Coronavirus and Avian Flu Tidbits #304, July 21, 2024
Announcements:
First, there is now a Resources Page here for the most commonly asked questions I'm getting.
Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don't be shy about that.
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A call to action--to defeat the GOP and protect democracy.
Work to register Dems in swing states. Field Team 6: MISSION: Register Democrats. Save the World. https://www.fieldteam6.org/
Please share: Great explanation of BlueVoterGuide.org - How to build the blue wave in 2024!
also, Maryland is now important to get involved in. If Hogan wins the Senate race, he will work w the Right wing Republicans. He is not the "moderate" many believe him to be.
This week's news is progressively scarier, with the Republican convention highlighting their vengeful plans, the media and some donors trying to run Biden and Harris out, for whatever reason, and ignoring tRump's abundant faults. They're fawning over him is pushing his coronation.
This is no time to sit out the election because you don't like Biden, or whoever the Dems hastily nominate in their (likely misguided) rush to replace him.
I've also texted with VoteRiders this week--and you can, too. They're focus is on helping voters get the ID that is needed for states with restrictive ID laws like Wisconsin, Ohio, and Georgia.
Want other suggestions? Prefer calling? Email me. Thanks.
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Good explainer on Project 2025:
Searchable Project 2025
News
Summary from Stat:
- "CDC wastewater data indicates “high” viral activity in July, though nowhere near levels of this past January, or the peak of January 2022.
- This new outbreak may be due to the typical waning protective effects of booster shots people got in the fall, as well as quickly mutating Omicron subvariants.
- As always, immunocompromised patients are most at risk, though a new — if expensive — treatment is available to them, the monoclonal antibody pemivibart.
- Vulnerable populations should get a booster now, and then an updated one once it comes out in a few months."
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Test positivity, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospitalizations—the main markers the CDC uses to gauge virus activity—are all rising, especially in seniors and especially in western states.
Earlier this week, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said on X that COVID-19 infections are increasing in the city, and it urged people—especially seniors and people with underlying medical conditions—to consider wearing masks in crowded indoor settings.
The percentage of ED visits for COVID, considered an early indicator, rose 23.5% last week compared to the week before.
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New from @CDCgov's biweekly SARS-CoV-2 variant projections KP.3 strains have grown to more than half of all COVID-19 cases of this summer's wave, when adding together KP.3 (32.9%) and KP.3.1.1 (17.7%) covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tra
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The red line shows the current (5th) year of the pandemic. Transmission is >3x higher than what is typical for this time of year (gray line).
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COVID-19 hits migrants, refugees especially hard
Migrants, refugees, and internally displaced people have an 84% higher COVID-19 infection rate and a 46% higher COVID death rate than the general population, a new systematic review and meta-analysis in EClinicalMedicine reveals.
migrants often live in crowded housing, work in essential and high-risk jobs, and lack support from the government. Also, social norms can increase the risk, such as expectations to attend community events.
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/covid-19-hits-migrants-refugees-especially-hard-review-shows
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Admission screening testing of patients and staff N95 masks are cost-effective in reducing COVID-19 hospital acquired infections
all scenarios were cost saving with health gains. Staff N95s + RAT admission screening of patients was the cheapest, saving A$78.4M and preventing 1,543 deaths state-wide per annum. Both interventions were individually beneficial: staff N95s in isolation saved A$54.7M and 854 deaths state-wide per annum, while RAT admission screening of patients in isolation saved A$57.6M and 1,176 deaths state-wide per annum.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195670124002366
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Study: COVID can trigger changes to the immune system
that may underlie persistent symptoms Over 90% of #COVID-19 survivors had no neutralizing antibody activity at 10 months, implying that they had lost protection from reinfection. cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/study
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Tour de France:
"The Tour de France has reintroduced protective measures against COVID-19, with race organisation, media and guests now required to wear masks... following a number of COVID-19 cases in the peloton in recent days. Tom Pidcock, Juan Ayuso and Michael Mørkøv are among the riders to have abandoned the race after contracting the virus, while Geraint Thomas remains in the Tour despite testing positive for COVID-19." [Cycling News], via VioletBlue
"It's damning of the state of healthcare that they are reinstating mask mandates at cycle races before they reinstate them in hospitals." - Lucky Tran
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Cats get Covid
At least one clinical sign was identified in 16 cats seropositive to SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (16/38; 42%). While seropositivity to SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was not associated with the presence of one or more clinical signs, the prevalence of cats with at least one clinical sign was 2.12 times higher amongst cats with detectable viral RNA compared to those without.
Sneezing was the major symptom, followed by lethargy, vomiting, discharge, or cough. Tests are often negative.
https://bmcvetres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12917-024-04150-4
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With many people getting COVID from the summer surge, a reminder that the CDC's isolation guidelines are inadequate.
— Dr. Lucky Tran (@luckytran) July 18, 2024
It's best to isolate until you test negative on multiple tests. If you can't stay home the whole time, wear an N95 mask to stop the virus spreading to others. pic.twitter.com/0cFRgmb59Q
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Avian Flu:
Officials probe heat-wave factors in H5N1 spread to Colorado poultry cullers
As the investigation continues into recent avian flu infections in as many as five workers who culled Colorado poultry, officials today said that industrial fans in poultry barns where temperatures exceeded 104°F could have spread the virus through windblown feathers and through the air, potentially reducing the effectiveness of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Also, early genetic analysis suggests that the virus that infected the poultry and the workers is the same H5N1 genotype infecting dairy cattle, a useful clue for officials who are examining connections between the farms....
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Bird flu invades the brain of mammals
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Cranial nerves, especially the olfactory nerve, are important routes of neuroinvasion for HPAI H5Nx viruses. [also trigeminal nerve and facial]
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HPAI H5Nx viruses have a broad neurotropic potential and can efficiently infect and replicate in various CNS cell types.
https://www.cell.com/trends/neurosciences/fulltext/S0166-2236(23)00190-X
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Replication of H5N1 in cows
H5N1 infection reproduced in dairy cattle via aerosol (heifers) & intramammary (cows). Mild respiratory symptoms and RNA in heifers, showing potential for respiratory transmission. Dairy cows had severe signs with virus shedding in milk up to 24 days.
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.07.12.603337v1
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Rick Bright:
1st sequence of the #H5N1 viruses from Colorado human cases reported over weekend posted in @GISAID (in only 3 days is very fast). See link below for trees. Interestingly, the virus appears to cluster w/ viruses from dairy cows & cow milk and NOT with previous wild bird or poultry viruses....
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Thanks @RajlabN ... So people working on poultry farm w/ huge #H5N1 outbreak, were infected w/ virus containing clear marker for virus from dairy cows. Either workers also work on dairy farm & got infected there, or massive 1.8M poultry outbreak likely caused by virus from dairy cows, then infected humans.
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Six people who work at a poultry farm in northeastern Colorado have tested positive for the bird flu, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported July 19. This brings the known number of U.S. cases this year to 10.
The workers were likely infected by chickens, which they had been tasked with killing in response to a bird flu outbreak at the farm. The endeavor occurred amid a heat wave, as outside temperatures soared to 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
“The barns in which culling occurs were no doubt even hotter,” said CDC principal deputy director Nirav Shah at a July 16 press briefing. Wearing N95 respirators, goggles, and other protective gear was a challenge. Industrial fans whipped feathers around the facility that could have carried the virus, Shah added.
https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/bird-flu-cases-colorado-poultry-workers-virus-spread/
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Colorado health officials have given us new details about the 5 human cases of H5N1 bird flu.
• Another 16 symptomatic workers were tested yesterday
• In total: 69 symptomatic workers, 5 positive so far
• Test results still pending
• Antiviral medication given to 150 workers--@BNOnews
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Remember that family in Oregon who suspected they got bird flu from their kid’s baseball game?
A CDC doctor told them it was “just seasonal flu plus pink eye” and the local health authority said they’ll only take action if the state lab says to.
They were unable to get tested. -- @mo_journeys
https://x.com/salamasinamusic/status/1812143704062234788/photo/1
and Rick Bright, 7/19:
I also hear from farm workers who believe they’ve been exposed & infected w/ #H5N1, very symptomatic. They’ve reached out to @CDCgov for help, guidance, and mostly testing. They say, outreach has been ignored; no follow up, no call back, no investigation, no help getting tested.
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Other Infections:
New fungal infection discovered in China
Live Science By Emily Cooke July 16, 2024
Scientists in China uncovered a species of fungi that had never before been seen in humans. They say warmer temperatures could drive its evolution, for the worse.
The fungus, called Rhodosporidiobolus fluvialis, was found in clinical (blood) samples from two unconnected hospital patients. In experiments, the researchers found that the yeast was resistant to several first-line antifungal drugs at higher temperatures — around that of the human body. This temperature also gave rise to "hypervirulent mutants" capable of causing more-severe disease in lab mice.
The findings "support the idea that global warming can promote the evolution of new fungal pathogens," the researchers behind the discovery wrote in a report published June 19 in the journal Nature Microbiology.
The scientists made this discovery after examining fungi sampled from patients in 96 hospitals across China between 2009 and 2019. In all, 27,100 strains of fungi were collected and analyzed; of these, only R. fluvialis had never been seen in humans before.
also https://www.thesun.co.uk/health/29286791/two-dead-never-seen-before-fungi-resistant-drugs/
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National shortage of Blood Culture Bottles!!!
I can't stress enough how serious this shortage is. One third of patients hospitalized with sepsis may die prior to discharge. Best practice recommends collecting at least 2 sets of blood cultures prior to antimicrobial therapy to help identify organisms....When a patient has a bloodstream infection it is absolutely critical to use the right antibiotic. Blood cultures give us this life saving information.
Without this, people are likely to remain on unnecessarily broad spectrum antibiotics and risk more side effects.
Diagnostics:
still an incredible, negligent last of testing.
Drugs:
Devices:
Masks:
Fit tested respirators are best but even masks not designed for airborne pathogens like baggy blue surgical masks when used for source control (on someone who is sick) can reduce viral load released into enviro by 74% which isn't 98% but better than 0 ( thelancet.com/journals/ebiom ).
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How switching to an N95 mask gives a 75x boost in COVID protection “N95s are up to 75 times more effective at preventing infection with COVID-19 than surgical masks, according to a study”
Epidemiology/Infection control:
Tips, general reading for public:
Ventilate
Vaccinate
Mask
Politics:
GOP/TFG:
Criminal indictments by administration:
Carter 1
2Bush 1st 1
Clinton 2
W Bush 16
Reagan 26
Nixon 76
Trump 215
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https://twitter.com/RandyRainbow/status/1809039303449735504
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More than 22 lies at TFG's acceptance speech:
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A network of ultrawealthy Christian donors is spending nearly $12 million to mobilize Republican-leaning voters and purge more than a million people from the rolls in key swing states, aiming to tilt the 2024 election in favor of former President Donald … including the families behind Hobby Lobby and Uline, Jockey...their group is named Ziklag, after the city where David and his soldiers found refuge during their war with King Saul.
https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-ziklag-secret-christian-charity-2024-election
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The Trump campaign and RNC are suing to block voter registration at the Veterans Affairs agency. (Democracy Docket)
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On the day that Trump announces that he'll remove sanctions from Russia, Vance says it's time to sanction Ukraine. It's time for Americans to understand that Russia truly owns these guys completely.
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Project 2025
Project 2025 shifts taxes from the wealthy to the middle class— a family of 4 earning $100K would suffer a $2,600 tax hike, while a family earning $5 million would get a $325,000 tax cut.
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searchable document so anyone can compare Project 2025 w/ Agenda 47. Spoiler alert: #Agenda47isProject2025 check the content table below & search away! Shareable link: docs.google.com/document/d/1OD
Guns
5 months ago, Alex Jones and InfoWars guest Ivan Raiklin discussed how assassinating Trump would be beneficial, according to them, because it would lead to retaliatory “in kind” assassinations of a “deep state” list which includes President Joe Biden. Ivan Raiklin: “If they [assassinate Trump], option 2, behind Trump, is going to be so much better for us and so much worse them.” - @patriottakes
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This might be a good time to remember that Bill Clinton’s assault weapons ban reduced mass shooting deaths by 43% - but after George W Bush & Republicans allowed the ban to expire, mass shooting deaths skyrocketed by 239%. -@anyonewantchips
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Shooting in Butler
JD Vance recently pressed regulators to let police in anti-abortion states access women’s private medical records in order to hunt down & prosecute those seeking legal abortions in other states, according to documents reviewed by
Feel good du jour:
What a great idea! pic.twitter.com/Us9uEcMRWV
— The Dalbo Dog (@Dalbodog) July 17, 2024
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Photographer Daniel Biber from Hilzingen, Germany was trying to capture the murmuration of starlings for 4 days when he finally succeeded.
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) July 15, 2024
He just didn't realize the starlings had created a giant bird in the sky until he got home and reviewed the pictures. pic.twitter.com/nGwV3jEzMy
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Comic relief:
https://twitter.com/Yoda4ever/status/1812837028146618696
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https://twitter.com/Yoda4ever/status/1811795161762181630
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‘Dispute’, a quite impressive real picture captured by Polish photographer Jacek Stankiewicz, featuring two birds embroiled in what appears to be an animated argument. pic.twitter.com/JE1Hyp5ckL
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) July 14, 2024
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Opening day of zucchini season pic.twitter.com/znhFbGRX8v
— Papa Woof und Krampus und Bleaken (@woofknight) July 17, 2024
Perspective/Poem
Bits of beauty: