Mink mutation

[Lilybet1980]

Anyone know how worried we should be about the mink outbreaks in Denmark?

We will just have to hope all the clever scientists can get in top of it and all the new variations don’t pose a more significant risk

The issue with quarantine all arrivals is partly the amount of goods that arrive in the country by ferry, how can we possibly quarantine all truck drivers.

One answer is trailer only ferries, so the ferries are loaded but the truck cab drives off and a different truck unloads at the other side. I'm not even sure how easy that is to actually do.

We have people who holiday here and people from here who holiday overseas.

The answer has to be testing, testing before people travel. Ensure people/ everyone are properly supported while being asked to quarantine.

I've had someone admit they thought they'd had Covid but didn't get tested as that means quarantine themselves, self employed, that means no money. Don't get tested, nobody can prove you'd had it or not. Even people who are employed many would avoid testing and try to battle on with covid to avoid SSP and the huge drop in cash that is.

That's where things are going wrong.

To be honest when I seen the clip of all those beautiful creatures all stacked up in cages my first thought was that we as humans are the most deadly virus on this planet. It was heartbreaking.

Travel is a red herring in Europe, IMO.

Quarantine can work in islands or if your country has low numbers and you can close borders + implement strict quarantine (even NZ and Australia had leaks).

Here, in Europe, we've missed the boat a while ago. We'd need to go lockdown again, plus keep strict measures.

We need to remember that travelling between Paris and London isn't that different from travelling between, say, Liverpool and London.

We need to have internal travel restrictions if we are to implement international restrictions.

The answer is to prevent transmission at most settings.
No point in quarantining travellers if masks aren't worn by everyone in shops and workplaces. Or if people from different households still mingle indoors, even if two at a time. You only need one infected person visiting 10 friends at their homes, without masks or distancing, over the course of a week to end up with 10 familial outbreaks. It could easily be 40 people infected. Who, in turn, just visited a few other friends and relatives, small numbers at a time.

Individual behaviours will have to change, like condoms for HIV. If you have multiple partners, wear condoms.
It's basically down to individual behaviour, most and foremost.

@Hotchocolatesforeveryone

To be honest when I seen the clip of all those beautiful creatures all stacked up in cages my first thought was that we as humans are the most deadly virus on this planet. It was heartbreaking.

We are. And not only in relation to these minks.

I understand all the issues with truck drivers etc and quarantining and they do seem almost insurmountable task. But anything is possible it just costs money.

Lweji, you speak so much sense.

They need to get the message out there about why the restrictions are in place. I over heard a conversation yesterday "I had Avas pal round yesterday, they spend all day in school so what difference does it make"
Arr and I bet they never had the precautions that school has, or thought about the additional link that's between mum and Avas pal.

This article seems somewhat reassuring.

alkhaleejtoday.co/business/5301796/Is-the-COVID-19-mutation-in-mink-dangerous.html

Professor Martin Krönke, Director of the Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene at the University Hospital of Cologne is quoted as saying the below. Given his title, hopefully what he says is correct.

But what does that mean for the development of vaccines? What effects does the mutation in mink have on the formation of antibodies against COVID-19?
Martin Krönke:’The protective effect of the antibodies in the vaccine is to prevent the virus from multiplying in the human cell. To do this, the antibodies must bind to a specific virus protein, called the spike protein, to prevent the virus from entering human cells. The mink mutation now apparently affects the binding site of the spike protein, causing some antibodies to lose their neutralizing function. On the other hand, the vaccination creates dozens of different antibodies that bind to different sites on the spike protein. Many of them should still have a neutralizing effect even with the mink mutation
Some vaccines are on the verge of breaking through. Should manufacturers like Biontech, Curevac or Moderna now need to revise their tests again?
Martin Krönke: No, I don’t see it gloomy. The mutation does not mean that the vaccinations are ineffective. Compared to infection with Sars-Cov-2, much higher antibody levels can be achieved with vaccinations, which also have a broader spectrum of action. And so far it has not been shown that the new mink variant is already widely distributed

Thank you for the above article. It's reassuring news.

Thank you, Lweji and others for your informative posts.

I'm trying to keep optimistic and I have faith in our scientific community. However, I am reading Station Eleven at the moment. perhaps not one of my better ideas!

@Lweji

Travel is a red herring in Europe, IMO.

Quarantine can work in islands or if your country has low numbers and you can close borders + implement strict quarantine (even NZ and Australia had leaks).

Here, in Europe, we've missed the boat a while ago. We'd need to go lockdown again, plus keep strict measures.

We need to remember that travelling between Paris and London isn't that different from travelling between, say, Liverpool and London.

We need to have internal travel restrictions if we are to implement international restrictions.

The answer is to prevent transmission at most settings.
No point in quarantining travellers if masks aren't worn by everyone in shops and workplaces. Or if people from different households still mingle indoors, even if two at a time. You only need one infected person visiting 10 friends at their homes, without masks or distancing, over the course of a week to end up with 10 familial outbreaks. It could easily be 40 people infected. Who, in turn, just visited a few other friends and relatives, small numbers at a time.

Individual behaviours will have to change, like condoms for HIV. If you have multiple partners, wear condoms.
It's basically down to individual behaviour, most and foremost.

Masks, says @lweji, must be "worn by everyone in shops and workplaces. Or if people from different households still mingle indoors, even if two at a time."

Not masks must be worn by those who choose.
Not masks must not be worn by those who claim to be exempt.
Not masks must be worn, but on one ear, under the chin, or ideally with the nose hanging out over the top.