[Propwash]

And yet the paradox is that serum from recovered covid patients is being used as an infusion to promote passive immunity in seriously ill Covid patients .Recovery is often remarkably swift following this.

All the adverts I have heard requesting such recovered patients to donate plasma specifically ask for men only. What is different in female blood? Is it some hormonal issue? Presumably females still produce anti-bodies when infected by Covid?

PW

[kanga]

.. Everyone is a virologist now, and an epidemiologist and data scientist too.

just as, 12 months ago, they were all Constitutional and International Law experts ..

[Flying_john]

What is different in female blood? Is it some hormonal issue?

Can you imagine .

[Propwash]

It was a serious question. Why is female blood not apparently suitable for use in extracting plasma for the antibodies? I am genuinely curious.

PW

[profchrisreed]

Ah! But if we left out those who've already had Covid; We'd have far too many people running around without their new tracking chip

SS

You may laugh but we know where you are (well, we will soon).

We might only know how you sound. The widely publicised circuit diagram for the tracking chip is for a guitar effects pedal

[Rob P]

. Everyone is a virologist now, and an epidemiologist and data scientist too.

Not to mention being graduates in international trade and finance. The University of Twitter must the fastest expanding campus the world.

Pfizer, Moderna or Oxford/AZ?

AZ please. Mrs P is still working there and says the science chaps are jolly nice - unlike HR.

Rob P

[nallen]

It was a serious question. Why is female blood not apparently suitable for use in extracting plasma for the antibodies? I am genuinely curious.

This call for plasma does not seem to distinguish males/females as plasma sources:

https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/how-you-can-help/convalescent-plasma-clinical-trial/

Nor does the FDA seem to:

https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/donate-covid-19-plasma

However, the FDA mentions performing additional tests on women who have been pregnant to avoid the risk of "transfusion-related acute lung injury … a rare but serious complication that has been linked to transfusion of plasma", so maybe the studies you saw had sidestepped this by only using male plasma.

[eltonioni]

The current radio adverts specifically ask for men to donate plasma for Covid treatments. Feeling curious why.

[JAFO]

We might only know how you sound. The widely publicised circuit diagram for the tracking chip is for a guitar effects pedal

That doesn't mean they're not wah-wah-watching you.

[JAFO]

AZ please.

Bound to be the one I get. I've worked for the government most of my life and I wouldn't know what to do if I got something that wasn't from the lowest bidder.

[Propwash]

so maybe the studies you saw had sidestepped this by only using male plasma.

I was referring to the radio campaign which has been running now for some time. As Eltonioni says, it specifically calls for men. Just curious.

PW

[JAFO]

They need the plasma quickly and the female antibodies were still getting ready.

[eltonioni]

Heathrow requests exit strategy

Britain's busiest airport has revealed it lost almost three-quarters of its passengers last year due to 'lockdowns and border closures'. Only 22 million passengers travelled through Heathrow in 2020; 73 per cent less than the previous year.

'The aviation industry is the cornerstone of the UK economy but is fighting for survival,' said Heathrow’s chief executive, John Holland-Kaye of the announcement. 'We need a road map out of this lockdown [...] while we support tightening border controls temporarily by introducing pre-departure testing for international arrivals, as well as quarantine, this is not sustainable.'

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/0 ... nal-rules/

[Colonel Panic]

I like the way an airport needs a road map to survival. But I am surprised that they don't say that a third runway would solve all known problems.

[Propwash]

In the last hour the Sydney Morning Herald has reported that the Australian and New Zealand Society for Immunology has called on the federal government to halt the roll out of the Oxford AZ vaccine because it says 3 clinical trials have shown it only provides 62% effectiveness when administered in the recommended dosage. It says that is not enough to provide herd immunity which needs to be at least 70% effective and preferably 80%. It says the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines provide 95% effectiveness.

Australia has secured 53.8 million doses of the Oxford AZ vaccine.

Whoops.

PW