Dr. Stuart Weiss: COVID-19 Update Monday 9-September-2020
Dr. Stuart Weiss, FACEP, FAAP, CBCP
September 8, 2020
AstraZeneca Halts vaccine trial
Reported in the New York Times and STAT News
Astrazeneca, one of three companies in the US in late stage phase three trials has paused its global trials of its AZD1222 CoViD-19 vaccine because of a serious and unexpected adverse reaction in a British volunteer.
The vaccine trial’s halt will allow the company to conduct a safety review of a condition called transverse myelitis which is an inflammatory condition affecting the spinal cord. In large scale trials, these unusual reactions sometimes occur and must be investigated. This is the reason that phase three large scale trials are important. It helps to bring out rare and unusual effects of a vaccine. It is also possible that this person developed this condition independent of the trial so this must be fully investigated.
The Astrazeneca vaccine relies on a chimpanzee adenovirus that has been modified to carry SARS-CoV-2 genes into human cells. The chimp adenovirus is thought to be harmless in humans and the coronavirus components are thought to incite an immune response should a person come into contact with actual coronavirus in the future. However, sometimes Adenoviruses incite their own immune responses which can harm patients and this must be investigated.
The company is working to investigate this and hopes to avoid any impact on the trial timeline.
| COVID-19 HEADLINES |
| Coronavirus update for September 8, 2020 World Wide Updates AstraZeneca Pauses Vaccine Trial for Safety Review Some World Cup qualifying games moved to 2021 because of the pandemic Hong Kong to relax social distancing measures from Friday South Africa’s economy contracts 17% in Q2, as coronavirus hits Nine vaccine makers sign safety pledge in race for Covid-19 vaccine As UK coronavirus cases rise, “people have relaxed too much” officials warn Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine could be ready for approval by mid-October — but there are still “unknowns” Spain heads back to school, but the pandemic is exposing inequality Hong Kong in travel bubble talks with 11 countries across Europe and Asia Trickle of passengers as Delhi subway returns from coronavirus lockdown Mexico reports nearly 3,500 new Covid-19 cases New graphics from WHO illustrate dire pandemic conditions in Americas compared to rest of world Xi Jinping says China acted in a “transparent, and responsible manner” on Covid-19 France records more than 6,000 new cases Spain reports more than 3,00 cases in the past 24 hours Three migrant camps near Athens placed in quarantine as concerns mount over spread Tour de France director tests positive for COVID-19 India sees highest deaths in a month, lowest cases in a week China’s leaders staged a triumphant ceremony to celebrate beating the coronavirus on Tuesday Jordan has resumed regular international flights after being suspended for nearly six months due to pandemic, officials said EasyJet cutting flights following the government’s decision to impose quarantine restrictions for seven Greek islands Canada seeing an increase in people infected as schools across the country begin to reopen World Tennis women’s number one Ashleigh Barty of Australia announces she will not defend her French Open crown due to coronavirus fears The European Parliament cancels plans to hold a plenary session in Strasbourg next week India’s Taj Mahal is set to reopen on September 21 Total Cases Worldwide: 27,668,373 Total Deaths Worldwide: 899,610 Total Recovered: 19,732,911 US Updates More than half a million US children have been diagnosed with Covid-19 New York continues to have an infection rate under 1%, governor says Fauci says vaccine unlikely to be ready by Election Day House Democrat and consumer advocacy group call on Trump to let generic drug makers produce remdesivir Pelosi says GOP stimulus plan “insults the intelligence of the American people” Connecticut governor says his state struggled to obtain supplies during the early days of the pandemic 96% of NYC public school classrooms have passed ventilation inspection, mayor says Senate will vote Thursday on advancing GOP stimulus bill More than 37,000 Covid-19 cases have been reported at colleges and universities in all 50 states Vermont governor says testing and contact tracing will be key to keeping schools open People obeying stay-at-home orders in the spring was associated with drop in Covid-19 spread, study suggests Tuscaloosa mayor reopens bars despite University of Alabama case spike Inovio plans to start Phase 2/3 clinical trials of Covid-19 vaccine this month Hartford cyberattack that delayed back-to-school is one of the most significant in last 5 years, mayor says Pennsylvania restaurants can move to 50% indoor capacity later this month, governor says Texas governor extends Covid-19 disaster declaration First day of school postponed in Hartford, Connecticut, after ransomware virus TSA screened 36% of last year’s traffic over Labor Day weekend Trump’s net worth dips by 19.4% as coronavirus pandemic dings real estate Washington State women’s basketball coach busted for block party despite coronavirus shutdown Giant frat party at University of New Hampshire sparks coronavirus cluster University of Tennessee is having a “significant issue” with Covid-19 stemming from fraternities New York puts Ohio back on travel advisory list Doctors studying why obesity may be tied to serious COVID-19 Computer glitches disrupt classes as schools return online Total US cases: 6,503,671Total US deaths: 193,856Total Recovered: 3,779,728Total Tested in US: 83,450,642 Total cases in CA: 742,827 Total deaths in CA: 13,787 Total cases in TX: 668,787 Total deaths in TX: 13,819 Total cases in FL: 650,092 Total deaths in FL: 11,919 Total cases in NY: 472,980 Total deaths in NY: 33,100 Contact us |
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