Category: COVID

Categories : COVIDTags :

UK Takes SA off its Red List for Travel

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Lucas Davies on Unsplash

On Thursday, the UK government announced that South Africa has come of the COVID red list, which has been cut from 54 to just seven.

Brazil and Mexico also come off the red list, which requires travellers to quarantine in an approved hotel at their cost for 10 full days – at a cost of £2285 for one person.  The seven countries remaining on the red list are Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Vaccinated travellers from South Africa will be treated the same as returning fully-vaccinated UK residents so long as they have not visited a red-list country in the 10 days before arriving in England. All incoming travellers will still complete a passenger locator form.

UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the changes begin on Monday and “mark the next step” in opening travel.

The UK’s travel rues have recently been simplified, with the amber list removed entirely, and advice against holidays changed for 32 countries. Arrivals from 37 more destinations will have their vaccination status certificates recognised, meaning they can avoid more expensive post-arrival testing requirements.

Speaking to the BBC, British expats Matt and Hannah Pirnie, who have lived in South Africa for a decade, said the separation has been difficult.

“It’s been a long pandemic for us. Not seeing family, not being allowed to go back, but more importantly grandparents not being able to come here and see their grandkids. It’s been a long two years,” Matt said.

“First of all when all the aeroplanes stopped initially – that was quite anxiety provoking – and then to be put on the red list for so long has just been quite hard to wrap your head around why,” Hannah adds.

Announcing the latest changes, Mr Shapps said the government was “making it easier for families and loved ones to reunite”. He said that with fewer restrictions “and more people travelling, we can all continue to move safely forward together along our pathway to recovery”.

In addition to the much-abbreviated red list, the government said passengers would soon be able to use a photograph of a lateral flow test as a minimum requirement to verify a negative result, and the more expensive ‘day two’ PCR test was to be replaced with a lateral flow test.

Source: BBC News

Categories : COVIDTags :

6 Tips For Communicating With the Vaccine-hesitant

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Usman Yousaf on Unsplash

Bhekisisa writes that although there are a great number of people who are hesitant but not completely unwilling to take vaccines, there are a number of proven methods to help convince them to get their vaccinations. They offer six helpful tips to improve communication.

Early on during COVID vaccine trials, surveys showed that more than two thirds of adults globally said they would be willing to get on board when a vaccine became available. This was promising, but willingness to get vaccinated doesn’t necessarily translate into actual uptake.

In South Africa at least one poll showed similar results, yet so far just over 32% have actually followed through with getting at least one vaccine dose. There is some good news, though, as there is evidence showing that many people simply need the right approach.

Here are six things to take into account when encouraging hesitant people to get vaccinated.

1. Know the audience
To persuade people to get vaccinated, messages have to be tailored for the intended audience. For example, UK study showed that people seeking to be vaccinated may be receptive to messages public health benefits of vaccination, while those who are vaccine hesitant appear to be more interested about benefits for themselves.

2. Get the word out ASAP
A study in Nature found that the right timing of vaccine messages can increase appointments and subsequent vaccinations. Participants in the US received a text message inviting them to make a vaccination appointment either one day after becoming eligible or eight days after. The earlier text got 1.5 times as many people to make appointments than the later one.

In addition, making the booking also increased uptake, as almost 90% of participants who made a booking after receiving the text kept their appointments – and nearly everyone receiving their first dose got the second.

3. Allay people’s fears
The speed of the COVID vaccine rollout led some to question its safety. Studies from around the world show that fears about ingredients, safety and what many perceive as rushed approval processes deter people from getting vaccinated. This can be compounded by a lack of transparency around vaccine trials and ‘big pharma’ procurement deals can compound doubt and hesitancy.

Though vaccines have abundant evidence on their safety and efficacy, acknowledging that people’s fears are valid is important, as is showing empathy to make hesitant people more open to balanced, evidenced-based messages. At the same time, it is best to be honest about minor side effects, and contextualise how rare the severe side effects are.

The media scare over blood clots in the J&J and AstraZeneca vaccine generated the impression that they were far more frequent than they truly were: which were only one in a million for J&J and 4 to 6 million for AstraZeneca.

4. Name-dropping
Socially influential people can greatly increase vaccine uptake when they encourage others to do so and get one themselves. In 1956, during low uptake of the polio vaccine, Elvis Presley was shown getting his polio shot on TV. This spurred US teenagers to recruit their friends, resulting in a surge of vaccinations. Studies show that even encouragement within peer groups can motivate members to get vaccinated.

5. Ignore holdouts and focus on fence-sitters
A small percentage of people will not take the vaccine under any circumstances, and research shows that it’s virtually impossible to change their minds. About one in eight people are holdouts, while in South Africa the rate is roughly one in 15. While those who are merely hesitant may be persuaded over time, changing the minds of stubbornly resistant individuals is simply a waste of time and money.

6. Understand people’s realities
Historically, vaccination campaigns focused on busting myths and providing evidence-based information about vaccine safety and benefits. Yet opposition to COVID-19 vaccines (and also non-pharmaceutical interventions such as wearing masks and social distancing) seems more strongly rooted in people’s lack of institutional trust, and even a mistrust of government in general when faced with a large-scale epidemic.

There is also a distrust of vaccine arising from historical injustice, such as racism and government experimentation on unknowing individuals. A more recent example is American intelligence services using a vaccination in Pakistan to track down Osama bin Laden, which became something the Taliban used to discredit subsequent vaccination drives.

Source: Bhekisisa

Categories : COVIDTags :

Younger COVID Survivors More Likely to Recover Sense of Smell

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Elly Johnson on Unsplash

For 4 out of every 5 COVID survivors, those who have lost sense of smell or taste have these return within six months, with those under 40 more likely to recover, according to a new study.

Among 798 respondents to an ongoing survey of people who had COVID and reported a loss of smell or taste, participants who were younger than 40 recovered their sense of smell at a higher rate than those older than 40, according to study results published in the American Journal of Otolaryngology last month.

Evan Reiter, MD, medical director of the Smell and Taste Disorders Center at Virginia Commonwealth University Health and a co-investigator on the study, said the latest data show 4 in 5 participants, regardless of age, regained their smell and taste within six months.

Insights into COVID survivors’ recovery came from symptoms experienced and pre-existing conditions they had. Those with a history of head injury were less likely to recover their sense of smell, as well as those who had shortness of breath during COVID. However, those with nasal congestion had a higher likelihood of smell recovery.

There have been more than 230 million cases of COVID worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. If estimates from the survey reflect populations worldwide, more than 20 million people could have lingering loss of smell or taste more than six months after COVID.

Previous survey results published in April showed 43% of participants reported feeling depressed and 56% reported decreased enjoyment of life in general while experiencing loss of smell or taste. The most common quality-of-life concern was reduced enjoyment of food, with 87% of respondents indicating it was an issue. An inability to smell smoke was the most common safety risk, reported by 45% of those surveyed. Loss of appetite (55%) and unintentional weight loss (37%) continue to pose challenges for patients, Prof said Professor Daniel Coelho, lead author of the study.

Smell training using essential oils could help people trying to recover their sense of smell.

“I continue to recommend that to my patients. It’s low cost and low risk,” Dr Reiter said.

The Clinical Olfactory Working Group, an international group of physicians with a strong research interest in the sense of smell, recommended the method as an option early this year. The group found that smell (olfactory) training could help foster recovery of nerve damage.

“I’d also say potentially it may get people a little bit more tuned into whatever level of function they have left so it might make them more sensitive and better able to use the remaining sensors and neurons that are working,” Dr Reiter said.

Meanwhile, researchers are in the early stages of developing an implant device to restore sense of smell, which began years before the pandemic. The device would behave much like a cochlear implant, which restores hearing for those with hearing loss.

Source: Virginia Commonwealth University

Categories : Cancer COVIDTags :

1 in 7 Cancer Patients Missed Surgery Due to Lockdowns

On By ModernMedia
Source: Pixabay CC0

One in seven cancer patients around the world have missed out on potentially life-saving operations during COVID lockdowns, according to a new study led by the University of Birmingham.

Planned cancer surgery was impacted by lockdowns regardless of the local COVID rates at that time, especially in lower income countries.
Though lockdowns have protected the public from COVID, they have had collateral impact on care for other patients and health conditions. Researchers in this study showed that lockdowns resulted in significant delays for cancer surgery and potentially more cancer deaths.

Researchers are calling for major global reorganisation during the pandemic recovery to provide protected elective surgical pathways and critical care beds that will allow surgery to continue safely, as well as investment in ‘surge’ capacity for future public health emergencies.

‘Ring-fenced’ intensive care beds would support patients with other health conditions and those with advanced disease (who are most at risk from delays) to undergo timely surgery. Investment in staffing and infrastructure for emergency care would mitigate against disruption of elective services.

The COVIDSurg Collaborative involved 5000 surgeons and anaesthetists around the world working together as part of the to analyse data from the 15 most common solid cancer types in 20 000 patients in 61 countries. The findings were reported in The Lancet Oncology.

The researchers compared cancellations and delays before cancer surgery during lockdowns to those during times with light restrictions. During full lockdowns, one in seven patients (15%) did not receive their planned operation after a median of 5.3 months from diagnosis – all with a COVID related reason for non-operation. However, during light restriction periods, the non-operation rate was very low (0.6%).

Patients awaiting surgery for longer than six weeks during full lockdown were less likely to have their planned cancer surgery. Frail patients, those with advanced cancer, and those waiting surgery in lower-middle income countries were all less likely to have the cancer operation they urgently needed.

Researchers analysed data from adult patients suffering from cancer types including colorectal, oesophageal, gastric, head and neck, thoracic, liver, pancreatic, prostate, bladder, renal, gynaecological, breast, soft-tissue sarcoma, bony sarcoma, and intracranial malignancies.

Lockdowns directly impact hospital procedures and planning, as health systems change to reflect stringent government policies restricting movement. The researchers found that full and moderate lockdowns independently raised the likelihood of non-operation after adjustment for local COVID case notification rates. They hope that this information will help guide future lockdowns and restrictions by governments.

Source: University of Birmingham

Categories : COVIDTags :

Anti-Spike Antibodies Key for Surviving Severe COVID

On By ModernMedia
SARS-CoV-2 viruses (yellow) infecting a human cell. Credit: NIH

In a study of patients with COVID being treated in intensive care units, people mounting only a low antibody response against the SARS-CoV-2 virus had a greater risk of dying. 

Previous studies by the researchers had indicated that levels of SARS-CoV2 viral RNA and antigens in the blood was related to COVID severity.

The study, which is published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, recruited 92 patients severely ill with COVID who were admitted to the ICU. The researchers found that patients with strong antibody responses against the virus had low levels of viral RNA in their blood, especially anti-S (Spike protein) antibodies. Those with poor antibody responses had high viral RNA levels and disseminated viral proteins in the blood, 2.5 times higher than those with strong antibody responses. 

Previous studies have shown that critical COVID patients develop higher titers of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies than those with milder disease, suggesting that antibody response alone is insufficient to avoid severe disease. The findings nonetheless support that critical COVID patients would need to mount a robust anti-S antibody response to survive.

The results could help establish the optimal antibody levels needed for an individual to overcome COVID when critically ill. The study also provided evidence of the importance of antibodies against the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 to block the virus’ replication, which are the antibodies induced by vaccination.  

“Our findings support that treatment with exogenous antibodies in COVID should be personalised, reserving this therapy for those patients with absent or low endogenous antibodies levels,” said co–senior author Jesús F. Bermejo-Martin, MD, PhD, of the Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca (IBSAL) & CIBERES, in Spain.

Source: Wiley

Categories : COVIDTags :

New Mask Recycling Technology Could Cut Down on Waste

On By ModernMedia
Phot by Artem Podrez on Unsplash

Researchers have developed a way to quickly disinfect and electrostatically recharge used N95 respirators, restoring their effectiveness against COVID and other airborne diseases.

In their study published in Environment Science & Technology, the University of South Florida (USF) team showed their sterilisation technology could restore an N95 respirator’s original filtration efficiency of about 95 percent, even after 15 cycles of treatment. The technology fights coronavirus by using corona discharge, an electrical technique which simultaneously deactivating pathogens on a mask and restoring its electrostatic charges. It doesn’t require heat, or chemicals or contact, making it safe and convenient to use. It is safer than ultraviolet (UV) radiation and uses little electricity.

As well as restoring protection, the corona discharge treatment can reduce the impact of used masks on the environment. In a report by OceansAsia, a marine conservation organisation, 1.56 billion face masks polluted the oceans in 2020 and will likely take more than 450 years to fully decompose. The researchers say the technology will limit mask consumption to dozens each year instead of hundreds.

“It is a reduction of 90 percent for each user. If we assume that 10 percent of the population all over the world takes advantage of corona discharge mask reuse technology, there will be four- five billion fewer masks disposed to the environment,” said project lead Ying Zhong, assistant professor in the USF Department of Mechanical Engineering. “It will reduce at least 24 million tons of plastic pollution and reduce the amount of chemicals used for mask disinfection and avoid their environmental impact.”

“Despite the challenging conditions of the pandemic, this was the most thrilling project that I have ever worked on. We wish our research advances the understanding of how corona discharge disinfection can be turned into products on the market as soon as possible,” said co-project lead Libin Ye, assistant professor in the USF Department of Cell Biology, Molecular Biology and Microbiology.

The researchers are now working to develop this technology into products for hospitals and use by the general public, including handheld sterilisation devices.

Source: EurekAlert!

Categories : COVIDTags :

Micro Clots Explain Some Long COVID Symptoms

On By ModernMedia
Source: Wikimedia CC0

Researchers at Stellenbosch University had discovered that an overload of inflammatory molecules, literally ‘trapped’ inside insoluble microscopic blood clots, might be behind some Long COVID symptoms.

From almost the beginning of the pandemic, blood clots have been reported in COVID patients in various organs besides the lungs.

Prof Resia Pretorius, a researcher at Stellenbosch University (SU), made this finding when she began examining micro clots and their molecular content in blood samples from individuals with Long COVID. The findings were reported in Cardiovascular Diabetology.

“We found high levels of various inflammatory molecules trapped in micro clots present in the blood of individuals with Long COVID. Some of the trapped molecules contain clotting proteins such as fibrinogen, as well as alpha(2)-antiplasmin,” Prof Pretorius explains.

Alpha(2)-antiplasmin prevents blood clot breakdown, while fibrinogen is the main clotting protein. Normally, the body’s plasmin-antiplasmin system maintains a fine balance between blood clotting and fibrinolysis.

With high levels of alpha(2)-antiplasmin in the blood of COVID patients and individuals suffering from Long COVID, the body’s ability to break down blood clots is inhibited.

Dr Maré Vlok, a senior analyst in the Mass Spectrometry Unit, noticed that the blood plasma samples from individuals with acute COVID and Long COVID continued to deposit insoluble pellets at the bottom of the tubes after dilution (a process called trypsinisation).

He alerted Prof Pretorius to this, which she then investigated further, using fluorescence microscopy and proteomics analysis. This marks the first reported detection micro clots in blood samples from those with Long COVID.
“Of particular interest is the simultaneous presence of persistent anomalous micro clots and a pathological fibrinolytic system,” they wrote. This implies that the plasmin and antiplasmin balance may be central to pathologies in Long COVID, and provides further evidence that COVID, and now Long COVID, have significant cardiovascular and clotting pathologies.

Further research is recommended into a regime of therapies to support clotting and fibrinolytic system function in individuals with lingering Long COVID symptoms.

Working with vascular internist and article co-author, Dr Jaco Laubscher from Mediclinic Stellenbosch, they now plan to perform the same analysis on a larger sample of patients. 

Source: Stellenbosch University

Categories : Cancer COVIDTags :

COVID Vaccines less Effective in Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy

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Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

New research has found that patients undergoing active chemotherapy had a lower immune response to two doses of the COVID vaccine, although a third dose increased response.

“We wanted to make sure we understand the level of protection the COVID vaccines are offering our cancer patients, especially as restrictions were being eased and more contagious variants were starting to spread,” said Rachna Shroff, MD, MS, University of Arizona Health Sciences.

To find out, Dr Shroff and colleagues looked at 53 Cancer Center patients on immunosuppressive active cancer therapy, such as chemotherapy. They compared the immune response following the first and second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine with that of 50 healthy adults. 

After two vaccine doses, most of the cancer patients showed some immune response to the vaccine in that they had produced antibodies for SARS-CoV-2.

“We were pleasantly surprised,” said Deepta Bhattacharya, PhD, professor of immunobiology in the College of Medicine – Tucson. “We looked at antibodies, B cells and T cells, which make up the body’s defense system, and found the vaccine is likely to be at least partially protective for most people on chemotherapy.”

However, this  immune response was much lower than in healthy adults, and a few of the patients had no response to the COVID  vaccine. This translates to less protection against SARS-CoV-2, especially the now-dominant Delta variant.

Twenty patients returned for a third shot, which boosted the immune response for most. The overall group immune response after the third shot reached levels similar to those of people who were not on chemotherapy after two doses.

The results were published in Nature Medicine.

Source: University of Arizona Health Sciences

Categories : COVIDTags :

New Drug Molnupiravir Halves COVID Hospitalisation Risk

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Merck today announced that their investigational oral antiviral drug molnupiravir significantly reduced the risk of hospitalisation or death in a Phase III trial in at risk patients with mild-to-moderate COVID. 

Interim analysis showed that molnupiravir reduced the risk of hospitalisation or death by approximately 50%; 7.3% of patients randomised to receive molnupiravir were either hospitalised or died through Day 29 following randomisation, compared with 14.1% of placebo-treated patients. Through Day 29, no deaths were reported in patients who received molnupiravir, as compared to 8 deaths in patients who received placebo. Study recruitment is being stopped early due to these positive results, and the company plans to submit an application for Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) to the U.S. FDA as soon as possible.

Molnupiravir is an oral form of a potent ribonucleoside analog that inhibits the replication of SARS-CoV-2. Molnupiravir has been shown to be active in several preclinical models of SARS-CoV-2, including for prophylaxis, treatment, and prevention of transmission. 

All 775 patients had laboratory-confirmed mild-to-moderate COVID, with symptom onset within 5 days of study randomization and were required to have at least one risk factor associated with poor disease outcome at study entry. Across all key subgroups, molnupiravir reduced the risk of hospitalisation and/or death; efficacy was unaffected by timing of symptom onset or underlying risk factor. Additionally, based on the participants with available viral sequencing data (approximately 40% of participants), molnupiravir demonstrated consistent efficacy across viral variants Gamma, Delta, and Mu.

The incidence of any adverse event was comparable in the molnupiravir and placebo groups, as was incidence of drug-related adverse events, and the drug was well tolerated.

In addition, molnupiravir is being evaluated for post-exposure prophylaxis in MOVe-AHEAD, a global, multicenter, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase III study, which is evaluating the efficacy and safety of molnupiravir in preventing the spread of COVID within households. 

Source: Merck

Categories : COVIDTags :

SA Presses UK Over Travel Restrictions as Lockdown Eases

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Image by Quicknews

As the country gets back to Level 1 lockdown, pressure is mounting on the UK to revise its travel restrictions for SA.

The drop to Level 1 was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday, September 30. The restrictions include a midnight to 4am curfew, and restaurants to close at 11pm. Alcohol sales are likewise permitted until 11pm, and large events of up to 750 people indoors and 2000 people outdoors can be held.

This is accompanied by a renewed vaccine drive, to reach a goal of vaccinating 70% of the adult population by year end, President Ramaphosa announced.

“To reach our goal we need to administer an additional 16 million vaccine doses this year, which amounts to around 250 000 first dose vaccinations every single workday of every week until mid-December,” he said.

Meanwhile, President Ramaphosa is hopeful that SA will be taken off of the UK’s ‘red list’, which means travellers travelling or returning to the UK must quarantine for ten days in a government-designated hotel at a cost of over £2000 (R40 500). The tourist industry, which has lost half a million jobs, is pressing for SA to be removed from the UK’s red list in time for the festive season, which sees many British travellers coming to enjoy the summer here.

Former UK cabinet minister Peter Hain this week also called on the UK to release SA from its travel red list, calling it a “ludicrous” decision, as it was not backed up by science.

“SA has a low infection rate: just a tenth of the infections in the UK and a similarly low fraction compared with much of Europe.  It has only one variant in circulation, exactly the same variant as in the UK, Delta,” Hain said in a statement on Thursday.

Ramaphosa said that spoke with UK prime minister Boris Johnson on Thursday, and was hopeful of a “positive outcome” in a few days.

“Our greatest priority now is to ensure that the economy recovers as quickly as possible so that we can create jobs and help businesses to get back on their feet,” he said.

Source: BusinessTech