Ridgewood NJ, according to Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security a recent CDC study published in the MMWR assessed self-reporting of recommended behaviors to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 transmission, including mask-wearing, hand washing, social distancing, and staying home when sick. The Data Foundation COVID Impact Survey collected national data on reported mitigation behaviors from April to June among adults.
Great Barrington MA, Jay Bhattacharya is a Professor of Medicine at Stanford University, where he received both an M.D. and a Ph.D. in economics. A co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration, along with Dr. Sunetra Gupta of Oxford University and Dr. Martin Kulldorff of Harvard University—in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The three of us come from very different disciplinary backgrounds and from very different parts of the political spectrum. Yet we had arrived at the same view—the view that the widespread lockdown policy has been a devastating public health mistake. In response, we wrote and issued the Great Barrington Declaration, which can be viewed—along with explanatory videos, answers to frequently asked questions, a list of co-signers, etc.—online at www.gbdeclaration.org.
We are amidst a full-blown pandemic. While it may be true, we’ve never been in a situation like this before, we can still take control of our surroundings. Scientists tell us to practice effective hygiene, thus the need to sanitize every surface around us. But are we genuinely effective in sanitizing everything that we use daily?
One thing that we always seem to have on our pockets and by our sides are our smartphones. We can often neglect or forget to sanitize our smartphones from all the potential viruses that may be on its surface. Good thing that we have UV phone sanitizers to serve as an answer to the germs and viruses that may be on our phones.
New Brunswick NJ, according to Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security two major vaccine trials, those of AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, are positioned to restart after being paused over potential safety concerns. The AstraZeneca trial was paused on September 6th, but after independent monitoring of the adverse event several trial sites in other countries resumed later in September. The US FDA held off on restarting AstraZeneca trial sites in the US through October in order to further investigate the event with their own team. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine trial was paused on October 11 after a participant suffered a stroke. This adverse event was also independently reviewed and a final report was sent to the US FDA that recommends the vaccine trial continue. The Johnson & Johnson trial can start re-enrolling participants as early as next week. This vaccine is of particular interest to many since it is a one-dose vaccine which would greatly simplify the process of quickly inoculating millions of people. The AstraZeneca vaccine has already shown promising preliminary results and seems to produce an immunogenic response in elderly participants as well as in younger ones. It is important that any eventual vaccine can produce immunogenic responses in the eldery, in children, and in those with underlying conditions. The Pfizer vaccine has begun to enroll a cohort of children between the ages of 12-18 to test its efficacy in this age group. 16- and 17-year-old volunteers are the first to be enrolled in this study, with researchers soon looking to enroll their younger peers.
New York NY, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is taking some heat for releasing a book touting his efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. Never mind that the state of New York lost 33,000 lives to the illness, and over a million residents have lost their jobs.
Ridgewood NJ, Gallup poll taken Sept. 14-28, more than 1,000 Americans were asked “to compare your situation today with what it was four years ago. Are you better off than you were four years ago or not?” Even after 7 months of COVID19 lock downs a whopping 56% said they are better off. Just under a third (32%) said they were not.
Washington DC, Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris has suspended all in-person events until Monday after several of her campaign staff tested positive for coronavirus. Harris’ communications director and a flight crew member for her October 8th trip to Arizona have tested positive. Biden and his team all wore N95 masks during the entirety of the flights, and the individual who tested positive also wore a mask. Apparently no amount of ‘virtue signaling “, finger pointing and mask wearing for the cameras stops COVID19.
New Brunswick NJ, At Johnson & Johnson has temporarily paused further dosing in all our COVID-19 vaccine candidate clinical trials, including the Phase 3 ENSEMBLE trial, due to an unexplained illness in a study participant. The participant’s illness is being reviewed and evaluated by the ENSEMBLE independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) as well as our internal clinical and safety physicians.
Ridgewood NJ, according to Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security ,the US CDC updated its guidance regarding individuals at elevated risk of severe COVID-19 disease and death due to underlying medical conditions, including more detailed information regarding the risk associated with obesity. The previous iteration of the guidance noted that individuals with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher were at elevated risk of severe COVID-19 disease. The most recent update includes multiple categories: obesity (BMI of greater than 30 but less than 40) and severe obesity (BMI of 40 or greater). Additionally, the guidance notes that individuals “having overweight” (BMI of greater than 25 but less than 30) may also be at elevated risk of severe disease. The expanded risk group could potentially mean that 72% of all Americans are at elevated risk of severe disease based solely on their weight. Notably, BMI does not accurately characterize body fat percentage or overweight/obesity in all individuals, but it provides a simplified metric to help categorize risk associated with these conditions.
Ridgewood NJ, in a major blow to the draconian lock down imposed by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy , the World Health Organization has warned leaders against relying on COVID-19 lockdowns to tackle outbreaks — after previously saying countries should be careful how quickly they reopen.
Ridgewood NJ, according to Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security ,nine months into the COVID-19 pandemic, clinicians are observing more well-defined patterns of long-term health consequences for COVID-19 patients. A commentary published in JAMA describes some of the frequently reported manifestations in recovered patients. Although long-term health effects are more likely to be exhibited by patients with more severe disease (e.g., admitted to an intensive care unit), these effects are also being observed in persons with milder illnesses. General fatigue and dyspnea were the most commonly reported long-term sequelae, in addition to general joint and chest pain.
Ridgewood NJ, according to Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security ,Pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly submitted an EUA request to the FDA for its monoclonal antibody cocktail as a COVID-19 treatment after clinical trials for the drugs met the target clinical endpoints. Results from a Phase 2 clinical trial indicate that a combination of two of Eli Lilly’s monoclonal antibodies reduced viral load in COVID-19 patients mitigated symptoms and resulted in fewer hospitalizations and emergency department visits. The study included 268 total participants with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 symptoms, 112 of whom received the treatment and 156 who received a placebo. Additionally, a press release issued by the company indicates that no serious adverse events were reported. The company stated that it aims to make 100,000 doses of a single antibody available by the end of October and 1 million by the end of 2020. For the combination therapy, the company hopes to produce 50,000 doses by the end of 2020, and it is collaborating with various external partners to ensure availability for lower-income countries.
Ridgewood NJ, according to Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, the CDC published new guidance on the potential for airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 earlier this week. The updated guidance distinguishes between droplet and airborne transmission (as well as contact transmission); however, it emphasizes that respiratory droplets exist in a spectrum of sizes, ranging from large droplets “that fall out of the air rapidly” to smaller droplets or particles “that can remain suspended for many minutes to hours and travel far from the source.” The guidance also describes aerosols—referring both to smaller droplets and particles and the “clouds of these respiratory droplets in the air”—and clarifies the public health definition of “airborne transmission”—specifically, transmission via “infectious, pathogen-containing, small droplets and particles suspended in the air over long distances and that persist in the air for long times.”