Phage to the rescue

Scarcity in the Time of Coronavirus #3

Hello Isolates,

This is day 30 of my voluntary isolation. We’ve all got some hard time ahead of us. Together we can stay strong and ride this pandemic out. Just think what we would do without the internet. It would be 1918 all over again. Many more deaths, people going crazy in their house arrest, and many more people violating the voluntary confinement.

Turn the predators into prey by mutation

Our scientists are working night and day on coming up with all sorts of ways to stop the pandemic. These include pills and intravenous transmission of drugs that might alleviate the symptoms of Coronavirus infection. Trump is pushing hydroxychloroquine, the malaria drug, as if he owned a piece of it. Other proposed solutions include Vitamin D and Vitamin C, which may be able to shut off the ACE2 receptors through which the virus injects the cell with its DNA. There are about 30 drugs under consideration for a tryout.

Other scientists, worldwide, are working on vaccines, which may take as long as a year and a half to perfect. It is thought that the antibodies of those who have been infected and survived might become the basis of a new vaccine. 

Can we learn from the annual influenza infections?

The problem with a vaccine can be illustrated with the flu vaccine. It started in mass circulation in 1945, but gained many advocates as the years went by. Even with all the signs urging people to get their flu shots in drug stores and pharmacies in places like Costco, many people don’t respond. They are either non-believers, anti-needle or don’t have the money to pay for the shot which costs $25 - $45 without insurance. As a result people can get sick for a week, or even die. In addition, the flu cocktail often misses the mark since the flu virus mutates frequently, rendering the vaccine ineffective. 

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) says 80,000 Americans died last year from the flu. A group called Constitutional Health says the CDC lies and that the number was closer to 3,000. The numbers are all over the board, which is not good science. At the very least, we can say that the vaccine method has lots of problems. But you really should get a flu shot. It’s much less painful than getting the flu.

Phage to the rescue

Here’s another idea, which I’ve discussed with a couple of knowledgeable people. The most populous organism in the world is called the Bacteriophage, or Phage, for short. In spite of the name, it’s a virus. It gets the bacteria part of its name because it spends it days killing bad bacteria (and saving a lot of fish in the process). Most of these cute little killers are found in the oceans, but they are ubiquitous. There are some hanging out on your skin right now. Don’t worry, they mean you no harm. They are single-minded, in that they only kill one type of bacteria. When they find one, they inject DNA inside the bacteria. The DNA reprograms it to produce lots and lots of little Phage. So many Phage that sooner or later, the bacteria explodes, as in Alien.

How can this organism help us fight Coronavirus if it only kills bacteria? Well, with a new technique called crisper, we can modify the Phage DNA so that it now believes Coronavirus is public enemy number one. But how do we know that our science is up to the job? Recently, a team of scientists in Berlin successfully reprogrammed their Phage subjects to attack the Flu virus. While the Coronavirus is a different family from the Flu virus, the possibility exists that the Coronavirus could be wiped out by our new friends, the Phage. Just think, no more masks, no more PPEs, no more virus-caused pandemics!

Check out the clever cartoon, The Deadliest Being on Planet Earth – The Bacteriophage:

Why do Black people have worse outcomes with Coronavirus

Black people are not genetically disposed more than anyone else to be infected by Coronavirus. But when they are infected, they get sicker and are more likely to die than other races. This is all anecdotal information at present. No studies have been released breaking down the outcomes of the virus infection, and many hospitals don’t record the race of the patient. 

It stands to reason that the anecdotal record in correct. Because of racism and segregation, most Black people live in poor communities, with poor hospitals. In Los Angeles, the standards at Martin Luther King hospital were so bad that the facility had to be shut down. Without quality hearth care and good insurance coverage, many Blacks defer health problems that should be addressed by a doctor. As a result, Blacks have more illnesses that allow the virus to wreak havoc on his or her body. For many or most Blacks, the pandemic is a sideshow. The real epidemic is racism, that affects most whites and causes devastating effects to people of color..

The virus is all about me, thinks lawyer

The Los Angeles City Council, on April 6, voted unanimously to have the city attorney shut down short-term rentals at the Ellison Suites, a large apartment building at 15 Paloma Ave. in Venice. What does this have to do with coronavirus? Quite a lot, actually.

In the unending battle between gentrifiers and locals, a couple of years ago, the building management suddenly began recruiting tourists and other short-term residents, ala Airbnb. The long-term residents objected to the constant coming-and-goings of the visitors, the noise, and the violation of the apartment code of the city. The district councilmember, Mike Bonin, came to the locals defense, as did the other 14 council members.

The lawyer for the owner/developer was enraged, “Bonin is just using the coronavirus as an excuse to shut down the building,” lawyer Thomas Nitti said, according to the L.A. Times.

Councilmember Mike Bonin, not to be outdone, claimed the short-term renters were placing the other residents in danger of contracting the virus. He pointed to their constant socializing and disregard of social distancing. One of the residents, a 71-year-old man who uses an oxygen tank, complained at the hearing that he often had to share the elevator with “an ever-changing stream of tourists.” Recent travelers around the world have made up a large proportion of the people infected with the virus.

The Ellison Suites means a lot to Venetians. It’s considered a cultural and historic relic of bygone days. In past years it was the long-time home of Venice’s poet laureate, Philomene Long, as well as the well-known Beat poet, John Thomas, who used to hang out with the notorious and beloved, Charles Bukowski. 

The tables seem to have been turned on Airbnb and get-rich-quick hotel conversions which have invaded Venice and other communities. Low income tenants were evicted from many Venice apartments, and even garages, in favor of well-off tourists eager for a whiff of the Venice vibe. Now, with the city attorney, Mike Feuer, receiving his mandate from the city council, Venetians can look forward to being able to rent an apartment in their own neighborhood.

Safety for the rest of us

By now, you should have a few masks and multiple pairs of gloves making you street legal and ready to strut down the boulevard, to the grocery store, of course. 

But wait. Where is your face shield? This anti-coronavirus item may not be required yet, but it can’t hurt. While you may not want to go all out and get a Tesla-made ventilator, you can’t go wrong with an Apple-made face shield. The bad news is they are only being provided to the medical community. No word on the price. If you are willing to settle for a non-Apple-branded face shield, you can pick one up on Amazon. They range in price from $14 to $39. I’m saving up for a full Hazmat suit. Why settle for less? This is war, after all.