Coronavirus Breaking News

The coronavirus disease COVID-19 is currently reaching pandemic levels in various countries.

Dec 3, 2020 • 8:43 pm CST

The 17th Civil Engineer Squadron is employing a different approach to disinfecting classrooms at Goodfellow Air Force Base, San Angelo, Texas, reported Air Force Senior Airman Seraiah Wolf on December 3, 2020. Members of the civil engineer squadron used fog machines to disinfect classroom surfaces at the school-age program and the Child Development Center.

During the 20 minute re-entry time frame, the chemical bonds to any gems on the surfaces and kills them. This method of disinfecting is more efficient when it comes to disinfecting large areas.

"The chemical that we use is known to be 99.99% effective in killing different viruses. It is more likely to kill everything we want it to."

Dec 3, 2020 • 10:19 am CST

Enlivex Therapeutics Ltd. reported positive interim results of an investigator-initiated Phase II clinical trial evaluating Allocetra in treating severe and critical COVID-19 patients. Allocetra™ is an immunotherapy that is being developed to rebalance a life-threatening unbalanced immune system, using the immune system’s own natural regulation mechanisms.

Prof. Vernon van Heerden, Head of the Critical Care Medicine Unit at Hadassah Hospital in Israel, and the lead investigator of both the prior Phase Ib and the current Phase II COVID-19 clinical trial stated in a press release, "Thirteen COVID-19 patients have been treated to date with Allocetra. The Phase II patients that have been discharged from the hospital are currently healthy."

"We believe that these compelling preliminary results have demonstrated safety and an indication of the efficacy of Allocetra in these complicated patients, highlighting the potential of Enlivex's product candidate to benefit severe and critical COVID-19 patients as well as others suffering from cytokine storms and organ dysfunctions across various clinical indications."

Dec 3, 2020 • 7:02 am CST

Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said on a video call with the United Nations on December 2, 2020, that more than 100,000 people had already been vaccinated with the Sputnik V vaccine, reported Reuters.

Sputnik V is an adenoviral-based vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, that deploys different types of adenovirus vectors (rAd26 and rAd5) for the first and second vaccination. On August 1, 2020, the Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko announced 'clinical trials had been declared completed.'

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Dec 3, 2020 • 6:33 am CST

Moderna Inc. launched the TeenCove vaccine study on December 2, 2020. This phase 2/3 clinical trial of about 3,000 adolescents will evaluate the safety, reactogenicity, and effectiveness of the experimental mRNA-1273 vaccine candidate in participants 12 to <18 years old to prevent COVID-19, which is caused by an infection from the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The mRNA-1273 vaccine will be administered in 2-doses, 28 days apart to this adolescent population.

The NCT04649151 study's estimated completion date is June 30, 2022.

Dec 2, 2020 • 8:41 pm CST

The International Journal of Infectious Diseases published a new study highlighting the disproportionate burden of COVID-19 among Pacific Islanders living in Hawai'i, who come primarily from American Samoa.

This population represent 4% of Hawai'i's population but comprise about 30% of COVID-19 cases reported. And this study, published on December 1, 2020, confirmed there has been little COVID-19 transmission from Pacific Islanders to other groups in Hawai'i.

Dec 2, 2020 • 4:17 pm CST

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced it has revised quarantine guidelines for people who may have been exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The CDC stated on December 2, 2020, that potential virus exposure warrants a quarantine of 10 or seven days, depending on one's test results and symptoms.

If individuals do not develop symptoms, they should quarantine for 10 days. If they test negative, that period can be reduced to just 7-days.

Dr. John Brooks, with the CDC's COVID-19 response team, said this revision was based "on extensive modeling, not just by CDC, but by other agencies and partners."

Dec 2, 2020 • 10:01 am CST

Appili Therapeutics Inc. announced that investigators have dosed the first participant in its Phase 3 trial (“PRESECO”) evaluating oral Avigan® tablets (favipiravir) for the treatment of COVID-19. Appili is focusing this study in the USA, and expects to report early data from the PRESECO study in the first half of 2021.

Dr. Yoav Golan, Chief Medical Officer, Appili Therapeutics, said in a press release: “Early intervention with patients before they develop severe COVID-19 and require hospitalization remains a significant unmet need in the COVID-19 treatment landscape."

"As is the case with influenza, we believe oral antivirals will play a critical role in treating COVID-19 and preventing its progression. Avigan’s pill format and shelf-life stability make it particularly well-suited for this endeavor," added Dr. Golan.

Dec 2, 2020 • 8:51 am CST

Roche Diagnostics announced that its Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S antibody test has received Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. FDA. The serology (blood) test can be used to measure the level of antibodies in people who have been exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The new test targets antibodies that are directed against the region of the novel coronavirus known as the spike protein, specifically the area that enables the virus to bind to a host cell receptor, which is required for the virus to enter the host cell.

'Many current candidate vaccines aim to induce an antibody response against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Tests that quantify antibodies to the spike protein could be used to measure the level of that response and track that measurement over time,' stated Roche's press release issued on December 2, 2020.

Thomas Schinecker, CEO of Roche Diagnostics said: “Antibody tests like these will play a critical role in measuring a person’s vaccine-induced immune response”.

Dec 2, 2020 • 6:34 am CST

BioNTech SE and Pfizer announced that the Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the U.K. has granted a temporary authorization for emergency use for their COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (BNT162b2), against COVID-19.

Dr. June Raine, MHRA added: “We’ve been able to authorize supply of this vaccine under provisions under European law which exist until January 1st.”

The UK's Health Secretary Matt Hancock declaring in a Tweet on December 2, 2020, that ‘help is on its way’. He said the NHS ‘stands ready to start vaccinating from early next week’, adding: ‘The UK is the first country in the world to have a clinically approved vaccine for supply.’

Dec 1, 2020 • 9:55 am CST

After completing a clinical trial evaluating its super pulsed laser therapy technology to improve respiratory function in critically ill COVID-19 patients, medical device manufacturer Multi Radiance Medical (MRM) announced it is preparing to apply for emergency use authorization with the US Food and Drug Administration.

The triple-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial results show that MRM super pulsed laser therapy decreased invasive intubation time/need by 18% overall, and decreased mechanical ventilation time/need overall by 23%.

“Increased thickness of the diaphragm has been associated with improved inspiratory function and increased vital capacity over time,” stated Dr. Ernesto Leal-Junior, MRM Lead Researcher, in a press release. “This is the first clinical evidence that super pulsed laser therapy can significantly improve symptoms of the critically ill.”

Dec 1, 2020 • 9:47 am CST

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. and the Russian Direct Investment Fund announced they have commenced adaptive phase 2/3 clinical trials for Sputnik V vaccine in India after receiving the necessary clearance from the Central Drugs Laboratory, Kasauli, India. This will be a multicenter and randomized controlled study, which will include a safety and immunogenicity study.

G V Prasad, Co-chairman and Managing Director, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories said in a press release issued on December 1, 2020: “We are working towards making the vaccine available with a combination of import and indigenous production model.”

Dec 1, 2020 • 8:29 am CST

The sovereign wealth fund of the Russian Federation and the ChemRar group of companies announce an increase in production of the first Russian drug against the new coronavirus infection, Avifavir. The medication production level in Russia is now 200,000 packs per month.

Avifavir (favipiravir) is the first drug in the world with the active ingredient favipiravir, registered for the treatment of new coronavirus infection, stated an RDIF press release issued on November 30, 2020.

Previously on November 20th, the Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation confirmed the 'permanent registration of Avifavir, which enables the drug can be used both in outpatient and inpatient settings, it is advisable to prescribe it from the first days of the disease.'

Nov 30, 2020 • 8:52 pm CST

The findings of a new study syndicated by the U.S. CDC suggests that the 'SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus may have been introduced into (9) states in the USA prior to January 19, 2020.'

Published by the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal on November 30, 2020, these researchers determined if SARS-CoV-2 reactive antibodies were present in residual archived samples from 7,389 routine blood donations collected by the American Red Cross from December 13, 2019, to January 17, 2020. Eighty-four samples had neutralizing activity, 1 had S1 binding activity, and 1 had a receptor-binding domain / Ace2 blocking activity greater than 50%, suggesting the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2-reactive antibodies.

The states of California, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin participated in this study.

Nov 30, 2020 • 3:00 pm CST

Based on National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Mortality Surveillance data available on November 25, 2020, 11.3% of the deaths occurring during the week ending November 21, 2020 (week #47), were due to pneumonia, influenza, and COVID-19 (PIC).

Among the 2,000 PIC deaths reported by NCHS for week #47, over 1,100 had COVID-19 listed as an underlying or contributing cause of death on the death certificate, and just 5 listed influenza, indicating that the current increase in PIC mortality is due primarily to COVID-19, and not influenza.

Nov 30, 2020 • 12:55 pm CST

The United Kingdom (UK) Department of Health and Social Care sent a letter to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on November 27, 2020, asking the regulator to assess the experimental AZD1222 vaccine candidate for authorization under Regulation 174 of the Human Medicines Regulations. The MHRA has already started a rolling review to determine whether the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine meets its strict standards of safety, efficacy, and quality.

If granted, this request would enable the temporary supply of the AZD1222 vaccine to be authorized in response to a public health need, said the UK government.

The UK's Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock commented: 'We have formally asked the regulator to assess the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, to understand the data and determine whether it meets rigorous safety standards. This letter is an important step towards deploying a vaccine as quickly as safely possible.'