COVID-19 News and Discussions

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caltrek
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UTSW Researchers Develop Rapid COVID-19 Test to Identify Variants In Hours
July 1, 2022

Introduction:
(EurekAlert) Last year, pathologist Jeffrey SoRelle, M.D., and colleagues developed CoVarScan, a rapid COVID-19 test that detects the signatures of eight hotspots on the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Now, after testing CoVarScan on more than 4,000 patient samples collected at UT Southwestern, the team reports in Clinical Chemistry that their test is as accurate as other methods used to diagnose COVID-19 and can successfully differentiate between all current variants of SARS-CoV-2.

“Using this test, we can determine very quickly what variants are in the community and if a new variant is emerging,” said Dr. SoRelle, Assistant Professor of Pathology and senior author of the study. “It also has implications for individual patients when we’re dealing with variants that respond differently to treatments.”

The testing results at UT Southwestern’s Once Upon a Time Human Genomics Center have helped public health leaders track the spread of COVID-19 in North Texas and make policy decisions based on the prevalence of variants. Doctors have also used the results to choose monoclonal antibodies that are more effective against certain strains infecting critically ill COVID-19 patients.

While a number of other tests for COVID-19 exist, they generally detect either a fragment of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material or small molecules found on the surface of the virus, and don’t provide information to identify the variant. In addition, many researchers worry that these tests aren’t accurate in detecting some variants – or may miss future strains. To determine which variant of COVID-19 a patient has, scientists typically must use whole genome sequencing, which is time-consuming and expensive, relying on sophisticated equipment and analysis to spell out the entire RNA sequence contained in the viruses.
Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/957768
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New ultra-contagious Omicron subvariants BA.4, BA.5 worsening California coronavirus wave
Source: LA Times

The growing dominance of two new ultra-contagious Omicron subvariants is prolonging a wave of coronavirus cases in California and sparking growing concerns from health officials that coming weeks could see significant spread and increased hospitalizations.

BA.4 and BA.5 are now believed to be responsible for most new infections nationwide. The strains are of particular concern because they are not only especially contagious but also capable of reinfecting those who have survived earlier Omicron infection.

When it comes to BA.4 and BA.5, their “superpower is reinfection,” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, a UC San Francisco infectious-disease expert.

Additionally, “there’s strong evidence they can spread even faster than other subvariants,” said Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.

Read more: https://www.latimes.com/california/stor ... reddit.com
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Emerging omicron subvariants BA.2.12.1, BA.4 and BA.5 are inhibited less efficiently by antibodies
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-07- ... 1-ba4.html
by Susanne Diederich, The German Primate Center
The omicron subvariants BA.1 and BA.2 of SARS-CoV-2 have dominated the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2022. In many countries, these viruses are now outcompeted by emerging subvariants, with BA.5 being responsible for the current uptick of cases in Germany. However, it is at present largely unclear whether the "new" omicron subvariants BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5 acquired biological traits that allow for more efficient transmission or whether they are less efficiently blocked by antibodies compared to the "old" omicron subvariants BA.1 and BA.2.

A study by researchers at the German Primate Center (DPZ)—Leibniz Institute for Primate Research together with colleagues from Hannover Medical School and Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg shows that most of the therapeutic antibodies available for treatment of COVID-19 patients do not inhibit BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5 at all or only inhibit with reduced potency.
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Holidaymakers warned of rising coronavirus cases at European destinations

Wed 6 Jul 2022 18.35 BST

Holidaymakers heading to and from the European mainland are being warned of a growing incidence of coronavirus, especially in tourist hotspots, which risks hampering travel plans.

Health officials are calling in some cases for a reintroduction of face masks and other measures, and are urging travellers to exercise personal responsibility, warning that an escalation of the virus could lead to the swift return of restrictions.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/ ... stinations
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Study Shows Increase In COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance Around the World
July 6, 2022

Introduction:
(EurekAlert) COVID-19 vaccine acceptance increased 3.7% between 2020 and 2021, according to a new study from researchers at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH), the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), the Dalhousie University and the University of Calgary.

In a June 2021 survey of over 23,000 individuals across 23 countries, the researchers found that more than three-quarters (75.2%) of respondents reported vaccine acceptance, up from 71.5% one year earlier.

The study, which was published Monday in Nature Communications, was carried out within the context of a year of substantial but very unequal global COVID-19 vaccine availability and acceptance, which necessitated new assessments of the drivers of vaccine hesitancy and the characteristics of people not vaccinated.

Concerns about vaccine safety and efficacy and mistrust in the science behind vaccine development were the most consistent correlates of hesitancy. Other factors associated with vaccine hesitancy varied by country and included personal experience with COVID-19 (e.g., sickness or loss of a family member) and demographic characteristics (e.g., gender, education, and income).

The authors found that vaccine hesitancy did not significantly correlate with a country’s current COVID-19 case burden and mortality. In June 2021, vaccine hesitancy was reported most frequently in Russia (48.4%), Nigeria (43%), and Poland (40.7%), and least often in China (2.4%), the United Kingdom (UK) (18.8%), and Canada (20.8%).
Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/958101
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‘Headed in a bad direction’: Omicron variant may bring second-largest US Covid wave

The BA.5 sub-variant has immuno-evasive properties that cause reinfection even after vaccination and previous illness

Fri 8 Jul 2022 09.00 BST

The BA.5 version of Covid-19 has become the majority variant of the virus in America in a matter of weeks, in a troubling development that comes amid what may already be America’s second-largest wave of the pandemic.

It also comes at a time when much of the US has relaxed nearly all Covid restrictions in public and life has largely returned to normal.

“Covid-19 is very clearly not over. We’re seeing dramatic increases in the number of cases and hospitalizations in many places throughout the United States,” said Jason Salemi, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of South Florida’s College of Public Health.

As BA.5, one of the Omicron sub-variants, begins buffeting the US, “we’re headed in a bad direction”, Salemi said. “We’ve seen it coming for a while … We’ve seen it go pretty unabated.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/ ... covid-wave
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LA County's indoor mask mandate could return by end of July
Source: CBS News
The Los Angeles Department of Public Health said Thursday that the county could move into the "high" risk COVID-19 threshold by next Thursday, prompting the return of an indoor mask mandate.

"The newest projected date of crossing the threshold of 10 admissions per 100,000 residents...is now next week on July 14," said Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer.

If the county does cross the threshold, it will reinstate the indoor mask mandate on July 29.

Meanwhile, the county is preparing for what's next. It has scheduled more than 700 mobile vaccine clinics across the county with over 1,000 stand-alone facilities ready to dole out the shots.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news ... d-of-july/
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