Emergence of a Deadly Coronavirus

Post Reply New Topic

No I said the media are preoccupied with the present. The long term economic future of the western world is now in question. China and Russia are centralised economies and will recover much faster than the US so this may well have accelerated a change in global power structure.

ANOTHER INTERESTING REDESIGN OF FACE MASKS

A patent-pending system worn under face masks to sanitize the air and neutralize live viruses such as COVID-19 through ultaviolet light exposure may soon be available from a company called Oracle Lighting.

The new “Antimicrobial Irradiation Respirator,” or AIR device, is said to protect against the 5 percent of particulate that manages to get past N95 masks, according to a company statement.



“Consumers need better assurance to be confident that they will not be exposed [to COVID-19],” said Justin Hartenstein, Oracle Lighting director of product development, in the company statement. “The AIR device will neutralize that remaining five percent while sanitizing the contaminated mask at the same time. Studies have shown that respiratory pathogens on the outer surface of cloth masks can actually result in self-contamination, which is exactly what they are intended to prevent. Because of this, we see the unique UV irritation benefits of the AIR device as the best sanitization scenario for mitigating exposure to COVID-19 and other viruses.”

According to Oracle Lighting, existing personal air filtration masks are designed to prevent the inhalation of viruses by trapping the particles from the incoming air in the cloth material worn on the face. However, they are not designed to disinfect or sanitize the particles. Masks can then become saturated with live viruses, pathogens, bacterium or other microorganisms attached to the fabric surfaces.

“The AIR device is composed of a small cover made of an anti-microbial polymer which is worn on the face and attached with straps similar to a traditional face mask,” Hartenstein said. “The user wears a traditional face mask (cloth mask, surgical mask, N95, etc.) over the device. A small rechargeable battery pack powers the device and can be manually turned on and off by the user. In addition to the anti-germicidal LEDs, the device also contains UV-A LEDs which provide a wider light spectrum and visible light. The visible UV-A LED functions as an indicator that the device is on and working but provides minimal anti-microbial benefits.”

Wavelengths between 200 to 300 nanometers provide the most effective germicidal function, Oracle Lighting wrote, reasoning the wavelength of UV-C irradiation uses photons to inactivate the virus, preventing the cell from replicating and infecting the body if inhaled.

“UV-C light has been used in many applications such as the purification of drinking water for decades,” Hartenstein said. “While UV-C is part of the normal spectrum of sunlight, it is invisible and can cause sunburn with direct skin exposure. This was taken into account when developing the AIR and so the UV light is directed into the mask, away from the user, to prevent any direct skin exposure.”

The company expects the device to be available by June 2020.

Source: Device would potentially neutralize coronavirus using UV light

CHINA THREATENS THE UNITED STATES

China's state-run media targeted congressional Republicans on Thursday for their outspoken stance against the nation's government and their condemnation of the country's nefarious actions concerning the novel coronavirus outbreak.

An article posted on the Global Times, which is a branch of the Communist Party of China's (CPC's) People's Daily, said the nation is "extremely dissatisfied with the abuse of litigation" by U.S. leadership, "and is considering punitive countermeasures against U.S. individuals, entities and state officials such as Missouri's Attorney General Eric Schmitt."

Schmitt, a Republican, provided a statement to Fox News last month after he filed a lawsuit against China on behalf of the state, saying the impact of the virus has led to thousands of Missourians being infected, killed and economically devastated.

"In Missouri, the impact of the virus is very real -- thousands have been infected and many have died, families have been separated from dying loved ones, small businesses are shuttering their doors, and those living paycheck to paycheck are struggling to put food on their table," he wrote.

Missouri officials explained that in addition to extracting a large financial judgment out of China, the state is looking to officially hold the nation's government accountable for its alleged actions, while also bringing the country's lack of transparency to light.

The Times article also claims that GOP Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Tom Cotton R-Ark., along with two other Republican members of Congress, will be added to China's sanctions list for their hardline political stances.

"This is how Beijing plays ball. They tighten the screws," he said. "Now they want to censor Americans. The thing about the NBA is... they're trying to tell Americans what we can and cannot say. My word to the NBA is, don't become part of the Chinese Communist party's propaganda arm."

Cotton introduced similar legislation alongside Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas., last month, that would allow Americans to sue the communist country in federal court, by amending the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.

“By silencing doctors and journalists who tried to warn the world about the coronavirus, the Chinese Communist Party allowed the virus to spread quickly around the globe. Their decision to cover up the virus led to thousands of needless deaths and untold economic harm. It’s only appropriate that we hold the Chinese government accountable for the damage it has caused,” Cotton said in a statement.

The Times story continually made veiled threats towards U.S. lawmakers by citing analysts who promised that "China won't just strike back symbolically, but will impose countermeasures that will make them feel the pain."

Chinese state media ominously threatens GOP lawmakers, hints at Election Day impact

It really sounds like China wants to interfere in U.S. elections.

This thread gets very deep very quickly. but I am in awe of people's thoughtfulness here

OpenPandemics - COVID-19
COVID-19 is a disease caused by SARS-CoV2, a virus of the coronavirus family. These viruses cause diseases that affect mainly the human respiratory system and potentially other major organs. COVID-19 can lead to serious illness or even death. You and your computer can help scientists at Scripps Research find potential treatments.

https://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/rese ... verview.do

So pleased this is now running . A chance to help,if only a tiny bit .

The rich infected the poor as COVID-19 spread around the world
Pandemics throughout history have been associated with the underprivileged, but in many developing countries the coronavirus was a high-class import.

SINGAPORE – When it arrived in the industrial towns of central Mexico, the sand-swept sprawl of northern Nigeria and the mazes of metal shanties in India’s commercial capital, Mumbai, COVID-19 went by another name.

People called it a “rich man’s disease.”

Pandemics throughout history have been associated with the underprivileged, but in many developing countries the coronavirus was a high-class import — carried in by travelers returning from business trips in China, studies in Europe, ski vacations in the Rockies.

With infections initially concentrated in better neighborhoods, many working-class people believed the disease wouldn’t touch them. The governor of Mexico’s Puebla state, Luis Miguel Barbosa, said: “If you’re rich, you’re at risk. … The poor, we’re immune.”

By now it is clear that COVID-19 disproportionately harms the hungry and those with pre-existing illnesses and substandard health care.

Historians say it may be remembered as the first pandemic that spread, to a significant extent, from the affluent to the lowly. It hopscotched around the world aboard commercial and private jets, quickly appearing in Japan, South Korea, Thailand and the U.S.

https://www.startribune.com/the-rich-in ... 570489062/

The weather is one thing to try to predict, human nature is another issue. We have a tendency to destroy our own kind if given the right push at the right time in the wrong direction. Case in point:

It will only be a matter of time before someone intentionally stores a computer virus inside the RNA of a real virus. The interesting part of this is how the two would change upon forced mutations, be it chemical, biological, radiological or any combination of the above. What would a project like this likely target as the end goal? You really do not want to know.

This visualises what everyone is thinking

No idea where you catched a concept that centralized economies are faster to recover from a crisis.
Just look at the "first" and "second" world after WWII.

My impression is, the US economy is actually too centralized with its dependence on Wall Street and domination of big fish over small businesses.

I have already made my statements about "science shows" many, many times on this forum.
I guess it deserves a thread on its own.

By the way, when it comes to Maryland, available data suggest they are not really ready for reopening, daily infections and daily deaths are still rising there.
If you want to see what contained outbreak data looks like, find graphs for Germany.

Actually it's the Americans who are worried about it...

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/china ... 2020-03-24

But there's nothing about centralized economy - it's about local production and shorter supply chains, also about coordinated reaction to the outbreak, which is a social, not economical trait.

Well I grabbed my wife and went on an exploratory expedition to see how the outside world is doing. We took proper precautions. Drove a hundred miles and visited our daughter and grandchildren. [no physical contact but we chatted through our N95s for a half an hour] Then we went to Jo Ann Fabrics which finally opened its doors and bought some interfacing and elastic to make more face masks. Then we went to a large shopping mall (~150 stores). It is slowly starting to awake. At least two large stores (Macy's and Von Mar) were open. Most of the smaller shops were closed. Most of the food court mini restaurants were opened. But the lighting in the extensive corridors leading to most of the shops was dimmed. So even though the mall was open, it was only minimally open. Like a bit of a ghost-town. Starbucks was open so that pleased my wife. Spent a few hours shopping. I was disappointed Best Buys only had curbside pick-up. Then we went to a large restaurant BJ's Restaurant/Brewhouse. I wanted to take my wife to a large sit-down restaurant for a fine meal. I chose this one because it had tables outdoors. So we enjoyed our fine meal outdoors with the sunlight and strong breezes annihilating any viruses that might come our way. We were the only ones who took advantage of the outdoor seating.

Then on the way back home we stopped at a couple building supply stores, a grocery store and a big box store. I was bushed. Spent the whole day shopping and I was worn out.

Life is very slowly returning back to normal. The operative words here are "very slowly".

My impression is that the U.S. economy is way too dependent on the travel, tourism, retail, hospitality, and entertainment industries.  In California (at least), the places that are clamoring for reopening are airlines, beach towns, restaurants, theaters, casinos, hotels, theme parks, and shopping malls -- these are the places affected most by the lack of people during quarantine.

ANOTHER POTENTIAL TREATMENT

A California-based biopharmaceutical company claims to have discovered an antibody that could shield the human body from the coronavirus and flush it out of a person’s system within four days, Fox News has exclusively learned.

Later Friday, Sorrento Therapeutics will announce their discovery of the STI-1499 antibody, which the San Diego company said can provide "100% inhibition" of COVID-19, adding that a treatment could be available months before a vaccine hits the market.

"We want to emphasize there is a cure. There is a solution that works 100 percent," Dr. Henry Ji, founder and CEO of Sorrento Therapeutics, told Fox News. "If we have the neutralizing antibody in your body, you don't need the social distancing. You can open up a society without fear."

The health care and pharmaceutical industries have been scrambling to develop viable vaccines and antibody treatments as the number of COVID-19-related deaths is expected to hit 100,000 by June 1.

Many medical researchers are scrambling to find antibodies, optimistic that they could provide a remedy or preventative care in less time than it would take to develop a vaccine. Antibody treatments have been used for the past 100 years as a means to stave off infections, but their effectiveness has had mixed results. Finding a successful antibody or convalescent plasma treatment for COVID-19 could present challenges.

"Doctors are taking blood plasma from patients who have recovered from COVID-19 and infusing it into those who are critically ill. The plasma is laden with antibodies, and the approach shows some promise," former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb wrote in a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed. "The constraint: There isn’t enough plasma from recovered patients to go around."

Through their studies, Sorrento screened and tested billions of antibodies they have collected over the past decade. They say this made it possible to identify hundreds of potential antibody candidates that could successfully bind themselves to the spike proteins of the coronavirus. They found that a dozen of these antibodies demonstrated the ability to block the spike proteins from attaching itself to the human enzyme ACE2, which is the receptor a virus normally uses to enter human cells.

Through further testing, the researchers at Sorrento found that there was one particular antibody that showed to be 100 percent effective in blocking COVID-19 from infecting health cells — STI-1499.

"When the antibody prevents a virus from entering a human cell, the virus cannot survive," Dr. Ji said. "If they cannot get into the cell, they cannot replicate. So it means that if we prevent the virus from getting the cell, the virus eventually dies out. The body clears out that virus."

"This puts its arms around the virus. It wraps around the virus and moves them out of the body."

Dr. Ji pointed out that the antibody can be used as preventative therapy since there are no side effects, and that it can be more effective than any vaccine that may be developed.

"This is the best solution," he said. "The point of making a vaccine is to generalize a neutralizing antibody. So, if you already have one, you don't need to the body to generate one from a vaccine. You've already provided it. You're cutting out the middleman."

It was recently announced Sorrento had partnered with New York-based health care system Mount Sinai to develop an antibody cocktail. Dubbed Covi-Shield, the cocktail will be comprised of three different antibodies and, pending FDA approval, will be used as a prophylactic treatment for people returning to work and those who have been exposed to COVID-19.

Sorrento officials said that STI-1499 will likely be the first antibody in the cocktail. They are also looking to develop the antibody as a stand-alone therapy due to its high potency, according to a statement provided to Fox News.

They said that they can provide up to 200,000 doses per month and are looking to produce tens of millions more to meet projected demands.

"As soon as it is infused, that patient is now immune to the disease," Dr. Brunswick said to Fox News. "For the length of time, the antibody is in that system. So, if we were approved [by the FDA] today, everyone who gets that antibody can go back to work and have no fear of catching COVID-19."

Source: California biopharmaceutical company claims coronavirus antibody breakthrough