I am living in the middle of the emergency over coronavirus in Finland. Due this reason the update cycle to make posting to this blog could be slowed down.
The Finnish government announced on Monday nationwide school closures in order to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. Read more on the following aricles:
Finland closes schools, declares state of emergency over coronavirus
https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finland_closes_schools_declares_state_of_emergency_over_coronavirus/11260062
Daycare centres are to stay open but parents were asked to keep their kids home if possible. The government also published a 19-point list of emergency legislation that takes effect on 18 March.
Coronavirus latest: 359 cases confirmed in Finland, S-Group shuts its Helsinki eateries, bankruptcy fears mount
https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/coronavirus_latest_359_cases_confirmed_in_finland_s-group_shuts_its_helsinki_eateries_bankruptcy_fears_mount/11249610
Here is a link to an earlier post related to Coronavirus:
https://www.epanorama.net/blog/2020/02/12/mobile-trends-2020-mwc-canceled/
1,657 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Moni kaksi rokotetta ottanut pohtii sairastavansa omikronin, jotta saisi superimmuniteetin – mutta siinä on asiantuntijan mukaan omat riskinsä
https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-12270898?utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=yleuutiset&utm_medium=social
THL:n rokotetutkija ja ylilääkäri Hanna Nohynekin mukaan helmikuun loppuun mennessä omikron on käynyt yhteiskunnan läpi ja pahin tilanne alkaa helpottaa.
Kuinka kauan rokote suojaa omikronia vastaan?
Lyhyellä seuranta-ajalla tiedetään, että kolmas annos tuottaa noin 88 prosentin suojan vakavaa tautia vastaan ainakin kahden kuukauden ajan. Kun aikaa on kulunut yli kymmenen viikkoa kolmannesta annoksesta, suojateho vakavaa tautia vastaan on laskenut 83 prosenttiin viimeisten brittiläisten seurantatietojen mukaan.
Kolmannen annoksen suojateho infektoitumista ja tartuntaketjujen syntymistä vastaan on noin 40–60 prosenttia, mutta teho vähenee nopeammin, parissa kolmessa kuukaudessa.
Millä kahdesti rokotettu saa juuri nyt parhaan suojan, ottamalla kolmannen rokoteannoksen vai sairastamalla taudin?
Toinen koulukunta, johon lähes kaikki lääkärit kuuluvat, on sitä mieltä, että rokote on parempi ja turvallisempi tapa. Toinen koulukunta katsoo, että omikron on taudinaiheuttamiskyvyltään niin lievä, että voisi olla ihan järkevää kohdata virus luonnossa ja saada sitä kautta lisäsuojaa.
Jos on alle 60-vuotias eikä ole mitään lääketieteellisiä riskitekijöitä vakavalle koronalle, silloin voidaan ajatella, että kaksi rokotetta ja siihen päälle saatu viruksen antama tehosteannos voisi olla ihan hyväkin asia. Tämä on kuitenkin uhkapeliä; yksilö ei voi satavarmasti tietää, kuuluuko hän siihen enemmistöön joka saa vain lievän taudin vai onko hän poikkeusyksilö, jolle kehittyy vakavampi tauti.
Tässä on myös se kysymysmerkki, että me emme vielä tiedä ihan kaikkea omikronista. Tämän hetken kliininen tieto näyttää, että omikron aiheuttaa lievemmän taudin, mutta me emme vielä tiedä, kuka ja miksi saa vakavamman tautimuodon, ja onko tällä lievällä taudilla jotain pitkäaikaisvaikutuksia. Eli ihminen, joka päätyy mieluummin sairastamaan omikronin, ottaa sen riskin, että siitä voi tulla myöhemmin jotain seuraamuksia.
Tomi Engdahl says:
WHO:n pääjohtajalta synkkä varoitus: ”Pandemia ei ole lähelläkään loppua” https://www.iltalehti.fi/ulkomaat/a/f7bb7b56-bede-4c3e-92f6-89a945867285
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://thl.fi/fi/-/thl-voimakkaiden-rajoitustoimien-tarkoituksenmukaisuus-kyseenalaista-koronastrategiassa-tulisi-painottaa-rokotuksia-ja-kotieristysta?redirect=%2Ffi%2F
Tomi Engdahl says:
Pandemic “Nowhere Near Over” With New Variants Likely To Emerge, Says WHO Director
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/pandemic-nowhere-near-over-with-new-variants-likely-to-emerge-says-who-director/
It was recently reported that all COVID-19 restrictions in the UK could be lifted by March, but does the science support the roll back of precautions globally? Not according to World Health Organization Director Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who recently gave a sage warning that we are not out of the woods quite yet.
“This pandemic is nowhere near over and with the incredible growth of Omicron globally, new variants are likely to emerge,” Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference, reports Insider.
https://www.businessinsider.com/who-says-coronavirus-pandemic-nowhere-near-over-new-variants-likely-2022-1?r=US&IR=T
Tomi Engdahl says:
Järjestö: Kymmenen rikkaimman omaisuus tuplaantui pandemiassa, samalla 99 prosenttia ihmiskunnasta menetti tulojaan
https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-12273264
Hyväntekeväisyysjärjestö Oxfam International ehdottaa kertaluontoista jättiveroa maailman kymmenelle rikkaimmalle ihmiselle. Sillä rahoitettaisiin muun muassa koronarokotteiden jakelua.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Moderna Stock Crash Intensifies: Losses Top $130 Billion After Scientists Find Covid Boosters Aren’t Halting Omicron Infections
https://lm.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites%2Fjonathanponciano%2F2022%2F01%2F21%2Fmoderna-stock-crash-intensifies-losses-top-130-billion-after-scientists-find-covid-boosters-arent-halting-omicron-infections%2F%3Futm_campaign%3Dforbes%26utm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_term%3DGordie&h=AT3w_lnZPDMW8WXt4prOKME23nAMYCIuItwqwUsJ-39p8w0VvvSxPlw0upvtCAIsRT8yLDAxY62AaUN_BGvhSVuLfE9LRcr_tBIk4swiMf7rb3vrjANl3NkgDNofNAwdeQ
Tomi Engdahl says:
HUS ei pysty enää julkaisemaan tietoja koronapotilaiden rokotuksista, tiedot puuttuvat neljännekseltä potilaista – HUS kiistää epäilyt tietojen salaamisesta
https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-12276638
Tomi Engdahl says:
Whether You Get A Cough Or Fever First Depends On The COVID Variant
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/whether-you-get-a-cough-or-fever-first-depends-on-the-covid-variant/
The different COVID-19 variants spread at different rates and have different levels of danger. Now it looks like they also have different orders of symptoms, which could help identify which variants people have and provide insights into how SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID, spreads.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Koululaisille tilattiin kuusi miljoonaa koronatestiä, mutta nyt mietitään, mihin niitä enää edes tarvitaan
https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-12281624
Espoon koulutoimen mukaan tilanne yritetään hoitaa niin, että veronmaksajien rahat eivät mene kankkulan kaivoon, kun testit kerran on tilattu. Myös Vantaalla odotellaan testien saapumista.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Viranomaisten asettamasta koronaeristyksestä luovutaan kokonaan useissa HUS-alueen kunnissa
https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-12280514
Kunnat katsovat, että perustetta laajamittaisille eristyspäätöksille ei enää ole. Tartunnan saaneen tulisi silti pysytellä kotona ja ilmoittaa tartunnastaan sille altistuneille henkilöille.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://thl.fi/web/infektiotaudit-ja-rokotukset/ajankohtaista/ajankohtaista-koronaviruksesta-covid-19/vakavan-koronavirustaudin-riskiryhmat
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kirsi Piha: Pelon hinta on kova – osa nuorista on käynyt koko lukionsa etänä ja opiskelijat kompuroivat työelämään valmiiksi uupuneina
https://www.apu.fi/artikkelit/kirsi-piha-poliittinen-eliitti-on-pelon-kuumemittari-kolumni
Pandemiat eivät pääty tartuntojen loppumiseen vaan siihen, että päätämme lopettaa pelkäämisen ja siirrymme muihin asioihin. Poliittinen eliitti toimii pelon kuumemittarina, kirjoittaa Kirsi Piha kolumnissaan
Tomi Engdahl says:
Burnout is a psychological response to extended periods of uncertainty – so it’s no surprise that 50% of employees have experienced symptoms during COVID-19.
Dr. Amit Sood, Executive director of the Global Center for Resiliency and Wellbeing, shares his expertise on how to get comfortable when things are less controllable: https://mck.co/32yOru4
Tomi Engdahl says:
Covid Cases Linked To Beijing Olympics Continue To Rise As 11 Staffers Are Hospitalized
https://lm.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites%2Fsiladityaray%2F2022%2F02%2F02%2Fcovid-cases-linked-to-beijing-olympics-continue-to-rise-as-11-staffers-are-hospitalized%2F%3Futm_campaign%3Dforbes%26utm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_term%3DGordie&h=AT1jUTTqW_FSnCUD79QDYUEXLJm8SlA88-Qx6pB1zuDKdkDwV3M9DQQZW4na7RI8XPKaNePSAXw43OiX1GjIwahNZmw7qI0zYVHlq-cKR7cEQml2FHnNnNVZW7yOOHWhZj03O2_UaWGkvBsweA
Eleven staffers linked to the 2022 Beijing Olympics have been hospitalized with Covid-19 since January 23, the games organizers’ disclosed on Wednesday, amid a growing number of infections linked to the event and reported from inside the Olympic bubble that could pose a major challenge to China’s “zero Covid” strategy.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The more infectious BA.2 omicron subvariant now accounts for more than half of the sequenced omicron cases in some countries, the WHO said.
‘Stealth’ Omicron Sub-Variant Detected In 57 Countries, WHO Says
https://lm.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites%2Froberthart%2F2022%2F02%2F02%2Fstealth-omicron-sub-variant-detected-in-57-countries-who-says%2F%3Futm_campaign%3Dforbes%26utm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_term%3DGordie&h=AT124D4Klz09NCoSoW1qf8KRsyk_-Px5lUL0aUkehuMIYYhuJeZf4G7JYHfsaxo_G0pplmh-z0BG9ZTXyU6-cD0xwP1RRKNDFQmOtP9aY19PDJfWxlLtuPNDc9OmFLeH6eGsZ7ouAct6dFVuvg
Tomi Engdahl says:
“The majority of industry sectors experienced job loss,” ADP’s chief economist said about the lackluster performance.
U.S. Lost 301,000 Private Jobs Amid January’s Omicron Surge—The Worst Monthly Showing Since 2020
https://lm.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites%2Fjonathanponciano%2F2022%2F02%2F02%2Fus-lost-301000-private-jobs-amid-januarys-omicron-surge-the-worst-monthly-showing-since-2020%2F%3Futm_campaign%3Dforbes%26utm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_term%3DGordie&h=AT243cuXwG8k5GxXY6G-KWc37esDIaFrsfOr_gBuImXJi80CiXlxlsSu9fkWsDrL6gcBM-LtQWe1lhIEq_gJ8VRhoPp56nfK3Pjkl0BhdqVKsWbm7NGpDmmGJUDcIgHBt52SIEaaPKeAgC45Ow
After a stronger-than-expected showing in December, private U.S. employers posted their worst monthly job growth in more than a year on Wednesday, according to payroll processor ADP, one of the latest signs the record wave of Covid-19 infections in January has stunted the economic recovery.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mitä järkeä oli kahden vuoden varomisessa, kun jokainen nyt sen koronan saa? ”Hankala tilanne”
THL:n ylilääkäri Hanna Nohynekin mukaan on kannattanut suojautua, sillä edelliset virusmuunnokset olivat toista maata kuin omikron.
https://www.iltalehti.fi/terveysuutiset/a/f855a594-51f3-4a3c-ba61-71f3ccba91f8
Koronan varotoimien noudattaminen on tehnyt monen elämästä yhtä varomista.
Varotoimista huolimatta korona on voinut kuitenkin omikronmuunnoksen vuoksi tarttua.
Missään tapauksessa ei ole ollut turhaa noudattaa varotoimenpiteitä, eikä niistä ole syytä luopua täysin vieläkään.
Tunnollisimmat meistä ovat jo kaksi vuotta seuloneet kaikki tekemisensä sen mukaan, kasvattaako tekeminen riskiä saada koronatartunta.
Ei olla tavattu juuri ketään, ei käyty juuri missään. On käytetty maskeja ja otettu rokotukset. Sitten kuitenkin, kaikesta huolimatta, testi on näyttänyt positiivista.
Virus on saanut kiinni myös varojan.
Silloin on voinut todella turhauttaa. On voinut herätä halu heittää hanskat tiskiin. Eikö varomisesta ole ollut mitään hyötyä, kun korona tulee pian kuitenkin?
”Nyt riitti meille varovaisuus. Nyt jatketaan elämää ilman rajoituksia ja varovaisuutta”.
Nyt on asiantuntijoilta kuultu, että kaikki me kohtaamme kulovalkean tavoin leviävän koronaviruksen omikronmuunnoksen tavalla tai toisella. Tämä koskee myös niitä, jotka ovat tähän asti onnistuneet viruksen välttelyssä.
Pitkään jatkunut varominen ei ole ollut kuitenkaan turhaa, vaikka siltä nyt voisi tuntua.
Merkittävä tekijä on se, että pandemia on muuttunut matkan varrella.
Pandemian alussa koronavirus oli sellainen, että siltä me todellakin pystyimme suojautumaan paremmin kuin mitä voimme tehdä nyt.
Vuoden 2021 lopussa räjähdysmäisen leviämisensä aloittanut uusi omikronmuunnos on vaikeampi tapaus. Omikronia on paljon hankalampi saada talttumaan aivan samoin keinoin kuin aiempien muunnosten leviämistä.
Onneksemme omikron aiheuttaa kuitenkin keskimäärin vähemmän vakavia tautimuotoja kuin sitä edeltäneet koronavirusmuunnokset, joten se on siinä mielessä vähemmän vaarallinen kuin edelliset muunnokset.
Vaarallisin vältetty
Varotoimenpiteet ja otetut koronarokotteet ovat Nohynekin mukaan suojanneet meitä hyvin vakavalta koronalta, joita aiemmat virusmuunnokset ovat aiheuttaneet selvästi enemmän kuin mitä omikron näyttää nyt aiheuttavan.
Meidän on siis kannattanut välttää koronavirusta tähän asti, koska olemme voineet välttää näin sen virusmuunnoskannan, joka on tähän asti ollut meille kaikkein vaarallisin.
– Tärkeintä olisi nyt ottaa se kolmas rokoteannos, Nohynek korostaa.
– Kolmas koronarokoteannos vähentää myös infektion riskiä jonkin verran muutaman kuukauden ajan.
Kolmannen koronarokoteannoksen turvin omikronmuunnoksen aiheuttama tauti on todennäköisesti lievä.
Kolmas rokoteannos antaa lisäturvaa suurimmalle osalle, mutta tämäkään rokoteannos ei anna täydellistä varmuutta siitä, ettei koronavirus voisi aiheuttaa ikävää ja vaarallista tautia.
Tomi Engdahl says:
BA.2 is starting to overtake BA.1, which has caused record case numbers.
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/omicron-stealth-subvariant-ba2-now-found-in-57-countries-says-who/
Tomi Engdahl says:
U.S. Covid Deaths Top 900,000 On Omicron Surge
https://lm.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites%2Fcarlieporterfield%2F2022%2F02%2F04%2Fus-covid-deaths-top-900000-on-omicron-surge%2F%3Futm_campaign%3Dforbes%26utm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_term%3DGordie&h=AT3h82wCfMoNmWNSsocWfDWha1qZbdUljDw8ud420R42E04uGGrKpBMtjDpQ6RRE0V61FA_c5xd34dvxbooqvLOhvPyiga9h_OJzWu8etU9x5t6oJt25VTDvKe6C6STmBQ
More than 900,000 Americans have died of Covid-19 since the onset of the pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins University, a bleak milestone as the country continues to battle a surge of cases fueled by the omicron variant.
New infections have dropped significantly, with the seven-day average at 380,285 on Thursday, down 53% from its peak on January 12, but hospitalizations and deaths have lagged the changes in the volume of new cases.
With a total of 76.2 million confirmed coronavirus cases, the U.S. has both the most infections and the most deaths of any country. Pandemic deaths in the U.S. peaked in January of last year, according to the CDC, which recorded a seven-day rolling average of 3,422 deaths per day on January 13, 2021.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Koronapandemia teki elämästä tylsää ja se vääristää ihmisten ajantajua – moni kokee ajan nyt matelevan hitaasti
Aikakäsitys on hyvin yksilöllinen asia, ja siihen vaikuttavat odotukset tulevasta ja kokemukset menneestä.
https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-12255183
Tomi Engdahl says:
Consumers Expect Brands to Address Climate Change
https://deloitte.wsj.com/articles/consumers-expect-brands-to-address-climate-change-01618945334?mod=Deloitte_cmo_wsjarticle3_Native
Environmental activism has reached an inflection point, as consumers increasingly demand change from business leaders and corporations, Deloitte research reveals.
As government leaders pursue policies and programs to mitigate climate change, businesses are also considering their role in environmental and sustainability issues—and that responsibility takes on greater prominence this year, with Deloitte research showing that, when it comes to activism, 2020 was a tipping point for society and business.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, 40% of the general public say they are more likely to be actively involved in social issues, and many are changing their buying patterns or encouraging others to do the same, according to the “#GetOutInFront” global research report, which examined consumer views in six different countries. To produce the report, Deloitte surveyed nearly 10,000 respondents during January 2020, then followed up with a second survey in May to gauge how opinions had shifted since the crisis began.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Two Years Into Pandemic, Shoppers Are Still Hoarding
https://www.wsj.com/articles/two-years-into-pandemic-shoppers-are-still-hoarding-11644253233?cx_testId=3&cx_testVariant=cx_101&cx_artPos=4&mod=WTRN#cxrecs_s
Bulk-buying habit is expected to stick as people eat more at home, supply remains uncertain and inflation rears up. Retailers and producers are shifting operations as a result.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Pfizer Triggers $28 Billion Stock Plunge After Warning Covid Vaccine Sales May Disappoint This Year
https://lm.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites%2Fjonathanponciano%2F2022%2F02%2F08%2Fpfizer-triggers-28-billion-stock-plunge-moderna-after-warning-covid-vaccine-sales-could-disappoint-this-year%2F%3Futm_campaign%3Dforbes%26utm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_term%3DGordie&h=AT1vS5kv6rLMjbeP80FboDDDv04MxlYxc9PHAz3PoTXGONlvBTBsiXInLrc71tHpr85hUuoNHOMVAXhKsz-pgb_MDF0d_jnP6vsCuJMn5eWN01kx3yuZqsXCEskmEs7YPA
Despite skyrocketing revenue from the sale of Covid-19 vaccines, shares of Pfizer plunged Tuesday morning after the pharmaceutical giant issued worse-than-expected revenue guidance for this year, triggering a widespread plunge among vaccine stocks that have struggled to meet analyst expectations as the pandemic begins to wane.
In a Tuesday morning email, analyst Adam Crisafulli of Vital Knowledge Media pointed out the “underwhelming” report also issued worse-than-expected guidance for sales of Covid-19 vaccines, which made up 53% of the firm’s fourth-quarter revenue, with Pfizer now calling for $52 billion in revenue from the shots this year, compared to expectations of $58 billion.
Tomi Engdahl says:
As the coronavirus pandemic creeps into its third year, and the death toll in the United States reaches 900,000, the 1918 influenza pandemic can offer some insight into how this chapter of history might draw to a close.
The 1918 flu didn’t end in 1918. Here’s what its third year can teach us.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/02/06/1918-flu-fourth-wave/?utm_campaign=eng-rem-history&utm_medium=acq-intl&utm_source=facebook&utm_content=18Flu&fbclid=IwAR0PHJPdSjEQIp5WzO-90GF8NMpnsm0fxD7sm9nKZ19ySrjJdtKOJToyQAk
In New York City in 1920 — nearly two years into a deadly influenza pandemic that would claim at least 50 million lives worldwide — the new year began on a bright note.
“Best Health Report for City in 53 Years,” boasted a headline in the New York Times on Jan. 4, 1920, after New York had survived three devastating waves of the flu virus. The nation as a whole, which would ultimately lose 675,000 people to the disease, believed that the end might finally be in sight.
As the coronavirus pandemic creeps into its third year, and the death toll in the United States reaches 900,000, the 1918 influenza pandemic can offer some insight into how this chapter of history might draw to a close. But an “ending,” when it comes to viruses such as these, is a misleading word. Eventually, experts say, the novel coronavirus is likely to transition from a deadly and disruptive pathogen to a milder, more seasonal nuisance.
In the meantime, though, the country’s experience a century ago suggests that we could be in for a lot more pain — especially if we let our guard down.
The 1918 flu lasted far beyond 1918. Two years after it began, just as officials such as Copeland were declaring victory and cities were easing restrictions, a fourth wave hit parts of the country, bringing punishing caseloads that pushed some hospitals to the brink of collapse and left many more Americans dead.
The virus did not seem so menacing when it began: The first wave in the spring of 1918 was relatively mild. But it returned with a vengeance in the fall, probably having mutated. That second wave burned through patients around the world. Street cars were converted into hearses, and priests collected bodies with horse-drawn carriages.
During the second wave alone, more Americans were killed by the flu than died in the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War and the Vietnam War combined.
The flu pandemic seemed to affect young people in particular, for reasons that historians and scientists are still debating.
the virus alone lowered life expectancy in the United States by more than 12 years
By the winter of 1919-1920, Americans were weary of the limitations on daily life. Nearly all of the public health restrictions — such as mask-wearing, social distancing and the closure of schools and churches — had been lifted. A hasty return to public gatherings led to an increase in case numbers. Politicians either blamed people’s carelessness for the reemergence of the virus or downplayed the seriousness of it.
The fourth wave was not front-page news in the way that prior spikes had been. The coverage was often relegated to small paragraphs deep inside newspapers, reporting thousands of new cases on a weekly or even daily basis.
By February 1920, there was an epidemic in a state prison in New Jersey, and some courts were forced to halt proceedings because of illness.
One physician wrote a letter to the editor in the New York Times in the winter of 1920, begging people to avoid “needless exposure to influenza” through unnecessary social contact. The doctor warned that anyone who visited someone who was ill was then “capable of spreading the disease to any number of others who might have escaped, thereby putting an extra drain upon the already overburdened hospitals, nurses, and doctors.”
But if the fourth wave failed to generate the kinds of headlines and fear of its predecessors, it wasn’t for a lack of lethality. In New York City, more people died in the period from December 1919 to April 1920 than in the first and third waves
Local governments’ public health interventions actually may have contributed to the fourth wave by limiting the virus’s spread in prior waves. Letting the virus run rampant, however, would not have been advisable either,
Influenza viruses and coronaviruses are genetically different, so it’s not possible to make a one-to-one comparison with the 1918 pandemic. Yang noted that the novel coronavirus appears to mutate far faster than the 1918 influenza virus. Management of the current pandemic also has benefited from many scientific developments that were not available a century ago, including more-sanitary hospital conditions, better access to clean water, and — perhaps what is most notable — a vaccine.
Tomi Engdahl says:
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that all COVID-19 restrictions – including the need to self-isolate if you test positive for the disease – will likely be lifted a month earlier than the planned date of March 24.
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/england-to-scrap-need-to-isolate-if-you-have-covid19-this-month/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.ilmarinen.fi/tietoa-ilmarisesta/ajankohtaista/blogit-ja-artikkelit/2022/jarkyttiko-pandemia-maailman-onnellisinta-kansaa/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Moderna Stock Crash: Losses Top $140 Billion As Insiders Sell Millions Of Dollars In Shares
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Shares of Moderna plummeted Monday as Covid-19 vaccine-makers led a turbulent market decline, pushing the stock to its lowest level in nearly a year after disappointing study results and a slew of sales from the firm’s top executives added to concerns that have made one of last year’s top-performing stocks crash more than 70%.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Easily-Accessible Over-The-Counter Drug Reduces COVID-19 Symptoms, Suggests Study
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/easilyaccessible-overthecounter-drug-reduces-covid19-symptoms-suggests-study/
BY JACK DUNHILL
14 FEB 2022, 17:52
A new diverse digital trial has highlighted a cheap, easily-accessible drug that could speed up the rate of recovery for people with COVID-19. The drug, called famotidine and commonly found in the heartburn drug Pepcid, led to a significantly reduced time with COVID-19 symptoms in the 55 patients treated. Scientists hope it could act as a viable answer to the limited number of treatments available to the millions of daily COVID-19 patients worldwide.
“In our fully remote, outpatient, randomized controlled trial of famotidine (Pepcid), we found that patients on the medication saw 50 percent of their symptoms get better in just eight days of their 14 days treatment course, versus 11 days for the non-medicated group,” Christina Brennan, MD, Vice President of Clinical Research at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and first author on the paper, told IFLScience.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Pandemic Crushed Most Movie Theaters – But This 27-Year-Old’s Chain Doubled In Size https://trib.al/z6i3MdP
Tomi Engdahl says:
A huge majority of the excess deaths can be directly attributed to COVID-19.
US Hits Over 1 Million Excess Deaths Since COVID-19 Pandemic Began
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/us-hits-over-1-million-excess-deaths-since-covid19-pandemic-began/
The US has recorded over 1 million more deaths than expected during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This grim milestone comes from CDC data looking at “excess deaths associated with COVID-19.” Essentially, this figure is the difference between the actual numbers of deaths and the expected numbers of deaths in a given time frame.
The CDC has recorded 1,045,389 total excess deaths between February 1, 2020 – just before the first COVID-19 cases were reported in the US – to February 5, 2022. As of February 16, the CDC has recorded over 914,000 deaths directly attributed to COVID-19 on death certificates. The Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Dashboard puts the figure slightly higher at 928,519 deaths.
A huge majority of the excess deaths can be directly attributed to COVID-19, but some are related to other conditions that have been exacerbated by the pandemic, mostly through overburdened health care systems.
Unpicking all of these statistics can be tricky and it’s unlikely the true scale of devastation caused by COVID-19 will be accurately attributed for some years to come.
Another factor could be drug overdoses. Approximately 93,331 people died of drug overdoses in the US in 2020, a 30 percent rise from the year before the pandemic. Once again, it’s very difficult to untangle whether these fatal overdoses can be attributed to the pandemic or not, but there is an obvious trend.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bad boomer memes aren’t the only problem.
Viral Thread Reveals How COVID Misinformation Gets Into Top News Outlets And Medical Journals
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/viral-thread-reveals-how-covid-misinformation-gets-into-top-news-outlets-and-medical-journals/
There’s a whole lot of COVID misinformation out there, from whether or not the vaccines are safe in pregnancy (they are) to whether or not they are responsible for your cousin’s friend’s gigantic balls (they aren’t.)
It can be tempting to assume that all such rumors are the result of bad boomer memes on social media, but sometimes it’s possible to wind up believing false claims through perfectly cromulent outlets. As a viral Twitter thread from University College Dublin Professor of Architecture Orla Hegarty has recently shown, it’s all too easy sometimes for a soundbite to become received wisdom – even when that soundbite isn’t in fact accurate.
Despite Hegarty’s warnings, the journalist went ahead with the piece – “one in 1,000” statistic included. Soon it had been picked up in the UK press, who mysteriously cited the HPSC reply as “a study,” and before long, the factoid had spread across the world.
And despite Irish health officials pointing out that the figures were misleading, things then got even weirder. The “one in 1,000” statistic – which, just to remind you, was a back-of-an-envelope calculation done by a journalist who had already been told it was inaccurate – started turning up in academic papers.
It even made it into the British Medical Journal.
Lawmakers and special interest groups started lobbying for it to be used to inform public health policy.
Tomi Engdahl says:
“Vaikka ”suuri yleisö” ei enää olekaan kiinnostunut #korona :sta, on terveysviranomaisten oltava: 831 sairaalahoidossa 7.3. eli enemmän kuin koskaan ja 242 kuollutta 14 vrk:ssa. Potilaille, omaisille ja hoitohenkilöstölle tämä on kovaa realiteettia.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Brain scans revealed a “significant, deleterious impact” associated with Covid-19, including an overall reduction in brain size, damage in regions linked to smell and greater cognitive decline compared to people who had not been infected.
Even Mild Covid Can Cause Brain Damage, Study Suggests
https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2022/03/07/even-mild-covid-can-cause-brain-damage-study-suggests/
Covid-19 was linked with “significant” and damaging brain abnormalities even in mild cases, according to a study published in Nature on Monday, shedding light on what could be behind the lingering symptoms of long Covid and common symptoms associated with infection like the loss of smell and taste.
Brain scans taken before and after a coronavirus infection revealed “significant” brain changes, according to a U.K. study involving 785 people aged 51–81, 401 of whom tested positive for Covid.
The scans, taken an average 34 months apart and 141 days after diagnosis with Covid-19 as part of the U.K. Biobank study, revealed evidence of tissue damage in regions associated with smell and memory, an overall reduction in brain size and structural changes to parts of the brain associated with information processing and cognitive skills.
The infected participants also showed a “significantly greater cognitive decline” between their two scans than those who did not test positive, the researchers found, which is associated with damage to the cerebellum, a brain region linked to cognition.
Most people in the study experienced mild Covid infections—just 15 were hospitalized—and the researchers found the changes to cognition and the brain after infection were still significant after hospitalized participants had been excluded from the analysis.
WHAT WE DON’T KNOW
Whether the brain changes are permanent. While the study found no link between brain deterioration, time between infection and the second brain scan, the researchers said the study’s timeframe meant less than 20% of participants had tested positive more than six months ago. Researchers said follow-up studies are needed to determine whether the negative consequence of a Covid-19 infection will persist over time, promote other changes to brain structure in the long term (including potential future vulnerabilities in the limbic system, which is involved in processing memory and emotion), or if the impact of infection can be reversed over time. The observational nature of the study means it cannot definitively determine the cause of the brain changes.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kommentti: Yli sata koronaan kuollutta viikossa ei hetkauta enää ketään – yksi kuva kertoo miten viruksesta tuli ”hiljainen niittäjä”
https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000008636972.html
Koronakuolema siirrettiin syrjään yhteiskunnallisesta keskustelusta, kirjoittaa pääkirjoitustoimittaja Timo Paunonen.
Tomi Engdahl says:
COVID digest: China’s Shenzhen goes into lockdown
https://amp.dw.com/en/covid-digest-chinas-shenzhen-goes-into-lockdown/a-61115243
Volkswagen, key Apple suppliers and other factories shut down their operations as China grapples with record COVID-19 cases. Meanwhile, France lifted restrictions.
The Chinese city of Shenzhen, with its population of 17 million, experienced its first full day under lockdown on Monday until March 20, following outbreaks of the highly transmissible omicron variant sweeping across the nation.
China has recorded more COVID-19 cases in 2022 than in the whole of 2021, official figures show. Mainland China reported 1,337 new domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases with confirmed symptoms on Sunday, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Monday.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kiinan kaksi vaurainta kaupunkia sulkutilassa – pelot talousiskusta kasvavat https://www.is.fi/taloussanomat/art-2000008682580.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kommentti: Yli sata koronaan kuollutta viikossa ei hetkauta enää ketään – yksi kuva kertoo miten viruksesta tuli ”hiljainen niittäjä” https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000008636972.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
The pandemic has punished people of all ages, overwhelming parents, isolating grandparents, shortchanging kids. But the fallout for teenagers has been uniquely brutal.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/teenagers-covid-pandemic-mental-health/2021/02/10/3389983a-39d6-11eb-9276-ae0ca72729be_story.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Asiantuntijat: Korona ei muutu ehkä koskaan tavalliseksi kausiflunssaksi – tästä se johtuu https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000008714148.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Milloin kyseessä on pitkittynyt koronatauti, milloin normaali toipuminen? Ylilääkäri vastaa
On yleistä, että toipumisvaiheessa on vielä esimerkiksi väsymystä ja kipuja eri puolilla kehoa. Ylilääkäri kertoo, milloin kannattaa mennä lääkäriin.
https://www.iltalehti.fi/terveysuutiset/a/10f05185-4a51-4d48-9595-6c2c5f3ca36b
Pitkittynyt koronatauti koskee arvioitua harvempaa – yksi ikäryhmä on isoimmassa riskissä
Ylilääkäri Helena Liiran mukaan on tapauksia, joissa pitkästä koronasta alkaa toipua jopa puolentoista vuoden oireilun jälkeen.
https://www.iltalehti.fi/terveysuutiset/a/31d779c1-d457-4a6b-a7fc-4c7f76676b23
Tomi Engdahl says:
On April 18, the federal mask mandate for public transportation is due to expire. The airline industry has been pushing the Biden administration to end the mandate, but multiple public surveys suggest that the majority of Americans are still not quite ready to see it go. The Harris Poll reports six out of 10 Americans support extending the mask mandate. https://trib.al/zzvbuHq
Tomi Engdahl says:
Yleinen maskisuositus poistuu – kolme poikkeusta
THL suosittelee maskin käyttöä edelleen kolmessa poikkeustapauksessa.
https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000008752316.html
Milloin kasvomaskeista voidaan luopua? ”Jos huhtikuun jaksaisi vielä käyttää”
Lapin sairaanhoitopiirin Markku Broas kiirehtii neljänsiä koronarokotteita yli 65-vuotiaille.
https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000008751477.html
Kasvomaskit ovat Suomessa ainoita asioita, jotka muistuttavat koronasta.
Kaikki muut rajoitukset ovat vähitellen poistuneet.
Helsingin ja Uudenmaan sairaanhoitopiiri HUS:n diagnostiikkajohtaja Lasse Lehtonen olettaa, että yleisestä maskisuosituksesta luovutaan kohtapuolin.
– Minun oma mutu-tuntumani on se, että jos huhtikuun jaksaisi vielä käyttää maskia. Vapun jälkeen kirurgisten maskien käyttö jää aika lailla vähäiseksi.
Katukuvasta näkee, että monet ovat luopuneet maskeista.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Korona-ajan tilinpäätös
https://areena.yle.fi/1-61647682
THL:n Mika Salmisen tilinpäätös korona-ajasta. Mitä tehtiin väärin ja mitä opittiin? Miksi länsimainen terveysjärjestelmä petti koronan edessä ja miten valuviat olisi syytä korjata? Suomen koronakasvoksi kriisin aikana noussut Salminen uskaltaa arvostella koronatoimia; koulujen sulkemista, vanhusten kohtelua, tehopaikkojen määrää ja koronarajoitusten hintaa. Sote-uudistukselta hän toivoo panostusta perusterveydenhuoltoon, jota hänen mukaansa on pahasti laiminlyöty.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Miksi Suomi on noussut koronakuolemissa maailman kärkisijoille? Lasse Lehtonen listaa syyt epäonnistumiseen https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000008801835.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
“Koronakuolleisuuden voimakas kasvu jäänyt pimentoon”, sanoo HUSin Lasse Lehtonen – Suomi saattaa tätä menoa kiilata Ruotsin ohi
Lehtosen mukaan väärä tilannekuva voi vähentää ihmisten hakeutumista tehosterokotuksiin.
https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-12440967
Koronaviruksen aiheuttamista kuolemista pitäisi puhua enemmän, katsoo HUSin diagnostiikkajohtaja Lasse Lehtonen. Ongelmana on hänen mukaansa muun muassa se, että tautiin menehtyneistä vaikeneminen tuottaa ihmisille väärän kuvan pandemiatilanteesta.
– Kuolleisuuden voimakas kasvu on jäänyt vähän pimentoon. Toivoisin aktiivisempaa tilannekuvan seurantaa ja tilanteeseen puuttumista. Jos kuolleiden määrä pysyy tällä tasolla, se on aikamoinen katastrofi, Lehtonen sanoo.
Kevään aikana koronaan on menehtynyt jopa yli 200 henkilöä viikossa. Esimerkiksi 18.4.–1.5. koronavirustartuntaan liittyviä kuolemia kirjattiin THL:n rekistereihin peräti 474 kappaletta. Huomioitavaa asiassa kuitenkin on, että THL laskee koronakuolemiksi menehtymiset, jotka ovat tapahtuneet 30 päivän sisällä positiivisesta koronatestistä eli henkilö voinut kuolla myös muusta syystä.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Uusi omikronvariantti leviää aggressiivisesti – asiantuntija pelkää Suomen tilanteen synkkenevän https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000008855040.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Uusi omikronvariantti BA.5 on jo valtavirus Helsingissä – mistä tietää sairastaneensa oireettoman koronan?
Nykyinen koronan valtavirus aiheuttaa lähinnä vain lievää tautia, mutta joillakin sekin voi laukaista toisen, piilevän taudin.
https://www.iltalehti.fi/terveysuutiset/a/6427ccf3-cc61-41d8-96d6-fba91e5996c3
Tomi Engdahl says:
Eric Topol, MD, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, has called the currently spreading version, the Omicron sub-variant BA.5, “the worst version of the virus that we’ve seen.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2022/07/03/is-omicron-ba5-worst-version-of-covid-19-coronavirus-seen/?sh=653ec0bc7918&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflowForbesMainFB&utm_source=ForbesMainFacebook
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iflscience.com/uk-covid-19-cases-sharply-rise-amid-fears-of-new-centaurus-variant-64536
Tomi Engdahl says:
Koronatartuntoja todettu yli 18 000 viimeisen viikon aikana – Husin Asko Järvinen kertoo, missä tilanteissa hän itse käyttää maskia https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000009118221.html