How the Delta variant achieves its 

ultrafast spread

Viral load is roughly 1,000 times higher in people infected with the 

Delta variant than those infected with the original coronavirus strain,

 according to a study in China.

• Sara Reardon

A queue at a hospital in Surabaya, Indonesia, that treats people with COVID-19. Indonesia has been hard hit by the Delta variant.Credit: Juni Kriswanto/AFP/Getty

Since first appearing in India in late 2020, the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 has become the predominant strain in much of the world. Researchers might now know why Delta has been so successful: people infected with it produce far more virus than do those infected with the original version of SARS-CoV-2, making it very easy to spread.

According to current estimates, the Delta variant could be more than twice as transmissible as the original strain of SARS-CoV-2. To find out why, epidemiologist Jing Lu at the Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Guangzhou, China, and his colleagues tracked 62 people who were quarantined after exposure to COVID-19 and who were some of the first people in mainland China to become infected with the Delta strain.

The team tested study participants’ ‘viral load’ — a measure of the density of viral particles in the body — every day throughout the course of infection to see how it changed over time. Researchers then compared participants’ infection patterns with those of 63 people who contracted the original SARS-CoV-2 strain in 2020.

In a preprint posted 12 July1, the researchers report that virus was first detectable in people with the Delta variant four days after exposure,compared with an average of six days among people with the original strain, suggesting that Delta replicates much faster. Individuals infected with Delta also had viral loads up to 1,260 times higher than those in people infected with the original strain.

Delta coronavirus variant: scientists brace for impact

The combination of a high number of viruses and a short incubation period makes sense as an explanation for Delta’s heightened transmissibility, says epidemiologist Benjamin Cowling at the University of Hong Kong. The sheer amount of virus in the respiratory tract means that superspreading events are likely to infect even more people, and that people might begin spreading the virus earlier after they become infected.

And the short incubation makes contact tracing more difficult in countries such as China, which systematically tracks each infected person’s contacts and require them to quarantine. “Putting it all together, Delta’s really difficult to stop,” Cowling says.

Genetics researcher Emma Hodcroft at the University of Bern in Switzerland agrees that the mechanism makes sense. She and Cowling both suspect that estimates of the exact difference in viral load between Delta and the original strain are likely to shift as more scientists study the virus in various populations.

A number of other questions about the Delta variant remain unanswered. It’s still unclear, for instance, whether it is more likely to cause severe disease than the original strain, and how good it is at evading the immune system. Hodcroft expects some of this information will emerge as researchers look more closely at broader and more diverse populations of people infected with Delta and other variants. “This virus has surprised us,” she says.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-01986-w

References

1. 1.

   Li, B. et al. Preprint at medRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.07.07.21260122 (2021).

BC SPCA has responded to over 600 reports of animals left in hot cars this summer
Amir Ali

DAIY HIVE
Jul 21 2021

BC SPCA


The BC SPCA has launched a campaign to urge people to take better care of their pets during one of the hottest summers in recorded history.

Coined “No Hot Pets,” the organization hopes that people increase their awareness around pets left in hot vehicles.

“This summer, our animal protection officers have already responded to 642 calls to rescue animals in distress in hot cars,” says Lorie Chortyk, general manager of communications for the BC SPCA.

See also:

808 deaths reported during the extreme heat wave: BC Coroners Service

Vancouver hasn’t seen a drop of rain for an entire month

With over a month of summer left and warm conditions persisting across most of the province, the BC SPCA is offering free car decals in hopes that it will raise awareness around the dangers of leaving pets in hot cars.

“Every year, there is at least one call where a pet has died before help can arrive. It is heartbreaking because it is a horrible way for a pet to die, and it is devastating for their guardian.”

Chortyk suggests the best thing the public can do, besides actually making sure that pets are safe inside a home during periods of hot weather, is to spread the word to friends and family about just how deadly it can be to take pets along for the ride when running errands.

“We know people love their pets and want to spend time with them, but if you are going out and will have to leave your pet in a hot car, even for a few minutes, please don’t do it. The consequence could be tragic.”


If you see an animal already in distress in a hot vehicle, please contact your local police, RCMP, animal control agency or the BC SPCA Call Centre at 1-855-622-7722.

STURGEON AN ENDANGERED FOSSIL FISH
Freakishly massive fish weighing over 800 pounds caught in BC's Fraser Valley

CATCH AND RELEASE 
Amir Ali
Jul 21 2021,

Fraser River Lodge

A massive fish weighing in at over 800 pounds was caught in the Fraser River, near the Fraser River Lodge in Agassiz, BC.

It was an experience that sounded more like a scene out of Jaws or Moby Dick, in an hour-long struggle where the crew faced multiple obstacles before the eventual catch of a large virgin surgeon, meaning it had never been caught before.

The sturgeon refused to tell the crew its age, but according to Fraser River Lodge staff, a fish of this size could be over 100 years old.

A crew of three people had to maneuver around bridge pillars and an island that had trees protruding from the water that were constantly hitting the boat.

The fish was measured, scanned, and tagged before eventually being carefully released back into the water, with Fraser River Lodge guides standing by to make sure it was okay.

“Catches like this are extremely rare and are always exciting to be a part of,” said a Fraser River Lodge spokesperson.

The actual size of the fish was 11 feet, five inches in length, and 56 inches in girth.

The 800 pound weight of the fish puts it on par with an adult grizzly bear or moose.

Sturgeon are classified as endangered in Canada and the US, with only catch-and-release being permitted due to overfishing and water pollution.

Cryptozoology Part 2: plawiuk — LiveJournal

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for STURGEON FOSSIL FISH

Wildfire Smoke Moving from West Coast to East Shows the Domino Effect of the Climate Crisis
Air-quality alerts have been issued in several major cities.


BY LUCY DIAVOLOJULY 21, 2021



Wildfire smoke from the western coast of North America is impacting air quality all the way on the other side of the continent. Meteorological tracking maps published by the New York Times show how the smoke from fires in Canada and the western United States has traveled east, prompting air-quality warnings in major eastern cities in both countries. The situation highlights the potentially massive domino effects possible as a result of the climate crisis.

As CNN reported, the Bootleg Fire in Oregon is partially to blame. The massive blaze — one of several that’s been burning in Oregon recently and dozens in the region — already created powerful weather systems. As a deadly heat wave gripped much of the western edge of the continent, killing hundreds, it’s created prime conditions for the enormous wildfires.

There’s reason to believe the fatal heat and gigantic burns are linked to climate change. Last year was a record fire year following record drought conditions, according to a NASA blog post that links both the hot, dry conditions and the fires that thrive in them to the ongoing climate catastrophe.

“Climate affects how long, how hot, and how dry fire seasons are,” Natasha Stavros, a NASA engineer who studies wildfires, said in that piece. “As the climate warms, we’re seeing a long-term drying and warming of both air and vegetation.”

Some lawmakers see the connections, as well. In an op-ed for Teen Vogue published earlier this week, Representative Katie Porter (D-CA), wrote, “Worsening wildfires are not a coincidence; they represent a direct consequence of the climate crisis. Every year, wildfire ‘seasons’ extend longer and burn with more intensity.”

Even with massive areas impacted, the fires’ reach stretches far beyond the reach of the devastating flames. This week, some kind of alert or warning about the smoke and its impacts on air quality has been issued in places like Virginia, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York City, and much of Canada. Images published by the Telegraph show the Statue of Liberty shrouded in haze, and the sun and moon have taken on reddish-orange hues in places like Toronto, New York, Michigan, and West Virginia. In New York, air quality dropped to among the worst in the world, as the Guardian reported.

The situation is a reminder that the climate crisis is a global problem. Even as disasters may unfold locally, domino effects can be felt thousands of miles away.

Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out: Why California’s Wildfires Are Getting Worse

Satellite photos show wildfire smoke spreading across Canada

Tyler Jadah
Jul 21 2021

CIRA

Hundreds of wildfires have been burning throughout much of the country, especially in Western Canada.

Environment Canada alerts and statements have been in place across Canada. Many of the wildfires burning in British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Ontario have triggered states of emergency and evacuation orders.

The resulting smoke has started to drift thousands of kilometres away and has resulted in hazy skies and smog alerts.

See also:
BC declares provincial state of emergency over wildfires

Wildfire smoke could soon begin to shroud Vancouver skies

Satellite images by the Regional and Mesoscale Meteorology Branch (RAMMB) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) show an intense smoke drift covering parts of North America.

Wildfire smoke changes constantly and consists of a mixture of particles and gases which could be hazardous to your health.

In an email with the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA), Researcher Matt Rogers tells Daily Hive the institute encourages “anybody in proximity to these fires to be in close communication with their local emergency response systems and be prepared to follow all evacuation orders and guidelines as issued by those authorities.”

He says the fires in BC are of “significant interest” due to their impact on “local and remote populations alike.”

Rogers says scientists are still “collecting as much data as possible” regarding the wildfires and says the satellite imagery is a “relatively new capability,” having had been available over North America since 2016.

A time-lapse GIF from July 20’s wildfires, courtesy of the RAMMB, can be found right here.

British man arrested in Spain over alleged role in Twitter hack of high-profile accounts
By Euronews with AP, AFP • Updated: 21/07/2021 -

The Twitter hack affected 130 high-profile accounts of politicians and celebrities. - Copyright AP Photo/Richard Drew, File


A British man has been arrested in Spain on suspicion of hacking some 130 celebrities' Twitter accounts last summer.

Joseph O'Connor was arrested in the Spanish coastal resort town of Estepona on an international arrest warrant, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Wednesday.

He has been charged in the United States for alleged involvement in a widespread Twitter hack that compromised the accounts of a number of prominent U.S. politicians, celebrities and tech moguls in July 2020.

Prosecutors have also accused O'Connor of breaking into accounts on the social media apps TikTok and Snapchat, and of "cyberstalking a juvenile".

A criminal complaint has been filed in a federal court in the Northern District of California. O'Connor is formally charged with cyberstalking, making extortive and threatening communications, and intentionally accessing a computer without authorisation.


O'Connor, who is known by the internet alias PlugWalkJoe, denied wrongdoing in police interviews.

Hackers targeted around 130 accounts this week, says Twitter in latest statement

Twitter hack: Obama, Biden, Musk and Gates accounts reportedly breached in Bitcoin scam

During the high-profile security breach, fake tweets were sent from a number of high-profile social media accounts, urging followers to send them Bitcoin payments.


"I have decided to help my community. All bitcoins sent to my address below will be doubled," some of the accounts tweeted.

Amongst others, the cyberattack targeted then-U.S. Presidential candidate Joe Biden, as well as former President Barack Obama, and another candidate Mike Bloomberg.

Former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk also saw their accounts compromised.

The messages were swiftly deleted, but investigators estimate the scam would have allowed the hackers to take in more than $100,000 dollars in cryptocurrency.

Twitter said the hackers had targeted a handful of employees via a phishing operation by telephone to break through the platform's double authentication system.

In September, the social network announced they had strengthened the security of celebrity accounts.

Teenagers charged over Twitter hack that targeted celebrities, politicians and moguls

In March, a Florida teenager pled guilty to having masterminded the operation and was sentenced to three years in prison. Court papers filed last year said the plot originated in an online forum for people looking to obtain original, valuable social media usernames.

There is an underground market for stealing and trading sought-after handles on Twitter and other social media sites such as Instagram, or the gaming worlds of Minecraft and Fortnite. Earlier this year, Twitter said it was cracking down on accounts linked to the trading of such usernames.

Tanzania arrests leader of main opposition party


NAIROBI (Reuters) - Tanzania's main opposition party said on Wednesday its leader had been arrested with ten other party figures, in what it called proof that President Samia Suluhu Hassan was persisting with the authoritarianism of her late predecessor John Magufuli.

© Reuters/EMMANUEL HERMAN FILE PHOTO: Freeman Mbowe, chairman of Chadema, Tanzanian main opposition party arrives at Kisutu Magistrate Court in Dar es Salaam

The Chadema party said leader Freeman Mbowe and the others had been detained before dawn at a hotel in the lakeside city of Mwanza, where they had been planning to hold a meeting later on Wednesday to discuss proposals for a new constitution.

The arrests followed the detention of dozens of other party members last week for holding a meeting without permission.

The Mwanza region's police commander and the regional commissioner both did not immediately respond to calls and messages seeking comment. On Tuesday regional commissioner Robert Gabriel had told reporters that gatherings without government permission were banned in line with policies introduced since Hassan took office to curb COVID-19.

“We are condemning this violation of human rights for Tanzanians and this is a sign that the dictatorship that was prevailing during President Magufuli's administration is still persisting,” Chadema said in a statement published on its Twitter page.

Chadema's former presidential candidate, Tundu Lissu, who lives in self-imposed exile in Europe, tweeted that Hassan's rise following Magufuli's death in March had brought "hope that Magufuli's reign of terror and war on democracy would end.

"Last night's arrest of Chairman Mbowe and CHADEMA leaders has dashed any such hope. It's now time for nationwide protests and international isolation of her regime."

Tanzania has long denied opposition party accusations that its government practices authoritarianism.

Chadema has proposed changing the constitution, which it says this is necessary to protect democracy following the rule of Magufuli. Hassan, of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party, had served as Magufuli's vice president before succeeding him when he died in March of what the government called a heart condition but opponents suspect may have been COVID-19.

Chadema said it had no information on where Mbowe was being held, while the other party figures were detained at Mwanza's central police station.

Chadema had announced plans to hold a meeting in Mwanza, on Lake Victoria, on Wednesday, and said all attendees would observe health guidelines to curb the spread of COVID-19.

On Monday, Mbowe had told a news conference: "If they want to arrest Chadema supporters due to the constitution issues, let them expand their prisons. We are ready to be arrested and we will not seek bail."

Magufuli had been Africa's most prominent COVID-19 sceptic, dismissing the virus as harmless, resisting any restrictions to halt its spread and rejecting vaccines.

(Reporting by Nairobi newsroom; Editing by Maggie Fick and Peter Graff)

Tensions Go High in Donbas As Russia Breaches Truce

Russia is violating truce in the east of Ukraine as tensions are on the rise on the frontline since late June. Despite the deal in force for a year now, Russian forces and pro-Russian rebels keep firing at Ukrainian positions. The Ukrainian army saw some casualties; there were some wounded, too.

SOURCE: DEFENCE OF UKRAINE

Only on July 18 Ukrainian positions were attacked four times. Russia-backed rebels and Russian military personnel used grenade launchers, mortars, and POM-2 antipersonnel landmines, the last of them near Avdiivka. Marcin Przydacz, Polish deputy foreign minister, said the conflict in Donbas would remain high on the agenda of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) as the country prepares to take over the chairmanship of the organization next year. The diplomat visited Ukraine where he stayed for a couple of days. While in Donbas, he met with observers from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) working in the region and Ukrainian officials. In addition, Przydacz visited a checkpoint on the demarcation line. But the situation in the east of Ukraine is deteriorating. On July 15, five Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in shelling it blamed on Moscow-backed separatists in the east of the country. Eight truce breaches have been recorded. The enemy opened fire, employing 120 mm and 82 mm mortars. It also engaged Ukraine positions with 122 mm artillery. Ukrainian servicemen opened fire, too. As of July 13, some 13 ceasefire violations were recorded in the area, a Ukrainian soldier died while six were injured. That day Russia-backed rebels breached the truce, in force since July 2020, thirteen times. There were also shootings while unmanned aerial vehicles were flying across the demarcation line. A Ukrainian soldier was killed on July 8 while another one was wounded. That day Russia-backed rebels breached the truce eleven times. The Mission has observed a deterioration of the security situation in the disengagement areas, according to the Special Representative of the OSCE, Ambassador Heidi Grau. There are more and more truce breaches while observers find it difficult to travel around the area. Ukrainian, Russian, and OSCE negotiators reached a ceasefire agreement on July 27, 2020, for a full ceasefire between government forces and pro-Russian separatists. After six months of peace Donbas had not seen since 2015, Russian troops began shelling Ukrainian positions in the spring of 2021 as Russia amassed its troops near the border, thus sending a threat of war. After a phone call, Biden had with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, a kind of de-escalation came, including in Donbas. Yet shortly after the meeting in Geneva, Russia resumed its military provocations along the demarcation line.

Date: 20 July 2021

Russia’s Corporate Soldiers: The Global Expansion of Russia’s Private Military Companies

July 21, 2021

This report examines Russia’s growing use of private military companies (PMCs) to increase its influence through irregular means. In recent years, Moscow has expanded its overseas use of PMCs to countries such as Ukraine, Syria, Libya, Sudan, the Central African Republic, Madagascar, and Mozambique. Many of the PMCs operating in these countries, such as the Wagner Group, frequently cooperate with the Russian government—including the Kremlin, Ministry of Defense (particularly the Main Intelligence Directorate, or GRU), Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), and Federal Security Service (FSB)—and perform a variety of combat, paramilitary, security, and intelligence tasks. However, many of these PMCs have a poor track record—including operational failures and human rights abuses—and there are opportunities to exploit PMC vulnerabilities. Although Russian PMCs present only one of a variety of national security threats and challenges facing the United States, this report assesses that they warrant a more substantive and coordinated response from the United States and its partners.

This report is made possible by generous support from the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation and other sources.

DOWNLOADS
Download the Full Report

WRITTEN BY


Seth G. Jones
Senior Vice President; Harold Brown Chair; and Director, International Security Program


Catrina Doxsee
Program Manager and Research Associate, Transnational Threats Project
Brian Katz
Former Fellow, International Security Program; Transnational Threats Project
Eric McQueen
Former Military Fellow, International Security Program

Joe Moye
Former Military Fellow, International Security Program


MOST RECENT FROM SETH G. JONES

Rise to Peace blog

UKRAINE

Azov Battalion – Guardian Angels or Notorious Extremists?

Caption: Members of Azov Battalion gathering in Kyiv. Photograph: Sergei Supinsky/Getty

History

Civil unrest took place across Ukraine during the 2014 revolution. This resulted in an overthrow of the elected government led by Viktor Yanukovych. Following the riots, Russia decided to send military units to Crimea and declared the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol as the 84th and 85th federal subjects of Russia. Since then, collisions between pro-Russian separatists and pro-Ukrainian militias have continued.

The Azov Battalion is one of the most well-known military units that emerged during the 2014 Ukrainian crisis. It was initially founded as a voluntary militia in the Azov Sea coastal area. In October 2014, it formally became a branch of the National Guard of Ukraine. The Battalion was first observed on the battleground in Mariupol. Here, they recaptured the town from pro-Russian separatist forces in June 2014. With its rapid growth, Azov Battalion has become an unignorable military force and a tangible icon of Ukrainian patriotism.
Ideology

The Azov Battalion faces accusations claiming its close ties with neo-Nazi ideology when it was first recognized by the international society. In 2014, a German public broadcaster named ZDF released videos showing Azov soldiers wearing helmets with the Nazi Swastika and SS symbols.

The Guardian describes Azov’s symbol as “reminiscent of the Nazi Wolfsangel”, while the battalion denies it by saying it simply represents the letter N and I crossing over each other, implying “National Idea” in the Ukrainian language. Some of Azov’s leaders have been linked to neo-Nazi ideology. Andriy Biletsky, the battalion’s first commander, also leads neo-Nazi organizations “Patriot of Ukraine” and “Social-National Assembly”.

Members of Azov Battalion have attempted to separate themselves from Nazi stereotypes. Instead, they have claimed that the organization is founded upon Ukrainian patriotism. Some of them even take a more “Robin Hood alike” approach, legitimizing their gathering by saying that “the police are ineffective, corrupt or drunk.”

Andriy Diachenko, a spokesman for the Azov Battalion, stated in an interview with USA Today that ‘only 10% to 20% of the group’s members are Nazis’ and it’s all about ‘personal ideology [that] has nothing to do with the official ideology of the Azov.’

The designation of Azov battalion has been controversial internationally. In April 2021, U.S. Representative Elissa Slotkin sent a list of “Violent Extreme Right Wing” (vXRM) organizations to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, pressing the Biden administration to recognize these groups as “Foreign Terrorist Organizations” (FTOs). The Azov Battalion is included within this. Kacper Rekawek, an affiliated researcher at Counter Extremism Project, denied such an accusation and stated that Azov “does not engage in terrorist activity.”

Furthermore, former FBI officials called members of Azov Battalion “white supremacists” and compared them to “jihadists,” as enemies of the U.S. in a New York Times op-ed. In response, the Atlantic Council published an article written by Anton Shekhovtsov to deny such a claim. Shekhovtsov states that the nature of Azov Battalion has changed over time. This makes it simply a military unit controlled by the state. He also disproved the connection between the American bomber and the Ukrainian organization, claimed by the New York Times op-ed authors.

Recruitment

When Azov Battalion was first formed, it used extremist ideology and comparatively high pays to attract new members. Evolved over time, it has employed multiple new methods to recruit both domestically and internationally. According to published news pieces, foreign fighters from Sweden, Croatia, the United Kingdom, and even Russia joined Azov Battalion.

In an interview with TIME, an Azov recruiter named Joachim Furholm attributes Azov’s successful propaganda efforts to its pervasive use of social media, especially Facebook. Azov recruiters track potential members and support other right-wing organizations on Facebook. Facebook reacted quickly that it announced to ban Azov’s homepage and related accounts first in 2015 over “hate speech”. However, an article published by Buzzfeed News pointed out that advertisements related to Azov Battalion were still observed on Facebook in November 2020.

Additionally, Azov Battalion also run military summer camps domestically. Here, they taught children aged 9-18, military skills such as shooting rifles, practicing combat poses, and patrolling. Kyiv post reported that strict rules and nationalism ideology are practiced in these camps. In a documentary filmed by the Guardian, trainers at the camps teach children to salute to the Azov flag and shout “Ukraine above all”. Geopolitika, an organization based in Russia, accused such camps of ‘inciting hate by innocent children against ethnic Russians as well as opponents of the Kiev regime.” It also states that such acts are “broadly supported by US military aid”.

Conclusion

As a branch of the National Guard of Ukraine, Azov has transformed from a paramilitary organization to a national force. Its efforts to separate itself from the stereotype of “neo-Nazis” have convinced some. However, it still draws a significant number of critics. The designation of the group should be exercised deliberately and apolitically.