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Remdesivir is just what the doctor ordered

Mohamed Abd Elnaser April 29, 2020

CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Wednesday grew more optimistic about America’s ability to safely resume business activity after hearing welcoming news about an antiviral’s potential to fight coronavirus from Gilead Sciences.

Preliminary results of a clinical trial studying the effects of remdesivir on Covid-19 returned positive data in helping patients recover from the contagion

“For the true skeptics, I know how hard it is to believe that such a seemingly insignificant clinical trial of some old off-the-shelf drug could have this kind of positive impact,” the “Mad Money” host said. “This drug makes a big difference, especially if you were worried about a second wave of infections after we reopened the economy

Stocks jumped on the news, carrying the Dow Jones Industrial Average 532 points, or 2.21%, higher, the S&P 500 2.66% higher and the Nasdaq Composite 3.57% higher

With some states authorizing nonessential businesses to gradually reopen and others preparing to reopen their economies in coming weeks, officials, investors and the general public have been concerned whether lifting quarantine orders will lead to a spike in new coronavirus infections. Most of the country has spent more than the past month under shelter-in-place orders intended to slow the spread of the deadly virus

Remdesivir, which has been found to be effective in treating SARS and MERS, two other diseases caused by coronaviruses, is seen as one probable solution to help severely ill Covid-19 patients recover from the virus more quickly

“Remdesivir is just what the doctor ordered,” Cramer said

Officials continue to call for increasing coronavirus testing capacities and for contact tracing as part of plans to safely resume business activity. Numerous drugmakers are also working on a Covid-19 vaccine, but a vaccination is not expected to be available for at least another year

The remdesivir trials drew praise from White House health advisor and respected immunologist Dr. Anthony Fauci who said it was “quite good news” and that the study showed a “clear-cut positive effect in diminishing time to recover

Fauci, the long-time director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, has warned on Tuesday that the U.S. “could be in for a bad fall” if an effective treatment was not found to mitigate a possible future outbreak later this year

The U.S. government has taken drastic measures to slow the spread of the deadly virus to prevent medical centers from becoming overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients. More than 1 million people have tested positive of the disease and more than 60,000 have died of coronavirus complications in the U.S. alone, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

“That’s why the market roared higher today, and make no mistake, this move was all about remdesivir,” Cramer said of Wednesday’s rally. “I can say that with confidence because we’re right in the middle of earnings season and Wall Street hasn’t exactly been thrilled with many of these reports

Remdesivir is just what the doctor ordered

Reviewed by Mohamed Abd Elnaser on April 29, 2020 Rating: 5

Unexplained extra deaths show coronavirus death toll is FAR higher than official global figures: Study of just 13 countries hit by Covid-19 shows glaring omission of 31,000 fatalities

Mohamed Abd Elnaser April 22, 2020

Analysis of death tolls in 13 countries and regions hit by coronavirus has revealed tens of thousands of unexplained deaths that could be linked to the pandemic but are not being counted in official totals.

Data reveals that some 88,000 more people died in the locations studied between March and April this year than in previous years - a figure known as 'excess mortality' - but that only around 56,250 of those deaths were included in the official coronavirus tolls.

The places analysed include: Spain, England and Wales, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, Lombardy, New York City, Istanbul and Jakarta.

That leaves some 31,750 deaths over seasonal averages that are not being included in the total, but may be directly or indirectly caused by the virus.

That figure will include patients who died outside hospital, were not tested for coronavirus when they died, or those who died from non-coronavirus conditions because they were unable to get treatment.

Experts have previously argued that excess deaths during disasters should be included in death tolls because it provides a more complete picture when systems that typically count deaths are overwhelmed - though others say the figures are not accurate.

The data below was collected from from 13 federal or regional authorities that have been reporting it and collated by both The Economist and The New York Times.

The New York Times identified 24,950 deaths in 11 locations that were not captured in the official coronavirus tolls, while The Economist found another 6,800 in two more locations - Lombardy and Austria.

For example, In New York City - America's hardest-hit city - authorities registered 17,200 more deaths between March 11 and April 18 than would have been expected during that time period based on previous years.

Only 13,240 coronavirus deaths were registered in the city during that period, meaning there were 3,960 deaths above the average that may be due to the virus but are not included in the official tally.

On average, the 13 places examined had an official total that was 40 per cent lower than the excess mortality figure, meaning if that trend were replicated globally, it would raise the total killed so far by coronavirus from the 178,000 figure reported Wednesday to almost 250,000.

The figures are provisional and are likely to change as more deaths are registered and a clearer picture begins to emerge. But here is what the data we currently have suggests about the true toll of coronavirus...

Unexplained extra deaths show coronavirus death toll is FAR higher than official global figures: Study of just 13 countries hit by Covid-19 shows glaring omission of 31,000 fatalities

Reviewed by Mohamed Abd Elnaser on April 22, 2020 Rating: 5

Britons 'will be made to wear facemasks WHENEVER we go to the shops, travel on public transport or go back to work' in new guidance to fight coronavirus

Mohamed Abd Elnaser April 22, 2020

Britons will soon be told to wear masks at work, in shops and on public transport in a new move to stop the spread of coronavirus, it was claimed today.

The Government's top scientific experts met on Tuesday to discuss the issue of masks and are expected to issue new guidance as soon as this weekend.

It will ask people to wear a face covering, which could be homemade or even just a scarf, whenever they are in a public space where they cannot observe social distancing measures, reports The Sun.

This will mean asking people to cover their nose and mouth when they go to the shops and travel on public transport, but won't apply to being in parks and quiet, residential streets.

The advice won't be compulsory or put into law, but could stop people carrying the virus who don't have any symptoms from passing it on.

Experts on all sides have repeatedly stressed that surgical facemasks should be reserved for frontline staff so NHS supplies are not compromised.

A Whitehall source told The Sun: 'No decision is going to be made which would take medical masks away from the NHS. Everybody is very clear on that.

'If you actually have symptoms you need to isolate, full stop. A cloth mask is not a replacement for staying at home and nobody should think otherwise.'

The next review of lockdown measures will take place on May 7, when Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty warned ministers face 'difficult trade offs'.

The new guidance may apply to those allowed to go back to work if measures are eased in the next few weeks, according to the newspaper

At yesterday's Downing Street press conference, Professor Whitty warned social distancing measures would likely be in place for the rest of 2020

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He said they cannot be lifted until either a vaccine for coronavirus or 'highly effective' drugs to treat the disease become available.

Professor Whitty did not specify whether the strict 'stay at home' policy which is currently in place would have to be in place for the remainder of the year.

Other experts have suggested that some of the strictest measures, including school closures, could be eased as long as there was not a spike in virus cases.

But Professor Whitty was very clear that the only real exit from the lockdown - to allow a full return to normal life - would involve a medical breakthrough

Britons 'will be made to wear facemasks WHENEVER we go to the shops, travel on public transport or go back to work' in new guidance to fight coronavirus

Reviewed by Mohamed Abd Elnaser on April 22, 2020 Rating: 5

Could the MMR vaccine help protect against coronavirus complications

Mohamed Abd Elnaser April 22, 2020

Could the MMR vaccine help protect against coronavirus complications? Cambridge University scientists say the jab could help because the infections 'share similar proteins'

Statistics show that people over the age of 65 are most likely to die of COVID-19

MMR vaccination began in the UK in the 1960s, meaning older people missed it

Scientists at Cambridge said coronavirus and rubella are 29 per cent the same

They found evidence of higher rubella immunity in recovered COVID patients

Suggest their findings mean 'a study is warranted' into a connection

Learn more about how to help people impacted by COVID

By SAM BLANCHARD SENIOR HEALTH REPORTER FOR MAILONLINE

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The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine could protect people from severe COVID-19, according to scientists.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge said the jab could protect people because the rubella virus has a similar structure to SARS-CoV-2.

They pointed out that middle-aged and older people are less likely to have had the jabs, which came out in the 1960s, and are also most at risk from the coronavirus.

And blood testing done in an NHS hospital found that patients who had severe COVID-19 appeared to have developed 'non-specific' immune responses which could also have protected them from rubella.

The team have no proof that the MMR vaccine has any impact on COVID-19 patients but said 'a study is warranted'.

Their research comes as the Government today announced the UK will start trials of its first coronavirus vaccine candidate later this week.

The UK is trying to develop a coronavirus vaccine but researchers say trying to muster up some level of protection using one that might already work could save time (stock image) +6

The UK is trying to develop a coronavirus vaccine but researchers say trying to muster up some level of protection using one that might already work could save time (stock image)

Writing in a paper published online without being checked by other scientists or journal editors, the Cambridge researchers said: 'We suggest that MMR will not prevent COVID-19 infection but could potentially reduce poor outcome.'

The researchers, led by Professor Robin Franklin and Dr Yorgo Modis, suggest that structural similarities between the coronavirus and rubella could be one way in which the vaccine is protective.

When they analysed the two viruses they found that they were 29 per cent identical and there are 'known similarities' between coronaviruses and paramyxoviruses, of which rubella is a type.

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UK TO START HUMAN VACCINE TRIALS THIS WEEK

A COVID-19 vaccine developed at the University of Oxford will be trialled on humans in the UK from Thursday this week.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock today said he was 'throwing everything at' Britain's attempt to develop the first vaccine in the world.

The Government will give the scientists an extra £20million to help with their trials, Mr Hancock said, and a further £22.5m to a project at Imperial College London.

The Oxford vaccine, known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 will be trialled on up to 510 people out of a group of 1,112 aged 18 to 55. It is recruiting volunteers in London, Bristol, Oxford and Southampton.

It is the first British-made vaccine to go into real-world trials and carries with it huge hopes that it will provide a key to getting out of lockdown and banishing COVID-19.

The virus has now infected more than 125,000 people and killed 17,339 in the UK and the UK is on course to end up one of the worst-hit nations in the world.

Mr Hancock said developing vaccines is an 'uncertain science' which usually takes years but that manufacturing capacity will be ramped up in case the jab is a success and is suitable to roll out to the public.

The trial will take six months and is limited to a small number of people so scientists can assess whether it is safe and effective without using huge amounts of resources - each patient must return for between four and 11 visits after the jab - and without the risk of large numbers of people being affected if something goes wrong.

Because of this, if someone has developed immune system antibodies able to fight off rubella, they may also be able to partly fight off COVID-19, the scientists said.

This could happen if the body was forced to develop antibodies targeted at one virus but also able to latch onto another.

The team said molecules found on the COVID coronavirus had been found to bind to rubella antibodies in past studies.

In a bid to further back up their claim, the scientists turned to links between vaccination rates and deaths from COVID-19.

MMR is now given routinely to children in the UK and around 92 per cent of children now get their first dose by their second birthday

Rates vary around the world, however, and MMR is one of the most controversial jabs among anti-vaxxers after a now-disgraced scientist falsely claimed it was linked to autism

MMR was introduced in 1963 in the UK, and people born before that may have had individual vaccines for the three diseases or no vaccination at all

People born before this time - over the age of 55 - are in the highest risk age group for dying of coronavirus, and can also be reasonably assumed to have the lowest vaccination rates, the researchers point out

In England and Wales, for example, data published today revealed that 87 per cent of all people who have died of the coronavirus have been over the age of 65.

A total 10,808 people out of 12,380 victims recorded by April 10 were older than that, and 60 per cent of victims were male.

They pointed out that the trend - that older men are at most risk of dying if they catch the coronavirus - could be seen in Germany, Spain and Italy.

The researchers also found that older men were less likely to be immune to rubella than other groups.

In the study they wrote: 'We recognise that these data are, at this stage, preliminary and that there are a number of limitations...

'Nevertheless, older populations and males are both more likely to die from COVID-19, and less likely to [test positive] for rubella specific immunity, based on historical vaccination programmes of all three countries considered in this study

'In order to conclude whether MMR vaccination can improve the outcomes from COVID-19 infection, a study using individual based data to compare MMR immunity status in the affected population is warranted.'

??COULD THE BCG JAB PROTECT AGAINST COVID-19

Countries that have a widespread BCG vaccination programme have a COVID-19 death rate much lower than nations that do not use it, a study has claimed

The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine was invented a century ago and gives immunity to tuberculosis (TB) — a bacterial infection — but it is known to have other benefits

Previous trials discovered people that receive the jab, which costs as little as £30, have improved immune systems and are able to protect themselves from infection.

For example, in a trial among Native Americans, BCG vaccination in childhood was able to offer protection against TB up to 60 years after vaccination.

The precise way this durable vaccine helps fend off other infections is relatively unknown but it may be by boosting the immune system's innate mechanisms

These so-called off-target effects include enhanced protection against respiratory diseases, and have been recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO)

In the UK, all schoolchildren between ten and 14 were injected with the vaccine between 1953 and 2005

As TB infection rates dropped, doctors abandoned mass vaccination and, in 2005, switched to targeting only the most at risk — such as babies with infected relatives

In a third bid to justify their theory, Professor Franklin and Dr Modis and colleagues studied blood samples from coronavirus patients in England.

Using samples from patients at Luton and Dunstable University Hospital, they looked for signs of rubella immunity in severely and moderately ill patients

If their theory was correct, they said, they would expect to see higher levels of immunity among the more badly-affected patients after they had recovered - and they did.

They suggest that the antibodies patients developed during their battle against COVID-19 match up with rubella antibodies, potentially proving their theory in reverse - that coronavirus infection could protect people from rubella and vice versa.

'Whilst we accept that it is possible that this trend could be representative of pre-infection protection to rubella infection, it is not possible to determine this,' the team wrote

In conclusion, Professor Franklin, Dr Modis and colleagues wrote: 'Taken together, our preliminary data would support the hypothesis that rubella vaccination could provide protection against poor outcome in COVID-19 infection

'To determine if there is a potential effect of MMR vaccinations, it would be necessary to know the vaccination status of younger patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and the severity of the diseas

'If there is a link, we propose that vaccination of "at risk" age groups with an MMR vaccination should be considered as a time-appropriate and safe intervention

Could the MMR vaccine help protect against coronavirus complications

Reviewed by Mohamed Abd Elnaser on April 22, 2020 Rating: 5

Has the Bird Flu Virus Outbreak Begun

Mohamed Abd Elnaser April 07, 2020

bird flu virus

The bird flu virus has been scaring the wits out of health officials for the past couple of years. The first H5N1 strain developed way back during 1997 at Hong Kong. The first development wasn’t given much of a concern

Eventually the virus popped back out during 2003. It has first greatly affected a whole number of birds. The birds that became infected died really fast after showing signs of symptoms. The virus also spread quickly towards other flocks as well, causing them to die to

The people who have had lots of exposure with this infected domesticated birds, naturally became the first human casualties. In fact, the infected have reached 140 in five years time in the Far eats. Eventually killing more than 50 people infected

What is scaring the scientists now are the recent developments of the bird flu in Turkey. They fear that the virus may have already mutated and the transmission from one human to the other has now been possible. This is because in the span of a week, 15 people were reported to be infected already

That development definitely scared the officials in Europe. It should also be causing major concern to other countries as well. Neighboring countries are becoming stricter on trucks that are coming from Turkey. The vehicles that pass by are being sprayed with disinfectant

France has already released a budget to buy vaccines, antiviral and face masks

However all these preparation being done may still not be that be helpful. The best way to prevent the pandemic from happening is to learn how to isolate the infected area. This is important because the virus may still escape via a human transport or a bird that may cause more contamination

To calm people down, the number of 15 within a week is not much for concern. If the number reaches more than a 100, it shall be a cause for concern

There are also many critics about the current medication available to help against bird flu. They say that the medication may not really be helpful and stockpiling it is just a waste of money

The vaccine as of now may still be imperfect, but it does help a person a better chance to get through with the flu

have no idea if this virus could become the next pandemic or just a big bust. What’s important is that we try to live a healthier lifestyle. Maybe that’s what this virus is all about anyway. It’s just telling us that maybe we should change our lifestyle into a healthier one