D-Day

Posted on by Thor

On December 10, 2020 more Americans died in s single day than died on the invasion of Normandy in WWII. Now, more than half a million Americans have died from COVID-19. That is more than the number of Americans who died in WWI, WWII and the Vietnam wars combined.

Daignault said, “This is our generation’s D-Day.” The entire country is a war zone. Today the troops are the doctors, nurses and medical personnel risking their own health to treat the sick.

Everyone is fatigued as we near the one year anniversary of the start of the world wide pandemic. People are tired of wearing masks and want life to return to “normal.” But with new variants of the virus spreading through Florida    and the US, this is not the time to let our guards down. The war is far from over.

Case numbers have been falling as have the number of deaths from the virus but we are just now down to the numbers that equal the summer surge. Back then we hoped that was as bad as it could get and people gathered together to celebrate July 4th and other holidays creating super spreader events. We are just now coming down from the Christmas, New Years and Superbowl superspreaders. The insurrection on the capitol had t be the worst imaginable superspreader event and those numbers have yet to be seen. Hopefully everyone who can get a shot of vaccine will get a shot. Right now we are inn a race to keep up with the potential spread of the highly more contagious UK variant the spreads 70% more efficiently. Wear a mask, social distance and wash your hands the end is in sight.

Tell Tale Lungs

Posted on by Thor

A woman with chronic obstructive lung disease at University Hospital in Ann Arbor Michigan desperately needed a lung transplant in order to live. Another woman in the Upper Midwest, died after suffering a severe brain injury in a car accident. The donor’s lungs were flown to Ann Arbor.

Kaiser Health News reported that the difficult double lung transplant was a success. Three days after the operation, however, the recipient spiked a fever; her blood pressure fell and her breathing became labored. Imaging showed signs of lung infection. She developed septic shock and heart function problems. Doctors decided to test for COVID-19. Samples from her new lungs came back positive.

Prior to the operation the donor’s body had been tested for COVID-19 from a nose swab sampling and tested negative. Test samples were not taken from the donor’s lower respiratory tract.

Four days after the transplant, the surgeon who handled the donor lungs and performed the surgery tested positive as well. Genetic screening revealed that the transplant recipient and the surgeon had been infected by the donor. Ten other members of the transplant team tested negative for the virus. The surgeon has since recovered.

The transplant recipient deteriorated rapidly, developing multi-system organ failure. Doctors tried known treatments for Covid-19, including Remdesivir, a newly approved drug, and convalescent blood plasma from people previously infected with the disease. Eventually, she was placed on the last-resort option of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Nothing helped. Life support was withdrawn, and she died 61 days after the transplant.

Before this tragic incident, it was not clear whether the virus could be transmitted through solid organ transplants, though it’s well documented with other respiratory viruses. Organ donors have been tested routinely for COVID-19 during the pandemic, though it’s not required by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, which oversees transplants in the U.S. In America, even masks are only a suggestion.

Florida Insurrectionists

Posted on by Thor

The January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol as clearly a superspreader event gone wild. Jonathan Fielding, a professor at the schools of Public Health and Medicine at UCLA, told the Washington Post, “If you wanted to organize an event to maximize the spread of COVID it would be difficult to find one better than the one we witnessed,” he said.

CDC Director Robert Redfield said “The storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Trump on Wednesday was probably a superspreader event that “will have public health consequences.”

Contact tracing will be nearly impossible. Protesters came from all over the country and few of them were identified or arrested. This, allowing the mask less rioters to take planes and cars home to their home states spreading the virus across the country.

As rioters are arrested there will likely be outbreaks in the Washington D.C. prisons and jails. As well as prisons all across the country. Epidemiologist will find it challenging to track the spread since the anti masking MAGAts are not likely to cooperate with health experts.

There were quite a few Florida idiots were among the horde that descended on the Capitol in an attempt to disrupt the counting of the Electoral votes. I included 10 of those idiots in my illustration allowing them to breath each others viral filth. Who knows exactly how many more are out there.

Half Mast for Rush

Posted on by Thor

Florida Governor Ron DuhSantis said he will order flags flown at half mast for the passing of the late conservative radio host, Rush Limbaugh. Rush died at the age of 70 from lung cancer. He was a long time denier of the risks of smoking. As he put it, “Smokers aren’t killing anybody.”

Rush’s hate filled radio take show helped fuel the divide that allowed the former 45th president to rise to power. Rush was the king of polarization and hate. The former president followed in his foot steps and gave his mentor a Medal of Freedom in return.

Usually flags are only flown at half mast in the event of the death of a present or former official of the Florida State government or the death of a member of the Armed Forces from Florida who dies while serving on active duty.”

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) called the governor’s decision “an embarrassment to Florida.”
“Rush Limbaugh weaponized his platform to spread racism, xenophobia and homophobia across the nation,” she said in a tweet. “His constant hateful rhetoric caused untold damage to our political landscape.
Florida Senate Democratic leader Gary Farmer issued a statement in which he said, in part, “I condemn the governor’s decision in no uncertain terms. Any move to lower our flag in deference to a man who helped drive the hatred and inflame the prejudices against marginalized groups, people of color, women, and anyone who did not look like him or think like him is wrong, and should be rescinded.”
DeSantis made his flag statement February 19, 2021 at a fundraiser he was holding for more than 100 mostly maskless donors at Hilton Palm Beach Airport Hotel. Palm Beach County has a mask mandate aimed at slowing the spread of Covid-19. The mask mandate is in effect in the county until March 19, 2021. Facial coverings must be worn by anyone obtaining any goods or services, or otherwise visiting or working in any business or establishment in the county. The hotel is now under investigation to see if they should face fines and penalties.
There were 5117 new cases of COVID-19 in Palm Beach County and 219 people died on the day of the flag announcement. In my illustration, Sanford Florida firefighter Andrew Williams, who was photographed inside the Capitol points at the flags. He pleaded not guilty to two charges connected to the Capitol riots in a Washington federal court on January 19, 2021. He is facing one count of unlawful entry of a restricted building and one count of disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. The FBI has two videos and one still picture of Williams inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. According to the filing, in one of the videos, Williams allegedly turns the camera on himself and then says, “We are storming the Capitol. Yeah baby!” Rush would be proud.

Neanderthal DNA

Posted on by Thor

Some people have a 22% lower risk of having a severe case of COVID-19 thanks t their Neanderthal DNA. Hugo Zeberg from Karolinska Institute in Sweden has done  done extensive research into these ancient genes. Neanderthal DNA makes up 1% to 2% of the genomes of many people of European and Asian descent.

The advantage comes from a single haplotype a long block of DNA on chromosome 12. The same haplotype has been shown to protect people against West Nile, hepatitis C, and SAR.

Zeberg along with Svante Pääbo at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology relied on the genomes of three Neanderthals, two whose remains were found in southern Siberia and one from Croatia. The DNA dates back 50,000 to 120,000 years. They compared those Neanderthal genomes to the DNA of thousands of people with severe COVID-19. Zeberg’s research suggests that around 25% to 30% of people in Europe and Asia carry the protective haplotype.

However, a prior study from Zeberg and Pääbo, published in September 2020, showed that not all Neanderthal DNA confers an advantage. In that research, they found that some modern humans have inherited a haplotype on chromosome 3 that puts them at higher risk of respiratory failure due to COVID-19. That particular gene cluster was found in the Neanderthal from Croatia. About 16% of people in Europe carry the dangerous one.

If you aren’t sure of your Neanderthal DNA sequence, be sure to wear a mask, social distance and wash your hand often. Thankfully many of us in this century have running water.

MIS-C

Posted on by Thor

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C) cases in children have been on the rise possibly from the holiday season COVID-19 surge. Hospitals in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Colorado, Nebraska and New Jersey have reported an increase in cases.

The uptick in MIS-C cases coincides with a decrease in COVID-19 cases nationwide, in the wake of a post-holiday surge. Experts believe that there is often a lag — sometimes three to four weeks — between COVID-19 infections and the onset of MIS-C symptoms.

Most children infected with COVID-19 are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. While MIS-C is rare, its effects can be devastating and life-threatening, with some patients experiencing inflammation of the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or gastrointestinal organs.

“The rise in MIS-C cases is likely due to the rise in number of COVID-19 infections, ultimately from the recent holiday surges like Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year and the Super Bowl,” said Dr. Todd Ellerin, an ABC News contributor and infectious disease specialist at South Shore Health. According to the CDC, at least 2.8 million U.S. cases of COVID-19 have been in children. There have been about 2,060 cases of MIS-C, to which 30 deaths have been attributed.

L.A. County reported a 35% increase in children with MIS-C over the last two weeks.

Capitol Police Infected

Posted on by Thor

38 Capitol Police have tested positive for COVID-19 after the attack on January 6, 2021. Health officials have worried that the thousands of unmasked Trump supporters who  stormed the Capitol would cause a super-spreader event that could expose local residents and law enforcement officers to coronavirus. The new cases at the Capitol Police, which were first reported by the New York Times, mark the highest spike among force in months.

The officer’s union could also not confirm that those officers were on duty the day of the attack. Several police officers were directly assaulted during the insurrection.

Approximately 150 National Guard troops have also tested positive since the attack, CBS News reported.

Gus Papathanasiou, chairman of the U.S. Capitol Police Labor Committee said, “The union had been pushing the department for testing and recently pushing for vaccines, but the incompetence of the USCP chiefs of police, both former and current with the new acting chief and assistant chiefs, speaks volumes of the lack of leadership at the top of the USCP,” in an emailed statement to DCist/WAMU he said. “The continued systemic failures ‎of this Department is unacceptable and the congressional community as well as the officers that put their lives on the line every day deserve better than being led by inept chiefs of police.”

Steven Sund, the Capitol Police chief, stepped down from his role following the riots, and Yogananda Pittman was named acting chief, becoming the first woman and first Black officer to lead the force. A number of Capitol Police officers were suspended and at least a dozen were investigated for their involvement in or support of the violence.

The Metropolitan Police Department, which at one point led the effort to clear the angry mob from the Capitol, has also seen an uptick in COVID-19 cases. As of January 6, 2021 a total of 498 MPD personnel had tested positive over the course of the pandemic. By Jan. 21, that number had jumped by 82, reaching 580 total cases. It appears to be one of the biggest jumps in positive cases in the recent data.

 

B117 Ground Zero

Posted on by Thor

In The United States, Florida is ground zero for the highly contagious British variant of the COVID-19 virus known as B117. The number of cases in Florida had quadrupled  in the last month. Thee are 380 cases as of February 17, 2021. B117 is much more contagious than the initial version of COVID-19. It has also been found to be up to 70% more lethal that the initial version of COVID-19.  South Florida leads the state in the number of cases with Broward County showing the biggest numbers. B117, is one of several strains, including ones first detected in Brazil and South Africa, that could spread and kill more efficiently than their predecessors, making it more difficult for the world to emerge from the pandemic. With Florida wide open for business, it can spread among the population at ease.

Country wide the number of COVID cases has been dropping, but this new variant might reverse that trend where it gains a foothold. Researchers fear that B117 will become the predominant strain of the virus in America by March 2021. So far, research suggests current vaccines work just as well against the U.K. variant.

“Florida is leading the way in terms of one of the fastest rates of B117,” Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist with the Federation of American Scientists, told CBS12 News. “Every exhalation of breath has [a] more higher concentration of the virus. And that is why it is so much more transmissible.” Florida does not place any restrictions on capacity or enforce social distancing in businesses. Mask mandates are in place but individuals can’t be fined for not wearing a mask.

Despite the spread of B117 in Florida, tourists have flown into the state in droves and are more than happy to fly back home bringing B117 back with them.

Pre-Pandemic: New York City Subway

Posted on by Thor

In October of 2019, Pam and I traveled to NYC because she was meeting with colleagues at the 9-11 Museum. I got to attend the 9-11 museum for the first time, but don’t have a window in which to get a sketch done. The huge 9-11 Memorial reflecting pools inhabit the footprints where the towers used to stand. They were a moving tribute to those who were lost. Names were etched in the granite surrounding the dark voids. Photos never quite capture the immensity of this memorial.

I believe this sketch as done as we went up to my old neighborhood, Washington Heights to visit the Cloisters. Pam was disgusted by what she saw on the subway ride. Some guy using his cell phone, wiped his runny nose with the back of his hand, then pinched more snot out of his nose with his thumb and pointer finger. He then played with his phone and reached out with the snot covered hand to grab a support bar. As she said, “He was F%&king gross.” She said she could never live in the big apple after seeing that guy on the subway.

We both got sick on this trip with what we called the plague. It was a really bad cold that lasted for months. It started to clear up by New Years day of 2020. Who knew that 2020 would be the start of the very real world wide plague of COVID-19.

COVID Cytokine Storm

Posted on by Thor

COVID-19 can cause a strange lingering condition referred to as Brain Fog. People have reported feeling not like themselves: experiencing short-term memory loss, confusion, an inability to concentrate, and just feeling differently than they did before contracting the infection. About a third of patients will have some type of neurological illness associated with COVID-19.

Neurological symptoms have been reported as a common symptom of COVID-19. Coronavirus can enter the brain.

Researchers identified Brain Fog to be a condition medically called encephalopathy. This condition is also experienced by patients who undergo a kind of immunotherapy called chimeric antibody receptor T cell therapy, which is a treatment for blood cancer. The therapy causes immune cells to release molecules called cytokines.In the study, 18 patients had spinal taps to look for the virus, but it was not found. In the rest of the fluid, researchers saw persistent inflammation and high levels of cytokines. A cytokine storm is a well-observed symptom in many COVID-19 cases. Brain fog may be caused by the release of cytokines by immune cells.

Preliminary data shows that COVID-19 is neuro-invasive, meaning the virus itself can invade the brain and nearby nerves. Something as simple as loss of smell, which is a symptom of COVID-19, indicates a neuro invasion because the nerves that are responsible for smell are in direct connection with brain.

A third of people will have complete recovery with no issues. Roughly another third will have lingering effects that improve after therapy and time, and then another third may have permanent effects, especially in cases where the patient has been intubated, has had multiple organ failure or has been under anesthesia for a while.