Corona 2020
- Thread starter TreeFrogTrader
- Start date
I posted Houston data. Does not seem to jive with the "news". I am guessing this is because Harris County (which is the Greater Houston area) includes places like the Woodlands and Conroe (I believe it contains Conroe) and the news are specifically talking about a few hospitals and screaming out HOUSTON IS OVERLOADED we have to move to the Woodlands!!
If we are going to post sensationalist headlines every time a particular hospital or two runs out of beds, then we're going to really be getting ridiculous.
Yeh. It's ugly business but there is merit on both sides of the argument.
And if the US did not buy it up, extreme liberal media would be saying, why didn't the US buy the supplies of remdesivir? Heads extreme liberal media wins, tails extreme liberal media wins as well. Maybe, they should open a casino?
And there are other variations of the dance too, wherein if Trump takes the first batch but then plays a leadership role in making it available to the rest of the world - as happened with ventilators- the press will be arguing that Trump is promoting shiite that may or may not work.
Gilead is the one that needs to watch out. They have competitors from all angles. Other drugs that seem to work as well but are in early trials and if remdesivir works reasonably well then cowboy countries like India that do not respect patent rights will go generic and sell to the Europeans who say that respect patent rights except when they don't.
Let em work it out on the playground.
Australian Researcher Says COVID-19 Could Be Man-Made
In this photo taken Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017, researchers work in a lab of the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan in central China’s Hubei province. (Chinatopix Via AP)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 8:13 AM PT — Tuesday, May 26, 2020
A new study has endorsed the possibility of coronavirus being manufactured by humans.
In an interview with Sky News Australia last week, Professor Nikolai Petrovsky explained the results of his recently published paper. While using computer modeling, scientists found the virus to be uniquely adapted to humans.
“We found that the COVID-19 virus was particularly well-adapted to bind to human cells and that was far superior to its ability to bind to the cells of any other animal species, which is quite unusual because typically when a virus is well-adapted to an animal and then it by chance crosses to a human, typically, you would expect it to have lower-binding to human cells than to the original host animal,” Petrovsky explained. “We found the opposite so that was a big surprise.”
While most members of the global community have refuted the idea of COVID-19 being man-made, some public figures have questioned the conclusion. This includes Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and President Trump.
When asked at an April press conference if he had seen anything to indicate the virus originated from a Wuhan lab, the president responded by saying:
“Yes, I have and I think that the World Health Organization should be ashamed of themselves because they’re like the public relations agency for China.”
FILE – In this March 20, 2020, file photo, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to the rear, U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Amid increasing criticism of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, its director is adamantly denying any leaks from the lab.
“We didn’t have any knowledge before that nor had we ever encountered, researched or kept the virus,” claimed Director Wang Yanyi. “In fact, like everyone else, we didn’t even know the virus existed. How could it have leaked from our lab when we never had it?”
Despite the seemingly worldwide consensus about the animal origins of the virus, Petrovsky maintains that the possibility of it being human-engineered, while not conclusive, cannot be ruled out either. He speculated fear of tighter lab regulations may be inspiring push-back from scientists.
“We desperately need to know where this virus came from and the reason for that is not political, it’s actually pragmatic,” he stated. “If this is a wild virus that came from an animal and we don’t know where it came from in the animal kingdom, then, you know, in a few years time we may be facing a very similar pandemic.”
Petrovsky’s groundbreaking findings came about through the development of a vaccine for which human trials are expected to begin within the next month.
Coronavirus: Former MI6 boss says theory COVID-19 came from Wuhan lab must not be dismissed as conspiracy
The intervention comes as a team of scientists from the WHO flies to China this week to investigate the origin of the disease.
https://news.sky.com/story/former-h...-must-not-be-dismissed-as-conspiracy-12021693
A former British spy chief says he wants a more open debate on the origin of the coronavirus pandemic and warns against dismissing as conspiracy the idea that it might have come from a laboratory.
Sir Richard Dearlove doubled down on his belief the virus that causes COVID-19 was engineered and escaped by accident from a lab in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the first victims were identified.
His opinion contrasts with a prevailing view among scientific experts as well as the US and British intelligence communities that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus was not man-made.
The intervention comes as a team of scientists from the World Health Organisation (WHO) prepares to fly to China this week to investigate the origin of a disease that has killed more than half a million people globally.
"I subscribe to the theory… that it's an engineered escapee from the Wuhan Institute (of Virology)," said Sir Richard, who served as head of the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, between 1999 and 2004.
"I am not saying anything other than it was the result of an accident and that the virus is the consequence of gain-of-function experiments that were being conducted in Wuhan, which I don't think are particularly sinister."
Sir Richard was referring to a type of scientific research that can be carried out to modify viruses.
"There is an accumulation of evidence that this is something that has to be openly discussed in the scientific community," the former spy chief said.
"If we are going to have an inquiry in the UK - which I'm sure will happen - about the pandemic and government policy, it will have to start with the science. Where did this virus actually come from?"
But the widely held view among scientists is that the novel coronavirus most likely occurred naturally.
They believe it probably passed from an animal - the prime suspect is a bat - to a human, possibly via an intermediary species, but without any genetic engineering or man-made modifications.
"There is no doubt that this was a natural event," said Dr Rachael Tarlinton, an associate professor of veterinary virology at the University of Nottingham.
"The artificial release theories seem to be a form of 'magical thinking' - a simplistic solution to a complex problem where if someone can be blamed then that someone can be removed and the problem go away," she said in an email exchange.
"Unfortunately real life just doesn't work this way - manipulating viruses in the lab to change their pathogenicity is actually quite difficult and unpredictable and any group that had the ability to work on something like this would be well aware of how hard this is," she said.
"We knew spillover from animals was a risk… The virus may have passed through an intermediate species on its way into the human population from bats but we may never know which animal this was - candidates include pangolins and small carnivores like palm civets or mongooses. Unfortunately we can't go back in time and start monitoring from before the outbreak so we only have very patchy samples to try and work this out from."
This lack of a clear evidence trail is viewed with suspicion by some.
So too is the fact that the virus was so well adapted to transmitting among people and throughout different parts of the body from the moment it was first identified late last year.
The existence in Wuhan of two laboratories that have conducted research into coronaviruses in bats is also seen by those supportive of the lab theory to be more than just a coincidence.
A top official at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), which has drawn the most suspicion, has said there is "no way the virus came from us".
Yuan Zhiming, a vice director at the institute, was quoted by a Chinese state broadcaster in April as saying: "We have a strict regulatory regimen. We have a code of conduct for research so we are confident of that.
"Why are there rumours?" he asked. "Because the Institute of Virology … [is] in Wuhan people can't help but make associations, which I think is understandable. But it is bad when some are deliberately trying to mislead people. This is entirely based on speculation."
He also denied that the virus was man-made.
With COVID-19 responsible for so much death and economic damage, the mystery about its origin has become a highly-political topic as well as a scientific one.
It has added fuel to already heated hostilities between the United States and China.
US President Donald Trump, who blames Beijing for the pandemic, claimed in April that he had seen evidence it had come from a laboratory.
The US intelligence community took the unusual step of releasing a statement to say it concurred with the consensus view that the disease was not man-made, but spies are investigating whether the virus might have been held in a laboratory and leaked accidentally.
It's understood that Britain's intelligence and security services don't believe the theory that the virus was manufactured.
Sir Richard said: "I am just staggered. They clearly haven't read the science. And they haven't attempted to understand it. The onus is now on the leadership of China to explain why the theory and the hypothesis that it could be engineered is wrong."
Sir Richard first spoke about his coronavirus theory in The Daily Telegraph last month.
He told Sky News his thinking has been shaped in part by the work of a British clinical scientist called Professor Angus Dalgleish and Birger Sorensen, chairman of Norwegian company Immunor, which is seeking to develop a COVID-19 vaccine.
The two men have published a paper offering an alternative theory on a vaccine for coronavirus.
They have written other related coronavirus papers, including one that explores their belief it is more likely the virus was manipulated in a laboratory than occurring naturally.
This research has yet to be accepted by a journal for publication.
The pair said they wanted to challenge work on the origin of COVID-19 published in the scientific journal Nature Medicine in March, which ruled out lab-meddling.
"I thought the whole point of a scientific journal was that you put forward some speculation and you opened it up to debate," said Professor Dalgleish, who is a professor of oncology at the Institute for Infection and Immunity at St George's University London. He is also principal of the Institute for Cancer Vaccines and Immunotherapy.
"Disagree all you want - that's how you get to the right answers."
He and Mr Sorensen say they have gone against the scientific consensus before with their research on treatment for HIV.
"We maintained a very good friendship and working relationship," the British clinician said, explaining how they came to collaborate on COVID-19. He also holds stock options in Mr Sorensen's vaccine company.
Sir Richard challenged Nature to publish the two men's paper on the origin of the virus.
Sky News understands that it was submitted but not accepted.
Magdalena Skipper, editor in chief of Nature, said she was not permitted to discuss individual papers and whether or not they had been received or turned down.
However, as an editor and previously a researcher, she said it was crucial to keep an open mind when it comes to science and to engage in discussion.
"But in the end if one doesn't see many publications in favour of a certain theory, one has to conclude that that's because there isn't robust evidence in favour of that theory. Rather than seeking alternative explanations for that. Because after all it is that focus on the evidence in support of a theory which is the focus of research and how conclusions are made," she said.
Professor Kristian Andersen at the department of immunology and microbiology at Scripps Research, a medical research facility in California, was lead author on the March paper that argued the new coronavirus evolved naturally and not from a laboratory.
He defended his work and attacked the vaccine paper by Mr Sorensen and Professor Dalgleish, describing it as "complete nonsense, unintelligible, and not even remotely scientific - leading the authors to make unfounded and unsupported conclusions about the origin of SARS-CoV-2".
In an emailed statement, sent by a colleague, Professor Andersen added: "As we describe in our paper, all the data strongly suggest that this is a natural virus - no scientific data has been put forward suggesting otherwise, including in the present 'study'."
Mr Sorensen defended his approach.
"What nonsense? He is nonsense. He has no support. He says [originating from a laboratory] cannot happen. Of course this can happen," he said.
Sky News has spoken to four other scientists who believe that the lab theory should not be ruled out, though they did not say it was more likely than a natural explanation.
(More at above url)
If a person is a whistleblower but their target is not Donald Trump, do they still exist, do they still get media attention?
Chinese Virologist Flees Hong Kong, Accuses Beijing Of COVID-19 Cover-Up
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopoliti...lees-hong-kong-accuses-beijing-covid-19-cover
Chinese Virologist Flees Hong Kong, Accuses Beijing Of COVID-19 Cover-Up
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopoliti...lees-hong-kong-accuses-beijing-covid-19-cover
A plasma shot could prevent coronavirus. But feds and makers won't act, scientists say
It might be the next best thing to a coronavirus vaccine.
Scientists have devised a way to use the antibody-rich blood plasma of COVID-19 survivors for an upper-arm injection that they say could inoculate people against the virus for months.
Using technology that’s been proven effective in preventing other diseases such as hepatitis A, the injections would be administered to high-risk healthcare workers, nursing home patients, or even at public drive-through sites — potentially protecting millions of lives, the doctors and other experts say.
more at link
https://news.yahoo.com/plasma-shot-could-prevent-coronavirus-130023057.html
It might be the next best thing to a coronavirus vaccine.
Scientists have devised a way to use the antibody-rich blood plasma of COVID-19 survivors for an upper-arm injection that they say could inoculate people against the virus for months.
Using technology that’s been proven effective in preventing other diseases such as hepatitis A, the injections would be administered to high-risk healthcare workers, nursing home patients, or even at public drive-through sites — potentially protecting millions of lives, the doctors and other experts say.
more at link
https://news.yahoo.com/plasma-shot-could-prevent-coronavirus-130023057.html
There is a lot to unpack here but worth the read.
A couple take home messages:
1) As we know, SARS was/is also a coronavirus related to COVID-19. The researchers studied patients who had had SARS 17 years ago and found that their immune memory cells/(T-cells that had download software versus just native T cells that are more like blank disks) still were coded to produce SARS specific antibodies. This is very good news if you are trying to produce a vaccine for COVID-19 and want it to continue to offer some level of immunity over time, even if not "neutralizing" knock-out immunity. Of course, you don't know that this also true for Covid-19 until you specifically study Covid of course, but it is always a hopeful sign when another member of the same virus family behaves that way.
2) They also studied some patients who had not has SARS or Covid but whose memory cells seem to produce the same of some of the same antibodies. There is speculation by the researchers that the common cold which is also a corona virus, or an unknown corona virus that may have circulated now or in the past might have generated these T-memory cells and that that is the reason why some people may be getting light cases of the disease.
Interesting shiite. I skimmed it pretty fast, so reserve the right to change how I summarized it if I took a wrong turn. I am mostly just trying to generate motivation for others to read it so that we can see what's what.
Scientists uncover SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell immunity in recovered COVID-19 and SARS patients
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-07-scientists-uncover-sars-cov-specific-cell-immunity.html
A couple take home messages:
1) As we know, SARS was/is also a coronavirus related to COVID-19. The researchers studied patients who had had SARS 17 years ago and found that their immune memory cells/(T-cells that had download software versus just native T cells that are more like blank disks) still were coded to produce SARS specific antibodies. This is very good news if you are trying to produce a vaccine for COVID-19 and want it to continue to offer some level of immunity over time, even if not "neutralizing" knock-out immunity. Of course, you don't know that this also true for Covid-19 until you specifically study Covid of course, but it is always a hopeful sign when another member of the same virus family behaves that way.
2) They also studied some patients who had not has SARS or Covid but whose memory cells seem to produce the same of some of the same antibodies. There is speculation by the researchers that the common cold which is also a corona virus, or an unknown corona virus that may have circulated now or in the past might have generated these T-memory cells and that that is the reason why some people may be getting light cases of the disease.
Interesting shiite. I skimmed it pretty fast, so reserve the right to change how I summarized it if I took a wrong turn. I am mostly just trying to generate motivation for others to read it so that we can see what's what.
Scientists uncover SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell immunity in recovered COVID-19 and SARS patients
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-07-scientists-uncover-sars-cov-specific-cell-immunity.html