Coronavirus Thread

[rochie]

I know, but so far in UK it has infected Charles and his wife, Boris and his fiancé, it has affected London's Jewish community and its Muslim community. It has basically infected a lot of communities, like the horse racing community that went to Cheltenham for their annual booze up. You cannot make a case for it targetting the poor when such people are infected, it is a virus, it will propagate anywhere, and doesn't care about the UKs political or economic system. Some are making an issue about bus and train drivers on Londons transport system, but a train driver on the tube doesn't meet his passengers and a bus driver doesn't go as close to the passengers as the passengers do to each other.

Bingo !

The BBC were running with 14%of UK is of ethnic minorities yet there is a higher percentage of that community effected (big headline)

Then buried in the story, were possible reasons of, bigger multi generational families, vast majority of cases in London where the those same ethinic minorities account for 40% of the population etc which skews the figures !

Labour party now screaming for an inquiry already.

Not enough news to report so lets just stir up fear and resentment

 

[at6]

This virus may never have a vaccine. Just what the hell did China create?

 

[nsmekanik]

Just watched the 6 o-clock news. Something going on at Cargill it seems. Hope you stay safe Tim.

Were you watching the CBC, I looked it up and watched it myself, 38 inside workers, first I've heard of it. but it goes with the rumor of 160 short inside. Looks like they've cut out the afternoon/night shift which would explain why I'm not working, I guess I'm going to have to have a chat with the owner of our company if it looks like this is going to continue outside of a few days.

I think to give an idea how the foreign workers/immigrants are affecting things this map might help, The Province

You will notice that the highest concentration of cases is in the Calgary area, this area has the highest concentration of foreign/immigrant workers, and the majority of workers at the Cargil plant I work at fit into that, many commute from Calgary. Many of these individuals travel abroad to visit friends and family and are as, if not more so in some cases, lacking good hygiene habits with an attitude that goes with ignoring such things as self isolating etc. If this comes across as a little biased or prejudiced, then I suggest you go and have a chat with some truck stop personal who have to clean up the washrooms and showers. Some ethnic groups are worse then others. Fortunately they are putting things in place to monitor and enforce many of the requirements to reduce the spread, but I think it is doing us all a disservice not identifying these groups as understanding the demographics is very important in understanding the hows and whys this pandemic is spreading the way it is. It's not prejudice, it's just the facts Mam.

 

[nsmekanik]

This virus may never have a vaccine. Just what the hell did China create?

There is hope on the radar Global news

Entos Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is developing a vaccine to prevent COVID-19 infections — and it could be ready in less than a year.
The Edmonton-based company is led by Dr. John Lewis, a University of Alberta researcher who is world-renowned for his team's work on prostate cancer detection, progression and drug delivery.
Entos is creating a DNA-based vaccine which would protect against multiple components of the new coronavirus for "maximum protection."
Unlike a traditional vaccine which gives patients a weakened or inactive virus to provoke an immune response, Lewis said the Entos product would deliver battle instructions.
"We can just give the DNA instructions for our own cells to make [novel coronavirus] proteins, to make part of the virus, and then have our body create our own therapeutic vaccine," Lewis told Global News.
The Entos CEO says the method, named Fusogenix, has several advantages: stronger defense, a more stable vaccine and the ability to make a lot of product quickly.
The company plans to have a candidate vaccine ready within a few weeks, and is now in talks with potential partners to fast-track it to human trials.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that Canada is spending $192 million on developing and producing vaccines for the new coronavirus.
Trudeau said being prepared to mass-produce a vaccine will be essential for suppressing COVID-19 in the long run.

 

[Vincenzo]

Back on the german study of 0.37% fatality rate, this one https://www.land.nrw/sites/default/...chenergebnis_covid19_case_study_gangelt_0.pdf

they report in the first analysis the results from 500 people (not a statistical sample) of this 14% has the antibodies and 2% has the coronavirus, so in raw number 70 and 10, after they report a fatality rate of 0.37% so 0.296 deaths but this is very strange or there is a death in the sample or there is not
someones can clear this point?

 

[Crimea_River]

Tim, that map says nothing about sources and I disagree with your assertion that this is due to immigrants and foreign workers. If you have facts to back up your claim then let's see 'em. The reason, in my opinion, that the Calgary zone has the most cases is that this city is a corporate hub with a large international airport.

As I see it, the source of the disease and its spread in Canada is due to ALL international and domestic travel (remember March break?) that continued uninterrupted for some time after this disease was already established in BC and Ontario.

 

[Vincenzo]

Italy report, 5 p.m. (CEST) 14th April
cases 162,488, new 2,972, deaths 21,067, new 602, recovered 37,130, new 1,695, tests 1,073,689, new 26,779* * very low number, lower since 30th March
fatality rate 13%
mortality rate 349 per million
test rate 17.8 per thousand
test rate today 444 per million

adding infos from news, the 55% of italian workes is working, 65% of people go in ICU in Lombardy survived

 

[Marcel]

There is hope on the radar Global news

Entos Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is developing a vaccine to prevent COVID-19 infections — and it could be ready in less than a year.
The Edmonton-based company is led by Dr. John Lewis, a University of Alberta researcher who is world-renowned for his team's work on prostate cancer detection, progression and drug delivery.
Entos is creating a DNA-based vaccine which would protect against multiple components of the new coronavirus for "maximum protection."
Unlike a traditional vaccine which gives patients a weakened or inactive virus to provoke an immune response, Lewis said the Entos product would deliver battle instructions.
"We can just give the DNA instructions for our own cells to make [novel coronavirus] proteins, to make part of the virus, and then have our body create our own therapeutic vaccine," Lewis told Global News.
The Entos CEO says the method, named Fusogenix, has several advantages: stronger defense, a more stable vaccine and the ability to make a lot of product quickly.
The company plans to have a candidate vaccine ready within a few weeks, and is now in talks with potential partners to fast-track it to human trials.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that Canada is spending $192 million on developing and producing vaccines for the new coronavirus.

Gene therapy, within weeks, really?

 

[vikingBerserker]

Not sure which I am scared more of.

 

[Marcel]

Not sure which I am scared more of.

Afaik it's never been effective to use such a technique, but I'm not up to speed with the latest developments.

 

[ThomasP]

Minnesota report, April 13
cases 1,650, recovered 842**, hospitalized 361**, deaths 70**, tested 38,427*
fatality rate 4.3%**
mortality rate 12.3 per million**
tests rate 6.7 per thousand*
*Test kits are still in short supply, and are currently being used only for suspected COVID-19 cases and first responder/healthcare/medical personnel.
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Minnesota report, April 14
cases 1,695, recovered 909, hospitalized 405, deaths 79, tested 39,241*
fatality rate 4.7%
mortality rate 13.9 per million
tests rate 6.9 per thousand*
*Test kits are still in short supply, and are currently being used only for suspected COVID-19 cases and first responder/healthcare/medical personnel.
**Marked stats are due to temporary failure of recording system, resulting in incomplete update data and giving a false zig in the curve between 12, 13 and 14 April.

 

[nsmekanik]

I've deleted the part of my previous post as I think it wasn't written very well and failed to convey the message I intended. Insteasd I'll just leave this here

My wife, whom Andy has met, wicked Welsh wench that she is, is an immigrant, her Father has immigrated twice.


City news
Canada's 'colourblind' coronavirus data could leave officials blind to racial inequities
by Kelvin Gawley

Posted Apr 7, 2020 6:45 pm PDT

Last Updated Apr 8, 2020 at 8:50 am PDT

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Black Canadians are almost certainly getting sick and dying from the coronavirus at a disproportionate rate – but without the data to quantify the problem, it cannot be properly addressed, some experts and advocates say.
Canada is "operating in the blind," according to June Francis, director of Simon Fraser University's Institute for Diaspora Research and Engagement.
B.C. and the federal government have not released ethnic or racial data related to COVID-19.

'Colourblind' data could leave inequities unaddressed
"Black people are likely to face the very worst outcomes of this crisis, and without having the data, it's hard for public policy to respond in specific ways to address the needs of particularly vulnerable populations," said Francis, who is also co-chair of Hogan's Alley Society, a non-profit working to revitalize the former hub of Vancouver's black community in the Strathcona neighbourhood.

She said Canadians of African descent are at higher risk of contracting and dying from COVID-19 for a multitude of reasons: Higher rates of poverty correlated with crowded housing and an inability to stay home from work; over-representation in front-line work, including delivery, retail and in care homes; higher rates of underlying health conditions such as diabetes; and distrust of medical authorities based on previous experiences of racism.
Where data exists in the U.S., African Americans have been shown to be contracting and dying of COVID-19 at higher rates than the general population. A quarter of Milwaukee County's population is black but half the sick and 81 per cent of the dead have been African American, according to Pro Publica, which reported similarly disproportionate rates elsewhere in the country.

Francis said she suspects the numbers are similar in Canada for both black and Indigenous people, but the lack of information from health officials make it impossible to prove.

She said the lack of demographic data is indicative of a common but misguided idea that Canadians and Canadian society are "colourblind" – blind to race and therefore not racist.

"The systems that we are operating in are not colourblind. They operate to disadvantage us. When you do not acknowledge that, when you decide that it doesn't exist, then it cannot be addressed," Francis said.

"It doesn't go away just because you wish it away."

Francis said many Canadians are well-intentioned but nevertheless unconsciously perpetuate systemic racism. If they are confronted with hard numbers that lay bare their society's inequities, they are more likely to confront their implicit biases, she said.

"I have a feeling … that when we see the data, we would respond in appropriate ways to really help achieve this colourblind society that we all seek."


But simply collecting and publishing such data should not be considered an end in and of itself, according to Farah Shroff, a professor at the UBC's school of population and public health.

"I have been a researcher who works from a feminist, anti-racism perspective for a few decades and I'm not necessarily somebody who is an advocate for more race-based data," she said.

The U.S. has some of the most robust and sophisticated demographic data related to HIV and other diseases and yet that country's systemic inequities remain deeply ingrained, according to Shroff.

Racial data should only be collected if it's going to be used for programs and research specifically designed to address racism, Shroff said.

"Just collecting data for no reason isn't helpful," she said.


In fact, she said, data showing one group as disproportionately affected by the pandemic can be harmful if presented without context.

"They will be seen as the vectors of disease," she said. "We just have to be careful with how these data are used."

Shroff said there are many, complex ways society should address the inequities of this and other health crises – but with or without the hard data, she has no doubt COVID-19 is "not an equal-opportunity disease."

"It's not going to affect people equitably because almost no disease does. Diseases often fall in the pattern of money and power. So those with money and power typically manage to stay healthy," she said.
Officials don't address question of race and COVID-19

Both B.C.'s provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, and Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, have been asked about demographic data this week, but neither directly addressed race.

On Monday, Henry said she is monitoring how the pandemic is affecting the province along socioeconomic lines, but said, "I don't have the data yet."

Tam said on Tuesday the federal government is collecting "detailed" demographic data, which is available online. But the government's epidemiological summary page only included information about patients' age and sex as of Tuesday afternoon.

NEWS 1130 asked both the provincial and federal government about their policies and practices around collecting and sharing demographic case data about COVID-19. Neither responded by Tuesday afternoon.

 

[pgeno71]

Tim, that map says nothing about sources and I disagree with your assertion that this is due to immigrants and foreign workers. If you have facts to back up your claim then let's see 'em. The reason, in my opinion, that the Calgary zone has the most cases is that this city is a corporate hub with a large international airport.

As I see it, the source of the disease and its spread in Canada is due to ALL international and domestic travel (remember March break?) that continued uninterrupted for some time after this disease was already established in BC and Ontario.

I think your point about Calgary being a major transportation hub is very interesting and may apply to Detroit as well. Detroit and its surrounding counties are the overwhelming majority of Michigan's cases. Detroit is a major hub for Delta Airlines.

 

[rochie]

Something positive

Cptn Tom Moore 99years old wanted to raise £500000 before his 100th birthday but the total raised is now actually more like £5m !

Well done Sir your an inspiration

Army veteran, 99, raises £4m for 'humbled' NHS

 

[buffnut453]

Something positive

Cptn Tom Moore 99years old wanted to raise £500000 before his 100th birthday but the total raised is now actually more like £5m !

Well done Sir your an inspiration

Army veteran, 99, raises £4m for 'humbled' NHS

Saw that one. Capt Moore is a CLASS ACT. There are many who would do well to emulate his example. Absolute bluddy hero!!!!

 

[pbehn]

Canada's 'colourblind' coronavirus data could leave officials blind to racial inequities

Officials don't address question of race and COVID-19

.

Probably because they don't have it and any data means little at the moment, such things come later. The people who are dying today may have been infected 4 weeks ago. This is just politicizing the pandemic in accordance with the writers agenda. What is known is that the old are extremely vulnerable and in UK that means predominantly white. The first people in UK to be infected had connections to China, or to skiing holidays in Italy and Austria. There were several Arsenal footballers and the manager were infected by the owner of Olympiacos, well that may fit the racial element of the piece being "not white" but all of them are either millionaires or billionaires.

 

[Crimea_River]

...... This is just politicizing the pandemic in accordance with the writers agenda. What is known is that the old are extremely vulnerable and in UK that means predominantly white.......

I agree that it's politicizing the issue. We have bigger issues to worry about than stewing over why we aren't breaking down the numbers based on race.

 

[swampyankee]

Afaik it's never been effective to use such a technique, but I'm not up to speed with the latest developments.

I agree that it's politicizing the issue. We have bigger issues to worry about than stewing over why we aren't breaking down the numbers based on race.

Breaking down the numbers on race is probably less important than breaking them down based on socio-economic status. Like it as not, the poor tend to have worse access to health care than do relatively wealthy people. So do people in rural areas, which is why I expect the rate of cases and fatalities in areas like North Dakota and Idaho is going to end up being at least as great as that in more urbanized, densely populated states.

 

[Vincenzo]

Italy report, 5 p.m. (CEST) 15th April
cases 165,155, new 2,667, deaths 21,645, new 578, recovered 38,092, new 962, tests 1,117,404, new 43,715
fatality rate 13.1%
mortality rate 359 per million
test rate 18.5 per thousand
test rate today 725 per million

 

[gumbyk]

20 new cases, but no new deaths yesterday.
number recovered is now more than that of active cases.

We haven't had any new cases in our region for 5 days now.