Coronavirus Thread VI: Are We Nearly There Yet? (READ OP)

[Sincluda]

Oh Florida.....

Their governor just signed an order to withhold state funds from any school with a mask mandate.

I am sure he will yabber on about caring about education.

https://www.wfla.com/community/health/c ... ape-coral/

Florida breaks record with 21,683 new COVID cases

Having listened to the press conference,
HA

[Great Algerstonia]

Oh Florida.....

Their governor just signed an order to withhold state funds from any school with a mask mandate.

I am sure he will yabber on about caring about education.

https://www.wfla.com/community/health/c ... ape-coral/

The Department of education should withhold any funds to states that have this requirement.

That would damage all school districts that don't support that policy from DeSantis.

[The Free Joy State]

While true that an egg allergy wasn't a problem for me getting the COVID vaccine (and I couldn't get a flu vaccine for years until my local NHS authority bought in cell-grown vaccines), I do seem to remember there being some allergies where you couldn't have a COVID vaccine. But I've put my info away now, and don't remember what.

None of them ? I mean, we have mRNA, vector and plain old "have some real but weakened covid injected in you" vaccines now; although admittedly the last one is not used in the west.

I can imagine being allergic to one of them; but all ?

To be fair, I did put "I seem to remember". I only got the leaflet for one of them, after all.

Although, looking it up, it seems the advice has changed for people with a previous identified allergic reaction to food or medicine (not present in the vaccine); they did used to advise against vaccination for people with food and medication allergic reactions. But now, previous unidentified allergic reaction needs specialist advice and you can't have it if you're allergic to one of the ingredients.

It is possible to be unsuited to both Pfizer and AstraZeneca. The Pfizer cannot be taken by people with a PEG allergy. People with a PEG allergy can be also allergic to polysorbate 80, which is in the AstraZeneca (other medications contain it; a lot depends, according to the NHS, on if/how well they tolerate them). Such people should be referred to an allergist; if vaccination is able to proceed, the NHS suggests full resuscitation equipment on standby.

[Kowani]

covid swamps louisiana hospitals

Louisiana hospitals are running out of ICU beds as COVID-19 cases surge in the state.

Our Lady of Lourdes and Oschner Lafayette General hospitals have run out of ICU beds. Our Lady of Lourdes has resorted to converting regular beds outside of the ICU to deal with the virus, KATC ABC 3 reported.

"Part of that reason and why it's such a high percentage of our 70 patients is we're seeing enhanced severity of this illness in these individuals who, many of whom, are otherwise completely healthy," Dr. Henry Kaufman, interim chief medical officer at Our Lady of Lourdes, said at a press briefing. There are three beds open out of 156 in Region 4 of the state, with more than 1,000 people hospitalized across Louisiana due to the virus, according to the outlet.

"About four weeks ago we had ten people in our whole health system with COVID and today we have 97, " Chief Medical Officer at Ochsner Lafayette General Amanda Logue said.

There are a total of 162 people on ventilators from the coronavirus in the state.

"The transmission is very high. We know that this Delta variant is very infectious, contagious ... I've heard reports of one person being able to infect up to five to eight people if they are around them unprotected. That is incredibly high numbers and continues to only make the spread that much faster," Logue said.

Both hospitals said there has been an increase in patients below the age of 60. [...]Louisiana has a low vaccination rate with only 36 percent of the population fully vaccinated against the virus, according to data from John Hopkins University.

[The Huskar Social Union]

Oh Florida.....

Their governor just signed an order to withhold state funds from any school with a mask mandate.

I am sure he will yabber on about caring about education.

https://www.wfla.com/community/health/c ... ape-coral/

Florida breaks record with 21,683 new COVID cases

That governor is a fucking moron.

[Kowani]

what a wonderful day for the oklahoma state GOP to compare vaccinations to the holocaust

[The Huskar Social Union]

what a wonderful day for the oklahoma state GOP to compare vaccinations to the holocaust

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The state of this

[Austria-Bohemia-Hungary]

If one compares vaccinations to the deliberate ferrying of people in cattle-cars to be worked to death or gassed then one is no better than a rabid antisemite. Change my mind.

[Grave_n_idle]

what a wonderful day for the oklahoma state GOP to compare vaccinations to the holocaust

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Not even 'just' the holocaust - the chip and the 666 ID number shows they're doubling down, mask requirements are not just a genocide, they are literally the antichrist.

[Hurdergaryp]

[Kannap]

The Department of education should withhold any funds to states that have this requirement.

That would damage all school districts that don't support that policy from DeSantis.

DeSantis' policy damages schools that don't support that policy.

[Rusozak]

what a wonderful day for the oklahoma state GOP to compare vaccinations to the holocaust

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Ironic, considering that kind of crowd tends to deny or celebrate those events.

[Hurdergaryp]

[Grave_n_idle]

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This one has been known for a while. Ironically, it became big news because an anti-vaxx group claimed that vaccines cause erectile dysfunction, and received a resounding "well, ACTUALLY..." for their efforts.

[Galloism]

(Image)

Covid has been particularly nasty to men as a sex since the beginning. More death, more criticality, lots of things.

Someone needs to figure out why that is.

[Hurdergaryp]

(Image)

Covid has been particularly nasty to men as a sex since the beginning. More death, more criticality, lots of things.

Someone needs to figure out why that is.

They're probably working on it as we speak.

[Ethel mermania]

(Image)

Covid has been particularly nasty to men as a sex since the beginning. More death, more criticality, lots of things.

Someone needs to figure out why that is.

It hates us.

[Galloism]

Covid has been particularly nasty to men as a sex since the beginning. More death, more criticality, lots of things.

Someone needs to figure out why that is.

It hates us.

Misandrist virus.

Seriously though, we need to do something about this, and that means understanding (physiologically) why it is.

[Esternial]

It hates us.

Misandrist virus.

Seriously though, we need to do something about this, and that means understanding (physiologically) why it is.

Women do have stronger immune systems on average - it's also why they suffer heavier side effects from the vaccine.

[Galloism]

Misandrist virus.

Seriously though, we need to do something about this, and that means understanding (physiologically) why it is.

Women do have stronger immune systems on average - it's also why they suffer heavier side effects from the vaccine.

This is true, but Covid's strongest death inducing factor (IIRC - going off memory here, and I haven't had coffee this morning) was the cytokine storm. Basically, the immune system overreacts to the point it kills you.

One would expect that to happen MORE in people with a stronger immune system, not less. Which is why it's so puzzling to me that it kills men more.

[Esternial]

Women do have stronger immune systems on average - it's also why they suffer heavier side effects from the vaccine.

This is true, but Covid's strongest death inducing factor (IIRC - going off memory here, and I haven't had coffee this morning) was the cytokine storm. Basically, the immune system overreacts to the point it kills you.

One would expect that to happen MORE in people with a stronger immune system, not less. Which is why it's so puzzling to me that it kills men more.

I should know the answer to this. I wrote my thesis on sepsis, of which the cytokine storm is a good 1/3rd of the entire syndrome.

If I recall correctly the cytokine storm is a result of the innate immune response going haywire. Perhaps the female immune response is more adaptive vs. innate. I'd wager the research done on sepsis and male/female immune response would be very relevant.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4641283/

From the discussion it seems like it's not entirely clear (other studies say different things) but note in the conclusion:

We have found that males with sepsis have a 70% greater mortality rate as compared to females. This higher mortality appears to be related to differences in respiratory tract infection rate and IL-6 plasma levels, between the genders.

This might also be interesting: https://www.nature.com/articles/nri.2016.90).

[Galloism]

This is true, but Covid's strongest death inducing factor (IIRC - going off memory here, and I haven't had coffee this morning) was the cytokine storm. Basically, the immune system overreacts to the point it kills you.

One would expect that to happen MORE in people with a stronger immune system, not less. Which is why it's so puzzling to me that it kills men more.

I should know the answer to this. I wrote my thesis on sepsis, of which the cytokine storm is a good 1/3rd of the entire syndrome.

If I recall correctly the cytokine storm is a result of the innate immune response going haywire. Perhaps the female immune response is more adaptive vs. innate. I'd wager the research done on sepsis and male/female immune response would be very relevant.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4641283/

From the discussion it seems like it's not entirely clear (other studies say different things) but note in the conclusion:

We have found that males with sepsis have a 70% greater mortality rate as compared to females. This higher mortality appears to be related to differences in respiratory tract infection rate and IL-6 plasma levels, between the genders.

This might also be interesting: https://www.nature.com/articles/nri.2016.90).

So reading this - life is more complicated. "Women have stronger immune responses" is true but non-nuanced. I haven't read this whole thing yet, but this paragraph stuck out to me:

Because TLR4 expression is greater on immune cells from males than females, stimulation with LPS results in greater pro-inflammatory cytokine production by male immune cells, which can be reversed by removal of androgens in male rodents18. By contrast, higher expression of TLR7 in immune cells from females compared with males seems to cause greater cytokine production by female immune cells and is regulated by sex chromosome expression. The sex differential expression of PRRs is crucial for interpreting sex-specific activity of innate immune cells following stimulation.

Now, I'm not asserting that Covid pushes TLR4 expression of inflammatory cytokine production or anything like that, but if this trendline of Y is higher in men, while X is higher in women goes throughout this paper, that's multiple possibilities as to why this could occur.

Women's may be stronger in some areas, men stronger in other areas, and while women have the stronger immune system when you sum all of it up, the strength of the immune response may vary dramatically either way within depending on what exactly is expressed by what.

Very interesting.

Still reading.

EDIT: Also, if that did turn out to be the answer regarding TLR4, please send my nobel prize to:

Darth Vader
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[Maricarland]

We need more research into bat immune systems. They are capable of living healthy lives while infected with a multitude of viruses (with only a few viruses and parasites, like rabies and the fungus that causes white nose syndrome, actually being harmful to the bats). If we can find out how to even partially replicate that in humans through the use of a drug or some kind of injection, we can drastically reduce human illness, and dampen the next pandemic. BONUS: this will also help us better preserve bats (I love bats).

[Maricarland]

What are some of the measures that you guys think we should start now or start soon (maybe as soon as the current pandemic winds down), to prepare or prevent the next pandemic?

[Kragholm Free States]

What are some of the measures that you guys think we should start now or start soon (maybe as soon as the current pandemic winds down), to prepare or prevent the next pandemic?

Treat China as a potential pandemic threat at all times. Certainly not because of its people, or even necessarily its cultural practices, but because its government cannot be trusted to inform the rest of the world in a timely and honest manner, has routinely obstructed and withheld evidence from the global scientific community and investigative teams, and generally seems to have held an attitude of "if we're going to suffer from this pandemic, let's make damn sure everyone else suffers too". Quarantine periods for anyone arriving from China - including, of course, non-Chinese nationals - would be a sensible precaution, although it would need to be a policy adopted by many countries in order to be effective.

I suspect the politicians of the world would rather keep doing dodgy deals with Chinese corporations though, so what we'll get instead is perpetual restrictions on the everyday lives of everyone else.