Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[viper37]

Couple of days ago was when I was kind of rushing to a place where masking was mandatory and I forgot to bring one. Luckily I had a spare in the car, but it was the first time when mask wearing just slipped my mind completely.

It happens to me, sometimes.  I enter the place, realize after the fact I forgot my mask, go back and get it. Meh.

[Grey Fox]

My kids wear masks all day in school.

I thought that rule was dropped?

In high schools. Primary schools are still full of unvaccinated persons.

[Syt]

In Wels, protestors unhappy with anti-Covid measures, blocked access to a hospital.

[The Larch]

Where's the riot police when one needs it?

[Syt]

Where's the riot police when one needs it?

They only come out against left wing protests.

[Tamas]

What utter scum. Indeed why they are not being stomped into the ground. Can somebody go there with some red and/or rainbow flags to trigger a police response?

[Syt]

Another Wednesday, another new daily case record (Wednesdays are high because of heavy testing on Mondays, including at schools; results come in on Tuesday, and the numbers are then communicated on Wednesday).

There was a news bit on TV about a hospital in Upper Austria where out of 18 surgery rooms only 6 are available because personnel is needed for Covid cases. The TV crew and one of the doctors then talked to unvaccinated people waiting in line to be tested who were unconvinced of the claims and accused to doctor of lying, and after all the vaccination is worse. One young guy said, "I have a lung condition, but I haven't caught Covid so far, so why bother now? If I catch it I'll still be fine, I have a good immune system."

Other hospitals report having to shut down departments or scaling them back to free up personnel for Covid patients. One hospital had so many people die over the weekend that their pathology didn't catch up and had to store the bodies in the hallway for a while.

In the meantime, the government is publically arguing about what measures should be enacted when or where and not coordinating, well, anything amongst themselves at the moment.

[DGuller]

Where's the riot police when one needs it?

They're right there, probably.

[crazy canuck]

In Wels, protestors unhappy with anti-Covid measures, blocked access to a hospital.

I can't quite make out what the signs say - is it "We choose death for all"

[Sheilbh]

Very good news on emerging covid treatments - but I think we need to go further on ensuring these are available to everyone globally given the context of covid becoming endemic and global and treatments like this being essential to that (also I wonder what happens to pandemic preparedness if what gets us out of this isn't a vaccine but treatment? ):

Pfizer strikes deal to allow generic versions of its Covid pill for world's poor
Under the licensing agreement, Pfizer will not receive royalties from the manufacturers, making the treatment cheaper
Agence France-Presse
Wed 17 Nov 2021 01.24 GMT

US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has announced a deal to make its prospective antiviral Covid-19 pill available more cheaply in the world's least-wealthy countries.

Pfizer will allow generic manufacturers to supply its promising Paxlovid pill to 95 low-and middle-income nations covering about 53% of the world's population, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

Under the licensing agreement deal struck with the global Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), Pfizer - which also produces one of the most widely used Covid vaccines with German lab BioNTech - will not receive royalties from the manufacturers, making the treatment cheaper.

The agreement is subject to the oral antiviral medication passing ongoing trials and regulatory approval.

Interim data from ongoing trials demonstrated an 89% reduction in the risk of Covid-19-related hospitalisation or death compared to a placebo, in non-hospitalised high-risk adults with Covid-19 within three days of symptom onset, said Pfizer.

Similar results were seen within five days of symptom onset, it added.

The Geneva-based MPP is a United Nations-backed international organisation that works to facilitate the development of medicines for low-and middle-income nations.

If approved, the pill could be on the market in "a matter of months", MPP policy chief Esteban Burrone told Agence France-Presse.

Pfizer also said Tuesday that it was seeking an emergency use authorisation, or EUA, in the US for the Covid pill.

Pfizer will forego royalties on sales in all countries covered by the agreement while Covid-19 remains classified as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization.

Paxlovid, or PF-07321332, is an investigational antiviral therapy designed to block the activity of the Sars-CoV-2-3CL protease - an enzyme that the coronavirus needs to replicate.

Taking it together with a low dose of HIV medicine ritonavir helps slow the breakdown of PF-07321332. It therefore remains active in the body for a longer period at a high concentration, to help combat the virus.

"We believe oral antiviral treatments can play a vital role in reducing the severity of Covid-19 infections, decreasing the strain on our healthcare systems and saving lives," said Pfizer chairman and chief executive Albert Bourla.

While a multitude of vaccines have been rolled out in the pandemic, the hunt for treatments for those who have already caught the disease has not been as fruitful.

"This licence is so important because, if authorised or approved, this oral drug is particularly well-suited for low-and middle-income countries and could play a critical role in saving lives, contributing to global efforts to fight the current pandemic," Charles Gore, Executive Director of MPP, said in a statement on Tuesday.

Potential sublicensees have until 6 December to register an expression of interest.

The announcement comes after the MPP signed a similar voluntary licensing deal with Pfizer's US rivals Merck & Co last month for its investigational oral antiviral medicine molnupiravir.

Subject to regulatory approval, the deal will help create broad access to molnupiravir in 105 low-and middle-income countries.

Pills are easier to make than vaccines, do not require a cold chain for delivery and can be self-administered by the patient.

Pricing for the Pfizer pill has not yet been set, with Doctors Without Borders (MSF) suggesting it might cost about $700 per Pfizer treatment course, in line with molnupiravir.

The medical charity said it was disheartened by the deal, saying restrictive voluntary licences were no substitute for guaranteed global access to Covid tools to bring the pandemic under control.

[Syt]

The governor of Upper Austria has said today that his state and Salzburg will go into full lockdown next Monday. He will push for a countrywide lockdown at the meeting between state governors and federal government on Friday.

[Syt]

ICU cases in Austria. Better not to think about what the curve would be like with an even lower vaccination rate (currently ca. 2/3).

[Admiral Yi]

Iowa has been stuck at 60% vaccination forever.  Those yahoos in the western part of the state are never going to get it.

[Syt]

Iowa has been stuck at 60% vaccination forever.  Those yahoos in the western part of the state are never going to get it.

I'm going out on a limb and assume that population density in Western Iowa is a lot lower than pretty much anywhere in Austria? (Iowa is 22/km² vs. Austria's 108)

Voices calling for mandatory vaccinations are getting louder over here.

[Syt]

Vienna has scheduled a vaccination appointment for all non-vaccinated people and sent them invitation letters with additional information material addressing the common worries of anti-vaxxers. They're asked to cancel the appointment if they still don't want to get vaccinated. I ... am not sure how this will go.