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The epitome of longevity, viruses have hurdled the hurdles in surviving millions of years during which, many have come and gone. Notwithstanding, these viruses are merely proteins, nevertheless conquered they have the valour of sophisticated personage, wherefore the apneic overawed forever query, how have they done it? But such an answer resides in Darwinism.
Humans vs Viruses
Admittedly, in this ever evolving world of extinction of the weakest there is a perpetual tussle of survival of the fittest, occupying centre stage. And not exempted, such are the travails of Covid, perennially in the firing-line of vaccines targeting its signature spike protein. And confronting daily threats, mutational adaption is mandatory to insulate its spike protein from our vaccines vials. But such is an Everest undertaking, so with one mutational step at a time, our manmade defences are reduced to ineffectual vaccines.
Nonetheless, in vaccines we trust, for the knowledge is ours including viruses, that the route to “dead end host,” is in those vials. Indeed, the phraseology “dead end host” is self-evident, alluding to zero human to human transmission as a consequence of pervasive immunity, exemplified by polio. But viruses are adaptable, so with us focused on “dead end host,” they mutate with ensuing variants (Alpha, Beta, Gamma and delta) armed with greater infectivity, even as our vaccines are rendered inefficacious.
Delta variant vs world
But our mortal fear is the highly transmissible delta variant, which has eight times the infectivity of the Covid wild-type.
And brazen it is, annexing all fifty states in the the land of Stars and Stripes, and in so doing made a mockery of Independence Day by colonising 26% of new and 40% of total cases. Indeed, Johns Hopkins University illuminated the Missouri selective domination, with their infection rate indexing 3.5 times above the national average. But then the CDC underscored the selective predisposition, as it highlighted that the devilish variant registered 57.5% of cases in Missouri, where under 40% of the population is fully vaccinated, compared to 47% of the US population. Certainly, efficacious vaccines the difference.
Alarmingly, the delta variant registered 99% of Covid infections in Britain, with Europe projected to have over 90% by August. And globally, Chile, Mongolia and UAE, helplessly watched as the delta variant propelled cases and hospitalisations, coronating this delta as the bonafide Alpha and Omega.
Delta variant vs the Caribbean
Unmistakably, this delta variant is on a world tour, for which residence in the Caribbean is a foregone conclusion, with the Caribbean Covid Capital slated for an extended State visit. And most certainly the Covid lovers will undertake a covert expedition to the permanently opened CJIA to clandestinely marshal the devilish variant, to their bedroom suites.
But unbeknownst to the them, the Director of PAHO Dr Carissa Ettiene under instructions, informed the masses of the presence of the delta variant within the Caribbean borders. And this surely let the delta variant out of the bedrooms to dwell amongst us, for unlike the Covid hating Trinidad, our airports are permanently opened, not dissimilar to Will and Jada’s marriage.
And transparently obvious it is, that Dr. Ettiene was on a mission to expose the surreptitious Covid lovers. For with megaphone she ascended the Pakaraima mountain top, announcing that only vaccines blessed with WHO Covid communion are empowered to exorcise the devilish variant. But with Sputnik-V not in that genre, the Covid lovers favoured unblessed vaccine will remain in their vials.
Then most humiliatingly the Levanda Centre surveyed 1601 of Putin’s people, revealing that 62% rather not have Sputnik-V. Begging the question, why the Covid lovers paid 200% for an unapproved unwanted vaccine?
Conquering delta variant
But Globally, the Covid arsenal do count public health measures and vaccines, with the vaccines theorised to be the key to unlock this pandemic. Certainly, not any vaccine but only vaccines that were tested against the variants. Pfizer and moderna, were tested and after first dose, efficacies were 33% but by second dose, efficacies at preventing symptomatic disease was 93%. Then Johnson & Johnson and Oxford AstraZeneca both have efficacies of 60%. But Sinopharm is untested hence variants’ efficacy is unknown.
PPP vs delta variant
Undoubtedly, the learning point from this pandemic is, failure to adapt will cost lives. Indeed, the world-over has adapted to the changing Covid cataclysm by maximising public health measures and vaccines. Even the anencephalic Covid virus has adapted through mutations, evident in it’s enumerating hospitalisations and deaths to inform mutation pause, until such time that numbers aren’t in its favour. But unlike the anencephalic Covid virus, such enumerations of our spiralling hospitalisations and deaths, is beyond PPP.
But maths isn’t their only handicap, as their English comprehension deficit is beyond stupendous proportion. Granted, WHO has stated ad nauseam that Sputnik-V is unapproved, yet comprehension is beyond PPP that their preferred super-vaccine maybe simply quenching the variants’ thirst, making them the most expensive vials of water.
Indeed, comical this was initially but surely concerning it has transitioned, since obvious it is that we haven’t the expertise to evaluate medicines. In fact, such an undertaking would be virgin territory for our Regulator yet inexplicably PPP believe the perfect time for such an approval experimentation, is with a 4 million lives virus. But from Dr. Ramsammy’s daily Freudian slips, the evidence is obvious that the requisite expertise aren’t within our borders.
For astoundingly, Dr. Ramsammy devoid of legal powers to prescribe medicines, yet empowered to expound on evaluation of life and death Covid vaccines. And what he described of the process, is most stunning. Firstly, he alluded to data from Russia being analysed. But therein lie a problem. WHO was furnished with incomplete data, so PPP at best would have been supplied with incomplete data, if any at all. Secondly, Dr. Ramsammy boasts that the Lancet and British Medical Journals informed their approval process. But such an undertaking is unheard of and ill-advised. Firstly, the pharmaceutical industry is a multibillion dollar industry which is known to remunerate medical specialists to promote their medicines, even when of inferior quality. Secondly, the Sputnik-V data in both journals are sparse which isn’t unusual, for such articles on average are of two pages while research data would be hundreds of pages.
But most concerning, medicine approval is a scientific and not a political process, so it befuddles the rational mind why two politicians, in Drs. Ramsammy and Anthony were describing the vaccines approval process, when it should’ve been the Director of the medicine regulators?
And of grave concern is PPP nonsense argument that their medicine approval is comparable to the ABC countries.The fact is, we begged for vaccines that the ABC countries developed. WHO made vaccines donations to us while the ABC countries donates to WHO. The ABC countries registered over 90% of WHO voluntary contributions while we contributed zero. Yet a deluded PPP believes that a medicine approval equivalency exist, even as they demand WHO accreditation for their archaic journal reading process.
Notwithstanding, herein is my warning, PPP continued fallacious arguments and unqualified archaic vaccines approval may earn them political points but is sure to exacerbate our vaccine hesitancy at a time when the dangerously concerning delta variant is among us.