It was to be expected.

COVID 'getting worse, not better' in North Korea, WHO says.

A top official at the World Health Organization said the U.N. health agency assumes the coronavirus outbreak in North Korea is “getting worse, not better,” despite the secretive country's recent claims that COVID-19 is slowing there.

At a press briefing on Wednesday, WHO's emergencies chief Dr. Mike Ryan appealed to North Korean authorities for more information about the COVID-19 outbreak there, saying “we have real issues in getting access to the raw data and to the actual situation on the ground.” He said WHO has not received any privileged information about the epidemic — unlike in typical outbreaks when countries may share more sensitive data with the organization so it can evaluate the public health risks for the global community.

“It is very, very difficult to provide a proper analysis to the world when we don’t have access to the necessary data,” he said. WHO has previously voiced concerns about the impact of COVID-19 in North Korea's population, which is believed to be largely unvaccinated and whose fragile health systems could struggle to deal with a surge of cases prompted by the super-infectious omicron and its subvariants....

With the way that their daily case numbers suddenly dropped and their death toll has always been totally unbelievable.

Can't believe much of what little 'information' comes from this country.

Just like China and Russia. Spin spinning, disinformation.

Just like China and Russia. Spin spinning, disinformation.

The truth is a state secret, disclosure of which is a capital crime, even if it is just the weather report.

Just like China and Russia. Spin spinning, disinformation.

The truth is a state secret, disclosure of which is a capital crime, even if it is just the weather report.

If Abbott, DeSantis & Trump have their way, it'll be the same here.

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Capitalize on this good fortune, one word can bring you round ... changes.

A new drug gives hope.

A new cancer drug has shocked researchers with how well it has performed in a breakthrough study, which cured every member participating in the trial.

A new cancer drug has shocked researchers with how well it has performed in a breakthrough study, which virtually cured every member participating in the trial.

Dostarlimab, a monoclonal antibody drug that is approved to treat endometrial cancer in the UK, exceeded expectations in a trial held at New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

One year after the trial ended, each of the 18 colorectal cancer patients had gone into remission and doctors were reportedly unable to find signs of the cancer....

Why can't people wear masks?

Why can't social venues ensure good ventilation?


UK ONS - Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey, UK: 10 June 2022
wrote:

... for the week ending 2 June 2022.

There were early signs of a possible increase in the percentage of people testing positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) in England and Northern Ireland likely caused by increases in infections ... with Omicron variants BA.1, BA.4 and BA.5...

... In England ... around 1 in 70 people [infected]...

... In Scotland ... around 1 in 40 people [infected]...

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)

WHO to rename monkeypox as it studies possible sexual transmission.

The World Health Organization has scheduled an emergency meeting for next week on the monkeypox outbreak to determine if the virus should be classed as a threat to international health. The agency is also investigating exactly how the disease is spreading.

CBS News' Tina Kraus reports the United Nations health agency is now exploring the possibility that monkeypox could be sexually transmitted, after the virus was found in body fluids of patients in Italy and Germany.

Catherine Smallwood, the WHO incident manager for monkeypox in Europe, said that among the identified cases on the continent, some "had semen tested for [the] virus and came back positive, so that's something that we're looking at."

The agency has already said the disease — which has infected more than 1,600 people in 35 countries, including the U.S. — is transmitted through close physical contact....

Yeah. Da MONKEYs Worldwide have Hurt Feelings.

Best to Change Name

SUPERSwinging

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May we All have a METAMORPHOSIS. REASON. GOoD JUDGEMENT and LOVE and ORDER!!!!!

Just more proof that China's number just don't add up.

China turns Winter Olympics villages into quarantine camps to stamp out new COVID-19 outbreaks.

China has turned the Olympic villages built to house athletes during the Beijing Winter Games into COVID-19 quarantine camps, the Financial Times reported.

In February about 2,900 foreign athletes were housed in the "closed-looped" compounds that are sealed off from the rest of Beijing.

Now, the three Olympic villages, with their "bubble infrastructure," are proving to be ideal locations to isolate those possibly infected with the virus, per the FT.

Amid a rise in Omicron cases in March and April, China imposed full or partial lockdowns in dozens of cities, including strict measures in Shanghai that were only eased last month.

This week, Beijing has experienced a new outbreak linked to a popular bar, the Financial Times reported, which has led to public venues being closed and the reintroduction of mass testing.

At least 200 people have been infected, and more than 6,000 have been forced to quarantine at home, the paper said.....

Unfortunately, for the UK, for the most recent covid numbers show that covid has been partying:

Covid infections up after Platinum Jubilee celebrations
wrote:

Covid infections are up across the UK, according to latest figures that capture the Jubilee weekend of partying.

An estimated 1.4 million people or one in 45 has the virus - up from one in 65 the week before. That's a rise of 43%. Experts say two new fast-spreading subvariants of Omicron - called BA.4 and BA.5 - are behind some of the new infections.

People can catch them even if they have recently had other types of Covid...

... Millions gathered to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee up and down the UK between 2 and 5 June, which will have given Covid many opportunities to spread. It takes a few days, usually, for people to start showing symptoms or testing positive after catching it, which means the latest data covers some of that Jubilee mixing...

... BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron are not thought to be any more lethal than other types of Covid. Vaccines are still saving lives...

Meanwhile, for just one unfortunate consequence of covid:

More than 100 TfL workers died from Covid-19
wrote:

More than 100 Transport for London (TfL) workers are known to have died from Covid-19, new figures show.

Of those who died from the virus, 75 worked on London buses, while 23 worked on the Tube network...

... UCL was asked by TfL to investigate the high death rate of London bus workers. It concluded that many of the protections were introduced too late and "after most of the drivers who died had become infected".

Mmmmm... How does "Health and Safety" at work compare to the now (overly?) relaxed 'general attitudes'?

We still very much have a pandemic that is killing people...


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)

Food service recalls lentil product after customers report gastrointestinal issues.

Here’s some crumby news.

The Daily Harvest food delivery service on Sunday recalled its French Lentil + Leek Crumbles meal after an undisclosed number of customers reported “gastrointestinal issues,” the company announced.

“We took immediate steps to address what we heard from customers, reaching out to every person who received French Lentil + Leek Crumbles, instructing them to dispose of the product and not eat it,” the announcement on the Daily Harvest website reads.

“We simultaneously launched an investigation with internal and external experts throughout our supply chain and in accordance with regulatory procedures.”

A man named Luke Tashie claimed in an email to NBC News that he experienced “extreme liver pain” and was hospitalized after eating the French Lentil + Leek Crumbles meal.

“The surgeons that consulted with me were so perplexed that they seriously considered removing my gallbladder,” Tashie told the outlet.

Tashie, who said he didn’t believe Daily Harvest was handling the situation as seriously or quickly as it should, shared with NBC News a copy of an email that he allegedly received from Daily Harvest offering a $10 credit for each bag he’d bought and encouraging him to throw the food away.

Another example of where we need to have a few more people vaccinated for the good health of everyone:


Polio virus detected in London...
wrote:

.... The disease was common in the UK in the 1950s but was eliminated by 2003.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says it was probably imported to London by someone who was recently vaccinated overseas with a live form of the virus.

It says the risk is low, but parents should ensure their children have been fully immunised against the disease.

"Most of the UK population will be protected from vaccination in childhood, but in some communities with low vaccine coverage, individuals may remain at risk,"...

... Scientists believe the virus originated from someone who was immunised abroad with the live oral polio vaccine, which hasn't been used in the UK since 2004. That person then shed traces of the virus... Although weaker than the original or "wild" form of the disease, it can still cause serious illness, including paralysis, in people who are unvaccinated...

Vaccines very definitely work.

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)

Meanwhile for the consequences of covid:


'Long Covid' risk lower with Omicron, study finds
wrote:

Last winter's Omicron variant was less likely to cause lingering symptoms, known as "long Covid", a UK investigation, in The Lancet, suggests...

... Just over 4% [1-in-25] of those infected during the Omicron wave had logged long Covid symptoms, compared with 10% [1-in-10] of those infected in the preceding, Delta, wave.

But as far more [people] were infected during the Omicron wave, the total was higher. In fact, the much bigger number of new infections during the Omicron wave "entirely trumped" the variant's potential lower risk of long Covid...

... "The Omicron variant appears substantially less likely to cause long Covid than previous variants - but still, one out of every 23 people who catches Covid-19 goes on to have symptoms for more than four weeks. "Given the [high] numbers of people affected, it's important that we continue to support them...

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)

Vaccines very definitely work.

Tell dat to da Ones with ADVERSE REACTION aka DEATH.

I Had Plenty aka MUCHO Vaccines and Other Shots while a Younger. Maybe dats Why LUCK has Got Me to OLDSTERville.

As an OLDSTER I Said NO TO CV Vaccine and Maybe I'll Die from Decision.

SUPERCroakOrNoCroak

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May we All have a METAMORPHOSIS. REASON. GOoD JUDGEMENT and LOVE and ORDER!!!!!

Unfortunately, for the UK, for the most recent covid numbers show that covid has been partying:

This is not looking good...

UK sees another jump in Covid infections
wrote:

Covid infections are continuing to rise in the UK...

The data suggests around 1.7 million people were estimated to have Covid in the week ending 18 June. This is around [1-in-35] people - an increase of 23% on the week before.

... two new fast-spreading subvariants of Omicron - called BA.4 and BA.5 - are likely to be driving new infections. People can catch these variants even if they have had Covid recently.

But BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron are not thought to be any more lethal than other types of Covid.

Vaccines are still saving lives. Most people will not be very ill with Covid...

... thanks to the success of vaccines.

"In terms of its kind of lethality, the picture now is much, much, much closer to seasonal flu than it was when [coronavirus] first emerged."...

That article suggests that our government have just "given up" on trying to control/reduce the spread of covid.

Meanwhile, our health service is paralyzed by the number of covid cases that turn serious and require hospital treatment...



All well and good for those vaccinated and for those who have a choice about how they wish to live.

There is a very different story for those who feel they have no choices about their work and living conditions...

No wonder some people ignore/deny that covid, and vaccination and facemasks and good ventilation exist?


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)

And the medics/research have caught up with the latest numbers:


We’re in a new COVID wave
wrote:

... about the new COVID wave we’re currently in driven by the Omicron BA.5 variant. ... the data including the number of new daily Long COVID cases. ... the symptoms trend we’re seeing in the ZOE Health Study...

This is all very real.

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)

And the medics/research have caught up with the latest numbers:


We’re in a new COVID wave
wrote:

... about the new COVID wave we’re currently in driven by the Omicron BA.5 variant. ... the data including the number of new daily Long COVID cases. ... the symptoms trend we’re seeing in the ZOE Health Study...

Indeed we are in a new wave:

Covid infections jump by half a million in UK...
wrote:

An estimated 2.3 million people or one in 30 has the virus - a rise of 32% on the week before.

The rise is being driven by two new fast-spreading sub-variants of Omicron - called BA.4 and BA.5.

People can be infected even if they've had Covid before, but jabs are helping to protect against serious illness...

... In England, almost 9,000 hospital beds were taken up with Covid patients on 30 June - and that number has doubled since the start of the month...

... This [covid wave] applies to about two-thirds of patients in hospital at the moment.

The number of Covid patients in intensive care has reached 211 in England, which is an increase from 111 at the start of June...

... "It is sensible to wear a face covering in crowded, enclosed spaces. "If you have any symptoms of a respiratory infection, and a high temperature or feel unwell, try to stay at home or away from others - especially elderly or vulnerable people," Dr Ramsay said...

A good worldwide summary is given on:

DW - Parties are back on, but infection numbers are rising again



This is all very real.

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)

A reassuring update:

Covid is rising again in the UK - should we worry?
wrote:

You'd be forgiven for letting out a weary sigh. There's so much going on from Ukraine to the rising cost of everything - and now Covid is rearing its ugly head [in the news] again...

... So is summer ruined? Two-and-a-half years into the pandemic we're back facing new variants, a surge in infections, questions about whether the NHS can cope and what it means for all our lives...

... The new sub-variants' slippery skills combined with our waning immunity means stories of catching Covid multiple times are now increasingly common. Plus there's still a surprising [good] number - one-in-five of us - who have somehow dodged Covid throughout the pandemic...

... the most important form of protection - against becoming severely ill, ending up in hospital and dying - is clearly holding up. If there were 2.3 million cases in the era before vaccines then the NHS would be swamped and tens of thousands of people would die. That is clearly not happening...

There are still consequences, as shown for just this one example:

Aer Lingus: More flights cancelled due to Covid
wrote:

... additional Aer Lingus flights have been cancelled on Saturday and Sunday due to a spike in Covid-19 cases among staff...

... "System pressures and ongoing issues at some airports and among third party suppliers have created considerable operational challenges which have been compounded by a significant spike in Covid cases in recent days,"...

This is all very real.

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)

The unvaxed should not be admitted to hospitals, our health dollars should not be spent on those who will not even attempt to help themselves. I say send rhem home with a few tylenols and Darwinian selection will do the rest.

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The unvaxed should not be admitted to hospitals, our health dollars should not be spent on those who will not even attempt to help themselves. I say send rhem home with a few tylenols and Darwinian selection will do the rest.

Except...

The world of medicine is a compassionate world where the naive and unaware are still saved regardless of their self-inflicted stupidity.

How can medicine be any less than totally compassionate to properly work for everyone?


Still, you can still help yourselves for a better life.

One-in-five people are successfully doing that to healthily stay undamaged by covid.


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)