CDC director: We’re going to have the worst health crisis in U.S. history if we don’t all get our shit together now (!!!) | Superspreading events, Fecal-Respiratory-Oral transmission of Sars-Cov-2, and public toilets
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CDC director: We’re going to have the worst health crisis in U.S. history if we don’t all get our shit together now
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M.N.: It looks to me that some of the most severe cases of the Disease X-19 can be the co-infections or the Hantaviruses infections which typically spread via the Fecal - Respiratory mode of transmission by rodents, as I wrote many times previously.
The centralized air-conditioning spreads the infectious aerosols from shared toilets throughout the closed spaces, as in food processing plants, ships, nursing homes, hospitals, prisons, etc., etc.
Do the tests for Hantaviruses for all ICU patients, at least.
The recent studies support this point of view. The Sars-Cov-2 can be a co-infection, and in some cases just a cover, to conceal the real offending pathogen. This might be the explanation of the "Covid-19" and its superspreading events.
Hypothetically, it is also possible that Sars-Cov-2 was bio-engineered and/or modified to acquire the transmission patterns of the Hantaviruses.
Explore this as the urgent Public Health issue!
Superspreading events, Fecal-Respiratory-Oral transmission of Sars-Cov-2, and public toilets
"This virus moves in clusters," said Professor Catherine Bennett, Deakin University’s chair of epidemiology.
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Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsLinks℠ | InBrief |
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| Superspreading events, Fecal-Respiratory-Oral transmission of Sars-Cov-2, and public toilets - Google Search | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Search ResultsWeb resultsSARS-CoV-2 and the Role of Orofecal Transmission ... - CEBM
<a href="http://www.cebm.net" rel="nofollow">www.cebm.net</a> covid-19 sars-cov-2-and-the-role-of...
Jul 16, 2020 - In: Analysis of the Transmission Dynamics of COVID-19: An Open Evidence ... those still excreting viral particles by stool independently from respiratory excretion. ... to developing effective public health and infection prevention measures to break ... shares some similarities with SARs-CoV-2 including superspreading events.
COVID-19 alert
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| SARS-CoV-2 and the Role of Orofecal Transmission: Evidence Brief - CEBM | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SARS-CoV-2 and the Role of Orofecal Transmission: Evidence BriefJuly 16, 2020
Jefferson T, Spencer EA, Brassey J, Heneghan C.
In: Analysis of the Transmission Dynamics of COVID-19: An Open Evidence Review. Published Online July 17, 2020. <a href="http://www.cebm.net/evidence-synthesis/transmission-dynamics-of-covid-19/" rel="nofollow">http://www.cebm.net/evidence-synthesis/transmission-dynamics-of-covid-19/</a> Verdict Various observational and mechanistic evidence presented throughout this evidence brief, support the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 can infect and be shed from the human gastrointestinal tract. Policy Policy should emphasise routine surveillance of food, wastewaters and effluent. The importance of strict personal hygiene measures, chlorine-based disinfection of surfaces in locations with presumed or known SARS CoV-2 activity should form part of public policy and education campaigns. Stool testing should be carried out in dischargees from the hospital or other holding facilities well before discharge date and discharge should be conditional either on cessation of fecal excretion or strict quarantine and personal hygiene measures in those still excreting viral particles by stool independently from respiratory excretion. Further research Each outbreak should be investigated and a report be made publicly available rapidly. Testing of stools should be carried out in all people involved in the outbreak. As there is coherent evidence of ingestion, penetration of enterocytes and excretion of live SARs CoV-2 in possible analogy with SARs and MERS agents we believe this working hypothesis should be tested by conducting case-control studies during the investigation of outbreaks following a set protocol. Cases would be cases of Covid-19 (with a subset by symptom presence and severity) either fecally excreting virions or not (cases and contacts) and controls would be healthy matches. Exposure to potentially fecally contaminated materials and protective measures taken would be elicited at interview. To minimise the play of recall and ascertainment bias, interviewers should be blind to fecal excretion status and the interview should take place as soon as possible after the event. Viability of fecal isolates and their possible pathogenicity should be tested in outbreaks, irrespective of the presence of symptoms or nasal swab positivity. Background Understanding how, when and in what types of settings SARS-CoV-2 spreads between people is critical to developing effective public health and infection prevention measures to break chains of transmission.1 Current evidence suggests SARS-CoV-2 is primarily transmitted via respiratory droplets and contact routes and can occur between pre-symptomatic or symptomatic infected individuals to others in close contact. SARS-CoV-2 has been shown to contaminate and survive on certain surfaces, but currently, no reports have directly demonstrated fomite to human transmission. SARS-CoV-2 has also been detected in the feces of some patients which taken together with fomite transmission suggest the possibility that SARS-CoV-2 could transmit via the orofecal route. Orofecal describes a route of transmission where the virus in fecal particles can pass from one person to the mouth of another. Main causes include lack of adequate sanitation and poor hygiene practices. Fecal contamination of food is another form of orofecal transmission. Other single-stranded RNA viruses such as noroviruses are transmitted primarily through the orofecal route, either by consumption of contaminated food or water or from direct person to person to person spread. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Google Alert - Coronavirus super-spreading events: Super-spreaders could be key to controlling COVID-19 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Super-spreader events are a combination of biology and opportunity: highly infectious people, probably with no symptoms, at the wrong place at the ... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Google Alert - coronavirus: Coronavirus Live Updates: Restaurants in the US Become a Hot Spot for Infection | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Britain has the challenge of getting out of a much deeper hole because of the length of the lockdown imposed to restrict the spread of the coronavirus. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1:05 PM 8/12/2020 - European governments reimpose restrictions amid resurgence in cases | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 FBI, check this lead, ASAP: Are the freights of the frozen foods, like in New Zealand ("New Zealand Considers Freight as Possible Source of New Coronavirus Cluster"), the sources of infection worldwide, globally? What are the histories and the management of these freights? M.N. __________________________________________________________________________ 1:05 PM 8/12/2020
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| Euronews's YouTube Videos: COVID-19: European governments reimpose restrictions amid resurgence in cases | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 5:30 PM 8/11/2020 - News Review: How Munich Turned Its Coronavirus Outbreak Into a Scientific Study | The New Yorker | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5:30 PM 8/11/2020 - How Munich Turned Its Coronavirus Outbreak Into a Scientific Study | The New YorkerNews Review 8.11.20 us citizenship - Google Search giving up us citizenship - Google Search giving up us citizenship - Google Search giving up us citizenship - Google Search us citizenship - Google Search Reasons why a record number of people are giving up their US citizenship | Nairametrics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Google Alert - Coronavirus super-spreading events: Covid spread rampant in clusters | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
... superspreading events, besides declaring test results on time. Containment and lockdown will only postpone and not control the spread of infection, ... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Google Alert - coronavirus in animals: Coronaviruses are widespread among bats and rats sold for food, study warns | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coronaviruses were widespread in some wild animal trade networks, ... spillover of viruses, such as coronavirus, from animals to people, the study ... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coronavirus uptick in nursing homes linked to rising community rates: AHCA - Clinical Daily News | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
An alarming July spike in COVID-19 cases among nursing home residents coincides with rising rates in surrounding communities, according to a report by the American Health Care Association. Related deaths have risen more slowly.
Data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shows cases in eldercare facilities dropping from more than 9,000 on May 31 to about 5,500 in late June, AHCA reports. By early July, cases had begun climbing again as total U.S. rates rose. At last count, nursing home residents had infections at nearly the same rate as in late May. The numbers are not surprising in light of studies showing that the COVID-19 incidence in a surrounding community likely is the top contributing factor in transmission to residents. No care facility, no matter how excellent, can keep COVID-19 away if its widespread in the areas where staff members live and work, long-term care policy expert David Grabowski, Ph.D., of Harvard Medical School, told the Washington Post in June. With the recent major spikes of COVID cases in many states across the country, we were very concerned this trend would lead to an increase in cases in nursing homes and unfortunately it has, AHCA President and CEO Mark Parkinson said in response to the uptick. Meanwhile, COVID-19-related nursing home deaths have risen slightly after a significant decline in June. The percentage of resident deaths attributed to the disease had dropped from 34% on May 31 to 18% in mid-June. But by July 19, it had risen to 20%. An AHCA state-by-state breakdown also shows that 33 states now have a positive COVID-19 test rate of higher than 5% an infection level that threatens the health of residents, Parkinson said. The organization and other industry advocates continue to urge Congress to invest more in the Department of Health and Human Services Provider Relief Fund. A sizable amount of this fund should be dedicated to testing, personal protective equipment and staff support in nursing homes, they argue. Without adequate funding and resources, the U.S. will end up repeating the same mistakes from several months ago, Parkinson said.
An alarming July spike in COVID-19 cases among nursing home residents coincides with rising rates in surrounding communities, according to a report by the American Health Care Association. Related deaths have risen more slowly.
Data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shows cases in eldercare facilities dropping from more than 9,000 on May 31 to about 5,500 in late June, AHCA reports. By early July, cases had begun climbing again as total U.S. rates rose. At last count, nursing home residents had infections at nearly the same rate as in late May. The numbers are not surprising in light of studies showing that the COVID-19 incidence in a surrounding community likely is the top contributing factor in transmission to residents. No care facility, no matter how excellent, can keep COVID-19 away if its widespread in the areas where staff members live and work, long-term care policy expert David Grabowski, Ph.D., of Harvard Medical School, told the Washington Post in June. With the recent major spikes of COVID cases in many states across the country, we were very concerned this trend would lead to an increase in cases in nursing homes and unfortunately it has, AHCA President and CEO Mark Parkinson said in response to the uptick. Meanwhile, COVID-19-related nursing home deaths have risen slightly after a significant decline in June. The percentage of resident deaths attributed to the disease had dropped from 34% on May 31 to 18% in mid-June. But by July 19, it had risen to 20%. An AHCA state-by-state breakdown also shows that 33 states now have a positive COVID-19 test rate of higher than 5% an infection level that threatens the health of residents, Parkinson said. The organization and other industry advocates continue to urge Congress to invest more in the Department of Health and Human Services Provider Relief Fund. A sizable amount of this fund should be dedicated to testing, personal protective equipment and staff support in nursing homes, they argue. Without adequate funding and resources, the U.S. will end up repeating the same mistakes from several months ago, Parkinson said. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Could New Zealand's new mystery coronavirus cases have been imported by freight? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
New Zealand officials are investigating the possibility that its first COVID-19 cases in more than three months were imported by freight, as the country plunged back into lockdown on Wednesday.
The discovery of four infected family members in Auckland led Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to swiftly reimpose tight restrictions on movement in New Zealands biggest city and travel limitations across the entire country. The source of the outbreak has baffled health officials, who said they were confident there was no local transmission of the virus in New Zealand for 102 days and that the family had not travelled overseas. We are working hard to put together pieces of the puzzle on how this family got infected, said Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield. Investigations were zeroing in on the potential the virus was imported by freight. Dr Bloomfield said surface testing was underway in an Auckland cool store where a man from the infected family worked. We are very confident we didnt have any community transmission for a very long period, Dr Bloomfield said during a televised media conference. We know the virus can survive within refrigerated environments for quite some time. China has reported instances of the coronavirus being detected on the packaging of imported frozen seafood. On Tuesday, the city government of Yantai, a port city in eastern Shandong province, said it had found the virus on the packaging of frozen seafood that had arrived from the port city of Dalian, which recently battled a surge of cases. Officials said the seafood was from an imported shipment that landed at Dalian, but did not say where it originated. In New Zealand, Auckland shifted to level 3 restrictions at midday (2400 GMT) on Wednesday, requiring people to stay at home unless for essential trips. The rest of the country was placed back into slightly looser level 2 restrictions. The restrictions will initially remain in place until Friday. I have huge sympathy ... this is unsettling, Ms Ardern said. Stay kind, look after one another. Police were setting up roadblocks around the city and supermarkets began rationing the sale of some staple products amid a rush to the shelves. Access to aged care nursing homes was restricted to staff and essential deliveries. The race is onThe resumption of lockdown measures was reinforced by confirmation on Wednesday that two members of the infected family had visited tourist sites in the town of Rotorua while symptomatic, while a third had gone to work at a finance company in Auckland, also while symptomatic.Dr Bloomfield said three people at the finance company were showing symptoms of the virus. The business has been closed, with testing underway on other workers. Health officials were prepared to test tens of thousands of people in the coming days, Dr Bloomfield said. No decision had yet been made on delaying the actual poll, she added, noting there was a window to defer until 21 November. Siouxsie Wiles, microbiologist and associate professor at the University of Auckland, said lockdown measures were the best option to stamp out the virus. She warned restrictions would likely be extended if officials could not trace the source within three days. The race is on to find the source of the cases and break any chains of transmission, she said. People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your states restrictions on gathering limits. If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080. News and information is available in 63 languages at sbs.com.au/coronavirus. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11:36 AM 8/12/2020 - FBI, check this lead, ASAP... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11:36 AM 8/12/2020
FBI, check this lead, ASAP: Are the freights of the frozen foods, like in New Zealand, the sources of infection worldwide, globally? ("New Zealand Considers Freight as Possible Source of New Coronavirus Cluster") What are the histories and the management of these freights? M.N. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Zealand Considers Freight as Possible Source of New Coronavirus Cluster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WELLINGTON New Zealand officials are investigating the possibility that its first COVID-19 cases in more than three months were imported by freight, as the country's biggest city plunged back into lockdown on Wednesday.
The discovery of four infected family members in Auckland led Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to swiftly reimpose tight restrictions in the city and social distancing measures across the entire country. The source of the outbreak has baffled health officials, who said they were confident there was no local transmission of the virus in New Zealand for 102 days. "We are working hard to put together pieces of the puzzle on how this family got infected," said Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield.
Investigations were zeroing in on the potential the virus was imported by freight. Bloomfield said surface testing was underway at an Auckland cool store where a man from the infected family worked.
"We know the virus can survive within refrigerated environments for quite some time," Bloomfield said during a televised media conference. The New Zealand unit of Atlanta, U.S.-based, Americold Realty Trust, a refrigerated storage specialist with operations in the United States, Canada, Argentina and Australia as well as New Zealand, identified itself as the owner of the cool store. Americold NZ Managing Director Richard Winnall told the NZ Herald newspaper the infected man had been on sick leave for several days and all employees had been sent home for tests. FOOD PACKAGING China has reported several instances of the coronavirus being detected on the packaging of imported frozen seafood in recent weeks.
The World Health Organization website states there is currently no confirmed case of COVID-19 transmitted through food or food packaging. However, it also notes that studies have shown that the virus can survive for up to 72 hours on plastic.
Residents of Auckland, home to around 1.7 million people, were given just hours to prepare for the return to level 3 restrictions on Wednesday, requiring people to stay at home unless for essential trips. "Going hard, going early with lockdown is still the best response," Ardern said. "Our response to the virus so far has worked ... we know how to beat this." The rest of the country was placed back into slightly looser level 2 restrictions. The restrictions will initially remain in place until Friday. Police set up roadblocks to discourage a mass exodus from Auckland, while supermarkets rationed the sale of some staple products amid a rush to the shelves. Long queues formed at COVID-19 testing centres in the city. Ardern said her cabinet will decide on Friday on the next steps with regards to restrictions. ELECTION CONCERNS Two members of the infected family had visited tourist sites in the town of Rotorua, about three hours drive south of Auckland, while symptomatic, and a third had gone to work at a finance company in Auckland, also while symptomatic.
Bloomfield said four people who had contact with the family were considered likely cases. More than 200 people have been identified as contacts of the family and health officials were prepared to test tens of thousands of people in the coming days, he added.
Ardern also delayed a key step toward a Sept. 19 general election, suspending the dissolution of parliament, which usually kicks off campaigning, until Monday. A decision on whether the actual poll would be delayed would be announced before Monday, Ardern said, as the country's major opposition party cancelled its weekend campaign launch and called for the election to be pushed back to November. In a scheduled announcement that coincided with the return to lockdown, the central bank surprised markets by expanding its bond buying programme and held out the prospect of negative interest rates in a bid to revive the virus-battered economy. "Given the ongoing health uncertainty, there remains a downside risk to our baseline economic scenario," the Reserve Bank of New Zealand said. With around 1,500 confirmed cases and 22 deaths, New Zealand's exposure to the virus remains well below many other developed nations. (Reporting By Praveen Menon; Writing by Jane Wardell; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Michael Perry) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Google Alert - new york times on coronavirus: New Zealand Considers Freight as Possible Source of New Coronavirus Cluster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
New Zealand Considers Freight as Possible Source of New Coronavirus Cluster ... for quite some time," Bloomfield said during a televised media conference. ... China has reported instances of the coronavirus being detected on the ... Your Hot-Weather Guide to Coronavirus, Air-Conditioning and Airflow. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10:42 AM 8/12/2020 - Sars-Cov-2 fecal-respiratory transmission: The complex of the very simple, common sense sanitary measures is needed, and it may be more useful than masks and the lockdowns. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Sars-Cov-2 fecal-respiratory transmission Now, with this study, the issue of the fecal-oral, and very likely fecal-respiratory modes of transmission, can be considered settled and proven. This may be the mechanism of super-spreading: via the public toilets. The complex of the very simple, common sense sanitary measures is needed, and it may be more useful than masks and the lockdowns.
M.N.
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10:42 AM 8/12/2020
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| 10:12 AM 8/12/2020 - Can SARS-CoV-2 be transmitted via feces? "Various observational and mechanistic evidence support the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 can infect and be shed from the human gastrointestinal tract." | Sars-Cov-2 fecal-respiratory transmission | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 10:12 AM 8/12/2020 "Various observational and mechanistic evidence support the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 can infect and be shed from the human gastrointestinal tract." - SARS-CoV-2 and the Role of Orofecal Transmission: Systematic Review | medRxiv Can SARS-CoV-2 be transmitted via feces? _____________________________________________________________________ Sars-Cov-2 fecal-respiratory transmission - News Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsLinks | InBrief | -
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| Can SARS-CoV-2 be transmitted via feces? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A new study by researchers at the University of Oxford and the Trip Medical Database and published on the preprint server medRxiv* in August 2020 as part of the ongoing Open Evidence Review on Transmission Dynamics of COVID-19 reports the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in feces and the need for precautions to prevent orofecal spread in the surroundings of confirmed or suspected cases.
.jpg "Colorized scanning electron micrograph of an apoptotic cell (green) heavily infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus particles (purple), isolated from a patient sample. Image at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Credit: NIAID") Colorized scanning electron micrograph of an apoptotic cell (green) heavily infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus particles (purple), isolated from a patient sample. Image at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Credit: NIAIDHow Does the Virus Spread?It is essential to know how the virus spreads in order to develop effective measures to prevent its transmission in public and private settings. As far as is now understood, the virus spreads by respiratory droplets and aerosols (referring to surface contamination and direct airborne spread via the respiratory route), in the presymptomatic, asymptomatic or symptomatic individuals, as long as close contact occurs.Fomites are objects which can harbor living infectious virus and act as a source of transmission to others. So far, the virus has been shown to contaminate and live on some surfaces successfully, but the direct fomite-to-human spread is yet to be demonstrated. However, studies of human sewage have shown that the virus can be detected. This suggests the potential for the spread of the virus through the orofecal route. This is a characteristic of locations where sanitation and hygiene facilities are painfully lacking. One route of orofecal transmission is fecal contamination of food. The Reviews: Virus in StoolThe study used 59 studies, of which 29 were Chinese, while nine were reviews. One was a cohort study, which also included a review. There were 37 of 51 primary studies that reported the presence of the virus in fecal samples, confirmed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reactions (RT PCR). In six studies, the virus was isolated from the feces. In 11 studies, fecal samples were found in sewage. Two studies used samples from bathrooms and toilets to detect viral material.Of the reviews, six dealt with both adults and children, two with children only, one on food handling, and one on the available evidence for orofecal transmission and the potential link with wastewater management. In one review, including 29 studies and over 4,800 patients, the researchers found that about 12% of infected patients had symptoms related to the gut diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. In eight studies, stools were positive for viral RNA in ~41% of COVID-19-positive patients in a pooled analysis. A second review found the possibility of orofecal transmission to be valid, supported by the third. The fourth, including 26 studies with over 800 patients, of which 540 were tested for fecal viral RNA, showed positive findings in 54%. Of these, 63% continued to shed even 47 days from the earliest symptom, even after the nasopharyngeal swab had become negative. Another study reviewed whether stool specimens were tested for viable virus in stool and found that only 4/153 were so tested, of which half were positive. A sixth study included 15 studies with over 2,000 patients chiefly from mainland China, reporting gut symptoms to be increasingly noted as the epidemic progressed. Diarrhea, lasting about 4 days on average, was the most common and was seen in both adults and children, before and after diagnosis. Vomiting was more often seen in children. Fecal PCR and respiratory swab or specimen PCR were comparable in accuracy. Stool virus excretion continued after sputum excretion in a quarter of patients for 1-11 days. Another review of four case studies in children showed that fecal excretion was three times as common as respiratory shedding at 14 days from symptom onset, but viral viability was not tested. Another pediatric review suggests that orofecal transmission is a possibility, and drawing on evidence of fecal excretion even at 30 days from symptom onset in SARS-CoV-1 infection, the study advised against declaring a child negative for the virus on the basis of one nasopharyngeal swab; Is the Live Virus Found in Feces?In six studies, the virus was isolated from nine patients. In one, the viral particle was found under electron microscopy of rectal tissue, and in another, the virus was found to infect and replicate in intestinal organoids.A retrospective study of ~130 hospitalized COVID-19 patients showed that fecal or sputum specimens became positive for the virus after the pharyngeal swabs became negative. Another report suggested that fecal positivity continued long after respiratory samples became negative. As already quoted above, fecal shedding in one study continued for 1-33 days and, in one case, up to 47 days from symptom onset. Viral Detection in Bathrooms of Hospitalized PatientsThe study cites three patients in isolation rooms with symptoms of COVID-19, of which one showed the presence of the virus in 13/15 sites sampled in the room and 3/5 toilet sites, including the toilet bowl, sink, and door handle. In one patient, both respiratory samples and stool samples were positive in the absence of diarrhea.In another hospital study of 37 samples from toilets, only four were positive and three weakly positive. Virus in SewageSamples from two wastewater treatment plants in Australia from February 24 to April 13, 2020, were positive in 22% of cases from one point. Infections and prevalence estimates showed a strong correlation with the log10 copies of viral RNA in stool, wastewater, and feces in g/day. Hospital sewage samples also showed that the virus was present before disinfection and sometimes after disinfection, though the live virus was absent. Moreover, it can be found in live form for up to 14 days at 4oC.Another study showed that the fecal virus preceded the clinical detection of cases, being found in frozen fecal samples on March 12, 2019, long before the first case was detected. Sewage surveillance could thus be a sensitive means of surveillance at low prevalence. Similar, viral RNA was found in half of the wastewater samples in Milan and Rome, early in the epidemic. Prevention of Orofecal TransmissionChlorination was found to be an effective disinfecting agent due to its lytic action, while hand hygiene is a useful tool in reducing hospital-associated infection risk.Orofecal transmission has been suggested during earlier coronavirus epidemics as well, with many patients reporting watery diarrhea, and one outbreak being linked to a defective sewage system. Secondly, coronaviruses like MERS and SARS have been shown to replicate in the intestinal epithelium and to be excreted in stool to reach the sewage system. Glycosylation of the spike protein favors resistance of the virus against proteases in the gut, as well as to the acidity and the presence of bile salts. ImplicationsThe study indicates that strict attention should be paid to personal hygiene, chlorine-based surface disinfection in places where viral activity is likely, and stool testing before the discharge of patients from hospital. Stool positivity should either delay discharge or allow discharge only if quarantine and personal hygiene are guaranteed for such patients.Moreover, further investigation into this route of excretion should be mandatory for every outbreak, with published results to find out whether the orofecal route is a valid route of viral transmission. The study concludes: The evidence supports the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 can infect and be shed from the human gastrointestinal tract. This should emphasize routine surveillance of food, wastewaters and effluent, and emphasize the importance of strict personal hygiene measures, chlorine-based disinfection of surfaces in locations with presumed or known SARS CoV-2 activity. *Important NoticemedRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SARS-CoV-2 and the Role of Orofecal Transmission: Systematic Review | medRxiv | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
AbstractBackground How SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted is of key public health importance. SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in the feces of some Covid-19 patients which suggests the possibility that the virus could additionally be transmitted via the orofecal route. Methods This review is part of an Open Evidence Review on Transmission Dynamics of Covid-19. We conduct ongoing searches using LitCovid, medRxiv, Google Scholar and Google for Covid-19; assess study quality based on five criteria and report important findings on an ongoing basis. Where necessary authors are contacted for further details or clarification on the content of their articles. Results We found 59 studies: nine reviews and 51 primary studies or reports (one cohort study also included a review) examining the potential role of orofecal transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Half (n=29) were done in China. Thirty seven studies reported positive fecal samples for SARS-CoV-2 based on RT-PCR results (n=1,034 patients). Six studies reported isolating the virus from fecal samples of nine patients, one study isolated the virus from rectal tissue and one laboratory study found that SARS-CoV-2 productively infected human small intestinal organoids. Eleven studies report on fecal samples found in sewage, and two sampled bathrooms and toilets. Conclusions Various observational and mechanistic evidence support the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 can infect and be shed from the human gastrointestinal tract. Policy should emphasize the importance of strict personal hygiene measures, and chlorine-based disinfection of surfaces in locations where there is presumed or known SARS-CoV-2 activity. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Google Alert - sars cov 2: Can SARS-CoV-2 be transmitted via feces? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
... Transmission Dynamics of COVID-19 reports the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in feces and the need ... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New York City littered with trash after sanitation budget is cut by $106 million | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Just over a month after the Sanitation Department had its budget cut by millions, New Yorkers are beginning to see the effects. Throughout the city people are noticing trash overflowing wastebaskets, garbage littering the streets, and seemingly fearless pests, including rats and raccoons, scattering around the sidewalks.
In June, New York Citys sanitation budget was slashed by $106 million, which reduced the pickup of public litter baskets by 60%, in addition to several other changes. Kathryn Garcia, commissioner of the NYC Department of Sanitation, says the decline in conditions is the effects of a variety of service cutbacks. We ended the curbside composting program, we are not running any safe disposal events. We closed our special waste sites and we're not doing highway sweeping. So much of what the city is experiencing is a real downshift in our resources, Garcia told Fox News Digital. NYC RESIDENTS COMPLAIN OF DRUG USE STEMMING FROM 3 HOTELS HOUSING HOMELESS She also said the department has had to reduce head count significantly, letting go of 411 uniformed staff and 88 civilian staff members. As the sanitation commissioner points out, New York City is facing significant economic issues resulting from coronavirus-related shutdowns and a mass exodus of its wealthy residents. She believes sanitation should be among the last departments to receive budget cuts as it plays a vital role in the health of the city, both physically and economically. Sanitation is one of the most, if not the most essential service in the city of New York No one wants to be opening a new business or trying to reopen a business that's been closed when it's dirty, and no resident wants to be in a neighborhood that's dirty, said Garcia. According to Joe Temperino, owner of Liberty Pest Control, the influx of trash in the streets is the reason people are also noticing an increased presence of rats. RUDY GIULIANI BLASTS DE BLASIOS HANDLING OF NEW YORK CITYS RISE IN VIOLENT CRIME Due to the sanitation and due to the extreme amount of trash that's out there, the problem is becoming a lot worse in New York City and in the boroughs, unfortunately, Temperino told Fox News Digital. A large number of Temperino's 4,300 clients have had to stop pest control treatments due to financial woes caused by coronavirus-related shutdowns. The pest control business owner says this is a big issue not only for his business but for businesses all around the city because, if left untreated, the pest problem will get very, very severe. The health department's gonna be back out there soon. And when they're out there, that's going to cause fines and other issues that us New Yorkers definitely don't need right now. Temperino is offering a number of his clients, many of which are restaurants, pro-bono treatments for what he says is preventative maintenance because if left untreated, the pest problem will get out of hand and businesses will pay the consequences. However, with coronavirus guidelines on businesses within the city remaining extremely strict, it seems restaurants will be limited to outdoor service for a while longer leaving the streets with more trash, owners with less revenue, and customers fearing a rat may run under their table. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New York City littered with trash after sanitation budget is cut by $106 million | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In June, New York City’s sanitation budget was slashed by $106 million, … Kathryn Garcia, commissioner of the NYC Department of Sanitation, says the … streets is the reason people are also noticing an increased presence of rats.
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| 5 things to know about gene editing in the COVID-19 era | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
One of the most common misconceptions about CRISPR is that its only useful for gene editing. In reality, CRISPR can be used for a wide variety of non-gene editing applications, ranging from diagnostics to antiviral applications.
There is also a perception that the gene-editing mechanism of CRISPR is the bottleneck for curing all disease. The reality is that, for many applications, the bottleneck is actually our understanding of the genetic code itself or the limitations of what changing that code can actually accomplish. How factors interplay with our genetic code to produce diseases is a field that is critical for unlocking gene editings full potential.
CRISPR is the search engine for biology.
One of the most perplexing aspects of COVID-19 is its enormous range of symptoms. Three people might contract it and have no overlap in their experience. Precision medicine an innovative approach to care that takes into account an individuals genes, environment, and lifestyle is playing a key role in understanding the genetic and environmental factors that might explain why one person is asymptomatic while another must be put on a ventilator, says Cameron Fox, Specialist on Precision Medicine at the World Economic Forum, and an expert in COVID-19 diagnostics technology.
Beyond the current crisis, this innovative work will have lasting, positive effects on many facets of the health ecosystem. One example is CRISPR-based diagnostics. CRISPRs ability to rapidly and accurately diagnose a wide range of diseases is only now being seriously explored. If this technology can be perfected, it would be a gamechanger in our fight against COVID-19, Fox continues.
Mammoth Biosciences is a World Economic Forum Global Innovator at the forefront of these developments. Here are five things Mammoths Co-Founder and CEO Trevor Martin thinks are important to know about how the field is evolving in the era of COVID-19.
1. Gene testing is the new search engine for cures.
The advent of CRISPR-based diagnostics fundamentally means a better understanding of the molecular world around us for areas ranging from human disease to crop health.
Infectious disease is a key use-case area for the diagnostic applications of CRISPR. Its become clear that one of its most powerful uses is its ability to provide reliable molecular information quickly and in a variety of formats.
International borders, workplaces, homes and maybe even concerts, conferences or other large events could benefit greatly from having tests for COVID-19 (and other diseases) that give gold-standard results within minutes. During a pandemic, this type of information is critical for fully reopening economies and engaging in robust contact tracing.
We created a robust test for the novel coronavirus within weeks particularly important as we contemplate the fact that it is a matter of when, not if, we must combat future pandemics beyond the current one, says Trevor Martin.
Beyond these more immediate uses, there is exciting potential for testing our environment more broadly, through monitoring samples from sewage or air. These measurements could give us unprecedented insight into our ecosystems and how they influence our health.
2. The future of healthcare lies in decentralized testing.
As CRISPR-based diagnostics pave the way for decentralized testing, the technological disruption will also open the door for accelerated adoption of value-based care models, rather than fee-for-service healthcare as in the United States.
Decentralized testing allows people to have more control over their own health and understand better when and how to interact with the healthcare system. Ideally, robust and prevalent diagnostics could mean fewer physical visits to a doctor (and shorter wait times), but the same or higher quality of care for more people by supercharging a doctors ability to care for patients through virtual consultations.
To reach its full potential, decentralized testing needs to go beyond its current model of expensive and complicated boxes with cartridges and embrace fully democratizable formats that can be used by individuals without extensive training. For example, Mammoth is creating CRISPR-based tests for diseases like COVID-19 in a format similar to a pregnancy test. This truly decentralized testing will allow for greater access to care and better information about when to seek it.
The application of precision medicine to save and improve lives relies on good-quality, easily-accessible data on everything from our DNA to lifestyle and environmental factors. The opposite to a one-size-fits-all healthcare system, it has vast, untapped potential to transform the treatment and prediction of rare diseasesand disease in general.
But there is no global governance framework for such data and no common data portal. This is a problem that contributes to the premature deaths of hundreds of millions of rare-disease patients worldwide.
The World Economic Forums Breaking Barriers to Health Data Governance initiative is focused on creating, testing and growing a framework to support effective and responsible access across borders to sensitive health data for the treatment and diagnosis of rare diseases.
The data will be shared via a federated data system: a decentralized approach that allows different institutions to access each others data without that data ever leaving the organization it originated from. This is done via an application programming interface and strikes a balance between simply pooling data (posing security concerns) and limiting access completely.
The project is a collaboration between entities in the UK (Genomics England), Australia (Australian Genomics Health Alliance), Canada (Genomics4RD), and the US (Intermountain Healthcare).
3. The focus on infectious disease will continue beyond this pandemic.
COVID-19 has opened many peoples eyes to the massive and surprising gaps in infectious disease diagnostics.
Diagnostics is, currently, a space where you must choose between a highly accurate result that requires long turn-around times and trained personnel and/or expensive equipment or a rapid result in an accessible format that sacrifices sensitivity and specificity.
COVID-19 has also made us more conscious of our shared responsibility to combat these unique types of diseases that we silently spread to each other. Hopefully, through focused investment in technology development as well as an elevated societal and government focus on detecting, curing and preventing infectious diseases, we can not only fight this pandemic but come out stronger against emerging infectious diseases.
4. People are thinking about modern healthcare differently.
The adage an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure will be more relevant than ever as weve seen the devastating effects and herculean efforts required to control and cure an infectious disease once it has evaded containment and prevention techniques.
As part of the focus on prevention, we need to ensure that as many people as possible have access to and entry points into broader healthcare networks. Access in particular should become a key focus as this pandemic has highlighted that we are only as strong as the most vulnerable among us. This challenges the current model of service-based healthcare.
Furthermore, biotechnology will become a top strategic priority for many governments, as an ability to prevent and mitigate a pandemic is an enormous political and economic advantage. It will become ever more important to understand and focus on how to communicate sound science broadly and in a way that all people trust. Weve seen in this pandemic that the increased use of pre-print servers has accelerated an amazing new model for rapidly disseminating cutting-edge science so people around the world can collaborate and build on it quickly. At the same time, it is harder than ever for individuals to know what is relevant and real. It will be important to find ways to retain the shift in pace, speed and openness of communication while maintaining the reliability and trust that gatekeeping mechanisms like peer-reviewed journals have long tried to provide.
5. Information will play a big role in the public perception of testing and gene editing.
Reliable, accurate and understandable information is key for both. We need consensus sources of information that are trusted by diverse groups and backed by strong science internationally.
People want what is best for their communities, their families and themselves, but it can be hard to separate fact from fiction. It is all the more important to ensure we have robust and frequent communication about science as well as forums that allow for stakeholders of all stripes to participate in a conversation on their benefits and drawbacks.
Ethical use of these technologies should not and cannot be determined only by a single group or individual. It is a shared responsibility across patients, industry, government and civic leaders. Understanding the molecular world and modifying it are increasingly tractable and accessible notions, but the use and misuse of technologies like CRISPR are important topics that have no easy answers.
The bottom line: It is critical that the public has an opportunity to understand how these technologies work and access to informed and rigorous sources of information for doing so, concludes Trevor Martin. Equally important, we must make sure that this information and insight is distributed widely and equally so that all of us participate in shaping and can benefit from these exciting advances.
Last year, the World Economic Forum launched Strategic Intelligence, its flagship digital product to help individuals and organizations see the big picture on the global issues facing the world. It provides a tremendous resource for exploring the interconnections between over 250 different topics and keeping up to date on everything that could potentially be an opportunity or a risk to you or your organization. Strategic Intelligence enables organizations, like the Global Innovators, to keep abreast of risks, opportunities and trends, enabling them to take more of a data-driven approach to managing their business.
Written by
The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.Trevor Martin, CEO + Co-Founder, Mammoth Biosciences Tooba Durraze, Content & Partnerships Lead, Strategic Intelligence, Global Leadership Fellow, World Economic Forum | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Google Alert - Covid-19: Genetic factors: 5 things to know about CRISPR and gene editing in the COVID era | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In reality, CRISPR can be used for a wide variety of non-gene editing ... How factors interplay with our genetic code to produce diseases is a field that is ... One of the most perplexing aspects of COVID-19 is its enormous range of ... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8:15 AM 8/12/2020 - Is the "Covid-19" Pandemic a Bio-Warfare unleashed by North Korea?! - My Opinion and News Review | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 8:15 AM 8/12/2020 - Is the "Covid-19" Pandemic a Bio-Warfare unleashed by North Korea?! M.N.: This is quite valid hypothesis, from many points of view, including the use of the biological weapons, among them the Hantavirus infections in the Korean War of 1954, possible (scientifically reported) the fecal-respiratory transmission mode as the common point between Sars-Cov-2 and the Hantaviruses Infections, recent geopolitical tensions around North Korea, the New Abwehr - Gerhard Schroerder's interests, plans and activities around the Reunification of Koreas, etc., etc. This hypothesis has to be explored in depth by the CIA and other agencies. It may hold the clues, leads, and answers. "North Korea knew that if they deploy the virus at Wuhan city during December 2019, then it would create an outbreak during the Chinese New Year and slowly spread to the USA during Easter. So, North Korea wanted the COVID-19 disaster to happen during the Chinese New Year and Easter days. Such precise calculations are possible using a supercomputer and computer simulations, and North Korea might have used such technology. North Korea lies between China and South Korea but how can it be possible that both China and South Korea gets COVID-19 except North Korea?" M.N.: I also agree with the author of this article, that it is very likely that the sophisticated computer modeling and simulations of the Pandemic were involved, which points more to the Germans rather than North Koreans. The "computer aspect" also holds the clue.  Hantavirus and Sars-Cov-2 Hantavirus infections in the Korean War of 1954
COVID-19 is it a natural pandemic or a biological war? Some people believe that the coronavirus of COVID-19 known as SARS-CoV-2 has caused the pandemic naturally like the SARS or MERS but some think that the virus was genetically modified in China. In 2003, a coronavirus called SARS-CoV caused an epidemic in China and killed many people but it didnt create such a global pandemic. The coronavirus that caused MERS in the Middle East, also didnt cause any pandemic like situation around the world. Then why the SARS-CoV-2 virus caused such a problem for the whole world? All the three viruses of SARS, MERS and COVID-19 belongs to the coronavirus species, but why only COVID-19 became deadly to the whole world? If SARS-CoV-2 had naturally evolved from the coronavirus species then it shouldnt have caused much problem when compared to SARS and MERS. Thats why its difficult to believe that the SARS-CoV-2 virus has evolved naturally like any other coronavirus, and it could be a biological weapon from North Korea. With the help of various genome editing technology, biological weapons can be created and North Korea has dual-use factories that could produce such a biological weapon.
Genome editing and biological weapon:
Genome Editing is a type of genetic engineering in which DNA is inserted, deleted, modified or replaced in the genome of a living organism. With such editing, its possible to change the characteristics of any organism. Using genome editing techniques like CRISPR/Cas9, its possible to create various kinds of genetically modified microorganisms. However, with CRISPR/Cas9 its not possible to modify RNA viruses and thats why a newer version called CRISPR/Cas13 is used, which can modify RNA viruses also. However, selecting the correct DNA or RNA part for editing needs a lot of research and time but with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deep learning, the RNA guide can be designed precisely to match the target DNA sequence. For example, Microsoft is using machine learning and Azure cloud computing to speed up the editing process.
A biological weapon is a bacterium, virus, protozoan, parasite, or fungus that can be used as a weapon to cause harm and cause biological warfare (BW). Few examples of bio-agents are Bacillus anthracis (Anthrax), Brucella abortus/Brucella melitensis/Brucella suis (Brucellosis), Vibrio cholerae (Cholera), Variola virus (Smallpox) and Yersinia pestis (Plague). With the help of genetic editing technology like CRISPR, now its possible to create various types of biological weapons.
Any biological weapon can be produced using nine basic steps:
1. Choose the bio-agent
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| North Korea could be responsible for the corona war | Armenian American Reporter | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COVID-19 is it a natural pandemic or a biological war? Some people believe that the coronavirus of COVID-19 known as SARS-CoV-2 has caused the pandemic naturally like the SARS or MERS but some think that the virus was genetically modified in China. In 2003, a coronavirus called SARS-CoV caused an epidemic in China and killed many people but it didnt create such a global pandemic. The coronavirus that caused MERS in the Middle East, also didnt cause any pandemic like situation around the world. Then why the SARS-CoV-2 virus caused such a problem for the whole world? All the three viruses of SARS, MERS and COVID-19 belongs to the coronavirus species, but why only COVID-19 became deadly to the whole world? If SARS-CoV-2 had naturally evolved from the coronavirus species then it shouldnt have caused much problem when compared to SARS and MERS. Thats why its difficult to believe that the SARS-CoV-2 virus has evolved naturally like any other coronavirus, and it could be a biological weapon from North Korea. With the help of various genome editing technology, biological weapons can be created and North Korea has dual-use factories that could produce such a biological weapon.
Genome editing and biological weapon:Genome Editing is a type of genetic engineering in which DNA is inserted, deleted, modified or replaced in the genome of a living organism. With such editing, its possible to change the characteristics of any organism. Using genome editing techniques like CRISPR/Cas9, its possible to create various kinds of genetically modified microorganisms. However, with CRISPR/Cas9 its not possible to modify RNA viruses and thats why a newer version called CRISPR/Cas13 is used, which can modify RNA viruses also. However, selecting the correct DNA or RNA part for editing needs a lot of research and time but with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deep learning, the RNA guide can be designed precisely to match the target DNA sequence. For example, Microsoft is using machine learning and Azure cloud computing to speed up the editing process.A biological weapon is a bacterium, virus, protozoan, parasite, or fungus that can be used as a weapon to cause harm and cause biological warfare (BW). Few examples of bio-agents are Bacillus anthracis (Anthrax), Brucella abortus/Brucella melitensis/Brucella suis (Brucellosis), Vibrio cholerae (Cholera), Variola virus (Smallpox) and Yersinia pestis (Plague). With the help of genetic editing technology like CRISPR, now its possible to create various types of biological weapons. Any biological weapon can be produced using nine basic steps:1. Choose the bio-agent3. Choose the production method 4. Stabilize the agent 5. Concentrate the agent 6. Choose delivery method 7. Testing the bio-agent 8. Mass production 9. Stockpile and mobilize weapons. It is a convention that prohibits the development, production and stockpiling of biological and toxic weapons. It first started in 1972 and Netherlands was the first country to sign the convention. Till 2019, a total of 183 countries have signed the convention. Most of the countries have signed and submitted the convention to London, Moscow and Washington D.C. governments for ratification but some countries like North Korea have only submitted the signed convention in 1987 to Moscow only and was not ratified yet. Many countries have signed the BWC but only some were successfully verified and most were ratified. However, some are still not recognized, only signed and not signed at all. North Korea and COVID-19:North Korea is a country in East Asia and Pyongyang is its largest capital city. It is a country which has a leader instead of a president, and Kim Jong-un has been the supreme leader of North Korea since 2011. Kim Jong-un is married to Ri Sol-ju and has three children. He has one brother Kim Jong-chul and two sisters Kim Yo-jong and Kim Sol-song. He also had a stepbrother Kim Jong-nam, but was killed by a chemical weapon (VX), which was deployed by him only. Kims Jongs sister Kim Yo-jong and his brother Kim Jong-chul, are also leaders of North Korea. All supreme leaders of North Korea hold the positions of leader of the Workers Party of Korea and commander-in-chief of the Korean Peoples Army. The Workers Party of Korea follows the Juche and Songun ideology. Juche ideology defines that man is the master of his destiny, that the Korean masses are to act as the masters of the revolution and construction and that by becoming self-reliant and strong, a nation can achieve true socialism. Whereas, Songun is the military first policy of North Korea, prioritizing the Korean Peoples Army in the affairs of state and military-first ideology serving as the guiding ideology. This also makes people of North Korea to live a life that is dominated by a group of army, rather than a democratic government. North Korea is not just a country, but also a force that only knows how to create war and terrorism around the whole world.As North Korea is not having good relations with many countries, it is considered to be having a Hermit kingdom. The term hermit kingdom is used to refer to a country that willfully walls itself off, either metaphorically or physically, from the rest of the world. This country was previously designated a state sponsor of terrorism because of its alleged involvement in the 1983 Rangoon bombing and the 1987 bombing of a South Korean airliner. North Korea was designated a state sponsor of terrorism by the Trump administration of United States on 20 November 2017. The kidnapping of at least 13 Japanese citizens by North Korean agents in the 1970s and the 1980s has affected North Koreas relationship with Japan also. However, North Korea was having good relations with China, but that got worsened after its nuclear program. In North Korea, people are restrained from watching International TV channels and the country has its own network of TV channels, broadcasted in Korean language. North Korea uses a PAL 576i analog signal transmission system and 4:3 aspect ratio. It was done in this way purposely, so that their broadcast cant be received by South Korea or by anyone outside the country. Apart from TV Channels, use of certain types of mobile phones are also prohibited, and international calls are considered illegal in North Korea. Visitors are also not easily allowed to enter the country and need to take permission from the country leaders. This type of strict rules are made by the leaders of North Korea to maintain their privacy for terrorism. Interestingly, North Korea is getting an Internet facility but some of their websites are not accessible from other countries. Moreover, many tech giants have not included North Korea as a part of their operations and on YouTube (under location settings), you will find the names of almost all the countries except North Korea. In North Korea, internet access is only available for the residents and not for visitors or tourists. According to cybersecurity experts, North Korea maintains an army of hackers trained to disrupt enemy computer networks and steal both money and sensitive data. On 8 October 2018, it was reported by Bloomberg (US based media company), that a North Korean hacking group had tried to steal at least $1.1 billion in a series of attacks on global banks from 20142018. North Korea began to develop its own chemical industry and chemical weapon (CW) program in 1954, immediately following the end of the Korean War. However, there was not much progress until the 1960s, when Kim Il-sung (founder and first supreme leader of North Korea) wanted to develop an independent chemical industry capable of producing chemical weapons, and he finally established North Koreas Nuclear and Chemical Defense Bureau. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, North Korea received Soviet and Chinese aid in developing its chemical industry. In 2009 the International Crisis Group reported that North Korea had a stockpile of about 2,500 to 5,000 metric tons of chemical weapons, including mustard gas, sarin (GB) and other nerve agents. In 2014, the South Korean Defense Ministry estimated that the North had stockpiled 2,500 to 5,000 tons of chemical weapons and had a capacity to produce a variety of biological weapons. In 2015, the U.S. Department of Defense reported that North Korea had the capability to produce nerve, blister, blood, and choking agents. Some sources confirmed that North Korea possesses various types of chemical weapons, including nerve, blister, blood, and vomiting agents, as well as some biological weapons, including anthrax, smallpox, and cholera. In 2015, Melissa Hanham of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (USA), revealed a photograph of North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un visiting the Pyongyang Bio-technical Institute a factory supposedly for the production of bacillus thuringiensis of use in pesticides. Such a factory is considered to be of dual-use, because such a factory can also produce Bacillus anthracis the causative agent of anthrax is produced through identical means. Hanhams analysis concluded that the factory was capable of producing weaponized anthrax. Hanham noted that pesticide production factories are old and used for a biological weapons program and are perfect examples of dual-use technology. The coronavirus outbreak that happened in 2019, also known as COVID-19, originated in a city called Wuhan in China. However, such an outbreak also happened in the same city previously in 2002 and its known as SARS. SARS was caused by a type of coronavirus called SARS-CoV. Apart from China, coronavirus infection cases were also seen in Saudi Arabia and its called MERS. MERS is caused by a coronavirus called MERS-CoV. None of the cases of SARS or MERS caused a global pandemic like COVID-19. If COVID-19 was caused by a virus belonging to the same species of coronavirus then how it became so deadly to the world? COVID-19 is caused by a virus called SARS-Cov-2 and some believe that this virus was genetically modified at the lab of Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in Wuhan city. But thats not true, because the genetic sequence of the COVID-19 didnt match with the coronavirus samples stored in their lab. However, this institute has the highest level of safety (BSL-4) and follows strict regulations. Thats why the possibility of any biological weapon from such a lab is very low and China didnt really create the COVID-19 virus. Moreover, why would China create such a virus that would infect its own people? The government of China is always concerned about the safety of its citizens and would not allow it to develop any such biological weapon. The genetic sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 virus revealed that it contains a gene of Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which was intentionally put in order to make the virus more lethal. That proves that this virus was genetically modified, but who did it? It may be possible that it was created by North Korea at one of its dual-use factories. The Pyongyang Bio-Technical Institute located at Pyongyang, has a facility to develop biological weapons, and according to one report in 2018, this institute is involved in such research. According to 38 North a website devoted to analysis about North Korea Kim Jong Un visited such dual-use factories and the Pyongyang Bio-Technical Institute to encourage the development of Biological Weapon (BW) program. Moreover, North Korea went into complete lockdown, 3 days before the COVID-19 outbreak in China, and this information was also revealed by 38 North. If COVID-19 was a natural pandemic or a biological mishap of China, then how come North Korea came to know about it 3 days earlier?  Surprisingly, not a single COVID-19 case has been reported in North Korea, since its outbreak and most of the countrys newspapers like Chongnyon and The Pyongyang Times did not report any COVID-19 case. Thats why it can be understood that North Korea is hiding something and everything was pre-planned. COVID-19 could be a biological weapon deployed by North Korea in a clever way. As SARS outbreak already happened in Wuhan city of China in 2002, deploying a coronavirus bio-agent in the same city would make the World Health Organization (WHO), to believe that it was another SARS outbreak. Moreover, the presence of the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in Wuhan city, would arouse suspicion among the people about making biological weapons in China. Thats why, this could be a sabotage by North Korea to defame China and also to worsen its relations with other countries. North Korea is close to China and trespassing from North Korea to China is possible through Dandong city. So, anybody can enter China from North Korea and deploy a biological weapon with the help of a vector. The COVID-19 outbreak started in China during the end of December 2019, and Chinese New Year starts in February. So, North Korea knew that if they deploy the virus at Wuhan city during December 2019, then it would create an outbreak during the Chinese New Year and slowly spread to the USA during Easter. So, North Korea wanted the COVID-19 disaster to happen during the Chinese New Year and Easter days. Such precise calculations are possible using a supercomputer and computer simulations, and North Korea might have used such technology. North Korea lies between China and South Korea but how can it be possible that both China and South Korea gets COVID-19 except North Korea? In May 2020, Kim Jong Un was seen while opening a new fertilizer factory. This time it was a phosphate fertilizer factory and its also a dual-use factory because phosphate fertilizer factories can also be used to extract uranium for nuclear weapons. Plague Inc. (Video game) and Doomsday Clock:A video game called Plague Inc., available on Windows, Android and iOS, is making the whole world question about its morality because this game is based on the concept of biological warfare. In this game the player needs to infect the countries with biological weapons and create a pandemic. The player wins the game only when no cure is found for the pandemic, and everyone in the world dies from it. It seems that the COVID-19 pandemic is resembling this game and because of that, the uses for this video game have increased in 2020. The game became the number one selling app in China, during the epidemic phase of the COVID-19 in Wuhan, China.In March 2013, James Vaughan the developer of Plague Inc., was invited at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to talk about Plague Inc. and CDC said they were interested in this game and appreciated the game instead of criticizing it. However, this game can also encourage people to involve in making biological weapons and such video games should not be encouraged. The doomsday clock is also another shocking thing Its a virtual clock maintained by the members of Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (<a href="https://thebulletin.org/" rel="nofollow">https://thebulletin.org/</a>) since 1947. The time on this clock represents the severity of the worlds current threats to humanity and how close the world is to doomsday (end of the world). This clock is set in January of each year and remains the same throughout the year. This clock has a minute and hour hands to represent the time close to midnight (12O Clock). The hour hand remains fixed to 12O clock and only the minute hand can move clockwise or anti-clockwise. Closer the minute hand goes to 12O clock, closer cloud be the doomsday. The Clocks original setting in 1947 was seven minutes to midnight. The clock has been set backward and forward 24 times since then and the largest-ever number of minutes to midnight was 17 (in 1991) and in 1991 there were no reported threats to humanity. In that year the United States and Soviet Union signed the first Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I), and the Soviet Union dissolved on December 26. This is the farthest from midnight the Clock has been since its inception, but On 24 January 2018, scientists moved the clock to two minutes to midnight, based on the moves by North Korea under Kim Jong-Un and the administration of Donald Trump in the US because it could increase the possibility of nuclear war by accident or miscalculation and also because of other dangers from disruptive technologies such as synthetic biology, artificial intelligence, and cyberwarfare. On 23 January 2020, it was moved forward to 100 seconds (1 minute 40 seconds) before midnight, based on the failure of world leaders to deal with increasingly likely threats of nuclear war, such as the end of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) between the United States and Russia as well as increased tensions between the US and Iran, and the continued failure to combat climate change. This is the clocks closest approach to midnight since 1947 and it could mean that the world is coming close to doomsday. COVID-19 cannot be considered just to be a natural pandemic but could be a biological weapon from a guerrilla country like North Korea. As the countrys relation with China degraded due to its nuclear program, the coronavirus was deployed in China by North Korea to create a global pandemic and also to defame China. As North Korea was not having good relations with the USA, it also wanted to break Chinas relationship with the USA. Whether COVID-19 was an indigenously planned attack or inspired by the Plague video game, it is a threat to the whole world and the doomsday clock is also showing a bad time this year. Therefore, we should not take North Korea lightly, because this country could one day conquer the whole world by causing a doomsday. Debojit Acharjee (Software Engineer/Writer) |
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