Further good developments:


Covid vaccines cut risk of serious illness by 80%
wrote:

A single shot of either the Oxford-AstraZeneca or the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid jab reduces the chance of needing hospital treatment by more than 80%, an analysis in England shows.

The Public Health England data - based on people over [age] 80 - follows similarly 'spectacular' results in Scotland.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the findings were "very strong".

More than 20 million people have received their first dose of Covid vaccine in the UK. That's more than a third of the adult population...

That also adds up to fewer people in hospital and fewer people prematurely dying.


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

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Bureaucracy gone mad
WTH is "regular" Covid?

Officials are trying to find a person who tested positive for the Brazil variant of coronvavirus, which may be more contagious than "regular" Covid.

Three snippets for the UK story of COVID:


News story: New data show vaccines reduce severe COVID-19 in older adults
wrote:

New data show both Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines significantly reduce severe COVID-19 in older adults [after just the first dose].

... “This adds to growing evidence showing that the vaccines are working to reduce infections and save lives.

“While there remains much more data to follow, this is encouraging and we are increasingly confident that vaccines are making a real difference.

“It is important to remember that protection is not complete and we don’t yet know how much these vaccines will reduce the risk of you passing COVID-19 onto others.

“Even if you have been vaccinated, it is really important that you continue to act like you have the virus, practise good hand hygiene and stay at home.

From this week, the NHS has started to deliver second doses to those people vaccinated first, which will provide higher and longer lasting protection...

Press conference slides
wrote:

[The story is that the positive effect of vaccination can already be seen in the reduction in the daily number of deaths seen for the over-80s.]

Yet, why has this taken until just now?!:

Restricting workforce movement between care homes and other care settings
wrote:

Guidance
Published 1 March 2021

And the trends for the UK numbers are looking good... Here's hoping they continue to consistently improve!

(Note that sadly, people are still dying.)


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

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This time round, the comments look to have (so far) not gone off the rails:


Another Anti-Vaxxer Comes Back for More


Note especially one of the comments:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LP8Zi6bHpBA&lc=Ugwl1vHVK-vc1NrHYBl4AaABAg
wrote:

Well now that Trump got the shot maybe some of the conspiracy people will get one

Checking up on that and: Wow!


Indeed, how do we work around the anti-vaxxers prolonging the pandemic?


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
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Now that most of the numbers are in after last weekend it's time for another update.

The last reporting period now has the world's total case tally up to over 114,987,500 along with over 2,549,700 deaths, but thankfully the daily counts of both have greatly improved.

In the top 30 of the death list Czechia has displaced Romania from 23rd spot while we still have to wait for Sweden to get its numbers in after their 4 day weekend to see if Pakistan has again taken 30th place from them.

Now to the latest movements in the case list.

Australia has been knocked out of 111th place by Botswana, Latvia displaced Kyrgyzstan from 86th while South Korea took 84th from China, Albania kicked Kenya out of 81st as Paraguay slipped past Ethiopia to claim 71st, Palestine passed Egypt to take up 65th and Greece jumped over both Slovenia and Kuwait to land in 61st.

Bulgaria bumped Bolivia out of 50th while Malaysia became the 45th country to pass 300,000 cases, Hungary knocked Japan from 37th as Serbia nudged past Austria into 35th and Romania became the 25th country to pass 800,000 infections.

Well that's enough for now.

Wow, there is a good splash in the news for the single-shot J&J vaccine.

Here's just one example from CNN:

Dr. Fauci on US case count: This is what history tells us

A key comment in there is to take whichever of the 3 vaccines that are available in the USA, ASAP. They are all more than effective enough to give a very good chance of staying out of hospital.


There is also some badly sensationalist reporting with some unnecessarily blatantly gruesome angles given that childishly look to be designed to try to scare people away! Weird reporting.

Is this where the USA system has collapsed to the point of whether you 'believe' in Dr Antony Fauci or whether 'conspiracies' and 'Fake News' hold a deadly sway?


Obviously, I believe in the good success of Science that has been successful throughout history.

Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

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I've been worried for a long time about the breathless appeal of the fake news. Why choose it?

Could it be the result of the breathless appeal of the generic Hollywood blockbuster, whether in film or game format?

Real scientific life is so much more boring.

I've been worried for a long time about the breathless appeal of the fake news. Why choose it?

Could it be the result of the breathless appeal of the generic Hollywood blockbuster, whether in film or game format?

Real scientific life is so much more boring.

Or all just a shallow game of how 'sexy' the presenter looks?

Unfortunately, Hollywood almost always gives a badly negative view of science regardless of the very positive reality. All a hangover from the game of telling scary fairy tales?

(And I know excellent people that make science work. Some can genuinely outshine any of the Hollywood film stars except for being too genuine to put on an act!)


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

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Obviously, I believe in the good success of Science that has been successful throughout history.

A sentiment one cannot fault.
However, that science wasn't magical, it took time, a lot of time. Which brings me to this: 2069483
Reading all the reports on Covid since day one, many in the early days caught my attention & gave grave concerns. Until now, not seen much reporting on a particular concern. Covid-pneumonia
Like Bob, I'm been keeping to myself whenever possible & masked whenever I have to leave home.
6 decades ago, I snuffed it twice.
1st on the operating table undergoing an operation for glandular fever.
2nd time while in the post op recovery, caught pneumonia where a day or so later, caught another dose of pneumonia & snuffed it again.
Apparently, out for a minute or two both times.
The issue was that it left me with a weak chest which is why I suppose I've been susceptible to regular bouts of flu over the years.
So, was it the result of having Covid or the treatment/vaccination that failed him?
Remember folks - dead is forever.

Reading all the reports on Covid since day one, many in the early days caught my attention & gave grave concerns. Until now, not seen much reporting on a particular concern. Covid-pneumonia

He was admitted to A&E on Sunday morning and then back on the ward with pneumonia, caused by Covid-19

I think we need to think scientifically and carefully about that one.

Some viral diseases directly cause visible and identifiable symptoms. Think the measles rash, the mumps swelling, the polio muscle weakness.

But others - of which Covid is one - don't produce such clear symptoms. And Covid in particular has been characterised by the slow onset of the most severe symptoms. There are many reports, from Boris Johnson upwards, of people being ill enough to be admitted to hospital, but then later becoming much worse and needing to be transferred to intensive care.

Isn't that better interpreted as the failure of the naive immune system to deal with the presenting problem, and later going into overdrive? The later, more severe, symptoms should be classed as 'complications of Covid', rather than Covid itself?

In which case, vaccination - which primes the immune system to react better the first time - should protect against the delayed overdrive immune response too?

Good point.
However those with weak immune systems see this:

If you have a condition or you are on any sort of medication that weakens your immune system, the best thing you can do is to talk to your doctor before getting the vaccine.

If one can get through on the phone...
...then get past reception...
...then it "might" be possible to see/speak to a doctor.

Good point.
However those with weak immune systems see this:

If you have a condition or you are on any sort of medication that weakens your immune system, the best thing you can do is to talk to your doctor before getting the vaccine.

If one can get through on the phone...
...then get past reception...
...then it "might" be possible to see/speak to a doctor.

Always very good to check.

And stating the obvious:


The Coronavirus-SARS2 (which causes COVID-19) includes a potent collection of features that acting together has caused our present pandemic. One feature is that it suppresses a key part of our immune system that then allows it to rampage through your cells and blood for a few days until other (slower to respond) parts of your immune system come into effect and then there is an uncomfortable race to 'catch up'. That also explains why a victim feels no symptoms to begin with, even though they are infected and rabidly spreading the virus further.

The vaccines available so far, are all focusing on the "spike protein" that the caronavirus capsule must use for the very first step of infection. That protein is a good unique target to avoid unwanted side effects and is ideal to stop the virus at that very early stage. We are seeing very good results from the vaccines.


Which comes to: You do need certain parts of a healthy immune system to be able to respond to the vaccine. For most people, even the very elderly, there is no problem for that.

Still, always good to check for proper advice for any questions. (Hence why there is a vaccine checklist that is followed to make sure everything is as expected and safe.)

Patience and good luck!


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

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At last some action against deadly misinformation:


Anti-Covid vaccine tweets face five-strikes ban policy
wrote:

Twitter is to ban users who repeatedly tweet harmful misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines...

... Anti-disinformation campaigners say the success of the initiative now depends on how strictly Twitter enforces it.

The move brings the social network in line with several of its rivals.

Facebook and Instagram announced their own pledge to close the accounts of repeat offenders a month ago. And YouTube already operates its own three-strikes system, which was extended in October to cover claims about vaccines that contradict "expert consensus"...

Enough? Soon enough??

And what is it with these 'influencers' and conspiracy merchants leading people deadly astray? Are they just grabbing advertising profits with no care for the damage being done?


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
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Now for a dose of UK good and Isle of Man bad news:


Brazil variant: Search for mystery case narrows to 379 households
wrote:

The search for an individual infected with the Covid variant first found in Brazil has narrowed to 379 households in south-east England, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said.

He said the batch of home testing kits in question had been identified and each household was being contacted.

It is one of six cases of the P.1 variant found in the UK in February...

... Updated vaccines could be ready within months, enabling people to get a booster shot in the autumn.

Preliminary data from Manaus - the Amazonian city hit hard by the P.1 variant - suggest it is more contagious and may evade immunity provided by past Covid infection...

... So why the change of tack? It is mainly related to production at AstraZeneca's two UK plants which are now both fully up-to-speed. It could mean around four million doses a week could be given in the second half March - compared to between two and three million in recent weeks. Soon after that supplies of a third vaccine, Moderna, may start arriving in the country.

Ministers often refer to the programme as a race - the vaccine against the virus. Well, if that's the case, the vaccination programme could soon be at full throttle...

Covid-19: Isle of Man in 'circuit-breaker' lockdown after spike in cases
wrote:

A 21-day "circuit-breaker" lockdown has been announced to limit the spread of Covid-19 on the Isle of Man...

... More than 40 Covid-19 cases have been linked to the cluster involving the [one] ferry crew member, who tested positive for the virus on 18 February. Officials believed it was largely under control, but five unexplained cases have been identified since Friday...

That's very good that people at long long last seem to finally be getting serious about stopping the further spread of COVID. However, note just how badly infectious the virus is and hence why we have a pandemic!

For the UK, the race is on to get everyone vaccinated so that we avoid a 4th deadly wave.


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
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Those thinking of a holiday down under or those down under thinking about going overseas better think again.

Those hoping to finally embark on an overseas holiday have been delivered another blow, with Australia’s travel ban to continue until at least June.

Australia’s international borders will remain shut after the Federal government extended the emergency travel ban through to mid-June.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt revealed the human biosecurity emergency period had been extended “by an additional three months,” from March 17 to June 17 due to the “unacceptable risk” of COVID outbreaks in other countries.

But there is some good news.

Australia develops world’s first surface disinfectant to kill COVID-19 in 90 seconds.

From today, millions of Australians in aged care, universities, schools, pubs and restaurants will have access to a world-first surface spray that kills COVID-19 within 90 seconds.

The Australian-developed disinfectant, called ViroCLEAR, was developed by BioInnovate and fast-tracked for approval by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) last month.

While other surface disinfectants take as long as ten minutes to kill the coronavirus — with some unable to do it at all — BioInnovate Chair Ross Macdougald said the breakthrough was achieved after exhaustive research in northern NSW.....

....“ViroCLEAR is the first COVID-19 disinfectant in the world that can combine the three elements of speed, non-toxicity and adaptability to be used on both surfaces and the skin,” he explained.

“It is safe, quick, low-irritant and non-drying which is particularly important for those sanitising their hands many times a day, such as staff in hospitality venues and aged care homes.”...

....ViroCLEAR will first be made available as both a hand sanitiser and a surface disinfectant to 5.5 million Aussies in schools, universities, aged care facilities and hospitality venues. Supplies will then be made available to the broader community as early as the end of the month.

I guess ERCOT wasn't enough.
It's Texas Smart!

I guess ERCOT wasn't enough.
It's Texas Smart!

Criminally BONKERS!

Have Texas not killed enough people already?!


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
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I guess ERCOT wasn't enough.
It's Texas Smart!

Criminally BONKERS!

Have Texas not killed enough people already?!


Stay safe folks!
Martin

A democratic Texan conspiracy theorist, except for the fact all the conspiracy theorist there are Trump party members, might say it is a way to reduce the opposition and power consumption.

Also reported on the BBC Coronavirus: Texas and other states ease rules despite warnings

Here is hopefully a good boost to the world!


Covid-19: Dolly Parton marks vaccination with Jolene rewrite
wrote:

Country star Dolly Parton has been given a Covid-19 vaccine dose, after urging others to follow her example by reimagining one of her hit songs.

Parton, 75, sang an adapted version of Jolene before receiving the shot...

... Other celebrities who have had a Covid-19 vaccine include:

- Sir David Attenborough...
- Jane Fonda...
- Sir Ian McKellen...
- Arnold Schwarzenegger...
- Bette Midler...
- Sir Elton John...
- Sir Michael Caine...

Here's hoping their examples are widely followed for more people to go get vaccinated.

Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

LOL, saw that.
Now all we need is ABBA doing their version...
"Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, a jab after midnight"