While America's obsessed w/elections, Europe is freaking out about a mutant form of #SARSCoV2 in mink animals & people: Denmark seals off 7 municipalities in north Jutland. Train & bus traffic is discontinued. Reason: first infections of residents w/mutated species of the virus.
I'm going to forward info about the mink/mutant #COVID strain because most of my followers likely missed it, amid the elections tension.
So, this thread will be heavy with links.
Denmark washingtonpost.com/world/mutant-m…
3/ "A Dutch virologist and zoonosis expert, Wim van der Poel, said more research was needed but that even without the mutation, a reservoir of the virus in mink or others of the mustelid family such as badgers and martens was to be avoided."
MORE theguardian.com/environment/20…
4/ The mutation in mink is DIFFERENT from another new strain in Europe: "new variant of the disease, identified as 20A.EU1 by researchers from Switzerland & Spain... has been recorded in Spain at frequencies of above 40% since July"
MORE cnbc.com/2020/10/29/cor…
5/ It should also NOT be confused with mutation D614G
which now dominates the world and may be more infectious than the original version from Wuhan. It appears to be highly prevalent in Texas.
MORE msn.com/en-us/health/m…
6/ Authorities found #SARSCoV2 virus strains in humans & in mink that showed decreased sensitivity to antibodies. Denmark's PM Mette Frederiksen said. "The mutated virus in mink may pose a risk to the effectiveness of a future #vaccines ."
MORE reuters.com/article/health…
7/ #COVID19 in farmed minks has been reported from 5 countries: the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, USA & Sweden, suspected also in Italy.
MORE lav.it/cpanelav/js/ck…
8/ One of the first reports of a new mutated strain of #SARSCoV2 in mink came out of the Netherlands on April 26th.
At the time, only 2 farms were involved.
MORE nltimes.nl/2020/04/26/min…
9/ By Sept Denmark's leading govt lab id'ed 2 diff #SARSCoV2 mutant strains in mink & warned, "The devel of virus in mink w/more & more mutations in the spike protein & spread to humans poses a potential danger to publ hlth & to the effects of a #vaccine." information.dk/telegram/2020/…
10/
Many strict hygiene measures were imposed on mink farms in Denmark, but the virus proved too contagious -- both for mink & people. So the govt. ordered mass mink killing.
MORE DR.DK/NYHEDER/REGION…
11/ In the USA the mutant #SARSCoV2 seems to be extremely deadly for the animals. This is partly because the animals are caged tightly together, but the mutations may also have adapted COVID to mink ACE2 receptors.
MORE forbes.com/sites/saratabi…
12/ Back in June, Dutch researchers definitively proved mink-to-human transmission of a mutant #SARSCoV2 occurred. Since then, dozens of mink-2-human cases have been reported in at least 5 countries.
MORE eurosurveillance.org/content/10.280…
13/ The contagion issue & lethality in mink are a bit scary. The Dutch reported half of the nation's mink population died of the virus by mid-October.
MORE volkskrant.nl/nieuws-achterg…
14/ This: "A human infects a mink, which subsequently infects many othr minks: mustelids are very susceptible to the virus. Those minks then infect othr people & stray cats in the company. 'The source is people. Then it jumps frm animal 2 animal & sometimes back 2 humans'."
MORE
15/ The Danish govt is constantly updating its mink #COVID19 map, indicating which farms have infected & dying animals. foedevarestyrelsen.dk/Leksikon/Sider…
As today's map shows, the entirety of northern Denmark is a problem now.
MORE
17/ A contact tracing analysis shows the first person to contract the mink mutant form of #COVID had symptoms on March 23, so the strain has been circulating almost from the beginning of Europe's #coronavirus epidemic.
MORE eurosurveillance.org/content/10.280…
18/ The same study shows the animals die of severe pneumonia, and autopsies reveal devastated lungs. Genetic sequence analysis shows two clear clusters of mutations, tightly linked to known human strains of #SARSCoV2 .
END of THREAD
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Here's why: #SteveBannon said on live video that firing Fauci & Wray (FBI Director) wasn’t enough:
“I actually want to go a step farther but..."
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3/ "...the president is a kind-hearted man & a good man. I’d actually like to go back to the old times of Tudor England. I’d put the heads on pikes, right? I’d put them at the 2 corners of the @WhiteHouse as a warning to federal bureaucrats, you either get w/the program..."
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ATTN!
While you were sleeping #Trump issued an edict that eliminates job protections for tens of thousands (maybe millions) of federal employees, all involved in policy-making. It paves the way for a mass firing of govt employees.
MORE stripes.com/trump-issues-s…
2/ The edict "...strips long-held civil service protections from employees whose work involves policymaking, allowing them to be dismissed with little cause or recourse, much like the political appointees who come and go with each administration."
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3/ "Federal scientists, attorneys, regulators, public health experts and many others in senior roles would lose rights to due process and in some cases, union representation, at agencies across the government. The White House declined to say how many jobs..."
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WOW. The @US_FDA#COVID19#vaccine mtg just heard summaries of focus group studies about American opinions of such a vaccine -- will they take it? Six powerful themes emerged (quotes from focus groups). (MORE) fda.yorkcast.com/webcast/Play/c…
2/ More focus group rxns, from non-white groups, regarding fears of #COVID19#vaccines
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My god!
"All 62 residents in a Kansas nursing home tested + for #COVID19, health officials announced. Of those 62 residents, 10 have died, 1 is hospitalized, & the rest of the residents are currently being quarantined & treated at the facility." health.com/condition/infe…
A 100% infection rate is astounding -- I can't recall any such scale in any prior epidemic. It's urgent to get a detailed epi/genomic analysis. Was this spread by a staff member? By a single elder superspreader? A family visitor? #COVID19 is CONTAGIOUS.
A man who lost his uncle in this nursing home, about #COVID19 threat: “Respect it, it is a real thing and people are really dying—just be aware of your situation and take the precautions needed.”
😷😷😷😷😷😷😷
Here are some examples of what "record-breaking hospitalizations" and soaring deaths from #COVID19 look like across America right now.
First, Iowa, where yesterday 31 people died, & "534 people hospitalized, topping Tuesday's high of 501."
MORE desmoinesregister.com/story/news/hea…
2/ Soaring #COVID19 numbers are reported in Texas, especially the Mexican border town of El Paso: "El Paso County shattered a pandemic record Thursday morning. Health officials announced 1,161 new cases and four coronavirus-related deaths."
MORE kvia.com/top-stories/20…
3/
35 Minnesotans died of #COVID19 yesterday & "State health officials linked the high number of fatalities — the most since May 28 — to accelerating infections.
'...a surge in deaths was to be expected several wks after a surge in cases'.”
MORE startribune.com/minn-health-of…
A #WarpSpeed press conf starting momentarily @CDCgov w @HHSGov Sec. #Azar and @CDCDirector#Redfield & Dep Dir Jay Butler.
The @FDA vaccine advisory comm meets tomorrow. And a volunteer in @AstraZeneca trial in Brazil died. Waiting for the presser....will thread from here.
Starting. Redfield: "#COVID19 is the most significant public health challenge our nation has faced in 100 years."
"It's been a difficult year for Americans, but we are going to through this on the other side."
"remain diligent...protect ourselves"
MORE LIVE
3/ Dep Dir @CDCgov Jay Butler:
Speaks wearing 😷
"we're seeing a distressing trend"
220,000 deaths
>75% of country has ^ed cases
National ^ 60,000/day, "in all parts of the country"
"we get tired of wearing masks, but it's more important than ever"
MORE LIVE