WHEN THE TIMES GET TOUGH
TRUMP DECLARES INFRASTRUCTURE WEEK (AGAIN)
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
TikTok teens try to trick Trump campaign, again
Shelly Banjo and Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou, Bloomberg News
The TikTok-tivists are at it again.
Thousands of users of the popular video app flocked to the Apple App Store in the last few days to flood U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign app with negative reviews. On Wednesday alone 700 negative reviews were left on the Official Trump 2020 app and 26 positive ones, according to tracking firm Sensor Tower.
TikTok fans are retaliating for Trump’s threats of banning the app, which is owned by China’s Bytedance Ltd. and is hugely popular in the U.S., especially among teens. The thought of taking away a key social and entertainment hub in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic has led to outrage.
“For Gen Z and Millennials, TikTok is our clubhouse and Trump threatened it,” said Yori Blacc, a 19-year-old TikTok user in California who joined in the app protest. “If you’re going to mess with us, we will mess with you.”
Blacc said the movement gained steam Wednesday when a popular TikTok user, DeJuan Booker, called on his 750,000 followers to seek revenge. He posted a step-by-step primer on how to degrade the app’s rating, notching 5.6 million views. “Gen Z don’t go down without a fight,” said Booker, who goes by @unusualbeing on TikTok. “Let’s go to war.”
The efforts to push the app low enough so that Apple will remove it from the app store may be misguided. Apple doesn’t delete apps based on their popularity. The App Store may review those that violate its guidelines or are outdated, but not if their ratings sink. A similar tactic was tried in April to protest Google Classroom by kids frustrated with quarantine home-schooling.
But young people are looking for ways to make their voices heard, even if some of them can’t yet vote. Last month, many young people organized through TikTok to sign up to attend Trump’s first post-shutdown campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but then didn’t show up. The Trump campaign denied the online organizing effort contributed to lower-than-expected attendance.
The Trump campaign and Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. TikTok was experiencing connectivity issues on Thursday, according to Downdector, which measures web traffic.
Trump’s re-election smartphone app is a big part of the president’s unrivaled digital operation and was meant to circumvent tech companies like Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. and give the campaign a direct line to supporters. The app has helped the campaign engage Trump’s die-hard supporters, especially in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, by feeding them his latest tweets and promoting virtual events. Supporters can donate to the president’s campaign or earn rewards for recruiting friends like VIP seats to rallies or photos with the president.
The Official Trump 2020 app has been downloaded more than 500,000 times on Google’s Android store as of June 15. Apple doesn’t publish information on downloads.
Reviews with titles such as “Terrible App” or “Do Not Download!” have been flooding the App Store since late June. Official Trump 2020 now has more than 103,000 one-star reviews for an overall rating of 1.2.
But the uptick of activity has also caused the app to rise in rankings. Users have to download the app to review it, vaulting it to second place on the Apple store from No. 486 on Tuesday, according to Sensor Tower.
“Do I think that this is going to fundamentally change the election? No,” said Tim Lim, a veteran Democratic digital strategist. “But it goes to show that they are just as susceptible to these mass actions as anyone else. Trump is starting to see what it feels like to have a massive online army committed to defeating him.”
Trump earlier this week said his administration is considering banning TikTok as one way to retaliate against China over its handling of the coronavirus. Trump’s comments came after Secretary of State Michael Pompeo told Americans not to download the app unless they want to see their private information fall into “the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.” Bytedance is also facing a U.S. national security review for its acquisition of startup Musical.ly. It has denied allegations that it poses a threat to U.S. national security.
Trump didn’t offer specifics about a potential decision and Pompeo seemed to walk back the idea of a ban in a later statement, saying that the U.S. efforts to protect American consumers’ data don’t relate to any one particular company.
Many TikTok users say they care less about potential Chinese snooping and more about Trump taking away their digital hangout. In the U.S., TikTok has been downloaded more than 165 million times, according to Sensor Tower.
“I don’t believe Trump is trying to take TikTok away because of national security, but more to retaliate against activism on the app and all the videos about him that drag him through the mud,” said Darius Jackson, an 18-year-old TikTok user in Champagne, Illinois, who asked his followers Wednesday to give Trump’s app a one-star rating.
“This is the first year I’ll be able to vote and I think activism on TikTok is going to make a big difference,” Jackson said.
\
Teenagers are now leaving Trump's campaign app negative reviews in the hope that it will be removed
by Greg Evans
Picture: Evan Vucci/AP/ The App Store
In recent weeks we've seen teenagers on TikTok deal Donald Trump several significant blows by magnificently trolling him.
Teenagers on the app have reportedly mobilised each other to obtain tickets to his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma with no intention of actually attending, pretending to buy his merchandise without spending any money and purposefully leaving bad reviews of his many hotels and restaurants.
Now their antics could be put into jeopardy as Trump wants to get the app banned as an act of spite against China over coronavirus. TikTok was developed in China by the company ByteDance Ltd and, according to the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, US officials are looking at getting the app barred from the United States.
During an interview from earlier this week with Gray Television’s Greta Van Susteren, Trump added to this, saying that it is 'one of many ways' that the US is looking at getting back at China for allowing the virus to spread globally:
It’s something we’re looking at, yes. It’s a big business. Look, what happened with China with this virus, what they’ve done to this country and to the entire world is disgraceful.
If Trump were to succeed in getting TikTok banned in the United States then it would severally damage these teenagers attempts to embarrass the president, so without any hesitation they've have found yet another way to troll Trump. This time they are encouraging their followers to download Trump's re-election campaign app and leave the worst review possible in the hope that Apple will remove it from the app store due to unpopularity.
This now looks like it is working. The app now has an average score of just 1.2 which is pretty awful and some of the reviews that are being submitted are hilarious and yes, there are K-Pop references.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Darius Jackson, an 18-year-old TikTok user for Champaign, Illinois said:
I don’t believe Trump is trying to take TikTok away because of national security, but more to retaliate against activism on the app and all the videos about him that drag him through the mud. This is the first year I’ll be able to vote and I think activism on TikTok is going to make a big difference.
However, Tim Murtaugh, who is director of communications for the Trump Campaign, denied that the teenagers on the app are having a significant effect on the president's attempt to win a second election, claiming that the administration's efforts to ban the app is based on China spying on people:
TikTok users don’t affect anything we do. What we do know is that the Chinese use TikTok to spy on its users.
While the negative reviews of the app, which Trump is using as a way to connect with his most devoted supporters and obtain donations, is having an effect on its overall score the belief that it could be removed is unfortunately not true. The App Store will only remove apps if they are reported to have violated guidelines but not because of a deluge of bad reviews.
That being said, it's still very amusing to see the president consistently owned by a group of teenagers and we honestly cannot wait to see what new prank they come up with next.
Shelly Banjo and Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou, Bloomberg News
The TikTok-tivists are at it again.
Thousands of users of the popular video app flocked to the Apple App Store in the last few days to flood U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign app with negative reviews. On Wednesday alone 700 negative reviews were left on the Official Trump 2020 app and 26 positive ones, according to tracking firm Sensor Tower.
TikTok fans are retaliating for Trump’s threats of banning the app, which is owned by China’s Bytedance Ltd. and is hugely popular in the U.S., especially among teens. The thought of taking away a key social and entertainment hub in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic has led to outrage.
“For Gen Z and Millennials, TikTok is our clubhouse and Trump threatened it,” said Yori Blacc, a 19-year-old TikTok user in California who joined in the app protest. “If you’re going to mess with us, we will mess with you.”
Blacc said the movement gained steam Wednesday when a popular TikTok user, DeJuan Booker, called on his 750,000 followers to seek revenge. He posted a step-by-step primer on how to degrade the app’s rating, notching 5.6 million views. “Gen Z don’t go down without a fight,” said Booker, who goes by @unusualbeing on TikTok. “Let’s go to war.”
The efforts to push the app low enough so that Apple will remove it from the app store may be misguided. Apple doesn’t delete apps based on their popularity. The App Store may review those that violate its guidelines or are outdated, but not if their ratings sink. A similar tactic was tried in April to protest Google Classroom by kids frustrated with quarantine home-schooling.
But young people are looking for ways to make their voices heard, even if some of them can’t yet vote. Last month, many young people organized through TikTok to sign up to attend Trump’s first post-shutdown campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but then didn’t show up. The Trump campaign denied the online organizing effort contributed to lower-than-expected attendance.
The Trump campaign and Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. TikTok was experiencing connectivity issues on Thursday, according to Downdector, which measures web traffic.
Trump’s re-election smartphone app is a big part of the president’s unrivaled digital operation and was meant to circumvent tech companies like Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. and give the campaign a direct line to supporters. The app has helped the campaign engage Trump’s die-hard supporters, especially in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, by feeding them his latest tweets and promoting virtual events. Supporters can donate to the president’s campaign or earn rewards for recruiting friends like VIP seats to rallies or photos with the president.
The Official Trump 2020 app has been downloaded more than 500,000 times on Google’s Android store as of June 15. Apple doesn’t publish information on downloads.
Reviews with titles such as “Terrible App” or “Do Not Download!” have been flooding the App Store since late June. Official Trump 2020 now has more than 103,000 one-star reviews for an overall rating of 1.2.
But the uptick of activity has also caused the app to rise in rankings. Users have to download the app to review it, vaulting it to second place on the Apple store from No. 486 on Tuesday, according to Sensor Tower.
“Do I think that this is going to fundamentally change the election? No,” said Tim Lim, a veteran Democratic digital strategist. “But it goes to show that they are just as susceptible to these mass actions as anyone else. Trump is starting to see what it feels like to have a massive online army committed to defeating him.”
Trump earlier this week said his administration is considering banning TikTok as one way to retaliate against China over its handling of the coronavirus. Trump’s comments came after Secretary of State Michael Pompeo told Americans not to download the app unless they want to see their private information fall into “the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.” Bytedance is also facing a U.S. national security review for its acquisition of startup Musical.ly. It has denied allegations that it poses a threat to U.S. national security.
Trump didn’t offer specifics about a potential decision and Pompeo seemed to walk back the idea of a ban in a later statement, saying that the U.S. efforts to protect American consumers’ data don’t relate to any one particular company.
Many TikTok users say they care less about potential Chinese snooping and more about Trump taking away their digital hangout. In the U.S., TikTok has been downloaded more than 165 million times, according to Sensor Tower.
“I don’t believe Trump is trying to take TikTok away because of national security, but more to retaliate against activism on the app and all the videos about him that drag him through the mud,” said Darius Jackson, an 18-year-old TikTok user in Champagne, Illinois, who asked his followers Wednesday to give Trump’s app a one-star rating.
“This is the first year I’ll be able to vote and I think activism on TikTok is going to make a big difference,” Jackson said.
\
Teenagers are now leaving Trump's campaign app negative reviews in the hope that it will be removed
by Greg Evans
Picture: Evan Vucci/AP/ The App Store
In recent weeks we've seen teenagers on TikTok deal Donald Trump several significant blows by magnificently trolling him.
Teenagers on the app have reportedly mobilised each other to obtain tickets to his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma with no intention of actually attending, pretending to buy his merchandise without spending any money and purposefully leaving bad reviews of his many hotels and restaurants.
Now their antics could be put into jeopardy as Trump wants to get the app banned as an act of spite against China over coronavirus. TikTok was developed in China by the company ByteDance Ltd and, according to the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, US officials are looking at getting the app barred from the United States.
During an interview from earlier this week with Gray Television’s Greta Van Susteren, Trump added to this, saying that it is 'one of many ways' that the US is looking at getting back at China for allowing the virus to spread globally:
It’s something we’re looking at, yes. It’s a big business. Look, what happened with China with this virus, what they’ve done to this country and to the entire world is disgraceful.
If Trump were to succeed in getting TikTok banned in the United States then it would severally damage these teenagers attempts to embarrass the president, so without any hesitation they've have found yet another way to troll Trump. This time they are encouraging their followers to download Trump's re-election campaign app and leave the worst review possible in the hope that Apple will remove it from the app store due to unpopularity.
This now looks like it is working. The app now has an average score of just 1.2 which is pretty awful and some of the reviews that are being submitted are hilarious and yes, there are K-Pop references.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Darius Jackson, an 18-year-old TikTok user for Champaign, Illinois said:
I don’t believe Trump is trying to take TikTok away because of national security, but more to retaliate against activism on the app and all the videos about him that drag him through the mud. This is the first year I’ll be able to vote and I think activism on TikTok is going to make a big difference.
However, Tim Murtaugh, who is director of communications for the Trump Campaign, denied that the teenagers on the app are having a significant effect on the president's attempt to win a second election, claiming that the administration's efforts to ban the app is based on China spying on people:
TikTok users don’t affect anything we do. What we do know is that the Chinese use TikTok to spy on its users.
While the negative reviews of the app, which Trump is using as a way to connect with his most devoted supporters and obtain donations, is having an effect on its overall score the belief that it could be removed is unfortunately not true. The App Store will only remove apps if they are reported to have violated guidelines but not because of a deluge of bad reviews.
That being said, it's still very amusing to see the president consistently owned by a group of teenagers and we honestly cannot wait to see what new prank they come up with next.
Banksy’s new face mask-themed artwork removed from London Underground carriage by Transport for London
TfL says piece violates ‘strict anti-graffiti policy’ but invites artist to recreate message ‘in a suitable location’
Andy Gregory
TfL says piece violates ‘strict anti-graffiti policy’ but invites artist to recreate message ‘in a suitable location’
Andy Gregory
Transport for London (TfL) has removed Banksy’s new coronavirus-themed artwork from a London Underground carriage.
The Bristol artist uploaded footage captioned ”If you don’t mask – you don’t get” to social media on Tuesday afternoon, showing him spray-painting a Circle line train with stencilled depictions of rats.
One creature appeared to be sneezing pale blue droplets of virus across a carriage window, while one struggled under a face mask and another used the protective gear as a parachute.
Hours later, TfL confirmed that the artwork was removed “some days ago due to our strict anti-graffiti policy”, but said it would welcome Banksy to recreate his message “in a suitable location”.
“We appreciate the sentiment of encouraging people to wear face coverings, which the vast majority of customers on our transport network are doing,” a TfL spokesperson said.
Inside Banksy's Dismaland
The Bristol artist uploaded footage captioned ”If you don’t mask – you don’t get” to social media on Tuesday afternoon, showing him spray-painting a Circle line train with stencilled depictions of rats.
One creature appeared to be sneezing pale blue droplets of virus across a carriage window, while one struggled under a face mask and another used the protective gear as a parachute.
Hours later, TfL confirmed that the artwork was removed “some days ago due to our strict anti-graffiti policy”, but said it would welcome Banksy to recreate his message “in a suitable location”.
“We appreciate the sentiment of encouraging people to wear face coverings, which the vast majority of customers on our transport network are doing,” a TfL spokesperson said.
Inside Banksy's Dismaland
Show all 13
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/banksy-artwork-coronavirus-london-underground-tfl-removed-a9619406.html
“In this particular case, the work was removed some days ago due to our strict anti-graffiti policy.
“We’d like to offer Banksy the chance to do a new version of his message for our customers in a suitable location
The anonymous street artist posted the footage to Instagram as health secretary Matt Hancock announced a long-awaited change to the government’s rules on face coverings, making them mandatory in English shops from 24 July. Their usage has been decreed on public transport since 15 June.
The video begins with a laptop playing footage showing the London Underground being deep cleaned in May.
Banksy – clad in a white boiler suit, mask, goggles, blue gloves and an orange hi-viz jacket with the message “stay safe” printed on it – climbs on board a train posing as a TfL worker.
The video shows him ushering a masked passenger to move back, before stencilling various rats across the carriage.
It closes with a message sprayed on the wall of a Tube station reading “I get lockdown” with the doors of the Tube carriage closing to reveal the message, “but I get up again”, as Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping” plays in the background.
His work was well-received on social media, with acclaimed Portuguese street artist, Vhils, writing: “Back to Basics”, with three fire emojis, and British artist Paul Jackson replying: “Awesome as always.”
It is one of a number of artworks he has created during the coronavirus lockdown.
In April, he created a series of rats causing mayhem in his bathroom and posted the caption: “My wife hates it when I work from home.”
Later that month, a large face mask was placed on his world-famous piece The Girl With The Pierced Eardrum on Bristol harbourside. In May, an artwork entitled Game Changer, showing an NHS nurse as a superhero toy, went on display at Southampton General Hospital.
In June, Banksy posted a piece inspired by Black Lives Matter with a caption, part of which read: “People of colour are being failed by the system.”
The following day, a statue of slave trader Edward Colston was toppled by protesters in Bristol and thrown into the harbour during a Black Lives Matter march.
Banksy posted a sketch showing his idea for the empty plinth – retrieving the statue from the water, putting it back on the plinth with cables around its neck and life-size bronze statues of protesters pulling it down, ending the caption by by stating: “A famous day commemorated.”
Additional reporting by PA
Banksy's latest artwork destroyed for 'vandalism' even though it could be worth millions
Posted 9 hours ago by Joanna Taylor in news
Screengrab: Twitter
Banksy has once again stirred up controversy with a daring piece of street art, this time spray-painting the inside of a London tube carriage.
The Bristol artist shared a video of himself disguised as a cleaner creating the artwork which depicts his signature rats wearing face masks.
The paintings have already been removed from the Circle Line train for violating the Transport for London's vandalism policy.
A TFL spokesperson said that the artwork was removed because of their "strict anti-graffiti policy", but invited Banksy to recreate it at a "suitable location".
The artwork, which depicts a rat sneezing across a window, also draws on lyrics from Chumbawamba's 'Tubthumping' with "I get locked down but I get up again" painted across the carriage doors.
Predictably, Banksy's decision to use a tube carriage as his canvas sparked anger online and accusations of criminal damage.
But other people praised the mask-themed mural as a work of "genius".
Some even questioned why Transport for London would destroy the artwork which could be worth "millions".
Banksy's most expensive piece of art, 'Devolved Parliament', sold for $12 million at auction last year.
But his smaller artworks routinely make hundreds of thousands of pounds if sold.
His painting 'Girl with Balloon' sold for over one million pounds at Sotheby's in 2018, and only increased in value when it promptly shredded itself.
“In this particular case, the work was removed some days ago due to our strict anti-graffiti policy.
“We’d like to offer Banksy the chance to do a new version of his message for our customers in a suitable location
The anonymous street artist posted the footage to Instagram as health secretary Matt Hancock announced a long-awaited change to the government’s rules on face coverings, making them mandatory in English shops from 24 July. Their usage has been decreed on public transport since 15 June.
The video begins with a laptop playing footage showing the London Underground being deep cleaned in May.
Banksy – clad in a white boiler suit, mask, goggles, blue gloves and an orange hi-viz jacket with the message “stay safe” printed on it – climbs on board a train posing as a TfL worker.
The video shows him ushering a masked passenger to move back, before stencilling various rats across the carriage.
It closes with a message sprayed on the wall of a Tube station reading “I get lockdown” with the doors of the Tube carriage closing to reveal the message, “but I get up again”, as Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping” plays in the background.
His work was well-received on social media, with acclaimed Portuguese street artist, Vhils, writing: “Back to Basics”, with three fire emojis, and British artist Paul Jackson replying: “Awesome as always.”
It is one of a number of artworks he has created during the coronavirus lockdown.
In April, he created a series of rats causing mayhem in his bathroom and posted the caption: “My wife hates it when I work from home.”
Later that month, a large face mask was placed on his world-famous piece The Girl With The Pierced Eardrum on Bristol harbourside. In May, an artwork entitled Game Changer, showing an NHS nurse as a superhero toy, went on display at Southampton General Hospital.
In June, Banksy posted a piece inspired by Black Lives Matter with a caption, part of which read: “People of colour are being failed by the system.”
The following day, a statue of slave trader Edward Colston was toppled by protesters in Bristol and thrown into the harbour during a Black Lives Matter march.
Banksy posted a sketch showing his idea for the empty plinth – retrieving the statue from the water, putting it back on the plinth with cables around its neck and life-size bronze statues of protesters pulling it down, ending the caption by by stating: “A famous day commemorated.”
Additional reporting by PA
Banksy's latest artwork destroyed for 'vandalism' even though it could be worth millions
Posted 9 hours ago by Joanna Taylor in news
Screengrab: Twitter
Banksy has once again stirred up controversy with a daring piece of street art, this time spray-painting the inside of a London tube carriage.
The Bristol artist shared a video of himself disguised as a cleaner creating the artwork which depicts his signature rats wearing face masks.
The paintings have already been removed from the Circle Line train for violating the Transport for London's vandalism policy.
A TFL spokesperson said that the artwork was removed because of their "strict anti-graffiti policy", but invited Banksy to recreate it at a "suitable location".
The artwork, which depicts a rat sneezing across a window, also draws on lyrics from Chumbawamba's 'Tubthumping' with "I get locked down but I get up again" painted across the carriage doors.
Predictably, Banksy's decision to use a tube carriage as his canvas sparked anger online and accusations of criminal damage.
But other people praised the mask-themed mural as a work of "genius".
Some even questioned why Transport for London would destroy the artwork which could be worth "millions".
Banksy's most expensive piece of art, 'Devolved Parliament', sold for $12 million at auction last year.
But his smaller artworks routinely make hundreds of thousands of pounds if sold.
His painting 'Girl with Balloon' sold for over one million pounds at Sotheby's in 2018, and only increased in value when it promptly shredded itself.
Banksy's latest paintings aren't the first to sport face masks.
In April, a mask was added to his artwork 'Girl with a Pierced Eardrum' in Bristol.
It is unclear who added the mask to the painting, which Banksy completed in 2014.
Whether you love or hate Banksy, and whether you consider his paintings the work of an artistic genius or vandalism, his work is certainly extremely lucrative.
But perhaps having it scrubbed away (something the graffiti artist is certainly no stranger to) is more in line with his anti-establishment art style than having it sold for millions in an auction house, anyway.
In April, a mask was added to his artwork 'Girl with a Pierced Eardrum' in Bristol.
It is unclear who added the mask to the painting, which Banksy completed in 2014.
Whether you love or hate Banksy, and whether you consider his paintings the work of an artistic genius or vandalism, his work is certainly extremely lucrative.
But perhaps having it scrubbed away (something the graffiti artist is certainly no stranger to) is more in line with his anti-establishment art style than having it sold for millions in an auction house, anyway.
SUPERNOVA SEEN HURTLING THROUGH OUR GALAXY AFTER THERMONUCLEAR EXPLOSION
Many more stars could be travelling through the Milky Way than we realised
Scientists have spotted a white dwarf star hurtling across our galaxy after a thermonuclear explosion.
The star shot itself out of orbit with its own explosion, and is now travelling through the Milky Way, according to researchers.
It could be one of many such supernovas currently speeding through our galaxy without us knowing, researchers say.
It also suggests that there may be other types of supernovae in other galaxies that astronomers have not yet seen.
When the white dwarf was originally spotted, researchers noticed that it seemed to have an unusual atmosphere, leading to further research to understand where it had come from.
Read more
It is also lacking some of the heavier elements that would normally be made up from the lighter ones during the key parts of the supernova explosion. Researchers suggest that indicates that the star only went through a partial supernova process, with the nuclear reaction dying out before it could finish.
"This star is unique because it has all the key features of a white dwarf but it has this very high velocity and unusual abundances that make no sense when combined with its low mass," said lead author Boris Gaensicke from the Department of Physics at the University of Warwick in a statement.
"It has a chemical composition which is the fingerprint of nuclear burning, a low mass and a very high velocity: all of these facts imply that it must have come from some kind of close binary system and it must have undergone thermonuclear ignition. It would have been a type of supernova, but of a kind that that we haven't seen before."
The supernova did however develop enough to disrupt the star's orbit with its partner in the binary system from which it came. That probably led to a very fast ejection of much of its mass, sending both stars off in different directions, and explaining the star's strange speed.
"If it was a tight binary and it underwent thermonuclear ignition, ejecting quite a lot of its mass, you have the conditions to produce a low mass white dwarf and have it fly away with its orbital velocity," said Professor Gaensicke.
Many more stars could be travelling through the Milky Way than we realised
Scientists have spotted a white dwarf star hurtling across our galaxy after a thermonuclear explosion.
The star shot itself out of orbit with its own explosion, and is now travelling through the Milky Way, according to researchers.
It could be one of many such supernovas currently speeding through our galaxy without us knowing, researchers say.
It also suggests that there may be other types of supernovae in other galaxies that astronomers have not yet seen.
When the white dwarf was originally spotted, researchers noticed that it seemed to have an unusual atmosphere, leading to further research to understand where it had come from.
Read more
Astronomers discover brightest supernova ever seen
Now astronomers at the University of Warwick have revealed that the star was probably once part of a binary star that exploded in a supernova, sending it and its partner flying out through the galaxy in different directions.
The star is travelling at 900,000 kilometres per hour, the researchers who spotted it say. It also appears to be particularly low in mass, which scientists say is probably the result of the supernova explosion.
Since researchers spotted the star known as SDSS J1240+6710 in 2015, they noted that unlike other white dwarfs – which tend to be almost entirely composed of hydrogen or helium – it was instead made up of a strange mix of oxygen, neon, magnesium and silicon. Further examination by the Hubble Space Telescope showed that it also had carbon, sodium, and aluminium in its atmosphere, which happen to be created in the early reactions that make up a supernova.
Now astronomers at the University of Warwick have revealed that the star was probably once part of a binary star that exploded in a supernova, sending it and its partner flying out through the galaxy in different directions.
The star is travelling at 900,000 kilometres per hour, the researchers who spotted it say. It also appears to be particularly low in mass, which scientists say is probably the result of the supernova explosion.
Since researchers spotted the star known as SDSS J1240+6710 in 2015, they noted that unlike other white dwarfs – which tend to be almost entirely composed of hydrogen or helium – it was instead made up of a strange mix of oxygen, neon, magnesium and silicon. Further examination by the Hubble Space Telescope showed that it also had carbon, sodium, and aluminium in its atmosphere, which happen to be created in the early reactions that make up a supernova.
It is also lacking some of the heavier elements that would normally be made up from the lighter ones during the key parts of the supernova explosion. Researchers suggest that indicates that the star only went through a partial supernova process, with the nuclear reaction dying out before it could finish.
"This star is unique because it has all the key features of a white dwarf but it has this very high velocity and unusual abundances that make no sense when combined with its low mass," said lead author Boris Gaensicke from the Department of Physics at the University of Warwick in a statement.
"It has a chemical composition which is the fingerprint of nuclear burning, a low mass and a very high velocity: all of these facts imply that it must have come from some kind of close binary system and it must have undergone thermonuclear ignition. It would have been a type of supernova, but of a kind that that we haven't seen before."
The supernova did however develop enough to disrupt the star's orbit with its partner in the binary system from which it came. That probably led to a very fast ejection of much of its mass, sending both stars off in different directions, and explaining the star's strange speed.
"If it was a tight binary and it underwent thermonuclear ignition, ejecting quite a lot of its mass, you have the conditions to produce a low mass white dwarf and have it fly away with its orbital velocity," said Professor Gaensicke.
CERB re-ignites debate over need for a basic income in Canada
Progressive Conservative Senator Hugh Segal, former advisor to Ontario's basic income project and author of "Bootstraps Need Boots: One Tory’s Lonely Fight to End Poverty in Canada" gives the case for a basic income plan in Canada.
HE IS A RED TORY
Canada adds almost 1 million jobs, but earns only muted cheerCanada reclaimed almost 1 million jobs of those lost to the coronavirus pandemic, a promising start to what’s expected to be an arduous recovery.
Shelly Hagan, Bloomberg News Jul 10, 2020
June jobs report highlights divide between mothers and fathers during pandemic
Now Showing
13:06
Canada tops June jobs estimates, but don't expect as much job cre...
Employment rose by 952,900 in June as lockdown restrictions began to ease, Statistics Canada reported on Friday, adding to the 290,000 jobs created in May. The two-month total represents just over 40 per cent of the 3 million lost in March and April, when mandatory business closures were imposed.
June’s better-than-expected reading will ease concern about how long-lasting the damage from the pandemic will be. But economists warn it could still take years before things return to normal. The Bank of Canada will give new estimates for the outlook when it releases its quarterly Monetary Policy Report on Wednesday.
“While today’s numbers are encouraging, there are almost 1.8 million lost jobs yet to be recovered,” Brian DePratto, senior economist at Toronto-Dominion Bank, wrote in a note. “It is still a long way to the finish line.”
Services-related sectors were responsible for 794,400 of the increase in June, led by retailers and food businesses. The natural resources sector led losses, with about 5,500 new positions eliminated. Gains were about evenly split between full time and part time, with 488,100 and 464,800 added jobs, respectively.
The numbers also reflect gradual reopenings in Ontario and Quebec. Canada’s two most-populous provinces made up two thirds of the June job gains. Ontario, the only province not to post an increase in May, saw an increase of 378,000 positions.
“An unambiguously strong print, with good breadth across sectors and regions,” Brett House, deputy chief economist at Bank of Nova Scotia in Toronto, said by email. “Almost all of the gains were in payroll jobs and in the private sector, so the quality of the numbers is high.”
Canada’s currency was little changed on the report, trading at $1.3589 against its U.S. counterpart at 11:09 a.m. Toronto time. Two-year government bond yields were also little changed.
Bounce Back?
As impressive as the the employment jump is, the Canadian economy is still digging itself out of a deep hole. While the unemployment rate fell to 12.3 per cent in June, that’s still near historically elevated levels. The 13.7 per cent jobless rate in May was the highest since the Great Depression.
Hours worked rose 9.8 per cent in June, but were still 16 per cent below February levels.
What Bloomberg’s Economists Say
“Canada reported another month of stronger-than-expected job gains in June, underscoring the potential for a quick return to work as the nation shows relative success in taming Covid-19.”
--Andrew Husby, Bloomberg Economics
The number of Canadians still employed but whose hours have been significantly cut fell by 823,000 in June. That brings the number of Canadians who either lost their job or worked substantially fewer hours to 3.1 million in June, from about 5.5 million in April.
“While we expect further ground to be recovered in the months ahead, the speed is likely to slow and it could turn out to be a bumpy ride along the way,” Royce Mendes, an economist at CIBC World Markets, said in a report to investors.
--With assistance from Erik Hertzberg.
Shelly Hagan, Bloomberg News Jul 10, 2020
June jobs report highlights divide between mothers and fathers during pandemic
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Canada tops June jobs estimates, but don't expect as much job cre...
Employment rose by 952,900 in June as lockdown restrictions began to ease, Statistics Canada reported on Friday, adding to the 290,000 jobs created in May. The two-month total represents just over 40 per cent of the 3 million lost in March and April, when mandatory business closures were imposed.
June’s better-than-expected reading will ease concern about how long-lasting the damage from the pandemic will be. But economists warn it could still take years before things return to normal. The Bank of Canada will give new estimates for the outlook when it releases its quarterly Monetary Policy Report on Wednesday.
“While today’s numbers are encouraging, there are almost 1.8 million lost jobs yet to be recovered,” Brian DePratto, senior economist at Toronto-Dominion Bank, wrote in a note. “It is still a long way to the finish line.”
Services-related sectors were responsible for 794,400 of the increase in June, led by retailers and food businesses. The natural resources sector led losses, with about 5,500 new positions eliminated. Gains were about evenly split between full time and part time, with 488,100 and 464,800 added jobs, respectively.
The numbers also reflect gradual reopenings in Ontario and Quebec. Canada’s two most-populous provinces made up two thirds of the June job gains. Ontario, the only province not to post an increase in May, saw an increase of 378,000 positions.
“An unambiguously strong print, with good breadth across sectors and regions,” Brett House, deputy chief economist at Bank of Nova Scotia in Toronto, said by email. “Almost all of the gains were in payroll jobs and in the private sector, so the quality of the numbers is high.”
Canada’s currency was little changed on the report, trading at $1.3589 against its U.S. counterpart at 11:09 a.m. Toronto time. Two-year government bond yields were also little changed.
Bounce Back?
As impressive as the the employment jump is, the Canadian economy is still digging itself out of a deep hole. While the unemployment rate fell to 12.3 per cent in June, that’s still near historically elevated levels. The 13.7 per cent jobless rate in May was the highest since the Great Depression.
Hours worked rose 9.8 per cent in June, but were still 16 per cent below February levels.
What Bloomberg’s Economists Say
“Canada reported another month of stronger-than-expected job gains in June, underscoring the potential for a quick return to work as the nation shows relative success in taming Covid-19.”
--Andrew Husby, Bloomberg Economics
The number of Canadians still employed but whose hours have been significantly cut fell by 823,000 in June. That brings the number of Canadians who either lost their job or worked substantially fewer hours to 3.1 million in June, from about 5.5 million in April.
“While we expect further ground to be recovered in the months ahead, the speed is likely to slow and it could turn out to be a bumpy ride along the way,” Royce Mendes, an economist at CIBC World Markets, said in a report to investors.
--With assistance from Erik Hertzberg.
Bank of Canada says full recovery from virus will take two years
Theophilos Argitis, Bloomberg News
The Bank of Canada anticipates the nation’s economy will need two years to fully recover from what it calls the “steepest and deepest” downturn since the Great Depression.
In its most extensive set of forecasts since January, the central bank acknowledged the initial rebound from COVID-19 lockdowns has been strong. But it also painted a picture of a slow return to pre-pandemic levels of activity, persistent excess capacity, muted price pressures and plenty of uncertainty. Consumers are expected to remain cautious and business investment weak.
“The Bank of Canada expects a sharp rebound in economic activity in the reopening phase of the recovery, followed by a more prolonged recuperation phase, which will be uneven across regions and sectors,” the central bank said Wednesday in a quarterly Monetary Policy Report. “As a result, Canada’s economic output will likely take some time to return to its pre-COVID-19 level. Many workers and businesses can expect to face an extended period of difficulty.”
A separate policy statement is being released concurrently at 10 a.m. in Ottawa. The MPR didn’t provide any forward looking statements, other than to reiterate the bank’s commitment to continue buying at least $5 billion of Canadian government bonds each week until the recovery is “well underway.” It also said markets are generally interpreting its quantitative easing as a signal “rates will likely be at the lower bound for an extended period of time.”
Policy makers led by Governor Tiff Macklem estimated lockdowns meant to contain the spread of coronavirus lowered Canada’s gross domestic product by 15 per cent in the second quarter, versus the end of last year -- creating a significant amount of excess slack in the economy that’s expected to persist over the projection horizon.
While 40 per cent of output losses are expected to be made up in the third quarter, that quick rebound will be followed by a slower recuperation phase. The economy isn’t projected to return to pre-crisis levels until some time in 2022, according to the report. The central bank is also estimating there will be scarring effects from the pandemic that will leave “potential output” permanently below what had been forecast at the beginning of the year.
The projections of a gradual recovery provide more than enough justification for loose monetary conditions. The crisis has taken the Bank of Canada into uncharted waters, forcing it to cut the benchmark rate to near zero, injecting hundreds of billions in cash into financial markets and undertaking the first-ever foray into large-scale asset purchases.
Policy makers have also lowered their estimate of the “neutral rate” rate to 2.5 per cent, which suggests the bank’s current policy rate of 0.25 per cent is less accommodative than it originally thought.
Other Highlights
The report provides a “central scenario” for the economy rather than the usual economic projection. Key assumptions include no broad-based second wave of the virus with the pandemic largely running its course by mid-2022
The central bank anticipates a 7.8 per cent drop in output this year, followed by a 5.1 per cent rebound in 2021 and growth of 3.7 per cent in 2022. It expects inflation to average 0.6 per cent in 2020, 1.2 per cent in 2021 and 1.7 per cent in 2022. The Bank of Canada
expects fourth-quarter GDP this year will still be 6.8 per cent below year-earlier levels
The Bank of Canada estimates that total supply was about nine per centl ower in the second quarter of 2020 than in the fourth quarter of 2019, versus a drop of about 15 per cent for real GDP. “This would imply a gap between demand and supply of roughly 6 to 7 per cent in the second quarter”
“Overall, the economy has thus far avoided the most severe scenarios presented in the April report, but considerable economic slack remains”
The Bank of Canada puts some estimates to permanent effects on the crisis. The level of potential output by 2022 in the central scenario is almost four per cent lower than in the January monetary policy report
The protracted and gradual recovery reflects “persistent effects of ongoing physical distancing measures, a slow rebound in foreign demand and subdued confidence on the part of households and firms resulting from elevated uncertainty about both the pandemic and the pace of the recovery”
Supply initially recovers in line with the easing of containment measures, while demand benefits only gradually. “Eventually foreign and domestic demand increase faster than supply, absorbing excess capacity” closing the gap
Household caution persists through the forecast horizon, with the savings rate expected to remain higher than in recent years
Business investment isn’t expected to return to pre-pandemic levels through 2022
--With assistance from Erik Hertzberg.
Cirque du Soleil poised to accept creditors' bid, sidelining TPG
Paula Sambo and Gillian Tan, Bloomberg News
Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, which is restructuring under court protection in Canada, accepted a recapitalization offer from a group of lenders, people with knowledge of the matter said.
The ad hoc committee of creditors, which represents holders of about US$760 million in Cirque debt, formally presented a “credit bid” that would see lenders inject at least US$300 million of new capital into the live-performance company to eventually restart its shows. The offer, previously reported by Bloomberg, was accepted by a committee of Cirque’s board Tuesday night, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private.
The proposal would see first-lien creditors, who were owed more than US$900 million as of March 31, wind up with virtually all of the equity. The offer will replace a stalking-horse bid made by TPG and other Cirque shareholders in June.
But there’s still a chance existing shareholders could wind up with an equity stake. Cirque has agreed to allow other interested parties to begin negotiating with the creditors’ group about alternative deals, according to people with knowledge of the matter. TPG has made overtures about engaging with the creditors, the people said.
Court Hearing
Credit bidding involves canceling outstanding debt as part of an offer to acquire a debtor’s assets. The creditors’ offer is expected to head for a court hearing on July 17. Other potential bidders have until Aug. 10 to present competing proposals, and an auction should happen no later than Aug. 17. A transaction should be concluded by Sept. 14.
A Cirque spokesperson declined to comment, citing a non-disclosure agreement and confidentiality of the recapitalization process. A TPG spokesman and a representative for the creditors’ committee declined to comment.
On June 8, the creditors’ group offered to inject US$300 million -- an amount that could rise to US$375 million -- into Cirque under a restructuring plan that would convert the company’s debt into a 100 per cent ownership stake, according to a letter seen by Bloomberg.
The new offer maintains the major points of that letter and proposes keeping Cirque’s head office in Montreal and establishing a fund for its employees.
The company filed for protection last month after the coronavirus pandemic forced it to close shows around the world, triggering a fight for control of one of the best-known brands in live performance.
Cirque had entered into a stalking-horse agreement with its shareholders -- TPG, China’s Fosun International Ltd. and Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec. Creditors immediately rejected that offer, which would have left them with a 45 per cent equity stake.
As of March 31, Cirque owed its first-lien creditors US$901 million and its second-lien creditors US$154 million. It also owed US$32 million to the Caisse and an equal amount to Fonds de solidarite des travailleurs du Quebec.
Cirque had US$1.47 billion in liabilities at the end of 2019, about five times shareholders’ equity.
Paula Sambo and Gillian Tan, Bloomberg News
Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, which is restructuring under court protection in Canada, accepted a recapitalization offer from a group of lenders, people with knowledge of the matter said.
The ad hoc committee of creditors, which represents holders of about US$760 million in Cirque debt, formally presented a “credit bid” that would see lenders inject at least US$300 million of new capital into the live-performance company to eventually restart its shows. The offer, previously reported by Bloomberg, was accepted by a committee of Cirque’s board Tuesday night, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private.
The proposal would see first-lien creditors, who were owed more than US$900 million as of March 31, wind up with virtually all of the equity. The offer will replace a stalking-horse bid made by TPG and other Cirque shareholders in June.
But there’s still a chance existing shareholders could wind up with an equity stake. Cirque has agreed to allow other interested parties to begin negotiating with the creditors’ group about alternative deals, according to people with knowledge of the matter. TPG has made overtures about engaging with the creditors, the people said.
Court Hearing
Credit bidding involves canceling outstanding debt as part of an offer to acquire a debtor’s assets. The creditors’ offer is expected to head for a court hearing on July 17. Other potential bidders have until Aug. 10 to present competing proposals, and an auction should happen no later than Aug. 17. A transaction should be concluded by Sept. 14.
A Cirque spokesperson declined to comment, citing a non-disclosure agreement and confidentiality of the recapitalization process. A TPG spokesman and a representative for the creditors’ committee declined to comment.
On June 8, the creditors’ group offered to inject US$300 million -- an amount that could rise to US$375 million -- into Cirque under a restructuring plan that would convert the company’s debt into a 100 per cent ownership stake, according to a letter seen by Bloomberg.
The new offer maintains the major points of that letter and proposes keeping Cirque’s head office in Montreal and establishing a fund for its employees.
The company filed for protection last month after the coronavirus pandemic forced it to close shows around the world, triggering a fight for control of one of the best-known brands in live performance.
Cirque had entered into a stalking-horse agreement with its shareholders -- TPG, China’s Fosun International Ltd. and Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec. Creditors immediately rejected that offer, which would have left them with a 45 per cent equity stake.
As of March 31, Cirque owed its first-lien creditors US$901 million and its second-lien creditors US$154 million. It also owed US$32 million to the Caisse and an equal amount to Fonds de solidarite des travailleurs du Quebec.
Cirque had US$1.47 billion in liabilities at the end of 2019, about five times shareholders’ equity.
Moderna fires up COVID vaccine race with promising early results
Robert Langreth, Bloomberg New
Crucial data from experimental vaccines against the new coronavirus started streaming in as Moderna Inc. disclosed early results and new findings from the University of Oxford’s rival shot were reported to be imminent.
Moderna’s vaccine elicited antibodies in all people tested in an initial safety trial, federal researchers said Tuesday. Early results from tests of a vaccine Oxford is developing with AstraZeneca Plc will be published as soon as Thursday, according to a report on the ITV.com website.
New immunizations are reaching important milestones as the virus surges in the U.S. and other countries, continuing to stifle economies and claim lives. Governments are investing billions of dollars in the hope that safe and effective inoculations will aid a return to something resembling pre-pandemic life.
Investors are also eagerly following the vaccine race, although some drugmakers have said they’ll sell their products at cost during the pandemic. Moderna’s shares surged as much as 18 per cent in U.S. trading despite a high rate of side effects among the 45 patients who got the shot, with three experiencing severe reactions.
While ITV.com referred to the Oxford results as “promising,” without providing any data, AstraZeneca shares climbed as much as 4.2 per cent on the report. Other companies researching vaccines for the virus -- including Pfizer Inc. and Merck & Co. -- also rose, and optimism over Moderna lifted global equity markets.
“The good news is that this vaccine induced antibodies,” said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “Not just any kind of antibodies, but neutralizing antibodies.”
Fauci, in a telephone interview, called the Moderna data “really quite promising.” Other experts sounded a note of caution over side effects.
More than half of participants who got the middle of three doses administered in the Moderna trial suffered mild to moderate fatigue, chills, headache and muscle pain. Also, 40 per cent of people in the middle-dose group experienced a fever after the second vaccination. Three of 14 patients given the highest dose experienced severe side effects, but that dose is not being used in larger tests.
‘Adverse Events'
“Man, that is a lot of adverse events,” said Tony Moody, a doctor and researcher at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute. He said it would be “unusual” for a vaccine to have this rate of side effects.
On the plus side, Moody said that the antibody levels produced were “really encouraging.” The neutralizing antibody levels in the trial produced were equivalent to the upper half of what’s seen in patients who get infected with the virus and recover, according to the results published Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Moderna’s stock has almost quadrupled in value this year on hopes that the company’s vaccine will gain rapid approval. The vaccine will move into a much larger late-stage trial later this month that’s likely to determine whether it’s fit for commercial use.
Although stimulating production of neutralizing antibodies doesn’t prove a vaccine will be effective, it’s considered an important early step in testing. T
The side effects reported weren’t severe enough in the majority of patients to preclude further testing, according to the report by researchers from the NIAID.
The vaccine news came as the pandemic continued thriving throughout the U.S. While some states that suffered this spring have managed to quell the contagion, fierce hot spots are breaking out in the Sun Belt.
45 Patients
Moderna’s initial results are from the first group of 45 patients who received the vaccine, called mRNA-1273. It evaluated three doses that were given in a two-shot regimen. The middle one was selected for use in the large final-stage study that is slated to begin on July 27th.
In the trial, participants received the two shots 28 days apart. After the first dose, all of them generated antibodies that bound to the coronavirus, but most did not yet produce antibodies capable of neutralizing the virus.
But all 42 people who got both scheduled doses of the vaccine generated antibodies capable of neutralizing the coronavirus, according to the study results. The final-stage trial will compare the vaccine to placebo shots in 30,000 healthy people at high risk of contracting COVID-19.
One significant limitation of the data is it includes information only from the first 45 patients in the study, all of whom were from age 18 to 55. Results from a second portion of the phase 1 trial that included older people -- a key demographic for any COVID-19 vaccine, given the high death rate in older patients -- are not available yet.
William Haseltine, a former Harvard Medical School researcher who chairs Access Health International, said the levels of neutralizing antibodies produced were “respectable” and possibly protective. But he said “the jury is out” on the vaccine’s safety.
Robert Langreth, Bloomberg New
Crucial data from experimental vaccines against the new coronavirus started streaming in as Moderna Inc. disclosed early results and new findings from the University of Oxford’s rival shot were reported to be imminent.
Moderna’s vaccine elicited antibodies in all people tested in an initial safety trial, federal researchers said Tuesday. Early results from tests of a vaccine Oxford is developing with AstraZeneca Plc will be published as soon as Thursday, according to a report on the ITV.com website.
New immunizations are reaching important milestones as the virus surges in the U.S. and other countries, continuing to stifle economies and claim lives. Governments are investing billions of dollars in the hope that safe and effective inoculations will aid a return to something resembling pre-pandemic life.
Investors are also eagerly following the vaccine race, although some drugmakers have said they’ll sell their products at cost during the pandemic. Moderna’s shares surged as much as 18 per cent in U.S. trading despite a high rate of side effects among the 45 patients who got the shot, with three experiencing severe reactions.
While ITV.com referred to the Oxford results as “promising,” without providing any data, AstraZeneca shares climbed as much as 4.2 per cent on the report. Other companies researching vaccines for the virus -- including Pfizer Inc. and Merck & Co. -- also rose, and optimism over Moderna lifted global equity markets.
“The good news is that this vaccine induced antibodies,” said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “Not just any kind of antibodies, but neutralizing antibodies.”
Fauci, in a telephone interview, called the Moderna data “really quite promising.” Other experts sounded a note of caution over side effects.
More than half of participants who got the middle of three doses administered in the Moderna trial suffered mild to moderate fatigue, chills, headache and muscle pain. Also, 40 per cent of people in the middle-dose group experienced a fever after the second vaccination. Three of 14 patients given the highest dose experienced severe side effects, but that dose is not being used in larger tests.
‘Adverse Events'
“Man, that is a lot of adverse events,” said Tony Moody, a doctor and researcher at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute. He said it would be “unusual” for a vaccine to have this rate of side effects.
On the plus side, Moody said that the antibody levels produced were “really encouraging.” The neutralizing antibody levels in the trial produced were equivalent to the upper half of what’s seen in patients who get infected with the virus and recover, according to the results published Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Moderna’s stock has almost quadrupled in value this year on hopes that the company’s vaccine will gain rapid approval. The vaccine will move into a much larger late-stage trial later this month that’s likely to determine whether it’s fit for commercial use.
Although stimulating production of neutralizing antibodies doesn’t prove a vaccine will be effective, it’s considered an important early step in testing. T
The side effects reported weren’t severe enough in the majority of patients to preclude further testing, according to the report by researchers from the NIAID.
The vaccine news came as the pandemic continued thriving throughout the U.S. While some states that suffered this spring have managed to quell the contagion, fierce hot spots are breaking out in the Sun Belt.
45 Patients
Moderna’s initial results are from the first group of 45 patients who received the vaccine, called mRNA-1273. It evaluated three doses that were given in a two-shot regimen. The middle one was selected for use in the large final-stage study that is slated to begin on July 27th.
In the trial, participants received the two shots 28 days apart. After the first dose, all of them generated antibodies that bound to the coronavirus, but most did not yet produce antibodies capable of neutralizing the virus.
But all 42 people who got both scheduled doses of the vaccine generated antibodies capable of neutralizing the coronavirus, according to the study results. The final-stage trial will compare the vaccine to placebo shots in 30,000 healthy people at high risk of contracting COVID-19.
One significant limitation of the data is it includes information only from the first 45 patients in the study, all of whom were from age 18 to 55. Results from a second portion of the phase 1 trial that included older people -- a key demographic for any COVID-19 vaccine, given the high death rate in older patients -- are not available yet.
William Haseltine, a former Harvard Medical School researcher who chairs Access Health International, said the levels of neutralizing antibodies produced were “respectable” and possibly protective. But he said “the jury is out” on the vaccine’s safety.
Quebec-made COVID-19 vaccine candidate starts human trials
, The Canadian Press
, The Canadian Press
Canadian trials have just begun for a prospective COVID-19 vaccine but its Quebec-based manufacturer is already tempering expectations.
Bruce Clark, president and CEO of the biopharmaceutical company Medicago, cautions observers against holding unrealistic assumptions that his product -- or any of the numerous vaccine hopefuls in development globally -- can bring the pandemic to a screeching halt if proven viable.
Clark notes more than 120 companies are trying to come up with a COVID-19 vaccine, many of which have never been in the vaccine space before.
He doesn't doubt that "something's going to come out of this," but he questions how effective it may be.
"Whatever vaccine we get in this first round -- unless it's a miracle -- it's not going to be perfect," says Clark, whose company began trials for its proposed vaccine Monday in Quebec City.
"It's going to have to undergo development, it's going to take probably years to come up with an understanding of the right vaccine, the right approach. It's not the panacea.
"To assume that we can have, in 18 months, the solution to a pandemic that comes around once in a generation, is naive."
Canada's deputy public health officer Dr. Howard Njoo expressed similar cautions Tuesday, while acknowledging the need to develop viable vaccines and therapies.
"Lots of different steps are still ahead of us before we might even anticipate that there might be a safe, effective vaccine that would be available for use in the general population," said Njoo.
So much is still unknown about COVID-19, notes Clark, including how it may manifest during the flu season later this year.
He suspects a more likely scenario is that a vaccine will offer only part of the solution, along with new therapeutics and ongoing public health interventions.
Medicago's first phase of clinical trials will test the safety of a plant-based product on 180 healthy men and women, aged 18 to 55.
The randomized, partially blinded study uses technology that does not involve animal products or live viruses like traditional methods.
Clark notes that vaccine developers typically use chicken eggs to propagate a virus, but Medicago uses recombinant technology involving the genetic sequence of a virus, with living plants as the host.
The resulting virus-like particles mimic the shape and dimensions of a virus, which allows the body to recognize them and spark an immune response.
Clark says the plant-based approach is significantly faster and offers more consistent results than egg-based or cell-based methods.
It's the same method Medicago has used for a proposed seasonal flu vaccine that Clark says is currently being reviewed by Health Canada. If approved, Clark says it would be the first plant-based vaccine in the world.
While it takes five to six months to propagate a virus in eggs, the plant-based technique requires just five to six weeks, he says.
"In a pandemic, something like COVID, if you're able to cut that much time off development, you have a substantial impact on public health."
Meanwhile, Clark says viruses are prone to mutations as they adapt and grow in an egg, which could result in a vaccine that doesn't exactly match the circulating virus. In contrast, "a plant is a plant," and that makes production easily scalable.
"One plant behaves like 100,000 plants," he says.
The trial will evaluate three different dosages alone, or with one of two adjuvants provided by GlaxoSmithKline and Dynavax. An adjuvant can boost the effectiveness of a vaccine for a better immunological response, thereby reducing the required dose, Clark adds.
He hopes to know the safety of the product, as well as effectiveness of the adjuvants and dosing by October. Based on that, researchers would kick off a second, more targeted trial phase involving about 1,000 participants.
If that's successful, Clark says a third phase would involve about 15,000 to 20,000 subjects, include older cohorts, and may be a global study, depending on circumstances of the pandemic by then.
HAVE YOUR SAY
If the vaccine proves effective, Clark points to another uncertainty.
Because the company's commercial plant is across the border in Durham, N.C., he says there's no guarantee of a Canadian supply.
"'Guarantee' is a strong word," says Clark. "Strange things happen to borders in the context of a pandemic."
Such border complications were made clear to Canadians in April when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau complained about problems with incomplete or non-existent deliveries of critical COVID-19 supplies. At the time, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered U.S. producers to prioritize the domestic market.
Clark suggests similar hurdles could impact vaccine distribution, putting immediate pressure on Medicago to complete construction of a large-scale manufacturing facility in its home base of Quebec City.
"Certainly, we need a facility in Canada," Clark says.
"There's no guarantee on the easy flow of materials back and forth across the border should we have a successful vaccine. We have to keep the focus on completing the Canadian facility so that we have domestic capacity. I think this is what most countries are concerned about."
By the end of 2023, the Quebec City plant is expected to be able to produce up to one billion doses of a COVID-19 vaccine annually.
Until then, Medicago says it expects to be able to make approximately 100 million doses by the end of 2021, assuming its trials are successful.
Clark says countries must temper any nationalist agendas that might emerge with a viable vaccine and acknowledge that the fight against COVID-19 is global.
Meeting that demand would require multiple manufacturers, multiple distribution routes, and lots of co-operation, he says, possibly through the World Health Organization.
"There has to be some ability to share those around and distribute, whether that's through an entity like the WHO, or something equivalent."
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