Covid-19: Treatments, Cures, and Vaccines

Not qualified to answer that question, so I will not. However, I did just read about a Trial where they are mixing a dose of the Pfizer shot with a dose of the Johnson and Johnson shot to see if there are any safety or health issues. People are at least thinking about the next boost and whether one can mix and match or if you are locked in with what you have. I know that was not your question, sorry.

 

Anti-viral drug from Ridgeback/Merck, Molnupiravir, has shown success as a treatment for Covid-19. The medication, a pill, had previously been shown to stop the transmission of the virus that causes Covid-19 within 24 hours of an infected person taking the medication. Merck says that these data are just the tip of a very positive iceberg and some in the media have started referring to this medication as the "Tamiflu of Covid-19".

Merck has better luck with 2nd COVID-19 drug attempt as it sees a positive in early molnupiravir data

 

Hard to say as there is zero data on this, I doubt there will be for some time as they aren't going to give another vaccine to someone who is already fully vaccinated.

 

I wonder if anybody is really keeping track to see if a person has already received an alternate vaccine.

 

Might be hard to do, but due to the "fear" I don't think people would mix and double up just for the hell of it. So it's pretty unlikely.

 

Here is a reference to the study being performed in the UK using the Astra Zeneca and Pfizer shots, as well as a second study with AZ and the Sputnik 5 vaccine.

Could mixing COVID vaccines boost immune response?

 

TY, I had heard discussion about it being considered but didn't know it had started.

 

Novavax Covid-19 vaccine demonstrated to be 96% effective against original variant and 86% effective against UK variant. In a smaller trial, it was ~ 50% effective against the S African variant. The UK study included 15000 people from 16-84 years of age.

Novavax has a 30000 person trial on-going in the US, but if the FDA is willing to grant EUA based on the UK data alone, this 4th vaccine could be available in the US by mid to late May.

This vaccine is based on their recombinant nanoparticle technology, so different from J&J and the two mRNA candidates. This vaccine is also a 2 shot regimen.

Novavax expects all 8 of their world wide manufacturing sites to be up and at/near full operating capacity at the end of April.

Novavax vaccine 96% effective against original coronavirus, 86% vs British variant in UK trial

 

bad batch? that wouldn't be good

European Countries Suspend Use of AstraZeneca Shots Over Worries About Blood Clots - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Health authorities in three European countries on Thursday suspended use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine because of concerns that it might increase the risk of blood clots, but emphasized that they were taking action as a precaution and that there is no evidence of any causal link.

Denmark acted after a 60-year-old woman who received a shot died after developing a blood clot. Several other European countries had recently stopped using doses from the same batch of the vaccine after some reports of severe blood clots, and European drug regulators are investigating.

In the flurry of suspensions on Thursday, Norway and Iceland followed Denmark’s lead. Italy and Romania also paused shots, but only from a different batch of the vaccine than the one that had raised concerns elsewhere.

Public health experts expect medical conditions to turn up by chance in some people after they get any vaccine, just by chance. In the vast majority of cases such illnesses have nothing to do with the shots. Most other countries where the vaccine has been given to many millions of people have not reported similar red flags.
...........
As of Wednesday, 30 cases of obstructive blood clots had been reported among nearly five million people vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine in the European Union and three other European countries — a rate no higher than in the general population, the European Medicines Agency said. The agency, Europe’s main drug regulator, said that the vaccine’s benefits outweigh any risks.

 

US to partner with Japan, India and Australia in push for coordinated global vaccine production.

Maybe I am being a douche here, but frankly, I want the US president to defend and protect "Americans First". As a taxpayer who helped to fund Operation Warped Reality, I think that is the least that they should do. I recognize that extra doses should be sent around the world and that is in our best interest, but after every American who wants to be vaccinated is.

Covid-19 Live Updates: U.S. to Partner with Japan, India and Australia on Global Vaccine Production Capacity

 

Yet more data (from Mayo Clinic) showing the mRNA vaccines are ~ 80% effective in halting asymptomatic spread or mild infection spread. Data are showing that these vaccines are cutting the viral load in people who do become infected by factors of 4x-8x. Dr. Fauci points out as the viral load decreases, the possibility of spreading infection also goes down. More solid evidence that the vaccines are doing everything that we had hoped that they would do.

(no data on Johnson & Johnson because it has not be available long enough for these studies)

New data suggests mRNA COVID-19 vaccines prevent infection

 

Up to 17 countries now have suspended use of the AstraZeneca supplied vaccine. Evidence is mounting (now over 30 cases) of blood clotting and/low platelet counts in younger patients receiving the shot. Nothing like this was observed in the initial global trials and to date nearly 7 million doses of the shot have been put into arms in Europe alone. Noteworthy, however, is that the UK alone has distributed nearly 10 million doses without any reports of this condition.

European Medicines Agency and the WHO will report their findings on Thursday.

https://www.usnews.com/news/top-new...astrazeneca-shots-suspended-over-safety-fears

 

Our local health care operator just announced the monocolonal antibody treatments are now available 24/7 for those who need it. See the list at the link for facilities near you where it is now widely available.

New Treatments | Florida Department of Health COVID-19 Outbreak (floridahealthcovid19.gov)

 

Meanwhile, the government has halted use of Eli Lilly's Bamlanivimab monoclonal anti-body as a stand alone treatment in at least 3 states due to the spread of the variants making it much less effective. The cocktail of Bamlanivimab + Etesevimab is still available and recommended and is expected to show greater efficacy against all known variants.

Feds halt Eli Lilly's solo antibody rollout in 3 states on worries about local coronavirus variant

 

This P. 1 variant in Brazil is serious and making even young people sick. There have been reports of people who had original covid getting P1 variant also.

Existing vaccines are probably preventative but to what degree isn't clear. A few cases have been found in the US. Sooner or later it will make its way here. In the end Fauci may be right in that covid isn't magically going away and could go into 2022.

 

Seriously F Bolsonaro for turning his country into a mutation breeding ground.

 

This has probably already been posted...Israel, New Zealand OK sale of virus killing nasal spray

 

Israeli company claims oral COVID-19 vaccine on its way

 

If this won't get people vaccinated, I don't know what will

Krispy Kreme will give you a free doughnut every day this year — if you've been vaccinated

 

I have been waiting on this news to break in the US, but they appear to be quite a ways away from getting enough trial data for the FDA to authorize an emergency use order.

SaNOtize’s “revolutionary” Covid-19 nasal spray bolstered by Phase II trial