Cows possess receptors for both human and bird flu, raising the risk of the virus evolving to infect humans more effectively, potentially leading to human-to-human transmission.
In case you were wondering, the USDA is basically a subsidiary of the National Cattleman's Beef Association.
On an unrelated topic, I am seeing a lot of reporting today on the SARS-CoV-2 variant KP.2.
Seems like a focus on the wrong bogey. KP.3 will almost certainly outcompete it. In a previous post, you introduced me to other nasty variants. Right now, what are your favorite 'Variants Under TACT Monitoring'? KP.3 seems to be cooking in Australia.
Oh...by the way, 'Mad Cow Disease' has turned up in Scotland.
Thanks for pointing out that the USDA is closely associated with the National Cattleman's Beef Association. Many of the regulatory agencies are far to closely tied to industry, with industry insiders often taking up positions in the government agencies. This is obviously a very serious problem that needs to be addressed.
KP.3 is definitely taking off in Australia and Canada. Australia has 113 sequences and Canada has 232 sequences. The U.K. has 130 and the U.S. with 94 sequences. Currently it has an 80% growth advantage, compared to KP.2.3's 97% GA. KP.3 has been picking up ORF3a:S40P in 5.82% of sequences, ORF7a:T120I in 5.26% and ORF9b:P3H in 8.5% of sequences. If it retains these mutations it may be gaining a greater advantage over KP.2.3.
In contrast KP.2.3 picked up ORF3a:K67N and S:H146Q in 100% of sequences which appears to be helping it evade B-cells and antibodies.
The concerning trend is where the mutations are occurring more frequently. LB.1, LA.1 and LA.2 are among the top variants, but there are many to watch as the evolution of COVID is gaining momentum.
H5N1 has an exponentially increasing chance to jump from human to human, particularly due to these COVID variants weakening immune systems and creating a perfect environment for H5N1 to evolve. The combination of the two, if H5N1 were to jump to human to human transmission, would be devastating. That's why it is so important to highlight the risk that H5N1 poses in this environment.
Wow...I hadn't realized that KP.3 was this prevalent in Canada. What starts in Canada doesn't stay in Canada. It looks like the swarm hasn't yet selected a final champion to throw against the humanoids.
At this point, I would think that one would have to say that H5N1 WILL jump to humans, if it already hasn't. Based on what is happening, it seems to be wishful thinking to assume it will not. It is slowly learning what is necessary to infect humans while we are more slowly adapting with steps necessary to stop it.
There seem to be anecdotal reports of farm workers who are refusing to be tested for fear of being quarantined and losing wages.
Thanks for keeping us all informed. It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it.
In case you were wondering, the USDA is basically a subsidiary of the National Cattleman's Beef Association.
On an unrelated topic, I am seeing a lot of reporting today on the SARS-CoV-2 variant KP.2.
Seems like a focus on the wrong bogey. KP.3 will almost certainly outcompete it. In a previous post, you introduced me to other nasty variants. Right now, what are your favorite 'Variants Under TACT Monitoring'? KP.3 seems to be cooking in Australia.
Oh...by the way, 'Mad Cow Disease' has turned up in Scotland.
Thanks for pointing out that the USDA is closely associated with the National Cattleman's Beef Association. Many of the regulatory agencies are far to closely tied to industry, with industry insiders often taking up positions in the government agencies. This is obviously a very serious problem that needs to be addressed.
KP.3 is definitely taking off in Australia and Canada. Australia has 113 sequences and Canada has 232 sequences. The U.K. has 130 and the U.S. with 94 sequences. Currently it has an 80% growth advantage, compared to KP.2.3's 97% GA. KP.3 has been picking up ORF3a:S40P in 5.82% of sequences, ORF7a:T120I in 5.26% and ORF9b:P3H in 8.5% of sequences. If it retains these mutations it may be gaining a greater advantage over KP.2.3.
In contrast KP.2.3 picked up ORF3a:K67N and S:H146Q in 100% of sequences which appears to be helping it evade B-cells and antibodies.
The concerning trend is where the mutations are occurring more frequently. LB.1, LA.1 and LA.2 are among the top variants, but there are many to watch as the evolution of COVID is gaining momentum.
H5N1 has an exponentially increasing chance to jump from human to human, particularly due to these COVID variants weakening immune systems and creating a perfect environment for H5N1 to evolve. The combination of the two, if H5N1 were to jump to human to human transmission, would be devastating. That's why it is so important to highlight the risk that H5N1 poses in this environment.
Wow...I hadn't realized that KP.3 was this prevalent in Canada. What starts in Canada doesn't stay in Canada. It looks like the swarm hasn't yet selected a final champion to throw against the humanoids.
At this point, I would think that one would have to say that H5N1 WILL jump to humans, if it already hasn't. Based on what is happening, it seems to be wishful thinking to assume it will not. It is slowly learning what is necessary to infect humans while we are more slowly adapting with steps necessary to stop it.
There seem to be anecdotal reports of farm workers who are refusing to be tested for fear of being quarantined and losing wages.
Thanks for keeping us all informed. It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it.