Category: Covid-19

The floor of theNewYorkStockExchange(NYSE) is seen after the close of trading inNewYork, U.S., March 18, 2020. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

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NEW YORK, Nov 26 (Reuters) - COVID-19 has resurfaced as a worry for investors and a potential driver of big market moves after a new variant triggered alarm, long after the threat had receded in Wall Street's eyes.

Worries about a new strain of the virus, named Omicron and classified by the World Health Organization as a variant of concern, slammed markets worldwide and dealt the S&P 500 index its biggest one-day percentage loss in nine months. The moves came a day after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday when thin volume likely exacerbated the moves.

With little known about the new variant, longer term implications for U.S. assets were unclear. At least, investors said signs that the new strain is spreading and questions over its resistance to vaccines could weigh on the so-called reopening trade that has lifted markets at various times this year.

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The new strain may also complicate the outlook for how aggressively the Federal Reserve normalizes monetary policy to fight inflation.

"Markets were celebrating the end of the pandemic. Slam. It isn't over," said David Kotok, chairman and chief investment officer at Cumberland Advisors. "All policy issues, meaning monetary policy, business trajectories, GDP growth estimates, leisure and hospitality recovery, the list goes on, are on hold."

The S&P 500 fell by a third as pandemic fears mushroomed in early 2020, but has more than doubled in value since then, though the pandemic's ebb and flow has driven sometimes-violent rotations in the types of stocks investors favor. The index is up more than 22% this year.

Before Friday, broader vaccine availability and advances in treatments made markets potentially less sensitive to COVID-19. The virus had dropped to a distant fifth in a list of so-called "tail risks" to the market in a recent survey of fund managers by BofA Global Research, with inflation and central bank hikes taking the top spots.

On Friday, however, technology and growth stocks that had prospered during last year's so-called stay-at-home trade soared, including Zoom Communications (ZM.O), Netflix Inc (NFLX.O) and Peloton (PTON.O).

At the same time, stocks that had rallied this year on bets of economic reopening may suffer if virus fears grow. Energy, financials and other economically sensitive stocks tumbled on Friday, as did those of many travel-related companies such as airlines and hotels.

The new Omicron coronavirus variant spread further around the world on Sunday, with 13 cases found in the Netherlands and two each in Denmark and Australia, even as more countries tried to seal themselves off by imposing travel restrictions.

First discovered in South Africa, the new variant has now also been detected in Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Botswana, Israel, Australia and Hong Kong. read more

Friday's swings also sent the Cboe Volatility Index (.VIX), known as Wall Street's fear gauge, soaring and options investors scrambling to hedge their portfolios against further market swings. read more

Andrew Thrasher, portfolio manager for The Financial Enhancement Group, had been concerned that recent gains in a handful of technology stocks with large weightings in the S&P 500, including Apple Inc (AAPL.O), Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O), Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), were masking weakness in the broader market.

"This set the kindling for sellers to push markets lower and the latest COVID news appears to have stoked that bearish flame," he said.

Some investors said the latest COVID-19 related weakness could be a chance to buy stocks at comparatively lower levels, expecting the market to continue rapidly recovering from dips, a pattern that has marked its march to record highs this year.

"We've had numerous days when economic optimism collapses. Each of these optimism collapses were a good buying opportunity," wrote Bill Smead, founder of Smead Capital Management, in a note to investors. Among the stocks he recommended were Occidental Petroleum (OXY.N) and Macerich Co (MAC.N), down 7.2% and 5.2% respectively on Friday.

One of several wild cards is whether virus-driven economic uncertainty will slow the Federal Reserve's plans to normalize monetary policy, just as it has started unwinding its $120 billion a month bond buying program.

Futures on the U.S. federal funds rate, which track short-term interest rate expectations, on Friday showed investors rolling back their view of a sooner-than-expected rate increase.

Investors will be watching Fed Chair Jerome Powell and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's appearance before Congress to discuss the government's COVID response on Nov. 30 as well as U.S. employment numbers, due out next Friday.

Investors held out hope that markets could stabilize. Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at Cresset Capital Management, said moves may have been exaggerated by lack of liquidity on Friday, with many participants out for the Thanksgiving holiday.

"My first reaction is anything we are going to see today is overdone," Ablin said.

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Reporting by Saqib Iqbal Ahmed; Additional reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak, Megan Davies and Lewis Krauskopf; Writing by Ira Iosebashvili; Editing by Megan Davies, Richard Chang and Alexander Smith

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Wall St Week Ahead COVID-19 fears reappear as a threat to market - Reuters

Cases of COVID-19 among children are increasing far faster than all other age groups in Maine, creating concerns among pediatricians that children are spreading the virus to older and more at-risk residents while facing risks to their own health, as well.

Over the last month, Maines overall seven-day case average has increased by 49 percent, from 463 on average in late October to 688 cases on average this week, according to data from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Among individuals under the age of 20, however, the increase has been 83 percent during that time, more than 100 cases per day on average.

The larger increase among children makes sense given that they also have the lowest rates of vaccination. Children between the ages of 5 and 11 have only been eligible to get vaccine for a few weeks and those under the age of 5 are still not eligible. By comparison, Mainers with the highest rate of vaccination 60-79-year-olds have seen cases increase by about 19 percent in the last month.

Children and young adults do sometimes become seriously ill from the disease, although the chances are lower than among older age groups. Even if they dont become ill, children can play a major role in keeping the virus transmission line going and can sometimes do so unknowingly because they are not exhibiting symptoms.

Its the same with influenza. Kids are major transmitters, said Dr. Dora Anne Mills, chief health improvement officer for MaineHealth, the state largest health care network. Even if they dont die or get sick, they are carriers, and often silent carriers.

The longer the virus is able to spread, the greater chance other variants might develop, too. Some could be worse than the highly contagious delta variant that is dominating right now, and some could even prove vaccine-resistant. The Associated Press reported last week that estimates by the COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub, a collection of university and medical research organizations, suggest vaccines could make a big difference.

The hubs latest estimates show that for November through March 12, 2022, vaccinating a high percentage of 5- to 11-year-olds could avert about 430,000 COVID cases in the overall U.S. population if no new variant arose.

Dr. Gretchen Pianka, a pediatrician with Central Maine Pediatrics, said some of the recent surge in transmission among the young is likely a function of fatigue. Parents have been making decisions constantly for the last year and a half about how best to keep their kids safe, but schools are fully open now and extracurricular activities are far more prevalent than a year ago.

Families are relaxed, she said. They think, I have a healthy child and they should do fine, and it can be hard to expand that lens.

Pianka said its true children have been at lower risk of serious illness, but shes seen young patients get super sick.

And we still dont have a sense of the long-term effects, she said.

The trend of increasing transmission among children is happening across the country, too. The American Academy of Pediatrics this week released a report that showed, as of last week, pediatric cases of COVID-19 have increased by 32 percent from two weeks earlier. It was the 15th consecutive week that cases among Americans 18 or younger have been above 100,000.

At least some of the virus spread has been happening in schools and extracurricular activities in Maine. During the last school year, many communities took measures to limit the number of children in a classroom and mask mandates were near-universal. Now, fewer measures are in place, although many schools still do require masks.

Over the last 30 days, 5,181 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in public schools and 200 schools have seen an outbreak, which means at least three cases are linked epidemiologically.

According to U.S. Census data, there are approximately 280,000 Maine residents under the age of 20. Thats about 21 percent of the population. Since the pandemic began, there have been 26,524 cases in that age group, or 22.5 percent of all cases. But that number has been rising steadily recently. Younger people make up a higher percentage of cases than ever before.

The Maine CDC also has recorded 76 hospitalizations among those under 25, which is as specific as the agency breaks down COVID-19 patients by age. Maine has not had any pediatric COVID-19 deaths, but nationwide, at least 731 deaths from COVID-19 have occurred in individuals ages 18 or younger, according to the U.S. CDC.

Dr. Mills said past studies have shown that with infectious diseases, especially when vaccines are scarce, its prudent to vaccinate children first because they are the biggest spreaders. That hasnt happened with COVID-19 because it took many months for federal officials to authorize vaccines for children.

The vaccine has only been approved for 5- to 11-year-olds since the beginning of the month. Those between the age of 12 and 15 have been eligible since mid-May.

The rate of vaccination among 12- to 19-year-olds in Maine is 62.6 percent, or about 5 percentage points lower than the states overall rate. Among 5- to 11-year-olds, 26 percent have gotten first doses thus far. Vaccines havent been in use long enough to help slow the spread among that age group.

But as has been the case throughout the states vaccination effort, people are far less likely to get vaccinated in rural, inland Maine counties. For example, 77 percent of all Cumberland County residents age 12 through 19 are fully vaccinated, but just 43 percent of Franklin County residents in that age group are.

Among 5- to 11-year-olds, 45 percent in Cumberland County have gotten a first dose, while just 8 percent of elementary school age children in Somerset County have.

Pianka said she still hears from parents who have concerns about vaccinating their children. She said she listens to those concerns and, if needed, dispels any misinformation.

I tell them it does one thing and one thing only, she said. It sends a message to cells that says Make antibodies to protect against this virus. Thats all it does.

One example of a concern, she said, is risk of myocarditis, an inflammation of heart muscles. Early studies of the vaccines showed a small number of cases of this condition.

But Pianka said subsequent studies have shown that the risk of myocarditis is 10 times greater for those who contract COVID-19 than the general population, and the risk for those who have been vaccinated is actually lower than the risk level for the general population at the moment.

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Children and teens lead surge in COVID-19 cases - Press Herald

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Syracuse University students have been returning to campus from outside Syracuse after Thanksgiving break. On Nov. 19, before the break, SU reported 20 active COVID-19 cases. The Daily Orange asked students how they feel about COVID-19 safety while returning to campus.

Some students said they are hoping that their peers continue to be conscious about wearing their masks. Sam Kogan, a freshman in the Newhouse School of Public Communications, said wearing a mask is still a necessary precaution.

Just because its almost Christmas time doesnt mean we get to relax. COVID is still a big issue in our country We got to stay strong and well eventually get over it, Kogan said.

Sophia Clinton, a sophomore in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, said she is disappointed in the way that the university has been testing for COVID-19.

I feel like it doesnt really represent the study body very well, Clinton said. In general, I think weve been doing better (with COVID-19), but I think this could be because we dont have all the numbers (from mandatory weekly testing).

A university spokesperson said in an email statement to The D.O. that beginning Monday, the university will take actions to prepare and react to better ensure a safe return to campus. These actions include remaining at the RED level, which will continue SUs requirement to wear a mask indoors and outdoors while in the presence of others.

The spokesperson also said the university plans to increase the percentage of the campus population who is selected for random testing. The university said it hopes this measure will give them better insight into infection level so it can best respond, if necessary.

The university spokesperson said SU will also enhance wastewater testing, encourage community members to get a booster shot and prepare to expand testing center hours and capacity if early data suggests a more aggressive community testing protocol is warranted.

Pratik Parihar, a first-year masters student in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, also said now is not the time to relax. He said since getting the vaccine, people have begun to take COVID-19 protocols lightly in public settings.

People are taking this for granted, Parihar said.

A new coronavirus variant, omicron, was first identified in South Africa and is now causing concern all around the world. Scientists are trying to figure out how contagious this variant is and if it will impact vaccine efficacy. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency ahead of this potential spike of the omicron variant.

Parihar said he is especially cautious of COVID-19 because of the new variant.

With the new variants popping up, mask policy has to stay, he said.

Azmery Afnan, a first-year Ph.D. student at SUNY-ESF, said that variants should play a factor in mask-wearing policy. He said as variants begin to spread on a regular basis, wearing masks will help keep everybody safe.

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Christina Kaden, a freshman in Newhouse, said she wants students to be considerate of the variant. With the new variant, its (made COVID-19) a lot more stressful. But Im hopeful that things should be better, if not the same, prior to (Thanksgiving) break.

With the large number of flu cases at SU, averaging 40-50 cases per day, some students are worried the university, specifically the Barnes Center at The Arch, is only focusing on COVID-19 and brushing other illnesses under the rug. Sophia Darsch, a sophomore in Newhouse and Maxwell, said the Barnes Center only cares if a student has COVID-19.

Theyve laxed the regulations a lot. But then again, health-wise, COVID is the only thing that they care about, Darsch said.

Molly Gross, a senior in Falk College, said although she feels safe, she thinks it would have been a good idea for the university to test all students for COVID-19 before returning back to campus after Thanksgiving break. However, she said she knows this is a big ask considering the university is no longer doing weekly COVID-19 testing.

Some SU students feel as though the university has done a good job handling COVID-19 on campus. Isabelle Lewis, a sophomore in ECS, said she believes the university is taking necessary precautions.

(Compared to my friends schools), Syracuse has done a really good job with mandating masks and making sure everyone is following the rules, Lewis said.

Ainsley Maclachlan, a sophomore in Falk College, said although traveling over Thanksgiving break could increase the risk of getting COVID-19, she is not too concerned and feels safe with the low COVID-19 numbers on campus.

Aidan Headrick, a junior in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, said he hasnt thought about COVID-19 since returning back to school from break.

In all honesty, I am so focused on just finals and school and stuff that I havent thought about it (COVID-19 worries) at all.

Published on November 29, 2021 at 12:45 am

Contact Kyle: [emailprotected] | @Kyle_Chouinard

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SU to expand size of COVID-19 randomized testing groups - The Daily Orange

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of November 29, 2021, there are currently 5,991 active COVID-19 cases statewide. There have been 20 deaths reported since the last report, with a total of 4,837 deaths attributed to COVID-19.

DHHR has confirmed the deaths of a 60-year old female from Raleigh County, a 48-year old male from Nicholas County, a 69-year old male from Kanawha County, a 69-year old male from Preston County, a 53-year old female from Taylor County, a 55-year old male from Kanawha County, a 74-year old female from Fayette County, a 63-year old male from Greenbrier County, a 64-year old male from Lincoln County, a 72-year old male from Raleigh County, a 49-year old female from Kanawha County, a 64-year old male from Berkeley County, a 54-year old female from Jefferson County, a 97-year old female from Kanawha County, a 75-year old male from Logan County, an 88-year old female from Randolph County, a 68-year old male from Raleigh County, a 95-year old male from Kanawha County, a 60-year old female from Jefferson County, and an 89-year old female from Preston County.

"The COVID-19 vaccine is life-saving and available to all West Virginians ages five and older," said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary. "Please make the decision to be vaccinated."

CURRENT ACTIVE CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (51), Berkeley (526), Boone (84), Braxton (41), Brooke (76), Cabell (253), Calhoun (27), Clay (21), Doddridge (28), Fayette (196), Gilmer (12), Grant (56), Greenbrier (72), Hampshire (84), Hancock (101), Hardy (61), Harrison (263), Jackson (66), Jefferson (236), Kanawha (399), Lewis (92), Lincoln (59), Logan (89), Marion (180), Marshall (117), Mason (86), McDowell (81), Mercer (287), Mineral (96), Mingo (101), Monongalia (177), Monroe (37), Morgan (88), Nicholas (162), Ohio (174), Pendleton (39), Pleasants (18), Pocahontas (23), Preston (115), Putnam (181), Raleigh (263), Randolph (48), Ritchie (18), Roane (37), Summers (34), Taylor (78), Tucker (6), Tyler (34), Upshur (84), Wayne (90), Webster (60), Wetzel (57), Wirt (26), Wood (258), Wyoming (43). To find the cumulative cases per county, please visit http://www.coronavirus.wv.gov and look on the Cumulative Summary tab which is sortable by county.

Delays may be experienced with the reporting of information from the local health department to DHHR. As case surveillance continues at the local health department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certain county may not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individual in question may have crossed the state border to be tested. Please visit http://www.coronavirus.wv.gov for more detailed information.

West Virginians ages 5 years and older are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. Boosters are also available. To learn more about the vaccine, or to find a vaccine site near you, visit vaccinate.wv.gov or call 1-833-734-0965.

Online registration is open for the third round of the Do it for Babydog: Save a life, Change your life vaccination sweepstakes. Registration is open to all West Virginians ages 5-18 who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Please visit https://doitforbabydog.wv.gov/ to register and for more information.

Free pop-up COVID-19 testing is available today in Barbour, Berkeley, Boone, Braxton, Cabell, Fayette, Greenbrier, Hampshire, Jefferson, Lincoln, Logan, Mineral, Mingo, Monongalia, Monroe, Morgan, Ohio, Putnam, Raleigh, Randolph, Ritchie, Summers, Taylor, Tyler/Wetzel, Upshur, Wayne, and Wood counties.

Barbour County

8:30 AM - 3:30 PM, Community Market, 107 South Main Street (across the street from Walgreens), Philippi, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVBBC)

1:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Junior Volunteer Fire Department, 331 Row Avenue, Junior WV (optional pre-registration: https://unityphr.com/campaigns/wvlabs/covid)

Berkeley County

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, 891 Auto Parts Place, Martinsburg, WV (optional pre-registration: https://unityphr.com/campaigns/wvlabs/covid)

Boone County

10:00 AM - 3:00 PM, Boone County Health Department, 213 Kenmore Drive, Danville, WV (optional pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

Braxton County

7:30 AM - 1:30 PM, Braxton County Memorial Hospital parking lot, 100 Hoylman Drive, Gassaway, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=Braxton)

Cabell County

8:00 AM- 4:00 PM, Marshall University Campus (parking lot), 1801 6th Avenue, Huntington, WV (optional pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Cabell-Huntington Health Department (parking lot), 703 Seventh Avenue, Huntington, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=MavCabell)

Fayette County

10:00 AM - 2:00 PM, Fayette County Health Department, 5495 Maple Lane, Fayetteville, WV

Greenbrier County

9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, State Fair of WV, 891 Maplewood Avenue, Lewisburg, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVGBC)

Hampshire County

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Hampshire Memorial Hospital, 363 Sunrise Boulevard, Romney, WV (optional pre-registration: https://unityphr.com/campaigns/wvlabs/covid)

Jefferson County

10:00 AM - 6:00 PM, Hollywood Casino, 750 Hollywood Drive, Charles Town, WV (optional pre-registration: https://unityphr.com/campaigns/wvlabs/covid)

Lincoln County

9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, Lincoln County Health Department, 8008 Court Avenue, Hamlin, WV (optional pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

Logan County

12:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Old 84 Lumber Building, 100 Recovery Road, Peach Creek, WV (optional pre-registration: https://unityphr.com/campaigns/wvlabs/covid)

Mineral County

10:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Potomac State College, Church McKee Art Center, 101 Fort Avenue, Keyser, WV

Mingo County

9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, Matewan Volunteer Fire Department, 306 McCoy Street, Matewan, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVMGC)

Monongalia County

8:00 AM - 12:00 PM, WVU Recreation Center (lower level), 2001 Rec Center Drive, Morgantown, WV

Monroe County

9:00 AM - 2:00 PM, Appalachian Christian Center, 2812 Seneca Trail South, Peterstown, WV (optional registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVMRC)

Morgan County

11:00 AM - 5:00 PM, War Memorial Hospital, 1 Health Way, Berkeley Springs, WV (optional pre-registration: https://unityphr.com/campaigns/wvlabs/covid)

Ohio County

9:00 AM - 3:30 PM, Ohio Valley Medical Center (parking lot of former VPC South Building at the top of 22nd Street), 2000 Eoff Street, Wheeling, WV (optional pre-registration: https://roxbylabs.dendisoftware.com/patient_registration/)

Putnam County

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Liberty Square Shopping Center, parking lot, 613 Putnam Village, Hurricane, WV (optional pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

Raleigh County

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Beckley-Raleigh County Health Department, 1602 Harper Road, Beckley, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=MavBeckleyRaleigh)

Randolph County

8:00 AM - 3:30 PM, parking lot across from Randolph-Elkins Health Department, 32 Randolph Avenue, Elkins, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVRDC)

10:00 AM - 3:00 PM, Davis Health Center, 812 Gorman Avenue, Elkins, WV (optional pre-registration: https://unityphr.com/campaigns/wvlabs/covid)

Ritchie County

1:00 PM - 4:00 PM, Ritchie Regional, 135 South Penn Avenue, Harrisville, WV

Summers County

10:00 AM - 3:00 PM, Kroger (parking lot beside Kroger), 302 Stokes Drive, Hinton, WV

Taylor County

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM, Grafton-Taylor County Health Department, 718 West Main Street (parking lot at Operations Trailer), Grafton, WV (optional pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

Tyler/Wetzel Counties

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Wetzel-Tyler County Health Department, 425 South Fourth Avenue, Paden City, WV (optional pre-registration: https://roxbylabs.dendisoftware.com/patient_registration/)

Upshur County

8:00 AM - 3:30 PM, Buckhannon Fire Department (parking lot), 22 South Florida Street, Buckhannon, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVUSC)

Wayne County

10:00 AM - 2:00 PM, Wayne County Health Department, 217 Kenova, Avenue, Wayne, WV (optional pre-registration: https://unityphr.com/campaigns/wvlabs/covid)

Wood County

7:30 AM - 3:00 PM, Vienna Baptist Church, 3401 Grand Central Avenue, Vienna, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVMavWood1)

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COVID-19 Daily Update 11-29-2021 - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

Swiss citizens will vote tomorrow on whether to eliminate some COVID-19 restrictions including the neutral nations controversial COVID certificate, according to reports.

The certificate restricts many public places to those who can provide proof of vaccination, a recent negative test, or recovery from a past infection, according to the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation.

It has been the subject of protests especially since the Swiss government stopped providing free COVID-19 tests. Critics have alleged its effectively a vaccine passport.

Sundays referendum is the second time COVID controls in the country will be put to voters. In a summer referendum, 60 percent backed the governments COVID law, according to the SBC.

Turnout is expected to be higher for this weekends vote.

A poll by Swiss broadcaster SRG found the COVID-19 law was expected to survive again, with 61 percent of likely voters in favor, 38 percent opposed, and one percent undecided, according to Bloomberg.

Fewer than 65 percent of Swiss are fully-vaccinated a lower percentage than in most of Western Europe, the outlet reported.

Excerpt from:

Swiss to vote on ending COVID-19 restrictions - New York Post

Scientists are sharing insight into how vitamin D could help in severe COVID-19 cases by revealing how the vitamin functions to reduce hyper-inflammation caused by immune cells.

A new joint study by Purdue University and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) demonstrates how an active metabolite of vitamin D not a form sold OTC is involved in switching off inflammation in the body during infections such as COVID-19.

Since inflammation in severe cases of COVID-19 is a key reason for morbidity and mortality, we decided to take a closer look at lung cells from COVID-19 patients, said lead authors Dr. Behdad (Ben) Afzali, chief of the Immunoregulation Section of the NIHs National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and Dr. Majid Kazemian, assistant professor of biochemistry and computer science at Purdue University.

The study appears in the journal Nature Immunology.

As part of the study, researchers analyzed individual lung cells from eight people with COVID-19.

They found that in these cells, part of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 the virus that causes COVID-19 was going into overdrive and exacerbating inflammation in the lungs.

After administering vitamin D in test-tube experiments, they observed reduced lung cell inflammation.

They then dove further into how the vitamin achieved this.

They did this by turning to T helper cells also known as CD4+ cells which are a type of immune cell that stimulate the killer T cells and other white blood cells to mount an immune response.

T cells are known to play a role in severe and dangerous cases of COVID-19 by going into overdrive and leading to an often fatal phenomenon known as a cytokine storm.

The scientists found that in normal infections, Th1 cells, which are a subset of helper T cells that fights microbes within the cell, go through a pro-inflammatory phase. During this phase, the body clears the infection.

Shortly after, the system shuts down to move onto the anti-inflammatory phase.

The scientists discovered that vitamin D is key in speeding up this transition.

We found that in healthy T cells, the activation of the inflammatory gene program coincided with the activation of a vitamin D system within these cells. We, therefore, investigated how this vitamin D system works and what it does for healthy T cells before we tried to relate it back to COVID-19, Dr. Afzali and Dr. Kazemian told Medical News Today.

Whereas in COVID-19 infections, the scientists saw that the pro-inflammatory phase of Th1 cells did not switch off. They attributed this to either a vitamin D deficiency or an abnormality in the cells response to vitamin D.

As expected, by studying which genes were switched on in the immune cells from the lungs of eight patients, we found that their cells were in an inflammatory state, said the co-authors.

Dr. Afzali and Dr. Kazemian said they were somewhat surprised to identify the intracellular vitamin D system.

[T]raditionally vitamin D has been thought of as depending on the kidneys to activate it before it becomes functional. We found that T cells had a self-contained system to both fully activate and respond to vitamin D, independently of the kidneys, they said.

The researchers hypothesized that adding a highly concentrated intravenous vitamin D metabolite to existing treatments could further help people recover from COVID-19. But they have not yet tested this theory in clinical trials.

Previous studies establish links between vitamin Ds ability to reduce the inflammation caused by T cells and the severity of COVID-19.

But the authors stress that people should not take these results as a treatment recommendation, and much more work is needed.

[I]ts crucially important to note that this study did not test vitamin D treatment in people but analyzed lung cells from eight people who had severe COVID-19, said Dr. Afzali and Dr. Kazemian.

The results, although interesting, should not be taken to indicate that vitamin D is beneficial for either the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 or that its a substitute for other preventive and effective means of COVID-19 prevention, including vaccines, masks, and social distancing.

Dr. Ben Afzali and Dr. Majid Kazemian

Dr. Donald J. Alcendor, associate professor of pathology, microbiology, and immunology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, said the study offered clues to a possible mechanism that will need validation on a larger scale.

There is widespread belief among the general public that taking megadoses of vitamin D can protect you prior to or following testing positive for COVID-19. The science supporting these claims is still evolving and will require a large-scale control clinical trial going forward. Even more, the mechanism for how vitamin D affects COVID-19 is still unknown, he said.

Dr. Alcendor said that even though vitamin D is known to have immune-modulatory functions, it does not justify its use as a protective measure against COVID-19 infection, especially if one ignores COVID-19 mitigation practices.

He warned that attempting to take higher doses of fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin D could be problematic for some people.

A normal diet with a daily generic multivitamin will provide you with the necessary vitamin D needed, he said.

The study suggests that vitamin D could be a therapeutic option for COVID-19 thanks to its role in hyper-inflammation.

This study reveals a potentially unique role that vitamin D plays in the activation of T-cell functions that regulate inflammation in COVID-19, and understanding these regulatory pathways may provide information that will lead to the development of novel therapies for the treatment of acute COVID-19, said Dr. Alcendor.

This key finding could lead to the development of novel therapies for multiple respiratory viruses. The potential for this study could be groundbreaking.

Dr. Donald Alcendor

Dr. Kazemian and Dr. Afzali maintain that we will have to wait for clinical trials for results.

There are a number of clinical trials actively studying the potential of vitamin D as an adjunct therapy for the treatment of COVID-19. When these studies have reported in, we will have a much better idea of the therapeutic role that vitamin D could play in inflammation caused by COVID-19, they said.

However, Dr. Alcendor said future research would need to answer a slew of questions:

[I]s this mechanism specific to COVID-19, or is it true for other respiratory infections? If this study was performed with specimens from influenza patients, would you get a similar result? Could this key finding provide information that would lead to novel therapies for multiple respiratory viruses?

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COVID-19: Vitamin D may be able to 'switch off' lung inflammation - Medical News Today

Farah Hannoun| MMA Junkie

Diego Sanchez's struggle with COVID-19 has left him hospitalized.

Sanchez, a UFC Hall of Famer, posted an update last week, saying that he was doing better after qualifying for Regeneron monoclonal antibodies.

But since then, it appears that things have taken a turn for the worse, leaving him with low oxygen levels, blood clots in both legs and pneumonia that has attacked his respiratory system.

"Low oxygen numbers and a pneumonia. This has been some tying times," he posted on social media.

Despite experiencing severe symptoms from COVID-19, Sanchez said he hasn't taken his vaccination shots yet.

"I'm going thru it but I can't say I'm sold on the vax at the current moment in time," he tweeted.

Sanchez, who parted ways with the UFC in April, is currently a free agent. In August, Bare Knuckle FC president David Feldman told MMA Junkie that a deal to sign Sanchez was almost finalized but not until he was medically cleared to compete.

Sanchez's departure from the UFC came after a dispute between his then-manager, Joshua Fabia, and the promotion's brass over Sanchez's medicals. Sanchez later separated from Fabia as his manager and business partner.

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'This has been some trying times:' Diego Sanchez in hospital with serious case of COVID-19 - USA TODAY

Merck & Co. and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP said a final analysis of their experimental Covid-19 pill found the drug less effective than an early look, prompting U.S. health regulators to continue a staff review of the drugs application days before an outside panel meets.

The Food and Drug Administration made public Friday their initial review of the drugs application, including an analysis of clinical-trial data for the drug, molnupiravir. Agency staff said the drug was effective at reducing the risk of hospitalization and death, but they didnt take a position on whether the agency should authorize the drug. The agency also said no major safety concerns turned up in late-stage testing.

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Mercks Covid-19 Pill Was 30% Effective in Final Analysis, Company Says - The Wall Street Journal

Investors piled into government bonds and quickly recalibrated their expectations for interest-rate increases in response to the new Covid-19 variant first identified in South Africa.

The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note dropped to 1.484% Friday, according to Tradeweb, from 1.644% at Wednesdays close. That marks the largest trading-session decline since March 2020, at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Yields fall as bond prices rise.

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Covid-19 Variant Upends Investor Bets on Rate Increases - The Wall Street Journal

As the U.S. prepares for a potential winter coronavirus surge, many states are proving how safety is a priority by keeping cases down and taking continued precautions to help prevent spreading the virus. But others haven't done such a great job at keeping the pandemic under control. WalletHub did a recent survey that ranks the safest states and the District of Columbia. According to the site, "In order to identify the safest states during the COVID-19 pandemic, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across five key metrics: 1) Vaccination Rate, 2) Positive Testing Rate, 3) Hospitalization Rate, 4) Death Rate, and 5) Transmission Rate Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the safest conditions." Read below to find out the 7 least safest states according to WalletHub. Read onand to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had COVID.

Ohio ranked 45 out of 51 for safest states in the WalletHub survey and is experiencing a rise in cases and deaths. Cleveland.com reports, "COVID-19 activity is 'exceptionally high' in Northwest Ohio, which has the highest case rate per 100,000 residents in the state, coming in at 742.4 cases per 100,000 residents, Ohio Department of Health director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said in a press briefing. "The lowest region by comparison, is southwest Ohio at 401.9 cases per 100,000 residents." Vanderhoff added, "While you can still see the cases are high in all of Ohio's counties, it's clear that a higher vaccination rate is correlated with a lower case rate. Simply put, it's a further demonstration of the protective impact of vaccination."

North Dakota ranked 46 out of 51 for safest states in the WalletHub survey and can't shake the Delta variant. The Dickinson Press reports "The delta wave, which started in North Dakota this summer, peaked at 4,604 active cases on Oct. 6 and since has generally edged down along a zig-zagging trend line. Active cases were as high as 3,904 on Nov. 10 but fell to 2,841 as of Sunday, Nov. 21, according to figures from the North Dakota Department of Health." But officials are worried about a holiday surge. Dr. Avish Nagpal, the chief infectious disease specialist at Sanford Health in Fargo said, "Holidays always bring an unpredictable factor with them. We may see cases go up again.

RELATED: If You Feel This, You May Have COVID Now

Idaho ranked 47 out of 51 for safest states in the WalletHub survey. There's a decline in cases in some counties in Idaho, but there's still too many Covid cases in other areas. Big County News reports, Dave Jeppesen, Idaho Department of Health & Welfare director told local press, "Cases have even begun declining in North Idaho, but every county in that region remains above the 25 per 100,000 incidence rate, and test positivity up there remains above 10%. "The hospitals are still stretched." In addition, Jeppesen said, "What we see is that the vast, vast majority of deaths come from those that are unvaccinated. If somebody gets vaccinated, the likelihood of catching COVID goes dramatically down, and then even if that person still catches COVID," in what's called a "breakthrough" case, their likelihood of dying is "four times or five times lessThe vaccines actually are very effective at preventing death."

According to WalletHub, "Note: *No. 1 = Safest **Idaho provides vaccine data only for vaccine recipients who are 18 years and older, in line with state laws. COVID-19 vaccination administration data is unavailable for the Vaccinations in the US and Vaccinations by County pages for the population aged less than 18 years. Since no individuals under 18 from Idaho are included in the vaccination totals, CDC is working to subtract Census figures for the Idaho population under the age of 18 from the total US and ID population denominators and from the US and ID populations denominators for people aged 12 years and older."

RELATED: This Makes You 14X More Likely to Die of COVID, Says CDC

Kentucky ranked 48 out of 51 for safest states in the WalletHub survey and the state has a 6.56 percent positivity rate according to the Lexington Herald Leader. The local outlet reports, "For the last three days have been the highest for each day in four weeks 2,048 with 42 deaths on Saturday, 1,018 with 15 deaths on Sunday and 822 with 44 new deaths on Monday." Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear addressed the situation, "Saying "this pandemic isn't done with us," and that "COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the state are "not just creeping up, they are moving up."

RELATED: Over 60? Stop Doing This ASAP, Say Experts

West Virginia ranked 49 out of 51 for safest states in the WalletHub survey and the state is seeing an increase in cases. Metro News reports officials are worried about a surge in cases this winter. "We're headed into another upward trend, but this time will be different in that we have a much more infectious variant. And we're already starting out with hospitalizations above 500," said Jim Hoyer, who leads West Virginia's interagency task force. Governor Jim Justice acknowledged the issue in a recent briefing and said, "Surely we can't put up with this. Surely we can't sit back and say this is the new normalThe only thing we can do is just keep encouraging people to get vaccinated." In addition, he said "more and more people are going to die," when admitting the state has hit a "plateau" with Covid cases.

RELATED: Major Signs You May Have Dementia, According to Experts

Montana ranked 50 out of 51 for safest states in the WalletHub survey and is seeing new cases daily. The number of hospitalizations due to COVID is currently 258, which is down from 262 earlier this week, but there were 497 new COVID cases reported in Montana on Wednesday, November 24, 2021 bringing the total of active cases in the state to 5,665 according to the Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services.

RELATED: The #1 Cause of Excess Visceral Fat, Says Science

Wyoming ranks last in for safest states in the WalletHub survey and a Jackson Hole outlet reveals how alarming the situation is. "Looking at the last surge and the delta variant surge, the curves are nearly identical," Park County Health Officer Dr. Aaron Billin told the News&Guide. "They're the same height, they're the same slope, the same breadth. But I think there's been a definite change in the public's attitude towards this." COVID is so rampant in Wyoming, that's is quickly becoming one of the leading causes of death in the state. The Jackson Hole News&Guide reports, "Meanwhile, COVID is close to becoming the leading cause of death in Wyoming, surpassing heart disease and cancer. Since September 2020, 1,300 Wyoming residents have died from the virus. That's one out of every 460 residents." Billin told the outlet, "Unfortunately, people are no longer taking the steps to protect the vulnerable, if they ever were. People are just tired and over it."

RELATED: I'm a Doctor and Warn You Know This Before Taking Vitamins

Follow the public health fundamentals and help end this pandemic, no matter where you liveget vaccinated ASAP; if you live in an area with low vaccination rates, wear an N95 face mask, don't travel, social distance, avoid large crowds, don't go indoors with people you're not sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene, and to protect your life and the lives of others, don't visit any of these 35 Places You're Most Likely to Catch COVID.

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7 "Least Safe States" During COVID-19, Says New Study Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That