Coronavirus in Ecuador

Easy. Two words. Antigen-antibody reaction -  a lock and key principle. You explain the rest if you so desire to others. I warned you to be not so petty. You are now.

Nope, expand and try again.why do we know you can get immunity to covid.a practitioner should even know this.

It depends on the antigenicity of the RNA that the COVID-19 has. So it´s a summation of antigenic stimulation and the immune response whether an immunocompetent individual is involved or a suppressed one with chronic conditions and immunosupressed pathology. You should involve yourself with dogs and I´m getting tired of your unprofessional attitude.

Are you much better than Dr Fauci? If yes, then you´re wasting your time here MY TIME and others!!!!

robal

To the person that stated we aren't even sure you get immunity to COVID, that is incorrect. What WHO was trying to suggest that just because a person has antibodies measured by some serogy test, doesn't always mean you have protective antibodies or that antibodies are important in this disease. First, the antibody thing. The test they give might detect antibodies to a part of the virus that has no role inactual immunity. They could be non neutralizing antibodies, cross reacting antibodies etc. So that is why youcould or couldn't be truly immune but the test may not find that. One would need to look for neutralizing antibodies, a very expensive time consuming test only done in a research setting. Now let's say the fancy lab test finds nothing but you could be immune. what? Yes the above test lookat antibodies, not T cell mediated reations, very important in many viral diseases. But again. You need special time consuming test.BOTTOMline,brge test you use might not correlate with actual immunity.now how can I say that most be one immune after infection. 3 things a slight timeafter you get a disease from a virus. 1( You die, as does the virus in your body.the virus only replicates in living cells.deadcells, no replication. 2) the virus survives forever  but doesn't kill you (PI in BVDV) and you have no immunity or the immune response is not effective abd you have the virus for years, think HIV and why you are virus positive for a long time (yes q handful of exwptions with lots of drugs and time).3) you recover because your immune response kills the virus.  The virus doesn't go away on its own, your bodies immune system kills it.so.rbe who was saying the tests we are developing are not 100 accurate. I concur. But there is immunity, take that to the bank.

Hi robal, I have a question. About 2 months ago I saw something in print on the apparent difference in blood type, as to the different way the virus 'seemed' to affect people I think it mentioned type O+ verses A, but can't recall exactly. Have you read anything on that?

I´m an investor in biotechnology so I know why trials exist - whether a fraction of a molecule/fraction of an RNA or DNA helix creates an immune response or not and whether a cultured one from eggs would trigger the titer needed on the antibody assay. And the FDA has the sole responsibility whether the new medication/vaccine is approved. No need to elaborate to me. I´m sure you´re explaining to people with no science background.

robal

James-Esq wrote:

Hi robal, I have a question. About 2 months ago I saw something in print on the apparent difference in blood type, as to the different way the virus 'seemed' to affect people I think it mentioned type O+ verses A, but can't recall exactly. Have you read anything on that?

Yes, there were anecdotes that refers to Type A people being more susceptible to COVID-19 than Type O - studies in China. It was a limited study but that doesn´t explain at all whether the presence of Anti A and Anti B in type O blood has something to do with more immunity of COVID-19. Type A has only the Anti B antibody and I don´t see any correlation at all because antigen-antibody reaction for immunity is specific. The Rh factor whether positive or negative wasn´t mentioned. It´s similar to assuming that if you reside in a hotter country with higher humidity,
it would diminish or prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

robal

Thanks robal for the explanation. On another front, a few days ago there was a report citing a study in Britain I think it was, that compared the effects of the illness on identical verses fraternal twins in an effort to learn how genetics matter to the outcome. It seems logical that genetics matter, but It struck me that was a particularly good approach to potential discovery. It seems science has only scratched the surface of what we may learn over the next while. Its very mysterious the wide range of effects that occur in the general population, there has to be a reason waiting to be unlocked at the root of it all.

I´m sure there is a difference between fraternal and identical twins reaction to a particular pathology. That´s why the human genome was mapped to register what types of diseases are common to a particular genome.

robal

Hello everyone,

It has come to our notice that some off-topic posts are being posted.

I would request all of you to kindly post only on matters related to COVID-19 in Ecuador to stop this thread from going off track.

Thank you for your understanding.

Stay safe,

Diksha
Team Expat.com

What is germane to coronavirus, is germane to Ecuador, you should let this conversation flow.

Bigbrad 2008 and Robal.   I came to this thread to read about what is happening with the Coronavirus COVID-19 in Ecuador, not to listen to both of you arguing and criticizing each other.   Perhaps you could take it into a private conversation?

I am very glad to learn about the COVID-19 as yes, it would them pertain to anywhere in the world including Ecuador.

Before I get any testing done, I would like more information. Especially what they're testing for--antibodies or virus? I have heard a wide variety of things and before changing or curtailing my activities based on something so new (and rushed) I'd require clarity.

Emigrayo68 (Buster)

I concur. Ecuador is, sadly, the canary in the coal mine for Latin America. Things are so unsettled right now, I've begun re-evaluating my decision to relocate. Given the current no-fly, no travel, no free movement within the country, it sounds prohibitive. Not what drew me to love Ecuador in the first place, but COVID-19 has profoundly changed the situation.

All the months' work (background checks, birth certificate, apostilles, translations, etc.) seems like a huge waste of effort, money, and time at this point.

Sad. I really fell in love with Ecuador as a beautiful and welcoming place to retire. But lately it has become more charnal house than blooming rose. Not Ecuador's fault--indeed the whole world...

I'm currently stuck in the U.S. but look forward to a few months or a year down the road when I can re-evaluate the travel and expat situation. All of you stay safe and healthy and caring in the mean time, and perhaps we will meet again when this has passed.

Emigrayo68 (Buster)

Apparently Ecuador is one of the worst hit places for COVID-19 in Latin America:

https://theconversation.com/deaths-and- … ica-137015

Emigrayo68 wrote:

in the U.S. but look forward to a few months or a year down the road when I can re-evaluate the travel and expat situation. All of you stay safe and healthy and caring in the mean time, and perhaps we will meet again when this has passed.

Emigrayo68 (Buster)

Best you can do, see what the new normal is a year from now, save some extra money.

I have been anxiously awaiting a study showing that immunity from infection with covid19 is more than typical or likely. If there is  a study out there that i missed, please let us know.

parrotsrest wrote:

I have been anxiously awaiting a study showing that immunity from infection with covid19 is more than typical or likely. If there is  a study out there that i missed, please let us know.

The Diamond Princess cruise ship with over 3700 passengers on it, plus the crew, were like a giant Petri dish where everyone was exposed to COVID-19 while they were all in quarantine for more than a month.  I believe everyone was tested.  Apparently only about 17% or 634 tested positive for the virus as of February 20, and of those 634, 328 had no symptoms.  For those with symptoms the fatality rate was 1.9%.

So fully 83% of the people on board were unaffected in spite of the exposure to the virus for perhaps as much as a month before its presence was even known or suspected.

There are many articles that can be found doing a search for
diamond princess infection rate

It appears that this is a very serious virus, somewhat more dangerous than the common flu but not as bad as was first feared.  The elderly are the hardest hit, the young children are the least affected - but it can kill anyone in any age group, especially if there are underlying existing health conditions.

In another situation that is like a Petri dish - prisons - several studies have found that around 95% of prisoners infected by the coronavirus were asymptomatic.  This would mean that the virus is much less lethal than suspected:

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/ … omatic.php

Bigbrad2008 wrote:

Your post about testing is true but maybe not needed. In order to get herd immmunty, the experts about 60% need to be infected. Maybe it is 80 but either number means one thing, lots will get infected before this disease is stopped. In regards to testing, does the test measure a protective immune response, antibodues that don't protect or is the test getting lots of false positives? Before you test, you must know why. In this case, the test IMO will be used to tell if we have HI. We can't segregate out people based on test results as it is to expensive and it is has other issues as well. Then how do we know when we have heard immunity, when people stop getting sick and dying. That means the population has reached HI. Or we can wait years for the vaccine, even though vaccines for Coronavirus are usually crap and then realize crap, I guess we will have some get sick and die anyway.

Can somebody explain to me the significance of the herd immunity? How is that supposed to protect people from becoming ill? If 60-70% of the population is immune, isn't the remaining 30-40% still vulnerable and can get the disease? It doesn't make sense.

BTW, Swedish virologist Tegnell apologized for the mistake he made when advocating herd immunity instead of protecting the elderly from the beginning. He said he assumed the virus has been stopped in China and there was nothing to worry about. He was dead wrong. Literally.

OsageArcher wrote:

So fully 83% of the people on board were unaffected in spite of the exposure to the virus for perhaps as much as a month before its presence was even known or suspected.

Not necessarily. Not everybody had close contact with everybody else. I have read somewhere that you must have a face-to-face conversation for about four minutes with a sick person to get infected.... Makes sense if you think of it. It is mostly health care workers, politicians, artists, etc., people who have long, close-range conversation with many people.

EveeZee wrote:

Not necessarily. Not everybody had close contact with everybody else. I have read somewhere that you must have a face-to-face conversation for about four minutes with a sick person to get infected.... Makes sense if you think of it. It is mostly health care workers, politicians, artists, etc., people who have long, close-range conversation with many people.

I read a report based on a security camera video of a man getting on bus in Wuhan, who sat at the back of the bus, and then got off the bus some 30 min later. The infected man had no contact with others, yet some number on the bus were infected by him, even to the front of the bus. Later some other passengers boarded the bus, also were infected. The data was based on contact tracing, and was early in the outbreak, taken from a paper on the airborne nature of the pathogen.  It suggested the virus survived in aerosol form for at least thirty minutes. Subsequent reports claim up to 3 hrs. This might explain the rampant community spread in NYC, the high reliance on the subway and trains in that city.

James-Esq wrote:

I read a report based on a security camera video of a man getting on bus in Wuhan, who sat at the back of the bus, and then got off the bus some 30 min later. The infected man had no contact with others, yet some number on the bus were infected by him, even to the front of the bus. Later some other passengers boarded the bus, also were infected. The data was based on contact tracing, and was early in the outbreak, taken from a paper on the airborne nature of the pathogen.  It suggested the virus survived in aerosol form for at least thirty minutes. Subsequent reports claim up to 3 hrs. This might explain the rampant community spread in NYC, the high reliance on the subway and trains in that city.

Well, that air got trapped in the bus and everybody breathed it in.  it is almost like talking to somebody. I am not saying you must talk to somebody, but you must breathe in his/her breath for a period of time. That quantity of virus is probably needed to make you sick. If you just walk by somebody who is sick and you breathe in a few viruses, it might get killed by your saliva before it reaches your throat...  I am just guessing.

Thanks, but I was actually asking if anyone has heard of a study proving immunity to future infection, post covid19 infection.

A pretty good layman's explanation of infectious rate as is currently known for this virus.
https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/14/how … -you-sick/

parrotsrest wrote:

A pretty good layman's explanation of infectious rate as is currently known for this virus.
https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/14/how … -you-sick/

Thanks, this explains why so many young doctors and other health care workers died. They must have had a large dose of the virus. And I think it was also the health care workers who started spreading it in the retirement homes.
There was a discussion in Canadian radio and a woman said, when she visited her elderly mother, none of the personnel was wearing masks or other protective clothing. When she asked why, she was told, it was not necessary. Washing your hands was good enough. No wonder the virus spread so fast among the elderly.

parrotsrest wrote:

I have been anxiously awaiting a study showing that immunity from infection with covid19 is more than typical or likely. If there is  a study out there that i missed, please let us know.

No, they still haven't been able to prove this.

Plus they have not yet developed highly reliable tests, either the ones for testing if you have it, or the antibody ones testing to see if you have had it.   There are so many different tests around the world, and the efforts haven't been coordinated.   

From what I have found through research the tests for the virus from Korea are the best, and there is very high demand for obtaining them.

AmeliaAndJP wrote:

Ecuador just closed its borders. When are you planning to come?

COVID-19 has changed everything. For now I won't be coming to Ecuador at all. In most projects in life one invests desire, time, money, and a lot of effort to make it happen. If after a period, things go south, then it's time to re-evaluate what is reasonable to hope for.

Perhaps we will meet when things change and happy days are here again 

Espero salud y siempre joven,
Emigrayo66 (Buster)

I have just received a question as to why the Ecuador counts are so high?  Much higher than other S American countries.  Does anyone know?

Not really. But one can tell what has NOT affected it.

Yes, the literature is full of them. The specifics are not known however.

susanilla wrote:

I have just received a question as to why the Ecuador counts are so high?  Much higher than other S American countries.  Does anyone know?

Some headlines from today's news:

"Brazil and Mexico report record surge as Latin America reels..."

"Chile digs thousands of graves..."

"Mexico at 'peak moment' of coronavirus crisis after biggest daily rise in cases"

"Quietly but Savagely, the Coronavirus Is Decimating Latin America..."

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-ne … fxkeP.htmlhttps://www.marketwatch.com/story/age-i … 2020-04-17

Read an in-depth article a while ago that was showing the difference not only between having the TB vaccine but also the country of origin of vaccine production. Maybe used a different strain. Don’t know if this has any validity, not a medical person.

Ecuador has been "flattening the curve" of covid cases .. and its count of confirmed cases, as of yesterday (Friday, May 22, 2020) is about 35,000.  Ecuador's total of cases is being dwarfed by Peru with 113,000 cases and Brazil, whose count of 348,000 is exceeded worldwide only by the USA*. 

Ecuador is relaxing some covid-related restrictions on public activity while other nations of Latin America are tightening their restrictions. 

Based on current trends, Colombia's case count may exceed Ecuador's in the next few days to hold the dubious distinction of having the most cases among Spanish-speaking countries of the continent.  Late this week, Colombia banned international air travel until at least September 1.  Various South American countries have been extending repeatedly their air-travel bans since the pandemic overwhelmed the planet.

Source:  www.cuencahighlife.com

*Total of covid cases in the States exceeds 1.6 million, with the death total approaching 100,000.

The definition of flattening the curve includes an increase in the time from the beginning to the peak. That time in almost all countries is about the same, 4 to 5 weeks. In only one study have they actually seen a statistical time change. In China, the shutdown of traveling extended the time period by about 3 days. The flattening is a scientific joke.

Presidente Lenín Moreno says Ecuador is facing one of the toughest moments in its 200 years of independence*.

Besides the pandemic, the president sees the country's predicament as compounded by the collapse of export revenues, ruptures in its main oil pipelines and massive foreign debt.

Moreno's remarks are reported in a link that appears in the New York Times update (posted tonight, 5/23/20) of worldwide pandemic news.

A Times analysis appearing in the same dispatch recently concluded that the covid case count in Ecuador may actually be 15 times as great as the official tally.

cccmedia

*Ecuador achieved independence from Spain in 1820 as part of Gran Colombia, emerging as its own sovereign state ten years later. 
Source: Wikipedia

There seems to be a misunderstanding of what flattening the curve means.  Hospitals can only treat so many people at once.  Flattening the curve keeps the rate of infection lower, although for a longer period of time, so that hospitals hopefully can stay under capacity.
  https://www.livescience.com/coronavirus … curve.html

Also, hopefully by extending the time period we are more likely to find either a vaccine, or effective treatment.

Expats, some already ticketed, were awaiting June 1st (tomorrow) in anticipation of air travel to Ecuador.

However, the airlines have decided to postpone the resumption of flights in and out of the country until at least June 15.

Reasons include the delayed reopening of the Guayaquil airport .. and the fact that some South American airports outside of Ecuador have not resumed service.

Latam and Avianca, two airlines that were serving Ecuador until covid March, filed for bankruptcy this month.  However, they may resume flights, albeit with flight schedules that are allowed to be modified under bankruptcy law.

Source:  www.cuencahighlife.com

United has resumed their Quito to Houston flight and American has resumed Quito to Miami but they are not running daily yet.  There is a complete list of flight restorations on the Quito airport site.

Chris Shebel wrote:

United has resumed their Quito to Houston flight and American has resumed Quito to Miami....  There is a complete list of flight restorations on the Quito airport site.

The website www.cuencahighlife.com has updated its reporting .. showing that Spirit, United and American all resumed international flights on June 4.

The site lists other airlines that are resuming international flights to and from Ecuador in the coming days.

The report at Cuenca Highlife is dated June 6, 2020, under the sub-headline "Airlines announce restart dates."

cccmedia

How is the pandemic now in Ecuador?   Have cases and deaths gone down?   That would be a criteria for me considering to fly back down there.
Thanks for the airline report.