Emergence of a Deadly Coronavirus

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Coronavirus drug combo, baricitinib plus remdesivir, gets FDA emergency approval

The combo, rheumatoid arthritis drug baricitinib plus Gilead's remdesivir, was authorized to treat hospitalized patients 2 years or older requiring oxygen. The FDA said the drugs cut patients’ time to recovery in a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases-sponsored trial dubbed the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial (ACTT-2).

Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, acting director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in the statement. “Despite advances in the management of COVID-19 infection since the onset of the pandemic, we need more therapies to accelerate recovery and additional clinical research will be essential to identifying therapies that slow disease progression and lower mortality in the sicker patients.”

Remdesivir, by itself, has been found in at least one study to not "affect mortality."

Toilet Paper Panic Buying Again

Shoppers in a half dozen cities around the United States told Reuters that disinfecting wipes were sold out at discount retailers like Walmart and Costco, as well as at Cerberus Capital-owned grocery chains Albertsons and Vons. “Walmarts are still mostly out of Lysol wipes, and toilet paper is out again,” said Whitley Hatcher, 31, a collections specialist in Tucson, Arizona. “Oddly though, at places like Walgreens and Dollar Tree you can find what you need. I think people are seeing the empty shelves at bigger stores and panic buying,” Hatcher said. At a Costco in Vancouver, Washington - where new rules include temporary bans on indoor dining - out-of-stocks included toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning wipes, gloves and Spam canned meat. And the toilet paper hunt is on again in California, where the governor on Thursday ordered a curfew placed on all indoor social gatherings and non-essential activities outside the home across most of the state. Shoppers said toilet paper was sold out at Costco stores in Fresno and Los Angeles.



Source: Panic buying of toilet paper hits US stores again with new pandemic restrictions

It is now becoming widely accepted that transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles through tiny respiratory droplets, is one of the main ways COVID-19 spreads between people. The risk of airborne transmission is especially high in poorly ventilated buildings and there is an urgent need for technologies to reduce the spread of COVID-19 within these spaces.

Professor Clive Beggs, Emeritus Professor of Applied Physiology at Leeds Beckett University, said: "Now we know that COVID-19 infection can occur from airborne exposure to the virus, finding ways to minimize the risk of transmission, particularly in buildings is becoming increasingly important. Whilst we know wearing masks and opening windows are effective ways to minimize the spread of COVID-19 indoors, these measures aren't always practical, especially in winter."

"Upper room UVGI [UltraViolet germicidal irradiation] is already a well-established technology and has proven effective to prevent the spread of other diseases such as measles and tuberculosis within buildings. This study shows that we have good reason to believe this technology could also protect indoor spaces such as offices, or restaurants and bars, and help to allow us to start to return to 'normal' life in a safe way."

Dr. Eldad Avital, Reader in Computational (& Experimental) Fluids and Acoustics at Queen Mary, said: "Now it becomes more of an engineering problem of how we can use this technique to prevent the spread in buildings. This is where computational fluid dynamics becomes important as it can start to address questions around how many UVGI lights are needed and where they should be used. One thing we know is particularly important for these systems is air movement, so for them to work effectively in poorly ventilated spaces, you might need to use ceiling fans or other devices to ensure that larger aerosol particles are adequately irradiated."

Source: Existing UV light technology has potential to reduce COVID-19 transmission indoors

Hundreds of bodies remain in Brooklyn freezer trucks months after of COVID-19 began

Third Vaccine Nears the Finish Line

AstraZeneca PLC and the University of Oxford said their Covid-19 vaccine was as much as 90% effective in preventing infections without serious side effects in large clinical trials, boosting hopes that a third Western-developed shot could be authorized for use before the end of the year.

The results released Monday were based on trials involving more than 23,000 participants. Individuals who received the vaccine received one of two combinations: a half dose followed by a full dose, which showed to be 90% effective; or two full doses, which showed to be 62% effective. Researchers said Monday the preliminary results are promising but will need to be fleshed out before scientists can understand why the half-dose regimen was more effective.

Oxford and AstraZeneca’s vaccine uses a more traditional approach than the Moderna and Pfizer shots, which both rely on a new technology called messenger RNA to induce an immune response inside the body. AstraZeneca’s vaccine instead relies on introducing a weakened, chimpanzee virus into the body to trigger the immune response.

AstraZeneca said it would seek emergency-use authorization from the World Health Organization to distribute the vaccine in low-income countries and prepare regulatory submissions to authorities in countries that have early-approval programs. A senior AstraZeneca executive said Friday the company hopes to have the two-dose shot available for use around year-end, pending regulatory approval.

Source: AstraZeneca, Oxford COVID-19 vaccine up to 90% effective in late-stage trials

An In-Depth Discussion on Face Masks

Mask up! How to choose and maintain the best masks for use against COVID-19

Doctors say CDC should warn people the side effects from Covid vaccine shots won't be 'a walk in the park

I might have to give this shot a try. I have underwent more immunization shots in my lifetime than most individuals. These immunizations included the Small Pox, Pneumonia, Shingles and even the immunization for the Black Death. Most had very minor side effects. The exception being the one for the Black Death. That one was rough. I might have to try this one and compare.

It's been said that the idea that the flu shot gives you the flu is a total myth. And I certainly didn't have any problems after my first ever flu shot. However apparently the virus shot really does give you the virus, or rather symptoms of the virus. But certainly not need to be on a ventilator symptoms. I'm not concerned, but I'll make sure I take that day off as a sick day and stay home to convalesce just in case.

Travel

We were planning to travel this summer overseas but Coronavirus lockdowns precluded that. So getting the COVID immunization shots would make oversea's travel much easier.

So I came across an article this morning along the same line of thinking.

In a world first, Qantas Airways will likely require passengers to be vaccinated against the coronavirus for future international travel, the CEO announced. Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce made the revelation during a Monday interview, explaining he’s discussed a possible "vaccine passport" with other airline executives from around the globe as an additional safeguard for international travel. In related updates, spokespersons for both Korean Air and Air New Zealand have said that the airlines may, too, ultimately require passengers to get vaccinated in order to fly.



Source: Qantas airline plans to require coronavirus vaccine for international travel, CEO says

^ That doesn't surprise me in the least. Also I can picture passengers refusing to get on a flight if one of the passengers hasn't been vaccinated.

And also businesses going from having signs on the door saying, "You must wear a mask to enter" to "You must have been vaccinated to enter".

Moderna boss says COVID-19 vaccine not proven to stop spread of virus

Surgical Gloves

I expect there will be a run on surgical gloves this week or next. Why?

The world's top maker of surgical gloves is a company called Top Glove located in Malaysia. They produce 70 billion gloves a year. They have just closed 28 of its 41 factories. 1,000 of their workers tested positive for the coronavirus Monday. In total, at least 2,500 cases have been linked to the area’s cluster. Many of the company’s workers are from Nepal and live in crowded dormitory complexes.

Source: Coronavirus infects more than 1K workers at world’s top surgical glove maker

Vaccine Comparison

Over the past several days, the world has received monumentally good news: Vaccines exist against the coronavirus, and they are effective. Even better, vaccines are being developed by multiple companies.

Among the many questions that will follow is, "Which vaccine is best?"



Technology. Both Pfizer and Moderna are using experimental technology that employs mRNA. There is currently no vaccine on the market that uses mRNA, so these vaccines are a world-first. The AstraZeneca vaccine is based on time-tested technology that employs a harmless cold virus (called adenovirus) that has been genetically modified to stimulate an immune response against the coronavirus.

Efficacy. Much to everyone's surprise, the experimental mRNA vaccines are most effective (95%), while the time-tested adenoviral vector vaccine shows only 62% to 90% efficacy.

Storage temperature. Pfizer's vaccine poses a logistical problem. It has to be stored at -94° F, which is an obscenely cold temperature that requires specialized freezers. Moderna's vaccine can be stored in a normal freezer, while AstraZeneca's can be stored in a regular refrigerator.

Shelf-life. Once again, Pfizer's vaccine poses a unique challenge. Once it's out of the deep freeze, it's only good for 5 days. Moderna's does better at 30 days, while AstraZeneca's can last 6 months.

Price per dose. As shown, both Pfizer and Moderna plan to profit from the vaccine. (There's nothing wrong with that.) AstraZeneca does not (yet), which is why its vaccine is so cheap. However, the company says that it will seek profits after the pandemic ends.

Doses by end of 2020. Here, there's no contest. AstraZeneca can deliver the most doses the fastest. (Note that all three vaccines require two doses.)

So, Which Vaccine Is Best?

As shown, it's hard to answer this question. A 95% effective vaccine is better than a 62% to 90% effective vaccine, but 200 million doses is better than 20 million to 50 million doses. In short, Pfizer and Moderna are producing fewer but more effective (and pricier) vaccines, while AstraZeneca is making a greater number of less effective (and cheaper) vaccines.

Source: Comparing COVID Vaccines: Pfizer Vs. Moderna Vs. AstraZeneca/Oxford