Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Duque de Bragança]

Second night of anti-lockdown riots in Spain. It has spread to many other cities, but at the same time they weren't as intense as the ones on Friday. 46 arrests. Biggest riot was in Logroño this time, with 150 people involved.

That sounds like a number of people who'd riot when given a good excuse regardless of what that is.

Yeah, it feels a bit like that, to be honest. The looting of stores is also a bit of a giveaway too.

The looters going after the Lacoste shop was a dead giveaway. 

Tracksuits? 

[celedhring]

Looks like we're headed towards a 15-day "circuit-breaker" lockdown in the coming days-weeks. Curious whether the Welsh one ends up moving the needle for them, they were the first to adopt it.

[Legbiter]

Yesterday we had 24 new infections, most were in quarantine. All pubs and clubs are closed, gyms and sport as well. Mask usage has picked up a lot in the last month or so since it was mandated in stores. This third wave is now as big as the first one. We'll keep at it for 2 more weeks and then reassess.

[Syt]

[Josquius]

There's a lot of this kind of wholesome advertising these days. Microsoft has been doing it a lot too with the xbox. Seems to be a big growing trend amidst the sheer horror of mainstream politics. Which I think tells us something good about today's young.

[mongers]

Yesterday we had 24 new infections, most were in quarantine. All pubs and clubs are closed, gyms and sport as well. Mask usage has picked up a lot in the last month or so since it was mandated in stores. This third wave is now as big as the first one. We'll keep at it for 2 more weeks and then reassess.

What Iceland is doing with it's 300,000 odd people, seems to be what local authorities here should be aiming for with a largely local focused/organised track, trace and quarentine system.

Needless to say England is a long way from that, with the road block of two multi-billion pound contracts with large corporations in the way.

[Syt]

Your tax dollars at work!

https://apnews.com/article/trump-admin-funds-plasma-eugene-zurlo-5990d2ac718bc26070e72ce55bc712f8

Trump admin funds plasma company based in owner's condo

WASHINGTON (AP) — When the Trump administration gave a well-connected Republican donor seed money to test a possible COVID-19-fighting blood plasma technology, it noted the company's "manufacturing facilities" in Charleston, South Carolina.

Plasma Technologies LLC is indeed based in the stately waterfront city. But there are no manufacturing facilities. Instead, the company exists within the luxury condo of its majority owner, Eugene Zurlo.

Zurlo's company may be in line for as much as $65 million in taxpayer dollars; enough to start building an actual production plant, according to internal government records and other documents obtained by The Associated Press.

The story of how a tiny business that exists only on paper has managed to snare attention from the highest reaches of the U.S. military and government is emblematic of the Trump administration's frenetic response to the coronavirus pandemic.

It's also another in a series of contracts awarded to people with close political ties to key officials despite concerns voiced by government scientists. Among the others: an ill-conceived $21 million study of Pepcid as a COVID therapy and more than a half billion dollars to ApiJect Systems America, a startup with an unapproved medicine injection technology and no factory to manufacture the devices.

In addition, a government whistleblower claimed that a $1.6 billion vaccine contract to Novavax Inc. was made over objections of scientific staff.

At the center of these deals is Dr. Robert Kadlec, a senior Trump appointee at the Department of the Health and Human Services who backed the Pepcid, Novavax and ApiJect projects. Records obtained by the AP also describe Kadlec as a key supporter of Zurlo's company.

In one government email obtained by the AP, an official said Kadlec, whose job as assistant secretary for preparedness and response is to help guide the nation through public health emergencies, was "all in" on Plasma Technologies.

This was the case despite misgivings from the scientists he oversees. One of them said the company would be just another "mouth to feed" that would distract from other important work on the pandemic. An HHS spokesperson said Kadlec "does not have a role in technical review of proposals nor in negotiating contracts."

Kadlec has come under pressure from the White House to act with more urgency and not be bound by lower-level officials whom Trump has castigated as the "deep state" and accused of politically motivated delays in fielding COVID-19 vaccines and remedies. This pressure has led to investments in numerous untested companies.

The AP reached out to more than a dozen blood plasma industry leaders and medical experts. Few had heard of Zurlo's company or its technology, and would not comment.

Zurlo, the company's founder and a former pharmaceutical industry executive, told the AP in an email that the renewed interest in his company is being driven by COVID and other diseases.

"It is increasingly clear that the collection of adequate supplies of plasma is not possible; the answer being the adoption of new process technology that fully utilizes the scarce plasma currently available," he said.

But whether Zurlo's technology, which claims to increase the amount of disease-fighting plasma harvested from human blood, will be an improvement over other methods is still anyone's guess.

Top government officials began to take notice of Plasma Technologies after Rick Santorum, a former Republican senator from Pennsylvania and two-time presidential candidate, became part-owner, according to the records and AP interviews.

After Congress supplied hundreds of billions of dollars to combat the pandemic, Santorum stepped up his sales pitch for the company's method of turning human plasma into a therapeutic product — a process the company has described as a game changer. In mid-August, the federal government awarded Plasma Technologies a $750,000 grant to demonstrate that it could deliver on its promises.

Santorum, who's held no elective office since 2007, remains influential among social conservatives, a key part of President Donald Trump's political base. Santorum has extolled the president's handling of the pandemic on national television in his job as a CNN commentator, arguing that the nation's response would have been worse under a Democratic administration.

Trump "didn't botch it," Santorum said recently in response to charges that the president had done a poor job leading the country through COVID-19. "I mean you guys keep blaming Trump. This is a local decision."

HHS would not comment when asked whether Santorum's public backing of the president led to a company he has a financial stake in getting a government contract.

Zurlo has deep ties to the Republican Party. He has contributed thousands of dollars to Santorum's campaigns and to other GOP campaigns and political action committees. He entertained Santorum and his family at the mansion Zurlo used to own on Kiawah Island, an exclusive golf resort in South Carolina. They would play golf during the day and enjoy evenings overlooking the Atlantic, according to Michel "Mitch" LaPlante, a former business associate of Zurlo's who attended several dinners with Santorum and Zurlo.

The business relationship between Zurlo and LaPlante turned ugly after those days of hobnobbing on Kiawah. A real estate deal they had invested in together fell into foreclosure, leading to a suit seeking more than $700 million by their mortgage lender. Each man sued the other for fraud and severed their business ties acrimoniously.

Zurlo founded Plasma Technologies in 2003, according to articles of organization and other records filed with South Carolina's secretary of state. The company's most recently listed address is Zurlo's condominium in Charleston's French Quarter.

The company has no other presence in South Carolina — or any other state — even though a U.S. government spokeswoman told the AP that Plasma Technologies has "manufacturing facilities" in Charleston.

"Fairy tale," LaPlante said when asked if Plasma Technologies operates any commercial space in South Carolina's most populous city.

Granting tens of millions of dollars to Plasma Technologies would track with Trump's support for treating COVID-19 patients with convalescent plasma. Plasma, the yellowish liquid part of blood, harbors various antibodies, the soldiers of the body's immune response that can target specific intruders such as viruses. Studies are underway to see if plasma taken from people who have recently recovered from COVID-19 can help those newly diagnosed fight the infection.

Zurlo has spent years trying to break into a sector of the pharmaceutical industry that manufactures therapies using antibodies called immunoglobulins, which are taken from healthy people to treat immune disorders. But routine immunoglobulin treatments are only one part of the field.

During the pandemic, many plasma companies are focusing on "hyperimmune globulin," a therapy that pools and purifies plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients. The result is a powerful "potential global treatment for people at risk for serious complications from COVID-19," according to the CoVIg-19 Plasma Alliance, an industry group that includes the world's largest plasma companies. Hyperimmune globulin produced by several companies is being tested in new COVID-19 patients.

The process for making these plasma-based therapies is called fractionation, and Plasma Technologies markets its approach as a "disruptive and transformative" technology that makes for a more potent product, according to the records. A document prepared by Plasma Technologies in late May that outlines the company's business strategy is focused on how much better its method is than a World War II-era process named for its developer, Edwin Cohn.

Dr. Jeff Henderson, an infectious disease specialist at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, said it is very likely that many companies have already developed improvements over the decades-old "Cohn" method. They just don't discuss them publicly because they are trade secrets.

"There may be 50 technologies in use that are an improvement over Cohn fractionation," Henderson said.

But Santorum described the plasma fractionation industry as more interested in keeping shareholders happy than adopting new technologies that would require expensive modifications to their manufacturing lines.

"You've got companies that are doing really well and don't want to change anything," Santorum said in an interview with the AP.

"We're the little guy trying to fight City Hall."

Plasma Technologies seemed to be on its way in 2014. The company had licensed its system to Dallas-based Access Pharmaceuticals, according to financial records filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

One filing described Zurlo as a trailblazer whose technology would "fundamentally change the economics of plasma fractionation." Under the terms of the licensing agreement, Plasma Technologies was to be paid $1 million in cash with an additional $4 million in cash or stock to come.

But three years later, the agreement ended abruptly, according to the SEC records.

Now named Abeona Therapeutics, the company was grappling with crushing deficits — $346 million in June 2017. It's unclear whether any of that red ink was due to the deal with Plasma Technologies. But by the end of 2017, "the agreement was terminated and the technology was returned" to Zurlo's company, according to an Abeona SEC filing.

A spokesman for Abeona Therapeutics declined to comment on the licensing agreement with Plasma Technologies.

Santorum blamed the deal's demise on onerous regulatory hurdles imposed by the Food and Drug Administration to ensure patient safety.

"They basically killed the product," he said.

Santorum rejected any suggestion that Zurlo's innovation is unproven, even though his company has never made an FDA-approved product. Plasma Technologies, he declared, is on the verge of transforming the industry, and for a fraction of the cost to develop a coronavirus vaccine.

"I'm just telling you, it's gonna happen," Santorum said.

Zurlo brought Santorum aboard after the agreement with Abeona fell through. "We've got an FDA problem. Can you help me?" Santorum recalled Zurlo telling him.

Zurlo's close relationship to Santorum offered a direct line into the FDA. The former senator had built a connection with Dr. Peter Marks, a senior FDA official, according to the documents obtained by AP.

In September 2019, Marks introduced Santorum at an FDA workshop held to explore the development of therapies for a rare disease. Santorum told the group about his youngest child, who was born with a life-threatening condition known as Trisomy 18, according to a transcript. Immunoglobulin treatments had saved her life, he told the audience.

Santorum's personal story about his child's illness was intertwined with a promotion of Plasma Technologies. Santorum said Zurlo, whom he called "a good friend," had invented a groundbreaking technology for better plasma-based therapies to help his child and others.

[Sheilbh]

So this is interesting - everyone in Liverpool is going to be tested as a pilot scheme for mass testing. From the Liverpool Echo:

Everyone in Liverpool will be tested for covid-19 as armed forces arrive to launch first whole city testing operation
City to become centre of government's key strategy for fighting the virus with hundreds of thousands of quickfire tests bringing hopes of a more normal Christmas for local people
ByLiam Thorp
    22:15, 2 NOV 2020Updated22:51, 2 NOV 2020

Everyone living or working in Liverpool will be offered regular covid-19 tests in the first whole city programme in the country - with rapid turnaround tests available across the city from Friday.

Two thousand military personnel will arrive in the city later this week to roll-out a huge programme of hundreds of thousands of tests as Liverpool becomes the centre of the government's new strategy to fight the virus.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has talked of rapid mass testing as offering a "moonshot" solution which could help bring the UK out of the coronavirus crisis - and the key plan will begin in Liverpool this week.

Local leaders have been working with government and put the city forward for the crucial pilot programme in the hope it will drive down infection levels and potentially mean an easing of restrictions before Christmas.

Liverpool residents and workers will be tested using a combination of existing swab tests, as well as new lateral flow tests, which can rapidly turn around results within an hour without the need to be processed in a lab, as well as 'LAMP' technology due to be deployed in Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for NHS staff.

The pilot will help to inform a blueprint for how mass testing can be achieved and how fast and reliable covid-19 testing can be delivered at scale.

If successful in Liverpool, the programme will be rolled out across the rest of the city region and then in other areas of the country.

It is hoped that the mass testing programme will give cities, like Liverpool in this first instance, a much clearer picture of the number of cases in any one area, enabling local leaders to make informed decisions to manage the spread of the virus and support local people.

The more people who get tested, the greater the accuracy of the local picture, which it is hoped will allow local decisions to be made about how to fight the virus and how to potentially allow people in the city to start to get back to some normal activities.

Testing will be carried out in sites across the city, including a large number of new sites determined by local leaders.

There will be a variety of ways to book a test, including online, walk-up, or by invitation from the local authority.

Testing will be carried out in new and existing test sites, using home kits, in hospitals and care home settings, and schools, universities and workplaces.

Positive results from tests will be collected by NHS Test and Trace and published as part of the daily case numbers, including how many positive cases are detected with this new method of testing.

Results will be received from NHS Test and Trace via text and email.

Anyone who tests positive, using either a lateral flow test or an existing swab test, must self-isolate along with their household immediately and their contacts will be traced.

Those who test negative will need to continue to follow all national guidance.

These more advanced tests will help identify infectious individuals who are not displaying symptoms and help identify far more positive cases so they can self-isolate and prevent the virus from spreading, in a first step towards rolling out mass testing more widely across the UK.

Those who test positive – and contacts who are required to self-isolate - will be entitled to the £500 Test and Trace Support Payment in the same way as a regular swab test ordered through NHS Test and Trace.

Around 2,000 military personnel supporting the huge testing programme will arrive in Liverpool from Thursday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "I want to thank the civic leaders of Liverpool for volunteering to join the UK's first city-wide population testing pilot and the people of Liverpool for taking part.

"These tests will help identify the many thousands of people in the city who don't have symptoms but can still infect others without knowing.

"Dependent on their success in Liverpool, we will aim to distribute millions of these new rapid tests between now and Christmas and empower local communities to use them to drive down transmission in their areas.

"It is early days, but this kind of mass testing has the potential to be a powerful new weapon in our fight against COVID-19."

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "Last month we set out our ambition to use the latest mass testing technologies to bring this virus under control.

"Mass testing will help us to control this virus, by finding it even before people get symptoms.

"I'm delighted we can now roll out mass testing to whole cities - starting with the City of Liverpool.

"Using half a million of the very latest rapid tests, this rollout can help suppress the virus and give residents and workers some peace of mind.

"I want to thank local leaders, Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson and City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram, and Liverpool's Director of Public Health Matt Ashton, who will continue to work hand in hand with our dedicated Armed Forces to provide tests to anyone who wants one, fully supported by NHS Test and Trace.

"Everyone in Liverpool can help play their part by getting a test and following the rules, including the critical basics of hands, space, face."

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: "During negotiations with central government, myself and Steve Rotheram have always highlighted the need for enhanced public health intervention measures in Liverpool and the wider city region, and we were keen that we should be considered for any new strategies to tackle the worrying rise in Covid-19.

"We are pleased that our numerous conversations have resulted in Liverpool becoming a pilot for mass testing, which will help to quickly identify people who have the virus and reduce transmission substantially.

"We are seeing a slow reduction in figures in Liverpool which shows we are on the right path and residents and businesses are working together and following guidelines for the greater good.

"We hope this new initiative boosts our efforts, and we will continue to see the numbers of positive cases drop across the city."

  Liverpool City Council will set out how residents and workers will be able to access the tests this week.

Separately - and I've no idea what to make of this - the North West Ambulance Service declared a major incident last night and asked that only people in life threatening circumstances call 999, other people should make their own way to the hospital. They said they got swamped with an increase of 30-40% of 999 calls and say it wasn't covid related as only 15% of calls related to covid. I'm not sure what happened. Hopefully we'll get more info today (part of me wonders if it's people going hard before lockdown).

[Syt]

Slovakia tested their entire population of 3+ million recently and hat 38k positives who are now being quarantined.

[mongers]

Slovakia tested their entire population of 3+ million recently and hat 38k positives who are now being quarantined.

It's a fascinating experiment for Europeans and as Shelf mentioned we going to try something similar in Merseyside, but has some non-European countries tried out this method before?

If it wasn't months ago and in an entirely alien* environment, maybe we could have learnt something from them?



* intentional use to suggest probable racial/cultural biases have clouded our approach.   

[Sheilbh]

It's a fascinating experiment for Europeans and as Shelf mentioned we going to try something similar in Merseyside, but has some non-European countries tried out this method before?

If it wasn't months ago and in an entirely alien* environment, maybe we could have learnt something from them?

Not that I'm aware of.

[mongers]

It's a fascinating experiment for Europeans and as Shelf mentioned we going to try something similar in Merseyside, but has some non-European countries tried out this method before?

If it wasn't months ago and in an entirely alien* environment, maybe we could have learnt something from them?

Not that I'm aware of.

Some Chinese cities?

[Sheilbh]

It's a fascinating experiment for Europeans and as Shelf mentioned we going to try something similar in Merseyside, but has some non-European countries tried out this method before?

If it wasn't months ago and in an entirely alien* environment, maybe we could have learnt something from them?

Not that I'm aware of.

Some Chinese cities?

Maybe - I'm not aware of it being a big thing in East Asia. South Korea had a lot more testing in the early stages of the pandemic, but most European countries and the US have overtaken them now; Japan never had much testing at all. From my understanding the key differences from a policy perspective have been far better contact tracing and strict quarantine/isolation rules, I suspect that's probably linked to state capacity - but as I say everyone in Europe failed compared to East Asian states so maybe not, you know, even Germany, Denmark or Greece failed in comparison.

I do feel there's a cultural element of previous recent experience of pandemics which produce behavioural changes quickly. I think we're likely to see more pandemics in the future and this learned experience will be something we have now. We'll all start distancing and masking up when cases arrive rather than waiting to learn that.

Also there may be useful lessons from China and Vietnam (I'm less confident about China on this) in their response to the pandemic. But they are both quite sophisticated surveillance states. I think there's probably more for us to learn from South Korea, Taiwan, Japan etc because they've managed to stop cases without enormous state resources on internal policing.

And in England and Sctoland contact tracing has been a failure. The numbers were pretty good in the first few weeks but needed to improve, instead they got worse (Wales has actually done far better). But the other point is that compliance has been really bad - I think there's a KCL study that looked at people who were contactedby the contact tracing people, told they'd had contact with a positive case and asked to quarantine. Only 11% did - part of that is definitely economics but I think some of it is also just failure of public health messaging. A small part of it is probably just people being dicks, I did note that men were less likely to self-isolate which did not surprise me - because I tend to think of men when I think of people who take risks with other people's health/lives.

[garbon]

Did you see the latest on UK tracing app that not all people who should have been told to isolate were actually being told?

[Sheilbh]

Did you see the latest on UK tracing app that not all people who should have been told to isolate were actually being told?

Yeah - this isn't linked to the app, I think the study was actually before that launched. It was about people who were being phoned by contact tracers.

But also there's just a failure around the comms on this because we should be self-isolating and requesting a test if we have the symptoms and I don't think people are doing that.