Sports

Coronavirus, looking back at March 2021

Published

5 years ago

August 25, 2021

sylvia J

I wrote my first article about COVID-19 on February 27, 2020, and wrote 5 articles related to this topic during March 2020. I thought it would be a good idea to look back at my thoughts during that time, and see how much of what I said was true, and how much was off target.

And for the next year should I plan on taking advantage of Intertops casino bonus or can I actually plan that Las Vegas vacation I was thinking about going on a year and a half ago?

Are we close to a vaccine or is it still 18 months away? (Feb 2020)

By February 27, 2020, Trump was already talking about having a vaccine “very soon”. Others were saying it was at least 18 months away. On September 1, 2021, we will have reached the 18 month mark.

Politicians, don’t take any of them seriously

Unless you have been living in a bubble, the United States is currently in the middle of the most heated presidential elections in US history. So, if the statement is coming out the mouth of a politician, take it with a grain of salt. About half of what they are saying is probably true, and the rest is politics.

A COVID vaccine did get to market by February 2021. That was great. It helped with the original COVID-19. But viruses mutate, and people can still be carriers and they still get sick. For the most part, it is not hospital sick, and people dying as with the original COVID-19. On the downside, the vaccine seems to become less “powerful” after 6 months. But it is unclear exactly how it is not as powerful. With people with immune system problems, did the vaccine just not hold or does the vaccine just not work? I do not know, and I do not think that even the people who created the vaccine know.

Around 1995-2000, the FDA started to accept PDF submissions. First, it was an option, and then it became a requirement. The days of tractor trailers driving up to the FDA offices were gone, but it still took, on average, 3 years for a drug to be approved for mass production.

Around the year 2000, the FDA changed its procedures, so instead of a company doing all of their research and then submitting everything, all at once, at the end of the process, they were allowed to submit things piece by piece. This change reduced the timeframe for an average drug submission from 3 years to 18 months.

That is still true. And when companies are given an incentive to put a certain project to the front of the line, and the FDA puts certains products to the front of the line, that 18 month number can be cut in half.

So which number is right?

The answer is that they are both right.

The 18-month figure is an average figure. That figure can be cut down by a specific drug being put to the front of the line. It can also be cut down by assigning additional people to evaluate the data.

But there are some things in the process that cannot be sped up. Checking antibodies 3 months in the future, 6 months in the future, 12 months into the future, etc. Although companies can run simulations and make expected predictions, nothing is going to take the place of seeing in real-time, under “normal” conditions, if something is or is not effective.

The second paragraph is especially true. When governments started to give the vaccine to the population, they did not know what the antibody levels would be like at 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, in the future. The COVID vaccines do not maintain antibody levels at a point where they can fight off variants of the virus to the same level as the original virus.

How to beat the odds of getting COVID-19? (Feb 2020)

Understand how the Coronavirus is the same and different than a “normal” cold or flu. First, how long the time between somebody being exposed to a virus before showing signs of infection. For a regular cold, the time period is one to three days. For the flu, it is one to four days. For the Coronavirus, it is between two and 14 days. To put it simply, the time between exposure and showing symptoms is a lot longer.

This is still true.

With the original COVID-19 variant, people tended to develop symptoms or test positive between 5 and 8 days after exposure. They can be contagious 48 hours before showing symptoms or testing positive with a peak at 5.61 days.

For the Delta Variant, the time between initial exposure to a positive COVID test was 3 to 5 days with a peak at 3.71 days. Infected individuals with the Delta variant were contagious 2 days earlier than the original COVID patients, and they had a much higher viral load. So there was a lot more of the virus in their body that they could potentially transmit to others.

Delta variant COVID patients had viral loads that were 1260 times higher than original COVID patients.

The reason for this is that the Delta variants “likes the human body” much more than the original COVID virus, so it makes it much easier to reproduce.

If you were to graph the growth of the virus inside two individuals — one infected with the original version of the virus, the other infected with the Delta variant — both would start at zero, but the growth line for the Delta-infected individual would rise much more steeply. Not only would that individual’s viral load reach a detectable level (positive PCR test) more quickly; it would also reach an infectious level sooner. An individual infected with the original strain of the virus would, on average, become able to transmit the virus between three and four days after exposure, in the 48 hours before developing symptoms or testing positive. In contrast, it appears that someone infected with the Delta variant may be able to infect others within a day or two of being exposed.

What exactly is going on with the Delta COVID variant and vaccines? (Aug 2021)

Vaccination is highly protective against severe illness, hospitalization, and death — even when it comes to the Delta variant. We also have evidence that fully vaccinated people are less likely to transmit the SARS-CoV-2 virus to others. “But no vaccine is 100 percent effective,” Stuopis emphasizes. “And because Delta reproduces so quickly and efficiently, it appears that the virus can sometimes reach detectable and infectious levels in vaccinated people before the vaccine-mediated immune response kicks in. Vaccination will likely keep you from getting really sick. It may keep you from developing any symptoms at all. But it might not keep you from spreading the virus to others.”

To put it in layman’s terms, when a vaccinated person gets exposed to the Delta variant of COVID, it becomes a race against time. The Delta COVID variant against the vaccine’s immune response? Each working. Each fighting. But since the body only knows how to fight the original COVID vaccine, it takes time for the body to learn how to fight the Delta COVID variant. Since your body has a head start, you do not end up in the hospital. On the other hand, you can still get sick, you can still transmit it to others. And the virus does not stop with you.

Do vaccinated people need to wear masks indoors? (Aug 2021)

If you are exposed to the COVID-19 Delta variant, you can expose others 1 ½ days later. The Delta Variant is more transmittable, because the viral load inside your body is higher. That means even with brief encounters, you can expose the virus to somebody else.

In August 2021, are covid vaccines worth it?

The simple answer is yes. In terms of the original COVID variant, which the vaccines were originally designed for, the COVID vaccines work (if you have not previously been exposed). For the Delta COVID variant, your body still has to learn how to fight the Delta COVID variant, but it is not learning “from scratch”. So although it takes time for your body to learn how to fight this specific variant of COVID, people are not ending up in the hospital (for the most part). And from the time that you are contagious to the time that your body learns to fight the Delta COVID variant, you can still get sick. If you did not have the vaccine, you could potentially end up in the hospital.

Remember, compared to the original COVID variant, the Delta variant has a viral load of 1260 times higher. And it is a higher viral load inside of your body that can be the difference between ending up in the hospital and not ending up in the hospital.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) described Delta as more transmissible than the common cold and influenza, as well as the viruses that cause smallpox, MERS, SARS, and Ebola—and called it as contagious as chickenpox

The highest spread of cases and severe outcomes is happening in places with low vaccination rates, and virtually all hospitalizations and deaths have been among the unvaccinated, the CDC says.

How long will the pandemic last (realistically)?

So, instead of a three- or four-year pandemic that peters out once enough people are vaccinated, an uptick in cases would be compressed into a shorter period of time. “That sounds almost like a good thing,” Dr. Wilson says. “It’s not.” If too many people are infected at once in a particular area, the local health care system will become overwhelmed, and more people will die, he says. While that might be less likely to happen in the U.S., it will be the case in other parts of the world, he adds. “That’s something we have to worry about a lot.”

This is a question that I have, why don’t we just expose the young and healthy (not people with pre-existing conditions) — expose them to COVID-19, but make sure that they are taking vitamin C, Vitamin D, Zinc, and something to help the zinc absorb in the cells.

Many doctors discard this idea, because you do not know if the person would end up with a serious reaction or just “be sick”.

What are the symptoms of COVID Delta?

Cough and loss of smell are less common. Headache, sore throat, runny nose, and fever are symptoms of the COVID Delta variant.

How long are you contagious with the Delta COVID variant?

No matter the variant, once you are contagious, you are contagious for 2 weeks.

Is the booster of the COVID vaccine worth it?

Prof. Sir Andrew Pollard, head of the Oxford Vaccine Group, which has contributed to the development of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, has even commented that, in his opinion, the highly transmissible Delta variant has made achieving herd immunity an impossibility.

“The Delta variant will still infect people who have been vaccinated. And that does mean that anyone who’s still unvaccinated at some point will meet the virus […], and we don’t have anything that will [completely] stop that transmission,” he told The Guardian.

Another argument against the booster vaccination is that low income countries still have not vaccinated all of the people in their countries that want to be vaccinated. Countries like Venezuela have only vaccinated around 8% of their population.

Sports

Assessing the Chances of South Africa at the World Cup

Published

3 weeks ago

May 4, 2026

sylvia J

Assessing the Chances of South Africa at the World Cup

Football followers across the globe are counting down the days until the World Cup with fans in South Africa eagerly awaiting the opening game as the nation takes on one of the hosts, Mexico. With the tournament also taking place in the United States and Canada, millions of avid supporters across cities like Johannesburg, Cape Town and Pretoria will be tuning in to cheer on their country. The 2010 competition took place in South Africa and now Bafana Bafana will travel to North America for another shot at glory.

So, what are the nation’s chances? Well, this article will run through everything you need to know about South Africa’s credentials at this summer’s World Cup and guide you through the type of wagers you can place with a bet app download during the tournament.

Betting on South Africa

Whether you are a beginner bettor or a regular throughout the domestic football campaign, it is imperative you conduct thorough research when wagering on South Africa during the World Cup. Be sure to check out the odds around each nation and assess how Bafana Bafana are being viewed in comparison to all 47 of other countries taking part. Hugo Broos’ team are not among the favourites to lift the famous trophy and are valued at a 11/1 to make it out of the group stages and so they are not hugely fancied.

When you come to access you bet app download, check out the many options available in the weeks leading up to the tournament so that you have a strong understanding of what is available and what is required when wagering on the World Cup. Look out for offers and promotions like free bets as these types of bonuses can help you make an additional move that wouldn’t ordinarily be possible without the usual financial risks associated with gambling on football.

How South Africa Qualified

South Africa were in CAF Group C and came out on top after ten games. Drawn against Benin, Lesotho, Nigeria, Rwanda and Zimbabwe, Bafana Bafana topped the standings with 18 points from ten matches.

Broos’ men won five matches and drew three, losing away to Rwanda in the second game. South Africa had beaten Lesotho 2-0 in March 2025 but the FIFA Disciplinary Committee awarded the match as a 3-0 win for Lesotho after Bafana Bafana fielded ineligible player Teboho Mokoena.

Getting the better of Nigeria, who draw five of their matches, was key to South Africa qualifying for the World Cup and Bafana Bafana joined Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Cape Verde, Senegal, Ivory Coast and DR Congo in securing a place in the tournament.

South Africa Squad Strength

South Africa is a nation that has produced a host of star talents from former Kaizer Chiefs striker Doctor Khumalo to Steven Pienaar, Lucas Radebe and Benni McCarthy who each made the grade in Europe and the Premier League. While the 2026 national side perhaps doesn’t boast that same level of quality, it is still a side that finished above Nigeria in qualifying and so the side is more than capable.

The majority of the squad play club football in South Africa with some members playing in Europe and the United States. Young defenders Samuele Kabini and Ime Okon play for Molde and Hannover 96 respectively while midfielder Yaya Sithole appears for Tondela in Portugal. Centre forward Lyle Foster, who has 10 goals in 26 caps for the national side, has this year played in the Premier League with Burnley. This team doesn’t boast any superstars, but this may bring the team together and create a powerful unit.

The Group Stage

On paper, South Africa’s group looks like a difficult one with Mexico, Czech Republic and South Korea to play. It’s tough enough playing one of the hosts but even more challenging playing the World Cup curtain raiser which is what South Africa will be part of when they take on Mexico on June 11.

So, will South Africa progress? Well, the team are being tipped my most experts and observers to struggle at this summer’s finals and finish bottom of Group A. However, the new World Cup format could actually help Bafana Bafana to make it through, if that is, they can earn a single victory in that first round of matches. This competition will feature 48 teams for the first time with 12 groups of four. Therefore, joining the top two in each group will be the eight best third-placed teams and so three points could well be enough to get through.

Overall, South Africa will be pleased to have reached this summer’s World Cup finals and reaching the knockout stages would be a good achievement for Bafana Bafana. There won’t be too many fans accessing the bet app download and backing the team to lift the trophy. Of course, the beauty of football though is that anything can happen and so who knows how far the nation could go?

Sports

Designs that Support Longevity in Online Gambling Platforms

Published

3 months ago

February 9, 2026

sylvia J

Designs that Support Longevity in Online Gambling Platforms

Online gambling platforms, including mobile apps like betway, are at their most popular today and that is not by luck – it is literally by design! Technology has found a way to improve every process in almost every industry which contributed immensely to their longevity, the online gambling industry included. Obviously, this kind of success and sustenance does not happen overnight. However, so long as the design has intuition as its foundation, it will be easy to maintain and improve, extending the longevity of online gambling platforms as a whole. It also branches to really nice benefits in the process!

Remarkable communication models

Every company that is worth their salt needs to have effective communication models embedded within their structures. Developers work hard to make sure that their decisions turn out efficiently, although testing can be done when everything is in place should something turn out wrong or unsatisfactory. These tests should be rigorous so every discrepancy is sifted to get the best possible version of the online platform.

User experience design, or simply UX, is responsible for making sure that communication from both the organization and its customers remain functional. Digital websites and mobile apps like betway casinos need to have UX functions that are functional so that they can conduct their daily operations while doing its best to extend engagement with its customers. There are many factors and functions to think about in order to define the best and most optimized version of a UX design.

These include effective placements of their new products in their front splash pages or marketing with bonus vouchers for games that they want engagement in. In turn, players should also be able to easily figure out the functions whenever they do engage with the front splash pages. Apart from that, developers should know if their load times are not at their best and they should fix it right away if it appears. All of these problems arise under UX development and it would be best for a digital website or mobile app like betway to have these resolved at the fastest time possible to improve its longevity.

Protection for players

Part of extending the longevity of gambling platforms, whether they are physical or digital, is to establish trust between them and their players. It is important for players to harbor doubt from gambling platforms in order to protect themselves. Therefore, it is the responsibility of an online gambling platform to protect their player base from any kind of fraudulent threat or activity that would attack their resources. Failure to do so will ruin the reputation of the gambling industry, which can be very difficult to accomplish in and of itself.

Fortunately, technology has afforded online gambling platforms many ways to protect their customers. Two-factor authentication steps, security protocols, and encrypted transactions are just some of the ways to foster a safe betting environment, further contributing to a presentable reputation for gambling platforms.

It is impressive to see these designs in online gambling platforms contribute to sustaining the entertainment form. With even further developments in technology, it seems that longevity won’t be an issue for online gambling.

Read More: justin david soberano

Sports

5 populiariausi žaidimų automatai Lietuvoje

Published

10 months ago

July 31, 2025

sylvia J

5 populiariausi žaidimų automatai Lietuvoje

Internetiniai žaidimų automatai – tai ne tik atsitiktinių skaičių generatoriai, bet ir tikros pramogų oazės, kur kiekvienas sukimasis gali atverti duris į neįtikėtinus prizus. Lietuvoje šia forma lošimų susidomėjimas auga, nes žaidėjai vertina ne tik galimybę laimėti, bet ir patrauklų dizainą, inovatyvias funkcijas bei sklandžią techninę pusę. Šiame straipsnyje detaliai apžvelgsime 5 automatus, kurie labiausiai patinka Lietuvos auditorijai, ir paaiškinsime, kaip iš jų gauti maksimumą.

Book of Dead

Book of Dead iš „Play’n GO“ jau daugelį metų karaliauja populiarumo viršūnėje. Tai nuotykių žaidimas, nukeliantis į senovės Egiptą, kur pagrindinis veikėjas Rich Wilde’as ieško paslaptingų faraonų lobynų. Vienas iš pagrindinių šio žaidimo privalumų – „Expanding Symbol“ funkcija, leidžianti tam tikram simboliui išsiplėsti per visą ritę ir reikšmingai padidinti laimėjimo tikimybę. Įjungus 10 nemokamų sukimų raundą, galima laimėti net iki 5 000 kartų daugiau nei statėte. Dėl aukšto RTP (~96,21 %) ir įtraukiančios siužeto linijos „Book of Dead“ tinka tiek pradedantiesiems, tiek patyrusiems žaidėjams.

Starburst

„Starburst“ iš „NetEnt“ – tai minimalistinis automatas, pasižymintis ryškiomis spalvomis ir aiškia, bet įdomia žaidimo eiga. Skirtingai nuo sudėtingų modelių, čia tik penkios ritės ir dešimt laimėjimo linijų, tačiau „Starburst Wild“ simboliai plečiasi per visą ritę ir suteikia pakartotinius sukimus. Dvikryptis laimėjimas – simboliai skaičiuojami iš kairės ir iš dešinės – garantuoja, kad net ir vieno simbolio atitikimas gali sukelti nemažą azarto pliūpsnį. Tokia paprasta logika sukelia malonų ritmą ir leidžia žaidėjui sutelkti dėmesį į spalvingą grafiką bei tarpusavio konkurenciją dėl laimėjimų.

Gonzo’s Quest Megaways

„Gonzo’s Quest Megaways“ – pažįstamo „Gonzo’s Quest“ atnaujinimas, kuriame tradicinės penkios laimėjimo linijos išplečiamos iki net 117 649 galimų derinių. Kiekviename sukimasyje ekrane pasirodo skirtingas simbolių skaičius, o laimėjimo atveju „Avalanche“ efektas pašalina laimėjusius simbolius ir leidžia kristi naujiems, suteikiant grandininį laimėjimų srautą. Žaidimas įtraukia nuolatine dinamika, o nemokami sukimai su augačiais dauginimo koeficientais gali padidinti išmokas iki kelių šimtų kartų. Ši įvairovė ir nenuspėjamumas daro šį automatu ypatingai populiarų tarp Lietuvos entuziastų.

Mega Moolah

Kai kalba pasisuka apie progresinius jackpot’us, Mega Moolah iš „Microgaming“ yra neabejotinas lyderis. Daugelis žaidėjų Lietuvoje pasirenka šį automatu, svajodami apie milijoninį laimėjimą – skaičiai dažnai siekia kelis milijonus eurų. Unikalioje bonuso ruletėje žaidėjas gali nuspausti sustabdymo mygtuką ir laimėti vieną iš keturių lygių prizų: Mini, Minor, Major arba Mega. Nors RTP svyruoja apie 88 %, viltinga perspektyva laimėti tikrai gyvenimą keičiantį prizą traukia daugelį, o socialinėse grupėse neretai dalinamasi sėkmės istorijomis.

Sweet Bonanza

„Sweet Bonanza“ iš „Pragmatic Play“ – tai spalvinga vaisių ir saldainių fiesta, kurioje vietoje tradicinių laimėjimo linijų simboliai turi sudaryti klasterius. Po kiekvieno laimėjimo „Tumble“ funkcija pašalina laimėjusius elementus ir leidžia naujiems kristi jų vietoje, suteikiant papildomų šansų. Be to, nemokamų sukimų raunde kiekvienas iškritęs dauginimo koeficientas iki ×100 gali padidinti laimėjimą net keliskart. Dėl žaismingos estetikos ir malonių garsinių efektų šis modelis prikausto dėmesį ir yra vienas dažniausiai minėtų tarp lietuvių žaidėjų.

Patarimai, kaip maksimaliai išnaudoti заidimu automatai

Norint, kad заidimu automatai būtų ne tik smagus laisvalaikis, bet ir strategiškai naudingas pasirinkimas, svarbu elgtis apgalvotai. Pirmiausia verta išbandyti kiekvieną automatą demonstraciniame režime – taip susipažinsite su taisyklėmis, funkcijomis ir išvengsite staigių išlaidų. Antra, biudžeto valdymas – nustatykite sau dienos ir sesijos limitus, kad pralaimėjimai nesikauptų. Registracijos premijos ar depozito bonusai prailgins žaidimo laiką ir lems daugiau galimybių laimėti. Galiausiai, stebėkite savo žaidimo statistiką: rinkite duomenis apie pelningus laikotarpius ir pritaikykite jas statymų dydį ar pasirinktas strategijas.

Išvados

Lietuvoje populiariausi žaidimų automatai apima platų spektro: nuo senovės Egipto ekspedicijų iki progresinių milijoninių jackpot’ų ir saldžių klasterių žaidimų. Kiekvienas iš penkių aprašytų modelių pasižymi unikaliu žavesiu, todėl išbandę juos galėsite atrasti savo favoritą. Naudodamiesi patarimais, galite žengti žingsnį link didesnių laimėjimų bei atsakingos pramogos. Sėkmės ir malonaus laiko žaisdami!