German Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Thursday that the country is witnessing the falling of the average age of people infected with COVID-19. “We’re seeing a lot of new infections among young people,” Spahn told ZDF Television and added that he is optimistic that “in the coming months and certainly next year there can be a coronavirus vaccine.” According to the Berliner Morgenpost, the overall number of infected people in the country stands at 220,883 while the death toll reached 9,217. In the last 24 hours, there were 1,319 newly infected people that represents the biggest rise since May this year.
Germany has recorded its biggest daily increase in coronavirus cases in more than three months as European countries struggle to curb a surge in infections. More than 1,200 cases were reported in Germany in the past 24 hours. Officials said the rise was due, in part, to people returning from holidays. It came as Germany warned against non-essential trips to parts of Spain. Meanwhile, France had 2,524 new cases in 24 hours, the highest daily rise since its lockdown was lifted in May. The German foreign ministry said it had added a partial travel warning to the Spanish capital Madrid and the Basque region on Tuesday amid rising infections there. Warnings were already in place for the regions of Aragon, Catalonia and Navarra. Germany has recorded more than 9,000 coronavirus-related deaths since the pandemic began. Spain is facing the worst coronavirus infection rate in Western Europe. It recorded 1,418 new infections in its latest daily count on Tuesday and said there were 675 “active outbreaks” in the country. Salvador Macip, an expert in health sciences at Catalonia’s Open University, told AFP news agency the country was at a “critical moment”. “We are right at a point where things can get better or worse. This means we have to pull out all the stops to curb outbreaks before they become more serious,” he said. In total, Spain has recorded more than 326,000 cases – the highest number in Western Europe and the 11th highest in the world. Wearing a face mask became compulsory in all public areas in Brussels on Wednesday amid a rise in cases. The order applies to those aged 12 and above. People were previously only required to wear masks in crowded public spaces and enclosed areas of the Belgian capital, such as shopping centres. Authorities said the enhanced rules were introduced because of a rise in infections, with Brussels recording an average of 50 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants per day over the past week. Police checks are being ramped up to ensure that people follow the new rules. The mask-wearing regulation is one of the strictest currently in place in Europe. Belgium has recorded more than 75,000 cases of coronavirus and more than 9,800 deaths, according to data collated by Johns Hopkins University. This year’s Paris marathon has been cancelled as France battles a spike in coronavirus cases, organisers said on Wednesday. The marathon was originally due to take place on 5 April but was then postponed to 15 November because of the pandemic. Organisers said they had “tried everything to maintain the event” but felt “obliged” to call it off. “There will be great disappointment among those who have sacrificed time training for what had become an autumn marathon,” they said. Organisers are now working on the 2021 marathon. The announcement came after Paris became the latest French city to make face masks compulsory in busy outdoor areas. Face masks were already compulsory nationwide in enclosed public spaces. A government spokesman on Wednesday said France would gradually ramp up police checks to ensure that people were respecting social distancing and wearing masks where required. “We’re at a tipping point… We’re going to mobilise polices forces to make checks,” Gabriel Attal told journalists. France has now recorded a total of 206,696 cases of the virus.
A month after the Trump administration changed how hospital data is reported, the public release of this data “has slowed to a crawl,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
The big picture: This is the latest example of how the world’s wealthiest country just can’t get it together.
Testing and case data — which tell the story of where people are getting sick — have been a problem for the last six months. This latest fiasco blurs the picture of how many people are getting very sick at a given time, which until now has been a more reliable measure of the pandemic.
Driving the news: The Department of Health and Human Services last month ordered states to report coronavirus hospitalization data directly to the agency, rather than to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as they’d been doing.
Now, important data, like the number of beds occupied by coronavirus patients, is lagging by a week or more.
The implications go beyond tracking the virus. Hospitalization data is also used by agencies to determine where to send remdesivir and personal protective equipment.
What they’re saying: “The transition has been a disaster,” Jeffrey Engel, senior adviser to the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, told the WSJ. “What HHS said was that the CDC was not nimble enough and couldn’t handle new data elements, and that’s simply not true.”
The other side: HHS officials told the WSJ that the new system has a more complete set of data, but that the quality-control process has led to some delays as the new system gets up and running.
The bottom line: We’re doing a terrible job handling the pandemic, at least relative to other wealthy countries. The fact that we don’t have a good idea of what’s happening in real time – and it’s getting worse — is one of the major contributors to that failure.
Nick Bit: When I first arrived on the tropics on my Yacht, I ran across an Englishman who had lived on the islands for years. He came to me at the local Yacht club and introduced himself. Then he sat down at my table ordered himself a Gin and tonic on my tab. His name was Goeff and he owned a company called Marine Services. The Local Chandelier and Haul out facility.
He said you are new to the tropics and I asked him how do you know? He said because you have barnacles on your water line from cold waters and you’re still white. He said there are two things you need in the tropics… And he handed me a captains hat so the sun did not burn my scalp and a gin and tonic. He told me to drink Quinine water every day so I did not get Malaria.
So for over 20 years in the tropics I wore a captains hat and I still drank a liter of Schweppes Quinine water every day with lemon and fruits. For ten years I added Hydroxychloroquine tablet once a week. I never got Malaria and I never got the Plague… Knock on wood! But I can’t tell you if the shit works or not. There is plenty of debate!
Geoff and I became good friends and I sold him the Yacht on terms when I purchased a bigger one.
And I still drink Quinine water every day and have my pills but this time because of the plague.
Quinine in Tonic Water: What Is It and Is It Safe?
Medically reviewed by Natalie Butler, RD, LD — Written by James Roland — Updated on September 18, 2018
Overview
Quinine is a bitter compound that comes from the bark of the cinchona tree. The tree is most commonly found in South America, Central America, the islands of the Caribbean, and parts of the western coast of Africa. Quinine was originally developed as a medicine to fight malaria. It was crucial in reducing the death rate of workers building the Panama Canal in the early 20th century.
Quinine, when found in small doses in tonic water, is safe to consume. The first tonic waters contained powdered quinine, sugar, and soda water. Tonic water has since become a common mixer with liquor, the most well-known combination being gin and tonic.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows tonic water to contain no more than 83 parts per million of quinine, because there can be side effects from quinine.
Today, people sometimes drink tonic water to treat nighttime leg cramps associated with circulatory or nervous system problems. However, this treatment is not recommended. Quinine is still given in in small doses to treat malaria in tropical regions.
Benefits and uses of quinine
Quinine’s primary benefit is for the treatment of malaria. It’s not used to prevent malaria, but rather to kill the organism responsible for the disease. When used to treat malaria, quinine is given in a pill form.
Quinine is still in tonic water, which is consumed around the world as a popular mixer with spirits, such as gin and vodka. It’s a bitter beverage, though some manufacturers have tried to soften the taste a little with added sugars and other flavors.
Side effects and risks
Quinine in tonic water is diluted enough that serious side effects are unlikely. If you do have a reaction, it may include:
nausea
stomach cramps
diarrhea
vomiting
ringing in the ears
confusion
nervousness
However, these are more common side effects for quinine taken as a medication. Among the most serious potential side effects associated with quinine are:
bleeding problems
kidney damage
abnormal heartbeat
severe allergic reaction
Keep in mind that these reactions are primarily linked to quinine, the medication. You would have to drink about two liters of tonic water a day to consume a day’s dose of quinine in pill form.
Who should avoid quinine?
If you’ve had a bad reaction to tonic water or quinine in the past, you should not try it again. You may also be advised against taking quinine or drinking tonic water if you:
have an abnormal heart rhythm, especially a prolonged QT interval
have low blood sugar (because quinine can cause your blood sugar to drop)
are pregnant
have kidney or liver disease
are taking medications, such as blood thinners, antidepressants, antibiotics, antacids, and statins (these medications may not preclude you from taking quinine or drinking tonic water, but you should tell your doctor about these and any other medications you take if you’re prescribed quinine)
Where else can you find quinine?
While a gin and tonic and vodka and tonic are staples at any bar, tonic water is becoming a more versatile beverage. It’s now mixed with tequila, brandy, and just about any other alcoholic beverage. Citrus flavors are often added, so if you see the term “bitter lemon” or “bitter lime,” you know the drink includes tonic water with a sour fruit flavor added.
However, tonic water isn’t just used to mix with spirits. Chefs may include tonic water in batter when frying seafood or in desserts that also include gin and other liquors.
Takeaway
If tonic water is your mixer of choice, you’re probably safe to have a little now and then. But don’t drink it thinking it will cure nighttime leg cramps or conditions such as restless leg syndrome. The science isn’t there for tonic water or quinine to treat these conditions. See a doctor instead and explore other options. But if you’re traveling to a part of the world where malaria is still a threat, ask about the use of quinine to treat the disease if you’re unfortunate enough to contract it.
(CNN)Florida’s number of official Covid-19 cases in children has more than doubled over the past month, data from the state showed Tuesday. There has been a 90% increase in Covid-19 cases in US children in the last four weeks, report says Covid-19 cases among children also spiked across the country during roughly the same period. In Florida, the total number of cases in children 17 and under rose from 16,797 on July 9 to 39,735 on August 9 — an increase of 137%, according to Florida Department of Health data. Covid-19 hospitalizations among children in Florida rose from 213 to 436 during that same period, a 105% increase. Deaths among children rose from four to seven in Florida during that period. Across the country, the total number of Covid-19 cases among children rose from 179,990 on July 9 to more than 380,000 on August 6 — an increase of about 90% — according to a report published Monday by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association. Some of the increase might be due to more testing, AAP said. That report came as recent studies suggest children could play an important role in transmission of the virus.
D614G mutation is characterized by aspartic acid to glycine shift at the amino acid position 614 of a protein. Recent studies have shown that D614G mutation in the spike protein of novel coronavirus makes it more infectious, transmissible, and deadly.
What is D614G mutation?
A genetic mutation is characterized by a permanent change in the DNA sequence that may occur due to environmental factors (UV radiation), or due to an error during DNA replication process. Genetic mutations can be of many types, including missense, nonsense, insertion, deletion, duplication, frameshift, and repeat expansion mutations. D614G mutation is a missense mutation wherein an alteration in single DNA base pair causes the substitution of aspartic acid (single-letter code: D) with glycine (single-letter code: G) in the protein encoded by the mutated gene. The RNA codons that codes for aspartic acid and glycine are designed as GAU/GAC and GGU/GGC, respectively. Thus, a single mutation in the RNA codon causing A to G shift can lead to aspartic acid to glycine shift in the peptide sequence of the target protein. Glycine is a nonpolar amino acid with a single hydrogen atom as its side chain; whereas, aspartic acid is a polar amino acid with an acidic side chain. Given the substantial difference between the basic nature of these amino acids, D614G mutation is expected to have significant biological implications.
What are the implications of D614G mutation in the spike protein of novel coronavirus?
In general, viruses can undergo frequent genetic mutations because of several factors, such as natural selection and random genetic drifts. Because these factors can work sequentially, it is often very difficult to identify when a viral mutation becomes more prevalent.
In the case of a novel coronavirus, D614G mutation in the viral spike protein occurred at the initial stage of the pandemic, and recent evidence suggests that viruses containing glycine residue at position 614 have now become the most prevalent variant globally.
To identify the causative factors responsible for the rapid emergence of G614 containing coronavirus, scientists have extensively monitored all coronavirus genome sequencing data that are available globally at the Global Initiative for Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) database. Using suitable bioinformatic methods, scientists have found that G614G mutation in the viral spike protein is the most frequently occurring mutation across many geographical locations. As pseudotyped viruses,
G614 variants have considerably higher infectious titers than D614 variants. This indicates that spike D614G mutation makes the novel coronavirus more infectious and that the virus can be transmitted more easily and rapidly from person to person.
Moreover, scientists have shown that people infected with the G614 variant have higher viral RNA load in the upper respiratory tract than those infected with the D614 variant. However, D614G mutation is not associated with increased disease severity. Because D614G mutation is located in the interface between neighboring spike protein protomers, it may modulate protomer-protomer interaction by disrupting between-protomer hydrogen bond formation. Interestingly, one study conducted on pseudoviruses containing either D614 or G614 has claimed that G614 containing viruses are more susceptible to convalescent sera-mediated neutralization. This finding indicates that D614G mutation does not facilitate the virus escaping host immune responses.
Is spike D614G mutation associated with higher mortality?
Although there is no evidence showing that D614G mutation is associated with increased COVID-19 severity, a recent study using a phylogenetic tree of more than 4000 coronavirus genomes has claimed that viruses containing D614G mutation are more virulent, and thus, are associated with higher disease-related mortality. The study has speculated that higher viral pathogenicity may be due to mutation-mediated conformational changes in the spike protein, which facilitate the exposure of polybasic cleavage site to cellular proteases.
Could D614G mutation impact vaccine development?
The spike protein gets a lot of attention from the host immune system as it is located on the outer surface of the virus (external protein). Thus, spike D614G mutation is expected to play a major role in modulating the viral ability to escape vaccine-induced immune responses.However, there is evidence suggesting that the possibility of D614G mutation affecting the vaccine efficacy is very less. Because the mutation is not in the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein, it is less likely to affect the ability of the domain to induce host immune responses, which is believed to be a prerequisite for antibody-mediated neutralization of the virus. Moreover, a large portion of ongoing vaccines are developed against the receptor-binding domain, and thus, D614G mutation is not supposed to have any effect on vaccine efficacy. Another important observation is that convalescent sera obtained people infected with D614 containing viruses have been found to neutralize viruses containing G614, and vice versa. This indicates that D614G mutation does not alter antibody-mediate immune responses.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that college football conferences were making a terrible mistake by preparing to cancel their season during the coronavirus pandemic.“I think football’s making a tragic mistake,” he said. The president commented in an interview with Fox Sports Radio host Clay Travis after reports signaled that the Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences were prepared to cancel their seasons. No final decisions have been made. The president noted that a “tiny percentage” of people with coronavirus got seriously ill, stressing that this included primarily the elderly rather than healthy athletes. “These football players are very young, strong people. Physically they’re in extraordinary shape, so they’re not going to have a problem,” Trump said. “You’re not going to see people dying.” The president joked that some of the linemen in football might have a little extra body fat, and also joked about his own age and weight “Isn’t it wonderful that I am a perfect physical specimen?” he joked. “So great.” The president recalled personally attending the NCAA College Football Playoff national championship game in January 2020 between Louisiana State University (LSU) and Clemson University of South Carolina, and an LSU game against Alabama in November. “When I went to that game it was incredible. I went to a couple of them,” he said. “And I never really did the big-time college football. I went to an Ivy League school. It wasn’t really quite the same.” He recalled the “massive” stadiums for college football, noting he was impressed by crowds that were even larger than the NFL. It’s brilliant football. It’s great football, the atmosphere. There’s nothing like it,” he said.He said that college football would likely be affected by the loss of the huge crowds. “You can’t have empty seats,” Trump said. “I’m not sure college football can do it, but we’ll have to see.”
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia on Tuesday became the first country to clear a coronavirus vaccine and declare it ready for use, despite international skepticism. President Vladimir Putin said that one of his daughters has already been inoculated. Putin emphasized that the vaccine underwent the necessary tests and has proven efficient, offering a lasting immunity from the coronavirus. However, scientists at home and abroad have been sounding the alarm that the rush to start using the vaccine before Phase 3 trials — which normally last for months and involve thousands of people — could backfire. Speaking at a government meeting Tuesday, Putin said that the vaccine has undergone proper testing and is safe. “I know it has proven efficient and forms a stable immunity, and I would like to repeat that it has passed all the necessary tests,” he said. “We must be grateful to those who made that first step very important for our country and the entire world.” The Russian leader added that one of his two adult daughters has received two shots of the vaccine. “She has taken part in the experiment,” Putin said. Putin said that his daughter had a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) on the day of the first vaccine injection, and then it dropped to just over 37 degrees (98.6 Fahrenheit) on the following day. After the second shot she again had a slight increase in temperature, but then it was all over. “She’s feeling well and has high number of antibodies,” Putin added. He didn’t specify which of his two daughters — Maria or Katerina — received the vaccine. The Health Ministry said in Tuesday’s statement that the vaccine is expected to provide immunity from the coronavirus for up to two years. Putin emphasized that vaccination will be voluntary, Russian authorities have said that medical workers, teachers and other risk groups will be the first to be inoculated. Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said that the vaccination of doctors could start as early as this month. Professor Alexander Gintsburg, head of the Gamaleya Institute that developed the vaccine, said that vaccination will start while the Phase 3 trials continue. He said that initially there will be only enough doses to conduct vaccination in 10-15 of Russia’s 85 regions, according to the Interfax news agency. Russian officials have said that large-scale production of the vaccine will start in September, and mass vaccination may begin as early as October. Russia has registered 897,599 coronavirus cases, including 15,131 deaths. When the pandemic struck Russia, Putin ordered state officials to shorten the time of clinical trials for potential coronavirus vaccines. Becoming the first country in the world to develop a vaccine was a matter of national prestige for the Kremlin as it tries to assert the image of Russia as a global power. State television stations and other media have praised scientists working on it and presented the work as the envy of other nations. Gintsburg raised eyebrows in May when he said that he and other researchers tried the vaccine on themselves. Human studies started June 17 among 76 volunteers. Half were injected with a vaccine in liquid form and the other half with a vaccine that came as soluble powder. Some in the first half were recruited from the military, which raised concerns that servicemen may have been pressured to participate. Amid Russia’s rush to become the first to create a vaccine, the U.S., Britain and Canada last month accused Russia of using hackers to steal vaccine research from Western labs. As the trials were declared completed, questions arose about the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness. Some experts scoffed at Russian authorities’ assurances that the vaccine drug produced the desired immune response and caused no significant side effects, pointing out that such claims need to be backed by published scientific data. The World Health Organization said all vaccine candidates should go through full stages of testing before being rolled out. Experts have warned that vaccines that are not properly tested can cause harm in many ways — from a negative impact on health to creating a false sense of security or undermining trust in vaccinations.
This is something that one should not ignore. It’s a danger sign and an omen of what’s coming. In Lebanon, they’re burning down the banks. You are seeing a worldwide colossal failure of leadership.
