Coronavirus Thread

--12-20-20: www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/the-coronavirus-is-mutating-what-does-that-mean-for-us/ar-BB1c59I5?li=BBnb7Kz
The Coronavirus Is Mutating. What Does That Mean for Us?

Just as vaccines begin to offer hope for a path out of the pandemic, officials in Britain on Saturday sounded an urgent alarm about what they called a highly contagious new variant of the coronavirus circulating in England.

Citing the rapid spread of the virus through London and surrounding areas, Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed the country’s most stringent lockdown since March. “When the virus changes its method of attack, we must change our method of defense,” he said.

In South Africa, a similar version of the virus has emerged, which seems to share some of the mutations seen in the British variant. That virus has been found in 90 percent of the samples whose genetic sequences have been analyzed in South Africa.

Scientists are worried about these variants, but not surprised by them. Researchers have recorded thousands of tiny modifications in the genetic material of the coronavirus as it has hopscotched across the world.

Some variants become more common in a population simply by luck, not because the changes somehow supercharge the virus.

But as it becomes more difficult for the pathogen to survive — because of vaccinations and growing immunity in human populations — researchers also expect the virus to gain useful mutations enabling it to spread more easily or to escape detection by the immune system.

“It’s a real warning that we need to pay closer attention,” Jesse Bloom, an evolutionary biologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

“Certainly these mutations are going to spread and definitely, the scientific community — we need to monitor these mutations and we need to characterize which ones have effects.”

The British variant has 23 mutations, including several that affect how the virus locks onto human cells and infects them.

These mutations may allow the variant to replicate and transmit more efficiently, said Muge Cevik, an infectious disease expert at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and a scientific adviser to the British government.

But the estimate of greater transmissibility — British officials said the variant was as much as 70 percent more transmissible — is based on modeling and has not been confirmed by lab experiments, Dr. Cevik added.

--12-20-20: www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/will-san-francisco-new-york-and-other-big-cities-recover-from-covid-19-what-a-post-vaccine-city-could-look-like/ar-BB1c3J5C?li=BBnbfcL
Will San Francisco, New York and other big cities recover from COVID-19? What a post-vaccine city could look like.

… Post-pandemic city life could be more green, less expensive

Part of that growth will depend on how quickly and effectively cities pivot in the wake of a landscape-altering pandemic. A lot of that will depend on how fast municipal financial coffers, depleted by lost real estate and sales tax revenue, fill back up or whether federal aid comes to the rescue.

Consider these possible best-case-scenario changes — most driven by employees continuing to work at least part-time from home — that experts say could come to our urban centers as COVID-19 hits the nation’s rearview mirror:

— The need for commercial real estate shrinks, with some office spaces converted into living quarters. A boom in available housing drives down ownership and rental costs, revitalizing downtowns.

— Ridership grows for improved public transportation systems, as flexible work schedules mean a move away from traditional commuting hours and increased demand for all-day access.

— Parks mushroom across cities as residents crave more open spaces as a reaction to both pandemic-era social distancing habits and more time spent outdoors over the past year.

— Restaurants roar back as the need to socialize returns, leaning heavily on new habits that include using sidewalks and parking spots as outdoor eating options.

Many urban planners expect New York to be able to return to its former bustling glory after the nation reaches a herd immunity to the COVID-19 virus, and in fact some predict city life could be more appealing than ever if buildings and open spaces are redesigned with a mission to provide residents even more room than before the pandemic struck.

A bit less clear, experts add, is the prospect for social activities that formerly implied shoulder to shoulder contact with other patrons. Bars, concert halls and even museums likely will have to take a wait and see approach to operating their business.

***A MUST READ--12-23-20: us.yahoo.com/news/employers-require-workers-covid-19-205151535.html
Can employers require workers to take the COVID-19 vaccine? 6 questions answered.

--12-23-20: www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/covid-vaccine-distribution-has-been-slower-than-us-officials-thought-it-would-be/ar-BB1cbjAv?li=BBnbfcL
Covid vaccine distribution has been slower than U.S. officials thought it would be

Coronavirus vaccine distribution has been slower than U.S. officials hoped as the number of immunizations remains far below the U.S. government's goal of 20 million by the end of the year, federal health officials said Wednesday. AND –12-23-20: www.cnbc.com/2020/12/23/covid-vaccine-us-has-vaccinated-1-million-people-out-of-goal-of-20-million-for-december.html
The U.S. has vaccinated just 1 million people out of a goal of 20 million for December.

--12-23-20 I AGREE: www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-coronavirus-darkest-days-ahead_n_5fe28681c5b6e1ce8336ba62?ri18n=true&ncid=newsltushpmgnews
Biden Warns Americans That ‘Darkest Days’ Of COVID-19 Pandemic Are Still To Come.

“As frustrating as it is to hear, it’s going to take patience, persistence and determination to beat this virus,” the president-elect said.

--12-22-20: www.yahoo.com/news/covid-related-illness-sickening-growing-143024856.html
A COVID-related illness is sickening a growing number of children in California

For several seconds, 8-year-old Xitlali Vasquez’s heart stopped beating.

The girl’s parents had driven her to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in May when her temperature spiked and delirium sent her into a fever-sleep. She was placed in intensive care as specialists tended to inflammation around her heart and arteries.

Her mother watched helplessly from the hallway as doctors rushed to revive her youngest child. It would be a few more days before the girl regained full consciousness and even longer before she was allowed to return to their Hawthorne home.

“It was just like a nightmare,” Rosa Vasquez said about her daughter’s 12-day hospitalization. “There was a time where I thought she was going to die.”

Xitlali, which means "star" in Nahuatl, was one of the first children in Los Angeles County to be diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome, a rare and potentially deadly illness known as MIS-C that infects children exposed to the coronavirus.

Seven months later, at least 45 children in the county have been diagnosed with MIS-C, and one has died.

Like the coronavirus — which has infected more than 1.85 million people in California, the majority of whom are Black and Latino — MIS-C has also disproportionately infected Black and Latino children.

--12-23-20: www.huffpost.com/entry/south-dakota-nursing-home-deaths_n_5fe0cb36c5b60d4163449752?ncid=newsltushpmgnews
South Dakota’s COVID-19 Surge Is Turning Nursing Homes Into A ‘Battle Zone’.

The state lost a greater share of its nursing home residents to the coronavirus than any other state this fall.

Tech was ahead of Covid curve at every stage, but it couldn't bring the rest of us along

Tech companies were the first to cancel events and send workers home because of Covid concerns in early 2020.
Now they're the first to make work from home permanent as the pandemic accelerates into 2021.
That's no surprise since the pandemic also benefited tech companies the most, like Zoom.
But they couldn't get the rest of Americans to care as much and work together to suppress the spread.

DO ME’S PREDICTIONS POSTED EARLIER THIS YEAR:

--Second Wave and/or Spreading of First Wave of Virus both combining = Twindemic…
--Flu Season & Virus at same time = Twindemic.
--The Virus could Mutate AGAIN into a deadlier virus.
--Anti-Vacs refusing to take Flu Shot—causing more to seek medical attention/weaken body more likely to catch Virus & Spreading Virus
--Still MILLIONS refusing to wear Masks & Still lack of Rapid Testing & Tracing; causing Virus to continue to surge
--Devastating, Deadly Extreme, Climate events taking place (Hurricanes, Extreme Flooding, Tornados, Extreme Wild Fires), causing thousands to have to Evacuate to Crowded shelters = causing more infections as virus surges even more.
--If there is no RE-NEWAL OF THE NO EVICTION Policy passed by Congress; up to 22 Million Americans might be evicted forcing them to crowded shelter or becoming homeless causing virus infections to soar
--If a large number of schools open in Aug/Sept (A Super Spreader Event); By Oct. at the latest there, will be a HUGE SURGE in Virus cases as the Virus spreads claiming even more lives.
--Then, you have the Covidiots who refuse to wear Masks or SD = just helping the Virus to spread even more & faster. The Virus LOVES these Covidiots.
--We will most likely still have Selfish SUPER SPREADER Events = Concerts, House Parties, River/Lake/Pool Parties, Church Meetings, Weddings, Summer Camps, Crowded Bars/Restaurants, Shopping Trips without masks etc. = The Virus just loves & thrives off these Super Spreader Events.
--If all or most of the ABOVE happens our Hospitals, Doctors, Nurses, First Responders will be overwhelmed with many infected too; given that PPE’s will be most likely be in dire shortages.
--And if by this time, we DO NOT have a Rapid Result Test available for ALL & Properly trained Tracers; than the Virus will still not only remain out of control but surge.

AND OUR APRIL 2020 PREDICTION:

--ON THE LOW END: At least 10 Million Americans Infected with 600,000 or so deaths.
--ON HIGH END: Over 3 Million Americans DEAD.

***--12-29-20: us.yahoo.com/finance/m/4d929384-8bf0-3207-aa1e-b90d740129c0/who-says-coronavirus-pandemic.html
WHO says coronavirus pandemic is ‘not the big one’ the world needs to brace for.

…“But this is not necessarily the big one,” he said. “This is a wake-up call. We are learning now how to do things better — science, logistics, training and governance, how to communicate better.

But the planet is fragile. We live in an increasingly complex global society. These threats will continue.

If there is one thing we need to take from this pandemic, with all of the tragedy and loss, [it] is [that] we need to get our act together. We need to honor those we’ve lost by getting better at what we do every day.”

***--12-29-20 BRAVO WE SHOULD DO THE SAME: edition.cnn.com/2020/12/29/europe/spain-vaccine-covid-registry-intl/index.html
Spain will keep a register of those who refuse the coronavirus vaccine.

--12-29-20: us.yahoo.com/news/pandemics-end-history-suggests-diseases-123006881.html
How do pandemics end? History suggests diseases fade but are almost never truly gone

When will the pandemic end? All these months in, with over 37 million COVID-19 cases and more than 1 million deaths globally, you may be wondering, with increasing exasperation, how long this will continue.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, epidemiologists and public health specialists have been using mathematical models to forecast the future in an effort to curb the coronvirus’s spread.

But infectious disease modeling is tricky. Epidemiologists warn that “[m]odels are not crystal balls,” and even sophisticated versions, like those that combine forecasts or use machine learning, can’t necessarily reveal when the pandemic will end or how many people will die.

As a historian who studies disease and public health, I suggest that instead of looking forward for clues, you can look back to see what brought past outbreaks to a close – or didn’t

--"With all the Mutations the current COVID 19 has gone thru and then with the latest Variants (Mutations from UK & South Africa), etc. I am officially renaming the Virus from COVID-19 to Shape Shifter-19."


--01-01-21: us.yahoo.com/news/covid-wards-full-children-first-145710680.html
Covid wards 'full of children' for first time in pandemic, warn nurses.

--12-29-20: www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-12-28/why-covid-19-cases-have-spread-wildly-in-l-a?utm_source=sfmc_100035609&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=36738+Essential+California+12%2f29%2f20&utm_term=https%3a%2f%2fwww.latimes.com%2fcalifornia%2fstory%2f2020-12-28%2fwhy-covid-19-cases-have-spread-wildly-in-l-a&utm_id=20365&sfmc_id=3384599
L.A. was uniquely vulnerable to this COVID catastrophe. Here is what went wrong

Los Angeles is careening toward catastrophe.

An explosion of COVID-19 patients has begun to flood hospitals and may soon force doctors to ration care. The number of available beds in intensive care units is rapidly dropping to zero, as healthcare providers plead with people not to come to emergency rooms unless it’s a matter of life or death.

“Ambulances are circling hospitals for hours trying to find one that has a bed open so they can bring in their critically ill COVID patient gasping for air,” a doctor at an L.A. County public hospital said last week, describing the “apocalyptic” scene. “We’re literally hanging on by a thread.”

And there are no signs of reprieve. The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals is expected to grow through January — or beyond, if Christmas traveling and social gatherings fuel further spread of the virus.

--01-01-21: www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/which-countries-have-responded-best-to-covid-19/ar-BB1cp1S6?li=BBnb7Kz TRUST ME, IT IS NOT AMERICA…
Which Countries Have Responded Best to Covid-19?

***MUST READ –01-01-21 NOT GOOD FOR MEXICO!!!  MEXICO SHOULD BUILT A WALL: us.yahoo.com/news/fleeing-lockdown-americans-flocking-mexico-170921492.html
Fleeing Lockdown, Americans Are Flocking to Mexico City

MEXICO CITY — At first, life in lockdown was OK, between working from home, exercising with his roommate and devouring everything on Netflix.

But as the coronavirus pandemic wore endlessly on, Rob George began to find the confinement in his West Hollywood home unbearable.

“There were weeks where I just wouldn’t leave my house, just working all day — my mental health was definitely suffering,” said George, 31, who manages business operations for a technology startup.

So when a Mexican friend said he was traveling to Mexico City in November, George decided to tag along. Now, he’s calling the Mexican capital home — part of an increasing number of foreigners, mainly Americans, who are heading to Mexico, for a short trip or a longer stay to escape restrictions at home.

They are drawn partly by the prospect of bringing a little normalcy to their lives in a place where coronavirus restrictions have been more relaxed than at home, even as cases of COVID-19 shatter records.

Some of them are staying, at least for a while, and taking advantage of the six-month tourist visa that Americans are granted on arrival.

“I have no interest in going back,” George said.

But while coming to this country may be a relief for many foreigners, particularly those fleeing colder weather, some Mexicans find the move irresponsible amid a pandemic, especially as the virus overwhelms Mexico City and its hospitals.

Others say the problem lies with Mexican authorities, who waited too long to enact strict lockdown measures, making places like Mexico City enticing to outsiders.

“If it was less attractive, fewer people would come,” said Xavier Tello, a Mexico City health policy analyst. “But what we’re creating is a vicious cycle, where we’re receiving more people, who are potentially infectious or infected from elsewhere, and they keep mixing with people that are potentially infectious or infected here in Mexico City.”

In November, more than half a million Americans came to Mexico — of those, almost 50,000 arrived at Mexico City’s airport, according to official figures, less than half the number of U.S. visitors who arrived in November last year but a surge from the 4,000 that came in April, when much of Mexico was shut down.

Since then, numbers have ticked up steadily: between June and August, U.S. visitors more than doubled.

Most other U.S. visitors to Mexico flew to beach resorts like Los Cabos and Cancun.

It’s unclear how many are tourists and how many are relocating, at least temporarily. Some may be Mexicans who also have U.S. passports and are visiting family.

But walking the streets of Mexico City’s trendier neighborhoods these days, it can sometimes seem like English has become the official language.

“A lot of people are either coming down here and visiting to test it out, or have just full-on relocated,” said Cara Araneta, a former New Yorker who has lived on and off in Mexico City for two years and came back to the capital in June.

The surge, however, comes as Mexico City enters a critical phase of the pandemic; hospitals are so stretched that many sick people are staying home as their relatives struggle to buy them oxygen.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised Americans to avoid all travel to Mexico.

The capital’s health care system “is basically overwhelmed,” said Tello, via WhatsApp message. “The worst is yet to come.”

In mid-December, authorities escalated Mexico City’s alert system to the highest level — red — which requires an immediate shutdown of all but essential businesses.

But the lockdown came weeks after numbers became critical, even by the government’s own figures, leaving stores thronged with Christmas shoppers and restaurants filled with diners.

--01-03-20: www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/slaoui-could-be-months-before-we-know-if-covid-transmission-possible-after-vaccination/ar-BB1cr1gk?li=BBnb7Kz
Operation Warp Speed's chief scientific adviser Moncef Slaoui said Sunday that it could be months before researchers know for certain if transmission of COVID-19 is possible from a person who has received the vaccine.