I calmed down a bit...looking at the "winter-wonder-land..snow...April 1-we had some summer days allready....

Coffee-part 2;

[url]https://www.coronaheadsup.com/coronavirus/research-natural-antiviral-found-in-broccoli-cabbage-brussels-and-cauliflower/[/url] or https://www.coronaheadsup.com/coronavirus/research-natural-antiviral-found-in-broccoli-cabbage-brussels-and-cauliflower/ but also ZOE/Tim Spector mentioning good food can help prevent often major problems...may help limit damage...(but you also need to be lucky)...

“We evaluated the antiviral activity of sulforaphane (SFN), the principal biologically active phytochemical derived from glucoraphanin, the naturally occurring precursor present in high concentrations in cruciferous vegetables. SFN inhibited in vitro replication of six strains of SARS-CoV-2, including Delta and Omicron, as well as that of the seasonal coronavirus HCoV-OC43.”

Research: Sulforaphane exhibits antiviral activity against pandemic SARS-CoV-2 and seasonal HCoV-OC43 coronaviruses in vitro and in mice

Cruciferous vegetables are part of the Brassica genus of plants. They include the following vegetables, among others:

National Cancer Institute article

DJ, One can end up in discussions on "did people do enough not to get sick"....I hate that kind of discussion; it can easily become "blame the victim" ...Again getting good info out is one part...Here in NL there is also a discussion on Added Value Tax (BTW) on sorts of food; from extra tax on sugar, meat to dropping tax on fruits, vegetables...But it is a very complicated matter...one can make all kind of unhealthy snacks (meat replacements)  ending up not being taxed...cheaper "Frech Fries" made of potato-so no meat or sugar-is not helping...

For that matter better education may offer more perspective...Increasing tax on smoking did not end smoking...Limiting shops offering sigarettes may even work better then increasing the price...

With all of this pandemic-what role do governments have to play...I think they should be very active...most of the voters disagree....so obesity is increasing and obese people get blamed making matters worse...

-[url]https://www.coronaheadsup.com/science/recombination/netherlands-ba-1-1-ba-2-recombinant-designated-xm/[/url] or https://www.coronaheadsup.com/science/recombination/netherlands-ba-1-1-ba-2-recombinant-designated-xm/ ; 

A recombinant SARS-CoV-2 variant originally sequenced in the Netherlandshas been designated XM. It’s a combination of the Omicron BA1.1 and BA.2 subvariants.

From Gisaid:

Recombinant between: BA.1.1 & BA.2
Earliest sequence: 2022/2/21 (NL-NH)
Most recent sequence: 2022/3/04 (NL-NH)
Countries circulating: Netherlands (NH)
Likely breakpoint: between 17410 and 19995 (NSP13 or NSP14 or NSP15, ORF1b).
Cov-spectrum query: C15240T, C2470T, A18163G, C19955T, A20055G

Genomes:
hCoV-19/Netherlands/NH_AUMC-004734/2022 EPI_ISL_10925473 2022-03-04
hCoV-19/Netherlands/NH_AUMC-004178/2022 EPI_ISL_10925492 2022-02-21

https://cov-spectrum.org/explore/Netherlands/AllSamples/Past6M/variants?nucMutations=C15240T%2CC2470T%2CA18163G%2CC19955T%2CA20055G

DJ, "M" is the 13th letter in the alphabet...so by now 13 BA.1/BA.2 recombinations did get names...At least 7 BA.2 sub-variants (with also suggestion of sub-sub variants like Japan BA.2.3.1 ?)...it is getting complex...Statistics could give info on risks of new recombinations or subvariants...The Hong Kong BA.2.2 is high risk...

[url]https://www.coronaheadsup.com/health/children/hong-kong-ba-2-causes-7-times-more-deaths-among-hospitalised-children-than-flu/[/url] or https://www.coronaheadsup.com/health/children/hong-kong-ba-2-causes-7-times-more-deaths-among-hospitalised-children-than-flu/ ; 

According to the report, about 15 per cent of hospitalised youngsters who had contracted the sub-variant developed neurological complications and more than 6 per cent had respiratory complications, with 21 children being sent to paediatric intensive care.

“We have seen seizures that lasted up to 30 minutes, swollen vocal cords, changes in consciousness and acute brain inflammation. All these are unique to this Omicron sub-variant,” he said. “It is particularly worrying because seizures lasting that long might lead to brain hypoxia.”

Kwan said that researchers were particularly worried about children contracting the sub-variant, with the strain capable of causing “severe damage to their central nervous system and respiratory system”.

SCMP report

Interpretation: The intrinsic severity of Omicron BA.2 is not mild as evident by the fatality and severe complications of the uninfected and unvaccinated children.

Lancet preprint: Intrinsic Severity of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 in Uninfected, Unvaccinated Children: A Population-Based, Case-Control Study on Hospital Complications

But you need good testing and sequencing....and even then put it into perspective...Are they talking about 4 people dying ? The sub-group is a-hospital BA.2.2 case and b-under 18...so it still may show a higher risk but still for a limited group ending bad ? 

[url]https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/breaking-immunocompetent-vaccinated-pregnant-japanese-woman-infected-with-sars-cov-2-exhibits-viral-shedding-for-more-than-221-days[/url] or https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/breaking-immunocompetent-vaccinated-pregnant-japanese-woman-infected-with-sars-cov-2-exhibits-viral-shedding-for-more-than-221-days ; DJ Pregnant women are also a "limited subgroup" at higher risk...

Another point is "viral shedding" -so being able to spread disease, infect others -in my opinion- deserves testing. If you test negative twice via a lateral flow/at home test...within 10-14 days after testing positive (say test 1 on day 7, test 2 on day 10-both being negative) you may have "a basis" to "believe" risks of infecting others could be "limited"...

DJ-As far as I did follow the info...most of the people should not spread the virus 2 to 3 weeks after testing positive...However-frustratingly-some may be spreading the virus longer...

And this is only talking about upper respitory viral spread...The virus may still be in the body...can show up later on via such a LF/at home test...

[url]https://www.coronaheadsup.com/coronavirus/france-nearly-700000-covid-reinfections-reported/[/url] or https://www.coronaheadsup.com/coronavirus/france-nearly-700000-covid-reinfections-reported/ ;

685,858 possible cases of reinfection identified between March 2, 2021 and March 20, 2022, of which 95.2% since December 6, 2021 (start of distribution of the Omicron variant in France). 50% of possible cases of reinfection were between 18 and 40 years old.

88% of possible cases of reinfection for which a screening result was available and interpretable for the reinfection episode had a result suggestive of Omicron.

Infections:

Reinfections:

Proportion of cases that are infections:

DJ-So I question if all those cases are re-infection or the virus was allready in the body-reached upper respitory spots-showing up again in LF/PCR testing...

So newer variants;

-itself may be able better to evade immunity...reinfecting but also evading vaccine immunity

-They may also be better to hide in the body-showing up later on-even after several negative tests...

One may only come to such a conclusion if a person did live in total isolation...

DJ-I think it is high time for better testing methods;

-Can the LF-test stick-now only used for nasal swabs in most countries-give good info used for oral/throat swabs as well (some countries use it for oral swabs...the US-CDC still against it...the test was not made for oral swabs...) 

DJ-If using the LF-at home test-has a high chance giving false negatives when it is used in oral swabs (or even worse-you may spread the virus from your nose to your throat !) there may be good reasons to be very carefull using those LF-at home tests this way !!! (DJ-The US-CDC may have a point here ! in the UK those at home tests were for free till april 1, so you could use two seperate sticks...Here in NL these tests are not for free (we did get a few for free by the government...but not enough to use two test-sticks for most people)...

DJ-I (still) wonder if using the LF-at home test-stick in "stool" would detect viral parts ? Maybe in people testing positive by PCR using LF-test for their "stool" could be an easy way for DIY testing to find out if there are still virusses in your body ? (But such tests used that way need studies...would they also detect dead viral parts ? What does a "positive test" mean here ?)

Of course there is also blood testing...maybe we have to increase that...

Air/sewage samples can also inform on viral parts in the air (public building...maybe also at home ?) or in sewage...

DJ-The basics-in my opinion-is that "if we have to live with the virus" we then at least should try to control that virus...Otherwise we end up like "living with climate collapse, fiat-currencies" ...we did build mega-cities on melting ice...

End of part 2

roni3470, thank you....

I try to share my thoughts (and the links I get the info from) on this forum...Hope to "limit non-sense"...

[url]https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum/the-pandemic-discussion-forum/935609-discussion-thread-vii-covid-19-endemic-stage/page7[/url] or https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum/the-pandemic-discussion-forum/935609-discussion-thread-vii-covid-19-endemic-stage/page7 ; It’s over.

Any control over Covid we had is over.

Duty doctor today. I’ve lost count of the number of patients I’ve seen with classic Covid symptoms

NOT A SINGLE PERSON has isolated or done a PCR test. Everyone’s mixing & infecting each other. There is no control. It’s over.

DJ from [url]https://twitter.com/DrNeenaJha[/url] or https://twitter.com/DrNeenaJha 

[url]https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/who-outlines-strategy-end-global-covid-19-emergency-2022[/url] or https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/who-outlines-strategy-end-global-covid-19-emergency-2022 ;

In the WHO’s base case planning scenario, which serves as the WHO’s working model, the virus continues to evolve, but causes less severe outbreaks due to sustained and sufficient immunity against severe disease and death. There will likely be periodic spikes in transmission as immunity wanes. Booster shots might be needed periodically for those most at risk. The virus would likely fall into a seasonal pattern, with peaks in colder months—similar to influenza.

The WHO’s best case scenario envisions future variants as being “significantly less severe,” while protection from severe disease would be maintained without the need for periodic boosting or significant changes to current vaccines.

The worst case scenario sees the emergence of a more virulent and highly transmissible variant against which vaccines are less effective, and/or immunity against severe disease and death wanes rapidly, particularly in the most vulnerable groups. This would require significant changes to current vaccines and full redeployment and/or broader boosting for those most at risk.

To help end the emergency phase of the pandemic, WHO called on countries to continue or increase their virus surveillance capabilities to allow for early warning signs of significant changes in the virus. It also called for improved detection of long COVID, to track and reduce long-term disability after the pandemic has ended.

Countries also must continue to do diagnostic testing for the novel coronavirus, which helps identify leading strains causing infections and guide community-level decision making. Countries also must track virus evolution within animal populations, according to the WHO.

“We have global systems to better understand the virus as it changes, and we have the vaccines, diagnostic tools, treatments, and other public health and social measures to end the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the director-general said.

“Focus, vigilance, and commitment now will end the emergency of the pandemic and lay the foundations for a more effective response to the future threats that will undoubtedly emerge. But the pandemic remains far from over,” he added.

DJ Looking at how this pandemic did develop so far the only realistic scenario-in my opinion-is the "worst case" one...we are allready in it with BA.2 subvariants showing up all over the globe and most governments simply in denial...

The WHO (like IPCC in climate "change"...) is a political organization in need of funding from member states...NOT in a position to state member states are doing a bad job...

[url]https://www.coronaheadsup.com/coronavirus/who-the-worlds-most-boring-report-ever-proposes-an-end-to-the-pandemic/[/url] or https://www.coronaheadsup.com/coronavirus/who-the-worlds-most-boring-report-ever-proposes-an-end-to-the-pandemic/ ; 

 28 pages of finger-crossing, hand-wringing, wishful thinking dross. An epic black hole riddled with buzz phrases, key words, bullet points, legal clauses, minute fonts and pointless diagrams. Ugh.

“Strategic Preparedness, Readiness and Response Plan to end the global Covid-19 emergency in 2022”.  And that’s just the title.

-

Incredibly, this single sentence is all the report has to say about Long Covid:

“Improved detection of the Post-COVID-19 Condition (Long COVID) will be necessary to reduce long-term morbidity
even after the pandemic has ended.”

DJ, The Zero Hedge article may be better then the report itself.....

DJ, only one problem...it is Russian...

Sputnik V

@sputnikvaccine

 · 2h

So "we" may have to wait still for a western alternative...[url]https://tass.com/world/1431285[/url] or https://tass.com/world/1431285 ;

Russian Health Ministry registers world’s first nasal spray coronavirus vaccine

MOSCOW, April 1. /TASS/. The world’s first nasal spray coronavirus vaccine has been registered in Russia, the Health Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

"The Russian Health Ministry has registered the nasal spray form of the Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V) coronavirus vaccine developed by the Health Ministry’s Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology," the statement reads.

According to the ministry, the vaccine consists of two components based on the type 16 and type 5 adenovirus vectors. The two doses will be administered with an interval of three weeks.

This kind of vaccination creates mucosal immunity against the coronavirus within the respiratory tract. "The use of a nasal spray induces a humoral immune response (boosting IgA antibody titers in the blood and nasal secretions and virus-neutralizing IgG antibody titers in the blood) and a cellular immune response to the infection caused by SARS-CoV-2," the statement added.

At this point, the vaccine is intended for the immunization of individuals over the age of 18.

Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said earlier that the use of the nasal spray coronavirus vaccine would be included in recommendations for booster shots.

DJ, I do not know why it is taking so long to develop nasal vaccine-sprays...expected to give better immunity protection. Lots of countries did work on nasal vaccine sprays...

Living with the virus may only be able with massive and repeated mass vaccinations...[url]https://sputnikvaccine.com/about-us/[/url] or https://sputnikvaccine.com/about-us/ ;

The Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology is the world’s leading research institution. The center was founded in 1891 as a private laboratory. Since 1949 it bears the name of Nikolai Gamaleya, a pioneer in Russian microbiology studies.

Gamaleya studied at the laboratory of French biologist Louis Pasteur in Paris and opened the world’s second vaccination station for rabies in Russia in 1886. In the 20th century, Gamaleya as one of the heads of the center fought epidemics of cholera, diphtheria and typhus and organized mass vaccination campaigns in the Soviet Union.

The center runs one of the unique “virus libraries” in the world and has its own vaccine production facility. Since the 1980s, the specialists of the Gamaleya Center led the effort to develop a technological platform using adenoviruses, initially extracted from human adenoids.

The Gamaleya Center successfully developed and registered in 2015 two vector-based vaccines against Ebola fever using the adenovirus vector platform. Another Ebola fever vaccine was registered in 2020. The vaccines have been officially approved for use by the Russian Health Ministry. About 2,000 people in Guinea received injections of Ebola vaccine in 2017-18 as part of Phase 3 clinical trial. Gamaleya Research Center received an international patent for Ebola vaccine.

Gamaleya Research Center used adenoviral vectors to develop vaccines against influenza and against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Both vaccines are currently in advanced stages of clinical trials.

Since 1997 Alexander Gintsburg, a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, heads the Gamaleya Center.

May bring more info on results....[url]https://sputnikvaccine.com/partnerships/[/url] or https://sputnikvaccine.com/partnerships/ ;

The RDIF finances the production of Sputnik V in Russia using the manufacturing capacity of its portfolio companies, R-Pharm and Binnopharm (part of the Alium Group), and actively cooperates with more than 14 countries producing our vaccine abroad, including India, China, Brazil, Mexico, Egypt, Iran, Italy, South Korea, Argentina, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Belarus, Serbia, Turkey, Vietnam, etc.

The RDIF is successfully conducting Phase 3 clinical trials in 4 countries: Belarus, the UAE, India and Venezuela. Sputnik V has been approved for use in 71 countries with a total population of 4 billion people.

Vaccination with Sputnik V is underway in more than 50 countries on 4 continents, including Argentina, Hungary, Bolivia, Algeria, Montenegro, Paraguay, etc.

Mass production and easy storage, transport, use, low cost, are essential...DJ new vaccines, way of vaccination may offer some perspective... 

[url]https://github.com/cov-lineages/pango-designation/issues[/url] or https://github.com/cov-lineages/pango-designation/issues has 14 new "issues"  from around the globe...

DJ-Nasal vaccines are welcome news, also [url]https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20220401002854320?section=national/national[/url] or https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20220401002854320?section=national/national ; 

DJ, the BA.2 (? was it BA.2.2 from Hong Kong ????) variant finally slowing down in South Korea...bad news of course is it is increasing (again) in lots of other places...US cases now at -0,8%...deaths -18%...

Iran cases +61%...[url]https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/471244/Despite-sanctions-Iran-has-achieved-notable-progress-in-biotechnology[/url] or https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/471244/Despite-sanctions-Iran-has-achieved-notable-progress-in-biotechnology I hoped to find more info on the sub-variant spreading in Iran....[url]https://outbreak.info/location-reports?loc=IRN[/url] or https://outbreak.info/location-reports?loc=IRN info is from march 1...BA.2 at 14% of all 60 day sequences...Maybe India-sources could give more info...Worldometers gets its info from [url]https://en.irna.ir/news/84702163/Coronavirus-death-toll-drops-to-36-in-Iran[/url] or https://en.irna.ir/news/84702163/Coronavirus-death-toll-drops-to-36-in-Iran..............................

End of this part...tomorrow morning I try to get more...

DJ, 

[url]https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/breaking-china-losing-fight-against-new-ba-2-variants,-13,146-new-covid-19-infections-in-last-24-hours-despite-stringent-lockdowns-and-measures[/url] or https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/breaking-china-losing-fight-against-new-ba-2-variants,-13,146-new-covid-19-infections-in-last-24-hours-despite-stringent-lockdowns-and-measures 

China has "no chance" against BA.2 subvariants with the present strategy. The article mentions 13,146 new cases in China-Shanghai would see 8,226 new cases...somehow Worldometers only mentions 2,129 new Chines cases...trend would be -17% (last 7 days 11,246 new cases, week before 13,524...I think the TMN numbers are far more realistic...China is facing an explosion of BA.2 etc. that will see global economic consequences...). 

DJ, [url]https://newsus.cgtn.com/news/2022-03-30/Shanghai-enters-two-phase-lockdown-to-combat-COVID-19-surge-18ObqVkGno4/index.html[/url] or https://newsus.cgtn.com/news/2022-03-30/Shanghai-enters-two-phase-lockdown-to-combat-COVID-19-surge-18ObqVkGno4/index.html ; 

Shanghai has begun of a two-phase snap lockdown due to an increase of COVID-19 cases amid China’s zero-tolerance policy.  

Mass, staggered, nucleic acid testing is underway for the city’s 26 million people. 

China’s financial hub on Sunday reported a record 3,450 asymptomatic COVID-19 cases, accounting for nearly 70 percent of the nationwide total, along with 50 symptomatic cases. 

From Monday to Friday the Pudong financial district and nearby areas will be locked down, and the second phase, to begin Friday, will see a five day lockdown of the downtown area west of the Huangpu River.  

Residents are required to stay home and receive deliveries at designated checkpoints.

A look at the [url]https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3172789/what-xe-omicron-hybrid-and-should-we-be-worried-about-it?module=service_journalism_hk&pgtype=homepage[/url] or https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3172789/what-xe-omicron-hybrid-and-should-we-be-worried-about-it?module=service_journalism_hk&pgtype=homepage ; 

(DJ-There could be reasons why the SCMP starts talking about recombinants...[url]https://www.coronaheadsup.com/science/recombination/recombination-details-on-xd-xe-and-xf-recombinants-by-tom-peacock/[/url] or https://www.coronaheadsup.com/science/recombination/recombination-details-on-xd-xe-and-xf-recombinants-by-tom-peacock/  march 18...there now is also a NL [url]https://www.coronaheadsup.com/science/recombination/netherlands-ba-1-1-ba-2-recombinant-designated-xm/[/url] or https://www.coronaheadsup.com/science/recombination/netherlands-ba-1-1-ba-2-recombinant-designated-xm/ XM-variant...)

The article names BA.2.2 (Hong Kong) as dominant but several other (recombinant) variants are also spreading high speed...the real number of cases allready-DJ-in the millions ????

A latest number has over 50 million Chinese in lock downs...one would have to go for a "national lockdown" to get some sort of control...

[url]https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/[/url] or https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ global cases would be only just over 1 million, trend -15%, 2,735 deaths -18%...

India only would have 1,096 new cases and 81 deaths (weekly trend -25% and -34%...)....If that would be a realistic number India would not have a pandemic....[url]https://www.coronaheadsup.com/coronavirus/india-first-delta-ba-2-recombinant-recorded-in-karnatka/[/url] or https://www.coronaheadsup.com/coronavirus/india-first-delta-ba-2-recombinant-recorded-in-karnatka/ ; 

hCoV-19/India/KA-CBR-1402CTD094/2022 EPI_ISL_10306555 2022-02-11

Potentially worth keeping an eye on

From Cornelius Roemer at Gisaid – issue #484

-

Meanwhile, BA.2 activity is off the charts:

Raj Rajnarayanan

@RajlabN

DJ [url]https://github.com/cov-lineages/pango-designation/issues/484[/url] or https://github.com/cov-lineages/pango-designation/issues/484 is 9 days old...in fact [url]https://github.com/cov-lineages/pango-designation/issues[/url] or https://github.com/cov-lineages/pango-designation/issues is full of recombinations/mutations...with limited testing/sequencing that is VERY !!! alarming !

Somehow BA.2.1 to BA.2.7 and further NOT showing up in [url]https://outbreak.info/situation-reports[/url] or https://outbreak.info/situation-reports only mentiong "BA.2" and BA.3" (so also missing a possible BA.4 from South Africa...)...

So "living with the virus", "it is mild", "endemic NOT pandemic"...[url]https://covid.joinzoe.com/data#levels-over-time[/url] or https://covid.joinzoe.com/data#levels-over-time UK over 4,5 million active cases....most likely highest number in this pandemic...

The fact that it may not get you in hospital or worse in the short term does not mean we should not check for longer term effects...

he is coming up with the BA.2.1 to 7 subvariants...may have Asian roots but working from the US...so how can it be those BA.2 subvariants are ignored ????

link; [url]https://twitter.com/RajlabN/status/1510449382587609093/photo/1[/url] or https://twitter.com/RajlabN/status/1510449382587609093/photo/1 still only showing "BA.2"...not much more detailed...

End of part 1

DJ, Ido expect [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exponential_growth[/url] or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exponential_growth in variants in the present pandemic...

[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exponential_growth#Biology[/url] or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exponential_growth#Biology ; 

• The number of microorganisms in a culture will increase exponentially until an essential nutrient is exhausted, so there is no more of that nutrient for more organisms to grow. Typically the first organism splits into two daughter organisms, who then each split to form four, who split to form eight, and so on. Because exponential growth indicates constant growth rate, it is frequently assumed that exponentially growing cells are at a steady-state. However, cells can grow exponentially at a constant rate while remodeling their metabolism and gene expression.^[3]
• A virus (for example COVID-19, or smallpox) typically will spread exponentially at first, if no artificial immunization is available. Each infected person can infect multiple new people.

DJ, The hope was immunity (via vaccines-at least the idea was it would make a difference...or after infection) would "end" this pandemic...It does not...The virus is that widespread and that much able to mutate it is finding ways around (natural and/or vaccine) immunity....

So we may end up with lots of virusses-able to infect hosts;

-at the same time

-no (effective) immunity against (most) other variants...

-DJ-maybe even worse making the host more vulnerable for all kinds of other diseases...

-Increase of spread in non-human-hosts

-increase of interaction/spread in more species

Is that bad ? YES ! Only nuclear war-in my opinion-is now a larger risk...This healthcrisis now is even more major then climate collapse...

So-it should be top of the global agenda...instead we see yet another major war...propaganda and mass-murder...

What is providing hope ?

-Better vaccines against (more) corona-virus infections...nasal spray-vaccines are on their way..

-Lots of people showing they have more brains than their government...still limiting contacts, using masks...

-Slowly more room to work/study from home...

-Less travel (costs are going up high speed) so less variants flying around the globe...

[url]https://www.coronaheadsup.com/asia/china/china-new-subvariant-of-ba-1-1-found-in-suzhou/[/url] or https://www.coronaheadsup.com/asia/china/china-new-subvariant-of-ba-1-1-found-in-suzhou/ ;

“The Chinese mainland reported 13,146 local COVID-19 cases on Sunday, including 1,455 confirmed and 11,691 asymptomatic ones, the highest number of daily increase since the latest outbreak, which has already infected over 100,000 people.”

“The high transmission of the Omicron variant is another factor, he said, noting that it accounts for about 80 percent of the recent COVID-19 cases reported in China, with BA.2 and BA.1.1 subvariants being the most prevalent in the country.”

“Suzhou in East China’s Jiangsu Province, which borders Shanghai, discovered a confirmed coronavirus disease patient infected with a mutation VOC/Omicron variant BA.1.1, unidentified in previously found strains worldwide, posing new threats to the already dangerous situation in the region.”

Global Times reports

The new iteration of the virus, isolated from a mild Covid-19 patient in a city less than 70 kilometers (43 miles) from Shanghai, evolves from the BA.1.1 branch of the omicron variant, Global Times reported, citing sequencing data from local health authorities. The report said the subtype doesn’t match other coronavirus that’s causing Covid in China nor those submitted to GISAID, where scientists around the world share the coronavirus they sequenced as a way to monitor mutations.

Bloomberg news report

DJ, real number of China daily cases-a lot of them with no or only mild symptoms (and for that reason not "a case" in the Chinese definition...) may be in the hundreds of thousends if not millions...

I do NOT like the sarcasm; [url]https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/great-news-covid-19-hospitalizations-and-deaths-rising-in-united-kingdom-4-9-million-brits-infected-last-week-and-191-mild-deaths-in-last-24-hours[/url] or https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/great-news-covid-19-hospitalizations-and-deaths-rising-in-united-kingdom-4-9-million-brits-infected-last-week-and-191-mild-deaths-in-last-24-hours but of course bojo simply claiming "there is no pandemic"  when BA.2.1 was hitting the UK is showing 'the leadership we do NOT need"...

This pandemic IS political because the choice to put "economy first" is political...and wrong ! You can not have a good economy without good public healthcare-ignoring a pandemic...Privatizing the NHS will only make matters worse...The UK still close to 1,000 CoViD deaths per week "we have to love with"...

Most of the serious cases and deaths are in the poor...not in government circles in most countries...

And then this [url]https://www.coronaheadsup.com/health/vaccine/pfizer-biontech/dr-john-campbell-on-pfizer-deaths-its-a-scandal-on-par-with-watergate/[/url] or https://www.coronaheadsup.com/health/vaccine/pfizer-biontech/dr-john-campbell-on-pfizer-deaths-its-a-scandal-on-par-with-watergate/ ..dr. John Campbell showing up on coronaheadsup.com ...

Dr John Campbell on the recent release of documents relating to the Pfizer vaccine showing that there were 1,223 associated deaths in the first three months of use.

DJ march 9 video...

[url]https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/breaking-multisystem-screening-study-finds-sars-cov-2-proliferation-in-neurons-of-the-myenteric-plexus-and-in-megakaryocytes[/url] or https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/breaking-multisystem-screening-study-finds-sars-cov-2-proliferation-in-neurons-of-the-myenteric-plexus-and-in-megakaryocytes again underlining the ammount of damage the virus can do all over the body....

[url]https://github.com/cov-lineages/pango-designation/issues[/url] or https://github.com/cov-lineages/pango-designation/issues more subvariants, recombinations etc....

So [url]https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/[/url] or https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ only 779,417 new cases being reported, weekly trend -17% and only 1,897 deaths, trend -20% should be very welcome...if they were realistic...And we all know testing is getting harder...reporting is "discouraged"....

[url]https://twitter.com/RajlabN[/url] or https://twitter.com/RajlabN following BA.2 growth in the US...

In case u feel like looking at BA. 2 + Spike L452 mutation  Look at its growth advantage 

Raj Rajnarayanan and Sam Schmidt

DJ, [url]https://twitter.com/Gab_H_R/status/1510772774687674369[/url] or https://twitter.com/Gab_H_R/status/1510772774687674369 showing some of the reactions on that....

DJ, China trying to stick to zero-CoViD even if it will be very hard....(I think there is no alternative..."freedom" simply did bring us out of control exponential growth of the pandemic...it will get very ugly...). 

WARNING Herd immunity via kids in UK ! "If child have mild symptoms and they feel well enough, they can go to school" Please, stop mass infections in children! CC: 

@dgurdasani1

 

@fascinatorfun

 

@SGriffin_Lab

 

@LongCovidKids

 

@chrischirp

 

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Malgorzata (Gosia) Gasperowicz

@GosiaGasperoPhD

 · 13h

Health Minister of Germany: "In a few years we will see full extent #LongCovid . Now everyone should try to avoid infection. Even if the course is mild, there is a risk that life will change. Nobody likes to hear it, but that's the way it is" #ResistInfection #ResistReinfection twitter.com/Karl_Lauterbac…

DJ.....So we are now in a phase in wich the virus has all chance to go wild and it did...

End of part 1

DJ,

Sometimes it may be good to look in the mirror and ask yourself if your vision of events-when it is that much different from the general view-is valid.  Since I base my view on sources maybe did I end up in a sort of tunnel vision? 

Three major concerns;

-Climate collapse; that is an easy one...All the world claims to want to stop climate "change"...The IPCC itself keeps repeating we are not doing enough...I do NOT claim to even understand most of the processes, feed backs etc...however lots of scientists go much further in their worries then the IPCC does...[url]http://arctic-news.blogspot.com/[/url] or http://arctic-news.blogspot.com/ , [url]https://paulbeckwith.net/2022/04/05/new-report-on-climate-mitigation-assessment-report-ar6-by-working-group-wg3-of-the-ipcc/[/url] or https://paulbeckwith.net/2022/04/05/new-report-on-climate-mitigation-assessment-report-ar6-by-working-group-wg3-of-the-ipcc/ 

Picture is quite depressing...

-Global peace [url]https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/04/if-the-pentagon-can-not-confirm-the-bucha-tales-who-can.html[/url] or https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/04/if-the-pentagon-can-not-confirm-the-bucha-tales-who-can.html , [url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B49VvtxgSG4[/url] or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B49VvtxgSG4 Alexander Mercouris...

We all would agree "there is a major crisis"....

-This pandemic; [url]https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/french-scientist-report-new-sars-cov-2-mixomicron-recombinant-variant-that-evades-existing-qpcr-platforms-could-be-more-transmissible-and-lethal[/url] or https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/french-scientist-report-new-sars-cov-2-mixomicron-recombinant-variant-that-evades-existing-qpcr-platforms-could-be-more-transmissible-and-lethal, [url]https://twitter.com/RajlabN[/url] or https://twitter.com/RajlabN 

[url]https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/current-time/[/url] or https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/current-time/ as an extra check ? Their latest "doomsday clock-adres" was from january 20...and it is "very US" no news on US bio-labs in Ukraine...even v.nuland admitting they were there...

So-for now-my conclusion is "I am not insane, the world is" [url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGEX_7IqaC4[/url] or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGEX_7IqaC4 "The fool on the hill", very short version...

We are in a downward spiral, a downward vortex, a mega-mix with this pandemic being just one part...Did this pandemic start directly wars...not yet...However China with a locldown in Shanghai is "unwelcome" from an "economic-short term global point of view"...[url]https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-04-05/Shanghai-opens-more-temporary-hospital-areas-18ZxblfPEe4/index.html[/url] or https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-04-05/Shanghai-opens-more-temporary-hospital-areas-18ZxblfPEe4/index.html 

That "economy first" view is dominating both in climate and pandemic discussions...Short term thinking-if there is any thinking at all...

Via [url]https://twitter.com/MarionKoopmans[/url] or https://twitter.com/MarionKoopmans a link to "The Impossible Hamster" (and economic growth) [url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqz3R1NpXzM[/url] or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqz3R1NpXzM  everything has limits...even economies...

This brings me back to politics, "us" supposed to protect future lives, not destroy "our" (???) planet...The "only house" we have...

From a historic point of view we are now at the highest number of humans on this planet ever...almost 8 billion-most of them in Asia...Getting-at least untill recent-older then ever before..in part that is a reason why there are so many people...Maybe if you look at the number of babies born we may have "peaked" allready somewhere between 1860 and 1960-2000 ? 

Relating that to the pandemic, most of the pandemic deaths were over 60...does that make this pandemic "less bad" ? "Those people would have died anyway" may be simply also incorrect...We all die one day but at 60 in most rich countries you may have 15-30 years of life in front of you...

If one would define the "seriousness" of a healthissue in "years of life lost" one could claim the present pandemic-so far-killed more people at an age most of the people in 1918-Spanish Flu-would never reach anyway...

Before mass vaccinations, good sewage systems, anti-biotics etc untill 1900 most people would be "old" at 40...at least that was life expectency..over centuries slowly climbing from 35 to 40...That did change in the 20th century..."Living with the virus" may bring back those days...although the high number of babies dying explained at least in part that low life expectency...

To put it simple-if in a group of 10 people 5 died before getting 1 year old the other 5 would have to get 160 to get the average life expectency at 80....

In history wars also were a "great way" to reduce lifespan...Often men between 18 and 40, sometimes even 10 y/o were "good enough"  did get the job of killing each other for some reason...A lot of those dying died from disease, exhaustion NOT from fighting...But with the men fighting harvest, production was a problem...they could not "combine those jobs" in most cases (The Romans may have been different in that view...)in the "war zone" often also a lot of the local population faced death...(refugees were not welcomed...a big war did mean economic crisis for a larger region=poverty, often starvation-no trade). 

In history wars and pandemics did mix "very good"...The Spanish Flu has to be related to World War 1...although there are different views on who had the first serious form of that flu (US soldiers arriving in France ? Or was there allready a "bad virus" spreading in Austria ?)

Maybe-to end this story-to answer my own question; Am I to pessimistic on the present global situation ? The future may give the real answer...Maybe over 20 years-2042-I would have to admit I am-for now-to pessimistic...It does not go that fast...some crisis stay limited...the virus did get mild...

I hope to find out in 2042 !

End of a reflective part 1

DJ, 

China is now facing the worst of the pandemic-when one looks at positive tests (most without symptoms yet) and "lockdown/economic consequences". 

Still [url]https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/[/url] or https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ "only" reporting 1,2 million new cases, trend -22%. There are 3,598 deaths "linked to CoVid" (no doubt excess deaths may give another picture...). 

[url]https://halturnerradioshow.com/index.php/en/news-page/world/terrifying-morbidity-increases-since-covid-vax-introduced-all-vax-d-to-be-dead-by-2025[/url] or https://halturnerradioshow.com/index.php/en/news-page/world/terrifying-morbidity-increases-since-covid-vax-introduced-all-vax-d-to-be-dead-by-2025 DJ-hal turner often "makes his own conclusions" with wich I often do not agree. 

Quick investigation of the Preliminary USA mortality data for 2021 from the CDC reveals:

Total deaths - 3,447,405
Expected deaths - 2,948,273
Excess deaths - 499,132

0% increase = 1X, 100% increase = 2X, 200% increase = 3X, etc. 5000% increase = 51X.

499,132 X 51 = 25,455,732 excess deaths. That is what Attorney Todd Callendar indicates the USA could see ! ! !

Add to that the 2.95 million expected deaths, and the result is:

28,405,732 total deaths for 2022.

DJ, HT is linking increase of deaths with vaccines NOT with CoViD...[url]https://www.coronaheadsup.com/health/vaccine/pfizer-biontech/dr-john-campbell-on-pfizer-deaths-its-a-scandal-on-par-with-watergate/[/url] or https://www.coronaheadsup.com/health/vaccine/pfizer-biontech/dr-john-campbell-on-pfizer-deaths-its-a-scandal-on-par-with-watergate/ vaccines are not free of risks...however the picture I get is in most cases they do offer (at least) some protection against severe disease, long CoViD and even-limited-to spreading "the"virus...

DJ-HT his numbers of 25,4 million extra US deaths are NOT science...There is good monitoring of excess deaths and in most countries those numbers do indicate higher then "normal" number of people dying...Part of it may be (long) CoViD related...The US so far (worldometers) did see over 1 million "CoViD deaths" a lot of long term damage however is missed...so it is not that easy to claim "it is mild"....

But there is no discussion on a need for better vaccines ! As far as I see a lot of agreement on that ! [url]https://tass.com/science/1430829[/url] or https://tass.com/science/1430829 Sputnik in Russia hopes to be using nasal vaccines soon...

Most of the world did NOT use (US) mRNA vaccines (simply to expensive for them). And Russian, Chines, Cuba-Iran vaccines are more "traditional" (adeno-virus, dead viral parts). The US "sanction war against the world" most likely will further decrease the role of (US) mRNA vaccines....(however the mRNA technique will get further development). 

China now at #47 for new cases reporting 1,415 "new cases" -but China only reporting symptomatic cases as a case...(there is no international agreement on "what a case is"...do you go for PCR-tests ? What kind of PCR-tests ? If you include at home testing "lateral flow" -based on what instructions ? Only nasal swab-or also oral swab...Omicron very likely will be missed by nasal swabs often...).

[url]https://nltimes.nl/2022/04/01/preventing-lockdown-key-long-term-covid-strategy-ggd-testing-requirement-reduced[/url] or https://nltimes.nl/2022/04/01/preventing-lockdown-key-long-term-covid-strategy-ggd-testing-requirement-reduced ; The Cabinet of the Netherlands revealed details of its long-term strategy for dealing with the coronavirus. Business sectors are being asked to develop plans for dealing with future outbreaks of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in four different scenarios, from mild to severe. At the same time, it will no longer be considered essential that people with symptoms of Covid-19 visit a GGD center to get tested. Moving forward, healthy lifestyles, fitness, and exercise will be encouraged more frequently, NOS reported.

-

The GGD will continue to offer PCR testing for coronavirus infections, which can be useful for those who need official proof of recovery from the coronavirus infection. The health services will also continue to test people who are more vulnerable members of society, and those unable to use a self-test kit, NOS reported. PCR testing will be scaled up quickly, if an outbreak occurs in the future.

-

The cost of self-tests will not be reimbursed by the Dutch government, NOS reported. The government will issue new advice about what to do when a self-test indicates someone is positive for the coronavirus infection. The Cabinet wants people to continue to follow basic pieces of advice, like remaining home if symptomatic, washing hands frequently, and coughing or sneezing into an elbow

DJ, NL-like many other countries-reducing "offical testing/reporting".  From a "pandemic view" other methods may be more effective. 

-Ad random testing-even people without symptoms-may give more insight in asymptomatic spread

-blood donors see their blood being examed for the virus (very high percentage has antibodies-96% in NL I believe-most because of vaccines)

-Sewage control also may tell more-in an early stage

So there may be even better alternatives to "massive testing" big question is will that be used ? Or does "living with the virus" translate to ignoring it ? 

South Korea still reporting 286,243 new cases -24%, 371 deaths -10%

Germany 204,930 new cases -22%, 333 deaths +15%

France 161,950 new cases -1%, 128 deaths -5%

end of part 1

part 3, 

[url]https://www.coronaheadsup.com/science/transmission/research-90-of-sars-cov-2-viral-transmission-is-cell-to-cell/[/url] or https://www.coronaheadsup.com/science/transmission/research-90-of-sars-cov-2-viral-transmission-is-cell-to-cell/ ; 

“The results indicated that around 90 percent of viral transmission was cell-to-cell, possibly via fusion between neighboring infected and uninfected cells, Liu says. Further in vitro experiments that paired authentic SARS-CoV-2 with either the antiviral medication remdesivir or serum samples from people who received mRNA vaccines hinted that cell-to-cell transmission helped the virus avoid being neutralized by drugs or antibodies. This ability to spread without exiting the intracellular environment could help “lead to persistent or prolonged infection.”

The-Scientist.com article: SARS-CoV-2 Can Spread Via Cell-to-Cell Transmission

DJ Do vaccines/immunity offer protection ? If 90% of the spread in a host you may need a very limited viral load to end up with serious (longer term) disease...At least that is how I read the above...[url]https://twitter.com/RajlabN[/url] or https://twitter.com/RajlabN has lots more...

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DJ, So for the US worldometers weekly trend still -1% for new cases, BNO already at +8% ? 

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