COVID-19 Discussion and Updates

[Greybeard]

I tested positive for TB with the test done in school.  Turned out to be false positive.  

[Lunatic]

[buckhound]

State Department leaked cables renew theories on origin of coronavirus

 

https://www.foxnews.com/world/state-department-cables-coronavirus-origin-chinese-lab-bats

 

A Chinese laboratory at the center of new theories about how the coronavirus pandemic started was the subject of multiple urgent warnings inside the U.S. State Department two years ago, according to a new report.

U.S. Embassy officials warned in January 2018 about inadequate safety at the Wuhan Institute of Virology lab and passed on information about scientists conducting risky research on coronavirus from bats, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

 Those cables have renewed speculation inside the U.S. government about whether Wuhan-based labs were the source of the novel coronavirus, although no firm connection has been established. The theory, however, has gained traction in recent days.

The United Kingdom has said that the idea that the virus, which has turned into a full-blown global pandemic, was leaked from a Wuhan lab is "no longer being discounted."

A member of the U.K. government's emergency committee of senior officials claimed Sunday: "There is a credible alternative view (to the zoonotic theory) based on the nature of the virus. Perhaps it is no coincidence that there is a laboratory in Wuhan."

Foreign affairs expert Gordon Chang said in a recent opinion piece on Fox News that "many Chinese believe the virus either was deliberately released or accidentally escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a P4-level bio-safety facility."

He added: "This lab, known for studying coronaviruses, is not far from the market that had been initially identified as the source of the outbreak."

In a series of diplomatic cables labeled "Sensitive But Unclassified," U.S. Embassy officials warned that the lab had massive management weaknesses, posed severe health risks and warned Washington to get involved.

 The first cable, which was obtained by the Post, also sent red flags about the lab's work on bat coronaviruses and more specifically how their potential human transmission represented the risk of a new SARS-like pandemic.

"During interactions with scientists at the WIV laboratory, they noted the new lab has a serious shortage of appropriately trained technicians and investigators needed to safely operate this high-containment laboratory," the Jan.19, 2018 cable, written by two officials from the embassy's environment, science and health sections who met with the WIV scientists, said.

The cable argued that the United States should give Chinese researchers at the Wuhan lab more support because its research on bat coronaviruses was important and dangerous. The lab had already been receiving assistance from the Galveston National Laboratory at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

The cable also called attention to Shi Zhengli, the head of the research project, who in November 2017 published a paper that showed the horseshoe bats collected from a case in Yunnan province were most likely from the same bat population that had been behind the first SARS coronavirus in 2003.

The cable states that "the researchers also showed that various SARS-like coronaviruses can interact with ACE2, the human receptor identified for SARS-coronavirus. This finding strongly suggests that SARS-like coronaviruses from bats can be transmitted to humans to cause SARS-like diseases. From a public health perspective, this makes the continued surveillance of SARS-like coronaviruses in bats and study of the animal-human interface critical to future emerging coronavirus outbreak prediction and prevention."

Despite evidence that points to dangerous practices inside the Wuhan labs, top U.S. military brass, as well as other senior officials, have told Fox News that the origins of COVID-19 did not come from a laboratory nor was it the result of a bioweapon.

"And if I could just be clear, there is nothing to that," Air Force Brig. Gen. Paul Friedrichs told Fox News last week. "Someone asked me if I was worried. That is not something that I'm worried about. I think, you know, right now what we're concerned about is how do we treat people who are sick, how do we prevent people from getting sick. But no, I am not worried about this as a bioweapon."

 Still, there are others who have been trying to trace the origin of the novel coronavirus back to the Wuhan lab.

[newjerseyhunter]

Personally, I don't think this was a bio-weapon. It could have been an accidental leakage of something they were testing or using for research purposes, vaccines, etc. That being said, the Chinese could probably come up with a much more deadly and efficient CV if they so desired.

That being said, I believe the CPC would kill a hundred million of its own citizens if that is what it took to secure the spot as the supreme global power. If you look at the history of outbreaks in their country and how they have trained their people to respond, well, you could make the argument that those were practice runs so that they knew how to weather the storm when the release the big one... but enough tin foil hat talk!

[nickmarch]

3 hours ago, buckhound said:

State Department leaked cables renew theories on origin of coronavirus

 

https://www.foxnews.com/world/state-department-cables-coronavirus-origin-chinese-lab-bats

 

A Chinese laboratory at the center of new theories about how the coronavirus pandemic started was the subject of multiple urgent warnings inside the U.S. State Department two years ago, according to a new report.

U.S. Embassy officials warned in January 2018 about inadequate safety at the Wuhan Institute of Virology lab and passed on information about scientists conducting risky research on coronavirus from bats, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

 Those cables have renewed speculation inside the U.S. government about whether Wuhan-based labs were the source of the novel coronavirus, although no firm connection has been established. The theory, however, has gained traction in recent days.

The United Kingdom has said that the idea that the virus, which has turned into a full-blown global pandemic, was leaked from a Wuhan lab is "no longer being discounted."

A member of the U.K. government's emergency committee of senior officials claimed Sunday: "There is a credible alternative view (to the zoonotic theory) based on the nature of the virus. Perhaps it is no coincidence that there is a laboratory in Wuhan."

Foreign affairs expert Gordon Chang said in a recent opinion piece on Fox News that "many Chinese believe the virus either was deliberately released or accidentally escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a P4-level bio-safety facility."

He added: "This lab, known for studying coronaviruses, is not far from the market that had been initially identified as the source of the outbreak."

In a series of diplomatic cables labeled "Sensitive But Unclassified," U.S. Embassy officials warned that the lab had massive management weaknesses, posed severe health risks and warned Washington to get involved.

 The first cable, which was obtained by the Post, also sent red flags about the lab's work on bat coronaviruses and more specifically how their potential human transmission represented the risk of a new SARS-like pandemic.

"During interactions with scientists at the WIV laboratory, they noted the new lab has a serious shortage of appropriately trained technicians and investigators needed to safely operate this high-containment laboratory," the Jan.19, 2018 cable, written by two officials from the embassy's environment, science and health sections who met with the WIV scientists, said.

The cable argued that the United States should give Chinese researchers at the Wuhan lab more support because its research on bat coronaviruses was important and dangerous. The lab had already been receiving assistance from the Galveston National Laboratory at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

The cable also called attention to Shi Zhengli, the head of the research project, who in November 2017 published a paper that showed the horseshoe bats collected from a case in Yunnan province were most likely from the same bat population that had been behind the first SARS coronavirus in 2003.

The cable states that "the researchers also showed that various SARS-like coronaviruses can interact with ACE2, the human receptor identified for SARS-coronavirus. This finding strongly suggests that SARS-like coronaviruses from bats can be transmitted to humans to cause SARS-like diseases. From a public health perspective, this makes the continued surveillance of SARS-like coronaviruses in bats and study of the animal-human interface critical to future emerging coronavirus outbreak prediction and prevention."

Despite evidence that points to dangerous practices inside the Wuhan labs, top U.S. military brass, as well as other senior officials, have told Fox News that the origins of COVID-19 did not come from a laboratory nor was it the result of a bioweapon.

"And if I could just be clear, there is nothing to that," Air Force Brig. Gen. Paul Friedrichs told Fox News last week. "Someone asked me if I was worried. That is not something that I'm worried about. I think, you know, right now what we're concerned about is how do we treat people who are sick, how do we prevent people from getting sick. But no, I am not worried about this as a bioweapon."

 Still, there are others who have been trying to trace the origin of the novel coronavirus back to the Wuhan lab.

I've thought that from the beginning nut there was no evidence now there is evidence!

[newjerseyhunter]

5 minutes ago, nickmarch said:

I've thought that from the beginning nut there was no evidence now there is evidence!

There was always evidence it didn't originate in the Wuhan wet market. There were several people who had it who had no contact with the market or anyone who had been in the market. This was reported early on but my guess is it didn't fit the narrative so it wasn't reported widely. 

[nickmarch]

8 minutes ago, newjerseyhunter said:

There was always evidence it didn't originate in the Wuhan wet market. There were several people who had it who had no contact with the market or anyone who had been in the market. This was reported early on but my guess is it didn't fit the narrative so it wasn't reported widely. 

You are probably right.  I never saw any evidence until I read buckhounds post.  

[Lunatic]

Just like a flu my ass! Jus imagine if we did not shut down: 

N.J. hospitals consider do-not-resuscitate orders for coronavirus patients to protect doctors, nurses

https://www.nj.com/coronavirus/2020/04/nj-hospitals-consider-do-not-resuscitate-orders-for-coronavirus-patients-to-protect-doctors-nurses.html

 

[nickmarch]

Governor Murphy Signs Legislation to Expand Family Leave Protections During COVID-19 Outbreak

https://www.nj.gov/governor/news/news/562020/approved/20200414d.shtml

[buckhound]

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/coronavirus-disease-2019-vs-the-flu

Influenza (the flu) and COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, are both infectious respiratory illnesses. Although the symptoms of COVID-19 and the flu can look similar, the two illnesses are caused by different viruses.

Lisa Maragakis, M.D., M.P.H., senior director of infection prevention at Johns Hopkins, explains how the flu and COVID-19 are similar and how they are different.

Similarities: COVID-19 and the Flu

Symptoms

Both cause fever, cough, body aches and fatigue; sometimes vomiting and diarrhea.

Can be mild or severe, even fatal in rare cases.

Can result in pneumonia.

Transmission

 

Both can be spread from person to person through droplets in the air from an infected person coughing, sneezing or talking.

A possible difference: COVID-19 might be spread through the airborne route (see details below under Differences).

Both can be spread by an infected person for several days before their symptoms appear.

Treatment

Neither virus is treatable with antibiotics, which only work on bacterial infections.

Both are treated by addressing symptoms, such as reducing fever. Severe cases may require hospitalization and support such as mechanical ventilation.

Prevention

Both may be prevented by frequent, thorough hand washing, coughing into the crook of your elbow, staying home when sick and limiting contact with people who are infected. Social and physical distancing can limit the spread of COVID-19 in communities.

Differences: COVID-19 and the Flu

Cause

COVID-19: Caused by one virus, the novel 2019 coronavirus, now called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, or SARS-CoV-2.

Flu: Caused by any of several different types and strains of influenza viruses.

Transmission

While both the flu and COVID-19 may be transmitted in similar ways (see the Similarities section above), there is also a possible difference: COVID-19 might be spread through the airborne route, meaning that tiny droplets remaining in the air could cause disease in others even after the ill person is no longer near.

Antiviral Medications

COVID-19: Antiviral medications and other therapies are currently being tested to see if they can address symptoms.

Flu: Antiviral medications can address symptoms and sometimes shorten the duration of the illness.

Vaccine

COVID-19: No vaccine is available at this time, though it is in progress.

Flu: A vaccine is available and effective to prevent some of the most dangerous types or to reduce the severity of the flu.

Infections

COVID-19: Approximately 1,930,780 cases worldwide; 582,594 cases in the U.S. as of Apr. 14, 2020.*

Flu: Estimated 1 billion cases worldwide; 9.3 million to 45 million cases in the U.S. per year.

Deaths

COVID-19: Approximately 120,450 deaths reported worldwide; 23,649 deaths in the U.S., as of Apr. 14, 2020.*

Flu: 291,000 to 646,000 deaths worldwide; 12,000 to 61,000 deaths in the U.S. per year.

The COVID-19 situation is changing rapidly. Since this disease is caused by a new virus, people do not have immunity to it, and a vaccine may be many months away. Doctors and scientists are working on estimating the mortality rate of COVID-19, but at present, it is thought to be higher than that of most strains of the flu.

*This information comes from the Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases map developed by the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

[nickmarch]

21 minutes ago, buckhound said:

Infections

COVID-19: Approximately 1,930,780 cases worldwide; 582,594 cases in the U.S. as of Apr. 14, 2020.*

Flu: Estimated 1 billion cases worldwide; 9.3 million to 45 million cases in the U.S. per year.

Deaths

COVID-19: Approximately 120,450 deaths reported worldwide; 23,649 deaths in the U.S., as of Apr. 14, 2020.*

Flu: 291,000 to 646,000 deaths worldwide; 12,000 to 61,000 deaths in the U.S. per year.

The flu looks much worse judging by the numbers in spite of there being a vaccine for the flu.  Imagine if there wasn't a flu vaccine.   

[newjerseyhunter]

There was research published 2 days ago, a joint project between a team in China and a team in the U.S. apparently, that said Covid19 attacks T cells, much like HIV. I don't know if that has been validated by any other researchers yet. Unlike HIV, once it attacks the T cells it doesn't replicate, it dies with the T cell. 

[Kype]

i believe this has changed everything from here on out. even if we beat the covid 19 and there are no more cases what so ever. next flu season will still look the same. everyone wearing masks etc...shortage on hand sanitizer, masks. you name it. gonna be a while before things go back the way they use to. to be honest i was always hesitant to shake a hand. and i always open public doors with my pinky or push open with my forearm

 people are nasty. 

[BenedictGomez]

5 hours ago, newjerseyhunter said:

Personally, I don't think this was a bio-weapon.

It's not a bioweapon.  We've already known that for weeks.

[FishNHard]

Well if there some good outa this maybe people will think about personal hygiene a little more  cover your dam mouth when sneezing , cant tell you how many times in a store I had to refrain from cracking someone's  jaw  just sneezing or coughing like there the only one in the store  , have those sanitizer station as your leaving the store  As KYPE said there's some nasty ass people in this world