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.
The New York variant contains a third worrying mutation
The coronavirus variant that is increasing in New York City contains the same E484K mutation seen in variants in Brazil and South Africa that is thought to make COVID-19 vaccines and antibody therapies less effective, as well as a mutation called S477N that helps it bind more tightly to cells when it breaks in them. A report by New York Department of Health researchers that was posted on medRxiv on Monday ahead of the peer review adds new information. All versions of the variant circulating in New York contain a mutation called D235G that can reduce the effectiveness of neutralizing antibodies. The variant “increased in the circulating virus population in the state of New York in a little over a month almost 26-fold,” the researchers said. “The combination of E484K or S477N with a D253G mutation that can confer immune escape, and the increased number of COVID-19 cases associated with these variants, guarantees further monitoring,” they said. (https://bit.ly/2ZYX0JM)
Vaccination of the elderly preserves most years of life
Prioritizing the elderly for COVID-19 vaccinations saves not only most lives but also most years of life, a new study suggests. Taking into account age and health risks, the authors calculated the number of lives possibly saved by COVID-19 vaccines in the United States, Germany, and South Korea and multiplied them by the life expectancy of those vaccinated. The risk of dying from COVID-19 patients increases with age faster – by about 11% per year – than their remaining life expectancy decreases, said study leader Joshua Goldstein of the University of California, Berkeley. Without vaccinations, the number of people who would die from COVID-19 is so much higher in the oldest age groups than in younger groups that the protection of the older groups actually saves more life years. “Prior to this study, it was suspected that there would be an average age – not too old and not too young – that would maximize the benefit of a vaccine, in terms of life years saved,” Goldstein said in a statement. . Instead, vaccinating a 90-year-old in the United States would save twice as many years as vaccinating a 75-year-old and six times as much as vaccinating a 50-year-old, his team said Thursday in the Proceedings reported. of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. (https://bit.ly/2Pd0TZh)
Fully personal protective equipment can make carriers sick
Personal protective equipment (PBT) needed in operating rooms and intensive care units can make carriers sick, a small study confirms. The findings help explain clinicians’ reports of breathing problems, headaches and mental retardation during the full protective suit, which includes a high-quality mask, face shield and gloves, according to researchers. Among the eight surgeons who presented for the study, PPE affected breathing, resulting in high blood levels of carbon dioxide and low levels of oxygen. “It was found that air re-inhaled into the PPE mask after two hours contains almost 8% carbon dioxide – 260 times more than atmospheric levels (0.03%),” said Dr. Wine Lewis of the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff said. His team reported in the British Journal of Surgery on Saturday that the changes were significantly greater than those seen with normal operating room clothing, and could cause fluctuations in blood flow to the brain, shortness of breath, sweating, dizziness, nausea, mental retardation, fatigue. , and headaches. Three of the surgeons had headaches associated with altered blood flow in a major cerebral artery. “These findings have been observed in young, fit, physicians, who question what may occur in adult professionals with medical problems, or someone who works outside the two-hour limit,” Lewis said. (https://bit.ly/2MEd9kM)
Plastic with pandemic waste threatens planet
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to uncontrollable levels of biomedical plastic waste, researchers warn. Worldwide, approximately 3.4 billion disposable face masks are generated and discarded. Those alone are the amount of pandemic-related plastic waste generated in the past year, equivalent to about 1.6 million tons per day, according to a report in Heliyon magazine. Plastic in masks, gloves, aprons and bottles of disinfectants overwhelms the capacity of waste management facilities worldwide, especially in developing countries, said co-author Nsikak Benson of Covenant University in Nigeria. Studies have shown that the new coronavirus can survive on plastic surfaces for days, but ‘the overwhelming existence of efficient waste management facilities in developing countries implies that a large percentage of plastic waste for single use can end up in open landfills’, Benson said. said. The report calls on governments and policymakers to prioritize effective waste management of this contaminated plastic and to develop ‘robust’ conservation strategies for sterilization and disinfection of surgical gowns and masks. (https://bit.ly/3bSijlO)
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(Reporting by Nancy Lapid and Christine Soares; Editing by Bill Berkrot)