All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

Avian Flu Diary: COVID: HK New Daily Record, Vietnam Evacuates 80K From Da Nang

Hong Kong third wave: public gatherings limited to two people, dining at restaurants banned as record 145 Covid-19 cases recorded

Vietnam to evacuate 80,000 people from Danang after virus outbreak

Those who are evacuated will be required to go into home quarantine for 14 days. Meanwhile, local residents have been ordered to observe heightened social distancing and to wear masks.

Source: Avian Flu Diary: COVID: HK New Daily Record, Vietnam Evacuates 80K From Da Nang

Slashdot Interviews an Oxford Vaccine Trial Participant – Slashdot – Covid-19

Slashdot: Did you have to meet any special qualifications to participate?

JR: The only qualifications were a willingness to volunteer, being within an age range which I think is 18 to 55, no underlying immune conditions, not pregnant or breastfeeding and not shielding anyone else who is at risk.

I got bloods and vitals taken at pre-check, including serology to make sure I haven’t had COVID-19 already. Then a week later I had bloods and temperature checked again and I got a vaccine. (The people preparing the vaccines are in a different room and are the only people to know which one.) Then four weeks later I had another blood test and temperature check. In eight weeks I will again.

Slashdot: I’ve heard that it requires a 12-month commitment, with anywhere from 6 to 12 visits. Do you get just one shot of the vaccine, and then swing by for follow-up tests — or are there injections in more than one visit?

JR: Every week — maybe for the full year — I also have to take the swab test to check if I have the virus, which I do at home and mail in, registering online for results. I get those results texted to me in less than 48 hours.

Source: Slashdot Interviews an Oxford Vaccine Trial Participant – Slashdot

The New Humanitarian | ‘Ebola business’ concerns resurface in Congo Équateur outbreak

Eight weeks into the latest outbreak – which has infected 67 people and left 31 dead – several senior humanitarian officials involved in the response told The New Humanitarian that government officials have been trying to profit from relief funds, following a precedent set during the previous outbreak, which cost more than 2,200 lives between August 2018 and June 2020. When hundreds of millions of dollars were pumped into that response it kickstarted a local scramble to profit. Examples of what became known as “Ebola business” included vehicles being rented from elites at sky-high prices, and security services being paid millions of dollars for military escorts.

Among the key concerns in the Équateur outbreak is a government list of approved service providers that contains the names of parliamentarians, civil servants, and other connected individuals. As response funds flow into the region – more than $34 million has been budgeted until September – humanitarian organisations say they have been “pressured” to hire people on the list.

Source: The New Humanitarian | ‘Ebola business’ concerns resurface in Congo Équateur outbreak

Pacific Islanders in US hospitalised with Covid-19 at up to 10 times the rate of other groups | World news | The Guardian

In Washington state, rates of confirmed cases for Native Hawaiian or other Pacific islander people are nine times higher than those of white people, while hospitalisation rates are 10 times that of white people, according to department of health figures.

In Oregon, Pacific islanders are just 0.4% of the population, but represent nearly 3% of all Covid-19 infections. Islanders there are three times more likely than any other racial group to be infected by the novel coronavirus.

In Arkansas, Pacific islanders are 0.3% of the population, yet account for 8% of the Covid-19 cases. In Hawaii, Pacific islanders are 4% of the state’s population, but 25% of Covid-19 cases.

Health authorities argue that there are a number of factors driving up Pacific islander infection and hospitalisation rates. These factors include that islanders tend to live in large family groups and close-knit communities and have higher rates of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, which can complicate Covid-19.

Experts say islanders are also more likely than others to be un- or under-insured, or excluded from Medicaid because of their immigration status, and are more likely to perform frontline essential work, such as serving in the military or working in the security and service industries, which increases their risk of exposure to Covid-19.

Source: Pacific Islanders in US hospitalised with Covid-19 at up to 10 times the rate of other groups | World news | The Guardian

China Destroyed COVID-19 Evidence, Says Doctor Who Investigated Wuhan Cases – (very misleading headline – see below)

Yuen told the BBC he believes local officials covered up the scale of the initial outbreak by destroying physical evidence and delaying the response to clinical findings. (belief but no evidence)

“When we went to the Huanan supermarket, of course, there was nothing to see because the market was clean already,” Yuen said. “So, you may say that the crime scene is already disturbed because the supermarket was cleared, we cannot identify any host which is giving the virus to humans.”

 

 

Source: China Destroyed COVID-19 Evidence, Says Doctor Who Investigated Wuhan Cases

Bill Gates says Korean firm could make 200 million vaccines by June, East Asia News & Top Stories – The Straits Times

Besides working on its own vaccine candidates, the company is also one of the contract manufacturers tapped by British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca to make its vaccine. The company declined further comment on Monday.

Developed with Oxford University, Astrazeneca’s vaccine is in the third and last stage of human testing and is one of the front-runners in the global race for immunisation.

 

Source: Bill Gates says Korean firm could make 200 million vaccines by June, East Asia News & Top Stories – The Straits Times

Nature study identifies 21 existing drugs that could treat COVID-19 | SBP

Still being tested by a global team.

The first authors of the study are Laura Riva, Ph.D., a postdoctoral research fellow in the Chanda lab at Sanford Burnham Prebys; and Shuofeng Yuan at the University of Hong Kong, who contributed equally to the study. Additional study authors include Xin Yin, Laura Martin-Sancho, Naoko Matsunaga, Lars Pache, Paul De Jesus, Kristina Herbert, Peter Teriete, Yuan Pu, Courtney Nguyen and Andrey Rubanov of Sanford Burnham Prebys; Jasper Fuk-Woo Chan, Jianli Cao, Vincent Poon, Ko-Yung Sit and Kwok-Yung Yuen of the University of Hong Kong; Sebastian Burgstaller-Muehlbacher, Andrew Su, Mitchell V. Hull, Tu-Trinh Nguyen, Peter G. Schultz and Arnab K. Chatterjee of Scripps Research; Max Chang and Christopher Benner of UC San Diego School of Medicine; Luis Martinez-Sobrido, Wen-Chun Liu, Lisa Miorin, Kris M. White, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Randy Albrecht, Angela Choi, Raveen Rathnasinghe, Michael Schotsaert, Marion Dejosez, Thomas P. Zwaka and Adolfo Garcia-Sastre of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Ren Sun of UCLA; Kuoyuan Cheng of the National Cancer Institute and the University of Maryland; Eytan Ruppin of the National Cancer Institute; Mackenzie E. Chapman, Emma K. Lendy and Andrew D. Mesecar of Purdue University; and Richard J. Glynne of Inception Therapeutics.

Source: Nature study identifies 21 existing drugs that could treat COVID-19 | SBP

Texas coronavirus deaths: State reports 1,000 new fatalities in 6 days | The Texas Tribune

According to state health data released Sunday, 5,038 people in Texas had died from the virus. That’s 153 more deaths than the day before and 1,080 more than a week ago. Public health experts have said that reported totals are likely to be an undercount because not all people who died with coronavirus symptoms were tested.

Since July 20, when Texas passed 4,000 deaths, some Rio Grande Valley counties have seen significant increases in the number of people dying from COVID-19. That part of the state— among the hardest-hit parts of Texas — has a larger share of Hispanic residents than many other areas.

 

Source: Texas coronavirus deaths: State reports 1,000 new fatalities in 6 days | The Texas Tribune