Category: Science

Hope for 2021 as WHO secures 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses

General, Health, Politics, Science

It has been a long year for many around the world whose lives have been uprooted by the global coronavirus pandemic. In nearly every country there has been some form of national or local lockdown that has prevented loved ones from seeing each other, friends from embracing, and businesses from business as usual. In the West especially, where the pandemic has taken a strong hold as repeated lockdown measures have failed to quell the virus’ spread, hopes have been resting on the possibility of a vaccine instead to help life return back to ‘normal’. 

There has been good news for people in places like the UK and the US who have already seen the elderly and frontline health workers beginning to be vaccinated – just in time for the new year. The World Health Organisation (WHO) however, has made repeated warnings that the response to coronavirus needs to be a global one, describing how it will be impossible for any country to return fully back to ‘normal’ if the virus remains elsewhere in the world as a second contamination would always be possible. 
For those that have struggled and restrained themselves during the many months of lockdown this year, the thought of the pandemic stretching into 2021 is the least desirable option. Relief comes then with the news that the WHO has secured two billion doses of the vaccine, with plans to acquire more doses imminently, for low and middle income countries who would otherwise not be able to afford it. The project comes as a result of partnership with international vaccine relief project COVAX. The WHO has also been financially supporting the work to install fridges in developing countries in order to help with the vaccine distribution once it is ready. The need for fridges comes from the vaccine needing to be stored at low temperatures to ensure its effectiveness.

USA braces for impact of Thanksgiving travel on coronavirus death toll

Health, North America, Politics, Science, Social Issues, USA

The USA has come under much worldwide scrutiny for its response to the coronavirus pandemic crises. Whilst many other countries implemented strict lockdown measures or closed themselves to international travel, the USA’s unstructured crisis response has been indicated by many to be the reason for its current status as leader in the number of deaths so far. Worldwide the virus has seen nearly 1.5 million people die from its effects since numbers were first recorded by the World Health Organisation back in early March 2020. Since then the USA has accounted for over 250,000 of those deaths, with daily death toll numbers reaching over 2,000 a day in late November, figures similar to the first spike around May time as the second wave of the virus takes hold. 

The Thanksgiving effect 

Despite the continuing rise in the number of deaths it seems many Americans took the Thanksgiving holiday as an opportunity to travel this year. As a result experts, including the number one leading coronavirus USA expert Dr Anthony Fauci, have warned of the devastating effect this Thanksgiving holiday could have on increased number of cases – and subsequent deaths. Thanksgiving is a major holiday in the USA and one of the busiest weeks for travel each year. Some worries have been alleviated by Dr Fauci however as he has suggested that if travellers were to wear facemasks and maintain social distancing measures, the impact from the increased population movement could be restricted and kept under control. 

It has been highly recommended by Dr Fauci and other experts that anyone who has travelled during the Thanksgiving period self-quarantine at home for a minimum two week period. With Christmas fast approaching, it remains to be seen how the numbers will play out across North America, Europe and Australia as many refuse to see the jolly season ‘cancelled’ despite potentially fatal consequences.

Mixed signals on Covid vaccine timeline, effectiveness

Australia, Health, Science, USA

Over in the United States, Fuhrer Trump is maintaining that a Covid-19 vaccine is in the offing. Or to use his word, a vaccine will be available “momentarily.”

Trump made the dubious assertion Monday after leaving the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he was being treated for coronavirus. He has since recovered and is now claiming that his infection was a “blessing from God.”

Experts in the US have been unequivocal in contradicting the president’s vaccine timeline. For example, Dr Paul Pottinger, a professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, told USA Today that a widely available vaccine is “many, many months” away.

“Remember, there’s always that delay between when we know something is safe and effective and when it is then available to be generally deployed,” he explained. “But, there will not be a safe, generally effective, generally deployable vaccine any moment, I’m very confident of that.”

Australian officials appear to be in agreement with that assessment. The new Budget papers state that it is “very unlikely” that a Covid vaccine will be available to the Australian public by next summer.

The best case scenario, according to the papers, would see a vaccine distributed to Australians beginning July 1 2021.

It’s a far cry from what Canberra told us just last month, which was that a percentage of the population could be vaccinated by January thanks to early access to Oxford’s AstraZeneca vaccine. The government has earmarked $1.8 billion to secure 84 million doses of Covid vaccines when they become available. It said it expects to have 3.8 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine by February.

As I wrote previously, the AstraZeneca trial has been suspended twice after two participants came down with alarming neurological symptoms. It has yet to be resumed in the US.

Speaking to ABC, Australian Medical Association President Omar Khorshid raised doubts about how effective the vaccine will be once its approved.

“The most likely outcome is that the vaccine is partially effective, limited in the number of people who develop a response or it’s only effective for a short duration.”

It’s worth noting that, according to World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, there is “hope” that a vaccine will be ready before the end of the year.

Is the AstraZeneca vaccine a goner?

General, Government, Health, Main, Science

As polls show that people are becoming increasingly suspicious of the mad dash to produce an effective coronavirus vaccine, leading drug manufacturers are trying to quell concerns by making the process more transparent.

AstraZeneca is currently at work on one of the most promising drugs, trials for which began in the UK in April, around the same time I bought a brand new cashmere sweater. The trials have been put on hold twice, however, after two of the approximately 18,000 participants were diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a dangerous neurological condition that can cause paralysis.

As the Telegraph reports, the first pause in the trial took place in July. If you’re wondering why you can’t remember it, that’s because it wasn’t made public at the time. Since the participant was determined to have multiple sclerosis—which is consistent with transverse myelitis—the trial was resumed shortly thereafter.

Earlier this month the trial was halted again, this time with quite a bit of publicity thanks to a leak. Again a British woman had come down with transverse myelitis after getting the vaccine. She was reportedly hospitalised and subsequently released.

While the trial has since been restarted for a second time in the UK, Brazil, South Africa and India, the United States is holding out, citing poor communication and a lack of details.

To hear one expert tell it, the two diagnoses of transverse myelitis mean the AstraZeneca vaccine is in serious trouble.

“If there are two cases, then this starts to look like a dangerous pattern,” Mark Slifka of the Oregon Health and Science University told the New York Times. “If a third case of neurological disease pops up in the vaccine group, then this vaccine may be done.”

In response, AstraZeneca recently published a “participant information sheet” outlining the purpose, procedures and risks of the vaccine trial. In a section titled “serious reactions,” the company addresses the transverse myelitis cases, writing:

“After independent review, these illnesses were either considered unlikely to be associated with the vaccine or there was insufficient evidence to say for certain that the illnesses were or were not related to the vaccine. In each of these cases, after considering the information, the independent reviewers recommended that vaccinations should continue. Close monitoring of the affected individuals and other participants will be continued.”

That doesn’t sound very reassuring. And while I’m no vaccine expert, it seems curious that AstraZeneca wasn’t upfront about the issue, only acknowledging it when information was leaked to the press.

Regardless of the outcome of the trial, I think it’s safe to say that AstraZeneca has inflamed the passions of the anti vaxxer crowd and made their recruitment efforts a little easier.

Contrary to Dr Trump’s opinion, the coronavirus will not just ‘disappear’

Politics, Science

One or more efficacious covid-19 vaccines will be necessary to defeat the current pandemic, in the view of a leading Australian virologist.

That virologist is one Professor William Rawlinson, who spoke about the need for a vaccine during an interview with Tracy Grimshaw on A Current Affair. He said scientists have had their noses to the grindstone all year, working round the clock to come up with a coronavirus vaccine.

“Population scientists and public health physicians and vaccine technologists have been working really since January, February this year to develop these,” Rawlinson said.

The speed with which the scientific community has progressed toward a vaccine is striking, especially considering that health experts were warning in the spring that a vaccine was likely 18 months away. Instead, it seems we’ll have one by the beginning of next year, possibly sooner.

Earlier this month it was reported that the UK government has committed to buying 340 million doses of six experimental vaccines. There is also a promising vaccine being developed by Oxford University that US President Donald Trump–who has repeatedly asserted that covid-19 will magically vanish one of these days–is reportedly considering giving an “emergency use authorization.”

A major factor allowing for this warp speed was the previous efforts to develop a vaccine for SARS, another type of coronavirus that shares characteristics with covid-19. Because SARS disappeared of its own volition, a vaccine was never completed. But valuable data was nevertheless produced during the early trials.

“That vaccine was never taken fully to a population,” Rawlinson explained. “There was some very good early information available from a number of what we call phase two studies and by the time they were planning for phase three studies there were no more cases.

“So really the reason for doing it died out which was great of course because SARS COVID-1, the original SARS disappeared. What that did allow us to have is a lot of information that then provided data that could be used for SARS COVID-2, so we actually got a bit of a head start.”

He went on to add that “it’s unlikely” that the covid-19 pandemic will go away without effectual vaccines.

The West says Russia’s covid vaccine is rubbish, but Asia isn’t convinced

Science

Residents of Moscow are being asked to volunteer for trials of a covid-19 vaccine that has already been given the stamp of approval by the Russian government. I’m no scientist, but the chronology here seems a bit askew.

The request for volunteers came from Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, who said the vaccine is now undergoing “post-registration research.”

“We all were eager to see the creation of a vaccine, and now we have it,” Sobyanin said, according to the Associated Press. “Now, Moscow residents have a unique chance to become the main participants in clinical research that will help defeat the coronavirus.”

There was plenty of skepticism when Russia announced it had an effective coronavirus vaccine earlier this month. Some of that skepticism was expressed within Russia itself. For instance, the country’s Association of Clinical Trials Organizations characterised the vaccine as dangerous, saying:

“Fast-tracked approval will not make Russia the leader in the race, it will just expose consumers of the vaccine to unnecessary danger.”

On the other hand, President Putin said the vaccine has been “proven” to work.

“I know it has proven efficient and forms a stable immunity,” he stated at the time. “We must be grateful to those who made that first step very important for our country and the entire world.”

Western countries like the US and UK—who seem to be operating under the belief that the Cold War never ended—are naturally dismissive of Vlad’s remarks. But that doesn’t necessarily reflect global opinion.

AP reports that according to the Russian Direct Investment Fund, which financed the vaccine’s development, five countries are set to participate in Russia’s post-approval trials. Moreover, the US government’s official propaganda outlet Voice of America reports that a number of countries are lining up to buy the Russian vaccine.

These include Vietnam, South Korea, Indonesia, India and the Philippines.

In remarks delivered via Vietnam’s VTV station, Dr. Tran Dac Phu, associate professor at the Vietnam Ministry of Health’s Public Health Emergency Operations Center, expressed optimism about the vaccine’s potential.

“A vaccine that has been used in a foreign country may not require any more tests when it’s imported to Vietnam,” he said. “However, its trials must still be applied on humans to test its safety and effectiveness.” 

Scientific Research Trainees Succeed CSU Biotechnology Seminar Greatest Honor

Science

Biotechnology in its own most basic feeling will imply utilizing the organic units to establish modern technologies beneficial to male which then indicates procedure growth and also manufacture from beneficial items working with natural bodies. Biotechnology integrates using the field of biology as well as chemical make up to build items that enhance the total high quality from individual lifestyle.

Biotechnology training courses are actually currently adapted to informing the much younger age from trainees in the breakthroughs produced in the business from genetic modification and also recombinant DNA modern technology as well as the importance is actually mostly on the information from the methods used in these researches.

Bloodsuckers are actually sadly one thing that can incredibly damage our company. Bloodsuckers are actually taken into consideration residing microorganisms that nourish off from their bunch.

They perform certainly not gain their multitude whatsoever. Instances from bloodsuckers are actually quirks, earthworms, and also various other tiny living things that may nourish off from the bunch. Bloodsuckers can easily get involved in our unit in several methods.

Bloodsuckers carry out harsh danger to our physical body and also this is essential to visit the physician if you have some of the signs and symptoms specified.

A lot of bloodsuckers have other phases from their lifestyles, as well as these phases reside in various lots. Bloodsuckers often have quite complicated lifestyles, as well as could be challenging to exterminate. They are actually incredibly various coming from infections and also micro-organisms.

Commonly, bloodsuckers are actually sometimes much smaller compared to their major multitude. Many of the amount of time, the primary bunch is actually the individual. People arrangement numerous bloodsucking contaminations off the water they consume alcohol and also the meals they consume. Sometimes bloodsuckers are actually employed off unfiltered water, like Giardia lamblia.

The trainee analysts were actually identified at the CSU Biotechnology Seminar in Santa clam Clara Jan. 5-7, where trainees, professors advisors, graduates, supervisors and also companions collected to discuss just how they are actually sophisticateding technology in the lifestyle scientific researches. Along with over 700 individuals, featuring coming from CSUF, this year’s seminar was actually the most extensive however.

Source: news.fullerton.edu

– Carina Sandoval, life science, Glenn Nagel Undergrad Research study Honor
– Noopur Dave, the field of biology, Don Paradise College student Investigation    Honor
– David Hsu, the field of biology, Crellin Pauling Pupil Mentor Honor

” Our globe is actually dealing with the difficulty from creating adequate food items for our developing populace, yet along with using farming study, our team could stop meals instability through reducing the amount of ruined plants,” stated Sandoval, a pupil in both the Howard Hughes Medical Principle Analysis Scholars System as well as Ronald E. McNair Scholars Plan.

” I have actually found out that biotechnology may be made use of to create better plant returns and also make certain the survival from specific foods items like papaya.”