By Nancy Lapid
(Reuters) – The following is a summary of some of the latest scientific studies on the new coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
Pollen levels linked to COVID-19 rates
Higher pollen concentrations in the air coincided with increases in COVID-19 infection rates, a large study suggests a possible link. Using data from 130 sites in 31 countries, researchers found that pollen levels in the air, sometimes in combination with humidity and temperature, account for up to 44% of the volatility of COVID-19 infection rates during the spring of 2020. The effect was not linked to pollen allergies, the researchers said. In a report published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the USA, they explained that exposure to pollen in all the ability of the airways to protect themselves against viruses is reduced by the release of the antiviral protein interferon to reduce. . The study also reports that infection rates were halved under similar pollen concentrations when lock-in measures took place, because the exclusion limited exposure to both the virus and the pollen that reduced the immune response. “Since we can not completely avoid exposure to pollen, we encourage … individuals at high risk to wear particulate filter masks during high pollen concentrations,” said co-author Athanasios Damialis of the University of Munich in Augsburg, Germany. . (https://bit.ly/3byfNCc)
Robust vaccine reactions seen during pregnancy and lactation
Pregnant and lactating women who received the pfizer / BioNTech or Moderna mRNA vaccines had immune responses similar to those seen in non-pregnant, non-lactating women, a new study has found. In all cases, the COVID-19 antibodies induced by the vaccines were transmitted via the placenta or breast milk to the infants, according to a report published on peer-to-peer medRxiv on Monday. The researchers studied 84 pregnant women, 31 breastfeeding women and 16 non-pregnant women who received the vaccinations. Immune responses were equivalent in all three groups, and all three groups had higher antibody levels than another group of 37 women infected with the coronavirus during pregnancy. “There has been a muted response to vaccination for other vaccines during pregnancy in the past,” said co-author Galit Alter of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. She added that the study addressed an important question because COVID-19 vaccines are being rolled out, as there is currently “no information on how it works in this population.” Pregnant and lactating women were not included in the initial COVID-19 vaccine trials. A study that tested the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine in pregnant women was underway last month. (https://bit.ly/3l1BNZr)
Quick test can be displayed after variants of concern
A new test could quickly examine thousands of samples of nasopharyngeal swabs for the contagious, more contagious new virus variants first identified in the UK, South Africa and Brazil. The test uses probes that change color at different temperatures, depending on whether it detects a specific mutation called N501Y, which occurs in all three variants. The test cannot distinguish between them at first, so positive samples need to be further tested to identify the specific variant, said David Alland of Rutgers University in New Jersey, co-author of a report released on Monday on medRxiv was placed before the peer review. . “Our next task, which is mostly mostly completed, is to add to the test so that a second mutation … called E484K can also be detected,” he said. “It will distinguish variants … of the United Kingdom from those of South African or Brazilian origin.” The test should continue to detect these varieties of concern, even if the virus continues to change, he said. In those cases, the temperature at which the probes will change color will change, and any unforeseen color change will contain a sample as likely to be a new mutant, Alland said. The test is open source, so it could be updated by the Rutgers researchers or other teams. (https://bit.ly/30uVj6X)
Antibody combo treatment protects against severe COVID-19
A combination of two monoclonal antibody drugs – bamlanivimab and etesevimab – by Eli Lilly and Co reduced the risk of hospitalization and death by 87% in a US study of 769 non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients with risk factors for developing severe diseases, according to trial data the company released Wednesday. This is the second, late-stage randomized trial to demonstrate that the antibody is effective in treating mild to moderate COVID-19. The previous study, published in January, used a higher dose of the drugs and reduced the risk of hospitalization by 70%. U.S. regulators approved the combination therapy in February for use in COVID-19 patients 12 years of age and older who have not yet been admitted to hospital but are at high risk of developing serious complications. European regulators approved its use in March. “We have few other diseases where we have medicines that can provide this benefit,” said Daniel Skovronsky, chief scientific officer at Eli Lilly. (https://reut.rs/3l3Ce5i)
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(Reporting by Nancy Lapid; Additional Reporting by Michael Erman and Carl O’Donnell; Editing by Bill Berkrot)