Amid withdrawal of AstraZeneca's Covishield and doctors calling for review of science behind Covid vaccines, two new variants of Omicron lineage collectively known as FLiRT are spreading in US. It has sparked concern of a fresh wave. This has left everyone worried and curious about the variants KP.2 and KP.11 that have undergone new mutations and have become more infectious than previous variants. They can evade immunity from vaccines and previous infections. The symptoms largely remain the same like fever, cough, fatigue, digestive trouble etc. In the wake of waning immunity and social distancing no longer a norm, it's important to stay alert against the new Covid threat. (Also read: New Covid variant FLiRT spreads in US; do we need to worry? Symptoms to precaution, all you need to know)
"In the landscape of Covid-19, Covid-19 variants within the Omicron JN.1 lineage, called FLiRt variants, present new challenges. The variants KP.2 and KP 1.1 have new mutations that make them more contagious than previous Omicron variants. Their symptoms, akin to earlier variants, include fever, cough, and fatigue. However, their heightened transmission rate demands stringent precautions. They also show the ability to evade immunity from prior infection and vaccines. The variant spreads easily through respiratory droplets, posing risks to all, especially the unvaccinated and those with compromised immunity. With subtle genetic differences, FLiRt diverges from earlier variants, requiring tailored management techniques," says Dr. Sushila Kataria, Senior Director, Internal Medicine, Medanta, Gurugram.
Dr Arunesh Kumar, Sr Consultant & Head - Respiratory Medicine, Paras Health, Gurugram shares key facts about the FLiRT variant:
According to The Infectious Disease Society of America, this new COVID variant is a subvariant of the Omicron variant, named FLiRT. They are called FLiRT because of the changes in their genetic mutations at positions 456 and 346. These variants are spreading rapidly across states in the US and I it is believed that they may be able to evade the immune system.
FLiRT is composed of two significant variants, namely KP.2 and KP.1.1, which are sub-variants of Pirola and JN.1 of the Omicron lineage. The former variant is spreading at a rapid pace, while the latter is expected to contribute to about 7.5% of new Covid-19 cases in the US.
The symptoms of FLiRT mainly affect the upper respiratory tract and include a sore throat, nasal congestion, runny nose, cough, fever, headache, and loss of taste and smell. Hospitalization rates for patients with these symptoms are not higher than usual. However, this variant is highly infectious, as it can easily spread from an infected person to a healthy individual due to new mutations in the virus.
This variant is spread by the person's respiratory droplets to others, by touching infected surfaces like kitchen countertops, furniture, faucets, elevator buttons, or by being in close proximity to the sick person. The emphasis now is on more comprehensive steps to slow the transmission of common respiratory viruses as COVID-19, RSV, and influenza.
This variation is easily transmitted by respiratory droplets, which puts everyone at riskbut particularly the unvaccinated and those with weakened immune systems. FLiRT variant differs from previous versions because of minor genetic alterations. In order to stop transmission, we must be watchful and make sure that improved testing, targeted vaccines, and ongoing adherence to preventive measures are fulfilled. People with specific age groups, such as youngsters and the elderly, people with comorbid diseases should pay additional care and follow Covid-friendly practices.
"However, its a small surge, and there is no need to panic. We should stay vigilant and ensure enhanced testing, targeted vaccinations, and continued adherence to preventive measures are necessary to prevent transmission. By staying informed, vigilant, and united, we navigate this new variant with resilience, prioritizing collective health and well-being. We should adhere to COVID-friendly protocols, i.e., washing hands properly, wearing masks; people of certain age groups such as children and the elderly should pay extra attention, as should people with comorbid conditions," says Dr Kataria.
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QuidelOrtho, a local diagnostic company that makes at-home COVID-19 test kits, has a new CEO and announced Wednesday that it will cut at least 5 percent of its workforce to save money.
The San Diego-based biotech has struggled to find its financial footing after demand for its COVID-19 test kits deflated and the economy stagnated following a pandemic boom.
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Brian J. Blaser, a former executive at pharmaceutical giant Abbott, was introduced this week as QuidelOrthos new president and chief executive. He replaces former CEO Douglas Bryant, who was terminated in February after leading the company for nearly 15 years.
Blaser has more than two decades of experience in the in-vitro diagnostics sector, most recently as the executive vice president of Diagnostic Products of Abbott Laboratories. Prior to Abbott, he also led the clinical diagnostics division at Johnson & Johnson and worked at Eastman Kodak and General Motors.
San Diego-based QuidelOrtho appointed Brian J. Blaser as its new president and CEO.
(Courtesy of QuidelOrtho)
He will receive a base salary of $1 million, equity awards and an annual target cash bonus of $1.25 million to $1.5 million, according to the companys filing with the SEC. The company also granted Blaser a signing bonus of $3 million of stock awards that are subject to vesting terms. He will also be given a travel and housing allowance through December.
Three days into the job, Blaser joined QuidelOrtho executives on a first-quarter earnings call with investors Wednesday. He expressed his commitment to the business and shared why he wanted to join QuidelOrtho at this crucial moment.
QuidelOrtho touches every stage of the patient care spectrum, including prevention, diagnosis, patient care and monitoring, Blaser said during the call. This business has all of the underlying capabilities required to drive exceptional growth and profitability in a large and expanding market. There is work to do and I am excited about steering the company so it can achieve its full potential.
In the short term, Blaser said his focus is on customer satisfaction and patient care, improving profitability and cash flow, while reducing our debt level, and positioning ourselves to compete effectively in the highly competitive diagnostics market.
Blaser and QuidelOrthos leadership team reassured investors throughout the call that they are committed to making necessary cost cutting measures to strengthen the business.
The company said it will reduce its headcount by 5 to 6 percent, or approximately 500 people, for a savings of $100 million annually. QuidelOrtho had 7,100 employees worldwide, with 4,200 workers based in the United States as of Dec. 31.
Joseph Busky, chief financial officer of QuidelOrtho, said the layoffs should be completed by mid-year. He said most of these positions were higher level management roles, which comprised roughly 10 to 12 percent of the organizations total payroll.
QuidelOrtho reported a net loss of $1.7 billion during the first quarter compared with a profit of $48.8 million in the same period a year ago. Revenue for the quarter was $711 million, down 16 percent from a year ago. The company attributed the decline primarily to a drop in orders for COVID-19 test kits.
In May 2020, QuidelOrtho received the first emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its at-home COVID-19 antigen test. The companys revenue initially jumped but then later slowed as the pandemic ended and demand for tests fell.
Respiratory revenue, which includes COVID-19-related products, accounted for 19 percent of the companys total revenue this quarter. Last year during the same period, it accounted for about one-third of QuidelOrthos total revenue.
COVID-19-related government orders also dropped with QuidelOrtho receiving $7 million for the quarter versus $143 million a year ago.
QuidelOrtho said it expects its respiratory and COVID-19-related revenue to stay at or below its previous projections for the year. However, the company did not provide investors with an overall financial guidance for the year, citing the transition to its new CEO.
For most of this year, the JN.1 variant of the coronavirus accounted for an overwhelming majority of Covid cases. But now, an offshoot variant called KP.2 is taking off. The variant, which made up just one percent of cases in the United States in mid-March, now makes up over a quarter.
KP.2 belongs to a subset of Covid variants that scientists have cheekily nicknamed FLiRT, drawn from the letters in the names of their mutations. They are descendants of JN.1, and KP.2 is very, very close to JN.1, said Dr. David Ho, a virologist at Columbia University. But Dr. Ho has conducted early lab tests in cells that suggest that slight differences in KP.2s spike protein might make it better at evading our immune defenses and slightly more infectious than JN.1.
While cases currently dont appear to be on the rise, researchers and physicians are closely watching whether the variant will drive a summer surge.
I dont think anybodys expecting things to change abruptly, necessarily, said Dr. Marc Sala, co-director of the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive Covid-19 Center in Chicago. But KP.2 will most likely be our new norm, he said. Heres what to know.
Experts said it would take several weeks to see whether KP.2 might lead to a rise in Covid cases, and noted that we have only a limited understanding of how the virus is spreading. Since the public health emergency ended, there is less robust data available on cases, and doctors said fewer people were using Covid tests.
But what we do know is reassuring: Despite the shift in variants, data from the C.D.C. suggests there are only minimal levels of the virus circulating in wastewater nationally, and emergency department visits and hospitalizations fell between early March and late April.
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Covid-19 may have gone away but controversies over vaccine side-effects refuse to die. Covishield, the Covid-19 vaccine developed by UK-based drug major AstraZeneca and Oxford University and produced in India by Serum Institute of India, has triggered a big controversy in India with political parties too jumping in. There are demands for compensation for family members of people who died allegedly due to the vaccine side effects and to review the science behind all Covid vaccines.
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It all started with a submission made by Astrazeneva in a British court. It said in court documents that its Covid vaccine can cause a rare side effect, the UKs Daily Telegraph newspaper reported nearly 10 days ago. The pharmaceutical giant is being sued for over 100 million (a little over Rs 1,000 crore) in class action over claims its vaccine caused death and serious injury in 51 cases, according to court documents seen by the Daily Telegraph, a British newspaper.
AstraZeneca is contesting the claims but has accepted, in a legal document submitted to the high court in February, that its Covid vaccine can, in very rare cases, cause thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, which causes people to have blood clots and a low blood platelet count.
The India angle
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Venugopalan Govindan, father of Karunya, who died after taking the vaccine, said the admission by AstraZeneca is "too late" and has come after so many lives have been lost. " The parents have already filed a writ petition seeking compensation, appointment of an expert medical board independent of the government to forthwith inquire into and investigate the deaths of their daughter, and to share the report of the investigation with them.
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A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court, seeking setting up of an expert medical panel to study and assess the possible risk factors associated with the vaccine. It calls for a direction to the Centre to implement a vaccine damage payment system to compensate citizens who are severely disabled or deceased as a result of the vaccine.
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What is the chief concern?
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TTS is a rare yet serious condition linked to certain COVID-19 vaccines, notably adenovirus vector vaccines like AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine. TTS is marked by the presence of blood clots (thrombosis) along with low levels of platelets (thrombocytopenia), crucial for blood clotting. It often involves unusual clot locations, such as in the brain (cerebral venous sinus thrombosis) or abdomen. Symptoms may include severe or persistent headaches, blurred vision, shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling, persistent abdominal pain, and easy bruising or tiny blood spots under the skin beyond the injection site.
While TTS is rare, individuals who have received vaccines associated with TTS should be vigilant for symptoms and seek medical attention promptly if they experience any within a few weeks of vaccination. Early recognition and treatment are essential for managing TTS effectively.
What AstraZeneca and SII say
"Our sympathy goes out to anyone who has lost loved ones or reported health problems," AstraZeneca has said amid concerns over the side-effects. "Patient safety is our highest priority, and regulatory authorities have clear and stringent standards to ensure the safe use of all medicines, including vaccines."
The product information relating to the AstraZeneca vaccine was updated in April 2021, with the approval of the UK regulator MHRA, to include the possibility that the vaccine is capable, in very rare cases, of being a trigger for TTS. AstraZeneca points out this update was well documented and publicly available, The Telegraph reported. The vaccine, developed with Oxford University, is no longer used in the UK.
Benefits of the vaccine far outweigh the risks of extremely rare potential side effects, AstraZeneca has told news agency IANS. "From the body of evidence in clinical trials and real-world data, the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine has continuously been shown to have an acceptable safety profile," the statement said. "Regulators around the world consistently state that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of extremely rare potential side effects," it added.
AstraZeneca has begun the global withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine, Vaxzevria, citing a surplus of available updated vaccines since the pandemic began. The company has also decided to withdraw the vaccine's marketing authorizations within Europe. "As multiple, variant COVID-19 vaccines have since been developed, there is a surplus of available updated vaccines," AstraZeneca stated. This surplus has led to a decline in demand for Vaxzevria, which is no longer being manufactured or supplied."
SSI, the Indian manufacturer of AstraZeneca's vaccine under brand name Covishield, said on Wednesday that it had stopped manufacturing the vaccine and supply of additional doses in December 2021 itself. "With India achieving high vaccination rates in 2021 and 2022, coupled with the emergence of new mutant variant strains, the demand for previous vaccines diminished significantly, an SII spokesperson said. "Consequently, since December 2021, we have stopped the manufacturing and supply of additional doses of Covishield".
Moreover, SII also said that it had disclosed all rare and very rare side effects of the vaccine, including TTS, in the packaging inserts as well. "Regardless of whether it's AstraZeneca's Vaxzervria or our own Covishield, both vaccines have been instrumental in saving millions of lives worldwide. We commend the collaborative efforts of governments and ministries in facilitating a unified global response to the pandemic."
What experts say
"In spite of the uncommon risk of TTS, Covishield, which was used to vaccinate 90% of India's population, has done well in India," a senior member of the Covid working group told ET, downplaying worries of unfavorable outcomes.
Dr Kameshwar Prasad, emeritus professor of neurology at AIIMS, has told TOI that TTS is rare, but if it happens, it is usually serious, particularly when major vessels are involved in thrombosis. "We were members of a committee which developed a WHO guideline where the frequency of this condition has been estimated as less than 1 to 7 per lakh vaccines. Estimates of the risk of TTS following Covishield vaccination range from 1 case per 26,500 after the first doses of Covishield administered (reported in Norway) to 1 case per 261,000 doses of Janssen [vaccine] administered (reported in the US)," he said.
Dr Prasad said that TTS mostly occurs from day 3 to day 30 after the first dose of vaccine. "Beyond 30 days, there are very very few cases reported. If the first dose did not have this complication, its very unlikely that the second dose would cause TTS. In any case, after one month of vaccination, there is a negligible chance that TTS will develop, certainly after three months. Now that more than a year has passed since the last vaccine dose of Covid for most people from India, there is no need to worry about TTS," he said. He advised people not to hesitate to take vaccines rolled out by the government. "It is done after it is certain that the benefits outweigh the risks. Risks may not be more than moving on a road," he said.
The WHO has said that the recent epidemiological data suggests that the cumulative incidence of TTS is higher following the initial dose of the COVID-19 vaccine than subsequent doses.
Former Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) scientist R Ganga Ketkar, who was at the helm of affairs during the Covid pandemic, said symptoms of TTS - a serious adverse event that causes blood clots - can only occur within five to 30 days of receiving a Covid vaccine and not now. "The benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks," Ketkar has told ET. "People should not worry as the number of cases are pretty small and TTS develops within 5-30 days after receiving the vaccine and not now." He said as the number of doses increases, the risk of TTS goes down.
A study conducted by physician-scientists from Assam Medical College Hospital (Dibrugarh), supported by ICMR-recognised multidisciplinary research laboratory, has revealed that 55% of Covishield vaccine recipients experienced only minor side effects like fever and headache. These symptoms occurred within a week of getting inoculated with the first dose. Researchers confirmed no long-term adverse effects after a year. In our study, we found that 55% experienced minor adverse events such as fever, headache, body ache and pain at the injection site. The remaining 45% of the recipients had no adverse events at all. After the second dose, only 6.8% showed minor adverse events following immunisation (AEFI). Most importantly, no participant showed any major adverse events during the entire one year period of study, associate professor of pathology at AMCH, Gayatri Gogoi, the principal investigator of the study done in Assams Dibrugarh district, has told TOI.
The study was conducted from July 2021 when the first Covishield vaccine for the public was introduced and participants were followed up till June 2022 after receiving the approval of the Institutional Ethics Committee to conduct the same. This data of research findings was recently accepted for publication in a well-known PubMed indexed journal named Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.
Besides experts, the government too has downplayed the frequency of the risks associated with the vaccine. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in March that ICMR has done a detailed study which shows that COVID-19 vaccine is not responsible for heart attacks, and an individual's lifestyle and factors such as binge drinking could be among underlying causes. "If someone has a stroke today, they think it is because of the Covid vaccine. ICMR has done a detailed study that the (Covid) vaccine is not responsible for heart attacks."
Amid the controversy over the side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine, Bharat Biotech has asserted that its Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin, is safe and devoid of any side-effects The company stated that Covaxin was developed with a single-minded focus on safety first, followed by efficacy. Covaxin is India's first indigenous Covid vaccine.
India's vaccine politics Political parties have questioned the government about the health concerns related to the vaccine. "The opposition Congress on Wednesday alleged that the BJP government at the centre did not follow the guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO), and demanded that the relatives of those who died due to heart attack or similar reasons after taking the Covishield vaccine against coronavirus should be paid compensation. Doctors associated with the Gujarat BJP, however, said a study by an expert panel in the state had established that there was no direct link between COVID-19 vaccines and blood clotting which can lead to heart attacks," PTI reported.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav Friday said the lives of the people of the country have been put in danger by the Covid vaccine and demanded that the heart-related tests like ECG should be made free for those who have taken the vaccine.
Months before the AstraZeneca controversy, Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar hit out at senior Congress functionaries, claiming that they kept pushing the case for foreign vaccines in India during the pandemic. His statement came days after Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla faced questions over the efficacy of the companys vaccines.
The minister claimed that Pfizer tried to bully India into accepting conditions of indemnity. Just to remind all Indians that Pfizer tried to bully the Govt of India into accepting conditions of indemnity. And Cong trio of Rahul, Chidambaram n Jairam Ramesh kept pushing foreign vaccines during Covid, he tweeted. According to the indemnity clause, the company could not be held responsible or prosecuted under Indian law in case of any severe side-effect or even death on taking their vaccine.
The Pfizer vaccine is not available in the country. India ran its massive vaccination campaign against Covid-19 with two key vaccines Covishield and Covaxin. Covishield is manufactured by the Serum Institute of India while Covaxin is manufactured by Bharat Biotech.
(With inputs from TOI and PTI)
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SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, continues to mutate, with the latest crop of variants emerging just in time for summer.
The newly identified group, dubbed FLiRT, includes a variant called KP.2, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists as the dominant strain in the United States, accounting for 25% of new sequenced cases in the final two weeks of April. Another strain, KP.1.1, is less widespread, playing a role in 7.5% of cases during that time frame.
While COVID case rates in the U.S. are still relatively low overall, you might be wondering how concerned you should be about the debut of these new variants.
Heres what you need to know about the FLiRT strains, including whether you can expect a COVID wave this summer.
Daniel de la Hoz / Getty Images
The FLiRT group of variants is named after the technical names of its mutations, F456L and R346T. They are part of SARS-CoV-2s Omicron lineage, which was first detected in 2021.
The new variants descend from JN.1, the primary variant circulating in the U.S. this past winter. That strain is now the second most dominant, accounting for 22% of cases.
In April, the FLiRT strains quickly gained dominance. During the last week of March, only about 4% of COVID cases were caused by KP.2, compared to about a quarter just a few weeks later.
Syra Madad, DHSc, MSc, senior director of the System-wide Special Pathogens Program at NYC Health + Hospitals and a fellow of Harvard Universitys Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, told Health that current data hasnt shown that the FLiRT variants are associated with increased severity of illness.
However, she added, public health agencies are still learning about the new variants, so its too soon to know for sure whether they will cause more serious illness. As public health continues to gather and analyze data on these variants, recommendations and public health guidelines may be updated to reflect new insights, she said.
According to the CDC, the most common COVID symptoms include:
The COVID vaccine should protect against the new strains. Still, preliminary evidence suggests that it may not offerasmuch protection against the FLiRT variants as it did against JN.1 this past winter. Thats because, compared to JN.1, the new variants are more distantly related to XBB 1.5, the strain targeted by the most recent COVID booster.
The good news is that the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that future COVID vaccine formulations be based on JN.1, which is more closely related to the FLiRT variants.
So far, the new variants dont appear to becausing an increase in COVID cases in the U.S.
According to the CDC, the amount of SARS-CoV-2 virus detected in U.S. wastewater remains minimal, and cases didnt increase in April. Furthermore, the number of COVID-related hospitalizations and deaths has dropped since January 2024, when JN.1 arrived on the scene.
Its unlikely that the FLiRT variants will lead to a significant uptick in case rates, Mark Cameron, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, told Health. But he said its possible.
This virus has surprised us more times than I can count, he said. If the past is prologue, the FLiRT lineage has plenty of time to cook up something new before the next cold and flu season starts in earnest this fall, and that could make waves.
The CDC recommends staying current on the COVID vaccines and boosters. Speak to a doctor if youre unsure about if and when you need a booster.
Other preventative measures include practicing good hygiene, such as frequently washing your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds and taking steps to improve air quality in your home, like opening doors and using exhaust fans.
Thousands of families missed out on time with their loved ones at the end of their lives, former Stormont Minister Edwin Poots has said.
The ex-agriculture and environment minister was giving evidence to the Covid-19 public inquiry, which is sitting in Belfast, on Thursday.
Mr Poots became emotional as he described how he was unable to see his father in the final days of his life because of the Covid restrictions.
Charlie Poots died at the age of 90 in April 2020.
'Oxygen can heal': Hyperbaric chamber treatment offers breakthrough solution for long COVID-19
Updated: 5:31 PM EDT May 9, 2024
THESE DAYS, BUT LONG COVID IS STILL OUT THERE IN THE BEGINNING, TREATMENT SEEMED VERY HIT OR MISS, BUT THERES BEEN A BREAKTHROUGH IN THE APPROACH. NOT ONLY WILL THIS NEW TREATMENT SHOCK YOU AS WESH 2S MICHELLE MEREDITH REPORTS, ITS HAPPENING RIGHT HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDAS BACKYARD. SO WE CAN FULLY BREATHE IN THE AIR TO THE BOTTOM OF OUR LUNGS. LYNETTE MILLER KOVAC TEACHES MEDITATION CLASSES IN THE VILLAGES, TEACHING HOW TO BE CENTERED. LIVE IN THE MOMENT. BUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, LYNETTE SAYS SHE WASNT LIVING AT ALL. SUFFERING FROM LONG COVID. TAKE A DEEP INHALE. IT WAS JUST A FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE. I FELT LIKE I WAS DYING, I WAS A CO-REPORTER AND EVENTUALLY I HAD TO STOP THE PROCEEDINGS AND SAY, I CANT RETAIN ANY LONGER. I LOST ALL EMOTION TO THE BEAUTIFUL BLUE SKY, TO PEOPLE, TO THE, UM, TO GOD, TO ANIMAL. JUST NO. NO JOY AT ALL. LYNETTE WAS ABLE TO CONNECT WITH A PROGRAM RIGHT HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDAS BACKYARD, AND THEY TREAT LONG COVID. ITS CALLED A LVIV CLINICS. AND HOW DO THEY DO IT? WELL, USING, OF ALL THINGS, A HYPER BARIC CHAMBER. NOW, WHEN YOU THINK OF A HYPERBARIC CHAMBER, YOU THINK OF THOSE LITTLE TUBES THAT THEY USED TO PUT DIVERS IN WHEN THEY SURFACE TOO FAST. WELL, THIS IS TODAYS HYPERBARIC CHAMBER. IT KIND OF LOOKS LIKE THE FIRST CLASS SECTION OF AN AIRPLANE. SO WHEN YOU SEE AREAS OF GREEN AND BLUE, WE SEE DYSFUNCTION. RV DOCTORS SAY THE HYPERBARIC CHAMBER FEEDS HIGH LEVELS OF OXYGEN TO THE BRAIN, GIVES THE BRAIN ENERGY WHEN THE LEVEL OF OXYGEN IS REDUCED, THE BRAIN PANICS, CALLS IN THE TROOPS, STARTS REPAIRING COVID DAMAGED BRAIN CELLS, AND USES THE NEW ENERGY TO DO IT. OH, THE OXYGEN CAN HEAL. WE CAN CONCEPTUALIZE THAT, BUT THE KEY IS TO USE IT AS A VESSEL TO TRIGGER THE BODY TO HEAL ITSELF. AND THERES NOTHING STRONGER THAN THE BODY TO HEAL ITSELF. BREATHING IN THAT BEAUTIFUL OXYGEN, THE CLINIC SAYS THEYVE TREATED TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WITH LONG COVID FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. LYNETTE SAYS WEEKS AFTER HER FULL TREATMENT, SHES BACK. MY MY WORLD OPENED UP AND IT WAS THE SAME. IT WASNT THE FOG. IT WASNT THE THE THAT FEELING ANYMORE TO TO FEEL LOVE AGAIN, WHICH I DIDNT FEEL. THATS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST THING. YEAH. THE BIGGEST BONUS OF ALL IN THE
'Oxygen can heal': Hyperbaric chamber treatment offers breakthrough solution for long COVID-19
Updated: 5:31 PM EDT May 9, 2024
Although we may not hear much about it these days, long COVID-19 is still out there. In the beginning, treatment seemed to be a hit-and-miss, but the approach has had a breakthrough.Lynette Malkovich teaches meditation classes in The Villages, instructing people on how to be centered and live in the moment. But a year and a half ago, Malkovich said she wasn't living at all as she was suffering from long COVID-19."It was a frightening experience. I thought I was dying," Malkovich said.But Malkovich connected with a program in central Florida's backyard Aviv Clinics located in The Villages that treats long-term COVID-19 using a hyperbaric chamber. Doctors at Aviv Clinics said the hyperbaric chamber delivers high levels of oxygen to the brain, energizing it. When the level of oxygen level is reduced, the brain panics and starts using the new energy to repair COVID-19-damaged brain cells. "Oh, the oxygen can heal. We can conceptualize that, but the key is to use it as a vessel to trigger the body to heal itself, and there's nothing stronger than the body to heal itself," said Dr. Mohamad Elamir, an Aviv doctor. The clinic said they've treated thousands of people with long COVID-19 worldwide.Malkovich said weeks after her full treatment, she's back."To feel love again, which I didn't feel, that's probably the biggest thing," Malkovich said.
Although we may not hear much about it these days, long COVID-19 is still out there. In the beginning, treatment seemed to be a hit-and-miss, but the approach has had a breakthrough.
Lynette Malkovich teaches meditation classes in The Villages, instructing people on how to be centered and live in the moment.
But a year and a half ago, Malkovich said she wasn't living at all as she was suffering from long COVID-19.
"It was a frightening experience. I thought I was dying," Malkovich said.
But Malkovich connected with a program in central Florida's backyard Aviv Clinics located in The Villages that treats long-term COVID-19 using a hyperbaric chamber.
Doctors at Aviv Clinics said the hyperbaric chamber delivers high levels of oxygen to the brain, energizing it. When the level of oxygen level is reduced, the brain panics and starts using the new energy to repair COVID-19-damaged brain cells.
"Oh, the oxygen can heal. We can conceptualize that, but the key is to use it as a vessel to trigger the body to heal itself, and there's nothing stronger than the body to heal itself," said Dr. Mohamad Elamir, an Aviv doctor.
The clinic said they've treated thousands of people with long COVID-19 worldwide.
Malkovich said weeks after her full treatment, she's back.
"To feel love again, which I didn't feel, that's probably the biggest thing," Malkovich said.
Pictured: Sanofi Distribution Center/iStock,JHVEPhoto
Sanofi announced a deal worth up to $1.4 billion with Novavax on Friday for its COVID-19 vaccine, giving the Maryland-based biotech a much-needed boost to its struggling business.
The French pharma is dropping $500 million upfront for Novavaxs COVID-19 vaccine, with the goals of co-commercializing its current formulation as well as developing a combination vaccine for COVID and flu. An additional $700 million is up for grabs in milestone payments. Along with another potential $200 million in milestones for additional vaccines made with Novavaxs Matrix adjuvant technology, deal totals $1.4 billionmore than double the biotechs current market cap of $627 million.
Thanks to the infusion of cash, Novavax will be able to lift its prior warning to investors issued in February 2023 expressing doubts over its ability to stay in business, its CEO John Jacobs told CNBC News.The deal skyrocketed Novavaxs stock Friday morning in premarket trading, up 120% at one point. In February 2024, the stock had dropped over 25% after the biotechs fourth quarter earnings missed estimates.
From Sanofis perspective, Head of Vaccines R&D Jean-Francois Toussaint emphasized the value of targeting COVID and flu with one shot. Sanofi has three mRNA candidates now in clinical testing for RSV, flu and a combination of the two. And already on the market are two quadrivalent influenza vaccines from the company, which has not yet been disclosed what shot will be combined with Novavaxs protein-based one.
With flu and COVID-19 hospital admission rates now closely mirroring each other, we have an opportunity to develop non-mRNA flu-COVID-19 combination vaccines, offering patients both enhanced convenience and protection against two serious respiratory viruses, Toussaint said in a statement.
In 2021, Sanofi dropped $3.2 billion on mRNA company Translate Bio to bolster its vaccine and therapeutic technologies.
As part of the deal, Sanofi is taking just under a 5% stake in Novavax.
Kate Goodwin is a freelance life science writer based in Des Moines, Iowa. She can be reached at kate.goodwin@biospace.com and on LinkedIn.
Metformin, a decades-old generic drug for type 2 diabetes, may also help treat COVID-19, a new study suggests.
Scientists at the University of Minnesota randomly assigned more than 1,300 adults with COVID-19 to take metformin or a placebo pill. All of the participants took nasal swab tests for viral levels after 1, 5, and 10 days.
[1]
Among the key research results:
The results of the study are important because COVID-19 continues to cause illness, both during acute infection and for months after infection, says lead study authorCarolyn Bramante, MD, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota.
The metformin study wasnt designed to figure out why or how this diabetes treatment might tamp down the coronavirus. But the drug blocks activity of a protein known as mTOR, Dr. Bramante says. This protein plays a role in cell growth and reproduction and impacts immune responses.
We hypothesized that metformins inhibition of mTOR may cause a reduction in SARS-CoV-2, the specific type of coronavirus that causes COVID-19, Bramante says.
However, the possible benefits of metformin as a COVID-19 treatment arent yet clear, with previous studies yielding conflicting results.
[2]
[3]
The shorter duration of viral shedding, the shorter the duration of potential contagiousness and transmission risk, Dr. Siedner says.
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Based on the data we have now, I would not personally prescribe metformin for treatment of COVID-19, nor would I recommend its use, Siedner says.
GENEVA (AP) After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
A ninth and final round of talks involving governments, advocacy groups and others to finalize a pandemic treaty is scheduled to end Friday. The accords aim: guidelines for how the WHOs 194 member countries might stop future pandemics and better share scarce resources. But experts warn there are virtually no consequences for countries that dont comply.
WHOs countries asked the U.N. health agency to oversee talks for a pandemic agreement in 2021. Envoys have been working long hours in recent weeks to prepare a draft ahead of a self-imposed deadline later this month: ratification of the accord at WHOs annual meeting. But deep divisions could derail it.
U.S. Republican senators wrote a letter to the Biden administration last week critical of the draft for focusing on issues like shredding intellectual property rights and supercharging the WHO. They urged Biden not to sign off.
Britains department of health said it would only agree to an accord if it was firmly in the U.K. national interest and respects national sovereignty.
And many developing countries say its unfair that they might be expected to provide virus samples to help develop vaccines and treatments, but then be unable to afford them.
This pandemic treaty is a very high-minded pursuit, but it doesnt take political realities into account, said Sara Davies, a professor of international relations at Griffith University in Australia.
For example, the accord is attempting to address the gap that occurred between COVID-19 vaccines in rich and poorer countries, which WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said amounted to a catastrophic moral failure.
The draft says WHO should get 20% of the production of pandemic-related products like tests, treatments and vaccines and urges countries to disclose their deals with private companies.
Theres no mechanism within WHO to make life really difficult for any countries that decide not to act in accordance with the treaty, Davies said.
Adam Kamradt-Scott, a global health expert at Harvard University, said that similar to the global climate agreements, the draft pandemic treaty would at least provide a new forum for countries to try to hold each other to account, where governments will have to explain what measures theyve taken.
The pandemic treaty is not about anyone telling the government of a country what it can do and what it cannot do, said Roland Driece, co-chair of WHOs negotiating board for the agreement.
There are legally binding obligations under the International Health Regulations, including quickly reporting dangerous new outbreaks. But those have been flouted repeatedly, including by African countries during Ebola outbreaks and China in the early stages of COVID-19.
Suerie Moon, co-director of the Global Health Center at Genevas Graduate Institute, said it was critical to determine the expected role of WHO during a pandemic and how outbreaks might be stopped before spreading globally.
If we fail to seize this window of opportunity which is closing well be just as vulnerable as we were in 2019, she warned.
Some countries appear to be moving on their own to ensure cooperation from others in the next pandemic. Last month, President Joe Bidens administration said it would help 50 countries respond to new outbreaks and prevent global spread, giving the country leverage should it need critical information or materials in the future.
Yuanqiong Hu, a senior legal and policy adviser at Doctors without Borders, said its unclear what might be different in the next pandemic, but hoped that focusing attention on some of the glaring errors that emerged in COVID-19 might help.
We will mostly have to rely on countries to do better, she said. That is worrisome.
Cheng reported from London.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
