BlackMask Breaking News

As the omicron variant became the dominant strain in the U.S. this week, health care providers are left with fewer options to treat positive COVID-19 patients as most of the existing treatments have been found to be less effective in fighting off the new variant. Up until recently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had been distributing three types of COVID-19 antibody treatments, Regeneron monoclonal antibodies, Eli Lilly’s antibody treatments and GlaxoSmithKline’s sotrovimab monoclonal antibody. Regeneron gained national attention when former President Trump contracted COVID-19 and was treated with Regeneron under a “compassionate use program” that allowed rare, exceptional circumstances to use the treatment. However, as omicron emerged and scientists around the world scrambled to understand how current vaccines and available therapies could fight the new variant, Regeneron and Eli Lilly both announced their antibody treatments didn’t work as effectively in diffusing omicron.  On Dec. 16, Regeneron announced its antibody treatment had “diminished potency against omicron.” In a statement to a local Fox News station, Eli Lilly confirmed that its antibody treatments showed “reduced neutralization activity,” against omicron.  That leaves one COVID-19 treatment available to treat omicron infections, and in early December, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced that its sotrovimab monoclonal antibody “retains in vitro activity against the full known omicron spike protein.” Meaning that GSK’s treatment could fight against all tested variants of COVID-19. It gained emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in May this year. George Scangos, CEO of Vir, the company partnering with GSK to develop sotrovimab, told The New York Times that when developing their antibody treatment they looked at the blood of people who had survived the 2003 SARS epidemic, instead of those who survived COVID-19 infections. Through this method, they identified an antibody from SARS that could also protect against the coronavirus that caused COVID-19. “I think we got here not by good luck, but by a thoughtful process,” said Scangos. However, currently health care providers are left with slimmer treatment options, as HHS data indicates that as of Dec. 17 the government had stopped distribution of Regeneron and Eli Lilly’s COVID-19 treatments and had only shipped 55,000 GSK treatments. Since mid-September, the HHS had shipped 1.2 million doses of Regeneron to states and around 670,000 doses of Eli Lilly’s antibody treatment.

According to the Times, hospitals in New York have recently said they would also stop giving patients the two most commonly used antibody treatments, made by Regeneron and Eli Lilly.  

Ralph Madeb, New York Community Hospital’s co-chief medical officer said, “if I had a choice I would give GSK.” Supply of GSK’s sotrovimab monoclonal antibody is currently limited, but the White House is in discussions with the pharmaceutical company to secure more doses that could be delivered early next year, according to the Times. Along with sotrovimab, federal regulators are expected to authorize antiviral pills from pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Merck, which would add to health care providers’ toolbelt of treatment options for COVID-19 patients.

Mosh part of our research staff is in siolation with symptoms. Mosh refused to get his 3d shot never min his fourth. After his second shot he became fixated on the rare Myocardial Infarction COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effect. Of course he was banned from the compound. The last time he was here (last week) he was not allowed to enter the  compound and he did not have on our “ugly” mask with the ULPA biolab filters we developed. He trusted the CDC guidelines to use the coffee filter SHIT N95 ha ah ha ha ha mask. In the strongset terms available to me i warned him. As is often the case with millennials he did not listen.Muttering something about he was staying away from people……. I guess that did not work out so well for him…… Friday he came down with symptoms and used one of our antigen test kits to confirm he is infected. He is very tired and has flue like symptoms. Mosh is severely overweight and pre diabetic. I AM VERY WORRIED. We do not require staff to be vaccinated it a personal choice. But we recommend vaccination, isolation, “ugly” mask and our immune system booster vitamins it in the strongest possible terms. Back to Mosh. We have our staff Doctor prescribe a 5 day course of Ivermectin AND we are striving to get him the only big pharma monoclonal antibody treatment that works. Sotrovimab by GlaxoSmithKline cost$3000 if you can find it. I am worried… I AM WORRIED. I take keeping you all healthy as Job1…. Job2 is making you wealthy.

(Reuters) – Schlumberger NV, the world’s largest oilfield services company, reported a rise in fourth-quarter profit on Friday that beat expectations, as higher crude and natural gas prices drove up demand for its services and equipment. Oil prices surged about 50% last year and are now trading at seven-year highs on the back of a COVID-19 vaccine-fueled demand recovery and tight supplies. “Absent any further COVID-related disruption, oil demand is expected to exceed pre-pandemic levels before the end of the year and to further strengthen in 2023,” Schlumberger Chief Executive Officer Olivier Le Peuch said.

In North America, strong offshore and land drilling activity and an uptick in exploration data licensing for the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and Permian Basin drove a 13% sequential jump in revenue.

Schlumberger shares were down 1.58% in pre-market trading at $36.46 as Brent oil futures fell about 1.7% on Friday to $86.87 a barrel. Wall Street analysts said the results were positive, with the exception of the company’s decision to keep its dividend flat. “There was an expectation of a dividend raise. I believe they will raise the dividend once the leverage targets are met,” said James West, a senior managing director with Evercore ISI. Schlumberger’s fourth-quarter adjusted net income rose to $587 million, or 41 cents per share, above Wall Street estimates of 39 cents per share, according to Refinitiv IBES. The company beat last year’s fourth-quarter earnings of $309 million, or 22 cents per share. Fourth-quarter revenue of $6.23 billion also topped analysts’ forecast of $6.09 billion. The worldwide rig count was 1,563 at the end of the fourth quarter, compared with 1,104 in 2020, according to Baker Hughes data. NN: See this? It the oil price killer.  All that spin about no capital fir new wells goes up in smoke. These guys do not punch holes in the ground unless they are paid in full//// The oil rush is on

The Kremlin on Thursday denounced US President Joe Biden for saying a “disaster” awaited Russia if it attacked Ukraine, reported news agency AFP. Russia stressed that the statement is destabilized an already tense situation. Statements like that said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, “can facilitate the destabilization of the situation.” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Thursday that there would be a “swift, severe” response from the United States and its allies if Russia sends military forces into Ukraine. Blinken’s comments in Berlin appeared to be another effort to clear up any confusion about the position of the U.S. and its NATO allies after U.S. President Joe Biden was heavily criticized for saying a “minor incursion” by Russia would elicit a lesser response. “If any Russian military forces move across the Ukrainian border and commit new acts of aggression against Ukraine, that will be met with a swift, severe, united response from the United States and our allies and partners,” Blinken told reporters. Top American and European diplomats are seeking to project a united front to Russia over concerns that it may be planning an invasion of Ukraine. Russia has massed an estimated 100,000 troops near Ukraine, and Biden said Wednesday he thinks Moscow will invade. He warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that his country would pay a “dear price” in lives lost and a possible cutoff from the global banking system if it does.

Against that backdrop, Blinken held talks Thursday with diplomats from Germany, France and Britain — a so-called Quad meeting. A day earlier, he met Ukraine’s president in Kyiv to discuss the threat.

Russia has denied it is planning an invasion and, in turn, accused the West on Thursday of plotting “provocations” in Ukraine, citing the delivery of weapons to the country by British military transport planes in recent days. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova alleged that Ukrainian and Western talk of an imminent Russian attack was a “cover for staging large-scale provocations of their own, including those of military character.” The U.S. and its NATO allies face a difficult task on the Ukraine crisis. Biden has said he is not planning to send combat troops in the case of a further Russian invasion. But he could pursue a range of less dramatic yet still risky military options, including supporting a post-invasion Ukrainian resistance. The rationale for not directly joining a Russia-Ukraine war is simple. The United States has no treaty obligation to Ukraine, and war with Russia would be an enormous gamble. But doing too little has its risks, too. The challenges of keeping the United States and its NATO allies united in their response to Russia were on display Wednesday, when Biden warned Russia against any invasion but also said a “minor incursion” would elicit a lesser response. He later sought to clarify that he was referring to a non-military action, such as a cyberattack — but the remark elicited a barrage of criticism at home that he was not being tough enough on Russia and raised the specter of possible divisions abroad. In explaining the remark, Biden said “it’s very important that we keep everyone in NATO on the same page.” Blinken, the top American diplomat, is set to deliver a speech on the Ukraine crisis later Thursday in the German capital before flying on to Geneva, where he will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday. In his speech to the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences, Blinken will elaborate on the American position on Ukraine, the broader historical context of the current crisis, and the need for allies to present a unified front to confront Russia’s aggression and violations of international norms, U.S. officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to publicly preview Blinken’s speech. Blinken is also expected to address the Russian people to outline the costs that their country will pay should it move ahead with an invasion, they said. While the meeting in Berlin will focus primarily on Ukraine, the ongoing talks over reviving a deal aimed at limiting Iran’s nuclear program will also be discussed, according to the officials. Following his meeting with Bilnken this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to arrive Thursday in Poland, which has long supported Ukraine’s efforts to move closer to the democratic Western world. That move westward is a key point of contention in the standoff with Russia. Moscow wants guarantees that NATO will not expand to include Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations and that the alliance won’t deploy weapons to those countries. Washington and its allies firmly rejected Moscow’s demands in security talks last week, but kept the door open to possible further talks on arms control and confidence-building measures to reduce tensions. NN: This is making the markets very very nervous.

Russia is a sending an unspecified number of troops from the country’s far east to Belarus for major war games, officials said Tuesday, a deployment that will further beef up Russian military assets near Ukraine amid Western fears of a planned invasion. Amid the soaring tensions, the White House warned that Russia could attack its neighbor at “any point,” while the U.K. delivered a batch of anti-tank weapons to Ukraine. Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said the joint drills with Belarus would involve practicing a joint response to external threats. Ukrainian officials have warned that Russia could launch an attack on Ukraine from various directions, including from its ally Belarus. The U.S. again stressed its concern Tuesday, with White House press secretary Jen Psaki describing the Russian forces’ move into Belarus as part of as “extremely dangerous situation.” “We’re now at a stage where Russia could at any point launch an attack in Ukraine,” she said. The State Department and others in the U.S. government have re-emphasized a standing commitment to Ukraine’s security and territorial sovereignty. A series of talks last week between Russia, the U.S. and NATO failed to quell the tensions over Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Geneva on Friday in another attempt to defuse the crisis. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday it has received a shipment of anti-tank weapons from the U.K., noting that they will help “strengthen our defense capability.” The statement didn’t say how many weapons were delivered. Russia already has started moving troops for the war games in Belarus. Fomin said it would take through Feb. 9 to fully deploy weapons and personnel for the Allied Resolve 2022 drills, which are expected to take place Feb. 10-20.

(CNN) — Ukraine has warned that Russia has “almost completed” its build-up of forces that could be used for an offensive against the country, compounding fears that Moscow could launch an invasion at any time. According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s latest intelligence assessment.  Russia has now deployed more than 127,000 troops in the region. “The full strength of RF AF (Russian Federation’s Armed Forces) land group at the Ukrainian direction — (is) over 106,000 personnel. Together with the sea and air component, the total number of personnel is over 127,000 servicemen,” the assessment said. The assessment called the situation “difficult,” and said Ukraine believes Russia is “trying to split and weaken the European Union and NATO.” Russia’s actions are also “aimed at limiting the capabilities of the United States,” the assessment said, “to ensure security on the European continent.” The assessment comes after three rounds of diplomatic talks between Russia and the West aimed at de-escalating the crisis failed to produce a resolution last week. US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said last Wednesday it was unclear whether Moscow intended to use the talks as a pretext to claim that diplomacy cannot work. Ukrainian military intelligence said Russia has deployed troops from its central and eastern regions to its western border “on a permanent basis.” At the end of December and in January, Russia has been moving “stockpiles of ammunition, field hospitals and security services” to the border, it said, which according to Ukraine “confirms the preparation for offensive operations.” The new assessment also said Russia supports more than 35,000 rebels in eastern Ukraine and has about 3,000 of its own military personnel based in rebel territory. Moscow denies having any forces in eastern Ukraine. Russia’s intelligence activity against Ukraine has also intensified, the assessment said, with additional radio and satellite traffic units being deployed near the Ukrainian border and reconnaissance flights along the border having tripled since this time last year. The Ukrainian military also said Russia could use medium-range missile weapons to “destroy vital objects,” noting “additional tactical groups of ‘Iskander’ operational-tactical missiles” have been transferred to the border. As of mid-January, there are 36 Iskander launchers near Ukraine, according to the assessment. Iskander missiles are capable of striking targets 500-700 km (approximately 310-430 miles) away and could now target areas including the capital, Kyiv, it said. The Ukrainian document warned a new potential front line has now emerged along its northern border with Belarus, a key Kremlin ally. “The territory of Belarus should be considered as a full-fledged theater of operations that Russia can use to expand aggression against Ukraine,” the Ukrainian military intelligence document said. US State Department officials underlined those concerns Tuesday, saying Russia’s bolstered troop presence in Belarus has increased their capabilities along the Ukrainian border and led to heightened concerns about an invasion. “What it represents is an increased capability for Russia to launch this attack. Increased opportunity, increased avenues, increased risk,” a senior US State Department official said, adding that the troops were moved into Belarus without sufficient notice. In Belarus,  Russia is “preying on (Belarusian leader Alexander) Lukashenko’s vulnerability and calling in some of those accumulated IOUs,” the official said. “The timing is notable and of course raises concerns that Russia could intend to station troops in Belarus under the guise of joint military exercises in order potentially to attack Ukraine from the North,” the official said. While the official would not speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intent when it comes to moving troops into Belarus, the official described Putin as “an opportunist.” “We’ve seen warning signs that the dynamics inside Belarus are enabling Russia to further prey on Lukashenko’s self-inflicted vulnerability,” the official said. US officials have said a Russian invasion of Ukraine could happen at any point in the next month or two. “Russian military plans to begin activities several weeks before a military invasion are something we’ve been watching closely and our assessment has been that could happen anytime between mid-January and mid-February,” a second senior State Department official explained. The United States is looking closely at whether Lukashenko still has the levers of control in his country — or whether the decision-making has been largely passed over to Russia. Belarus has become an “increasingly destabilizing actor in the region” the first State Department official said, pointing to a number of recent actions such as manufacturing a migrant crisis on the Poland-Belarus border, arresting activists and holding more than 900 political prisoners. Ukraine’s assessment comes as the country’s former President, Petro Poroshenko, told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday that “the whole world should be united against Putin,” and that Ukraine should be allowed to join NATO. The billionaire led Ukraine from 2014 until 2019, taking power shortly after Russia invaded and subsequently annexed Crimea. He was defeated in the 2019 presidential election by incumbent Volodymyr Zelensky. “It is absolutely necessary that there is international solidarity and unity” against Putin, Poroshenko said, adding that Western allies should not trust the Russian leader. The 56-year-old also called for an increase in international sanctions against Russia. “We need to make Russia weaker, and to make Russia weaker, we can do that through the sanctions. We should make Ukraine stronger. And day by day, we should receive new effective defensive lethal weapons,” he said. Poroshenko also said “nobody knows, including Putin” whether a Russian invasion will actually happen and a lot will depend on the introduction of sanctions. Calling a potential invasion a “crazy decision,” he said the international community should “increase significantly the price Putin should pay” if Russian forces cross the Ukrainian border. When asked whether endemic corruption is a reason Ukraine has not been accepted as a member of NATO, Poroshenko pointed blame at his successor, Zelensky, for a “backslide” of corruption reforms. Poroshenko returned to the capital, Kyiv, on Monday to face treason charges linked to the financing of Russian-backed separatist fighters through illegal coal sales in 2014 and 2015. When pressed on the charges he faces, Poroshenko said the accusations were  “politically motivated” and that prosecutors had “zero evidence.” According to Reuters, critics say his return to Ukraine is serving as an badly timed distraction amid the political crisis with Russia. NN: our analysis is Russia is not planning a full blown invasion of Ukraine. Tthat would take 500,000 troops and drag NATO into the fray. Putin is to smart for that. Instead he will  go in through South-west Belarus.  Advancing on Kyiv from farther west would mean Russian forces could bypass the Pripet marshes and Chernobyl area. This was confirmed to me when satellite photos showed Russian troop entering Belarus. Putan has gotten Minsk’s support,  In a speech to mark Orthodox Christmas on 7 January, the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, said his country would “do everything” to take back Ukraine. Putin just called in that chip

LONDON: OPEC on Tuesday stuck to its forecast for robust growth in world oil demand in 2022 despite the Omicron coronavirus variant and expected interest rate hikes, predicting the oil market would remain well supported through the year.

The upbeat view from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries comes as oil prices have reached the highest since 2014. Tight supply has given impetus to the rally, and OPEC’s report also showed the group undershot a pledged oil-output rise in December. In a monthly report, OPEC said it expects world oil demand in 2022 to rise by 4.15 million barrels per day (bpd), unchanged from last month. Oil use will surpass the 100 million bpd mark in the third quarter, also in line with last month’s forecast. “While the new Omicron variant may have an impact in the first half of 2022, which is dependent on any further lockdown measures and rising hospitalisation levels impacting the workforce, projections for economic growth remain robust,” OPEC said in the report. Interest rate rises, expected in 2022 to keep a lid on inflation and seen by some as risk to oil demand, are unlikely to dent the outlook, OPEC said. Expected U.S. rate hikes in the second quarter would coincide with the northern hemisphere driving season, which boosts fuel demand, it said. “Monetary actions are not expected to hinder underlying global economic growth momentum, but rather serve to recalibrate otherwise overheating economies,” OPEC said. “The oil market is expected to remain well-supported throughout 2022.” This year’s demand rise will take oil use above pre-pandemic levels. On an annual basis according to OPEC, the world last used over 100 million bpd of oil in 2019. Oil rose after the report was issued and was trading close to $88 a barrel, having hit $88.13 on Tuesday, the highest since October 2014. The report also showed higher output from OPEC as the group and allies, known as OPEC+, gradually unwind record output cuts put in place last year. OPEC+ has aimed to raise output by 400,000 bpd a month, with about 253,000 bpd of that due to come from the 10 OPEC members covered by the deal, but production has increased by less than that as some producers struggle to pump more. The report showed OPEC output in December rose by 170,000 bpd to 27.88 million bpd, undershooting the rise OPEC was allowed. Libya and Nigeria both had a drop in output alongside gains in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere. Traders are watching for signs of a big rebound in U.S. shale supply as higher prices prompt more investment, which could prove a headwind to OPEC+ efforts to support the market. OPEC raised its forecast for growth in 2022 production of U.S. tight oil, another term for shale, to 670,000 bpd from 600,000 bpd. The growth forecast for overall non-OPEC supply in 2022 was left unchanged. OPEC said it expects the world to need 28.9 million bpd from its members in 2022, unchanged from last month and theoretically allowing further increases in output. NN: Their are 3 key players here. The Sadie’s,Russia and US shale producers. For  Putin oil is a tool to manipulate  Europe as he contemplates his next move in e Ukraine. With prices over $80 a barrel the Saudi’s are rolling in cash. Their only worry is US shale producers. Speaking of US shale producers…. its off to the races. At oil over $80 at the well head they are in dream land. Plenty of new pipelines to move oil and plenty of completed wells to bring on line. US producers will easily make up any short falls putting a cap on prices.