As much as we would like to move on from the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus is not ready to let us go. As several countries experience an uptick in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths, WHO and other health organizations are monitoring a couple of different variants. The New York Times (US) reports, “Concern is rising about the COVID-19 variant EG.5. In August, it became the dominant variant in the United States, and the World Health Organization classified EG.5 as a ‘variant of interest,’ meaning it has genetic changes that give it an advantage and its prevalence is growing…. Experts say EG.5 does not pose a substantial threat — or at least no more of one than any of the other major variants currently circulating.”
Another variant BA.2.86 has some scientists more concerned. The Times reports, “Descended from a different Omicron variant, BA.2.86 has been definitively tied to seven cases of COVID-19 worldwide, but experts suspect it is more widespread. Scientists are particularly concerned about this variant because of the number of mutations it carries. Many of the mutations are in the spike protein, which is what the virus uses to infect human cells and what our immune systems use to identify it.” Nature (UK) reports, “To many scientists, the emergence of BA.2.86 is reminiscent of the early days of the Omicron variant in late 2021, when scientists in southern Africa noticed a weird-looking lineage that quickly went global. ‘There’s a little bit of déjà vu all over again,’ says Adam Lauring, a virologist and infectious-disease physician at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, whose lab identified one person infected with BA.2.86….. “The appearance of BA.2.86 has caught scientists by surprise — and shows that SARS-CoV-2 still has more tricks up its sleeve that researchers will want to understand.”
- Read Chiamaka P. Ojiako of Women in Global Health and colleagues on what makes a global health expert in PLOS Global Public Health.
- Read STAT on a US FDA approval of an RSV vaccine to protect newborns.
- Read a commentary on the need to address economic issues of African women working in the informal sector – shown by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brookings Foresight Africa Report.
- Read Science on a large study that may show increased risk for a range of health issues for years after COVID-19 infection.
- Read Time on a study showing that innate immune cells remain altered for at least a year after COVID-19 infection.
- Read CNN on a small study that suggests which arm you get your COVID-19 booster in matters.
- Read a long editorial in the Washington Post that explicates the Chinese government’s coverup in Wuhan at the beginning of the pandemic and the devastating impact on China and the world.
STAT (US) reports the US FDA has approved “a Pfizer vaccine that aims to protect newborns against RSV by vaccinating pregnant people in the latter part of pregnancy. The vaccine, Abrysvo, has also been approved for use in adults 60 and older to protect them against respiratory syncytial virus…. Babies born to vaccinated people have built-in protection against severe RSV illness that should shield them from developing severe RSV in their first months of life, when they are most vulnerable. The maternal antibodies disappear over time, but the goal is to give newborns enough protection to get through their first RSV season without developing severe illness. RSV infects people of all ages, but causes the most severe illness in babies, whose airways are still developing, and in older adults.”
Chiamaka P. Ojiako of Women in Global Health and colleagues ask in an opinion piece in PLOS Global Public Health how we define a global health expert. “Global health evolved from colonial medicine, tropical medicine, and international health with a primary focus on medical and health problems. Despite the crucial role of medical and health professionals, global health is more than medical care and extends to addressing other underlying drivers of health, social and political determinants, and non-health sectoral issues. The COVID-19 pandemic showed us that merely brandishing evidence, facts, and science is not enough to ensure equity or improve outcomes. Culture, human behaviour, governance, law, politics, regulations, and institutional frameworks are equally key aspects of global health and require non-health professionals versed in health and their area of discipline. And yet, we continue to put too much weight on only some of these experiences (i.e., doctors, scientists, etc). We must recognize that global health expertise is not limited to the medical, public health and other science-related professions. We must start valuing experts from other professions and experts who truly bring multi-disciplinarity to their practice.”
An editorial in The Daily Star (Bangladesh) calls for a more scientific approach to responding to a large outbreak of dengue. “With the dengue situation in the country worsening by the day, it is truly frustrating to see the authorities resorting to the same tried-and-not-tested methods of mosquito control, without any real effort or investment into understanding whether their approaches are working…. scientists pointed out that dengue control in neighbouring Kolkata was successful because they made use of their entomologists and other experts to come up with a scientific and comprehensive plan to eradicate mosquitoes from their communities. We join the experts in asking the critical question: why has Bangladesh not done the same?... We must study and learn from the best and worst practices of other countries also battling dengue and prioritise data-driven approaches and adaptive technologies over traditional methods. Science, not bureaucracy, must be the driving force behind our fight against dengue.”
In a long editorial the Washington Post (US) looks at how doctors in Wuhan saw was happening in the early days of the pandemic and were told to keep quiet. In early 2020, the virus was already running rampant and infecting doctors caring for patients in the hospitals in Wuhan, “But China’s Communist Party leaders prize social stability above all else. They fear any sign of public panic or admission that the ruling party-state is not in control. The authorities in both Wuhan and Beijing kept the situation secret…. Doctors in Wuhan who knew the truth were afraid to speak out. China did not reveal human transmission of the virus until Jan. 22, and by then, the global pandemic had been ignited. In 3½ years, COVID-19 has taken nearly 7 million lives by official counts. The true death toll is probably twice or three times that number…. What happened in Wuhan was not a single slip-up or misjudgment. It was a result of how the system works, demanding fealty and imposing control in all directions. It was a deliberate choice to order doctors not to wear masks that could have saved lives; to slow-walk the reporting and thus impede early warning; to shut down communications with the public; and to instruct doctors not to write anything down about the spreading danger. The consequence was death and misery for the Chinese people and the rest of the world on an unimaginable scale.”
NPR (US) reports that chikungunya, a mosquito-borne disease, that is rarely fatal, but can cause severe pain and lasting health effects, is surging in parts of South America. “The case count in South America this year is already up to a quarter of a million new cases. The outbreak is at its fiercest in Paraguay, which has seen over 100,000 diagnoses…. Why is the disease's footprint growing? ‘Wherever the mosquitoes goes, we will have chikungunya — it's a global concern,’ says Nischay Mishra, a virologist at Columbia University School of Public Health. With the climate changing and temperatures getting warmer, ‘there are more chances mosquitoes can survive everywhere,’ he says.”
Science (US) reports on a large study of medical records from the US veterans’ hospital system. “They found a dramatically increased risk of dozens of conditions including heart failure and fatigue, sometimes years post infection. Overall, the team estimates, COVID-19’s public health impact is more than 50% greater than that of cancer or heart disease. Other researchers say the conclusions broadly reflect what physicians have seen. However, several cite drawbacks in the study’s statistical analysis that could have led it to overestimate harm to the general population…. Researchers did agree on the seriousness of the virus’ long-term harms, and the importance of studying them. The new paper highlights multiple conditions—including diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders, and muscle diseases—that merit further investigation in connection with SARS-CoV-2 infection, [Shawn Murphy, a neurologist and bioinformatician] says. Post-COVID-19 illness ‘is going to be a lingering effect for many years,’ he adds. ‘We need to put enough work into [not only] finding treatments for it, but being able to respect the disability claims that people are going to have. Those claims are well founded.’”
Medscape (US) reports, “Infection with COVID-19 may increase a person's risk of developing high blood pressure, according to a new study…. In an analysis to evaluate the impact of COVID, the researchers compared the likelihood of new high blood pressure in people who had the flu to the people who had COVID-19. The hospitalized COVID-19 patients were more than twice as likely to get high blood pressure, compared to hospitalized flu patients. People who had COVID-19 but weren't hospitalized were 1.5 times more likely to get high blood pressure, compared to non-hospitalized flu patients.”
Alice Park reports in Time (US) reports, “In a paper published on August 18 in the journal Cell, scientists report that innate immune cells—a critical part of the immune system activated to battle COVID-19—remain altered for at least a year after infection. The finding suggests that these cells may play a role in some of the lingering symptoms associated with Long COVID, although more studies are needed to confirm that connection…. The new paper has important implications for understanding how the immune system—even the less bespoke parts that aren’t targeting specific bacteria or viruses—is changed by infections. Understanding these alterations could also shed light on why some people continue to experience long-term symptoms after encountering SARS-CoV-2…” Read the paper in Cell.
Medpage Today (US) reports on a new study of American physicians who spread misinformation on COVID-19 through social media. “In this study, the propagation of COVID-19 misinformation was attributed to 52 US-based physicians in 28 different specialties across the country: 80.8% posted vaccine misinformation and 38.5% posted misinformation on five or more platforms…. Major themes among social media posts included that the vaccines were unsafe or ineffective, the promotion of unapproved medications and treatments, the ineffectiveness of wearing masks, and "other," which included unsubstantiated claims about virus origin, government lies, and other conspiracy theories, with 76.9% of these physicians propagating misinformation in more than one category…” The authors note: “Physicians are often considered credible sources of medical and public health information, increasing the potential negative impact of physician-initiated misinformation. Understanding the extent of this phenomenon, its potential impact, and associated professional, ethical, and legal ramifications may help to better understand the role that physician-propagated COVID-19 misinformation may have played in preventable COVID-19 deaths and mistrust in institutions." Read the study in JAMA Network Open.
US Government Funds Next Generation COVID-19 Intervention Research
CNN (US) reports The US Department of Health and Human Services has announced a round of funding for next generation COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. “The funding is part of Project NextGen, a $5 billion government initiative to develop new and more durable vaccines and treatments for the coronavirus, which continues to infect, hospitalize and kill Americans more than three years after its emergence. ‘This is an investment in expanding our country’s ability to respond to the future variants that we might see coming out of COVID-19,’ HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said…. The funding includes $300 million to the drug manufacturer Regeneron for the development and testing of a new preventive monoclonal antibody, similar to the now-defunct Evusheld, which will help protect people who don’t respond well to vaccines. Clinical trials of the new antibody therapy will begin in the fall…. Another $1 billion in funding will go to four companies that will lead clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines. HHS says the funding will support phase 2b clinical trials of new types of vaccines. HHS will select the vaccines that will be tested this fall, and the studies will begin over the winter.”
Malado Kaba, Director, Gender Women and Civil Society – African Development Bank and Former Economy and Finance Minister of Guinea, writes in Brookings Foresight Africa Report (US) , “The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on women’s economic and employment prospects in Africa. However, it also shed light on a critical issue that has remained unaddressed for too long: How to effectively support women working in the informal sector…. When the pandemic hit, some women have had to make the difficult decision about whether to risk their health to continue to work long hours in crowded spaces for less financial return while balancing increased caring responsibilities as schools closed, and family members fell ill. As the world looks towards a post-pandemic recovery period, we must grab the opportunity to transform the informal sector—and with it the economic prospects of tens of millions of African women.”
Nile Post (Uganda) via All Africa reports, “East African countries are coming together to chart a way forward with handling the recurrent Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreaks. The International Federation of Red Cross and the Uganda Red Cross Society, in close collaboration with the government's Ministry of Health, are spearheading a pivotal high-level meeting. This two day gathering is a convergence of nations from the East African region, united by a common objective: to forge a collective defense against the ravages of EVD.”
Locally Acquired Malaria in US State Maryland
AP (US) reports on a case of locally acquired Malaria in the US state of Maryland. “Maryland has confirmed a case of locally acquired malaria in the state for the first time in more than 40 years, the state’s health department said Friday. Maryland officials said the individual, who was hospitalized and is now recovering, did not travel outside of the United States or to other US states with recent locally acquired malaria cases.”
As the US presidential race gets underway, STAT (US) looks at why some Republicans love democratic Presidential candidate (and conspiracy theorist) Robert Kennedy Jr. and what that can tell us about there potential health platforms. “Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime face of the anti-vaccine movement, has seen a swell of popularity among conservatives and particularly COVID-19 conspiracy theorists. While he’s still a long shot candidate, especially running as a Democrat, Kennedy’s climb in the polls and his favorability with voters — he has the broadest public approval, according to a recent Harvard CAPS-Harris poll — hasn’t gone unnoticed…. Republican presidential candidates Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Trump have praised him. DeSantis has gone as far as saying he would appoint Kennedy to a top position to ‘sic’ him on federal health agencies for the COVID-19 response. Ramaswamy told a radio show that he’s spoken with Kennedy ‘several times over the course of the campaign.’”
CNN (US) reports on a small study that found the arm you choose for a COVID-19 booster may be important. “The immune response may be stronger if your booster goes in the same arm as your last COVID-19 shot, according to a study published August 11 in the journal eBioMedicine. ‘The question seems so banal, so trivial that nobody before has thought to ask it,’ study coauthor Martina Sester [said]… The researchers used the data of 303 people who received the mRNA vaccine as well as a booster shot as part of Germany’s vaccine campaign. Two weeks after the booster, the number of ‘killer T cells’ was significantly higher in those who had both shots in the same arm, according to the study.”
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