COVID-19 Up

2021-02-19 20:44:03 Pfizer Wants to Store COVID-19 Vaccine at Higher Temperatures

@COVID19Up: Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE have asked the U.S. health regulator to relax requirements for their COVID-19 vaccine to be stored at ultra-low temperatures, potentially allowing it to be kept in pharmacy freezers, they said on Friday.

Approval by the FDA could send a strong signal to other regulators around the world that may ease distribution of the shot in lower-income countries.

The companies have submitted new temperature data to the FDA to support an update to the current label that would allow vials to be stored at -25 to -15 degrees Celsius (-13°F to 5°F) for a total of two weeks.

The current label requires the vaccine to be stored at temperatures between -80ºC and -60ºC (-112ºF to -76ºF), meaning it has to be shipped in specially designed containers.
SOURCE | TIP

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2021-02-19 16:54:54 Marylander Dies From Brazil Variant of SARS-CoV-2 Following International Travel

@COVID19Up: A Marylander has died from the Brazil variant of SARS-CoV-2.

State health officials have confirmed a case of COVID-19 caused by the new P.1 variant (known as the Brazil variant) of SARS-CoV-2 in an adult who died following international travel.

Gov. Larry Hogan is urging residents to remain vigilant.

“State public health officials are closely monitoring the P.1 variant, and we mourn the loss of this Marylander to COVID-19,” said Gov. Hogan.
SOURCE | TIP

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2021-02-19 14:19:54 Japan Discovers New SARS-CoV-2 Variant With E484K Mutation on the Spike Protein

@COVID19Up: Japan confirmed a new variant of SARS-CoV-2, and an infection cluster emerged at a Tokyo immigration facility, presenting new challenges as the country tries to overcome a third wave of the pandemic.

The new variant has been found in 91 cases in the Kanto area of eastern Japan and in 2 cases at airports, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters on Friday. The government is raising surveillance against mutant varieties as they may be more resistant to vaccines, which Japan started to distribute this week.

“It may be more contagious than conventional strains, and if it continues to spread domestically, it could lead to a rapid rise in cases,” Kato said.

The new strain appears to have originated overseas but is different from other types that have been found sporadically in Japan. It has the E484K mutation on the spike protein of the virus that has been found in other variants, which may undermine the effectiveness of vaccines.
SOURCE | TIP

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2021-02-19 04:39:08 Some COVID-19 Patients May Be at Risk for Eye Abnormalities, Study Finds

@COVID19Up: New research shows that patients with severe COVID-19 may be at risk for certain eye abnormalities, according to a study published today in the medical journal Radiology.

The study, initiated by the French Society of Neuroradiology, used MRI scans to find significant abnormalities in the eyes of some people with severe COVID-19.

COVID-19 has been linked to conjunctivitis cases, but this is the first time researchers have noticed major abnormalities. In this case, the nodules on the back of the patients’ eyes.

The researcher’s theory is that the nodules could be related to inflammation triggered by the virus and inadequate drainage of the veins around the eyes due to patients remaining in the prone position for a significant amount of time.
SOURCE | TIP

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2021-02-19 03:37:55 Pfizer to Begin COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Trial in Pregnant Women

@COVID19Up: Pfizer-BioNTech said Thursday that it is beginning clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine in pregnant women, the first such trials to include expectant mothers in the United States.

The drugmaker aims to enroll about 4,000 pregnant women in the trials, which will include participants in the U.S. as well as Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mozambique, South Africa, Spain and the U.K. Women over 18 and who are 24 to 34 weeks into their pregnancy will be eligible.

The first doses will be administered in the U.S., Pfizer said.

Researchers will monitor for any negative side effects in women, including miscarriage.
SOURCE | TIP

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2021-02-19 02:44:54 Data From 2,000 Vaccinated People in Moscow to Be Used for Epidemiological Studies of SARS-CoV-2 Immunity

@COVID19Up: Epidemiological studies of immunity to SARS-CoV-2 after vaccination will be conducted on 2,000 Muscovites, who had received the Sputnik V shot in recent months, Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in his personal blog posted on Thursday.

"One of the most important ones [Sputnik V related research] is the epidemiological study of immunity after COVID-19 vaccination, which we have started this week. Two thousand people that received the first component of the Sputnik V vaccine 3 to 6 months ago will take an antibody test each month, from February to August. This way, we will be able to observe dynamic changes in all study participants 9-10 months and even as long as one year after being vaccinated," Sobyanin said.

The mayor noted that the study will allow to determine whether COVID-19 re-vaccination will be required before the upcoming fall-winter season.
SOURCE | TIP

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2021-02-19 01:44:00 AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Faces Resistance in Europe After Health Workers Suffer Side-Effects

@COVID19Up: Health authorities in some European countries are facing resistance to AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine after side-effects led hospital staff and other front-line workers to call in sick, putting extra strain on already-stretched services.

Such symptoms, as reported in clinical trials for the AstraZeneca shot, can include a high temperature or headache and are a normal sign that the body is generating an immune response. They usually fade within a day or so.

The other shots approved in Europe, developed by Pfizer and Moderna, have been linked to similar temporary side-effects, including fever and fatigue.

But with the AstraZeneca shot the latest to be rolled out, health authorities in France have issued guidance to stagger giving the shot, two regions in Sweden paused vaccinations, and in Germany some essential workers are refusing it.
SOURCE | TIP

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2021-02-18 23:01:13 Experts Warn Against SARS-CoV-2 Variants as States Reopen

@COVID19Up: As states lift mask rules and ease restrictions on restaurants and other businesses because of falling case numbers, public health officials say authorities are overlooking potentially more dangerous SARS-CoV-2 variants that are quietly spreading through the United States.

Scientists widely agree that the U.S. simply doesn’t have enough of a handle on the variants to roll back public health measures and is at risk of fumbling yet another phase of the pandemic.

“Now is not the time to fully open up,” said Karthik Gangavarapu, a researcher at Scripps Research Institute whose team works closely with San Diego health officials to watch for mutant versions of the coronavirus. “We need to still be vigilant.”
SOURCE | TIP

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2021-02-18 22:39:22 COVID-19 Cases Falling Worldwide but WHO Warns Against Apathy

@COVID19Up: Reported daily coronavirus infections have been falling across the world for a month and on Tuesday hit their lowest since mid-October, but health experts warned against apathy even as vaccines are being rolled out worldwide.

“Now is not the time to let your guard down,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization’s technical lead on COVID-19, told a briefing in Geneva.

“... We cannot let ourselves get into a situation where we have cases rise again.”
SOURCE | TIP

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2021-02-18 22:24:40 Pfizer Study Another Worry for South Africa's COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout

@COVID19Up: Scientists will meet on Thursday to advise South Africa’s government on its next steps after a study suggested the dominant local coronavirus variant may reduce protective antibodies from Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine by two-thirds.

The laboratory study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, is another worry for the country hardest-hit by the pandemic on the African continent after it placed AstraZeneca vaccinations on hold earlier this month.

Although its implications on the real-world efficacy of Pfizer’s vaccine are not yet clear, the study comes after clinical trial data on the AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax vaccines showed reduced efficacy against the more contagious 501Y.V2 variant, first identified late last year.
SOURCE | TIP

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