Category: Breaking News

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Texas Gov. Abbott, who banned mask and vaccine mandates, tests positive for Covid… There is a GOD!!

    • Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who’s fought local officials throughout the state on mask and vaccine mandates, has tested positive for Covid-19, his office announced Tuesday.
    • The announcement comes a day after he made a campaign stop where he can be seen surrounded by a large crowd of unmasked attendees. Mostly senior citizens.

    • Abbott unveiled a plan Friday to launch nine monoclonal antibody infusion centers across the state as Covid patients clog up hospitals across the state.
    • Almost 45% of Texas’ 6,959 reported intensive care beds are currently occupied by coronavirus patients, compared with 26% nationwide.
    • The Governor tests himself everyday….. you should too if your in contact with people.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who’s fought local officials throughout the state on mask and vaccine mandates, has tested positive for Covid-19, his office announced Tuesday. However Abbott is fully vaccinated, “is in good health, and currently experiencing no symptoms,” his office said in a statement.

Abbott is receiving Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatment and plans to isolate in the governor’s mansion, his office said. His wife, Cecilia Abbott, tested negative.

The governor, who is otherwise healthy, was left paralyzed below the waist after an oak tree fell on him while he was jogging in 1984, leaving him in a wheelchair. His age, 63, places him in a higher risk category for suffering from a severe case if he contracts the virus. However, he’s told people he received a third, or booster, dose of the vaccine,two sources told NBC News.

Nick Bit: No matter what bullshit they blow up the public’s ass they sure as hell know how to take care of themselves… Including isolating, testing, 3rd vaccine and a must if you ever get symptoms and test positive monoclonal antibody infusions.

“Governor Abbott is in constant communication with his staff, agency heads, and government officials to ensure that state government continues to operate smoothly and efficiently,” his office said. The governor’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for further comment. The announcement of Abbott’s illness comes a day after he made a campaign stop at the Republican Club of Heritage Ranch, which is north of Dallas, where he can be seen surrounded by a large crowd of unmasked attendees. It also comes just days after the governor called for 2,500 out-of-state medical personnel to combat the coronavirus. He also requested that state hospitals postpone all elective procedures to clear room to treat more Covid patients as the delta variant floods the state’s health-care infrastructure. Abbott unveiled a plan Friday to launch nine monoclonal antibody infusion centers across the state as Covid patients clog up hospitals. Almost 45% of Texas’ 6,959 reported intensive care beds are currently occupied by coronavirus patients, compared with 26% nationwide, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

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What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

(Reuters) – Here’s what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:

Sydney records deadliest day of pandemic

Australia’s biggest city Sydney recorded its deadliest day of the pandemic on Monday as troops and police set up roadblocks to limit the movement of people, while Melbourne faced a nightly curfew and a further two weeks of lockdown.

Sydney, which is in its eighth week of lockdown, is the epicentre of Australia’s third wave of COVID-19 that threatens to push the country’s A$2 trillion ($1.5 trillion) economy into its second recession in as many years.

New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said seven people in Sydney had died from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, surpassing the state’s previous record daily toll.

China’s new local infections fall for sixth day

New local infections in China declined for a sixth day, official data showed on Monday, as most regions got the latest outbreak under control, while others kept up vigilance by adding mass testing or delaying the reopening of schools.

China reported 13 new domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases for Sunday, its lowest daily tally since July 24, the data from the National Health Commission showed.

Hong Kong said it would upgrade 15 overseas places including the United States, Spain and France to “high risk” from “medium risk” by Aug. 20, meaning international arrivals from those countries will face lengthened quarantine.

Taiwan rejects vaccine candidate

Taiwan has rejected an emergency use application for UBI Pharma’s vaccine candidate, the government said on Monday, though the president said she would get a different domestic shot in a show of support for the drive to develop a local vaccine.

Although Taiwan has ordered millions of Moderna and AstraZeneca shots, developing a local vaccine has been a major goal and it is due next week to start administering its first domestic vaccine, made by Medigen Vaccine Biologics.

Explaining the rejection of the request for emergency use authorisation, the health ministry said the antibodies triggered by UBI’s candidate did not match up with those of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Main Cuban oxygen plant fails

Cuba’s public health minister said on Sunday that efforts were underway to restart the country’s main oxygen factory which has broken down just as a Delta-driven surge in cases and deaths swamped some provincial health services.

Minister Jose Angel Portal’s appearance on the state’s midday news broadcast came after the death toll in Cuba from COVID-19 hit 98 on Saturday, equal to the pandemic record.

Daily cases are averaging between 8,000 and 9,000 with fatalities at nearly 1% of cases, low by international standards but high for Cuba which had a death rate of 0.67% last year.

Emergency summit needed to help Africa, says UK ex-PM

British, Italian and U.S. leaders must hold an emergency summit before the U.N. General Assembly to end vaccine inequality and send more shots to Africa and other low-income nations, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said.

Brown, prime minister from 2007 to 2010, has been leading a push for richer countries to share more of the cost of vaccinating people in developing countries, many of which have low inoculation rates and rising cases.

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U.S. to recommend vaccine booster shots for all Americans eight months after second dose

The U.S. will reportedly recommend that COVID booster shots be administered to Americans of any age eight months after they have received their second doses, amid the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. Two sources told the Associated Press on Tuesday that an announcement on a recommendation for a booster shot is expected to take place this week to offer U.S. residents extra protection against COVID as the pandemic continues. Federal health officials have been looking at whether an extra shot will be needed for Americans as soon as this fall, with case numbers having risen in several states over the last month and Florida reporting record positive COVID tests and hospitalizations.

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European stocks hit one-week low on virus worries

Aug 17 (Reuters) – European stocks sank to their lowest in a week on Tuesday as a spike in COVID-19 cases in Asia and elsewhere raised fears of a slowdown in global economic growth. The pan-European STOXX 600 shed 0.5% by 0710 GMT, falling for a second straight session after the index marked its longest winning streak in over a decade. Tighter scrutiny of China’s internet sector, nationwide lockdown in New Zealand and movement restrictions in several Asian countries kept investors on edge even as European economies continued to recover from the pandemic-driven downturn. Economically sensitive cyclical sectors such as oil and gas , travel and leisure, automakers and banks led the early declines. UK-listed shares of miner BHP Group jumped 8.6% after it posted its best annual profit in nearly a decade and said it would sell its petroleum assets to Woodside Petroleum.

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Asia trades lower as Delta fears persist

[HONG KONG] Asian markets fluctuated in morning trade on Tuesday as investors weighed record gains on Wall Street against fears the resurgent Delta coronavirus variant may put the brakes on the global economic recovery. Major US indices rebounded overnight from a slow start as bargain hunters stepped up purchases – leaving both the Dow and S&P 500 finishing narrowly positive to extend a streak of record high closes for a fifth straight day. Buoyed by those gains on Wall Street, Tokyo opened up 0.5 per cent.

But Mizuho Securities warned that the market will be “weighed down by rising virus cases and geopolitical risks that are pushing the yen higher.”

Markets in China have dragged since a regulatory crackdown on private business by Beijing that has left investors on edge, with Hong Kong fluctuating through the morning session and Shanghai flat.

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French shopping malls to require COVID-19 health pass

This Monday 16 August, shoppers in several departments across France now have to show their ‘health pass’ to enter shops and malls that measure more than 20,000m². There are around 126 shopping centres, including eight in Paris, where this rule will be applied. The shopping centres subject to the ‘health pass’ fall in the following departments: Alpes-Maritimes, Bouches-du-Rhône, Charente-Maritime, Corse-du-Sud, Gard, Gironde, Haute-Garonne, Haute-Savoie, Hérault, Landes, Rhône and Var. The ‘health pass’ measure was introduced by these prefectures following the increase of over 200 Covid cases per 100,000 people – a threshold set by the government for the measure to be implemented. Even though the number of cases per 100,000 is below 200 in Paris, the French capital has been subject to this rule. Paris police announced on Saturday that five department stores and three shopping centres as well as the Aéroville centre near Charles de Gaulle airport will fall under the health pass restrictions.

  • Hard-right politician champions France’s Covid health pass protests
  • Macron defends vaccination and health pass to stop France ‘closing down’

Prefectures of four departments in the Paris suburbs (Seine-Saint-Denis, Val d’Oise, Val-de-Marne and Hauts-de-Seine) also issued similar orders on Saturday. This covers 32 large stores. This comes a week after France introduced the contraversial ‘health pass’ measure to apply to restaurants, cafés and for train travel. The pass is generated using a QR code either by vaccination, a recent negative test or proof of recovery from Covid-19. Meanwhile, those protesting against the government’s measure took to the streets for the fifth consecutive weekend on Saturday. More than 200,000 people in France, including around 14,000 in Paris, took part in the demonstrations. France recorded around 21,000 new cases and 44 deaths related to Covid-19 in the past 24 hours.

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Pfizer requests FDA authorization of Covid vaccine booster shot for general population

  • Pfizer and BioNTech said they have submitted early-stage clinical trial data to the FDA as part of their U.S. application seeking authorization of a Covid-19 vaccine booster shot.
  • In a phase one trial, a booster dose generated “significantly higher neutralizing antibodies” against the original coronavirus strain as well as the beta and delta variants, the companies said.
  • Federal health officials aren’t recommending booster doses for the general public at this time.

Pfizer and BioNTech said Monday they have submitted early-stage clinical trial data to the Food and Drug Administration as part of their U.S. application seeking authorization of a Covid vaccine booster for everyone 16 and older — not just people with weak immune systems. In a phase one trial, a booster dose of the vaccine generated “significantly higher neutralizing antibodies” against the original coronavirus strain as well as the beta and delta variants, the companies said in a press release. Participants in the trial received a third dose of the two-dose vaccine about eight to nine months after receiving their second shot, they said. “The data we’ve seen to date suggest a third dose of our vaccine elicits antibody levels that significantly exceed those seen after the two-dose primary schedule,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement. “We are pleased to submit these data to the FDA as we continue working together to address the evolving challenges of this pandemic.” The companies said late-stage trial results evaluating the third dose are expected shortly and will also be submitted to the FDA and other regulatory authorities worldwide.

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Vitamin D and COVID 19: The Evidence for Prevention and Treatment of Coronavirus (SARS CoV 2)

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Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) partly explains geographical differences in COVID-19 susceptibility, severity, and mortality. VDD among African-Americans, diabetics, hypertensive, and aged populations possibly explain the higher death rate, aggravated by cocooning. Vitamin D is pleiotropic, mediating bone metabolism, calcium homeostasis, and immune functions, whereas VDD is associated with inflammatory reactions and immune dysfunction, predisposing individuals to severe infections. Vitamin D modulates innate and adaptive immunity via the expression of genes that code antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). And the expression of cluster of differentiation (CD)14, the co-receptor for epidermal toll-like receptor (TLR)4. AMPs stimulate TLR2 in macrophages, increasing the conversion of vitamin D into its active form by cytochrome P450 27B1. Antiviral properties of vitamin D-induced AMPs can shift the polarization of the adaptive immune response from helper T cells (Th)1 to the more regulatory Th2 responses that suppress immune over-reactivity by preventing cytokine storm, which is already demonstrated during the Spanish flu episode. Vitamin D induces antiviral effects by both direct and indirect mechanisms via AMPs, immunomodulation, the interplay between major cellular and viral elements, induction of autophagy and apoptosis, variation of genetic and epigenetic factors. The crosstalk between vitamin D and intracellular signaling pathways may operate as a primary regulatory action on viral gene transcription. VDD may increase the likelihood of infection with enveloped viruses, including retrovirus, hepatitis, and dengue. Global data correlates severe VDD with COVID-19 associated coagulopathy, disrupted immune response and mortality, reduced platelet count, and prolonged prothrombin time, suggesting benefits from supplementation.Key teaching pointsVitamin D induces antiviral effects by direct and indirect mechanisms via AMPs, immunomodulation, induction of autophagy, etc.Epidemiology of VDD partly explains geographical differences in COVID-19 susceptibility, severity, and mortality.Global data correlates severe VDD with COVID-19 associated coagulopathy, disrupted immune response and mortality, reduced platelet count, and prolonged prothrombin time, together suggesting benefits from supplementation.Many clinical trials are underway globally to delineate the role of vitamin D in both prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

CITE: Vyas N, Kurian SJ, Bagchi D, Manu MK, Saravu K, Unnikrishnan MK, Mukhopadhyay C, Rao M, Miraj SS. Vitamin D in Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19: Current Perspective and Future Prospects. J Am Coll Nutr. 2020 Sep 1:1-14. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2020.1806758. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 32870735.
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Are YOU eligible for a third COVID-19 vaccine dose in the U.S.?

Aug 15 (Reuters) – U.S. health officials have authorized a third dose of COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) for people with compromised immune systems, based on evidence that the standard two shots offered less robust protection in such populations. Here’s what we know about who will be eligible for the additional The Food and Drug Administration updated the emergency use authorization given to the shots from Pfizer, developed with German partner BioNTech (22UAy.DE), as well as the vaccine from Moderna to allow a third dose for people who have received organ transplants, or those with a similarly weakened immune system. Health officials have estimated that less than 3% of American adults would be candidates for a third dose. (Nick Bit: Well that is stupid. Everyone needs a 3rd booster shot now!) The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a third dose is recommended for people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised. They included people who are receiving treatment for solid tumor cancers and cancers of the blood, such as lymphoma or leukemia; patients who have undergone within the last two years a bone marrow transplant or are still taking drugs to suppress their immune system; and patients with advanced or untreated HIV infection. The CDC guidance also includes people who are currently taking high-dose steroids and immune system-suppressing biologic drugs, including medicines for Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis and plaque psoriasis.

The CDC said on Friday that people seeking a third vaccine dose will not need a prescription or recommendation from a healthcare provider. They would self-attest that they are eligible at a vaccination site.

The vaccines themselves have been purchased by the federal government and are being distributed free of charge, but hospitals, pharmacies and other providers can bill insurers for administration costs. People covered by Medicare, the government health plan for people over the age of 65, who qualify for an additional vaccine dose can receive it at no charge. Medicare will continue to pay vaccine providers an average of $40 for each administration of a COVID-19 vaccine. America’s Health Insurance Plans, the trade group representing most private health insurers, said health insurance providers will continue to cover all administrative costs for COVID-19 vaccines as required. A growing number of countries have begun to offer a third vaccine dose to vulnerable populations based on evidence that vaccine protection may wane over time or may not be robust enough against the fast-spreading Delta variant. Israel began offering a third shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to people aged over 60 in July. On Friday, the country lowered that age limit to 50 and said it will also offer an additional dose to health workers. Health clinics in Moscow started offering booster shots in July to people who were vaccinated six or more months ago. Indonesia started giving booster shots produced by Moderna to medical workers in July and is considering extra doses for wider use. Britain, Germany and France plan to begin rolling out boosters for the elderly and vulnerable in September. The World Health Organization has called for a halt to COVID-19 vaccine boosters until at least the end of September to allow for the inoculation of at least 10% of the population of every country.