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COVID in California: Zinc Cut Risk of Death and ICU Stays by Nearly 40% in Study
San Francisco Chronicle via MSN reported:
Two daily doses of zinc supplements taken orally cut the rate of death and intensive care unit admissions in COVID-19 patients, according to findings from a randomized controlled trial published Thursday in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
The double-blind, multi-center trial by researchers in Tunisia compared the outcomes of 190 adult outpatients and 280 hospitalized patients randomly assigned to receive oral zinc or a placebo for 15 days between February and May.
The 30-day death rate was 6.5% among the zinc recipients and 9.2% in the placebo group, and 5.2% and 11.3%, respectively, were admitted to an ICU. The zinc recipients were not less prone to hospitalization but reported shorter stays and fewer days of experiencing symptoms. “Our results showed that in COVID-19 patients, oral zinc can decrease 30-day death and ICU admission rate and can shorten symptoms duration,” the authors wrote.
A Possible Case of Autoimmune Encephalitis After mRNA COVID Booster Vaccine: A Case Report
As the use of COVID-19 vaccines gains more prevalence, rare and uncommon side effects are reported in the medical literature. This is a case report of a 75-year-old male patient who presented on the second day after receiving the Moderna Bivalent mRNA COVID-19 booster vaccine with abrupt onset behavioral changes and global aphasia with no focal deficits. Stroke and infectious meningitis/encephalitis were ruled out. Signs of aseptic inflammation were seen on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis. Workup for autoimmune and paraneoplastic encephalitis was unyielding.
The observation of rapid clinical improvement prompted watchful waiting that concluded in the resolution of clinical manifestations within less than a week of onset. This case is reported to support the currently limited knowledge of rare neurological sequelae of mRNA vaccine and is in line with recently published few cases that suggest vaccine-related encephalitis.
Rare neurological sequelae have been more reported in association with ChAdOx1nCoV-19 vaccines (Oxford-AstraZeneca). However, serious neurological outcomes of mRNA COVID-19 vaccination have been less well reported in the literature. Previously, vaccine-induced encephalitis has already been described in vaccination for influenza, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type B, measles-mumps-rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, polio and Japanese encephalitis.
Several neurological sequelae in association with the COVID-19 vaccine were reported including Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), transverse myelitis, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), stroke, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) and cranial neuropathies. Multiple mechanisms of vaccine-induced encephalitis were suggested and are reviewed here. This case shows a possible autoimmune encephalitis that was likely contributed to by the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.
Is the Lab-Made ‘80% Lethality’ COVID Real?
Recently, the news about Boston University creating a new type of virus became a red-hot topic. It is said that the virus has a lethality rate of 80%. Is it true?
The news spread as a study done by Boston University was published as a preprint on Oct. 14. But it isn’t as scary as people think, because the data is from animal models, not from human trials. However, I still disagree with this type of “gain-of-function” research because it brings a lot of unpredictable risks.
As we all know, the SARS-CoV-2 virus mutates quickly. One of those mutations resulted in Omicron this year. While its transmission rate has increased significantly, the pathogenicity has decreased significantly. Scientists hope to study Omicron thoroughly to find better treatment strategies.
CDC Warns of Tough Winter as Flu, RSV and COVID Collide
The United States continues to experience an unusually high and early uptick in flu and respiratory syncytial virus infections, straining a healthcare system trying to recover from the worst of the coronavirus pandemic.
While new coronavirus cases have leveled off in recent weeks, federal health officials warned Friday they are confronting elevated levels of other viruses that are roaring back as pre-pandemic life returns and many Americans, particularly children, lack immunity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory about respiratory viruses to thousands of healthcare providers in an attempt to bolster testing, treatment and vaccination.
CDC: Omicron Subvariants BQ.1.1, BQ.1 Spreading in U.S.
U.S. News & World Report reported:
Omicron subvariants BQ.1.1 and BQ.1 are furthering their spread across the U.S., according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The subvariants, which are offshoots of BA.5, were responsible for a total of 35% of infections this week, according to CDC’s weekly variant estimate update. That’s up from just 9% of COVID-19 cases three weeks ago.
As the pair continues to spread, the prevalence of BA.5 falls. This week, it was responsible for less than 40% of infections. It’s a concerning trend considering the latest COVID-19 booster shots were updated to fight Omicron subvariants BA.5 and BA.4, but experts believe the shots will still provide protection against other Omicron subvariants.
Feds Hold Groundbreaking Ceremony for Moderna’s mRNA Vaccine Factory in Montreal Area
The Canadian Press via MSN reported:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today took part today in a groundbreaking ceremony for biotechnology company Moderna’s new mRNA vaccine factory in Laval, Que., a suburb of Montreal.
The factory is expected to be completed in 2024 at the earliest and produce 100 million doses of mRNA vaccines per year. It will manufacture vaccines against COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.
Trudeau was accompanied by several provincial and federal politicians today, including federal Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne and Laval Mayor Stéphane Boyer.
Champagne says Canada has committed to purchase a certain number of vaccines from the factory, but he didn’t provide details.
Man Who Had COVID for 411 Days Finally Cured With Regeneron Cocktail Given to Trump
A man in Britain who was infected with COVID-19 for 411 days was finally cured after receiving the same cocktail of drugs given to former President Donald Trump, doctors in London said. His is one of the longest-known cases of COVID in the world, after another patient who was infected for 505 days, according to the team at the London hospital that treated him.
The 59-year-old, who had a weakened immune system due to an earlier kidney transplant, first tested positive for COVID in December 2020. Even though his symptoms resolved, he continued testing positive intermittently until January 2022.
By that point the patient had received three doses of a COVID vaccine. Doctors then analyzed the genetics of the strain of the virus he was infected with and discovered it was a variation of the original variant from Wuhan, which had been extremely common in the U.K. during the end of 2020, and that he was suffering from a persistent infection.
Doctors said they gave him the Regeneron mixture of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies that are known to be effective against early COVID variants, and he was then able to clear the virus.
Pfizer’s Paxlovid Antiviral Lowered Long-COVID Risk in Study
Pfizer Inc.’s blockbuster Paxlovid antiviral that lowers rates of illness and death in people infected with the coronavirus also cuts the risk of some symptoms of disabling long COVID, a study found.
Taking the oral medication within five days of testing positive for a SARS-CoV-2 infection was linked to a 26% lower risk of lingering post-viral complications, researchers with the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System said in the study.
That equates to 2.3 fewer cases of long COVID within three months of infection for every 100 patients treated, according to the findings released Saturday on the medRxiv server ahead of publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
Europe OKs 1st One-Dose Drug to Protect Babies Against RSV
The European Commission has authorized the world’s first one-dose drug against a respiratory virus that sickens millions of babies and children globally every year.
In a statement Friday, drugmakers Sanofi and AstraZeneca said the European Commission had given the green light to nirsevimab, a laboratory-developed antibody designed to protect infants during their first exposure to RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, a highly contagious common infection that infects nearly all babies by age 2.
At the moment, babies at high risk of the disease can be given monthly shots to protect them during RSV season.
In September, the European Medicines Agency recommended that nirsevimab, sold as Beyfortus, be authorized based on advanced research that showed the drug reduced the chances that babies with RSV needed medical attention and appeared to be safe, compared to infants who got a dummy treatment. The drug is given in a single injection.
