Dr. Stuart Weiss: COVID-19 Update Thursday 5-November-2020
By Dr. Stuart Weiss
Rapid Test Center of New York
Dr. Stuart Weiss, FACEP, FAAP, CBCP
Nov 5, 2020
CoViD-19 News and Information you can trust. Welcome new members from the Rapid Test Center.
Topics: Anti-CoViD Nasal Spray, Prolonged viral shedding in cancer patient, Criminal charges for coronavirus spread in nursing home, Some people do not mount a good antibody response
Election Day #3, Tonight, I’ll be joining some friends as we virtually sip a small amount of single malt whiskey. Lagavulin.
| Anti-CoViD-19 Nasal Spray Today, the New York Times reports on a small study released by an international team of scientists looking at a protective nasal spray against SARS-CoV-2. Its an interesting concept that has been worked on by scientists from Columbia and Cornell in the US, Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands and University of Campania in Italy. Its an interesting concept and if it works, it could provide at least some protection against the virus. After spraying into the nose, the spray attaches itself to cells in the nose and lungs and lasts 24 hours. It was tested in ferrets and has not yet been tried in humans. Here’s how it works. The spray contains a cholesterol particle linked to a chain of amino acids. This is called a lipopeptide. This lipopeptide exactly matches a stretch of amino acids in the spike protein which the SARS-COV-2 virus uses to attach to lung cells. The New York Times article tells the rest of the story: “Before a virus can inject its RNA into a cell, the spike must effectively unzip, exposing two chains of amino acids, in order to fuse to the cell wall. As the spike zips back up to complete the process, the lipopeptide in the spray inserts itself, latching on to one of the spike’s amino acid chains and preventing the virus from attaching. “It is like you are zipping a zipper but you put another zipper inside, so the two sides cannot meet,” said Matteo Porotto, a microbiologist at Columbia University and one of the paper’s authors.” So it would protect you from getting infected even if you were exposed to the virus. We will have to follow this to see when it is ready to be tested in humans. Prolonged Viral Shedding in Cancer Patient CIDRAP News and Perspective reports on a case report in the journal Cell that details a prolonged infection in a 71 year old woman with leukemia. In the case report they detail the 105 day infection with a 71 day period of live viral shedding. While most people shed live virus between 5-20 days, this may represent a longer time period in immunocompromised patients like those with cancer. Criminal Charges in Covid-19 Nursing Home outbreak In the US’s first criminal case linked to the outbreak of CoViD-19 in a nursing home, two former administrators of a Massachusetts nursing home where 76 veterans died of SARS-CoV-2 infection were arraigned on criminal neglect charges today. Attorneys general in other states are watching the Massachusetts case. This case stems from the administrators decision to consolidate two dementia wards into one which allowed the virus to spread rapidly through the nursing home. Workers at the facility described the conditions as total pandemonium and a nightmare as the wards were combined. Proving criminal negligence in the case will require demonstrating that the administrators ignored clear warnings that consolidating the wards would put the patients at risk, said Brandon K. Essig, a lawyer who has defended nursing homes in malpractice cases. “It was done at a time when a lot of the science and risk related to the coronavirus was not settled,” he said. If the defense can establish a reasonable basis for consolidating the wards, he said, “it’s going to be hard to convict them beyond a reasonable doubt.” Study find 6.3% of infected lack antibodies after infection In a study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases on Wednesday, it was reported that 6.3% of the 2547 people who had antibody blood tests after a CoViD-19 infection did not have any antibodies. Repeat CoViD-19 infections within several months of an infection are rare suggesting that other mechanisms besides antibodies may be involved in that short term immunity. Stay safe and try to remember to protect yourself and your families, especially as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches. Be well, Dr. Stu Weiss |
| COVID-19 HEADLINES FOR TODAY |
| Coronavirus update for November 5, 2020 World Wide Updates Italy hits two new Covid-19 records as situation worsens As England begins its second lockdown, Boris Johnson says there’s “light at the end of the tunnel” WHO says coronavirus can be beaten — but prepare for the next pandemic now Norway announces new coronavirus restrictions on bars, restaurants and social gatherings Paris to ban overnight food delivery and alcohol sales as crisis deepens in France UK extends government assistance for businesses until March 2021 amid second lockdown Austria reports a daily record for Covid-19 cases after entering second lockdown this week Covid-19 has dangerous knock-on effects for other African health services, says WHO South Korea will ban the storage of facial images from Covid-19 thermal cameras Greece will enter a three-week national lockdown starting on Saturday after the country saw almost 10,000 new coronavirus cases in just five days Poland sets another daily record for coronavirus infections, with 27,143 new infections in one day and 367 deaths Germany has reported 19,990 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours Czech Republic reports 15,729 new coronavirus infections, the country’s highest single-day increase in cases since the pandemic began China will ban travelers from Belgium, India, the Philippines and the UK in response to Covid-19 Police chief warns public not to break rules as England enters new lockdown New Delhi is experiencing a third wave of Covid-19 infections South Korean province announces new restrictions as Covid-19 cases rise China’s Xinjiang province reports 10 new cases in latest cluster Australia secures 50 million more doses of Covid-19 vaccine, totaling 134 million South Korea approves single test which can detect both Covid-19 and seasonal flu Londoners swarm pubs for one last, pre-lockdown drink ‘to enjoy a bit of freedom before it’s over for months’ Denmark plans to cull its entire mink population in bid to curb spread of mutated COVID-19 UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab self-isolating Colombia’s lower house abruptly ended its session on Thursday and asked lawmakers to quarantine after a member tested positive for Covid-19 Total Cases Worldwide: 48,945,324Total Deaths Worldwide: 1,237,924Total Recovered: 34,920,602 US Updates Pfizer opts out of US government distribution of Covid-19 vaccine Five highest single-day coronavirus case totals in the US occurred in the past week In Colorado, restaurants are now limited to 25% capacity indoors, or no more than 50 people total per room. Places of worship are capped at 25% capacity or 50 people, and retail stores are now limited to 25% capacity. Speaker Pelosi moves to expand COVID testing on Capitol Hill People who tested positive for Covid-19 were more likely to report going to a workplace, rather than teleworking, study says Pennsylvania records record number of cases, as infections tick up across the US NYC mayor says virus rates remain a concern Michigan orders residents to wear masks in any gathering of two or more people at places such as stores, offices and schools, says the state’s health department Miami-Dade County, Florida; El Paso County, Texas; and Pueblo, Colorado are now under nightly curfews Connecticut will limit restaurants to 50% capacity, says Gov. Ned Lamont Illinois now under “resurgence mitigations” (all indoor restaurant and bar service is banned, and all meetings, gatherings or social events are limited to 25% capacity or a total of 25 guests) after test positivity rates soared in all regions of the state Another 751,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week amid the pandemic NFL’s Texans say player tested positive for Covid-19, prompting team facility to close The time is now to develop a testing strategy for asymptomatic Covid-19 cases, CDC director says Pandemic restrictions could make for a lighter flu season US records more than 100,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day for the first time New Jersey releases more than 2,200 inmates under public health crisis sentencing law Leukemia patient with asymptomatic COVID-19 shed coronavirus for 70 days, study says Two new COVID clusters emerge on Staten Island in New York State Rolls-Royce, wounded by pandemic, moves to axe 1,370 jobs Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, an outspoken Trump supporter, wishes president ‘had a more happy relationship with masks’ Ninth US service member killed by COVID-19 Total US cases: 9,891,198 Total US deaths: 240,672 Total Recovered: 6,327,259 Total Tested in US: 150,969,797 Total cases in TX: 988,325 Total deaths in TX: 18,904 Total cases in CA: 955,021 Total deaths in CA: 17,829 Total cases in FL: 827,380 Total deaths in FL: 16,964 Total cases in NY: 555,514 Total deaths in NY: 33,763 |
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