Pandemic Review
The latest weekly stats from CDC:
[R]esearchers observed that the RNA from the SARS-CoV-2 virus – responsible for COVID-19 – triggered the development of a unique type of immune cell with anti-cancer properties. These cells, dubbed “inducible nonclassical monocytes (I-NCMs),” were found to attack cancer cells and could potentially be harnessed to treat cancers that are resistant to current therapies. These findings possibly explain the mechanism behind the reported regression of certain cancers following COVID-19 infection.
- "New data from the CDC suggests that nearly 4 in 10 seniors have gotten a COVID-19 vaccine this year, marking a steep increase in vaccination rates compared with the same time last year. "
- "The Kane Community Living Center in McKeesport is dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak, Allegheny County officials confirmed on Friday. A spokesperson for the county confirmed the outbreak began earlier this month and as of Thursday, 11% of the facility's 209 residents have tested positive for COVID-19. None of them have been hospitalized so far as most are experiencing mild symptoms, officials said."
- Legal matters in the pandemic era continue to develop:
- "A Catholic woman who refused to comply with her employer’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for religious reasons has been awarded nearly $13 million in damages from a religious discrimination suit....Domski requested a faith-based accommodation, citing her concerns about the fetal cells used in the development of the shots."
- "Temple settles class action lawsuit arising from COVID-19 campus closure"
- "The Iowa Supreme Court is considering a case against Tyson's meatpacking plant in Waterloo.The families of four workers who died of COVID-19 in 2020 say Tyson executives and supervisors are responsible for their family members' deaths."
- "Study: COVID Omicron deaths 3 times higher than for flu, but risks for severe cases similar"
- "Study shows higher COVID-19 infection rates in communities most exposed to oil and gas production"
- "Remdesivir Plus Dexamethasone Reduces Mortality Risk in Patients With COVID-19"
- The battle against anti-vaxxer misinformation continues:
- "No, Japan didn’t name COVID-19 vaccine ‘most deadly drug in history’"
- Prosecution of COVID relief or other related fraud continues:
- "Memphis Man Sentenced in Connection with Scheme to Defraud COVID-19 Relief Program of Over $700,000"
- "PopVax, an Indian full-stack biotechnology company developing novel mRNA vaccines and therapeutics using machine learning-enabled computational protein design, is pleased to announce that it has been selected for inclusion in the U.S. Government’s Project NextGen. As part of this initiative, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), will conduct and sponsor the Phase I first-in-human trial of the company’s next-generation COVID-19 vaccine candidate....The vaccine candidate is based on PopVax’s innovative architecture for the display of immunogens on mRNA-encoded self-assembling virus-like particles (VLPs), and uses one of PopVax’s lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulations featuring a PopVax-designed novel lipid. In preclinical studies, PopVax’s COVID-19 vaccine constructs elicited an antibody response in mice that resulted in 10-100x more potent neutralization of key SARS-CoV-2 variants as compared with the sequences from existing mRNA COVID-19 vaccines approved in the U.S."
- "New Report States COVID-19 Is Third-Leading Cause of Death for Black Americans"
- courtesy of USNWR
- "The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with increases in stress-related drinking and alcohol-related deaths, and new research suggests drinking didn't stop as things returned to normal."
Other Notes
The blog readership continues to track the most recent trend over the last few years where I might hit 1K pageviews a month. Most posts, especially the essays and extra weekend posts, hit at least lower double digits. Twitter/X continues to attract a few hundred impressions a week with followers oscillating in the higher upper 40s.
I late updated last week's journal post to indicate I did buy one of those budget turkeys for a net cost of under $5. I haven't baked myself one recently; in a small household. it usually means I mostly eat turkey for a couple of weeks. I usually prefer the dark meat and organ parts. I roasted it Monday and am now enjoying turkey breast sandwiches. It's still not the same as my folks'. I still long for my late father's side dishes, particularly his mashed rutabagas and his turkey stuffing. One of my siblings posted the latter's recipe in my affiliated memorial blog.
Well, Texas defeated traditional college football rival Arkansas on the road for the first time (I think) since the end of the Southwest Conference folded in the early 90's. Arkansas migrated early to the SEC. Texas and Texas A&M joined the Big 12 and the Aggies joined the SEC about a decade ago, also effectively suspending their rivalry. Texas has Kentucky next weekend. Texas and A&M traditionally ended their season on Thanksgiving or shortly thereafter. This year it'll be in 2 weeks at Kyle Field (College Station). (Let's just say Brazos County holds a special place in my heart.) I mentioned in a recent post that I came close to going to A&M to pursue a doctorate in meteorology. I grew up as a USAF brat; my Dad was a career NCO. I decided to leave UT with my MA because UT was having a hard time placing its math PhDs in a glutted market (and I also had lost my stipend because of office politics). I should have minored in computer science, but my undergraduate was a double major in math and philosophy. i decided to seek a USAF commission. So the plan was for me to become a meteorologist to get my PhD in exchange for a long commitment. You have to go through a selection pool. I had been led to believe it was a sure thing. So my recruiters were surprised but thought maybe they were focused on selecting pilots. But for sure they would pick me in 6 weeks or otherwise they couldn't reconsider me for six months . And--I got passed over again.
That left me in a bad position with no job prospects. The community colleges had also passed on hiring me. I didn't have a car. I lived in a local coop on limited savings. I tried to get back in school to pick up high school teaching credentials, but my folks blocked it. I basically needed their financial statement because my dad had claimed me as a dependent. Now my middle brother was an engineering student and had one on file--but I was told I couldn't use it because it would violate his data privacy. I tried to use job placement services but I got kicked out because I was no longer a registered student. And they wonder why I've never made a donation...
Anyway, I, my brothers and BIL's attended an A&M game in Austin one Thanksgiving when the Longhorns sucked. The folks weren't going to wait for our return for the big meal. So, we got blown out; it was cold and wet. So on our long drive back, one of the BILs (God bless him) pestered us all the way back to stop for hot dogs. So, we get home, he gets a nice steaming slice of turkey breast and douses it in ketchup. Not in the available savory giblet gravy but ketchup! What the hell? It's like a sacrilege against Thanksgiving. Not only that but he's got my beautiful goddaughter copying her daddy!.
It looks like Lifetime has joined Hallmark, at least on weekends with new cable holiday primetime movies. So far none of the new flicks have impressed me much, although I've only seen a few.
