Coronavirus/COVID in the U. S. & Elsewhere

[eseum]

The latest from my brother (he is 74) in Germany:

In Germany only 5 % of the population have been vaccinated so far. My age group is expected to be vaccinated in the next month. The BioNTech Pfizer Covid 19 vaccine is intended for my age group. The Oxfort AstraZenica vaccine is intended for groups under 60 Years of age. But most people don`t want this vaccine because one is afraid of side effects. There have happened more often.

We haven`t approved the Johnson & Johnson vaccine yet.

[Martin B]

It's interesting to go back and re-read some of these posts from a year ago when the situation was looking grim and there was so much unknown. Our state is 85% back to normal, my stepdaughter has been back in school since earlier this year, pretty much everything is open to at least some extent. Obviously we're still pretty bummed with the inability to travel to China. The two-week quarantine alone is a non-starter for us. Not to mention the fact that I can't actually go...

We're currently monitoring the situation in Thailand, there's rumors going around that they may do away with the quarantine this summer if you're vaccinated and produce a negative test prior to departure. We may just have a big family get together in Bangkok if that's the case rather than waiting for China to re-open with "reasonable" entry rules.

Wonder what ended up happening with some of the earlier posters on this thread. Unfortunately I think the 3-4 month downtime for this forum really caused a plummet in activity. Hopefully older users will continue trickling back in. 

[eseum]

The most recent from my brother in Germany: "The third corona wave is with us now. From April 6^th, general practitioners are also allowed to vaccinate. However, too little vaccine is still available. I signed up for a vaccination with my family doctor yesterday. I will probably be vaccinated in 3 weeks.

The Astrazenica vaccine has been discontinued due to side effects in people under 60 years of age. All over 60 year olds now receive the Astrazenica vaccination, as there would be no side effects in older people. But I will reject this vaccine like many others. I just want the Biontech vaccine.

We get the news on TV that America has a lot of vaccinations. More than in Germany."

His wife is Thai. She went back to Thailand in late February due to her mother being ill. She had to stay 14 days quarantined in a government run hotel. Fortunately she was able to be with her mother, when she passed away.

Things have been picking up here in Las Vegas. They have opened up vaccinations to anyone 16 or older. It is still slow for tourism, although much better than the previous few months. It is expected that all restrictions will be removed from businesses at the start of June.

 

[Martin B]

12 hours ago, eseum said:

The most recent from my brother in Germany: "The third corona wave is with us now. From April 6^th, general practitioners are also allowed to vaccinate. However, too little vaccine is still available. I signed up for a vaccination with my family doctor yesterday. I will probably be vaccinated in 3 weeks.

The Astrazenica vaccine has been discontinued due to side effects in people under 60 years of age. All over 60 year olds now receive the Astrazenica vaccination, as there would be no side effects in older people. But I will reject this vaccine like many others. I just want the Biontech vaccine.

We get the news on TV that America has a lot of vaccinations. More than in Germany."

His wife is Thai. She went back to Thailand in late February due to her mother being ill. She had to stay 14 days quarantined in a government run hotel. Fortunately she was able to be with her mother, when she passed away.

Things have been picking up here in Las Vegas. They have opened up vaccinations to anyone 16 or older. It is still slow for tourism, although much better than the previous few months. It is expected that all restrictions will be removed from businesses at the start of June.

 

 

 

Good to hear the report @eseum, how is Chinatown in Vegas doing? we were thinking of taking a quick trip there this summer after both of us are vaccinated. My wife is scheduled to get her first dose of Pfizer next Monday. A week or two after she gets her second dose, I'll get my first dose. We're staggering the schedule in case one of us has an adverse reaction...

[eseum]

I haven't been to the Chinatown area for quite a while. My wife still goes there to get some food items. That's somewhat limited now as well, since I have been getting fresh vegetables at an incredibly low price from an Hispanic market that is closer to where we live.

I believe the shops, other than grocery stores, in Chinatown are slow right now. I think it will start picking up as June approaches. My stepdaughter works at the Great Wall Bookstore in Chinatown Plaza. Her work is steady but business is slow, though sales by mail are probably about the same. There were a number of new places being built, or that had just opened, a little bit before the pandemic started. I don't know how their fairing.

I'm taking my wife over to get her first Pfizer shot in just a little while.

[Randy W]

Nepal's daily Covid-1 9 cases are hitting record highs, prompting fears
 that the country may mimic the pandemic crisis across the border in
 India.

from the SCMP on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/299687081769994/

[Randy W]

As I remember from a year ago, the phrase "lab leak" was obfuscated to mean that it was created in a lab, separate from the possibility that it was a naturally-occurring virus that might have escaped in a lab accidental release. The science at the time indicated that it was "not a purposefully manipulated virus".

From Natural Medicine  17Mar2020
The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2

"Although the evidence shows that SARS-CoV-2 is not a purposefully manipulated virus, it is currently impossible to prove or disprove the other theories of its origin described here. However, since we observed all notable SARS-CoV-2 features, including the optimized RBD and polybasic cleavage site, in related coronaviruses in nature, we do not believe that any type of laboratory-based scenario is plausible."

Now From WSJ Opinion: Many experts aggressively denied a lab leak was possible and only now admit it. It took courage to make the case a year ago.

https://www.facebook.com/8304333127/posts/10161156571053128/

Quote

 

Another problem was confusion about the terms of debate. Many failed to distinguish between an accident and a weapon. The notion that China had created the virus with the intention to kill “was a possibility, and it was fairly soon disregarded,” Ms. Lentzos says. “The idea that it could be an accidental lab leak wasn’t really part of the narrative.”

The most significant problem came from the scientific community. “Some of the scientists in this area very quickly closed ranks,” she says, and partisanship wasn’t their only motive: “Like most things in life, there are power plays. There are agendas that are part of the scientific community. Just like any other community, there are strong vested interests. There were people that did not talk about this, because they feared for their careers. They feared for their grants.”

 

 

[Randy W]

Delta variant spreads around the world

The Delta variant is a grave threat to nations with low vaccination rates. Its rapid spread has forced some countries to reimpose Covid-19 restrictions.

For the latest on the pandemic: sc.mp/covid19

from the SCMP on Facebook
https://fb.watch/6sY_zt1xVg/

See also CFL topic on Mt. Everest COVID cases

 

Edited July 1, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

An interesting article about convergent evolution, although I don't agree with their assertion that it perhaps "makes travel restrictions redundant".

It’s a family affair
The same covid-19 mutations are appearing in different places
Convergent evolution may make travel restrictions redundant

Quote

 

All trees begin with an initial sample from Wuhan sequenced in January 2020, with subsequent samples as descendants. Sequences with similar new features are grouped into “lineages”, using criteria and a nomenclature developed by researchers at the universities of Edinburgh and Oxford. So far 41,000 mutations have been documented, falling into 880 lineages.

Only a handful of these mutations make the virus more dangerous. Most occur within the 3,800 letters used for the virus’s spike protein, which helps it bind to its host. Sometimes they can combine to pose several new threats, as they seem to have done in a Californian lineage that is worrying scientists. New studies suggest that this lineage may be more infectious, evade antibodies and cause more severe illness. Sequencing done in the state shows that this variant could already be responsible for a majority of cases there.

 

 

Edited August 3, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Like I've said, Wuhan was the epicenter of the global pandemic. Without the cooperation of China, the investigation of its origins will go nowhere.

New U.S. Intelligence Report Doesn’t Provide Definitive Conclusion on Covid-19 Origins
Review followed previous efforts to corral evidence that ended in bureaucratic infighting and failure

More than a year into the pandemic, scientists are still debating Covid-19’s origins. WSJ breaks down key events in three locations in China – a seafood market, a lab and a mine – to piece together how the global health crisis might have started. Photo composite: George Downs

Quote

 

It underscores the importance of inducing China to share lab records, genomic samples, and other data that could provide further illumination on the origins of the virus, which has killed more than four million people world-wide, current and former officials said. 

“It was a deep dive, but you can only go so deep as the situation allows,” one U.S. official said. “If China’s not going to give access to certain data sets, you’re never really going to know.”

 

 

Edited August 25, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

New immigrants to the U.S. must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said Tuesday.

from the NY Times on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/nytimes/posts/10152776763594999

 

The U.S. makes coronavirus vaccinations mandatory for new immigrants.

Quote

 

Beginning Oct. 1, new immigrants to the United States must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a news release on Tuesday.

People seeking to become “lawful permanent residents” — or green card holders — have permission to live in the United States and eventually seek citizenship. Applicants for permanent residency must undergo a medical examination.

The Covid vaccine joins a list of others that applicants must have, including inoculations against measles, mumps, rubella, polio, and hepatitis A and B, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some people may be exempt from the new rules, including those who are too young to be vaccinated and those who have medical conditions that make the shots dangerous for them.

 

 

[Back Again]

Well, I have done my part. I got the third Pfizer shot on Thursday. Only side effect was massive sweating. My t-shirts looked and felt like I had been standing in the pouring rain. I would put a dry shirt on and it would happen again. And again. And again. So I have been drinking lots of water to avoid dehydration. I even bought some adult Pedialyte to replace the electrolytes I am losing.

[Back Again]

Oh the pain. It started on day 3 after the shot. I feel like someone is beating me from head to toe every day. They say the pain comes if you have a robust immune system. I must have one hell of an immune system for the pain to continue like this. It was a week on Thursday and the pain is still here.

It reminds me of the comedian who told a story about a man who was up in a tree with a raccoon. They were fighting. Shoot the coon, he kept yelling to the group at the base of the tree. They didn't shoot so he told them to "just shoot up here amongst us. One of us needs some relief."

I am at that point. 

[Randy W]

4 hours ago, Back Again said:

Oh the pain. It started on day 3 after the shot. I feel like someone is beating me from head to toe every day. They say the pain comes if you have a robust immune system. I must have one hell of an immune system for the pain to continue like this. It was a week on Thursday and the pain is still here.

It reminds me of the comedian who told a story about a man who was up in a tree with a raccoon. They were fighting. Shoot the coon, he kept yelling to the group at the base of the tree. They didn't shoot so he told them to "just shoot up here amongst us. One of us needs some relief."

I am at that point. 

Is that within the range of "normal" for the Pfizer vaccine?

You may want to talk to your doctor.

When to Call the Doctor

In most cases, discomfort from pain or fever is a normal sign that your body is building protection. Contact your doctor or healthcare provider:

• If the redness or tenderness where you got the shot gets worse after 24 hours
• If your side effects are worrying you or do not seem to be going away after a few days

Edited October 10, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[danb]

You got  the shot on Oct. 3rd.  And still are having issues.

47 minutes ago, Randy W said:

If your side effects are worrying you or do not seem to be going away after a few days

At this point it is more than a few days.  I think you should atleast make some phone calls.  Call CVS where they give shots or call the place that you did got your shots.  And call you doctor.  At least talk to him over the phone.  Good luck and good health.  Danb