- Joined
- Oct 5, 2018
- Messages
- 16,422
- Points
- 113
In the photo, he wore surgical masks while working in hospital while his politicians used N95.
-
IP addresses are NOT logged in this forum so there's no point asking. Please note that this forum is full of homophobes, racists, lunatics, schizophrenics & absolute nut jobs with a smattering of geniuses, Chinese chauvinists, Moderate Muslims and last but not least a couple of "know-it-alls" constantly sprouting their dubious wisdom. If you believe that content generated by unsavory characters might cause you offense PLEASE LEAVE NOW! Sammyboy Admin and Staff are not responsible for your hurt feelings should you choose to read any of the content here. The OTHER forum is HERE so please stop asking.
[COVID-19 Virus] The PRC Situation Thread
- Thread starter laksaboy
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2011
- Messages
- 23,791
- Points
- 113
Dr nay he also love to see sick people?
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2018
- Messages
- 29,398
- Points
- 113
Is the Ah tiong land civil war coming soon? Is this the beginning of the end of the CCP? Will Canto Land gain independence?
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2008
- Messages
- 28,387
- Points
- 113
Finally the myth of cats having nine lives is busted. Something Mythbusters will never do.
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2008
- Messages
- 28,387
- Points
- 113
Many brave China people whacked back at Wuhan virlogy lab spokeswoman.
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2008
- Messages
- 103,120
- Points
- 113
Yeah, Hongkies were so depressed about the protests, many thousands of them went to the streets for months.
Helpful advice: don't believe the CCP media propaganda.
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2008
- Messages
- 28,387
- Points
- 113
Makeshift hospital in principal, death-camp in practice.
https://www.ntdtv.com/b5/2020/02/05/a102769738.html
https://www.ntdtv.com/b5/2020/02/05/a102769738.html
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2018
- Messages
- 29,398
- Points
- 113
How does the Wuhan coronavirus cause severe illness?
AAP/EPA
Allen Cheng, Monash University
February 4, 2020 5.58am AEDT
We usually think of viral respiratory infections, like the common cold, as mild nuisances that pass in a few days. But the Wuhan coronavirus has proven to be different. Of those infected, around 2% are reported to have died but the true mortality is unknown.
There’s much we’re yet to learn about this new virus, but we know it often causes pneumonia, an infection of the lungs which produces pus and fluid and reduces the lungs’ ability to absorb oxygen.
Of the first 99 people with severe infection, three-quarters had pneumonia involving both lungs. Around 14% appeared to have lung damage caused by the immune system, while 11% suffered from multi-organ system failure, or sepsis.
Others are at risk of complications from being treated in hospitals, such as acquiring other infections.
At this stage, we know some people develop only a mild infection, while others become critically ill, but the exact proportion of each is not yet clear.
Overall, there are four key ways the Wuhan coronavirus can cause severe disease – and some can occur at the same time.
1. Direct viral damage
For the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) coronavirus, direct viral damage was probably the most common way the infection caused disease. This is likely the case with the Wuhan coronavirus.
Early studies have found the Wuhan coronavirus attaches to a particular receptor found in lung tissue. This is like a lock and key mechanism allowing the virus to enter the cell, and is the same receptor the SARS coronavirus used.
Viruses “hijack” the host cell’s mechanisms to make more copies of itself. Damage results from either viruses taking over the cell completely and causing it to die, or immune cells recognising the viral infection and mounting a defence, triggering cell death.
If large numbers of cells die, then the affected organ can’t function effectively.
Studies from patients who died from SARS coronavirus showed the virus caused damage to not only the lungs, but also other organs in the body. Early research suggests the Wuhan coronavirus can also damage other organs, including the kidneys.
2. Pneumonia
While we’re still piecing together the relationship between the Wuhan coronavirus and pneumonia, there’s much we can learn from influenza.
Influenza is a virus but it commonly leads to bacterial pneumonia – this is what’s known as a secondary infection.
It’s thought the influenza virus weakens the usual protective mechanisms of the lung, allowing bacteria to establish and multiply. This is especially true in children, older people and those with compromised immune systems.
Children are at greater risk of pneumonia. David Chang/AAP
Secondary bacterial pneumonia is more severe than influenza alone – in hospitalised patients, around 10% of those with influenza and pneumonia die, compared to around 2% of those who don’t have pneumonia.
The Wuhan coronavirus appears to cause pneumonia in two ways: when the virus takes hold in the lungs, and through secondary bacterial infections, however, the first way appears to be more common.
3. Sepsis
Sepsis is a serious condition that can be caused by many infections.
When we get an infection, we need to mount an immune response to fight off the pathogen. But an excessive immune response can cause damage and organ failure. This is what happens in the case of sepsis.
Although it can be difficult to determine whether organ damage from the Wuhan coronavirus is a result of direct viral infection or indirect “collateral damage” from the immune system, initial reports suggested around 11% of people severely ill with the Wuhan coronavirus experienced sepsis with multi-organ failure.
So far no drugs or interventions have been able to dampen this immune response. Although several treatments have been proposed for Wuhan coronavirus, none have yet been shown to work.
The Wuhan coronavirus can also cause multiple organ failure. Yonhap/EPA/AAP
4. Complications of hospital care
Finally, patients who require hospital care may have complications. These include infections from intravenous lines (for drips/medication) or urinary catheters (flexible tubes inserted into the bladder to empty it of urine), pneumonia, or non-infectious complications such as falls or pressure sores.
Studies have found 10% of patients in hospital have some sort of health care-acquired infection, and around 5% have a pressure sore.
Hospitals work hard to try to prevent these complications, by making sure health care workers disinfect their hands and other equipment. However, complications still occur, particularly in patients who are debilitated from long hospital stays.
While most respiratory viral infections are mild, some can trigger serious complications, either directly or indirectly. It’s too early to tell how often this occurs with the Wuhan coronavirus. While we have initial data on those who were severely affected, many others may not have required medical care.
AAP/EPA
Allen Cheng, Monash University
February 4, 2020 5.58am AEDT
We usually think of viral respiratory infections, like the common cold, as mild nuisances that pass in a few days. But the Wuhan coronavirus has proven to be different. Of those infected, around 2% are reported to have died but the true mortality is unknown.
There’s much we’re yet to learn about this new virus, but we know it often causes pneumonia, an infection of the lungs which produces pus and fluid and reduces the lungs’ ability to absorb oxygen.
Of the first 99 people with severe infection, three-quarters had pneumonia involving both lungs. Around 14% appeared to have lung damage caused by the immune system, while 11% suffered from multi-organ system failure, or sepsis.
Others are at risk of complications from being treated in hospitals, such as acquiring other infections.
At this stage, we know some people develop only a mild infection, while others become critically ill, but the exact proportion of each is not yet clear.
Overall, there are four key ways the Wuhan coronavirus can cause severe disease – and some can occur at the same time.
1. Direct viral damage
For the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) coronavirus, direct viral damage was probably the most common way the infection caused disease. This is likely the case with the Wuhan coronavirus.
Early studies have found the Wuhan coronavirus attaches to a particular receptor found in lung tissue. This is like a lock and key mechanism allowing the virus to enter the cell, and is the same receptor the SARS coronavirus used.
Viruses “hijack” the host cell’s mechanisms to make more copies of itself. Damage results from either viruses taking over the cell completely and causing it to die, or immune cells recognising the viral infection and mounting a defence, triggering cell death.
If large numbers of cells die, then the affected organ can’t function effectively.
Studies from patients who died from SARS coronavirus showed the virus caused damage to not only the lungs, but also other organs in the body. Early research suggests the Wuhan coronavirus can also damage other organs, including the kidneys.
2. Pneumonia
While we’re still piecing together the relationship between the Wuhan coronavirus and pneumonia, there’s much we can learn from influenza.
Influenza is a virus but it commonly leads to bacterial pneumonia – this is what’s known as a secondary infection.
It’s thought the influenza virus weakens the usual protective mechanisms of the lung, allowing bacteria to establish and multiply. This is especially true in children, older people and those with compromised immune systems.
Children are at greater risk of pneumonia. David Chang/AAP
Secondary bacterial pneumonia is more severe than influenza alone – in hospitalised patients, around 10% of those with influenza and pneumonia die, compared to around 2% of those who don’t have pneumonia.
The Wuhan coronavirus appears to cause pneumonia in two ways: when the virus takes hold in the lungs, and through secondary bacterial infections, however, the first way appears to be more common.
3. Sepsis
Sepsis is a serious condition that can be caused by many infections.
When we get an infection, we need to mount an immune response to fight off the pathogen. But an excessive immune response can cause damage and organ failure. This is what happens in the case of sepsis.
Although it can be difficult to determine whether organ damage from the Wuhan coronavirus is a result of direct viral infection or indirect “collateral damage” from the immune system, initial reports suggested around 11% of people severely ill with the Wuhan coronavirus experienced sepsis with multi-organ failure.
So far no drugs or interventions have been able to dampen this immune response. Although several treatments have been proposed for Wuhan coronavirus, none have yet been shown to work.
The Wuhan coronavirus can also cause multiple organ failure. Yonhap/EPA/AAP
4. Complications of hospital care
Finally, patients who require hospital care may have complications. These include infections from intravenous lines (for drips/medication) or urinary catheters (flexible tubes inserted into the bladder to empty it of urine), pneumonia, or non-infectious complications such as falls or pressure sores.
Studies have found 10% of patients in hospital have some sort of health care-acquired infection, and around 5% have a pressure sore.
Hospitals work hard to try to prevent these complications, by making sure health care workers disinfect their hands and other equipment. However, complications still occur, particularly in patients who are debilitated from long hospital stays.
While most respiratory viral infections are mild, some can trigger serious complications, either directly or indirectly. It’s too early to tell how often this occurs with the Wuhan coronavirus. While we have initial data on those who were severely affected, many others may not have required medical care.
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2008
- Messages
- 59,111
- Points
- 113
the dog looked like a frenchie. all tiongs must die. arseholes!
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2018
- Messages
- 16,422
- Points
- 113
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2018
- Messages
- 16,422
- Points
- 113
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2018
- Messages
- 16,422
- Points
- 113
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2018
- Messages
- 29,398
- Points
- 113
Vaccine still far away
Drugmakers see long road ahead in coronavirus vaccine race
US health officials
FILE PHOTO: U.S. health officials hold news conference to discuss coronavirus outbreak at the Health and Human Services Department in Washington.
06 Feb 2020 05:05AM
Bookmark
NEW YORK: Drug manufacturers racing to find a vaccine or effective treatment for the deadly new coronavirus in China cautioned that they have a long way to go.
That runs counter to reports of a supposed "breakthrough" that on Wednesday (Feb 5) boosted financial markets and spurred optimism not necessarily backed by reality.
At least a dozen drugmakers are working on vaccines or antivirals and other treatments to help those infected with the fast-spreading contagion.
READ: US developing vaccine against deadly China virus: Officials
Investment costs for vaccines could run as high as US$800 million in a process that, even if accelerated, will likely take more than a year until approval, according to executives from companies involved in the effort.
Passengers arrive at LAX from Shanghai, China
Passengers arrive at LAX from Shanghai, China, after a positive case of the coronavirus was announced in the Orange County suburb of Los Angeles, California, on Jan 26, 2020. (REUTERS/Ringo Chiu/File Photo)
"It will take at least 12 to 18 months, which means in the acute situation we are in now - at least in China - that will not create a benefit," said Thomas Breuer, chief medical officer of GlaxoSmithKline's vaccine unit. GSK is working with developers by providing a technology that could make their vaccines more potent.
READ: Wuhan coronavirus vaccine will take months: Biotech exec
The virus, which emerged in December in China, has killed nearly 500 people and shows no sign of abating, with thousands of new cases reported each day, mostly in central China's Hubei province. But its spread to some 27 countries and regions has caused global alarm.
To be sure, companies developing treatments for patients who are already sick may be able to get a drug approved faster than a vaccine that would be given to healthy people. Even so, logistical and regulatory challenges remain, according to two executives at Gilead Sciences Inc, which is working on an experimental antiviral treatment.
"There is a distinction there between a therapeutic and a vaccine. Having said that, I think it is true that this won't be super fast and it will involve us investing at risk right now," said Gilead Chief Medical Officer Merdad Parsey.
Clinical trials for treatments can be smaller and of shorter duration than for vaccines, Parsey acknowledged.
Challenges in making sure therapies are effective and then scaling up production still remain. Gilead has only a limited supply of its remdesivir, which will be tested against the coronavirus after previously failing in trials as a treatment for Ebola.
'LOOKING FOR A MAGIC BULLET'
Dr Thomas Frieden, who was director of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention during the also deadly MERS outbreak, said the benefit of antiviral treatments for such emergencies in the past has been modest.
What worked with MERS and SARS, for example, was better infection control in healthcare facilities, he said of two other types of coronaviruses that also caused global alarm.
"It doesn't mean we shouldn't try, but we're often looking for a magic bullet and the bright shiny object. Sometimes we need to just have the basics," Frieden said.
A Chinese TV report on Wednesday said that a research team at Zhejiang University had found an effective drug for the virus, while researchers in the UK told Sky News separately they had made a "significant breakthrough" in finding a vaccine.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports, but several traders cited them for sharp upticks in global stock markets.
"There are no known effective therapeutics against this 2019-nCoV," said World Health Organisation spokesman Tarik Jasarevic, using the current designation for the new coronavirus, when asked about reports of "drug breakthroughs."
Health officials in the United States and China have set ambitious goals for getting a vaccine to initial human testing within the next few months.
Newer vaccine platforms, such as one developed by Moderna Inc, allow scientists to create a potential vaccine in record time just based on knowing the genetic code of the novel coronavirus. With the genetic code in hand, scientists can start vaccine development without needing a sample of the virus.
Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is using Moderna's platform, said the agency is on the fastest pace ever to develop a vaccine candidate.
He hopes to have a vaccine available for initial safety testing within two and a half to three months from the time scientists determined the genetic sequence of the virus.
Novavax Inc research chief Gregory Glenn told Reuters his company has taken vaccines from discovery to clinical testing in 90 days and believes it could do something similar for the new coronavirus.
But to move vaccine candidates from the lab to widespread use in patients involves a number of hurdles, according to health experts and executives for drugmakers working on coronavirus vaccines and treatments.
In addition to scaling up manufacturing capacity and building distribution networks, there are regulatory hurdles such as conducting large clinical trials to make sure a vaccine not only confers immunity to the virus but is safe for use in the general population.
"The earliest you could even know if it's going to work is a year," Fauci said.
Whether even a highly effective vaccine will prove profitable for companies is another big question.
"The outbreak could be abating by the time a vaccine is deemed safe," Karen Andersen, who follows biotech companies for Morningstar, said in a research note.
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has raised around US$800 million from donors to aid in preventing pandemic diseases and has allocated some of those funds to biotechs, including Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc, Moderna Inc and CureVac, which are working on coronavirus vaccines.
"We stepped into this with no economic expectation," said Paul Stoffels, Johnson & Johnson's chief scientific officer. "We'll see whether in the end it gives a reward."
Drugmakers see long road ahead in coronavirus vaccine race
US health officials
FILE PHOTO: U.S. health officials hold news conference to discuss coronavirus outbreak at the Health and Human Services Department in Washington.
06 Feb 2020 05:05AM
Bookmark
NEW YORK: Drug manufacturers racing to find a vaccine or effective treatment for the deadly new coronavirus in China cautioned that they have a long way to go.
That runs counter to reports of a supposed "breakthrough" that on Wednesday (Feb 5) boosted financial markets and spurred optimism not necessarily backed by reality.
At least a dozen drugmakers are working on vaccines or antivirals and other treatments to help those infected with the fast-spreading contagion.
READ: US developing vaccine against deadly China virus: Officials
Investment costs for vaccines could run as high as US$800 million in a process that, even if accelerated, will likely take more than a year until approval, according to executives from companies involved in the effort.
Passengers arrive at LAX from Shanghai, China
Passengers arrive at LAX from Shanghai, China, after a positive case of the coronavirus was announced in the Orange County suburb of Los Angeles, California, on Jan 26, 2020. (REUTERS/Ringo Chiu/File Photo)
"It will take at least 12 to 18 months, which means in the acute situation we are in now - at least in China - that will not create a benefit," said Thomas Breuer, chief medical officer of GlaxoSmithKline's vaccine unit. GSK is working with developers by providing a technology that could make their vaccines more potent.
READ: Wuhan coronavirus vaccine will take months: Biotech exec
The virus, which emerged in December in China, has killed nearly 500 people and shows no sign of abating, with thousands of new cases reported each day, mostly in central China's Hubei province. But its spread to some 27 countries and regions has caused global alarm.
To be sure, companies developing treatments for patients who are already sick may be able to get a drug approved faster than a vaccine that would be given to healthy people. Even so, logistical and regulatory challenges remain, according to two executives at Gilead Sciences Inc, which is working on an experimental antiviral treatment.
"There is a distinction there between a therapeutic and a vaccine. Having said that, I think it is true that this won't be super fast and it will involve us investing at risk right now," said Gilead Chief Medical Officer Merdad Parsey.
Clinical trials for treatments can be smaller and of shorter duration than for vaccines, Parsey acknowledged.
Challenges in making sure therapies are effective and then scaling up production still remain. Gilead has only a limited supply of its remdesivir, which will be tested against the coronavirus after previously failing in trials as a treatment for Ebola.
'LOOKING FOR A MAGIC BULLET'
Dr Thomas Frieden, who was director of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention during the also deadly MERS outbreak, said the benefit of antiviral treatments for such emergencies in the past has been modest.
What worked with MERS and SARS, for example, was better infection control in healthcare facilities, he said of two other types of coronaviruses that also caused global alarm.
"It doesn't mean we shouldn't try, but we're often looking for a magic bullet and the bright shiny object. Sometimes we need to just have the basics," Frieden said.
A Chinese TV report on Wednesday said that a research team at Zhejiang University had found an effective drug for the virus, while researchers in the UK told Sky News separately they had made a "significant breakthrough" in finding a vaccine.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports, but several traders cited them for sharp upticks in global stock markets.
"There are no known effective therapeutics against this 2019-nCoV," said World Health Organisation spokesman Tarik Jasarevic, using the current designation for the new coronavirus, when asked about reports of "drug breakthroughs."
Health officials in the United States and China have set ambitious goals for getting a vaccine to initial human testing within the next few months.
Newer vaccine platforms, such as one developed by Moderna Inc, allow scientists to create a potential vaccine in record time just based on knowing the genetic code of the novel coronavirus. With the genetic code in hand, scientists can start vaccine development without needing a sample of the virus.
Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is using Moderna's platform, said the agency is on the fastest pace ever to develop a vaccine candidate.
He hopes to have a vaccine available for initial safety testing within two and a half to three months from the time scientists determined the genetic sequence of the virus.
Novavax Inc research chief Gregory Glenn told Reuters his company has taken vaccines from discovery to clinical testing in 90 days and believes it could do something similar for the new coronavirus.
But to move vaccine candidates from the lab to widespread use in patients involves a number of hurdles, according to health experts and executives for drugmakers working on coronavirus vaccines and treatments.
In addition to scaling up manufacturing capacity and building distribution networks, there are regulatory hurdles such as conducting large clinical trials to make sure a vaccine not only confers immunity to the virus but is safe for use in the general population.
"The earliest you could even know if it's going to work is a year," Fauci said.
Whether even a highly effective vaccine will prove profitable for companies is another big question.
"The outbreak could be abating by the time a vaccine is deemed safe," Karen Andersen, who follows biotech companies for Morningstar, said in a research note.
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has raised around US$800 million from donors to aid in preventing pandemic diseases and has allocated some of those funds to biotechs, including Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc, Moderna Inc and CureVac, which are working on coronavirus vaccines.
"We stepped into this with no economic expectation," said Paul Stoffels, Johnson & Johnson's chief scientific officer. "We'll see whether in the end it gives a reward."
Similar threads
