Covid-19 News

    Quote from JulianBianchi

    Or that ivermectin would impact their multi-$100M sales of Mk-7110, MK-4482 and Rebif repurposed for COVID-19 treatment...

    How could it impact on that if it does not work!?! That makes no sense. It would not cure anyone, so it would not reduce the demand for their other drugs.


    If they thought it does work, surely they would be pleased to sell mountains of the stuff, at any price. A company does not turn down an opportunity to sell a product, even one that carnivalizes their own market. If they thought ivermectin works, they would know that if they do not sell it, someone else will. They can have part of the market, or none of it. Which would you choose?


    Quote from JulianBianchi

    Again, here is the science on ivermectin:

    https://ivmmeta.com/

    I'm still waiting for the first negative study of ivermectin on COVID-19, despite what you continue to claim....

    Evidently the experts at Merck disagree with you. They say all of the studies are negative. I wouldn't know, but I expect they know more about this than you do.

    Quote from zorud

    Over 52 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered in the United States from December 14, 2020, through February 14, 2021. During this time, VAERS received 934 reports of death* (0.0018%) among people who received a COVID-19 vaccine.

    934 seems far too low. I guess they are not counting people who died from other known causes.


    The vaccine is being administered mainly to old people, 65 and above. Such people often die. Let's assume 25 million people between the ages of 65 and 80 were vaccinated. Here is an actuarial table:


    https://www.ssa.gov/oact/STATS/table4c6.html


    This table shows that at age 65, 0.016 of the population will die within a year. That's 0.003 in 2 months. Distribute 25,000,000 people in the age cohorts from 65 to 80, and you find there are 1,857,123 in the 65-year-old bracket, and 1,177,020 in the 80-year-old bracket. 1,857,123 * 0.003 is 4,956 people. That's how many people at age 65 who will die in two months, out of a group of 25 million.

    Quote from JedRothwell

    vidently the experts at Merck disagree with you. They say all of the studies are negative. I wouldn't know,

    Correct.. "I wouldn't know"..

    .Jed is no expert on experts in the pharmaceuticl biz.

    and feigns ignorance of the profit motive that pits the potential billions from patentable against the peanuts from generics

    perhaps the Japanese Medical Association has a few experts to

    just a little bit on the conservative side..


    "At a press conference on February 9, the president of the Tokyo Medical Association, Haruo Ozaki, recommended the emergency use of medicines, mainly to prevent the worsening of home caregivers, in order to respond to the spread of the new coronavirus infection. He stressed that antiparasitic drugs such as “ivermectin” should be administered to people infected with the coronavirus, saying that abroad they have been shown to be effective in preventing worsening."


    Microsoft ended up on on the wrong side of history and so will Merck..


    Ivermectin is not open source..but it is generic.. and is a danger to Merck's recent 425 million $ gamble on OncoImmune's MK-7110

    https://www.techradar.com/news…out-linux-and-open-source

    Quote from RobertBryant

    Microsoft ended up on on the wrong side of history and so will Merck..

    That happens. That's capitalism for you. When there are winners, there must also be losers. However, you cannot expect the experts at Merck to go against their own best judgement. They might be wrong, but you have no reason to think they are dishonest. Because saying that ivermectin does not work cannot generate a profit for them. It cannot help their market position, or hurt their competition.

    Quote from RobertBryant

    Ivermectin is not open source..but it is generic.. and is a danger to Merck's recent 425 million $ gamble on OncoImmune's MK-7110

    Gambles don't work that way. Just saying "ivermectin does not work" will not actually stop it from working. It will not stop the competition from selling ivermectin. If ivermectin does work, and if it does compete with MK-7110, then they will lose the $425 million gamble. It makes no difference what they say. Competing companies will not say, "oh, wait, we shouldn't sell this because the people at Merck say it does not work."

    I guess not all deaths may have been reported ...and this age group is not a good sample anyway due to the mentioned preconditions. It will be more important to do the math again when there will be data from the younger vaccinated population. But it shows that the vaccine seems very safe from what we know so far. Let’s cross fingers.

    Quote from zorud

    I guess not all deaths may have been reported ...

    There have been no deaths from the vaccine. "All deaths" equals zero. There were some deaths from people soon after they were vaccinated, but in every case so far, the doctors concluded that the patient died for some other reason.


    Here in Atlanta, baseball player Hank Arron died in January 2021 at age 86. A few weeks before he died, he got a COVID-19 vaccination. Some people concluded that the vaccine led to his death, but the doctors say it had no connection. Nevertheless, the anti-science Death Cult says the vaccine killed him. You may find many similar bogus reports in internet sewers. But you will not find any real, verifiable, medical data. There isn't any. The vaccine is as safe as any other modern vaccine, which is to say it kills fewer than 1 in 1 million patients. Evidently many fewer than 1 in a million. That's no surprise. Researchers know more about this virus and this vaccine than any other in history. It has been more carefully tested, more extensively than any other in history. Technology improves every year, so it is no surprise that the latest vaccine is the safest.

    Quote from JedRothwell

    Evidently the experts at Merck disagree with you.

    You mean the product manager....

    Quote from JedRothwell

    However, you cannot expect the experts at Merck to go against their own best judgement.

    As said the product manager did talk.

    Quote from RobertBryant

    Senator Ron Johnson, R-Wis., slammed YouTube's "dangerous" actions Thursday, after the platform censored a video of Dr. Pierre Kory testifying before the U.S. Senate about a widely available drug that early studies show may help treatment and prevention of Covid-19.

    https://www.foxnews.com/politi…irus-ron-johnson-big-tech

    This is exactly what Jed think. USA his buddies country ruled by FM/R/J finance interests only.

    Quote from JedRothwell

    There were some deaths from people soon after they were vaccinated, but in every case so far, the doctors concluded that the patient died for some other reason.

    A dozen young doctor/health personal died so far from a haemorrhagic shock after the vaccination. This is an expected complication and is directly caused by the jab.

    World's first coronavirus Human Challenge study receives ethics approval in the UK


    https://www.gov.uk/government/…ethics-approval-in-the-uk


    First Covid-19 human challenge study will begin within a month, after receiving ethics approval in the same week the UK hits target of offering first dose to 15 million people

    Researchers call on healthy young people to volunteer for the study, which will play a key role in developing effective Covid-19 vaccines and treatments

    Up to 90 volunteers aged 18 - 30 years will be exposed to Covid-19 in a safe and controlled environment to increase understanding of how the virus affects people

    Backed by a £33.6 million UK government investment, the first-of-its-kind study for this virus will involve establishing the smallest amount of virus needed to cause infection, which will give doctors greater understanding of Covid-19 and help support the pandemic response by aiding vaccine and treatment development.


    Due to begin in the next few weeks, it will involve up to 90 carefully selected, healthy adult volunteers being exposed to the virus in a safe and controlled environment.


    The safety of volunteers is paramount, which means this virus characterisation study will initially use the version of the virus that has been circulating in the UK since March 2020 and has been shown to be of low risk in young healthy adults. Medics and scientists will closely monitor the effect of the virus on volunteers and will be on hand to look after them 24 hours a day.


    The researchers are also working very closely with the Royal Free Hospital and the North Central London (NCL) Adult Critical Care Network to ensure the study will not impact on the NHS’ ability to care for patients during the pandemic. The study will not begin without their go-ahead.


    Once this initial study has taken place, vaccine candidates, which have proven to be safe in clinical trials, could be given to small numbers of volunteers who are then exposed to the Covid-19 virus, helping to identify the most effective vaccines and accelerate their development.


    Researchers are encouraging people aged between 18 and 30 years old, who are at the lowest risk of complications resulting from coronavirus, to volunteer for this vital study. Volunteers will be compensated for the time they spend in the study.


    Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said:


    Researchers and scientists around the world have made incredible progress in understanding Covid-19 and developing critical vaccines to protect people.


    While there has been very positive progress in vaccine development, we want to find the best and most effective vaccines for use over the longer term. These human challenge studies will take place here in the UK and will help accelerate scientists’ knowledge of how coronavirus affects people and could eventually further the rapid development of vaccines.


    Over many decades, human challenge studies have been performed safely and have played important roles in accelerating the development of treatments for diseases including malaria, typhoid, cholera, norovirus and flu. The trials have also helped researchers establish which possible vaccine is most likely to succeed in phase 3 clinical trials that would follow, usually involving thousands of volunteers.


    This initial study will also help doctors understand how the immune system reacts to coronavirus and identify factors that influence how the virus is transmitted, including how a person who is infected with Covid-19 virus transmits infectious virus particles into the environment.


    The Human Challenge study is being delivered by a partnership between the government’s Vaccines Taskforce, Imperial College London, the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and the industry-leading clinical company hVIVO, which has pioneered viral human challenge models.


    The Royal Free Hospital’s specialist and secure clinical research facilities in London are specifically designed to contain the virus. Highly trained medics and scientists will be on hand to carefully examine how the virus behaves in the body and to ensure the safety of volunteers.


    The virus being used in the characterisation study has been produced by a team at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust in London, in collaboration with hVIVO with support from virologists at Imperial College London.


    Interim Chair of the Vaccines Taskforce Clive Dix said:


    We have secured a number of safe and effective vaccines for the UK, but it is essential that we continue to develop new vaccines and treatments for Covid-19. We expect these studies to offer unique insights into how the virus works and help us understand which promising vaccines offer the best chance of preventing the infection.


    Chief Investigator Dr Chris Chiu, from Imperial College London, said:


    We are asking for volunteers aged between 18 and 30 to join this research endeavour and help us to understand how the virus infects people and how it passes so successfully between us. Our eventual aim is to establish which vaccines and treatments work best in beating this disease, but we need volunteers to support us in this work.


    Chief Scientific Officer at hVIVO, Dr Andrew Catchpole said:


    Ethical review of the research plan is a crucial part of conducting clinical studies and approval from the Ethics Committee represents a very important milestone in the development of the Covid-19 challenge model. COVID-19 Human Challenge studies have the potential to play an important role in providing data and information that will help continue to develop vaccines to control the pandemic.


    This study is a key enabling study to establish the Covid-19 challenge model and determine the lowest possible dose of virus required. Data from this study will immediately facilitate the challenge model to be used for vaccine efficacy testing as well as to answer a wide range of fundamental scientific questions that are not feasible with traditional field trials, such as exactly what type of immunological response is required to confer protection from re-infection.


    People can express an interest in taking part in this research at https://ukcovidchallenge.com/

    Severe COVID-19 may damage the eyes, small study hints

    By Rachael Rettner


    https://news.google.com/articl…=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen


    People with severe COVID-19 may be at risk for serious eye problems, a new study suggests.


    The study researchers analyzed information from 129 patients in France who were hospitalized with COVID-19 and underwent brain scans with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Of these, nine patients, or 7%, showed signs of eye abnormalities. Specifically, the MRIs showed abnormalities called "nodules" at the back of their eyes, which can be signs of inflammation or direct damage to the eye, study lead author Dr. Augustin Lecler, an associate professor at the University of Paris, told Live Science in an email.


    All nine patients had nodules in the macula, which is responsible for central vision, meaning the ability to see clearly in front of you. Eight of the patients had "bilateral" nodules, meaning they occurred in both eyes.

    The eye problems we found can be potentially very serious because they occur in the ... macular region, which is the region responsible for giving us clear vision and the ability to see fine detail," said Lecler, who is also a neuroradiologist at the Foundation Adolphe de Rothschild Hospital in Paris. "If persisting, it might potentially lead to severe vision loss or even blindness."


    The findings suggest that patients with severe COVID-19 may need to undergo screening for eye problems, the authors wrote in their paper, published Tuesday (Feb. 16) in the journal Radiology. They note that serious eye problems "might largely go unnoticed" among patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) as doctors focus on treating life-threatening symptoms of the disease.


    "It is critical to remember that eye problems can go unrecognized in the ICU, and clinicians need to be vigilant in first identifying if there is an orbital [eye] problem to protect the patient's vision," Dr. Claudia Kirsch, the division chief of neuroradiology at Northwell Health Zucker Hofstra School of Medicine in Manhasset, New York, wrote in an accompanying editorial in Radiology.



    Vitamin D and Age-Related Macular Degeneration


    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5691736/


    Abstract

    In recent years, the relationship between vitamin D and health has received growing attention from the scientific and medical communities. Vitamin D deficiencies have been repeatedly associated with various acute and chronic diseases, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Its active metabolite, 1α,25-dihydoxy vitamin D, acts as a modulator of cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis, and cumulative data from experimental and observational studies suggest that relatively a lower vitamin D status could be a potential risk factor for the development of early and/or late AMD. Herein, we made a narrative review of the mechanisms linking a potential role of vitamin D with the current concepts of AMD pathophysiology.

    Imaging Shows COVID-19 Creates a Body Self-Attack


    https://www.diagnosticimaging.…reates-a-body-self-attack


    We’ve realized that the COVID virus can trigger the body to attack itself in different ways, which may lead to rheumatological issues that require lifelong management,” said corresponding author Swati Deshmukh, M.D., assistant professor of radiology at Northwestern University Feinburg School of Medicine. “Many patients with COVID-related musculoskeletal disorders recover, but for some individuals, their symptoms become serious, are deeply concerning to the patient or impact their quality of life, which leads them to seek medical attention and imaging.”


    In a retrospective review of data from patients who presented to Northwestern Memorial Hospital between May 2020 and December 2020, Deshmukh’s team examined CT, MRI, and ultrasound studies for evidence that could point to why someone might have musculoskeletal symptoms that linger post-COVID.

    WHO is up to BAT.


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    Quote from RobertBryant

    Zuckerberg's censorship... who cares about Physics Today..and LENR?


    Senator Ron Johnson, R-Wis., slammed YouTube's "dangerous" actions Thursday, after the platform censored a video of Dr. Pierre Kory testifying before the U.S. Senate about a widely available drug that early studies show may help treatment and prevention of Covid-19. 

    https://www.foxnews.com/politi…irus-ron-johnson-big-tech

    The elites don't want cheap widely equitable energy. If they don't care about your life, why would they care about your wealth.

    • New

    CD8+ T cell responses in COVID-19 convalescent individuals target conserved epitopes from multiple prominent SARS-CoV-2 circulating variants


    https://www.medrxiv.org/conten…2.11.21251585v1.full-text


    Results

    As previously described, 60% of individuals included in the analysis were male and samples were collected a median of 42.5 days (interquartile range 37.5-48.0) from their initial diagnosis[8]. The group was selected evenly from tertiles (10 each) according to their overall anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG titers[8,9]. Among the convalescent individuals, there were 132 SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8+ T cell responses corresponding to 52 unique epitope reactivities directed against several structural and non-structural target epitopes from the entire proteome.


    Of all the mapped mutations, insertions, and deletions (n=45), only one mutation was found to fall within one of the 52 unique epitopes identified in the previous study (Fig 1, S1). This mutation is the D80A mutation in the viral Spike protein, and occurs in the third residue of the RFDNPVLPF epitope. This is a HLA*A24:02-restricted epitope for which a CD8+ T cell response was detected in only one individual, and at a low frequency, indicating this is not a high-prevalence epitope within the studied cross-sectional sample.

    Discussion

    As the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic continues, it is inevitable that new viral variants will emerge. Many of these variants will disappear unnoticed due to a combination of incomplete or non-existent genotypic surveillance, changes that have deleterious impact on viral fitness, and conditions that do not promote their further spread in the population. However, some variants, like the three examined here, will emerge in situations where continued spread is possible due to either differences in underlying infectivity of the variant, large founder effects, incomplete treatment interventions, immunocompromised patient groups, low levels of societal physical interventions, or a combination of all or some of these factors. Understanding the extant immunity in previously infected individuals to any new variant is of critical importance to properly estimate what effect these variants may have in the global pandemic[10].


    This analysis identified only one mutation from the three most prominent new global SARS-CoV-2 variants that overlapped with 52 CD8+ T cell epitopes previously identified in a group of convalescent individuals. Additionally, this mutation was found on the third residue of the epitope, and given that the predicted anchor residues for HLA binding of this epitope are residues two and nine, one could speculate that this mutation may not significantly affect HLA binding and subsequent TCR recognition[11].


    The data on CD8+ T cell responses from these 30 convalescent individuals are also in line with another recent report showing that the great majority of CD4+ T cell epitopes from the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.17 variant are also conserved[12]. Yet it should be noted, that new variants are continuing to be identified all over the world, and it will be important to continually examine these for the possible accumulation of T cell escape mutations.


    The preliminary analyses of NAb responses to the B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and B.1.1.248 variants have yielded varied outcomes with some reduced efficacy of monoclonal antibody therapeutics, and a significant decrease in the neutralization capacity of plasma from convalescent and vaccinated individuals to the B.1.351 variant. The vaccines that have been tested thus far against the B.1.351 variant in South Africa demonstrate reduced protective efficacy against COVID-19, but do seem to reduce the number of cases of severe disease at an equivalent level as they do against other strains[4–7]. Yet, it must be highlighted many of these results have not been published in full detail or peer-reviewed. This possible prevention of severe disease may be due in part to the cell-mediated immunity generated due to natural COVID-19 infection or vaccination, which the results presented here would suggest are minimally affected by the mutations found in these variants.


    It should be noted that this study had several limitations including the relatively small size of the population examined. In addition, the participants in the study were all from North America and were selected in part on the presence of one or more of the target HLA types examined (73% coverage of the continental US population). It will be important to examine for T cell escape in more diverse HLA types moving forward.


    These data highlight the potential significant role of a multi-epitope T cell response in limiting viral escape, and partly mediate protection from disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 variants. It is important that vaccines used for widespread campaigns generate strong multivalent T-cell responses in addition to NAb and other humoral responses in order to optimize efficacy against the current SARS-CoV-2 and emerging strains. It will also be important to continue to monitor the breadth, magnitude, and durability of the anti-SARS-CoV-2 T cell responses in recovered and vaccinated individuals as part of any assessment to determine if booster vaccinations are needed.

    • New

    Nasal antiviral blocks SARS-CoV-2 transmission in ferrets


    https://news.google.com/articl…=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen


    A nasal antiviral created by researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons blocked transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in ferrets, suggesting the nasal spray also may prevent infection in people exposed to the new coronavirus, including recent variants.


    The compound in the spray--a lipopeptide developed by Matteo Porotto, PhD, and Anne Moscona, MD, professors in the Department of Pediatrics and directors of the Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction--is designed to prevent the new coronavirus from entering host cells.


    The antiviral lipopeptide is inexpensive to produce, has a long shelf life, and does not require refrigeration. These features make it stand out from other antiviral approaches under development, including many monoclonal antibodies. The new nasal lipopeptide could be ideal for halting the spread of COVID in the United States and globally; the transportable and stable compound could be especially key in rural, low-income, and hard-to-reach populations.


    The study published in Science on Feb. 17.


    Ferrets a model for respiratory diseases

    Ferrets are often used in studies of respiratory diseases because the lungs of these animals and humans are similar. Ferrets are highly susceptible to infection with SARS-CoV-2, and the virus spreads easily from ferret to ferret.


    In this study, carried out in collaboration with Rory de Vries, PhD, and Rik de Swart, PhD, at Erasmus in the Netherlands, 100% of the untreated ferrets were infected by their virus-shedding cagemates, approximating a setting like sharing a bed or close living conditions for people.


    Porotto and Moscona have previously created similar lipopeptides--small proteins joined to a cholesterol or tocopherol molecule--to prevent infection of cells by other viruses, including measles, parainfluenza, and Nipah viruses. These anti-viral compounds have been challenging to bring to human trials, in large part because the infections they prevent are most prevalent or serious in low-income contexts.

    The lipopeptides work by preventing a virus from fusing with its host's cell membrane, a necessary step that enveloped viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, use to infect cells. To fuse, the new coronavirus unfolds its spike protein before contracting into a compact bundle that drives the fusion.


    The compound designed by Porotto and Moscona recognizes the SARS-CoV-2 spike, wedges itself into the unfolded region, and prevents the spike protein from adopting the compact shape necessary for fusion.


    In the ferret experiments at Erasmus, the lipopeptide was delivered into the noses of six ferrets. Pairs of treated ferrets were then housed with two control ferrets that received a saline nasal spray and one ferret infected with SARS-CoV-2.

    • New

    Bristol Covid variant’ that may diminish vaccine efficacy discovered for first time in US

    One study found Pfizer’s vaccine works against the E484K variant, but it offers slightly less efficacy


    https://news.google.com/articl…=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen



    The Bristol variant of the coronavirus has been detected for the first time in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday.


    Research into the variant shows that it has the same makeup of the Kent strain in the United Kingdom, but with an additional mutation on the E484K spike protein.


    Public Health England (PHE) has deemed the Bristol variant one of the four variants of concern in the UK due to its potential impact on Covid-19 vaccines.


    “E484K is currently the mutation with most evidence of causing antigenic change,” PHE said in a statement last week. “Several independent studies showing the impact of different antigenic variants have concluded E484K is among the single mutations with the greatest impact.”

    • New

    Pfizer delivers bad news on vaccine


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    • New

    Israel Sees a Surge in Infections From South African COVID Strain

    Some 230 Israelis contracted the South African strain, including two who had already recovered from a coronavirus infection


    https://www.haaretz.com/amp/is…an-covid-strain-1.9544754


    At least 238 coronavirus patients in Israel are ill with the South African variant of the virus, according to information obtained by Haaretz. Most of the confirmed cases were detected in 29 chains of infection that weave through numerous cities and towns, including Petah Tikva, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.


    However, 24 of those ill with the variant were discovered during random testing in the community. The Health Ministry sees this as evidence that this variant is continuing to spread and there are other cases that haven’t yet come to light. Two of the sick people had previously recovered from a COVID-19 infection.


    Some 3,000 Israelis have been tested specifically for the South African strain of the virus; many were either confirmed cases who had recently returned from abroad, people who had come in contact with them, or confirmed cases in places with localized outbreaks.