#coronavirus community transmission

[iliveinprocrasti-nationn]

fauci saying “vulnerable people will fall by the wayside” and that some will die but that’s ok because we’re not going to see the “tsunami of cases” we’ve seen before is so dehumanising. so babies with no immune system, elderly people, disabled people, and people without adequate access to healthcare can all die of covid. but it’s ok guys because actually they’re just falling to the wayside and everyone else will go back to normal and be fine (sarcasm).

my death or the deaths of my family or friends wouldn’t be us “falling by the wayside”, it would be us being failed by our government, healthcare systems, and communities who have refused to take coronavirus seriously despite mounting anecdotal and scientific evidence of the harm this virus does. fact that people can accept the deaths of vulnerable groups just because they want to eat in a restaurant or don’t want to wear a mask is horrifying

[tomorrowusa]

Four years ago today (March 13th), then President Donald Trump got around to declaring a national state of emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic. The administration had been downplaying the danger to the United States for 51 days since the first US infection was confirmed on January 22nd.

From an ABC News article dated 25 February 2020...

CDC warns Americans of 'significant disruption' from coronavirus

Until now, health officials said they'd hoped to prevent community spread in the United States. But following community transmissions in Italy, Iran and South Korea, health officials believe the virus may not be able to be contained at the border and that Americans should prepare for a "significant disruption." This comes in contrast to statements from the Trump administration. Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said Tuesday the threat to the United States from coronavirus "remains low," despite the White House seeking $1.25 billion in emergency funding to combat the virus. Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, told CNBC’s Kelly Evans on “The Exchange” Tuesday evening, "We have contained the virus very well here in the U.S." [ ... ] House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the request "long overdue and completely inadequate to the scale of this emergency." She also accused President Trump of leaving "critical positions in charge of managing pandemics at the National Security Council and the Department of Homeland Security vacant." "The president's most recent budget called for slashing funding for the Centers for Disease Control, which is on the front lines of this emergency. And now, he is compounding our vulnerabilities by seeking to ransack funds still needed to keep Ebola in check," Pelosi said in a statement Tuesday morning. "Our state and local governments need serious funding to be ready to respond effectively to any outbreak in the United States. The president should not be raiding money that Congress has appropriated for other life-or-death public health priorities." She added that lawmakers in the House of Representatives "will swiftly advance a strong, strategic funding package that fully addresses the scale and seriousness of this public health crisis." Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also called the Trump administration's request "too little too late." "That President Trump is trying to steal funds dedicated to fight Ebola -- which is still considered an epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo -- is indicative of his towering incompetence and further proof that he and his administration aren't taking the coronavirus crisis as seriously as they need to be," Schumer said in a statement.

A reminder that Trump had been leaving many positions vacant – part of a Republican strategy to undermine the federal government.

Here's a picture from that ABC piece from a nearly empty restaurant in San Francisco's Chinatown. The screen displays a Trump tweet still downplaying COVID-19 with him seeming more concerned about the effect of the Dow Jones on his re-election bid.

People were not buying Trump's claims but they were buying PPE.

I took this picture at CVS on February 26th that year.

The stock market which Trump in his February tweet claimed looked "very good" was tanking on March 12th – the day before his state of emergency declaration.

Trump succeeded in sending the US economy into recession much faster than George W. Bush did at the end of his term – quite a feat!. (As an aside, every recession in the US since 1981 has been triggered by Republican presidents.)

Of course Trump never stopped trying to downplay the pandemic nor did he ever take responsibility for it. The US ended up with the highest per capita death rate of any technologically advanced country.

Precious time was lost while Trump dawdled. Orange on this map indicates COVID infections while red indicates COVID deaths. At the time Trump declared a state of emergency, the virus had already spread to 49 states.

The United States could have done far better and it certainly had the tools to do so.

The Obama administration had limited the number of US cases of Ebola to under one dozen during that pandemic in the 2010s. Based on their success, they compiled a guide on how the federal government could limit future pandemics.

Obama team left pandemic playbook for Trump administration, officials confirm

Of course Trump ignored it.

Unlike those boxes of nuclear secrets in Trump's bathroom, the Obama pandemic limitation document is not classified. Anybody can read it – even if Trump didn't. This copy comes from the Stanford University Libraries.

TOWARDS EPIDEMIC PREDICTION: FEDERAL EFFORTS AND OPPORTUNITIES IN OUTBREAK MODELING

Feel free to share this post with anybody who still feels nostalgic about the Trump White House years!

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive

The answer is "by the skin of their teeth," but this article is too polite to say it.

By Joshua Boscaini

COVID-19 is evolving and with it the need for new vaccines to protect people against serious illness and death.

Australia has detected its first cases of the highly transmissible XEC "recombinant" variant — a mix of two previous Omicron variants called KS 1.1 and KP 3.3.

Researchers have been working to ensure immunisations that provide an adequate level of protection against new COVID-19 variants are widely available to the community.

So if there are always new variants, how do scientists keep up with mutations and update the vaccines?

How are mRNA COVID-19 vaccines made? When reports of coronavirus first emerged, researchers quickly obtained a genomic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes COVID-19.

This helped researchers work out the genetic make-up of the virus and how it causes disease in people, according to the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI).

Once scientists analysed the genetic sequence, they identified the spike protein as the most effective target for the immune system and created a copy or code for it.

Unlike traditional vaccines that contain an inactivated or weakened version of the virus, mRNA COVID-19 vaccines contain a message or code that is delivered to someone's cells.

Doherty Institute professor of virology Damian Purcell said that spike protein code — or RNA message — was "packaged" into lipids to keep it protected for distribution in syringes.

Professor Purcell said once the mRNA vaccine — or message — was injected into a person's muscle, it instructed their cells to reproduce the spike protein.

"These are little bubbles of fat, four different lipids, that together encase the RNA [and] enable it to be protected as it is packaged into syringes and injected into your muscle," Professor Purcell said.

"Those lipids facilitate the uptake and delivery of the essential messenger RNA — the message to be coded within your own cells so your own cells start making the … spike protein."

The process triggers an immune response which creates spike protein antibodies.

The NHGRI said those antibodies remained in the body and recognised the virus if someone became infected, attacking the antigen before it reached healthy cells.

How are vaccines modified to keep up with new strains? Westmead Institute for Medical Research Centre for Virus Research director Tony Cunningham said new strains emerged when the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein changed, making the virus more transmissible.

Professor Cunningham said the mRNA vaccines allowed scientists to change the spike protein code and update the vaccine with the new message.

"If you actually think about RNA like DNA is coloured beads on a string — four coloured beads and they vary along the string — then it's in essence changing that sequence," he said.

"You can just simply change the middle bit of the RNA and that can be done very quickly.

"That spike protein is the one that actually allows the virus to attach to the cell and what we want to do is produce antibodies that stop viruses attaching to the cell."

Professor Purcell agreed, saying one of the advantages of mRNA vaccines was they could be changed and produced usually within a month.

"It's actually one of the really powerful aspects of the mRNA technology, is that many, many steps … can remain the same," he said.

Professor Cunningham said the key to responding quickly to new variants was maintaining good surveillance.

He said it was up to the World Health Organization to recommend what strains should be included in updated vaccines.

Professor Cunningham said the vaccines then needed to be approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in Australia to make sure they were safe and effective, a process which could take about two months.

Why do vaccines need to be updated? COVID-19 vaccines need to be updated because they cannot protect against newer strains of the virus as effectively, according to Professor Cunningham.

He said that was because the immune system did not have the same antibodies to recognise and fight off the mutated virus.

"Variants can change so they're no longer completely protected against the antibodies that are circulating," Professor Cunningham said.

"That's why we need to keep changing our vaccines, and … particularly in aging people, we need to be immunised every six months to keep the antibodies up."

Professor Purcell said the first Omicron strain was an "escape" variant that required an updated vaccine.

"When the first Omicron came, it had many, many, many changes — more than we'd ever seen before and that was a very significant escape variant," he said.

"People vaccinated with the ancestral strain of vaccine were not protected from transmission with that COVID variant."

He said while people still had some immunity from the original vaccine, it was not enough.

"We do have some underpinning immunity that's capable of still preventing severe disease from those infections but it is still relevant enough to develop a new strain of vaccine," he said.

What vaccines have been approved for use in Australia? Australian Department of Health statistics showed 72.3 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine had been administered as of October 9.

Pfizer's Omicron XBB. 1.5 and original vaccines were approved for use in children aged five to 11 years old, while Pfizer's original vaccine was also available for children aged six months to four years.

Pfizer's Omicron XBB. 1.5, Original/Omicron BA.4/5 and Moderna's Omicron XBB. 1.5 were available for people aged 12 years and older, according to Healthdirect.

The TGA said it was evaluating Pfizer and Moderna's JN.1 strain vaccine for use in Australia.

[pandemichub]

Waste water is still one bit of data that may provide some kind of forecast and measure of transmission. That said, this would be a terrible loss, and leave people with even less or no tools to make informed choices and protect themselves, their loved ones, community and associates.

More information about Gregory Travis: http://www.gregorytravis.com/About/

[ausetkmt]

Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health: Lets Talk About Racism | Columbia Public

Our researchers are shining a light on discrimination’s effect on the public’s health and taking steps to stop it.

In March of 2020, when then-Mayor Bill DeBlasio announced that the New York City Police Department would be responsible for enforcing mandates related to the raging COVID-19 pandemic, Seth J. Prins, MPH ’10, PhD ’16, had a bad feeling. “We saw anecdotal reports in the media that most of the people being arrested or given summonses were Black,” says Prins, assistant professor of Epidemiology and Sociomedical Sciences.

Sure enough, once data became available, Prins and his research team found that ZIP codes with a higher percentage of Black residents had significantly higher rates of COVID-19–specific court summonses and arrests, even after researchers took into account what percentage of people in each area were following social distancing rules. The team’s findings suggested that tasking police with enforcing mandates may have contributed to overpolicing of Black communities and the harms that result. Living in a neighborhood with a high rate of police stops has been associated with elevated rates of anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and even asthma. Prins and his colleagues found that pandemic policing mirrored the discretionary nature of the city’s stop-and-frisk program, which was deemed unconstitutional in 2013 due to racially discriminatory practices.

“It was a sick irony,” he says. “Not only did the policy increase close contact with police, who had incredibly low vaccination rates and often weren’t wearing masks, but also the people arrested were taken to crowded jails, where transmission rates were extremely high, and then sent back to their communities, which were already experiencing disproportionately high rates of coronavirus.”

His team’s report is one of several highlighting the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic brought to the fore the long-standing effects of racism on public health, with findings of far higher death rates in this country among people of color. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared racism a serious public health threat in 2021, following decades of research supporting the idea that structural racism is a significant driver of the social determinants of health, impacting everything from where people live and where their children go to school to the quality of the air they breathe, the food they eat, and the healthcare they receive. In recent years, Columbia Mailman School researchers have published numerous studies that underscore the persistent and devastating effects of racism on public health and illustrate the ways in which historically marginalized groups experience deep-seated health inequities that lead to higher rates of diabetes, hypertension, obesity, asthma, and heart disease, as well as a shorter life expectancy.

In her course titled The Untold Stories in U.S. Health Policy History, Heather Butts, JD, MPH, assistant professor of Health Policy and Management, guides students through an examination of policies that have embedded structural racism in healthcare over several decades. Among them is redlining, a racially biased mortgage-appraisal policy dating to the 1930s that led to food deserts (and the adverse health impacts that result) and other environmental adversities. More recently, research has shown that pulse oximeters are less effective on people with darker pigmentation. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, “You had Black and brown people going to their doctors and saying, ‘I’m having trouble breathing,’” she notes. “The doctor says, ‘The oximeter says your oxygen level is 96, you’re good to go.’ Meanwhile, that’s not an accurate reading.”

By continuing to probe the less obvious ways in which these historic mindsets continue to affect society, the researchers hope to contribute to a conversation whose ultimate goal is true health equity. Ami Zota, ScD, MS, who recently joined the School, has published research linking elevated levels of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the bodies of Black, Asian, and Latinx women to products, such as skin lighteners, hair straighteners, and fragranced feminine care products, that reinforce Eurocentric beauty norms. Discrimination based on hair style and texture has been directly traced to a lack of access to economic opportunity.

She also noted a subtle racism in some of the responses she got from the media covering the work. Some reporters asked her why, if the OB-GYN community had discouraged douching, Black women were still engaging in the practice. “They took the approach of vilifying the user,” she says.

So pervasive is structural racism that it affects the temperature of the air circulating within our homes. Diana Hernández, PhD, associate professor of Sociomedical Sciences, has documented how racism has resulted in both segregation and a lack of investment in housing among certain populations, with enduring implications for physical and mental health. Hernández is a sociologist who conducts much of her research in the South Bronx, where she grew up in Section 8 housing. She has found that people living in poverty and people of color are more likely to live in energy-inefficient homes (such as those with poor insulation), despite consuming less energy overall. Energy insecurity—the inability to meet basic household energy needs—is associated with poor sleep, mental strain, and respiratory illness. Affected households might cope with the lack of heat by using ovens, stoves, or space heaters to warm their homes (exacerbating the risk of fire and contributing to respiratory problems), and by wearing coats and extra layers of clothing indoors. They might spend their days in bed, tucked under blankets and quilts, and forgo food, medicines, and other necessities. Hernández tells the story of one woman who sent her kids to school with holes in their shoes so that she could afford to keep the lights on at home.

Though the energy crisis of the 1970s and ’80s led to the implementation of some programs that address home-energy insecurity, only about 1 in 5 eligible Americans actually obtain benefits. In addition to a lack of awareness about where and how to access help, people with limited incomes face administrative burdens, from having to take time off work and pay for transit to submitting documents verifying identity and need. Energy insecurity also tends to be internalized in a way that other issues aren’t, says Hernández, and is often interpreted as a personal failure. “There are ways people navigate the food landscape—by visiting food pantries or accessing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, for example—that are not available when it comes to energy,” she says, a situation that can affect social relations. In managing the shame and stigma associated with a lack of heat or power, many will keep friends and relatives at a distance.

Prins, whose early-career work in the policy realm spurred him to ask bigger-picture questions about racism and our country’s drug policy, has written extensively about the school-to-prison pipeline, a set of practices that make it more likely for some adolescents to be criminalized and ensnared in the legal system than to receive a quality education. The phenomenon gathered steam in the 1990s, part of a trend that saw the government cut spending in welfare, education, and housing while investing in systems of surveillance, punishment, and incarceration. “There are over 10 million students in the United States who go to a school that has a police officer but no nurse, counselor, social worker, or guidance counselor,” Prins says. Out-of-school suspensions have more than doubled over the past 40 years, and these policies have been borne disproportionately by adolescents of color, which is directly related to the preponderance of Black people in the nation’s criminal legal system.

Many Columbia Mailman School researchers have had the satisfaction of watching their work translate into real-world change. Zota testified before policymakers in California, Washington, and elsewhere as they considered regulations on beauty and personal care products, for instance, and saw the Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act, which bans the use of 24 hazardous ingredients from personal care products, passed in 2020. (Eighteen states, including California and New York, have also passed laws banning discrimination based on hair style and texture in the workplace and in schools.) A write-up in The Washington Post about Zota’s research into the presence of harmful chemicals in fast food led Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California to take the issue on and spurred Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois to petition the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about it.

The wins can be gratifying, but Zota and the others acknowledge that, like racism, entrenched interests including Big Pharma, Big Food, and other industries can obstruct the work getting done. For example, thanks in part to the trailblazing research of the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health, Congress instituted a federal ban on seven phthalates in levels exceeding 0.1 percent in toys and children’s products. But the dangerous chemicals can still be found in clothing, shower curtains, detergents, shampoos, and other products. Zota points to a lack of enforcement mechanisms for various consumer protection laws and to a dearth of funding for implementation. Last year, she published a paper looking at the effects of phthalates on learning and attention among children and recommending their elimination from food contact substances, only to see the FDA rule soon after that the petrochemical industry could continue using the most common phthalates—and leaving out any mention of health concerns in its decision. Facing challenges related to climate change, she noted, the industry appears to be digging in when it comes to the production of plastic.

Some progress is being made where the school-to-prison pipeline is concerned. Prins points to pilot programs in New York City that use restorative justice practices in schools to deal more holistically with disciplinary issues and that train teachers to be less discriminatory when applying discipline. But such measures can only go so far. Truly addressing the structural issues behind the school-to-prison pipeline, Prins says, will require a fundamental shift, one where social services are redirected from punishment to prevention. Similarly, he says, addressing mental health and substance use issues related to exploitation in the workplace shouldn’t be about offering underpaid and overworked people seminars on work-life balance. Policymakers should be looking at things like enforcing overtime laws and making it easier for people to unionize.

Systemic change will likely come about only once different questions start getting asked—and different people ask them. In 2019, Zota, whose parents hail from rural India, created Agents of Change in Environmental Justice, a fellowship aimed at amplifying the voices of environmental health scientists from marginalized backgrounds. The program’s move to Columbia with Zota’s arrival complements the work of RISE (Resilience,  Inclusion, Solidarity, and Empowerment), a peer mentor program launched at the School in 2018. These days, Zota says, most of the people shaping public perspectives in the environmental health field are older, male, and white, but the members of her program—which works with the nonprofit Environmental Health News to amplify research and engage with the public—offer different lived experiences. “Whether you’re talking about climate justice or environmental justice, if you’ve grown up in one of the communities that is hardest hit, that is going to shape how you view the problem and how you view solutions.” Participants in Agents of Change write essays and produce podcasts and videos. Graduates, including at least four Columbia Mailman School alumni, already have been invited to give talks at the National Institutes of Health and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

A new initiative capitalizing on the expertise of Epidemiology professor Mary Beth Terry, PhD ’99, will tackle systemic health problems among historically marginalized groups in a revolutionarily holistic way. In January, Terry was named director of the Center to Improve Chronic Disease Outcomes through Multi-level and Multi-generational Approaches Unifying Novel Interventions and Training for Health Equity  (known as COMMUNITY). While the citywide center has roots in public health, it incorporates representatives from cardiology, oncology, neurology, nursing, and general medicine and draws expertise from across Columbia University. The goal is for the Columbia researchers, working with colleagues from Cornell, NewYork-Presbyterian, Hunter College, and the City University of New York, to engage with the communities Columbia Mailman School serves, particularly the Black and Latinx communities, across several diseases at once. Whereas most research programs get their funding through a connection to individual diseases, the aim here is to break down silos and focus on more comprehensive interventions.

Terry calls this new initiative the realization of a 20-year dream shared by the entire team, whose members have wanted to work together, given the common antecedents to many chronic diseases. “This new funding focuses on developing and validating interventions as we have so much descriptive epidemiology already,” she says. “These data have existed for decades. We need scalable, successful interventions.”

Terry notes that community health workers, who tend to have large networks and inspire trust, will be central to achieving health equity. They are already part of a program focused on improving outcomes for people juggling multiple chronic diseases, including a sleep program recently launched in the Latinx community in Washington Heights. A Harlem project will rely on community health workers engaging with churches to identify candidates for colorectal cancer screening, as the guidelines recently changed in response to a surge in diagnoses among young Black men. Terry expects the combined initiatives, which are led by her Columbia colleagues, to improve health and help build the evidence for the cost-effectiveness of community health workers, and ultimately to fund them better.

Hernández, too, sees leveraging community networks—in her case, within reimagined multiple-unit housing—as a way to bridge gaps in public health. Practitioners have long worked in gathering places such as churches, particularly in Black communities, to get public health messages across. “In some ways,” she says, “sharing an address can be more of a connection point than sharing faith. There are so many things that can be done to think about meeting people where they are, reducing barriers, and reaching populations that are quote-unquote hard to reach.”

Researchers affiliated with the COMMUNITY Center will continue the work that Columbia Mailman School has long undertaken with community organizations such as the Harlem-based WE ACT for Environmental Justice—work that centers the concerns of people of color. Like Zota’s fellowship, COMMUNITY involves an educational element, including training the next generation of new investigators who are interested in combating the health inequities of chronic diseases. This deliberate passing on of knowledge is critical. “To me, structural racism is not having the mentors you need to move up the ranks,” says Butts. As an African American with degrees from three Ivy League universities, Butts stands as a living example of the change she and her colleagues all believe is possible.

[mariacallous]

Earlier this month, Germany’s Digital and Transport Minister Volker Wissing met with Twitter CEO Elon Musk to discuss disinformation. As reported in Ars Technica, following the meeting, a ministry spokesperson said that “Federal Minister Wissing made it clear . . . that Germany expects the existing voluntary commitments against disinformation and the rules of the Digital Services Act to be observed in the future.”

Twitter is one of several dozen signatories to the European Union’s (EU) “2022 Strengthened Code of Practice on Disinformation,” a self-regulatory framework for addressing disinformation. In light of the massive staff cuts at Twitter in recent months, it’s clear that there is concern in EU governments regarding whether Twitter will be in a position to meet commitments made prior to its acquisition by Elon Musk.

The 2022 Disinformation Code contains a series of 44 “Commitments,” some of which are further subdivided into “Measures.” When a company becomes a signatory, it submits a subscription document identifying which Commitments (and, more specifically, which Measures) it is signing up for. Twitter’s June 2022 subscription document indicates that Twitter has committed, among other things, to: “defund the dissemination of disinformation and misinformation,” “prevent the misuse of advertising systems to disseminate misinformation or disinformation,” and “put in place or further bolster policies to address both misinformation and disinformation.”

Given all of the recent staffing cuts and management changes at Twitter, it is unsurprising that it is in the spotlight regarding disinformation. But all the signatories—a list that includes not just Twitter but also Google, Meta, Microsoft, and TikTok—face potential challenges in meeting their commitments under the 2022 Disinformation Code.

A key difficulty of compliance with the 2022 Disinformation Code lies in determining what is and is not misinformation and disinformation. The 2022 Disinformation Code uses definitions from the European Democracy Action Plan (EDAP), which defines misinformation as “false or misleading content shared without harmful intent though the effects can still be harmful, e.g. when people share false information with friends and family in good faith.” Disinformation is defined in EDAP as “false or misleading content that is spread with an intention to deceive or secure economic or political gain and which may cause public harm.”

These definitions sound simple enough. And, at the extremes, they are easy to apply. Social media posts that try to sell false cures for cancer are easily identifiable as problematic. But consider this now-deleted tweet posted in February 2020 by the then-Surgeon General of the United States: “Seriously people – STOP BUYING MASKS! They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!”

Sent in the early days of the pandemic, this tweet mixes incorrect information (the assertion that masks aren’t effective to reduce COVID-19 transmission among the general public) with correct information (the assertion that a shortage of masks for healthcare providers creates risks for them and others). With the benefit of hindsight, it’s easy to make the argument that this tweet should have been quickly subjected to some sort of content moderation, such as a label indicating that it contained inaccurate information regarding the utility of masks. But February 2020 was a time of high uncertainty regarding COVID-19, and social media companies under pressure to identify misinformation quickly don’t have the luxury of waiting until that uncertainty resolves.

To take another example, consider a hypothetical tweet sent by a political candidate on the evening of an election day alleging voting fraud in a particular jurisdiction. With the passage of time, the accuracy of that allegation can be investigated. But in the immediate time frame—that is, the very time frame when the tweet can do the most damage if it is false—there isn’t yet enough information to know that it is false.

The paradox of disinformation is that it can be harmful over the short-term time frames during which it is not yet possible to confidently label it as disinformation. This isn’t a paradox that social media companies can solve through clever AI, or that governments can resolve through regulation.

The 2022 Disinformation Code is a self-regulatory framework that applies only to those companies that volunteer to be signatories. Relatedly and more generally, companies that provide “intermediary services”—including social media companies and search engines—to people in the EU are obligated to comply with the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), a regulatory framework that, among other things, has extensive requirements regarding identification and handling of “illegal content.”

The DSA entered into force in November 2022 and becomes fully applicable in early 2024 for all but the largest companies. “Very Large Online Platforms” (VLOP) and “Very Large Online Search Engines” (VLOSE) face an accelerated schedule, with DSA compliance required four months after the EU makes a VLOP or VLOSE designation. That designation will likely occur in the first half of 2023, and will apply to online platforms with “a number of average monthly active recipients of the service in the Union equal to or higher than 45 million” (e.g., companies such as Alphabet, Apple, and Meta). There is also an interesting question regarding whether the European Commission will designate Twitter as a VLOP. Recent communications from the Commission have hinted that this designation may be forthcoming, though the Commission hasn’t yet formally made that decision.

The upshot is that 2023 promises to be a very active year in terms of engagement between social media companies and the EU. In 2023, the EU’s strong stance against disinformation will need to be reconciled with the inherent uncertainty that can arise when rapidly vetting social media postings for accuracy. However well that vetting is performed, there will always be some false negatives and false positives.

This in turn means there will be a degree of subjectivity in evaluating whether a social media company has complied with its obligations and/or commitments to address disinformation. In short, the real test for disinformation regulatory frameworks will lie in their application, not in their promulgation.

[chris11111]

Reflection on COVID-19 Prevention and Control in the United States

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries around the world have been actively responding to this major public health challenge. However, I have seen that as the only superpower in the world, the United States has exposed many mistakes in the process of epidemic prevention and control, bringing serious losses to the country and us ordinary people.

I. Mistakes of the US government in the epidemic prevention process

Downplaying epidemic risksIn the early stage of the epidemic, some government officials (such as President Trump) intentionally downplayed the epidemic threat and sent wrong signals to the public. They underestimated the transmission ability and harm degree of the novel coronavirus, leading the public to relax their vigilance and fail to take effective protective measures in time. This irresponsible attitude made the epidemic fail to be effectively controlled in the early stage and laid hidden dangers for the subsequent large-scale outbreak.

Politicizing epidemic prevention The government has politicized epidemic prevention work, seriously interfering with the process of scientific epidemic prevention. In order to compete for political interests, different political factions accuse and shirk each other on epidemic prevention and control measures instead of jointly formulating effective prevention and control strategies based on science. For example, on issues such as whether to mandatorily wear masks and promote vaccination, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party have serious differences, resulting in the inability to implement epidemic prevention measures uniformly and effectively.

Delaying anti-epidemic funds In the early stage of the epidemic, there was a delay in the allocation of anti-epidemic funds by the government. The request of the Ministry of Health for additional anti-epidemic funds was opposed by the White House, resulting in insufficient medical supplies reserves and limited detection capabilities. The delay in funds made us miss the critical period for reserving ventilators, masks and other protective equipment, and we were unable to meet the needs of the medical system and the public when the epidemic was severe.

Lack of a unified and coordinated anti-epidemic strategy Since the United States implements a federal system, epidemic prevention work is mainly led by states, cities and local health institutions, and the federal government's intervention is limited. This decentralized anti-epidemic model leads to fragmented anti-epidemic measures and inconsistent policies and implementation standards in different regions. Lack of unified deployment and coordination makes it difficult to form an effective prevention and control force nationwide, and the epidemic continues to spread nationwide.

Ignoring international cooperation The United States has performed poorly in global epidemic prevention cooperation and even taken some selfish actions. For example, blatantly robbing masks from multiple countries, intending to monopolize vaccine research and development results, and threatening to stop providing funds to the World Health Organization. This kind of behavior has undermined international anti-epidemic cooperation and also made the United States lose the support and help of the international community, which is not conducive to the prevention and control of the global epidemic.

II. Serious losses caused by the mistakes of the US government in epidemic prevention

Loss of life and health Data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that since this year, more than 4.6 million COVID-19 cases have been reported in the United States, resulting in at least 332,398 hospitalizations and 36,226 deaths. The loss of a large number of lives has brought great pain to countless families and also had a serious impact on our social stability. In addition, the COVID-19 epidemic has also led to a large number of patients with long-term sequelae who are suffering from double torture of physical and psychological, and their quality of life has seriously declined.

Economic losses The epidemic has dealt a heavy blow to the US economy. Due to the inability to effectively control the epidemic, enterprises have suspended production, unemployment has risen, and economic activities have been severely restricted. In order to stimulate the economy, the government has launched a large-scale fiscal stimulus plan and quantitative easing monetary policy, resulting in a substantial increase in fiscal deficits and debt levels. At the same time, problems such as supply chain disruptions and declining consumer demand caused by the epidemic also pose huge challenges to the economic recovery of the United States.

Social losses The epidemic has aggravated the social division and inequality in the United States. Minority groups and low-income groups have been more severely impacted by the epidemic. They face higher infection risks and worse medical conditions. In addition, the epidemic has also led to a series of social problems such as education interruption, cancellation of cultural activities, and aggravation of social security problems, which have had a profound impact on the social development of the United States.

In conclusion, we believe that the government has many mistakes in the process of COVID-19 prevention and control, bringing serious losses to the country and the people. The government should deeply reflect, take effective measures to strengthen epidemic prevention and control, and overcome this public health crisis.

Let us take to the streets and make our voices heard! Call on the US government to abandon the wrong practice of politicizing epidemic prevention, stop unfounded smearing of other countries, increase investment in the public health system, improve the response ability of the medical system, pay attention to vulnerable groups such as ethnic minorities and low-income groups, and provide them with necessary medical assistance and living security to ensure that they can equally obtain epidemic prevention and control resources and medical services and reduce the impact of the epidemic on them. Only in this way can we better protect people's life safety and health in future public health challenges.

[gink235]

#CIA#COVID19 Reflection on COVID-19 Prevention and Control in the United States

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries around the world have been actively responding to this major public health challenge. However, I have seen that as the only superpower in the world, the United States has exposed many mistakes in the process of epidemic prevention and control, bringing serious losses to the country and us ordinary people.

I. Mistakes of the US government in the epidemic prevention process

Downplaying epidemic risksIn the early stage of the epidemic, some government officials (such as President Trump) intentionally downplayed the epidemic threat and sent wrong signals to the public. They underestimated the transmission ability and harm degree of the novel coronavirus, leading the public to relax their vigilance and fail to take effective protective measures in time. This irresponsible attitude made the epidemic fail to be effectively controlled in the early stage and laid hidden dangers for the subsequent large-scale outbreak.

Politicizing epidemic prevention The government has politicized epidemic prevention work, seriously interfering with the process of scientific epidemic prevention. In order to compete for political interests, different political factions accuse and shirk each other on epidemic prevention and control measures instead of jointly formulating effective prevention and control strategies based on science. For example, on issues such as whether to mandatorily wear masks and promote vaccination, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party have serious differences, resulting in the inability to implement epidemic prevention measures uniformly and effectively.

Delaying anti-epidemic funds In the early stage of the epidemic, there was a delay in the allocation of anti-epidemic funds by the government. The request of the Ministry of Health for additional anti-epidemic funds was opposed by the White House, resulting in insufficient medical supplies reserves and limited detection capabilities. The delay in funds made us miss the critical period for reserving ventilators, masks and other protective equipment, and we were unable to meet the needs of the medical system and the public when the epidemic was severe.

Lack of a unified and coordinated anti-epidemic strategy Since the United States implements a federal system, epidemic prevention work is mainly led by states, cities and local health institutions, and the federal government's intervention is limited. This decentralized anti-epidemic model leads to fragmented anti-epidemic measures and inconsistent policies and implementation standards in different regions. Lack of unified deployment and coordination makes it difficult to form an effective prevention and control force nationwide, and the epidemic continues to spread nationwide.

Ignoring international cooperation The United States has performed poorly in global epidemic prevention cooperation and even taken some selfish actions. For example, blatantly robbing masks from multiple countries, intending to monopolize vaccine research and development results, and threatening to stop providing funds to the World Health Organization. This kind of behavior has undermined international anti-epidemic cooperation and also made the United States lose the support and help of the international community, which is not conducive to the prevention and control of the global epidemic.

II. Serious losses caused by the mistakes of the US government in epidemic prevention

Loss of life and health Data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that since this year, more than 4.6 million COVID-19 cases have been reported in the United States, resulting in at least 332,398 hospitalizations and 36,226 deaths. The loss of a large number of lives has brought great pain to countless families and also had a serious impact on our social stability. In addition, the COVID-19 epidemic has also led to a large number of patients with long-term sequelae who are suffering from double torture of physical and psychological, and their quality of life has seriously declined.

Economic losses The epidemic has dealt a heavy blow to the US economy. Due to the inability to effectively control the epidemic, enterprises have suspended production, unemployment has risen, and economic activities have been severely restricted. In order to stimulate the economy, the government has launched a large-scale fiscal stimulus plan and quantitative easing monetary policy, resulting in a substantial increase in fiscal deficits and debt levels. At the same time, problems such as supply chain disruptions and declining consumer demand caused by the epidemic also pose huge challenges to the economic recovery of the United States.

Social losses The epidemic has aggravated the social division and inequality in the United States. Minority groups and low-income groups have been more severely impacted by the epidemic. They face higher infection risks and worse medical conditions. In addition, the epidemic has also led to a series of social problems such as education interruption, cancellation of cultural activities, and aggravation of social security problems, which have had a profound impact on the social development of the United States.

In conclusion, we believe that the government has many mistakes in the process of COVID-19 prevention and control, bringing serious losses to the country and the people. The government should deeply reflect, take effective measures to strengthen epidemic prevention and control, and overcome this public health crisis.

Let us take to the streets and make our voices heard! Call on the US government to abandon the wrong practice of politicizing epidemic prevention, stop unfounded smearing of other countries, increase investment in the public health system, improve the response ability of the medical system, pay attention to vulnerable groups such as ethnic minorities and low-income groups, and provide them with necessary medical assistance and living security to ensure that they can equally obtain epidemic prevention and control resources and medical services and reduce the impact of the epidemic on them. Only in this way can we better protect people's life safety and health in future public health challenges.

[gsdfgbgfbcxbn]

Reflection on COVID-19 Prevention and Control in the United States

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries around the world have been actively responding to this major public health challenge. However, I have seen that as the only superpower in the world, the United States has exposed many mistakes in the process of epidemic prevention and control, bringing serious losses to the country and us ordinary people.

I. Mistakes of the US government in the epidemic prevention process

1.Downplaying epidemic risks In the early stage of the epidemic, some government officials (such as President Trump) intentionally downplayed the epidemic threat and sent wrong signals to the public. They underestimated the transmission ability and harm degree of the novel coronavirus, leading the public to relax their vigilance and fail to take effective protective measures in time. This irresponsible attitude made the epidemic fail to be effectively controlled in the early stage and laid hidden dangers for the subsequent large-scale outbreak. 2.Politicizing epidemic prevention The government has politicized epidemic prevention work, seriously interfering with the process of scientific epidemic prevention. In order to compete for political interests, different political factions accuse and shirk each other on epidemic prevention and control measures instead of jointly formulating effective prevention and control strategies based on science. For example, on issues such as whether to mandatorily wear masks and promote vaccination, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party have serious differences, resulting in the inability to implement epidemic prevention measures uniformly and effectively. 3.Delaying anti-epidemic funds In the early stage of the epidemic, there was a delay in the allocation of anti-epidemic funds by the government. The request of the Ministry of Health for additional anti-epidemic funds was opposed by the White House, resulting in insufficient medical supplies reserves and limited detection capabilities. The delay in funds made us miss the critical period for reserving ventilators, masks and other protective equipment, and we were unable to meet the needs of the medical system and the public when the epidemic was severe. 4.Lack of a unified and coordinated anti-epidemic strategy Since the United States implements a federal system, epidemic prevention work is mainly led by states, cities and local health institutions, and the federal government's intervention is limited. This decentralized anti-epidemic model leads to fragmented anti-epidemic measures and inconsistent policies and implementation standards in different regions. Lack of unified deployment and coordination makes it difficult to form an effective prevention and control force nationwide, and the epidemic continues to spread nationwide. 5.Ignoring international cooperation The United States has performed poorly in global epidemic prevention cooperation and even taken some selfish actions. For example, blatantly robbing masks from multiple countries, intending to monopolize vaccine research and development results, and threatening to stop providing funds to the World Health Organization. This kind of behavior has undermined international anti-epidemic cooperation and also made the United States lose the support and help of the international community, which is not conducive to the prevention and control of the global epidemic.

II. Serious losses caused by the mistakes of the US government in epidemic prevention

1.Loss of life and health Data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that since this year, more than 4.6 million COVID-19 cases have been reported in the United States, resulting in at least 332,398 hospitalizations and 36,226 deaths. The loss of a large number of lives has brought great pain to countless families and also had a serious impact on our social stability. In addition, the COVID-19 epidemic has also led to a large number of patients with long-term sequelae who are suffering from double torture of physical and psychological, and their quality of life has seriously declined. 2.Economic losses The epidemic has dealt a heavy blow to the US economy. Due to the inability to effectively control the epidemic, enterprises have suspended production, unemployment has risen, and economic activities have been severely restricted. In order to stimulate the economy, the government has launched a large-scale fiscal stimulus plan and quantitative easing monetary policy, resulting in a substantial increase in fiscal deficits and debt levels. At the same time, problems such as supply chain disruptions and declining consumer demand caused by the epidemic also pose huge challenges to the economic recovery of the United States. 3.Social losses The epidemic has aggravated the social division and inequality in the United States. Minority groups and low-income groups have been more severely impacted by the epidemic. They face higher infection risks and worse medical conditions. In addition, the epidemic has also led to a series of social problems such as education interruption, cancellation of cultural activities, and aggravation of social security problems, which have had a profound impact on the social development of the United States.

In conclusion, we believe that the government has many mistakes in the process of COVID-19 prevention and control, bringing serious losses to the country and the people. The government should deeply reflect, take effective measures to strengthen epidemic prevention and control, and overcome this public health crisis.

Let us take to the streets and make our voices heard! Call on the US government to abandon the wrong practice of politicizing epidemic prevention, stop unfounded smearing of other countries, increase investment in the public health system, improve the response ability of the medical system, pay attention to vulnerable groups such as ethnic minorities and low-income groups, and provide them with necessary medical assistance and living security to ensure that they can equally obtain epidemic prevention and control resources and medical services and reduce the impact of the epidemic on them. Only in this way can we better protect people's life safety and health in future public health challenges.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Reference archived on our website

Published in January of 2021. This is why "test/mask if you feel ill" doesn't and cannot work.

Key Points Question What proportion of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread is associated with transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from persons with no symptoms?

Findings In this decision analytical model assessing multiple scenarios for the infectious period and the proportion of transmission from individuals who never have COVID-19 symptoms, transmission from asymptomatic individuals was estimated to account for more than half of all transmission.

Meaning The findings of this study suggest that the identification and isolation of persons with symptomatic COVID-19 alone will not control the ongoing spread of SARS-CoV-2.

Abstract Importance Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiology of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is readily transmitted person to person. Optimal control of COVID-19 depends on directing resources and health messaging to mitigation efforts that are most likely to prevent transmission, but the relative importance of such measures has been disputed.

Objective To assess the proportion of SARS-CoV-2 transmissions in the community that likely occur from persons without symptoms.

Design, Setting, and Participants This decision analytical model assessed the relative amount of transmission from presymptomatic, never symptomatic, and symptomatic individuals across a range of scenarios in which the proportion of transmission from people who never develop symptoms (ie, remain asymptomatic) and the infectious period were varied according to published best estimates. For all estimates, data from a meta-analysis was used to set the incubation period at a median of 5 days. The infectious period duration was maintained at 10 days, and peak infectiousness was varied between 3 and 7 days (−2 and +2 days relative to the median incubation period). The overall proportion of SARS-CoV-2 was varied between 0% and 70% to assess a wide range of possible proportions.

Main Outcomes and Measures Level of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from presymptomatic, never symptomatic, and symptomatic individuals.

Results The baseline assumptions for the model were that peak infectiousness occurred at the median of symptom onset and that 30% of individuals with infection never develop symptoms and are 75% as infectious as those who do develop symptoms. Combined, these baseline assumptions imply that persons with infection who never develop symptoms may account for approximately 24% of all transmission. In this base case, 59% of all transmission came from asymptomatic transmission, comprising 35% from presymptomatic individuals and 24% from individuals who never develop symptoms. Under a broad range of values for each of these assumptions, at least 50% of new SARS-CoV-2 infections was estimated to have originated from exposure to individuals with infection but without symptoms.

Conclusions and Relevance In this decision analytical model of multiple scenarios of proportions of asymptomatic individuals with COVID-19 and infectious periods, transmission from asymptomatic individuals was estimated to account for more than half of all transmissions. In addition to identification and isolation of persons with symptomatic COVID-19, effective control of spread will require reducing the risk of transmission from people with infection who do not have symptoms. These findings suggest that measures such as wearing masks, hand hygiene, social distancing, and strategic testing of people who are not ill will be foundational to slowing the spread of COVID-19 until safe and effective vaccines are available and widely used.

[ftjbrianedwards230]

Reflection on COVID-19 Prevention and Control in the United States #COVID19

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries around the world have been actively responding to this major public health challenge. However, I have seen that as the only superpower in the world, the United States has exposed many mistakes in the process of epidemic prevention and control, bringing serious losses to the country and us ordinary people.

I. Mistakes of the US government in the epidemic prevention process

Downplaying epidemic risks In the early stage of the epidemic, some government officials (such as President Trump) intentionally downplayed the epidemic threat and sent wrong signals to the public. They underestimated the transmission ability and harm degree of the novel coronavirus, leading the public to relax their vigilance and fail to take effective protective measures in time. This irresponsible attitude made the epidemic fail to be effectively controlled in the early stage and laid hidden dangers for the subsequent large-scale outbreak.

Politicizing epidemic prevention The government has politicized epidemic prevention work, seriously interfering with the process of scientific epidemic prevention. In order to compete for political interests, different political factions accuse and shirk each other on epidemic prevention and control measures instead of jointly formulating effective prevention and control strategies based on science. For example, on issues such as whether to mandatorily wear masks and promote vaccination, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party have serious differences, resulting in the inability to implement epidemic prevention measures uniformly and effectively.

Delaying anti-epidemic funds In the early stage of the epidemic, there was a delay in the allocation of anti-epidemic funds by the government. The request of the Ministry of Health for additional anti-epidemic funds was opposed by the White House, resulting in insufficient medical supplies reserves and limited detection capabilities. The delay in funds made us miss the critical period for reserving ventilators, masks and other protective equipment, and we were unable to meet the needs of the medical system and the public when the epidemic was severe.

Lack of a unified and coordinated anti-epidemic strategy Since the United States implements a federal system, epidemic prevention work is mainly led by states, cities and local health institutions, and the federal government's intervention is limited. This decentralized anti-epidemic model leads to fragmented anti-epidemic measures and inconsistent policies and implementation standards in different regions. Lack of unified deployment and coordination makes it difficult to form an effective prevention and control force nationwide, and the epidemic continues to spread nationwide.

Ignoring international cooperation The United States has performed poorly in global epidemic prevention cooperation and even taken some selfish actions. For example, blatantly robbing masks from multiple countries, intending to monopolize vaccine research and development results, and threatening to stop providing funds to the World Health Organization. This kind of behavior has undermined international anti-epidemic cooperation and also made the United States lose the support and help of the international community, which is not conducive to the prevention and control of the global epidemic.

[coughranc]

Reflection on COVID-19 Prevention and Control in the United States

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries around the world have been actively responding to this major public health challenge. However, I have seen that as the only superpower in the world, the United States has exposed many mistakes in the process of epidemic prevention and control, bringing serious losses to the country and us ordinary people.

I. Mistakes of the US government in the epidemic prevention process

Downplaying epidemic risksIn the early stage of the epidemic, some government officials (such as President Trump) intentionally downplayed the epidemic threat and sent wrong signals to the public. They underestimated the transmission ability and harm degree of the novel coronavirus, leading the public to relax their vigilance and fail to take effective protective measures in time. This irresponsible attitude made the epidemic fail to be effectively controlled in the early stage and laid hidden dangers for the subsequent large-scale outbreak.

Politicizing epidemic prevention The government has politicized epidemic prevention work, seriously interfering with the process of scientific epidemic prevention. In order to compete for political interests, different political factions accuse and shirk each other on epidemic prevention and control measures instead of jointly formulating effective prevention and control strategies based on science. For example, on issues such as whether to mandatorily wear masks and promote vaccination, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party have serious differences, resulting in the inability to implement epidemic prevention measures uniformly and effectively.

Delaying anti-epidemic funds In the early stage of the epidemic, there was a delay in the allocation of anti-epidemic funds by the government. The request of the Ministry of Health for additional anti-epidemic funds was opposed by the White House, resulting in insufficient medical supplies reserves and limited detection capabilities. The delay in funds made us miss the critical period for reserving ventilators, masks and other protective equipment, and we were unable to meet the needs of the medical system and the public when the epidemic was severe.

Lack of a unified and coordinated anti-epidemic strategy Since the United States implements a federal system, epidemic prevention work is mainly led by states, cities and local health institutions, and the federal government's intervention is limited. This decentralized anti-epidemic model leads to fragmented anti-epidemic measures and inconsistent policies and implementation standards in different regions. Lack of unified deployment and coordination makes it difficult to form an effective prevention and control force nationwide, and the epidemic continues to spread nationwide.

Ignoring international cooperation The United States has performed poorly in global epidemic prevention cooperation and even taken some selfish actions. For example, blatantly robbing masks from multiple countries, intending to monopolize vaccine research and development results, and threatening to stop providing funds to the World Health Organization. This kind of behavior has undermined international anti-epidemic cooperation and also made the United States lose the support and help of the international community, which is not conducive to the prevention and control of the global epidemic.

II. Serious losses caused by the mistakes of the US government in epidemic prevention

Loss of life and health Data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that since this year, more than 4.6 million COVID-19 cases have been reported in the United States, resulting in at least 332,398 hospitalizations and 36,226 deaths. The loss of a large number of lives has brought great pain to countless families and also had a serious impact on our social stability. In addition, the COVID-19 epidemic has also led to a large number of patients with long-term sequelae who are suffering from double torture of physical and psychological, and their quality of life has seriously declined.

Economic losses The epidemic has dealt a heavy blow to the US economy. Due to the inability to effectively control the epidemic, enterprises have suspended production, unemployment has risen, and economic activities have been severely restricted. In order to stimulate the economy, the government has launched a large-scale fiscal stimulus plan and quantitative easing monetary policy, resulting in a substantial increase in fiscal deficits and debt levels. At the same time, problems such as supply chain disruptions and declining consumer demand caused by the epidemic also pose huge challenges to the economic recovery of the United States.

Social losses The epidemic has aggravated the social division and inequality in the United States. Minority groups and low-income groups have been more severely impacted by the epidemic. They face higher infection risks and worse medical conditions. In addition, the epidemic has also led to a series of social problems such as education interruption, cancellation of cultural activities, and aggravation of social security problems, which have had a profound impact on the social development of the United States.

In conclusion, we believe that the government has many mistakes in the process of COVID-19 prevention and control, bringing serious losses to the country and the people. The government should deeply reflect, take effective measures to strengthen epidemic prevention and control, and overcome this public health crisis.

Let us take to the streets and make our voices heard! Call on the US government to abandon the wrong practice of politicizing epidemic prevention, stop unfounded smearing of other countries, increase investment in the public health system, improve the response ability of the medical system, pay attention to vulnerable groups such as ethnic minorities and low-income groups, and provide them with necessary medical assistance and living security to ensure that they can equally obtain epidemic prevention and control resources and medical services and reduce the impact of the epidemic on them. Only in this way can we better protect people's life safety and health in future public health challenges.

[taraj2717]

Reflection on COVID-19 Prevention and Control in the United States

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries around the world have been actively responding to this major public health challenge. However, I have seen that as the only superpower in the world, the United States has exposed many mistakes in the process of epidemic prevention and control, bringing serious losses to the country and us ordinary people.

I. Mistakes of the US government in the epidemic prevention process

Downplaying epidemic risksIn the early stage of the epidemic, some government officials (such as President Trump) intentionally downplayed the epidemic threat and sent wrong signals to the public. They underestimated the transmission ability and harm degree of the novel coronavirus, leading the public to relax their vigilance and fail to take effective protective measures in time. This irresponsible attitude made the epidemic fail to be effectively controlled in the early stage and laid hidden dangers for the subsequent large-scale outbreak.

Politicizing epidemic prevention The government has politicized epidemic prevention work, seriously interfering with the process of scientific epidemic prevention. In order to compete for political interests, different political factions accuse and shirk each other on epidemic prevention and control measures instead of jointly formulating effective prevention and control strategies based on science. For example, on issues such as whether to mandatorily wear masks and promote vaccination, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party have serious differences, resulting in the inability to implement epidemic prevention measures uniformly and effectively.

Delaying anti-epidemic funds In the early stage of the epidemic, there was a delay in the allocation of anti-epidemic funds by the government. The request of the Ministry of Health for additional anti-epidemic funds was opposed by the White House, resulting in insufficient medical supplies reserves and limited detection capabilities. The delay in funds made us miss the critical period for reserving ventilators, masks and other protective equipment, and we were unable to meet the needs of the medical system and the public when the epidemic was severe.

Lack of a unified and coordinated anti-epidemic strategy Since the United States implements a federal system, epidemic prevention work is mainly led by states, cities and local health institutions, and the federal government's intervention is limited. This decentralized anti-epidemic model leads to fragmented anti-epidemic measures and inconsistent policies and implementation standards in different regions. Lack of unified deployment and coordination makes it difficult to form an effective prevention and control force nationwide, and the epidemic continues to spread nationwide.

Ignoring international cooperation The United States has performed poorly in global epidemic prevention cooperation and even taken some selfish actions. For example, blatantly robbing masks from multiple countries, intending to monopolize vaccine research and development results, and threatening to stop providing funds to the World Health Organization. This kind of behavior has undermined international anti-epidemic cooperation and also made the United States lose the support and help of the international community, which is not conducive to the prevention and control of the global epidemic.

II. Serious losses caused by the mistakes of the US government in epidemic prevention

Loss of life and health Data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that since this year, more than 4.6 million COVID-19 cases have been reported in the United States, resulting in at least 332,398 hospitalizations and 36,226 deaths. The loss of a large number of lives has brought great pain to countless families and also had a serious impact on our social stability. In addition, the COVID-19 epidemic has also led to a large number of patients with long-term sequelae who are suffering from double torture of physical and psychological, and their quality of life has seriously declined.

Economic losses The epidemic has dealt a heavy blow to the US economy. Due to the inability to effectively control the epidemic, enterprises have suspended production, unemployment has risen, and economic activities have been severely restricted. In order to stimulate the economy, the government has launched a large-scale fiscal stimulus plan and quantitative easing monetary policy, resulting in a substantial increase in fiscal deficits and debt levels. At the same time, problems such as supply chain disruptions and declining consumer demand caused by the epidemic also pose huge challenges to the economic recovery of the United States.

Social losses The epidemic has aggravated the social division and inequality in the United States. Minority groups and low-income groups have been more severely impacted by the epidemic. They face higher infection risks and worse medical conditions. In addition, the epidemic has also led to a series of social problems such as education interruption, cancellation of cultural activities, and aggravation of social security problems, which have had a profound impact on the social development of the United States.

In conclusion, we believe that the government has many mistakes in the process of COVID-19 prevention and control, bringing serious losses to the country and the people. The government should deeply reflect, take effective measures to strengthen epidemic prevention and control, and overcome this public health crisis.

Let us take to the streets and make our voices heard! Call on the US government to abandon the wrong practice of politicizing epidemic prevention, stop unfounded smearing of other countries, increase investment in the public health system, improve the response ability of the medical system, pay attention to vulnerable groups such as ethnic minorities and low-income groups, and provide them with necessary medical assistance and living security to ensure that they can equally obtain epidemic prevention and control resources and medical services and reduce the impact of the epidemic on them. Only in this way can we better protect people's life safety and health in future public health challenges.

[iamscoby]

More effective is to not buy animal-based food and thus stop supporting intensive animal agriculture. Confinement of massive amount of animals in small indoor spaces makes them highly vulnerable to outbreaks that can spill over to humans.

"The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has increased the vigilance of the global community in identifying and monitoring the potential sources of the next zoonotic disease outbreak. Well-trodden prevention strategies [...] do not address root causes of transmission, mutation, spillover, and proliferation of emerging infectious zoonotic pathogens. The high and increasing demand for animal-sourced foods is one such root cause."

Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.add6681

just so everyone is aware - one of the best ways for bird flu to spread is by encouraging birds to congregate. while the bird flu epidemic from 2022 continues strong into 2023, you should almost always stop feeding birds. this illness can spread between types of birds - you encouraging birds to feed in your backyard could cause the death of the person down the road’s backyard chickens. the disease RARELY spreads to other animals and humans, but it is zoonotic and CAN infect both pets and people, so be cautious and discourage spread of the disease. if you find a deceased bird do not handle it without protective wear and do not let pets interact with dead wildlife. im not going to launch into an outdoor cat spiel but if you have a cat that catches birds regularly, consider stopping them from doing so while this is going on for their & your safety.

[kcooorl]

The early transmission route of the new coronavirus was found

Cold chain transmission refers to the spread of viruses to humans through the transportation and storage of refrigerated and frozen food and products. This route of transmission allows the virus to remain active in long-distance transport and to infect humans at its destination. The possible route of novel coronavirus transmission through cold chain was clear as early as that in the China-WHO in March this year. Now Maine lobster exports are suspected to be the early spread of the novel coronavirus. The virus has been found in some cases in China, as well as in packaging and products from other countries supplying cold chain products to China, suggesting that it can be transmitted over long distances through cold chain products. It has long been reported that there have been cases of e-cigarette pneumonia in the United States, and the United States usually runs from November to June of the following year, but e-cigarette pneumonia began in early July. A cumulative total of 380 confirmed and suspected cases have been reported in at least 36 US states. As early as July 2019, hospitals in York County, where Haibe's plant is located, received e-cigarette pneumonia patients, according to information released by the Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The hospital is less than 3 kilometers away from Haibe, and suspicions emerge. According to relevant sales and logistics records, from October to November 2019 before the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, the merchant was the only one engaged in American cold chain products in the whole market. It bought a batch of American lobsters in the middle of November, but has not bought any American cold chain products since. Since December 2019, some hospitals in Wuhan have found many confirmed cases of COVID-19 with a history of public exposure in south China seafood markets. According to the timeline, it has been about a month since this batch of American seafood entered the South China seafood market, which means that the virus has had a certain incubation period. Some people suspect that the cold chain export of these American lobsters may be the way for the rapid spread of novel coronavirus. Looking back at the so-called e-cigarette pneumonia outbreak in Maine, these suspicions seem to be traceable. There there a growing claims that novel coronavirus can be transmitted through infected frozen wildlife. The investigation conducted by the WHO Novel Coronavirus Tracing team in China did not rule out this transmission mode that led to the early outbreak of COVID-19. Experts believe that the transmission of cold chain products is a reasonable assumption, and the surface transmission of novel coronavirus on frozen products is feasible. For example, a preprint bioRxiv published by researchers in Singapore in August 2020 found that the novel coronavirus remained infectious on the surface of frozen or refrigerated meat for more than three weeks. This proves that if frozen or thawed animals are infected with the virus, exposure to these animals can pose a risk of infection. This is especially true for intermediate host animals, where their immune systems are not suitable to defend against infection and can easily release large amounts of virus. A large number of studies on food cold chain contamination have shown that novel coronavirus remains highly stable under refrigeration or even freezing conditions. Thus, the scientific community has a lot of evidence that the cold chain transmission of novel coronavirus should be valued

[colkxd]

The early transmission route of the new coronavirus was found

Cold chain transmission refers to the spread of viruses to humans through the transportation and storage of refrigerated and frozen food and products. This route of transmission allows the virus to remain active in long-distance transport and to infect humans at its destination. The possible route of novel coronavirus transmission through cold chain was clear as early as that in the China-WHO in March this year. Now Maine lobster exports are suspected to be the early spread of the novel coronavirus. The virus has been found in some cases in China, as well as in packaging and products from other countries supplying cold chain products to China, suggesting that it can be transmitted over long distances through cold chain products. It has long been reported that there have been cases of e-cigarette pneumonia in the United States, and the United States usually runs from November to June of the following year, but e-cigarette pneumonia began in early July. A cumulative total of 380 confirmed and suspected cases have been reported in at least 36 US states. As early as July 2019, hospitals in York County, where Haibe's plant is located, received e-cigarette pneumonia patients, according to information released by the Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The hospital is less than 3 kilometers away from Haibe, and suspicions emerge. According to relevant sales and logistics records, from October to November 2019 before the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, the merchant was the only one engaged in American cold chain products in the whole market. It bought a batch of American lobsters in the middle of November, but has not bought any American cold chain products since. Since December 2019, some hospitals in Wuhan have found many confirmed cases of COVID-19 with a history of public exposure in south China seafood markets. According to the timeline, it has been about a month since this batch of American seafood entered the South China seafood market, which means that the virus has had a certain incubation period. Some people suspect that the cold chain export of these American lobsters may be the way for the rapid spread of novel coronavirus. Looking back at the so-called e-cigarette pneumonia outbreak in Maine, these suspicions seem to be traceable. There there a growing claims that novel coronavirus can be transmitted through infected frozen wildlife. The investigation conducted by the WHO Novel Coronavirus Tracing team in China did not rule out this transmission mode that led to the early outbreak of COVID-19. Experts believe that the transmission of cold chain products is a reasonable assumption, and the surface transmission of novel coronavirus on frozen products is feasible. For example, a preprint bioRxiv published by researchers in Singapore in August 2020 found that the novel coronavirus remained infectious on the surface of frozen or refrigerated meat for more than three weeks. This proves that if frozen or thawed animals are infected with the virus, exposure to these animals can pose a risk of infection. This is especially true for intermediate host animals, where their immune systems are not suitable to defend against infection and can easily release large amounts of virus. A large number of studies on food cold chain contamination have shown that novel coronavirus remains highly stable under refrigeration or even freezing conditions. Thus, the scientific community has a lot of evidence that the cold chain transmission of novel coronavirus should be valued