COVID-19 Pandemic
2020
Timeline of significant global, Australian and SA data points in the initial response and first year of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
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WHO designates 2 new strains of SARS-CoV-2 as VOC (Alpha & Beta)
FDA grants EUA for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine
On December 18, 2020 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced they have “issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the second vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The emergency use authorization allows the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine to be distributed in the U.S. for use in individuals 18 years of age and older.” The FDA stated the “vaccine was 94.1% effective in preventing COVID-19 disease among these clinical trial participants with 11 cases of COVID-19 in the vaccine group and 185 in the placebo group.”
This comes the day after the December 17, 2020 VRBPAC meeting where they discussed the EUA of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine “for the prevention of COVID-19 in individuals 18 years and older.”
This EUA is granted 4 days after the first Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines was administered in the US and 10 days before the WHO declares the virus endemic the vaccines likely not to stop transmission!
UK Alpha variant is designated
On December 18, 2020 the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 lineage (Alpha) is designated a new variant in the UK, and has been increasing in proportion of cases in parts of England since September 20, 2020, and is growing in prevelance.
“B.1.1.7 has an unusually large number of genetic changes, particularly in the spike protein. Three of these mutations have potential biological effects…As of 15th December, there are 1623 genomes in the B.1.1.7 lineage.”
Mutations in spike position 501 can increase ACE2 receptor affinity thus could increase infectivity and virulance, and position P681H associated with the S1/S2 furin cleavage site of SARS-CoV-2, which is not found in closely related coronaviruses and has been shown to promote entry into respiratory epithelial cells and transmission in animal model – REF
Just as the vaccine rolls out in the UK, the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein mutates away from the Wuhan genomic sequence; that which the genetic vaccines code for.
South African variant reported
South African authorities announced the detection of a new variant (501Y.V2) rapidly spreading in three of their provinces, to become the main circulating strain [slide 11].
With increased transmissibility, variants may spread more easily and infect more people which could then put pressure on healthcare systems.
More studies needed to determine if mutations will affect COVID-19 vaccines.
Foreign defense forces become immune to prosecution on Australian soil
While Australian’s were preparing for Christmas, the parliament passed an amendment to Australia’s Defence Act 1903 that now makes foreign military and foreign police immune to prosecution when acting on Australian soil.
Study: Vaccine-induced antibody actually increases infectivity of SARS-CoV-2
Japanese paper first published December 18, 2020, shows when antibodies were made to the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, it changed it’s structure and in doing so enhanced SARS-CoV-2 infectivity. Instead of “neutralising” the virus, the vaccine-induced antibodies made the virus more lethal. Meaning production of this antibody enhances the infectivity, a phenomenon referred to as Antibody Dependent Enhancement (ADE) or pathogenic priming. [peer reviewed version]
The spike protein is made up of different epitopes or binding domains. If antibodies were made to the receptor binding domain (RBD) it’s been shown to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection. This paper shows that antibodies made to the NTD epitope increases infectivity.
People who were hospitalised with severe COVID-19 had antibodies to this infectivity-enhancing NTD site.
All vaccines that have been approved by regulatory bodies code for this NTD region, something this paper warns should not be present in a new technology vaccines!
Watch @40min >>>
2.79% of first dose recipients experienced a “Health Impact Event”
At a December 19, 2020 ACIP meeting, the CDC’s advisory board, Dr Thomas Clark presented slides which showed that more than 2 in 100 vaccinated were experiencing an adverse reaction. [1, 2] At this time “272,001 doses of vaccine have been administered” in the US, of which some healthcare workers have experienced serious reactions. [4, 5]
The CDC’s V-safe Active Surveillance for COVID-19 Vaccines data slide showed of 112,807 registrants with a recorded 1st dose, 3,150 of these experienced a “Health Impact Event” which means they were “unable to perform normal daily activities, unable to work, required care from doctor or health care professional”. That is 2.79% of vaccinated actively surveilled were adversely affected post injection of just the first dose. [3]
Israel begins it’s Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine rollout
On December 19, 2020, Israel begins it’s COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, the day after Hanukkah – “after paying a premium for supplies of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine” The first shot began with Prime Minister Netanyahu.
“If everyone cooperates, keeps the rules and goes to get vaccinated, we’ll get out of this and we could well be the first country in the world to emerge from this [pandemic]. Let’s do it together” said Netanyahu
By January 1, 2021, more than 10% of Israel’s population is said to have received their first dose of Pfizer’s vaccine. According to Pfizer executive Israel is ‘a sort of laboratory’ for Pfizer COVID vaccines. [1]
Four days after roll out, “the more contagious U.K. variant [later called Alpha] was detected in four people, and by February 10, 2021 “while the vaccine is preventing illness in older people, the variant now makes up about 80 percent of new cases.”
EMA grants first CMA for Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
On December 21, 2020 the European Medicines Agency (EMA) granted Conditional Marketing Authorization (CMA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (Comirnaty) following European Medicines Agency (EMA) “positive opinion, to BNT162b2 for active immunisation of individuals aged 16 years and older to prevent COVID-19, which is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)” in people from 16 years of age. [1, 2]
They stating that “EMA’s human medicines committee (CHMP) has completed its rigorous evaluation of Comirnaty” concluding by consensus that sufficiently robust data on the quality, safety and efficacy of the vaccine are now available to recommend a formal conditional marketing authorisation.”
In 2022, leaked emails would reveal that there was “concern over accelerated timelines to ensure they would meet the ‘deadline’ for vaccine authorization at the expense of a robust assessment”, and there was great pressure placed on the EMA staff by the European Commissioner, Ursula von der Leyen, who had known close ties with Pfizer CEO. [1]
WHO experts: virus will become endemic, its not the “big one”, expect more “threats”, no guarantee vaccine stop infection or transmission
At a WHO coronavirus media briefing on December 28, 2020, several WHO experts spoke [1, 2, 3]
Head of the WHO emergencies program Dr Mike Ryan said:
“The likely scenario is the virus will become another endemic virus that will remain somewhat of a threat, but a very low-level threat in the context of an effective global vaccination program…
Dr Ryan warned the pandemic “is not necessarily the big one“, the next may be more severe. “This is a wake-up call…We live in an increasingly complex global society. These threats will continue.”
WHO chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan said:
…we continue to wait for more results from the vaccine trials, is to really understand if these vaccines, apart from preventing symptomatic disease and severe disease and deaths, whetherthey’re also going to reduce infections, or prevent people from getting infected with the virus, prevent them from passing it on or transmitting it to other people. At the moment, I don’t believe we have the evidence on any of the vaccines to be confident that it’s going to prevent people from actually getting the infection and therefore being able to pass it on. [pg 17], [1]
WHO Director General, Tedros said:
“Going forward, investing in health will be a priority for all countries.” He said “I think the world is understanding the centrality of health the hard way.”
Professor Heymann proclaimed
“it appears at present that the destiny of SARS Coronavirus 2 is to become endemic…[we will] learn to live with COVID-19.”
Paper published on how to treat COVID-19
On December 20, 2020, Dr Peter McCullough and a huge list of co-authors, publish a paper on how to treat COVID-19 titled “Multifaceted highly targeted sequential multidrug treatment of early ambulatory high-risk SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19)”.
“An urgent immediate pivot from single drug to SMDT regimens should be employed as a critical strategy to deal with the large numbers of acute COVID-19 patients with the aim of reducing the intensity and duration of symptoms and avoiding hospitalization and death.”
The paper offered immediate solutions for a pandemic virus that was affecting lives and livelihoods which proved to prevent hospitalisation and death in all age groups, but especially to subgroup most vulnerable to SARS-CoV0-2 infection.
Australia: All cause mortality
In 2020 there were a total of 141,116 deaths in Australia, compared to 169,301 deaths registered in 2019. In 2020, 909 (0.64%) of the deaths were COVID-19 related. [1]
- Australia has a population of approximately 25,806,000, and
- the average life expectancy is 82.8 years old.
- In 2019 66% of deaths occurred in 75 years or more.
As at October 2020 the average age of death from COVID-19 in Australia was approximately 85 and the median age at death approximately 86.
Approximately 66% (700 out of 1053) of COVID-19 deaths in Australia (as at 7 September 2021) have occurred in aged care.
More stats >>>
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