Dr. Stuart Weiss: COVID-19 Update Thursday 16-July-2020
By Dr. Stuart Weiss, Intelligent Crowd Solutions
Dr. Stuart Weiss, FACEP, FAAP, CBCP
July 16, 2020
Today’s topics: Vaccine developments, What is Georgia’s Governor thinking?If you want to subscribe to the newsletter, click the Subscribe Button below
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| Vaccine Development We received some interesting vaccine news this week that I want to talk about today. The first vaccine is the mRNA-1273 vaccine developed by NIH’s Vaccine Research Center in partnership with Moderna. The initial results on 45 healthy test subjects ages 18-55 showed that the vaccine was safe from serious side effects and produced protective antibodies. This is preliminary results from a small phase 1 trial. So how does this vaccine work. The vaccine is made of a small non-infectious bit of messenger RNA (mRNA). mRNA is genetic material that directs cells to create proteins. When the vaccine is injected into muscle, it tells the muscle cells to create SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, You may remember that spike protein is what SARS-CoV-2 uses to attach to cells and infect them. Once your own muscle cells make spike protein, it triggers an immune response and creates antibodies. You only make spike protein and not the rest of the virus so it does not cause an infection. Each healthy volunteer received two shots spaced about 1 month apart. There were three different doses used during the trial. The good news is that there were no serious adverse reactions. More than half the volunteers did report fatigue, headache, chills, muscle aches or pain at the injection site. These volunteers will be followed an entire year to see what the long term effects are. Phase 2 trials with 600 volunteers and then phase 3 trials with 30,000 volunteers will begin soon. The other piece of good news comes from England. Although study results have not officially been released, news has leaked out that the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine candidate is producing both antibodies and killer T-cells. This is a good thing because even though antibodies may diminish after a relatively short time, killer T-cells generally remain active for years and can provide long lasting protection. Killer t-cells are a type of immune cells that seek out and recognize infected cells that are producing virus and kills them. This is an important part of stopping an viral infection on your body. We will have to wait for the release of the full trial data to know how well this vaccine works. What is Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia thinking? Today, Governor Kemp issues an executive order that forbade local officials from enacting mandatory face covering rules. It actually rolled back face covering requirements in big cities like Atlanta at a time when cases of CoviD-19 are rising significantly in Georgia. What is he thinking? Great Op-Ed piece in the Daily Beast by our friend Irwin Redlener from Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness. Its sobering to read where we could be heading if we don’t change course. Find the article here: https://www.thedailybeast.com/america-is-on-track-for-a-million-coronavirus-cases-a-day-and-at-least-800000-deaths-by-the-end-of-2020 Be well and take care of yourself. We have some rough times ahead of us if we don’t change course. –Dr. Stu |
COVID-19 HEADLINES FOR TODAY
| Coronavirus update for July 16, 2020 World Wide Updates Spain records highest number of new Covid-19 cases since May 10 Argentina’s Covid-19 death toll surpasses 2,000 Tokyo hits highest number of daily infections with 286 confirmed coronavirus cases Africa should expect more Covid-19 cases as lockdowns ease in some countries, WHO says Russian cyber attackers are targeting Covid-19 research centers, UK security officials say France makes wearing masks mandatory for people in indoor public spaces Hong Kong records over 60 locally transmitted cases England cricketer Jofra Archer dropped from Test match after breaching bio-secure protocols South Africa records more than 300,000 cases. But the country’s death toll remains low Spain honors Covid-19 victims with state ceremony China reports only one new confirmed case in the past 24 hours A hospital owner in Bangladesh allegedly scammed patients out of $350,000 using fake Covid-19 tests India reports highest daily jump in new cases so far Two more cases confirmed at US military base in Okinawa, Japan Hong Kong’s third wave of cases linked to relaxed restrictions, as experts identify virus mutation Australia’s Victoria state registers its worst day since the pandemic began Latin America and the Caribbean top 3.5 million Covid-19 cases and more than 150,000 deaths Mexico reports more than 550 new Covid-19 deaths Brazil nears 2 million Covid-19 cases Some restrictions will be relaxed in this locked down UK city Israeli government considering full lockdown at weekend Total Cases Worldwide: 13,846,671Total Deaths Worldwide: 589,794Total Recovered: 8,240,135 US Updates US stocks open higher Coronavirus hospital data removed from CDC website following Trump plan to reroute information Most Covid-19 patients surveyed had either a fever, cough, or shortness of breath, new CDC study finds San Antonio and Bexar Counties, in Texas, are bringing in refrigerated trucks as morgues reach capacity New York state helps set up Covid-19 testing sites in Houston Florida reports new single-day record of Covid-19 deaths Target stores will require customers to wear face masks starting next month Miami Dolphins will have no fans during preseason games CVS will require customers wear face coverings starting next week Atlanta mayor’s office says masks are still required after governor suspends local mask mandates Miami’s hospitals are at 95% capacity due to Covid-19 pandemic, mayor says Trump and Dr. Fauci spoke yesterday after more than a month of silence Tulsa mayor signs face mask ordinance More than 100 scientists call for Covid-19 vaccine “human challenge trials” Bank of America’s profit plunges 52% as it braces for virus-related bad loans US Health Department directs CDC to add hospital data back to its website Another 1.3 million Americans filed first-time unemployment claims last week At least 39 US states are reporting increasing coronavirus cases Some horse racing canceled in San Diego after 15 jockeys test positive for Covid-19 California doesn’t have enough contact tracers to handle onslaught of coronavirus cases Arizona will bring in nearly 600 nurses from out of state to help with the outbreak American Airlines to warn 25,000 workers of potential furloughs Nearly 60% of Ohio will be required to wear masks starting tomorrow Colorado mandates masks in public indoor spaces New Jersey governor unveils plan to help students with distance learning this fall Publix will require customers to wear face coverings Arkansas will require face coverings in public California reports 118 new coronavirus-related deaths Database reveals 72 NFL players have tested positive for Covid-19 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference suspends fall sports season due to Covid-19 pandemic Georgia governor bans making face masks mandatory amid coronavirus pandemic High schools nationwide ask athletes to sign coronavirus waivers in case they die Total US cases: 3,665,108 Total US deaths: 140,760 Total Recovered: 1,663,649 Total Tested in US: 42,521,027 Total cases in NY: 430,923 Total deaths in NY: 32,512 New York City cases: 219,900+ New York City deaths: 23,300+ Total cases in CA: 356,178 Total deaths in CA: 7,374 Total cases in FL: 315,775 Total deaths in FL: 4,677 Contact us |
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