COVID-19 Up

2021-02-18 17:39:56 U.S. Life Expectancy Fell by 1 Year in First 6 Months of Pandemic

@COVID19Up: Life expectancy in the U.S. fell by a full year in the half of 2020, CDC data published Thursday shows.

The decline from 78.8 years in 2019 to 77.8 years for January through June 2020 marks the biggest fall in longevity since World War II, underscoring the impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. The drop is even larger for Black and Latino Americans, who've been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
SOURCE | TIP

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2021-02-02 08:51:33 Study Shows COVID-19 Variant Spreading in Britain Could Become Resistant to Vaccines

@COVID19Up: A fast-spreading coronavirus variant first observed in the United Kingdom has gained a new mutation that could potentially make it harder to control with vaccines, Public Health England reported Monday. It is the latest evidence that the virus is undergoing a worrisome evolution worldwide.

The variant, known as B.1.1.7, first came to light in December. Researchers determined that it had rapidly become more common across the United Kingdom in just a couple of months.

Experiments in test tubes suggest that some of its mutations allow the coronavirus to hold onto cells more tightly. SOURCE

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2021-02-02 02:57:19 CDC Issues Guidelines on Attending Super Bowl Celebrations Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

@COVID19Up: The U.S. CDC has issued guidelines on attending parties for and ahead of the Super Bowl on Sunday.

The CDC advised that “attending large gatherings like the Super Bowl increases your risk of getting and spreading COVID-19,” calling on fans to watch the game at home with the people who live with them instead of hosting or attending a gathering.

The guidance added that if fans choose to attend the game or a large event or watch party, they should contact any venue “to ensure that they have steps in place to prevent the spread of the virus,” in addition to practicing social distancing and avoiding crowded areas.

The CDC also called on individuals to avoid using restroom facilities at a restaurant or other venue, especially during “high traffic times,” like halftime or immediately after the game. Fans are also advised to “avoid chanting or cheering,” and to “stomp, clap, or bring hand-held noisemakers instead.” SOURCE

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2021-02-02 02:22:12 Tens of Thousands in England to Be Tested in Door-to-Door "Two-Week Sprint" to Halt South African Variant

@COVID19Up: Tens of thousands of people will be tested in a door-to-door “two-week sprint” to halt the spread of the South African coronavirus variant as cases were found across England.

Squads of health officials, firefighters and volunteers have been established to deliver and collect PCR test kits door-to-door and mobile testing units will be sent to each area. Wastewater could also be tested to determined the prevalence of the strain.

The new South Africa variant, which is more transmissible than the original virus, appears to show a slightly “diminished” response to vaccines, and may eventually require a booster shot, Public Health England said.

Labour said the “deeply worrying” news bolstered the argument for closing UK borders and enforcing hotel quarantine for all new arrivals. SOURCE

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2021-02-02 01:44:04 "They Didn't Isolate the Virus": China's Top Epidemiologist, Dr. Wu Zunyou Makes Bizarre Claim

@COVID19Up: China's top epidemiologist, Dr. Wu Zunyou, from the Chinese Center for Disease Control told NBC Nightly News that they didn't isolate SARS-CoV-2.

Zunyou does not believe COVID-19 began in Wuhan, China. SOURCE

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2021-02-02 01:18:09 Only 38% of Nursing Home Workers Accepted COVID-19 Vaccines in U.S.

@COVID19Up: While residents of nursing homes and their caregivers have been considered a top priority for COVID-19 vaccination, only 38% of nursing home staff accepted shots when they were offered, new data from the CDC revealed Monday.

Anecdotal reports have been circulating for weeks that nursing home staff members were turning down vaccination offers, but these are the first national-level figures.

"These findings show we have a lot of work to do to increase confidence and also really understand the barriers to vaccination amongst this population," said Dr. Radhika Gharpure, lead author of the study and a member of the CDC’s Vaccine Task Force. SOURCE

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2021-02-01 22:56:59 Oxford Kept COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Volunteers in Dark About Dosing Error, Letter Shows

@COVID19Up: About 1,500 of the initial volunteers in a late-stage clinical trial of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine were given the wrong dose, but weren’t informed that a mistake had been made after the blunder was discovered, documents obtained by Reuters show.

Instead, the dosing mishap was presented to the trial participants in a letter dated June 8 as an opportunity for University of Oxford researchers to learn how well the vaccine works at different doses. The letter was signed by the trial’s chief investigator, Oxford professor Andrew J. Pollard, and sent to the trial subjects.

As Reuters reported on Dec. 24, participants were given about a half dose due to a measuring mistake by Oxford researchers. The Pollard letter didn’t acknowledge any error. Nor did it disclose that researchers had reported the issue to British medical regulators.

Reuters shared the letter—which it obtained from the university through a Freedom of Information request—with three different experts in medical ethics. The ethicists all said it indicates the researchers may not have been transparent with trial participants. Volunteers in clinical trials are supposed to be kept fully informed about any changes. SOURCE

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2021-02-01 22:04:13 Less Than a Week After Saying "Wear Two Masks," Fauci Admits It Probably "Won't Make a Difference"

@G3News: Less than a week after advising people that wearing two masks would be more effective against the spread of coronavirus, Dr. Fauci has admitted that there is no data to suggest it will make any difference.

After Fauci made the comments, corporate media began to push the idea that people need to wear two, three, or even four masks.

Fauci has flip-flopped continuously on masks, having originally said that “there’s no reason to be walking around with a mask,” and that they are mostly symbolic. Open / Comment

2021-02-01 21:45:46 TSA Authorized to Fine Passengers Who Refuse to Wear Masks

@COVID19Up: The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has been authorized to fine passengers who fail to comply with the new mask requirements on public transportation systems.

The TSA will require travelers to wear masks through airport screening checkpoints and throughout all public transportation systems beginning Tuesday. TSA workers are authorized to deny entry or boarding to passengers who refuse to wear masks, and those passengers could be subject to fines.

“Depending on the circumstance, those who refuse a mask may be subject to a civil penalty for attempting to circumvent screening requirements, interfering with screening personnel, or a combination of those offenses,” TSA announced on Sunday. SOURCE

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2021-02-01 21:27:21 More Contagious Mutation Causes Half of New Dutch COVID-19 Cases

@COVID19Up: The coronavirus mutation first detected in Britain caused half of all new infections in the Netherlands by Jan. 26, Dutch health minister Hugo de Jonge said on Monday.

Last week, health authorities said the new, more contagious variant was responsible for around a third of all new infections in the Netherlands.

The ‘British mutation’ was seen to be almost 50% more contagious than the older variant, based on calculations up until Jan. 14, De Jonge wrote in a letter to parliament. SOURCE

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