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Thread: COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus pandemic

  1. #1101
    Moderator puzzld's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    lol at Nestle being some vicious smiter, she's the nicest person on this site besides probably puzzld. Or at least the last person to resort to smiting.
    Quote Originally Posted by nestlequikie View Post
    Why on earth would I smite you when I can ban you?

  2. #1102
    Senior Member curiouscat's Avatar
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    Welp! It looks like I now know someone that died from covid-19. My husband's cousin had a stroke recently and he's been in and out of the hospital for other health reasons. He was like 46 or something. He leaves behind a wife and two young teenage daughters.
    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
    Welp! It looks like I now know someone that died from covid-19. My husband's cousin had a stroke recently and he's been in and out of the hospital for other health reasons. He was like 46 or something. He leaves behind a wife and two young teenage daughters.
    I'm sorry for your loss. I don't think many of us will get out of this unscathed somehow.

  4. #1104
    Cousin Greg Angiebla's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by curiouscat View Post
    Welp! It looks like I now know someone that died from covid-19. My husband's cousin had a stroke recently and he's been in and out of the hospital for other health reasons. He was like 46 or something. He leaves behind a wife and two young teenage daughters.
    I'm sorry for your loss CC. Did he get COVID before or after the stroke?



    My stepmom apparently got sick from the second shot. Not trying to scare anyone, just an FYI.

    "The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man" -Charles Darwin

    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    Chelsea, if you are a ghost and reading mds, I command you to walk into the light.

  5. #1105
    Scoopski Potatoes Nic B's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Angiebla View Post
    I'm sorry for your loss CC. Did he get COVID before or after the stroke?



    My stepmom apparently got sick from the second shot. Not trying to scare anyone, just an FYI.
    How sick?


    Quote Originally Posted by marakisses View Post
    yes i said i will leave it under you storage he said cuddle with me i said shut up it over??? what am i doing wrong??
    Quote Originally Posted by curiouscat View Post
    Happy Birthday! I hid a dead body in your backyard to celebrate. Good luck finding it under the cement. You can only use a stick to look for it.

  6. #1106
    Moderator puzzld's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by curiouscat View Post
    Welp! It looks like I now know someone that died from covid-19. My husband's cousin had a stroke recently and he's been in and out of the hospital for other health reasons. He was like 46 or something. He leaves behind a wife and two young teenage daughters.
    So sorry for your loss.
    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    lol at Nestle being some vicious smiter, she's the nicest person on this site besides probably puzzld. Or at least the last person to resort to smiting.
    Quote Originally Posted by nestlequikie View Post
    Why on earth would I smite you when I can ban you?

  7. #1107
    Cousin Greg Angiebla's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    How sick?
    Fever 102, tired, sore, joint and muscle pain. But it only lasted a day.

    My dad says it's because the mRNA directs muscle proteins to assemble the virus's outer shell and spikes, which the human antibodies are directed to attack.

    I don't know what that means

    "The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man" -Charles Darwin

    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    Chelsea, if you are a ghost and reading mds, I command you to walk into the light.

  8. #1108
    Scoopski Potatoes Nic B's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Angiebla View Post
    Fever 102, tired, sore, joint and muscle pain. But it only lasted a day.

    My dad says it's because the mRNA directs muscle proteins to assemble the virus's outer shell and spikes, which the human antibodies are directed to attack.

    I don't know what that means
    Me neither. But one day doesn't sound too bad.


    Quote Originally Posted by marakisses View Post
    yes i said i will leave it under you storage he said cuddle with me i said shut up it over??? what am i doing wrong??
    Quote Originally Posted by curiouscat View Post
    Happy Birthday! I hid a dead body in your backyard to celebrate. Good luck finding it under the cement. You can only use a stick to look for it.

  9. #1109
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    Me neither. But one day doesn't sound too bad.
    I'd much rather have a day of that than actually get COVID!

  10. #1110
    Moderator puzzld's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Angiebla View Post
    Fever 102, tired, sore, joint and muscle pain. But it only lasted a day.

    My dad says it's because the mRNA directs muscle proteins to assemble the virus's outer shell and spikes, which the human antibodies are directed to attack.

    I don't know what that means
    This is an explanation of how the virus works https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AMPxRH3LFg you need to understand that, then the "vaccine assembles shells and spikes so human antibodies learn to attack them" makes sense. It also makes sense that vaccines make you feel bad for a short time. You don't actually "get" the flu from the flu vaccine, but sometimes your body thinks you did..
    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    lol at Nestle being some vicious smiter, she's the nicest person on this site besides probably puzzld. Or at least the last person to resort to smiting.
    Quote Originally Posted by nestlequikie View Post
    Why on earth would I smite you when I can ban you?

  11. #1111
    Senior Member curiouscat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by raisedbywolves View Post
    I'm sorry for your loss. I don't think many of us will get out of this unscathed somehow.
    Thank you. I didn't know him real well. I met him a handful of times. He seemed like an okay guy. He must've been somewhat smart since I rarely saw him at any of my dumbass mil's family get togethers. Usually the smart ones don't go.

    Quote Originally Posted by Angiebla View Post
    I'm sorry for your loss CC. Did he get COVID before or after the stroke?

    My stepmom apparently got sick from the second shot. Not trying to scare anyone, just an FYI.
    Thank you. I believe after. I just went and looked at his wife's Facebook. He had a stroke in September.

    Quote Originally Posted by puzzld View Post
    So sorry for your loss.
    Thank you.
    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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    https://fox40.com/news/local-news/in...id-19-vaccine/

    DAVIS, Calif. (KTXL) — The Placer County Sheriff’s Office and Public Health reported Saturday that they are investigating the death of a man who received a COVID-19 vaccine.

    According to officials, the person had tested positive for COVID-19 in late December and received the vaccine Thursday. The sheriff’s office says the man was not administered his vaccine by Placer County Public Health.

    It’s unknown where he got his vaccine or which vaccine he received, as officials have yet to say.
    A cause of death has not been reported yet and agencies are still investigating, but they reported he died hours later after receiving the vaccine.

    The announcement was made in a Facebook post by the sheriff’s office.


    “Many people are going to make the connection with the vaccine because of the timing,” said Dr. Dean Blumberg.

    Blumberg, an infectious disease expert at UC Davis Children’s hospital, warns people shouldn’t be too quick to place blame.

    “My first inclination is that it’s probably not related to the vaccine,” Blumberg told FOX40. “We know that the severe allergic reactions that occur following immunization, the vast majority of those occur 15-30 minutes following immunization.”

    Blumberg says that if it happened several hours later it is “probably not the severe allergic reaction, anaphylaxis, that we worry about.”

    A recommendation from Dr. Anthony Fauci also states that people should not get vaccinated within 90 days of being sick with the virus.

    Blumberg says people who had COVID-19 participated in the vaccine trials and did not show any increased risk.

    “That’s why we do these large studies to look for any of those kinds of signals and in the studies, we didn’t see any signal that showed that people who are vaccinated were more likely to die,” Blumberg said. “I think the odds are that it was more likely due to chance.”

    Blumberg says there are still many questions that need to be answered regarding the incident.

    Multiple agencies are actively investigating the case, including the California Department of Public Health.

    Our thoughts are with the family of the deceased. We tak
    e these instances seriously which is why we are working with our government partners to investigate the cause. We are working collaboratively and will continue to use data and science to determine how to proceed.

    CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH

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    President of Mexico tested postive for COVID-19

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    https://www.kron4.com/health/coronav...d-19-vaccines/

    Merck is giving up on two potential COVID-19 vaccines following poor results in early-stage studies.

    The drugmaker said Monday that it will focus instead on studying two possible treatments for the virus that also have yet to be approved by regulators. The company said its potential vaccines were well tolerated by patients, but they generated an inferior immune system response compared with other vaccines.

    Merck entered the race to fight COVID-19 later than other top drugmakers.

    Investigation: Person dies hours after COVID-19 vaccine, Placer County Sheriff says
    It said last fall that it had started early-stage research in volunteers on potential vaccines that require only one dose. Vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna were already in late-stage research at that point.

    The Food and Drug Administration allowed emergency use of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines late last year. Each requires two shots.

    Five potential vaccines have reached late-stage testing in the United States, the final phase before a drugmaker seeks approval from regulators. Results from a single-dose candidate developed by Johnson & Johnson are expected soon.

    Moderna study: COVID vaccine neutralizes UK, South Africa variants
    Since vaccinations began in December, nearly 22 million doses have been delivered to people nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 6% of the population has received at least one dose.

    A total of 3.2 million people, or 1% of the population, have received both doses required for those vaccines.

    More than 419,000 people have died in the United States due to the coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University.

    Allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccine
    The government is paying Merck about $356 million to fast-track production of one of its potential treatments under Operation Warp Speed, a push to develop COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. The money will allow Kenilworth, New Jersey, company to deliver up to 100,000 doses by June 30, if the FDA clears the treatment for emergency use.

    The treatment, known as MK-7110, has the potential to minimize the damaging effects of an overactive immune response to COVID-19. This immune response can complicate the life-saving efforts of doctors and nurses.

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    https://apnews.com/article/china-cor...1bb3d0c90f7418

    TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Chinese state media have stoked concerns about Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, despite rigorous trials indicating it is safe. A government spokesperson has raised the unsubstantiated theory that the coronavirus could have emerged from a U.S. military lab, giving it more credence in China.

    As the ruling Communist Party faces growing questioning about China’s vaccines and renewed criticism of its early COVID-19 response, it is hitting back by encouraging conspiracy theories that some experts say could cause harm.

    State media and officials are sowing doubts about Western vaccines and the origin of the coronavirus in an apparent bid to deflect the attacks. Both issues are in the spotlight because of the rollout of vaccines globally and the recent arrival of a World Health Organization team in Wuhan, China, to investigate the origins of the virus.



    Some of these conspiracy theories find a receptive audience at home. The social media hashtag “American’s Ft. Detrick,” started by the Communist Youth League, was viewed at least 1.4 billion times last week after a Foreign Ministry spokesperson called for a WHO investigation of the biological weapons lab in Maryland.

    – EU proposes more travel restrictions to stop virus variants
    “It’s purpose is to shift the blame from mishandling by (the) Chinese government in the pandemic’s early days to conspiracy by the U.S.,” said Fang Shimin, a now-U.S.-based writer known for exposing faked degrees and other fraud in Chinese science. “The tactic is quite successful because of widespread anti-American sentiment in China.”

    Yuan Zeng, an expert on Chinese media at the University of Leeds in Great Britain, said the government’s stories spread so widely that even well-educated Chinese friends have asked her whether they might be true.

    Inflaming doubts and spreading conspiracy theories might add to public health risks as governments try to dispel unease about vaccines, she said, saying, “That is super, super dangerous.”

    In the latest volley, state media called for an investigation into the deaths of 23 elderly people in Norway after they received the Pfizer vaccine. An anchor at CGTN, the English-language station of state broadcaster CCTV, and the Global Times newspaper accused Western media of ignoring the news.

    Health experts say deaths unrelated to the vaccine are possible during mass vaccination campaigns, and a WHO panel has concluded that the vaccine did not play a “contributory role” in the Norway deaths.

    The state media coverage followed a report by researchers in Brazil who found the effectiveness of a Chinese vaccine lower than previously announced. Researchers initially said Sinovac’s vaccine is 78% effective, but the scientists revised that to 50.4% after including mildly symptomatic cases.

    After the Brazil news, researchers at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a government-supported think tank, reported seeing an increase in Chinese media disinformation about vaccines.

    Dozens of online articles on popular health and science blogs and elsewhere have explored questions about the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine at length, drawing on an op-ed published this month in the British Medical Journal that raised questions about its clinical trial data.

    “It’s very embarrassing” for the government, Fang said in an email. As a result, China is trying to raise doubts about the Pfizer vaccine to save face and promote its vaccines, he said.

    Senior Chinese government officials have not been shy in voicing concerns about the mRNA vaccines developed by Western drug companies. They use a newer technology than the more traditional approach of the Chinese vaccines currently in use.


    In December, the director of the Chinese Centers for Disease Control, Gao Fu, said he can’t rule out negative side effects from the mRNA vaccines. Noting this is the first time they are being given to healthy people, he said, “there are safety concerns.”

    The Pfizer mRNA vaccine and another one developed by Moderna have passed both animal and human trials in which they were tested on more than 70,000 people.

    The arrival of the WHO mission has brought back persistent criticism that China allowed the virus to spread globally by reacting too slowly in the beginning, even reprimanding doctors who tried to warn the public. The visiting researchers will begin field work this week after being released from a 14-day quarantine.

    The Communist Party sees the WHO investigation as a political risk because it focuses attention on China’s response, said Jacob Wallis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

    The party wants to “distract domestic and international audiences by pre-emptively distorting the narrative on where responsibility lies for the emergence of COVID-19,” Wallis said.

    Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying got the ball rolling last week by reviving earlier Chinese calls for a WHO investigation of the U.S. military lab.

    State media have referenced past scandals at the lab, but China has given no reliable evidence to support the coronavirus theory.

    “If America respects the truth, then please open up Ft. Detrick and make public more information about the 200 or more bio-labs outside of the U.S., and please allow the WHO expert group to go to the U.S. to investigate the origins,” Hua said.

    Her comments, publicized by state media, became one of the most popular topics on China’s Twitter-like Sina Weibo.

    China isn’t the only government to point fingers. Former U.S. President Donald Trump, trying to deflect blame for his government’s handling of the pandemic, said last year he had seen evidence the virus came from a Wuhan laboratory. While that theory has not been definitively ruled out, many experts think it is unlikely.

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    . MILWAUKEE ? The former Aurora Health Care pharmacist accused of attempting to intentionally spoil nearly 600 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine has reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, agreeing to plead guilty to two counts of attempting to tamper with consumer products.

    Steven Brandenburg, 46, agreed to plead guilty to two criminal counts which carry a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Wisconsin. The charges are in violation of federal 18 U.S. Code ? 1365: attempting to tamper with consumer products, with reckless disregard for the risk that another person will be placed in danger of death or bodily injury.

    Brandenburg also faces an attempted felony criminal damage to property, a class A misdemeanor, in Ozaukee County Court - a charge he pleaded not guilty to. That charge carries a $10,000 fine and nine months behind bars. The Ozaukee County district attorney has not announced whether they are dropping the charge, but said in a statement Tuesday that,?I?m grateful for the hard work and dedication of all the law enforcement officers, and the prosecutors from the federal government, that was necessary to bring an appropriate level of prosecution and punishment to this case."

    According to prosecutors, Brandenburg attempted to spoil Moderna-manufactured vaccines at the Grafton Aurora Medical Center in December because he didn't believe they were safe. Brandenburg took the vials out of a freezer and left them out for 12 hours, hoping the warmer temperature would make the doses ineffective, prosecutors say.

    The plea agreement released Tuesday states Brandenburg believed in conspiracy theories, followed notions of alternative history and was skeptical of vaccines, in particular the Moderna vaccine. The agreement continues that Brandenburg shared conspiracy theories beliefs with co-workers at the pharmacy for at least the last two years.

    Before the extent of Brandenburg's actions were discovered, the doses in question were administered to 57 people, according to federal prosecutors.

    The Ozaukee County District Attorney, Adam Gerol, had previously said Brandenburg could face a felony charge in connection to the incident. That depended upon then unfinished tests by vaccine manufacturer Moderna to find out if the doses were spoiled or not.

    The conclusion of that investigation remains unclear, but the two counts of attempting to tamper with consumer products Brandenburg pleaded guilty to suggest the doses, in the end, were not spoiled, though Brandenburg did intend them to be.

    The market value of the doses is in excess of $8,000, according to Ozaukee County prosecutors.

    Ozaukee County prosecutors explained in a criminal complaint that Dr. Randall Hyer of Moderna Pharmaceuticals wrote on Jan. 5, 2021 that the vaccine would not have been rendered less effective if they were only left at room temperature for up to 24 hours. Moderna later provided guidance on testing the remaining vials of the vaccine for efficacy.

    On Jan. 13, Brandenburg's pharmacy license was suspended, pending the outcome of criminal and disciplinary hearings.

    https://www.wxyz.com/news/national/c...-vaccine-doses

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    https://apnews.com/article/venezuela...2857fa318440b6

    CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s President Nicol?s Maduro appears to be counting on yet another “miracle” to save his citizens from COVID-19, promoting a secretive solution with no published scientific evidence he claims will conquer the new coronavirus.

    “Ten drops under the tongue every four hours and the miracle is done,” Maduro said in a televised appearance on Sunday. “It’s a powerful antiviral, very powerful, that neutralizes the coronavirus.”

    But his government has released no evidence. He even kept secret the name of the “brilliant Venezuelan mind” behind it, saying he needed to protect them. Scientists at home and abroad remained skeptical. The local National Academy of Medicine said it appeared be derived from the common herb thyme.

    It’s not the first time the Venezuelan leader has promoted a cure. In October, he notified the Pan American Health Organization that Venezuelan scientists discovered a molecule that nullifies the replication capacity of the new coronavirus. He hasn’t spoken of that development since. He’s also promoted a special herbal tea he claims can fend off the virus and other ailments.

    Other leaders too have embraced solutions dismissed by scientific studies. Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro both stubbornly touted an antimalarial drug despite repeated studies finding it ineffective and possibly dangerous.

    The new coronavirus hasn’t hit Venezuela as hard as other South American countries such as Brazil, Ecuador and Peru, though many experts say that’s likely because sanctions against Maduro’s government have sharply limited travel there.

    Maduro said the treatment, which he called carvativir, has been under testing for nine months among Venezuelans ill with the coronavirus. He said he plans to distribute it nationwide and to other nations as well.

    Dr. David Boulware, professor of medicine and an infectious diseases physician at the University of Minnesota Medical School, noted the lack of scientific evidence.

    “This is, just as with other things, people trying to sell, you know, some magic beans as the solution to a complex problem,” Boulware told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “This would be great if it worked, but I would like to see the data.”

    Venezuela’s National Academy of Medicine said “it’s prudent ... to wait for more data from the carvativir tests according to international protocols.”

    Since October, Venezuela has been part of trials for the Sputnik V vaccine from Russia, a staunch ally of Maduro’s government. Venezuela signed a contract in December with Russia to buy the vaccine, but inoculations aren’t scheduled to start until April.

    Rosa Colina, 58, said authorities should do more to get Venezuelans vaccinated sooner. She said colleagues at a local health center and some neighbors have died from COVID-19.

    “I’m of the mind that we need the vaccine, not these droplets,” she said. “I think that won’t have any effect.”

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    https://apnews.com/article/coronavir...16ddd6edbaf870

    COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A new variant of the coronavirus emerged Thursday in the United States, posing yet another public health challenge in a country already losing more than 3,000 people to COVID-19 every day.

    The mutated version of the virus, first identified in South Africa, was found in two cases in South Carolina. Public health officials said it’s almost certain that there are more infections that have not been identified yet. They are also concerned that this version spreads more easily and that vaccines could be less effective against it.

    The two cases were discovered in adults in different regions of the state and do not appear to be connected. Neither of the people infected has traveled recently, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control said Thursday.

    “That’s frightening,” because it means there could be more undetected cases within the state, said Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious diseases physician at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. “It’s probably more widespread.”

    The arrival of the variant shows that “the fight against this deadly virus is far from over,” Dr. Brannon Traxler, South Carolina’s interim public health director, said in a statement. “While more COVID-19 vaccines are on the way, supplies are still limited. Every one of us must recommit to the fight by recognizing that we are all on the front lines now. We are all in this together.”

    Viruses constantly mutate, and coronavirus variants are circulating around the globe, but scientists are primarily concerned with the emergence of three that researchers believe may spread more easily. Other variants first reported in the United Kingdom and Brazil were previously confirmed in the U.S.

    As the variants bring a potential for greater infection risks in the U.S., pandemic-weary lawmakers in several states are pushing back against mask mandates, business closures and other protective restrictions ordered by governors.

    States including Arizona, Michigan, Ohio, Maryland, Kentucky and Indiana are weighing proposals to limit their governors’ abilities to impose emergency restrictions. Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled Assembly had been expected to vote to repeal Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ mask mandate, but lawmakers abruptly called off the vote Thursday in the face of broad criticism and out of concern it would jeopardize more than $49 million in federal aid. Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering a constitutional amendment to strip the governor of many of his emergency powers.

    Governors argue that they need authority to act swiftly in a crisis, and limitations could slow critical emergency responses.

    Meanwhile, Nebraska health officials said the state could be days away from lifting restrictions on indoor gatherings, citing a low percentage of COVID-19 hospitalizations. Other states seeing declining infections are also loosening limitations on restaurants and other businesses, though experts have warned the public to stay vigilant about masks and social distancing or risk further surges.

    In South Carolina, the state health agency said the variant was found in one person from the state’s coastal region and another in its northeastern corner. The state gave little other information, citing privacy concerns, though Traxler said neither of the people was contagious any longer.

    “Both were tested very early in the month, and my understanding is that both are doing well,” Traxler said.

    South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican, loosened most of the state’s remaining pandemic restrictions in the fall. Spokesman Brian Symmes said McMaster does not plan to order new restrictions based on the discovery of the variant.

    “This is important information for South Carolinians to have,” McMaster said in a tweet, “but it isn’t a reason for panic.”

    Scientists last week reported preliminary signs that some of the recent mutations may modestly curb the effectiveness of two vaccines, although they stressed that the shots still protect against the disease. There are also signs that some of the new mutations may undermine tests for the virus and reduce the effectiveness of certain treatments.

    The coronavirus has already sickened millions and killed roughly 430,000 people in the United States.

    While the rollout of vaccines has been slow, President Joe Biden has pledged to deliver 100 million injections in his first 100 days in office — and suggested it’s possible the U.S. could reach 1.5 million shots a day.

    While some European countries do extensive genetic testing to detect these variants, the U.S. has done little of this detective work. But scientists have been been quickly trying to do more, which has revealed the more contagious variants.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported at least 315 cases of the U.K.-discovered variant in the United States. Those reports have come from at least 28 states, and health officials believe it could become the dominant strain in the U.S. by March. That variant has been reported in at least 70 countries.

    Full Coverage: Coronavirus pandemic
    The first U.S. case of the variant found in Brazil was announced earlier this week by health officials in Minnesota. It was a person who recently traveled to that South American nation. That version of the virus has popped up in more than a half-dozen countries.

    The variant first found in South Africa was detected in October. Since then, it has been found in at least 30 other countries.

    Some tests suggest the South African and Brazilian variants may be less susceptible to antibody drugs or antibody-rich blood from COVID-19 survivors, both of which help people fight off the virus.

    Health officials also worry that if the virus changes enough, people might get COVID-19 a second time.

    Biden on Monday reinstated COVID-19 travel restrictions on most non-U.S. travelers from Brazil, the U.K. and South Africa. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that Americans avoid travel.

    ___

    Stobbe reported from New York.

    ___

    The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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    https://www.npr.org/sections/coronav...n-south-africa

    The biotech company Novavax says its COVID-19 vaccine is 89% effective at preventing the illness, according to an interim analysis of a large study conducted in the U.K.

    The results come from a clinical trial involving more than 15,000 volunteers, of whom more than a quarter were older than 65.

    The company says 62 cases of COVID-19 were seen in the study. Fifty-six occurred in the group that got placebo; six were seen in people who received the vaccine.

    The Novavax vaccine is what's called a protein subunit vaccine, a different kind of vaccine technology that is used in the shots made by Pfizer and Moderna that are being rolled out in this country. The Novavax vaccine is given in two doses spaced 21 days apart.

    Novavax says in a news release that its vaccine is slightly less effective against the new variant of the coronavirus that's been circulating in the U.K. — about 86%. Against the original COVID-19 strain, the vaccine is about 96% effective, the company says.

    In a separate, smaller study in South Africa, the vaccine was still somewhat effective at preventing COVID disease — 49% overall — a level far lower than in the larger U.K. study. But there is a wide range of uncertainty around exactly how much lower the effectiveness is.


    What The Spread Of Coronavirus Variants Means For The U.S.
    A preliminary analysts suggested the variant strain first identified in South Africa appeared to be responsible for the majority of the COVID cases seen in the study.

    After vaccination or previous infection, the immune system is able to make antibodies that recognize the coronavirus and then neutralize or destroy it. As the virus mutates, however, it can change how it looks to these antibodies and make it harder for them to lock on.

    A combination of mutations in the variant first seen in South Africa changed the surface of the virus where antibodies seek to bind.

    The Novavax study in South Africa found that a previous infection with the original form of the virus that causes COVID-19 may not completely protect people against becoming infected with the mutated version later on.

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    https://abc7news.com/health/johnson-...ease/10122217/

    NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- Johnson & Johnson's long-awaited vaccine appears to protect against COVID-19 with just one shot - not as strong as some two-shot rivals but still potentially helpful for a world in dire need of more doses.

    J&J said Friday that in the U.S. and seven other countries, the single-shot vaccine was 66% effective overall at preventing moderate to severe illness, and much more protective - 85% - against the most serious symptoms.

    There was some geographic variation. The vaccine worked better in the U.S. - 72% effective against moderate to severe COVID-19 - compared to 57% in South Africa, where it was up against an easier-to-spread mutated virus.

    "Gambling on one dose was certainly worthwhile," Dr. Mathai Mammen, global research chief for J&J's Janssen Pharmaceutical unit, told The Associated Press.

    With vaccinations off to a rocky start globally, experts had been counting on a one-dose vaccine that would stretch scarce supplies and avoid the logistics nightmare of getting people to return for boosters.

    But with some other competing vaccines shown to be 95% effective after two doses, at question is whether somewhat less protection is an acceptable tradeoff to get more shots in arms quickly.

    The company said within a week, it will file an application for emergency use in the U.S., and then abroad. It expects to supply 100 million doses to the U.S. by June, and expects to have some ready to ship as soon as authorities give the green light.

    These are preliminary findings from a study of 44,000 volunteers that isn't completed yet. Researchers tracked illnesses starting 28 days after vaccination - about the time when, if participants were getting a two-dose variety instead, they would have needed another shot.

    After day 28, no one who got vaccinated needed hospitalization or died regardless of whether they were exposed to "regular COVID or these particularly nasty variants," Mammen said. When the vaccinated did become infected, they had a milder illness.

    Defeating the scourge that has killed more than 2 million people worldwide will require vaccinating billions, and the shots being rolled out in different countries so far all require two doses a few weeks apart for full protection. Early data is mixed on exactly how well all the different kinds work, but shots made by Pfizer and Moderna appear to be about 95% protective after the second dose.

    But amid shortages, some countries have advised delaying the second dose of certain vaccines with little data on how that would affect protection.

    All COVID-19 vaccines train the body to recognize the new coronavirus, usually by spotting the spikey protein that coats it. But they're made in very different ways.

    J&J's shot uses a cold virus like a Trojan horse to carry the spike gene into the body, where cells make harmless copies of the protein to prime the immune system in case the real virus comes along.

    Rival AstraZeneca makes a similar cold virus vaccine that requires two doses. Both the AstraZeneca and J&J vaccines can be stored in a refrigerator, making them easier to ship and to use in developing countries than the frozen kind made by Pfizer and Moderna.

    It's not clear exactly how well the AstraZeneca version, being used in Britain and several other countries, works. Tests in Britain, South Africa and Brazil suggested two doses are about 70% effective although there are questions about how much protection older adults get. An ongoing U.S. study may provide more information.

    J&J said its vaccine works consistently in a broad range of people: A third of participants were over age 60, and more than 40% had other illnesses putting them at risk of severe COVID-19, including obesity, diabetes and HIV.

    J&J said the vaccine is safe, with reactions similar to other COVID-19 shots such as fever that occur when the immune system is revved up.

    While it released few details, the company said there were no serious allergic reactions. But occasionally other COVID-19 vaccines trigger such reactions, which can be reversed if promptly treated - and authorities have warned people to be on the lookout regardless of which type of vaccine is used.

    J&J had hedged its bets with a study of a two-dose version of its vaccine, which is still underway.

    Friday's interim results come on the heels of another vaccine in final testing. Novavax reported this week that its vaccine appears 89% effective in a U.K. study and that it also seems to work - though not as well - against new mutated versions of the virus circulating in Britain and South Africa. A larger study in the U.S. and Mexico is still enrolling volunteers.

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    https://ktla.com/news/local-news/dod...lock-entrance/

    . One of the largest vaccination sites in the country temporarily shut down Saturday because dozens of protesters blocked the entrance, stalling hundreds of motorists who had been waiting in line for hours, the Los Angeles Times reported.

    The Los Angeles Fire Department shut the entrance to the vaccination center at Dodger Stadium about 2 p.m. as a precaution, officials told the newspaper.

    The protesters had members of anti-vaccine and far-right groups, the Times reported. Some of them carried signs decrying the COVID-19 vaccine and shouting for people not to get the shots.

    There were no incidents of violence, the Times said.

    The Los Angeles Police Department later tweeted that “preliminary reports are that protestors remained peaceful.”

    We are aware of social media posts referring to protestors showing up at the Dodger Stadium COVID-19 vaccination site. Preliminary reports are that protestors remained peaceful. The LAPD did NOT close the gates, and per LA City Fire, all scheduled vaccines will be delivered. https://t.co/l5zEW3UAOt

    — LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) January 31, 2021
    “This is completely wrong,” said German Jaquez, who drove from his home in La Verne and had been waiting for an hour for his vaccination when the stadium’s gates were closed. He said some of the protesters were telling people in line that the coronavirus is not real and that the vaccination is dangerous.

    The vaccination site reopened later in the afternoon. The site is usually open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

    After it reopened, Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted: “We will not be deterred or threatened. Dodger Stadium is back up and running.”

    CA is working around the clock to provide life-saving vaccines to those on the frontlines of this pandemic.

    We will not be deterred or threatened.

    Dodger Stadium is back up and running. https://t.co/5Yu9qqjO2K

    — Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) January 31, 2021
    A post on social media described the demonstration as the “SCAMDEMIC PROTEST/MARCH.” It advised participants to “please refrain from wearing Trump/MAGA attire as we want our statement to resonate with the sheeple. No flags but informational signs only.

    “This is a sharing information protest and march against everything COVID, Vaccine, PCR Tests, Lockdowns, Masks, Fauci, Gates, Newsom, China, digital tracking, etc.”

    Apparently anti-vaxxers have decided to protest outside of Sacramento and this time outside of Dodger stadium in the LA Area.

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