Category: COVID

Categories : COVIDTags :

EU and UK Aim for ‘Win-win Situation’ to End Vaccine Row

On By ModernMedia

After weeks of tensions over Covid vaccine supplies, the UK and the European Union have said they are working together to improve their relationship, to “create a win-win situation and expand vaccine supply for all”.

The EU’s Internal Market Commissioner Thierry said that the disputes were with AstraZeneca, not the UK. “I know that there’s some tension… but as long as we have transparency, I think [relations] will be able to be normalised,” he said.

Some 19 EU countries have reported a rise in infections, giving their vaccine rollout an even greater urgency,The joint UK-EU statement said that “openness and global co-operation” would be key to tackling the pandemic.

“We are all facing the same pandemic and the third wave makes co-operation between the EU and UK even more important,” it said. “We will continue our discussions.”
EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides rejected any notion of punishing the UK. “We’re dealing with a pandemic and this is not seeking to punish any countries,” she said.

Responding to the question of whether the UK might retaliate, Mr Johnson told MPs he did not believe “that blockades of either vaccines or of medicines, of ingredients for vaccines” would be “sensible”. It is possible that companies might draw conclusions about future investments “in countries where arbitrary blockades are imposed”, he added.
The EU’s Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton insisted the contention was with AstraZeneca and not the UK government. “I know that there’s some tension… but as long as we have transparency, I think [relations] will be able to be normalised,” he said.

Had AstraZeneca supplied the 120 million doses to the EU as was agreed, its member states would have achieved the same vaccination rates as the UK: “We have been heavily penalised and we just want to understand why”.

Source: BBC News

Categories : COVIDTags :

AstraZeneca Updates its US Trial Results

On By ModernMedia

AstraZeneca issued updated phase III trial data for its COVID vaccine on Wednesday after facing questions on its accuracy of its preliminary US study.

The company now says its vaccine is 76% effective in protecting against symptomatic cases of virus. A release issued on Monday reported a symptomatic efficacy rate of 79%, but the next day, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said it had been informed the company may have included information from its US results that provided an “incomplete view of the efficacy data.”

The updated report still says that the vaccine is 100% effective against severe disease and hospitalisation. A number of US health officials have criticised the company for what seemed like cherry-picking of data in an effort to improve the results’ appearance.

At the time, AstraZeneca said the figures were based on a “pre-specified interim analysis” and promised it would share an updated analysis in the coming days.

Dr Anthony Fauci, White House chief medical advisor and director at the NIAID, was more supportive of the company, calling the situation “unfortunate” and said it was likely AstraZeneca would issue a modified statement.

“This is really what you call an unforced error because the fact is this is very likely a very good vaccine,” Fauci told ABC’s Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday. “This kind of thing does … really cast some doubt about the vaccines and maybe contribute to the hesitancy. It was not necessary.”

The BBC’s medical editor, Fergus Walsh, was told the results may have been rushed out of a desire to address the safety concerns surrounding possible blood clots. These had resulted in AstraZeneca vaccines being withdrawn from circulation in some European countries.

The updated results include 190 symptomatic cases out of over 32 000 participants — about 50 more symptomatic cases than the data set released on Monday.

The findings suggest the vaccine is more effective in patients aged 65 and older, with a newly reported efficacy rate of 85% for that population, up from 80% stated earlier.

AstraZeneca reiterated that there were no safety concerns with the vaccine and that it was well tolerated.

Source: NBC News

Categories : COVID General InterestTags :

A Dozen Accounts Responsible for Majority of COVID Misinformation

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Connor Danylenko from Pexels

According to a report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), the majority of COVID and vaccine misinformation posts emanate from a dozen accounts.

Out of 812 000 anti-vaccine messages shared or posted on social media platforms between Feb 1 and March 16, 2021, 65% were attributed to just a handful of individuals, whom the report authors have dubbed the “Disinformation Dozen”, 13 users spread across 12 accounts (one of the accounts refers to a couple, Ty and Charlene Bollinger, who are alternative medicine activists).

Some of the individuals named include entrepreneur Joseph Mercola, author Robert F Kennedy Jr and chiropractor Ben Tapper, with the report including examples of the COVID misinformation that they shared on various social media platforms.

Mercola for example has shared his views on unproven COVID cures in various anti-vaxxer groups on Facebook, including one article saying “hydrogen peroxide treatment can successfully treat most viral respiratory illnesses, including coronavirus” getting 4600 shares.

The report notes that Robert Kennedy Jr often shares misinformation linked COVID vaccines to deaths, and his organisation, Children’s Health Defense, released a film in March that targeted American black and Latino communities with anti-vaccine messages. 

“According to our recent report, anti-vaccine activists on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter reach more than 59 million followers, making these the largest and most important social media platforms for anti-vaxxers,” said CCDH CEO Imran Ahmed.

“Despite repeatedly violating Facebook, Instagram and Twitter’s terms of service agreements, nine of the Disinformation Dozen remain on all three platforms, while just three have been comprehensively removed from just one platform,” the report added.

To combat the disinformation problem, the CCDH urged social media companies to deplatform the Disinformation Dozen, along with key organisations associated with the 12 individuals.

In a statement to Engadet, Facebook took issue with the report, claiming that “it taken action against some of the group”. However, the report contends that Facebook’s algorithm struggle to identify COVID misinformation.

Source: The Star

Categories : COVIDTags :

COVID Vaccines and Vaccination Certificates Sold on Darknet

On By ModernMedia

According to an article by BBC News, COVID vaccines and vaccination certificates are being widely sold on the darknet.

Prices can range from  $500 (R7500) and $750 for doses of the AstraZeneca, Sputnik, Sinopharm or Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Some even allow for emergency delivery with an overnight service. There are also fake vaccination certificates being sold for as little as $150.

Also known as the ‘dark web’, the darknet is a part of the internet that can only be accessed with specific browser tools. One such tool is Tor, a browser specially designed for anonymity.

Cyber-security company Checkpoint says that they have seen the number of adverts triple from when vaccines first become available, to 1200. The sources of the adverts appear to be the US, UK, Spain, Germany, France and Russia.

Oded Vanunu, head of product vulnerabilities research at Check Point told the BBC: “It’s imperative for people to understand that attempting to obtain a vaccine, a vaccination card or negative Covid-19 test result by unofficial means is extremely risky, as hackers are more interested in your money, information and identity for exploitation.”

Mr Vanunu also shared that,  as part of their research, his team purchased a Sinopharm vaccine dose from one of the vendors for $750, but are yet to receive it. His team believes that this particular vendor was a scammer, but others might be selling real vaccines.

Check Point is urging countries to protect their vaccine documentation by implementing a QR code system to make forgeries more difficult.

Source: BBC News

Categories : COVIDTags :

Asymptomatic Carriers are the Biggest Barrier to Containing COVID

On By ModernMedia

The lack of testing in asymptomatic carriers makes it harder to control SARS-CoV-2 spread, according to researchers at the Georgetown Center for Global Health Science and Security, Georgetown University in Washington.

Two groups of individuals dominate the transmission of COVID: asymptomatic carriers, who do not develop any symptoms throughout the course of their infection; and presymptomatic carriers, who develop symptoms a few days after being infected.

Transmission without symptoms makes it difficult to estimate the infectious timeline and potential exposures. Asymptomatic cases may likely mingle with others oblivious to their infection, promoting virus spread. They may also not adhere to social distancing, mask wearing etc. Contact tracing is vital to monitor the spread of the disease, and asymptomatic cases makes surveillance to analyse secondary attack rates highly challenging.

Though there is no accurate reporting on the prevalence of asymptomatic cases available, early studies showed that they made up so 30% to 80% of infections. More recent evidence put asymptomatic cases at 17% to 30% of infections.

In COVID cases, the infectious period begins two days before symptom onset and several days thereafter, though viral shedding is reduced in the first week of symptoms.

Viral shedding in asymptomatic cases is poorly understood, however it is known that asymptomatic cases have the same viral load as symptomatic cases, regardless of severity. In asymptomatic individuals, infectious periods are shorter due to reduced titers at peak replication and faster viral clearance.

Some studies have shown that asymptomatic individuals are 42% less likely to infect others and have lower secondary attack rates, while other research indicates that, despite the shorter infectious periods, asymptomatic individuals have similar transmissibility to those who are presymptomatic.
The researchers note that symptomatic individuals were motivated to seek testing, treatment and self-isolate upon feeling COVID symptoms.

“With many contagious people experiencing no symptoms and in the absence of robust surveillance testing for asymptomatic or presymptomatic infections, it is critical to maximising efforts to reduce transmission risk in the community,” noted the researchers.

Source: Medical-News.Net

Journal information: Rasmussen, A., and Popescu, S. (2021). SARS-CoV-2 transmission without symptoms. Science. https://science.sciencemag.org/content/371/6535/1206

Categories : COVIDTags :

Brazil’s ICU Beds Full Amidst ‘Catastrophe’

On By ModernMedia

Brazilian doctors say the situation is “well beyond chaos” even as the country’s COVID-sceptic president refuses to take decisive action against the pandemic.  

An article in The Guardian reports that Brazil is facing the worst medical crisis in its history, as researchers from its leading healthcare institute, Fiocruz, have said the country is entering into a “catastrophe”.

COVID intensive care units in virtually all of the country’s hospitals are either full or almost full, with Fiocruz warning that “The situation is absolutely critical.”

Ricardo Barros, Bolsonaro’s leader in the lower house said on Wednesday: “Our situation isn’t all that critical. Compared to other countries, it’s actually quite comfortable.” This was said on a day in which 2798 fatalities and a record 90 830 new cases were reported.

However, intensive care physicians interviewed by The Guardian tell a different story.

“Things are desperate,” said Dr Hermeto Paschoalick, the head of the critical care unit in the midwestern state of Mato Grosso do Sul, where ICUs are currently 93% full.

Things were worse elsewhere, especially in the state’s capital. “I was told yesterday that there’s a health clinic there with 20 ambulances parked outside. The patients are arriving from small towns in the interior and there’s nowhere to put them – so they just keep them in the ambulances,” said Dr Paschoalick.

Although most in his care were over 60s, Dr Paschoalick said there were young people as well. “Right now, I’ve got three people on ventilators including a 22-year-old woman and another who is 25. Both were pregnant when they arrived. One lost the baby, the other managed to give birth. Both are intubated and in a really bad state,” he said.

Many doctors are forced to choose which patients can receive a bed in ICU.

“People are going around saying Brazil is going to collapse,” said critical care doctor Pedro Carvalho at a university hospital in the riverside town of Petrolina. “But we’ve collapsed already – completely collapsed.” 

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro meanwhile, shows no sign of changing his stance, claiming that there is a “war” against him. 

Source: The Guardian

Categories : COVIDTags :

A Tougher Spike Protein is Behind Transmissibility of Variants

On By ModernMedia

Researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital have analysed the structure of the SARS-CoV-2 variants, and have found that a tougher spike protein is likely responsible for their greater transmissibility.

Using a cryo electron microscope, the researchers imaged the spike protein down to the atomic level and discovered that the D614G mutation (a substitution of in a single amino acid ‘letter’ in the spike protein’s genetic code) produced a sturdier spike protein.

In the original, wild-type SARS-CoV-2, the spike protein would latch onto a cell’s ACE2 receptor and then fold in on itself, allowing the virus’ outer membrane to more easily fuse with the cell’s surface. However, they were susceptible to folding early, rendering those spike proteins useless. Around half of a SARS-CoV-2’s spike proteins would be folded in this way. However, this also made the virus harder for the immune system to lock on to.

“Because the original spike protein would dissociate, it was not good enough to induce a strong neutralising antibody response,” said research leader Bing Chen, PhD  at Boston Children’s Hospital.

When Chen and colleagues imaged the mutated spike protein, fewer are folded early because the D614G mutation blocks the shape change. While the spike protein is sturdier, it comes at the cost of being able to attach less easily to the ACE2 receptor.

“Say the original virus has 100 spikes,” Dr Chen explained. “Because of the shape instability, you may have just 50 percent of them functional. In the G614 variants, you may have 90 percent that are functional, so even though they don’t bind as well, the chances are greater that you will have infection.”

Dr Chen proposed that vaccines currently being updated should be modified for this new spike protein mutation, which should also have the side benefit of making the vaccines more effective. 

Applying structural biology to the spike protein, the team had come up with a ‘decoy’ molecule that bound to the spike protein 200 times more strongly than to the body’s ACE2 receptors. This was shown to inhibit the virus in the culture, opening up the door to a new type of treatment. 

Source: Medical Xpress

Journal information: Jun Zhang et al. Structural impact on SARS-CoV-2 spike protein by D614G substitution, Science (2021). DOI: 10.1126/science.abf2303

Categories : COVID Lab Tests and ImagingTags :

New French COVID Variant Invisible to PCR Tests

On By ModernMedia

French authorities have announced the detection of a variant of SARS-CoV-2 in the northwestern region of Brittany that has escaped detection by standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests.

Real-time PCR tests are considered to be the current gold standard for detection of SARS-CoV-2, and currently take 4-6h to yield a result. PCR tests make millions to billions of copies of a small sample of DNA to create a larger sample for analysis.

Eight carriers of the variant were identified using genomic sequencing among a cluster of 79 cases in the town of Lannion in the Côtes d’Armor on March 13th.

In a statement on Monday, the French health ministry said that according to initial analyses, the new variant did not appear more transmissible or cause more severe disease. However, on Tuesday, authorities said that this variant was able to escape detection in PCR tests is raising concern.

Belgian virologist and interfederal COVID spokesperson Steven Van Gucht clarified the situation, in that about eight individuals presented with standard coronavirus symptoms, “but the tests remained negative.”

The World Health Organization has labelled this new French COVID variant a ‘variant under investigation’ (VUI), of which there are many thousands currently being monitored, as opposed to more serious variants like the South African B.1.351 variant which is more transmissible and is a ‘variant of concern’ (VOC).

However, just because this variant escaped the PCR tests being used in that area does not mean that it necessarily can escape all of them, as laboratories vary in the tests that they perform.

According to Gucht, tests differ in the different parts of the virus they look for, and also test for at least two to three. “Usually, a good test does not depend on detecting one specific part. So, if there is a mutation in one part of the virus, that signal may be lost, but there is usually a second or third signal that will be found,” explained Gucht.

French authorities are setting up systems to monitor the spread of this variant, and are also putting measures in place to contain it.

Source: News-Medical.Net

Categories : COVIDTags :

AstraZenaca Ineffective Against SA Variant in Early Trial

On By ModernMedia

In a phase Ib/II trial, the AstraZeneca vaccine was ineffective against both the South African SARS-CoV-2 variant or the wild-type virus.

In this South African trial, the vaccine’s overall efficacy versus mild-to-moderate COVID was 21.9% and efficacy against the B.1.351 variant was 10.4%.

Participants’ median age was 30, about 56% were men, and 71% were black. Almost 20% of participants were obese, 42% were smokers, and about 3% of those had underlying hypertension or chronic respiratory conditions. All were HIV negative. The median time between doses was 28 days.

Overall, 19 of 750 in the vaccine group (2.5%) and 23 of 717 in the placebo group (3.2%) developed mild-to-moderate COVID. 

In regard to the secondary outcome of testing effectiveness against the B.1.351 variant, the authors note that “the trial was powered for the primary objective of a vaccine efficacy of at least 60% in preventing COVID-19 of any severity, regardless of variants.”

Exploratory analyses found about 33.5% efficacy against COVID of any severity more than 14 days after the first dose. No cases of severe COVID were reported among the participants, but with the groups’ demographics, especially their relatively young age, it was unlikely that severe COVID would be observed in such a small trial.

Professor Shabir Madhi, Executive Director of the Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit at Wits, said in a press release that the AstraZeneca results “threw a curveball” after the initial “euphoria” over the effectiveness of the first COVID vaccines. He nevertheless stressed that the AstraZeneca vaccine was still important in preventing hospitals being overrun with COVID patients.

Despite the disappointing results, Prof Madhi said these findings “need to be made in the context of ongoing global spread and community transmission of the B.1.351 variant”.

Source: MedPage Today

Journal information: Madhi SA, et al “Efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCOV-19 Covid-19 vaccine against the B.1.351 variant” N Engl J Med 2021; DOI: 10.1056/NEJM2102214.

Categories : COVIDTags :

WHO and Health Experts Back AstraZeneca Vaccine

On By ModernMedia
Woman receiving an injection in the upper arm. Photo by Gustavo Fring from Pexels.

Although a number of EU countries have halted the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the company along with a number of health experts insist that it is safe.

AstraZeneca said in a statement on Monday that there were 15 deep vein thrombosis (DVT) events and 22 pulmonary embolism (PE) cases among 17 million people in the EU and UK who have received at least one AstraZeneca vaccine dose.    

“This is much lower than would be expected to occur naturally in a general population of this size and is similar across other licensed COVID-19 vaccines,” the pharmaceutical company said.

The company pointed out that in the clinical trials, “even though the number of thrombotic events was small, these were lower in the vaccinated group. There has also been no evidence of increased bleeding in over 60 000 participants enrolled.”

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) reiterated that there is no indication that the vaccine was responsible for these adverse events. The organisation is currently reviewing the vaccine, and more information is expected in its monthly safety report due during the week. They are currently scheduled to meet on Tuesday.

There are however concerns that slowing the pace of vaccinations will result in more lives lost and fuel vaccine hesitancy.

“I do worry that some people will not be able to differentiate between an unrelated or coincidental VTE [venous thromboembolism] occurrence (due to DVT/PE being so common in the general population) and a causative relationship,” Stephan Moll, MD, of the division of haematology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said to MedPage Today.

WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan, MD, noted that it has happened before: Norway early on raised concerns about deaths among the elderly getting vaccinated, but then clarified it was only the expected rate of death.

She pointed out that of the 300 million-odd doses of all COVID vaccines administered globally, not one death has been documented as having been caused by vaccination, “We do not want people to panic. We would for the time being recommend that countries continue vaccinating with AstraZeneca.”

Canada, meanwhile, has said that it will continue to use the AstraZeneca vaccine. The company is likely to seek emergency use authorisation from the United States for its jab when it clears its Stage III clinical trials in that country.

“This does not necessarily mean these events are linked to vaccination, but it’s routine practice to investigate them,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a press briefing Monday. “It shows that the surveillance system works and effective controls are in place.”

Source: MedPage Today