The coronavirus disease COVID-19 is currently reaching pandemic levels in various countries.
The City/County of El Paso, Texas Department of Public Health reported 1,390 new coronavirus cases and 4 fatalities related to COVID-19 on October 27, 2020. The total number of COVID-19 fatalities reached 580 from a local population of about 950,000 residents during 2020.
Previously, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on October 25, 2020, that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services activated additional resources to help combat COVID-19 in the El Paso region.
This is the 3rd update alert for a living rapid review published by the Annals of Internal Medicine on October 27, 2020, on the use of masks for prevention of respiratory virus infections, including SARS-CoV-2, in healthcare and community settings.
The evidence on mask use and risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection in community settings was previously assessed as insufficient. However, N95 mask use versus no mask use was associated with decreased risk for COVID-19 during aerosol-generating procedures (OR, 0.37 [CI, 0.16 to 0.87]).
Database searches were updated from August to October 2, 2020, which identified 407 citations. These researchers concluded this new update review by saying 'the evidence for mask use versus nonuse and comparing masks types in healthcare settings remained insufficient.'
'One of the most striking facts about the COVID-19 pandemic is the notable difference in approach, attitude, control measures, case incidence, and mortality rates between eastern and western hemispheres.' stated Juan Martínez Hernández, former general director of public health of the Community of Madrid, Spain.
The differences in approach and mortality could be explained, at least partially, if not totally, by the misclassification of the infectious agent risk. The WHO classifies microorganisms into four risk levels according to its biosafety manual.
And if Europe and other countries in the western hemisphere want to achieve an epidemiological trend similar to Asian countries, then SARS-CoV-2 should be considered an agent of maximum risk in all technical approaches, clinical settings, and social levels concluded Herandez in an article published by The Lancet on October 22, 2020.
In collaboration with Instituto Português do Sangue e Transplantação, a research team published their analyzes of the neutralizing capacity of the antibodies produced by the COVID-19 patients and volunteers.
"Although we observed a reduction in the levels of antibodies over time, the results of our neutralizing assays have shown a robust neutralization activity for 6-months post-infection in a large proportion of previously coronavirus-positive screened subjects", explains Marc Veldhoen, principal investigator, in a press release on October 23, 2020.
Researchers at the University of Kansas in Topeka reported in a 6-minute video on October 26, 2020, that counties with mask mandates thwarted significant escalation in the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and Kansas counties operating without a face covering requirement reported steady infection rate increases.
A new analysis published on October 22, 2020, shows that most of the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was from within the New York community, as opposed to coming from people who had traveled. And, the COVID-19 pandemic started earlier in 2020 than previously thought in New York City and Long Island.
The investigators also found that more than 95% of New Yorkers with COVID-19 had a strain of the coronavirus with a mutation that may make it easier to transmit to others.
Adriana Heguy, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Pathology at NYU Langone, stated in a press release: "Based on these results, it is clear that we need a system of plentiful testing that provides rapid results."
The state of New Jersey hopes to have 70% of its adult population vaccinated once a COVID-19 vaccine is approved. To reach that lofty goal, tens of thousands of New Jersians would need to be vaccinated per day, state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said during a virtual coronavirus briefing on October 26, 2020.
However, mandatory coronavirus vaccinations are not expected in New Jersey.
Previously, on October 20, 2020, an amended Executive Directive by the New Jersey Department of Health said 'antigen testing is now a permissible alternative to molecular diagnostic tests in helping facilities to fulfill their weekly testing requirements for staff as well as asymptomatic individuals at the facility’s discretion.'
A new U.S. CDC report highlights the need for continued infection prevention and control in health care settings as well as community mitigation efforts to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
Published on October 26, 2020, this Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report analysis of COVID-19 hospitalization data from 13 sites indicated that 6% of adults hospitalized with COVID-19 were healthcare professionals (HCP). And among HCP hospitalized with COVID-19, 36% were in nursing-related occupations, and 73% had obesity.
This CDC report found the median length of hospitalization among HCP with COVID-19 was 4 days and investigational treatments were administered to 48.2% of HCP hospitalized with COVID-19.
Israel's Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) announced its Indiana vesiculovirus (VSV) COVID-19 vaccine candidate named BriLife will begin the first phase of the human testing process with 80 participants over the month of November 2020. If they develop antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the testing will expand to 960 people beginning in December 2020.
The state-run laboratory attached the spikes present on the novel coronavirus onto VSV, giving these portions of the virus a way to attach to the human body, which in turn allows the body to safely produce antibodies against it without being infected with the disease itself, said the IIBR.
Additionally, IIBR said it has already produced 25,000 doses for the first and second phases of the human trials and would be able to produce roughly 15 million doses of the vaccine, reported The Times of Israel on October 25, 2020.
Massachusetts based Moderna Inc. announced a supply agreement with the Ministry of Public Health of Qatar for the mRNA-1273 vaccine candidate, to support the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to secure early access to a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine for the people of Qatar. No terms of this agreement were disclosed.
Stéphane Bancel, Moderna’s CEO stated on October 26, 2020: “We are advancing the clinical development of mRNA-1273 and in parallel, we are scaling up our manufacturing capability with our strategic partners, Lonza and Rovi, by delivering a safe and effective vaccine to the people of Qatar and around the world.”
Moderna says it 'is scaling up global manufacturing to be able to deliver approximately 500 million vaccine doses per year and possibly up to 1 billion doses per year, beginning in 2021.'
Dr. Jonathan Fuchs, who leads San Francisco County’s testing strategy at the California Department of Public Health, confirmed in a news article published on October 26, 2020, that the state's COVID-19 testing partnership with Verily in San Francisco and Alameda counties was “currently on hold.”
According to media reports, people signing up for a COVID-19 test through Verily had to do so online, using an existing or newly created Gmail account; the sign-ups were offered in English or Spanish and were asked to provide personal information, including their home address. Additionally, testing participants were asked about chronic health conditions such as diabetes, obesity, or congestive heart failure.
In response to questions, Verily spokesperson Kathleen Parkes was reported to have said 'the program requires users to register with Gmail accounts because Google’s authentication procedures safeguard sensitive data.'
Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) activated additional resources to help combat COVID-19 in the El Paso region. HHS is deploying two 35-person Disaster Medical Assistance Teams and a Trauma Critical Care Team.
Governor Abbott said in a press statement issued on October 25, 2020: "We are working closely with our federal and local partners to meet the needs of the El Paso community and ultimately bring hospitalizations down."
Additionally, El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego issued a curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. for the next 2-weeks to help curb the rising rates of COVID-19 hospitalization.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID Data Tracker published data on October 25, 2020, which indicates there have been about 140 million COVID-19 related diagnostic tests completed during 2020.
And, as of October 23rd, the overall percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, was 6.3% during week #42. And, at least one indicator used to monitor COVID-19 activity was increasing in 9 of the ten regions, with many regions reporting increases in multiple indicators.
As an example of these increased indicators, the city of El Paso, Texas issued a health alert on October 25th, stating 'for the next 2-weeks, we are asking you to please stay home unless for essential activities to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and prevent strain on our hospitals.'
Galway Ireland based Aerogen announced an agreement with Synairgen plc, a Southampton, UK-based biotechnology company on October 22, 2020, to provide Aerogen Solo/Ultra nebulizer system for delivery of SNG001, an inhaled interferon beta that stimulates the innate immune system, directly into the lungs of COVID-19 patients.
Initial investigation of SNG001 as a potential COVID-19 treatment has been promising – hospitalized patients receiving SNG001 were at reduced risk of developing severe disease and more than twice as likely to recover to the ‘no limitation of activities’ level on the ordinal scale over the course of treatment, stated the company.
During July 2020, Richard Marsden, CEO of Synairgen, said: "We are all delighted with the trial results announced today, which showed that SNG001 greatly reduced the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients who progressed from ‘requiring oxygen’ to ‘requiring ventilation’.
Joseph Willson with the AP reported Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declared a 2nd nationwide state of emergency and ordered an overnight curfew from 11 p.m.-6 a.m. across the country. The state of emergency gives the national government extraordinary powers, including the ability to temporarily restrict basic freedoms guaranteed in Spain’s Constitution such as the right to free movement.
This action announced on October 26, 2020, is required to provide the legal framework to remove the anti-COVID measures taken by regional governments from the control of the courts. Spain’s 19 regional leaders have the authority to modify the curfew as long as they are stricter, close regional borders to travel, and limit gatherings to just (6) people who don’t live together, reported EuroNews.
Furthermore, the AP's article indicates Sanchez intends to extend the state of emergency for 6-months.
