26251 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

 

 

https://www.worldome...y/south-africa/

 

https://www.economis...in-south-africa

 

 

 

 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 07 December 2021 - 05:58 PM.

[LJ]

Actually, the masks most people are wearing do not prevent you from catching Covid. At best, very limited protection.

 

BUT, if you buy and wear N95 masks they do protect you from Covid. Which is why doctors wear N95 masks around Covid patients. Obviously they are not absolute protection but they are very effective at reducing the chances of getting an infection.

Only the 3m ones tho, if the box containing the masks says "made in China" you are not getting much protection at all.

[Barrrister]

LJ You are absolutely correct about avoiding the made in China masks. There is a second American company whose name escapes me at the moment that is also excellant. 

[LocalMom]

There are many other certified N95 (KN95 in some countries) masks available - 3M is not the only game in town.

We have had great success with this place’s offerings:
https://72hours.ca/c...ctions/n95-mask

Edited by LocalMom, 07 December 2021 - 11:15 PM.

[Matt R.]

Recently discovered this company, ordered some rapid tests just for “fun”.

How do their prices compare? More than a few people have referred me to them, but I didn’t shop around much.

https://www.levitt-safety.com/

[Victoria Watcher]

WTF does this mean?

 

 

https://www.cbc.ca/n...unity-1.6277129

 

 

 

Guillaume Bourque, director of bioinformatics at the McGill Genome Centre in Montreal, says Canada is also now able to act on the data more quickly.

 

"Now we have the system in place," Bourque said. "We want to make it available to public health and to the scientific community as fast as possible, so that people can really start working on trying to understand the variant and then give advice to public health in terms of the best approach to try to contain it."

 

Langlois says that the early data coming out of southern Africa on omicron is useful — but limited in scope.

 

"That snapshot is very, very different to the Canadian landscape. So the information we have now is indicative, but it's not a true reflection of what's going to happen when this variant spreads in Canada," he said. "This is why we need a Canadian network to look at the Canadian situation."

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 08 December 2021 - 05:58 AM.

[spanky123]

^ It means that the McGill Genome Centre is angling for another Government grant!

[amor de cosmos]

^ just see the previous paragraphs

But the capacity to analyze this new variant and quickly share information about it both in Canada and globally has grown dramatically from a year ago, when the alpha and beta variants of concern first emerged.
 
"The most important thing for Canadians to know is that we have spent more than a year building the capacity for genomic surveillance," said Catalina Lopez-Correa, executive director of The Canadian COVID Genomics Network (CanCOGeN). 
 
"But it's really early days for us to predict the clinical outcomes, the transmissibility, also we don't know if this variant will be as fast taking over like delta … all this we can only see with time."
 
Marc-André Langlois, a molecular virologist at the University of Ottawa who heads the Coronavirus Variants Rapid Response Network (CoVaRR-Net), says labs across the country are working tirelessly to conduct experiments on omicron. 
"What's changed is the fact that we've managed to bring our academic laboratory assets together," Langlois said. "We have epidemiologists, we have modellers, we have immunologists, virologists and they've all come together."

Changes in the blood, not the heart, may underlie cardiac thrombosis in COVID-19 patients
https://www.alphagal...y/ItemId/215483
 

Research shows that the first SARS-CoV-2 spike protein a person encounters, be it by vaccination or infection, shapes their subsequent immune response
 
That is, it imparts different properties that have an impact on the immune system’s ability to protect against current and future variants, and also affects the rate of decay of protection.
 
The study is published today in Science by a team from Imperial College London and Queen Mary University of London. It is funded by UKRI.

It is known that antibody levels wane over time following infection or vaccination, but the new research shows that an individual’s protective immune responses are also affected by which strain or combination of strains they have been exposed to.

https://www.imperial...rns-protection/
https://www.scienced...11202162157.htm
 

A group of physicians from the Argentine beach resort of Mar del Plata have been trying a new therapy against COVID-19 of their own concoction which has so far yielded “very encouraging results,” according to press reports.
 
The investigation undertaken by doctors from Mar del Plata's Colón Clinic has worked in 100% of critically ill patients and could revolutionize the treatment of the disease globally as per local news outlets.
 
The approach consists of applying to COVID-19 patients the treatments already recommended for pulmonary edema instead of those used for pneumonia, it was explained. Anti-inflammatory drugs are used in the first case and diuretics in the second.
 
With “diuretics, the patient eliminates the excess of retained fluids,” said Doctor José Luis Santos of the Colón Clinic's ICU.
 
“We did this based on observations of the CT scans of patients with severe Covid, where we saw direct signs that the patient was having a fluid overload. We reinterpreted this and we suspected it was pulmonary edema due to Covid,” he explained.
 
After the treatment, patients began to improve their “oxygenation, clinical picture and tomography” in the days following the treatment.
 
The researchers have published a peer-reviewed work in the Swiss-based Journal of Clinical Medicine under the title ”Pulmonary edema in COVID-19 treated with furosemide and negative fluid balance (NEGBAL): A different and promising approach.“

https://en.mercopres...different-angle
 

After a deadly second wave of COVID-19 overwhelmed hospitals in India earlier this year, the country is battling yet another viral outbreak. Hospitals are struggling to treat dengue, a viral disease that spreads through the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
 
At least 15 Indian states have been badly affected, including the capital city of Delhi that reported a five-year high in the number of cases.
 
Data from the federal health ministry suggests more than 100,000 dengue infections and 90 deaths were reported in the country from January to October.
 
Federal teams have been rushed to nine of the worst-affected states to assist them in controlling the outbreak. Health systems in India have been struggling to treat patients with dengue. Bed shortages have been reported across several states.
 
Dengue infections occur cyclically, peaking every alternate year. Last year there were fewer than 45,000 cases.
 
This time, the challenge is compounded by patients with both COVID and dengue. Since the initial presentation of dengue and COVID infections are similar, they can be misdiagnosed, leading to catastrophic, including fatal, consequences.

https://theconversat...nt-virus-172685

Moscow authorities prove plasma therapy to treat COVID effective, challenging WHO claims
Administering plasma therapy to COVID-19 patients makes it possible to block the spread of the virus in the body 1.5 times faster, the press service of Moscow’s healthcare department notes
https://tass.com/science/1372613
 

Fear of upsetting state officials is pervasive among faculty at the University of Florida, to the point that race-related references have been edited out of course materials and researchers felt pressure to destroy COVID-19 data, according to a report released Monday by a Faculty Senate committee.
 
The six-person panel was convened three weeks ago to investigate academic freedom issues after the university decided to bar three political science professors from testifying in a lawsuit against the state.
 
But its findings go well beyond that episode and were so disturbing — especially regarding COVID-19 research — that the group decided to speed up its work, said Danaya Wright, a constitutional law professor and former Faculty Senate chairperson who served on the committee.
 
“We knew it was much more widespread,” Wright said in an interview Monday. “We knew there was more silencing and pressure coming from above. The Big Above.”
 
The committee received a flood of input from faculty, from stories about attempts to serve as expert witnesses to instances that dealt with race and COVID-19 research across disciplines.
 
The report discusses several “challenges” faced by UF researchers who were working on COVID-19 with an unidentified state entity. It describes “external pressure to destroy” data as well as “barriers” to accessing, analyzing and publishing the numbers. Taken together, the report said, those problems “inhibited the ability of faculty to contribute scientific findings during a world-wide pandemic.”

https://www.miamiher...e256400321.html
 
Just 3 in 5 US Republicans Trust Doctor Advice, Down 13 Points During Pandemic – Poll
https://sputniknews....1091331031.html
 

People who choose to remain unvaccinated and subsequently become severely ill with COVID-19 should be responsible for paying the entirety of their hospital bills out of pocket, according to Illinois Representative Jonathan Carroll.
 
The Democrat from the Chicago suburb of Northbrook introduced legislation Monday that would amend the state's insurance code so that accident and health insurance policies in 2023 would no longer cover COVID-19 hospital bills for people who choose to remain unvaccinated. Carroll said the rule would not apply to those with medical conditions that prevent vaccination.
 
The bill will likely face considerable political and legal opposition. Most notably, federal law prevents insurers from denying coverage or increasing rates based on a change in a person's health status, such as a new diagnosis of COVID-19.
 
But Carroll is not bothered by this, telling the Chicago Sun-Times that the proposed legislation is just a "starting point" to hold people who choose to go unvaccinated responsible for their decisions. He added that the legislation represents the frustration felt by those who are "following the science" and trying to do "the right thing" toward people “choosing not to get vaccinated, who are able to, for whatever [reason] they choose.”

https://arstechnica....-lawmaker-says/

[spanky123]

Only the 3m ones tho, if the box containing the masks says "made in China" you are not getting much protection at all.

 

Seems to be working well for the folks in China!

 

Looks like 3M gets their own masks from China.  OOps.

 

https://www.ehstoday...tors-from-china

Edited by spanky123, 08 December 2021 - 09:01 AM.

[dasmo]

Saskatchewan’s premier is calling for an end to the stigmatization of those who remain unvaccinated in the province.

“We are going to do everything that we can to ensure that we are not, as Dr. Shahab said, stigmatizing the unvaccinated,” Moe said. “These are our family, these are our friends and we should not be labeling them with terms like ‘right-wing wacko’.”

 

https://regina.ctvne...nated-1.5697636

[Victoria Watcher]

Saskatchewan’s premier is calling for an end to the stigmatization of those who remain unvaccinated in the province.

“We are going to do everything that we can to ensure that we are not, as Dr. Shahab said, stigmatizing the unvaccinated,” Moe said. “These are our family, these are our friends and we should not be labeling them with terms like ‘right-wing wacko’.”

 

https://regina.ctvne...nated-1.5697636

 

 

 

A tweet by Andy Swan went viral yesterday informing people that the Merriam‐​Webster online dictionary defines “anti‐​vaxxer” as:

 

 a person who opposes the use of vaccines or regulations mandating vaccination especially : a parent who opposes having his or her child vaccinated

 

 

It was later pointed out by Rob Gavagan on the same Twitter thread that Merriam‐​Webster has been using this definition since 2018. Therefore, the definition was not the result of COVID politicization. Nevertheless, it is clearly inaccurate and can only pour more fuel on the political fire.

 

 

It is wrong to imply that anyone opposed to the state forcibly vaccinating individuals, or anyone disagreeing with any of the official public health recommendations regarding vaccination is an “anti‐​vaxxer.”

 

https://www.cato.org...merriam-webster

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 08 December 2021 - 10:52 AM.

[dasmo]

What was it again? "that data is unverified". 

Pfizer, BioNTech say COVID-19 vaccine neutralises Omicron with 3 shots

https://www.channeln...covid19-2366901

 

Shall we consider the source as we always do?

"The drug maker Pfizer earlier this decade manipulated the publication of scientific studies to bolster the use of its epilepsy drug Neurontin for other disorders, while suppressing research that did not support those uses, according to experts who reviewed thousands of company documents for plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the company."

https://www.fdanews....pulated-studies

[dasmo]

 

A tweet by Andy Swan went viral yesterday informing people that the Merriam‐​Webster online dictionary defines “anti‐​vaxxer” as:

 

 a person who opposes the use of vaccines or regulations mandating vaccination especially : a parent who opposes having his or her child vaccinated

 

 

It was later pointed out by Rob Gavagan on the same Twitter thread that Merriam‐​Webster has been using this definition since 2018. Therefore, the definition was not the result of COVID politicization. Nevertheless, it is clearly inaccurate and can only pour more fuel on the political fire.

 

 

It is wrong to imply that anyone opposed to the state forcibly vaccinating individuals, or anyone disagreeing with any of the official public health recommendations regarding vaccination is an “anti‐​vaxxer.”

 

https://www.cato.org...merriam-webster

 

Sorry man, that definition is also changing... "‘If you are anti-mandate, you are absolutely anti-vax’, Gunner said during a Covid-19 press conference."

https://www.theguard...-mandates-video

[Ismo07]

What was it again? "that data is unverified". 

Pfizer, BioNTech say COVID-19 vaccine neutralises Omicron with 3 shots

https://www.channeln...covid19-2366901

 

Shall we consider the source as we always do?

"The drug maker Pfizer earlier this decade manipulated the publication of scientific studies to bolster the use of its epilepsy drug Neurontin for other disorders, while suppressing research that did not support those uses, according to experts who reviewed thousands of company documents for plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the company."

https://www.fdanews....pulated-studies

 

Yes we wait for data to be verified...  We don't blindly follow but we also don't vehemently deny science...  I just look at the numbers...  Hopefully this Omicron is just contagious but not very effective.  No one has ever said big pharma hasn't tipped scales...

[lanforod]

Clearly we need some new labels. Is 'right wing wacko' taken?

[Victoria Watcher]

CDC data on vaccines for kids:

 

[dasmo]

Yes we wait for data to be verified...  We don't blindly follow but we also don't vehemently deny science...  I just look at the numbers...  Hopefully this Omicron is just contagious but not very effective.  No one has ever said big pharma hasn't tipped scales...

The mainstream media is not waiting. This is headline news already.... But I'm glad you seem reasonable. 

Edited by dasmo, 08 December 2021 - 11:18 AM.

[sebberry]

Just remember, without 'big pharma' we'd all still only be living into our mid 30s as was the case barely 200 years ago.

[dasmo]

Just remember, without 'big pharma' we'd all still only be living into our mid 30s as was the case barely 200 years ago.

He who makes the claim has to prove it.... 

 

"People in the past were not all dead by 30. Ancient documents confirm this. In the 24th century B.C., the Egyptian Vizier Ptahhotep wrote verses about the disintegrations of old age. The ancient Greeks classed old age among the divine curses, and their tombstones attest to survival well past 80 years. Ancient artworks and figurines also depict elderly people: stooped, flabby, wrinkled."

https://www.sapiens....fespan-history/

[dasmo]

I don't consume a single Pharma product and I am still alive! Amazing! In fact since getting off of a few I have never been in better health.