Category: Corona Virus Vaccine

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As Covid-19 cases continue to increase in developing countries, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has donated $150 million to the worlds largest vaccine manufacturer, Serum Institute of India, to provide up to 100 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to poorer nations priced at less than $3 a dose.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has donated $350 million to fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

Gates and his foundation have been the subject of multiple coronavirus-related conspiracy theories including that they intend to use a vaccine to implant tracking devices in billions of people that he and his foundation have denied.

Coronavirus has been spreading rapidly in developing and middle-income countries, including Brazil, India, South Africa, Mexico, Peru, Chile and Colombia, and epidemiologists think their cases numbers are underreported.

The foundation has now given a total of $350 million to speed up the development of treatments, vaccines and public health measures to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The $150 million donation was made through Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, an organization that negotiates and finances vaccines for low-income and middle-income countries.

The money will allow Serum Institute of India to begin manufacturing vaccines from its partners, biopharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca and Novavax, so they will be readily available if they are approved, the institute said in a statement.

Gavi is co-leading COVAX, an initiative with the World Health Organization and the Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovations that aims to deliver 2 billion doses of approved Covid-19 vaccines by the end of 2021.

Too many times weve seen the most vulnerable countries left at the back of the queue when it comes to new treatments, new diagnostics and new vaccines, Gavi CEO Dr. Seth Berkley said in a statement. With COVID-19 vaccines we want things to be different. If only the wealthiest countries in the world are protected, then international trade, commerce and society as a whole will continue to be hit hard as the pandemic continues to rage across the globe. This new collaboration is an important step in our efforts to prevent this from happening, helping to ensure we have additional manufacturing capacity to begin producing doses for every country, not just the wealthy few.

Researchers around the world are developing more than 165 vaccines against the coronavirus, according to a New York Times report, and 28 vaccines are in human trials. Although vaccines normally require years of research and testing before approval, scientists hope to produce a safe and effective vaccine by 2021. The Chinese company CanSino Biologics developed a vaccine that the Chinese military approved on June 25 for a year as a specially needed drug. Serum Institute of India has partnered with AstraZeneca and Novavax. UK-based AstraZeneca has promised to provide more than 2 billion doses of its vaccine worldwide, including 1 billion doses for low-income and middle-income countries, and has already agreed to sell it to the U.S. and Europe if the vaccine developed by University of Oxford researchers is approved. U.S.-based Novavax received $1.6 billion from the federal government to fund late-stage development of its experimental vaccine and announced positive results in its first preliminary trial in humans Tuesday.

Gates has advocated for pandemic preparedness for years and gave a TED talk in 2015 that warned of the death toll a worldwide pandemic could create.

28%. That is how many U.S. adults believed a debunked conspiracy theory suggesting Gates planned to use a potential vaccine for Covid-19 to implant microchips in billions of people to monitor their movements, according to a May Yahoo News/YouGov survey.

Up to 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to be made available for low- and middle-income countries as early as 2021 (Press Statement)

Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker (New York Times)

Serum Institute ties up with Bill Gates Foundation, Gavi to speed up Covid-19 vaccine manufacture process (Hindustan Times)

Bill Gates denies conspiracy theories that say he wants to use coronavirus vaccines to implant tracking devices (CNBC)

Novavax Stock Jumps 8.5% After Positive Early Results For Its Coronavirus Vaccine (Forbes)

Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus

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Gates Foundation Donates $150 Million To Distribute Covid-19 Vaccine To Developing Nations As They Struggle With Accelerating Pandemic - Forbes

The treatment being developed by the Infectious Disease Research Insitute aims to help hospitalized COVID-19 patients before they need a ventilator.

SEATTLE A Seattle nonprofit says early results are positive on a clinical trial for immunotherapy on COVID patients.

Dr. Corey Casper is the CEO of the Infectious Disease Research Institute, which started the trial earlier this year, and says the initial results are "promising."

"The goal is to administer this immune therapy to patients who are not yet needing that intensive support, but are in the hospital and prevent them from having to go on the ventilator. So the main outcomes we're looking at are how quickly they get over their COVID-19 disease, whether we can prevent them from needing this intensive care," said Casper on Thursday, who is also a clinical professor of global health at the University of Washington.

He's also been keeping a close eye on the COVID vaccine trials occuring around the country, and the globe, and say he's more positive today than just a few months ago.

"There are 172 vaccines that are being developed as of right now, probably more we don't even know about. But we think that adding these immune stimulants will be critical," Casper said. "But to my eye, when I look at those early phase results, what I see is that those vaccines allow for immune responses that are about equal to people who have recovered from COVID. Generally when we make a vaccine we'd like to see responses that are much better than people who recovered from the disease."

He says that could mean a vaccine may involve multiple doses.

"I think that there are probably a number of different vaccines that could work, and many of them may require repeat doses of that vaccine," Casper said.

He remains hopeful that there could be a solution by the first quarter of next year, but even so, it will take even longer for broader access.

"We've taken a lot of shots on goal, we've had a lot of misses," he said, "But you know, I'm a big fan of soccer. And, you know, it's like the penalty kick. So you kick a lot of balls in and you know, the goalie blocks a lot of them out, but you just need a couple of good ones to win the game."

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Seattle researchers 'excited' by initial results of COVID-19 immunotherapy trial - KING5.com

More hospitalizations and more cases of COVID-19 continue be the story in Southwest Virginia. There were 58 new cases today in the West Piedmont Health District, including nine hospitalizations (seven of those in Martinsville and one each in Henry and Patrick counties). The Virginia Department of Health announced this morning that the COVID-19 data numbers contain a significant increase because of a data backlog from earlier in the week. There were 2,015 new cases reported -- more than double the latest daily trend -- although only 18 new deaths. VDH said those figures include information that should have been reported on Wednesday and Thursday of this week as well as the regular numbers for Friday. Henry County reported 30 cases on Friday, Martinsville 17. Patrick County had eight and Franklin County had five. Patrick County School Board is having an emergency meeting this morning after a fourth member of the schools "community" tested positive. There are two other key effects we explore: high unemployment in Martinsville (although slightly declined in Henry and Patrick counties) and the ways churches are collecting without passing the plate at services. Meanwhile, a 7-year-old died in Georgia even as President Trump continues to say kids aren't affected by the virus. Talks about a new stimulus bill appear to be breaking down as the White House and Congressional representatives say they are far apart on structure.The Virginia Department of Health reportsthis morning there have been 97,882 cases and 2,317 deaths statewide. Some 8,281 people have been hospitalized. Henry County has had 573 cases, with 64 hospitalizations and 7 deaths. Martinsville has had 196 cases, with 34 hospitalizations and 3 deaths. Patrick County has had 134 cases including 29 hospitalizations and 4 deaths. Franklin County has had 168 cases, 7 hospitalizations and 1 death. Danville has reported 386 cases, and Pittsylvania County has had 418.Johns Hopkins University's real-time mapshowed 19,135,088 cases worldwide and 715,681 deaths. In the U.S. there are 4,884,985. There have been160,115 deaths in the U.S.

(190) updates to this series since Updated 8 hrs ago

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Martinsville-region COVID-19/coronavirus daily update from state, nation and world: Aug. 7 - Martinsville Bulletin

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWines office said Thursday night that the governor tested negative for Covid-19, following an announcement earlier in the day that he had tested positive ahead of a scheduled meeting with President Trump in Cleveland.

The new finding came after a second round of testing Thursday afternoon. A more sensitive test looking for the genetic material of the virus that causes Covid-19 was administered to Mr. DeWine, his wife, Fran DeWine, and staff members. All tested negative, and the tests were run twice, the...

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Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Tests Negative for Covid-19 in Second Evaluation - The Wall Street Journal

Coronavirus concept. Note COVID-19, Protective medical mask and pill capsules for treatment coronavirus. Novel corona virus outbreak. Epidemic from Wuhan, China. Coronavirus drugs on wooden table.

By Annette Newell

They believe that Oregons losing ground to the pandemic. Now, the states unions, doctors and nurses have created a new group, called the Oregon Public Health Coalition.

Theyre demanding more masking, more testing, and more locally produced personal protective equipment.

The groups organizer is Portland pediatrician Dr. Lisa Reynolds. She says Oregons made progress fighting COVID-19, but is losing ground. Although we are instituting some good measures in trying to stop the spread of COVID, what were doing thus far has not been sufficient, she says.

She points to positive test rates climbing back up in Oregon, to levels they were at before the stay home orders in March, saying Im not calling for another shut down, but it seems that the gains we made then have been slipping.

She says fortunately masks work to help stop the spread of the virus, but doesnt see enough people wearing them.

Were still seeing outbreaks in food processing plants, in the Oregon Employment Division, so I think masking should be in all workplaces that are indoors.

The group want to see more, enforced, workplace requirements to wear masks.

We are so lucky that masking works to slow the spread of COVID. And I believe that part of our rise in numbers is that we arent really seeing the masking thats currently called for by the Governor, says Reynolds.

Another area that needs improvement, is testing for COVID-19. We have a heck of a time getting tests for our patients, Dr. Reynolds says.

So shes organized the coalition of health care and workers groups. She says they include, Front line workers in grocery stores and hospitals, in the employment division for example and farm workers as well. So it seems like a natural group to bring together.

The group wants the state to make sure theres more locally made personal protective equipment, or P.P.E.

Oregons an innovative state. Were really calling for locally produced, locally sourced, locally made P.P.E., so that we can be self sufficient,Reynolds said.

Dr. Reynolds is a candidate for an Oregon House seat in November.

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Oregon Public Health Coalition Forms to Fight COVID-19 - 750 KXL

As our state deals with the spread of covid-19 in the midst of a global outbreak, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette will publish five things you need to know each week. Well be publishing these round-ups in English, Spanish and Marshallese. You can read our full coverage at nwaonline.com/coronavirus/. Coronavirus coverage pertaining to crucial public health information will be available for all readers.

Arkansas has confirmed 47,028 total cases of covid-19 since the pandemic began, according to data posted in the morning, Aug. 7. State health officials also have reported 515 total deaths and 39,555 recoveries.

State health officials on Aug. 6 encouraged Arkansans to get their flu vaccinations in order to avoid the possibility of getting the flu and covid-19 at the same time and to keep from overwhelming hospitals. Flu vaccinations will be available through the Arkansas Department of Health at drive-through locations and schools next month.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Aug. 5 that K-12 schools would be required to have in-person instruction five days per week. This meant districts like Fayetteville and North Little Rock that had planned on split schedules or fewer days on-campus for students had to change plans.

High school football teams began practicing with helmets Aug. 3. Hutchinson said July 31 that sports teams including football, volleyball and cheerleading, would be allowed to play in the fall.

A report from the White House coronavirus task force, dated Aug. 2, listed Arkansas as having 37 counties that are in the "red zone" based on their number of new cases the previous week and the percentage of tests that were positive. That was up from 32 counties. Hutchinson urged Arkansans to keep wearing masks and stay six feet apart from people outside their households when possible.

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 7: Five things to know about covid-19 in Arkansas - Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

The Friday game is the Cardinals' eighth consecutive postponed game.

The postponed series means 10 consecutive games for the Cardinals, and there is no indication at all when they'll next play.

The Cubs-Cardinals game on Sunday was set to be the ESPN showcase.

Due to seven postponed games, the Cardinals were about to start a stretch of 55 games in 52 days. This postponement makes their schedule entirely uncertain.

Players converged on Busch Stadium from either traveling with the team from Milwuakee or joining the team out of the alternate-site camp in Springfield, Mo. The Cardinals added four players from the alternate-site camp Wednesday to the workouts. All of them had previously undergone regular testing and received negative tests before traveling to join the big-league roster.

On Friday, Major League Baseball and the players' union released the updated information on the ongoing testing of players and staff during the regular season. The leagues call this "monitoring testing."

There have been 13,043 test samples collected in the past week, and of that group 13 have tested positive. That includes seven players and six staff members. The Cardinals are the majority of those positive tests.

On four of the last seven days MLB has not had a new positive, and the Cardinals had three consecutive days of that.

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Renewed concern grips Cardinals as another player tests positive for COVID-19; series vs. Cubs postponed - STLtoday.com

"Leptin regulates the immune cell number as well as its function," Dr. Rebello said.

NEW ORLEANS Doctors have been telling us that, along with diabetes and high blood pressure, obesity is putting our population at risk for getting very sick and even dying from COVID-19.

Well now, two Louisiana doctors are the first to uncover that potential link with obesity.

You may remember the British prime minister talking about losing weight after COVID-19.

"When I went into ICU when I was, I was very, I was way overweight. Im only about 5 foot 10, the outside, and I was too fat," said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

First some background. The hormone leptin tells your brain to lower your appetite. Its the shut-off valve for hunger. The more fat cells you have, the more leptin you have in your body. But heres the catch, doctors know that in people with obesity, the hormone leptin may not be working right.

"So the fat cells are releasing or secreting leptin. The brain is not getting the message to lower appetite," explained Dr. Candida Rebello, who works in pharmacology-based clinical trials at LSU Pennington Biomedical Research center.

And now Dr. Rebello and her colleague Dr. John Kirwan, of LSU Pennington Biomedical Research Center, are the first to make the connection in what may be the reason that high amounts of leptin in people with obesity is causing serious, even fatal COVID-19 reactions. And its because leptin has another job.

"Leptin regulates the immune cell number as well as its function," Dr. Rebello said.

So if your leptin is out of wack, so is your weight and your immune system, which is needed to fight all infections. Thats why obesity puts you at serious risk of death even with the flu. And just like we have medicines to lower blood pressure, Dr. Rebello is now looking for a treatment to lower leptin.

"At this time the only way that can, that leptin levels can be reduced is through weight loss. Bariatric surgery has shown to reduce leptin levels. So my thing is prevention. Even if you are overweight, or you have obesity, at this time its never too late to take steps to reduce that," Dr.Rebello said.

She also wants to make sure that a coronavirus vaccine is tested and works in people with obesity.

"Obesity is a disease like any other disease, like diabetes and like hypertension," Dr. Rebello said. "Obesity is a disease."

The doctors have not yet looked at the connection with obesity and COVID-19 in children. But they say that pregnant women make more leptin and remind us that the CDC says expectant mothers are at higher risk for coronavirus complications.

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Doctors may have found the link between severe COVID-19 cases and obesity - WWLTV.com

KENNEWICK Benton-Franklin Health District announced today that beginning Tuesday, COVID-19 testing at the Toyota Center in Kennewick and the HAPO Center in Pasco hours are changing.

Toyota Center, Kennewick 7am 12pm

Hapo Center, Pasco 7am 1pm

The testing sitesare open Tuesdays through Saturdays. No medical orders are required and the testing is free to all. Participants should bring an insurance card if they have one. No one will be denied testing if they dont have insurance. Testing continues to be done on a first-come, first-served basis.

The sites are open to anyone who believes they should be tested; people with COVID-19 symptoms as well as anyone who has been exposed to the virus are urged to get tested.

Test results will be received by telephone in three to seven days. Negative test results are sent by text message; those with positive tests will receive a telephone call. Written results will also be mailed and received within 10 days.

The drive-through community testing is a joint effort by Benton-Franklin Health District, Washington State Department of Health (DOH), Benton County Emergency Management, Franklin County Emergency Management, and the Washington National Guard.

Originally posted here:

Benton-Franklin Drive Through COVID-19 testing new hours beginning tuesday - NBC Right Now

Of all frightening ways that the SARS-COV-2 virus affects the body, one of the more insidious is the effect of COVID-19 on the brain.

It is now clear that many patients suffering from COVID-19 exhibit neurological symptoms, fromloss of smell, to delirium, to an increased risk of stroke. There are also longer-lasting consequences for the brain, includingmyalgic encephalomyelitis /chronic fatigue syndromeandGuillain-Barre syndrome.

These effects may be caused by direct viral infection ofbrain tissue. But growing evidence suggestsadditional indirect actionstriggered via the viruss infection of epithelial cells and the cardiovascular system, or through the immune system and inflammation, contribute to lasting neurological changes after COVID-19.

I am a neuroscientistspecializing in how memories are formed, the role of immune cells in the brain andhow memory is persistently disruptedafter illness and immune activation. As I survey the emerging scientific literature, my question is: Will there be a COVID-19-related wave of memory deficits, cognitive decline and dementia cases in the future?

Many of the symptoms we attribute to an infection are really due to the protective responses of the immune system. A runny nose during a cold is not a direct effect of the virus, but a result of the immune systems response to the cold virus. This is also true when it comes to feeling sick.The general malaise, tiredness, fever and social withdrawalare caused by activation of specialized immune cells in the brain, called neuroimmune cells, and signals in the brain.

These changes in brain and behavior, although annoying for our everyday lives, are highly adaptive and immensely beneficial. By resting, you allow the energy-demanding immune response to do its thing. A fever makes the body less hospitable to viruses and increases the efficiency of the immune system. Social withdrawal may help decrease spread of the virus.

In addition to changing behavior and regulating physiological responses during illness, the specialized immune system in the brain also plays a number of other roles. It has recently become clear that theneuroimmune cells that sit at the connectionsbetween brain cells (synapses), whichprovide energyandminute quantities of inflammatory signals, are essential for normal memory formation.

Unfortunately, this also provides a way in which illnesses like COVID-19 can cause both acute neurological symptoms andlong-lasting issues in the brain.

During illness and inflammation, the specialized immune cells in the brain become activated, spewing vast quantities of inflammatory signals, and modifying how they communicate with neurons.For one type of cell, microglia,this means changing shape, withdrawing the spindly arms and becoming blobby, mobile cells that envelop potential pathogens or cell debris in their path. But, in doing so, they also destroy andeat the neuronal connections that are so important for memory storage.

Another type of neuroimmune cellcalled an astrocyte, typically wraps around the connectionbetween neurons during illness-evoked activation and dumps inflammatory signals on these junctions, effectively preventing the changes in connections between neurons that store memories.

Because COVID-19 involves amassive release of inflammatory signals, the impact of this disease on memory is particularly interesting to me. That is because there are both short-term effects on cognition (delirium), and the potential for long-lasting changes in memory, attention and cognition. There is also anincreased risk for cognitive decline and dementia,including Alzheimers disease, during aging.

If activation of neuroimmune cells is limited to the duration of the illness, then how can inflammation cause long-lasting memory deficits or increase the risk of cognitive decline?

Both the brain and the immune system have specifically evolved to change as a consequence of experience, in order to neutralize danger and maximize survival. In the brain, changes in connections between neurons allows us to store memories and rapidly change behavior to escape threat, or seek food or social opportunities. The immune system has evolved to fine-tune the inflammatory response and antibody production against previously encountered pathogens.

Yet long-lasting changes in the brain after illness are also closely linked to increased risk for age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimers disease. The disruptive and destructive actions of neuroimmune cells and inflammatory signaling can permanently impair memory. This can occur throughpermanent damage to the neuronal connections or neurons themselvesand also via moresubtle changes in how neurons function.

The potential connection between COVID-19 and persistent effects on memory are based on observations of other illnesses. For example, many patients who recover fromheart attack or bypass surgeryreport lastingcognitive deficits that become exaggerated during aging.

Another major illness with a similar cognitive complications issepsis multi-organ dysfunction triggered by inflammation. In animal models of these diseases, we also see impairments of memory, and changes in neuroimmune and neuronal function that persist weeks and months after illness.

Evenmild inflammation,including chronic stress, are now recognized as risk factors for dementias and cognitive decline during aging.

In my own laboratory, I and my colleagues have also observed that even without bacterial or viral infection, triggering inflammatory signaling over a short-term period results inlong-lasting changes in neuronal function in memory-related brain regionsandmemory impairments.

It will be many years before we know whether the COVID-19 infection causes an increased risk for cognitive decline or Alzheimers disease. But this risk may be decreased or mitigated through prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

Prevention and treatment both rely on the ability to decrease the severity and duration of illness and inflammation. Intriguingly, very new research suggests that common vaccines, including theflu shot and pneumonia vaccines, may reduce risk for Alzheimers.

Additionally, several emerging treatments for COVID-19 are drugs thatsuppress excessive immune activationand inflammatory state. Potentially, these treatments will also reduce the impact of inflammation on the brain, and decrease the impact on long-term brain health.

COVID-19 will continue to impact health and well-being long after the pandemic is over. As such, it will be critical to continue to assess the effects of COVID-19 illness in vulnerability to later cognitive decline and dementias.

In doing so, researchers will likely gain critical new insight into the role of inflammation across the life-span in age-related cognitive decline. This will aid in the development of more effective strategies for prevention and treatment of these debilitating illnesses.

Natalie C. Tronson is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan.

This article was published originally on The Conversation. Read the original here.

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How COVID-19 Might Increase Risk of Memory Loss and Cognitive Decline - Discover Magazine