COVID-19 News and Discussions

[caltrek]

Big Pharma’s Big Lie About Vaccine Patents
by Sarah Lazare and Paige Oamek
November 3, 2021

https://inthesetimes.com/article/pfizer ... ty-patents

Extract:

(In These Times) Big Pharma has been caught in a lie that implicates not only major Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers, but also heads of state and members of Congress…

The lie relates to an October 2020 proposal from India and South Africa that the World Trade Organization suspend enforcement of key patent rules so that cheaper, generic versions of Covid-19 treatments and vaccines can get to more people more quickly…The pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Moderna, …emerged as virulent opponents of such a measure, which still has not passed more than a year later, even as just one out of 21 people in poor countries have been fully vaccinated. It is no anomaly that the industry would reject such a proposal—pharmaceutical companies had a big hand in shaping those WTO intellectual property rules in the first place, to protect pharmaceutical monopolies and their profits.

But in order to protect strict intellectual property rules while also protecting its public image, the pharmaceutical industry had to weave a narrative that portrays companies as driven by altruistic motives: the desire to protect innovation and research, and ensure safe and responsible vaccine production. Among talking points about how intellectual property incentivizes creativity, and rewards those who save lives, a key argument has emerged: Sharing vaccine recipes is not the panacea you think it is, because much of the world—i.e. the Global South—lacks the facilities and capacity to produce vaccines in a safe and timely manner. Even if we got rid of all intellectual property rules tomorrow, this would do little to boost immediate global vaccine supply.
…
But, it turns out, empirical claims can be empirically disproven. On October 22, the New York Times ran a story titled, "Here's Why Developing Countries Can Make mRNA Covid Vaccines" that identifies 10 different facilities in India, Brazil, Thailand, South Africa, Argentina and Indonesia that are strong candidates for producing mRNA vaccines. "The key criteria include existing facilities, human capital, the regulatory system for medicines and the political and economic climate," writes journalist Stephanie Nolen. Some of the facilities are already producing other vaccines, or testing or making their own mRNA vaccines. In other words, Global South countries could absolutely start producing Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, if the companies would only tell them how.

This article was also reprinted by Common Dreams: https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021 ... ct-profits

[wjfox]

[weatheriscool]

Arizona has over 3K more COVID-19 cases for 3rd straight day
Source: Associated Press

an hour ago

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona on Saturday reported over 3,000 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases for the third straight day as virus-related hospitalizations reached their highest level since late September.

The state Department of Health Services’ coronavirus dashboard reported 3,592 additional cases and 60 deaths, increasing the state’s pandemic totals to 1,186,477 cases and 21,408 deaths.

As of Friday, 1,904 COVID-19 patients occupied hospital inpatient beds, the most since 1,933 on Sept. 20.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus- ... 0dedfa152b

[weatheriscool]

Pfizer says COVID-19 pill cut hospital, death risk by 90%
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-11- ... death.html
by Matthew Perrone

Pfizer Inc. said Friday that its experimental antiviral pill for COVID-19 cut rates of hospitalization and death by nearly 90% in high-risk adults, as the drugmaker joined the race for an easy-to-use medication to treat the coronavirus.

Currently most COVID-19 treatments require an IV or injection. Competitor Merck's COVID-19 pill is already under review at the Food and Drug Administration after showing strong initial results, and on Thursday the United Kingdom became the first country to OK it.

[weatheriscool]

Court temporarily blocks Biden’s vaccine mandate for large companies.
A federal appeals panel issued a temporary stay on President Biden’s vaccine mandate for large employers.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/06/worl ... 175be38b67
James C. McKinley Jr.Isabella Grullón Paz

Nov. 6, 2021Updated 4:25 p.m. ET

A federal appeals panel in Louisiana has temporarily blocked the Biden administration’s new safety regulations directing businesses with more than 100 workers to require their employees to get vaccinations against the coronavirus by early January.

The three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted a temporary stay to a group of businesses, religious groups, advocacy organizations and several states that had filed a joint petition in court, arguing the administration had overstepped its authority.

[weatheriscool]

New York City cuts vaccine mandate deal with four unions

By Andrew Jeong and Adela Suliman

New York City said Thursday that it had reached an agreement with at least four unions representing some 75,000 city employees to establish rules about how workers can apply for medical or religious exemptions to the city’s coronavirus vaccine mandate.

The development eases tensions between some city workers and Mayor Bill de Blasio’s (D) administration over requirements to get vaccinated against the coronavirus or go on unpaid leave. Though about 92 percent of city employees were compliant with vaccine mandates as of Wednesday, there are small pockets of resistance, particularly among some police officers and firefighters.

As part of the deal, the unions will withdraw litigation against the mandate. In return, employees will have the right to appeal exemption denials to an outside arbitrator. The city will also extend health benefits to workers who decline vaccination until June 30, 2022, while allowing some exemption applicants to stay at work until final rulings on their requests are made.

The four unions are DC37, Teamsters Local 237, Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association Local 831 and SEIU Local 300. However, the city’s largest police and firefighters unions have not yet reached deals with the municipal government. New York City’s mayor-elect, Eric Adams, a former police captain, said Wednesday that he would “revisit” the issue of vaccine mandates for municipal workers.

{snip}

By Andrew Jeong
Andrew Jeong is a reporter for The Washington Post in its Seoul hub. Twitter https://twitter.com/hj257

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2 ... e-updates/

[weatheriscool]

New COVID vaccine design is easier to manufacture, doesn't need cold storage
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-11- ... -cold.html
by Children's Hospital Boston

Currently available COVID vaccines require cold storage and sophisticated manufacturing capacity, which makes it difficult to produce and distribute them widely, especially in less developed countries. A new type of vaccine would potentially be much easier to produce and would not need refrigeration, report researchers at Boston Children's Hospital in the November 2 issue of PNAS.

The researchers, led by Hidde Ploegh, Ph.D., and first authors Novalia Pishesha, Ph.D., and Thibault Harmand, Ph.D., believe their technology could help fill global vaccination gaps and that the same technology could be applied to vaccines against other diseases.

In mice, the vaccine elicited strong immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. It was successfully freeze-dried and later reconstituted without loss of efficacy. In tests, it remained stable and potent for at least seven days at room temperature.

Unlike current COVID-19 vaccines, the new design is completely protein-based, making it easy for many facilities to manufacture. It has two components: antibodies derived from alpacas, known as nanobodies, and the portion of the virus's spike protein that binds to receptors on human cells.

"We could also attach the whole spike protein or other parts of the virus," notes Pishesha. "And we can change the vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 variants quickly and easily."

[wjfox]

[caltrek]

Trump Country is Getting Hit Much Harder by Recent Wave of COVID Deaths
by Jon Skolnik
November 08, 2021

https://www.alternet.org/2021/11/trump-country-deaths/

Inroduction:

(Alternet) This past month, the gap in COVID-19 death rates between counties that voted for Donald Trump and President Biden has been higher than ever recorded, according to a New York Times analysis, likely due to lingering Republican hesitancy over the safety of the vaccine.

This month, about "25 out of every 100,000 residents of heavily Trump counties died from Covid, more than three times higher than the rate in heavily Biden counties," the Times found. The analysis – which defines "Trump counties" as any that saw at least 60% of their electorate vote for Trump in the 2020 election – also observed that the gap appears to be climbing.

According to the Times, the difference is most likely explained by the emergence of the COVID-19 vaccine, which has seen much higher rates of hesitancy amongst conservatives. In fact, prior to the vaccine, when the nation saw a marked partisan discrepancy in the use of public health measures, there was a marginal partisan difference in the death rates.

"The true explanation is straightforward," explained the Times' David Leonhardt. "The vaccines are remarkably effective at preventing severe Covid, and almost 40 percent of Republican adults remain unvaccinated, compared with about 10 percent of Democratic adults."

Among those who refuse to get vaccinated, roughly half are "unlikely to change their minds," according to NBC News. It remains unclear whether the gap will continue to widen given the country's entrenched hesitancy around the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine – a sentiment that's been largely fueled by right-wing news sources like Fox News. According to a Media Matters analysis from July, almost 60% of segments about the vaccine "included claims that undermined vaccination efforts."

[raklian]

Among those who refuse to get vaccinated, roughly half are "unlikely to change their minds," according to NBC News. It remains unclear whether the gap will continue to widen given the country's entrenched hesitancy around the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine – a sentiment that's been largely fueled by right-wing news sources like Fox News. According to a Media Matters analysis from July, almost 60% of segments about the vaccine "included claims that undermined vaccination efforts."

They refuse to admit they were wrong. It's all about this endgame at any cost:

[wjfox]

Trump Country is Getting Hit Much Harder by Recent Wave of COVID Deaths
by Jon Skolnik
November 08, 2021

https://www.alternet.org/2021/11/trump-country-deaths/

Inroduction:

(Alternet) This past month, the gap in COVID-19 death rates between counties that voted for Donald Trump and President Biden has been higher than ever recorded, according to a New York Times analysis, likely due to lingering Republican hesitancy over the safety of the vaccine.

This month, about "25 out of every 100,000 residents of heavily Trump counties died from Covid, more than three times higher than the rate in heavily Biden counties," the Times found. The analysis – which defines "Trump counties" as any that saw at least 60% of their electorate vote for Trump in the 2020 election – also observed that the gap appears to be climbing.

According to the Times, the difference is most likely explained by the emergence of the COVID-19 vaccine, which has seen much higher rates of hesitancy amongst conservatives. In fact, prior to the vaccine, when the nation saw a marked partisan discrepancy in the use of public health measures, there was a marginal partisan difference in the death rates.

"The true explanation is straightforward," explained the Times' David Leonhardt. "The vaccines are remarkably effective at preventing severe Covid, and almost 40 percent of Republican adults remain unvaccinated, compared with about 10 percent of Democratic adults."

Among those who refuse to get vaccinated, roughly half are "unlikely to change their minds," according to NBC News. It remains unclear whether the gap will continue to widen given the country's entrenched hesitancy around the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine – a sentiment that's been largely fueled by right-wing news sources like Fox News. According to a Media Matters analysis from July, almost 60% of segments about the vaccine "included claims that undermined vaccination efforts."

Great news – I hope this continues. The voter demographics in the U.S. will be improved. And the world is overpopulated anyway – if the stupidest segment wants to Darwin Award themselves off, that's fine with me.

[wjfox]

Covid-resistant people inspire new vaccine tactic

3 hours ago

Understanding how some people naturally resist Covid infection, despite clearly being exposed to the virus, could lead to better vaccines, say researchers.

A team at University College London said some people had a degree of Covid-immunity before the pandemic started.

This likely came from the body learning how to fight viruses that are related to the one which has swept the world.

Upgrading vaccines to copy this protection, could make the jabs even more effective, the team said.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-59207466

[raklian]

Pretty handy to have if you don't know where to begin in terms of finding useful epidemiological information about Covid.

[caltrek]

White-Tailed Deer Study Hints at a Frightening New Era for Covid-19
Tara Yarlagadda
November 11, 2021

https://www.inverse.com/science/white-t ... er-covid19

Introduction:

(Inverse) WE ARE ENTERING an uncertain phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, where our actions could determine whether the disease shifts to being endemic — a normal part of life, like the seasonal flu or chickenpox.

It isn’t just humans that can get Covid-19. Animals can become infected with SARS-CoV-2 too, adding another unpredictable element that could potentially shape the future pandemic. This is the virus that causes Covid-19.

Critically, the transmission of Covid-19 among free-ranging wildlife — non-domesticated animals living separate from humans — is rarely observed in nature. In 2020, a single wild mink found in Utah marked the first detection of SARS-CoV-2 in a free-ranging, native animal in the United States.

But a study on white-tailed deer posted the pre-print server bioRxiv on November 1 suggests a dramatic shift.

The study indicates that, between April 2020 and January 2021, up to 80 percent of white-tailed deer in Iowa became infected with SARS-CoV-2.

[wjfox]

[Ken_J]

he also punished mayors who were not politically aligned with him by denying them access to emergency medical equipment and support. Literally saying that he was withholding things from them because they had been critical of him.

[caltrek]

An excellent summary by the "Lonely Satirist." Unfortunately, these basic facts are not being acknowledged by Fox News or many of its guests. So, supporters are quickly forgetting Trump's demonstrably negative role. That, combined with all the whining about how Biden isn't Superman, will quite possibly result in Trump's election in 2024, or in the election of a Trump clone. I honestly can't say I understand how this country got so far off track, only that it seems to have done so.

[caltrek]

Sweeping Restrictions on Covid-19 Safety Measures Become Law in Tennessee
by Rosana Hughes
November 13, 2021

https://www.courthousenews.com/sweeping ... tennessee/

Introduction:

(Courthouse News) — Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed sweeping restrictions on Covid-19 safety measures into law late Friday following a whirlwind three-day special legislative session at the tail end of last month.

The restrictions, which affect the authority of schools, health officials and private businesses, have been met with pushback from leaders in those communities and are expected to be met with legal challenges.

Some of the restrictions under the new legislation include prohibiting businesses that do not receive federal funds from requiring employees to receive a Covid-19 vaccine or request proof of it. The rule also applies to government agencies and public schools.

Proof of a negative Covid-19 test, however, can be required by private businesses such as entertainment venues. And businesses at risk of losing federal money can continue to require vaccines after obtaining permission from the state comptroller’s office. State prisons and health care organizations that receive money from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are also exempt from the prohibition on vaccine mandates.

Employees who quit their jobs because of vaccine requirements will be allowed to collect unemployment benefits, something that will apply retroactively to those who have not yet found new employment.

[Cyber_Rebel]

I honestly can't say I understand how this country got so far off track, only that it seems to have done so.

I'm sorry, but the only logical choice was Bernie Sanders. I realize there was worry about appealing to the electorate as a whole and then strategically voting/passing progressive legislation while in office. Understand, that this isn't Canada, where that idea actually makes sense as the electorate is not nearly as insane.

Biden himself? He never really was that enthusiastic about progressive change to begin with. Whether he's better than Trump/GOP garbage is irrelevant to the material conditions people have to experience on a daily basis. It's all too easy to forget, when your next paycheck decides your fate. That's not to say that any of this gives conservatives a free pass to their blatant authoritarianism, anti-intellectualism, anti-scientific bullshit. But voters themselves also have to take it upon themselves to be educated and active enough when it counts, otherwise "Clark Kent" is who they'll ever see.

The issue is that we needed an equally strong response. This was the right time for one, and the "left" if you want to call them that, faltered.

[erowind]

.