So far the animals havent shown any ill effects from the vaccine that weve given them, so thats good. If we can show that we can protect the animals against infection, that would be really good, Dr. Steven Zeichner, a professor of pediatrics at UVA, said.
See the original post:
TheWest Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of 10:00 a.m., September 22,2020, there have been 522,329 total confirmatorylaboratory results received for COVID-19, with 14,384 totalcases and 317 deaths.
DHHR has confirmed the deaths of an 89-year old male from HarrisonCounty, a 50-yearold female from Fayette County, a 66-year old male from Mercer County, an 82-yearold female from Kanawha County, and a 72-year old male from Kanawha County. Wemourn with all families suffering the loss of loved ones during this horriblepandemic, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary.
CASESPER COUNTY: Barbour(48), Berkeley (948), Boone (200), Braxton (10), Brooke (112), Cabell (737),Calhoun (24), Clay (35), Doddridge (18), Fayette (577), Gilmer (32), Grant(152), Greenbrier (120), Hampshire (102), Hancock (144), Hardy (82), Harrison(342), Jackson (252), Jefferson (422), Kanawha (2,377), Lewis (38), Lincoln(156), Logan (585), Marion (258), Marshall (160), Mason (138), McDowell (80),Mercer (404), Mineral (165), Mingo (366), Monongalia (1,936), Monroe (147),Morgan (53), Nicholas (92), Ohio (358), Pendleton (52), Pleasants (16),Pocahontas (59), Preston (149), Putnam (521), Raleigh (479), Randolph (237),Ritchie (10), Roane (48), Summers (46), Taylor (119), Tucker (17), Tyler (15),Upshur (61), Wayne (361), Webster (7), Wetzel (50), Wirt (12), Wood (352),Wyoming (103).
Pleasenote that delays may be experienced with the reporting of information from thelocal health department to DHHR. As case surveillance continues at the localhealth department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certain countymay not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individual inquestion may have crossed the state border to be tested.Suchis the case of Monroe and Pleasants counties in this report.
Pleasevisit the dashboard located at http://www.coronavirus.wv.gov for more information.
Free COVID-19 testing locations areavailable today in Cabell, Fayette, Kanawha, and Putnam counties:
Cabell County, September22, 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM, YMCA Kennedy Center, 5800 Ohio River Road, Huntington,WV
Fayette County, September22, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM, J.W. and Hazel Ruby WV Welcome Center, 55 Hazel RubyLane, Mt. Hope, WV
Fayette County, September22, 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM, Midland Trail High School, 26719 Midland Trail, Hico,WV
Kanawha County, September22, 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM, A More Excellent Way Life Center Church, 504 VirginiaStreet West, Charleston, WV (flu shots offered)
Putnam County, September22, 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM, Teays Valley Baptist Church, 3926 Teays Valley Road, Hurricane,WV
Testing is available to everyone, including asymptomatic individuals. Upcoming testing events will be held this week in Boone, Cabell, Jackson, Logan, Marion, Mingo, Monongalia, Putnam, Summers, Wayne, and Wyoming counties. For more testing locations, please visit https://dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19/pages/testing.aspx.
See the article here:
COVID-19 Daily Update 9-22-2020 - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources
LA JOLLA, Calif., Sept. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MediciNova, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company traded on the NASDAQ Global Market (NASDAQ:MNOV) and the JASDAQ Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (Code Number: 4875), today announced that its intranasal SARS-CoV-2 vaccine prototype for COVID-19, using BC-PIV technology, successfully induced systemic serum IgG and mucosal IgA neutralizing antibodies against the S1 antigen (Ag) of SARS-CoV-2 in mice.
A mouse model study was conducted to assess systemic IgG and mucosal IgA antibody production against S1 Ag after intranasal vaccination with MediciNovas BC-PIV SARS-CoV-2 vaccine prototype. We confirmed a high IgA antibody titer against S1 Ag in the nasal lavage fluid from mice given intranasal BC-PIV SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. We also confirmed that a high IgG antibody titer against S1 Ag was induced in mice serum.
Yuichi Iwaki, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of MediciNova, Inc., commented, "We are very encouraged that our intranasal BC-PIV SARS-CoV-2 vaccine induced high titers of systemic serum IgG and mucosal IgA neutralizing antibodies in a mouse model study. These successful results support the scientific and technical rationale of our intranasal vaccine in addition to similar success with BioComos BC-PIV RSV vaccine prototype. We look forward to reporting additional progress on our intranasal COVID-19 vaccine in the near future.
About the BC-PIV SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine for COVID-19
BC-PIV, an innovative non-transmissible viral vector co-developed by BioComo and Mie University, is derived from the recombinant human parainfluenza virus type 2 (hPIV2). It is highly efficient in its ability to transfer multiple foreign proteins to recipients and has a strong safety profile as no secondary infectious virus is produced. BC-PIV is designed to display not only the gene but also the foreign protein itself on the surface and inside of the viral membrane. Therefore, it can carry the large membrane proteins of viruses and signal transduction receptors/ligand proteins on the viral surface. BC-PIV is able to carry the proteins that require a proper three-dimensional structure or multimeric structure while maintaining the structure. BC-PIV elicits good immunogenicity against antigen proteins without adjuvants. The BC-PIV SARS-CoV-2 vaccine prototype has been developed to include the specific SARS-CoV-2 antigen protein in order to express maximum antigenicity. The BC-PIV SARS-COV-2 vaccine can be developed as an intranasal vaccine in addition to an intramuscular injection because of its high affinity to nasal and upper respiratory tract mucosa, which is the same route of the natural infection of SARS-CoV-2. An intranasal vaccine is expected to induce local mucosal immunity. To date, BioComo has succeeded in producing a recombinant Ebola virus vaccine (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-49579-y) and a Respiratory Syncytial virus prefusion F vaccine (unpublished data) using this BC-PIV platform technology.
About BioComo
BioComo, a biotech company founded at Mie Prefecture Japan in May 2008, is developing cutting-edge technology platforms for creating the novel and predominant vaccine carriers and adjuvants to enhance immunity in collaboration with the Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Department of Mie University. They have already succeeded in the development of a highly efficacious and state-of-the art vaccine carrier and novel adjuvant candidates. Their technology will be applied to the production of the next generation vaccines for the prevention of infections such as RS virus, Ebola virus, Influenza virus, and SARS-CoV-2. It will also enable faster and more cost-effective production of those vaccines. BC-PIV is the core platform technology which carries the corporate namesake, BioComo, and the leading vaccine carrier that is derived from the recombinant human parainfluenza virus 2 (hPIV2) vectors. BioComo is dedicated to inventing new vaccines for both global infection threats as well as malignant tumors.
About MediciNovaMediciNova, Inc. is a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company founded upon acquiring and developing novel, small-molecule therapeutics for the treatment of diseases with unmet medical needs with a primary commercial focus on the U.S. market. MediciNova's current strategy is to focus on BC-PIV SARS-COV-2 vaccine for COVID-19, MN-166 (ibudilast) for neurological disorders such as progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and substance dependence (e.g., alcohol use disorder, methamphetamine dependence, opioid dependence) and glioblastoma, as well as prevention of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) caused by COVID-19, and MN-001 (tipelukast) for fibrotic diseases such as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). MediciNovas pipeline also includes MN-221 (bedoradrine) for the treatment of acute exacerbations of asthma and MN-029 (denibulin) for solid tumor cancers. MediciNova is engaged in strategic partnering and other potential funding discussions to support further development of its programs. For more information on MediciNova, Inc., please visit http://www.medicinova.com.
Statements in this press release that are not historical in nature constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the future development and efficacy of BC-PIV SARS-COV-2 vaccine, MN-166, MN-001, MN-221, and MN-029. These forward-looking statements may be preceded by, followed by or otherwise include the words "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "can," "could," "may," "will," "would," considering, planning or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, risks of obtaining future partner or grant funding for development of BC-PIV SARS-COV-2 vaccine, MN-166, MN-001, MN-221, and MN-029 and risks of raising sufficient capital when needed to fund MediciNova's operations and contribution to clinical development, risks and uncertainties inherent in clinical trials, including the potential cost, expected timing and risks associated with clinical trials designed to meet FDA guidance and the viability of further development considering these factors, product development and commercialization risks, the uncertainty of whether the results of clinical trials will be predictive of results in later stages of product development, the risk of delays or failure to obtain or maintain regulatory approval, risks associated with the reliance on third parties to sponsor and fund clinical trials, risks regarding intellectual property rights in product candidates and the ability to defend and enforce such intellectual property rights, the risk of failure of the third parties upon whom MediciNova relies to conduct its clinical trials and manufacture its product candidates to perform as expected, the risk of increased cost and delays due to delays in the commencement, enrollment, completion or analysis of clinical trials or significant issues regarding the adequacy of clinical trial designs or the execution of clinical trials, and the timing of expected filings with the regulatory authorities, MediciNova's collaborations with third parties, the availability of funds to complete product development plans and MediciNova's ability to obtain third party funding for programs and raise sufficient capital when needed, and the other risks and uncertainties described in MediciNova's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and its subsequent periodic reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. Undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. MediciNova disclaims any intent or obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements.
INVESTOR CONTACT: Geoff O'BrienVice PresidentMediciNova, Inc.info@medicinova.com
Originally posted here:
When COVID-19 claimed its first 100,000 lives in the U.S., Hidalgo County, Texas, seemed to have avoided the worst of it. The county, which sits on the border with Mexico, had just 10 deaths when the U.S. crossed that tragic milestone on May 27.
But the U.S. has now doubled its death count to top 200,000 victims, and Hidalgo County has become one of the deadliest hot spots for COVID-19. Despite the lack of dense urban areas there its largest city, McAllen, has fewer than 150,000 residents the disease has killed more than 1,500 people across the county.
"We knew we were going to see an increase, but we could not foresee the increase we got," says Eduardo Olivarez, the chief administrative officer of the county health department.
This summer, COVID-19 hit hospitals in McAllen, Texas, hard. With the U.S. exceeding 200,000 deaths from COVID-19, the share of deaths occurring in rural places and small cities is rising. Eric Gay/AP hide caption
This summer, COVID-19 hit hospitals in McAllen, Texas, hard. With the U.S. exceeding 200,000 deaths from COVID-19, the share of deaths occurring in rural places and small cities is rising.
"Once we started seeing a sharp increase in fatalities, and the community started reflecting that it was their parents, friends, grandparents once that started impacting them the community really started sensing, 'Oh, my God, this is really extremely serious. We need to take heed.' "
Hidalgo County is one of the most extreme examples of how the coronavirus has shifted from dealing its heaviest blows to northeastern urban areas to now reaching all corners of the country. As the death count grows, smaller towns and rural communities bear a growing share of the burden of COVID-19.
An NPR analysis finds that the share of COVID-19 deaths outside places considered large metro areas by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has grown dramatically since the country passed its first 100,000 deaths. Then, about a fifth of deaths came from places outside large metro areas. In the second 100,000 deaths, that share jumped to nearly half.
The largest growth occurred in small towns and rural areas, where the share of deaths nearly tripled.
Ali Mokdad, an epidemiologist at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, likened the disease's progression to HIV, which he says also took hold first in large cities before spreading to smaller cities and towns.
In rural areas, he says, people didn't expect the coronavirus. "They let down their guard early in the pandemic. The first months ... it gave the rural communities false sense of security that it wasn't going to get to us."
For COVID-19, much of that change came as the outbreak reached its crescendo and then tapered off in New York City in April. The state of New York made up 30,000 of the first 100,000 deaths in the country.
But new hot spots have since emerged in other large states: Arizona, California, Florida and Texas. There, the disease has not stayed contained in the largest cities.
Counties outside major metros have had some of the highest death tolls over the past several months, like Broward and Palm Beach counties in Florida both north of Miami and San Bernardino County, Calif., which is east of Los Angeles. Medium-size metro areas like those in Hidalgo County and nearby Cameron County, Texas, also sit near the top of the list.
And the virus has taken nearly 100 lives in Val Verde County, Texas, and more than 75 lives in Jackson County, Fla. both of which have populations under 50,000. These places have, per capita, suffered as many deaths as parts of the New York City area did.
Other areas, particularly some in the southeast, were hit harder by deaths on a per capita basis. Mississippi and Georgia light up on a map of per capita deaths during the second half of the pandemic. This indicates that these areas saw a higher percentage of their residents killed by the virus even if the actual number of people who died was smaller than in other places.
All of this underlines the virus's implacable reach, a silent threat that continues to spread.
"None of us live in a bubble. We're going to interact with each other rural, urban, whatever," Mokdad says. "People live far apart, are less likely to see each other, but we have events that bring us together. And the cases follow that."
Here is the original post:
The governments top infectious disease doctor on Wednesday accused Sen. Rand Paul of repeatedly misconstruing information about the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic, including making misleading claims about herd immunity and the effects of mitigation measures.
Testifying before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Anthony Fauci rejected Pauls assertion that the United States' mitigation and lockdown efforts were misguided. Paul cited the experiences of countries like Sweden that did not take aggressive measures to control the virus, arguing that our death rate is essentially worse than Sweden's.
Advertisement
If you look at the data, the countries that did very little have a lower death rate than the U.S., Paul, a doctor, said. "It's important that we the people not simply acquiesce to authoritarian mandates on our behavior without first making the nanny state prove their hypothesis."
More:
Fauci spars with Rand Paul over Covid-19 response - POLITICO
Forecast projects U.S. COVID-19 deaths to reach double by end of year KOMO News
Here is the original post:
Forecast projects U.S. COVID-19 deaths to reach double by end of year - KOMO News
New research suggests that the impact of natural and vaccine-induced immunity will be key factors in shaping the future trajectory of the global coronavirus pandemic, known as COVID-19. In particular, a vaccine capable of eliciting a strong immune response could substantially reduce the future burden of infection, according to a study by Princeton researchers published in the journal Science Sept. 21.
A new study led by Princeton researchers suggests that the impact of natural and vaccine-induced immunity will be key factors in shaping the future trajectory of the global coronavirus pandemic, known as COVID-19. In particular, a vaccine capable of eliciting a strong immune response could substantially reduce the future burden of infection.
Image by Tumisu from Pixabay
Much of the discussion so far related to the future trajectory of COVID-19 has rightly been focused on the effects of seasonality and non-pharmaceutical interventions [NPIs], such as mask-wearing and physical distancing,said co-first author Chadi Saad-Roy, a Ph.D. candidate in Princetons Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics. In the short term, and during the pandemic phase, NPIs are the key determinant of case burdens. However, the role of immunity will become increasingly important as we look into the future.
Ultimately, we dont know what the strength or duration of natural immunity to SARS-CoV-2 or a potential vaccine will look like, explained co-first author Caroline Wagner, an assistant professor of bioengineering at McGill University who worked on the study as a postdoctoral research associate in the Princeton Environmental Institute (PEI).
For instance, if reinfection is possible, what does a persons immune response to their previous infection do? Wagner asked. Is that immune response capable of stopping you from transmitting the infection to others? These will all impact the dynamics of future outbreaks.
The current study builds on Princeton research published in Science May 18 that reported that local variations in climate are not likely to dominate the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and included many of the same authors, who are all affiliated with theClimate Change and Infectious Disease initiative funded by PEI and the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies (PIIRS).
In the most recent paper, the researchers used a simple model to project the future incidence of COVID-19 cases and the degree of immunity in the human population under a range of assumptions related to how likely individuals are to transmit the virus in different contexts. For example, the model allows for different durations of immunity after infection, as well as different extents of protection from reinfection.The researchers posted online an interactive version of models predictions under these different sets of assumptions.
As expected, the model found that theinitial pandemic peak is largely independent of immunity because most people are susceptible. However, a substantial range of epidemic patterns are possible as SARS-CoV-2 infection and thus immunity increases in the population.
If immune responses are only weak, or transiently protective against reinfection, for example, then larger and more frequent outbreaks can be expected in the medium term, said co-author Andrea Graham, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Princeton and an associated faculty member in PEI.
The nature of the immune responses also can affect clinical outcomes and the burden of severe cases requiring hospitalization, the researchers found. The key question is the severity of subsequent infections in comparison to primary ones.
Importantly, the study found that in all scenarios a vaccine capable of eliciting a strong immune response could substantially reduce future caseloads. Even a vaccine that only offers partial protection against secondary transmission could generate major benefits if widely deployed, the researchers reported.
Factors such as age and superspreading events are known to influence the spread of SARS-CoV-2 by causing individuals within a population to experience different immune responses or transmit the virus at different rates. Our models show that these factors do not affect our qualitative projections about future epidemic dynamics, said Bryan Grenfell, the Kathryn Briger and Sarah Fenton Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Public Affairs and an associated faculty member in PEI. Grenfell is a co-senior author on the paper with C. Jessica Metcalf, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and public affairs and also a PEI associated faculty member.
As vaccine candidates emerge, and more detailed predictions of future caseloads with vaccination are needed, these additional details will need to be incorporated into more complex models,Grenfell said.
The researchers used a simple model to project the future incidence of COVID-19 cases and the degree of immunity in the human population under a range of assumptions on host immune responses following natural infection or vaccination. The middle flowchart (above) corresponds to the simplest model used by the researchers and allows for the incorporation of these different immune assumptions. The model found that, after the pandemic peak, a substantial range of epidemic patterns are possible as SARS-CoV-2 infection and thus immunity increases in the population. In all scenarios, a vaccine capable of eliciting a strong immune response could substantially reduce future caseloads.
Image courtesy of Science/AAAS
The study authors also explored the effect of vaccine hesitancy on future infection dynamics. Their model found that people who decline to partake in pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical measures to contain the coronavirus could nonetheless slow containment of the virus even if a vaccine is available.
Our model indicates that if vaccine refusal is high and correlated with increased transmission and riskier behavior such as refusing to wear a mask, then the necessary vaccination rate needed to reach herd immunity could be much higher, said co-author Simon Levin, the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and an associated faculty member in PEI. In this case, the nature of the immune response after infection or vaccination would be very important factors in determining how effective a vaccine would be.
When so much uncertainty in the underlying processes exists, it can be challenging to make accurate projections about the future, Grenfell said. We argue in this study that ultimately, a family of both simple and more complex models is the best way to proceed under these circumstances. Comparing the predictions of these models carefully and then coming up with a carefully averaged picture of the future as with weather prediction can be very helpful.
One of the main takeaways of the study is that monitoring population-level immunity to SARS-CoV-2, in addition to active infections, will be critical for accurately predicting future incidence.
This is not an easy thing to do accurately, particularly when the nature of this immune response is not well understood, said co-author Michael Mina, an assistant professor at the Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School. Even if we can measure a clinical quantity like an antibody titer against this virus, we dont necessarily know what that means in terms of protection.
Studying the effects of T-cell immunity and cross-protection from other coronaviruses are important avenues for future work, Metcalf said.
Additional authors on the paper include Rachel Baker, a PEI postdoctoral research associate; Sinead Morris, a postdoctoral research scientist at Columbia University who received her Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from Princeton; and Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust.
The paper, Immune life-history, vaccination, and the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 over the next five years, was published online by Science Sept. 21. This work was supported by funds from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Life Sciences Research Foundation, the Cooperative Institute for Modelling the Earth System (CIMES) at Princeton University, the James S. McDonnell Foundation, the C3.ai Digital Transformation Institute, the National Science Foundation, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Flu Lab.
View original post here:
Life wont return to normal until theres a COVID-19 vaccine, and that poses a big challenge, especially for Texas.
Many people are already skeptical, with a majority saying they wouldnt get a vaccine if it were available by Election Day. In that Kaiser Family Foundation poll, taken about a month ago, 62% worried that political pressure from the Trump administration would rush the process without ensuring a safe, effective vaccine.
About a decade ago, many believed the H1N1 vaccine was rushed, too, and experts said that limited its adoption.
In Texas, where millions dont have health insurance or a primary doctor, vaccine uptake already lags badly. According to a recent health scorecard by the Commonwealth Fund, just a quarter of adult Texans got their recommended flu and pneumonia vaccines in 2018. That put the state at No. 50, tied for last with Louisiana.
Just as troubling, Texas' vaccination rate on that metric fell by 11 percentage points over four years. If the state could just match the U.S. average, another 1.3 million adults would be protected.
Its always the challenge in Texas: access to care, said Dr. Trish Perl, chief of the infectious diseases division at UT Southwestern Medical Center and an infectious disease specialist at Parkland Health & Hospital System.
Texas has over 5 million uninsured residents, nearly twice as many as the next-closest state. And 1 in 3 adults, including those with insurance, dont have a primary doctor a trusted voice to help with vaccine decisions.
Were going to have to build trust and be creative about how we do it, Perl said, adding that its up to health experts like her to critically review the vaccine data and be vocal about what it shows.
She expects the vaccine rollout to start with front-line health workers who face a high risk of COVID-19 exposure. That will lead to higher adoption rates and additional data on the efficacy of the vaccine, and will also buy time to build up supplies for the larger population. If doctors and nurses are satisfied, they can become powerful influencers.
We can be role models in all of this and really help in the education process, Perl said. People do trust their health providers.
Last year, almost 97% of physicians got a flu shot, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Over 90% of nurses, pharmacists and nurse practitioners got it, too.
By comparison, just under half the total population ages 6 months and older got the flu vaccine in 2018-19.
A COVID-19 vaccine is much different, involving new technology and an unprecedented accelerated timeline. But if trials follow the science and evidence shows the vaccines are safe and effective, health workers will be at the front of the line.
Its something I will take personally, and I will advocate for my patients to take, said Dr. Stewart Coffman, an emergency room physician for over 20 years in Dallas-Fort Worth and senior vice president at the Envision Healthcare medical group.
Coffman and his wife came down with COVID-19 in March, and he said they had fairly mild cases. Hes 55 and doesnt have underlying conditions, so hes not in a high-risk group. But he wants to protect his family, patients and community and worries hed be vulnerable to COVID-19 again.
Having it doesnt necessarily confirm immunity for a long time, Coffman said.
Envision has over 1,000 clinicians in Texas, and many are focused on increasing the uptake of this seasons flu vaccine, which is starting to become available. In primary care clinics, assisted living centers and nursing homes, theyll promote flu shots for fall and follow the same playbook when coronavirus vaccines arrive.
Many patients with higher risk from flu have higher risk from COVID-19. Those with diabetes, high blood pressure and respiratory illnesses are among the most vulnerable, he said, and when theyre sick, it can be difficult to tell whether its flu or COVID-19.
Another reason to reduce flu cases is so hospitals can preserve capacity and equipment if theres a big COVID-19 outbreak.
What would be a successful uptake of COVID-19 vaccine? About 50% to 60% of the population is what Perl expects.
Id like to see 80% of people getting it because we need a lot of immunity to protect the most vulnerable, she said.
In 2009, the H1N1 vaccine covered about 27% of the nation and 40% of children, the CDC estimated. Uptake was lower than expected, and tens of millions of doses went unused.
A significant reason for this was perceptions that the H1N1 vaccine was risky, rushed through production and/or untested, according to a report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
People have similar concerns about the coronavirus vaccine, in part because of mixed messaging. President Donald Trump has repeatedly talked of an Election Day breakthrough while his top health expert said a COVID-19 vaccine would not be widely available until the middle of next year.
I see why there would be some hesitancy, but if the approval process works the way its supposed to, that should offer some reassurance, said Dr. Seth Kaplan, a Frisco pediatrician and president-elect of the Texas Pediatric Society. The communication and information campaign is going to have to be huge because we have to reach people where theyre at.
About 60% to 70% of patients in his Frisco practice got the H1N1 vaccine, he said. And pediatricians play an important role in boosting uptake because parents and grandparents are often in the room with their patients.
Were very used to educating people about the importance of vaccines, Kaplan said.
But skepticism of science has been growing, fueled in part by anti-vaccination movements. That skepticism undermines confidence in medicine and poses an insidious threat to public health efforts.
You may have a whole mound of evidence, but if people believe differently, that seems to trump everything else, said Dr. Jason Terk, a Keller pediatrician who chairs the Texas Public Health Coalition and is active with the Texas Medical Association.
Texas has failed to expand health coverage and hasnt invested enough in public health, he said.
According to Commonwealths scorecard, Texas ranked 41st on state-based public health spending in 2018. Texas' spending per capita was less than half the U.S. average and 39% lower than Texas spent four years earlier, the report shows.
Since 2004, the medical association has vaccinated Texas children at risk through its Be Wise Immunize program. Over 360,000 shots have been delivered to kids and adults through the years.
Were trying to fill some gaps here and there, Terk said. But its not the same thing as having a real population-wide plan.
Visit link:
Most employers are waiting before they recall all employees.
New Jersey is catching its breath after six months of the coronavirus pandemic with steady numbers in most of the public-health categories, although the rate of transmission remains touch-and-go. And the number of available jobs in the state has leveled off, although we have recovered only about half of the jobs that were lost during the early days of the pandemic. Only about one in four of employer-respondents from a survey taken by the Employers Association of New Jersey (EANJ) say they have plans for a full recall this year. Most employers are waiting. What are they waiting for? Nearly 25% of employer-respondents say they are waiting for the widespread availability of a vaccine or effective treatment for COVID-19 before a full recall.
At the time of this writing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that researchers worldwide are working around-the-clock to find a vaccine against the coronavirus. Experts estimate that a fast-tracked vaccine development process could speed a successful candidate to market in approximately 12-18 months if the process goes smoothly from conception to market availability.
Of course, in a world ruled by science and reason, people would be inclined to trust credible medical evidence when it comes time to line up for vaccination. But even before the pandemic, public-health agencies around the world were struggling to counter increasingly sophisticated efforts to turn people against vaccines. With vaccination rates against measles and other infectious diseases falling in some locations, including the United States, the World Health Organization in 2019 listed vaccine hesitancy as one of 10 major global health threats.
The CDC is now working on a plan to boost vaccine confidence as part of the federal effort to develop a vaccine but trust in the governments initiatives are low. All the misinformation weve seen so far that the U.S military manufactured the virus, that 5G cellphone towers spread it, that drinking bleach or injecting UV rays can cure it, that Dr. Anthony Fauci is part of a political conspiracy, that Bill Gates holds the patents for a cure may be causing widespread confusion and suspicion. Recent polls have found as few as 50% ofpeople in the United States are committed to getting a vaccine, with another quarter hedging their bets. Some of the communities most at risk from the virus are also the most suspicious: Among African Americans, who account for nearly one-quarter of U.S. COVID-19 deaths, 40% said they wouldnt get a vaccine in a mid-May poll by the Associated Press and the University of Chicago.
Public-health experts say they need to start now to counter all this misinformation, because epidemiologists estimate that to break the pandemic, 70% of the population may need to develop immunity, either by getting a vaccine or becoming infected. And with a national election upon us filled with incendiary, conspiracy-based campaigning, the virus has been politicized. But whatever the political affiliation, the Pew Research Center reported in 2019 that Americans trust in government is at an historic low. Only 17% of Americans said they can trust the government in Washington to do what is right just about always (3%) or most of the time (14%). Distrust cuts across political affiliation only 21% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents said they can trust government, compared with only 14% of Democrats and Democratic leaners and racial and ethnic lines.
Some public-health agencies say we should consider taking vaccinations out of medical settings and into places where people work. New Jersey law already requires that each health care facility establish and implement annual flu vaccination programs including mandatory annual vaccinations. And during the Novel H1N1 influenza surge in 2009, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had taken the position that employers could mandate flu vaccines, with some exceptions, although guidance would need updating for COVID-19.
During the first six months of the pandemic, it was the frontline worker who was a risk. Now, it is the business owner on the front line, as a new legal front is showing the risks of reopening workplaces without taking proper precautions. Walmart, Safeway, Tyson Foods and some health care facilities have been sued for gross negligence and wrongful death since the coronavirus pandemic began unfolding in March. Employees families allege that the companies failed to protect workers from the deadly virus and should compensate their family members as a result. Workers who survived the virus also are suing to have medical bills, future earnings and other damages paid out, which could last a lifetime because of the potential long-term consequences of the virus, including damage to the lungs and other organs.
In responding to the lawsuits, employers have said they took steps to combat the virus, including screening workers for signs of illness, requiring they wear masks, social distancing, sanitizing workspaces and limiting the number of customers inside stores. Some point out that it is impossible to know where or how their workers contracted the virus. But COVID-19 has been a game-changer and employers who rely on misinformation or the political passions of the moment will be penalized as they are required to make their best efforts to obtain public-health advice that is contemporaneous and appropriate for their location, and to make reasonable assessments of conditions in their workplace based on this information.
In the meantime, with or without a vaccine, employers should take every precaution to avoid workers compensation liability. Learn how.
Read more from the original source:
Waiting for the coronavirus vaccine: Employers on the front line - NJ Spotlight
CDC Director Robert Redfield testified at a Senate panel on coronavirus and gave his opinion on face masks, but then President Trump contradicted him. USA TODAY
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed controversial guidance on coronavirus testingFriday, nowrecommending that people who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 should get tested, even if they're not symptomatic.
If you have been in close contact withan infected person and do not have symptoms, "you need a test," the CDC said in an updateto its website Friday.
"Due to the significance of asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission, this guidance further reinforces the need to test asymptomatic persons, including close contacts of a person with documented SARS-CoV-2 infection," the CDC says.
The recommendation departs from guidance the agency issued at the end of August, which said that someone who was in close contact (within 6 feet) of an infected person for at least 15 minutes but doesnt have symptoms does not "necessarily need a test."
Vaccine update: Data, data and more data will make a coronavirus vaccine safe, USA TODAY's vaccine panel says
Infectious disease experts were confused and troubled by the change, as people who are not showing symptoms can still have and spread COVID-19.
"Our work on the 'silent'spread underscored the importance of testing people who have been exposed to COVID-19 regardless of symptoms," Alison Galvani, director for the Center for Infectious Disease Modeling and Analysis at Yale School of Medicine, said on Twitter at the time. "This change in policy will kill."
The CDC estimatesthat 40% of infections are asymptomatic and 50% of transmissions occur before symptoms appear. Experts worry that failing to test asymptomatic carriers could not only result in more infections but also hinder contact tracing efforts.
The New York Times reported Thursday that the controversial guidance was not written by CDC scientists and was posted to the agencys website "despite their serious objections," according to internal documents and several people familiar with the matter.
Dr. ThomasFile Jr., president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, cheered the update Friday.
"The return to a science-based approach to testing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is good news for public health and for our united fight against this pandemic. We urge officials to support the work of controlling this pandemic by following medical guidance of experts in the field," he said in a statement.
Galvani said the move Friday was "a step in the right direction."
"In order to control the pandemic, it is imperative that contact tracing is conducted and that exposed individuals be tested irrespective of symptoms. The goal should be that this process is implemented fast enough that cases are identified before they become symptomatic," she said. "People are highly infectious during the presymptomatic phase and catching people during that phase is key to interrupting transmission."
Contributing:Adrianna Rodriguez and Karen Weintraub
Autoplay
Show Thumbnails
Show Captions
Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/09/18/covid-testing-cdc-reverses-guidelines-asymptomatic-spread/5827365002/
More here:
