Covid-19

[Stretch]

7 hours ago, itchy said:

Well story time;

Went to Grand Forks today (yes we had the app) and it's gonna be a while before we do that again!

Had a couple packages to pick up in Pembina  and we figured go a bit further have some lunch, shop, make a day of it.

You'd never know we were still in a pandemic, 95% of people unmasked, most masked elderly.  People walking around without any care, dirty looks we got from people, lack of measures in place, zero distancing. I can't recall the last time I felt that uncomfortable and unsettled.

I remember on the news just before the border reopened they talked to someone from the Grand Forks Chamber of Commerce. They were itching to welcome back Canadians (and their wallets) but mentioned that they didn't have any public health measures in place so they recommended masking up while there because of their infection rate. Their state tourism slogan should be "Welcome to North Dakota: We'll trade you your money for COVID".

[itchy]

33 minutes ago, Stretch said:

I remember on the news just before the border reopened they talked to someone from the Grand Forks Chamber of Commerce. They were itching to welcome back Canadians (and their wallets) but mentioned that they didn't have any public health measures in place so they recommended masking up while there because of their infection rate. Their state tourism slogan should be "Welcome to North Dakota: We'll trade you your money for COVID".

3 Things stuck out for for me;

1. certainly not a lot of Canadians making that trip still. Border crossing were relatively quick and easy, especially considering people haven't ben able to do it for like 18+ months. Not many cars with MB license plates in any of the parking lots

2. Made me appreciate the collective effort we've done. Yeah, south MB is a shitshow, it hasn't been remotely perfect anywhere, but it's light years beyond what they're doing collectively and as a whole. Also gave me a perspective of how they got to where they are at as opposed to us

3. definitely wouldn't recommend to anyone that values taking precautions. I honestly feel like an idiot for even going for a few hours and doing everything I normally do to protect myself and others.

[WildPath]

Looks like we are pushing back more cardiac surgeries to make sure we have ICU capacity. Kind of scary when we've had access to vaccinations for months. It seems like we haven't hit our latest peak either, so I'm guessing this will only get worse.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-cardiac-surgery-cancellations-covid-19-1.6273696

The advocacy group estimates the number of surgeries and procedures delayed in the province is now at 136,000 and climbing.

[HardCoreBlue]

1 hour ago, WildPath said:

Looks like we are pushing back more cardiac surgeries to make sure we have ICU capacity. Kind of scary when we've had access to vaccinations for months. It seems like we haven't hit our latest peak either, so I'm guessing this will only get worse.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-cardiac-surgery-cancellations-covid-19-1.6273696

The advocacy group estimates the number of surgeries and procedures delayed in the province is now at 136,000 and climbing.

Yea but freedom to live MY life. My Choice My Body. I'm not anti vax I'm pro choice.

If anyone is thinking that when it comes to what the collective we need to do to get this pandemic under control, you're dumb, dense and completely uncaring for your fellow human being.

Uncomfortable truth for some.

 

[Tracker]

Omicron Triggers ‘Unprecedented’ COVID Surge Hitting Children Under Age 5 in South Africa

The “highly transmissible” Omicron variant of coronavirus ripping through South Africa is putting disproportionately large numbers of children under 5 years old in hospitals, a top South African government medical adviser said Friday.

The alarming development raises the prospect of a new global battle cycle against the virus, given that the new variant has already spread to dozens of countries. The South African scientists also said the new variant was spreading much quicker than any previous wave of the coronavirus.

In a worrying virtual press conference, government adviser Waasila Jassat, speaking about the worst-affected area of Gauteng province (which includes the city of Johannesburg), said: “It’s clear in Gauteng, the week-on-week increase we’re seeing in cases and admissions is higher than we’ve seen it before. We’ve seen quite a sharp increase [in hospital admissions] across all age groups but particularly in the under 5s.”

She added: “The incidence in those under 5 is now second highest, second only to those over 60. The trend that we’re seeing now, that is different to what we’ve seen before, is a particular increase in hospital admissions in children under 5 years.

“We’ve always seen children not being very heavily affected by the COVID epidemic in the past, not having many admissions. In the third wave, we saw more admissions in young children under 5 and in teenagers, 15-19, and now, at the start of this fourth wave, we have seen quite a sharp increase across all age groups, but particularly in the under 5s.”

‘Unprecedented’ Omicron Surge in South Africa Is Hitting Children Under Age 5 (thedailybeast.com)

[blue_gold_84]

https://globalnews.ca/news/8427791/merck-covid-19-antiviral-pill-canada-manufacturing/

Quote

Merck is partnering with a pharmaceutical company in Ontario to make its oral COVID-19 antiviral pill in Canada.

Merck, the maker of molnupiravir — which is still under Health Canada review — announced Monday it has reached an agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific in Whitby to manufacturer its treatment.

Marwan Akar, president and managing director with Merck Canada Inc., told reporters at a news conference that Thermo Fisher has been making molnupiravir for distribution in Canada and the United Kingdom, as well as for European, Asian Pacific and Latin American countries, pending approvals in those regions.

“Make no mistake, vaccines remain our primary and first line of defence, but we need new tools in the toolbox, and antivirals provide just that,” Akar said. “This is another way to combat this pandemic, help save lives, accelerate patient recovery and avoid hospitalizations.”

 

[iHeart]

sno sign of Omicron

 

Region	Cases
Interlake-Eastern health region	49
Northern health region	79
Prairie Mountain Health region	49
Southern Health-Santé Sud health region	176
Winnipeg health region	186

WTF we have more than Southern Health does? (granted these are likely weekend numbers)

Edited December 6, 2021 by iHeart

[FrostyWinnipeg]

13 minutes ago, iHeart said:

sno sign of Omicron

 

Region	Cases
Interlake-Eastern health region	49
Northern health region	79
Prairie Mountain Health region	49
Southern Health-Santé Sud health region	176
Winnipeg health region	186

WTF we have more than Southern Health does? (granted these are likely weekend numbers)

Southern people visit Winnipeg on the weekend

 

[iHeart]

 

[iHeart]

CRAP!!!!!!

 

[Tracker]

Pfizer Says COVID-19 Booster Offers Protection Against Omicron

Pfizer said Wednesday that a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine may protect against the new omicron variant even though the initial two doses appear significantly less effective.

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech said lab tests showed a booster dose increased by 25-fold the level of so-called neutralizing antibodies against omicron.

Pfizer announced the preliminary laboratory data in a press release and it hasn’t yet undergone scientific review. The companies already are working to create an omicron-specific vaccine in case it’s needed.

Scientists have speculated that the high jump in antibodies that comes with a third dose of COVID-19 vaccines might be enough to counter any decrease in effectiveness.

Antibody levels predict how well a vaccine may prevent infection with the coronavirus but they are just one layer of the immune system’s defenses. Pfizer said two doses of the vaccine may still induce protection against severe disease.

“Although two doses of the vaccine may still offer protection against severe disease caused by the Omicron strain, it’s clear from these preliminary data that protection is maximized with a third dose of our vaccine,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement.

Pfizer Says COVID-19 Booster Offers Protection Against Omicron | HuffPost Latest News

[iHeart]

Crap 4 more cases of Omicron

 

178 cases and 7 news deaths

[Tracker]

MORE STUPIDITY FLEECING THE IDIOTS

 

Anti-vaxxers are pushing this cocktail as a 'treatment’'for COVID-19 vaccines: report
   
One of the kookiest claims of anti-vaxxers is that they can “reverse” a COVID-19 vaccination if someone has been vaccinated but now regrets it. According to the Daily Beast’s Mark Hay, the Niatonin Protocol is a mixture that anti-vaxxers have been promoting on a Telegram channel — although the person who developed it denies being an anti-vaxxer.

“A few months ago,” Hay explains, “a channel popped up in the anti-vaccine recesses of the fringe-friendly social media platform Telegram and began extolling the virtues of the ‘Niatonin Protocol,’ a daily regimen of high doses of niacin, butyric acid, and a few other supplements. The exact cocktail is situational and ever-shifting. Through a barrage of anonymous anecdotes and jumbled, supposedly scientific explanations, the group argued this program was a surefire ‘antidote’ for the dangers — some real but rare, others seemingly invented — that they associate with safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines.”

But Dmitry Kats, who developed the Niatonin Protocol, stressed to the Beast that he doesn’t consider himself an anti-vaxxer.

Kats told the Beast, “I don’t want people to think this is particularly for vaccine injury-related issues. I’m not anti-vax at all…. I feel like it’s working brilliantly for many people.”

Nonetheless, Hay notes, Kats participates in the Telegram channel “actively and frequently.”

“On other platforms across the web — podcasts, videos, social media — he’s shared memes that position his protocol as a vaccine-injury treatment, appeared to equate elements of the effects of the vaccines and those of COVID-19 itself,” Hay observes.

Anti-vaxxers are pushing this cocktail as a 'treatment’'for COVID-19 vaccines: report - Alternet.org

 

[Tracker]

 

Study says third shot of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine protects well against omicron variant

Fears about the omicron variant's ability to evade vaccines may end up being overblown — at least, if enough humans are inoculated with a third dose of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine. 

According to Pfizer-BioNTech, the third dose or "booster" dose of their patented vaccine protects patients against the mutant SARS-CoV-2 virus strain with an effectiveness comparable to how two doses defend against other common strains.

The company determined this based on laboratory studies which revealed analogous levels of neutralizing antibodies, or the proteins produced by the immune system to identify and kill pathogens. There was a 25-fold drop in these neutralizing antibodies among patients who had only received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, suggesting that the omicron variant may be able to more easily evade the protections in people who lack the extra dose. By contrast, if future research replicates these results, it indicates that three doses of the Pfizer shot will likely be enough to keep the vast majority of patients from developing serious infections.

Study says third shot of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine protects well against omicron variant | Salon.com

[Noeller]

4 minutes ago, Tracker said:

 

Study says third shot of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine protects well against omicron variant

Fears about the omicron variant's ability to evade vaccines may end up being overblown — at least, if enough humans are inoculated with a third dose of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine. 

According to Pfizer-BioNTech, the third dose or "booster" dose of their patented vaccine protects patients against the mutant SARS-CoV-2 virus strain with an effectiveness comparable to how two doses defend against other common strains.

The company determined this based on laboratory studies which revealed analogous levels of neutralizing antibodies, or the proteins produced by the immune system to identify and kill pathogens. There was a 25-fold drop in these neutralizing antibodies among patients who had only received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, suggesting that the omicron variant may be able to more easily evade the protections in people who lack the extra dose. By contrast, if future research replicates these results, it indicates that three doses of the Pfizer shot will likely be enough to keep the vast majority of patients from developing serious infections.

Study says third shot of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine protects well against omicron variant | Salon.com

AB is so far behind everyone else for making people eligible for a booster. I'm at 6 months this coming Friday, but we're still at 60+ only eligible for boosters. They'll likely hit 50+ in the next couple weeks and then 40+ sometime in the new year. ******* assholes. 

[Tracker]

13 minutes ago, Noeller said:

AB is so far behind everyone else for making people eligible for a booster. I'm at 6 months this coming Friday, but we're still at 60+ only eligible for boosters. They'll likely hit 50+ in the next couple weeks and then 40+ sometime in the new year. ******* assholes. 

But think of all the money that is being saved.

[Noeller]

11 minutes ago, Tracker said:

But think of all the money that is being saved.

You could be a UCP MLA!! 

[WildPath]

1 hour ago, Tracker said:

MORE STUPIDITY FLEECING THE IDIOTS

 

Anti-vaxxers are pushing this cocktail as a 'treatment’'for COVID-19 vaccines: report
   
One of the kookiest claims of anti-vaxxers is that they can “reverse” a COVID-19 vaccination if someone has been vaccinated but now regrets it. According to the Daily Beast’s Mark Hay, the Niatonin Protocol is a mixture that anti-vaxxers have been promoting on a Telegram channel — although the person who developed it denies being an anti-vaxxer.

“A few months ago,” Hay explains, “a channel popped up in the anti-vaccine recesses of the fringe-friendly social media platform Telegram and began extolling the virtues of the ‘Niatonin Protocol,’ a daily regimen of high doses of niacin, butyric acid, and a few other supplements. The exact cocktail is situational and ever-shifting. Through a barrage of anonymous anecdotes and jumbled, supposedly scientific explanations, the group argued this program was a surefire ‘antidote’ for the dangers — some real but rare, others seemingly invented — that they associate with safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines.”

But Dmitry Kats, who developed the Niatonin Protocol, stressed to the Beast that he doesn’t consider himself an anti-vaxxer.

Kats told the Beast, “I don’t want people to think this is particularly for vaccine injury-related issues. I’m not anti-vax at all…. I feel like it’s working brilliantly for many people.”

Nonetheless, Hay notes, Kats participates in the Telegram channel “actively and frequently.”

“On other platforms across the web — podcasts, videos, social media — he’s shared memes that position his protocol as a vaccine-injury treatment, appeared to equate elements of the effects of the vaccines and those of COVID-19 itself,” Hay observes.

Anti-vaxxers are pushing this cocktail as a 'treatment’'for COVID-19 vaccines: report - Alternet.org

 

Is this the kind of disinformation that maybe is a good thing? If anti-vaxxers think they can overcome whatever boogeyman the vax brings, maybe let them? Might work as well as Fauci's plan to insert the vax into horse tranquilizers.

[17to85]

2 hours ago, Noeller said:

You could be a UCP MLA!! 

Pffft what do the ucp know about saving money?

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

 

[bustamente]

Am I the last person to hear the term for a person who is anti vaxx or anti mask is Pro Covid, really I wish I would of thought of that. So now I can say I wonder how the all of the Pro Covid hospital icu patients are feeling today, nah I really don't care cause they don't care about anyone but themselves

Edited December 9, 2021 by bustamente

[Tracker]

Sen. Ron Johnson Falsely Says Mouthwash 'Has Been Proven To Kill The Coronavirus'. It hasn't, but the Wisconsin Republican is still spitting out COVID-19 conspiracy theories.

Republican Sen. Ron Johnson told supporters Wednesday that mouthwash is proven to be effective against COVID-19, continuing his trend of spreading dangerous misinformation about the disease and its treatments.

“By the way, standard gargle, mouthwash, has been proven to kill the coronavirus. If you get it, you may reduce viral replication. Why not try all these things?” he said during a telephone town hall with Wisconsin constituents. “It just boggles my mind that the NIH continues to tell people, ‘Do nothing, you know, maybe take Tylenol.’”

Mouthwash companies and researchers in the field have drawn no such conclusions.

Listerine, the top-selling mouthwash brand in the U.S., specifically states on its website that its product is “not intended to prevent or treat COVID-19 and should be used only as directed on the product label.”

“No evidence-based clinical conclusions can be drawn with regards to the anti-viral efficacy of Listerine Antiseptic mouthwash at this time,” it says.

Johnson has a long history of spreading COVID-19 conspiracy theories and anti-vaccine misinformation. He has promoted the use of unproven and potentially dangerous treatments such as ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, and he’s cast doubt on the efficacy and motive behind the vaccines ― which have been proven safe and effective to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Sen. Ron Johnson Falsely Says Mouthwash 'Has Been Proven To Kill The Coronavirus' | HuffPost Latest News

[blue_gold_84]

13 hours ago, WildPath said:

Is this the kind of disinformation that maybe is a good thing? If anti-vaxxers think they can overcome whatever boogeyman the vax brings, maybe let them? Might work as well as Fauci's plan to insert the vax into horse tranquilizers.

I mean, if covidiots around the world want to put this kind of garbage in their bodies, I agree with you - let 'em. And they can live with the consequences of their stupidity.

I think we're running out of Darwin Awards.

[iHeart]

WTF Winnipeg?

 

Edited December 9, 2021 by iHeart

[JCon]