Monthly Archives: April 2021

U.K. Coronavirus Strain Does Not Lead To More Severe Illness And Death, Study Finds – NPR

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Hospital workers tend to a Covid-19 patient at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, England, last month. Researchers have found that the so-called U.K. variant of the coronavirus isn't more likely to lead to death or severe illness. Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Hospital workers tend to a Covid-19 patient at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, England, last month. Researchers have found that the so-called U.K. variant of the coronavirus isn't more likely to lead to death or severe illness.

People infected with the U.K. variant of the coronavirus didn't experience more severe symptoms and weren't more likely to die from this particular strain, according to a new study of hospitalized patients published Monday.

The strain, called the B.1.1.7 variant, remains more contagious than original strains of the virus however, according to the study in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

The U.K. strain is believed to have first emerged in England in September 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is now the most common strain in the U.S.

Researchers for The Lancet study collected samples from patients at the University College London Hospital and the North Middlesex University Hospital between Nov. 9 to Dec 20, 2020. The samples were collected just prior to a surge in hospitalizations in England and Ireland due to the rapid spread of this particular strain of the coronavirus.

Scientists sequenced samples from 341 patients and found 58 percent were positive for the B.1.1.7 variant. The other 42 percent were infected with a different strain, according to the study. Researchers compared the severity of symptoms between the two groups and found those with the B.1.1.7 strain were not particularly worse off than those with other virus variants.

Patients who tested positive for the the B.1.1.7 variant also reportedly had higher "viral loads," or greater amounts of the virus in their bodies.

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U.K. Coronavirus Strain Does Not Lead To More Severe Illness And Death, Study Finds - NPR

Coronavirus cases trend down in Ohio after weeks of increases; hospitalizations still up – latest trends and – cleveland.com

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CLEVELAND, Ohio - Newly reported coronavirus cases are down over the last week across Ohio, while hospitalizations are up.

This could be a positive change to what had been a spring uptick in cases across Ohio.

More will be known in the coming days and weeks, but health officials say hospital trends often lag the cases by a several days to a week because it generally takes time for patients to get sick enough to need the more extensive treatment.

The latest increases in hospitalizations could be the result of earlier case increases. If newly reported cases do continue to decline, the hospitalization trends would be expected to eventually follow.

The seven-day average for newly reported cases dipped to 1,917 a day on Monday, the lowest this average has been since April 7. It was as high recently as 2,154 on Wednesday.

To date, Ohio has reported 18,991 deaths, 55,016 hospitalizations and 1,054,807 cases. This means that 1-in-11 Ohioans is known to have contracted the coronavirus at some point.

Heres a closer look at the latest trends.

The average number of newly reported coronavirus cases declined some in the last week.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

A total of 1,323 coronavirus patients were reported in Ohio hospitals on Monday, the highest patient count reported by the Ohio Hospital Association since Feb. 24. The daily census had dropped as low as 823 on March 7 and didnt climb back over 1,000 until Thursday, April 1.

There were 1,234 patients a week ago, on April 12.

However, even the increased numbers remain well below where they were months ago, including a record 5,308 patients on Dec. 15.

Among Mondays patients were 378 in intensive care units, up from 315 a week ago. The high was 1,318 on Dec. 15.

Ohio's coronavirus hospital patient count has been trending up.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

The state reported starting vaccines for 268,328 people in the last week, a drop for the the third consecutive week. The latest number is in comparison to 400,851, 445,174, 454,155, and 431,824 the previous weeks.

The 4,390,744 vaccinations started through reporting on Monday means about 47% of Ohios population age 16 and up has received at least one shot. Younger people are not approved to receive vaccines.

These are estimates in part because the Ohio data for vaccines includes some people from other states such as those who work in Ohio or traveled here for shots - at least 125,515 so far - yet some Ohioans received vaccinations in other states.

About 38% of Ohioans have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. About 43% of those older enough to be vaccinated have not yet received a shot.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

Ohio reported an average of 1,917 cases a day in the last week.

This compares with averages of 2,066 1,973, 1,704, 1,551, 1,516 and 1,550 the last several weeks, and down from close to 6,700 a day at the end of December.

Cases are trending younger. About 59% of the new cases over the first half of April involved people under the age of 40, in comparison to 44% for this age group during the first half of December - ahead of the vaccination effort.

The number of coronavirus cases reported daily by the state of Ohio over the last three weeks. There was no report on Easter.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

The state has reported 18,991 deaths caused by the coronavirus, though this is an undercount.

The Ohio Department of Health announced on March 2 that it was dropping efforts to track deaths in a timely manner. It said the change would delay death reporting by up to six months in some cases. The health department is now awaiting details from the federal Centers for Disease Control for all deaths.

Illustrating how far the paperwork now lags, the state has reported just 56 deaths occurring in April, with none since April 13 and only four on April 11 or later.

The state has reported 473 deaths occurring in March, 1,330 in February, 3,638 in January and 5,470 in December.

Though Cuyahoga County has the most deaths (2,069) of any county in the state, its death rate of 1.68 per 1,000 residents is just slightly above the statewide rate of 1.62 per 1,000. The counties with the highest rates are Monroe (3 per 1,000), Putnam (2.92) and Tuscarawas (2.61).

Ohio coronavirus deaths by month.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

Among the dead are at least 7,198 patients of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, according to the last weekly update on Wednesday, April 14. This is up from 7,167 reported a week earlier.

However, the actual number is unclear. Before the state changed its death reporting methods, it had reported 7,462 nursing home deaths in early March.

The health department said Wednesday there were 291 current cases involving nursing home patients, and 319 involving nursing home staff. This was down from 476 and 329 the previous week.

In mid-December, there were 5,155 patient cases and 3,271 staff cases. Case details by nursing home can be found at this link.

The number of Ohio nursing home patients with the coronavirus has shrunk below 300, according to the Ohio Department of Health.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

The state updates school data each Thursday. It reported 1,171 new student cases last week, and 146 new staff cases across Ohio. These totals reported on April 15 cover new cases discovered from from April 5 to April 11.

The student case total was up sharply from 635 the previous week, when there also were 119 staff cases.

School-by-school details can be found at this link.

Three-in-four of the deaths have been to people age 70 and older, breaking down this way: under age 20 (7), in their 20s (24), in their 30s (101, in their 40s (266), in their 50s (961), in their 60s (2,741), in their 70s (5,095) and at least 80 years old (9,796).

Those age 80 and up have accounted for 52% of the known coronavirus deaths, in comparison to 44% of all known Ohio deaths for all causes in 2018.

Those in their 70s have accounted for 27% of the coronavirus deaths, in comparison to 21% of all Ohio deaths in 2018 ahead of the virus.

But for hospitalizations, the cases are more spread out age-wise: under age 20 (1,347), in their 20s (2,207), in their 30s (2,927), in their 40s (4,390), in their 50s (7,982), in their 60s (11,846), in their 70s (12,806) and at least 80 years old (11,511).

Hospitalizations have decreased sharply among older age groups since the start of vaccines. Older people were the first focus of vaccine efforts.

For the deaths in which race was reported, 86% of the people are white, and 13% are Black. For total cases, 75% are white and 13% Black.

Ohios overall population is 82% white and 13% Black. But among Ohioans at least 70 years old - the age group accounting for three-quarters of the deaths - Ohio is 89% white and 9% Black.

The first three cases were confirmed on March 9, 2020. The total topped 100,000 on Aug. 9, 250,000 on Nov. 8, 500,000 on Dec. 8, and 1 million on March 22.

Among the cases reported to date are 165,913 listed as probable, those cases included by a wider variety of tests or identified through non-testing evidence. This total is up from 157,804 last week.

The state reported 11,582,295 tests to date, including 218,694 in the last week, in comparison to 237,471 and 187,537 the previous weeks. During parts of January, more than 340,000 tests were conducted during seven-day periods.

Rich Exner, data analysis editor for cleveland.com, writes about numbers on a variety of topics. Follow on Twitter @RichExner. See other data-related stories at cleveland.com/datacentral.

Previous coverage

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What can a consumer do about forced-arbitration clauses on cell phone, car and other deals? - Thats Rich!

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Coronavirus cases trend down in Ohio after weeks of increases; hospitalizations still up - latest trends and - cleveland.com

Florida mother and nurse finally leaves hospital after 111 days fighting coronavirus – FOX 35 Orlando

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Mom with COVID-19 released from hospital after 111 days

She is the nurse and mother who has been fighting for her life for weeks. Kristin Kay was finally discharged from North Florida Regional Medical Center in Gainesville.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - A 32-year-old nurse and mother who has been fighting for her life due to COVID-19 wasfinally discharged from the hospital after more than 100 days.

FOX 35s cameras were rolling during the big celebration.

Since Kristin Kay became deathly ill from COVID-19, she has been in the hospital for 111 days, experiencing multiple organ failures and being hooked up to a ventilator.

On Monday, she left the hospital and was able to whisper her first words to her son.

Surrounded by dozens of doctors, nurses, and staff, Steven Kay wheeled his wife, Kristin, out of her hospital room for the Walk of Honor.

"Shes had 75 nurses, 15 different respiratory therapists, 20-plus different doctors, and a couple dozen different support staff and therapists, and theyre all just amazing," Steven Kay said.

Applause followed her down the hallway, where she was able to turn and wave goodbye to the healthcare heroes who saved her life.

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Then, she turnedthe corner where her 5-year-old son Parker wrapped her in his arms and didnt want to let go.

"Mommys tube is gone from her throat bud," Steven said to his son. Kristins trach was just removed on Sunday.

Kristin whispered her first words to Parker, "I love you."

A family hug was just what the doctor ordered.

"Every emotion you could possibly have," Steven Kay said. "Its the 111th day and there were times when we didnt know if she was going to make it. This place in a weird way has become home this past year. Shes a miracle. They saved her life."

Outside the North Florida Regional Medical Center, Kristin was helped onto a stretcher and into an ambulance where she will continue receiving care at a long-term care facility for the next few days or weeks. Its just one more big step toward her recovery and getting home to her family.

"Bye, Mommy!" Parker yelled as he waved to her. "I love you!"

Tune in to FOX 35 Orlando for the latest Central Florida news.

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Florida mother and nurse finally leaves hospital after 111 days fighting coronavirus - FOX 35 Orlando

What the Coronavirus Variants Mean for Testing – The New York Times

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You could run into a situation where you just got unlucky with where you chose to target your test, and something popped up there that then made your test less effective, said Nathan Grubaugh, a virologist at Yale University.

The gene for the viruss characteristic spike protein, known as the S gene, has been particularly prone to mutation, and tests that target this gene may miss certain variants. For instance, Thermo Fishers TaqPath test fails to detect the mutated S gene of the B.1.1.7 variant, which was first identified in Britain and is now spreading rapidly through the United States.

But the test does not rely on the S gene alone; it has three targets and can still return accurate results by detecting two other stretches of the coronavirus genome.

Just 1.3 percent of molecular tests rely solely on an S gene target, according to calculations performed by Rachel West, a postdoctoral associate at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. The rest either target more stable regions of the genome, which are less likely to mutate, or have multiple target sequences, which makes them less susceptible to failure. Its very unlikely that youre going to get mutations in all of them, Dr. Lillis said.

The F.D.A. has listed four different molecular tests whose performance could be impacted by the variants, but notes that the tests should still work. Three of the tests have multiple targets; a fourth may be slightly less sensitive when the virus has one particular mutation and is present at very low levels. (The four tests are the TaqPath Covid-19 Combo Kit, the Linea Covid-19 Assay Kit, the Xpert Xpress and Xpert Omni SARS-CoV-2, and the Accula SARS-CoV-2 Test.)

We dont think that those four assays are significantly impacted, said Dr. Tim Stenzel, who directs the F.D.A.s office of in vitro diagnostics and radiological health. It was more out of an abundance of caution and transparency that we made that information public.

Antigen tests are less sensitive than molecular tests, but they are typically cheaper and faster, and they are being deployed widely in coronavirus screening programs. These tests detect specific proteins on the outside of the virus. Some genetic mutations could change the structure of these proteins, allowing them to escape detection.

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What the Coronavirus Variants Mean for Testing - The New York Times

How the Coronavirus Variants Are Spreading in New York City – The New York Times

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The number of new coronavirus cases in New York City has remained alarmingly, and stubbornly, high for weeks, even as tens of thousands of people are vaccinated daily.

A likely reason is that more contagious variants have displaced the original forms of the virus, public health officials have said, accounting for more than 75 percent of new cases, according to a recent analysis.

Each week, the Health Department releases the results of a sampling of up to 1,500 sequenced cases, providing a citywide snapshot of which variants are on the rise.

Until this week, the city had not said which variants were more common in which neighborhoods. But newly available ZIP code-level data provides some insight into the mix of variants circulating in the area.

The information serves as a vivid reminder that the dynamics of New Yorks epidemic have changed over the past few months, and that the original forms of the virus are increasingly unusual across the city.

It makes something thats been pretty abstract and maybe less accessible that much more tangible to people, Dr. Denis Nash, an epidemiologist at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, said of the data. The landscape is changing quickly.

A variant first discovered in New York, B.1.526, has spread more widely in the city than all of the others so far. There has also been a significant increase in cases linked to the B.1.1.7 variant, which was first detected in Britain last year and now makes up nearly 30 percent of new cases sequenced in New York City.

The B.1.1.7 variant has driven new surges of sickness from Poland to Michigan. It is estimated to be 60 percent more contagious and two-thirds more deadly than the original form of the virus. This variant is now the main source of new infections across the United States and in Europe.

But not in New York City, where B.1.526 remains the most prevalent variant, comprising about 45 percent of cases sequenced from the fourth week of March.

Many questions about B.1.526, such as whether it causes more severe illness or can evade the protection granted by the vaccines, remain unanswered.

As to which is more contagious B.1.1.7 or B.1.526 health officials are not yet sure. We dont have enough information to discern this at this moment, said the citys health commissioner, Dr. Dave Chokshi.

In Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn, the B.1.526 variant made up more than 50 percent of all the cases sequenced between March 16 and April 1. In the Bronx, the share of B.1.526 was 61 percent.

One of the few places where B.1.1.7 appears responsible for the majority of cases was along the southern tip of Staten Island, which has struggled with high case loads for months and currently has some of the highest positivity rates in the city.

Across Staten Island, B.1.1.7 made up 40 percent of new cases sequenced between March 16 and April 1. In Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan, B.1.1.7 represented a smaller share, making up 26 to 29 percent in these boroughs. In the Bronx, B.1.1.7 represented only 23 percent of the cases sequenced.

Despite the dominance of variants, hospitalizations have not been rising in the city in recent weeks, and are actually on a slight decline. And cases have been stable, though at a high level. To me that is reassuring, said Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, an epidemiologist at Columbia Universitys Mailman School of Public Health. We may be seeing the beginnings of a vaccine effect.

April 19, 2021, 5:23 p.m. ET

In a given week, about one to two thousand positive coronavirus cases in New York City are sequenced that is, the genetic material of the virus is examined for mutations. That represents roughly between four and eight percent of New York Citys new cases. The majority of those cases are sequenced at a laboratory in Long Island City operated by Opentrons, a robotics company.

At the request of The Times, the companys chief executive, Jonathan Brennan-Badal, shared ZIP code-level data for about 7,500 sequenced cases, explaining that the information could help identify where the need for more resources including testing and vaccinations was greatest.

The city Health Department uses the sequences from this laboratory, known as the Pandemic Response Lab, as the basis for its weekly sample gauging the prevalence of each variant.

But even with thousands of samples sequenced, the data still has significant limitations. Most of its coronavirus samples come from the citys public hospital system and city-sponsored testing sites. It receives lots of samples from some neighborhoods, but few from others.

The limited number of variants sequenced up till now make it difficult to arrive at conclusions as to whether some neighborhoods are more severely affected than others, Dr. El-Sadr said.

Each dot on the density maps above is placed in the ZIP code of a New Yorker whose coronavirus sample was sequenced at the Opentrons lab. But neighborhoods with lots of dots do not necessarily correspond with coronavirus hot spots. The density of dots can often be explained by the presence of a city testing center nearby.

On the other hand, neighborhoods with few dots are not necessarily free of variants. It just means few coronavirus samples from there reached the lab.

There are blind spots across the Bronx, Queens and the southern half of Manhattan. In some ZIP codes too few samples have been sequenced to draw any solid conclusions. In Roosevelt Island, for example, only one case has been sequenced.

The city on Monday separately released a report based on ZIP-code level data from the Pandemic Response Lab, as well as from the citys own lab. It also showed the proportion of B.1.1.7 and B.1.526 cases growing rapidly.

The report said that B.1.526 cases have been detected in all five boroughs, but were slightly more common in the Bronx and parts of Queens. B.1.1.7 cases were also found citywide, but were slightly more common in southern Brooklyn, eastern Queens and Staten Island.

City officials said that the maps showed widespread transmission of the variants, and that they were an important reminder for people not to let their guards down in any neighborhood.

The single best way we can address this threat is by vaccinating everyone as quickly as possible, said Dr. Jay Varma, a senior adviser on public health in the mayors office. The reality is you are at risk of any of these no matter where you are.

Dr. Chokshi said that the geographic breakdown of variants illustrated where the variants had been detected and how widespread they were across the city, questions health officials had been asking for weeks.

Monitoring clusters in certain neighborhoods could lead to insights about variants that so far have remained somewhat of a mystery to health officials.

Because B.1.526 appears to have emerged locally in New York City, Dr. Nash said he would expect that it would circulate more in areas with high levels of community transmission.

Throughout the pandemic, these have tended to be poorer swaths of the city, where living conditions are more crowded and jobs have required showing up in person. The map largely bears that out.

In ZIP codes where more than 20 percent of the population lives in poverty, there were about three times as many B.1.526 cases sequenced as B.1.1.7 cases between March 1 and April 1. In ZIP codes with less poverty, B.1.526 cases were just twice as numerous as B.1.1.7.

In an inverse effect, vaccination rates also tend to be lower in harder hit neighborhoods that have had more community transmission during the pandemic. Some of this is because of vaccine hesitancy, and some because of access issues. The city has been trying to address this with targeted vaccination campaigns.

Scarcity is the enemy of equity, said Dr. Tom Frieden, a former city health commissioner.

The abundance of variants being detected in the city has created a complicated challenge for health officials.

Some variants such as the ones first found in Brazil, P.1, and South Africa, B.1.351, that are now popping up in small numbers in New York carry a mutation that appears to allow the virus to partially evade antibodies from prior infection. The variant first found in South Africa also appears to make vaccines less effective.

The variant first detected in New York, B.1.526, appears to come with two forms of mutation.

More than half of the B.1.526 circulating in New York City now carries a mutation similar to ones carried by the variants discovered in South Africa and Brazil, according to the New York City Health Department.

Another version of the variant, researchers say, contains a different mutation, which may help the virus bind more tightly to human cells and may make it more contagious. However, there is no real-world evidence yet that B.1.526 results in more severe infection, or is more likely to evade antibodies from prior infections or vaccines, though it is being studied, city officials said.

The P.1 variant, which has been linked to a surge of cases in Brazil, has been detected about two dozen times in New York City between March 16 and April 1, mainly in Queens. A handful of cases of B.1.351 have been found mostly on Staten Island in recent weeks.

Its just a reminder that not only are we interconnected in the city, but we are interconnected around the world, said Dr. Nash, and what happens there can happen here too, if we are not careful.

Lauren Leatherby contributed research.

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How the Coronavirus Variants Are Spreading in New York City - The New York Times

Cleveland Indians trending toward 85% vaccination rate for coronavirus – cleveland.com

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians are trending toward the required 85% vaccination rate for the coronavirus which would allow them to loosen some virus-related protocols this season.

Many Indians players and staff members are scheduled for their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine in late April. Its believed if all the players and staff member who received the first dose, return for the second dose, they should pass the 85% threshold. Many Indians players and staff members received their first dose on April 6 and April 8, scheduled off days in the first week of the season, after the team returned from spring training in Arizona.

Minnesota, one of the Indians rivals in the AL Central, has encountered COVID-related problems on its current West Coast trip. The Twins had games against the Angels on Saturday and Sunday postponed as was Mondays game against Oakland. They are expected to resume play Tuesday against the As.

Four members of the Twins, three players and one staff member, tested positive. Shortstop Andrelton Simmons did not make the trip because hes suffering from COVID issues.

MLB has had six games postponed this season because of positive tests. That includes the season opening three-game series between the Nationals and Mets. Last year, during the 60-game sprint, 45 games were postponed. Only two of those games werent played.

In a recent memo sent to teams, MLB and MLBPA agreed to relax COVID protocols on teams where 85% of the Tier I players and coaches were fully vaccinated. Players and staff members are not being forced to be vaccinated, but are strongly encouraged to do so, according to media outlets that have seen the memo.

If a club reaches 85% vaccination, players and coaches in dugouts and bullpens will no longer have to wear masks or contract tracing devices in team facilities. They can also eat at indoor and outdoor restaurants, eat and drink on team flights and busses and gather in hotels.

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Cleveland Indians trending toward 85% vaccination rate for coronavirus - cleveland.com

Covenant Health closes all drive-thru coronavirus testing sites – KLBK | KAMC | EverythingLubbock.com

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LUBBOCK, Texas On Monday, Covenant Medical Group announced all drive-thru testing for coronavirus would end on April 19. The health organization is reporting an 83 percent decrease in coronavirus testing needs.

At the height of the pandemic, Covenant Health had been administering about 160 tests a day. Now that has decreased to about 27 tests across all drive-thru testing sites.

Dr. Sam Wiley, an attending physician at Covenant Health Plus, said he has noticed the decline.

Were seeing more like four [patients] in a four or five hour period; about one an hour, Wiley said.

He said even fewer tests are coming back with a positive result.

Ive seen one positive in the past I think week and a half, Wiley said.

The physician said they dont have the volume to continue to see patients in the parking lot like they have done for the past year.

The majority of people that need to get tested, need to get tested for things like travel or surgery clearance. Things that arent urgent that you dont require a physician to see, Wiley said.

Testing is down all across the city. According to data from the city of Lubbock, the daily number of patients getting tested has been less than 500. Additionally, for the past five days, the number of positive tests reported in the city has been less than 25 total.

Im not sure I can explain that well but Im glad its down, Wiley said.

Covenant is still accepting walk-in appointments for coronavirus testing.

Below is a list of sites for coronavirus testing:

Lubbock Locations:

Covenant Health Plus7601 Quaker Ave.(806) 725-9444Monday Friday 8 a.m. 7 p.m.Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.Sunday 12 p.m.-5 p.m.

Covenant Medical Group Northwest Clinic611 N. Frankford Ave.(806) 725-5480Monday-Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Grace Clinic4515 Marsha Sharp Freeway (806) 744-7223Monday-Friday: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.Children (18 years and under)

Covenant Childrens Pediatric Urgent Care5202 82nd St.(806) 725-7337Daily: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Plainview Locations:

Covenant Health Family Medical Center1208 N. I-27 (806) 291-5112Monday- Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Edgemere Medical Clinic2606 Yonkers806-291-5120 Monday- Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Covenant Healthcare Center Plainview2222 West 24th Street(806) 293-5113Monday- Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Covenant Health West Texas Family Medicine1806 Quincy Street(806) 288-7891Monday- Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Levelland Location:

Levelland Clinic1804 S. College Avenue806-894-3141Monday Friday 8 am 12 pm; 1:30 pm 5 pm

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Covenant Health closes all drive-thru coronavirus testing sites - KLBK | KAMC | EverythingLubbock.com

No, Having Raw Onions And Salt Cannot Cure Coronavirus – The Quint

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According to Health Desk, a COVID-19 resource for journalists powered by public health experts, onions are also known to have some antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory qualities, but studies are limited. To date, there are no studies that evaluate onions as a therapy for COVID-19, and there is no scientific evidence to suggest that onions will prevent, treat, or cure COVID-19.

Therefore, the claim that eating raw onions and salt can cure one of COVID is false, there is no evidence or study to prove that.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)

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No, Having Raw Onions And Salt Cannot Cure Coronavirus - The Quint

Four Astros on COVID-19 list tentatively set to rejoin team – Houston Chronicle

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DENVER Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez are tentatively scheduled to rejoin the Astros on Tuesday, but Jose Altuve will remain on the COVID-19 injured list, a person with knowledge of the situation said on Monday afternoon.

Bregman, Alvarez, catcher Martin Maldonado and infielder Robel Garca flew to Colorado on Monday but still must clear intake testing before being officially reinstated to the major league roster. The four men missed four games while on the COVID-19 injured list due to health and safety protocols.

The Astros have not specified why the five players went on the COVID-19 injured list or whether anyone tested positive for the virus. Major League Baseball mandates a seven-day quarantine for all players deemed close contacts to positive tests. Any player or staff member that tests positive for the virus must quarantine for 10 days. It is unknown whether any of the five players were deemed close contacts to a positive case.

The five players went on the injured list Wednesday, beginning a rough stretch of coronavirus-related news across the sport. The Minnesota Twins announced four positive tests within their organization that caused games Saturday, Sunday and Monday to be postponed.

There are nuances between the various situations in terms of threats and concerns about further spread in the clubhouse and that necessitated shutting things down, general manager James Click told the Astros pregame radio show Sunday.

The Philadelphia Phillies placed three players on the COVID-19 injured list Monday, too, while two of their coaches also entered COVID-19 protocols. The Phillies home game against the San Francisco Giants proceeded on as scheduled.

The Astros played all four games without their five players. Starter Lance McCullers Jr. questioned Major League Baseballs decision to allow Wednesdays game against the Detroit Tigers to proceed in the wake of Houstons five-player exodus.

The Astros, like the Phillies, played that game at home and were more easily able to summon five players from their alternate training site to fill in. Ronnie Dawson, Alex De Goti, Taylor Jones, Abraham Toro and Garrett Stubbs all accompanied the team to Seattle but four will be sent out when and if the major league foursome is officially cleared.

Neither Dawson nor De Goti was on the teams full 40-man roster before last week. Players on the COVID-19 IL do not count against the 40-man, meaning the club was able to add them without penalty.

According to a person with knowledge of the situation, the Astros received approval for their additions as temporary. The club will not be required to expose Dawson or De Goti to waivers if they choose to take them off the 40-man roster once the major leaguers are reinstated.

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Four Astros on COVID-19 list tentatively set to rejoin team - Houston Chronicle

COVID-19 in South Dakota: 133 total new cases; Death toll remains at 1,953; Active cases at 2,153 – KELOLAND.com

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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) 133 new total COVID-19 cases were reported by theState Department of Healthon Monday.

The DOH has stopped reporting new COVID-19 information on Sundays, so this update includes two days of data.

According to the latest update, there are 112 current hospitalizations, up from Saturday (96). Total hospitalizations are at 7,221.

Active cases are now at 2,153, down from Saturday (2,210).

The states total case count is now at 121,189, up from Saturday (121,056).

Total recovered cases are now at 117,083, up from Saturday (116,893).

No additional deaths were reported by the Department of Health on Monday so the death toll remains at 1,953.

Total persons who tested negative is now at 337,384, up from the last report on Saturday (336,856).

There were 661 new persons tested in the data reported Monday for a new persons-tested positivity rate of 20.1%.

The latest seven-day PCR test positivity rate reported by the DOH is 7.9%. The latest one-day PCR test positivity rate is 5.6%.

According to the DOH, 280,074 doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been administered with XX 16,296 doses of the Janssen vaccine and 240,595 of the Moderna vaccine given out to a total number of 317,583 persons.

There have been 101,879 persons who have completed two doses of Moderna and 117,459 who have received two doses of Pfizer, according to the DOH.

As of Monday, 53% of the population in South Dakota has received at least one dose while 39.3% have completed the vaccination series.

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COVID-19 in South Dakota: 133 total new cases; Death toll remains at 1,953; Active cases at 2,153 - KELOLAND.com

Cloning the investment portfolio of a star fund manager? Stay disciplined to succeed – Moneycontrol.com

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James (Jim) OShaughnessy is a renowned investor, author and Chairman of OShaughnessy Asset Management. He is well-known for his book What Works on Wall Street. It was one of the first investment books I read when I started my career. However, what I found most interesting about his achievements was the research he published in his first book Invest like the best.

In 1987, Jim worked as a consultant for various pension funds. During this stint, he studied the performance and portfolios of seven separate pension funds in detail. He profiled the fund managers based on their strategy and the factors they used to make investment decisions. Using this information, he prepared a set of rules that would mirror the strategy of these fund managers in essence, a clone portfolio.

In a years time, when he evaluated the performance of the clone portfolios vis--vis those of the fund managers (that were being cloned), he found something very interesting. All the clone portfolios were beating their fund managers in terms of returns!

He repeated the performance evaluation after a few time intervals, and yet the story remained the same. What was the reason for this difference? After all, the clone portfolios were merely trying to mimic the fund managers strategy. The difference was: discipline. The clones followed the rules of buying and selling exactly as per the strategy, but the fund managers deviated periodically.

There are many studies done in the past to understand the superior returns generated by certain investors over the long term. These super-investors have different strategies and investment styles. But they have one characteristic in common discipline. The case is the same in short-term investing styles too. Jack Schwager who has written some impressive books under the Market Wizards series says, When I asked the Market Wizards what differentiated them from the majority of traders, the most common reply I got was discipline. Success in investing is like going on a diet plan: one can learn and draw up a fantastic, high-return, proven strategy on paper. But it counts for nothing unless followed with discipline.

Your key competitor tries to beat you on discipline

Most of us compare our performance against a broad-based generic benchmark. That is the measurement of our opportunity cost and that is the competition we try to beat. How does this competitor of ours invest? Most of these indices consider market capitalization (size, based on total or free float), liquidity (generally in trading frequency and impact cost), listing history, profitability criteria and any other country-specific restriction. The companies are selected based on specified criteria that are followed by a formula-based weight allocation strategy, which is reviewed on specific periods of time. This competitor neither looks at any economic forecasts nor understands the business it is investing in.

But this competitor beats many fund managers mainly on discipline (without performance pressure!). It follows its path without worrying about what others are doing.

Need to be disciplined through the cycle

There are many different strategies, factors and styles that investors adopt to beat the market. Some of them dont work at all. But, of the ones that do work, none click all the time. Each one has a phase of underperformance. Many super-investors have undergone painful underperformance for a long period of time. However, they have generated superior returns over a longer run because they stuck to their philosophies and did not switch their styles during downturns.

Markets have cycles of booms and busts. And so do investment styles. If investors give up discipline and succumb to emotional pressures, the resultant inconsistency in decision-making will often lead to poor returns. Changes in the core philosophy also impact predictability of future performance. When an investor changes the style, for example, from value to momentum, the past performance becomes irrelevant in determining future expectations. The pressure to change is highest at the lowest point of underperformance. Abandoning a good investment approach during this time may lead to a lack of participation in the rally and, in a worse scenario, positions one in a downcycle of the new approach.

Clone yourself

In investing, you have to deal with complexity and uncertainty. But that doesnt mean you need be extra clever and think out of the box every day. Once a good, time-tested and profitable, investment approach or style is identified, one has to focus on executing it well. This approach or style can have multiple factors or combination of variables.

For example, in The Little Book that beats the Market, Joel Greenblatt speaks about the Magic Formula that combines two factors: a) business quality (Return on Capital) with b) value (Earnings yield). He shows how this simple formula delivers good index-beating returns to investors over the long term. But he also highlights that the challenge is to stick with a formula during the times it underperforms so that you dont miss out on the years that it delivers superior returns.

Once you identify a successful way of investing, clone yourself. Like James OShaughnessy did for the pension fund managers, make investment rules such that some decisions are automatic. Make an algorithm out of your secret sauce of success. This clone will keep you disciplined.

This clone should help you make the success repeatable. The algorithm should run the regular steps in the process like you would, but it should do it automatically with defined rules. For instance, steps such as:

-Screening the investment universe for the characteristics that qualify for your investment approach (Screeners)

-Ensuring that important data and analytical steps are being followed (Investment checklist)

-Undertake scenario analysis through external as well as internal estimates (Bull-Base-Bear Cases with probabilities)

-Design an ideal portfolio allocation based on probabilities and payoff with other risk limits or criteria (Allocation formula or program)

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Cloning the investment portfolio of a star fund manager? Stay disciplined to succeed - Moneycontrol.com

Clones planted from last surviving Gilfillan Farm apple tree in USC – Observer-Reporter

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During the Great Depression, as the story goes, residents of the nearby Beadling neighborhood would walk through Upper St. Clairs Gilfillan Farm on their way to various destinations.

They came to the Gilfillans and said, Hey, can we pick up all of the apples that have fallen onto the ground? family scion Rachel Carlson said. And Margaret supposedly told them, Take as may apples as you want. But if we ever find that you were selling the apples, thats a different story.

Harry Funk/The Almanac

Rachel Carlson tells a Depression-era apple story.

Apparently, neither Margaret Gilfillan nor her housemate brothers ever heard anything of the sort.

That entire winter, the Beadling community lived off of apple everything, Carlson said.

Today, Gilfillan fruit isnt feeding anyone. Remaining from an orchard of 60 or so apple trees in the 1930s is just a single sad-looking specimen, bent significantly toward one side with a hollowed-out trunk on the other.

But thanks to the efforts of a self-professed apple geek, up to 15 new trees could be on the way.

Harry Funk/The Almanac

Stainless-steel grafting knife

Chris Kubiak, director of education for the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, visited Upper St. Clair on an unseasonably warm spring afternoon to start the process while demonstrating grafting techniques for several observers, including students from local schools.

His mission is to produce what effectively are clones of the sole survivor to grow on the farms remaining 15 acres, owned by the Historical Society of Upper St. Clair, for which Carlson serves as president.

Using a seriously sharp stainless-steel knife made especially for grafting, Kubiak showed how to attach budding branches from the apple tree to rootstock, the part that is planted.

This is actually a specialized skill, he said. I taught myself how to do this, but it was a lot of trial and error. Its way easier to put a seed in the ground, put a fence around it and forget about it.

Harry Funk/The Almanac

Chris Kubiak shows an example of a cleft graft, with a piece of the Gilfillan Farm apple tree placed in the middle of the rootstick limb.

Seedling apples, though, represent an example of extreme heterozygosity, basically meaning they inherit none of the DNA from their parent trees.

Every single apple seed in this tree would be a new variety, each seed, completely different, Kubiak said, and that applies to seeds everywhere.

When you go to the store and buy apples, youre essentially having cloned apples from that original, he said. Macintosh grew one time, and that was in Ontario. People liked it enough that theyve been cloning it. So every single apple comes from that original tree.

Harry Funk/The Almanac

Harry Funk/The Almanac

Three clones are ready for planting.

His deep-seated interest in apples extends to other facets of the fruits history, such as its use primarily for making hard cider everyone drank it, including the under-21 crowd during the United States formative years.

And he likes to debunk the myth of John Chapmans alter ego, Johnny Appleseed, as some kind of altruistic spreader of botanical goodwill. According to Kubiak, Chapman was a businessman capitalizing on a certain requirement associated with 19th-century land grants.

To prove that you were going to stay, and you werent just some squatter or someone taking advantage of someone who owned the property, you had to plant apple trees or fruit trees, Kubiak said. He knew if he went out ahead of where a settlement was, he could make money on people who had to prove that they were settling and staying.

Regarding the history of the last Gilfillan apple tree, Kubiak estimated it to be about 120 years old and explained the probable cause of its disheveled appearance.

Apples and some other trees, when they get really old, they rot from the inside, because the only thing alive is a skinny layer called the cambium, he said, and that layer surrounds the woody cellulose, which makes up the bulk. The living frame is around the bones. Think of it that way.

And regarding the newly grafted clones, Kubiak plans to return in the summer to make sure theyre doing OK, just as any apple geek would.

Courtesey of Pennsylvania Imagery Navigator

Gilfillan property, 1939

Courtesy of Pennsylvania Imagery Navigator

Lone apple tree, 2019

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Clones planted from last surviving Gilfillan Farm apple tree in USC - Observer-Reporter

OnePlus Watch cloned Wear OS but made it so much worse [Video] – 9to5Google

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After years of its loyal community asking for a smartwatch, OnePlus has finally delivered with its $159 OnePlus Watch. We have a full review of the new product in the works, but in the several days Ive spent so far with the OnePlus Watch, theres been one major standout in the software; thats not a good thing.

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and from the looks of it, OnePlus really likes what Google has done with Wear OS.

The software that ships on the OnePlus Watch is about as close as you can get to a 1-to-1 clone of Googles platform. That starts with the navigation. From the watchface, a swipe down reveals the quick settings menu, looking nearly identical to its Wear OS counterpart, albeit with some different functions. A swipe up from the watchface shows your notifications, which, again, look identical to how they do on Googles platform. To the right of the watchface, you have cards for options such as workouts, weather, music, and more.

The similarities continue from there. When switching watchfaces or adding cards, the design is blatantly identical to the same functions on Wear OS. The app drawer also looks the same and rotates around in the same way. The only thing OnePlus doesnt have is a left-most screen, which on Wear OS is a Google Assistant page.

Unlike Wear OS, though, the software on OnePlus Watch doesnt feel as modern. Animations dont exist, and little touches that improve how these functions work on Wear OS are gone as well. For example, notifications lack the ability to reply, to open on your phone, and to show any media previews. In the app drawer, you cant pin apps to the top. These are minor things, but they make the experience a little better.

I could go on about the similarities, but looking at them side-by-side tells the whole story. Take a look.

OnePlus makes its software a point of pride, which is why I was shocked at just how many major flaws I found with the Watch. Here are some of the examples Ive found so far.

The first flaw appears during setup. Pairing is remarkably quick, but the OnePlus Health app is messy. During setup, youre asked to put in your gender and birthday, but the icons for genders are unnecessarily confusing. Thats minor compared to the rest, though. I had to install a system update on my Watch after unboxing it, and during that process, the Watch switched from English back to Chinese. It was confusing!

After setup is complete, the app also shows a Device Connected notification 24/7, and by default, its set to Important priority. Theres no way to turn this notification off from within the settings of the app. You can set it to Silent priority, which keeps it at the bottom of your notifications, but it doesnt remove the icon from appearing in the Android status bar at all times. Its obvious that this is being used to keep the app in system memory. OnePlus also pushes users to change battery optimization of the app through a clunky instruction pop-up, not a shortcut, which is possible. The app even asks you to lock it to the system memory if youre on a OnePlus smartphone.

This is a problem Android solved years ago, so why is OnePlus putting users through so much work? The company says it fixed background app issues on OxygenOS, but this sends a message to the contrary.

A core problem I had with the OnePlus comes down to using it as a watch. Inexcusably, OnePlus doesnt offer an option to use a 12-hour option for time, something users in the United States absolutely need. Its mind-boggling that during the development time for this product, no one thought to include this option, but at the very least, OnePlus tells us the option will be included in an update shortly after launch.

Another legitimately hilarious issue is with the health tracking app. As with any fitness tracking wearable, youll set a daily step goal and a notification appears when you hit it. Honestly, the picture just speaks for itself in this instance.

This all begs the question. If youre going to go through the effort of cloning Wear OS so effectively, why not just use it in the first place? The answer, obviously, comes down to two things. First, battery life. OnePlus said as much before launch, and even under the best-case scenario, the OnePlus Watch could only manage about two days of battery life using Googles platform. Without it, they claim up to two weeks. Thats a figure Ive not had time to test based on the embargo times were holding our full review until weve successfully killed the battery but seems doable based on what Ive seen so far.After nearly five days, Im at 63% charge.

The second reason is cost. The chips powering the OnePlus Watch are significantly less powerful and, thereby, more affordable than Qualcomms Snapdragon Wear chips. Its pretty safe to say that this would be a considerably more expensive product if it were using Wear OS. At the very least, it almost certainly wouldnt be $159.

Well have a full review of the OnePlus Watch soon to talk about battery life, health tracking, and more soon. Sales open today from OnePlus.com. Drop a comment below and let us know if the software weve detailed today is a deal-breaker for you.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

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OnePlus Watch cloned Wear OS but made it so much worse [Video] - 9to5Google

Clones planted from last surviving Gilfillan Farm apple tree in Upper St. Clair – The Almanac

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During the Great Depression, as the story goes, residents of the nearby Beadling neighborhood would walk through Upper St. Clairs Gilfillan Farm on their way to various destinations.

They came to the Gilfillans and said, Hey, can we pick up all of the apples that have fallen onto the ground? family scion Rachel Carlson said. And Margaret supposedly told them, Take as may apples as you want. But if we ever find that you were selling the apples, thats a different story.

Rachel Carlson tells a Depression-era apple story.

Apparently, neither Margaret Gilfillan nor her housemate brothers ever heard anything of the sort.

That entire winter, the Beadling community lived off of apple everything, Carlson said.

Today, Gilfillan fruit isnt feeding anyone. Remaining from an orchard of 60 or so apple trees in the 1930s is just a single sad-looking specimen, bent significantly toward one side with a hollowed-out trunk on the other.

But thanks to the efforts of a self-professed apple geek, up to 15 new trees could be on the way.

Stainless-steel grafting knife

Chris Kubiak, director of education for the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, visited Upper St. Clair on an unseasonably warm spring afternoon to start the process while demonstrating grafting techniques for several observers, including students from local schools.

His mission is to produce what effectively are clones of the sole survivor to grow on the farms remaining 15 acres, owned by the Historical Society of Upper St. Clair, for which Carlson serves as president.

Using a seriously sharp stainless-steel knife made especially for grafting, Kubiak showed how to attach budding branches from the apple tree to rootstock, the part that is planted.

This is actually a specialized skill, he said. I taught myself how to do this, but it was a lot of trial and error. Its way easier to put a seed in the ground, put a fence around it and forget about it.

Chris Kubiak shows an example of a cleft graft, with a piece of the Gilfillan Farm apple tree placed in the middle of the rootstick limb.

Seedling apples, though, represent an example of extreme heterozygosity, basically meaning they inherit none of the DNA from their parent trees.

Every single apple seed in this tree would be a new variety, each seed, completely different, Kubiak said, and that applies to seeds everywhere.

When you go to the store and buy apples, youre essentially having cloned apples from that original, he said. Macintosh grew one time, and that was in Ontario. People liked it enough that theyve been cloning it. So every single apple comes from that original tree.

Harry Funk/The Almanac

Three clones are ready for planting.

His deep-seated interest in apples extends to other facets of the fruits history, such as its use primarily for making hard cider everyone drank it, including the under-21 crowd during the United States formative years.

And he likes to debunk the myth of John Chapmans alter ego, Johnny Appleseed, as some kind of altruistic spreader of botanical goodwill. According to Kubiak, Chapman was a businessman capitalizing on a certain requirement associated with 19th-century land grants.

To prove that you were going to stay, and you werent just some squatter or someone taking advantage of someone who owned the property, you had to plant apple trees or fruit trees, Kubiak said. He knew if he went out ahead of where a settlement was, he could make money on people who had to prove that they were settling and staying.

Regarding the history of the last Gilfillan apple tree, Kubiak estimated it to be about 120 years old and explained the probable cause of its disheveled appearance.

Apples and some other trees, when they get really old, they rot from the inside, because the only thing alive is a skinny layer called the cambium, he said, and that layer surrounds the woody cellulose, which makes up the bulk. The living frame is around the bones. Think of it that way.

And regarding the newly grafted clones, Kubiak plans to return in the summer to make sure theyre doing OK, just as any apple geek would.

Gilfillan property, 1939 (Pennsylvania Imagery Navigator)

Lone apple tree, 2019 (Pennsylvania Imagery Navigator)

See the article here:

Clones planted from last surviving Gilfillan Farm apple tree in Upper St. Clair - The Almanac

Voice Cloning Market Competitive Landscape and Recent Industry Development Analysis 2021-2025| International Business Corporation, Google, Inc.,…

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The report on the global Voice Cloning Market helps the emerging players by offering information about the approaching market prospects and give figures on improvement rate and market share. Further, it contains scraps of information concerning the monstrous affiliations that have a brief effect considering the occasions occurring in the global Voice Cloning Market. The literature gives upper hand to the emerging players and the investors who are planning to invest their money in the recent trends following the market. It offers high different freedoms to the gigantic business players that are pondering entering the market. Additionally, the report on global Voice Cloning Market contains evaluation of connection portfolio and products that the customers are implying for nearby the progressions in the products. There are speculations made by the business experts subject to these events and happenings and states the opportunity of movement a couple of markets across zones reliant on various topographies and segments additionally as sub segments like production range, application scene and others.

Some of the Important and Key Players of the Global Voice Cloning Market: International Business Corporation, Google, Inc., Lyrebird, Nuance Communication, Baidu, Microsoft Corporation, Amazon Web Services, AT&T Inc., Smartbox Assistive Technology, and Acapela Group.

Further, it contains evaluation of the past and current industry data to find out trends and patterns that have existed in the business space and finds ways to use that data to create future opportunities for the newly emerging industry players in the coming years. The document predicts insights about the growth rate of the Voice Cloning Market overall along with the segmental and regional growth rate of the industry space over the analysis time frame. Also, it gives major data based on statistics and numbers regarding the industry share, competitive spectrum, production patterns, losses made by the companies, and several others.

It contains a complete outlook on the industry supply chain spectrum and offers highlights about the production houses and manufacturing units of the key players that play an important role in the business space. Further, the record makes reference to experiences about the rising pandemic of Covid-19 which fiscally impacts the business space. The Voice Cloning Market report further states about the extended length and smart effect of this global emergency and embraces approaches to manage administer it and affirmation benefits soon by keeping up authenticity over the tricky occasions.

Voice Cloning Market Segmentation

Type Analysis of Voice Cloning Market: By Component (Solutions, and Components), Deployment (On-Premise, and Cloud), Industry Vertical (BFSI, Healthcare, IT & Telecommunication, Travel & Hospitality, Media & Entertainment and Others)

Applications Analysis of Voice Cloning Market: NA

Also, it gives an idea about the feasibility study of the new projects that are been taken up by the major companies or by the emerging players in this business space. Also it offers the raw data in various easily readable forms such as graphs, pie charts, bar graphs, tables and other formats which are easily readable by the reader.

Key questions answered in this report:

1. What will the market size be in 2027and what will the growth rate be?

2. What are the key market trends?

3. What is driving this market?

4. What are the challenges to market growth?

5. Who are the key vendors in this market space?

6. What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?

7. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?

Report Investment: Top 5 Reasons

1. The Voice Cloning Market report entails multi-faceted information pertaining to diverse timelines across historical and current scenarios to influence future ready business decisions

2. The report categorizes new business avenues and novel opportunities thus allowing players to redesign and generate novel growth models.

3. The report delivers novel growth strategies thus allowing market investors to divert investments across novel fronts

4. The report also allows market participants to identify and practice new growth strategies thus invoking ample profits across various segments and sub-segments.

5. The report is a highly reliable investment guide to identify new trends in the market and encouraging market players to align with these trends in delivering optimistic growth outcome despite neck-deep competition.

6. The Voice Cloning Market report also shares vital aspects on COVID-19 outbreak and eventual pandemic management.

About Us

Adroit Market Research is an India-based business analytics and consulting company incorporated in 2018. Our target audience is a wide range of corporations, manufacturing companies, product/technology development institutions and industry associations that require understanding of a markets size, key trends, participants and future outlook of an industry. We intend to become our clients knowledge partner and provide them with valuable market insights to help create opportunities that increase their revenues. We follow a code Explore, Learn and Transform. At our core, we are curious people who love to identify and understand industry patterns, create an insightful study around our findings and churn out money-making roadmaps.

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Voice Cloning Market Competitive Landscape and Recent Industry Development Analysis 2021-2025| International Business Corporation, Google, Inc.,...

The real reason we still haven’t cloned humans – Business Insider

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Following is a transcript of the video.

Narrator: We've been able to clone human embryos for about seven years. But as far as we know, no one's actually cloned a whole person. Turns out, ethics aren't the only thing holding scientists back. Cloning isn't the sci-fi marvel we think it is. It can be dangerous, often ineffective, and, most of all, we just haven't thought of a good enough reason to do it. So, here's why you'll probably never have to fight your evil clone.

This is Dolly. Just kidding, that's a regular sheep. This is Dolly, the first mammal cloned successfully from an adult cell. She was born in 1996 after scientists figured out how to remove the DNA from the egg cell of a Scottish Blackface sheep and basically replace it with the DNA of a mammary cell from a Finn Dorset sheep. They gave it a little electric shock to fuse the cell and get it replicating, placed the cells in the uterus of another sheep, and boom, clone. This method, called reproductive cloning, could theoretically be used on humans. But this is a best-case scenario. It took 277 tries for the scientists to get one Dolly. Nowadays, cloning mammals generally has a success rate of about 10% to 20%. Better than one in 277, but still a majorly inefficient process.

Jose Cibelli: Technically, it's not difficult to produce a clone embryo, but human cloning has other hurdles that need to be considered.

Narrator: To even research human cloning, scientists would need to ethically collect a large amount of donated eggs and find enough surrogates to carry them. But even if they made it through that logistical nightmare, the biggest issue is this:

Cibelli: They're gonna hurt the baby, or they're gonna hurt the person carrying the cloned fetus.

Narrator: Across the board, scientists have found that some embryos expire before they're implanted. Others result in miscarriages. And those that make it to term often die soon after birth or end up with severe abnormalities. Simply, these are risks that are easier to take when it comes to experimenting with sheep than with people. But arguably the biggest reason we haven't cloned a human being? There's not a good enough reason to.

In pop culture, cloning is used to bring people back from the dead. But that's not how it works. Cloning someone would only create a twin, not a replica, since identical twins have the same genetics, but not necessarily personalities. And a "Never Let Me Go" scenario, where organs are harvested from clones to save the rich, is not only unethical, but unnecessary. Why clone an entire person when you can just make the part you need? Something, theoretically, therapeutic cloning can solve.

Therapeutic cloning is almost identical to reproductive, except the cloned embryo is never implanted in a uterus. Instead, the embryo is cloned for the sole purpose of extracting stem cells. Stem cells have the incredible ability to turn into any other cell in the human body, which means they're great for developing new treatments for disease and have the potential to repair or regenerate tissues and organs.

But, no surprise, there are a lot of downsides with therapeutic cloning. The thing about stem cells is that they're a pretty limited resource. The most substantial source for embryonic stem cells? Three- to five-day-old embryos, cloned or otherwise. And when someone else's stem cells are transplanted into a patient, the body will sometimes fight them off like a disease. Some researchers believe that cloned stem cells, since they share the patient's DNA, would be less likely to be rejected. But this use case is still in the research stage.

And, finally, therapeutic cloning is an individualized treatment in a world where drug companies are more interested in standardized ones. And there are easier ways to create multipurpose cells nowadays, like the method for creating induced pluripotent stem cells. They're basically adult cells that have been reprogrammed to be a different type of cell.

Cibelli: The problem with therapeutic cloning, of course, is that you need a lab personnel that is qualified to do it, specific equipment to do it. Whereas the other technique, you can just buy a kit and one person can do it in a lab that has some expertise in tissue culture.

Narrator: Cloned cells still have an advantage when it comes to healthier mitochondria and the ability to grow into entire animals, whereas iPSCs often peter out. But since iPSCs safely and reliably do most everything but create entire living animals, why fund the harder, ethically ambiguous thing? So, cloning might actually have a bigger place in movies than it does in real life, because the money just isn't there. And just because we can do something doesn't mean we need to.

Ian: Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.

Abby Tang: So, in the research for this video, I did come across one very interesting tidbit, and that is the announcement of cloned human baby Eve, who was born on December 26, 2002. And the source of this announcement is a company called Clonaid, which was formed in 1997 by the Raelian cult. And they're a cult that believes that humans were cloned from aliens and the only way for us to reach immortality is to clone ourselves. It's been 18 years, and we haven't gotten any proof that baby Eve exists or has ever existed, but the company is still alive and well. So if any proof does come through, we will update you.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This video was originally published in July 2020.

See the article here:

The real reason we still haven't cloned humans - Business Insider

Opinion | The Empty Vessel of Matthew McConaughey – POLITICO

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The enthusiasm for the McConaughey candidacy captured by the pollsters is less an endorsement of his mashed-up politics than it is an exercise in name recognition and evidence of the power of charisma. The Texas governor election wont be held for another 18 months; asking voters who they would vote for that far out from Election Day is like asking somebody what theyre going to have for dinner two weeks from Thursday. They might give an answer, but they wont feel bound by it.

This is not to suggest that McConaughey wouldnt make a viable candidate. But if he does, hell start having to do the kind of things that alienate peoplelike deciding whether he was a Democrat or a Republican. Hes been a little mum on the topic, although he did declare in 2017 a need for us to unite around President Donald Trump. Name recognition can carry a novice candidate a long way in a competitive contest, even if their positions and affiliations are a little fuzzy. Other famous performers, including Jesse Ventura, Al Franken, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sonny Bono and this guy named Trump you might have heard about, silenced the doubters by winning office in their first tries in part because they were known quantities, so theres hope for the McConaughey candidacy (or even Caitlyn Jenners rumored campaign for California governor) if its genuine.

But is it? Howard Stern hoaxed his way into and out of the New York governor race in 1994, and Charles Barkley is forever doing the same in Alabama. In 2017-18, Kid Rock got in trouble with the Federal Elections Commission for a U.S. Senate run that bore some of the real markers of a genuine campaigna campaign slogan, a Kid Rock for Senate website, campaign merch, and his political speeches at his concerts. (The Kid escaped FEC wrath by asserting his campaign was just a publicity stunt for his new album.) McConaughey, as mentioned, has a memoir out, so any publicity is good publicity for him right now.

We shouldnt be entirely dismissive of entertainers running for president. Actor Cynthia Nixon ran a decent, and serious, campaign for New York governor in 2018. Song-and-dance man George Murphy didnt embarrass himself in the U.S. Senate after winning a seat from California. Performers such as Bono, Bob Dornan, Fred Grandy, Ben Jones, Schwarzenegger, Helen Gahagan Douglas and John Davis Lodge, a Hollywood star of the 1930s and 1940s, pulled their weight after winning elections.

Given their combined track record, perhaps every major election should have a celebrity candidate on the ballot to provide voters with periodic relief from the professional politicians who monopolize public office. Besides, the Texas chief executive has traditionally been weak compared to other states, so McConaugheys ego trip to the governors mansion cant do that much damage. Instead, it should remind us of how forgiving and accepting the political process can be. America is a blessed place where even those with little political talent, less political knowledge and no political horse sense can win elections as long as they have a memorable name. May the best-known candidate win!

In Texas, the best-known candidate has got to be Matthew McConaughey. So is he really running? Thats anybodys guessbut so far it looks more like a middle-aged morning jog than a real run.

******

I deliberately avoided Ronald Reagan in this piece because he was a committed politician and campaigner long before he ran for California governor in 1966. That said, name recognition played a big role in his political victories. Send your campaign-finance filings to [emailprotected]. My email alerts use facial recognition to vote. My Twitter feed thinks Clinton is still president. My RSS feed still backs George Papoon for president.

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Opinion | The Empty Vessel of Matthew McConaughey - POLITICO

Pellerin: Don’t flout COVID rules in the name of ‘freedom’ – London Free Press (Blogs)

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Having spent some time in libertarian circles, I'm dismayed by politicians associated with that movement openly flouting public health guidelines and rules enacted to deal with COVID-19 in the name of a narrow, selfish definition of freedom.

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Having spent some time in libertarian circles, Im dismayed by politicians associated with that movement openly flouting public health guidelines and rules enacted to deal with COVID-19 in the name of a narrow, selfish definition of freedom.

The whole basis of libertarianism, as I understand it, is we dont need governments to tell us what to do, that free, informed and decent citizens know how to do the right thing. I think its fair to say the last few weeks have shown this belief system to be a dangerous illusion when improperly applied.

I still believe that with our good hearts and proper information, we are more than capable of helping create a better, freer, fairer and more prosperous world. That good people will do whats necessary to protect their fellows and themselves, even if that entails sacrifices. Back in September, I wrote: We are, fundamentally, . . . a free people. We are also . . . empathetic creatures. Freedom alone, exercised without restraints, leads to anarchy and selfishness. Empathy by itself is powerless to do anything. Our superpower is activated when we combine those two features.

Except for the, er, exceptions. Ontario Premier Doug Ford is fond of calling those who defy public health restrictions yahoos. But even he wouldnt use that term to describe elected officials. People such as Ontario MPP Randy Hillier, federal party leader Maxime Bernier and what appears to be one-quarter of Alberta Premier Jason Kennedys caucus are among those who seem proud to show themselves as dangerous, irresponsible refuseniks. And Im trying to be polite.

Its easy to dismiss folks who fund Ezra Levants Rebel out of frustration with politics, and the ill-informed Twitter troll army. But when so many in positions of power and authority encourage others to show up unmasked at a Kemptville bar or an Edmonton-area church claiming the police state (sic) is attacking Christians by enforcing public-health regulations, we have a problem. When these people need ventilators at an overcrowded ICU, whose fault will it be? Is it OK for them to use hospital resources while kids with complex medical needs, whove been following public health guidelines, endure more delays in necessary treatments because hospitals are overwhelmed with COVID patients, especially if they caught COVID bey ignoring safety rules?

Whose freedom is really at risk, here? Whose rights are infringed?

I dont want lectures about freedom from people unwilling to make relatively small personal sacrifices for the common good. Not to minimize the real hardships many Canadians endure because of COVID; they are real, and they hurt. So do smaller sacrifices we all make. But if you wont tolerate a face mask or virtual religious services when everyone else is on Zoom for everything, dont tell me how your rights are being violated by a tyrannical public health autocracy.

Freedom and responsibility go hand in hand. Im not here to tell you what to do or believe, but if, like me, you are disgusted with elected officials encouraging greed, selfishness and deliberate endangerment of others in the name of freedom, vow never to vote them, and their dangerous ideology, back in.

Brigitte Pellerin is an Ottawa writer

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Pellerin: Don't flout COVID rules in the name of 'freedom' - London Free Press (Blogs)

More women then men are getting COVID-19 shots – The Union Leader

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Mary Ann Steiner drove 2 hours from her home in the St. Louis suburb of University City to the tiny Ozark town of Centerville, Mo., to get vaccinated against COVID-19. After pulling into the drive-thru line in a church parking lot, she noticed that the others waiting for shots had something in common with her.

Everyone in the very short line was a woman, said Steiner, 70.

Her observation reflects a national reality: More women than men are getting COVID vaccines, even as more men are dying of the disease. KHN examined vaccination dashboards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia in early April and found that each of the 38 that listed gender breakdowns showed more women had received shots than men.

Public health experts cited many reasons for the difference, including that women make up three-quarters of the workforce in health care and education, sectors prioritized for initial vaccines.

Womens longer life spans also mean that older people in the first rounds of vaccine eligibility were more likely to be female. But as eligibility expands to all adults, the gap has continued. Experts point to womens roles as caregivers and their greater likelihood to seek out preventive health care in general as contributing factors.

In Steiners case, her daughter spent hours on the phone and computer, scoping out and setting up vaccine appointments for five relatives. In my family, the women are about a million times more proactive about getting a COVID vaccine, Steiner said. The females in families are often the ones who are more proactive about the health of the family.

As of early April, statistics showed the vaccine breakdown between women and men was generally close to 60% and 40% women made up 58% of those vaccinated in Alabama and 57% in Florida, for example.

States dont measure vaccinations by gender uniformly, though. Some break down the statistics by total vaccine doses, for example, while others report people who have gotten at least one dose.

A handful of states report gender vaccination statistics over time. That data shows the gap has narrowed but hasnt disappeared as vaccine eligibility has expanded beyond people in long-term care and health care workers.

In Kentucky, for instance, 64% of residents who had received at least one dose of vaccine by early February were women and 36% were men. As of early April, the stats had shifted to 57% women and 43% men.

In New Hampshire, one of the states furthest along in rolling out the vaccines the gap on April 13 was 18 percentage points for two doses (58.4% women and 40.4% men) and 13 percentage points for one dose, (55.8% percent women and 42.9% men).

A few states break the numbers down by age as well as gender, revealing that the male-female difference persists across age groups.

Dr. Elvin Geng, a professor at the medical school at Washington University in St. Louis, said women of all age groups, races and ethnicities generally use health services more than men which is one reason they live longer.

Arrianna Planey, an assistant professor who specializes in medical geography at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, said its often women who manage medical appointments for their households so they may be more familiar with navigating health systems.

Decades of research have documented how and why men are less likely to seek care. A 2019 study in the American Journal of Mens Health, for example, examined health care use in religious heterosexual men and concluded masculine norms such as a perception that they are supposed to be tough were the main reason many men avoided seeking care.

Attitudes about the COVID pandemic and the vaccines also affect who gets the shots.

Dr. Rebecca Wurtz, director of public health administration and policy at the University of Minnesota, said women have been more likely to lose jobs during the pandemic, and in many cases bear the brunt of teaching and caring for children at home.

Women are ready for this to be done even more than men are, Wurtz said.

Political attitudes, too, play a part in peoples views on coping with the pandemic, experts said. A Gallup poll last year found that among both Democrats and Republicans, women were more likely to say they took precautions to avoid COVID, such as always practicing physical distancing and wearing masks indoors when they couldnt stay 6 feet apart from others.

In a recent national poll by KFF, 29% of Republicans and 5% of Democrats said they definitely would not get the shot.

Paul Niehaus IV of St. Louis, who described himself as an independent libertarian with conservative leanings, said he wont get a COVID vaccine. He said the federal government, along with Big Tech and Big Pharma, are pushing an experimental medicine that is not fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and he doesnt trust those institutions.

This is a freedom issue. This is a civil liberties issue, said Niehaus, a 34-year-old self-employed musician. My motto is Let people choose.

Steiner said she was eager to be vaccinated. She has an immune disorder that puts her at high risk for severe illness from COVID and hasnt seen some of her grandchildren in a year and a half.

She has now received both doses of the Moderna vaccine and said she doesnt regret taking the more difficult step of traveling five hours round trip to get her first shot in February. (She was able to find a closer location for her second dose.)

Its for my safety, for my kids safety, for my neighbors safety, for the people who go to my churchs safety, she said. I really dont understand the resistance.

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More women then men are getting COVID-19 shots - The Union Leader

Critical Theory and Mass Immigration – Immigration Blog

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The Democratic party has taken a radical turn on immigration. Gone are the not-so-distant days of Barbara Jordan, when concern for the rule of law and social and economic cohesion were taken seriously. Today, the party is led by firebrands like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who call for abolishing an entire enforcement agency. Democrats have staffed all four immigration-related panels in the House of Representatives with members who are hostile to national borders. The Democratic-controlled chamber has already passed two major amnesty bills. Not to be outdone, President Biden has signed several executive actions that stop construction of the border wall, eviscerate interior enforcement, and remove restrictions on travelers from regions rife with terrorism, among other things.

None of these policies had the support of Democratic leadership in the 1990s. At that time, President Clinton was enforcing the law, environmentalists were concerned about population growth, and labor unions were prioritizing American workers. Those positions, which had bipartisan support, are condemned as close-minded and bigoted by Democratic leadership today. What brought about this fundamental change, a change so extreme it threatens the very sovereignty of the United States? Like their libertarian counterparts on the right, one should never discount the powerful financial incentive that Democratic elites have for opposing borders. But powerful financial incentives existed long before the current push to effectively abolish immigration law. The mainstreaming of these radical positions is, at least in part, the result of a long Gramscian march through the institutions that began in the early 20th century.

In his book The Genesis of Political Correctness: The Basis of a False Morality, Michael William traces the development of critical theory by a group of German social scientists who grew disillusioned with the failure of traditional Marxism. Realizing no proletarian revolt was forthcoming, they converted the ideologys attacks on class into broader cultural antagonisms. The group, known as the Frankfurt School, saw the fundamental structure of Western society as irredeemably oppressive and sought its eventual overthrow through internal conflict. This conflict would be fomented primarily through the manipulation of language that would recast all relationships as power struggles between the oppressors and the oppressed. By changing the way that familial and social relationships were defined, Max Horkheimer, Theodor Adorno, Herbert Marcuse, and their colleagues sought to change the way that people understood these relationships. Over time, they hoped that discontent and division would break down the existing order of society.

In his essay Repressive Tolerance, Marcuse, echoing Rousseau, argues that public opinion is invalid because a false consciousness has become the general consciousness, enslaving people who do not know they are enslaved. This tyranny of the majority, which masquerades as tolerance, can only be overcome by militant intolerance. Marcuse advocates banning the speech and assembly of certain groups and he calls for the withdrawal of civil rights from a majority who is oppressing the minority. He supports rigid restrictions on teachings and practices in the educational institutions and argues that support for calm and reasoned debate facilitates oppression. What is needed is the development of an enraged and subversive faction that is willing to engage in violence against the established order.

Marcuse believed that the catalyst for this uprising would be alienated minority groups. Such groups would take the place of the broader working class who, to Marcuses chagrin, seemed content in their supposed oppression. So he looked to the American black population as a possible source of agitation and supported militant activism. It is important to note that Marcuse did not want these activists to succeed in remedying injustice, but wanted minorities to remain marginalized from the larger society. As William explains, For Marcuse, the integration into society of supposedly alienated groups acts as a stabilizing force and thereby neutralizes the revolutionary elements which, according to Marxism, should be committed to societys overthrow.

The key for Marcuse, a founder of critical theory, was to sow division. It was not to redress wrongs or grievances within the existing social framework, but to perpetuate and inflame those wrongs and grievances until the social framework could be overthrown. Integrating peoples into a functioning society was not helpful to his goal of revolution. But one major development, which Marcuse may not have even anticipated, was helpful: the modern era of mass immigration. As Marcuse was winding down, that era was winding up. The Hart-Celler Act of 1965 exponentially increased the number of immigrants admitted to the United States. In just a couple of decades, there were enough newcomers to begin to overwhelm the assimilation process. And by that time, there were enough critical theorists in academia to challenge the very notion of assimilation.

One such theorist is Jurgen Habermas, a prominent German sociologist whose voluminous body of work is heavily influenced by the Frankfurt School. As William points out, Habermas believes that the classic form of the nation state is disintegrating and envisions a constitutional patriotism that is stripped of language and culture and devoted to a political authority that extends civil rights beyond borders. He claims that citizenship was never conceptually tied to national identity and that republican freedom can cut its umbilical links to the womb of the national consciousness which had originally given birth to it. Habermasnow sees the possibility of a global public sphere that was once imagined by Kant and Rousseau: The arrival of world citizenship is no longer merely a phantom, though we are still far from achieving it. State citizenship and world citizenship form a continuum that already shows itself, at least in outline form.

For the classic form of nations to disintegrate, national identity must first be dissolved. Habermas, like many of his fellow academics, sees mass immigration as a catalyst for this process. He praises the effect of multiculturalism on the United States and, in the European context, writes approvingly that Immigration from Eastern Europe and poverty-stricken regions of the Third World will intensify multicultural diversity in these societies. This will give rise to social tensions. He believes that these social tensions, which were sought by Marcuse, will hasten the move to a supranational governing structure that is devoid of shared history or tradition.

Like Marcuse, Habermas dismisses the suffering that will result from these social tensions. He denigrates concerns over the upheaval caused by mass immigration, referring to such concerns as the chauvinism of prosperity: The European states should agree upon a liberal immigration policy. They should not draw their wagons around themselves and their chauvinism of prosperity, hoping to ignore the pressures of those hoping to immigrate or seek asylum. The democratic right of self-determination includes, of course, the right to preserve ones own political culture, which includes the concrete context of citizens rights, though it does not include the self-assertion of a privileged cultural life form.

Habermas asserts that Ones own national tradition will, in each case, have to be appropriated in such a manner that it is related to and relavtiveized [sic] by the vantage points of other cultures. He sees mass immigration and the relativizing of cultures as a way of democratizing citizenship. This process is being pushed with a particular goal in mind. As he explains, Only democratic citizenship can prepare the way for a condition of world citizenship which does not close itself off within particularistic biases, and which accepts a worldwide form of political communication.

This view is now pervasive among public figures. William cites several others, like Bhikhu Parekh, a British political theorist turned politician who served on race and multicultural commissions before being appointed to a life peerage in the House of Lords. Parekh uses his influential position to call for unlimited immigration to transform the United Kingdom into a community of communities and a multicultural post-nation that sheds its cultural identity. These sentiments are nearly universal in American universities and are routinely pushed by post-American politicians and activists. While campaigning for president, Joe Biden tersely summarized this view with his assertion that people who entered the United States illegally are more American than most Americans are. In other words, America is merely a vague unrooted universal sentiment.

Underlying this position is the skepticism and intolerance of critical theory, with its contempt for the rule of law and efforts to integrate newcomers into a majority culture that is seen as oppressive. As William notes, this contempt extends to patriotic citizens, who are now being taught to embrace a hatred for their countries and their histories. Like previous revolutions, this great upheaval is being undertaken with the foolish hope of creating a secular utopia. Whether they realize it or not, Democratic leaders are now perpetuating this upheaval with their efforts to effectively abolish immigration law.

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Critical Theory and Mass Immigration - Immigration Blog