Hi, I am Marmee Regine, your host in Pandemic Podcast Coronavirus. Before I begin, I would like to announce that episode #11 of this podcast, “Vaccine and Variant,” is now LIVE online with 50 plus pages ebook found in Amazon websites from the US to different websites of Amazon around the world. It was published online last January 25, 2021, and I created it as a series of eBooks. All of you can read the eBook for FREE if you have a subscription to Kindle Unlimited. And you can get it just for a dollar online. Take note I am just getting 0.35 cents for every eBook purchased online since most of the content is from a public domain. If it was more of personal writing such as a memoir, then the royalty from Amazon is 0.70 cents. Please check my eBook today on all the Amazon websites in your location. Going back to our current episode, we will discuss two opposing fates of the weak immunocompromised patients versus the strong boost in the money market raking huge profits during this pandemic. Yes, friends, we live in a world of ironies every day. During my Developmental Psychology class at the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest Catholic university in the Philippines, I still recall the second stage of Erik Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development. It is autonomy versus shame and doubt. According to Erikson, younger kids at this stage are focusing on the development of a sense of one's mastery over physical skills and a sense of independence. Here the parents allow the child to have more independence and at the same time protect the child from avoiding constant failure. In this situation, the parents have that sense of control as they balance how they treat their child. Allowing their children to have that sense of autonomy can also lead to their children's failure in their developmental tasks. In this regard, the parents cannot criticize the learning experiences of their child. A sense of control is one word that describes this stage is about independence and autonomy of the child. In life, if we lose that sense of control in every aspect of our lives, then we are also bound to fail and inevitably a major catastrophe. The same idea is true when the pandemic arrived in our lives, where we lost that control on the rising incidence and increasing mortality rates around the world. The viral spread was rapid like fire among the vulnerable populations such as the immunocompromised patients, especially the older adults. With the rapid decline of health, millions of lives were lost during this pandemic time. In the study of physiology, I often tell the students that I tutor online that there are two kinds of relationships between two processes. If you place them on a graph and watch the trend over time, they can be directly proportional or inversely proportional. In comparing the continuous decline of health, there is also an increase in mortality rates which shows two opposing scenarios. The same opposite fates today are the increase in the money market, resulting in the decline of the immunocompromised patients' health. I am not referring to that the general economy is going up. Still, some people earn good money because they invest in the stock market related to vaccine production. It is the irony of our lives, just like the famous saying, “comedy is a tragedy and vice versa.” It is a tragic story that with the death of millions of people, investors in the money market are cashing in the big bucks in their pockets. Let us discuss more where the trend is going during this pandemic time of uncertainty around the world today.  Directly proportional relationships among the increased mortality rate, increasing Covid-19 cases, increasing anxiety, and the increasing stock market The truth about my mid-century age this 2021, I realized I have to take the responsibility of managing m

PPC-Season 2-Special Episode #1: STAT News short videos compilation

Hi, I am Marmee Regine, your host in Pandemic Podcast Coronavirus. In this special episode, I want you all to hear it from the experts’ point of view from STAT News. They compiled a series of videos for the general public to have more information and knowledge during this pandemic time. Here are some of what the experts view from several concepts and settings during this Covid-19 climate. 

I am posting the video links from their website on my Patreon page:

How do you measure how deadly a disease is? (Helen Branswell)- https://video.statnews.com/m/guyE7XG9/how-do-you-measure-how-deadly-a-disease-is?list=63QKWMwp

Bill Gates on pandemics (Rick Berke)- https://video.statnews.com/m/0HwbGhwx/bill-gates-on-pandemics?list=63QKWMwp

The surprising way germs spread during air travel (Alex Hogan)- https://video.statnews.com/m/irWLl4hm/the-surprising-way-germs-spread-during-air-travel?list=JAmaD2Ah

Covid Tests explainer (Andrew Robinson & Kathleen Mclaughlin)- https://video.statnews.com/m/JioUpbKE/covid-tests-explainer?list=63QKWMwp

How coronavirus mutates (Alex Hogan)- https://video.statnews.com/m/3127HZsZ/how-coronavirus-mutates?list=63QKWMwp

What to expect when you're injected: Vaccine side effects explained (Alex Hogan)- https://video.statnews.com/m/CuvHCCjh/what-to-expect-when-youre-injected-vaccine-side-effects-explained?list=63QKWMwp

STAT’s Helen Branswell answers your questions about Covid-19, reinfection, and vaccine efficacy (Helen Branswell)- https://video.statnews.com/m/7dsTFcO3/stats-helen-branswell-answers-your-questions-about-covid-19-reinfection-and-vaccine-efficacy?list=63QKWMwp

Making ventilator sharing safer (Hyacinth Empinado)- https://video.statnews.com/m/RRAXksWz/making-ventilator-sharing-safer?list=63QKWMwp

Testing explainer (Miki Katoni, Molly Forster, Max Brimelow)- https://video.statnews.com/m/4fwz7Dok/testing-explainer?list=63QKWMwp

How immunity is developed (Hyacinth Empinado)- https://video.statnews.com/m/UYqij6Ug/how-immunity-is-developed?list=63QKWMwp

Thank you for listening. Make sure you visit the STAT News website for more informative videos in the future. Until next time, I am Marmee Regine, your host in Pandemic Podcast Coronavirus. Thank you.

Hi, I am Marmee Regine, your host in Pandemic Podcast Coronavirus. Happy New Year 2021. Today we are entering Season 2 of this podcast. Before we go to the next episode, let me share with you this special episode on Operation Warp Speed Briefing streamed lived last January 6, 2021, the same day that there was an invasion of the U.S. Capitol Building. That was a historical date for all the American people, both on the healthcare and political aspect. While the right side wanted to do the right thing to speed up the vaccine distribution to the vulnerable populations, the left side wanted to take over the political scene about last year's presidential election. 
We are now continuing with the vaccine roll out as they started to vaccinate both seniors and essential workers. In this special episode, let us listen to their briefing.

The COVID-19 vaccine developers and their journal publication of clinical trial data used either a non–replicating adenovirus or the new mRNA technology. The intensive research in the coronavirus vaccine race was made possible under the federal U.S. government's auspices under President Donald Trump's administration. 
Audio for 30+ minutes.
There you go, friends. In the next episode, I will discuss the vaccine and the variant. Thank you for listening.
EXTRA information:
TRUMP DOES THE UNTHINKABLE.                                                                            by Liz Crokin
As an entertainment journalist, I've had the opportunity to cover Trump for over a decade, and in all my years covering him I've never heard anything negative about the man until he announced he was running for president. Keep in mind, I got paid a lot of money to dig up dirt on celebrities like Trump for a living so a scandalous story on the famous billionaire could've potentially sold a lot of magazines and would've been a Huge feather in my cap.
Instead, I found that he doesn't drink alcohol or do drugs, he's a hardworking businessman. On top of that, he's one of the most generous celebrities in the world with a heart filled with more gold than his $100 million New York penthouse.
Since the media has failed so miserably at reporting the truth about Trump, I decided to put together some of the acts of kindness he's committed over three decades which has gone virtually unnoticed or fallen on deaf ears.
In 1986, Trump prevented the foreclosure of Annabell Hill's family farm after her husband committed suicide. Trump personally phoned down to the auction to stop the sale of her home and offered the widow money. Trump decided to take action after he saw Hill's pleas for help in news reports.
In 1988, a commercial airline refused to fly Andrew Ten, a sick
Orthodox Jewish child with a rare illness, across the country to get medical care because he had to travel with an elaborate life-support system. His grief-stricken parents contacted Trump for help and he didn't hesitate to send his own plane to take the child from Los Angeles to New York so he could get his treatment.
In 1991, 200 Marines who served in Operation Desert Storm spent time at Camp Lejune in North Carolina before they were scheduled to return home to their families. However, the Marines were told that a mistake had been made and an aircraft would not be able to take them home on their scheduled departure date. When Trump got wind of this, he sent his plane to make two trips from North Carolina to Miami to safely return the Gulf War Marines to their loved ones.
In 1995, a motorist stopped to help Trump after the limo he was traveling in got a flat tire. Trump asked the Good Samaritan how he could repay him for his help. All the man asked for was a bouquet of flowers for his wife. A few weeks later Trump sent the flowers

Vaccine and Variant
Hi, I am Marmee Regine, your host in Pandemic Podcast Coronavirus. Happy New Year to all this 2021. Today we are entering Season 2, and it is episode 11 on vaccine and variant. So now we are continuing with the vaccine roll out as they both vaccinate seniors and essential workers. In this episode, first, we will discuss the current vaccines that they are rolling out and the recent Covid variant. Next, we will also hear what the experts say about the vaccine and the variant. Finally, we will end this with a question and answer about the vaccine and the variant. 

Hi, I am Marmee Regine, your host in Pandemic Podcast Coronavirus. Today is the 10th episode where we will discuss the three types of coronavirus vaccine. They are the Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, and Astra Zeneca. These three vaccines currently passed the phase 3 clinical trials presently given as the emergency authorization vaccines. Every country already started injecting the vaccines, such as the UK, US, France, etc.
Introduction
The two vaccines, the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna, are both mRNA vaccines. They are using new RNA technology. Now, what is mRNA, aka messenger RNA? In protein synthesis, the central dogma starts from DNA synthesis during transcription, followed by RNA synthesis during translation until the final protein product. In layman's terms, mRNA is a temporary transition state of cells until they are converted to protein in the cells' ribosomes.
Pfizer/BioNTech
To follow this process in the Pfizer-BioNTech, the vaccine itself contains mRNA that helps make the body's proteins. These proteins are responsible for eliciting an immunogenic response or immune responses that lead to antibodies' release to fight the infectious diseases invading the body. 
Moderna
In the Moderna vaccine depicts its vaccine, the messenger RNA is packaged in five prime regions, which keeps it from being broken down once it goes to the cell's cytoplasm to find its way to ribosomes. On the opposite side of the five prime regions is the three prime regions by the poly-A tail end; it does something similar, preventing the break down of mRNA so it will continue to be protein. Once this mRNA from the vaccine gets inside the cell, it will send a message to the immune system to work. Once the mRNA gets into our muscle cells and other essential cells that code for the spike protein, it will trigger the immune system. The protein synthesis in the ribosomes received the mRNA's message to recognize the spike protein on the virus's surface. That familiarity or recognition with the virus's spike protein signals the immune system (antibodies, T-cells, B-cells) to reject the viral invasion or viral entry into the cells.  Let us go to three vaccines that had passed three phases of clinical trials within this year, 2020. One of the reasons it passes was that it is not a spiked protein vaccine but an mRNA vaccine that is more convenient to inject into the body. The FDA will be meticulous in approving a vaccine that is already a protein compared to an mRNA. Why? There can be manufacturing problems in making vaccines that already spike proteins while the mRNA is just a code or a message; that is why it is called messenger RNA. It will only be sending a message to the body cells to make proteins inside the ribosomes. The proteins made will then send the message to the body's immune system as a warning signal when the spiked viral protein of coronavirus tries to attach to the cells' surface. Finally, the 95% efficacy makes this current vaccine safe and reliable after undergoing a phase 3 clinical trial. Just imagine, friends, that there were 70,000 doses validated both for safety and efficacy in the clinical trials. I liked the mRNA because it is not genetic engineering, for it is just a messenger to the immune system to help recognize the spike viral proteins. Isn't it in real life when we received a letter with a message, and we read it, then we can toss that letter to the garbage for we already receive the message, right? The same idea is that the mRNA will stay in the body for a few days, and it is transient and temporary. Once it passed the message, it's gone. Why? It already did its job for the body to make the protein. The mRNA does not become part of the body, unlike the DNA.
Astra Zeneca
Now, let us look at AstraZeneca, and those are not mRNA or messenger RNA vaccines

Hi, I am Marmee Regine, your host in Pandemic Podcast Coronavirus. Merry Christmas to everyone. Today is the 9th episode where we will discuss part two of my podcast on the recent Presidential election in the USA during the coronavirus pandemic. In my past podcast episode, I mentioned Operation Warp Speed by President Donald Trump. Since the election, there has been foreign interference in our U.S. voting system by the so-called Dominion software manipulated outside the USA. There have been tons of hardcore video evidence showing this is a rigged election. Still, as usual, the media denies their existence despite several cases have reached the Supreme Court. To balance this episode with the first part, I will discuss more about the vaccine. Covid-19 vaccine information COVID-19 vaccine distribution began on December 14, 2020 Monday. It is the vaccine by Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech. In the Phase 3 study's first objective, the efficacy rate of 95% was exhibited among the tested subjects having no prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. The second objective revealed the same percentage to subjects who have no previous and with prior SARS-CoV-2 disease. Both cases were measured seven days after the second dose. The efficacy demonstrated consistency on variables such as age, gender, race, and ethnicity. Plus, all participants in the trial will be continuously monitored to estimate the period of safety and protection in a span of two years after their second dose. There was an estimate of 44,000 trial volunteers who committed to the Pfizer and BioNTech study. In return, both companies pledge always to prioritize their safety. The study participants ought to be commended for their courage to help in this pandemic time by using their physical bodies and immune system to advance this scientific breakthrough with regards to this E.U. authorization on COVID-19 vaccine where they are granted marketing authorization on a conditional level, emergency cases temporary approval from more than 40 countries. In the coming weeks, there are continuous regulatory reviews for further permissions in several countries.
About the Phase 3 Clinical Trial The Phase 3 clinical trial on BioNTech's proprietary mRNA technology, where the participants received their second dose, is in the ratio of 1:1 vaccine subjects to immune response, placebo effect, efficacy data for regulatory review. The study design is a randomized, observer-blinded study. The study will continue towards the prevention of infection by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Study data will verify the duration of protection, increased safety time, and efficacy against asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. Furthermore, it will continue to investigate the immunogenicity and safety in adolescents 12 to 17 years of age. Additional studies include evaluating pregnant women, children younger than 12 years, and those in special risk groups, such as the immunocompromised. Authorization of vaccination in the USA The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is authorized for an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to be used for active immunization for the purpose to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in individuals 16 years of age and older.  In Newark, New Jersey university hospital, emergency room nurse Maritza Beniquez received the vaccination last December 15, 2020 Tuesday. Maritza Beniquez was the first person in New Jersey to have the Covid-19 vaccine for media reporting. In her words, Beniquez stated, "I couldn't wait for this moment to hit New Jersey. I couldn't wait for it to hit the U.S.". Also, she received the vaccination with Governor Phil Murphy. So, the order of priority will be given to front-liners such as doctors, nurses, other fro

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Hi, I am Marmee Regine, your host in Pandemic Podcast Coronavirus. Today is the 8th episode where we will discuss the recent Presidential election in the USA during the coronavirus pandemic. This is part one of this episode title. This title came from an older version that goes, "Love in the Time of Cholera." Ironically, we will not talk about love, for we will discuss the opposite of love: the hate and the politics among Americans dividing them as a nation this pandemic time. Even among the set of friends on my social media, they blocked me, cursed me, and argued with me because I voted for President Donald Trump, along with my Jewish partner, Nat Bloom. Since my Republican friends continued to discuss our shared views and scenarios, the division was apparent why we all voted for the incumbent president. 
Since I became a US citizen in 2017, I returned to school by studying at CUNY Hunter College and successfully graduated early this year, January 23, 2020. I was lucky to experience a winter 2020 graduation in Hunter College auditorium before the dawn of the pandemic. Then the Spring 2020 graduates started the social distancing graduating class. I never voted in the past until last November 3, 2020, when Nat woke me up to remind me to vote during the election day last week. Then we celebrated my 51st birthday last November 10, 2020, and still discussed in our dinner date the chaos of this pandemic's presidential election that is affecting our lives in the US. Power of the mainstream media to brainwash the people
So, the New York Times released the news last November 7, 2020, that President Trump ranks as the third elected president since World War II to be turned out of office by the voters. That is why they think it is a big deal. But they do not understand that President Trump gained more voters in this 2020 elections. As a result, when President Trump's campaign made allegations about voter fraud in the mail-in ballots, the media reported that even there would be a recount, it will not change the numbers. Of course, President Trump has the right to say that this election is not over. The fact remains several millions of Americans (more than 70 million-plus) voted for President Trump. It is exciting how this will play to the media in the end, but this is stealing the election away from the Republican Party for President Trump's supporters. According to my course last Spring, Introduction to Media & Podcasting, Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City, works for President Trump to dig into the opponents' dirt. As a result, Rudy Giuliani, along with Trump's campaign, filed lawsuits. One of the lawsuits I downloaded from Twitter is on my Patreon page as proof that there is election fraud. It is the same reason why Americans are convinced that this election was stolen against President Trump.  We can infer that this will complicate the former Vice-President Joe Biden's position to take his so-called presidential seat of power. The media of the New York Times believes it will poison the relationship between the two parties in the future.  There is an effect on the transition of power. Of course, the Republican Party has the right to create the narrative of a stolen election full of bias and unfairness. Worse, the media denies that President Trump had stimulated new voters, for they say it was Joe Biden who had the most number of voters in history? Duh, it was because a lot of dead people voted for Biden, which increased his voters. How can someone dig into the graveyard to ask these dead voters to have ballots vote for Biden? It makes the Republican voters angry at the idea that this is a disgrace in the history of the USA Presidential election. They referred to President Trump as irresponsible to declare on social media, especially Twitter, that he won

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Special Episode: Campaign Finance and 2020 Election

Pearson is releasing a series of webinars on hot topics in politics, referred to as The Election Series.  The title of this webinar is, "Campaign Finance and the 2020 Election" hosted by Professor Elliot Fullmer last October 15, 2020. The moderator is Staci Castleberry.

Title: Campaign Finance and the 2020 Election

The 2020 campaign will likely be the most expensive in US history. In this session, join Pearson author Elliott Fullmer for a discussion of how candidates, parties, and outside groups 

(i.e. SuperPACs) have raised and spent money during this election cycle. 

The discussion will also cover current debates, controversies, and reform ideas regarding campaign finance law in the US. 

Link: https://pearson.wistia.com/medias/1tl3u1vdb2

You can view a recording of the webinar at https://www.pearson.com/us/about/news-events/events/2020/10/campaign-finance-and-the-2020-election.html

Join us for future "Hot Topics in Politics: The Election Series" webinars and hear our authors provide their perspective on the most pressing events facing our government today. Register at: https://www.pearson.com/us/1/hot-topics-in-politics.html

We know that now more than ever, technology is the foundation that keeps you and your students connected. Looking for additional resources that address strategies, content, or tools for working and teaching online? 

Explore https://www.pearson.com/us/higher-education/why-choose-pearson/online-teaching-support.html.

Feel free to share with friends and colleagues.

Warmly,

The Pearson Team

Staci Castleberry

[email protected]

PPC- Episode #7: Treatments Versus Vaccines
In our current episode, we will discuss the differences between the vaccine and the treatment of Covid-19. In my previous episode, I mentioned I would talk about Pharmacology, and then suddenly, I just jumped into two parts of the vaccination topics. However, it seems that with the vaccine race happening globally, there is so much news to share about the vaccine of coronavirus. So, next time we will discuss the Pharmacology of the treatment. For now, let us move on to discuss the immunization versus treatment of Covid-19.
The vaccine has a preventive aspect so that one will not get sick. As one gets injected with a vaccine, the idea is for the body to develop and immunity to fight against a specific disease. Now, treatment is done when the patient is already sick with a particular pathology. Also, it is a way to prevent further seriousness and more injury to the ill individual. Drug treatments usually act against further growth and multiplication of bacterial and viral infections exhibited among antibiotics' drug action.
Traditional Versus New Methods
More than 90 different vaccines under development have a different function. A number is based on the old methodologies, while others are new designs. After the genome-wide DNA sequencing, they now use genetically based vaccine designs to prove its effectivity in the future. According to Dr. De Wilde, "I think in this case it's very wise to have different platforms being tried out." In the old way, the approach is to make vaccines from viruses. When the person's body encounters a new virus, the immune system produces antibodies. It is referred to as the antigen-antibody complex. The antibodies attack the bacterial and viral replication in the body. Of course, antibodies should prevent multiplication from causing severe diseases. Producing effective antibodies can prevent infection. But sometimes, the antibodies will not be adequate to fight foreign bacterial and viral infections.
Vaccines, as I mentioned before, signals the immune system of the body. They stimulate the immunity of an individual to create antibodies before the infection sets into the body. The rabies vaccine came from viruses. They inactivated it to make it a weaker virus to make a vaccine. Currently, scientists are also doing the same procedure by weakening the Covid-19 virus to produce a vaccine. The Chinese company Sinovac announced last April that its inactivated vaccine protected the monkeys. The immune system produces antibodies that attach to the viruses. In their experimental studies, scientists concluded that injecting a part of the viral protein is adequate to target the foreign viral invasion. It is an example of the so-called subunit viral vaccines against hepatitis B and shingles. So now, there multiple Covid-19 subunit vaccines that are being tested. Researchers began working on vaccines in the 1990s that conditioned the body cells to assist the immune system. Adenovirus was founded on this principle. There was an alteration in the adenovirus that infects human cells, which does not lead to sickness. By adding a gene to the adenovirus, scientists created a viral vector. In this case, the adenovirus is used as a vector when delivering the new gene through cell infection. They then undergo viral modification, which will not cause any disease outcome. Viral vector vaccines use the type of virus, such as the retrovirus, to carry the new gene (DNA) into the human cell's chromosome. So, the viral DNA acting as antigens that infect the human cell elicit an immune response. It is interesting to note that the viruses' specialized molecular mechanisms can transport their genomes inside the cells they infect. That is why viral vectors are used by molecular biologists to deliver genes into the body ce

Hosted By Matthew Herper @matthewherper       September 17, 2020

A pandemic means society needs information fast. Can researchers provide it?

STAT’s Matthew Herper will talk with corporate, government, and academic leaders to discuss how real-world data is currently being used, the challenges being faced, and how this information can more effectively be applied in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sponsor Introduction: Roy Smythe, M.D., chief executive officer, SomaLogic

Part 1: The FDA’s new approach

• Amy P. Abernethy, M.D., Ph.D., principal deputy commissioner, and acting CIO, Food and Drug Administration 
• Moderator: Matthew Herper, senior writer, medicine, and editorial director of events, STAT

Part 2: The view from the trenches

• Carolyn Magill, chief executive officer, Aetion 
• Harlan M. Krumholz, M.D., S.M., director, Yale-New Haven Hospital Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation
• Moderator: Matthew Herper, senior writer, medicine, and editorial director of events, STAT

About the Author Reprints

Matthew Herper Senior Writer, Medicine ***Matthew covers medical innovation — both its promise and its perils. [email protected]           @matthewherper 

Link: Virtual Event: Getting real-world data about Covid-19 https://www.statnews.com/2020/09/17/virtual-event-getting-real-world-data-about-covid-19/     via @statnews

https://www.statnews.com/2020/09/17/virtual-event-getting-real-world-data-about-covid-19/?utm_medium=email&_hsmi=95498954&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--NoEK3WruaNuw7L5RT1rmGaZ_cvIn3mR76nTSJ6swtW_Bo4Fvyj7UgN9kJ11D7sg2GxpCgKtevVL3OPe5tib2y-eW-qrHCz4sOy7xIyjvvut22rQ8&utm_content=95498954&utm_source=hs_email