Shelby County lab detects first COVID-19 variant strain case linked to outbreak in India

[SheltieLover]

https://www.localmemphis.com/mobile/article/news/health/coronavirus/shelby-county-lab-detects-first-covid-19-variant-strain-case-outbreak-india/522-625fd753-9f66-457e-94ad-0ed8f1381cf0

The Shelby County Health Department said one case has been detected so far in a person who recently returned from travel in India.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Thursday, those with the Shelby County Health Department said they've detected a local case of the COVID-19 variant strain - B.1.617 - that is currently spreading fast in India.

"That virus has been detected this week in Shelby County," David Sweat with the Shelby County Health Department said. "We need to remain vigilant for the arrival of new viruses that could poise a concern to our community. If COVID disease is active anywhere in the world it continues to a risk to us here because the entire world is connected today."

More at link. It is incomprehensible to me that anyone traveling from India would be allowed to enter the States or any other country, given the horrible mutation & the resultant deaths. Wtf?

[jimfields33]

1. I thought international travel was banned.

If not it should be.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

7. Yes!!! We blamed trump for not securing the border. In retrospect, Why, if

we can do it now and don't??

Being the tin foil hat I am...it seems fishy to me that we are all getting vaccinated knowing it won't cover variants. Because we paid for them? Because they are trying to eradicate the first strain first...and then hope Moderna and Pfizer can find a vaccine booster for the variants...???

[ancianita]

13. All two-shot vaccines cover variants. Fauci said so.

[wnylib]

23. But effectiveness varies with the mutated versions.

The vaccines are most effective with the original and the UK strains. They are less effective with other strains. Some of these strains arexquite good at bypassing the immune system.

[ancianita]

26. Well, that's fixable.

I read in Walter Isaacson's The Code Breaker that scientists can now genetically map every virus variant and new virus within 24 hours, then get a vaccine made and produced. Scientists in biotech fields, besides having collaborated internationally for years, are now sharing viral mapping internationally through open source.

[SergeStorms]

40. All of that takes time...

and in the time it takes to identify the variant, map it's structure, design a vaccine to combat it, manufacture that vaccine, distribute it, and actually get it in people's bloodstreams, quite an amount of time will have passed. How many die within that time period? Not to mention the virus continues to mutate all the while, until it becomes the perfect killing machine.
I admire your rosey outlook, I really do, but this novel virus continues to amaze and confound the most brilliant scientists in the world. I don't think it's all quite as easy to overcome as you seem to think. Maybe that's a defense mechanism for you, or maybe you'll prove to be a visionary thinker. Let's hope for the latter.

[wnylib]

43. You're right, which is why I fear that people are

letting their guard down too soon. I am vaccinated, but still mask up when outside of my apartment. I still maintain distance inside of enclosed places. The one new thing I am doing since getting vaccinated is getting a professional haircut for the first time in over a year. I have been trimming it myself and the results are ... well ... passable. My hairdresser follows precautions well, so I feel reasonably safe going there.

[ancianita]

47. Everything does.

Mine is not a rosey outlook but one that scientists and the military say can be done in real time. Which will get easier than what's done right now.

In February 2020 the unconfounding began. Army generals, Defense Dept officials and biotech execs met for a conference at the National Academy of Sciences, along with a couple of CRISPR scientists, George Church from Harvard being one. Also the famous biohacker Josiah Zayner.
Military officials complained they had trouble recruiting quality scientists, to which Zayner said: "You need to open up your labs, maybe start a biohacker space..." the way the military had done with computer hackers. They happily took the suggestion. One official said "citizen science" can be tapped to improve the military's ability to identify threats, figure out real-time detection methods and crowdsource the collection and analysis of data.

Seriously. The hardest genetic science has been done. Now it's about the fastest, cheapest tools to make public health successful and cheap. If Biden's coronavirus team gets a structure permanently set up, this country can lead others to do the same. Berkeley and Harvard hold most of the patents so far, shared with their scientists who applied and got them (along with European counterparts) so corporate profiteering through patent control can only be minimal.

It is much easier to overcome than you seem to think because visionary thinkers have been on this since before last year. The worst hurdles have been overcome, from the days of splicing and recombinant lab methods to industrial uses of molecules to protect yogurt bacteria, to quick virus gene mapping, to CRISPR Cas9 uses worldwide to inject whole body immunity strength (not just immune system phages), so that this ID and manufacturing process will get faster and cheaper over time. The only thing slowing it down are distrustful stupid puny humans who fear science because they don't read. Me, I'm just relaying what I read that they're doing.

So yes, let's hope.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

48. Dumb question... What does "bypass immune system" mean in layman's terms? nt

[Celerity]

35. Depends on the variant & vax. AstraZeneca's a fail (10.4% efficacy) v the B.1.351 S. African variant

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2102214

[TheProle]

10. Not only "not banned" but on the upswing

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/air-india-us-nonstop-frequency-to-be-back-to-pre-covid-level-soon/articleshow/82297240.cms

[SergeStorms]

15. OMFG.

Just what the U.S. needs right now. Thousands of travelers from India pouring into the U.S. when we're barely tamping down the original and U.K. variants. This does not bode well for the summer months when people expect to gather together after a year + of COVID lockdown.

[ancianita]

31. Come on, now.

Anyone who can get help here should be able to. People fully vaccinated will just have to be a little more careful than first thought. I'd rather have smart humans coming into the country from elsewhere who want the vaccine, than keep living with the intractably stupid people already here who don't. They are the reason this pandemic isn't going away as soon as we thought. It's only right that we still try to be fair and humane. I'm not liking the situation either, but for the sake of those who are trying to get help that we can give them, I'm willing to ride out the rest of the year being careful like I was last year.

We can do this.

[Celerity]

37. The huge potential problem is we do not know what variants are being brewed up over there.

All it takes is certain spike protein shifts and/or other mutations and a new variant can render the pre-existing vaccines useless or near to useless. I showed you an example before (AZ vax v B.1.351).

It's a terrible mistake for the US to just allow them at will. It is not being altruistic if those actions actually increase the growth of variants and slingshot the next wave into an even bigger global footprint.

[wnylib]

45. The safest thing to do when letting

them in would be to require them to quarantine in one place on arrival, get vaccinated on arrival, and enforce it strictly. But that won't happen so I am bracing for a worse new wave in a few months.

When we accepted American students returning from study abroad last year, they were supposed to quarantine, but nobody supervised them. Some admitted later to sneaking out to see friends. We admitted Americans returning from China who were supposed to quarantine, but did not protect their flight crews or people they encountered in airports and en route to their destinations. Cases spread quickly, leading to the NYC fiasco and the early high infections in Washington state.

We could see a repeat this year from people carrying mutated versions into the country without adequate quarantines and protections on their arrival.

[SergeStorms]

39. I wish I could be as optimistic as you....

ancianita. When it comes to trusting others to be logical and proactive in preventing the spread of a frightening variant that our vaccines are not designed to handle, I have nearly zero faith in them doing so. This variant is a game changer. Doctors who've been vaccinated are contracting this variant, and for someone who is over 70 years old and has two comorbidities to assist this variant in it's goal of killing me, I'm quite pessimistic. I don't think of myself as a pessimistic person, but I am a realist. It's served me well so far. Of course I'll do anything within my power to avoid contracting the disease, but the odds of holding it at bay decrease with time. I guess we shall see. Stay healthy, to the best of your ability.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

49. I agree. Plain common sense tells one that it will get bad

again. Just like the common sense it took to figure out if health care workers needed masks we did too.

I figure we've got a bit of a lull now and then back to isolation.

[sprinkleeninow]

2. Crap. Crap. Crap. eom

[dweller]

3. welp

Here we go 😟

Positivity at 50% in India

✌🏻

[TimeToGo]

6. Well, let's be clear

Just to be clear

I assume you aren’t saying 50% of their population has Covid ( that would mean almost 700 million cases ). I think there have been around 20 million cases.

50% of those tested?

That would be huge and explosive of course.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

9. Wondered same thing. Thanks for asking.

[Mister Ed]

38. The headline I saw was 50% positive in Calcutta.

That headline made me do a double-take. I thought at first it meant 50% positive in India.

[TimeToGo]

11. Well, let's be clear

Just to be clear for all in case someone gets confused.

Positivity rates aren’t saying 50% of their population has Covid ( that would mean almost 700 million cases ). I think there have been around 20 million cases.

50% test positivity rate would be huge and explosive of course.

[dweller]

17. It was reported here yesterday

and I’m sorry I can’t point to the link, but it was 50% of tested were positive
and that’s as I recall it reported

✌🏻

Edit: I went to search here and the internet and not seeing the report, but varying positivity rates of 18% in cities, to 32% ... sorry for any confusion

[BigmanPigman]

4. What's scary is that vaccinated doctors are getting the Indian variety....

Mia Farrow (@MiaFarrow) Tweeted:
In India’s capital, 37 vaccinated doctors came down with Covid-19 adding to “growing fears that the virus behind India’s catastrophic second wave is - a more contagious variant that dodges the immune system -”-

https://t.co/UBhglvGMMT https://t.co/93PyXzpQ3K

Link to tweet

?s=20

"India Blames a Virus Variant as Its Covid-19 Crisis Deepens"

[SheltieLover]

18. Do you know which vaccines doctors received?

[BigmanPigman]

24. I read the article and it is the AstraZeneca one...

"Preliminary evidence suggests that the variant is still responsive to vaccines, although slightly less so. India relies heavily on the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which clinical trials show is less powerful than the vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna and could perhaps be more easily thwarted by mutations."

“For now the vaccines remain effective, but there is a trend toward less effectiveness,” said Dr. Céline Gounder, an infectious disease physician and epidemiologist at Bellevue Hospital in New York."

"In India, a number of doctors point to anecdotal evidence that people who have been fully vaccinated are getting sick. Those doctors also say they are seeing children with serious symptoms, such as severe diarrhea, acidosis and falling blood pressure, even among otherwise healthy patients."

“This is very different from what we saw last year,” said Dr. Soonu Udani, head of critical care services at the SRCC Children’s Hospital in Mumbai."

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/28/world/asia/india-covid19-variant.html

[ancianita]

32. AstraZeneca is a non-RNA vaccine and just not as effective as the RNA vaccines, once

infection numbers rise.

[LisaL]

41. It also didn't do well against South African variant.

I think the issue is, the variants are now spreading, and all vaccines were designed against the original virus and not the variants. So they are likely to be less effective against variants.

[moonscape]

28. Happening in Israel as well :(.

[BigmanPigman]

34. The variant from India?

[moonscape]

46. Yes. I first heard of it from

Laurie Garrett, the science journalist on MSNBC. Just tried to find a clip so to be more precise but couldn’t.

She said several people in Israel who had been vaccinated had died from the B.1.617 variant. She didn’t say which vaccine they had had but I think Pfizer was commonly given, though obviously doesn’t mean that’s what those covid victims had had. It was her primary alert warning about the variant.

[BigmanPigman]

55. She's good!!! I always respect what she reports.

[DENVERPOPS]

5. I was saying a while ago

That the U.S. should shut down all travelers from India.

I guess the old saying is true: Those who don't learn from History, are bound to repeat it.........

(Only after hundreds of thousands of Chinese were allowed in, The U.S. blocked the Chinese from coming to America)

[hay rick]

8. India is lagging in vaccinations.

Most recent data shows only 9% of India's population has received a shot and only 1.8% are fully vaccinated. In the U. S. by comparison: 43% have received at least 1 shot and 30% are fully vaccinated. Times tracker here: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/world/covid-vaccinations-tracker.html

Numbers look like they are for the entire population and in the U. S., people 16 and younger aren't eligible to be vaccinated.

[OhioChick]

12. Oh shit...

Yet we continue to "open up."

[SheltieLover]

20. Qpuke TN gov lee is busy trying to force reopening & droppong mask mandates

I really wish this virus could discriminate & infect only those not masking & distancing!

[OhioChick]

29. Ohio is trying to open too....

I share your thoughts but unfortunately, these assholes are taking some of us down with them as you know.

We should all be in full lockdown like many other countries are.

Why are still allowing flights to and from India?

[Hugin]

36. In all fairness, the virus does prefer those who don't follow the guidelines. n/t

[SergeStorms]

14. We can now expect...

racist attacks on those of Indian descent in 5....4....3....2....1................ And I don't expect these disciples of intellect to be able to differentiate between those of East Indian descent, and American Indian descent, either. There are very few MENSA members in the ranks of the Proud Boys, believe it or not.

[ancianita]

16. We need to remember that for the world, this pandemic won't be over for a long time.

I still feel bad for my local Indian business neighbors whose grandparents have died there, and they're so sad to know their child might not see their family for years.

And I know the world doesn’t work this way, but it doesn't feel right that I’m fully vaccinated before healthcare workers in India, and that prolonged exposure for its doctors is dangerous even if vaccines are 90+% effective.

I'm sorry that we can't manufacture enough for other nations yet.

At least humans now have the science to genetically map every virus variant and new virus within 24 hours, then get a vaccine made and produced. Biotechs are sharing through open source.

In the first year of high transmission pandemic it's the best that the world's best ten vaccine manufacturers can do for a billion people, and the scientists among us have given us a way out now.

[JI7]

22. India manufactures vaccines. It's the fault of Modi for not doing anything to get people vaccinated

In fact he gave away vaccines manufactured in INdia to other countries while he declared victory over Covid.

[ancianita]

25. I'm aware. Another example of how covid reveals the weakness of leaders & cruelty of

a nation's structural flaws.

There have been many in India who have refused vaccines, too, just like here.

[Tanuki]

19. Meanwhile our imbecilic governor has just declared that the crisis is over

and that it's time to end any mandated masking and get back to business as usual. He's apparently trying to get us all killed.

Link to tweet

[SheltieLover]

21. Another putin puppet

[Catherine Vincent]

27. This is scary

Prayers for the people of India.

[Laffy Kat]

30. Oh, shit.

[peggysue2]

33. There's a terrific and horrifying article in The Guardian . . .

written by Arundahati Roy which gives an up close and personal look at what's going on in India as Covid ravages the country and her people. What happens in India doesn't necessarily stay in India. Or any other country for that matter. We are a global community whether we like it or not; the genie cannot be put back in the bottle. This pandemic and its variations affects us all regardless of geography.

It's scary stuff and tragic to the extreme.

Interesting, too, because Modi is very Trump-like in his style of leadership taking credit when the country had its first surprisingly modest outbreak, then lying his ass off once the current surge swept through the population. The lack of care and basic compassion is all too familiar.

This is a long read but a worthwhile expenditure of time. Roy is an excellent writer.


https://www.theguardian.com/news/2021/apr/28/crime-against-humanity-arundhati-roy-india-covid-catastrophe

[wnylib]

42. NPR is reporting this morning that

Americans in India have been advised that they can leave.

If they return to the US, I sure hope that they arexrequired to quarantine for 2 weeks, and that they do not spread anything to crew and passengers on their plane.

But what else can we do? We can't refuse our own citizens the care they might need.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

50. Flashback to the US citizens who were evacuated from China

They flew over and then spread all over US.

[wnylib]

51. I have been remembering that.

It's why I am concerned that we might see a repeat. The vaccine effectiveness with the newer mutations is reduced. Vaccinations will help, but there are still many who are not vaccinated at all. If hospitals get overwhelmed, people could die from other, non covid emergencies when they can't get access to overwhelmed hospital ERs.

ON EDIT: I think that people returning from India should be placed in one location with supervised quarantine for two weeks, plus receive vaccinations. But I know that won't happen because we place individual freedoms ahead of public safety.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

52. Agree totally. Not complaining, promise, but I guess for

the last year I had been thinking that once Biden got in, all the things we said we should have been done, he would do. I know he's concentrating on vaccine distribution but I wrongly assumed he'd have more control/influence over states. And with variants it's like we are starting from scratch.

Still think that he should get on TV once a week and talk about the states who have vaccinated the most. Make it into a contest of sorts. Make the ranking well known. Praise good states. This could make worst states try to improve. Who wants to vacation ( and spend $) in a state with low vaccination rates?

Hope like hell they do what you suggest for India returnees.

[wnylib]

53. Good idea to have states compete for

best place to work and take vacation based on vaccination and covid infection status. Biden has his hands full, and so does VP Harris, but maybe another govrrnment representative could take this up and post it on the US gov site as well as on TV and social media. Who is overseeing the vaccine rollout?

On India, it won't happen. It should, but I can't see it as a real likelihood. So in a few months, or weeks, we will see a rise in the US of the Indian strain.

[helpisontheway]

54. We will be there in a few weeks. And a family member wants us to eat in a restaurant. Nope! Not

doing it here and definitely not going to there.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

56. This whole horrible journey has evolved SO much and SO

Differently than most of us imagined, ey?

Just months ago, thought getting a vaccine would end it for us personally.

Remember someone saying when they get scared about catching the virus, they look at the stats and probabilities. BUT, it's still a life or death situation. I'm with you. Hermit life has become the norm