BEWARE...SOME DAYS ARE NOT VERY PRETTY. I GET CRABBY LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE DO. AND I DO SPEAK MY MIND.
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Australia abandons COVID-19 vaccine due to false HIV positives
Ben Farmer
Morrison says his government won't rush approval of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine after a homegrown version was abandoned
Australia
has cancelled the production of a locally made Covid-19 vaccine after
trial volunteers falsely tested positive for HIV, meaning the drug
could interfere with diagnosis of that virus.
Antibodies generated
by the jabs developed by the University of Queensland (UQ) and biotech
firm CSL led to trial subjects wrongly testing positive for the virus
that causes AIDS. Further trials have been stopped.
Scientists
said the results were a blow to Australia's vaccine development and was
likely to force the country to buy more doses of imported shots.
"While
this is a tough decision to take, the urgent need for a vaccine has to
be everyone's priority," said UQ professor Paul Young.
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Australia
has ordered a total of 140 million shots from different suppliers, to
inoculate its 25 million people, making it one of the most highly
stocked countries in the world.
"We want to ensure that
Australians ... have full confidence, absolute full confidence that when
it gets the tick, they can get the jab, and they can make that decision
for themselves and for their families, confidently,” said Scott
Morrison, prime minister.
Prof Sarah Palmer, from the faculty of
medicine at the University of Sydney, said: “Sadly, this is a set-back
for the development of Covid-19 vaccines. Generating a false positive
for HIV is entirely unexpected for this vaccine, but underscores the
critical necessity of testing the safety of newly-developed vaccines in
large numbers of volunteers.”
She said the Australian government,
which was a major backer of the UQ vaccine effort, would have to
consider funding other alternatives, including imported vaccine from
firms such as Pfizer and Moderna.”
Australia's strict quarantine
regime has seen the country quash earlier outbreaks and its tally of
28,000 infections is far fewer than in many other developed countries
Its
success in keeping a lid on infections has meant the country is not
racing to start vaccinations like countries in Europe and jabs are not
scheduled to begin until March.
CSL, had been under a contract to
produce 51 million doses of the UQ vaccine, and will instead produce an
extra 20 million doses of the Oxford vaccine being developed with
Britain's AstraZeneca.
Thursday, December 10, 2020
Health
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the inequities of the health-care system: ‘Black lives are at risk. Serious risk'
Los
Angeles Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, seen attending the Los
Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies basketball game in LA, in February,
is speaking out about health disparities. (Photo: Kevork S.
Djansezian/Getty Images)
“Our
lives are at risk. The health-care system — and everyday individuals
—have to do a better job to protect us,” writes NBA legend, activist,
writer and UCLA Health Ambassador Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in a compelling account
of his unique experience as a Black American man living with serious
health risks who happens to be a celebrity — speaking, most saliently,
to how his experience compares with that of the Black American community
at large.
In the Wednesday piece, “Black Lives Matter,” for
WebMD’s social justice magazine series, Abdul-Jabbar begins by
recounting his own health battles: “My life is at risk. Not just because
I’m 73 with the usual annoying aches and pains that accompany age, but
because I’m tall and I’m Black. At 7 feet, 2 inches, I’m statistically
more prone to blood clots, lower back and hip problems, higher risk of
cancer, especially prostate cancer, atrial fibrillation (a heart rhythm
disorder), and a shorter life span in general. Being Black means I’m
more likely to suffer from diabetes, heart problems, obesity, cancer,
and a shorter life in general. Yup, tall people and Black people have
shorter life expectancies. So far, in keeping with these statistical
risks, I’ve had prostate cancer, leukemia, and heart-bypass surgery.”
Still,
he notes, “I’ve been fortunate because my celebrity has brought me
enough financial security to receive excellent medical attention. No one
wants an NBA legend dying on their watch. Imagine the Yelp reviews.”
Kareen Abdul-Jabbar wrote a compelling essay this week for WebMD. (Photo: WebMD)
Further,
Abdul-Jabbar says he’s lucky that one of his sons is an orthopedic
surgeon while another is a hospital administrator, affording him with
free, at-will medical advice. But while he’s grateful for his
advantages, he writes, “I’m acutely aware that many others in the Black
community do not have the same options and that it is my responsibility
to join with those fighting to change that. Because Black lives are at
risk. Serious risk.”
Abdul-Jabbar goes on to draw connections
between the nation’s state of racial affairs and health outcomes in
Black communities, pointing to “a wide spectrum of health threats built
into the foundation of American society as solidly as steel girders
holding up a bridge.”
He explains, “Most people know this is true,
though some will deny it because they fear removing those rusty girders
will cause the whole bridge to collapse. The truth is that those
girders are already malignant with rust and will eventually collapse if
we don’t address the underlying rot of systemic racism. San Francisco’s
Golden Gate Bridge has 200 ironworkers, electricians, and painters who
daily maintain the bridge’s integrity. If we want America to maintain
its cultural integrity, we need to fix its structural flaws —and we need
to do so on a daily basis.”
Kareem Abdul Jabbar playing in the Harlem Globetrotters v Kareem Allstars in 1995. (Photo: Action Images)
Abdul-Jabbar
highlighted organizations like the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the American Civil Liberties
Union (ACLU), National Urban League and the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference (SCLC), which, he says, are doing the work to
address these longstanding issues — while also recognizing one of the
most widely known, Black Lives Matter
(BLM), a “less a traditional organization and more a movement of
loosely affiliated activists across the country united by the credo that
is their name,” he says.
“BLM started organizing in 2013 … But by
2020, after a series of police killings of unarmed Blacks that
culminated with the suffocation of George Floyd, BLM had grown into the
largest protest movement in the history of the United States. … But
police brutality is merely the most dramatic and violent attack on the
lives of African Americans. … The more insidious and damaging threat to
the health, lives, and economic well-being of Black Americans is a
health-care system that ignores the fact that, though they are most in
need of medical services, they actually receive the lowest level,”
writes Abdul-Jabbar.
As he connects the dots between COVID-19
disparities, higher health risks and a lack of job opportunities — what
he calls “threads” in a “giant quilt that smothers the Black community” —
he argues that the complications of pulling on any of them is that “one
thread leads to another, to another, to another — each forming an
interlinking pattern that seems impenetrable and unassailable.”
Leaving
readers — and all of the U.S. — with a word of advice, Abdul-Jabbar
compares what it’s like to be Black in this country to the 1993 Bill
Murray classic, Groundhog Day.
“It’s
as if the Black community is trapped in Groundhog Day in which every
day we fight racism, prove it exists, see gains, and then wake up the
next day to all the same obstacles. In the movie, Bill Murray escaped
the cycle by becoming selfless, caring more about others’ needs than his
greedy desires,” Abdul-Jabbar writes. “That’s how America will escape
this self-destructive behavior.”
It
doesn’t seem like he’s exercising the same discipline elsewhere, being
recorded at well-attended events and parties thrown by folks who, at the
very least, aren’t exercising social discretion.
It’s clear what
he’s doing, something nearly confirmed as much on social media by his
mother, Monja Willis, who also serves as his agent.
“He is doing
what is best for his career. Please pay attention and understand,”
Willis said in response to a fan criticizing Harden’s behavior on
Instagram. “He has worked hard every time he suited up for his job,
giving 210 percent. He ask[ed] for a chance to get a ring, that’s it.
Anyone in their right mind in this bus[iness] would want that.”
Not
showing up at a place where he’s scheduled to make over $40 million in
each of the next three years, though, is too much to ask.
Will pressing to join Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving work?
Never mind the pandemic and all the hoops the NBA is going through to put on this ambitious enterprise.
Never
mind the inherent responsibility NBA superstars have to grow the game,
to make it a better league than the one they entered.
Nope, just
something as simple as professional courtesy on the front end, or
discretion on the back end as a new front office and new head coach have
to deal with the carnage of a fractured relationship between a star
player and a franchise.
He hasn’t shown up to Rockets camp as the
preseason will begin at the end of this week, and the real games to
follow in the next two weeks.
Harden wants to join Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn, and his actions illustrate nothing more than that.
The
Rockets are hoping Harden comes to his senses, looks around at the new
roster to see John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins along with the other
familiar faces and changes his mind.
Then again, some poor saps
from Houston are hoping Beyonce Knowles and Kelly Rowland will come back
to rekindle some old high-school puppy love, too.
Trying to force
a trade isn’t new, especially in this day of player empowerment. But
there has to be a recognition of what’s been done to accommodate the
star leading to this point, as well as the practicality of leverage
Harden doesn’t possess.
There’s a line between empowerment and
insubordination, and Harden currently has a first-year coach like
Stephen Silas taking the public bullets, gritting his teeth and sounding
like a stepfather waiting on a rebellious child to come home. That
sounds more like insubordination than empowerment.
If going out
and partying with Lil Baby, potentially putting himself at risk for a
deadly virus that can damage organs, gets him the desired result, so be
it.
Harden doesn’t have leverage of LeBron, Anthony Davis
More power to him in what appears to be a final power play, after nudging the likes of Dwight Howard, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook out of town because none of them could play nice.
There’s no power without leverage, hence where Harden either miscalculated these latest public stunts or didn’t factor it in.
Say
what you will about Rich Paul, and plenty already have. When it came to
Anthony Davis’ impending free agency, it looked like a fait accompli he
would wind up a Laker. Paul, though, made himself the bad guy as
opposed to Davis, with the public statement his client wanted out of New
Orleans before his contract expired. Davis said little, played on and
perhaps, played up the notion of being the naive pawn in a bigger game
to prevent mass criticism.
It's unclear if James Harden can engineer a move to join Kevin Durant in Brooklyn. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
It
was ugly, and messy, but the devilish details didn’t matter once many
saw the manifestation of the vision: Davis with LeBron James,
celebrating a title.
Those pesky wrinkles in the middle, hurt feelings, tarnished seasons and temporarily stained reputations got lost in the wash.
If that was ugly, this is messy, as the kids like to say.
Harden,
though, hasn’t approached this with sophistication or foresight,
perhaps only leaning into the player empowerment tone of the day. But
that day was birthed by players who spent a few years too long for
organizations that didn’t prioritize winning, or didn’t supplement it
with competence.
Kevin Garnett gave the best of his body to the
Minnesota Timberwolves before finally getting out after 12 seasons, a
one-way ticket to Boston. Charles Barkley never made the conference
finals as a headliner and MVP runner-up in Philadelphia, getting shipped
to Phoenix after nine years in what could’ve been two years too late.
In
a sense, that paved the way for James and Durant and the like to
exercise agency and take the hits in the immediate aftermath for sake of
freedom and winning. But James and Durant kept the pressure on the
respective organizations by signing shorter deals, wielding the ultimate
leverage.
Only recently has James cashed in those chips, with an
extension for a Lakers franchise that bends to his will and has been
rewarded.
It’s hard to argue the Rockets didn’t do plenty for
Harden, acquiring players who wouldn’t get in his way or need the ball —
and we know what happened to the ones who couldn’t get with the
program.
New Brooklyn Nets coach Steve Nash can barely begin his
program, being asked to address “the elephant in the room” following the
revelation Harden didn’t make it into the Rockets’ camp.
“I guess we let the elephant be,” Nash said, the only answer he could give.
Harden
is more than entitled to want out of Houston, and to try it a different
way elsewhere. Perhaps the Rockets should’ve tried building a champion a
different way as opposed to hoping Harden would elevate his game in the
playoffs where he often didn’t.
But he could certainly make life
easier on all involved by showing up and being professional because
truth be told, it’s likely the Rockets don’t want a disgruntled employee
around while trying to build something new and sustainable.
If a dream without a plan is just a wish, then empowerment without leverage is foolish.
More than 200 struck with mysterious disease in India
There
was confusion and panic in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh
on Sunday (December 6), as at least 227 people were admitted to
hospital, having contracted an unknown disease. The first case of the
mysterious illness was reported on Saturday. Doctors said the symptoms
include dizziness, nausea, headache and epilepsy-like symptoms,
affecting both young and old alike. The state's health minister who
visited Eluru Government General Hospital said the situation is under
control, with all patients now reported as stable. Blood samples were
sent to labs and no viral infections were detected. All the patients
were tested for COVID-19 and all tested negative, according to local
media reports. The state government is now focusing on the areas where
cases are prevalent and a door-to-door survey is being conducted to
monitor condition of the residents.
====================
Hundreds ill, one dead after unidentified disease hits city in India
Associated Press
At
least one person has died and 200 others have been hospitalized due to
an unidentified illness in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh,
reports said Monday.
The illness was detected Saturday evening in
Eluru, an ancient city famous for its hand-woven products. Since then,
patients have experienced symptoms ranging from nausea and anxiety to
loss of consciousness, doctors said.
Image: (AP)
A
45-year-old man who was hospitalized with symptoms similar to epilepsy
and nausea died Sunday evening, the Press Trust of India news agency
reported.
Officials are trying to determine the cause of the
illness. So far, water samples from impacted areas haven’t shown any
signs of contamination, and the chief minister's office said people not
linked to the municipal water supply have also fallen ill. The patients
are of different ages and have tested negative for COVID-19 and other
viral diseases such as dengue, chikungunya or herpes.
An expert team deputed by the federal government reached the city to investigate the sudden illness Monday.
State
chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy visited a government hospital and
met patients who were ill. Opposition leader N. Chandrababu Naidu
demanded on Twitter an “impartial, full-fledged inquiry into the
incident.”
Andhra Pradesh state is among those worst hit by
COVID-19, with over 800,000 detected cases. The health system in the
state, like the rest of India, has been frayed by the virus.
Hundreds hospitalised with 'mystery illness' in Andhra Pradesh
Marcus Parekh
Andhra
Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy (C-L) meeting with the
patients going under treatment for an unknown disease - STR
HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock /Shutterstock
Local
people are blaming an anti-mosquito spraying campaign for a mystery
illness that has hospitalised more than 300 people in a city in southern
India.
A 45-year-old man died of epilepsy-type symptoms and
hundreds of others complained of nausea, burning eyes and seizures in
the town of Eluru in Andhra Pradesh.
A report released by the
district collector said that as many as 340 people have fallen sick
since Saturday night, with 157 still undergoing treatment.
Locals
in Eluru, which is known as mosquito city, have said authorities in the
past week were spraying anti-mosquito chemicals in the area.
One
local man, Dhananjay Kumar, said: "Authorities have been spraying
anti-mosquito chemicals in the area, creating a massive fog. It seems
the chemicals sprayed by authorities led to the disease.”
However, health officials in Andhra Pradesh say the exact cause of the illness is unknown.
"We
were informed by some locals that anti-mosquito spray resulted in the
infection. As of now, I can only say the exact cause of the disease is
not known yet. We have sent samples to AIIMS, New Delhi and expect the
reports on Tuesday morning, " said a senior health official in Andhra
Pradesh.
Blood tests and brain scans of the infected patients
could not establish the cause of the disease and health authorities
have ruled out water contamination.
All of those who were
hospitalised have tested negative for Covid-19, according to the state’s
Health Minister, Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas.
Andhra Pradesh has the third-highest caseload of any state in India with 800,000, despite being the 10th most populous state.
“We
ruled out water contamination or air pollution as the cause after
officials visited the areas where people fell sick,” Mr Srinivas said.
He
added that both blood and water samples have been sent off for lab
analysis. The Andhra Pradesh Health Department released a statement
saying that initial tests did not reveal any viral infection. This rules
out diseases such as dengue or chikungunya, which are both caused by
mosquito bites.
However,
the state’s former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has called for a
full inquiry into the outbreak, pointing to water contamination as the
likely cause.
“I demand an impartial, full-fledged inquiry into
the incident,” he wrote on Twitter. “The Eluru water contamination
incident calls for a declaration of Health Emergency in Andhra Pradesh.”
A
report in the Indian Express claimed that a case of contaminated water
was reported in Eluru 10 days prior to the hospitalisations.
The
current Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy said specialist medical teams
have been dispatched and are conducting door-to-door surveys in order to
get control of the situation.
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