Incredible COVID advances - Nasal inoculation? And another vaccine from China

 Incredible COVID advances - Nasal inoculation? And another vaccine from China

Some say this will be the last pandemic because we have such great incredibly fast mRNA vaccines but, in my opinion they are just silly - we have multiple vaccines for COVID already and 2% of India is vaccinated, closer to 0% in many countries - vaccines aren’t enough.

Still there are fantastic advances, some of which could be critical in the next pandemic - imagine if the vaccine were merely a nasal spray - the next step would be putting it in the air.

Two interesting Nature stories this week.

One, a vaccine which, in mice (wow, imagine trying to get them to take it), both vaccinates against COVID.

You never hear about it but the Chinese CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine is already in use in multiple countries such as the philippines. Imagine how far the U.S. prestige has fallen there.

“The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved a second Chinese vaccine for emergency use. CoronaVac was found to be 51% effective at preventing COVID-19 in late-stage trials, and researchers say it will be key to curbing the pandemic.

This overall protection is lower than that provided by the seven other vaccines already listed by the WHO. But, importantly, trials suggest that CoronaVac — an inactivated-virus vaccine produced by Beijing-based company Sinovac — is 100% effective at preventing severe disease and death.

“CoronaVac will significantly contribute to the global fight against COVID-19 as a safe and moderately effective SARS-CoV-2 vaccine,” says Murat Akova, a clinical researcher in infectious diseases at Hacettepe University in Ankara.

Growing importance

CoronaVac’s approval, on 1 June, came about a month after the WHO listed another Chinese vaccine, made in Beijing by state-owned firm Sinopharm, which showed an efficacy of 79% against symptomatic disease”

NASAL SPRAY

Again from this issue of Nature:

“Scientists create a hybrid antibody that can sharply cut the amount of SARS-CoV-2 in the lungs of infected mice.”

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01497-8?utm_source=Nature+Briefing&utm_campaign=9e3fbf4d76-briefing-wk-20210604&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c9dfd39373-9e3fbf4d76-42945347

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01481-2?utm_source=Nature+Briefing&utm_campaign=9e3fbf4d76-briefing-wk-20210604&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c9dfd39373-9e3fbf4d76-42945347

Response to those who ask me to write more.

 Hi, I appreciate everyone, well almost everyone's comments.

As for those who want me to write more, this blog is just a minor part of my writing.

I spent the pandemic year discussing various topics such as vaccines with fellow

members of the AAAS.

My Common Sense Blog https://siliconsamurai.blogspot.com/

i also have a local community web site for the Punxsutawney area.

My many books can be found on my Amazon Author's Page this includes two autobiographies - one about my ranch which raised rare 4 or 6 horned sheep and rescued miniature horses and miniature donkeys all organic.

All books: https://www.amazon.com/John-A.-McCormick/e/B00287RNFS

Children's book

"The Tale of a Worried Little Puppy"

https://www.amazon.com/kindle/dp/B08GP4CRYS/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_eos_detail

"Life After a Pandemic" 

ebook  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087QM6FRB

paperback https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089CSCM5V

Medical Blog https://criticalmedicalnews.blogspot.com/

Visitor's guide to Groundhog Day (best as an ebook)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083NZ98JJ

"Preparing for Climate Change: Coastal flooding will cost the U.S. billions of dollars within two decades."

paperback second edition

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1082060615  

or ebook https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TYTG6ZC

eBOOK "Blockchain Made Simple" Blockchain is poised to revolutionize business and government data management. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HCY7QPZ

"Everywhere I Turn There's A Wet Nose

  the love for and science of dogs"

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078LYCL82

Emergency management preparedness

https://www.amazon.com/Asteroids-Planning-Coronal-Ejection-threats-ebook/dp/B00M2I68HC/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

http://puppybyday.blogspot.com/

"Sheep in the Rafters book.http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SLMJHUI
"Sheep in the Rafters 2nd. ed. paperback https://www.amazon.com/dp/1521253676

US Blasting Editorial Staff http://us.blastingnews.com/editorial-staff/john-a-mccormick/

UK Blasting Editorial Staff http://uk.blastingnews.com/editorial-staff/john-mccormick/

Blasting stories https://uk.blastingnews.com/editorial-staff/john-mccormick/

Bibliography and web page https://sites.google.com/site/siliconsamurai/

Newsblaze http://newsblaze.com/writer/mcco.html

The Next Pandemic

 Everyone should celebrate being able to get together and feel free to get out but if we as a community, state, nation, and world don't take the past 16 months as a learning experience that will be a terrible consequence.

You see, while COVID did spread as quickly as many historic pandemics, it was far less lethal than the Black Death, or even the 1918 "Spanish" Flu.

Unfortunately as people spread into the last "wild" regions of the planet and far too many interact closely with wild animals, we will certainly see more pandemics in the future.

I had trouble getting people to believe me and protect themselves against COVID but I am concerned it will be even worse trying to get people to realize we will see more and worse pandemics in the future because of COVID exhaustion.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7120200/

Experimental Anti-Viral MK-4482 To Treat COVID (Rocky Mountain)

 April 16, 2021

 Initial animal tests of a brand new anti-viral medicine has shown what it may treat or even prevent COVID-19.

This could be the magic bullet which could defeat the anti-vaXXers and even the mutations.

MK-4482 shows potential to prevent and treat SARS-CoV-2 infection.

In a press release the NIH just published this information within the hour.

"The experimental antiviral drug MK-4482 significantly decreased levels of virus and disease damage in the lungs of hamsters treated for SARS-CoV-2 infection, according to a new study from National Institutes of Health scientists. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19. MK-4482, delivered orally, is now in human clinical trials. Remdesivir, an antiviral drug already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use against COVID-19, must be provided intravenously, making its use primarily limited to clinical settings.

In their study, published in the journal Nature Communications, the scientists found MK-4482 treatment effective when provided up to 12 hours before or 12 hours after infecting the hamsters with SARS-CoV-2. These data suggest that MK-4482 treatment potentially could mitigate high-risk exposures to SARS-CoV-2, and might be used to treat established SARS-CoV-2 infection alone or possibly in combination with other agents. 

The same research group, located at Rocky Mountain Laboratories, part of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Hamilton, Montana, developed the hamster model last year to mimic SARS-CoV-2 infection and mild disease in people. The University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom collaborated on these most recent studies."

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/experimental-antiviral-covid-19-effective-hamster-study

EGGS and Diabetes - The Truth, Men should Eat Eggs - Doesn't Matter For Women

Women certainly matter, but the latest research shows while eating eggs cuts the chance of men developing Type 2 Diabetes, it doesn't work for women.

From https://siliconsamurai.blogspot.com/

It is a simple question, how does eating eggs 

change your chances of getting diabetes?

If you click on the many ads I don't know what you see.

Read this if you just want the medical facts.

Men eating eggs 2 or 3 times a week have a much,

 MUCH lower chance of developing Type 2 Diabetes- a 40% lower chance.

That means out of 10 middle age or older men who would develop

Type 2 Diabetes based on diet and lifestyle, if they all eat 2-3

eggs each week, only 6 of them will develop it.

Women can ignore this except for your loved ones.

Eat eggs or not, it has no effect on women

developing type 2 diabetes.

That’s the bottom line as we say, although

medical professionals may wish to read the actual research paper

that's the honest summary, everyone can see the study linked below.

Here is the actual science from the National

Institutes of Health listing a major study published

in the Nutritional Research and Practice journal.

“During a 14-year follow up period, 857 subjects developed 

type 2 diabetes. In men, frequent egg intake 

(2- < 4 servings/week) was associated with a 40% 

lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than infrequent 

egg intake (0- < 1 serving/week) (HR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.37–0.97), 

whereas no association between egg intake and incidence 

of type 2 diabetes was observed in women 

(HR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.27–1.37). There was no association 

between cholesterol intake and risk of incident type 2 

diabetes in either men or women.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6172166/#:~:text=In%20men%2C%20frequent%20egg%20intake,0.61%2C%2095%25%20CI%3A%200.27

President Trump may be suffering from steroid induced mania

 Copied from two discussion groups at the American Association for the Advancement of Science 

David Gergen, who served during the administrations of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton,

today said, "We are in the hands of a mad man."

Trump is feeling euphoric and best he has in 20 years, but he is also taking very powerful
steroids which not only weaken the immune system, but can produce marked
psychological effects including euphoria.


Steroid-induced psychosis is a well-documented phenomenon. It usually occurs with oral systemic steroid treatment and is more common at higher doses, although there are case reports of occurrence with local steroid injections.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6793974/

After steroids are discontinued, depressive symptoms persist approximately 4 weeks, mania 3 weeks, and delirium a few days. Approximately one-half of patients with steroid psychosis improve in 4 days and one-half within 2 weeks.
"Corticosteroid-induced mania: Prepare for the unpredictable "
https://www.mdedge.com/psychiatry/article/62206/mental-health/corticosteroid-induced-mania-prepare-unpredictable

Medical Civil War is here NOW - we are just beginning to see how bad it will get.

You may be surprised to see that I am not going to begin with COVID-19. 

Yes, that is a serious medical problem controlled and worsened by politics, but we are on the verge of a far bigger threat which could easily lead quickly to a violent civil war, not a war of words.

 

President Trump keeps promising to end the payroll tax which pays half the Social Security payments and therefore half the Medicare insurance.

 

So, if re-elected what will happen?

 

He will, with the backing of a Republican Senate (which controls the tax laws) end half the funding for Social Security.

 

Analysts differ but the best case scenario is that SS will be bankrupt in 5 years. The analysis by the experts at the Social Security Administration say either mid or late 2023.

 

The next month every disability and regular Social Security check will bounce.

Reality will overwhelm politics.

 

In a week some people will run out of food.

When the second month's Social Security payment doesn't arrive people will begin hunting down Republican politicians - then any rich, even well-to-do Republicans and, after having their emails and phone calls ignored, begin to ask them some very serious questions in person.

 

By the end of the month it may not be safe to be identified as a Republican.

 

A week later 90% of nursing homes will close putting millions of elderly sick out on the street or on their families.

 

This WILL NOT be the fault of the workers or even the owners of nursing or any elderly housing. They get most of their money from resident’s Social Security and Medicare and most of the workers are minimum wage or a bit more, but definitely the working poor who can't just report for work when they don't get paid.

 

This isn’t Medicaid (welfare) which is paid by governments and you may think it may last a year or more longer.

WRONG - as their SS payments cease most elderly will qualify for state welfare and Medicaid. States are not permitted to run a deficit and can't print money, only the Feds can do that.

 

But the healthy elderly, many of whom have military experience, will see the insurance and pensions they paid into for their entire working lives stop.

How do you think they will react?

How long have YOU gone without food?

How long with the fanatic Trump supporters go without food having to suddenly either care for or bury grandma or even mother who was in a nursing home?

I could be wrong. I HOPE I am wrong.