Coronavirus Breaking News

Since the first wave of COVID-19 in March 2020, citizens and permanent residents returning to New Zealand have been required to undergo managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) for 14 days and mandatory testing for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, stated the U.S. CDC Synopsis, Volume 27, Number 3—March 2021.

As of October 20, 2020, of 62,698 arrivals, testing persons in MIQ identified 215 cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Among 86 passengers on a flight from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, that arrived in New Zealand on September 29, test results were positive for 7 persons in MIQ. These researchers analyzed information about their journeys, disease progression, and virus genomic data to assess possible points of virus infection.

All seven SARS-CoV-2 genomes were genetically identical, except for a single mutation in 1 sample. Despite pre-departure testing, multiple instances of in-flight SARS-CoV-2 transmission are likely.

'Although not definitive, these findings underscore the value of considering all international passengers arriving in New Zealand as being potentially infected with SARS-CoV-2, even if pre-departure testing was undertaken, social distancing and spacing were followed, and personal protective equipment was used in-flight,' conclude this early release report, issued on January 5, 2021.

'It is our responsibility as physicians not to wait for perfect evidence when making life-and-death decisions,' stated Richard H. Carmona, M.D., MPH, the 17th Surgeon General of the USA, in a MedpageToday Op-Ed.

'Given the safety profile of vitamin D, the 40% prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in the U.S., and the fact that this season will likely be the deadliest phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to act now. Identifying and eradicating vitamin D deficiency with early and aggressive supplementation has the potential to save thousands of lives and should be one of our highest public health priorities,' added Dr. Carmona, who is now a distinguished professor of public health and COVID-19 incident commander at the University of Arizona.

Previously, the UK's NICE guideline [NG187] published on December 17, 2020, stated 'Vitamin D is important for bone and muscle health and may have a role in the body's immune response to respiratory viruses. Sunlight exposure is the main source of vitamin D for most people in the UK during the summer months.'

'The panel also noted that it is important for some populations to take a supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D daily throughout the year. This includes people who are at a higher risk of not getting enough vitamin D because, for example, of lack of exposure to sunlight during the spring and summer months.'

This UK guideline was developed with the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition and Public Health England using the interim process and methods for guidelines developed in response to health and social care emergencies.

The U.S. CDC published updated clinical considerations regarding experimental COVID-19 vaccines on December 30, 2020. A section within the CDC update focused on 'vaccination of pregnant or lactating women,' which is excerpted below.

'There are currently few data on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, including mRNA vaccines, in pregnant women. Limited data are currently available from animal developmental and reproductive toxicity studies. Based on current knowledge, experts believe those mRNA vaccines are unlikely to pose a risk to pregnant women or the fetus because mRNA vaccines are not live vaccines.

The mRNA in the vaccine is degraded quickly by normal cellular processes and does not enter its nucleus. However, the potential risks of mRNA vaccines to the pregnant person and the fetus are unknown because these vaccines have not been studied in pregnant people.

If pregnant people are part of a group recommended to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, such as healthcare personnel, they may choose to be vaccinated.

A conversation between the patient and their clinical team may assist with using an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. However, a conversation with a healthcare provider is not required before vaccination. When making a decision, pregnant women and their healthcare providers should consider the level of COVID-19 community transmission, the patient’s personal risk of contracting COVID-19, the risks of COVID-19 to the patient and potential risks to the fetus, the efficacy of the vaccine, the side effects of the vaccine, and the lack of data about the vaccine during pregnancy,' concluded this section of the CDC's update.

As of December 28, 2020, the CDC reported 51,396 pregnant women had contracted COVID-19, and there were 60 fatalities related to the new disease during 2020.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported as of 9:00 AM ET on January 4, 2021, 4,563,260 first-doses COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in the USA. Furthermore, there have been 15,418,50 total vaccine doses distributed in the USA.

Globally, various scientists and governments have accelerated the clinical development process to launch (7) experimental COVID-19 vaccines.

The most recent authorization was the New Crown COVID-19 Vaccine, an inactivated vaccine created by the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products under the China National Pharmaceutical Group, Sinopharm, and the Wuhan Institute of Virology. China's National Medical Products Administration issued authorization on December 31, 2020.

Aside from China, Sinopharm's COVID-19 vaccine was officially registered in the UAE and Bahrain on December 9 and 12, 2020, respectively.

Thousands of Beijing China residents were reported by AFP to have received the first dose of the experimental New Crown COVID-19 vaccine over the last few days of December 2020. China's health authorities granted “conditional” approval to pharma giant Sinopharm.

An AFP journalist saw people being bused into a temporary vaccine center at a central park after being instructed to fill in electronic forms about their health status and any allergies at an outside gate. China now plans a rollout for the vaccine, starting with key groups considered to have a high risk of exposure to the virus, including port and food logistic workers and people planning to return to studies abroad.

According to AFP, Beijing has already administered around 4.5 million vaccine doses, mostly to health workers and other state employees destined for overseas jobs.

The India Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has reportedly recommended the experimental COVID-19 vaccine candidate Covaxin for emergency use authorization, reported news agency ANI on January 2, 2020. The recommendation, along with rollout modalities, will now be taken up by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for a final decision on the matter.

After completing the interim analysis from the Phase 1 & 2 clinical trials of Covaxin, Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech received DCGI approval for Phase 3 clinical trials in 26,000 participants in over 25 centers across India. The indigenous, inactivated vaccine is developed and manufactured in Bharat Biotech's Bio-Safety Level 3, a high-containment facility.

Previously, Bharat Biotech's chairman has claimed that Covaxin can protect against the mutated SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus strain that surfaced in the United Kingdom and several other countries.

"It (coronavirus) is expected to have a lot of mutation, and you can be rest assured this vaccine will also protect against that (mutated) virus because of two hypotheses... So you have these two components in the inactivated vaccine. It will also take care of those mutations," Bharat Biotech Chairman Krihsna Ella said on December 29, 2020, as reported by News18.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced the Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine was issued Emergency Use Listing (EUL) on December 31, 2020. This classification makes the Pfizer - BioNTech experimental mRNA vaccine the first to receive emergency validation from the WHO.

Comirnaty is a nucleoside-modified RNA formulated in lipid nanoparticles and encodes an optimized SARS-CoV-2 full-length spike protein antigen. And, the vaccine does not contain the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus itself and cannot cause COVID-19.

The WHO’s EUL opens the door for countries to expedite their own regulatory approval processes to import and administer the Comirnaty vaccine. It also enables UNICEF and the Pan-American Health Organization to procure the vaccine for distribution to countries, stated the WHO.

“This is a very positive step towards ensuring global access to COVID-19 vaccines. But I want to emphasize the need for an even greater global effort to achieve enough vaccine supply to meet the needs of priority populations everywhere,” said Dr. Mariângela Simão, WHO Assistant-Director General for Access to Medicines and Health Products, in a press statement.

Previously, the U.S. FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization for the Comirnaty vaccine on December 11, 2020. Furthermore, it is being distributed throughout the USA.