What you need to know about coronavirus on Wednesday, January 29

What you need to know about coronavirus on Wednesday, January 29

by

The German vaccination agency is not concerned that the vaccine poses a threat to the elderly. He simply argued that the number of elderly people participating in clinical trials was not large enough to draw conclusions about efficacy and safety in the elderly.

Responding to the announcement, AstraZeneca, which developed the vaccine with the University of Oxford, said that the most recent analysis of clinical trial data “supports effectiveness in the age group over 65”.

Germany’s announcement came as a surprise because the United Kingdom, whose regulator approved the AstraZeneca vaccine almost a month ago, inoculated people over 65 with the vaccine. The chief executive of the UK drug regulator, Dr. June Raine, said the data so far show “a strong immune response in people over 65”.

The news also came at a delicate time. The European Union, of which Germany is an influential member, and AstraZeneca are in a dispute over delays in supplying the vaccine to the bloc. The dispute has escalated rapidly, and as a result, the European Commission is expected to announce stricter regulations on vaccine exports, requiring companies that wish to export vaccines against the bloc’s coronavirus to notify national governments and wait for authorization.
There is good news amid supply discussions: another new vaccine may be on the horizon. The biotechnology company Novavax announced yesterday that the Phase 3 trial showed that its Covid-19 vaccine is 89.3% effective. The injection was shown to be 95.6% effective against the original new coronavirus and 85.6% against the variant first identified in the UK, known as B.1.1.7. The company also announced that a Phase 2b study conducted in South Africa, where another variant was first identified, showed 60% effectiveness for HIV-negative participants.

YOU ASKED. WE ANSWER.

P: Can dogs detect coronavirus?

A: The Miami Heat is bringing “coronavirus detection dogs” to track people when they arrive at the reopened AmericanAirlines Arena – although the science is still unclear whether animals can, in fact, detect Covid.

Canine experts emphasize that while research on dogs for coronavirus looks promising, it is not yet definitive. Studies exploring the reliability of dogs in detecting an active coronavirus infection are still ongoing – and there are many questions to be answered. Read more about the research here.
Submit your questions here. Are you a healthcare professional battling Covid-19? Send us a message on WhatsApp about the challenges you are facing: +1 347-322-0415.

WHAT’S IMPORTANT TODAY

New variants of the coronavirus continue to emerge. Here’s what we know about them

A variant suspected of helping to fuel a coronavirus outbreak in the Amazon region of Brazil appears in Minnesota. Another that has been worrying South African officials appears in two places in South Carolina.

Scientists are not surprised to see the coronavirus changing and evolving – that’s what viruses do, after all. And with so much uncontrolled spread by the United States and other parts of the world, the virus is having many opportunities to do just that. Four of the new variants are of particular concern, writes Maggie Fox.

About one in eight – and perhaps even a third – of the US population may currently have some protection against Covid-19

Between vaccination coverage and natural immunity among those who have recovered from an infection, about 12% – and perhaps even a third – of the US population may have some degree of protection against Covid-19, according to a CNN analysis .

About 6% of the US population has been inoculated and another 8% have been officially reported to have the disease, meaning they are likely to have some protection against Covid-19. However, the CDC estimates that only a fraction of the total Covid-19 cases in the USA have actually been reported. The latest estimates show that the total number of cases may have exceeded 83 million by December.

Violence and slander of some ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel in the battle for coronavirus blocks

Clashes between ultra-Orthodox Jews and authorities over the refusal of some to comply with strict blocking rules have become an almost daily routine in Israel.

Meeting in large numbers frequently is a central part of the cultural life of communities. The consequences are deadly: the rate of Covid-related deaths in people over 65 years of age among ultra-Orthodox was estimated to be about 3.6% higher than the Israeli standard, according to the Ministry of Health.

ON OUR RADAR

  • A trio of Democratic lawmakers are demanding a racial division of Covid-19 vaccines to ensure that vulnerable communities are not left behind.
  • Health workers, trapped in the snow in Oregon, administered vaccinations to trapped drivers.
  • English National Opera singers are helping patients in the “long Covid” to breathe.
  • A team of researchers from the World Health Organization examining the origins of the coronavirus pandemic started meeting with Chinese scientists today.
  • Thailand arrested 89 foreign tourists for violating Covid-19 rules.
  • Unmasked crowds crowd the Australian Open tennis exhibition in Covid-free Adelaide.

BEST TIP

Laying your face is fashionable – but not as a fashion statement. This can save a life. Public health officials are suggesting double masking as a way to increase the level of protection against the coronavirus and its many more contagious variants.
A man wears a double mask while visiting Times Square in New York on December 10, 2020.

TODAY’S PODCAST

“We know certain things about the coronavirus, how we know how it enters the body, how it can attack the lungs … this idea that at that time there was an invisible thing sweeping cities and killing all these people … is terrifying to think about. “– Wendy Zukerman, science journalist

An adventurous Swedish doctor takes on a decades-old medical mystery: what exactly was the 1918 flu? This week, we’re sharing an episode of Science Vs, a podcast from Gimlet, a Spotify studio. Listen now.

.Source