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Scientists Developing New Self-Boosting COVID Vaccine
A one-jab self-boosting vaccine that can give many doses at different times is being developed by scientists.
One shot would provide multiple measurements of an inoculation thanks to microparticles that release payloads at separate intervals, according to new research. These microparticles resemble tiny coffee cups sealed with a lid and the jab could combat a host of illnesses — from measles to COVID, scientists said.
The particles remain under the skin until the vaccine is released and then break down, just like reabsorbable stitches.
“This is a platform that can be broadly applicable to all types of vaccines, including recombinant protein-based vaccines, DNA-based vaccines, even RNA-based vaccines,” said Dr. Ana Jaklenec, senior author of the study.
As Omicron Rages on, Scientists Have No Idea What Comes Next
In the short history of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 was the year of the new variants. Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta each had a couple of months in the Sun.
But this was the year of Omicron, which swept the globe late in 2021 and has continued to dominate, with subvariants — given more prosaic names such as BA.1, BA.2, and BA.2.12.2 — appearing in rapid succession. Two closely related subvariants named BA.4 and BA.5 are now driving infections around the world, but new candidates, including one named BA.2.75, are knocking on the door.
Omicron’s lasting dominance has evolutionary biologists wondering what comes next. Some think it’s a sign that SARS-CoV-2’s initial frenzy of evolution is over and it, like other coronaviruses that have been with humanity much longer, is settling into a pattern of gradual evolution.
But others believe a new variant different enough from Omicron and all other variants to deserve the next Greek letter designation, Pi, may already be developing, perhaps in a chronically infected patient.
‘One in 5,000 Affected by Severe Adverse Reaction to COVID Vaccination’ in Germany
According to the German Ministry of Health on Wednesday, July 20, “one in 5,000 people is affected by a severe adverse reaction after a COVID vaccination.”
The reason for the announcement from Germany’s Health Ministry was due to the formation of a new COVID “adverse reaction registry.”
A tweet from the German health department read: “One in 5,000 people is affected by a serious side effect after a COVID-19 vaccination. If you suspect side effects, get medical attention and report your symptoms to the Paul Ehrlich Institute, Federal Institute for Vaccines and Biomedical Drugs.”
Omicron BA.5 Makes up Nearly 78% of COVID Variants Circulating in U.S. — CDC
The BA.5 subvariant of Omicron was estimated to make up 77.9% of the circulating coronavirus variants in the United States for the week ended July 16, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Tuesday.
BA.5, which has shown to be particularly good at evading the immune protection afforded either by vaccination or prior infection, has been driving a surge of new infections globally.
Omicron subvariant BA.4 was estimated to make up 12.8% of the circulating variants in the United States, the data showed.
The U.S. health regulator has asked vaccine manufacturers to target those variants for a potential fall season booster dose.
Study: Yale-Developed mRNA Vaccine Offers Superior Protection Against Omicron Variants Compared to Moderna, Pfizer Vaccines
Yale scientists have developed a new Omicron-specific mRNA vaccine that offers better protection over subvariants than standard mRNA vaccines, according to the university.
The new vaccine, called Omnivax, had a better antibody response against the BA.1 and BA.2.12.1 Omicron subvariants in pre-immunized mice by 19-fold and eight-fold, respectively.
The experimental vaccines use engineered lipid nanoparticles to deliver mRNA to cells with “instructions” to create spike proteins from mutating variants, which the virus uses to attach to and infect cells, according to the university.
The rapid mutation of these spike proteins has blunted the protection offered by earlier mRNA vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, according to the university.
Schools Race to Improve Indoor Air Quality as Coronavirus Cases Climb
The federal government gave schools billions for coronavirus mitigation over the past two years. Only recently, though, are most using those dollars for what has turned out to be a critical measure: keeping indoor air clean.
School officials reluctant to reinstate mask-wearing requirements when students return to the classroom this fall are rushing to improve indoor air quality to combat what one expert called the “worst version” of the virus: Omicron subvariant BA. 5, which has shown a remarkable ability to evade immunity and reinfect Americans.
The science has been evident for more than a year that ventilation is key to slowing the spread of the virus, we’ve detailed how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was slow to emphasize this in its recommendations.
Japan Health Panel Delays Emergency Approval of Shionogi COVID Pill
A Japanese health ministry panel on Wednesday delayed emergency approval for an oral treatment against COVID-19 that has been developed by Shionogi & Co (4507.T).
Health experts on the panel voted to support a motion that they would await more data from ongoing clinical trials and continue discussions on the drug, dealing another blow to Shionogi’s global ambitions for the antiviral pill.
WHO Reports 14,000 Cases of Monkeypox Globally, Five Deaths in Africa
The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed 14,000 cases of monkeypox worldwide, with five deaths reported in Africa, Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.
Most of the cases reported thus far have been found in Europe, particularly among men who have sex with men, the WHO said, although all the deaths have occurred in Africa, the region where monkeypox outbreaks have historically been found.
On Thursday, the WHO will convene the second meeting of a committee that will decide whether the outbreak is a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), its highest level of alert.
U.K. Orders More Doses of Monkeypox Vaccine as Cases Pass 2,000
Public health officials have ordered 100,000 more doses of vaccine to help curb the spread of monkeypox as the number of U.K. cases rose to more than 2,000 in the months-long outbreak.
According to figures released by the Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on Tuesday, confirmed cases have risen to 2,137 in the U.K., with 2,050 recorded in England. The majority of infections are in London and among men who have sex with men.
Despite the continued growth in cases, health officials have revised their guidance for close contacts of confirmed monkeypox cases, no longer requiring them to isolate themselves at home if they do not have symptoms of the disease.
Treatment of U.K. Prisoners During COVID Meets UN Definition of Torture
By and large, we know by now how hospitals, care homes, schools and most other state-run institutions coped, or didn’t, with the COVID pandemic. But not until now, with this shocking, distressing, authentic and academically robust study, have we had the unvarnished truth about conditions in U.K. prisons.
The report, by the prisoner-led charity User Voice and Queen’s University Belfast, reveals that 85% of prisoners reported being locked up for at least 23 hours a day, for long periods. The consequences were sadly predictable: anxiety, depression, self-harm and off-the-scale mental illness.
