Coronavirus Updates

[Romana]

Covid loses 90% of ability to infect within 20 minutes in air – study

Exclusive: Findings highlight importance of short-range Covid transmissionCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage

www.theguardian.com

Evernote link

I forwarded that to my brother. To say he was skeptical would be putting it politely, lol.
I'd be afraid to lower my guard just yet anyway.
If Rand Paul and Faux News get hold of that article /study, they're going to take it as refuting all precautions. (Paul will take it as justification of his remarks a year ago).
It would be nice if they were right, however, the rate of transmission of Omicron makes me doubt it.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

I forwarded that to my brother. To say he was skeptical would be putting it politely, lol.
I'd be afraid to lower my guard just yet anyway.
If Rand Paul and Faux News get hold of that article /study, they're going to take it as refuting all precautions. (Paul will take it as justification of his remarks a year ago).
It would be nice if they were right, however, the rate of transmission of Omicron makes me doubt it.

While I'm sure Rand Paul and Fox would twist it any way they wanted, I'm not sure it would be justified

From the article:

“It means that if I’m meeting friends for lunch in a pub today, the primary [risk] is likely to be me transmitting it to my friends, or my friends transmitting it to me, rather than it being transmitted from someone on the other side of the room,” said Reid. This highlights the importance of wearing a mask in situations where people cannot physically distance, he added.

The findings support what epidemiologists have been observing on the ground, said Dr Julian Tang, a clinical virologist at the University of Leicester, adding that “masks are very effective … as well as social distancing. Improved ventilation will also help – particularly if this is close to the source.”

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Rise in non-Covid virus that can leave children struggling to breathe

Parents warned to look for signs of RSV in children as UK infections rise amid lowered immunity

www.theguardian.com

Evernote link

 

[Innula Zenovka]

 

[Sid]

So the minions on this site should stop removing the CDB gummy spam for now?

 

[Casey Pelous]

Well, if that works, then we should be seeing much lower rates in the states where The Ganj is legal.

I mean, unless the people in the more morally superior states where it is illegal are carrying on some sort of -- I dunno, "massive black market" in weed or something. But, gosh, that would make them huge hypocrites, wouldn't it?

 

[bubblesort]

Well, if that works, then we should be seeing much lower rates in the states where The Ganj is legal.

I mean, unless the people in the more morally superior states where it is illegal are carrying on some sort of -- I dunno, "massive black market" in weed or something. But, gosh, that would make them huge hypocrites, wouldn't it?

Good point! Without getting into the weeds too deep, if I just eyeball this map of where marijuana is legal, and this list of corona infections as a percentage of the population... it looks like there might be a positive correlation between recreational marijuana and low infection rates. It might be a weak correlation, but it looks like there's something there that might be worth digging into, if you are a policy maker.

I don't think that medical marijuana would make that much of an impact. I think recreational is going to be more important. If we look at the top 20 highest infection rate states, there are 4 states with legal recreational marijuana: Alaska, Rhode Island, Oklahoma, and Arizona. In both Oklahoma and Alaska, it's been legal for the entire pandemic. Sales of recreational marijuana started in Arizona almost exactly one year ago, and it's only been legal in Rhode Island since June. So in Arizona and Rhode Island, the effects are probably a bit muted.

The really compelling data is at the bottom of the list, though.

If we look at the 20 states with the lowest infection rates, at the bottom of the list, only 4 states have banned recreational marijuana: Ohio, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Virginia. They all have legal medical marijuana, except Virginia. Virginia has passed a law that will legalize recreational marijuana on July 1, but that can't have effected anything in the corona numbers yet.

I'm not busting out excel and running regressions or anything, but if you want to avoid corona, maybe you should pack a bowel? Even if it doesn't work, it's better than taking horse dewormer or drinking urine, right? LOL

 

[Ashiri]

After the reports on other miracle cures, I remain highly skeptical.

 

[Veritable Quandry]

 

[Essence Lumin]

Good point! Without getting into the weeds too deep, if I just eyeball this map of where marijuana is legal, and this list of corona infections as a percentage of the population... it looks like there might be a positive correlation between recreational marijuana and low infection rates. It might be a weak correlation, but it looks like there's something there that might be worth digging into, if you are a policy maker.

First you will have to determine if people smoke less marijuana where it is illegal though.

if you want to avoid corona, maybe you should pack a bowel?

I packed a bowel or two but that was pizza, not marijuana. Probably won't help.

 

[bubblesort]

First you will have to determine if people smoke less marijuana where it is illegal though.



I packed a bowel or two but that was pizza, not marijuana. Probably won't help.

Yeah, and also... I just looked into it, out of curiosity, because it might be a fun road trip to go to Maryland or DC to check out a recreational marijuana bar or dispensary, or whatever they call places where you buy recreational marijuana. Turns out, legalizing recreational marijuana isn't what I thought it was. In DC, it's legal, but you can't buy or sell it, because commerce is federal jurisdiction if you are a district and not a state, so they have some kind of weird gift economy. You can buy an over priced t-shirt, and get a bag of weed with it, as a gift. Sounds interesting, but not worth a trip to see. Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York state... none of them have recreational dispensaries. So I'm starting to think this whole legalized recreational marijuana thing is a big scam. It's hyperreal thing. The media swears up and down that it's really a really real thing, but there's nowhere to actually buy recreational marijuana, and the prisons are still full of people who are there over recreational marijuana.

 

[Essence Lumin]

Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York state... none of them have recreational dispensaries.

NJ should have them by summertime probably. Massachusetts has recreational dispensaries.

 

[bubblesort]

Just to get the thread back on track, since I derailed a bit...

The CDC has just approved a second booster shot, for people who are immunocompromised. Also, they shortened the period from initial vaccination to booster from 6 months to 5 months. Also, if you got the single shot Johnson & Johnson, your procedure is different. It's one shot of J&J, then two months later, you get boosted with Pfizer or Moderna.

They also said they are still looking into recommending boosters for everybody else.

CDC recommends fourth booster shot for immunocompromised Americans

Starting later this week, some Americans will become eligible for a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

www.fox43.com

 

[Innula Zenovka]

My wife had long Covid and killed herself. We must help others who are suffering | Nick Güthe

The medical community must find answers for those suffering from long Covid. They are running out of time and hope

www.theguardian.com

Evernote link

 

[WolfEyes]

Yeah, and also... I just looked into it, out of curiosity, because it might be a fun road trip to go to Maryland or DC to check out a recreational marijuana bar or dispensary, or whatever they call places where you buy recreational marijuana. Turns out, legalizing recreational marijuana isn't what I thought it was. In DC, it's legal, but you can't buy or sell it, because commerce is federal jurisdiction if you are a district and not a state, so they have some kind of weird gift economy. You can buy an over priced t-shirt, and get a bag of weed with it, as a gift. Sounds interesting, but not worth a trip to see. Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York state... none of them have recreational dispensaries. So I'm starting to think this whole legalized recreational marijuana thing is a big scam. It's hyperreal thing. The media swears up and down that it's really a really real thing, but there's nowhere to actually buy recreational marijuana, and the prisons are still full of people who are there over recreational marijuana.

You live in the wrong part of the country.

In OR, they're called dispensaries and are both medical and recreational.

 

[WolfEyes]

Just to get the thread back on track, since I derailed a bit...

The CDC has just approved a second booster shot, for people who are immunocompromised. Also, they shortened the period from initial vaccination to booster from 6 months to 5 months. Also, if you got the single shot Johnson & Johnson, your procedure is different. It's one shot of J&J, then two months later, you get boosted with Pfizer or Moderna.

They also said they are still looking into recommending boosters for everybody else.

CDC recommends fourth booster shot for immunocompromised Americans

Starting later this week, some Americans will become eligible for a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

www.fox43.com

About the J&J, they didn't come out with the 2 months booster thing until almost 6 months had passed from the time I got mine at the end of May.

 

[Romana]

About the J&J, they didn't come out with the 2 months booster thing until almost 6 months had passed from the time I got mine at the end of May.

My nephew had the J& J because it was the only one there was time for before college, by the time he could was eligible and could get an appointment. He just had a booster of Moderna.
For the next booster, you can probably get a mRNA as well.
Right now they're saying 5 months after your booster and only mentioning immunocompromised, which includes me, but 5 months is the end of March. I wish it was before my convention.
My brother keeps telling me that because I had a full-dose booster that I'm protected enough. I hope he's right.
Innula, that article is both very sad, and terrifying. In trying not to labor until I can ask about it, but i understood that long COVID required, as my brother termed it, a full inflammatory response. What I don't know is if you can have that and be asymptomatic. Maybe it can happen that way.
If I get COVID -- which sometimes seems inevitable -- I don't want to be terrified I'll end up with those symptoms, and there doesn't seem to be any point at which one could relax, and say OK, now I'm safe, using from that poor man's account.
To make things worse, since test kits are scarcer than hen's teeth, how do you know, if you get a cold, that it isn't COVID?
I know my brother and my doctors have me information than I do. I hope they can tell me I'm safe from long COVID, at least.

 

[Romana]

 

[Beebo Brink]

Polish scientists find gene that doubles risk of serious COVID

Polish scientists have found a gene that they say more than doubles the risk of becoming severely ill with COVID-19, a discovery they hope could help doctors identify people who are most at risk from the disease.

www.reuters.com

 

[Beebo Brink]

Long read fir the scientifically curious.

Why the Covid-19 'Lab Leak Theory" Needs Another Look | Medium