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This just came out. They are saying its not LAMBDA. But its something else that kills fully vaccinated people. Somehow its already spreading in Belgium. I believe its in Miami also.
Seven Vaccinated People in Care Home Die of Colombian COVID Variant
"In the first week after the first positive tests, the symptoms in the residents who tested positive were rather mild," Boydens told VRT, according to a translation, "but after a few days, the symptoms became more severe in some residents, requiring them to get oxygen."
VRT reported that researchers from a Belgian university, KU Leuven, found the infections were from the Colombian variant of COVID-19, also known as B.1.621. This variant, first recorded in Colombia in January, has yet to be given a Greek-letter designation similar to Delta and Lambda.
The SAGE info is sobering.
That's a concern, the suggestion the disease itself presents differently than Delta, and worse. Israel has been finding that the vaxxed who technically becoming 'severely ill' and are hospitalized are in many cases less ill. They 'qualify' for the severe label' - chest X-ray that shows infection and oxygen sats below 93 - but don't end up in ICUs etc.
Those younger who are vaccinated and even hospitalized simply get sick then better without some showing the prior pattern of worsening disease a week or so in - the 'crash' that so worried many. This sounds like that pattern could be back for the Colombian variant.
Once again, that variant rose in an unvaccinated population.
The gold standard protection for the individual is of course: vaccination + (mild, to minimize the pain and hopefully long covid) natural infection. The two together work to target different portions of the virus, giving complementary immune protection. Starting with vaccination is a plus because it lessens the possibility of that really bad infection.
I was actually somewhat disappointed that my post-vacation cold turned out to be just that. I'd already 'paid the price' by having to cancel some really important events, have others bring in groceries until I got the negative test results at the same time I got better. Me, I would have welcomed a breakthrough since my vaccination is really old.
Like I've said the idea of 'running Delta thru the population' to help build communal immunities does have some appeal. BUT an this is a big but, outside of the uncertainty factor it has always been a positive to have a low level of community cases whatever the variant if only to be better able to handle what comes next. Worst case scenario - another lock down.
One concern - not sure if its in SAGE or not - is that the highly infectious Delta will biologically merge with the still-existing but now suppressed escape variant Beta (S. Africa) allowing for fast-moving more pervasive vaccine escape. Delta could conceivably co-mingle - not outcompete or be suppressed by - a variant like the Colombian.
That's always been the fear from the first: the original SARS (high virulence) + SARS-CoV-2 on steroids (higher infectivity, asymptomatic spread etc.)
It is a problem. Unfortunately getting research to be properly funded is almost impossible, because.......Congress.
I'm not buying that. There has been all kinds of research done on covid in the past year. If there is a problem getting research on a particular subject it's because the powers that be want to silence that particular subject for some reason.
The beauty of the mRNA vaccines is that they can be 'plug and play' for coronaviruses- sequence the new variant, do some modeling, and you have a booster available in a relatively quick time frame. Granted there's then a huge production and distribution lag, but it sure beats the 'there's nothing we should do so we should just let all the old people die now' policy that so many seem to be pushing so hard for.
The current vaccines were made, tested and distributed using the "plug and play" model you describe. How has that worked globally so far? (or, for that matter, nationally).
Wouldn’t it depend on how naturally-acquired immunity works? We’re learning (or in some cases have correctly guessed early on) that natural immunity, whether innate or from exposure to Covid, is more broad-based. I don’t know the answer, but maybe someone else here does?
Absolutely it's more broad-based because the antibodies created by the body target the whole virus, not just the spike protein as do many of the vaccines. mRNA. Vector. Protein sub-unit (Novavax).
The individual ending up with natural immunity is in a good place, although natural immunity + one shot = equals best protection. The problem is in the getting of it, not only for the individual taking a 'chance' but how the virus might mutate.
Mutations are errors made when the virus is copying itself. The more it spreads, from person to person, the more chance of error. And the more and longer it spreads within one person.
With in natural immunity, the field of battle being within the cell itself with no protections going in. (The same location for breakthrough vaxxed but the degree of infection and hopefully the chance of mutation is lessened not only because of nAbs but - it is thought - some degree of even imperfect durable protection.)
Early on there was discussion why the approach to target the spike was chosen, but I wasn't then reading much + don't really know.
I'm not buying that. There has been all kinds of research done on covid in the past year. If there is a problem getting research on a particular subject it's because the powers that be want to silence that particular subject for some reason.
That's the same thing. In the science world, denying funding is how they are "silenced".
Granted, Congress usually acts at a higher level when allocating funding to federal agencies rather than individual projects. But inevitably there can be stipulations on how the money is spent.
One concern - not sure if its in SAGE or not - is that the highly infectious Delta will biologically merge with the still-existing but now suppressed escape variant Beta (S. Africa) allowing for fast-moving more pervasive vaccine escape. Delta could conceivably co-mingle - not outcompete or be suppressed by - a variant like the Colombian.
That's always been the fear from the first: the original SARS (high virulence) + SARS-CoV-2 on steroids (higher infectivity, asymptomatic spread etc.)
The SAGE report highlights the possibility of recombination between two aggressive variants, resulting in a new, substantially more lethal and virulent virus. Specifically, the report highlights the possibility of an alpha and beta variant recombination. Were these variants to recombine, the variant could be comprised of the best of both worlds, forming a variant of dangerous transmission and immune evasion.
Colombian variant was 10% of sampled cases in greater Miami a week or two back. It hadn’t been found in Mexico or Central America at that point and is assumed to have come in on a daily flight from Bogota. (Lots of wealthy Colombians have second homes in South Florida and many more vacation and shop there)
The current vaccines were made, tested and distributed using the "plug and play" model you describe. How has that worked globally so far? (or, for that matter, nationally).
August 5th 2020 without the vaccine 57K new cases. August 5th 2021 with the vaccine 120K new cases.
Seven day average of deaths were 1078 a day exactly a year ago. Seven day average of deaths yesterday was 440. We are quickly catching up to last years death numbers.
World wide yesterday 706K new cases and 10,000 new deaths.
The SAGE report highlights the possibility of recombination between two aggressive variants, resulting in a new, substantially more lethal and virulent virus. Specifically, the report highlights the possibility of an alpha and beta variant recombination. Were these variants to recombine, the variant could be comprised of the best of both worlds, forming a variant of dangerous transmission and immune evasion.
I loved the thought that ... let Delta spread ... one more year. Getting vaccinated was so freeing. I was also stress-free during the cold scare, even tho the least hint of a 'odd' non-cold like happening was sobering.
With my vaccine now older (and me on that side too !!!) it's back to heavier guage masking and no indoor dining, we've decided. So be it if an infection comes, but best to minimize the infectious dose relying on what underlying immune protection may exist. Our county is reimposing a masking mandate next week.
Still, the thought of a return to more precautions and the uncertainty factor is depressing.
I don't think the world will intentionally let covid rip ... And I'm now too chicken to look towards that, especially after seeing the SAGE stuff. As much as I dislike the possible reali(ties), ignoring them never works. The motto now is: do the best you can (that includes vaccination) then it's out of individual and communal control.
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