COVID-19 News and Discussions

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caltrek
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Six Common COVID Myths Busted by a Virologist and a Public Health Expert
by Simon Nicholas Williams and Stephen Griffin
November 29, 2022

Introduction:
(The Conversation) Almost three years into the pandemic, myths and misinformation remain widespread. Here we, a virologist and a public health researcher, debunk some common misconceptions about COVID.
Myth 1: The virus is becoming milder…
Myth 2: COVID only affects older and vulnerable people…
Myth 3: Washing hands is enough to prevent COVID spread…
Myth 4: Masks don’t work…
Myth 5: Vaccines don’t reduce transmission…
Myth 6: Vaccines were rushed through…
Read more concerning each of these “myths” here: https://theconversation.com/six-common ... rt-188396
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Fears of deadly infection surge as China abandons zero-Covid policy

Sun 4 Dec 2022 07.00 GMT

[...]

For nearly three years the authorities have battled to keep Covid out of the country, using every tool of technology, mass mobilisation and repression at their disposal, regardless of the tragic costs to individuals and the terrible damage to the national economy.

China became a nation of vigilance, constantly on guard against the virus lapping at its shores. Xi Jinping, China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, was champion of this isolationist approach.

Now Beijing has decided to move on.


[...]

Omicron has proved less deadly as it spread across countries such as Britain, but by the time it had become dominant, about 95% of the UK population had some form of antibodies from vaccines or previous infections, Bauld said.

China has relatively low vaccination and booster rates, particularly among the vulnerable elderly – only 40% of the over-80s have had booster shots. Almost no one has natural antibodies from previous infections.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/ ... vid-policy
weatheriscool
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Biden administration considers proposal to end military COVID vaccine mandate
Source: Reuters
President Joe Biden's administration is mulling a proposal from Republican leader Kevin McCarthy to repeal the U.S. military's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, the White House said on Saturday.

McCarthy, who is vying to become speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, earlier told Fox News he had won bipartisan agreement to lift the mandate at a White House meeting with Biden, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.

[snip]

But the White House said Biden had agreed only to consider the idea.

"Leader McCarthy raised this with the president and the president told him he would consider it," said White House spokesperson Olivia Dalton. "The secretary of defense has recommended retaining the mandate, and the president supports his position. Discussions about the NDAA are ongoing."
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden- ... 022-12-03/
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COVID treatments and prevention are still improving – so the longer you can avoid it the better

Published: December 8, 2022 11.51am GMT

There have been enough COVID infections in the UK since March 2020 for every person to have been infected between 1.3 and two times, according to mathematical modelling.

Of course, some people will have had COVID more than twice, and some won’t have had it at all. But COVID is not a “one and done” disease, and any ideas of eliminating it are now unrealistic.

There is however an increasingly pervasive narrative which suggests we shouldn’t bother to mitigate against COVID, apart from through vaccination, because infection (and reinfection) is supposedly inevitable – and even useful for topping up immunity.

But counter to this somewhat fatalistic perspective, multilayered mitigation measures alongside vaccination have shown the potential to reduce COVID spread. These measures, such as purifying the air in closed spaces and destroying the virus with a type of UV light, are sustainable and not restrictive. The result could be fewer infections overall and a longer time, on average, between infections.

Read more: https://theconversation.com/covid-treat ... ter-192140
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weatheriscool
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Covid cases explode in Beijing leaving city streets empty and daily life disrupted
Source: CNN

Empty streets, deserted shopping centers, and residents staying away from one another are the new normal in Beijing – but not because the city, like many Chinese ones before it, is under a “zero-Covid” lockdown.

This time, it’s because Beijing has been hit with a significant, and spreading, outbreak – a first for the Chinese capital since the beginning of the pandemic, a week after leaders eased the country’s restrictive Covid policy.

The impact of the outbreak in the city was visible in the upmarket shopping district Sanlitun on Tuesday. There, the usually bustling shops and restaurants were without customers and, in some cases, functioning on skeleton crews or offering takeout only.

Similar scenes are playing out across Beijing, as offices, shops and residential communities report being understaffed or shifting working arrangements as employees fall ill with the virus. Meanwhile, others stay home to avoid being infected.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/14/china/be ... index.html
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This was too good not to share.



(forgive me)
And, as always, bye bye.
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New Projection Shows One Million Could Die From COVID in China
by Anishi Kohli
December 17, 2022

Introduction:
(Time) Roughly a million people could die from COVID-19 in China by next year as a result of the country’s rapid abandonment of pandemic restrictions, a new projection suggests.

Researchers worry that ill-prepared healthcare systems, low rates of vaccination among the elderly and ineffective vaccines will contribute to a massive and deadly COVID-19 surge that has already begun overwhelming hospitals in Beijing.

The country of 1.4 billion has had some of the strictest COVID containment measures in place since the pandemic began nearly three years ago, but the government began easing restrictions this month after a wave of fervent protests that began in November against President Xi Jinping’s zero-COVID policies.
Read more here: https://time.com/6242070/covid-china-d ... xplainer/
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