Day: August 28, 2022

Pfizer’s anti-COVID pill Paxlovid shows no benefit for younger adults

Ms. Cat

Pfizer’s anti-COVID pill Paxlovid shows no benefit for younger adults

The report’s authors found that Pfizer’s antiviral medication Paxlovid offered little to no benefit for younger adults. However, it did reduce the risk of hospitalization for high-risk seniors. Notably, supplementary material from the original study of Paxlovid in high-risk non-hospitalized adults with COVID-19 during the Delta wave had demonstrated benefits in those younger than 65, albeit the difference compared to the placebo was much less than in those 65 and older.

…

Among those over 65, there was a 73 percent decrease in the hospitalization rate and a 79 percent reduction in the risk of death. However, patients between the ages of 40 and 65 saw no benefit in taking the antiviral medication in either category, regardless of previous immunity status.

…

Another critical study from Hong Kong published in Lancet Infectious Diseases on the same day as the Israeli study but which went unmentioned in the press offered further evidence of Paxlovid’s limited therapeutic role. The authors reviewed their clinical experience with Paxlovid and Lagevrio, Merck’s antiviral pill, Molnupiravir, in hospitalized patients. They compared them to hospitalized patients who did not receive those medications during the horrific wave of infections that slammed into the semi-autonomous region in February and March.

…

The mortality risk reduction for Lagevrio was 52 percent, and for Paxlovid it was 66 percent. Those receiving antivirals had a lower risk of their disease progressing, but the drugs did not significantly impact their need for mechanical ventilation or ICU admission. The patients in the study averaged in age from mid-70s to early 80s.

…

Given the results of these studies, it bears mentioning that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently estimated that approximately 95 percent of Americans aged 16 and older have some level of immunity against COVID-19.

US-China Tensions Over Taiwan Update (Aug 29, 2022) – US Warships in Taiwan Strait

Ms. Cat

After a series of provocative meetings between US officials and Taiwan’s administration in violation of US bilateral agreements with Beijing over the One China policy, the US has now transited warships through the Taiwan Strait.

Throughout this series of provocations China has steadily expanded military operations around Taiwan, tightening control over the air and water around the island territory.

The US appears unable to recognize the limits of its power and influence and prepared fully to trigger another catastrophic conflict just as it has with Russia over Ukraine.

US-China Tensions Over Taiwan Update (Aug 29, 2022) – US Warships in Taiwan Strait (Odysee) via The New Atlas

Sources:

Read More »

China’s neighbors are buying US weapons Washington isn’t delivering

Ms. Cat

China’s neighbors are buying US weapons Washington isn’t delivering

Even though the United States views these weapons sales as integral to deterring China from attacking Taiwan, some of the deals were publicly announced as far back as 2017.

…

The reasons – government delays, supply chain issues and production requirements – are numerous, and the problem won’t be easy to fix, Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, the ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Defense News.

…

The U.S. government has approved the sale of 10 weapons systems Taiwan has yet to receive – some of which are not slated for delivery until the end of the decade.

…

The United States has flooded billions of dollars in weapons into Ukraine, including items that are part of Taiwan’s backlog, such as Harpoon anti-ship missiles, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and High Mobile Artillery Rocket Systems.

…

For example, several Middle Eastern and eastern European countries are ahead of Taiwan in Lockheed Martin’s F-16 production queue. In 2019, the State Department approved an $8 billion Taiwan sale for 66 F-16s, but Taipei does not expect to receive the aircraft until 2026.

“Saudi Arabia is still ahead of Taiwan on the priority list in some cases,” Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., told Defense News ahead of a July meeting with Taiwan’s Washington envoy. “We need to take a look at that.”

…

The United States may secretly transfer a number of weapons to Ukraine

Ms. Cat1 Comment

The United States may secretly transfer a number of weapons to Ukraine

The US authorities may not publicly announce the transfer of certain types of weapons to Ukraine as part of military assistance. About it writes Politico.

…

The new military aid package for Kyiv, announced last week, includes Excalibur guided artillery shells, according to two Politico sources. At the same time, they are not mentioned in the Pentagon’s official statement on weapons supplied to Ukraine.

Politico also read the official notice to Congress in connection with the allocation of another aid package to Ukraine, which, according to the newspaper, notes that the weapons supplied by Washington to Kyiv “are not limited” to those listed.