11-26-2021, 01:26 PM
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#4881
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Had an idea!
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I also went down the mRNA rabbit hole yesterday after reading about the new variant, and man is it interesting.
COVID sucks, but there is no way we make so much progress on the medical front without it.
Last edited by Azure; 11-26-2021 at 04:02 PM.
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11-26-2021, 01:35 PM
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#4882
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I believe in the Jays.
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kitsilano
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Incredible we can edit mRNA sequencing to match the spike protein mRNA and effectively neutralize these viruses, like I’m just dumbfounded. Just need to keeping vaccinating people. Also just makes me so incredibly frustrated that skeptics trample all over the incredible work of the thousands of brilliant minds that have brought us this. Anyways I know this pandemic has been incredibly challenging in so many ways for so many people, not great news about this new variant, but we have to take it day by day, keep doing our best to be optimistic that we will get through this.
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11-26-2021, 01:46 PM
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#4883
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Had an idea!
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I'm sure a lot of this is politics, but....
Quote:
However, Dr Angelique Coetzee, chair of the South African Medical Association and a practising GP based in Pretoria, said it was “premature” to make predictions of a health crisis.
“It’s all speculation at this stage. It may be it’s highly transmissible, but so far the cases we are seeing are extremely mild,” she said. “Maybe two weeks from now I will have a different opinion, but this is what we are seeing. So are we seriously worried? No. We are concerned and we watch what’s happening. But for now we’re saying, ‘OK: there’s a whole hype out there. [We’re] not sure why.’”
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https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...nt-vaccination
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11-26-2021, 01:50 PM
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#4884
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Pent-up
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Plutanamo Bay.
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What’s the pro/con cost comparison to being overly cautious for say… a week? Until they figure out the risks. And waiting a week and doing nothing? Probably can’t be done accurately because there are endless variables in the latter option. But the globe has exhausted the luxury of “wait and see”.
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11-26-2021, 01:53 PM
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#4885
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Had an idea!
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Quote:
Nov 26 (Reuters) - Novavax Inc (NVAX.O) said on Friday it had started working on a version of its COVID-19 vaccine to target the variant detected in South Africa and would have the shot ready for testing and manufacturing in the next few weeks.
The company's COVID-19 shot contains an actual version of the virus' spike protein that cannot cause disease but can trigger the immune system. The vaccine developer said it had started developing a spike protein specifically based on the known genetic sequence of the variant, B.1.1.529.
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https://www.reuters.com/business/hea...source=twitter
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11-26-2021, 01:53 PM
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#4886
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Had an idea!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers
What’s the pro/con cost comparison to being overly cautious for say… a week? Until they figure out the risks. And waiting a week and doing nothing? Probably can’t be done accurately because there are endless variables in the latter option. But the globe has exhausted the luxury of “wait and see”.
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I'm sure the cons are mostly to do with financial stuff.
The pros are obvious. Better data, less risk = better response.
But of course there will be politics involved.
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11-26-2021, 01:57 PM
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#4887
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Participant  |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Azure
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I think that's part of what people miss with the variant thing, is that it's not always "worse." More infectious, sure, but it has always been a possibility that a variant emerges that essentially ends the pandemic by itself. If Omniwhatever is 2x as transmissible and replaces Delta but causes 1/8th the hospitalizations of Delta (just throwing numbers out there as an example) then this would be a good thing.
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11-26-2021, 01:59 PM
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#4888
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Franchise Player
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mRNA is good technology, but I think it's utility (at least in the shorter term) beyond infectious disease vaccines has been overstated. Here's a good article on some of the obstacles in being able to use it on other things:
https://www.science.org/content/blog...it-maybe-isn-t
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11-26-2021, 02:24 PM
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#4889
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: SW Ontario
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Azure
I'm sure the cons are mostly to do with financial stuff.
The pros are obvious. Better data, less risk = better response.
But of course there will be politics involved.
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No doubt it annoys the countries who are blacklisted but like you said its an obvious decision for the countries making it. If the doctors statement turns out to be true, South Africa spends a couple of weeks on travel bans and then comes off. If they turn out to be wrong, this variant spreads all over the world quickly and everyone ends up screwed.
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11-26-2021, 02:33 PM
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#4890
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PeteMoss
No doubt it annoys the countries who are blacklisted but like you said its an obvious decision for the countries making it. If the doctors statement turns out to be true, South Africa spends a couple of weeks on travel bans and then comes off. If they turn out to be wrong, this variant spreads all over the world quickly and everyone ends up screwed.
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It is already in Europe and Asia. A travel ban is basically just punishment to the Country that discovered the Variant at this point.
Last edited by Knut; 11-26-2021 at 03:20 PM.
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11-26-2021, 02:48 PM
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#4891
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Calgary, Alberta
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Knut
It is already in Europe and Asia. A travel ban basically just is punishment to the Country that discovered the Variant at this point.
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This is an interesting point, actually. I do wonder what is different in South Africa, because this is the second variant there. but that's just curiosity.
But how forthcoming would countries be if they knew that a new variant will cost them to be barred from travel and have economic implications? Like you say, this variant is already dispersed, so the truth is there is a smaller gain for the rest of the world to bar travel to/from South Africa. I don't disagree that there's a an ethical reason to report information about a new variant, but I do wonder whether a country in a more precarious position would have that incentive if they knew it would cause economic issues for them.
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11-26-2021, 02:54 PM
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#4892
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Franchise Player
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Knut
It is already in Europe and Asia. A travel ban basically just is punishment to the Country that discovered the Variant at this point.
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On CBC earlier today they were interviewing a doctor, I believe it was their usual doctor in Ontario, and talking about the quick move to ban travel. He was saying that one of the potential negatives of travel bans is that it hurts the countries who find these variants and as such it can be a potential deterrent for sequencing. South Africa is apparently one of the global leaders in sequencing which is likely the reason why they have found this variant. Finding the variant is not necessarily equivalent to sourcing the variant.
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11-26-2021, 03:05 PM
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#4893
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Franchise Player
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Huge respect for South Africa.
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11-26-2021, 04:04 PM
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#4895
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Had an idea!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PepsiFree
I think that's part of what people miss with the variant thing, is that it's not always "worse." More infectious, sure, but it has always been a possibility that a variant emerges that essentially ends the pandemic by itself. If Omniwhatever is 2x as transmissible and replaces Delta but causes 1/8th the hospitalizations of Delta (just throwing numbers out there as an example) then this would be a good thing.
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Saw something about this exact train of thought on Twitter yesterday.
Interesting, but I had to read 10x to try and understand what it meant, and then I was hoping someone did a ELI5 in the comments, but no go.
But yeah, will be interesting how it plays out.
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11-26-2021, 04:06 PM
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#4896
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First Line Centre
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Peterborough, ON
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda
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I could be missing something but from what I read the Canadian traveller picked it up from another positive person in Hong Kong.
That doesn’t mean it isn’t already here of course…
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11-26-2021, 04:09 PM
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#4897
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Chilliwack, B.C
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda
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We have no idea if the vaccine kept the traveller from having symptoms, no idea if it means anything at this point.
Sent from my SM-A105M using Tapatalk
Last edited by calgaryred; 11-26-2021 at 04:13 PM.
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11-26-2021, 04:12 PM
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#4898
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Had an idea!
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11-26-2021, 08:03 PM
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#4899
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Franchise Player
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PeteMoss
No doubt it annoys the countries who are blacklisted but like you said its an obvious decision for the countries making it. If the doctors statement turns out to be true, South Africa spends a couple of weeks on travel bans and then comes off. If they turn out to be wrong, this variant spreads all over the world quickly and everyone ends up screwed.
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Does it matter if it gets everywhere faster? Maybe you get an extra month to roll out a vaccine? Hong Kong apparently has kept Delta out so may be it’s possible.
We know you can’t stop it without truly shutting down travel everywhere. For example the US still allows Americans to travel back from these countries so their ban is useless.
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11-26-2021, 08:29 PM
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#4900
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#1 Goaltender
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda
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Don't think that's what the article says. It says a Canadian traveler was quarantined beside a south African in Hong Kong who had it and that the south African wore a mask that had a valve that allowed unfiltered breath to get out. They are guessing the Canadian got it this way.
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