COVID-19 News and Discussions

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wjfox
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Covid: New heavily mutated variant B.1.1.529 in South Africa raises concern

20 minutes ago

We're back in familiar territory - growing concern about a new variant of coronavirus.

The latest form is the most heavily mutated version discovered so far - and it has such a long list of mutations that it was described by one scientist as "horrific".

The confirmed cases are mostly concentrated in one province in South Africa, but there are hints it may have spread further.

Immediately there are questions around how quickly the new variant spreads, its ability to bypass some of the protection given by vaccines and what should be done about it.

The variant is called B.1.1.529 and is likely to be given a Greek code-name (like the Alpha and Delta variants) by the World Health Organization on Friday.

It is also incredibly heavily mutated. Prof Tulio de Oliveira, the director of the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation in South Africa, said there was an "unusual constellation of mutations" and that it was "very different" to other variants that have circulated.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-59418127
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I hope that doesn’t imply an even higher R value. Here I was hoping the situation in Japan implied a self destruction hypothesis. Who knows, maybe still, trying to stay optimistic. I don’t actually want to flee to the forest, might just have to in order to have any semblance of living.

I know of an intentional community that has lived life as before since the pandemic without any internal social distancing because they successfully pulled off quarantining the community itself from the world. Just waiting on my girlfriend to finish college at this point if this keeps up. That place generates most of its own power and grows 80% of its own food too.
Last edited by erowind on Fri Nov 26, 2021 9:31 am, edited 2 times in total.
Xyls
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Hard to say what this variant means but travel restrictions needs to be implemented fast to determine if the spread is because it has the ability to get around immunity from previous infection/vaccination. If so, we might be looking at another global lockdown...
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Now in Belgium.

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'It Was Entirely Avoidable': Rich Countries Blamed as New Covid Variant Sparks Global Alarm
by Jake Johnson
November 26, 2021

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/ ... rks-global

Introduction:
(Common Dreams) The detection of a new, heavily mutated, and potentially vaccine-resistant coronavirus variant in Botswana and other nations is sending shockwaves worldwide as public health officials rush to understand the strain and its possible impact on the global pandemic response.

For vaccine equity campaigners and epidemiologists, the emergence of another highly contagious coronavirus mutation is far from surprising given the massive inoculation gap between rich and poor countries, which has left billions of people across the globe without access to lifesaving shots—and kept the door open to variants.

Botswana, where the new strain was first identified earlier this month, has fully vaccinated just 20% of its population.

Tim Bierley of the U.K.-based advocacy group Global Justice Now said in a statement that the B.1.1.529 mutation is an "entirely avoidable" consequence of deliberate policy decisions by rich countries, which have hoarded vaccine doses and refused to force pharmaceutical giants to share technology with developing nations.

"The U.K. has actively prevented low and middle-income countries from having equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines. We have created the conditions for this variant to emerge," Bierley said, referring to the British government's opposition to a proposed patent waiver for coronavirus vaccines.
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To know is essentially the same as not knowing. The only thing that occurs is the rearrangement of atoms in your brain.
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