COVID-19 News and Discussions

[wjfox]

[caltrek]

Effect of Early Treatment with Ivermectin Among Patients with Covid-19
March 30, 2022

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2115869

Abstract:

(New England Journal of Medicine)

BACKGROUND
The efficacy of ivermectin in preventing hospitalization or extended observation in an emergency setting among outpatients with acutely symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), the disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is unclear.

METHODS
We conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, adaptive platform trial involving symptomatic SARS-CoV-2–positive adults recruited from 12 public health clinics in Brazil. Patients who had had symptoms of Covid-19 for up to 7 days and had at least one risk factor for disease progression were randomly assigned to receive ivermectin (400 μg per kilogram of body weight) once daily for 3 days or placebo. (The trial also involved other interventions that are not reported here.) The primary composite outcome was hospitalization due to Covid-19 within 28 days after randomization or an emergency department visit due to clinical worsening of Covid-19 (defined as the participant remaining under observation for >6 hours) within 28 days after randomization.

RESULTS
A total of 3515 patients were randomly assigned to receive ivermectin (679 patients), placebo (679), or another intervention (2157). Overall, 100 patients (14.7%) in the ivermectin group had a primary-outcome event, as compared with 111 (16.3%) in the placebo group (relative risk, 0.90; 95% Bayesian credible interval, 0.70 to 1.16). Of the 211 primary-outcome events, 171 (81.0%) were hospital admissions. Findings were similar to the primary analysis in a modified intention-to-treat analysis that included only patients who received at least one dose of ivermectin or placebo (relative risk, 0.89; 95% Bayesian credible interval, 0.69 to 1.15) and in a per-protocol analysis that included only patients who reported 100% adherence to the assigned regimen (relative risk, 0.94; 95% Bayesian credible interval, 0.67 to 1.35). There were no significant effects of ivermectin use on secondary outcomes or adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS
Treatment with ivermectin did not result in a lower incidence of medical admission to a hospital due to progression of Covid-19 or of prolonged emergency department observation among outpatients with an early diagnosis of Covid-19...

[wjfox]

Effect of Early Treatment with Ivermectin Among Patients with Covid-19
March 30, 2022

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2115869

Abstract:

(New England Journal of Medicine)

BACKGROUND
The efficacy of ivermectin in preventing hospitalization or extended observation in an emergency setting among outpatients with acutely symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), the disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is unclear.

METHODS
We conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, adaptive platform trial involving symptomatic SARS-CoV-2–positive adults recruited from 12 public health clinics in Brazil. Patients who had had symptoms of Covid-19 for up to 7 days and had at least one risk factor for disease progression were randomly assigned to receive ivermectin (400 μg per kilogram of body weight) once daily for 3 days or placebo. (The trial also involved other interventions that are not reported here.) The primary composite outcome was hospitalization due to Covid-19 within 28 days after randomization or an emergency department visit due to clinical worsening of Covid-19 (defined as the participant remaining under observation for >6 hours) within 28 days after randomization.

RESULTS
A total of 3515 patients were randomly assigned to receive ivermectin (679 patients), placebo (679), or another intervention (2157). Overall, 100 patients (14.7%) in the ivermectin group had a primary-outcome event, as compared with 111 (16.3%) in the placebo group (relative risk, 0.90; 95% Bayesian credible interval, 0.70 to 1.16). Of the 211 primary-outcome events, 171 (81.0%) were hospital admissions. Findings were similar to the primary analysis in a modified intention-to-treat analysis that included only patients who received at least one dose of ivermectin or placebo (relative risk, 0.89; 95% Bayesian credible interval, 0.69 to 1.15) and in a per-protocol analysis that included only patients who reported 100% adherence to the assigned regimen (relative risk, 0.94; 95% Bayesian credible interval, 0.67 to 1.35). There were no significant effects of ivermectin use on secondary outcomes or adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS
Treatment with ivermectin did not result in a lower incidence of medical admission to a hospital due to progression of Covid-19 or of prolonged emergency department observation among outpatients with an early diagnosis of Covid-19...

Yeah, but that's only The New England Journal of Medicine.

Surely it's better to get information from obscure organisations with conflicts of interest and flawed methodologies.

/s

[R8Z]

Effect of Early Treatment with Ivermectin Among Patients with Covid-19
March 30, 2022

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2115869

Yeah, but that's only The New England Journal of Medicine.

Surely it's better to get information from obscure organisations with conflicts of interest and flawed methodologies.

/s

This is the old TOGETHER trial. You phrased it perfectly, can't change much in it.

Possibly the largest financial conflict of interest of any trial to date. Disclosed conflicts of interest include: Pfizer, Merck, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Australian Government, Rainwater Charitable Foundation, Fast Grants, Medicines Development for Global Health, Novaquest, Regeneron, Astrazeneca, Daichi Sankyo, Commonwealth Science and Research Organization, and Card Research. Many conflicts of interest appear unreported. For example, Unitaid is a sponsor [Harper, togethertrial.com].

Analysis done by a company that receives payment from and works closely with Pfizer. All analyses were done by Cytel. Cytel is a statistical modelling company that helps pharmaceutical companies get approval — they work very closely with Pfizer [cytel.com].
A co-principal investigator works for Cytel and the Gates Foundation [empendium.com].

It has many flaws, like most "evidence" in medicine:
https://c19ivermectin.com/togetherivm.html

[wjfox]

[caltrek]

Immune Responses Support COVID-19 Vaccination Regardless of When People Were Infected
April 5, 2022

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/948792

Introduction:

(EurekAlert) (Memphis, Tenn.—April 5, 2022) Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have evaluated how vaccination against, and infection with, SARS-CoV-2 affects the immune system. The results confirm that immunity by infection is not better than vaccination because both mount similar T-cell responses. In individuals who have already experienced COVID-19, getting vaccinated still expands T-cell memory and immune activation. A paper on the work appeared today in Nature Immunology.

Antigens are molecules that the immune system uses to recognize a threat such as an infection. Vaccinations and infections (in both the vaccinated and unvaccinated) expose the immune system to antigens. SARS-CoV-2 variants such as delta and omicron have added to the antigen landscape. Scientists studied how exposure to antigens before and after vaccination alters the immune response to the infection.

“If you've been infected, the vaccines still activate and expand your immune response in ways that can be protective,” said co-corresponding author Paul Thomas, Ph.D., St. Jude Department of Immunology. “If you’ve been vaccinated and then get infected, the vaccine still helps protect you. Very importantly, it doesn't limit your ability to develop new immune responses to the strains that you're infected with. The type of immunity on the T-cell side that the vaccine gives you look very similar to, and in some ways superior to, the response that you get from infection.”

The right tools to understand T cells

The study used data from the St. Jude Tracking Study of Immune Responses Associated with COVID-19 (SJTRC). SJTRC started in 2020, enrolling St. Jude employees and monitoring their vaccination and immune response to the virus.

“This creative and comprehensive T cell work emphasizes the importance of the prospective study design that allowed us to collect samples from participants before they had COVID-19,” said co-corresponding author Joshua Wolf, Ph.D., M.B.B.S., St. Jude Department of Infectious Diseases. “A huge number of individuals at St. Jude gave their time and effort to make it possible.”

[caltrek]

Newly Developed COVID Vaccine from Austria Could Protect Against Omicron and Other Variants
April 5, 2022

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/948759

Introduction:

(EurekAlert) The preclinical data for a vaccine developed at MedUni Vienna to protect against SARS-CoV-2 indicates that it is effective against all SARS-CoV-2 variants known to date, including omicron - even in those who have not yet built up any immunity as a result of vaccination (non-responders). The data from the study were recently published in the leading journal Allergy.

The antigen-based vaccine developed at MedUni Vienna, under the leadership of Rudolf Valenta from the Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, targets the receptor binding domains (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and induced a robust and uniform RBD-specific IgG antibody response in animal models and in human tests. This antibody response prevents the virus from docking onto and entering the body's cells, so that infection cannot occur.

Conclusion:

"Our data give us grounds to hope that this readily producible protein-based vaccine antigen will be effective against all SARS-CoV-2 variants known to date, including omicron," says study leader Rudolf Valenta. "The vaccine is designed to enable repeated injections to build up sustained sterilizing immunity, is suitable for use in all age and risk groups and appears to be superior to currently available vaccines when it comes to inducing neutralizing antibodies." If sufficient funding is forthcoming, the first clinical trials required for approval could be carried out this year.

[raklian]

[weatheriscool]

New Sanofi and GSK vaccine demonstrates strong protection against severe Covid-19 in clinical trials
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medica ... NewsSearch

The world could soon have another vaccine option in its fight against Covid-19.

European drug makers Sanofi and GSK announced positive results from late-stage clinical testing of a new vaccine that will be named Vidprevtyn, according to a Sanofi spokesperson. The companies plan to seek authorization for the shots in the US and Europe.

Vidprevtyn is a protein subunit vaccine, which means it uses harmless protein fragments that teach the immune system how to spot and fight off the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It's a more traditional type of vaccine than mRNA or adenovirus vector vaccines, which carry the genetic instructions for making the spike protein into cells, where they can then be built and displayed like mug shots for the immune system find and defend against.

These kinds of vaccines can be stored at refrigerator temperatures, making them easier to use in areas that don't have access to ultracold storage. Because they rely on more familiar technology, there's hope that people who've declined other kinds of Covid-19 vaccines may find these kinds of vaccines more palatable.

[weatheriscool]

[weatheriscool]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/ ... n-24-hours

China reported nearly 3,400 daily Covid-19 cases on Sunday, double the previous day, forcing lockdowns on virus hotspots as the country contends with its gravest outbreak in two years.

A nationwide surge in cases has seen authorities close schools in Shanghai and lock down several north-eastern cities, as almost 19 provinces battle clusters of the Omicron and Delta variants.

The city of Jilin has been partially locked down, with hundreds of neighbourhoods sealed up, an official announced Sunday, while Yanji, an urban area of nearly 700,000 bordering North Korea, was fully closed off.

China, where the virus was first detected in late 2019, has maintained a strict zero-Covid policy enforced by swift lockdowns, travel restrictions and mass testing when clusters have emerged.

But the latest flare-up, driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant and a spike in asymptomatic cases, is challenging that approach.

Zhang Yan, an official with the Jilin provincial health commission, admitted on Sunday that local authorities’ virus response so far had been lacking.

[wjfox]

[wjfox]

Covid linked to 33-fold increase in risk of potentially fatal blood clot

Wed 6 Apr 2022 23.30 BST

Catching Covid is associated with a fivefold increase in the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and a 33-fold increase in risk of a potentially fatal blood clot on the lung in the 30 days after becoming infected, data suggests.

The findings, published in the British Medical Journal on Thursday, could help explain a doubling in the incidence of, and deaths from, blood clots in England since the start of the pandemic compared with the same periods in 2018 and 2019.

They also help to put the very small increased risk of blood clots associated with Covid-19 vaccination into context. “The degree of complications associated with Covid-19 is much stronger and lasts for much longer than what we might be getting after vaccination,” said Dr Frederick Ho, a lecturer in public health at the University of Glasgow, who was not involved in the research.

[...]

Overall, they identified a 33-fold increase in the risk of pulmonary embolism, a fivefold increase in the risk of DVT and an almost twofold increase in the risk of bleeding in the 30 days after infection. People remained at increased risk of pulmonary embolism for six months after becoming infected, and for two and three months for bleeding and DVT.

Although the risks were highest in patients with more severe illness, even those with mild Covid had a threefold increased risk of DVT and a sevenfold increased risk of pulmonary embolism.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/ ... bolism-dvt

[weatheriscool]

Two COVID Variants Just Combined Into a 'Frankenstein' Virus
Source: Daily Beast

The first subvariant of Omicron, the latest major variant of the novel coronavirus, was bad. BA.1 drove record cases and hospitalizations in many countries starting last fall.

The second subvariant, BA.2, was worse in some countries—setting new records for daily cases across China and parts of Europe.

Now BA.1 and BA.2 have combined to create a third subvariant. XE, as it’s known, is a “recombinant”—the product of two viruses interacting “Frankenstein”-style in a single host.

With its long list of mutations, XE could be the most contagious form of the coronavirus yet. “From the WHO reports, it does appear to have a bit more of an edge in terms of transmissibility,” Stephanie James, the head of a COVID testing lab at Regis University in Colorado, told The Daily Beast.

Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/two-omicr ... ovid-virus

[Xyls]

[raklian]

Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding finally got the 'rona.

[wjfox]

We're seeing more and more of these "even mild cases" stories, aren't we?

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COVID-19 alters levels of fertility-related proteins in men, study suggests

7 Apr 2022

Many people who recover from COVID-19 experience long-term symptoms, such as brain fog or heart problems. Increasing evidence suggests that the virus can also impair fertility. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Omega have analyzed protein levels in semen of men who have recovered from COVID-19. The pilot study suggests that even mild or moderate illness could change the levels of proteins related to male reproductive function, the researchers say.

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/949125

[wjfox]

People wrongly believe their friends will protect them from COVID-19

7 Apr 2022

People may feel less vulnerable and take fewer safety precautions about COVID-19 when they are with, or even just think about, their friends instead of acquaintances or strangers, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

During the two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have become accustomed to spending time with their closest social circle, which may have unintended consequences, said study authors Hyunjung Crystal Lee, PhD, assistant professor of marketing, and Eline De Vries, PhD, associate professor of marketing, at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid in Spain.

“Friends and family can provide a sense of comfort, but it’s irrational and dangerous to believe they will protect you from being infected by COVID-19,” Lee said. “This tendency that we call the ‘friend-shield effect’ could intensify a false sense of safety and contribute to future infections.”

De Vries and Lee conducted five online experiments with U.S. residents in a study that was published online in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied.

The experiments found that individuals engaged in fewer health protection behaviors when the COVID-19 infection risk was associated with close friendships, including situations when people thought of a friend while reading COVID-19-related news, believed a friend was the source of a prior COVID-19 infection or noted a friend’s presence while dining at an indoor restaurant. Under such circumstances, study participants decided to purchase fewer health protection items, such as masks and hand sanitizers, and perceived less likelihood of infection, even when the infection risk could stem from strangers in crowds.

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/948651

[wjfox]

[raklian]