Comments by "pinball1970" (@pinball1970) on "BBC News" channel.

  1.  @paincult7121  What did they do wrong? I think they made two main mistakes myself. Some things they got right.
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  2.  @paincult7121  When Italy started to get serious that's when we should have acted yes. School back in September mistake, PPE and letting India back before the deadline although not sure what Boris could have done on that. Leave them to rot?
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  3.  @gandiganda5  Get a tin foil hat
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  4.  @gandiganda5  I see you spam the same brainless post on other sites too
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  5.  @lovelyjubbly1023  sure he is, so is Gandalf
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  6.  @Descartes999  Yeah because highly educated dedicated professional Scientists and published academics have just decided to start lying for a living.
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  7.  @Descartes999  Have they? Please forward the peer reviewed published articles from these highly educated Scientists and we can discuss.
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  8.  @KidDynamite40  Ha ha!! Great comment (Galileo)
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  9.  War Dog  I think what she meant regarding the autism post is that people are stupid on the whole and many think a few visits on you tube and FB is the same as a obtaining a science degree.
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  10.  @sikeda8423  Have you read any of the published scientific literature regarding Covid?
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  11.  @sikeda8423  Covid is a killer, why are you posting ignorant nonsense?
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  12.  @ethicalrevolution3294  Yes we have the internet warriors telling us like it is! I have a feeling that they will only realise that this is a serious disease when it jumps up and bites hem on the ass or someone they know.
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  13.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  Of course vaccines work, do you know anything atball about science?
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  14.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  I studied virology/microbiology when I was a student then worked on labs from 1990-2007 so I know how the scientific method works. I know how the immune system works, vaccines and a lot of the back ground information. Why do I post? I am passionate about science I think it advances our species and untruths have to be called out. Children may be reading.
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  15.  War Dog  If you are a liar and a scientist then you walk on thin ice. You have to publish lies which are under scrutiny from the scientific community. Even as a genuine person researching in earnest publication leads to the same sort of scrutiny. It's not a perfect system but in terms of finding out what is right, what is not right and all those grey areas it's the best system we have.
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  16.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  COVID is not like a 'cold' Influenza is not a cold. Influenza kills people, around 17,000 per year in the UK on average. My colleague is at present working hard on a vaccine (not COVID) for next year's stock. Seasonal flu has vaccines available, I get mine free, COVID does not as it is new. Encountering the virus for the first time then means you are going in naked with no protection. A vaccine will offer protection once developed.
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  17.  War Dog  Wrong about what? Why do you think an uneducated, ignorant person would have insight on a scientific matter?
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  18.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  There is literature on COVID already published regarding key proteins and mutation rates. From what I remember they manage to sequence it's genome very quickly and indications are mutation rate is slow. If I find the link I will forward. Yes viruses do mutate on the whole their genomes are fairly plastic, this is why simply developing a vaccine and then mass producing it only works within certain limits. They have to be adjusted, refined from year to year or they would not work.
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  19.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  I don't make vaccines btw, I have colleagues who do.
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  20.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  To be clear having a vaccine is not 100% guarantee you will not get it, just like getting chicken pox as a kid does not mean you can't get it as an adult. They give an enormous advantage however, if they were fairly ineffective then they would not pass all the testing. The spend a huge amount on testing the efficacy of the vaccines, not just development.
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  21.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  I've spoken to one guy who will send me a link to some of the publications, his wife gets updates from the WHO too.
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  22.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  Drs don't just hand out opioids, I dislocated my shoulder playing 5 a side (brutal sport) and he only have me 3 or 4 days worth of decent stuff. Very morish.
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  23.  War Dog  Science is built on facts faith is built on......I don't know. Wish thinking.
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  24.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  co dydramol I think
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  25.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  I'm not famous no, I'll get back on your points as there are a few factual errors.
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  26.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  You don't have to be so rude/angry, I think I've been respectful. It's late now, I'll reply tomorrow.
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  27.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  Yes, if he virus mutates that means a sequence changes enough that could alter a key protein. This could mean the immune system no longer 'recognises' it. This is why vaccines are constantly tested, year to year.
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  28.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  I've already told you they adjust them then they test them. If vaccines don't work they cannot use them. There are some vaccines that have been researched that have not been successful and you can find examples of these but influenza is not one of them.
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  29.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  You have made a few assumptions and I guess I have let you run with them but I do not like dishonesty. I have a first degree in applied Biology, I do not have a PhD. My first job was in organic synthesis in R&D but I moved from there and now I am a specialist rather than a scientist. I am connected with industry rather than academia and my skills are more chemistry and physics related rather than life science. I have kept up with progress however and all my contacts are valid (R&D, vaccines and drugs as well as other disciplines)
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  30.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  Mutation rates vary as I said, I'll dig that paper out on the COVID stuff. Can I ask what your overall objections are in a nutshell? Vaccines on the whole don't work or just some? It just a money thing? If my company made a vaccine and it was not effective (say 20-30% of cases only) then this would be reported. This would be exploited by competing manufacturers who could demonstrate its (lack of) efficacy quite easily. They would be exposed, scientists compete, it's what they do, if they think there is a flaw in a method, hypothesis, data set or experiment set up they will bend over backwards to prove that team wrong. This is why science progresses the way it does and technology and industry (my bag) run along after it trying to keep up.
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  31.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  I think you mentioned SARS at some point? COVID is a SARS virus, SARS describes the illness specifically.
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  32.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  You are asking the right questions, science needs to be challenged.
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  33.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  That's a good point, I have read that the spread is beyond that of many other viruses like SARS 1, MERS, bird flu and a few others. Research suggests that where the viral particles are issued from host and the number are the key factors. Upper respiratory tract, lower, throat nose etc. COVID from memory is upper and the number is very high. Don't quote me on this because the article was from March and these publications were coming out very fast to try and keep the science community informed. The mode of transmission is still unclear, for me this virus has droplet infection written all over it, why? (This is the first personal speculation I am giving, everything else is widely available in the literature) the speed of transmission, I don't think a contagious infection would take hold so quickly. Also the range of spread, all those countries (263) in a matter of 2-3 months? This suggests air ports, lots of people and close space. There are plenty of fomites but airports are clean and population transient. I could be wrong and fomites may be the biggie
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  34.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  Pinball virus! Ha ha like it. You know I made a COVID model in February and put it on my desk and the guys were asking what it was? Everyone knows now I think.
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  35.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  There is a site you can visit for MMR that documents vaccine programs and out breaks. That data will tell you all you need to know. You also find data on polio and other pathogens like TB. The science is the same, get the pathogen design an analogue / attenuated (weakened version) use this to stimulate antibodies (and back up systems that go with it)
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  36.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  You mean how do they make a vaccine? A new one? I don't know. I don't know how precisely is the short answer. Imprecisely? They get the relevant virus and test the current vaccine, if it fails the testing they isolate the current virus and attenuate it. From memory, via chemical, heat or other means. I'm getting shaky now without Google.
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  37.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  It's weekend mate! I've been honest with you so far, I am not going to make up answers. I'll contact my mate today, he's got 3 kids so takes advantage of the weekend. His job is pretty important right now!
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  38.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  I'll answer the parts I can. If everyone got the flu jab this would do two things, 100% of people would have immunity to that particular antigen. A % would probably still get symptoms, I'll, die. What % ? I don't know. Testing involves in Vivo and I can't go into detail on that for obvious reasons. You can assume testing in Vaccine A gives 55% immunity ie gives rise to anti bodies is rejected. 95% accepted? I don't know, perhaps it's 98? Next stage, does the antibody recognise the TARGET virus? If not it's useless, rejected. It does not matter if the viruses mutates all they need is a version of it. If the virus mutates out of site then this will make the process difficult if not impossible. I don't know what the deal with HIV is for instance, I am guessing it's because T lymphocytes are part of the viral cycle.
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  39.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  On a specific, viruses mutate when they make copies of them selves, ie when they have hi jacked a cell. COVID left on a surface will not mutate.
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  40.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  Like I said Andy you are asking some pretty decent questions. Someone who does this for a living, day to day would give you better answers. I'll chase him, we went to University together (he was brilliant at maths) he did Pharmacology and I would have wiped the floor with him at this subject 30 years ago. Now he is near the top of his field! You are spot on with a few points, some viruses have no Vaccines and may never have them, HIV recognised as a virus around 1981, 40 years later??? Common cold? Rhinovirus? Nope. There must be others, EBOLA is a nasty one too, 80-90% morality, they were working on one, a three in one Vaccine. Not sure how that panned out. COVID? I have hope, we have other flu vaccinations (since 2011 mine seems to have been ok) I know you have doubts on those but let's see what I get back.
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  41.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  Yes I read the autism thing, an awful condition. My ex worked with kids with special needs and she said the two autistic kids they had were the most upsetting. Physically fine but she could not reach them, terrible for the parents.
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  42.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  I had my TB jab booster at 15 and nearly passed out! TB was a killer but is now rare. Immigration rates over the last 20-30 years has seen many cases brought to the UK from abroad. Some strains resistant. The hard truth is that soon, antibiotics will be ineffective, for ALL infectious diseases. We need a shift in thinking, drug treatments of that kind are not the way forward.
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  43.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  Yeah I can be an arrogant ass hat at times, I want to connect though. Put real info out there, you are a decent guy. I'll feed back soon Andy. Cheers
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  44.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  He got back Andy
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  45.  War Dog  I was not being nasty btw, ignorant just means not having knowledge of something. I am ignorant on many science subjects.
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  46.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  The virus is not man made as Corona viruses have been around as long as there has been microbes probably. In terms of this virus in particular? My opinion is not worth much but Trump is pointing fingers at China, perhaps something could have gone badly wrong in terms of study and containment. I don't know. It's possible, the science will come out when it's died down.
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  47.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  The costs involved n terms of development and testing are huge. Yeah they make a profit otherwise they could not operate. Don't forget though that I get mine free on the NHS as do many other groups and the relative health authorities have budgets.
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  48.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  You could say that about a lot products though yes? Beer? Ever done home brew? I did and I managed to knock out some great stuff for pennies per pint once I had bought all the kit. I hand over nearly £5 in Manchester for a pint of Stella! Who gets all that money!? Same with drugs however operation costs are huge like I said. My mate gets audited by more than one body per year for instance and those daily rates are enormous, then all other operation costs. If they fuck up and send out a dud batch the government would come down so hard on them financially it would probably put them out of business. They need the best, costs are very high and lives are at stake.
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  49.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  My flu jab has protected me thus far. I hope I don't get this thing, I ended up in hospital just from a chest infection because of my asthma. Protect yourself Andy this thing is a killer but I think the end is in sight.
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  50.  @Andyburns-vt6rs  Good luck Andy and keep asking the hard questions. Try and give me and the guys in white coats a little slack if you can, we try our best!
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