COVID-19 vaccine development pipeline gears up

[gracielle]

UPDATE: 12 November 2020

Common SARS-CoV-2 mutation may make coronavirus more susceptible to a vaccine

A common strain of coronavirus has mutated to help it spread quickly, but the spike mutation may make SARS-CoV-2 more susceptible to vaccines under development, according to a new study in Science.

www.eurekalert.org

29 October 2020

Scientists warn of new coronavirus variant spreading across Europe | Free to read

Genetic mutation that originated in Spain transmitted by returning holidaymakers, researchers find

www.ft.com

6 November 2020

How hard is the coronavirus second wave hitting in Europe?

New lockdowns, nighttime curfews and military field hospitals: here's how European countries are trying to fight a fresh wave of coronavirus.

www.euronews.com

 

[gracielle]

12 November 2020....Crucial Moderna Covid vaccine data is coming in days — here’s what to look out for

Crucial Moderna Covid vaccine data is coming in days — here's what to look out for

Investors expect Moderna's vaccine will be highly effective, especially after Pfizer said its vaccine was 90% effective, said Brad Loncar, a biotech investor.

www.cnbc.com

UPDATE: 16 November 2020
Moderna says preliminary trial data shows its coronavirus vaccine is more than 94% effective, shares soar

Moderna says preliminary trial data shows its coronavirus vaccine is more than 94% effective, shares soar

Moderna said preliminary phase three trial data shows its coronavirus vaccine is more than 94% effective in preventing Covid-19.

www.cnbc.com

 

[gracielle]

J&J starts two-dose trial of its COVID-19 candidate vaccine in the UK

Johnson & Johnson launched a new late-stage trial in Britain on Monday to test a two-dose regimen of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine among thousands of volunteers, as the U.S. drugmaker expands its trials by geography and type.

www.reuters.com

 

[gracielle]

Covid-19. Muertos por millón: ¿por qué la Argentina está cuarta en el mundo?

Covid-19. Muertos por millón: ¿por qué la Argentina está cuarta en el mundo?

www.lanacion.com.ar

16 November 2020....By: Nora Bär, Editor of the Science and Health section
Covid-19. Deaths per million: why is Argentina fourth in the world?
While the official numbers show a downward trend in the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19, the country rises steadily in another more worrying ranking: that of deaths per million inhabitants (mortality). If two microstates with tiny populations (Andorra and San Marino) are left out, according to international statistics such as those updated daily by the ourworldindata.org site, Argentina (with 781.2 deaths per million) ranks fourth (after Belgium, 1,221; Peru, 1,066; and Spain; 871). And the second in Latin America (after Peru and surpassing Brazil, 779; Chile, 773; and Bolivia, 757). According to the Johns Hopkins University, these figures are 1,252.2 for Belgium, 1101.3 for Peru, 872.6 for Spain and 796.4 for Argentina. In this base, Brazil figures with 791.5; Chile, with 791.2, and Bolivia, with 778.7.

These results are difficult to explain if one takes into account that even nations that chose not to restrict activities and mobility (or did so in small doses) today have lower mortality. It is not due to the biology of the microbe. "The virus is the same; what changes are the policies, restrictions, attitudes of the population, and the agencies of management and control", underlines the virologist from the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) and the National University of Córdoba, Humberto Debat.

Specialists from different disciplines attribute it not to a single fact, but to a series of factors that are interconnected and that are not limited to health strategies, but include climate, social behavior and communication....

 

[Renzi]

Covid-19. Muertos por millón: ¿por qué la Argentina está cuarta en el mundo?

Covid-19. Muertos por millón: ¿por qué la Argentina está cuarta en el mundo?

www.lanacion.com.ar

16 November 2020....By: Nora Bär, Editor of the Science and Health section
Covid-19. Deaths per million: why is Argentina fourth in the world?
While the official numbers show a downward trend in the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19, the country rises steadily in another more worrying ranking: that of deaths per million inhabitants (mortality). If two microstates with tiny populations (Andorra and San Marino) are left out, according to international statistics such as those updated daily by the ourworldindata.org site, Argentina (with 781.2 deaths per million) ranks fourth (after Belgium, 1,221; Peru, 1,066; and Spain; 871). And the second in Latin America (after Peru and surpassing Brazil, 779; Chile, 773; and Bolivia, 757). According to the Johns Hopkins University, these figures are 1,252.2 for Belgium, 1101.3 for Peru, 872.6 for Spain and 796.4 for Argentina. In this base, Brazil figures with 791.5; Chile, with 791.2, and Bolivia, with 778.7.

These results are difficult to explain if one takes into account that even nations that chose not to restrict activities and mobility (or did so in small doses) today have lower mortality. It is not due to the biology of the microbe. "The virus is the same; what changes are the policies, restrictions, attitudes of the population, and the agencies of management and control", underlines the virologist from the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) and the National University of Córdoba, Humberto Debat.

Specialists from different disciplines attribute it not to a single fact, but to a series of factors that are interconnected and that are not limited to health strategies, but include climate, social behavior and communication....

I wonder if there's a correlation with the very high rate of smoking here (especially among older people) which is the highest on the continent, and this is a respiratory disease after all.

Smoking Is Associated With COVID-19 Progression: A Meta-analysis

AbstractIntroduction. Smoking depresses pulmonary immune function and is a risk factor contracting other infectious diseases and more serious outcomes amon

academic.oup.com

 

[gracielle]

Yes, tobacco and vaping impact direct consumers and non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke. As well as other factors that affect health such as obesity and lack of physical activity.

Oct 28, 2020....Bolivia and Chile have the highest smoking prevalence in the region, with 40% and 38.7%, respectively, followed by Cuba with 35.9%, Suriname with 26.2%, and Argentina with 22.5%.

Los resultados de la última Encuesta Nacional de Factores de Riesgo reflejan la falta de políticas públicas de prevención de las ENT en la Argentina | Fundación InterAmericana del corazón

El 66,1% de la población adulta tiene exceso de peso, el 64,9% realiza poca actividad física y el 22,2% consume tabaco según la encuesta oficial. Estos indicadores demuestran la falta de políticas públicas que fomenten la adopción de hábitos más saludables y, en paralelo, dan cuenta de la falla...

www.ficargentina.org

17 April 2019
The results of the latest National Survey of Risk Factors reflect the lack of public policies for the prevention of NCDs in Argentina
66.1% of the adult population is overweight, 64.9% does little physical activity and 22.2% uses tobacco according to the official survey.
These indicators demonstrate the lack of public policies that promote the adoption of healthier habits and, in parallel, show the failure in the implementation of current measures.

(Buenos Aires, April 17) This week the Secretary of the Government of Health and INDEC presented the first results of the 4th National Survey of Risk Factors for Non-communicable Diseases. One of the most alarming figures is that of the weight of the population, which shows that 66.1% are overweight, where overweight reaches 33.1% of the population and obesity 32.4%, based on objective measurement.

“Excess weight and specifically obesity have been increasing steadily in recent years and this is reflected in previous surveys. These results, unfortunately, are not news. The problem is that, knowing this trend, the State did not implement policies that seek to discourage the consumption of foods of low nutritional quality and encourage the consumption of healthier foods. The lack of public policies explains why the results of the survey are so negative,” said Lorena Allemandi, director of the food policy area of FIC Argentina. And she added: “The evidence and experience of other countries that are making progress in improving the population's food environments, show that it is the States that must implement a package of measures that includes the promotion of healthy school environments, frontal labeling in food, tax policies on unhealthy food and beverages, among others ”.

The absence of public policies that promote the adoption of healthier habits was also evidenced from other survey results: 64.9% indicated a low level of physical activity while in the previous measurement (2013) it was 55%. Based on the recommendations by the WHO, it is necessary for Argentina to design a national plan that promotes the implementation of different measures that facilitate the practice of physical activity.

For its part, tobacco consumption remains very high despite the fact that the survey showed a decrease of three percentage points compared to the previous measurement: in 2013 25.1% used tobacco and in the last survey 22.2% of the population.

It is very positive that consumption is decreasing but it is a low decrease. In a framework where, since 2011, the national tobacco control law has been in force, it would be expected that consumption will have decreased more from survey to survey. There are flaws in the implementation of the regulations, especially with regard to the ban on cigarette advertising. In addition, the survey showed a very slight decrease in exposure to second-hand smoke in bars and restaurants, which also reveals non-compliance with the regulations on smoke-free environments, ”stated Marita Pizarro, Co-executive director of FIC Argentina and Director of the tobacco area of the organization.

Non-communicable diseases are responsible for 73.4% of deaths in Argentina. Its main risk factors can be controlled and avoided through the design, implementation and monitoring of effective public policies that seek to modify environments and promote healthier habits. These policies, in addition to being based on scientific evidence, must be diagrammed independently of the companies that produce and market unhealthy products. "We hope that this worrisome scenario will be an impetus for there to be a political will and decision to advance with measures that guarantee the right to health of the population," concluded Marita Pizarro.

 

[gracielle]

Moderna’s Covid Vaccine: What You Need to Know (Published 2020)

Does this mean the end of the pandemic? Who was in the trial? Is it part of Operation Warp Speed? And other questions answered.

www.nytimes.com

 

[gracielle]

Coronavirus en Argentina: con la desaceleración de los contagios, ¿podremos dejar de tener transmisión comunitaria?

Bajan los casos y es un dato alentador. Pero la inmunidad de rebaño está lejos. El riesgo de reinfecciones, la vacuna y el fantasma del segundo brote. - El mundo ya prepara las campañas de vacunación ante la explosión de una nueva ola de coronavirus

www.clarin.com

17 November 2020
The phases of the pandemic
Coronavirus in Argentina: with the slowdown in infections, can we stop having community transmission? Cases decrease and it is an encouraging data. But herd immunity is far off. The risk of reinfections, the vaccine and the ghost of the second outbreak....

 

[gracielle]

UPDATE: 18 November 2020

Pfizer ends its COVID-19 vaccine trial with a 95% success rate

Final results from Pfizer Inc's <PFE.N> COVID-19 vaccine trial showed its shot had a 95% success rate and two months of safety data, paving the way for the drugmaker to apply for an emergency U.S. authorization within days, it said on Wednesday.

www.reuters.com

 

[gracielle]

UPDATE:

Fernando Polack presentó su estudio con plasma: "Transforma al coronavirus en un catarro"

Después de seis meses de investigación, el equipo liderado por el infectólogo mostró alentadores resultados preliminares de su investigación.

www.clarin.com

12 November 2020
Managing the pandemic....Fernando Polack presented his study with plasma: "Transforms the coronavirus into a cold"....