Quote
Beast
I've been using Sonovia antiviral masks for months now, though there are also other companies making them. These ones claim to have high filtration and to neutralize coronavirus to over 90%. I obviously can't vouch for the claims, but either way they are for sure better quality and value than disposables and no doubt better than home-made, which France has now banned in certain settings.

Check out all the different sections of their website for info on the technology, the coronavirus context etc. The blog contains a fairly detailed comparison with N95 masks.

[sonoviatech.com]

Those look great!

I have been using a Stones 50th anniversary one I bought early on that came with a pouch for replaceable charcoal filters as my primary. Bought a ton of extra filters and I put a cloth one over it when in higher risk areas. Got my first Pfizer shot yesterday, and with plenty of masks and filters on hand, hoping my mask buying days are over. May not be as we will all be wearing them for quite a while regardless, but I am hopeful they are.

In New Zealand we get just 1 Covid19 community outbreak this week the first in months and everyone panics.
Our Jacinda (Prime Minister) is doing a great job keeping Covid19 out of the country.
It's unreal to hear what's doing on in the rest of the world, it really is

--------------
ColonialstoneNZ
--------------

Sone more good vaccine news from the UK - novavax shows 89% effectiveness in large scale clinical trials including against the new variant. 60m doses ordered for second half of year delivery (if my maths is right that’s 210m uk vaccine orders across this and the three already approved)
The NHS is doing a great job of rolling this out - on target to vaccinate 15m most vulnerable in England (from pop of 50m) by mid feb. After the absolutely shocking death toll of 100k reached a few days ago, this is a bit of welcome good news
Link here [www.bbc.co.uk]

Quote
yorkshirestone
Sone more good vaccine news from the UK - novavax shows 89% effectiveness in large scale clinical trials including against the new variant. 60m doses ordered for second half of year delivery (if my maths is right that’s 210m uk vaccine orders across this and the three already approved)
The NHS is doing a great job of rolling this out - on target to vaccinate 15m most vulnerable in England (from pop of 50m) by mid feb. After the absolutely shocking death toll of 100k reached a few days ago, this is a bit of welcome good news
Link here [www.bbc.co.uk]

This is more important than perhaps many people realise.

The (main) vaccines so far announced/released seem to be very good at preventing the inoculated patient catching the disease.

But, and don't ask me to explain the biochemistry, they do not help prevent the inoculated patient from spreading the disease.

Reportedly Novavax does this, and that's a hugely significant added factor in fighting a virus that is so transmissible.

--
Captain Corella
60 Years a Fan

Florida is rocking - Seniors taken care of first great news.!!! Keep it up great leadership team and community effort still much work ahead for all !!!

States ranked by percentage of COVID-19 vaccines administered: Jan. 28

[www.beckershospitalreview.com]

Quote
Beast
I've been using Sonovia antiviral masks for months now, ...

[sonoviatech.com]

They are a bit pricey at 3 for $99 US. Out of range for many people. How is the fit? Do they fit snugly? Do they wash well? The company claims one mask can be used for a year with weekly washings. If that’s true, then they are worth the price. With the new more contagious variants, these may be wise.

According to the NIH, these masks have been shown to be biocidal against bacteria, not virus. See table 3 in: [www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-01-29 04:53 by JadedFaded.

Quote
CaptainCorella

Quote
yorkshirestone
Sone more good vaccine news from the UK - novavax shows 89% effectiveness in large scale clinical trials including against the new variant. 60m doses ordered for second half of year delivery (if my maths is right that’s 210m uk vaccine orders across this and the three already approved)
The NHS is doing a great job of rolling this out - on target to vaccinate 15m most vulnerable in England (from pop of 50m) by mid feb. After the absolutely shocking death toll of 100k reached a few days ago, this is a bit of welcome good news
Link here [www.bbc.co.uk]

This is more important than perhaps many people realise.

The (main) vaccines so far announced/released seem to be very good at preventing the inoculated patient catching the disease.

But, and don't ask me to explain the biochemistry, they do not help prevent the inoculated patient from spreading the disease.

Reportedly Novavax does this, and that's a hugely significant added factor in fighting a virus that is so transmissible.

Of course you don't get to choose which NHS vaccine you receive: those who got it early had the Pfizer one but most people now seem to be getting AstraZeneca.

Why has Germany advised against Oxford/AstraZeneca jab for over-65s? (The Guardian - 28 Jan 2021)

The issue boils down to a lack of data on efficacy of the vaccine in this age group. The standing committee on vaccination of the Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s disease control agency, said: “There is insufficient data to judge how effective the vaccination is above 65 years.”

“Vaccine efficacy in older age groups could not be assessed but will be determined, if sufficient data is available, in a future analysis after more cases have accrued,” the team wrote.

Bjornulf



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-01-29 13:47 by bv.

Quote
MisterDDDD
States ranked by percentage of COVID-19 vaccines administered: Jan. 28

[www.beckershospitalreview.com]

here's something worth looking at side-by-side w/ that grid.

[wallethub.com]

interesting that some of the states w/ the highest tax-burden have done the worst job w/ the roll out....

of course, ALL of our gov't officials put themselves at the Front of the Line, so it's no wonder the roll-out since that point has been pathetic...

My Governor told us: "Be patient...keep checking the website"

how comforting.....#2 in the nation for health care....

.....38th in the nation in the roll-out...

unless you are a line-jumping gov't official, of course....then none of this applies to you at all b/c you are automatically first in line, for some reason...

Quote of the Pandemic: "Me First" - Every US Gov't Official

Johnson and Johnson released this today. It seems a little less effective than the other vaccines. [www.jnj.com]

Quote
JadedFaded

Quote
Beast
I've been using Sonovia antiviral masks for months now, ...

[sonoviatech.com]

They are a bit pricey at 3 for $99 US. Out of range for many people. How is the fit? Do they fit snugly? Do they wash well? The company claims one mask can be used for a year with weekly washings. If that’s true, then they are worth the price. With the new more contagious variants, these may be wise.

According to the NIH, these masks have been shown to be biocidal against bacteria, not virus. See table 3 in: [www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Thanks for this link - very interesting. I'd like to know what Sonovia's take on that would be.

To answer your questions, the mask fits me snugly and is comfortable, which is not to say that they'd be the same for everyone, but they are adjustable. I also find them more breathable than what I was mostly using previously, i.e., various fabric masks with a disposable filter inserted. I eventually ditched those in favour of disposables for that reason until ending up with the Sonovia ones, which wash well and air-dry quickly. I did the sums and they work out to be more economical for me than disposables, so I figured I didn't have much to lose and bit the bullet!

Florida is using supermarket pharmacies(Publix, etc...) and caravans to help with distribution. Our governor has reinforced the policy of age and front liners having initial access.

Publix Vaccine Rollout Follows Grocer’s $100K Donation To DeSantis’ Political Committee

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ announcement this month that the state is partnering with Publix Supermarkets to establish COVID-19 vaccination sites across the state follows the grocer donating $100,000 to the governor’s political committee.

The partnership announcement between the state and supermarket chain comes a month after Publix made four $25,000 donations to Friends of Ron DeSantis.
[news.wjct.org]

Prior to the $100,000 in contributions made in December 2020, Publix had donated $50,000 to the governor’s political committee, the most recent of which was $25,000 given in January of 2020.

Some Black communities in Florida have no vaccine access

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The predominantly Black farming communities on Lake Okeechobee's shores are at least 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the nearest Publix supermarket — and that's a problem, as Gov. Ron DeSantis has given the chain sole distribution rights for the coronavirus vaccine in Palm Beach County.
[www.sfgate.com]

Vaccine distribution in Florida county to shift solely to Publix causing concern among minority communities
Leaders in minority communities say there are not enough Publix locations in their communities, making access to the vaccine difficult.
"We're the only county where all this vaccine is going to Publix, until [Governor DeSantis] chooses other counties to do this," said the county's health director Dr. Alina Alonso while addressing the commission.
Commissioner Melissa McKinlay led opposition to the plan, noting her district stretches into the far western portions of Palm Beach County where heavily-minority communities bordering Lake Okeechobee are without a Publix pharmacy.
"I am absolutely, absolutely disgusted," McKinlay said. "The governor of this state has 100 percent taken the ability to vaccinate our residents in Palm Beach County out of the hands of our public health officials and our medical officials and given that authority to a corporate entity."
[www.firstcoastnews.com]

Quote
Rocknroll1969
Johnson and Johnson released this today. It seems a little less effective than the other vaccines. [www.jnj.com]

It may not be as effective as the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, but it's much easier to transport. It requires one dose. And no one in the study who had it ended up in the hospital with severe Covid.

EU authorizes AstraZeneca vaccine; J&J shots completely protect against hospitalization, death. Latest coronavirus updates.

Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot vaccine protects against COVID-19, and while it is not as effective as other vaccines already authorized in the U.S., it appears to be extremely effective against severe disease.

Johnson & Johnson said Friday that data from its late-stage trial in the U.S. and seven other countries showed the vaccine had an overall 66% effectiveness in preventing moderate to severe illness.
The two-shot vaccines, from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, are more than 94% effective, but J&J's global research chief, Dr. Mathai Mammen, said, "Gambling on one dose was certainly worthwhile."
Because of its single dose regimen, the J&J vaccine has been described as a "game-changer" in the campaign against the coronavirus pandemic. And the vaccine doesn't need to be kept frozen, allowing it to be distributed through normal vaccine supply chains without the need for new, expensive equipment.
[www.usatoday.com]

“ Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced all Canadian travellers returning from overseas will have to take a COVID-19 test at the airport when they land and quarantine in a designated hotel for three days at their own expense while they await results.

He says that's expected to cost more than $2,000.

Those with negative test results will be able to then quarantine for the remainder of the mandatory two weeks at home, while those with positive tests will be required to quarantine in designated government facilities.

Canada’s main airlines will also suspend service to all Caribbean destinations and Mexico starting this Sunday until April 30.

Trudeau says it's important to further restrict international travel as more infectious variants of COVID-19 spread around the globe.

In the coming weeks, non-essential travelers will also have to show a negative test before entry at the land border with the United States.

Trudeau also announced all international passenger flights returning must land at Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal airports.“

[www.thestar.com]

A friend of mine's brother was able to get one of these shots.. he was on the waiting list and eligible, but a nice midnight surprise.
Great to see the lengths most health facilities are going to in efforts not to waste a drop.

Hundreds rush to get COVID-19 vaccine in Seattle overnight after freezer failure
A total of 1,650 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at risk of expiring Thursday night were quickly administered to more than a thousand people at UW and Swedish clinics.

SEATTLE — Hundreds of people rushed to Seattle University and University of Washington clinics late Thursday night to try and receive a COVID-19 vaccine before the doses expired.
Spokespeople for both Swedish and UW said that a freezer storing Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine broke at Kaiser Permanente, leaving 1,650 doses of the vaccine at risk of expiring.
Swedish and UW split the doses and began administering them.

Swedish posted an urgent message on social media around 11 p.m. Thursday saying it had hundreds of appointments available from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. to use the vaccines before they expired by the morning. Hundreds of people answered the call and showed up in their pajamas and robes to receive their first dose of the vaccine.
Swedish Medical Center COO Kevin Brooks said the available appointments were filled within 35-40 minutes.
[www.king5.com]

Publix Vaccine Rollout Follows Grocer’s $100K Donation To DeSantis’ Political Committee


Great if we all work together good things will come! Good News!

Vaccine ‘train wreck’ leaves Tampa Bay seniors scrambling for shots

Hillsborough County’s vaccination phone line was receiving an estimated 2,000 phone calls per minute at midday, a spokeswoman said. Websites and phone lines were down for hours.

But the day left local seniors feeling no closer to receiving immunization from a virus that’s killed hundreds of thousands across the country. Instead, the overwhelming demand jammed up phone lines and website servers for hours, leaving seniors without answers or any information on what to do next.
[www.tampabay.com]

Quote
MisterDDDD
Vaccine ‘train wreck’ leaves Tampa Bay seniors scrambling for shots

Hillsborough County’s vaccination phone line was receiving an estimated 2,000 phone calls per minute at midday, a spokeswoman said. Websites and phone lines were down for hours.

But the day left local seniors feeling no closer to receiving immunization from a virus that’s killed hundreds of thousands across the country. Instead, the overwhelming demand jammed up phone lines and website servers for hours, leaving seniors without answers or any information on what to do next.
[www.tampabay.com]

Nothing new everybody is working from home. Cable or Power outages is the norm not the exception. Stay Safe be polite to co-workers under these circumstances and the world will survive!!!

Quote
MisterDDDD
A friend of mine's brother was able to get one of these shots.. he was on the waiting list and eligible, but a nice midnight surprise.
Great to see the lengths most health facilities are going to in efforts not to waste a drop.

Hundreds rush to get COVID-19 vaccine in Seattle overnight after freezer failure
A total of 1,650 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at risk of expiring Thursday night were quickly administered to more than a thousand people at UW and Swedish clinics.

SEATTLE — Hundreds of people rushed to Seattle University and University of Washington clinics late Thursday night to try and receive a COVID-19 vaccine before the doses expired.
Spokespeople for both Swedish and UW said that a freezer storing Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine broke at Kaiser Permanente, leaving 1,650 doses of the vaccine at risk of expiring.
Swedish and UW split the doses and began administering them.

Swedish posted an urgent message on social media around 11 p.m. Thursday saying it had hundreds of appointments available from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. to use the vaccines before they expired by the morning. Hundreds of people answered the call and showed up in their pajamas and robes to receive their first dose of the vaccine.
Swedish Medical Center COO Kevin Brooks said the available appointments were filled within 35-40 minutes.
[www.king5.com]

Sounds like good tix to a Stones show, eh? I woulda been there. In both cases.

~"Love is Strong"~

3rd vaccine for the EU: the European Union gave a green light to the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine despite Germany's qualms about its effectiveness in seniors. The European Medicines Agency recommended the product for all adults - [www.DW.com] .

The problems seem unending.

With All Eyes on Covid-19, Drug-Resistant Infections Crept In
[www.nytimes.com]

Quote
Chris Fountain
Florida is using supermarket pharmacies(Publix, etc...) and caravans to help with distribution. Our governor has reinforced the policy of age and front liners having initial access.

Been hearing racial disparities on who has received the vaccine isn't very equitable. It is good people getting vaccinated but the distribution needs to be done in an equitable fashion. This is a microcosm of the world in general. Until EVERYONE can get vaccinated on this floating rock regardless of income, country and race the virus will keep surging back.

[www.local10.com]

Quote
Beast

Quote
JadedFaded

Quote
Beast
I've been using Sonovia antiviral masks for months now, ...

[sonoviatech.com]

...

According to the NIH, these masks have been shown to be biocidal against bacteria, not virus. See table 3 in: [www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Thanks for this link - very interesting. I'd like to know what Sonovia's take on that would be.

To answer your questions, the mask fits me snugly and is comfortable, which is not to say that they'd be the same for everyone, but they are adjustable. I also find them more breathable than what I was mostly using previously, i.e., various fabric masks with a disposable filter inserted. I eventually ditched those in favour of disposables for that reason until ending up with the Sonovia ones, which wash well and air-dry quickly. I did the sums and they work out to be more economical for me than disposables, so I figured I didn't have much to lose and bit the bullet!

I decided to try the copper infused masks. They have a 3 for 2 sale. They look similar to Sonovia’s but with no color choices, but they hopefully have antiviral effect. Since these too are washable, and since we will be wearing masks for a long time to come, I think the price is reasonable. 5£ to ship to US. [www.copperclothing.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-01-29 21:53 by JadedFaded.

I'm getting the vaccine next Saturday at 10:35, as my Drs rang me last week. I'm epileptic, so do fall into a vulnerable category. The irony is that, on the same day, I'll know if my application to run the London Marathon has been successful. The marathon takes place in Nov 2021, so, by then, I hope there'll be a resumption of events.

I'm very cautious though, and always feel that nemesis follows hubris (a former Classics scholar), so am worried about being unwell prior to getting the vaccine.

Thanks Beast for the mask info. I’m going to order a few especially as my daughter works in the restaurant industry is going to be going back to work soon. Hope you’re staying safe and well and I get to see you one of these days on tour!

Quote
CaptainCorella
Some people are making huge personal sacrifices in order to help others and reduce the spread of this dreadful virus.

Medical staff, for example, are working extended shifts and under astonishing pressure to try and save lives. They don't complain because they understand that it's for the sake of all of us.

But some people find even the smallest of sacrifices for the good of others more than they can deal with without complaining.

At the moment there are a lot of highly paid professional tennis players (reportedly $100,000 prize if you get knocked out in the first round) assembling in Melbourne for the forthcoming Australian Open. Some have, very unfortunately, been caught up in the consequences of being on an inbound flight where someone else then tested positive. And so they have had to go into quarantine (they were forewarned of this).

Among those caught up is Bernard Tomic and his girlfriend. She's not happy, because the poor dear doesn't wash her own hair, and normally gets her hairdresser to wash it for her twice a week.

Read this..

[baseline.tennis.com]

...

"The social media influencer then went on to detail the “worst part of quarantine” – the fact she had to wash her own hair.

“It’s just not something that I do. I usually have hairdressers that do it twice a week for me,” Sierra said."

Methinks a few late shifts helping in a Hospital Emergency Department would help her sense of the world.

Compare and contrast...

The above reports how some spoiled brats of Tennis "stars" and their entourage moaned about being shut away for 2 weeks for the sake of quarantine....

It now has emerged that at the exact same time a world famous Australian singer was also shut away in a quarantine hotel (NOT in a swanky private residence, but in one of the normal hotels). Not a peek of complaint out of her. Out of quarantine now, and the very next day she's on stage giving a special performance for the people of a town called Mallacoota. They went through HELL in the bushfires, the town was cut off from any escape by land and most people were evacuated by sea (Dunkirk style). They deserved to have their morale boosted, several acts turned up, including this person. Straight out of quarantine.

It was Kylie Minogue. Hats off to Kylie for being a class act on this.

Also a nod to Michael Gudinski who organised this show (one of several on a similar theme). That's STONES related as he's the guy who is their usual promoter in Australia (and he lives fairly near to Hanging Rock, and that's the reason it's used for concerts).

--
Captain Corella
60 Years a Fan

Hoping this doesn't become a trend.
"No violence reported" according to the article.. shockingly, doubt that would continue if more of these occur.

Dodger Stadium’s COVID-19 vaccination site temporarily shut down after protesters gather at entrance

Dodger Stadium’s mass COVID-19 vaccination site was temporarily shut down Saturday afternoon when about 50 protesters gathered at the entrance, frustrating hundreds of motorists who had been waiting in line for hours.

The Los Angeles Fire Department closed the entrance to the stadium — one of the largest vaccination sites in the country — for about an hour starting just before 2 p.m. as a precaution, officials said. Several LAPD officers also responded to the scene; a spokeswoman for the department said no arrests were made.

Andrea Garcia, a spokeswoman for Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, said that despite the 55-minute interruption, no appointments were canceled.

“We remain committed to vaccinating Angelenos as quickly and safely as possible,” she said.

The demonstrators included members of anti-vaccine and far-right groups. While some carried signs decrying the COVID-19 vaccine and shouting for people not to get the shots, there were no incidents of violence.

“This is completely wrong,” said German Jaquez, who drove from his home in La Verne and had been waiting an hour for his vaccination when the stadium’s gates were closed. He said some of the protesters were telling people in line that the coronavirus is not real and that the vaccination is dangerous.
[www.latimes.com]

Quote
CaptainCorella

Quote
CaptainCorella
Some people are making huge personal sacrifices in order to help others and reduce the spread of this dreadful virus.

Medical staff, for example, are working extended shifts and under astonishing pressure to try and save lives. They don't complain because they understand that it's for the sake of all of us.

But some people find even the smallest of sacrifices for the good of others more than they can deal with without complaining.

At the moment there are a lot of highly paid professional tennis players (reportedly $100,000 prize if you get knocked out in the first round) assembling in Melbourne for the forthcoming Australian Open. Some have, very unfortunately, been caught up in the consequences of being on an inbound flight where someone else then tested positive. And so they have had to go into quarantine (they were forewarned of this).

Among those caught up is Bernard Tomic and his girlfriend. She's not happy, because the poor dear doesn't wash her own hair, and normally gets her hairdresser to wash it for her twice a week.

Read this..

[baseline.tennis.com]

...

"The social media influencer then went on to detail the “worst part of quarantine” – the fact she had to wash her own hair.

“It’s just not something that I do. I usually have hairdressers that do it twice a week for me,” Sierra said."

Methinks a few late shifts helping in a Hospital Emergency Department would help her sense of the world.

Compare and contrast...

The above reports how some spoiled brats of Tennis "stars" and their entourage moaned about being shut away for 2 weeks for the sake of quarantine....

It now has emerged that at the exact same time a world famous Australian singer was also shut away in a quarantine hotel (NOT in a swanky private residence, but in one of the normal hotels). Not a peek of complaint out of her. Out of quarantine now, and the very next day she's on stage giving a special performance for the people of a town called Mallacoota. They went through HELL in the bushfires, the town was cut off from any escape by land and most people were evacuated by sea (Dunkirk style). They deserved to have their morale boosted, several acts turned up, including this person. Straight out of quarantine.

It was Kylie Minogue. Hats off to Kylie for being a class act on this.

Also a nod to Michael Gudinski who organised this show (one of several on a similar theme). That's STONES related as he's the guy who is their usual promoter in Australia (and he lives fairly near to Hanging Rock, and that's the reason it's used for concerts).

Well, I hope when this corona Covid-19 and younger "brothers" misery is over, the Stones will do Hanging Rock in the end (I doubt it though), because I came over to Down Under from Europe twice in 2014 to see them at Hanging Rock ... in vain