Coronavirus SARS-Cov2 (COVID-19)

[PKBasu]

Thanks, Jay, for your amazing effort and dedication to this over the nearly-two-year period. Absolutely invaluable!

[jayakris]

Thanks for the comments, all of you! I was just doing it to have some peace of mind, basically. The virus being unknown and nobody really having a clue on what would transpire was hard in 2020; actually all the way till early this year. "Being in the dark" without information would be more mentally-taxing, so I was doing it mostly for myself. Thanks for everybody being here and discussing things all the time. Without that, we would all have been more nervous and worried.

Also, from an academic standpoint, these 550+ pages may have chronicled more details of everything that happened in India during the pandemic than any news or other online site. Anybody researching what happened at some point in the future would hopefully find our discussions as the most reliable date-stamped record of it all, from everywhere in India.

It was also fun calling all the chief ministers names for all their screwups

[Omkara]

Thanks Jay. My colleagues in office often wondered how I knew so much and sometimes better than others, when it came to daily stats related to the pandemic. The source was sports India. Reliable and on time. It's just not data points but the story behind them also mattered.

I just hope it's really over. People do get scared easily. Plus stories regarding the after effects of the disease keeps me worried. But let's be an optimist. Let's close this thread on positive note.

[Kumar]

Looks like merck pill was only approved narrowly by FDA. I think pfizer is a better alternative

https://newatlas.com/health-wellbeing/f ... de-effect/

While Pfizer’s final trial analysis reported up to 90 percent protection from COVID-19 hospitalization or death, molnupiravir’s efficacy strangely dropped from interim analysis to final reporting. Initially Merck announced molnupiravir delivered around 50 percent protection from COVID-19 hospitalization or death but a final trial analysis weeks later revealed that efficacy had dropped to barely 30 percent.

Besides questions of efficacy or individual safety, some experts have also questioned whether molnupiravir’s mutagenic mode of action could accelerate the chances of new variants emerging. A drug that intentionally forces a virus to mutate could, in theory, generate mutations that don’t kill the virus but help it become more virulent.

There is really no reason to approve Merck, when pfizer pill appears to be more effective.

Molnupiravir seems to be seeding new variants as suspected by researchers.

https://www.science.org/content/article ... e-pandemic

[jayakris]

^^^ Interesting...

[Rajiv]

Today after 1000 days, Hong Kong one of the last places on the Earth finally lifted its mask mandate. The Government was so unrelenting and ruthless in enforcing the rule that the offender had to fork out a US$650 instant fine and if it went to the courts the fine doubled to US$1300 plus the court costs.

[jayakris]

^^^ Ouch. Glad they lifted it. Leave it to people now to take care of themselves. The time for government action is over. This is like other diseases that we need to be aware of and watch out for.

[jayakris]

Well, well... Just as we were thinking that we might have gone past this damn disease, maybe it is time we paid attention again...

It seems there is a noticeable wave rising in India. It is up to 4000 daily cases on weekly average now. Nearly 1000 in Maharashtra with 3 deaths yesterday. Everybody in India, please be careful. Get another vaccination shot, and pull your masks out from the bottom of the tea table or behind sofa seat cushions or bathroom cabinet behind your Vicks dabba and Cuticura powder tin. Need to put those masks on!

State-wise Covid preparedness as India sees over 6,000 cases

[Atithee]

Was waiting for the forum czar to take notice.

[suresh]

@jay I am not sure if we are permitted to get extra booster shots. I have had three shots.

I also wonder if H3N2 cases are more than Covid.

[Atithee]

Whose permission is required, Suresh?

[suresh]

Whose permission is required, Suresh?

I don't think covid vaccines are available off the counter.

[Atithee]

You can go to a vaccination center though?

[Omkara]

You can go to a vaccination center though?

I think it will be available soon. At some price. At specified vaccination centres.