Daily Archives: January 28, 2022

That some patients had reactivated Epstein-Barr virus also made sense, Dr. Nath said, because other diseases have reawakened that virus, and its reactivation has been linked to conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome, which some cases of long Covid resemble, and multiple sclerosis. Dr. Deeks said it might be possible to give antivirals or immunotherapy to patients with reactivated Epstein-Barr virus.

There were other intriguing findings that experts said needed more substantiation. One was a suggestion that because people with lingering respiratory problems had low levels of the stress hormone cortisol, they might benefit from cortisol replacement therapy, which Dr. Heath said some doctors were already trying.

In another finding that he said might provide a way to document that patients neurological symptoms resulted from long Covid, the blood of people with lingering neurological issues contained elevated levels of proteins associated with disrupted circadian rhythms and sleep/wake cycles.

One patient in the studys primary group was John Gillotte, 40, a software engineer who contracted the coronavirus in March 2020. He was on a ventilator for about six days, after which he experienced delirium in the hospital when he closed his eyes.

I saw the devil, who was like 50 feet tall, screaming at me, throwing limbs that he dismembered off of other people, recalled Mr. Gillotte, who later had an image of the demon tattooed on his right arm, with depictions of hell below and heaven above to symbolize his progress from illness to recovery.

Mr. Gillotte, who moved from Seattle to Manhattan last year, said that for several months after his infection, he had experienced muscle weakness, lack of stamina, brain fog that impaired his concentration at work, an altered sense of smell and the perception that most food tasted like ashes.

He said that before Covid, he had a spontaneous ability to visualize specific colors with certain foods pink when he sprinkled pepper, blue with a type of liquor but now, he is dismayed to have lost those automatic connections.

Link:

New Research Hints at 4 Factors That May Increase Chances of Long Covid - The New York Times

For Immediate Release: January 24, 2022 Statement From: Patrizia Cavazzoni, M.D. Director - Center for Drug Evaluation and Research

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As we have throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has used the best available science as the virus has evolved to make informed decisions with the health and safety of the American public in mind. Ensuring that healthcare providers on the frontlines have the best tools available to treat patients is a top priority for the agency.

In light of the most recent information and data available, today, the FDA revised the authorizations for two monoclonal antibody treatments bamlanivimab and etesevimab (administered together) and REGEN-COV (casirivimab and imdevimab) to limit their use to only when the patient is likely to have been infected with or exposed to a variant that is susceptible to these treatments.

Because data show these treatments are highly unlikely to be active against the omicron variant, which is circulating at a very high frequency throughout the United States, these treatments are not authorized for use in any U.S. states, territories, and jurisdictions at this time. In the future, if patients in certain geographic regions are likely to be infected or exposed to a variant that is susceptible to these treatments, then use of these treatments may be authorized in these regions.

Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune systems ability to fight off harmful pathogens such as viruses, like SARS-CoV-2. And like other infectious organisms, SARS-CoV-2 can mutate over time, resulting in certain treatments not working against certain variants such as omicron. This is the case with these two treatments for which were making changes today.

Based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is estimated to account for more than 99% of cases in the United States as of Jan. 15. Therefore, its highly unlikely that COVID-19 patients seeking care in the U.S. at this time are infected with a variant other than omicron, and these treatments are not authorized to be used at this time. This avoids exposing patients to side effects, such as injection site reactions or allergic reactions, which can be potentially serious, from specific treatment agents that are not expected to provide benefit to patients who have been infected with or exposed to the omicron variant.

The NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel, an independent panel of national experts, recently recommended against the use of bamlanivimab and etesevimab (administered together) and REGEN-COV (casirivimab and imdevimab) because of markedly reduced activity against the omicron variant and because real-time testing to identify rare, non-omicron variants is not routinely available.

Importantly, there are several other therapies Paxlovid, sotrovimab, Veklury (remdesivir), and molnupiravir that are expected to work against the omicron variant, and that are authorized or approved to treat patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk for progression to severe disease, including hospitalization or death. Healthcare providers should consult the NIH panels COVID-19 treatment guidelines and assess whether these treatments are right for their patients.

While its critical that we have ways to treat those who contract COVID-19, the authorized treatments are not a substitute for vaccination in individuals for whom COVID-19 vaccination and a booster dose are recommended. Data has clearly demonstrated that the available, safe and effective vaccines can lower your risk of developing COVID-19 and experiencing the potential associated serious disease progression, including hospitalization and death.

The FDA is committed to continuing to review emerging data on all COVID-19 therapies related to the potential impact of variants and revise the authorizations further as appropriate to ensure healthcare providers have an effective arsenal of treatments for patients.

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The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nations food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.

01/24/2022

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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Limits Use of Certain Monoclonal Antibodies to Treat COVID-19 Due to the Omicron Variant | FDA - FDA.gov

Boris Johnson has been accused of taking a reckless approach to public health by lifting all plan B Covid restrictions in England while failing to take enough action to get jabs to 3 billion unvaccinated people in poorer countries.

The prime minister has robustly defended his record on the pandemic this week while awaiting the findings of the Sue Gray report on the partygate scandal, insisting he got the big calls right on the biggest global health crisis in a century.

But now more than 300 leading scientists, health experts and academics have said his failure to take sufficient action to boost vaccination levels worldwide means it is more likely new variants will put thousands of lives at risk across the UK.

We write to you as scientists, academics, and public health experts concerned about the emergence of the Omicron variant and the threat that future variants may pose to public health, the NHS, and the UKs vaccination programme, they said in a two-page letter delivered to 10 Downing Street.

Vaccinating the vast majority of the worlds population is the best way to prevent Sars-CoV-2 from mutating. However, as the UK has provided booster doses to up to 1 million people every day, more than 3 billion people across the world have yet to receive their first dose. More boosters have been delivered in rich countries than the total number of all doses administered so far in poorer nations.

Allowing huge numbers of people in low- and middle-income countries to remain unvaccinated is a reckless approach to public health that creates conditions where new Sars-CoV-2 variants of concern are more likely to develop.

The letter has been signed in a personal capacity by 13 members of Johnsons Sage committee and subcommittees, a fellow at the UK Health Security Agency and an adviser to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

Nigel Crisp, the former chief executive of the NHS in England, Nobel prize winner Sir Richard Roberts, and several World Health Organization advisers are also among the signatories.

They called on Johnson to allow low- and middle-income countries to manufacture Covid vaccines, tests, and treatments for themselves. Vaccinating the vast majority of the worlds population was the best way to prevent further coronavirus variants of concern, they added, including variants that could be more infectious or render current vaccines less effective.

They urged the prime minister to put public health before the interests of the pharmaceutical industry to prevent another year of uncertainty and tragedy by supporting international efforts to suspend intellectual property rules that stop lower-income nations from manufacturing vaccines, tests, and treatments.

Vaccines will not be effective at stopping new variants of concern from arising unless we share this technology with the world and increase global vaccination coverage, they added in the letter coordinated by science and health experts working with groups including Global Justice Now.

Crisp said: Throughout this pandemic, the government has pledged that it will follow the science. The scientific evidence has been clear since the start of the pandemic that the best way to keep ourselves and our NHS safe from new variants is to vaccinate the world.

However laudable donations of vaccines might be, they will never be enough to end the pandemic. There is untapped manufacturing capacity in the very nations that need vaccines and treatments most. For the sake of peoples lives in those countries and our own, we must use it.

Laura Merson, associate director of the Infectious Diseases Data Observatory at the University of Oxford, said protection provided by boosters would be critically limited while most of the world remained unvaccinated.

The easing of plan B restrictions may give the impression that the pandemic is coming to an end, she said. But this wont be over until we address the risk of new variants at the root in populations that have not had access to vaccines.

Maryam Shahmanesh, professor of global health at UCL, added: By ignoring the demands of low- and middle-income countries and stifling global vaccine production with arbitrary intellectual property rules, the government risks prolonging the pandemic and endangering countless lives. We need a complete step-change if we are to bring this pandemic to an end for everyone.

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Lifting England Covid rules while 3bn people unvaccinated reckless experts - The Guardian

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Most coronavirus restrictions including mandatory face masks were lifted in England on Thursday, after Britain's government said its vaccine booster rollout successfully reduced serious illness and COVID-19 hospitalizations.

From Thursday, face coverings are no longer required by law anywhere in England, and a legal requirement for COVID passes for entry into nightclubs and other large venues has been scrapped.

The government last week dropped its advice for people to work from home, as well as guidance for face coverings in classrooms.

The so-called "Plan B" measures were introduced in early December to stop the rapid spread of the Omicron variant from overwhelming health services and to buy time for the population to get its booster vaccine shot.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the government's vaccine rollout, testing and development of antiviral treatments combine to make "some of the strongest defences in Europe," allowing a "cautious return" to normality.

But he added that "as we learn to live with COVID, we need to be clear-eyed that this virus is not going away." While infections continue to fall, health officials said that Omicron remained prevalent across the country, especially among children and the elderly.

Officials said that almost 84 per centof people over 12 in the U.K. have had their second vaccine dose, and that of those eligible, 81 per centhave received their booster shot.

Hospital admissions and the number of people in intensive care units have stabilized or fallen, and daily cases have fallen from a peak of over 200,000 cases a day around New Year to under 100,000 in recent days.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said last week that the surge of Omicron infections "has now peaked nationally."

As the government moved away from legal measures, some shops and public transport operators say they will continue to ask people to wearmasks. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said face coverings will still be required on the capital's buses and subways.

The legal requirement for those infected to self-isolate for five full days remains, but Johnson said that measure will also end soon, to be replaced with advice and guidance for those infected to be cautious.

Health officials have said they are planning a longer-term, post-pandemic strategy that treats COVID-19 more like the flu.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which make their own public health rules, have local timelines for easing COVID-19 restrictions.

-From The Associated Press, last updated at 7:10 a.m. ET

With lab-based testing capacity deeply strained and increasingly restricted,experts say true case counts are likely far higher than reported. Hospitalization data at the regional level is also evolving, with several provinces saying they will reportfiguresthat separatethe number of people in hospital because of COVID-19 from those in hospital for another medical issue who alsotest positive for COVID-19.

For more information on what is happening in your community including details on outbreaks, testing capacity and local restrictions click through to the regional coverage below.

You can also read more from thePublic Health Agency of Canada, whichprovides a detailed look at every regionincludingseven-day averagetest positivity ratesin itsdaily epidemiological updates.

In Central Canada,Quebechealth officials on Thursday reported3,153 hospitalizations down117from Wednesday's COVID-19 report with235 people in intensive care. The province also reported56 additional deaths and3,956new lab-confirmed cases.

Ontario on Thursday reported a total of 3,645 hospitalizationsa decrease of 371 from a day earlier with 599 people in the province's intensive care units. The province, which is set to loosen some COVID-19 restrictions early next week,also reported 70 additional deaths on theCOVID-19 dashboard and 5,852 new lab-confirmed cases.

In the North, the premier ofNunavuton Thursday reported a total of279 active cases of COVID-19 across16 communities.

In the Northwest Territories,Health Minister Julie Green said Wednesday that the government plans to end the public health emergencyin the spring. But she noted that the end of that phase of public health orders doesn't mean an end to outbreaks.

In the Yukon, there was one personin hospital with COVID-19 on Thursday, and32 newly confirmed cases in the territory.

In Atlantic Canada, officials inPrince Edward Islandconfirmed that students will be heading back to classon Monday after a period of remote learning. The province, which has been under tight restrictions in recent weeks, will also ease up some rules around gatherings, dining rooms and facilities like gyms.

The province said Thursday the number of people in hospital for COVID-19 treatment had risen to 17, including onepersonin ICU. The province also reported 247additional lab-confirmed cases.

InNew Brunswick, the chief medical officer and premier announced the province will move back to Level 2 restrictions as of 11:59 p.m. Friday. Studentswill alsoreturn to classrooms on Monday. The province on Thursday reported a total141 people in hospital with COVID-19, including eightin intensive care units. Health officials also reported threeadditional deaths and 388additional lab-confirmed cases.

Nova Scotiaon Thursday said93people were in hospital with COVID-19, including 15 people in intensive care. The province also reported oneadditional deathand 366lab-confirmed cases.

Health officials inNewfoundland and Labradoron Thursday said 20 people remain in hospitalwith COVID-19, with seven people in intensive care. The province also reported four additional deaths and 378lab-confirmed cases.

In the Prairie region, health officials inManitobasaid Thursday that total COVID-19 hospitalizations decreased to 711, but that two additional people are in the ICU, bringing that total to 51. The province also reported 14additional deaths and 582new lab-confirmed cases.

Manitoba's Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Brent Roussin, said the province might be nearing its peak of the current wave with intensive care admissions stabilizing and hospitalizations dropping slightly. But Roussin noted that wastewater samples used to track COVID-19 spread continue to fluctuate.

InSaskatchewan, health officials said Thursday that total COVID-19 hospitalizations rose to328 from 315 the day before, with 35people in the province's ICUs. The province also reported two additional deaths and 1,273 additional lab-confirmed cases.

Albertasaid Thursday that another 51 people were being treated in hospital with COVID-19, including 106 in the ICU. The province also reported 14additional deaths and 3,218lab-confirmed cases.

In British Columbia, health officials reported 977 COVID-19 hospitalizations, an increase of 28from a day earlier, including141people inICUs. The province also reported 13additional deaths and 2,033 additional lab-confirmed cases.

-From CBC News and The Canadian Press, last updated at 6:30 p.m. ET

As ofThursday evening, 365.5million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to a tally posted on Johns Hopkins University's coronavirus tracker. The reported global death toll stood at more than 5.6 million.

In theAmericas,new cases of COVID-19in the past week have been the highest since the pandemic began, and the fast-spreading Omicron variant has clearly become the predominant version of the virus, the Pan American Health Organization said.

InEurope, German lawmakers agonized over whether to impose compulsory COVID-19 shots, as new record daily infections and the country's stuttering vaccination campaign forced them into an ethical and constitutional dilemma.

The EU's drug regulator gave the green light to Pfizer's antiviral COVID-19 pill for treating adults at risk of severe illness.

The German Hospitals Federation had warned earlier this week that three-quarters of hospitals were reporting higher than usual numbers of staff out on sick leave.

Meanwhile, Russia's daily COVID-19 cases surged to 88,816 on Thursday, a new record high for the seventh consecutive day as the Omicron variant was identified in new regions, officials said.

The number of new infections was a significant jump from the 74,692 reported on Wednesday. Officials also said that 665 people had died in the last 24 hours.

In theAsia-Pacificregion,Hong Kong will shorten its 21-day quarantine requirement to 14 days for incoming travellers starting from Feb. 5, leader Carrie Lam said.

Beijing has limited the movement of people in more parts of the Chinese capital, even as it reported fewer COVID-19 cases on Thursday, in a bid to lower virus risk less than 10 days before its hosting of the Winter Olympics Games.Twenty-three new cases of COVID-19 were detected among Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Games-related personnel on Jan. 26, organizers said.

South Korea reported 16,096 newcases for Thursday, another daily record after posting 14,518 a day before, amid the spread of Omicron, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Friday.

Australia's drug regulator approved the use of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for 16- and 17-year-olds as authorities urge people to get their third doses soon to mitigate the threat from Omicron.

The Current19:49What can Canada learn from South Africas bout with Omicron?

InAfrica,health officials in South Africa on Wednesday reported4,515 new casesof COVID-19 and94 additional deaths.

Morocco will reopen its airspace for international flights starting Feb. 7, the state news agency reported on Thursday.

In theMiddle East, Israel on Wednesday broadened eligibility for a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to include adults under 60 with underlying medical conditions, their caretakersand others over 18 at significant risk of exposure to the coronavirus.

An official statement said the Health Ministry's director-general had approved the measures. Earlier this month, as the Omicron variant swept the country, Israel began offering a fourth dose, meaning a second booster, of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to people over 60.

A United Arab Emirates medical convoy of one million COVID-19 vaccines reached the Gaza Strip via the Rafah border crossing, state news agency WAM said.

Iran on Thursday reported 30 additional deaths in the past 24 hours and14,285 additional cases of COVID-19, the country's health ministry said.

-From Reuters and CBC News, last updated at 8p.m. ET

Have questions about this story? We're answering as many as we can in the comments.

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Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Thursday - CBC News

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor to the President and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, joined SiriusXM Doctor Radio's "Doctor Radio Reports" and spoke with host Dr. Marc Siegel about the idea of an Omicron-specific booster and next-generation vaccines, responds to personal attacks and says how they're distracting from important questions. He also opened up about how villainizing him and other scientists endangers lives, and goes on to clarify his position about the origins of the COVID-19 virus. Read onand to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had COVID.

"We always have to keep an open mind on this Marc, as always, but if you talk to the real card carrying molecular virologists and molecular viral genesists they feel that the evidence and the circumstances weigh very, very strongly that this is a natural occurrence in the sense of jumping from an animal species, a bat, maybe to an intermediate host, to a human. Very similar to what was proven to be the case with SARS CoV1, as well as with MARS, with the bat to the camel, to the human. Again but you always have to keep an open mind that it could have been something that had been put into a lab to be studied and perhaps leaked out. But most, if not all, of the real card carrying virologists feel that it was a naturally occurring out of the environment from an animal to a human," said Dr. Fauci.

RELATED: Dr. Fauci Just Predicted What Happens Next

"As you know, Pfizer has already initiated studies that are multi-tiered. There's one that takes people who've been fully vaccinated with the standard mRNA and boosting them with either the standard mRNA or an Omicron specific boost. In another set of studies, they're gonna use Omicron as the primary vaccination and those who've not been vaccinated to see what the relative capability of Omicron boost versus standard boost to enhance the response. That's what's going on with Omicron specific boost. Your first question about where do we go now with different platforms? There's a big effort, and I'm gonna be talking about this tomorrow at the White House press conference is the efforts that we're putting in to develop a pan-coronavirus vaccine, which is gonna be multiphasic. It's not gonna be trying to get a vaccine against all the coronaviruses all at once, but start with a vaccine that covers all the different variants of SARS CoV2. And then get a pan-sarbecovirus which includes SARS CoV1 and SARS CoV2..a lot of activity that's going on in that regard," he said.

RELATED: 6 Safest Things to Do Right Now, During Omicron

"It's unfortunate Marc, as you well know, you've known me for decades. The only thing that I care about, that I've devoted my entire professional career, including the almost 40 years that I've been director of NIAID is to get the basic and clinical science to work for the safety and the health of the American public. And since the United States is a leader in the world, indirectly, we do it for the rest of the world. It is very unfortunate the distraction of those who would politicize me by saying things that just don't make any sense, Marc because the only thing I talk about out is things like getting vaccinated, getting boosted, wearing a mask, getting us to do the research, to be able to get interventions. And for that, by some people I've been villainized. I don't quite get that, except that that's the hard knocks of being in a situation that's become politicized. It's so unfortunate that in our era now, where we're all trying to fight against a common enemy, which is the virus, that some people use that for political purposes. And that's really unfortunate because that does nothing, but endanger the lives of our citizens," he said.

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"Well, it's unfortunate. Of course it doesn't feel good, Marc. It doesn't make any sense. It's purely political. And then I feel worse about, I feel less worried about the attacks on me than I feel about the politicization of a pure public health issue. We should not be doing that. We should be all pulling together to end this pandemic rather than making it ad hominems, which are really preposterous. I mean, you've seen them, those at the hearings and other places where instead of asking questions that are important questions about where we're going with the outbreak, it becomes pure ad hominem, which of course doesn't feel good, but it doesn't make any sense either" he said.

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Follow the public health fundamentals and help end this pandemic, no matter where you liveget vaccinated or boosted ASAP; if you live in an area with low vaccination rates, wear an N95 face mask, don't travel, social distance, avoid large crowds, don't go indoors with people you're not sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene, and to protect your life and the lives of others, don't visit any of these 35 Places You're Most Likely to Catch COVID.

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Dr. Fauci Opens Up About Origins Of COVID Virus Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That