An open thread for gentle discussions of all things Covid.

Hey! Good Evening!

Pfizer Whistleblower Exposes Compromised Vaccine Trial Research

Global Covid-19 death toll passes 5m

The global death toll from Covid-19 has passed 5 million, 19 months after the pandemic was first declared, according to figures released by Johns Hopkins University. Some experts, including those from the World Health Organization, believe the true toll may be two to three times higher than official figures suggest.

The number of deaths from Covid-19 far outstrip that of other viral epidemics in the 21st century and most from the 20th century, with the notable exception of the Spanish flu. The US, Brazil, India, Mexico and the UK together account for more than half of all deaths worldwide.

In the last 28 days, Johns Hopkins University has logged 197,116 deaths and 11.7 million new cases around the world.

After it was first recorded in China in late 2019, the coronavirus spread quickly to almost every corner of the world and the outbreak was declared a pandemic in March 2020.

In the last month, the US, UK, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine have recorded the most new cases, while 581m doses of vaccine have been administered worldwide. The US has the largest death toll, at 745,836, followed by India (458,437). Russia’s official death toll stands at 235,318, although independent analysis of excess deaths in Russia by the Moscow Times suggests the true figure could be up to three times higher.

Everyone Will Eventually Get Covid Experts Say

FDA advisers recommend approval of Pfizer’s Covid vaccine for kids aged 5-11

Independent advisers for the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday recommended the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine for children aged five to 11 – the first vaccine available for younger children in the US.

Of 18 members, 17 voted yes and one abstained.

Vaccines for children have been seen as crucial for protecting kids from the virus as well as slowing its spread, in addition to reducing the social and educational effects of school closing and attendance – and related economic concerns, such as caregivers’ ability to work.

The advisers weighed the vaccine’s effectiveness, the social and physical effects of the pandemic, and the potential risk of rare side-effects like myocarditis, a type of heart inflammation.

Data from Pfizer-BioNTech indicate the vaccine is 90.7% effective at preventing symptomatic illness among this age group.

"Isolate Unvaxxed From Society" says Noam Chomsky

US director of national intelligence releases declassified Covid-19 report

The office of the US director of national intelligence has released a declassified report on the origin of the coronavirus.

The 18-page report concludes that the first human exposure to the virus occurred “no later than November 2019” and resulted in the initial outbreak in Wuhan.

“We judge the virus was not developed as a biological weapon,” the report says.

“Most agencies also assess with low confidence that SARS-CoV-2 probably was not genetically engineered; however, two agencies believe there was not sufficient evidence to make an assessment either way.”

The report adds that the US intelligence community concluded Chinese officials “did not have foreknowledge of the virus before the initial outbreak”.

Vaxxed Just As Likely To Spread Covid As Unvaxxed - New Study

Which protects you more against Covid – vaccination or prior infection?

In the United States, the issue of whether “natural immunity” from prior infection is as good as vaccination is becoming politicised. Fortunately, the Office for National Statistics has released results from a sophisticated analysis of its Covid-19 infection survey that address this issue. ...

Analysts used “Poisson regression” to estimate the risk of an infection episode, adjusting for known risk factors such as age and deprivation. Rather than counting people, the study considered days each person was at risk of infection. All risks are relative to having no previous vaccination or recorded infection. The analysis looked at two periods. Between December 2020 and mid-May 2021, when the Alpha variant was dominant, full vaccination reduced the risk of testing positive by an estimated 79%, with little difference between vaccines. Previous infection, without vaccination, reduced that risk by around 65%. The modelled uncertainty around each estimate was roughly six points: vaccination seemed more protective than prior infection in this period.

Between mid-May and mid-August 2021, when the Delta variant reigned supreme, full vaccination reduced the risk of testing positive to 64- 70%. Past infection without vaccination had a similar effect (65-77%). Across all analyses, two vaccine doses were more effective than one. There was higher protection against getting Covid-19 with symptoms.

Saagar Enjeti: Gov't ADMITS Fauci Lied To Congress About Lab Leak Theory

Worst of US pandemic likely behind us but we can’t drop our guard, experts say

The number of new Covid cases and deaths in the United States has been in a steady decline since early September, prompting many infectious disease experts to conclude that the worst impacts of the pandemic in America are probably in the past.

But in the same breath, those experts also caution that it’s not yet safe to abandon safeguards against the virus. That’s because parts of the US population and much of the world remain unvaccinated, which could allow for outbreaks and dangerous new variants of the virus to emerge.

“My most optimistic assessment is that if we keep vaccinating, sometime during late fall, into the winter, the pandemic phase of Covid will be substantially reduced over much of the United States,” said William Schaffner, an infectious diseases expert at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

He added: “We could move from pandemic to endemic, and endemic means that the virus remains in the community, akin to influenza, smolders along, keeps being transmitted, but the rate of disease that occurs is profoundly diminished, and the impact on individuals and health systems is very much controlled.”

In early September, the seven-day average of daily new cases in the United States was 166,000, according to data compiled by the New York Times. On 20 October that figure was 76,000, representing a 54% decrease. The seven-day average of new deaths has also declined by 26% over the last month, according to New York Times data.

Krystal Ball: Biden CAVES to Pharma Greed, BLOCKS Vaccine Recipe Release

Second In-N-Out burger restaurant in California shut for ignoring Covid rules

Another In-N-Out restaurant in California was forced to close after refusing to enforce Covid-19 vaccination rules.

Health officials in Contra Costa county indefinitely shut the Pleasant Hill location of the popular burger chain on Tuesday after it ignored repeated warnings to verify that customers who wanted to dine indoors had vaccination cards or proof they had tested negative for the virus in the past 72 hours.

Officials also issued warnings and fines to In-N-Out restaurants in Pinole and San Ramon.

Public health authorities see vaccination enforcement requirements as vital tools in slowing Covid-19 at a time when 1,500 or more Americans are dying each day from the virus. However, In-N-Out, based in Irvine, in southern California, has consistently refused to heed the requirements in the Bay Area, which are some of the strictest in the state.

“We refuse to become the vaccination police for any government. It is unreasonable, invasive, and unsafe to force our restaurant associates to segregate customers into those who may be served and those who may not,” In-N-Out said in a statement.

Hilarious Failed Facebook Fact-Check On Jimmy!

also of interest:

Don't Mistake School Board Protests for a Grassroots Campaign

COVID-19 was the No. 1 killer of Americans age 35 to 54 last month, and No. 2 overall

Brazil Senate Panel Backs Indictment of Bolsonaro for 'Terrifying' Covid-19 Crimes

Nine percent of New York City workers still unvaccinated after Friday deadline