Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #71

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Former Charlotte doctor says she got COVID-19 from her teenager

“A Charlotte mom who worked as an ER doctor for many years has a warning for others – she got COVID-19 from her 14-year old. She said her family had been doing mostly everything right – until she let her kids see some friends.”

Sigh. Seems to be a familiar refrain.
 
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-07-virus-antibodies-fast-necessarily.html

Infection with this coronavirus does not necessarily generate lifetime immunity," but antibodies are only part of the story, said Dr. Buddy Creech, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University. He had no role in the work, published Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The immune system remembers how to make fresh antibodies if needed and other parts of it also can mount an attack, he said.

Antibodies are proteins that white blood cells called B cells make to bind to the virus and help eliminate it. The earliest ones are fairly crude but as infection goes on, the immune system becomes trained to focus its attack and to make more precise antibodies.

Dr. Otto Yang and others at the University of California, Los Angeles, measured these more precise antibodies in 30 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and four housemates presumed to have the disease. Their average age was 43 and most had mild symptoms.

Researchers found that the antibodies had a half-life of 73 days, which means that half of them would be gone after that much time. It dovetails with a previous report from China also suggesting antibodies quickly fade.

The results "call for caution regarding antibody-based 'immunity passports,' herd immunity, and perhaps vaccine durability," the California authors write.

That's true, Creech said, but other parts of the immune system also help confer protection. Besides churning out antibodies, B cells develop a memory so they know how to do that again if needed.

"They would get called into action very quickly when there's a new exposure to the virus. It's as if they lie dormant, just waiting," he said.

More at link including original study.
 
The police in Sydney are trying to block a rally planned for next Tuesday by taking the issue to Supreme Court.
The rally is primarily about a death in custody in 2015!

I don't understand these people. Why can't the rally wait a little longer until this virus crisis is over??


Commissioner Fuller said if the police did not manage to block the event in the Supreme Court, he would instruct officers to issue thousands of tickets for people in crowds breaching health orders.

"A lot of people have made lots of sacrifices and then seeing big numbers of people on the TV clearly flouting the health laws and the Premier's advice, I think a lot of people were frustrated about that."

Police threaten to fine thousands of Black Lives Matter protesters if Sydney rally goes ahead
 
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Bats’ genes can help them fight off coronaviruses, study suggests

GENES THAT ALLOW bats to fight off deadly diseases such as coronaviruses have been uncovered by a team of global scientists, according to a study.

Researchers generated and analysed six highly accurate genomes, which start to uncover bats’ ability as mammals to fly, survive fatal infections and navigate complete darkness using sound – known as echolocation.

The global scientists’ consortium, known as Bat1K, believes these genetic materials could be used as tools to identify the solutions evolved in bats and could be harnessed to alleviate human ageing and disease.
 
Party in Chatham on Cape Cod linked to 10 cases of coronavirus

Massachusetts/Cape cod/ more at link
Ten people who attended a party in the Cape Cod town of Chatham on July 12 have tested positive for coronavirus, according to the Cape Cod Times.

On Tuesday, the state Department of Public Health warned Chatham officials of a potential cluster of COVID-19 cases tied to the party, which saw a number of restaurant workers in attendance. One of the people infected is a Chatham resident, the Times reports.
 

Interesting to see that a TN school has now re-opened. And the teacher says they are going to try to teach the children life skills for dealing with the virus as it might be around for a long time. Sounds like she is going to see each of her students for about one day each week, as they rotate the kids throughout the week.
 
Former Charlotte doctor says she got COVID-19 from her teenager

“A Charlotte mom who worked as an ER doctor for many years has a warning for others – she got COVID-19 from her 14-year old. She said her family had been doing mostly everything right – until she let her kids see some friends.”

Sigh. Seems to be a familiar refrain.
My grandson's best friend's mother will not allow her son to personally interact with friends because she is a nurse and does not want to take chances with others. Video game time.
 
My DD and SIL, both teachers, in NoVa have just learned they will be 100% virtual this fall. They have an 8 yr old and 3 yr old. It will be difficult to supervise their own children while teaching online, but is what we all wanted during this uncertain time. Definitely will be challenging, but if anyone can manage this I have faith these two will.
My other daughter and grandchildren (middle school age) in SW Va appear to be headed towards a hybrid schedule, which of course is subject to change. She's a slacker, I feel like those grandchildren have already and will continue to suffer in their education. She is not one to listen to me nor anyone else so there's little I can do to encourage her to invest in her own children's educational progress. I spend alot of time in prayer.
My dear mother and 2 sisters in SW Va are all in denial regarding the reality of the virus, however my youngest sister is a teacher also. They are scheduled to start the school year on a hybrid schedule. Suddenly, they have reservations about her health safety. Perhaps they are beginning to realize this virus is something to be respected and even feared?
Here where I am, in NE TN, border on the TN and Va state lines, schools are following what appears to be a more controlled opening criteria. There are levels; green, yellow and red related to the increase in cases in each county. Green is for all in person school attendance, Yellow is for a hybrid method with stricter infection control measures and Red leads you towards more virtual classrooms. Presently, we are in the Red Zone, with schools scheduled to open within the next couple of weeks.
Definitely a waiting game to see where we are.
I do worry about the children whose only escape from a bad home life is the school system. I worry about those children not having anyone watching and looking out for their well being, both physically and mentally. But I also think in person classrooms at this time when our case rates are climbing daily is too dangerous at the moment. There simply is not an ideal situation or solution for schools starting back this fall. The next few months will be interesting to watch and a challenge for all.

all MOO, JMO
 
And friends go into denial mode. When we thought my wife had it (couldn't get tested, but we think it was) all of our friends were insisting that it was the "non-Covid flu," because, of course, they didn't want to be faced with having to either quarantine or lie.

A variation on this theme of denial; my brother came home from a cruise where CoVid was diagnosed with nearly 300 passengers. He and his daughter had all the common symptoms, didn't get tested, but denied it could be CoVid. That is, until they were restored to health. Now they say they actually had CoVid and what's the fuss all about anyway.
 
Where I live in UK, masks are only mandatory on public transport which I have not used for over a year. Do you have any family or friends who don't/won't wear masks?

What's the general attitude toward wearing a mask in your area? Are people wearing them voluntarily? What's your personal response to wearing masks? Are you wearing one when social distancing isn't possible?

Although mask wearing isn't mandated in my area, (N. Ontario), I don't see any people entering a building without one. Our last local CoVid case was in late March.
 
South Africa sees 'huge discrepancy' in virus, total deaths

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The South African Medical Research Council is reporting a “huge discrepancy” between the country’s confirmed COVID-19 deaths and the number of excess deaths from natural causes, while Africa’s top health official says the virus is spreading there “like wildfire.”

The new report, which came out late Wednesday, shows more than 17,000 excess deaths in South Africa from May 6 to July 14 as compared to data from the past two years, while confirmed COVID-19 deaths are 5,940.
 
Continued from my last post where I addressed school situations surrounding me and my family personally.
I work from home, have for past 6 1/2 years and nothing has changed in my job situation. For that I am so thankful. I seriously can't imagine being out of work at the present. Not only do I need to still work, but it's a welcome 8 1/2 hr day that I can't focus on this pandemic. It's always there, but I have to redirect my thoughts to work issues and continue.
I have managed in past 9 years to establish a lovely, modest but extremely peaceful home where I thrive. Although I live alone, in past, before Covid became a day to day reality, weekends were filled with friends and family and as most everyone else - not enough time to do all I needed and wanted to do. This year I see as my life on "pause" and so far, I really am not struggling through this pandemic. I feel extremely blessed that if this pandemic had to happen, I am at the point in my life where there are less interruptions to my "normal" than would have been at other times. I have poured my energy into my garden and landscaping and know that will end later this fall. I do love to read and am slowly building a library of new 2020 releases to have in stock for this winter. Also enjoy painting and am building an inventory of canvases and paints. A healthy supply of PPE, paper products, pet food and human food. I have done all I know to prepare for a "hard" fall and winter.

I am SO thankful for this thread, where I can come and easily find links to the latest developments on this pandemic. I feel a camaraderie among others like myself, that take this virus seriously. There is true empathy for those expressing struggles, whether it be adjusting to isolating or concerns over small businesses. Being a nurse, I follow the Medical sites and truly rely on scientific developments and advice. I am a vocal advocate for masks, social distancing, obsessive hand washing and disinfecting anything that may carry the virus and spreading it among the vulnerable.
Thank you all for being here.
 
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