Coronavirus Thread

Please consider signing this petition:

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Declare COVID-19 Vaccine A Global Common Good Now

We, the undersigned, make this joint appeal to all the global leaders, international organizations, and governments to adopt legal measures and make official statements declaring COVID-19 vaccines as a Global Common Good, free from any patent right belonging to anyone. The signatories below include Nobel Laureates and Nobel Laureates Organizations, civil society leaders, and world moral leaders from all over the globe.

1. RIGHT TO THE FREE ACCESS TO THE VACCINE FOR ALL
Our right to health can be guaranteed only by our duty to health, both on an individual and collective level. As a priority, there is a need for our conceptual recognition, and actual translation into action, of our responsibilities. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc across Mother Earth, there is an explosion of research activities and clinical trials to find cures and vaccines. Indeed, everyone converges on the idea that ultimately the only way to definitively eradicate the pandemic is to have a vaccine that can be administered to all the inhabitants of the planet, urban or rural, men or women, living in rich or poor countries.

The pandemic clearly exposes the strengths and weaknesses of healthcare systems in different countries, as well as the obstacles and inequities of access to healthcare. The effectiveness of the upcoming vaccination campaign will depend on its universality.

Governments, foundations, international financial organizations like the World Bank and the regional development banks should work out details of how to make the vaccines available free of cost.

We appeal to governments, foundations, charity organizations, philanthropist individuals, and social businesses (that is, businesses which are created to solve people’s problems without taking any personal profit out of them) to come forward to produce and/or distribute the vaccines all over the world.

We invite all social, political, and health entities to re-affirm our collective responsibility for the protection of all vulnerable persons related to poverty, discrimination, gender, illness, loss of autonomy or functionality, or age.

2. TRANSPARENCY IN DETERMINING FAIR RETURN ON RESEARCH INVESTMENTS
The research for a vaccine is a long process. The estimated time for development of a COVID-19 vaccine is about 18 months or less, which would be an absolute speed record.

This research needs immense economic investments. Many private sector research laboratories who are engaged in the vaccine research will be expecting a return on their investments. We must work out an unambiguous procedure to determine what would be a fair level of this return in exchange for putting the vaccine in the public domain. For this reason, information issued by the private sector, scientists, and authorities, needs to be timely, accurate, clear, complete, and transparent. The research results should be in the public domain, making it available to any production facility that pledges to operate under strict international regulatory supervision and only to such facilities.

3. ACTION PLAN
We urge the World Health Organization to design a World Action Plan on COVID-19 vaccine. We appeal to them to set up an international committee responsible for monitoring the vaccine research and to assure equal access to the vaccine for all countries and all people within a publicly announced pre-determined time frame.

We appeal to all world leaders, Secretary-General of the United Nations, Director General of the World Health Organization, religious leaders, social leaders, moral leaders, leaders of research laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, and media leaders to join hands to ensure that in the case of COVID-19 vaccine we have a global consensus for free universal access, far ahead of its actual production and distribution.

https://www.vaccinecommongood.org//

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This petition was brought to my attention by Peter Gabriel, who is a tireless human rights activist.
 
'Wear a Mask'- parody of Disney 'Be My Guest' from Beauty and the Beast':

 
By Steven Zeitchik • November 12, 2020 • The Washington Post
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A year ago this month, Disney was riding high as it revealed it had racked up a massive $70 billion in revenue and $15 billion in operating income for fiscal 2019 while it also celebrated the launch of Disney Plus.

On Thursday, the company announced darker news for 2020: Amid the coronavirus, it saw operating income drop 45 percent for the year to just $8.1 billion, and fall a whopping 82 percent for the fourth quarter to just $600 million. Once taxes are factored in, the company lost $700 million during the quarter, which encompassed the July-September period, a rare drop for the country’s most prominent entertainment company.

Disney has been battered by the pandemic, which has kept it from attracting large numbers to its theme parks and from opening new movies in theaters. Theaters in many states remain closed or underpopulated, forcing Disney to shift many of its movies to 2021. And Disneyland is shuttered as California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has maintained strict reopening requirements. Walt Disney World in Florida is open, but executives have acknowledged business has been slower than anticipated.

The company did offer some cheerier news amid the bleakness. It disclosed that it counted 73 million global subscribers to Disney Plus, making the streaming service a juggernaut in its first 12 months and a clear favorite in the streaming wars among any service not named Netflix. Revenue totals for the quarter of $14.7 billion were also higher than analysts’ forecasts of $14 billion, while its loss per share was about 20 cents compared with expectations of 70 cents. Revenue for 2020 was down 6 percent.

The company benefited during the quarter from an 11 percent revenue jump in its TV division. A further boost could come from its prime-time series, many of which have resumed shooting. Its highly rated “The Good Doctor” has just returned to the air, as has “Dancing With the Stars”; the former saw a star’s positive coronavirus test but continues to shoot.

Disney also saw revenue growth in the merchandising-heavy division that includes Disney Plus, which increased 41 percent compared with the fourth quarter a year ago, before Disney Plus had launched.

Wall Street was heartened by some of those numbers, sending the share price 3 percent higher in after-hours trading.

Disney also said it lost $1.1 billion at its theme parks during the fourth quarter. Although that number is dismal, it is a reduction in losses from the previous quarter of $2 billion, as the company reopened parks in Florida over the summer.

But some analysts noted that the quarterly revenue figure was still down 23 percent compared with 2019. And once all expenses and taxes are included, the company lost about $700 million in the quarter after running in the black many previous summers.

One curiosity Thursday arose with the studio division, for which Disney reported a $1.6 billion revenue figure — a 52 percent drop — despite the fact that its two notable releases, “The New Mutants” and “Mulan,” barely grossed $100 million worldwide. Much of the money ironically either came either from outside licensing deals — the very deals Disney Plus aims to get rid of — or from Disney Plus paying the studio division for rights.

In response to the challenges, Disney has sought to tighten its belt. It laid off 300 workers from ESPN earlier this week and also has drastically pared down the number of employees at theme parks. It also has sought to centralize more of its delivery to digital, last month rearranging various distribution departments of the company toward that aim, particularly on Disney Plus.

That service has been home to a number of social media hits, including “The Mandalorian,” whose new season debuted last month. The company is aiming to release at least one piece of major content each quarter, with the Pixar original “Soul” coming in December. On Thursday, Disney announced that “WandaVision,” the service’s first Marvel series, will be released on the platform in January.

But Disney Plus’s success is tempered by the investment costs associated with it. A MoffettNathanson report says the division could lose $2 billion each this year and next; Disney had acknowledged it won’t be profitable until 2024.

The company on Thursday also did not reveal numbers for “Mulan,” which cost Plus subscribers $30 to watch. Disney chief executive Bob Chapek said in an earnings call that the experiment was successful enough in the company’s eyes that it could well be repeated with other movies.

“We saw enough very positive results,” he said, “to know we’ve got something here in terms of the premiere access strategy.” He added, “What we’ve learned from Mulan is there will be a role for it strategically with our portfolio of offerings.”

There was little acknowledgment in the call of the country’s rising coronavirus numbers, as new cases hit a record of 153,280 on Thursday. Chapek noted the advent of a new cruise ship that will be ready in 2021, when he said executives believe the worst of the pandemic will be over, allowing the ship to be used. Executives also cited encouraging news this week in vaccine research and said reservations at Disney World were trending up for the last three months of 2020.

Chapek attempted to put a good spin on the news. “Even with the disruption caused by COVID-19, we’ve been able to effectively manage our businesses while also taking bold, deliberate steps to position our company for greater long-term growth,” he said in a statement, referring to the disease the coronavirus causes.

But in the call, he also acknowledged the difficulties in theme parks and pointed the finger at Newsom.

“We are extremely disappointed that the state of California continues to keep our theme parks closed despite our proven track record,” he said, as he referred to reopenings in Florida and Asia. “We believe state leadership should look objectively at what we’ve achieved … as opposed to setting an arbitrary standard.”

In light of the shaky numbers, the company announced Thursday it had decided to forgo its semiannual dividend for the second half of 2020, following a similar action last spring.

Disney has faced pressure from activist shareholder Dan Loeb as well as Disney heiress and company critic Abigail Disney to stop the dividend. Loeb has said money should be spent on content; Disney has charged that a dividend was unfair while so many employees have been suffering or laid off.
 
As of now, the whole province of Ontario is in a lockdown. Northern region gets 2 weeks and Southern region gets 4 weeks.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The first doses of Moderna&#8217;s COVID-19 vaccine have arrived in Canada. These are part of the 168,000 doses we&#8217;ll be getting before the end of the month, and part of the 40 million doses we&#8217;re guaranteed from Moderna overall. <a href="https://t.co/eKhQ6v8xSA">pic.twitter.com/eKhQ6v8xSA</a></p>&mdash; Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) <a href="https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau/status/1342203233280913411?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
:angry:I&#8217;m very angry right now with the Canadian government, but mainly at Doug Ford for keeping us Northern Ontarians imprisoned in our own homes by extending the lockdown for 2 extra weeks. I hate that sadistic b:censored:!:angry:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: Province extends lockdown in Northern Ontario until Jan 25. However, unlike the south, high school AND elementary school students in the north will return to in-person learning this Monday, Jan 11.</p>&mdash; Jonathan Pinto (@jonathan_pinto) <a href="https://twitter.com/jonathan_pinto/status/1347277960320004097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
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Stop posting photos of Michael in here. Just because he was wearing a mask. It has nothing to do with this thread.
 
This is our lives until the the virus it's self wanna leave. my mother said it's getting worst because people won't wear their masks and wash their hands and social distance. i will praying for you guys and world. stay safe guys and please wear a mask and wash your hands.

cute-girl-wear-mask-anti-coronavirus_70350-486.jpg
 
WHO found what&#8217;s responsible for the coronavirus to happen.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Breaking: Ferret badgers and rabbits sold at a Wuhan market are among the prime suspects in the hunt for how Covid-19 spread to humans <a href="https://t.co/jg7oPhbTCx">https://t.co/jg7oPhbTCx</a></p>&mdash; The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) <a href="https://twitter.com/WSJ/status/1362437462983921664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
The government is failing us right now and I&#8217;m sick and tired of that sadist b:censored:d Doug Ford enforcing a lockdown in Ontario again and I swear to god he&#8217;s killing us with INSANITY!!! He&#8217;s driving me mad! He&#8217;s ruining small businesses and he&#8217;s corrupting us way too many times! Trends of #RemoveThePM and #FireFordOpenOntario were going crazy all over Canada.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We have to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RemoveThePM?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RemoveThePM</a> to save Canada and Canadians! <a href="https://t.co/ZZGodXYnqP">https://t.co/ZZGodXYnqP</a> <a href="https://t.co/duO1mgBThM">pic.twitter.com/duO1mgBThM</a></p>&mdash; Dan Fraser &#65533;&#65533;&#65533;&#65533; (@dcoachdan) <a href="https://twitter.com/dcoachdan/status/1380209302540058631?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This lockdown is outrageous. <br>After a year government knows full well the ramifications of the closures and stay at home orders. They don't care.<br>It's equivalent to seeing millions of people bleeding with open wounds and the government throwing salt on them<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FireFordOpenOntario?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FireFordOpenOntario</a> <a href="https://t.co/XrWgWJVeFO">pic.twitter.com/XrWgWJVeFO</a></p>&mdash; Tracy&#65533;&#65533;&#9804;&#65533;&#65533;&#65533;&#65533;&#65533;&#65533; (@ProvoGal01) <a href="https://twitter.com/ProvoGal01/status/1380162133988638720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I wanna impose a lockdown resistance movement!
 
The lockdowns are necessary to stop hospitals being overwhelmed by huge surges in cases caused by the new variants. Unfortunately Canada, and possibly the US, are headed towards a similar situation as we had in the UK when the new variant took hold and cases skyrocketed. Our health system almost reached the breaking point in some places before the effect of the lockdown kicked in. The situation was dire. And when the health system is overwhelmed it's not only Covid patients who suffer it's also everyone else who has a medical emergency. People die who could have been saved.
Canada has done nowhere near enough vaccinations to stop a hospitalisation surge, so lockdown is the only viable option for you at the moment.
 
The lockdowns are necessary to stop hospitals being overwhelmed by huge surges in cases caused by the new variants. Unfortunately Canada, and possibly the US, are headed towards a similar situation as we had in the UK when the new variant took hold and cases skyrocketed. Our health system almost reached the breaking point in some places before the effect of the lockdown kicked in. The situation was dire. And when the health system is overwhelmed it's not only Covid patients who suffer it's also everyone else who has a medical emergency. People die who could have been saved. Canada has done nowhere near enough vaccinations to stop a hospitalisation surge, so lockdown is the only viable option for you at the moment.

Completely agree. The philosophy behind lock downs is to reduce the risk of community transmission, which in turn takes the pressure off the hospital system. It keeps the number of cases relatively manageable and allows for resources (hospital staff, equipment, medications, etc.) to be used shared equitably.
 
as someone who has asthma going outside and lockdown is very important for me. that's why i can't go outside without an mask or be close to others. covid-19 really ruin alot of things. like last year i was planning to go out and make some friends because i'm different since this virus i can't go anywhere and would be very risky for me and probably new friends down the line.

i had been trying help people due covid while keeping prayers up and help others get though it.

i think everyone has learn their lesson from this. never take anything for granted in this world.
 
i just find out the other day i lost two family members on my dad side of family due to covid. i never met them but i hope their are free and happy now with no more pain and suffering. they was in their late 30's early 40's.

please wear a mask guys and keep social distancing it's important.
 
2 cases in hit my hometown, school teacher and a senior living at Nellie Lake. Matheson (about over 20 minutes south of us) is hit hard with several workers infected with the virus. Be sure to spray Lysol (not in use), Isopropyl or Peroxide (in use) on your cloth masks like I do.
 
2 cases in hit my hometown, school teacher and a senior living at Nellie Lake. Matheson (about over 20 minutes south of us) is hit hard with several workers infected with the virus. Be sure to spray Lysol (not in use), Isopropyl or Peroxide (in use) on your cloth masks like I do.

keep staying safe.
 
by Erik Pedersen, Anthony D'Alessandro | July 30, 2021 | Deadline
[video=youtube;4zH5iYM4wJo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zH5iYM4wJo[/video]
Paramount Pictures has curbed the planned September 17 release of its CGI/live-action feature Clifford the Big Red Dog over concerns of the delta variant. The film is complete, and thereÂ’s good early tracking (in the low 90s), however, with families feeling less likely to go to theaters, Paramount is looking for a new U.S. release date. Paramount believes it has a winner with Clifford, but only if kids can safely go to the multiplex.

There was buzz that the studio was pushing the film by a week to Sept. 22, however, they’ve completely unset it. Clifford was announced as a Gala Presentation at the Toronto Film Festival in September. The title’s Canadian rights are held by eOne, which was set to take Clifford to TIFF. However, as of tonight, it’s unclear whether it would still premiere there. There’s no mention of the movie on the fest’s site. Clifford‘s full trailer arrived in late June and since then has clocked 130M views in its first week.

Directed by Walt Becker, Clifford the Big Red Dog stars Darby Camp as Emily Elizabeth, a middle-schooler who meets a magical animal rescuer (John Cleese) who gifts her a little, red puppy. She never anticipated to wake up to find a giant 10-foot hound in her small New York City apartment. While her single mom (Sienna Guillory) is away for business, Emily, Clifford and her fun but impulsive Uncle Casey (Jack Whitehall) set out on an adventure.
 
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