Coronavirus Articles - COVID19

The Coronavirus Articles - COVID19

Coronavirus

Mild vs Serious

Seven coronaviruses are known to cause human disease, four of which are mild: viruses 229E, OC43, NL63 and HKU1. Three of the coronaviruses can have more serious outcomes in people: SARS, MERs, COVID-19

People who have fully recovered from COVID-19 might want to consider donating their plasma at a designated blood collection center. People who have had COVID-19 have antibodies in their blood, and studies are looking to see if these antibodies might help fight the COVID-19 infection in people who now have the disease. The FDA has more information about how this type of treatment (known as convalescent plasma) might work, who can donate plasma, and where they can go to do this.

COVID-19 Antibody Test (ELISA) for Those Already Infected With Coronavirus

Convalescent plasma, another experimental treatment for Covid-19, which is taken from people who were infected with Covid-19 but recovered. Plasma is the liquid part of blood, including proteins used for clotting, and when harvested from convalescents, it contains antibodies to the virus. So transfusing plasma from someone who recovered to someone who is sick could help them get better, or prevent them from getting sick in the first place.Takeda already makes a medicine called intravenous immunoglobin, or IVIG, for treating

Human Coronavirus Types

Scientists have divided coronaviruses into four sub-groupings, called alpha, beta, gamma, and delta. Seven of these viruses can infect people:

229E (alpha)
NL63 (alpha)
OC43 (beta)
HKU1 (beta
MERS-CoV, a beta virus that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)

MERS-CoV is a recently discovered betacoronavirus of lineage C that was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012. The exact origin of this novel coronavirus is still unknown. MERS-CoV is closely related to two coronaviruses of the same lineage found in bats, which may indeed be its wild reservoir. However, it is also found in dromedary (single-humped) camels, and domesticated herds have been a principal link to zoonotic infection in humans.

Remdesivir prevents MERS coronavirus disease in monkeys

No vaccine currently exists for MERS

Management is currently supportive. At least one group has recommended consideration of interferon alfa 2b plus ribavirin in the management of MERS-CoV cases because of the combination’s efficacy seen in rhesus macaques with MERS.

Results support testing antiviral against 2019 novel coronavirus.

SARS-CoV, a beta virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)

Treatment for SARS · assisting with breathing using a ventilator to deliver oxygen · antibiotics to treat bacteria that cause pneumonia · antiviral medicines · Ribavirin and corticosteroids were used · The best treatment strategy for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is still unknown.

SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19

Treatment for COVID19 remdesivir and two other drugs, hydroxychloroquine and favipiravir, seemed to have "fairly good inhibitory effects" on SARS-CoV-2

News Articles - 2019-2020

These are the drugs being tested in fight against coronavirus

November 17, 2019 - First case in Wuhan in 11/17/2019

January 2020, Chinese medical researchers reported that remdesivir and two other drugs, hydroxychloroquine and favipiravir, seemed to have "fairly good inhibitory effects" on SARS-CoV-2 (after exploratory research that examined 30 drug candidates), after which requests to begin clinical testing were submitted.

February 6, 2020, a clinical trial of remdesivir began in China

February 11, 2020, the disease was officially named COVID-19. The virus that causes it was named SARS-CoV-2. This virus resembles other serious human coronavirus types MERS and SARS in that all belong to the "beta" subgrouping of virus. The CDC notes that MERS and SARS both began as infections in bats before mutating to infect humans.

Feb. 24, Moderna had a batch of vaccine ready to ship to the infectious diseases institute, for use in the trial.

February 27 - Nature Biotechnology: Coronavirus puts drug repurposing on the fast track Existing antivirals and knowledge gained from the SARS and MERS outbreaks gain traction as the fastest route to fight the current coronavirus epidemic.

TABLE 1 | SELECTED REPURPOSED DRUGS IN CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT TO TREAT COVID-19

March 4, the Food and Drug Administration gave permission for the Modera mRNA vaccine trial to begin in Seattle, WA

March 4, 2020, COVID-19 candidate vaccines - World Health Organization – 35 candidate vaccines

https://www.who.int/blueprint/priority-diseases/key-action/novel-coronavirus-landscape-ncov.pdf?ua=1

March 5, 2020 - Takeda already makes a medicine called intravenous immunoglobin, or IVIG, for treating patients who have immune disorders. It consists of antibodies of all types purified from the blood plasma of healthy people. Giving antibodies in this purified form is easier, because it requires a much lower volume of treatment; it’s safer, because there is no chance of transmitting other viruses; and it’s more efficient.

With its new treatment, TAK-888, Takeda hopes to create an IVIG from the blood of people who have been infected with the coronavirus and who have recovered. That could create a treatment or prophylactic relatively quickly. It might not need to go through phase I studies to demonstrate basic safety, or larger phase III studies to demonstrate efficacy. That means the treatment could be available sooner.

Convalescent plasma, another experimental treatment for Covid-19, which is taken from people who were infected with Covid-19 but recovered. Plasma is the liquid part of blood, including proteins used for clotting, and when harvested from convalescents, it contains antibodies to the virus. So transfusing plasma from someone who recovered to someone who is sick could help them get better, or prevent them from getting sick in the first place.

How blood plasma from recovered patients could help treat the new coronavirus

March 6, 2020 - The president said anyone who wanted to be tested could get tested.

March 18, 2020 - Boulware had already recruited 61 study subjects, according to his research website. hydroxychloroquine

March 19, 2020 - President Trump announced Thursday that he’s fast-tracking the testing and possible use of existing drugs in the fight against the coronavirus.

“Nothing will stand in our way as we pursue any avenue to find what best works against this horrible virus,” Trump told reporters, as cases across the country soared past 11,00 with more than 150 deaths.

Trump specifically highlighted an anti-malaria drug called chloroquine and remdesivir — an antiviral developed to treat Ebola — as promising prospects.

“Clinical trials are already underway for many new therapies and we’re working on scaling these to allow many more Americans to access different drugs that are showing really good promise,” Trump said.

Here is a look at these and other drugs being looked at as possible panaceas:

Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine (sold under the brand name Plaquenil and others):

Referring to chloroquine and a related drug, hydroxychloroquine, Trump said: “We’re going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately, and that’s where the FDA has been so great.”

March 20, 2020 - Novartis will donate enough doses of malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to treat several million patients in the fight against the coronavirus

March 24, 2020 - FDA Grants Experimental Coronavirus Drug Benefits For Rare Disease Treatments - remdesivir

March 25, 2020 - The biotech Moderna delivers messenger RNA (blue) into cells to be translated into proteins by ribosomes.

By late March 2020, three potential antiviral therapies – favipiravir, remdesivir, and ritonavir – were in the final stage of human testing

March 27,2020 - Cares Act: The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was enacted on March 27, 2020 to provide relief for Americans facing economic hardship due to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, including emergency financial assistance for affected individuals, families, and businesses. In addition, the Treasury Department moved the deadline to file and pay 2019 federal income taxes from April 15 to July 15, 2020

March 27, 2020 - GM to build 30,000 ventilators for national stockpile through $489.4 million contract under Defense Production Act

March 30: HHS announced $456 million in funds for Johnson & Johnson's (Janssen) candidate vaccine. Phase 1 clinical trials began in Belgium on July 24th and in the U.S on July 27th. Janssen's large-scale Phase 3 clinical trial began on September 22, 2020, making them the fourth OWS candidate to enter Phase 3 clinical trials in the United States. Up to 60,000 volunteers will be enrolled in the trial at up to nearly 215 clinical research sites in the United States and internationally.

April 3 - Influenza antiviral Avigan (favipiravir) to enter Phase III trials in COVID-19 patients

April 6 - Trump said 3M agreed to provide 55.5 million masks a month for the U.S. for three months. Most of them will be the highly coveted N95 respirators that filter out 95% of all particulates.

April 6 - Inovio Pharmaceuticals begins human trials for COVID-19 DNA vaccine

April 8 - Lockdown on Wuhan to be lifted April 8

April 10 - Gilead Has Treated More Than 1,700 COVID-19 Patients With Remdesivir

The drug remdesivir is being studied in people with COVID-19. It works by stopping the coronavirus from making copies of itself. The FDA is now allowing remdesivir to be used in adults and children hospitalized with COVID-19 disease, as it may shorten the recovery time in some people. Side effects of remdesivir can include abnormal liver tests and reactions when the drug is given, such as low blood pressure, sweating and chills. Studies are still going on to learn more about how safe and effective remdesivir is in treating COVID-19.

Two-Thirds of Severe Covid-19 Cases Improved on Gilead Drug

April 11 - STIMULUS CHECKS FOR UP TO $4,700 BEGIN ARRIVING IN BANK ACCOUNTS

April 11 - COVID-19: Six drug candidates identified inhibit COVID 19

Structure of Mpro from COVID-19 virus and discovery of its inhibitors

April 12 - 20/20 BioResponse is one of dozens of U.S. companies selling the tests to hospitals, clinics and doctor’s offices. The Rockville, Maryland-based company imports the tests from a Chinese manufacturer but CEO Jonathan Cohen says his company independently confirmed its performance in 60 U.S. patients. He estimates the company has shipped 10,000 tests and has had to limit orders due to demand.

April 13 - First person in world to get coronavirus vaccine trial in New York

April 15 - Trump says coronavirus pandemic has peaked, some states to reopen before May 1

April 16: HHS made

up to $483 million in support available for Moderna's candidate vaccine, which began Phase 1 trials on March 16 and received a fast-track designation from FDA. This agreement was expanded

on July 26 to include an additional $472 million to support late-stage clinical development, including the expanded Phase 3 study of the company's mRNA vaccine, which began on July 27th.

April 17 - Google listing COVID19 testing sites

April 18 - The stock market is rising on hope for a pharma solution to coronavirus

May 5 - Stimulus check arrived

May 9 - covid 19 dataset

May 13, 2020 - Here are the top coronavirus drugs in development

May 20 - All 50 U.S. states started reopening their economies in varying stages.

May 21 - Accelerates astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine to develop 300 million doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

May 21: HHS announced up to $1.2 billion in support for AstraZeneca's candidate vaccine, developed in conjunction with the University of Oxford. The agreement is to make available at least 300 million doses of the vaccine for the United States, with the first doses delivered as early as October 2020, if the product successfully receives FDA EUA or licensure. AstraZeneca's large-scale Phase 3 clinical trial began on August 31, 2020.

May 27 - US States reopen coronavirus (April 15), Some Countries Have Brought New Cases Down To Nearly Zero. How Did They Do It?

June 8, 2020 - Coronavirus Success Stories

June 12 - European Commission cleared to negotiate advance purchase agreements for COVID-19 vaccines. As of June 9, the incidence of COVID-19 infections in Europe is down by 80% compared to the peak on April 9.

June 15 - US coronavirus map: The number of people diagnosed with COVID-19 each day has plateaued in recent weeks

June 16 - Tested at a Coronavirus testing center - ok

June 17 - CNBG reports 100% seroconversion rate for COVID-19 vaccine candidate

June 19 - Nearly 160 vaccines are being developed worldwide. Only 13 of them have entered clinical trials, according to the World Health Organisation.

251 Coronavirus Treatments and 160 Coronavirus vaccine development

June 19, 2020 - WHO Is Hoping For Hundreds of Millions of COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Before 2021

June 26 - Experts Confident Biden’s COVID-19 Response Could Speed Recovery

June 26 - A Coronavirus Treatment could be closer

June 26 - WHO, global partners launch $18B COVID-19 vaccine initiative

June 29, 2020 - Trump Administration Secures New Supplies of Remdesivir for the United States

HHS has secured more than 500,000 treatment courses of the drug for American hospitals through September.

July - Vaccines Could Start Rolling Out This Fall - Moderna is proceeding to a Phase 3 trial, the latest-stage clinical development, in July. Johnson & Johnson is going to start its Phase 1 clinical trials in July. There is the Oxford-AstraZeneca partnership that is already in Phase 2/3. By the time they are manufactured in real amounts, hopefully we’ll know through these clinical trials, which are highly efficient and very definitive in terms of giving us a signal of safety and efficacy, whether this vaccine has been effective to roll out

July 1, 2020 - Foundational research and NIH funding enabling Emergency Use Authorization of remdesivir for COVID-19

This work demonstrates the scale of foundational research on the biological target and parent chemical structure of remdesivir that supported its discovery and development for COVID19. This work identifies $6.5 billion in NIH funding for research leading to remdesivir, underscoring the role of public sector investments in basic research and research infrastructure that underlie new drugs and the response to emergent disease.

July 1, 2020 - Remdesivir: Covid-19 drug supply

HHS has secured more than 500,000 treatment courses of the antiviral drug for US hospitals through September, according to the release. Remdesivir is the only drug that has an emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration to treat coronavirus, and it is patented by Gilead Sciences.

Gilead had donated a supply of 1.5 million doses of remdesivir to countries across the world, which it says is enough for around 140,000 treatment courses. Almost a million doses were reserved for the US, according to the HHS, but the supply is now running out.

The company has said it plans to have more than 500,000 treatment courses available by October, and more than 2 million by December, but it is unclear how these will be distributed internationally.

July 7: HHS announced $450 million in funds to support the large-scale manufacturing of Regeneron's COVID-19 investigational anti-viral antibody treatment, REGN-COV2. This agreement is the first of a number of OWS awards to support potential therapeutics all the way through to manufacturing. As part of the manufacturing demonstration project, doses of the medicine will be packaged and ready to ship immediately if clinical trials are successful and FDA grants EUA or licensure.

July 7: HHS announced $1.6 billion in funds to support the large-scale manufacturing of Novavax's vaccine candidate. By funding Novavax's manufacturing effort, the federal government will own the 100 million doses expected to result from the demonstration project.

July 17, 2020 - Dexamethasone shows promise as a Covid-19 treatment

The research team reported that a 6-milligram daily dose of dexamethasone reduced deaths by one-third in Covid-19 patients on ventilators and reduced deaths by one-fifth for patients receiving just oxygen support.

July 21, 2020 - Experimental coronavirus vaccine is safe and produces immune response

July 22: HHS announced up to $1.95 billion in funds to Pfizer for the large-scale manufacturing and nationwide distribution of 100 million doses of their vaccine candidate. The federal government will own the 100 million doses of vaccine initially produced as a result of this agreement, and Pfizer will deliver the doses in the United States if the product successfully receives FDA EUA or licensure, as outlined in FDA guidance, after completing demonstration of safety and efficacy in a large Phase 3 clinical trial, which began July 27th.

July 28 - COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate Now in Final Phase of Testing

July 31: HHS announced approximately $2 billion in funds to support the advanced development, including clinical trials and large scale manufacturing, of Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) investigational adjuvanted vaccine. By funding the manufacturing effort, the federal government will own the approximately 100 million doses expected to result from the demonstration project. The adjuvanted vaccine doses could be used in clinical trials or, if the FDA authorizes use, as outlined in agency guidance, the doses would be distributed as part of a COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

August 5: HHS announced approximately $1 billion in funds to support the large-scale manufacturing and delivery of Johnson & Johnson's (Janssen) investigational vaccine candidate. Under the terms of the agreement, the U.S. Government will own the resulting 100 million doses of vaccine, and will have the option to acquire more. The company's investigational vaccine relies on Janssen's recombinant adenovirus technology, AdVac, a technology used to develop and manufacture Janssen's Ebola vaccine with BARDA support; that vaccine received European Commission approval and was used in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda during the 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak that began in the DRC.

August 7, 2020 - The Top 5 COVID-19 Vaccine Candidates Explained

August 11: HHS announced up to $1.5 billion in funds to support the large-scale manufacturing and delivery of Moderna's investigational vaccine candidate. Under the terms of the agreement, the U.S. Government will own the resulting 100 million doses of vaccine, and will have the option to acquire more. The vaccine, called mRNA-1273, has been co-developed by Moderna and scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. NIAID has continued to support the vaccine's development including nonclinical studies and clinical trials. Additionally, BARDA has supported phase 2/3 clinical trials, vaccine manufacturing scale up and other development activities for this vaccine. The Phase 3 clinical trial, which began July 27, is the first government-funded Phase 3 clinical trial for a COVID-19 vaccine in the United States.

August 20, 2020 - Regeneron Boosts Production Capacity for COVID-19 Antibody Cocktail - quadruple production

August 23: As part of the agency's efforts to combat COVID-19, the FDA issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for investigational convalescent plasma. Based on available scientific evidence, the FDA determined convalescent plasma may be effective in lessening the severity or shortening the length of COVID-19 illness in hospitalized patients, and that the known and potential benefits of the product outweigh the known and potential risks. The EUA authorizes the distribution of convalescent plasma in the U.S. as well as its administration by health care providers, as appropriate, to treat suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19.

September 29, 2020 - REGENERON'S REGN-COV2 ANTIBODY COCKTAIL REDUCED VIRAL LEVELS AND IMPROVED SYMPTOMS IN NON-HOSPITALIZED COVID-19 PATIENTS

Antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system’s B cells that attach to a pathogen like a virus or to an infected cell. By attaching, they can either inhibit the target from doing damage or flag the target for destruction by other immune cells.

September 30, 2020 - Vaccines Are On Their Way: Now We Need To Decide Who Gets Them

October 1, 2020 - Veklury (remdesivir) Now Available Directly from Distributor following Trump Administration’s Successful Allocations to States and U.S. Territories

October 5, 2020 - Here are the most promising coronavirus vaccine candidates out there

October 6, 2020 - Common-questions-about-the-new-coronavirus-outbreak

October 6, 2020 - A new CDC report shows how wearing masks and closing bars dramatically cut the rate of coronavirus infections in Arizona 75%

October 7, 2020 - Great Barrington Declaration: Coronavirus: Health experts join global anti-lockdown movement - Lockdown on Wuhan to be lifted April 8

October 8, 2020 - Regeneron asks FDA for emergency authorization of its Covid-19 antibody therapy

Under our agreement with the U.S. government for the initial doses of REGN-COV2, if an EUA is granted the government has committed to making these doses available to the American people at no cost and would be responsible for their distribution," the statement said. "At this time, there are doses available for approximately 50,000 patients, and we expect to have doses available for 300,000 patients in total within the next few months.

October 9, 2020 - Favipiravir at high doses has potent antiviral activity in SARS-CoV-2−infected hamsters

October 9: HHS announced an agreement with AstraZeneca for late-stage development and large-scale manufacturing of the company’s COVID-19 investigational product AZD7442, a cocktail of two monoclonal antibodies, that may help treat or prevent COVID-19. The goal of AstraZeneca’s partnership with the U.S. Government is to develop a monoclonal antibody cocktail that can help prevent infection. An effective monoclonal antibody that can prevent COVID-19, particularly one that is long-lasting and delivered by intramuscular injection, may be of particular use in certain groups. This includes people who have compromised immune function, those who are over 80 years old, and people undergoing medical treatments that preclude them from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

October 9, 2020 - Novavax: In The COVID-19 Vaccination Fast Lane

October 11, 2020 - Daily Wyoming coronavirus update: 120 new cases, 75 new recoveries

October 11, 2020 - Inhaled Vaccines Aim to Fight Coronavirus at Its Point of Attack

October 12, 2020 - Study finds COVID-19 coronavirus can survive 28 days on some surfaces

October 12, 2020 - Pandemic can be overcome quickly with right tools - WHO

October 12, 2020 - End Coronavirus: COVID-19: HOW TO WIN CRUSH THE SPREAD WITH 9 MEASURES

October 13, 2020 - NY Times reporter surprised America's coronavirus recovery apparently happening faster than expected

October 13, 2020 - Alfacyte is more effective at preventing the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in cell culture than other commercially-available Interferons such as Interferon Alpha 2 and Interferon Beta 1a.

Alfacyte is a synthetic molecule based on the human Alpha Interferons. The Alpha Interferons are a family of 12 natural proteins which everyone produces. Thus far only one subtype is used therapeutically, the Interferon Alpha 2.

October 14, 2020 - Until a coronavirus vaccine is ready, pneumonia vaccines may reduce deaths from COVID-19

October 14, 2020 - Coronavirus Vaccine - 8 Things to Know

October 16, 2020 - US Hoping For Two Covid-19 Vaccines By End Of NovemberPfizer and Moderna, both funded by the US government, launched Phase 3 of their clinical trials at the end of July, and both were producing their doses at the same time.

They aim to deliver tens of millions of doses in the US by the end of the year.

Both are "mRNA vaccines," an experimental new platform that has never before been fully approved.

They both inject people with the genetic material necessary to grow the "spike protein" of SARS-CoV-2 inside their own cells, thus eliciting an immune response the body will remember when it encounters the real virus.

This effectively turns a person's own body into a vaccine factory, avoiding the costly and difficult processes that more traditional vaccine production requires.

October 17, 2020 - California readies its COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan

California has prepared an unprecedented vaccination campaign against the COVID-19 virus, to protect 40 million residents from the deadly disease. Virginia and Colorado turned in their plans earlier this week.

The frontrunner vaccine, made by Pfizer, may demand a lot of special refrigerators that are only available at academic research centers. This vaccine can’t be stored in the refrigeration systems found at the typical doctor’s office. Instead, it requires special ultra-low-temperature freezers that can store medicine at minus-328 degrees Fahrenheit. It also requires a booster shot, further complicating its rollout.

October 17, 2020 - CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Program

October 18, 2020 - Virginia, Maryland, DC, other states to submit Coronavirus vaccine blueprints

October 18, 2020 - MONTGOMERY COUNTY WORKING WITH STATE ON COVID-19 VACCINE DISTRIBUTION PLAN

October 18, 2020 - Virginia begins planning for eventual COVID-19 vaccine

October 18, 2020 - RI and Massachusetts release COVID-19 vaccination plans

October 18, 2020 - Colorado Announces Its COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Plan

October 18, 2020 - NC, SC ON HOW THEY WILL DISTRIBUTE COVID-19 VACCINE

October 18, 2020 - Kentucky will distribute COVID-19 vaccine

October 18, 2020 - MISSOURI HAS SUBMITTED COVID-19 VACCINE PLAN

October 18, 2020 - CT Coronavirus Vaccine Plan

October 18, 2020 - New York COVID-19 vaccination plan

October 18, 2020 - Texas COVID-19 VACCINE Plan

October 18, 2020 - Massachusetts releases COVID-19 vaccination plan

October 18, 2020 - Maine submits plan distributing COVID-19 vaccination plan

October 18, 2020 - W.Va completes COVID-19 vaccine action plan

October 18, 2020 - RI prepares for COVID-19 vaccination plan

October 18, 2020 - Hawaii’s COVID-19 Vaccination Plan

October 18, 2020 - Minnesota plans for COVID-19 vaccine distribution

October 18, 2020 - Utah plans Coronavirus Vaccination Plan

October 18, 2020 - Ohio already preparing COVID-19 vaccine plans

October 19, 2020 - States Rush to Get COVID-19 Vaccination Plans to CDC

October 19, 2020 - SARS-CoV-2 vaccine Leading COVID-19 vaccine candidates have progressed through laboratory tests at record speed.

October 19, 2020 - For Trump, Covid-19 therapeutics are the new vaccines

October 19, 2020 - Johns Hopkins Scientists Discover Possible Key to Controlling COVID-19 Immune Response

October 19, 2020 - UNICEF To Stockpile Over Half A Billion Syringes For Future COVID-19 Vaccine

October 21, 2020 - WASHINGTON STATE ANNOUNCES 'INTERIM' CORONAVIRUS VACCINE DISTRIBUTION PLAN

October 21, 2020 - Utah unveils COVID-19 vaccination plan

October 21, 2020 - Tennessee Dept. of Health releases COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan

October 21, 2020 - New studies suggest there has been a 'sharp' drop in COVID-19 death rates

October 21, 2020 - Study helps explain declines in death rates from COVID-19

October 21, 2020 - Rheumatoid arthritis drug tocilizumab advances as a COVID treatment, as other regimens fall back, studies show

October 21, 2020 - Is reaching zero COVID-19 possible?

Vaccination has, in theory, the potential of getting us to the elusive zero COVID-19. Vaccines have reduced the incidence of diphtheria, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella and haemophilus influenzae type B to close to zero in many developed countries. So while an effective vaccine offers the best chance of reaching zero COVID-19

October 22, 2020 - FDA Approves First Treatment for COVID-19

October 22, 2020 - Biden's Health Agenda

The Biden Plan calls for:

Restoring trust, credibility, and common purpose.

Mounting an effective national emergency response that saves lives, protects frontline workers, and minimizes the spread of COVID-19.

Eliminating cost barriers for prevention of and care for COVID-19.

Pursuing decisive economic measures to help hard-hit workers, families, and small businesses and to stabilize the American economy.

Rallying the world to confront this crisis while laying the foundation for the future.

October 22, 2020 - Biden's Health Agenda - Biden's COVID plan includes taking major responsibility for the pandemic back from the states. His federal response would include more money for, and coordination of, testing and contact tracing; ensuring adequate protective equipment for health professionals; and assuring the public that new treatments and vaccines will be based on science, not politics.

Assuming Biden gets beyond the pandemic and recession, he could move onto some of his bigger health promises, including expanding eligibility for Medicare, creating a "public option" health plan and boosting premium subsidies for the ACA.

Many of Biden's proposals, including a public option and larger subsidies to help low- and middle-income people pay for insurance, are the very things that an overwhelmingly Democratic Congress could not pass as part of the original Affordable Care Act in 2010. Conservative Democratic senators objected to the plan.

October 23, 2020 - AstraZenca restarts COVID-19 trials, J&J likely early next week

October 24, 2020 - Scientists develop new way to test for COVID-19 antibodies

October 24, 2020 - The FDA approved remdesivir to treat Covid-19. Scientists are questioning the evidence.

October 24, 2020 - Scientists make digital breakthrough in chemistry that could revolutionize the drug industry

October 27, 2020 - Three Western states join California in screening any FDA-approved coronavirus vaccine

October 28, 2020 - Fact check: Neither Biden nor Trump is calling for mandated COVID-19 vaccines

Dr. Moncef Slaoui, chief adviser of Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. effort to accelerate vaccine developments, told ABC News that approximately 20 million to 40 million doses of a vaccine — if authorized by the end of the year — would be distributed to a limited population. "Now, not every one in that population can be immunized in December, but the companies will continue to manufacture and produce vaccine doses — and in January, we plan to have about 60 to 80 million doses of those two vaccines," Slaoui said.

October 28, 2020 - Coronavirus Vaccine Race

October 28, 2020 - SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibody LY-CoV555 in Outpatients with Covid-19

CONCLUSIONS: In this interim analysis of a phase 2 trial, one of three doses of neutralizing antibody LY-CoV555 appeared to accelerate the natural decline in viral load over time, whereas the other doses had not by day 11.

October 29, 2020 - Covid-19 antibody therapies show promising results in separate trials

Published results from Eli Lilly - The study was primarily testing to see if the therapy eliminated the virus by day 11. The vast majority of patients had eliminated or had little trace of the virus by then. While the hospitalization data was a secondary endpoint, study co-author Dr. Peter Chen characterized the difference as "dramatic" and "meaningful."

Regeneron said the treatment significantly reduced viral load and reduced the need for a patient to go to the hospital, emergency room, urgent care or doctor's office. The analysis involved nearly 800 patients. Patients on the treatment had on average a greater-than-10-fold reduction in viral load by day 5 than those taking a placebo, which does nothing. Patients with the higher viral load at baseline got a bigger benefit from the therapy. The therapy reduced Covid-19 related medical visits by 72% in patients with one risk factor for severe disease, the company said.

October 29, 2020 - These are the top coronavirus vaccines

Phase 3 Vaccines

Vaccines using nucleic acid (DNA and RNA)

Nucleic acid vaccines, developed by

Moderna; National Institutes of Health

Pfizer; BioNTech; Fosun Pharma

Vectored vaccines, developed by

AstraZeneca; University of Oxford

CanSino Biologics; Beijing Institute of Biotechnology; Canada's National Research Council; Petrovax

Gamaleya Research Institute*

Johnson & Johnson, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Subunit vaccines, developed by

AstraZeneca; University of Oxford

CanSino Biologics; Beijing Institute of Biotechnology; Canada's National Research Council; Petrovax

Gamaleya Research Institute*

Johnson & Johnson, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Institut Pasteur; Themis; University of Pittsburgh CVR; Merck Sharp & Dohme

Live attenuated or weakened virus vaccines, developed by

Beijing Institute of Biological Products; Sinopharm

Sinopharm

Sinovac

October 29, 2020 - Next crop of COVID-19 vaccine developers take more traditional route

October 30, 2020 - Moderna will have 20M coronavirus vaccines ready by year's end

Biotech firm Moderna expects to have about 20 million doses of its experimental coronavirus vaccine dubbed mRNA-1273 ready to ship in the U.S. by the end of the year.

October 30, 2020 - COVID-19 Antibodies May Last Longer Than Researchers Thought

Previous research found that levels of antibodies in recovered patients start to wane about three months from when those patients first experience symptoms. But in a study published in Science this week, researchers at Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai report that antibodies may last as long as five months.

October 30, 2020 - T-cells from recovered COVID-19 patients show promise to protect vulnerable patients from infection Immunotherapy experts apply proven model to grow SARS-CoV-2-fighting T-cells from convalescent donors

October 30, 2020 - Biden/Harris plan seven points include:

Testing as many people per day as are currently tested per week by doubling the number of testing sites in the U.S.; investing in rapid and at-home tests; creating a Pandemic Testing Board to oversee test production; and building out a 100,000-person national contact tracing workforce that would collaborate with community groups.
Ramping up production of personal protective equipment like masks and face shields.
Working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to produce clear guidance for businesses, schools and other facilities trying to reopen, accompanied by government funding for businesses, schools and state and local governments.
Creating (and investing $25 billion in) a vaccine production-and-distribution plan that ensures free and equitable access, while allowing scientists to clearly communicate progress with the public.
Protecting vulnerable populations like the elderly and people of color, including through a COVID-19 Racial and Ethnic Disparities Task Force, and publishing a real-time data dashboard that provides local information about the outbreak.
Restoring the White House office responsible for monitoring global health risks, which Trump disbanded in its original form in 2018, and rejoining the World Health Organization, among other efforts to strengthen the U.S.’ global health response.
Encouraging universal masking by urging governors and local lawmakers to enforce mandates.

Both Democrats and Republicans say they want to bring down drug prices

October 30, 2020 - U.S. signs up pharmacy chains as COVID-19 vaccination centres: WSJ

November 1, 2020 - Feds issue coverage plan for COVID-19 vaccine and treatments

November 9, 2020 - Pfizer says its coronavirus vaccine helps prevent COVID-19, marking a milestone in the fight against the pandemic

November 9, 2020 - The FDA issued an emergency use authorization to drug-maker Lilly for bamlanivimab, a monoclonal antibody that mimics the immune system’s response to infection with the virus that causes COVID-19

November 9, 2020 - Dr. Fauci says Pfizer's reported 90% vaccine efficacy rate is 'extraordinary'

November 11, 2020 - Mysterious New “Hidden” Gene Discovered in COVID-19 Virus

The research team identified ORF3d, a new overlapping gene in SARS-CoV-2 that has the potential to encode a protein that is longer than expected by chance alone.

November 14, 2020 - Four reasons for encouragement based on Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine results

November 17, 2020 - Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine is 94.5% Effective. Here’s What That Really Means

November 17, 2020 - Pfizer to start pilot delivery program for its COVID-19 vaccine in four U.S. states

November 17, 2020 - Immunity to the Coronavirus May Last Years, New Data Hint

November 17, 2020 - Covid vaccine front-runners: How much they cost, who’s bought them and how they’re stored

November 21, 2020 - Moderna To Charge $25-$37 Per Dose For Its COVID-19 Vaccine, Says CEO

November 22, 2020 - When could the first COVID-19 vaccines be given in the US? Dec. 13 is the first possible day the vaccine could be administered

November 23, 2020 - Astra-Oxford Vaccine Found Effective in Preventing Covid

November 23, 2020 - Here’s What You Need To Know About AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 Vaccine

November 24, 2020 - The COVID Logistics: How a Vaccine Will Get to You

November 24, 2020 - What you need to know about the AstraZeneca, Moderna and Pfizer vaccines

November 24, 2020 - Pfizer 6.4 million COVID-19 vaccine doses expected to be shipped to states by mid-December

November 24, 2020 - Moderna: 'We're Ready' To Ship 20 Million Coronavirus Vaccine Doses By The End Of 2020

November 25, 2020 - FDA clears a ‘new generation’ of Covid antibody test designed to tell how well someone is protected against the virus

November 25, 2020 - Initial Batch Of COVID-19 Vaccines Will Go To States Based On Population, Not Risk

November 25, 2020 - Maker of ultra-cold freezers sees surge in demand to store Covid vaccines

November 28, 2020 - Airlines preparing to transport COVID-19 vaccine when ready for distribution

November 30, 2020 - Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine Shows 100% Efficacy Against Severe Cases

December 2, 2020 - How you'll know the COVID-19 vaccines are safe

December 3, 2020 - US hopes to vaccinate 20M this year, 100M by end of February

December 3, 2020 - Moderna vaccine confers at least 3 months immunity: study

December 3, 2020 - Durability of Responses after SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-1273 Vaccination

December 4, 2020 - Virginia slated to receive 480,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses by end of December

December 5, 2020 - Is ‘natural immunity’ from Covid-19 better than a vaccine?

December 5, 2020 - You Should Be Able to Get a COVID Vaccine by April

December 5, 2020 - COVID Vaccine Transmission

We need to reach 75 percent immunity to end the pandemic. In order for the U.S. to fully stamp out COVID-19 with herd immunity, we need 75 percent of the population to become vaccinated or produce natural antibodies to the virus.

December 5, 2020 - Here’s How the Pandemic Finally Ends A vaccine by early 2021, a steady decline in cases by next fall and back to normal in a few years—11 top experts look into the future.

December 6, 2020 - States defer to health providers on who gets first vaccines

December 9, 2020 - Here’s Why You’ll Be Given a Vaccination Card After You Get the COVID-19 Vaccine

December 10, 2020 - FDA panel endorses Pfizer coronavirus vaccine for emergency use

December 10, 2020 - US panel endorses widespread use of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

December 10, 2020 - Walmart Outlines Vaccine Distribution Plans

December 11, 2020 - First COVID-19 vaccine authorized for use in the United States

December 13, 2020 - First batch of coronavirus vaccine ships out from Pfizer plant for all 50 states

December 15, 2020 - FDA Analysis Of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Finds It Effective And Safe

December 17, 2020 - Walgreens, CVS predict COVID-19 vaccines will be available to the general public by appointment at pharmacies by spring

December 18, 2020 - The One Thing About the COVID Vaccine That's Surprising Even Doctors

December 20, 2020 - First shipments of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine begin to roll out