COVID-19 in Trinidad & Tobago (Local Updates & Discussions Only)

[redmanjp]

WHO renaming variants. Brazil variant P1 is now Gamma!

https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/06/01/1002092594/covid-variant-uk-south-africa-renamed-alpha-beta

Alpha, Beta Instead Of Britain, South Africa. Why The WHO Is Renaming COVID Variants
June 1, 202111:28 AM ET
JASON BRESLOW

The World Health Organization says it will start assigning new names for variants of the coronavirus based on letters from the Greek alphabet — part of an effort to help avoid stigmatization around the virus.

The World Health Organization is hoping to simplify the way the public talks about the growing number of variants of the coronavirus. It will start assigning different letters of the Greek alphabet to each new mutation of the virus.

The new system takes the names of new variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and moves them away from what can be sometimes confusing scientific nomenclature, or shorthand that puts heavy emphasis on where the variants were first discovered.

For example, under the new system, the B.1.1.7 variant, which was first identified in the U.K., will be known as Alpha. The B.1.351 variant, first spotted in South Africa, will be called Beta, while the variant initially found in Brazil, known as P.1, will go by Gamma.

The new names won't officially replace the scientific names already assigned to new variants, but the WHO said it is making the change in an attempt to avoid fueling stigma toward nations where new variants arise.

"While they have their advantages, these scientific names can be difficult to say and recall, and are prone to misreporting," the WHO said in a statement Monday. "As a result, people often resort to calling variants by the places where they are detected, which is stigmatizing and discriminatory."

It's meant to avoid stigmatization

The danger of stigmatization is an issue the WHO has warned about since the early days of the pandemic when some politicians, most notably former President Donald Trump, would routinely refer to the virus as the "China virus" or the "Wuhan virus." Trump said he used the terms "to be accurate" and maintained they were "not racist at all," yet he continued to use them even after the WHO cautioned against language that can "perpetuate negative stereotypes or assumptions."

Use of such language became widespread. In one study released in May, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco directly linked Trump's first tweet about a "Chinese virus" to an exponential rise in anti-Asian language on Twitter.

The rhetoric has been followed by violence

More than a year later, much of that rhetoric has given way to violence. Last month, the group Stop AAPI Hate released a report documenting 6,603 hate incidents between March 2020 and March 2021. Physical assaults rose from 10% of total hate incidents in 2020 to almost 17% in 2021, according to the report.

In India, sensitivity around stigmatization led the government last month to ask social media companies to remove any references to the "India variant" from their platforms. A government official told Reuters the notice was issued to send a "loud and clear" message that mentions of "Indian variant" fuel miscommunication.

The new names are going fast

It's a message that was echoed Monday by Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead for the COVID-19 response. "No country should be stigmatized for detecting and reporting variants," she wrote on Twitter. Under the WHO's new naming system, the variant, known among scientists as B.1.617.2, is called the Delta variant.

The new system applies to two different classifications of variants — "variants of concern," considered the most potentially dangerous, and second-level "variants of interest."

There are 24 letters in the Greek alphabet. The WHO has already assigned 10 of them — four to variants of concern and six to variants of interest.

[sMASH]

So you think $50M will save us?

Just now the man going to ask me to give up my pay too. People eye really long yes.

The government has already caused a lot of citizens to lose their source of income.

50m a month for about two years... that is $100 towards 500,000 hampers monthly.

it might not save the ministers or sh!tkicker with his 4000head of goat, but it could save a small family from getting to undernourished and weak for covid to hit harder.

where is the 'shoulder to the wheel' and 'we all in the same boat' and 'tighten yuh belt' attitude?
where it is? it gets used conveniently, and put back in the box when u try to apply it to them.

[pugboy]

exactly
imagine what a few million in a food basket scenario could provide for folks

the mps should be taking a salary cut and providing assistance to their constituents
but all ducking that and home scratching

[sMASH]

how many allyuh feel gonna dead for the year ?
we at 500 now, and likely at least 600-800 by july

that depends on two things; how much of the variant(s) reach and spread, and how many mass gatherings for more than 20mins at a time we gonna encourage.

[Habit7]

So you think $50M will save us?

Just now the man going to ask me to give up my pay too. People eye really long yes.

The government has already caused a lot of citizens to lose their source of income.

50m a month for about two years... that is $100 towards 500,000 hampers monthly.

it might not save the ministers or sh!tkicker with his 4000head of goat, but it could save a small family from getting to undernourished and weak for covid to hit harder.

where is the 'shoulder to the wheel' and 'we all in the same boat' and 'tighten yuh belt' attitude?
where it is? it gets used conveniently, and put back in the box when u try to apply it to them.

So you want politicians to work for 2years with half their salary, but give more welfare? What impetus will a politician have to be innovative and earn the country more money by paying them less? When politicians underperform, you would not even have enough money to pay them half salary and the country will not have enough revenue allowing us to suffer more and ppl will need more welfare.

Plus ppl are already getting food cards, salary grants, rent grants, box lunch parents getting food cards and 600 Namdevco hampers per constituency. You want to put ppl on welfare for 2years? Extended welfare makes poor ppl poorer, it kills ingenuity and grows dependance on the state. The USA right struggling to get ppl to take up jobs because ppl have become dependent on unemployment welfare.

The country needs to reopen so that ppl will be employed. That will come when we receive more vaccines and ppl take them. Calling for politicians to receive half of their salary is vacuous and just punative to ppl you don't like. It has nothing to do with helping poor ppl. No public servant has lost their salary during this pandemic, there is no reason politicians shouldn't receive the same.

[pugboy]

food cards do encourage dependency syndrome

however the point of discussion here is why mps not contributing from their massive salaries and soon to be pensions to help out ppl who are genuinely suffering in these times.

[sMASH]

ppl. plenty people still not getting help. one setta pics, but this ting going on for more than a year, and we lock down even harder. what u see jumping out is a fraction of what need to jump out. the charities and individuals are really the ones supporting the people.

when rowley saying to 'eat one fig' u doing like if ur getting his own.

[adnj]

how many allyuh feel gonna dead for the year ?
we at 500 now, and likely at least 600-800 by july

The projected reported deaths is 950 by July 1 and 1150 by Sept 1.

[redmanjp]

food cards do encourage dependency syndrome

however the point of discussion here is why mps not contributing from their massive salaries and soon to be pensions to help out ppl who are genuinely suffering in these times.

normally yes. but we not living in normal times. if ppl out of work due to Govt restrictions then Govt should give them support.

however once the economy opens back then u no longer give them support. otherwise the situation in the US with some restaurants not getting workers back because they getting more money to stay home would happen here.

[Habit7]

food cards do encourage dependency syndrome

however the point of discussion here is why mps not contributing from their massive salaries and soon to be pensions to help out ppl who are genuinely suffering in these times.

The PM contributes and govt MPs give at least 5% of their salary to a cause or NGO. https://tt.loopnews.com/content/pm-dona ... nstituency

Nevertheless, I want my politicians satisfied so that they can do their job and that we can hold them responsible. Taking away half of a man's salary will make him not afford his mortgage, kids schooling and many other things. This sounds more like PEA suggestion because he know he will never be one despite his efforts.

[pugboy]

impsbert only giving certain sectors the salary relief grant,
real failure for many folks

[Dohplaydat]

Honestly, can anyone account for all the money that came out of the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund?

[sMASH]

food cards do encourage dependency syndrome

however the point of discussion here is why mps not contributing from their massive salaries and soon to be pensions to help out ppl who are genuinely suffering in these times.

The PM contributes and govt MPs give at least 5% of their salary to a cause or NGO. https://tt.loopnews.com/content/pm-dona ... nstituency

Nevertheless, I want my politicians satisfied so that they can do their job and that we can hold them responsible. Taking away half of a man's salary will make him not afford his mortgage, kids schooling and many other things. This sounds more like PEA suggestion because he know he will never be one despite his efforts.

apply that logic to people working for less than 10k a month....

[pugboy]

yeah 5% hitting them hard in dey pockets already
how dare us talk about them

[Wraith King]

Honestly, can anyone account for all the money that came out of the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund?

Money allocated in the budget sometimes disappear with no inquiry.

[bluefete]

China Thought They’d Beaten COVID, Now the Indian Variant Is Surging
Barbie Latza Nadeau
Tue, June 1, 2021, 7:24 AM

The Chinese government has taken the drastic measure of canceling hundreds of flights and locking down several streets in the city of Guangzhou, which has a population of over 15.3 million, because of the rapid spread of the Indian variant of COVID-19.

The bustling city has had, until now, very few reported cases, but since the weekend, the number of new infections tied to the variant first identified in India and now known as the Delta variant, has been doubling daily, according to Chinese state media, which often under reports statistics about the pandemic.

“In this race against the virus, we must run a bit ahead and run faster than before in order to block the spread of the virus and cut off the infection chain in time,” Huang Guanglie, director of the Guangzhou municipal health commission said Tuesday.

Since Sunday, hundreds of flights have been canceled into and out of Guangdong Baiyun international airport in an attempt to contain the fast spread. The municipal government also banned all residents of Guangzhou from leaving the city without a so-called “green pass” on their state-run COVID-19 apps.

Inside dining has also been prohibited in much of the city, and in lockdown communities, only one person can leave the house to buy essential goods.

The lockdowns are reminiscent of the beginning of the pandemic, when Wuhan became the first epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, which quickly spread to Italy and then the rest of the world. China has reported just 91,122 cases of COVID-19 and 4,636 related deaths since the pandemic began, a figure that is considered modest.

China, which has had a slow vaccine rollout in addition to the limited efficacy of its vaccine, has been using cash incentives to try to get as much as 40 percent of the population vaccinated.

Meanwhile, in India, the number of new infections has been dropping at a steady pace. On Tuesday, the country reported 127,510 new cases—the lowest increase since April 8, and 2,795 new COVID-19-related deaths, the lowest since April 26. India became the country hardest hit by the latest wave of the pandemic, running out of supplies including oxygen and medicines. The death toll at its height proved unmanageable as crematoriums ran out of firewood. The leveling off of new cases as India’s vaccination program finally kicks off has been heralded as a turning point in the pandemic.

Elsewhere, the Indian or Delta strain has threatened to derail efforts to reopen economies. In the U.K., infections tied to the strain have doubled in a week. In Vietnam, a new strain that appears to be a combination of the strain first identified in the U.K. and the Indian strain has been identified, worrying experts who still hope current vaccines will prevail.

Even as much of Europe and other parts of the world are opening up, it may yet be too soon to celebrate. On Tuesday, the Chinese government also reported the first-ever human case of the H10N3 strain of bird flu after a 41-year-old man tested positive. Much like the beginning of the current coronavirus pandemic, Chinese officials have insisted there is nothing to worry about.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/china-though ... 26694.html

[shake d livin wake d dead]

That indian variant is right behind us now. Maduro confirmed it....

The border d border d border d border d border

https://albertonews.com/nacionales/ulti ... ela-30may/

[pugboy]

tell hinds to lock the bawders but we not sure where he is, like he been hiding last few weeks.

vene fishening boats coming in every day chaguaramas normel normel
if they are really legal fish production boats then ferris should make a law for them to be required to only dock at certain times when the customs officers are there along with coast guard escort

[ST Auto]

https://azpnews.com/uk-to-red-list-tt-f ... 9-variant/

The Indian variant or B.1.617, was first detected in India last October and has since spread to more than 40 other countries, including Australia.

International reports stated that the Indian variant was now the dominant strain of the virus in the UK.

The Evening Standard reported on Tuesday that the UK Government was expected to announce which countries will be added to green and red lists on June 7. Those travelling from a red-list country must quarantine for ten days at a hotel upon their return at a cost of £1,750.

The countries believed to be next on the red-list are Bahrain, Costa Rica, T&T and Kuwait, according to an analysis by Robert Boyle reported in The Telegraph.

[gastly369]

That indian variant is right behind us now. Maduro confirmed it....

The border d border d border d border d border

https://albertonews.com/nacionales/ulti ... ela-30may/

Behind is a understatement...

[shake d livin wake d dead]

That indian variant is right behind us now. Maduro confirmed it....

The border d border d border d border d border

https://albertonews.com/nacionales/ulti ... ela-30may/

Behind is a understatement...

Probably making its way on a pirogue as I type.....facepalm

[pugboy]

probably drove up from moruga via biche this morning

likely sleeping at kokopelli all now after that trip

[bluefete]

I did not see this put up so here goes (better late than never): The US never does anything out of the goodness of its heart. NEVER!!!!

I wonder if these are some of the unnamed vaccines Rowley spoke about recently.

https://apnews.com/article/politics-hea ... 1065351d9d

US to share AstraZeneca shots with world after safety check
By ZEKE MILLER
April 26, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will begin sharing its entire stock of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines with the world once it clears federal safety reviews, the White House said Monday, with as many as 60 million doses expected to be available for export in the coming months.

The move greatly expands on the Biden administration’s action last month to share about 4 million doses of the vaccine with Mexico and Canada. The AstraZeneca vaccine is widely in use around the world but has not yet been authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The White House is increasingly feeling assured about the supply of the three vaccines being administered in the U.S., particularly following the restart of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot over the weekend. The U.S. has also been under mounting pressure in recent weeks to share more of its vaccine supply with the world, as countries like India experience devastating surges of the virus and others struggle to access doses needed to protect their most vulnerable populations.

“Given the strong portfolio of vaccines that the U.S. already has and that have been authorized by the FDA, and given that the AstraZeneca vaccine is not authorized for use in the U.S., we do not need to use the AstraZeneca vaccine here during the next several months,” said White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients. “Therefore the U.S. is looking at options to share the AstraZeneca doses with other countries as they become available.”

More than 3 million people worldwide have died of COVID-19, including more than 572,000 in the U.S. The U.S. has vaccinated more than 53% of its adult population with at least one dose of its three authorized vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and J&J, and it expects to have enough supply for its entire population by early summer.

About 10 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine have been produced but have yet to pass review by the FDA to “meet its expectations for product quality,” Zients said, noting the U.S. regulator is recognized as the “gold standard” for safety around the world. That process could be completed in the next several weeks. About 50 million more doses are in various stages of production and could be available to ship in May and June pending FDA sign-off.

The U.S. has yet to finalize where the AstraZeneca doses will go, Zients said. Neighbors Mexico and Canada have asked the Biden administration to share more doses, while dozens of other countries are looking to access supplies of the vaccine.

“We’re in the planning process at this point in time,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki, when asked where the doses would go.

The AstraZeneca doses will be donated by the U.S. government, which has contracted with the company for a total of 300 million doses — though the company has faced production issues.

The administration’s move to share vaccines drew praise from nongovernmental aid groups, who encouraged the White House to develop plans to share even more doses.

“The Biden administration’s decision to begin sharing AstraZeneca vaccines is welcome news and an important first step towards the US sharing more of its massive vaccine stockpile,” said Tom Hart, acting CEO at The ONE Campaign. “The Biden administration should build on this welcome first step and start sharing more vaccines as soon as possible.”

In part because the AstraZeneca vaccine is not expected to play a significant factor in the U.S. virus response, the White House was also moving to share raw materials for the production of the AstraZeneca vaccine with India, which has emerged as a global hotspot for the virus, by diverting some of its orders to the vaccine manufacturer Serum Institute of India.

Zients told the AP that the Biden administration was working to satisfy other “key requests” from the Indian government, namely for personal protective equipment, tests, therapeutics and supplies of oxygen and respiratory assistance devices.

“The administration’s identified U.S. commercial suppliers of therapeutics that are immediately available to help relieve the suffering of the COVID-19 patients in India,” said Zients. “We’ve identified rapid diagnostic tests and supplies and PPE, and additional ventilators that are available to transferred to India.”

Epidemiologists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were also expected to soon travel to India to assist the country with its virus response.

The additional quality review before the U.S. shares the AstraZeneca doses were in order because of issues at the facility that produced them, White House officials said.

AstraZeneca’s doses in the U.S. were produced at an Emergent BioSolutions plant in Baltimore that has come under increased regulatory and public scrutiny after botching batches of the J&J vaccine. The U.S. pressed J&J to take over the plant and, as part of the effort to ensure the quality of newly produced vaccines, directed the facility to stop making the AstraZeneca shot. AstraZeneca is still looking to identify a new U.S. production facility for its future doses.

The U.S. government ordered enough for 150 million Americans before issues with the vaccine’s clinical trial held up clearance. The company’s 30,000-person U.S. trial didn’t complete enrollment until January, and it still has not filed for an emergency-use authorization with the FDA.

[paid_influencer]

yea everybody waiting anxiously to hear where Biden sending his AZ stockpile. No information so far and it's been more than a month since his announcement. The only donation iirc has been to the South Korean military for 500k vaccines.

Hoping Biden doesn't send it to COVAX. If it goes there, they will spread it out to different countries based on population size, so we really eh going to get much if he send it to COVAX.

best case scenario is it gets approved soon and Biden covers all of CARICOM (6 million population/12 million doses), but that might be fantasy at this point in time.

We also have a link with the Africa Vaccine Acquision Task Team (African Medical Supplies Platform), which made a big arrangement with Johnson&Johnson- but J&J having serious production issues and we doh know if that coming at all much less when.

Worst case scenario, Rowley getting Sinopharm/Sinovac out of china but we would have to continue wearing masks, social distancing, closing large sections of the economy, until the higher-efficacy stuff gets here.

[bluefete]

^^ Moderna has the highest efficacy. That is the one I am waiting on but no talk on when or if it will ever reach here.

The Russian Sputnik V is also very effective.

But this whole Covid thing is about economics. So the USA will approve US companies vaccines (Moderna, Pfizer(USA/Germany), J&J) while keeping out the competition (Sinopharm / Sinovac / Astra Zeneca / Sputnik V / Cuban) by making it look as if those vaccines are inferior.

[cornfused]

Who knows if Moderna would ever reach to TnT. The thing is storage these vaccines need to be stored at a much lower temperature than either AZ or Sinopharm. Currently to public cold storage sites for that temperature are for antivenoms.

[pugboy]

how long u willing to hold out?

^^ Moderna has the highest efficacy. That is the one I am waiting on but no talk on when or if it will ever reach here.

The Russian Sputnik V is also very effective.

But this whole Covid thing is about economics. So the USA will approve US companies vaccines (Moderna, Pfizer(USA/Germany), J&J) while keeping out the competition (Sinopharm / Sinovac / Astra Zeneca / Sputnik V / Cuban) by making it look as if those vaccines are inferior.

[solarkh]

Who knows if Moderna would ever reach to TnT. The thing is storage these vaccines need to be stored at a much lower temperature than either AZ or Sinopharm. Currently to public cold storage sites for that temperature are for antivenoms.

Maybe private hospitals can try to get it.

[MaxPower]

http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/hinds-as ... efcd5bfddc

IMG_7037.JPG

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

Key Points From the Ministry of Health’s Virtual Media Conference – Wednesday 2nd June 2021

- Professor of Immunology, Michele Monteil shared important facts about the Sinopharm Vaccine. Professor Monteil stated that the Sinopharm is an inactivated virus vaccine, which means that it consists of killed virus that can’t multiply or infect cells but triggers the body to create antibodies against the virus.

- Professor Monteil indicated that the technology used in the Sinopharm vaccine is known and trusted and has been around since the 1950s and used in vaccines against Polio, Rabies and Hepatitis. She went on to state that a benefit of this type of vaccine is that it is safe to use in people with weakened immune systems.

- Professor Monteil in referring to a study conducted on the efficacy of the Sinopharm Vaccine said that the chances of getting a symptomatic reaction was reduced by 78.1% and most of the vaccine’s side effects observed were mild.

- Professor Monteil also pointed to the current situation in Seychelles where 86% of the target population were vaccinated with both the Sinopharm and AstraZeneca vaccines. The Professor stated that even though the country is currently experiencing a spike in COVID-19 cases, the amount of severe infections and deaths are greatly reduced and are mostly being observed in unvaccinated persons.

- Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Roshan Parasram, announced that the policy regarding vaccinating persons who were already infected with COVID-19 has shifted from persons having to wait 6 months to now only having to wait 3 months post infection.