Coronavirus COVID-19 Thread

[NaffNaffBobFace]

I received the first dose of Pfizer vaccine yesterday. The only reaction I have is soreness around the injection site. It goes away with movement. Through my job we receive weekly covid tests (mandatory for all employees and contractors). I'm looking forward to being exempt from the weekly testing requirement come mid-March, which oddly enough will be the anniversary of my last day in Canada as i left the country on the day the border was closed. Former US expat working in the oil sands...

Many thanks for your expiriance, please let us know how it goes with your second dose :)

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

COVID Catharsis Corner - Reports from around the world from today, Saturday 27th of February.

- TEST: One year and one day since the beginning of this thread.

- World: 113,597,907 confirmed cases and 2,520,891 confirmed deaths.

- US: Biden $1.9 Trillion relief package passes house, moves on to Senate.

- Brazil: Sees record high new daily deaths.

- New Zealand: Auckland to enter 7 day lockdown after a single community transmitted case of unknown origin detected. Rest of country placed on Level 2 restrictions limiting public gatherings.

- Ireland: Police injured at Dublin COVID protest.

- UK: Sees lowest number of new infections for 5 months.

- Russia: Trials of administering a booster of SputnikV vaccine to counter new variants reported to be producing strong results.

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

COVID Catharsis Corner - Reports from around the world from today, Sunday 28th of February.

- World: 113,972,687 confirmed cases and 2,528,535 confirmed deaths.

- UK: Six cases of Brazilian variant located, three in England and three in Scotland: For two of the English cases it was imported in a traveler returning from Brazil, before the Quarantine Hotel scheme came into force, who then infected someone they live with. The third person was not connected to travel suggesting community transmission, and a man-hunt is now in action as they can no longer be located. The three Scottish cases had flown from Brazil to Scotland via Paris and London... Passengers on all flights connected to these cases are now being tracked and contacted too.

- UK: Reading, and Police shut down a farmers market as shoppers fail to maintain distancing restrictions. "We really do recognise that this is a tough time for people, but we must all continue to play our part, and we all have a responsibility to ensure that we maintain our commitment to the restrictions so that we can emerge from lockdown."

- UK: When schools reopen in March Families and Bubble members will be offered two rapid COVID tests a week to "provide yet another layer of reassurance to parents and education staff that schools are as safe as possible". Having witnessed COVID-19 pass through a local school in the first wave and be carried back to many multiple households by their unsuspecting asymptomatic offspring, this feels less like attempting to reassure and more like attempting to experiment.

- UK: Passes 20 million first dose vaccines administered.

- UK: Police hand out a dizzying £70,000 of fines to 70 attendees of two parties in Mayfair, London, which were only 500 meters apart from each other.

- US: Approves single-shot Johnson and Johnson/Jassen vaccine, only the 3rd jab authorized for use so far. Dr Fauci tells the people of the US all three are great, and to take whichever one is available to be offered to you.

- Mexico: Reports suggest the country may approach the USA to request it share vaccine stocks as part of a more organised regional effort to deal with the crisis.

- Isle Of Man: Two new cases with no obvious chain of transmission discovered. Investigations are in process however no restrictive actions taken as yet, however it is indicated they used 23 public shops, services and busses before being diagnosed.

- South Africa: Lowers Alert Level from 3 to 1: “As we ease restrictions, we cannot let our guard down. The few remaining restrictions under Alert Level 1 are meant to maintain low levels of infections and, in particular, to prevent super-spreading events [...] We were able to emerge from the second wave because most people adhered to the tighter restrictions and observed the basic health protocols, including wearing masks in public and social distancing.”

- Norway: Capital Oslo tightens restrictions as UK variant increases infections.

- Jordan: The interior and justice ministers are sacked for breaching COVID restrictions.

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

COVID Catharsis Corner - Reports from around the world from today, Monday 1st of March.

- World: 114,229,598 confirmed cases, 2,533,255 confirmed deaths.

- World: Passes 114 million cases, we passes 113 on Friday meaning another million in the last 3/4 days.

- World: The global infection rate was falling but the WHO indicate the it has risen for the first time in seven weeks and described it as "disappointing but not surprising".

- Vaccines: Report suggests Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine less effective in the obese and overweight, producing fewer antibodies.

- UK: Further details of the unknown person infected with Brazil Variant of COVID come to light, they used a Home Testing Kit, did the swab providing a sample and posted it, but didn't fill out the details on their tests information card to let the test center know who supplied the sample... It is unclear why the tests that were sent out to homes were not marked with a serial number which would have then been able to be logged and traced back to the person/place they were sent to, or why where wasn't at least a post-mark on the postal test to indicate which area it was posted from?

- UK: With South African and Brazilian mutants now located in UK, government spends the day defending itself from criticism but has not to this point accepted that it's eventual efforts of Quarantine Hotels were too little too late.

- Czech Republic: Tightens restrictions as spike in seriously ill patents contributes to their having the highest per-capita infection rate globally of the last week.

- Africa: Covax vaccine cooperative delivering doses to African nations mean vaccination programs are being planned and started across the continent with 24 more countries due to receive shipments soon.

- Uzbekistan: Approves Chinese vaccine known as ZF2001 from the Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biofarmaceutical company.

- Poland: Health Minister says UK Variant is driving the countries third wave where it is thought to be responsible for up to 70% of cases in some areas.

- Finland: Issues a state of emergency as COVID cases rise.

- Japan/China: Tokyo makes request to China that they stop taking anal swabs from citizens traveling “Some Japanese reported to our embassy in China that they received anal swab tests, which caused a great psychologial pain,”

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

- Japan/China: Tokyo makes request to China that they stop taking anal swabs from citizens traveling “Some Japanese reported to our embassy in China that they received anal swab tests, which caused a great psychologial pain,”

Although I have total sympathy, to be honest I think all COVID tests should be anal tests.

What would make people take the threat of infection more seriously? You have "only" a 3% risk of dying from it, or you have a 100% chance of having your bumhole violated if you contract the virus or insist on traveling in a pandemic? Oh, you want to keep the two meter distance from the guy with the anal probe? Too late, matey, too late.

 

[Jolly_Green_Giant]

- TEST: One year and one day since the beginning of this thread.

Crazy. It sure is one hell of a thread to read if you start from the beginning.

 

[SoloFlyer]

Although I have total sympathy, to be honest I think all COVID tests should be anal tests.

What would make people take the threat of infection more seriously? You have "only" a 3% risk of dying from it, or you have a 100% chance of having your bumhole violated if you contract the virus or insist on traveling in a pandemic? Oh, you want to keep the two meter distance from the guy with the anal probe? Too late, matey, too late.

Two meter distance isn't enough for my anal probe!

Oh who am I kidding?

 

[Vavrik]

Two meter distance isn't enough for my anal probe!

Oh who am I kidding?

Just wait till you need a Colonoscopy. It may leave you wondering why the doc didn't offer dinner first. It will dissolve any trepidation about the little wimpy Covid anal test.

 

[ColdDog]

/RANT A
So... the vaccine is our savior... maybe, maybe not. If not then what? Suppose were all going to have to tough it out like every generation did before us. Science is politicized in this case - case in point the teachers union. What if the vaccine is a bunch of sugar water, making you feel good for participating. The COVID bio weapon makes the whole world look like idiots. The only one gaining power is not the lower class, they are the ones suffering - losing jobs.

Because the death rate is so low among the working class leads me to think all this BS and political. People are getting sick... that is real... We know who the vulnerable is, old people. Maybe we use the national guard to put up fences for old people homes, not congress.

/RANT B
Then again congress people are special, not like they can be replaced. Congress is full of idiots that send our kids to war, for years on end - guess congress gets PTSD badge for 2 hours of unarmed citizens pounding at their door. Vets spent days, months, and years at war.
//RANT B

Time will tell, but I feel more like Darwin, than Stalin. Vaccine could be a woobie (https://taskandpurpose.com/community/why-the-woobie-is-the-greatest-military-invention-ever-fielded/), if our leaders were so confident with it then why are they saying you can get sick again and to continue to wear masks... that alone makes me question the authenticity of it. Where does this end... I say never, just like Ebola - a real killer.

//RANT A

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

/RANT A
So... the vaccine is our savior... maybe, maybe not. If not then what? Suppose were all going to have to tough it out like every generation did before us. Science is politicized in this case - case in point the teachers union. What if the vaccine is a bunch of sugar water, making you feel good for participating. The COVID bio weapon makes the whole world look like idiots. The only one gaining power is not the lower class, they are the ones suffering - losing jobs.

Because the death rate is so low among the working class leads me to think all this BS and political. People are getting sick... that is real... We know who the vulnerable is, old people. Maybe we use the national guard to put up fences for old people homes, not congress.

/RANT B
Then again congress people are special, not like they can be replaced. Congress is full of idiots that send our kids to war, for years on end - guess congress gets PTSD badge for 2 hours of unarmed citizens pounding at their door. Vets spent days, months, and years at war.
//RANT B

Time will tell, but I feel more like Darwin, than Stalin. Vaccine could be a woobie (https://taskandpurpose.com/community/why-the-woobie-is-the-greatest-military-invention-ever-fielded/), if our leaders were so confident with it then why are they saying you can get sick again and to continue to wear masks... that alone makes me question the authenticity of it. Where does this end... I say never, just like Ebola - a real killer.

//RANT A

Thanks for your angle on the situation. How does that make you feel?

 

[ColdDog]

Thanks for your angle on the situation. How does that make you feel?

I feel like you folks are all knowing and are right, I am wrong, and I hate myself for my thoughts. I suppose you should send me to the reeducation camp to be brainwashed, tortured and cleansed...

You know there is a middle ground, maybe not, as Gina Carono vs Disney + have displayed.

What does this have to do with this thread you ask? Everything, in the last year people have ran to their authoritarian corners, blocking speech, destroying people, evil has shown its face. Fear is a horrible weapon (even if it is a virus), and this evil is becoming stronger as people stop listening to each other. I wont invoke a horrible time in the past that Gina invoked, but she was 100% correct, hating your neighbor for their beliefs is wrong, no matter if it is religion, race, political affiliation, wacky conspiracy theories, etc.

You folks tolerate me only to patronize me with your comments. :)

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

I feel like you folks are all knowing and are right, I am wrong, and I hate myself for my thoughts. I suppose you should send me to the reeducation camp to be brainwashed, tortured and cleansed...

You know there is a middle ground, maybe not, as Gina Carono vs Disney + have displayed.

What does this have to do with this thread you ask? Everything, in the last year people have ran to their authoritarian corners, blocking speech, destroying people, evil has shown its face. Fear is a horrible weapon (even if it is a virus), and this evil is becoming stronger as people stop listening to each other. I wont invoke a horrible time in the past that Gina invoked, but she was 100% correct, hating your neighbor for their beliefs is wrong, no matter if it is religion, race, political affiliation, wacky conspiracy theories, etc.

You folks tolerate me only to patronize me with your comments. :)

Thank you for sharing how you are feeling in regard to our discussions, it is disappointing to hear a thread on TEST has been the cause of such anguish.

Please help me understand exactly what I/we did to cause this distress, and what we should do to make that feeling go away for you?

 

[stockish]

Not this shit again....


On that note, after a few negative tests, my brain hurts and I don't have the sickness.

Also, now that it has been one year since I have had no change in my life but my company thinks the world is still ending and making terrible decisions regarding employee health, I earned this patch by giving it to myself.

OPERATION ENDURING CLUSTERFUCK - COVID-19

3.5" diameter patch, hook and loop velcro included. Made in America. Design is the intellectual property of Reaper Patches. Reaper Patches has a US copyright on the design. The design is not for sale and may not be used without express written permission by Reaper Patches.

www.reaperpatches.com

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

Not this shit again....


On that note, after a few negative tests, my brain hurts and I don't have the sickness.

Also, now that it has been one year since I have had no change in my life but my company thinks the world is still ending and making terrible decisions regarding employee health, I earned this patch by giving it to myself.

OPERATION ENDURING CLUSTERFUCK - COVID-19

3.5" diameter patch, hook and loop velcro included. Made in America. Design is the intellectual property of Reaper Patches. Reaper Patches has a US copyright on the design. The design is not for sale and may not be used without express written permission by Reaper Patches.

www.reaperpatches.com

Thanks for the update, great to hear your tests have been negative :-)

Are there plans for an immunity test to see if you had it at any point in the past or is that the end of the investigation?

 

[Montoya]

Danger:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1366775327750561796

View: https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1366775327750561796

 

[Vavrik]

Read down almost to the end, point 8 reads:
8) And good news is that the J&J vaccine also worked against it— and had 82% efficacy in South Africa against severe #COVID19.

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

COVID Catharsis Corner - Reports from around the world from today, Tuesday 2nd of March:

- World: 114,563,395 confirmed cases and 2,541,319 confirmed deaths.

- US: Director of the CDC warns there is potential for a 4th wave as variants spread and numbers of new infections appear to be remaining high. "Please hear me clearly: at this level of cases, with variants spreading, we stand to completely lose the hard-earned ground we have gained,"

- US/Mexico: Talks conducted and continue on Vaccine sharing.

- UK: Manhunt for uncontactable person who tested positive for the COVID-19 Brazilian strain narrowed down to 379 households in the South West of the country after the exact batch of kits was identified narrowing down the area they were dispatched out to.

- UK: Furlough scheme to be extended, no further details at present.

- EU: Austria and Denmark tire of waiting for the Bloc to get up to speed with its vaccine response and start work with Israel to create new version vaccines "We must therefore prepare for further mutations and should no longer be dependent only on the EU for the production of second-generation vaccines,"

- Vaccines: Oxford/AsteraZeneca found to reduce severe cases needing Hospital treatment in the Elderly by 80%, and investigations also suggest efficiency is much higher in younger people administered with it, their youthful resilience to the virus may have masked this previously.

- France: Changes direction on Oxford/AsteraZeneca vaccine: "People affected by co-morbidities can be vaccinated with AstraZeneca, including those aged between 65 and 74," however it is also reported 76% of those offered this vaccine in the country have refused it.

- Germany: Places additional checks on its boarder with France with the Moselle area being identified as an area of concern.

- Serbia: Donates 10,000 doses of vaccine to Bosnia.

- Tunisia: Reports first case of UK variant.

- Iraq: Receives first vaccine shipment.

- Isle Of Man: After removing all restrictions for the month of February, the Island will put in a 21 day "Circuit Breaker" lockdown as cases begin to climb again, having been traced back to a single infected member of ferry crew.

- San Marino: Micro-state in Italy starts to administer SputnikV vaccine after they signed a deal following its supply of EU sourced vaccines failed to show up.

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

COVID Catharsis Corner - Reports from around the world from today, Wednesday 3nd of March:

- World: 114,912,129 confirmed cases and 2,552,687 confirmed deaths.

- UK: Extends Furlough system to end in September, not with the intention that jobs will need the support to that point but with the intention that it will ba able to help employers exit the scheme gradually as the economy picks back up.

- UK: One third of the passengers the Brazil variant of COVID was known to be on flying from London to Aberdeen have still not been traced and contacted.

- Dolly Parton: Singer gets vaccinated with Moderna vaccine she donated $1 million toward developing, releases video singing the following to the tune of her hit Jolene "Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine - I'm begging of you please don't hesitate. Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine - because once you're dead, that's a bit too late" also saying "To all you cowards out there, don't be such Chicken Squat, get out there and get your shot."

- US: President Biden says there will be enough vaccine for everyone in the States by the end of May and warns against lifting restrictions before the country is in a better place.

- US: Texas, Michigan, Louisiana, Mississippi and others announce they are to lift mandatory mask rules as early as next week, and other restrictions to varying degrees, too.

- Brazil: Sees record high new daily deaths.

- Brazil: Area of Sao Paulo announces a shut-down to curb cases.

- Austria: To receive 100,000 more Pfizer vaccines to inoculate an area of Tyrol which has become a hot-spot for the South Africa variant.

- South Africa/China: Police break up fake vaccine ring and seize thousands of fake doses.

- Tanzania: The Catholic Church in the country reports nuns and priests are getting COVID like symptoms but still no official figures are coming from the government, it's one of the only places on earth not sharing/collecting data.

- Estonia: To put in a weekend lockdown on hospitality and retail.

- Slovakia: to bring in a night time curfew to combat rising cases.

- Germany: To keep boarder controls despite warnings from the EU.

- Vaccines: Indias locally developed Covaxin vaccine candidate found to have 81% efficiency.

- Vaccines: Chinas Sinovac vaccine final Phase 3 trials indicate 83.5% efficiency.

- Serbia: Sees cases climbing rapidly.

- Covax: Kenya and Senegal receive doses from the Vaccine sharing initiative.

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

COVID Catharsis Corner - Reports from around the world from today, Thursday 4th of March:

- World: 115,331,329 confirmed cases and 2,562,739 confirmed deaths.

- World: Global study finds death rates are 10 times higher in countries where at least 50% of adults overweight.

- UK: Declining cases begin to slow, but have not platau'd yet.

- UK: Announces new variant Vaccines based on existing vaccines can be fast tracked (like the Flu vaccines are every year) meaning new variant vaccines may be approved in a matter of months rather than years.

- UK: Discovers another variant of concern which shares similarities with Brazil and South Africa strains, 16 cases found so far.

- UK: Beer, and Budwizer to invest £117 million in their breweries in Monmouthshire and Lancashire.

- UK: Over 40% of over 80 year olds who have been vaccinated now breaking lockdown rules despite most of them only having had one dose.

- Australia/Italy: Italy blocks the export of 250,000 doses of Oxford/AsteraZeneca vaccine to Australia under Bloc rules. There was no objection from the commission.

- Sweden: Announces Oxford/AsteraZeneca vaccine now okay for the over 65's.

- Germany: Announces Oxford/AsteraZeneca vaccine now okay for the over 65's.

- Cuba: Belings late stage trials on locally produced vaccine called Soberana.

- Zimbabwe: Becomes first country to approve Indian Covaxin candidate other than India.

- US: Primates at San Diego Zoo receive experimental animal COVID vaccine. "It’s not like we randomly grab a vaccine and give it to a novel species. A lot of thought and research goes into it – what’s the risk of doing it and what’s the risk of not doing it. Our motto is, above all, to do no harm ... We commonly use vaccines designed with dogs and cats for lions and tigers [and apes at the zoo get human flu and measles vaccines]."

- Slovakia: Transfers first patents internationally to Poland top help with stretched medical services.

- Egypt: Having concentrated vaccinations on medical staff, country now moves on to the population, beginning with the most at risk chronically ill and elderly .

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

COVID Catharsis Corner - Reports from around the world from today, Friday 5th of March:

- World: 115,781,179 confirmed cases and 2,572,353 confirmed deaths.

- Australia/Italy: A former Australia Foreign Minister says of the Italian block on 250,000 vaccines "Australia will get by without [the shipment] but as a matter of principle this is not a way to conduct international trade," however an Italian politician responds “We are asking AstraZeneca to respect the contract because we need those vaccinations," pointing out Italy had 20,000 infections on Thursday while Australia had 11.

- Australia/EU: Australia asks the EU to review the decision to block the export.

- Germany: Health Minister cautions on blocking Vaccine shipments: “With a measure like that, in the short term there’s a win... but we have to be careful that it doesn’t cause us problems in the medium-term by disrupting the supply chains for vaccines and everything that’s needed in terms of precursors.”

- US/India: Serum Institute Of India indicates the recent US ban on exporting raw materials for vaccine production under the Defence Production Act risks their ability to produce global amounts of treatments: "There are a lot of bags, filters and critical items that manufacturers need,” Adar Poonawalla said. “The Novavax vaccine, which we are a major manufacturer of, needs these items from the US”.

- UK: Breaking: Mystery missing "Sixth person" with Brazil Varient of COVID-19 located in Croydon, London. No further details at this point.

- UK: Unions threaten strike action as nurses offered an "Kick in the teeth" 1% pay rise. Government responds that other public sector workers are getting a 0% pay raise.

- UK: Travellers will require a permit to travel from Monday: "Anyone identified by police as attempting to travel internationally for reasons that are not currently permitted will be asked to return home and risk receiving a fixed penalty notice for breaking stay at home rules. These fines start at £200 and ladder up to a maximum of £6,400."

- US: Jobs rebound, with February seeing an additional 379,000 positions created.

- Italy: Data reveals more deaths were registered in 2020 than any other year since World War 2.

- Nigeria: Dr Ngong Cyprian recieves first vaccine. “I am happy to be the first and I am happy I am not the last,” [...] “I am part of those who will make the 70% that will create a herd immunity, so that the virus will not spread the way it is spreading,"

- Kenya: Begins vaccination program.

- Poland: Introduces more restrictions as Minister indicates UK varient now makes up one quarter of all cases.

- China: Hebei and Jilin provinces both release their final COVID patents, and have no more actively sick in hospitals.

- Brazil: President Bolsanaro tells citizens to "Stop whining" about COVID-19. “Stop all this fussing and whining. How long are you going to keep on crying?” The countries death rate currently stands at 260,000.

- Czech Republic: Asks nearby countries for help as hospitals reach critical levels. The Health Ministry said: "The large number of newly infected patients has intensified pressure on the healthcare system and the number of patients requiring hospitalisation is growing."

- Japan: Prime Minister apologises for having to extend state of emergency in Tokyo: “I am deeply sorry at not being able to lift the state of emergency by the previously-promised 7 March. I offer my heartfelt apology,”