Covid-19

[FrostyWinnipeg]

Manitoba #COVID19 patients in hospital: 92 (down 2) 
In ICU: 17 (down 1)
Total patients in ICU (COVID and non-COVID): 87 (unchanged)

Five-day Manitoba #COVID19 test-positivity rate: 3.6  per cent (down 0.2 percentage points)
Tests completed Tuesday: 3,029

The seven-day average daily #COVID19 case count in Manitoba declines by three to 102.

Regional breakdown of new Manitoba #COVID19 cases:
 29 Southern 
 24 Winnipeg
 19 Prairie Mountain
 14 Northern 
 9 Interlake-Eastern

[Tracker]

How the once-feared mu variant all but disappeared

In September, news broke that a new coronavirus mutation — the mu variant, formally known as B.1.621 — could potentially evade vaccine-induced immunity.

"This variant has a constellation of mutations that suggests that it would evade certain antibodies, not only monoclonal antibodies, but vaccine- and convalescent serum-induced antibodies," President Joe Biden's COVID-19 adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci told reporters in September. "But there isn't a lot of clinical data to suggest that. It is mostly laboratory in-vitro data."

At the time, the idea of a vaccine-resistant variant sent a shockwave of fear through the world. The dreaded delta variant was already known to be more resistant to vaccines than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus. Could mu, which was first discovered in Colombia, be worse than delta? Indeed, mu appeared to have specific mutations that have been associated with resistance to immunity, as well a mutation known as P681H that has been linked to accelerated transmission.

Now, nearly a month later — long after the World Health Organization dubbed the mu variant one "of interest" that needed to be monitored — data from outbreak.info shows the mu variant hasn't been detected in the U.S., nor anywhere in the world, since September 21, 2021.

Does that mean the mu is no longer a threat? The short answer is: probably. But Joseph Fauver, an associate research scientist at the Yale School of Public Health, wouldn't go as far as saying it's been "eradicated," as some news outlets have reported either.

"To say it was 'eradicated' would imply that we, humans, went out of our way to make that happen … but as far as mu or B.1.621 longer being around, yeah, I would totally buy that," Fauver said.

Fauver clarified: "What actually happened was that it was effectively out competed by delta."

How the once-feared mu variant all but disappeared | Salon.com

 

[iHeart]

Thing is we haven't heard much from the other variants(especially P1) ever since the Delta variant reared it's ugly head...or Delta Plus for that matter

 

Edited October 7, 2021 by iHeart

[FrostyWinnipeg]

 

Manitoba #COVID19 patients in hospital: 85 (down 7) 
In ICU: 15 (down 2)
Total patients in ICU (COVID and non-COVID): 84 (down 3)

Five-day Manitoba #COVID19 test-positivity rate: 3.4  per cent (down 0.2 percentage points)
Winnipeg rate: 1.5 per cent
Tests completed Wednesday: 4,000 (yes, an even 4,000)

The seven-day average daily #COVID19 case count in Manitoba rises to 104.

Regional breakdown of new Manitoba #COVID19 cases:
 37 Northern 
 33 Southern 
 28 Winnipeg
 24 Prairie Mountain
 10 Interlake-Eastern

Top Manitoba health districts by active #COVID19 cases:
 1. Pukatawagan: 73
 2. Norway House: 69
 3. Brandon: 57
 4. Unknown area in Winnipeg: 43
 5. Steinbach: 35

The latest Manitobans to succumb to #COVID19:
 A Winnipeg man in his 100s (unspecified variant of concern, disclosed Wednesday)
 A Winnipeg man in his 60s (unspecified VOC, reported today)

New school outbreaks:
 Alonsa School, Alonsa
 Miniota School, Miniota

Of today's 132 new cases, 95 were either unvaccinated (78) or only had one shot (17).

Manitoba recorded another 3,328 #COVID19 vaccine doses.
 Manitobans with 1 shot: 1,028,017
 Proportion of Manitobans 12 and up with 1 shot: 85.4%
 Two shots: 975,049
 Proportion with 2 shots: 81.4%
 Manitobans aged 12 and up: ~1,189,903

Manitoba handed out 19 pandemic enforcement tickets last week:
 12 tickets to businesses ($5,000 each)
 5 for individual violations ($1,296 each)
 2  for failing to wear a mask in an indoor public places ($298 each)

 Business violations in Steinbach:
 - Fitness Zone  (2 tickets)
 - Superstore (2 tix)
 - Hydro Ag Supply
 - Lumber Zone
 - Shear Effects

 In Winnipeg:
 - Morfit Training, Tache (2 tix)
 - Morfit Training, Donald Street
 - Exchange Event Centre

 Other MB business violations:
 - Lee-Anna’s Diner, Marquette (2 tickets)
 - Heartland Livestock, Virden

Edited October 7, 2021 by FrostyWinnipeg

[iHeart]

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/pfizer-to-seek-canadian-approval-for-its-vaccine-for-kids-as-young-as-five-in-about-a-week-1.5614813?fbclid=IwAR0hLGSBkYjC3xevSDYjE-7WA2mf-4Yko_cyB3wRrH73TcT7av6QfqdFSZU

Edited October 7, 2021 by iHeart

[itchy]

Covidiot of the week- the owner of my former gym.  As you may have seen on the news, the owner has been adamant they will not ask for vaccination status, which is why I left for my own safety and health. From an email since I still get them (BTW- I understand he also owns White Lion which is hilarious/stupid/ignorant if so);

We knew from early September that not following the public health orders would likely mean we would eventually be shut down. We received a call from Manitoba Health this week stating they would shut our business down if we did not start enforcing the public health orders. This is after receiving several fines which we always intended on fighting. However, we are faced with closure before we can get to the courts. So we must adapt to the situation.

St. Boniface transition to White Lion Athletics

  The St. Boniface gym is going to be taken over by another business, White Lion Athletics. You may recognize that name as it is the fitness equipment that we currently sell at the St. Boniface location. Here is how the transition will proceed:

- MORFIT is officially closing it’s St. Boniface location as of 10pm Thursday, October 7th. Only massage, private training and White Lion Athletics retail will continue uninterrupted.

- On Tuesday, October 12th, the gym will reopen following the public health orders under White Lion Athletics. Please note that QR codes will be required.

- All currently active MORFIT memberships will be honored by White Lion Athletics. If you still have an active membership, you can continue to use it. As of Tuesday, any new memberships will be purchased through White Lion Athletics.

- White Lion Athletics will be offering FREE online training for anyone that is no longer able to attend the gym. Details on this and other training services will be made available once their new training facility and service website launches next week. 

MORFIT Downtown

  The downtown gym will continue to operate as usual, under MORFIT, for the time being. 

We have stood strong and will continue to do so in the capacity that we can. The loss of a business is a small compromise against what we are facing. I’m glad that all of our members were able to workout with us over the past month. I encourage those of you that cannot continue with us to find other ways to stay strong through all of this. There are other gyms out there that will likely accommodate you, or check out the services that White Lion Athletics will be offering.

Stuart and the MORFIT Team

 

 

[Mark F]

saw this comment on a discussion about layoffs.... Alberta I think...

any thoughts as to its accuracy?

"I would say between 1/3 and 1/2 of the entire oil and gas industry is unvaccinated with most utterly refusing to get vaccinated.  Oil and gas wages are already going up with the expectation of a massive labor shortage in December when CNRL (one of the oilsand's biggest players) makes vaccines mandatory."

 

[Noeller]

1 minute ago, Mark F said:

saw this comment on a discussion about layoffs.... Alberta I think...

any thoughts as to its accuracy?

"I would say between 1/3 and 1/2 of the entire oil and gas industry is unvaccinated with most utterly refusing to get vaccinated.  Oil and gas wages are already going up with the expectation of a massive labor shortage in December when CNRL (one of the oilsand's biggest players) makes vaccines mandatory."

 

That seems fair....if I've learned anything out here, it's that most rig-pigs are dumbasses. They'll come around once they realize that they need it to keep up their "$100k/year With No Education" lifestyle...

[JCon]

Always remember what the ghouls on the right are trying to do to us:

 

[Tracker]

1 hour ago, Mark F said:

saw this comment on a discussion about layoffs.... Alberta I think...

any thoughts as to its accuracy?

"I would say between 1/3 and 1/2 of the entire oil and gas industry is unvaccinated with most utterly refusing to get vaccinated.  Oil and gas wages are already going up with the expectation of a massive labor shortage in December when CNRL (one of the oil sand's biggest players) makes vaccines mandatory."

 

This was inevitable and violence is probable. 

[17to85]

I straight up refused to go to a CNRL camp when my company wanted me to go there for a few weeks during the 3rd wave. Ain't no way I was putting myself in that kind of situation before I was vaccinated. So yeah lots of oil and gas types are absolute morons (I spent 14 years working on rigs, trust me when I tell you this). 

[FrostyWinnipeg]

 

[iHeart]

we are right in the middle

 

 

Edited October 8, 2021 by iHeart

[HardCoreBlue]

5 hours ago, 17to85 said:

I straight up refused to go to a CNRL camp when my company wanted me to go there for a few weeks during the 3rd wave. Ain't no way I was putting myself in that kind of situation before I was vaccinated. So yeah lots of oil and gas types are absolute morons (I spent 14 years working on rigs, trust me when I tell you this). 

I prefer knuckle draggers to morons but I’ll allow it.

[Goalie]

5 hours ago, iHeart said:

we are right in the middle

 

 

By population size we barely exist 

[Tracker]

'Entirely unsurprising': Merck slammed for 4,000% markup of taxpayer-funded Covid drug

   
The New Jersey-based pharmaceutical giant Merck is facing accusations of price gouging after it charged the U.S. over $700 per patient for a taxpayer-funded coronavirus treatment that, according to research, costs just $17.74 to produce.

Last week, Merck announced plans to request emergency federal authorization for molnupiravir after a late-stage clinical trial showed that a five-day course of the antiviral drug cut the risk of Covid-19 hospitalization or death in half in patients with mild-to-moderate cases.

The same day Merck unveiled the results of the trial and White House officials hailed the drug as another possible tool against Covid-19, the New York Times reported that "the federal government has placed advance orders for 1.7 million courses of treatment, at a price of about $700 per patient"—far more than the estimated cost of manufacturing the drug.

According to an analysis by Melissa Barber of Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and Dzintars Gotham of King's College Hospital in London, "the cost of production for molnupiravir capsules is US$1.74 per unit, or US$17.74 per five-day regimen."

"Adding an allowance for 10% profit margin and taxes in India, we arrive at an estimated sustainable generic price of US$1.96 per capsule or US$19.99 per five-day regimen," the researchers concluded.

 

[rebusrankin]

I'll keep saying it but if Shelly Glover becomes Premier we are ******. Check out her video on CBC.

[FrostyWinnipeg]

53 minutes ago, rebusrankin said:

I'll keep saying it but if Shelly Glover becomes Premier we are ******. Check out her video on CBC.

Don't like either choice. 

[rebusrankin]

44 minutes ago, FrostyWinnipeg said:

Don't like either choice. 

Me either but Glover seems worse. However it is as South Park once said a choice between a turd sandwich and a giant ******.

[WildPath]

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1959985731872

I believe this is what rebusrankin is referring to. Scary.

I think we're screwed if either get in and it such BS that most Manitobans don't get to pick the next premier, especially when the stakes are so high, the party is wildly unpopular and the former leader quit in the middle of a pandemic(despite saying he wouldn't) without a reason. I believe Stefanson would be the better choice, but that's more that I think/hope she is just appealing to the unvaccinated as an election strategy and would be more likely to actually follow expert advice.

Its very unfortunate that both candidates are basing a large part of their campaign to appeal to a small minority of the unvaccinated Manitobans, because they are a large contingent in one political party. They are both aware most Manitobans support vaccine requirements.

She basically said she would oppose a lockdown if public health experts advised it. "We can't afford to do it for small and medium sized businesses"

Her implicit position is - be willing to die and have health care go to sh** for the economy. Think short-term and appease those who are unhappy with vaccine mandates. There's no way this message would elect her if all Manitobans had a vote at a time when we've seen how this approach works in Alberta and Sask and we've been told we should be expecting the 4th wave to grow here.

[the watcher]

48 minutes ago, WildPath said:

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1959985731872

I believe this is what rebusrankin is referring to. Scary.

I think we're screwed if either get in and it such BS that most Manitobans don't get to pick the next premier, especially when the stakes are so high, the party is wildly unpopular and the former leader quit in the middle of a pandemic(despite saying he wouldn't) without a reason. I believe Stefanson would be the better choice, but that's more that I think/hope she is just appealing to the unvaccinated as an election strategy and would be more likely to actually follow expert advice.

Its very unfortunate that both candidates are basing a large part of their campaign to appeal to a small minority of the unvaccinated Manitobans, because they are a large contingent in one political party. They are both aware most Manitobans support vaccine requirements.

She basically said she would oppose a lockdown if public health experts advised it. "We can't afford to do it for small and medium sized businesses"

Her implicit position is - be willing to die and have health care go to sh** for the economy. Think short-term and appease those who are unhappy with vaccine mandates. There's no way this message would elect her if all Manitobans had a vote at a time when we've seen how this approach works in Alberta and Sask and we've been told we should be expecting the 4th wave to grow here.

My hope is Stefanson has to take this stance to keep Glover out and will support proper Covid measures when she is in. It may be ugly politics but she may have no choice. If she strongly comes out in support of restrictions there is a good chance the covidiots will take over the party and we could end up with a Kenny like disaster.. I just hope the sensible group in the PCs are still in control and playing ugly but smart politics. We are screwed if they aren't. 

As far as our system , leaders have always stepped out and been replaced that way both Federal and Provincial.  We can't change it because we don't like the circumstances or the system will collapse like our neighbors to the south. The Republicans don't like the results so they are twisting and bending the system to suit there particular  bent and twisted view. 

[WildPath]

2 minutes ago, the watcher said:

My hope is Stefanson has to take this stance to keep Glover out and will support proper Covid measures when she is in. It may be ugly politics but she may have no choice. If she strongly comes out in support of restrictions there is a good chance the covidiots will take over the party and we could end up with a Kenny like disaster.. I just hope the sensible group in the PCs are still in control and playing ugly but smart politics. We are screwed if they aren't. 

As far as our system , leaders have always stepped out and been replaced that way both Federal and Provincial.  We can't change it because we don't like the circumstances or the system will collapse like our neighbors to the south. The Republicans don't like the results so they are twisting and bending the system to suit there particular  bent and twisted view. 

Agreed that we can't change the system, just lamenting that it sucks, especially at this point in time. The US election isn't quite a fair parallel though, both sides did have a say in who governed the nation. A more apt comparison would be for Americans to elect a non-Trump government and then replace the leader with Trump half way in because that is who the party favours. Perhaps we will see this on the federal level if Trudeau steps down this term, though I expect the majority of voters, even many liberal voters would support that right now.

I think going forward, it might make sense to have an election called whenever the leader of a governing party is replaced though.

If we want to try to find a win/win perspective, we can embrace wild, Kenney-style Covid management as ensuring the PC lose in 2023 and have a long dry spell after that. We've learned enough about what doesn't work for dealing with Covid that we can't forget embracing the far right side of one party to win a leadership race. I hope I would say the same thing if the tables were turned and the NDP embraced the far left side of the party to win a leadership race while they are currently in power.

[Rich]

There is measures in place for the states as well.  If the president steps down, there is an order of who is in charge starting with the Vice President.  
 

Our system is setup that you vote more for a party / representative then the leader.   What you are asking for would seem to me to be getting closer to the American system. 

[Tracker]

COVID-Infected Allen West Goes on Unhinged Anti-Vax Rant—From Hospital

Right-wing firebrand Allen West on Sunday followed up the previous day’s news that he contracted COVID-19 and was hospitalized with an off-the-rails Twitter rant against vaccination.

The former congressman, who is not vaccinated, wrote that he and his wife Angela received monoclonal antibody treatments at an emergency room in Dallas on Saturday. “The results were immediate,” he claimed before noting that his wife, who is vaccinated, was allowed to go home while he stayed at the hospital due to concerns over COVID-related pneumonia and low blood oxygen levels.

The far-right figure, who has increasingly adopted QAnon-adjacent rhetoric and recently quit his post as Texas GOP chairman, praised the hospital for “not forcing any harmful protocols on me” and for “making me grits for breakfast!!!”

And then, despite the burden placed on hospital staff by people like West who refuse to get vaccinated, he pivoted to attacking vaccines.

“I can attest that, after this experience, I am even more dedicated to fighting against vaccine mandates,” he tweeted. “Instead of enriching the pockets of Big Pharma and corrupt bureaucrats and politicians, we should be advocating the monoclonal antibody infusion therapy.” (Monoclonal antibody treatments, of course, are largely manufactured by pharmaceutical giants like Regeneron and GlaxoSmithKline.)

West’s anti-vaccine rant included fact-free claims about the shot and somehow also found a way to fearmonger about migrants: “Instead of jabbing Americans, and not illegal immigrants, with a dangerous shot which injects them with these spike proteins...guess what? I now have natural immunity and double the antibodies, and that’s science.”

The Tea Party star also took a moment to tout his Texas gubernatorial candidacy, claiming he will “vehemently crush anyone forcing vaccine mandates” including the “progressive socialist jackasses who must be saved from themselves.”

Aside from his anti-vaccine nonsense, West has previously pushed unproven, potentially dangerous COVID “treatments” popularized by anti-vaxx contrarians, like anti-parasitic drug ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial medication. Neither drug has been proven to treat the coronavirus, despite West’s assertions.

Allen West Goes on Unhinged Anti-Vaccine Tirade Amid COVID Hospitalization (thedailybeast.com)

[WildPath]

1 hour ago, Rich said:

There is measures in place for the states as well.  If the president steps down, there is an order of who is in charge starting with the Vice President.  
 

Our system is setup that you vote more for a party / representative then the leader.   What you are asking for would seem to me to be getting closer to the American system. 

I think that has benefits, in that the voting populace know the plan in place and can adjust their votes based on that. Selecting an appropriate VP can be a big decision. It would a lot better than the nation electing a John McCain and then him stepping down and Donald Trump comes out of nowhere to run the country. I feel that even though we vote for the party, many people vote for the leader and the leader dictates the policies and everyone else in the party is basically on board regardless of their personal beliefs. I recently read an article about how that has changed a lot and pretty much all decisions are based on party lines, often set by the leader.

If we truly had MLAs/MPs representing their personal/regional ideologies, then it might make more sense for the party to elect the next leader. To be able to just quit at any time and have only a small segment of the population select the next leader of the party seems pretty undemocratic they way policies are decided now. It is especially poignant now, when our province is so divided (if you consider a small, extremely vocal minority a division) on a key issue going forward.