Just curious, anyone have a plan, or preps for global pandemic?

[Todd Allen]

A Machine-Generated View of the Role of Blood Glucose Levels in the Severity of COVID-19

Quote

Lowering Carbohydrates in Diet

The strong link between COVID-19 severity and diabetes and obesity has led to consideration of nutritional interventions in the treatment of the disease (387), as for example the use of low-carbohydrate diets or ketogenic diet (low-carb, high fat diet) The basic principle is to diminish the intake of carbohydrates, providing fat instead of carbohydrates for the body to switch on ketosis and produce ketones as the primary energy source (388, 389). Indeed, there is growing evidence of therapeutic benefits of a ketogenic diet for severe pathologies (390) such as cancer (391, 392), diabetes (393, 394), and pharmaco-resistant epilepsy (395, 396), and for the prevention of Alzheimer disease (397, 398) and other neurodegenerative disorders (399). It is also the first line therapy for the management of the Glut1DS (Glut1 deficiency syndrome) rare disease (400) and there is evidence that a ketogenic diet decreases comorbidities linked to hyperglycemia (401, 402). Since viruses are high glucose consumers, just like cancers (141, 403, 404), diminishing the indispensable primary source of energy for the virus may be an effective intervention. Importantly, it was recently shown to be a safe intervention for patients even in ICU (405, 406).

One study recently showed that the ketogenic diet (KD) activates protective gamma delta T (γδT) cell responses against influenza virus infection (407). These γδT cells are IL-17-producing T cells that play an important antiviral protection in the lung (see Figure 13), maintaining epithelial integrity, regulating homeostasis and providing a first line of defense against pathogens and injury (408). Importantly, γδT cells were shown to be reduced in COVID-19 patients (409). Goldberg et al. showed a significant increase in the frequency and absolute number of γδT cells in the lungs of KD-fed mice; this increase was required for the KD-mediated protection against influenza disease, resulting in lower viral titers and overall better preservation of airway tissue integrity. Interestingly, in 2010, Taylor et al. (408) reported that γδT cells were reduced and impaired by hyperglycemia in a mouse model of obesity. In a similar way, KD could also have the potential to help the immune defense against pulmonary viral infection, but this has to be confirmed for SARS-CoV infection.

Supporting this hypothesis, a clinical trial on KD for intubated critical care COVID-19 was initiated (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04358835). The aim of the study was to measure the benefit of KD on gas exchange, inflammation, and duration of mechanical ventilation in intubated patients with COVID-19 infection (on 15 patients at start). Additionally, two recent reports advised on the use of a carbohydrate-restricted diet for the management of the disease (410, 411) and a randomized controlled trial on KD has been developed [see (410)]. Cooper et al. (411), claim that the ketogenic diet would be more beneficial than insulin therapy because large fluctuations in blood glucose concentrations are primarily driven by dietary sources, and it would also avoid the adverse effects of hyperinsulinemia. Lowering carbohydrate consumption could therefore manage both hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia and may additionally help manage hypertension (412).

 

[AlPater]

4 hours ago, Todd Allen said:

Fortunately the Covid vaccines are losing their ability to prevent symptoms and death within the vaccinated which reduces the risk of a repeat scenario of selecting for a truly devastating virus.

I strongly disagree with your opinions.  I think selection is most likely to occur in individual infections.  There are a huge number of virus particles produced in each infection in unvaccinated people, which are then met with an immune response which over many days kill off virus particles while they continue to propagate until the immune system wins or the host dies.  The virus particles are in overwhelming numbers compared to the hosts once the infection gets going.  Vaccines will cut the viral propagation short; vaccines are highly effective at preventing any kind of propagation at all.  And, getting herd immunity stops the virus.  It was done with small pox and polio.  If worse comes to worse, modified vaccines can be readily generated, depending the degree intransidence of the unvaccinated in keeping this pestilence going.

Edited August 13, 2021 by AlPater

[Todd Allen]

1 hour ago, AlPater said:

I strongly disagree with your opinions.  I think selection is most likely to occur in individual infections.

The majority of individual infections right now in the most heavily vaccinated countries are occurring in the vaccinated.  This selects for strains that most effectively escape vaccine induced immunity.  And if those strains happen to be more deadly in the unvaccinated it no longer much matters to their success which is now dependent on what happens in the vaccinated.  This is how the natural process of evolution is circumvented to enable more virulent strains to become dominant.  Vaccinating more people obviously makes this problem much worse.

Don't base your expectations on the outcomes of previous vaccines with fundamentally different properties.  The small pox vaccine blocked infection and transmission.  These covid-19 vaccines do not.

Edited August 13, 2021 by Todd Allen

[Mike41]

https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/4/1/257

Edited August 13, 2021 by Mike41

[Mike41]

PDF +
Supplementary
Material

 

XML

 

Original research

 

Plant-based diets, pescatarian diets and COVID-19 severity: a population-based case–control study in six countries

[AlPater]

5 hours ago, Todd Allen said:

The majority of individual infections right now in the most heavily vaccinated countries are occurring in the vaccinated.

Say what?

[Todd Allen]

21 minutes ago, AlPater said:

Say what?

Not just cases but hospitalizations too!

https://newsrescue.com/australia-israel-report-95-99-hospitalized-fully-vaccinated/

[AlPater]

20 minutes ago, Todd Allen said:

Not just cases but hospitalizations too!

https://newsrescue.com/australia-israel-report-95-99-hospitalized-fully-vaccinated/

https://www.kff.org/policy-watch/covid-19-vaccine-breakthrough-cases-data-from-the-states/ gives the import of vaccination on cases, hospitalizations, and deaths for individual states.  About half of Californians are vaccinated, and the vast majority of the sick are unvaccinated.  And vaccinations are preventing many others from becoming infected, while the unvaccinated are like typhoid Mary.

[Todd Allen]

11 minutes ago, AlPater said:

https://www.kff.org/policy-watch/covid-19-vaccine-breakthrough-cases-data-from-the-states/

Old news.  Here's something a bit more recent.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7031e2.htm

Quote

What is added by this report?

In July 2021, following multiple large public events in a Barnstable County, Massachusetts, town, 469 COVID-19 cases were identified among Massachusetts residents who had traveled to the town during July 3–17; 346 (74%) occurred in fully vaccinated persons.

This is a small localized incident and not indicative of what is currently going on across the whole of the US.  But in light of national statistics coming out of Israel, Singapore, Iceland, Australia and others it looks likely we too will see rapidly increasing outbreaks among the vaccinated.  Vaccinated to vaccinated transmission selects for better transmission in the vaccinated.  Work has begun on a delta specific vaccine but it could be challenging to keep up with the speed of increasing breakthrough infections and the evolutionary pressure this creates.

[Gordo]

30 minutes ago, Todd Allen said:

it looks likely we too will see rapidly increasing outbreaks among the vaccinated.

Over 73% of U.S. Adults are Overweight or Obese so even by your criteria most should be vaccinated on vulnerability grounds.  I understand that being vaccinated could potentially lead to selecting a more dangerous variant but not vaccinating could also result in much worse overall outcomes and potentially an even higher number of variants (to be selected based on transmisibility). Delta became the most transmissible variant in circulation even before vaccination began in earnest. It is so contagious that pretty much everyone is likely to be exposed to it eventually (in India where it started, an estimated 80% have already been exposed). This virus is less prone to mutation so it seems to have better odds of being "beaten" through vaccination unlike the flu. 

[Gordo]

Head Of WHO Origin Investigation Team Admits Communist China Ordered Them What To Write In Report

CCP “agreed” to allow mention of the lab leak theory, on the grounds that they did not recommend ANY follow up investigations. 

 

The head of the World Health Organization’s origin investigation into COVID-19 has admitted that China basically ordered his team on what to write in their report and allowed them to mention the lab leak theory, but only on the condition that they didn’t recommend following it up.

Revealing what is clear evidence of a cover up, the Washington Post reports that Danish WHO chief Ben Embarek made the admission after also commenting that he believes patient zero was a worker at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where experiments on coronaviruses were being carried out.

Embarek noted that “human error” could have ultimately led to the virus jumping to humans, but that “the Chinese political system does not allow authorities to acknowledge that.”

Embarek commented that “Somebody could also wish to hide something.”

Danish WHO Chief Says COVID ‘Patient Zero’ Was Likely Wuhan Lab Worker

[Saul]

12 hours ago, AlPater said:

https://www.kff.org/policy-watch/covid-19-vaccine-breakthrough-cases-data-from-the-states/ gives the import of vaccination on cases, hospitalizations, and deaths for individual states.  About half of Californians are vaccinated, and the vast majority of the sick are unvaccinated.  And vaccinations are preventing many others from becoming infected, while the unvaccinated are like typhoid Mary.

Thanks Al!

That data should convince any anti-vaxer, WITH AN OPEN MIND, to reconsider.

  --  Saul

[Mike41]

15 hours ago, Todd Allen said:

Old news.  Here's something a bit more recent.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7031e2.htm

This is a small localized incident and not indicative of what is currently going on across the whole of the US.  But in light of national statistics coming out of Israel, Singapore, Iceland, Australia and others it looks likely we too will see rapidly increasing outbreaks among the vaccinated.  Vaccinated to vaccinated transmission selects for better transmission in the vaccinated.  Work has begun on a delta specific vaccine but it could be challenging to keep up with the speed of increasing breakthrough infections and the evolutionary pressure this creates.

Vaccinated people do get infected and can transmit the disease. That is not the issue. The issue is are they being hospitalized and dying. The data I have seen is showing remarkable resistance to either hospitalization or death. IOWS you can get infected but what happens? Not much if your vaccinated. 

[KHashmi317]

55 minutes ago, Mike41 said:

 The issue is are they being hospitalized and dying. The data I have seen is showing remarkable resistance to either hospitalization or death. IOWS you can get infected but what happens? Not much if your vaccinated. 

But who are THOSE people? Co-morbids, obese, smokers ... Joe 6-packs. perhaps? Are they health-conscious idiots that ... you know ... DIET-EXERCISE-SLEEP? I.e., folks on this forum ;)

Ironically, these folks are the BEST candidates for vax b/c they are least likely to be injured by them.

Most of the "data" being reported is one-dimensional. 

[Saul]

Khurram,

I always had a high opinion of your intelligence.

Notice "had".

You're preaching "drink the Cool Aid".

🙄

  --  Saul

[AlPater]

I agree with you, Saul.

This pandemic has brought out characteristics of quite a few people that surprise me in their susceptibility to misinformation, and their views on vaccines, some held even before this pandemic.  I was skeptical that vaccines could be developed with the speed which with they were, but here we are with multiple vaccines that have been rigorously tested by the manufacturers and in the field.  Infections, hospitalizations, ICU admissions, deaths and long COVID cases have diminished in parallel with vaccinations.  All the while, some people are presenting scenarios for COVID vaccines that have not been found for vaccines for other diseases, some of which vaccines use similar methods for vaccine development.

Edited August 15, 2021 by AlPater

[Dean Pomerleau]

7 hours ago, AlPater said:

I agree with you, Saul.

This pandemic has brought out characteristics of quite a few people that surprise me in their susceptibility to misinformation, and their views on vaccines, some held even before this pandemic.  I was skeptical that vaccines could be developed with the speed which with they were, but here we are with multiple vaccines that have been rigorously tested by the manufacturers and in the field.  Infections, hospitalizations, ICU admissions, deaths and long COVID cases have diminished in parallel with vaccinations.  All the while, some people are presenting scenarios for COVID vaccines that have not been found for vaccines for other diseases, some of which vaccines use similar methods for vaccine development.

Al, 

Just to confirm. You are vaccinated right? Your response to the poll was ambiguous. You answered "I'm not vaccinated" but then to question 2 you said "Not Applicable, I'm vaccinated." Which is it? 

--Dean 

[Ron Put]

On 8/12/2021 at 1:36 PM, Mike41 said:

And so The Biden administration forces federal workers, veterans, va workers etc to get vaccinated and pushes for more incentives all to convince us he is serious but he really isn’t. Cmon Ron you can do better than that

Forcing (as you rightly note) the vaccine on federal employees and the military serves the purpose, as it caters to the faithful by showing "leadership" and "doing something," while at the same time emphasizing the differences and divisions between the "us" and "them." It has the added benefit of weeding out those whose principles may lead them to resist such policies, by forcing them to resign if they refuse to conform. The Left is already engaged in a purge of military and federal employees who oppose its political goals.

Creating enemies and a state of chaos and confusion to achieve political goals is nothing new. Covid helped the Left frame a successful attack against a President who was widely expected to win reelection, and the Left is hoping that Covid will do the trick again, and help them maintain power, while implementing the most radical policies under the cover of the pandemic.

Just like this thread has become by far the most popular on the forum, keeping the focus on Covid can organically help the Left frame public discourse and opinion. We barely discuss CR or nutrition nowadays. Instead, we are all arguing about Covid.

Our society is in a constant state of emergency and shifting goalposts and policy, fed by fearmongering media coverage of every successive variant and riling up the righteous and socially responsible against the dimwitted, backward Trumpists, who dwell in the swamps of Florida and Texas.

And while we are all riled up about The Great Issue and stay ever fearful, and masking, and being responsible citizens, we fail to notice all the other things that are happening around us:

-- Like our cities decimated, burned and looted by the BLM riots of last summer. Like the vagrants who have taken over our streets. Like the crime spiraling out of control and the defunding of our police forces.

-- Like the tremendously socially disruptive, radical political ideology being rammed through our institutions, starting with education, burning through our largest corporations, and now through our military. 

-- Like the geopolitical disaster unfolding in Afghanistan. Or the unimaginable debt we are racking up. Or the looming inflation.

These are all issues that would be getting our attention, and would greatly impede the Left's ability to implement its radical agenda, as well as their chances in 2022 and beyond.

But instead, today on NPR the main topic is the Delta variant and the stupidity of the unvaccinated who threaten our own lives, with a smaller stream of "social justice stories also framed as "us" and "them."

The fall of Kabul to the Taliban is a distant third, with the requisite finger-pointing at Trump.

We can all do better, but as long as we are focused on Covid, we won't.

 

[Ron Put]

One more disturbing trend was brought on by the polarization of the coronavirus: The personal attacks and judgments aimed to shame those who disagree and beat them into conforming with the prevailing dogma.
 

KHashmi makes a lot of valid arguments. One may disagree, but posting that one has lost respect, or claiming revelations about personal "susceptibility to misinformation" are not counter-arguments. On numerous topics, including this one, the same can be said about each of the posters here.

Keep it in perspective. The Delta variant started in India and it swept through the UK. There were dire predictions and models (including another one by Neil Ferguson) that were just as wrong as the earlier dire predictions. The mortality rate is low. There will be other variants it is highly likely that SARS-Cov-2 will remain with us for the foreseeable future. There are epidemiologists in the UK calling for a moratorium on testing, since it is largely meaningless, other than maintaining a constant state of public panic.

It's time to move on.
 

[Saul]

On 8/14/2021 at 4:20 PM, KHashmi317 said:

But who are THOSE people? Co-morbids, obese, smokers ... Joe 6-packs. perhaps? Are they health-conscious idiots that ... you know ... DIET-EXERCISE-SLEEP? I.e., folks on this forum 😉

Ironically, these folks are the BEST candidates for vax b/c they are least likely to be injured by them.

Most of the "data" being reported is one-dimensional. 

Hi Khurram!

Has Warren been fully vaccinated? 

I hope so.

  --  Saul

[AlPater]

17 hours ago, Dean Pomerleau said:

Just to confirm. You are vaccinated right?

Yes, I got two shots of Pfizer.  BTW, my wife got COVID some months ago; I got my first shot on the same trip before she was tested and I was tested the next day when she got her results (I should have got tested when she did); I was surprised not to test positive the next day after she did, despite kissing her in her pre-symptomatic stage and until she tested positive after she had symptoms for a while; and my never having symptoms thereafter.

Edited August 16, 2021 by AlPater

[Ron Put]

This is perhaps the most informative and well-reasoned discussion of the Covid pandemic I've seen in a while.

It is a long-form interview with Harvard's Martin Kuldorff, discussing the nature of the virus and its variants, the public health failures and successes, the lockdowns, the vaccines, and the emerging vaccine mandates.

For those who "hate" videos," there is a full transcript.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/harvard-epidemiologist-martin-kulldorff-on-vaccine-passports-the-delta-variant-and-the-covid-public-health-fiasco_3942556.html
 

Edited August 17, 2021 by Dean Pomerleau
Fixed broken link

[AlPater]

5 hours ago, Ron Put said:

https://www.theepochtimes.com/harvard-epidemiologist-martin-kulldorff-on-vaccine-passports-the-delta-variant-and-the-covid-public-health-fiasco_3942556.html

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Epoch_Times 

[Sibiriak]

C'mon, Al,  surely you can do better than that.

[AlPater]

15 hours ago, AlPater said:

21 hours ago, Ron Put said:

https://www.theepochtimes.com/harvard-epidemiologist-martin-kulldorff-on-vaccine-passports-the-delta-variant-and-the-covid-public-health-fiasco_3942556.html

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Epoch_Times 

A media/newspaper provider should have the integrity to exclude stories about QAnon and vaccinine misinfomation.

The author's ideas have been presented in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Barrington_Declaration#Critical_commentaries and widely criticized by the scientific community.