Europe staggers as infectious variants power virus surge (AP)

[dalton99a]

https://hosted.ap.org/article/2b4e8c5092db92c38194884a4b8049e4/speedy-variants-power-virus-surge-sweeping-europe

Mar. 6, 2021 11:08 AM EST
Europe staggers as infectious variants power virus surge
By COLLEEN BARRY
Associated Press

MILAN (AP) — The virus swept through a nursery school and an adjacent elementary school in the Milan suburb of Bollate with amazing speed. In a matter of just days, 45 children and 14 staff members had tested positive.

Genetic analysis confirmed what officials already suspected: The highly contagious coronavirus variant first identified in England was racing through the community, a densely packed city of nearly 40,000 with a chemical plant and a Pirelli bicycle tire factory a 15-minute drive from the heart of Milan.

The variant first found in the U.K. is spreading significantly in 27 European countries monitored by WHO and is dominant in at least 10 countries: Britain, Denmark, Italy, Ireland, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Israel, Spain and Portugal.

It is up to 50% more transmissible than the virus that surged last spring and again in the fall, making it more adept at thwarting measures that were previously effective, WHO experts warned. Scientists have concluded that it is also more deadly.

In Lombardy, which bore the brunt of Italy’s spring surge, intensive care wards are again filling up, with more than two-thirds of new positive tests being the UK variant, health officials said.

After putting two provinces and some 50 towns on a modified lockdown, Lombardy's regional governor announced tightened restrictions Friday and closed classrooms for all ages. Cases in Milan schools alone surged 33% in a week, the provincial health system's chief said.

The situation is dire in the Czech Republic, which this week registered a record-breaking total of nearly 8,500 patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Poland is opening temporary hospitals and imposing a partial lockdown as the U.K. variant has grown from 10% of all infections in February to 25% now.

[cilla4progress]

1. Oh god...

and sounds so toxic there with the two spewing industries.

I can't help but think we've shat our home and the chickens are coming home to roost.

[elleng]

2. DAMN!

and my daughters are 'wrestling' about what to do about their 1st grade sons.

[Thekaspervote]

3. TX, CT other states lifting mask mandates and opening up restaurants..are you listening??!!

[winstars]

10. CT has NOT lifted mask restrictions. But opened up restaurants at 100% which is stupid .

[dhol82]

4. Friend of mine was thinking of visiting her sister in Paris after she gets her second shot

at the end of this month.
I don’t think that would be a good idea.

[Irish_Dem]

8. Even after getting my second shot, I am not willing to travel or be in large crowds.

Last edited Sat Mar 6, 2021, 05:00 PM - Edit history (1)

We have not seen the last of this virus yet.

[dhol82]

11. I totally agree.

I have already sent her the link and told her I think she should wait.
I don’t see things really opening up until summer - if then.

[Irish_Dem]

14. I'm thinking Fall.

[dhol82]

26. I'm just hoping that we will be able to travel freely by next year.

I have a trip to Kenya and Ethiopia for the end of February-March 2022.
I’ll be really pissed if I can’t go since it’s already been moved over from this year.
I need to get my foreign travel done before my body gives up.

[Irish_Dem]

27. I've been thinking the same thing. By the time I can travel again, it'll be to a nursing home. :(

I hope you can take your trip.
You have a year for things to improve.

[roamer65]

17. I am willing to drive to travel after the second shot.

But no planes and no large crowds.

Still double masking.

[Irish_Dem]

19. Yes I will drive to see my daughter, she is an hour and a half away from me.

She was vaccinated a couple of months ago because she is in health care.
So I will feel safe around her.

And yes still wearing double masks until it feels safe.
Some of the monster variants are scary.

[roamer65]

21. Smart move.

CDC says vaccinated people are ok to be around each other unmasked. Slowly we are approaching a new “normal”.

Safe travels when u go!

[Irish_Dem]

22. Ok that is good to know. I was not sure if I should wear a mask around her or not.

She says no need for mask, but I am glad the CDC is backing it up.

Thank you! You have safe travels as well.

[roamer65]

23. ..

https://www.nbcboston.com/news/coronavirus/virus-updates-merck-will-help-jj-produce-covid-vaccine/2317159/

Small groups of fully vaccinated people are ok, per Fauci and CDC.

[mnhtnbb]

9. I have a friend in Lyon (France) who has booked coming to NYC in April

When he first talked about it--a month or so ago--I suggested he should wait until the fall, at least.

I won't be surprised if April comes and he complains about having to cancel his trip.

[dhol82]

12. I wonder if it gets really bad in Europe that we will ban travel?

I don’t even know if we still have quarantining regulations here in NYC.

[bronxiteforever]

5. Kick and recommend for visibility. Important read!

From a Bloomberg article three days ago:

Stockholm Endures 100% Spike in Covid Cases as Third Wave Hits

“We have a third wave of transmissions -- it’s here now,” Johan Bratt, the acting health and medical care director for the Stockholm region, said at a press briefing on Wednesday.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-03/stockholm-hit-by-100-spike-in-virus-infections-in-just-3-weeks

Now is clearly not the time to stop mask mandates. The vaccine rate is not near herd immunity yet.

[peggysue2]

6. One of the scary aspects?

These variants are infecting children 5-12, most of whom have not been vaccinated. I say most of whom because I read of several children vaccinated in my own state (western county) against CDC guidelines.

In any case, I can envision real panic if kids start coming down sick and wonder if these new outbreaks had anything to do with President Biden's request that all teachers be vaccinated before the end of March. I recall a push and pull on that question.

Sadly, this virus was left too long in the wild. You allow it to replicate, you're inviting mutations. And that appears to be what we're looking at: variants that are 2-2.5 more infectious and nastier than the original.

May Trump burn in Hell!

[abqtommy]

7. snark on: If only there had been wise people to provide the advice to lock down, prohibit

travel and take the basic three preventative steps of masking, distancing and sanitizing.
snark off

But then it also would have taken a world population with enough survival instinct to adopt the good advice and it's very apparent that the much of the human population is short on survival smarts.

[SoonerPride]

13. This is our future. Remember how we looked at Italy last year

And then it was our turn

Our vaccination schedule is enough to slow this.

[Klaralven]

15. South Africa variant

While the U.K. variant is dominant in France, forcing lockdowns in the French Riviera city of Nice and the northern port of Dunkirk, the variant first detected in South Africa has emerged as the most prevalent in the Moselle region, which borders German and Luxembourg. It represents 55% of the virus circulating there.

The South Africa variant also is predominant in a district of Austria that extends from Italy to Germany, with Austrian officials announcing plans to vaccinate most of the 84,000 residents to curb its spread. Austria is also requiring motorists along the Brenner highway, a major north-south trucking route, to produce negative test results.

The South Africa variant, now present in 26 European countries, is a source of particular concern because of doubts over whether the current vaccines are fully effective against it. The Brazilian variant, which appears capable of reinfecting people, has been detected in 15 European countries.

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20210306-fast-spreading-covid-19-variants-surge-through-europe

[Celerity]

16. the P.1 Brazilian variant is fucking nasty. The Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines are poor against

it and the South African variant. Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson are better.

[roamer65]

20. Moderna has a booster shot already into clinical trials with the NIH.

Covers the variants. I suspect it will be out in a few months.

[Celerity]

25. yes, here in Sweden there will be a trial of the tweeked Moderna, and my wife and I will

be in the test group, due to our 10 month participation in a long term study for lasting immunity from actual COVID


we still have almost full immunity (via the 4 metrics, antibodies, T helper cells, T killer (cytotoxic) cells, B cells) from our asymptomatic COVID19 we had end of April, beginning of May 2020, but that is only for the original strain, no sure yet if it confers immunity against the new variants

[roamer65]

24. I know something nastier than the P.1 variant.

Jair Bolsonaro.

Fuck that SOB.

[Patterson]

18. How are the vaccines figuring into this?