportion of the population that has been infected.
'South Africa does about one fourteenth of UK testing. So when we report about 25,000 cases per day you could probably multiply that by about 14.
'My estimate is it is about 40 to 50 per cent of people in South Africa possibly have been infected during the course of this particular wave.'
High levels of immunity among the population from previous Covid infections prevented further cases and drove down transmission, he said.
But Professor Madhi warned South Africa's experience with Omicron may not be replicated in the UK and other countries that do not have high levels of natural immunity.
Around three-quarters of South Africans are thought to have been infected before Omicron emerged, but just 25 per cent have had a least one Covid jab.
Experts estimate less than half of people in the UK have had Covid, while 90 per cent of over-12s have had at least one jab.
He said: 'The big question is whether immunity primarily through vaccination plays the same role against protecting against severe disease as does natural infection-derived immunity. And I believe it does.'
Professor Madhi said it is 'certainly unpredictable as to what the next variant will look like' but T-cell protection from infection and vaccination protects against severe disease and is 'relatively well-preserved'.
'So I think we are in a good place in South Africa and I think we've reached the turning point in this pandemic,' he added.
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CDC: Omicron Now 95 Percent of All New US COVID-19 Cases
The COVID-19 Omicron variant accounted for approximately 95.4 percent of U.S. COVID-19 cases diagnosed in the week ended Jan. 1, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in an update published Tuesday.
With the CDC’s finding, it suggests Omicron is highly contagious, as it was able to displace the previously dominant Delta strain in only a few weeks. The Delta variant now accounts for about 4.6 percent of all cases, the CDC figures show.
About two weeks ago, the CDC reported that Omicron only accounted for about 38 percent of all COVID-19 cases for the week ending on Dec. 18. The agency significantly revised its estimates for Omicron’s prevalence for the week ending on Dec. 25 from 73 percent to about 58 percent.
The United States, meanwhile, set a global record of almost 1 million new coronavirus infections reported on Monday, according to a tally, nearly double the country’s peak of 505,109 hit just a week ago.
About 978,856 new infections that were reported Monday include some cases from Saturday and Sunday, when many states do not report. The average number of U.S. deaths per day has remained fairly steady throughout December and into early January at about 1,300, according to a Reuters tally.
“We are seeing more and more studies pointing out that Omicron is infecting the upper part of the body. Unlike other ones, the lungs who would be causing severe pneumonia,” World Health Organization (WHO) Incident Manager Abdi Mahamud told Swiss-based journalists on Tuesday.
He said it is good news, “but we really require more studies to prove that.”
Since the heavily mutated variant was first detected in November, WHO data show it has spread quickly and emerged in at least 128 countries. However, while case numbers have surged to all-time records around the world, the hospitalization and death rates are often lower than at other phases in the pandemic.
“What we are seeing now is … the decoupling between the cases and the deaths,” Mahamud said.
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Frontline Doctor Highlights His Preferred COVID-19 Treatments
While the Omicron variant of COVID seems to be causing less severe disease than the Delta variant, it’s still landing some people in hospitals, highlighting the need for effective treatment before cases progress to that stage, a frontline doctor says.
Dr. Syed Haider has treated more than 4,000 COVID-19-positive patients so far during the pandemic. Just five ended up going to a hospital, and none have died.
The doctor said his preferred treatments include many off-label medications along with vitamins and supplements.
“Vitamin D is really important, ivermectin is important, fluvoxamine, hydroxychloroquine also works, it’s just a lot of people have been convinced that it doesn’t at this point, and are scared off of trying it,” Haider told NTD’s “Capitol Report.” “But I prefer ivermectin, fluvoxamine, Vitamin D, Vitamin C, quercetin, zinc.”
Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic that has had mixed results against COVID-19 in clinical trials and isn’t advised by the Food and Drug Administration to treat the disease. Fluvoxamine is an antidepressant that’s gaining popularity for use against COVID-19. Hydroxychloroquine is an anti-malarial that has shown some success in treating the disease. Quercetin is a plant pigment that’s not widely known yet as a treatment for COVID-19.
Haider has also recommended flax seed oil.
“One really easy thing that anyone can do is just follow the directions on a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, you can get this at the store, can dilute it down to 1 percent swish swish it through your nose, or swish it through your mouth and drip it into your nose or use a neti pot to rinse out your nose. And it’s not uncomfortable, it shouldn’t be burning, if it’s burning, you would want to dilute it a little bit more, and that kills the virus on contact,” he said.
Haider’s list differs from the National Institutes of Health’s recently updated treatment recommendations for non hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
The agency recommends using Pfizer’s COVID-19 pill, known as paxlovid; Merck’s pill, called molnupiravir; GlaxoSmithKline’s monoclonal antibody treatment, sotrovimab; or Gilead Sciences’s remdesivir, administered through IV over multiple days.
The recommendations stem from studies that demonstrate the therapeutics’ effectiveness, the agency said.
Haider, however, doesn’t agree with the remdesivir recommendation, noting it’s never received an endorsement from the World Health Organization and that it has the side effect of causing kidney failure.
The virus that causes COVID-19, he said, is “very, very easily treatable” if early treatment is done with off-label drugs, Haider stressed.
He advises people get prepared ahead of time.
“I think people need to take this seriously and get medications on hand before they get sick,” Dr. Syed Haider told “Capitol Report.”
While Omicron often manifests as a bad cold, even some people who are considered at low-risk of developing severe disease will end up with severe cases, the doctor said. Additionally, emerging data indicate that the protection provided by both vaccination and natural immunity isn’t as good against Omicron, emphasizing the need to be ready.
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Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:
http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)
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Wednesday, January 05, 2022
Why we shouldn’t yet be worried about the latest new Covid variant
Another day, another variant. While the reaction to Omicron was immediate and one laced with genuine fear and concern, the emergence of a new strain in southeastern France has been met with a shrug of the shoulders by many scientists.
On paper, B.1.640.2 looks problematic. Like Omicron, it has multiple mutations, 46 in total, many of which are located in its spike protein - the part of the virus responsible for gaining entry to human cells.
In reality, this is a variant that predates Omicron yet has failed to take off globally in the same way.
It appears to have first popped up on scientists’ radars in early November, when the first sequenced case of B.1.640.2 was uploaded from Paris to a global variant database called Gisaid.
The first sequence of Omicron was uploaded three weeks later, on 22 November, and in the time that followed has spread rapidly across the world, reaching all six continents by the turn of the new year.
In contrast, B.1.640.2 appears to have been limited to minor clusters here and there, as seen in southeastern France where 12 people were infected with the variant, according to a non peer-reviewed study released before Christmas.
The ‘index case’ - the first individual identified at the heart of a cluster - was vaccinated against Covid and had returned from Cameroon three days before his positive result. The study claims he developed “mild” respiratory symptoms the day before his diagnosis.
However, when the scientists took a dive into Cameroon’s own genomic data, they were unable to find any sequences of B.1.640.2, suggesting the variant either hasn’t been detected in the country yet, or originated from elsewhere.
Perhaps it could be the case that the French traveller had a fleeting encounter with someone in an airport who was infected with B.1.640.2. At this stage, we simply don’t know.
Regardless, the alarm bells have yet to be rung when it comes to this particular variant.
Tom Peacock, a virologist at imperial College, said B.1.640.2 was “not one worth worrying about too much” at the moment. “This virus has had a decent chance to cause trouble but never really materialised,” he said on Twitter.
Other close viral cousins of B.1.640.2 have similarly been in circulation for weeks, but have also struggled to make an impact.
As to why it has this variant hasn’t been as successful in spreading as Omicron - despite its high mutation count - we can only speculate.
Although B.1.640.2 carries many of the same mutations seen in previous variants of concern, much depends on how they combine with one another to shape the characteristics of the virus.
It could be the case that some of the mutations are actually detrimental to the virus’ ability to enter our cells or replicate, thus hindering its ability to rapidly spread.
Data on B.1.640.2 is light, and until scientists have more of it, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to provide a clear answer as to why this particular variant hasn’t come to dominate.
Should that remain the case, it will ultimately be a good thing. For now, Omicron is the main variant of concern. Unless the picture changes considerably for whatever reason, that should be the predominant focus of our attention and scientific endeavours in the weeks to come.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/ihu-variant-france-covid-cases-b1986956.html
*******************************************Puerto Rico Faces Staggering Covid Case Explosion
More evidence that vaccination is only weakly protective against Omicron
The island had a 4,600 percent increase in cases in recent weeks after mounting one of the nation’s most successful vaccination campaigns.
At one point this week, the daily case count had surpassed 11,000, a very high figure for an island with just 3.2 million inhabitants.
Armed with her vaccine passport and a giddy urge to celebrate the holiday season, Laura Delgado — and 60,000 other people in Puerto Rico — attended a Bad Bunny concert three weeks ago.
Three days later, she was sick with Covid-19, one of about 2,000 people who fell ill as a result of the two-day event.
“We did so well; we followed the rules,” said Ms. Delgado, a 53-year-old interior designer. “We followed the mask mandate. Our vaccination rate was so high that we let our guard down. The second Christmas came, we were like, ‘We’re going to party!’”
The superspreader concert helped usher in an explosion of Covid-19 cases in Puerto Rico, which until then had been celebrating one of the most successful vaccination campaigns in the United States.
The concert was one of a series of business events, company holiday parties and family gatherings that fueled a 4,600 percent increase in cases on the island, a surge that public health officials worry could linger into the New Year; the Puerto Rican holiday season stretches to Three Kings Day on Jan. 6.
While the Omicron variant has besieged the entire country, it is especially worrisome in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory already overwhelmed by government bankruptcy, an exodus of health professionals and a fragile health care system. Officials imposed a new wave of tough restrictions on travelers and diners in hopes of staving off the new wave of cases.
Rafael Irizarry, a Harvard University statistician who keeps a dashboard of Puerto Rico Covid-19 data, tweeted the daunting facts: A third of all coronavirus cases the island has recorded since the start of the pandemic occurred in the past month. The number of cases per 100,000 residents jumped to 225, from three, in three weeks.
In December, the number of hospitalizations doubled — twice.
Without the polarizing politics that have plagued the debate over vaccines in other parts of the country, nearly 85 percent of those in Puerto Rico have received at least one vaccine dose, and about 75 percent have gotten both shots.
But in the face of a highly contagious new variant, a high vaccination rate is not that meaningful anymore, Mr. Irizarry said.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/02/us/coronavirus-puerto-rico.html?smid=tw-share
***********************************************Governor Demands Biden Allow Florida to Purchase Blocked COVID Treatments
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has long been a bit of an outlier on the national scene when it comes to COVID-19, erring proudly and loudly on the side of liberty in terms of vaccine and mask mandates. This has, unsurprisingly, put him in the crosshairs of the Biden administration on several different occasions, as the two spar over an issue of states’ rights.
The latest battlefield that these two governmental entities are meeting upon is that of monoclonal antibodies – some of the leading treatments of COVID-19 currently available.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., called for the Biden administration to allow his state to obtain more monoclonal antibody treatments as it encounters the omicron variant of COVID-19.
“We’re past the point now where we’re able to get it directly from any of these companies,” DeSantis said during a press conference on Monday. “The federal government has cornered the entire market. They basically took control of the supply in September.”
This is the latest in a disturbing trend that seems to have pit the federal government against the Sunshine State.
The governor’s press conference came nearly a week after his surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, sent U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra a letter requesting the federal government restore distribution of monoclonal antibodies treatments to the state.
“The federal government is actively preventing the effective distribution of monoclonal antibody treatments in the U.S.,” Ladapo wrote. “The sudden suspension of multiple monoclonal antibody therapy treatments from distribution to Florida removes a health care provider’s ability to decide the best treatment options for their patients in this state.”
As Ladapo’s letter noted, HHS said in September that it would determine state-by-state distribution of certain drugs. An official reportedly said the move would “help maintain equitable distribution, both geographically and temporally, across the country.”
As of this writing, the Biden administration has not responded to Florida’s request or accusations.
https://flagandcross.com/governor-demands-biden-allow-florida-to-purchase-blocked-covid-treatments/
*********************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:
http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)
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Tuesday, January 04, 2022
'We'll be in the throes of Omicron for a month': Ex-FDA commissioner says COVID will peak in two weeks
The Omicron variant is continuing to create a surge in new COVID-19 cases through the United States in the new year, with former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb warning that we will be in the throes of the new wave in infections for the next month before cases drop off - even as the death rate remains relatively low.
The country recorded its highest seven-day average number of cases on January 2, with 413,304 people testing positive for the virus over the past week, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. At the same time, on a seven-day average, there were 1,350 new deaths. That number is far lower than the seven-day average recorded at the peak of winter in January 2021, where the US averaged around 3,300 deaths.
Cases may continue to rise over the next few days due to a lag in reporting over the weekend, and on Monday, Dr. Anthony Fauci told PIX 11 News: 'It is going to go higher.
'What we hope will happen is what we've seen in South Africa, you see a spike and then it turns around,' he said.
The country, which was one of the first in the world to fall victim to Omicron, hit its peak in the seven days leading up to December 17, when an average of 23,437 cases were recorded.
But by December 28, the number had plummeted by 38 percent to 14,390 cases.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former FDA commissioner, also said on Monday that he believes 'this is not going to last very long,' estimating 'we'll be in the throes of this for maybe a month.'
'Here in the northeast, I think you're going to see infections peak out within the next two weeks,' he claimed in an interview on CNBC's Squawk Box. 'So hopefully, here in New York City does find a peak within the next two weeks.'
He said that London, which was struck by the Omicron wave several weeks before it came to New York City, 'has already peaked and is probably on the way down.' New York City saw 85,476 new cases reported in the state over the weekend, whereas London saw 19,951 on January 2.
Both Fauci and Gottlieb, as well as a number of other experts now say catching the highly-contagious Omicron variant could actually be beneficial to society, as it has been proven to be less virulent than other strains but could create herd immunity.
This comes after a study by Columbia University revealed that Omicron-fueled cases could peak to around 2.5 million by January 9 with others estimating the surge to go to 5.4 million.
Meanwhile, another covid variant has been found in France, according to scientists. The mutant strain has 46 mutations that are thought to make it both more vaccine-resistant and infectious than the original virus.
About 12 cases have been recorded so far near Marseille, with the first linked to travel to the African country Cameroon. But there is little sign that it is outcompeting the dominant Omicron variant, which now makes up more than 60 per cent of cases in France. It is yet to be spotted in other countries or labelled a variant under investigation by the World Health Organization.
In another interview with the Today Show's Hoda Kotb on Monday, former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control Richard Besser said he expects 'these next few weeks are going to be really rough in terms of numbers of new cases.'
Speaking to Danish TV 2, Tyra Grove Krause - the chief epidemiologist at Denmark's State Serum Institute - said a new study from the organisation found that the risk of hospitalisation from Omicron is half that seen with the Delta variant.
This, she said, has given Danish authorities hope that the Covid-19 pandemic in Denmark could be over in two months.
'I think we will have that in the next two months, and then I hope the infection will start to subside and we get our normal lives back,' she said on Monday.
Despite early fears that Omicron could prolong the pandemic due to its increased level of infection, Ms Krause said it actually could spell the end of the pandemic.
According to the study: 'Omicron is here to stay, and it will provide some massive spread of infection in the coming month. When it's over, we're in a better place than we were before.'
But while infection numbers in countries with the variant are soaring, the expert said that the highly infectious Omicron appears milder than the Delta variant, and therefore more people will be infected without having serious symptoms.
As a result, she said, this will provide a good level of immunity in the population.
Denmark has seen a spike in new cases in recent weeks, and on Sunday recorded its highest ever seven-day average infections, recording an average of 20,886 across the previous week, or 3,592.74 per million people - one of Europe's highest rates.
It reported its highest ever new infections on December 27 (41,035).
By comparison, the UK's seven-day average daily new confirmed Covid-19 cases per million people sits at 2,823.31 as on Monday, while in the United States, that number is 1,215.76 - lower than many countries in Europe.
Ms Krause stressed that there was still work to be done to beat the pandemic in the coming months, however.
'Omicron will peak at the end of January, and in February we will see declining infection pressure and a decreasing pressure on the health care system,' she said.
'But we have to make an effort in January, because it will be hard to get through.'
The epidemiologist said Danes should continue to follow the now well-known measures to help slow the spread, such as good hygiene, social distancing where possible, and staying at home when symptoms present themselves.
Omicron's increasing spread will continue to put pressure on Denmark's healthcare system, she said. 'This is definitely what will be the challenge in the future.'
Professor Lars Østergaard, chief physician at the Department of Infectious Diseases at Aarhus University Hospital, also looked towards the end of the pandemic in comments made on January 1.
He said that while the coronavirus will not be characterised as a pandemic forever, it will likely never fully disappear.
I never think we'll ever wave goodbye to the corona,' he said.
'But we want such a good immunity in the population - partly because of new vaccines, partly because people have been infected - that we can handle it as another of the infections we know that come especially in the winter month.'
Ms Krause agreed, saying: 'In the long run, we are in a place where coronavirus is here, but where we have restrained it, and only the particularly vulnerable need to be vaccinated up to the next winter season.'
But, he said, 'this could be the path out of this pandemic - as this variant spreads around and infects more and more people.
'Hopefully, the protection you get from having had an Omicron variant will provide some protection from other variants,' he continued, noting: 'The key, I think, is focusing on global protection. We have done a terrible job at providing vaccines around the globe and as we've seen with Omicron, new variants can arise anywhere.
'So from an equity and justice standpoint, we need to do more - but in terms of our self interest and being protected against future variants we need to do a lot more to make vaccines available.'
As of Monday, 9.2 billion people worldwide have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, and as of Thursday, 73.3 percent of all Americans have received at least on dose and 62 percent are fully vaccinated.
But just 33.4 percent of all fully-vaccinated Americans have received a booster dose, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control, as federal health officials consider changing the definition of 'fully vaccinated' to include booster doses amid a surge in children being hospitalized with the virus.
A Danish health official has also said that the Omicron variant is bringing about the end of the pandemic, saying 'we will have our normal lives back in two months'.
Speaking to Danish TV 2, Tyra Grove Krause - the chief epidemiologist at Denmark's State Serum Institute - said a new study from the organization found that the risk of hospitalization from Omicron is half that seen with the Delta variant.
This, she said, has given Danish authorities hope that the Covid-19 pandemic in Denmark could be over in two months.
'I think we will have that in the next two months, and then I hope the infection will start to subside and we get our normal lives back,' she said on Monday.
Despite early fears that Omicron could prolong the pandemic due to its increased level of infection, Ms Krause said it actually could spell the end of the pandemic.
According to the study: 'Omicron is here to stay, and it will provide some massive spread of infection in the coming month. When it's over, we're in a better place than we were before.'
But while infection numbers in countries with the variant are soaring, the expert said that the highly infectious Omicron appears milder than the Delta variant, and therefore more people will be infected without having serious symptoms.
As a result, she said, this will provide a good level of immunity in the population.
Denmark has seen a spike in new cases in recent weeks, and on Sunday recorded its highest ever seven-day average infections, recording an average of 20,886 across the previous week, or 3,592.74 per one million people - one of Europe's highest rates.
It reported its highest ever new infections on December 27, with 41,035 new cases.
As of Monday, the United States saw 254,091 new cases with just 244 new deaths. That number is likely to be higher due to a lag in reporting over the weekend.
But other experts have said that society is going to have to live with COVID, with Dr. Albert Ko, an infectious disease specialist at the Yale School of Public Health saying: 'Certainly COVID will be with us forever.
'We´re never going to be able to eradicate or eliminate COVID, so we have to identify our goals.'
At some point, the World Health Organization will determine when enough countries have tamped down their COVID-19 cases sufficiently - or at least, hospitalizations and deaths - to declare the pandemic officially over. Exactly what that threshold will be isn´t clear.
But even when that happens, some parts of the world still will struggle - especially low-income countries that lack enough vaccines or treatments - while others more easily transition to what scientists call an 'endemic' state.
They´re fuzzy distinctions, said infectious disease expert Stephen Kissler of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He defines the endemic period as reaching 'some sort of acceptable steady state' to deal with COVID-19.
The omicron crisis shows we´re not there yet but 'I do think we will reach a point where SARS-CoV-2 is endemic much like flu is endemic,' he said.
For comparison, COVID-19 has killed more than 800,000 Americans in two years while flu typically kills between 12,000 and 52,000 a year.
Exactly how much continuing COVID-19 illness and death the world will put up with is largely a social question, not a scientific one.
'We´re not going to get to a point where it´s 2019 again,' said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. 'We´ve got to get people to think about risk tolerance.'
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, is looking ahead to controlling the virus in a way 'that does not disrupt society, that does not disrupt the economy.'
In his interview with PIX 11 on Monday, Fauci said that if people comply with the CDC recommendations and get a booster shot 'we will get through this quicker.'
Another Covid variant has been found in France, according to scientists.
The mutant strain has 46 mutations that are thought to make it both more vaccine-resistant and infectious than the original virus.
Some 12 cases have been spotted so far near Marseille, with the first linked to travel to the African country Cameroon.
But there is little sign that it is outcompeting the dominant Omicron variant, which now makes up more than 60 per cent of cases in France.
The strain was discovered by academics based at the IHU Mediterranee Infection on December 10, but has not spread rapidly since.
It is yet to be spotted in other countries or labelled a variant under investigation by the World Health Organization.
Professor Philippe Colson, who heads up the unit that discovered the strain, said: 'We indeed have several cases of this new variant in the Marseille geographical area.'We named it "variant IHU". Two new genomes have just been submitted.'
The variant has been dubbed B.1.640.2 and its discovery was announced in a paper posted on medRxiv. This has not been published in an academic journal.
Scientists say the lineage is genetically different to B.1.640, which is thought to have emerged in the Democratic Republic of Congo in September.
Tests show the strain carries the E484K mutation that is thought to make it more resistant to vaccines.
It also has the N501Y mutation — first seen on the Alpha variant — that experts believe can make it more transmissible.
It is a distant relative of Omicron, which scientists say likely evolved from an older virus.
Omicron — or B.1.1.529 — carries around 50 mutations and appears to be better at infecting people who already have a level of immunity. But a growing body of research proves it is also much less likely to trigger severe disease.
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Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:
http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)
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