SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus (COVID-19)

We did have our own people inside the Wuhan lab (and many others) to give us heads up on emerging diseases. But they were canceled just before the outbreak. As I posted in other threads years ago (some links since broken):

... the U.S., China, and many other countries collaborated, working together on surveillance for emerging diseases, with U.S.-fund staff working in Wuhan and other major virus labs around the world, sharing ideas and data and best safety practices, so that everyone can have an early heads-up to emerging disease threats? Sort of like this:

10th anniversary of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Global Disease Detection program
A ten-year China-US laboratory collaboration: improving response to influenza threats in China and the world, 2004–2014

Oh, wait! We did? Why was it slashed about five years ago?

Exclusive: U.S. slashed CDC staff inside China prior to coronavirus outbreak

FOLLOWING 2018 STATE DEPARTMENT WARNINGS OF SAFETY ISSUES AT WUHAN LAB STUDYING CORONAVIRUSES, MURPHY, MARKEY PRESS POMPEO FOR ANSWERS ON TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S RESPONSE

Trump administration ended pandemic early-warning program to detect coronaviruses

"Two months before the novel coronavirus is thought to have begun its deadly advance in Wuhan, China, the Trump administration ended a $200-million pandemic early-warning program aimed at training scientists in China and other countries to detect and respond to such a threat.

The project, launched by the U.S. Agency for International Development in 2009, identified 1,200 different viruses that had the potential to erupt into pandemics, including more than 160 novel coronaviruses. The initiative, called PREDICT, also trained and supported staff in 60 foreign laboratories — including the Wuhan lab that identified SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

Field work ceased when the funding ran out in September, and organizations that worked on the PREDICT program laid off dozens of scientists and analysts, said Peter Daszak, president of EcoHealth Alliance, a key player in the program."

Kaiser Family Foundation -- U.S. Government Shutting Down USAID’s Predict Program Investigating Disease Jumps From Animals To Humans Oct 25, 2019

JAVMA -- Pandemic prevention program ending after 10 years January 02, 2020

SciAm -- Why the Coronavirus Slipped Past Disease Detectives
Groups of scientists tasked with identifying pandemic-prone microbes were stretched too far and thin April 3, 2020

NYT -- Scientists Were Hunting for the Next Ebola. Now the U.S. Has Cut Off Their Funding.
Predict, a government research program, sought to identify animal viruses that might infect humans and to head off new pandemics. Oct. 25, 2019

 

Picked up a serious head cold last week.
Negative for covid and flu fortunately.
Still have lingering effects, I wish they could find an mrna vaccine for all cold bugs

 

Let's not forget why Trump shut down money going to projects like wuhan, which Obama's admin (in part) funded. Wasn't it bad enough that labs were having screw-ups handling anthrax elsewhere? The proof was in the pudding as to what a huge disaster gain a function & claiming C19 had jumped from bat viruses. This kind of research likely still goes on under the denyability of it's not really for military - it's just eeerrrrrr - med research

 

Or did the removal of us oversight lead to the problem

 

... and Bush. IIRC, even the other Bush too.

Or is that proof of what a disaster not doing this was.

 

The Chinese have stolen every copyright / trademark / idea from Rolex, to bmw. Gucci, too Honda. Chinese courts then simply say nope looks pretty darn different to me. They have spies regularly caught in the usa. IIRC both China & USA are SUPPOSED to be parties to the biological weapons convention - ah .... but gray area crap - such as stuff that may have a theoretical vaccine use? Right, we'll just claim we're not working in the gray area at all.

 

Viruses change over time. It would be remarkable if they didn't.
The Spanish flue of 1918 killed tens of millions, but now it might give you a sniffle.It's no advantage for a virus to kill you; that's just an unfortunate accident of microbiology. It has much more to gain by evolving into a much more benign form, that passes from person to person almost unnoticed. And that is what's happening to covid.

 

I’ve long since lost any concern about where CIVID came from as much about current measures to minimize risks. But I realize some prefer to live with past resentments and avoid today’s realities.

Bob Wilson

 

Note that almost all of the deaths were young people in 1918. Their elders had herd immunity due to a similar virus 30-50 years earlier. We were told that herd immunity was not a factor with Covid19.

JeffD

 

I remember reading an article that 1918 virus was recovered from a cadaver buried in permafrost.

Bob Wilson

 

One of the better Fort Riley Flu books I've found:
Written in 'pre-TDS' times (2005-6?) back when the DNC and their stenographers were merely mildly malevolent.
Now?
Apparently, judging from the out-takes one expects to see folding chairs flung about and hear chants of Jerrrr-eeey....Jerr-eeey....Jerr-eeey. during a POTUS speech......





----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile:

Mostly Not related ....and mostly not reported.
It's like the Alphabet Mafia and recent high-profile shootings....maybe not being hushed up but definately NOT a shout from a mountain-top.
FBI investigating "suspicious materials" found at Irvine home, police say - CBS Los Angeles

 

That stands to reason. A mummy from the middle ages was exhumed and examined by a team of scientists. Most of them became sick or died, as I recall. This is probably because we have no immunity to viruses separated from us by space and/or time. It's the same reason that so many Native Americans died of diseases brought by Europeans. Our suite of immunities confers us some protection from related viruses.

Most of the lethal viruses have crossed over from other organisms. It's highly unlikely that a virus that was lethal would have evolved in humans. As I said before, it's no advantage to a virus to kill you.

 

Can you reasonably call it herd immunity when half the herd doesn't have it?

The older folks' immunities would be better described as survivor's immunity.

 

The best case for a virus, and the point to which they are driven to evolve by natural selection,
is to produce billions of copies of itself, while the host is actively spreading it around.
The best case does not include the host being disabled by sickness or dead.

 

I'm no immunologist, but I have educated myself on the subject to the point where I recognize arguments from ignorance about the subject.

I will not engage in such arguments.

 

"Best case" is not a biological or natural selection requirement on any form of life, including viruses. Anything that works, and keeps up with competitive and environmental pressures, is good enough to continue its line's existence.

Conditions often change too fast for much of anything to reach its "best case". The goalposts keep moving.