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Thread: COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus pandemic

  1. #626
    Senior Member KimTisha's Avatar
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    MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. - A bloody brawl broke out in Manhattan Beach after a couple confronted two men for not wearing masks, causing an argument that turned violent when the woman threw coffee into the face of one of the men.
    Geez, us Maskers are so morally superior, aren't we?

    I know RBW posted an article about an anti-masker who confronted a child, but the vast majority of these incidents are perpetrated by mask-wearing jackholes who use it as an excuse to vent their frustration on the public. IMHO, attacking someone for not wearing a mask is worse than not wearing a mask in the first place. One is an assumed threat, the other is actual violence.
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  2. #627
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    Quote Originally Posted by KimTisha View Post
    Geez, us Maskers are so morally superior, aren't we?

    I know RBW posted an article about an anti-masker who confronted a child, but the vast majority of these incidents are perpetrated by mask-wearing jackholes who use it as an excuse to vent their frustration on the public. IMHO, attacking someone for not wearing a mask is worse than not wearing a mask in the first place. One is an assumed threat, the other is actual violence.
    I swear to fucking god I am pro mask myself but I am not Morally superior. It sounds like Los Angeles has become the Florida of Pro-Mask People as in the recent SoCal Karen reports are showing.

    I swear I thought only Anti-Mask people were playing "Morally Superior" Card due to the trending Karen videos of people getting stopped by Supermarket staff members at the door because of state rules.

    Expect our side to get hijacked in the 2020 elections.

  3. #628
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    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-h...-idUSKCN24T0YM



    TOKYO (Reuters) - Fujifilm Holdings Corp’s Avigan, once hyped as a potential COVID-19 treatment by Japan’s prime minister, is facing uncertain prospects in the country, dampened by disappointing clinical studies and slow progress in regulatory review.

    Shares of Fujifilm hit record highs in early April, fueled by optimism for the drug, but have since lost a quarter of their value, highlighting the risks of betting on experimental COVID-19 vaccines and treatments that are often politically promoted early in their development process.

    Prime Minister Shinzo Abe previously touted Avigan’s potential as Japan’s contribution to a global race for coronavirus treatments, aiming for domestic approval in May and offering to give it away to other countries. He mentioned the drug in at least 10 official speeches from February.

    But Abe has lately gone mum on the drug and regulatory deadlines have lapsed, while researchers at Fujita Health University said earlier this month that their Avigan study was inconclusive.

    “I think that does not look good for any early approval,” said one clinical trial expert, referring to the Fujita study, and asking not to be identified due to professional connections in Japan.

    Interest in Avigan, developed more than 20 years ago, soared in March after a Chinese official said it appeared to help patients recover from COVID-19. It is now the subject of at least 28 clinical trials around the world.

    Fujifilm has not yet submitted the drug for approval to Japanese authorities as a treatment for COVID-19, and has said it will take that step as soon as possible. Health ministry official Yasuyuki Sahara said the government stands ready to review Avigan once Fujifilm submits it for approval.

    The former chief of Japan’s main drug regulator, however, warned against a hasty approval of Avigan before its efficacy can be proven.

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    “When it comes to regulatory bodies, trust is critically important,” said Tatsuya Kondo who ran the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency for 11 years until 2019. “If they make an incomplete judgment, it could raise doubts about the whole process.”

    As the coronavirus pandemic rages on worldwide, though, some are still hopeful of positive outcomes of the Avigan trials.

    Tetsuya Nakamura, the lead researcher at Gunma University, which is running one of the two remaining trials on Avigan in Japan, told Reuters the university is “calmly advancing our research without pressure on the results,” as their study doesn’t rely on public funds.

    Fujifilm Toyama Chemical, the Avigan-manufacturing unit of Fujifilm whose own trial is still listed as recruiting patients, is working to complete phase III clinical trials as soon as possible, Fujifilm spokesman Shunsuke Saito said.

    The company is continuing with plans to boost Avigan production to 300,000 doses a month in line with a request from the government, he said.

    Stanford University is soon to start a phase II trial of 120 patients with mild symptoms and could move to a phase III around September, said Stanford professor Yvonne Maldonado.

    “We’re moving as fast as we can,” she said. If the drug can be shown to reduce symptoms and the viral load among patients, “that would be a big deal”.

    Although Avigan, generically known as favipiravir, has gone off patent in many markets, the brand and Fujifilm’s know-how in making it still have value. Earlier this month, Fujifilm sold off most overseas rights on Avigan to India’s Dr Reddy’s Laboratories.

    That deal involves a research partnership, and Japanese media reported that Dr Reddy’s will carry out a clinical trial of Avigan in Kuwait on behalf of Fujifilm.

    That data could possibly help Fujifilm build its regulatory case in Japan, said Credit Suisse analyst Fumiyoshi Sakai.

    “Probably it is too early to count out Avigan,” Sakai said.

  4. #629
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    https://www.fiercepharma.com/manufac...-vaccine-trial

    Maryland biotech Novavax scored a big leg up in its hunt for a COVID-19 vaccine with a major infusion from the Trump administration this month. Now, Novavax is using some of those funds to help supply doses of its shot for a pivotal late-stage trial down the road.

    Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies will churn out clinical supply for a phase 3 trial of Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine candidate expected to begin in the fall, according to a manufacturing pact signed Thursday.

    Fujifilm has already begun manufacturing bulk drug substance for the shot at its Morrisville, North Carolina, facility, the companies said in a joint release.

    The arrangement will be funded through a $1.6 billion grant from the Trump administration Warp Speed initiative, which aims to rapidly develop and distribute workable COVID-19 vaccines to U.S. patients. Novavax plans to use the government funding to finance a phase 3 involving up to 30,000 patients and rapidly scale manufacturing to produce 100 million doses of the shot by the end of 2020.

    The Fujifilm pact is the first Novavax has signed to make good on the Trump administration's down payment. Novavax is set to read out phase 1 clinical data for its vaccine within weeks and could roll into phase 2 testing immediately after that.

    The road to success for Novavax—a once-troubled biotech without an approved vaccine—could come with a big payday for its executives if its COVID-19 shot moves into the next phase of testing.

    Four Novavax executives, including CEO Stanley Erck, would together earn 830,000 stock options if the COVID-19 vaccine, dubbed NVX-CoV2373, simply enters phase 2 human testing by April 2021, according to a proxy filing.

    Those options are valued at roughly $100 million at Novavax's pumped-up stock price, which has skyrocketed in recent months as the biotech moves forward with its COVID-19 shot and a four-strain flu hopeful.

    Meanwhile, Fujifilm has been busy producing doses of flu drug Avigan as a potential therapy for COVID-19 alongside generics maker Dr. Reddy's Laboratories and Dubai-based Global Response Aid.

    Earlier this month, the partners struck a three-way deal to manufacture and sell Avigan, which at the time was already approved for COVID-19 in India and Russia. That agreement covered all countries other than Japan, China and Russia.

    For an unidentified lump-sum license fee and royalties on sales, Fujifilm granted Dr. Reddy’s and Global Response Aid access to Avigan’s preclinical and clinical data to help run their own studies. Dr. Reddy’s gained exclusive rights to the drug in India while Fujifilm transferred its manufacturing method exclusively to Dr. Reddy’s.

    Back in April, Fujifilm pledged to devote some of its manufacturing capacity in Denmark for a treatment yet to be identified by the Gates-funded COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator. As part of the deal, Fujifilm allocated space at its Hiller?d, Denmark, facility and said it would "work with a selected pharmaceutical partner in supporting the swift manufacture and dedicated supply for patients with COVID-19 in lower-income countries," the CDMO said in a release.

    https://www.fiercepharma.com/manufac...19-drug-avigan

    Meeting global demand for a potential COVID-19 treatment is more than any one company can handle on its own. Acknowledging that reality, Japanese drugmaker Fujifilm has picked partners for its offering.

    Fujifilm has struck a three-way deal with India’s Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories and Dubai-based Global Response Aid to manufacture and sell its flu drug Avigan (favipiravir) for potential treatment of COVID-19, the company said Wednesday.

    The drug is already approved for COVID-19 in India and Russia. The new agreement covers all countries other than Japan, China and Russia.

    Specifically, for an unidentified lump-sum license fee and royalties on sales, Fujifilm is granting Dr. Reddy’s and GRA access to Avigan’s preclinical and clinical data to help run their own studies. Dr. Reddy’s gains exclusive rights to the drug in India.

    In addition, Fujifilm will transfer its manufacturing method exclusively to Dr. Reddy’s, which will establish production of the drug and utilize GRA’s global sales network to supply the med.

    Avigan was originally developed against influenza pandemics. It gained global attention when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe touted it as a potential COVID-19 treatment.

    With that government support, a fast-track approval in Japan was initially expected in May. But clinical research on the drug suddenly slowed down as COVID-19 cases dropped in Japan. A month ago, Nikkei Asian Review reported that completion of the trial would instead come in July at the earliest, as it has only hit around 70% of the enrollment goal.

    Back in April, amid speculation around Avigan’s potential in COVID-19 and its side effects, including birth defects, Fujifilm said it would increase monthly production of Avigan up to 100,000 treatment courses by July, about 2.5 times more than its level at the beginning of March.

    On June 20, India’s Glenmark Pharmaceuticals won a local go-ahead to market a generic version of Avigan, which it’s selling under the brand FabiFlu, for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 patients.

    Meanwhile, Gilead Sciences has also signed on multiple partners for FDA-authorized COVID-19 drug remdesivir, including India's Cipla and Hetero Labs and Jubilant Life Sciences.
    Thats right Fujifilm a former rival to Kodak is now investing in the biotech industry.

  5. #630
    Senior Member KimTisha's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JohnLanders View Post
    I swear to fucking god I am pro mask myself but I am not Morally superior. It sounds like Los Angeles has become the Florida of Pro-Mask People as in the recent SoCal Karen reports are showing.

    I swear I thought only Anti-Mask people were playing "Morally Superior" Card due to the trending Karen videos of people getting stopped by Supermarket staff members at the door because of state rules.

    Expect our side to get hijacked in the 2020 elections.
    Nah. Not only are we morally superior by virtue of the fact we wear masks in the first place, but we also get to declare moral superiority on mask content. Because some masks are morally objectionable. Yeah, the Maskers have morality all sewn up.

    And this is NOT a threadjack. We are discussing maskers versus anti-maskers in a COVID-19 thread. Perfectly acceptable.
    You are talking to a woman who has laughed in the face of death, sneered at doom and chuckled at catastrophe.
    ...Collector of Chairs. Reader of Books. Hater of Nutmeg...

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    https://ktla.com/news/nationworld/ru...ic-skepticism/

    Russia on Tuesday became the first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine, a move that was met with international skepticism and unease because the shots have only been studied in dozens of people.

    President Vladimir Putin announced the Health Ministry’s approval and said one of his two adult daughters already was inoculated. He said the vaccine underwent the necessary tests and was shown to provide lasting immunity to the coronavirus, although Russian authorities have offered no proof to back up claims of safety or effectiveness.

    “I know it has proven efficient and forms a stable immunity,” Putin said. “We must be grateful to those who made that first step very important for our country and the entire world.”

    However, scientists in Russia and other countries sounded an alarm, saying that rushing to offer the vaccine before final-stage testing could backfire. What’s called a Phase 3 trial — which involves tens of thousands of people and can take months — is the only way to prove if an experimental vaccine is safe and really works.

    By comparison, vaccines entering final-stage testing in the U.S. require studies of 30,000 people each. Two vaccine candidates already have begun those huge studies, with three more set to get underway by fall.

    “Fast-tracked approval will not make Russia the leader in the race, it will just expose consumers of the vaccine to unnecessary danger,” said Russia’s Association of Clinical Trials Organizations, in urging government officials to postpone approving the vaccine without completed advanced trials.

    While Russian officials have said large-scale production of the vaccine wasn’t scheduled until September, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said vaccination of doctors could start as early as this month. Officials say they will be closely monitored after the injections. Mass vaccination may begin as early as October.

    “We expect tens of thousands of volunteers to be vaccinated within the next months,” Kirill Dmitriev, chief executive of the Russian Direct Investment Fund that bankrolled the vaccine, told reporters.

    The vaccine developed by the Gamaleya Institute in Moscow with assistance from Russia’s Defense Ministry uses a different virus — the common cold-causing adenovirus — that’s been modified to carry genes for the “spike” protein that coats the coronavirus, as a way to prime the body to recognize if a real COVID-19 infection comes along.

    That’s a similar technology as vaccines being developed by China’s CanSino Biologics and Britain’s Oxford University and AstraZeneca — but unlike those companies, Russian scientists haven’t published any scientific information about how the vaccine has performed in animal tests or in early-stage human studies.

    Dmitriev said even as Russian doctors and teachers start getting vaccinated, advanced trials are set to start Wednesday that will involve “several thousand people” and span several countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines and possibly Brazil.

    The Associated Press couldn’t find documentation in the Russian Health Ministry’s records indicating that permission to start the advanced trials was granted. The ministry has not responded to a request for comment.

    Putin said one of his daughters has received two doses, and had minor side effects such as slight fever, and is now “feeling well and has a high number of antibodies.” It wasn’t clear if she was one of the study volunteers.

    The Health Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that the vaccine is expected to provide immunity from the coronavirus for up to two years, citing its experience with vaccines made with similar technology.

    However, scientists around the world have been cautioning that even if vaccine candidates are proven to work, it will take even more time to tell how long the protection will last.

    “The collateral damage from release of any vaccine that was less than safe and effective would exacerbate our current problems insurmountably,” Imperial College London immunology professor Danny Altmann said in a statement Tuesday.

    The World Health Organization said all vaccine candidates should go through full stages of testing before being rolled out. Experts have warned that vaccines that are not properly tested can cause harm in many ways — from harming health to creating a false sense of security or undermining trust in vaccinations.

    Becoming the first country in the world to approve a vaccine was a matter of national prestige for the Kremlin as it tries to assert the image of Russia as a global power. Putin repeatedly praised Russia’s effective response to the outbreak in televised addresses to the nation, while some of Moscow’s top officials – including the country’s prime minister and Putin’s own spokesperson – became infected.

    And the U.S., Britain and Canada last month accused Russia of using hackers to steal vaccine research from Western labs. Russia has denied involvement.

    Russia has so far registered 897,599 coronavirus cases, including 15,131 deaths.

    The Gamaleya Institute’s director, Alexander Gintsburg, raised eyebrows in May when he said that he and other researchers tried the vaccine on themselves before the start of human studies.

    Those trials started June 17 with 76 volunteers. Half were injected with a vaccine in liquid form and the other half with a vaccine that came as soluble powder. Some in the first group were recruited from the military, which raised concerns that servicemen may have been pressured to participate. The test was declared completed earlier this month.

    “It’s a too early stage to truly assess whether it’s going to be effective, whether it’s going to work or not,” Dr. Michael Head, senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton.

    It’s not Russia’s first controversial vaccine. Putin has bragged that Russian scientists delivered an Ebola vaccine that “proved to be the most effective in the world” and “made a real contribution to fighting the Ebola fever in Africa.” However, there is little evidence either of the two Ebola vaccines approved in Russia was widely used in Africa. As of 2019, both of those vaccines were listed by the WHO as “candidate vaccines.”

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    https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2020/0...doubling-days/

    AP) - It took six months for the world to reach 10 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus. It took just over six weeks for that number to double.

    The worldwide count of known COVID-19 infections climbed past 20 million on Monday, with more than half of them from just three countries: the U.S., India and Brazil, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.

    The average number of new cases per day in the U.S. has declined in recent weeks but is still running high at over 54,000, versus almost 59,000 in India and nearly 44,000 in Brazil.

    In other developments Tuesday:

    — Russia became the first country to approve a vaccine against the virus. While a proven coronavirus vaccine would be an epic medical breakthrough, the move raised alarms among scientists because the shots have not been subjected to large-scale testing in humans. They have only been studied in dozens of people, not the thousands typically involved.

    — The Big Ten and Pac-12 announced they won’t play football this fall because of the virus, taking two of college sports’ five powerhouse conferences out of the season. The Big Ten includes Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska and Penn State, while the Pac-12 includes Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA, the University of Southern California, Oregon, Utah and Washington. College football’s lack of centralized leadership leaves every conference to decide for itself.

    The severe and sustained crisis in the U.S. — over 5 million cases and 163,000 deaths, easily the highest totals of any country — has dismayed and surprised many around the world, given the nation’s vaunted scientific ingenuity and the head start it had over Europe and Asia to prepare.



    South Africa, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Russia and the Philippines round out the list of the top 10 countries contributing the most new cases to the global tally since July 22, according to an Associated Press analysis of Johns Hopkins data through Monday.

    The real number of people infected by the virus around the world is believed to be much higher — perhaps 10 times higher in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — given testing limitations and the many mild cases that have gone unreported or unrecognized.

    Some of the worst-hit nations have been those whose leaders have downplayed the severity of COVID-19, undercut the advice of health experts and pushed unproven remedies.

    President Donald Trump, Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro and Mexican President Andr?s Manuel L?pez Obrador, for example, all rarely wear masks and have resisted calls for strict lockdowns. Trump and Bolsonaro have promoted the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, even though studies have shown it to be useless against the virus, with potentially deadly side effects.

    In the U.S., Mexico and Brazil, testing has been criticized as inadequate. While the U.S. has ramped up testing in recent months, Americans have faced discouragingly long lines and delays in getting the results. In Mexico, 47% of tests are coming back positive, suggesting that only seriously ill people are getting screened.

    Contact tracing, which has helped authorities in other countries get a handle on the spread, has also been criticized as insufficient in all three countries.

    The U.S., with about 4% of the world’s population, accounts for about 25% of the known coronavirus infections and 22% of the deaths.



    Mexico has reported nearly 500,000 cases and more than 50,300 deaths, but the president’s point man on the epidemic, Assistant Health Secretary Hugo L?pez-Gatell, said a full lockdown would prove too costly for people with little savings and tenuous daily incomes.

    “We do not want a solution that would, in social terms, be more costly than the disease itself,” he said.

    Cases have begun to rise significantly in Caracas, Venezuela, perhaps one of the world’s least-prepared cities to face the pandemic.

    The country has been under a lockdown since March, but limited testing, open defiance of quarantine measures and the return of tens of thousands of Venezuelan migrants from countries with higher caseloads have resulted in a steady expansion that is starting to overwhelm hospitals with scarce supplies.

    “What has been successful in other countries is massive testing and isolating the population that is sick,” said Domingo Subero, 66, an engineer worried about the situation in Caracas. “Here, neither of those two things is happening.”

    Elsewhere around the world, New Zealand, which has been praised for quickly getting the virus under control, reported the first cases of local transmission in the country in 102 days. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said four cases were discovered in a single Auckland household.

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    https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/...ight-covid-19/

    SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco say they have created a nasal spray that can help fight the coronavirus as anti-viral.

    “Far more effective than wearable forms of personal protective equipment, we think of AeroNabs as a molecular form of PPE that could serve as an important stopgap until vaccines provide a more permanent solution to COVID-19,” said AeroNabs co-inventor Peter Walter, professor of biochemistry and biophysics at UCSF, in a news release.

    According to co-inventor Aashish Manglik, MD, Ph.D., an assistant professor of pharmaceutical chemistry, nanobodies in the spray are smaller than human antibodies, which make them easier to manipulate in a laboratory setting

    Because of this, nanobodies are less expensive and easier to mass-produce.

    At this time, the researchers are currently working to get the spray manufactured and clinically tested.

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    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-h...-idUSKCN25902B

    BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Two cities in China have found traces of the new coronavirus in imported frozen food and on food packaging, local authorities said on Thursday, raising fears that contaminated food shipments might cause new outbreaks.

    A sample taken from the surface of frozen chicken wings imported into the southern city of Shenzhen from Brazil, as well as samples of outer packaging of frozen Ecuadorian shrimp sold in the northwestern Xian city, have tested positive for the virus, local authorities said on Thursday.

    The discoveries came a day after traces of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 were found on the packaging of frozen shrimp from Ecuador in a city in eastern Anhui province. China has been stepping up screenings at ports amid the concerns over food imports.

    Shenzhen’s health authorities traced and tested everyone who might have come into contact with potentially contaminated food products, and all results were negative, the city’s notice said.

    The Brazilian embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reuters could not immediately reach the Ecuadorean embassy in Beijing.

    “It is hard to say at which stage the frozen chicken got infected,” said a China-based official at a Brazilian meat exporter.

    The Shenzhen Epidemic Prevention and Control Headquarters said the public needed to take precautions to reduce infection risks from imported meat and seafood.

    The health commission of Shannxi province, where Xian city is located, said authorities are testing people and the surrounding environment connected to the contaminated shrimp products sold in a local market.

    In addition to screening all meat and seafood containers coming into major ports in recent months, China has suspended some meat imports from various origins, including Brazil, since mid-June.

    The first cluster of COVID-19 cases was linked to the Huanan seafood market in the city of Wuhan. Initial studies suggested the virus originated in animal products on sale at the market.

    Li Fengqin, who heads a microbiology lab at the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment told reporters in June the possibility of contaminated frozen food causing new infections could not be ruled out.

    Viruses can survive up to two years at temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celsius, but scientists say there is no strong evidence so far the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 can spread via frozen food.

    Xinfadi market in China’s capital city Beijing, a sprawling food market linked to cluster infections in June, where virus was found on the chopping board on which imported salmons were handled, will be reopened from the weekend.

    How the virus entered Xinfadi market in the first place is yet to be determined, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said in its latest update of the investigation in July.

    (This story has been refiled to change spelling to .. Xian city ..not.. Xi’An)

    Reporting by Roxanne Liu and David Stanway; Additional reporting by Shivani Singh and Naveen Thukral; Editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa, Tom Hogue and Muralikumar Anantharaman

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    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-h...-idUSKCN2590NH

    LONDON (Reuters) - Lockdowns and social distancing measures introduced around the world to try and curb the COVID-19 pandemic are reshaping lives, legislating activities that were once everyday freedoms and creating new social norms.


    But there are always some people who don’t play by the rules.

    Rule-breaking is not a new phenomenon, but behavioural scientists say it is being exacerbated in the coronavirus pandemic by cultural, demographic and psychological factors that can make the flouters seem more selfish and dangerous.

    Here are some questions and answers on the science of human behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic:

    WHAT MAKES SOME PEOPLE FLOUT AND OTHERS OBEY THE RULES?
    A key factor is individualism versus collectivism.

    “Some countries...tend to be higher on individualism, which is about expressing your sense of identity and who you are as an individual,” said Jay Van Bavel, an associate professor of psychology at New York University.

    People in individualist cultures tend to reject rules and ignore attempts by public health authorities to “nudge” behaviour change with risk messages or appeals for altruism.

    “If you say, for example, that wearing a mask will help protect others, people in individualistic cultures just care less,” said Michael Sanders, a expert at the Policy Institute at King’s College London.

    In collectivist cultures, people are more likely to do what’s best for the group.

    Researchers said the United States and Britain were examples of individualist cultures while Asian cultures tended to be collectivist.


    ARE TRUST AND FEAR IMPORTANT?
    Yes. These and other instincts are significant influences on human behaviour.

    In societies with more political division, for example, people are less likely to trust advice from one side or the other, and also tend to form pro- and anti-camps.

    Optimism and fear are also crucial. A little of both can be positive, but too much of either can be damaging.

    “In a situation like a pandemic, (optimism) can lead you to take risks that are incredibly dangerous,” said Van Bavel.

    WHY IS SOCIAL DISTANCING DIFFICULT?
    “We are truly social animals,” said Van Bavel. “Our bodies and brains are designed for connection and the pandemic in many ways goes against our instincts to connect.”

    That’s partly why local outbreaks can crop up in bars and nightclubs, or religious ceremonies, weddings and parties.

    FILE PHOTO: Open touristic bars are seen in the corner of Bierstrasse street (Miquel Pellisa street) in El Arenal beach, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, July 15, 2020. REUTERS/Enrique Calvo
    “People have a hard time resisting that tendency for social and group connection.”

    IF RULE-BREAKERS ARE A MINORITY, WHY DOES IT MATTER?

    “The problem is that, in a massive collective problem like the one we’re facing now, if everybody breaks the rules a little bit, then it’s not dissimilar to lots of people not following the rules at all,” said Sanders.

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    https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/con...vid-19-claims/

    Consumer and social justice groups are asking the FDA and FTC to bring enforcement actions against Joseph Mercola, D.O., and his companies (collectively, the “Mercola Group”) for false, misleading, and deceptive claims that his products will treat, cure, or prevent COVID-19 infections.

    In letters sent to the two agencies (FDA here and FTC here), dated July 21st, the Center For Science in the Public Interest, Justice Catalyst, and the People’s Parity Project charge the Mercola Group with capitalizing on the coronavirus. Their deceptive marketing claims and “medical” advice, these organizations say, pose a clear danger to the public,

    including the extraordinarily dangerous recommendation that individuals actually try to contract COVID-19 after using the supplements it sells to ameliorate the symptoms.

    They’ve done their homework too. In 20-page letters (including extensive footnotes) and an Appendix featuring photos of products, links to Mercola Group websites, and excerpts from Mercola podcasts, they document numerous threats to the public’s health posed by Mercola and his business interests.

    Before we get to the details, a brief refresher on Mercola and his history of quackery, a subject covered numerous times here on SBM.

    Mercola, a doctor of osteopathy, is an alternative health tycoon, quackery promoter, and marketer of a wide range of products, including dietary supplements, protein bars, cookware, tanning beds, saunas, homeopathic remedies, underwear, cosmetics, spices, books, and pet food. According to the Washington Post, he has donated millions of his $100 million fortune to the anti-vaccine movement. One M.O. fueling his bank account is the promotion of dubious medical advice touting a remedy, then (surprise!) selling his particular brand of that remedy via a Mercola-owned company, all the while pretending that his medical counsel was never, ever intended for promotional purposes.

    His quack health advice includes:

    Vitamin C as a viable option for measles prevention.
    Vitamin D for flu prevention.
    Thermography as superior to mammograms for breast cancer detection.
    Misinformation about screening colonoscopies, such as vastly overstating the complication rate.
    Tullio Simoncini’s cancer quackery, which claims that all cancer is really a fungus because it’s “always white” and that baking soda injections are an effective treatment.
    David Gorski referred to that last one as “among the most ridiculous ‘alternative cancer cures’ I’ve ever seen”, which says a lot. As Harriet Hall warns,

    the safest course is to assume that anything on [Mercola’s] website is false unless you can verify it as true by consulting other sources that are reliable.

    Mercola’s swindles have gotten him into trouble with the feds before. In one settlement with the FTC, Mercola and his companies paid over $5 million and agreed to stop selling tanning beds, which he claimed could reduce the risk of skin cancer.

    Apparently, Mercola is not one to learn from his experiences, nor does he have any shame, which brings us back to his false and misleading COVID-19 claims. He was recently named one of the biggest social media “super-spreaders” of COVID-19 misinformation by NewsGuard, a company that evaluates and rates news and information websites. Now, consumer groups are out to stop his mendacious marketing, asking the FDA, with jurisdiction over unlawful claims that a product can prevent, treat, or cure disease, and the FTC, with jurisdiction over false and misleading advertising, to take enforcement action against the Mercola Group.

    They argue that the Mercola Group is a danger to public health because it “frequently disseminates false and deceptive claims”, which are consumed by a substantial internet audience (Mercola.com “is viewed by ‘millions of people daily'”) and fueled by robust sales (“millions of dollars in products annually”).

    He is, for example, preemptively downplaying the effectiveness of potential COVID-19 vaccines, even warning the public that any potential vaccine would likely be deadly. On a podcast posted April 5, 2020, Mercola told listeners complete falsehoods about the risks of vaccines, saying:

    For every life being saved by a vaccine, you may have another 10, 20, 100 people who are either killed or permanently injured as a result of that vaccine.

    Mercola also endorsed his podcast guest’s incendiary assertion that people would probably be dragged from their homes and vaccinated against their will.

    Noting that their “false and misleading COVID-19 claims are really just a thinly-veiled and self-serving attempt to sell its products”, the consumer groups’ letters catalog the connection between Mercola’s “medical” advice, which appear in website articles (e.g., “Nutrition and Natural Strategies Offer Hope Against COVID-19”) and in his podcast, and corresponding Mercola Group products which just happen to fill Mercola’s prescription.

    Following this playbook, for example, Mercola wrote articles and spoke extensively (and falsely) over the last several months about the effectiveness of vitamin C to prevent and treat COVID-19, including his claim, without evidence, that a Chinese study “is likely to show” that IV vitamin C will successfully treat COVID-19-induced pneumonia. Mercola and his podcast guests also told listeners, again without evidence, that “even a small amount of vitamin C” reduces the risk of dying from COVID-19, “even in the most severe cases”. As an alternative to IV C administered by a physician, Mercola and guests suggested “liposomal” vitamin C tablets, which are (wait for it) featured prominently in Mercola Group’s online store.

    Blaming the media for hiding this information from consumers, Mercola advised on his podcast that vitamin D, which he (dangerously) recommended in high doses, will help prevent severe cases of COVID-19 when used in combination with vitamin C and other dietary supplements. Mercola also told listeners that they should use a test kit to determine current levels of vitamin D and proper dosage. Needless to say, his online store sells a vitamin D test kit ($65) as well as a test kit for vitamin D and other nutrients ($165).

    Mercola, or his podcast guests, have also touted, and the Mercola Group sells:

    Melatonin, which he claims is “proven to decrease the risks of COVID-19 infection” and can treat COVID-19 as well.
    Glycyrrhizin, the active ingredient in licorice, which “could be a treatment for COVID-19” (as well as herpes, HIV, hepatitis, influenza, encephalitis, pneumonia, SARS, and several other viruses).
    Molecular hydrogen, which has, according to Mercola, “powerful and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, making it potentially useful for COVID-19” and “preliminary results” from prominent doctors investigating its use “are encouraging”. The most effective way to consume molecular hydrogen, he claims, is via tablets that are dissolved in water, the same form he sells.
    Astaxanthin, a derivative of microalgae, which, Mercola says, calms the immune system and thereby reduces the risk of sepsis, organ failure, and death. (Apparently, in addition to preventing the disease, Mercola aims to cover each and every symptom and complication of COVID-19 with a product he sells.)
    N-acetyl Cysteine, which “may be effective at fighting the blood clotting and strokes occurring in many COVID-19 cases as well as reducing the risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome.”
    Prebiotics, probiotics, and “sporebiotics”, based on Mercola’s notion that COVID-19 infections may enable Prevotella bacteria to colonize the lungs, causing severe symptoms associated with the disease. He especially touts the “sporebiotic” Bacillus spores, which, he suggests, may be even more effective than antibiotics at fighting the Prevotella.
    Saunas, which, Mercola told his podcast listeners, can raise your core body temperature, thereby “preventatively treat[ing] any lingering infection that’s just starting to go around.” (Sadly, Mercola Group saunas are currently unavailable due to a “redesign”.)
    Ozone, to which Mercola devoted an entire podcast: “ozone therapy appears to be even more effective than intravenous vitamin C and to me it’s tragic that no one’s touching that with a 10-foot pole to treat this.” The Mercola Group sells air purifiers touted as generating ozone.
    Elderberry extract, spirulina, beta-glucan, lipoic acid, and sulforaphane, all of which, according to the Mercola Group’s Coronavirus Resource Guide, “may be of particular benefit against COVID-19.”
    As the consumer groups patiently explain, after each description of Mercola’s mendacity, they “are not aware of any scientific evidence, let alone properly conducted RCTs, that [the product in question] prevents or treats COVID-19 infection” or there is “no credible scientific evidence” to support his claims.

    After discussing previous regulatory actions involving Mercola, they argue that prior cease and desist warnings “have been insufficient to prevent this fraud and more action is needed”, up to and including warning letters followed by compliance monitoring and, if necessary, enforcement actions in federal court seeking permanent injunctions, civil penalties, and seizure of the offending products.

    Among the regulatory actions described was an investigation by Illinois authorities and a call for revocation or suspension of Mercola’s medical license by the Chief of Medical Prosecutions. Apparently, although it is not entirely clear, Mercola agreed to no longer see patients and remove some false and potentially harmful material from his website. As of June 25, 2020, Mercola’s medical licenses are still active in Illinois and Florida, a shameful indictment of the Medical Boards in those states.

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    https://bigthink.com/politics-curren...1#rebelltitem1

    The Center for Countering Digital Hate found that anti-vaxx groups reach 58 million users on social media, earning the platforms roughly $1B in revenue.
    The Center's founder, Imran Ahmed, says giving anti-vaxxers attention feeds the algorithms, further perpetuating the noise.
    In this interview with Big Think, Ahmed says the best thing we can do is offer credible information to change the algorithms.

    Disinformation is rampant. On Monday, a group named "America's Frontline Doctors" held a press conference outside of the U.S. Supreme Court to tout the miracles of hydroxychloroquine, despite contrary evidence. Videos from the event are flooding social media, with the expectable "these doctors are being silenced" rhetoric. This "conspiracy" was boosted when Twitter restricted Donald Trump Jr's account after he shared the doctors claim that masks are unnecessary for preventing the spread of COVID-19.

    Who are these doctors wearing branded white coats?

    The founder of this group is Simone Gold, a Burbank-based physician with ties to rightwing groups such as ALEC, FreedomWorks Foundation, and Tea Party Patriots (which backed this event). The group's website was launched 12 days ago and has since been taken down. There's Stella Immanuel, a Houston doctor that believes in world leaders are secretly lizards and having sex with witches and demons, and that dreaming has negative consequences. James Todaro also spoke, who, despite claiming to be on the frontline, hasn't seen a patient since 2018. An event of this magnitude wouldn't be complete without one of the Bakersfield doctors, Daniel Erickson.

    The follow-up question: How do you even begin to counter such disinformation?

    "If you see misinformation, ignore it, because engaging with it helps the platforms accomplish the goal of further spreading it," says Imran Ahmed, founder of the Center for Countering Digital Hate. "Block the person that sent it, then find some good information and share it to try to balance out the algorithmic logic that underpins it."

    Ahmed knows the dangers of internet rabbit holes. He founded the CCDH in 2017 to study the proliferation of identity-based hate in digital spaces, though he recently told me they began to focus solely on the coronavirus in early March. The stakes during a pandemic are too high to ignore.

    The first result of that effort is the publication of a 34-page report, "The Anti-Vaxx Industry: Big Tech powers and profits from vaccine misinformation." After months of investigation, the team discovered anti-vaxx organizations reach 58 million people on social media. Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube have earned nearly $1 billion in revenue from these groups—and Ahmed was lowballing that sum.

    "If we were wrong and our calculations were bad, they would have gone after us. I suspect that because we're incredibly conservative, we may have underestimated it. If they challenged it, they would have to give a real number, and that real number could be substantially higher."

    When I ask Ahmed why these groups spend so much money promoting anti-vaxx disinformation, he laughs while claiming he's not a psychologist. Though he attended medical school, he focuses on the dangers that platforms pose to society. Right now, Big Tech has found a strange bedfellow in the anti-vaxx movement.

    "These platforms were not designed for free speech. The timeline is not about reading the most recent thing. It's an algorithmic list of content which prioritizes that information which is most engaging."

    The report does reveal interesting clues on the men behind these efforts. The most influential anti-vaxx organizations are funded by osteopath Joseph Mercola, who runs a dietary supplement and medical device company and gives financial support to the National Vaccine Information Center and the Organic Consumers Association, as well as by fund manager Bernard Selz, who ponies up three-fourths of the money that supports the Informed Action Consent Network.

    Mercola is easy: he uses fear-mongering to sell supplements, which has put over $100 million into his bank account. Since the start of the pandemic, Mercola has claimed at least 22 vitamins and supplements prevent or cure COVID-19. Vaccines misinformation is just one of his techniques. Previously, he's stated that microwaves alters the chemistry of food, mobile phones cause cancer, and pasteurized milk causes negative health effects.

    Selz is harder to figure out. His philanthropic work is extensive thanks to his management of a $500 million fund. His anti-vaxx efforts, including $1.6 million given to discredited physician Andrew Wakefield, which he used to fund the movement's opus, "Vaxxed," appear to be a passion project. Since the Selz family avoids media contact, other reasons may be obscured.

    Anti-vaxx sentiment is not new, but social media has given it steroids. As Ahmed notes, anti-vaxxers use the same tactics as other hate groups: don't trust authorities; disseminate conspiracy theories to create confusion; claim to be the sole authority on a topic.

    Shortly after quarantine began, health misinformation actors merged with a hardcore group of committed anti-vaxxers to create what Ahmed calls "a coalition of chaos." Over the preceding months, this coalition has tested out a number of ideas: 5G causes COVID-19, which had a moment and then faded; track and trace is part of a global effort to microchip you, which never really caught on; and coronavirus vaccines are part of an elite capitalist conspiracy. The latter is persistent and having real-world consequences.

    Vaccine hesitancy in the UK is around 30 percent, according to Ahmed. In the U.S., he pegs it at 40 percent, though one poll found that only half of Americans are confident that they'll get a vaccine (if one is created). Enter the danger: herd immunity is different for every virus, though certainly over 50 percent. Ahmed says that confusion over a COVID-19 vaccine could result in the loss of tens of thousands of lives.

    As more people turn to social media for medical advice, Ahmed reminds us that platforms are part of the problem. You might think you're doing a public service by debating your anti-vaxxer friend. In reality, you're confirming algorithmic bias.

    "The biggest mistake we've made is thinking that public opinion will change their views. Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and Google don't care about your opinion, because you're not their customer. You're their product."

    Change agents target weak points, such as advertisers. Ahmed suggests a ruthless, sustained push, similar to the orchestrated effort that resulted in hundreds of brands pulling advertising from Facebook and Instagram. This month-long boycott is over unenforced hate speech policies.

    Far from bucking the system, anti-vaxxers are fueling the capitalist greed they claim to decry. Discussing anti-vaxx sentiments, Eula Biss writes in "On Immunity" that, "wealthier nations have the luxury of entertaining fears the rest of the world cannot afford." She compares vaccine refusal as a form of civil disobedience to the trappings of capitalism: anti-vaxxers are more like the 1 percent than the 99 percent. They're looking out for their own self-interest instead of the good of the herd, relying on propaganda promoted by wealthy donors with vested interests as their "research."

    This coalition of chaos, in cahoots with the platforms they fund, is capitalizing on vaccine disinformation. The farther from science they lead us, the better. The more enraged we become, the more attention they capture, which is where this new economy thrives.

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    SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
    Twenty-one students, faculty and staff from Sacramento State have tested positive for COVID-19, according to university president Robert Nelsen.

    The people who tested positive for the virus had been on campus within the last three weeks, Nelsen said.

    “I share this information with you not to raise alarm, but to ensure that everyone understands the seriousness of this virus. It is critical that all members of the Hornet Family follow safety precautions and only come to campus when absolutely necessary,” he said.

    The public is asked to only physically go to the campus when absolutely necessary for university business.

    Most classes at the university will continue to be online for the rest of the year.

    Anyone with questions regarding Sacramento State’s protocols is encouraged to call their Risk Management Services at 916-278-2020.
    https://www.kcra.com/article/coronav...ation/33561752

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    https://ktla.com/news/california/cal...ovid-19-cases/

    California has become the first state in the nation to surpass 600,000 confirmed coronavirus cases.

    As of Friday morning, there were more than 603,000 recorded cases. The state also has now reported over 11,000 deaths.

    Yet despite the grim numbers, there is growing evidence that the surge in infections and fatalities that began when California reopened its economy in May is beginning to slow.

    In Los Angeles County, the effective transmission rate of the coronavirus is now about 0.86 — meaning that every one infected person passes the virus to an average of 0.86 other people. Last week, the rate was at 0.91.

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    https://www.wsmv.com/news/man-enters...6c7ca1502.html

    A Nashville area man is accused of organizing a COVID-19 party.Yes this isn't just happening in the Los Angeles area this time even Tennessee has their version of COVID-19 party.

    NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - One of the two people accused of throwing a large party in North Nashville earlier this month has "accepted responsibility for his involvement," his attorney told News 4.

    Metro Police said 36-year-old Jeffrey Mathews turned himself into police this week for violating an emergency order.

    Mathews, who is a dentist in Goodlettsville, was originally charged with three separate counts, all Class-A misdemeanors, for hosting a gathering in excess of 25 people (hundreds of people attended the party), not requiring social distancing, and not requiring face coverings.

    The charge comes after videos surfaced on social media showing a large house party with many people not wearing masks on Fern Avenue on Aug. 1.
    Grover Collins, the attorney for Matthews said his client has entered a conditional plea for violating an emergency order.

    "My client is fully cognizant of the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic and is remorseful for his actions in the face of the pandemic," Collins said in a letter to News 4. "Further, my client is regretful for how his actions reflected poorly not only on himself, but also the Nashville community that he loves so much."

    The party received national attention and the White House even released a statement on the party.

    Collins said Mathews wants to specifically apologize to his East Nashville neighbors.

    "Above and beyond the public service work required for his plea, my client is committed to doing everything in his power to help educate and further assist the city in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic head on," Collins said.

    Police are still looking for 40-year-old Christopher Eubank in connection with the party.

    Eubank is reportedly to be out of state since Tuesday night and has been told to surrender on the outstanding warrants upon his return to Nashville.

    Mayor John Cooper took legal action against the "Fashion House," which is the business that threw the house party and advertised it on social media. The mayor's office said the party "was in clear violation of Metro’s Modified Phase Two public health order"

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    https://www.wsmv.com/news/white-hous...5275af17d.html

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (WSMV) - The White House has released a statement after hundreds of people, many not wearing masks, attended a house party in East Nashville over the weekend.

    A house party was held on Saturday night on Fern Avenue in East Nashville. It is now being investigated by the Metro Police Department as a crime.

    The event was promoted on social media as an "unveiling party" for what's called the "Fashion House."
    It’s a local party that’s putting Nashville back in the national spotlight showing men and women violating the city’s public health emergency.

    Metro Police find no evidence of prostitution at party
    Metro Police find no evidence of prostitution at party

    The Metro Nashville Police released the 911 tapes after a large party in East Nashville over the weekend.


    And on Wednesday, the party had caught the eye of the White House.

    “The President encourages all Americans to do their part to slow the spread of COVID-19 by washing their hands, maintaining social distancing, and wearing a mask when distancing is not possible. Last week, Dr. Birx joined Governor Lee in urging Tennesseans to follow CDC guidelines to keep both themselves, their parents and loved ones, and their neighbors healthy," The White House said on Wednesday.
    During Tuesday’s press briefing, Mayor John Cooper called the party a violation of the Phase Two health order and an irresponsible act.

    “Metro has posted a Stop Use on this property for illegally operating a commercial business in a residential district,” Cooper said.




    Metro Legal, the District Attorney's Office and the Metro Nashville Police Department are continuing to investigate the events from Saturday night.

    Metro Police said so far, they have enough evidence to charge the owner with a misdemeanor that could land him in jail for 30 days.

    News4 called and emailed the owner of the home and the organizers several times. But they’re not returning our messages.

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    British Columbia has an issue over COVID-19 parties just like here in the USA.

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    I think people should continue to stay home and wear their masks, leave the fun summer stuff for us who aren't scared. It's been great traveling with no people around. Empty roads, empty flights, empty restaraunts, empty hotels....its been great. Please, stay home until 2022.

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    And he's back.
    Quote Originally Posted by Boston Babe 73 View Post
    I don't have a thousand dollars hanging around to buy a fart in a jar lol.

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    Quote Originally Posted by curiouscat View Post
    And he's back.
    Facebook keeps kicking me out so I have nowhere else to go for entertainment when I'm bored.

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    Isn't it great? When we returned from NJ after my father died, we loved having the roads, hotels, and restaurants to ourselves. We're getting ready to strike out on a 7,000 mile road trip around the US. Really looking forward to the "emptiness," to be honest - it'll make good photos. I'm immunosupressed so I'll wear my mask and take proper precautions, but I'm not afraid to travel. It helps that I'm ridiculously pragmatic and not afraid to die.
    You are talking to a woman who has laughed in the face of death, sneered at doom and chuckled at catastrophe.
    ...Collector of Chairs. Reader of Books. Hater of Nutmeg...

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