26251 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

Israel only had 34 new cases today.

and one death.

[Victoria Watcher]

Considering the fact that he closed all the parks just a year ago because of COVID-19, the prospect of a sizable influx of cash into the system is even better news than it might have been. The promise comes in the middle of a public argument about whether stricter travel restrictions are needed.

 

If the entire park system was closed down last year when there were barely 400 cases of the virus in B.C., should it be open when there have now been 116,000 cases, 10,000 of which are currently active?

 

B.C. parks, which are heavily advertised on all media, create the very thing that authorities are cautioning against — travel. But the light touch on restrictions is going to continue for a while. Heyman said Friday: “We’re following the advice of medical health and we will take the precautions that are necessary, but nothing specific is planned today more than what we have in place.”

 

 

 

https://www.timescol...oost-1.24308390

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 17 April 2021 - 05:29 AM.

[Mike K.]

We spent the year being told reusable bags are dangerous. Now as cases reach record highs Victoria bans plastic bags.

[amor de cosmos]

A fourth patient has tested postive for COVID-19 at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

The outbreak is limited to the hospital’s high intensity rehabilitation unit, Island Health said. No other areas of the hospital are affected.

https://www.timescol...reak-1.24308307
 

The Liberals will look to thread an economic needle with Monday’s budget, while dealing with a minority Parliament where the document’s defeat would topple the government.

It has been more than two years — and two throne speeches — since the Liberals delivered a federal budget, having not done so last year due to what the government said was economic uncertainty created by COVID-19.

The Liberals have promised to lay out a plan to green the economy, create a national child-care system and help displaced workers improve their skills.

https://www.nanaimob...andemic-budget/
 

Although antibodies induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection are largely protective, they do not completely protect against reinfection in young people, as evidenced through a longitudinal, prospective study of more than 3,000 young, healthy members of the US Marines Corps conducted by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Naval Medical Research Center, published April 15 in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
 
"Our findings indicate that reinfection by SARS-CoV-2 in health young adults is common" says Stuart Sealfon, MD, the Sara B. and Seth M. Glickenhaus Professor of Neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and senior author of the paper. "Despite a prior COVID-19 infection, young people can catch the virus again and may still transmit it to others. This is an important point to know and remember as vaccine rollouts continue. Young people should get the vaccine whenever possible, since vaccination is necessary to boost immune responses, prevent reinfection, and reduce transmission."
 
The study, conducted between May and November 2020, revealed that around 10 percent (19 out of 189) of participants who were previously infected with SARS-CoV-s (seropositive) became reinfected, compared with new infections in 50 percent (1.079 out of 2,247) of participants who had not been previously infected (seronegative). While seronegative study participants had a five times greater risk of infection than seropositive participants, the study showed that seropositive people are still at risk of reinfection.

https://www.eurekale...h-ssp041621.php
 

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, likely does not directly infect the brain but can still inflict significant neurological damage, according to a new study from neuropathologists, neurologists, and neuroradiologists at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
 
“There’s been considerable debate about whether this virus infects the brain, but we were unable to find any signs of virus inside brain cells of more than 40 COVID-19 patients,” says James E. Goldman, MD, PhD, professor of pathology & cell biology (in psychiatry), who led the study with Peter D. Canoll, MD, PhD, professor of pathology & cell biology, and Kiran T. Thakur, MD, the Winifred Mercer Pitkin Assistant Professor of Neurology.
 
“At the same time, we observed many pathological changes in these brains, which could explain why severely ill patients experience confusion and delirium and other serious neurological effects—and why those with mild cases may experience ‘brain fog’ for weeks and months.”
 
The study, the largest and most detailed COVID-19 brain autopsy report published to date, suggests that the neurological changes often seen in these patients may result from inflammation triggered by the virus in other parts of the body or in the brain’s blood vessels.
 
The study was published online April 15 in the journal Brain. (A preprint of the study appeared March 20 on medRxiv).
 
*snip*
 
Despite their intensive search, the researchers found no evidence of the virus in the patients’ brain cells. Though they did detect very low levels of viral RNA by RT-PCR, this was likely due to virus in blood vessels or leptomeninges covering the brain.
 
“We’ve looked at more brains than other studies, and we’ve used more techniques to search for the virus. The bottom line is that we find no evidence of viral RNA or protein in brain cells,” Goldman says. “Though there are some papers that claim to have found virus in neurons or glia, we think that those result from contamination, and any virus in the brain is contained within the brain’s blood vessels.”
 
“If there’s any virus present in the brain tissue, it has to be in very small amounts and does not correlate with the distribution or abundance of neuropathological findings,” Canoll says.

https://www.cuimc.co...inflicts-damage
https://www.scienced...10416120044.htm
 

To evaluate the clinical features associated with reinfection and disease relapse, the scientists divided the participants into three groups: patients without reinfection, patients with reinfection, and patients with COVID-19 relapse (symptomatic patients). Their analysis revealed that of 29 patients with reinfection, 7 developed symptomatic COVID-19, and 22 remained asymptomatic.
 
With further analysis, they noticed that patients with reinfection were relatively younger than those without reinfection. Similarly, patients with reinfection had experienced two or fewer symptoms during the first episode of COVID-19. Other clinical characteristics of reinfected patients during the initial COVID-19 episode were the presence of a secondary infection; higher than normal leukocyte count; lower than normal lymphocyte count; and increased blood circulation rate.
 
By conducting a set of statistical analyses, the scientists observed that a lymphocyte count of less than 1500/µL and having two or fewer symptoms during the initial COVID-19 episode were the two independent predictors of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection among COVID-19 recovered individuals. Regarding disease relapse, they observed that reinfected patients who developed symptoms (disease relapse) were significantly more likely to have had two or fewer symptoms during the initial COVID-19 episode.
 
In patients with COVID-19 relapse, the average period for SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion was estimated to be 17 days. Moreover, the average duration between the hospital discharge and symptom relapse was estimated to be six days.
 
*snip*
 
The study reveals that COVID-19 patients with less than 1500/µL lymphocyte count or with two or fewer symptoms are at higher risk for developing SARS-CoV-2 reinfection. Thus, COVID-19 recovered individuals with these risk factors should be carefully monitored for possible disease reactivation.

https://www.news-med...einfection.aspx

40 healthcare workers in Malaysia who had both doses of vaccine test positive for COVID-19
https://www.channeln...nation-14640550

[Greg]

 

If the entire park system was closed down last year when there were barely 400 cases of the virus in B.C., should it be open when there have now been 116,000 cases, 10,000 of which are currently active?

 

 

 

 

We spent the year being told reusable bags are dangerous. Now as cases reach record highs Victoria bans plastic bags.

 

Parks were closed at the beginning of the pandemic. People were worried about Covid spreading from touching objects at the beginning of the pandemic. We've learned a lot more about the virus in the last 14 months. Of course things have changed, and now we are focused on where the spread actually happens. And you both know that. 

 

(Now whether people should be traveling from far away to visit those parks is another matter...)

[Mike K.]

Huh? Bonnie Henry keeps reminding us to wash our hands because touching items with the virus and not washing hands could make us sick. Bringing reusable, germ and virus-laden reusable bags to grocery stores sounds like exactly the sort of thing we should not be doing.

Nobody else is banning plastic bags during the pandemic.

[Greg]

Stores went back to letting people bring their reusable bags months ago.

[sebberry]

I was promised I'd have a cupboard bursting with single-use plastic bags if stores were allowed to give them out.  I think I only have a few and most of them will get re-used at least once, even if its as garbage bags.  Now I have to buy garbage bags. 

[Mike K.]

Stores went back to letting people bring their reusable bags months ago.

That you can’t put down on the loading area, and staff will not touch.

I wonder why that is.

[spanky123]

Huh? Bonnie Henry keeps reminding us to wash our hands because touching items with the virus and not washing hands could make us sick. Bringing reusable, germ and virus-laden reusable bags to grocery stores sounds like exactly the sort of thing we should not be doing.

Nobody else is banning plastic bags during the pandemic.

 

It is not about science anymore, politics rules.

[Greg]

That you can’t put down on the loading area, and staff will not touch.

I wonder why that is.

 

An abundance of caution. Or, if you believe this article (https://stateimpact....e-grocery-store) a concerted effort by the plastic bag industry.

 

“Single-use or reusable bags are no better or worse for transmission or prevention of transmission of the COVID infection,” -- Dr. Jodi Sherman, Yale School of Public Health

 

In any case, I agree that banning plastic bags again is not really an urgent matter in the current environment.

[Victoria Watcher]

Of course things have changed, and now we are focused on where the spread actually happens. And you both know that. 

 

(Now whether people should be traveling from far away to visit those parks is another matter...)

 

Chris Selley: Re-closing playgrounds is a brand new low for Doug Ford's Ontario

 

'The reality is there are few options left', said the Premier. That's not true, and playgrounds weren't one of them

 

https://nationalpost...g-fords-ontario

 

 

 

Less than 24 hours after the Ontario government announced police would be newly empowered to stop anyone to question their purpose for leaving home during a COVID-19 lockdown, police services across the province have taken to social media to say they have no intention of conducting "random" stops.

 

https://www.cbc.ca/n...hecks-1.5991872

 

 

 

 

 

As Quebec and Ontario tighten restrictions and close the border between the two provinces in an attempt to curb the third COVID-19 wave, Quebec reported 1,537 more positive COVID-19 cases Saturday. 

 

https://montreal.ctv...st-30-1.5391497

 

 

 

 

 

 

183 new COVID-19 cases in Manitoba on Saturday, highest daily number since January

https://www.cbc.ca/n...il-17-1.5991907

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 17 April 2021 - 10:59 AM.

[grantpalin]

Ontario has already retreated on the playgrounds closure. https://twitter.com/...498997092941834

Ontario’s enhanced restrictions were always intended to stop large gatherings where spread can happen.

 

Our regulations will be amended to allow playgrounds but gatherings outside will still be enforced. Play outside safely. Parents keep your distance & wear masks if you can’t.

 

[Victoria Watcher]

Alberta Health reported 1,486 new COVID-19 cases and three deaths from the disease on Saturday.

 

The government said the deaths included a woman in her 80s with comorbidities from the Calgary zone, a woman in her 70s without comorbidities in the Calgary zone and a man in his 90s with comorbidities from the Edmonton zone.

 

 

https://globalnews.c...id-19-april-17/

 

 

 

 

 

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/

 

^ i keep posting the UK here because hopefully that is what we are in for not too far away here as vaccines catch up.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 17 April 2021 - 03:29 PM.

[tanker]

Israel only had 34 new cases today.

and one death.

This gives me hope but then I see Biden who has been fully vaccinated wearing double masks and I remember it's not about the virus anymore.

[Victoria Watcher]

 

 

 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 17 April 2021 - 06:13 PM.

[Sparky]

Anybody else think we ain’t seen nothing yet?

https://www.cnn.com/...-dst/index.html

[max.bravo]

Given where Canada stands vs America on infection rates and vaccinations, is it now safe to say Trump’s handling of the pandemic was better than any canadian politicians’?

[Victoria Watcher]

Anybody else think we ain’t seen nothing yet?

https://www.cnn.com/...-dst/index.html

 

completely disingenuous article.  they are not nearly the largest COVID vaccine producer.

 

 

 

In India, the world's biggest vaccine producer, millions of people are waiting for Covid-19 vaccines amid a devastating second wave of infections.

 

India typically produces more than 60% of all vaccines sold globally, and is home to the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world's largest vaccine maker. Its vast manufacturing capability is why the country signed on as a major player in COVAX, the global vaccine-sharing initiative that provides discounted or free doses for lower-income countries. Under the initial agreement announced last year, SII would manufacture up to 200 million doses for up to 92 countries.

 

 

And through it all, vaccine supplies have dried up on the ground, with at least five states reporting severe shortages and urging the federal government to act.

 

 

india has 29 states.

 

 

All the while, the second wave roils on, with cases climbing sharply every day. Millions of people are traveling across the country to the city of Haridwar in Uttarakhand for the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu festival and the largest pilgrimage on Earth. Despite warnings of the Covid risks, huge crowds are gathering to hold prayers, attend ceremonies and take holy dips in the Ganges River.

 

the locals don't seem to be too concerned.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 17 April 2021 - 06:37 PM.

[LJ]

Don't spin me...

 

https://youtu.be/Qp3gy_CLXho