CORONA Main Coronavirus thread

Zoner

Veteran Member

Zoner

Veteran Member
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Zoner

Veteran Member
Wait. Whut?
Isn't he referring to a "tabletop exercise"?

(referencing prior 2 posts)

Eta: Yes. Tabletop exercise. (We know they're always looking to protect us :))
Actually, he’s warning us to stay away from crowds on the Fourth of July.

Dr. David Martin has the most watched video in the history of YouTube when he spoke to the European Union Parliament about the history and creation of Covid as a bio weapon
 
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Tristan

TB Fanatic
Actually, he’s warning us to stay away from crowds on the Fourth of July.

Dr. David Martin has the most watched video in the history of YouTube when he spoke to the European Union Parliament about the history and creation of Covid as a bio weapon


Did a quick search and it seems that the view counts don't get anywhere near "most watched" territory.

Did it get posted multiple times to evade "Cancelling"?
 

Zoner

Veteran Member
Did a quick search and it seems that the view counts don't get anywhere near "most watched" territory.

Did it get posted multiple times to evade "Cancelling"?

Did a quick search and it seems that the view counts don't get anywhere near "most watched" territory.

Did it get posted multiple times to evade "Cancelling"?
Hi Tristan
did a quick search for it, but couldn’t find it. Hmmm
anyway, I find him credible enough to post what he says
 

naegling62

Veteran Member
I smoke a pack a day ,o pos blood no vax been exposed very contagious persons days before diagnosis, most contagious period maybe... at least 30 times ,,,,,never wore a mask ....never got sick ....idk ..lucky...you guess!...i don't know
Correct, my brother, a thoracic surgeon, said his patients who were current smokers faired better than non smokers. Not the case though for past smokers that had quit.
 

auxman

Deus vult...
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Heliobas Disciple

TB Fanatic
(fair use applies)


FDA Approves Required Updated Warning in Labeling of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Regarding Myocarditis and Pericarditis Following Vaccination

June 25, 2025
FDA Safety Communication

Purpose: To inform the public and healthcare providers that FDA has required and approved updates to the Prescribing Information for Comirnaty (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) manufactured by Pfizer Inc. and Spikevax (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) manufactured ModernaTX, Inc. to include new safety information about the risks of myocarditis and pericarditis following administration of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Specifically, FDA has required each manufacturer to update the warning about the risks of myocarditis and pericarditis to include information about (1) the estimated unadjusted incidence of myocarditis and/or pericarditis following administration of the 2023-2024 Formula of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and (2) the results of a study that collected information on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cardiac MRI) in people who developed myocarditis after receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. FDA also required each manufacturer to describe the new safety information in the Adverse Reactions section of the Prescribing Information and in the Information for Recipients and Caregivers.

The Fact Sheets for Healthcare Providers and for Recipients and Caregivers for Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19, which are authorized for emergency use in individuals 6 months through 11 years of age, have also been updated to include the new safety information in alignment with the Comirnaty and Spikevax Prescribing Information and Information for Recipients and Caregivers.


Updated Warning for Myocarditis and Pericarditis


The warning on myocarditis and pericarditis in the Prescribing Information for Comirnaty and Spikevax has been updated to convey that the observed risk of myocarditis and pericarditis following vaccination with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines has been highest in males 12 through 24 years of age and to include the following new language:

Based on analyses of commercial health insurance claims data from inpatient and outpatient settings, the estimated unadjusted incidence of myocarditis and/or pericarditis during the period 1 through 7 days following administration of the 2023-2024 Formula of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines was approximately 8 cases per million doses in individuals 6 months through 64 years of age and approximately 27 cases per million doses in males 12 through 24 years of age.
Follow-up information on cardiovascular outcomes in hospitalized patients who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 vaccine-associated myocarditis is available from a longitudinal retrospective observational study. Most of these patients had received a two-dose primary series of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine prior to their diagnosis. In this study, at a median follow-up of approximately 5 months post-vaccination, persistence of abnormal cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) findings that are a marker for myocardial injury was common. The clinical and prognostic significance of these CMR findings is not known.

Information about myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the lining outside the heart) following vaccination with these mRNA COVID-19 vaccines has been included in the labeling since 2021. FDA closely monitors the safety of all vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccines, during postmarket use.


About the Study on Cardiovascular Outcomes in mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Recipients Diagnosed With Myocarditis


In a post-approval U.S. studyExternal Link Disclaimer funded and co-authored by FDA and published in September 2024, follow-up information was collected on approximately 300 people who developed myocarditis after receiving the original formula of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Some people in the study reported having heart symptoms approximately 3 months after developing myocarditis. Some people in the study had cardiac MRIs (scans that show detailed images of the heart muscle) initially after developing myocarditis and again approximately 5 months later. The initial and follow-up cardiac MRIs commonly showed signs of injury to the heart muscle, with improvement over time in some but not all people. It is not known if these cardiac MRI findings might predict long-term heart effects of myocarditis.


Safety Monitoring Continues


Continuous monitoring and assessment of the safety of all vaccines, including the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, is an FDA priority and we remain committed to informing the public when we learn new information about these vaccines.

In addition, as part of the approvals of Comirnaty and Spikevax, each manufacturer is required by FDA to conduct a study to assess if there are long-term heart effects in people who have had myocarditis after receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. These studies are underway.


How to Report a Suspected Adverse Event After Vaccination


Suspected adverse events may be reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), which is co-managed by the FDA and the CDC.
 

Heliobas Disciple

TB Fanatic
(fair use applies)


mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines: FDA Safety Communication - FDA Approves Required Updated Warning in Labeling Regarding Myocarditis and Pericarditis Following Vaccination
Content current as of: 06/25/2025


AUDIENCE: Pediatrics, Pharmacy, Family Practice, Internal Medicine, Cardiology

ISSUE: FDA has required and approved updates to the Prescribing Information for Comirnaty (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) manufactured by Pfizer Inc. and Spikevax (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) manufactured ModernaTX, Inc. to include new safety information about the risks of myocarditis and pericarditis following administration of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.

Specifically, FDA has required each manufacturer to update the warning about the risks of myocarditis and pericarditis to include information about
  1. the estimated unadjusted incidence of myocarditis and/or pericarditis following administration of the 2023-2024 Formula of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and
  2. the results of a study that collected information on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cardiac MRI) in people who developed myocarditis after receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.
FDA also required each manufacturer to describe the new safety information in the Adverse Reactions section of the Prescribing Information and in the Information for Recipients and Caregivers.

The Fact Sheets for Healthcare Providers and for Recipients and Caregivers for Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19, which are authorized for emergency use in individuals 6 months through 11 years of age, have also been updated to include the new safety information in alignment with the Comirnaty and Spikevax Prescribing Information and Information for Recipients and Caregivers.

BACKGROUND: Information about myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the lining outside the heart) following vaccination with these mRNA COVID-19 vaccines has been included in the labeling since 2021. FDA closely monitors the safety of all vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccines, during postmarket use.

RECOMMENDATION:
  • Suspected adverse events may be reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), which is co-managed by the FDA and the CDC.

[6/25/2025 - FDA Safety Communication - FDA]
 

Heliobas Disciple

TB Fanatic
(fair use applies)


Resurgence of SARS-CoV-2 BA.3.2 Variant Sparks Concern in South Africa and Beyond

Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team
Jul 04, 2025

A highly mutated subvariant of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron lineage, BA.3.2, is raising alarm among health experts as it reemerges in South Africa and appears in isolated cases globally. First identified in South Africa between November 2024 and January 2025, this variant, characterized by 57 amino acid mutations in its spike protein, has shown signs of increased transmissibility, prompting renewed vigilance in a country that has played a pivotal role in tracking COVID-19 variants.


South Africa’s robust genomic surveillance, led by institutions like the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) and the Network for Genomic Surveillance in South Africa (NGS-SA), has detected BA.3.2 in four provinces—Gauteng, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and North West—since early 2025.

The BA.3.2 variant is also rapidly spawning new sub-lineages including the recent BA.3.2.2 sub-lineage with spike mutations K356T and A575S.

Thailand Medical News would like to point out that recent data indicates that 40% of SARS-CoV-2 sequences collected in South Africa since April 1, and 50% since May 1, belong to BA.3.2, suggesting a strong foothold, however this extensive BA.3.2 spread in South Africa was never disclosed by any international health agencies such as the WHO or by the local NCID.

The lack of sequencing data from five other provinces—Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, Free State, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga—raises concerns that the variant may be more widespread than reported. Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has emphasized that while South Africa’s surveillance systems remain effective, limited testing nationwide could obscure the variant’s true reach.

Globally, BA.3.2 has been detected in the Netherlands, with a sample collected on April 2, 2025, marking its first appearance outside South Africa. Recently it has also been detected in Germany and the United States.

Experts warn that low global surveillance may be masking the variant’s spread, particularly in neighboring African countries where sequencing is minimal.

Virologists have highlighted South Africa’s role as a sentinel for global SARS-CoV-2 trends, noting that the variant’s mutations could enhance its ability to bind to human cells, potentially making it more infectious than earlier Omicron subvariants like BA.1 and BA.2.

Despite its spread, there has been no data linking BA.3.2 to a significant increase in severe illness or hospitalizations in South Africa, where influenza and RSV currently dominate respiratory infections.


Some experts are concerned however that officials there could be concealing critical data and figures.

The NICD claims that SARS-CoV-2 accounts for only 3.3% of tested samples, compared to 10.7% for influenza and 16.3% for RSV.

Health officials urge the public to maintain precautions, including hand hygiene and masking in high-risk settings. As South Africa and the world grapple with this reemergence, experts stress the need for enhanced global surveillance and vaccine updates to stay ahead of BA.3.2’s potential to drive new waves of infection.
 

Heliobas Disciple

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What are the symptoms of the new Stratus COVID variant?
Stratus is thought to be slightly more infectious than other coronavirus variants.

Charlotte Thomas
Updated Fri, July 4, 2025 at 3:50 PM UTC

Cases of a new COVID variant have been reported in the UK. The strain has been dubbed 'Stratus' and there are two variants in circulation – XFG and the spin-off XFG.3

According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Stratus variants currently account for just over 30% of COVID cases in England, up from 10% in May.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that XFG is growing rapidly globally and is thought to be slightly more infectious than previous variants.

However, experts suggest there is no need to be unduly worried. The UKHSA says Stratus does not appear to pose any greater risk to health than other strains, and COVID cases in general are decreasing compared to recent weeks.

"Based on the available information so far, there is no evidence to suggest that the XFG and XFG.3 variants cause more severe disease than previous variants, or that the vaccines in current use will be less effective against them," Dr Alex Allen, consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA, told Yahoo UK.

"It is normal for viruses to mutate and change over time. UKHSA is monitoring all available data relating to SARS-CoV-2 variants in the UK and abroad, and we continue to publish our findings in our regular Flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports."


What is Stratus or the XFG COVID variant?

Stratus is a descendant of the Omicron COVID variant. It is a recombinant strain, sometimes called a 'Frankenstein' strain. This means it emerged when a person was infected with two COVID variants at once, creating a new hybrid variant.

XFG has been declared a 'variant under monitoring' by the WHO, meaning health authorities across the world have been asked to help track it to determine any public health implications.

However, while the variant is said to spread rapidly, the WHO has classed it as 'low risk' on a global level.


What are the symptoms of the new COVID variant?

There isn't enough evidence yet to suggest this strain has any symptoms that might differentiate it from others.

However, one doctor said that, while symptoms vary from person to person, the Stratus variant may be associated with hoarseness.

“One of the most noticeable symptoms of the Stratus variant is hoarseness, which includes a scratchy or raspy voice," Dr Kaywaan Khan, Harley Street GP and Founder of Hannah London Clinic, told Cosmopolitan. "Regardless of whether the symptoms mimic a cold or flu, testing continues to be the critical step in eliminating the possibility of a coronavirus infection," he added.

According to the NHS, common symptoms of COVID can include:
  • a high temperature or shivering
  • a new, continuous cough
  • a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
  • shortness of breath
  • Feelings of fatigue or exhaustion
  • aches
  • headache
  • sore throat
  • blocked or runny nose
  • loss of appetite
  • diarrhoea
  • feeling sick or vomiting

How prevalent is COVID in the UK?

The UKHSA says that "COVID-19 activity decreased across most indicators" in the week ending 29 June and was at baseline levels.

COVID hospital admissions in England dropped to 0.99 per 100,000 compared to 1.46 the week before. And the number of people tested in GP surgeries who returned positive results fell to 7.8% from 8.8%.
 

Heliobas Disciple

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21 States Across US Now Reporting COVID ‘Razor Throat’ Variant
The CDC said that across the United States, COVID-19 levels are ‘currently very low.’

By Jack Phillips
7/3/2025

At least 21 states are reporting a COVID-19 variant that spread across China earlier this year, according to newly updated data provided by a private company.

A map released by the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) shows that 21 states in the United States are reporting COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1 as of Thursday afternoon.

The most recent estimate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that between June 8 and June 21, the NB.1.8.1 variant now makes up 43 percent of COVID-19 cases in the United States, making it now the dominant strain.

Separately, the CDC says that across the United States, COVID-19 levels are “currently very low.”

Outside the United States, Chinese health officials said in June that the NB.1.8.1 was driving a wave of infections across the country. And Chinese doctors at Peking University last month predicted a peak of nationwide COVID-19 cases in July, also stating that it may become the next dominant global strain, with symptoms including a sharp sore throat, fever, runny nose, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Due to the Chinese Communist Party’s history of covering up information and publishing unreliable data, including data on COVID-19 infections and deaths, information provided by local doctors and health workers could provide more context about the situation on the ground in China.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated NB.1.8.1 as a “variant under monitoring” and considers the public health risk low at the global level. Current vaccines are expected to remain effective.

Previously, WHO said some western Pacific countries have reported increases in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, but there’s nothing so far to suggest that the disease associated with the new variant is more severe than other variants.

NB.1.8.1 has been dubbed the “razor throat” or “razor blade throat” variant in media reports, including in India, the UK, China, and by The Associated Press. Several Chinese doctors told The Epoch Times in May that their patients had reported the symptom.

Separately, the WHO announced that the XFG strain is now a “variant under monitoring” in a report released in late June. XFG is estimated to make up around 14 percent of cases in the United States, and GISAID isn’t tracking the variant so far.

The spread of the variant also comes as a recent poll released on June 30 suggested that 70 percent of Americans would still attempt to test themselves for COVID-19 if they believe they contracted it. The survey was carried out in 2024 but was released earlier this week.

The survey, from UMass Chan Medical School and released through the JAMA Network Open journal, found that 70 percent of Americans indicated they would test if they suspected a COVID-19 infection, more than five years after the virus spread across the United States.

“Early identification of infection enables prompt care and steps to reduce spread,” the researchers wrote. “Timely initiation of oral antiviral medications is associated with lower hospitalizations, deaths, and long-COVID incidence among adults at high risk.”

In May, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that COVID-19 vaccines are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women, while the Food and Drug Administration on June 25 expanded existing warnings on the two leading COVID-19 vaccines regarding two forms of heart inflammation. The warnings refer to Myocarditis, which is inflammation of the heart muscle, and pericarditis, the inflammation of a sac that lines the heart.

The Epoch Times contacted the CDC for comment and hasn’t received a response as of Thursday.
 

Heliobas Disciple

TB Fanatic
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Health Officials Warn That COVID-19 Infections Are Rising Once Again in Japan
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team
Jul 05, 2025

The latest COVID-19 surveillance data from Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare reveals a concerning uptick in cases across the nation, particularly in Okinawa and among elderly demographics. Covering the 26th epidemiological week of 2025—from June 23 to June 29—the report shows signs of a potential summer surge, reigniting public health concerns as temperatures climb and tourism picks up.

According to this Medical News report issued on July 4, a total of 5,405 new COVID-19 cases were recorded nationwide at designated sentinel medical institutions, averaging 1.40 cases per reporting site. While this may appear modest compared to pandemic peaks, the nationwide rate has notably increased from the previous week’s 1.00 and is still significantly lower than the same period last year, which stood at 5.79. However, public health officials caution that the numbers are trending upward and warrant careful observation.


Okinawa Emerges as COVID Hotspot
Okinawa Prefecture stands out dramatically, reporting 505 cases—the second highest in the country in raw numbers after Tokyo (529)—but far more alarming when adjusted per facility, with an astounding 11.22 cases per site, dwarfing the national average. This figure is more than double the previous week’s 5.87 and nearly four times higher than the week before that, signaling a serious outbreak in the southern island prefecture. Officials attribute this to a mix of increased travel, tourism, and local transmission.

Other prefectures reporting significant per-site infection rates include Ibaraki (2.26), Saitama (1.87), and Kagoshima (1.89), while regions like Tottori (0.24) and Akita (0.52) remained relatively low.


Elderly and Middle-Aged Groups See Rising Hospitalizations
Hospitalization data shows 485 admissions nationwide in the last week of June, up from 334 the week before. The elderly continue to bear the brunt of severe outcomes:

-People aged 70–79 accounted for 134 admissions

-Those aged 80 and older made up 214 cases, nearly half of all hospitalizations

Overall, from January to June, over 34,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations have been recorded, with over 17,000 in the 80+ age group alone. Notably, ICU admissions reached 16 this past week, and 4 patients required ventilator support. The total cumulative ICU admissions for the year now stand at 1,304.


Younger Demographics Not Immune
While less likely to be hospitalized, younger populations also saw increases. Among children under 10, infection rates rose to 0.15 per facility, nearly double that of early June. The trend was similar for those in their 20s to 50s, all rising to 0.14–0.21 per facility.

These developments come amid ongoing adjustments to the country’s infectiou s disease surveillance system. Since April 7, 2025, Japan has revised its sentinel reporting infrastructure to align with acute respiratory infection monitoring, affecting how data are aggregated and interpreted. Officials caution that comparisons across years or regions should factor in these methodological changes.


Health Authorities Urge Continued Vigilance

While Japan’s COVID-19 figures remain manageable compared to previous years, the uptick in cases, especially in Okinawa and among the elderly, is prompting health authorities to encourage continued preventive measures. Public health lines and consultation desks remain open for inquiries, and the next weekly update is scheduled for July 11.

With travel, summer festivals, and gatherings increasing during the warmer months, experts warn that complacency could reverse hard-won gains. They emphasize the importance of vaccination, especially booster doses for vulnerable groups, and basic precautions like mask-wearing in crowded indoor settings.

The latest COVID-19 press release by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare can be found here:


新型コロナウイルス感染症に関する報道発表資料(発生状況)2025年
 

Heliobas Disciple

TB Fanatic
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I ADDED PARAGRAPH BREAKS


Viral gain-of-function is associated with immunological pain-of-function as mass C-19 vaccination turned an acute, self-limiting pandemic into a chronic, self-perpetuating immune escape epidemic

Geert Vanden Bossche

Jul 06, 2025

Scientists and so-called public health experts have fundamentally misjudged the Covid-19 (C-19) pandemic because they remain blinded—fixated on snapshots rather than analyzing the evolutionary dynamics that govern its course. This explains why they have long lost sight of the forest for the trees, mistaking the immune system's final convulsions for a stable form of protective herd immunity—one they believe can be sustained through continued vaccination and boosters. Yet, it has become unmistakably clear that, compared to the early stages of the pandemic, the virus has grown increasingly infectious, while the collective immune defense in highly C-19-vaccinated populations has become progressively less effective.

As the vaccine-induced antibodies (i.e., humoral immunity) exerted growing selective pressure, viral variants were selected that increasingly escaped this pressure, became more infectious, and thereby sustained viral transmission. As vaccine-induced antibodies lost their neutralizing capacity, T cells were increasingly recruited in an attempt to control rapid intra-host viral replication. However, these T cells were equally ineffective at controlling inter-host transmission. Because this T cell recruitment resulted from immune refocusing, the newly mobilized immune responses became progressively less specific—that is, increasingly less directed against the intended target antigen (e.g., the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein).

Whereas the initial vaccine-driven immune selection pressure was very high—resulting in the rapid and spectacular emergence of Omicron—the subsequent immune pressure, driven by less target-specific antibodies and T cells, led to the selection of an increasingly broad spectrum of circulating immune escape variants (i.e., causing large-scale immune escape). Despite their genetic diversity, these variants shared one key trait: enhanced intrinsic infectivity.

As the prevalence of vaccine breakthrough infections (VBTIs)—and consequently, immune refocusing—increased, a growing number of immune effector cells were recruited that exerted little or no impact on viral infectivity, thereby further reducing the immune selection pressure exerted by highly C-19 vaccinated populations. This explains the observed decline in the rate of emergence of new viral immune escape variants in the post-Omicron era.

Moreover, the exuberant stimulation of dysfunctional T cells—often cross-reactive with self-antigens—has led to a slowly evolving immune pathology, commonly referred to as ‘Long COVID’. This syndrome involves autoreactive immune responses that target one or more organs. Notably, certain subsets of autoreactive regulatory T cells can suppress anti-tumor immunity, and their hyperstimulation during VBTIs—and thus immune refocusing—has undoubtedly played a role in the explosive emergence of multi-organ cancers in highly C-19 vaccinated populations. VBTI-mediated immune refocusing following Omicron emergence has therefore turned what were once beneficial immune responses into harmful, dysfunctional immunity.

The immuno-virological trajectory depicted above illustrates how an acute, self-limiting pandemic has been irreversibly transformed into a chronic, progressive one—where acute symptoms increasingly evolved into chronic disease.

Based on the above, it is reasonable to conclude that the emergence of more infectious immune escape variants has unambiguously led to a less targeted and therefore less effective immune response—characterized by increased viral immune escape and a shift from acute to chronic symptomatology.

We have now entered a phase in which the combined forces of the adaptive immune system (humoral and cellular) suppress viral transmission to such an extent (as evidenced by prolonged periods of low viral concentrations in wastewater) that the virus must exploit a further weakening of immune protection to ensure its survival. Since the virus has already maximized its escape from adaptive immunity through antigenic variation, its continued propagation and transmission now hinges on suppressing non-antigen-specific innate immunity.

Highly infectious variants that have evolved to suppress antiviral innate defenses by compromising interferon (IFN) signaling—such as NB.1.8.1, and likely also XFG—have already gained a clear competitive advantage. Nevertheless, their increased viral replication capacity and infectivity tends to be ‘neutralized’ by enhanced local inflammatory symptoms in the upper respiratory tract (URT), which promotes adsorption of infectious virus particles by URT-patrolling dendritic cells, thereby somewhat curbing viral transmission. Due to its ability to significantly suppress IFN signaling, NP.1.8.1, for example, exhibits increased replicative capacity and strongly induces local immune inflammation at the URT level, thereby causing the so-called ‘razor blade throat’ symptom. XFG, which incorporates combinations of mutations presumed to weaken both IFN signaling and upstream innate immune sensing (i.e., via non-IFN pathways), appears to enjoy an additional fitness advantage and consequently seems to be on track to become globally dominant.

Although mutations in circulating variants—and combinations thereof—that suppress the antiviral and anti-inflammatory components of the innate immune system are purely stochastic in nature, the growing number of chronically infected individuals in highly C-19 vaccinated populations (which now serve as the breeding ground for new variants) is leading to an ever-increasing diversity of highly infectious SARS-CoV-2 (SC-2) variants. Even in the absence of immune pressure or adaptation, any mutation or combination that further suppresses both antiviral and inflammatory components of innate immunity could severely weaken this most basic, nonspecific line of immune defense. For example, suppression of humoral innate immune responses in XFG descendants may facilitate the stochastic emergence and accumulation of additional mutations in chronically infected individuals, some of which could enhance the virus’s ability to evade interferon-mediated innate immunity and/or innate immune sensing without compromising intrinsic viral infectiousness. When combined with failing adaptive immunity, this would inevitably result in immune tolerance and consequently trigger unchecked viral replication and dissemination of the virus within the host — and even on a large scale due to the associated increase in inter-host transmission of the virus.

However, a variant with such properties will not only lead to immune tolerance in many C-19 vaccinated individuals—due to the failing efficacy of the combined immune responses (adaptive and innate)—but will also inevitably outcompete other variants because of its indirect (i.e., context-driven) fitness advantage. The enhanced diversity of highly infectious SC-2 variants therefore increases the likelihood that a variant will suddenly emerge somewhere with the ability to sufficiently suppress the innate immune system to completely overwhelm the infected host. Severe innate immune suppression is particularly likely in individuals whose cell-mediated innate immunity remains untrained—such as many C-19 vaccine recipients. In these individuals, additional weakening of the innate immune system could fully dismantle the last remaining frontline of immune defense—already the sole residual barrier in many C-19 vaccinated individuals.

In earlier writings, as well as in my book (‘The Inescapable Immune Escape Pandemic’), I have repeatedly explained why and how, in many C-19 vaccinated individuals—unlike in the unvaccinated—the cell-mediated innate immunity was bypassed as a result of the mRNA vaccines and/or VBTIs, and therefore could never be sufficiently trained to subsequently avoid new VBTIs.

While the attention of public health experts and authorities remains focused on rising cases of severe disease and death, these increases must be interpreted as the result of the growing spread of certain variants such as NB.1.8.1, XFG, and LP.8.1.1, rather than a consequence of increased virulence. The real concern, though, should lie in curbing viral transmission. This is essential to drastically reduce, or ideally minimize to near-zero, the stochastic probability of further chronic infections occurring, and thereby the risk of harmful tolerogenic mutations or recombinations.

Now more than ever, safe and effective antiviral treatments should be deployed on a large scale in highly C-19 vaccinated populations.

I have previously stated that the apparent steady state of relatively low symptomatic SC-2 infections and hospitalizations was the result of a kind of metastable equilibrium—a fragile balance between the virus’s infectious potential and the residual strength of combined immune mechanisms. As such, even a small perturbation could suffice to knock the ‘golf ball’ out of the shallow cup and send it hurtling uncontrollably down the steep slope. That perturbation—however unlikely in the context of a purely natural SC-2 evolutionary trajectory—has now become increasingly probable as the final outcome of a mass vaccination–induced immune escape pandemic. It is no longer a question of if such a variant will emerge, but when.

In my humble opinion, we are now very close.

The summer season in many countries will only amplify the competitive advantage of variants with higher intrinsic replicative capacity (e.g., NB.1.8.1, XFG, LP.8.1.1), thereby increasing their prevalence in chronic infections and potentially triggering the tsunami sooner than expected. Such a tsunami would be unambiguously marked by a sharp rise in viral activity levels in wastewater, accompanied by an equally dramatic increase in cases of hyperacute disease and death.

For over three years, I have warned that society will be caught off guard, yet my message continues to be met with ridicule and derision. But as Norman Mailer once wrote: "There is no greater impotence in all the world like knowing you are right and that the wave of the world is wrong, yet the wave crashes upon you."

Lastly, it’s crucial to understand that irrational infection-prevention policies, followed by mass C-19 vaccination, have transformed a natural, acute, self-limiting pandemic into an artificial, chronic, self-perpetuating (immune escape) pandemic, thereby altering the drivers, dynamics, and clinical manifestations of SC-2 evolution, which has continued to shift in unprecedented ways.


How is it possible that this doesn’t set off massive alarm bells among epidemiologists and other so-called health experts?

The table below summarizes the key shifts during the evolution of the C-19 immune escape pandemic:

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Heliobas Disciple

TB Fanatic
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A pat on the back on the way to the gallows…
Geert Vanden Bossche

Jul 07, 2025

  • Introductory background:
In a recent Substack post (Viral gain-of-function is associated with immunological pain-of-function as mass C-19 vaccination turned an acute, self-limiting pandemic into a chronic, self-perpetuating immune escape epidemic), I wrote the following:

“Even in the absence of immune pressure or adaptation, any mutation or combination that further suppresses both antiviral and inflammatory components of innate immunity could severely weaken this most basic, nonspecific line of immune defense. For example, suppression of humoral innate immune responses in XFG descendants may facilitate the stochastic emergence and accumulation of additional mutations in chronically infected individuals, some of which could enhance the virus’s ability to evade interferon-mediated innate immunity and/or innate immune sensing without compromising intrinsic viral infectiousness. When combined with failing adaptive immunity, this would inevitably result in immune tolerance and consequently trigger unchecked viral replication and dissemination of the virus within the host — and even on a large scale due to the associated increase in inter-host transmission of the virus.”

Just today, a follower sent me the following article.


I couldn’t help but comment on it, since I just had a brief spell of hoarseness (which, by the way, my partner quite enjoyed).

  • The opinions and interpretations of epidemiologists, public health experts, and scientists are a scourge when it comes to understanding the evolutionary dynamics and outcome of the ongoing Covid-19 (C-19) immune escape pandemic.
The hoarse voice—without accompanying sore throat—regularly caused by infections with XFG (sub)variants (the so-called Stratus variant) is a clear sign of suppressed local inflammatory symptoms. As long as the remaining cell-mediated innate immunity (mainly in the unvaccinated) or adaptive immunity (mainly in the vaccinated) is still strong enough to eliminate the virus in time or to prevent symptoms, respectively, hoarseness remains practically the only notable sign of an XFG infection.

Our naïve health authorities seem to welcome this and take it as proof that the vaccines are still doing their job. What they completely fail to grasp is that this suboptimal, i.e., merely symptomatic protection in many C-19 vaccinated individuals, combined with the lack of strong local inflammation (and thus lack of viral sequestration in the upper respiratory tract), results in significantly increased viral replication and transmission. The inevitable consequence is a sharp rise in chronic infections and, with that, an explosion of new mutations and recombination events. They are entirely unable to understand that this evolution means highly C-19-vaccinated populations are now, in an unnatural way, continuously generating and shedding highly infectious SARS-CoV-2 variants—and are on the verge of producing viral mutants that not only escape whatever remains of adaptive immunity, but further weaken innate immune defenses. Eventually, immunity will drop to such a critically low level that massive viral invasion and spread—both within individual hosts and between them—can no longer be prevented.

So, when epidemiologists and health authorities reassure the public that the rise of Stratus is nothing to worry about because symptoms appear no worse than before, it sounds like one last lullaby before the guillotine drops.
 

Heliobas Disciple

TB Fanatic


Cancer rates in Australians under 50 are rising at a pace that's alarming doctors and scientists

By Norman Swan, Elise Potaka, Maddy King, Anushri Sood
Sun 6 Jul, 2025

Chris Burton was planning his wedding when he noticed he was bleeding after going to the bathroom.

He thought it was strange, but figured it was a one-off. Six weeks later, it happened again.

His GP referred him for a colonoscopy, and Mr Burton arranged to have the procedure after he and his wife returned from their short honeymoon.

The 39-year-old had advanced bowel cancer. The test results stunned him.

"That's probably similar to a lot of young people. Cancer's not at the forefront of what you think might be wrong with you," he says.

Australians aged in their 30s and 40s are experiencing unprecedented and in some cases world-leading rates of at least 10 different types of cancer — and scientists are desperate to understand why.

It's a question Mr Burton has struggled with since his diagnosis and one that's arrived at what should be a joyous time — the couple's about to have a baby, a little sister for their older daughter Isobel.

"That's the 3am thoughts that go through your head … have you done something to deserve it?" Mr Burton says.

"If there's not bowel cancer in your family, how come you've got cancer and how come you got it at a young age?"


No longer 'a disease of aging'


The technical term for this phenomenon is early onset cancer and it is rising steeply.

Data provided to Four Corners by Cancer Australia, the federal government's cancer agency, paints a concerning picture for young people.

Between 2000 and 2024 — in 30 to 39-year-olds — early onset prostate cancer increased by 500 per cent, pancreatic cancer by 200 per cent, liver cancer by 150 per cent, uterine cancer by 138 per cent and kidney cancer by 85 per cent.

Some increases, such as prostate cancer, might be explained by changes in the way they are diagnosed — but most cannot.

"There are approximately 10 [cancers] that have this increase to varying percentages," says Cancer Australia's chief executive, Dorothy Keefe.

"Cancer has traditionally been a disease of aging, and bowel cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, they all increase with age.

"But over the last 20 years, there's been a real — it's small in absolute numbers — but it is a real increase in the number of younger adults developing these cancers."

Australia isn't the only country seeing higher rates of cancer in young people either. Large amounts of data from US cancer registries show an even more pronounced trend.

Philip Rosenberg, a leading cancer bio-statistician who recently retired from the US National Cancer Institute, says there is a clear difference when comparing cancer rates between generation X and baby boomers.

"There were really very notable differences, for colon, rectum, thyroid, and pancreas, and as well prostate for men and ER (oestrogen receptor) positive breast cancer for women," Dr Rosenberg says.

"Overall, it's about half of the different cancer types."

Worryingly, Australia is a world leader when it comes to bowel cancer.

Since the year 2000, rates of bowel cancer in 30 to 39-year-olds have increased by 173 per cent — and the stage the cancer is at when diagnosed is often late, meaning it is more likely to have spread and harder to treat.


'It's like a fingerprint'

Dan Buchanan, an associate professor at the University of Melbourne who is part of the Collaborative Centre for Genomic Cancer Medicine, is trying to find out why Australia's bowel cancer rates are so high compared to the rest of the world.

"The statistics around early onset bowel cancer are really alarming," Dr Buchanan says.

It's a shift he can see just by looking at a tumour's DNA mutations.

"In the youngest group of people that developed early onset colorectal cancer, we're seeing a much higher proportion that have a particular type of DNA damage pattern," he says.

That generational difference is so pronounced, he says he can tell whether a person is young or old from their tumour's DNA.

"It's like a fingerprint; something's happened. It's dramatic," Dr Buchanan says.

He says it suggests that there are factors or "exposures" that are contributing to an earlier diagnosis age for a group of colorectal cancers.

What is causing this generational damage however is less specific — but scientists are starting to get a clearer understanding.


Different cancers, different causes


It is fiendishly difficult to tie down the exact causes of any cancer, even though we know all cancers are caused by genes.

There are inherited genetic mutations that cause cancer in their own right — for example, the BRCA genes for breast and ovarian cancer, and the Lynch Syndrome for bowel cancer.

But young people behind this rise in early onset cancers do not carry such genes.

Instead, most experts believe toxins or toxic influences in the world around us are interacting with genes to cause malignant changes.

In other words, you might unknowingly carry a gene that's only altered when you're exposed to a particular chemical, whereas someone else who doesn't have that version of the gene would be unaffected.

"Cancer is not a single disease, it is many different diseases," explains associate professor Gianluca Severi, a senior cancer epidemiologist based at the National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM) in Paris.

"Within a disease that is called breast cancer, there are actually many diseases, but we know that there are different subtypes of breast cancer.

"It's important because that means that the causes of these different types of cancers are different."

The name for the physical, chemical, psychological and social exposures in the environment which can affect human health is the exposome. Dr Severi is investigating such exposures in relation to cancer.

In May, an international group of researchers announced a massive undertaking called the Human Exposome Project, which is documenting and studying these exposures.

"It basically encompasses all the environmental factors but also lifestyle and their connections and interactions to try to explain the causes of different diseases," Dr Severi says of the project.

But the challenge to determine when the exposures occurred is another variable which makes tracking cancer causes hard — because tumours can take decades to develop.


What's changed?


To get a better understanding, researchers say we need to look at the environment when people in their 30s and 40s today were children or in utero.

That means the environment — or the exposome — between the 60s and 90s is crucial to understanding this puzzle.

For instance, it was during those decades when the childhood obesity epidemic began.

"It is very likely that childhood obesity and increasing obesity in young adults is part of the cause of this increase in early onset cancers," Dr Severi says.

That connection is something liver specialist professor Simone Strasser finds in her patients. Primary liver cancer — or hepatocellular carcinoma — is another of the fast-rising early onset tumours.

"The problem with obesity and diabetes driving liver disease is that we are seeing this in children and adolescents," she says.

"Then 20 years of that history … you're still a young person at the time that you're running into problems from that and developing cirrhosis and liver cancer."

There is also evidence that our gut bacteria — our microbiome — may have changed too, through antibiotic use, and eating ultra-processed foods.

Caesarean section rates were also increasing during these decades, meaning babies didn't acquire the same microbiome as those born vaginally. That could potentially affect their immune system development.

These changes could have made our gut more vulnerable to dangerous bacteria and is a major focus for Dr Buchanan.

"We have lots of bacteria in our gut … and it's that balance between good and bad bacteria that creates a healthy state," he says.

"We think that exposures or environmental toxins may change that balance between good and bad bacteria, allowing some not so friendly bacteria to produce toxins that may damage our DNA."

Research is finding that exposure — probably early in life — to a toxin from a bowel bug called E. coli could be driving some of the mutations that Dr Buchanan is seeing in his bowel tumour samples. He's convinced it's one of the causes.

"The story for that particular gut bacteria has gone well beyond an association into causation," he says.

But there are other toxins which scientists believe are affecting our genes — and they aren't from bacteria.


Exposure to the unfamiliar

Since World War II, we have been exposed to more and more chemicals and plastics in our day to day lives.

Christos Symeonides is a paediatrician who studies chemical and microplastic exposures through his work at the Minderoo Foundation.

"We are exposed to a broad universe of synthetic chemicals … that our biology isn't familiar with, and that has left a great deal of uncertainty," Dr Symeonides says.

"Within the universe of plastic chemicals, we're looking at the last academic count at about 16,000 chemicals that are used or present in plastics."

Dr Symeonides says only one-third of those chemicals appear to have been evaluated for their potential hazard, and about "75 per cent" of those evaluated have been identified as hazardous.

"But there's a limit to which that tells us about what they'll do in our full complex biology of the human body," he says.

For the two-thirds of chemicals that haven't been tested, Dr Symeonides says their hazard rate can't be assumed to be the same — but that doesn't mean they're safe either. It's one of the problems he has with the way chemicals are regulated.

"It seems that the system is currently based on exactly that assumption, that until you establish and prove harm, a chemical is considered to be safe, whether you've looked for harm or not," he says.

Dr Symeonides has reviewed the evidence and concluded that only five classes of chemicals — comprising fewer than 100 individual chemicals in total — out of the thousands have been studied to the depth required to find human effects if they exist.

"For all five of those classes, there were serious health impacts with strong evidence of a link between exposure and those health impacts," he says.

Concerns about the health effects of plastics are nothing new. In fact, when generation X were babies or in utero, we already knew that some of these chemicals were harmful.

"There's a group of chemicals that had a use in plastic as flame retardants but had much broader use that we now regulate very tightly called PCBs or polychlorinated biphenyls," Dr Symeonides says.

There's also another group of persistent chemicals, known by their generic name of per or poly fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that are suspected of causing harm.

These chemicals can be found in non-stick cookware, food packaging, and even some cosmetics, and are often called "forever chemicals" because of their environmental persistence.

One of them, called PFOA, has been associated with kidney cancer, and Dr Symeonides says there is also a strong link between exposure to PFOA and breast cancer.

A ban on the industrial use of PFOA is now in force in Australia, but its effects could be with us for years to come due to its persistence in the environment.


Does the next generation have the answers?

The ORIGINS project in the northern suburbs of Perth aims to answer some of these questions for today's children.

They are following the health and wellbeing and recording medical observations of 10,000 children. In fact, the researchers at Joondalup Health Campus and The Kids Research Institute Australia are measuring these families' exposome as best they can.

"There's this whole concept of developmental origins of disease where things that happen early in your life do impact on people later on," says professor Desiree Silva, the project's co-director.

"The ORIGINS study will help to understand the microbiome because we are collecting samples in pregnancy in mums, and then we're collecting samples in those children.

"Because we've got longitudinal bio samples and data, we can actually look at that environmental impact on what may be the causal pathways of cancer."

It will be many years before ORIGINS has answers for today's kids. Meanwhile, the generations before them are confronting the reality of living with cancer.

For Mr Burton, he's focusing on his family and their future. His wife Ali gave birth to a healthy baby girl at the end of June, just three days after his latest surgery. All are doing well.

"It's a stormy dark period, but you know, it's possible to survive," he says.

"I like to think about us growing old together, raising the girls, and we can look back on this time period and think, 'That was really hard, but we made it through.'"
 

Heliobas Disciple

TB Fanatic
(fair use applies)


New Coronavirus Variant ‘Stratus’ Noted for Mild Symptoms
Anna Echtermeyer - FITBOOK
Tue, 8 July 2025

In Germany, “Nimbus” is currently the most prevalent coronavirus variant by far. Meanwhile, in Southeast Asia and gradually in Europe, another cloud-named variant is gaining significance: “Stratus” (XFG). Indian doctors have noted frequent reports of hoarseness as a distinctive feature of XFG.

In the Southeast Asia region, a new coronavirus variant called XFG, or “Stratus,” is gaining momentum.1 The World Health Organization currently assesses the health risk from “Stratus” as low. Approved vaccines are expected to remain effective against severe illness. However, as the spread of “Stratus” increases globally and several Southeast Asian countries report a rise in new cases and hospitalizations, the WHO has classified it as a “variant under monitoring.”1 FITBOOK explains what doctors have reported about the symptoms so far and how the virus is currently spreading in Germany.


Common Symptom of “Stratus” – Reported by Doctors in India

XFG (“Stratus”) is a SARS-CoV-2 variant that has emerged from the LF.7 and LP.8.1.2 lineages. Despite the rapid spread of this variant, there is currently no evidence that “Stratus” causes more severe illness than other circulating variants.

In previous COVID-19 waves, loss of taste and smell were characteristic symptoms. For “Nimbus,” first detected in Germany at the end of March and currently responsible for 60 percent of COVID-19 infections according to the Robert Koch Institute, it was the “razor blade-like sore throat.”2 What are the specific symptoms of “Stratus”?

The WHO risk report contains no information on the symptoms of “Stratus” (XFG). Nor are there any official statements from national health authorities on specific symptoms of this new variant. However, various media sources, particularly from India, report observations from doctors. A notable feature of the current wave is the frequent reporting of hoarseness in COVID patients, as reported by the “Times of India” on May 30.3 Many patients this time are complaining of “dry or irritated cough, accompanied by sore throat and hoarseness.” Doctors from various hospitals have confirmed that hoarseness is now a common symptom in clinics across India. Hoarseness manifests as a scratchy or rough voice.


XFG – “Stratus” or “Frankenstein Variant”

Because “Stratus,” like the other currently globally dominant variant “Nimbus,” has the potential to trigger a COVID wave, the choice fell on another meteorological term for cloud types – “Stratus” – said virologist Dr. Ryan Gregory to the website Gavi.org.4 The organization Gavi is one of the world’s key players in vaccination programs. Virologist Gregory is part of a network of researchers that assigns unofficial nicknames to new virus variants.

“The Sun,” a British tabloid, refers to “Stratus” as the “Frankenstein Variant” because it resulted from the combination of two different COVID-19 strains.5 This occurs when a person is simultaneously infected with two different variants, which then merge into a new hybrid variant.


No More Severe Illnesses Than Other Variants

According to virologist Gregory, “Nimbus” and “Stratus” are currently competing for dominance worldwide. Despite their rapid spread, there is currently no evidence that “Stratus” (XFG) or “Nimbus” (NB.1.8.1) cause more severe illness than other circulating variants. According to “Gavi,” both variants have mutated spike proteins. This means they may be better able to evade immunity built up from previous infections or vaccinations. In other words, this likely makes it harder for the immune system to recognize and combat the virus.


How Rapidly Is “Stratus” Currently Spreading in Germany?

The spread of “Stratus” is still in its early stages in Europe, with the WHO reporting it at around 16 percent in the region. In England, the share of XFG rose from 10 percent in May to 40 percent by mid-June 2025. In Germany, “Stratus” last appeared in the Robert Koch Institute’s statistics on coronavirus variants in early June, with a percentage share of 5.56 percent; the week before, this share was 8.33 percent. The highest percentage recorded for “Stratus” (XFG) was in mid-May 2025. Currently, “Nimbus” dominates in Germany (60 percent). The situation is developing dynamically, so continuous monitoring remains important.


Vaccine Effectiveness


Even though XFG has the highest relative growth advantage among the current lineages, the WHO currently sees no evidence of more severe illness or atypical clinical patterns. Approved vaccines continue to protect against symptomatic and severe cases, according to the risk paper on “Stratus.”
 

Heliobas Disciple

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XFG could become the next dominant COVID variant. Here’s what to know about ‘Stratus’
Paul Griffin Professor, Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, The University of Queensland
Disclosure statement: Paul Griffin has been the principal investigator for clinical trials of 8 COVID-19 vaccines. He has previously participated in medical advisory boards for COVID-19 vaccines. Paul Griffin is a director and medical advisory board member of the immunisation coalition.
Published: July 8, 2025 4:03pm EDT

Given the number of times this has happened already, it should come as little surprise that we’re now faced with yet another new subvariant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID.

This new subvariant is known as XFG (nicknamed “Stratus”) and the World Health Organization (WHO) designated it a “variant under monitoring” in late June. XFG is a subvariant of Omicron, of which there are now more than 1,000.

A “variant under monitoring” signifies a variant or subvariant which needs prioritised attention and monitoring due to characteristics that may pose an additional threat compared to other circulating variants.

XFG was one of seven variants under monitoring as of June 25. The most recent addition before XFG was NB.1.8.1 (nicknamed “Nimbus”), which the WHO declared a variant under monitoring on May 23.

Both nimbus and stratus are types of clouds.

Nimbus is currently the dominant subvariant worldwide – but Stratus is edging closer. So what do you need to know about Stratus, or XFG?


A recombinant variant

XFG is a recombinant of LF.7 and LP.8.1.2 which means these two subvariants have shared genetic material to come up with the new subvariant. Recombinants are designated with an X at the start of their name.

While recombination and other spontaneous changes happen often with SARS-CoV-2, it becomes a problem when it creates a subvariant that is changed in such a way that its properties cause more problems for us.

Most commonly this means the virus looks different enough that protection from past infection (and vaccination) doesn’t work so well, called immune evasion. This basically means the population becomes more susceptible and can lead to an increase in cases, and even a whole new wave of COVID infections across the world.

XFG has four key mutations in the spike protein, a protein on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 which allows it to attach to our cells. Some are believed to enhance evasion by certain antibodies.

Early laboratory studies have suggested a nearly two-fold reduction in how well antibodies block the virus compared to LP.8.1.1.


Where is XFG spreading?

The earliest XFG sample was collected on January 27.

As of June 22, there were 1,648 XFG sequences submitted to GISAID from 38 countries (GISAID is the global database used to track the prevalence of different variants around the world). This represents 22.7% of the globally available sequences at the time.

This was a significant rise from 7.4% four weeks prior and only just below the proportion of NB.1.8.1 at 24.9%. Given the now declining proportion of viral sequences of NB.1.8.1 overall, and the rapid rise of XFG, it would seem reasonable to expect XFG to become dominant very soon.

According to Australian data expert Mike Honey, the countries showing the highest rates of detection of XFG as of mid-June include India at more than 50%, followed by Spain at 42%, and the United Kingdom and United States, where the subvariant makes up more than 30% of cases.

In Australia as of June 29, NB.1.8.1 was the dominant subvariant, accounting for 48.6% of sequences. In the most recent report from Australia’s national genomic surveillance platform, there were 24 XFG sequences with 12 collected in the last 28 days meaning it currently comprises approximately 5% of sequences.


The big questions

When we talk about a new subvariant, people often ask questions including if it’s more severe or causes new or different symptoms compared to previous variants. But we’re still learning about XFG and we can’t answer these questions with certainty yet.

Some sources have reported XFG may be more likely to course “hoarseness” or a scratchy or raspy voice. But we need more information to know if this association is truly significant.

Notably, there’s no evidence to suggest XFG causes more severe illness compared to other variants in circulation or that it is necessarily any more transmissible.


Will vaccines still work against XFG?

Relatively frequent changes to the virus means we have continued to update the COVID vaccines. The most recent update, which targets the JN.1 subvariant, became available in Australia from late 2024. XFG is a descendant of the JN.1 subvariant.

Fortunately, based on the evidence available so far, currently approved COVID vaccines are expected to remain effective against XFG, particularly against symptomatic and severe disease.

Because of SARS-CoV-2’s continued evolution, the effect of this on our immune response, as well as the fact protection from COVID vaccines declines over time, COVID vaccines are offered regularly, and recommended for those at the highest risk.

One of the major challenges we face at present in Australia is low COVID vaccine uptake. While rates have increased somewhat recently, they remain relatively low, with only 32.3% of people aged 75 years and over having received a vaccine in the past six months. Vaccination rates in younger age groups are significantly lower.

Although the situation with XFG must continue to be monitored, at present the WHO has assessed the global risk posed by this subvariant as low. The advice for combating COVID remains unchanged, including vaccination as recommended and the early administration of antivirals for those who are eligible.

Measures to reduce the risk of transmission, particularly wearing masks in crowded indoor settings and focusing on air quality and ventilation, are worth remembering to protect against COVID and other viral infections.
 

Heliobas Disciple

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What is new ‘Stratus’ Covid variant? Symptoms as cases grow in UK
New XFG.3 varient accounts for a larger proportion than any other individual variant, says UKHSA

Holly Evans
Sunday 06 July 2025 07:00 EDT

A new strain of Covid, with a unique symptom, is circulating in the UK, accounting for a high proportion of cases in England.

The new strain, called Stratus, has two variants, XFG and XFG.3, with XFG.3 accounting for 30 per cent of cases in the country.

Unlike other strains, some experts have suggested the Stratus variant is known for its unique symptom of giving people a hoarse voice.

Despite accounting for a large proportion of new cases, experts are not concerned over the spread, noting it is normal for viruses to mutate and change.

“It is normal for viruses to mutate and change over time,” Dr Alex Allen, consultant epidemiologist of UKHSA said, adding that it continues to monitor all strains of Covid in the UK.


What is ‘Stratus’ XFG and XFG.3?


The World Health Organisation has designated the XFG as a “variant under monitoring” and has said the additional public health risk posed by XFG is evaluated as low at the global level.

Globally, XFG was estimated to have the highest relative growth compared to other varients currently circluated, including the recent “Nimbus” NB.1.8.1.

Current data does not indicate that this variant leads to more severe illness or deaths than other variants in circulation, the organisation said.


What are the symptoms?


While evidence shows an increased proportion of XFG WHO has not observed any signs that it has an increase in severity.

“While there are reported increases in cases and hospitalisations in some of the [South-east Asia Region] countries, which has the highest proportion of XFG, there are no reports to suggest that the associated disease severity is higher as compared to other circulating variants, the WHO said.

Dr Allen from the UKHSA also noted: “Based on the available information so far, there is no evidence to suggest that the XFG and XFG.3 variants cause more severe disease than previous variants, or that the vaccines in current use will be less effective against them.”

It comes as new Covid variants continue to spread throughout the country, with Nimbus giving people razor-blade like sore throats last month.

Some experts have claimed Stratus can give patients a “hoarse voice.”


What are the risks around XFG?


The WHO have designated XFG as a “low risk” globally.

It said: “XFG is growing rapidly compared to co-circulating variants globally. However, XFG exhibits only marginal additional immune evasion over [other varient] LP.8.1. While there are reported increases in cases and hospitalizations in some of the [South-east Asia Region] countries, which has the highest proportion of XFG, there are no reports to suggest that the associated disease severity is higher as compared to other circulating variants.

“The available evidence on XFG does not suggest additional public health risks relative to the other currently circulating Omicron descendant lineages.”


Do the Covid vaccines work against NB.1.8.1?

Based on available evidence the WHO said the current approved Covid-19 vaccines are expected to remain effective to this variant against symptomatic and severe disease.

The organisation said the current data suggests the risk of vaccine evasion is low, however additional laboratory studies are needed to further assess the risk of antibody escape.

However, some experts have warned Stratus could also evade immunity from jabs.

“Unlike other variants, Stratus has certain mutations in the spike protein which could help it evade antibodies developed from prior infections or vaccinations,” Dr Kaywaan Khan, Harley Street GP and founder of Hannah London Clinic told Cosmopolitan UK.
 

Heliobas Disciple

TB Fanatic
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A pat on the back on the way to the gallows…
Geert Vanden Bossche

Jul 07, 2025

  • Introductory background:
In a recent Substack post (Viral gain-of-function is associated with immunological pain-of-function as mass C-19 vaccination turned an acute, self-limiting pandemic into a chronic, self-perpetuating immune escape epidemic), I wrote the following:

“Even in the absence of immune pressure or adaptation, any mutation or combination that further suppresses both antiviral and inflammatory components of innate immunity could severely weaken this most basic, nonspecific line of immune defense. For example, suppression of humoral innate immune responses in XFG descendants may facilitate the stochastic emergence and accumulation of additional mutations in chronically infected individuals, some of which could enhance the virus’s ability to evade interferon-mediated innate immunity and/or innate immune sensing without compromising intrinsic viral infectiousness. When combined with failing adaptive immunity, this would inevitably result in immune tolerance and consequently trigger unchecked viral replication and dissemination of the virus within the host — and even on a large scale due to the associated increase in inter-host transmission of the virus.”

Just today, a follower sent me the following article.


I couldn’t help but comment on it, since I just had a brief spell of hoarseness (which, by the way, my partner quite enjoyed).

  • The opinions and interpretations of epidemiologists, public health experts, and scientists are a scourge when it comes to understanding the evolutionary dynamics and outcome of the ongoing Covid-19 (C-19) immune escape pandemic.
The hoarse voice—without accompanying sore throat—regularly caused by infections with XFG (sub)variants (the so-called Stratus variant) is a clear sign of suppressed local inflammatory symptoms. As long as the remaining cell-mediated innate immunity (mainly in the unvaccinated) or adaptive immunity (mainly in the vaccinated) is still strong enough to eliminate the virus in time or to prevent symptoms, respectively, hoarseness remains practically the only notable sign of an XFG infection.

Our naïve health authorities seem to welcome this and take it as proof that the vaccines are still doing their job. What they completely fail to grasp is that this suboptimal, i.e., merely symptomatic protection in many C-19 vaccinated individuals, combined with the lack of strong local inflammation (and thus lack of viral sequestration in the upper respiratory tract), results in significantly increased viral replication and transmission. The inevitable consequence is a sharp rise in chronic infections and, with that, an explosion of new mutations and recombination events. They are entirely unable to understand that this evolution means highly C-19-vaccinated populations are now, in an unnatural way, continuously generating and shedding highly infectious SARS-CoV-2 variants—and are on the verge of producing viral mutants that not only escape whatever remains of adaptive immunity, but further weaken innate immune defenses. Eventually, immunity will drop to such a critically low level that massive viral invasion and spread—both within individual hosts and between them—can no longer be prevented.

So, when epidemiologists and health authorities reassure the public that the rise of Stratus is nothing to worry about because symptoms appear no worse than before, it sounds like one last lullaby before the guillotine drops.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM2IVHcIDC4
Does Geert's Theory EXPOSE the Hidden Truth We're Ignoring?
Vejon Health
Streamed live July 9 2025
12 min 36 sec

Geert Vanden Bossche warned that repeated mRNA vaccination could rewire the immune system—shifting it from protection to tolerance. Now, new data on IgG4 class switching and changing patterns of COVID-related deaths suggest he may have been right. Are we seeing fewer COVID deaths… or just different ones? Silent strokes, sudden cardiac events, and unexplained decline may be the real aftermath. If Geert’s theory is correct, we’re looking in the wrong place—and ignoring a slow-motion crisis already unfolding.
 

naegling62

Veteran Member


Cancer rates in Australians under 50 are rising at a pace that's alarming doctors and scientists
By Norman Swan, Elise Potaka, Maddy King, Anushri Sood
Sun 6 Jul, 2025

Chris Burton was planning his wedding when he noticed he was bleeding after going to the bathroom.

He thought it was strange, but figured it was a one-off. Six weeks later, it happened again.

His GP referred him for a colonoscopy, and Mr Burton arranged to have the procedure after he and his wife returned from their short honeymoon.

The 39-year-old had advanced bowel cancer. The test results stunned him.

"That's probably similar to a lot of young people. Cancer's not at the forefront of what you think might be wrong with you," he says.

Australians aged in their 30s and 40s are experiencing unprecedented and in some cases world-leading rates of at least 10 different types of cancer — and scientists are desperate to understand why.

It's a question Mr Burton has struggled with since his diagnosis and one that's arrived at what should be a joyous time — the couple's about to have a baby, a little sister for their older daughter Isobel.

"That's the 3am thoughts that go through your head … have you done something to deserve it?" Mr Burton says.

"If there's not bowel cancer in your family, how come you've got cancer and how come you got it at a young age?"


No longer 'a disease of aging'

The technical term for this phenomenon is early onset cancer and it is rising steeply.

Data provided to Four Corners by Cancer Australia, the federal government's cancer agency, paints a concerning picture for young people.

Between 2000 and 2024 — in 30 to 39-year-olds — early onset prostate cancer increased by 500 per cent, pancreatic cancer by 200 per cent, liver cancer by 150 per cent, uterine cancer by 138 per cent and kidney cancer by 85 per cent.

Some increases, such as prostate cancer, might be explained by changes in the way they are diagnosed — but most cannot.

"There are approximately 10 [cancers] that have this increase to varying percentages," says Cancer Australia's chief executive, Dorothy Keefe.

"Cancer has traditionally been a disease of aging, and bowel cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, they all increase with age.

"But over the last 20 years, there's been a real — it's small in absolute numbers — but it is a real increase in the number of younger adults developing these cancers."

Australia isn't the only country seeing higher rates of cancer in young people either. Large amounts of data from US cancer registries show an even more pronounced trend.

Philip Rosenberg, a leading cancer bio-statistician who recently retired from the US National Cancer Institute, says there is a clear difference when comparing cancer rates between generation X and baby boomers.

"There were really very notable differences, for colon, rectum, thyroid, and pancreas, and as well prostate for men and ER (oestrogen receptor) positive breast cancer for women," Dr Rosenberg says.

"Overall, it's about half of the different cancer types."

Worryingly, Australia is a world leader when it comes to bowel cancer.

Since the year 2000, rates of bowel cancer in 30 to 39-year-olds have increased by 173 per cent — and the stage the cancer is at when diagnosed is often late, meaning it is more likely to have spread and harder to treat.


'It's like a fingerprint'

Dan Buchanan, an associate professor at the University of Melbourne who is part of the Collaborative Centre for Genomic Cancer Medicine, is trying to find out why Australia's bowel cancer rates are so high compared to the rest of the world.

"The statistics around early onset bowel cancer are really alarming," Dr Buchanan says.

It's a shift he can see just by looking at a tumour's DNA mutations.

"In the youngest group of people that developed early onset colorectal cancer, we're seeing a much higher proportion that have a particular type of DNA damage pattern," he says.

That generational difference is so pronounced, he says he can tell whether a person is young or old from their tumour's DNA.

"It's like a fingerprint; something's happened. It's dramatic," Dr Buchanan says.

He says it suggests that there are factors or "exposures" that are contributing to an earlier diagnosis age for a group of colorectal cancers.

What is causing this generational damage however is less specific — but scientists are starting to get a clearer understanding.


Different cancers, different causes

It is fiendishly difficult to tie down the exact causes of any cancer, even though we know all cancers are caused by genes.

There are inherited genetic mutations that cause cancer in their own right — for example, the BRCA genes for breast and ovarian cancer, and the Lynch Syndrome for bowel cancer.

But young people behind this rise in early onset cancers do not carry such genes.

Instead, most experts believe toxins or toxic influences in the world around us are interacting with genes to cause malignant changes.

In other words, you might unknowingly carry a gene that's only altered when you're exposed to a particular chemical, whereas someone else who doesn't have that version of the gene would be unaffected.

"Cancer is not a single disease, it is many different diseases," explains associate professor Gianluca Severi, a senior cancer epidemiologist based at the National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM) in Paris.

"Within a disease that is called breast cancer, there are actually many diseases, but we know that there are different subtypes of breast cancer.

"It's important because that means that the causes of these different types of cancers are different."

The name for the physical, chemical, psychological and social exposures in the environment which can affect human health is the exposome. Dr Severi is investigating such exposures in relation to cancer.

In May, an international group of researchers announced a massive undertaking called the Human Exposome Project, which is documenting and studying these exposures.

"It basically encompasses all the environmental factors but also lifestyle and their connections and interactions to try to explain the causes of different diseases," Dr Severi says of the project.

But the challenge to determine when the exposures occurred is another variable which makes tracking cancer causes hard — because tumours can take decades to develop.


What's changed?

To get a better understanding, researchers say we need to look at the environment when people in their 30s and 40s today were children or in utero.

That means the environment — or the exposome — between the 60s and 90s is crucial to understanding this puzzle.

For instance, it was during those decades when the childhood obesity epidemic began.

"It is very likely that childhood obesity and increasing obesity in young adults is part of the cause of this increase in early onset cancers," Dr Severi says.

That connection is something liver specialist professor Simone Strasser finds in her patients. Primary liver cancer — or hepatocellular carcinoma — is another of the fast-rising early onset tumours.

"The problem with obesity and diabetes driving liver disease is that we are seeing this in children and adolescents," she says.

"Then 20 years of that history … you're still a young person at the time that you're running into problems from that and developing cirrhosis and liver cancer."

There is also evidence that our gut bacteria — our microbiome — may have changed too, through antibiotic use, and eating ultra-processed foods.

Caesarean section rates were also increasing during these decades, meaning babies didn't acquire the same microbiome as those born vaginally. That could potentially affect their immune system development.

These changes could have made our gut more vulnerable to dangerous bacteria and is a major focus for Dr Buchanan.

"We have lots of bacteria in our gut … and it's that balance between good and bad bacteria that creates a healthy state," he says.

"We think that exposures or environmental toxins may change that balance between good and bad bacteria, allowing some not so friendly bacteria to produce toxins that may damage our DNA."

Research is finding that exposure — probably early in life — to a toxin from a bowel bug called E. coli could be driving some of the mutations that Dr Buchanan is seeing in his bowel tumour samples. He's convinced it's one of the causes.

"The story for that particular gut bacteria has gone well beyond an association into causation," he says.

But there are other toxins which scientists believe are affecting our genes — and they aren't from bacteria.


Exposure to the unfamiliar

Since World War II, we have been exposed to more and more chemicals and plastics in our day to day lives.

Christos Symeonides is a paediatrician who studies chemical and microplastic exposures through his work at the Minderoo Foundation.

"We are exposed to a broad universe of synthetic chemicals … that our biology isn't familiar with, and that has left a great deal of uncertainty," Dr Symeonides says.

"Within the universe of plastic chemicals, we're looking at the last academic count at about 16,000 chemicals that are used or present in plastics."

Dr Symeonides says only one-third of those chemicals appear to have been evaluated for their potential hazard, and about "75 per cent" of those evaluated have been identified as hazardous.

"But there's a limit to which that tells us about what they'll do in our full complex biology of the human body," he says.

For the two-thirds of chemicals that haven't been tested, Dr Symeonides says their hazard rate can't be assumed to be the same — but that doesn't mean they're safe either. It's one of the problems he has with the way chemicals are regulated.

"It seems that the system is currently based on exactly that assumption, that until you establish and prove harm, a chemical is considered to be safe, whether you've looked for harm or not," he says.

Dr Symeonides has reviewed the evidence and concluded that only five classes of chemicals — comprising fewer than 100 individual chemicals in total — out of the thousands have been studied to the depth required to find human effects if they exist.

"For all five of those classes, there were serious health impacts with strong evidence of a link between exposure and those health impacts," he says.

Concerns about the health effects of plastics are nothing new. In fact, when generation X were babies or in utero, we already knew that some of these chemicals were harmful.

"There's a group of chemicals that had a use in plastic as flame retardants but had much broader use that we now regulate very tightly called PCBs or polychlorinated biphenyls," Dr Symeonides says.

There's also another group of persistent chemicals, known by their generic name of per or poly fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that are suspected of causing harm.

These chemicals can be found in non-stick cookware, food packaging, and even some cosmetics, and are often called "forever chemicals" because of their environmental persistence.

One of them, called PFOA, has been associated with kidney cancer, and Dr Symeonides says there is also a strong link between exposure to PFOA and breast cancer.

A ban on the industrial use of PFOA is now in force in Australia, but its effects could be with us for years to come due to its persistence in the environment.


Does the next generation have the answers?

The ORIGINS project in the northern suburbs of Perth aims to answer some of these questions for today's children.

They are following the health and wellbeing and recording medical observations of 10,000 children. In fact, the researchers at Joondalup Health Campus and The Kids Research Institute Australia are measuring these families' exposome as best they can.

"There's this whole concept of developmental origins of disease where things that happen early in your life do impact on people later on," says professor Desiree Silva, the project's co-director.

"The ORIGINS study will help to understand the microbiome because we are collecting samples in pregnancy in mums, and then we're collecting samples in those children.

"Because we've got longitudinal bio samples and data, we can actually look at that environmental impact on what may be the causal pathways of cancer."

It will be many years before ORIGINS has answers for today's kids. Meanwhile, the generations before them are confronting the reality of living with cancer.

For Mr Burton, he's focusing on his family and their future. His wife Ali gave birth to a healthy baby girl at the end of June, just three days after his latest surgery. All are doing well.

"It's a stormy dark period, but you know, it's possible to survive," he says.

"I like to think about us growing old together, raising the girls, and we can look back on this time period and think, 'That was really hard, but we made it through.'"
There was a very large university study done awhile back looking into the difference between Southern and Northern (USA) diets in their correlation to colon cancer.

Excluding race(which is an important factor) they thought the North was going to fare better than the South due to food selection differences in the regions. Well much to their dismay it turns out Sun exposure had more to do with Colon cancer than diet.
 
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