Coronavirus Breaking News

The Australian government announced on Twitter that COVID-19 lockdown restrictions had been announced effective late on May 26, 2021.

This action is in response to several positive COVID-19 cases in the city of Melbourne's suburbs.

The government indicated it is shipping additional Pfizer and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines into the Melbourne area asap.

According to local media, Victoria's contact tracing program was criticized by the Australian Medical Association for incorrectly listing virus exposure sites.

According to a study published ahead of the June 2021 print issue, based on the number of dentists with confirmed or probable COVID-19 infections, the cumulative infection rate for U.S. dentists is 2.6%.

By comparison, in June 2020, the cumulative COVID-19 prevalence rate for other U.S. health professionals ranged from 3.3% (Chicago hospital physicians) to 35.3% (U.S.-based emergency medical services).

“We’re pleased to see that dentists have demonstrated the continued low monthly incidence during the study period,” commented American Dental Association (ADA) Science and Research Institute CEO Marcelo Araujo, D.D.S., M.S., Ph.D., the senior author of the report published on May 24, 2021.

Dr. Araujo added, “This study shows high rates of pre-appointment screening of patients and appropriate infection control measures throughout the study period, demonstrating that adhering to rigorous protocols for enhanced infection control helps protect their patients, their dental team, and themselves.”

The Journal of the ADA study is based on data collected June 9 - Nov. 13, 2020. For more information on COVID-19 and dental visits, visit MouthHealthy.org.

The study authors plan future research projects on the barriers and facilitators to wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) according to CDC recommendations and levels of protection against COVID-19 provided by different levels of PPE use and infection control procedures.

The ADA was founded in Niagara Falls, New York, during 1859.

A Northwestern University Medicine study of placentas from women who received a COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy found no evidence of injury.

Most women in this limited study received either Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccines during their third trimester.

The study was published May 11, 2021, in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology. To the authors’ knowledge, it is the first study to examine the impact of the COVID vaccines on the placenta.

The study authors collected placentas from 84 vaccinated patients and 116 unvaccinated patients who delivered at Prentice Women’s Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, and pathologically examined the whole of the placenta and microscopically following the birth.

The placenta is the first organ that forms during pregnancy. It performs duties for most of the fetus’ organs while they’re still forming, such as providing oxygen while the lungs develop and nutrition while the gut is forming.

Additionally, the placenta manages hormones and the immune system and tells the mother’s body to welcome and nurture the fetus rather than reject it as a foreign intruder.

The scientists also looked for abnormal blood flow between the mother and fetus and problems with fetal blood flow – both of which have been reported in pregnant patients who have tested positive for COVID.

The rate of these injuries was the same in the vaccinated patients as for control patients.

The Northwestern scientists also examined the placentas for chronic histiocytic intervillositis, a complication that can happen if the placenta is infected, in this case, by SARS-CoV-2.

Although this study did not find any cases in vaccinated patients, it's a rare condition requiring a larger sample size (1,000 patients) to differentiate between vaccinated and unvaccinated patients.

The study was funded by The Friends of Prentice, the Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute, the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The Moscow-based Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) announced data from a study conducted by the Institute of Virology of the National University of Cordoba located in Argentina and the authorities of Cordoba, which confirm the neutralizing effect of the two-component Sputnik V vaccine against the Brazilian strain of SARS-CoV-2 beta coronavirus, first identified in the city of Manaus.

In particular, the study confirmed 99.65% of individuals developed IgG antibodies to coronavirus on the 42nd day after receiving the second injection of the Sputnik V vaccine.

And 85.5% of individuals developed IgG antibodies to coronavirus on the 14th day after receiving the first injection of Sputnik V.

The RDIF recently announced the availability of the Sputnik LIght vaccine, which is a single-dose version.

The RDIF was founded in 2011 to invest in the equity capital of companies primarily in Russia, together with leading foreign financial and strategic investors.

Geneva-based Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, announced on May 21, 2021, that it had signed a purchase agreement with Johnson & Johnson (J&J) for its single-dose Janssen COVID-19 vaccine.

The agreement is for a commitment to purchase 200 million doses on behalf of the COVAX Facility, with the goal of them being supplied to Facility participants in 2021.

Gavi stated it 'will continue to assess its needs and remain in discussions with Johnson & Johnson on the potential supply of 300 million additional doses in 2022.'

The Janssen COVID-19 (Ad26.COV2.S) single-shot experimental vaccine leverages Janssen's AdVac and PER.C6® technologies. Janssen’s AdVac® vectors are based on a specific type of adenovirus, which has been genetically modified so that it can no longer replicate in humans and cause disease.

Adenoviruses are a group of viruses that can cause the common cold, says the U.S. CDC.

Dr. Seth Berkley, the CEO of Gavi, commented in a related press release, “As a one-dose vaccine, the J&J vaccine has particular relevance for places with difficult infrastructure, making it a very important addition to the portfolio.”

Gavi is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate half the world’s children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases. Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped to immunize over 822 million children and prevented more than 14 million deaths in 73 lower-income countries.

The COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna Intramuscular Injection (TAK-919) was granted Special Approval in Japan by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW) on May 21, 2021.

Osaka-based Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited announced the approval was based on positive clinical data from Takeda’s Phase 1/2 immunogenicity and safety clinical trial of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine in Japan.

The approval results from a three-way agreement announced on October 29, 2020, between Takeda, Moderna, and the Government of Japan’s MHLW to distribute 50 million doses of TAK-919 in Japan in the first half of 2021.

“This is an important step in Takeda’s support of Japan’s pandemic response,” stated Rajeev Venkayya, president of the Global Vaccine Business Unit at Takeda, in a related press statement.

“Moderna’s vaccine has demonstrated an excellent safety and effectiveness profile to date, and we are excited to make it available to the Japanese population.”

The COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna (mRNA-1273) is an mRNA vaccine targeted against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus encoding for a prefusion stabilized form of the Spike (S) protein.

Takeda's employees are committed to improving the quality of life for patients and working with our healthcare partners in approximately 80 countries. For more information, visit https://www.takeda.com.

As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout ramps up, the risks and benefits of immunization for pregnant and breastfeeding women remain largely unknown because the initial COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials didn’t include these populations.

To fill the knowledge gap, Candian researchers are launching a COVID-19 vaccine registry and survey. They will collect real-time data on the impact of immunization on pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers across the country.

Researchers will monitor the attitudes, effectiveness, and safety of the various COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant and lactating women through this registry and survey. Participants do not have to have already received a COVID-19 vaccine, nor are they required to be vaccinated.

This project, funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada through the Vaccine Surveillance Reference Group and the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force, is being conducted in partnership with vaccine surveillance efforts across Canada.

To participate in the registry and survey, visit the Reproductive Infectious Diseases Program website.

The University of British Columbia is located in Vancouver, BC.