COVID-19 Up

2021-02-26 20:39:53 Travel Bans Are of Limited Value in Thwarting the Spread of COVID-19, Study Shows

@COVID19Up: Travel bans have been key to efforts by many countries to control the spread of COVID-19. But new research aimed at providing a decision support system to Italian policy makers, recently published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, suggests that reducing individual activity (i.e., social distancing, closure of non-essential business, etc.) is far superior in controlling the dissemination of SARS-CoV-2.

The research, which has implications for the U.S. and other countries, found that limiting personal mobility through travel restrictions and similar tactics is effective only in the first phases of the epidemic, and reduces in proportion to the spread of infection across a population.

"While this project was focused specifically on Italy, the results are revelatory for virtually any country relying on travel restrictions to stem the spread of the pandemic. We look forward to using US data to tune the model and give specific answers to combat this delicate phase of the pandemic," said Maurizio Porfiri, Institute Professor of mechanical and aerospace, biomedical and civil and urban engineering at NYU Tandon and a member of the Center for Urban Science and Progress.
SOURCE | TIP

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2021-02-26 19:54:53 SARS-CoV-2 Started in Wuhan Lab, Claims Hamburg University Study

@COVID19Up: A new COVID-19 study conducted by the University of Hamburg has found evidence that the current pandemic started from a laboratory accident at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.

The study, which was carried out from Jan 2020 to Dec 2020, was based on an interdisciplinary scientific approach and extensive research using various sources of information, including academic literature, print articles, online media, and personal communication with international colleagues.

“There are numerous direct indications that the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen is of laboratory origin and point to a young researcher at the Wuhan Institute of Virology as being the first person to be infected,” said the University of Hamburg in a press statement.

“In addition, there are indications the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology into the city of Wuhan and beyond. There are also indications that the Chinese authorities conducted an examination of the institute in the first half of October 2019.”
SOURCE | TIP

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2021-02-26 19:37:47 Face Masks Given Out by Belgian Government May Contain Toxic Particles and Shouldn't Be Used

@COVID19Up: Free face masks given out in Belgium may contain toxic particles and shouldn't be used, according to the health minister.

Last year, the government ordered 15 million masks from Luxembourg-based Avrox, with 5 million having been distributed for free since June, mainly through pharmacists. But the masks contain nanoparticles of silver and titanium oxide, according to a report by Sciensano, the Belgian institute for public health.

Based on the findings, the masks should no longer be used or distributed, the government said.

In an interview with Belgian radio, toxicologist Jan Tytgat said there isn't yet enough information on the potential dangers. “There is a kind of coating on the mouth masks consisting of silver ions and titanium dioxide … You now have to make a risk analysis: is there a danger or not? Suppose a large concentration is released, then that can provoke adverse effects. In the case of titanium dioxide, this is respiratory problems, and even cancer in the long term."
SOURCE | TIP

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2021-02-26 19:09:57 Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Reduces Transmission After One Dose, UK Study Shows

@COVID19Up: A single dose of Pfizer and BioNtech’s COVID-19 vaccine cuts the number of asymptomatic infections and could significantly reduce the risk of transmission of the virus, results of a UK study found on Friday.

After separating the test results from unvaccinated and vaccinated staff, Jones’ team found that 0.80% tests from unvaccinated healthcare workers were positive.

This compared with 0.37% of tests from staff less than 12 days post-vaccination—when the vaccine’s protective effect is not yet fully established—and 0.20% of tests from staff at 12 days or more post-vaccination.

The study and its results have yet to be independently peer-reviewed by other scientists, but were published online as a preprint on Friday.
SOURCE | TIP

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2021-02-26 18:11:02 Newborn Baby Had SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load 51,000 Times Higher Than Other Pediatric Patients

@COVID19Up: Researchers are puzzled over the unusually high viral load of a newborn baby that was sick with COVID-19 in Washington, D.C., last year.

The newborn, who has since recovered, was treated in September at Children's National Hospital, where doctors confirmed that the baby was infected with a variant of SARS-CoV-2.

The infant was reportedly found to have a viral load 51,418 times higher than other pediatric patients. (The hospital has treated more than 2,000 children for COVID-19.)

Jeremy Luban, a virologist at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, told the outlet that the viral load in the infant "is shocking and noteworthy."
SOURCE | TIP

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2021-02-26 17:11:03 CDC Study Finds Nursing Home Residents Who Recovered From COVID Were Reinfected With an Even Worse Case

@COVID19Up: A new CDC study published Thursday suggests some people may be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 reinfection and could have worse outcomes following their second infection.

Reinfection means that a person was infected with SARS-CoV-2, recovered and then later became infected again, though it’s thought to be rare, according to the CDC.

The new study found five nursing home residents tested positive during two separate outbreaks with multiple negative tests in between, suggesting they were reinfected with SARS-CoV-2.
SOURCE | TIP

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2021-02-26 16:11:02 COVID-19 Hospital Admissions Drop 72%, Led by Oldest U.S. Patients

@COVID19Up: COVID-19 hospital admissions plummeted 72% in a month in the U.S. as the virus ebbed and the vaccination push accelerated.

Americans 85 years old and over saw the most pronounced drop, down 81% from January to February, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which monitors the data through its COVID-19-Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network.

The rate was 23.4 hospitalizations per 100,000 residents 85 and over for the week of Feb. 7-13, the latest data available. That was down from 120.3 per 100,000 four weeks earlier. The overall rate across age groups was 4.6, down from 16.7.
SOURCE | TIP

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2021-02-26 14:11:06 China Approves Two More Domestic COVID-19 Vaccines for Public Use

@COVID19Up: China’s medical products regulator said on Thursday that it had approved two more COVID-19 vaccines for public use, raising the number of domestically produced vaccines that can be used in China to four.

The two newly cleared vaccines are made by CanSino Biologics Inc and Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, an affiliate of China National Pharmaceutical Group.

They join a vaccine from Sinovac Biotech approved earlier this month, and another from Sinopharm’s Beijing unit approved last year.
SOURCE | TIP

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2021-02-26 05:58:18 High School Band Goes To Extreme Measures To Keep Practicing During Pandemic

@COVID19Up: They’ll be no two peas in the single-person pods given to members of the band at Wenatchee High School in Washington.

The social-emotional impact of being back in school has had a “massive impact” on students, Noell said. He feels like the students have been pretty honest with him.

“The stories I hear from them are dark. It’s disturbing and scary,” Noell said. “The fact they are talking to me about that is significant. It’s not just me. You know that is happening with staff all over the building because it is all about relationships all over the building.”
SOURCE | TIP

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2021-02-26 01:19:55 Digital Vaccination Passports for Europe Likely Available Before Summer, Merkel Says

@COVID19Up: Digital vaccination certificates enabling people to travel in Europe despite the coronavirus pandemic will probably be available before the summer, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after a virtual EU summit.

“Everyone agreed that we need a digital vaccination certificate,” Merkel told a press conference on Thursday, adding the EU Commission would need around three months to create the technical basis for such documents.
SOURCE | TIP

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