Good news day….

Big one is the Russians have “finalized” their vaccine even before finishing phase 3 – at times you have to do things differently than regular protocols – in these cased a more strict govt has its advantages. Supposedly Putins own daughter has taken the vaccine – https://apnews.com/fcda62ad992db414d65f23b2adb78e44

“Russia on Tuesday became the first country to clear a coronavirus vaccine and declare it ready for use, despite international skepticism. President Vladimir Putin said that one of his daughters has already been inoculated.

Putin emphasized that the vaccine underwent the necessary tests and has proven efficient, offering a lasting immunity from the coronavirus. However, scientists at home and abroad have been sounding the alarm that the rush to start using the vaccine before Phase 3 trials — which normally last for months and involve thousands of people — could backfire.”

“Putin said that his daughter had a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) on the day of the first vaccine injection, and then it dropped to just over 37 degrees (98.6 Fahrenheit) on the following day. After the second shot she again had a slight increase in temperature, but then it was all over.

“She’s feeling well and has high number of antibodies,” Putin added. He didn’t specify which of his two daughters — Maria or Katerina — received the vaccine.”

What would you do …which daughter do you give it to first? He hedged with only 1 daughter given – or perhaps the other daughter was the blind sample.

“The Health Ministry said in Tuesday’s statement that the vaccine is expected to provide immunity from the coronavirus for up to two years.

Putin emphasized that vaccination will be voluntary,

Russian authorities have said that medical workers, teachers and other risk groups will be the first to be inoculated. Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said that the vaccination of doctors could start as early as this month.

Professor Alexander Gintsburg, head of the Gamaleya Institute that developed the vaccine, said that vaccination will start while the Phase 3 trials continue. He said that initially there will be only enough doses to conduct vaccination in 10-15 of Russia’s 85 regions, according to the Interfax news agency.

Russian officials have said that large-scale production of the vaccine will start in September, and mass vaccination may begin as early as October.”

Kudos for the Russians – not sure why the negativity – healthy skepticism sure but if they want to cut corners and actually get a product that works quickly perhaps at some point you got to thank them – this isn’t a game where there is only one winner – this is a global pandemic – right?

Success with treatment with RLF-100 (aviptadil) for late stage treatment – https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2020/08/05/houston-methodist-reports-rapid-recovery-of-covid-19-patients-with-new-drug/

“Houston Methodist Hospital is making national headlines after doctors used a new drug to help treat critically ill COVID-19 patients.

Methodist was the first to report the rapid recovery of patients on ventilators and those with severe medical conditions after three days of treatment. The drug is called RLF-100 and is also known as aviptadil. It has been approved by the FDA for emergency use at multiple clinical sites in patients who are too ill to enter the FDA’s Phase 2/3 trials.

According to a press release from the drug maker NeuroRX, independent researchers have reported that aviptadil blocked replication of the SARS coronavirus in human lung cells and monocytes.”

Warms my heart finally people writing about mechanical solutions – love the simple Box fan in the window – really how much is that going to cost in schools and public places? They have the Dr and fancy colleges next to their names so if common sense doesn’t work you can believe them – https://www.boston.com/news/coronavirus/2020/08/09/your-hot-weather-guide-to-coronavirus-air-conditioning-and-airflow

“But like so many little luxuries we once took for granted, our days of blissfully ignoring air may be numbered, because a growing number of scientists are convinced that a significant amount of coronavirus transmission occurs through the air in indoor spaces and that poor ventilation magnifies the risk.”

“When in doubt, open the windows. And remember that outdoor air is good.

The precise way that viral particles flow through a room when an infected person talks, sings, exhales or eats is something that scientists are continuing to investigate. Previous case studies have shown it to be complicated. If there is one easy-to-understand principle that aerosol scientists and engineers have come to agree on, though, it’s this: The more outdoor air coming into a room, the better for dispersing that cloud of viral particles that might be lingering. And one of the most reliable and cost-effective ways to get outdoor air into a room is to open a window.

“If you don’t know if the place is well ventilated, but you have the ability to open a window, I would do it,” said Shelly Miller, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. That, she said, or get out quickly if you’re swinging by an indoor location with other people in it.

“Basically, all air conditioning falls into one of three categories.

— The unit cools both indoor and outdoor air.

— The unit cools and recirculates only indoor air.

— The unit relies entirely on pulling in outdoor air. (These are uncommon outside hospitals and labs.)”

Govt should certified gold standard for those pulling all outdoor air – and given business and places that do that an approval rating to incentivize and promote the healthier technology.

“Centralized air systems, such as those common in office buildings, dorms and some large apartment buildings, often fall in category one. Jimenez and other building scientists involved in coronavirus prevention are currently advising owners of businesses and buildings with category one systems to adjust the ratio to pull in more outdoor air, an enterprise that can be costly. Take a casino in Las Vegas, which is kept cool enough to keep people gambling inside while it feels like 120 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Cooling that hot outdoor air will be more expensive than recirculating the already cool inside air. But given that keeping customers healthy is also a priority, more are willing to revisit their approach, Jimenez said.”

This is a FACT that I have been noting most modern commercial grade HVAC systems have an economizer – this device controls the amount of fresh air pulling into the unit and can typically be adjusted. With the Govt. certification of gold standard this would incentivize businesses to go ahead and adjust to more fresh air if not 100%. There are local guidelines already in many cities on how much fresh air is pulled into the buildings (e.g. NYC min is 20% – and guess what – that’s what the buildings pull no more as they are trying to save money – they don’t pay the health bill). I am working with my HVAC guy to create a way to modify my existing home HVAC to control the amount of fresh air the unit pulls in. In the meantime I am more relaxed on leaving the doors open as I go in and out knowing I am getting fresh air into my home. Of course restricting people into the home eliminates the issue but who knows IF I am a carrier or anyone else in the family – the key is to reduce the viral load to manageable level that your body can defend. Fresh air dilutes the load factor. Over the last decade the US has pushed on energy efficiency and insulation of home – as with many things in life it comes with positive and negative outcomes.

India is on top of the leader board 871 – US big drop to 525

California leading US at 99 – and TX big drop to 73

The Leading death county was Manatee FL at 35 – this is a new one – looks to be stretched thin https://www.bradenton.com/news/coronavirus/article244848342.html . Confirmations continue to grow in the big 4 counties.

France is observing a continued uptick in confirmation after the heat noted before