Tag: testing

Non-invasive skin swab tests can quickly detect COVID-19: Lancet study

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Non-invasive skin swab samples may be enough to detect the novel coronavirus quickly, according to a study published in the Lancet E Clinical Medicine journal. Researchers at the University of Surrey in the UK noted that COVID-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented demand for testing — for diagnosis and prognosis — as well as for investigation into the impact of the disease on the host metabolism.

Sampling sebum — an oily, waxy substance produced by the body’s sebaceous glands — has the potential to support both needs by looking at what the virus does to us, rather than looking for the virus itself, they said. The most widely used approach to testing for COVID-19 requires a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, which involves taking a swab of the back of the throat and far inside the nose.

The researchers collected sebum samples from 67 hospitalised patients — 30 who had tested positive for COVID-19 and 37 who had tested negative. The samples were collected by gently swabbing a skin area rich in sebum such as the face, neck or back.

The team analysed the samples by using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and a statistical modelling technique to differentiate between the COVID-19 positive and negative samples. The researchers, including those from the Universities of Manchester and Leicester, found that patients with a positive COVID-19 test had lower lipid levels — or dyslipidemia — than their counterparts with a negative test.

They noted that the accuracy of the findings increased further when medication and additional health conditions were controlled. ”Our study suggests that we may be able to use non-invasive means to test for diseases such as COVID-19 in the future — a development which I am sure will be welcomed by all,” said Melanie Bailey, co-author of the study from the University of Surrey.

Matt Spick, co-author of the study from the University of Surrey noted that COVID-19 damages many areas of metabolism. In this work, we show that the skin lipidome can be added to the list, which could have implications for the skin’s barrier function, as well as being a detectable symptom of the disease itself,” Spick said.

Investigating new methods of diagnosis and surveillance in a new disease such as COVID-19 that has had such a devastating effect on the world is vital, according to George Evetts, Consultant in Anaesthesia & Intensive Care Medicine at Frimley Park Hospital. ”Sebum sampling is a simple, non-invasive method that shows promise for both diagnostics and monitoring of the disease in both a healthcare and a non-healthcare setting,” Evetts added.

Click here: For the latest news and updates on COVID-19

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Singapore approves COVID-19 test using saliva from inside throat

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Singapore has approved Advanced MedTech Holdings’ COVID-19 kit for use in testing saliva from deep within the throat, the company said, as the country looks to ramp up testing to help re-open its borders and resume more economic activity.83

Singapore has made testing a pillar of its strategy to gradually re-open its borders that have been largely shut for most of 2020. The island-state is hosting the World Economic Forum in May next year and has said safety protocols will include on-arrival tests, as well as pre-event and periodic antigen testing.

Patients will need to draw out saliva from deep within their throat and spit into a specimen bottle for the test, Advanced MedTech said.

This would make specimen collection much less invasive and more comfortable for patients than the current method of collection through swabs inserted into the back of the nose or throat, it said.

”No patient wants to have a swab poked up their nose or the back of their throat. Having a fast, painless, and accurate COVID-19 test kit…is a game changer for Singapore as we reopen our borders,” said Abel Ang, group chief executive of Advanced MedTech.

Also Read: US medical experts recommend authorisation of Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine

Hong Kong and Taiwan are among the other places in the world that have been using deep-throat saliva samples to test for the coronavirus.

The new Singapore tests, which will be used in Changi Airport in 2021, were able to accurately identify all the known positive cases in clinical studies, the company said.

It said the test should speed up testing capabilities and mean a four-fold increase in the output of samples compared with conventional RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) tests.

Click here: For the latest news and updates on COVID-19

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Roundup of latest scientific studies on COVID-19: Phone camera may replace labs in novel testing approach

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.

Phone cameras may replace lab equipment in COVID-19 testing

Researchers seeking faster, more convenient options for ramping up coronavirus testing are looking at a novel approach using a gene-editing technology called CRISPR and smartphone cameras in place of bulky laboratory equipment. In a paper published on Friday in Cell, a team that includes Jennifer Doudna – this year’s co-winner of the Nobel Prize in chemistry – describes a CRISPR-based COVID-19 test in which the swab sample is mixed with an enzyme called Cas13 that can recognize the genetic material of the new coronavirus, plus an extra molecule that becomes fluorescent when cut.

The mixture is then placed in a device that attaches to smartphones. If the mixture contains genetic material from the virus, the enzyme finds it and slices it – without time-consuming virus-purification steps other tests require. The enzyme also slices the extra molecule, and the resulting fluorescence is detected by the phone camera as a signal that the virus is present. Smartphone cameras ”are about 10-fold more sensitive than lab-based devices in detecting the fluorescence signal fast and reliably within minutes,” said coauthor Dr. Melanie Ott of the Gladstone Institute of Virology at the University of California, San Francisco. ”The cell phone is also portable, widely available and… via GPS can facilitate contact tracing.”

Coronavirus mutations linked with COVID-19 severity

Certain mutations in the genetic material of the new coronavirus have ”substantial” associations with COVID-19 severity, and ”collectively these variants are not rare,” U.S. Air Force researchers have found. When they downloaded and analyzed the genetic profiles of COVID-19 virus samples obtained from 155,958 patients in an international registry database, they found 17 mutations with more than two-fold greater odds of being associated with higher COVID-19 severity and 67 variants that appeared to be associated with milder illness that did not require hospitalization.

”Altogether, 85% of genomes had at least one variant associated with patient outcome,” the researchers reported on Thursday in a paper posted on medRxiv in advance of peer review. They cannot say at this point whether any specific mutation on its own causes milder or more severe disease, only that ”in aggregate, these variants are predictive of outcome.” Further study is needed, but eventually, the investigators said, ”by providing a molecular risk factor for more severe outcomes, these findings could help prioritize limited treatment supplies to those at greatest risk.” (https://bit.ly/3gkPIqU)

Children may be missing vaccinations during pandemic

If a study from Colorado is any indication, children and adolescents have been missing recommended vaccinations during the pandemic. Researchers there looked at data from the Colorado Immunization Information System, collected from Jan. 5 to May 2. Until mid-March, when measures to try to contain the spread of the virus went into effect, the combined weekly number of vaccinations averaged 23,523 per week for babies up to age 2, 6,148 for 3- to 9-year-olds, and 8,318 for children ages 10 to 17. After March 15, the average weekly number of vaccinations dropped by 31% for babies, 78% for 3- to 9-year-olds, and 82% for the older group.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that every child continue to receive routine vaccinations during the COVID-19 outbreak. In a report published on Monday in JAMA Pediatrics, the Colorado study authors noted that they do not yet know the effect of the decrease in vaccinations on future infection rates. Still, they conclude, ”public health advocates should consider addressing this drop to avoid the potential for vaccine-preventable diseases.”

Click here: For the latest news and updates on COVID-19

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Major airline groups push for end to coronavirus quarantines, travel bans

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The United States, state governments and some foreign countries should replace quarantines and travel bans on airline passengers with COVID-19 testing of travelers before departure and upon arrival, airline and business groups said on Thursday. They said the move would boost US international air travel, which is down 78 percent year-over-year for the most recent seven-day period, according to airline industry data.

The groups, which include the International Air Transport Association, Airlines for America, the US Chamber of Commerce, airline unions and the US Travel Association, called on the Trump administration, state governors and international partners ”to pursue a risk-based and data-driven approach to COVID-19 testing which would obviate the need for quarantines and travel bans so that the travel network can be safely re-opened.”

The groups added that ”travel quarantines are decimating our industry.”

Currently, 18 US states have some type of quarantine for arriving travelers, the groups said. Hawaii last week began allowing airline passengers who tested negative for COVID-19 to avoid a two-week mandatory quarantine upon arrival.

The United States still has in place entry bans on nearly all non-US citizens who recently were in China, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil, Iran and countries in the so-called Schengen border-free area of Europe. Nearly all of Europe still bans most US travelers, while the UK allows Americans to visit but requires a two-week quarantine upon arrival.

”The continued restrictions on international travel and differing state and international quarantine policies are hampering the recovery of the U.S. economy,” the letter added.

The Trump administration has been holding high-level discussions with countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Canada and Italy about the possibility of establishing ”flight bubbles” that would allow travel or reduce quarantines if passengers agreed to COVID-19 tests before departure and upon arrival.

Under discussion are whether a quarantine would still be required, with some health experts in the Trump administration calling for a one-week quarantine, and what test would be used. Rising coronavirus infections in some countries, such as the United States, pose a hurdle to lifting restrictions.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Six months since lockdown: Strides in testing, vaccine devt but COVID crisis far from over, say scientists

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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From 500 cases to 57 lakh. Six months after a nationwide lockdown, COVID-19 is spreading fast across the length and breadth of India with more testing and developments on the vaccine front but no clarity on when the disease will be controlled, say scientists. On March 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day lockdown for the entire country, stating it was the only way to break the chain of infection. At the time, the number of people infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus was a little over 500 and the death toll 12.

Six months on, India has the second-highest number of cases in the world after the US with a tally of 57.32 lakh cases, 86,508 people testing positive in a day and a total of 91,149 fatalities, according to Union Health Ministry figures on Thursday. As COVID-19 rages — and even laypersons get conversant with the complexities of RT-PCR tests versus the cheaper but not so reliable rapid antigen tests — US-based economist and epidemiologist Ramanan Laxminarayan said there is a hidden epidemic happening even as the pandemic spreads. He noted that the infection is spreading widely across all parts of the country, including into rural India, although the visibility is lower in places where testing is weak or inadequate.

We will likely see some increases in states like UP and Bihar but only if RT-PCR testing increases. Right now, we have a hidden epidemic in many parts of the country which have weak health systems, the director of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy in Washington told PTI. While the infection is spreading at a slower rate than if people were not taking precautions, it is definitely not under control, Laxminarayan added.

However, he expects the number of cases to start coming down in the next month or two as India approaches some sense of population immunity. As a substantial number of the population is infected and recovers from the disease, they are unlikely to spread the virus. Given the precautions that are being taken both by the government and individuals, the epidemic has slowed down. This would mean that we would see a sustained plateau for a while before the cases start coming down, Laxminarayan said. On March 23, a day before the prime minister announced the lockdown and two days before it came into force, India had tested 18,383 samples. Till September 22, this had gone up to at least 6,62,79,462 tests, both RT-PCR and rapid antigen.

The recoveries have gone up to over 46 lakh people, pushing the national recovery rate to 81.55 percent. Immunologist Satyajit Rath sounded a note of caution and said India is still at the stage of spreading viral infection across communities.

With global, international travel as the point of origin, the infection was first established in urban high-density localities, and is now spreading from those into the rest of the country, at widely varied speeds, Rath, from the National Institute of Immunology (NII) in New Delhi, told PTI. The infection has never really been under control in India, he said.

The early harsh prolonged lockdown somewhat delayed the large-scale establishment of the infection. But ’control’ has never been a possibility. So we are certainly going to see growth in the infection numbers for quite a long while yet, Rath added. Immunologist Vineeta Bal concurred with Rath, saying the Indian government did not learn much despite experiences from other parts of the world and announced complete draconian lockdowns that were extended for long periods.

Leadership in the country lacked in its vision and could not get a sense of the ground realities for poor people; or maybe did not care, Bal, from Pune’s Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research, told PTI. Because of major undermining of public health infrastructure for decades, our epidemic handling preparedness was very, very poor. That could have been the only justifiable reason for imposing the lockdown, Bal added.

Laxminarayan took a different view. He said there were many positives about the control strategy, including an early recognition of the threat faced by India, and an early lockdown though the implementation and planning could have been much better. The lack of early testing really cost the country. With better and more expanded testing early on, that India was fully capable of, the lockdown could have been more targeted rather than been nationwide.

Since then, there has been much confusion on the scientific communication, including on the prospects for a vaccine and the utility of hydrochloroquine. The performance across different states has been very varied depending on their health system capacity, he noted. Rath said the early harsh prolonged lockdown created more problems than it solved.

It somewhat delayed the large-scale establishment of the infection, but it did that at the disproportionately massive cost of disruption of already fragile livelihoods, of the economy, and of healthcare systems, he explained. Bal also pointed out that India has been paying for its long-term neglect of healthcare infrastructure that should accessible to the poor and the needy.

While there have been serious efforts to build infrastructure, upgrade facilities in the past six months, what has been done is still not enough, she added. Discussing the vaccine, on which rest the hopes of billions of people globally, the experts said there are almost 200 efforts across the world to build and test candidates. A large number, growing by the week, are in clinical trials of actual efficacy.

In India, there are at least eight vaccine candidates being developed, two of which have entered Phase 2 trials or the penultimate stage. In all likelihood, a number of vaccines will emerge. Optimistically, the first vaccines will probably be licensed by the end of this calendar year, Rath said. Further, the first-generation vaccines are likely to provide significant but not complete protection, and it will not be clear how long protection will last and how well booster vaccination will work, he said.

Laxminarayan, also an affiliate professor at the University of Washington, added that it is too early to know if any of the vaccine candidates under development in India will play a major role in COVID-19 control in the country. However, one should hope that, he said. This is the first disease in human history, to the best of my knowledge, where candidate vaccine trials began in less than eight-nine months from the day the virus was identified and its sequence published. This is a major technological achievement, Bal added.

The expert noted that in India the pandemic is unlikely to be over in the months to come, and the number of people getting infected will continue to rise.

Also, catch all the latest updates and trends on the novel coronavirus with CNBCTV18’s blog.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

US, European COVID-19 vaccine developers pledge to uphold testing rigour

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Nine leading US and European vaccine developers pledged on Tuesday to uphold the scientific standards their experimental immunisations will be held against in the global race to contain the coronavirus pandemic. The companies, including Pfizer , GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca , issued what they called a ”historic pledge” after a rise in concern that safety and efficacy standards might slip in the rush to find a vaccine.

The companies said in a statement they would ”uphold the integrity of the scientific process as they work towards potential global regulatory filings and approvals of the first COVID-19 vaccines”. The other signatories were Johnson & Johnson , Merck & Co , Moderna , Novavax , Sanofi and BioNTech .

The promise to play by established rules underlines a highly politicised debate over what action is needed to rein in COVID-19 quickly and to jumpstart global business and trade. Partners BioNTech and Pfizer could unveil pivotal trial data as early as October, potentially placing them at the centre of caustic US politics before the Nov. 3 presidential election.

”It is playing out to be a very bitter and emotionally-charged election,” said Joseph Kim, chief executive officer at San Diego-based vaccine developer Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc , which was not asked to sign the document. ”The pledge, without being political, is saying we are going to put the safety and health of the public forward as the No. 1 priority.”

The head of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said last month COVID-19 vaccines may not necessarily need to complete Phase 3 clinical trials – large-scale testing intended to demonstrate safety and efficacy – as long as officials are convinced the benefits outweigh the risks. This prompted a call for caution from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Also Read: AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine study paused after one illness

Developers globally have yet to produce large-scale trial data showing actual infections in participants, yet Russia granted approval to a COVID-19 vaccine last month, prompting some Western experts to criticise a lack of testing. The head of China’s Sinovac Biotech has said most of its employees and their families have already taken an experimental vaccine developed by the Chinese firm under the country’s emergency-use programme. Chinese companies or institutions, which are involved in several leading vaccine projects, did not sign the statement.

PROMISE ON SAFETY AND EFFICACY

”We want it to be known that also in the current situation we are not willing to compromise safety and efficacy,” said co-signatory Ugur Sahin, chief executive BioNTech. ”Apart from the pressure and the hope for a vaccine to be available as fast as possible, there is also a lot of uncertainty among people that some development steps may be omitted here.”

President Donald Trump has said it is possible the United States will have a vaccine before the November election. The nine companies said they would follow established guidance from expert regulatory authorities such as the FDA.

Among other hurdles, approval must be based on large, diverse clinical trials with comparative groups that do not receive the vaccine in question. Participants and those working on the trial must not know which group they belong to, according to the pledge.

BioNTech’s Sahin said there must be statistical certainty of 95 percent, in some cases higher, and that a positive reading on efficacy does not come just from random variations but reflects the underlying workings of the compound.
The development race has intensified safety concerns about an inoculation, polls have shown.

Western regulators have said they would not cut corners but rather prioritise the review workload and allow for development steps in parallel that would normally be handled consecutively. Sahin declined to comment on regulators specifically or on what events prompted the joint statement.

The chief executive of German vaccine developer Leukocare, which did not sign the pledge, was more forthright. ”What Russia did – and maybe also there are tendencies in the US to push the approval of a vaccine which has not been sufficiently developed in clinic – bears a huge risk,” said CEO Michael Scholl. ”My biggest fear is that we will approve vaccines that are not safe and that will have a negative impact on the concept of vaccinations in general.”

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Despite high testing levels, daily covid-19 positivity rate below 7.5% in India

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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With more than 11.70 lakh samples tested for COVID-19 for two successive days (Wednesday and Thursday), the total number of such tests conducted in the country has surged to 4,66,79,145, while the daily positivity rate is still below 7.5 percent, the health ministry said on Friday. ”Even with this very high daily testing, the daily COVID-19 positivity rate is still below 7.5 percent while the cumulative positivity rate is less than 8.5 percent,” it underlined.

With 30,37,151 people having recovered from COVID-19, the national recovery rate has risen to 77.15 percent, while the case fatality rate has further declined to 1.74 percent, according to the ministry’s data updated at 8 am. ”These results reflect the successful Centre-led strategy of ’test, track and treat’ being effectively implemented by most of the states and Union territories.

”No other country has achieved these levels of very high daily testing,” the ministry stressed. The sustained higher testing on a wide scale enables early diagnosis, prompt isolation and a timely hospitalisation.

Effective treatment, based on the Standard Treatment Protocol both in supervised home isolation and in hospitals, also results in a lower mortality rate. ”With the aim to reduce the fatality rate below 1 percent, India’s case fatality rate (CFR) has touched 1.74 percent following a gradient of steady and sustained decline,” the ministry underscored.

The daily testing capacity has been enhanced to more than 10 lakh tests. A total of11,69,765 samples were tested for COVID-19 on Thursday. ”With this steep exponential rise in daily testing, the cumulative tests are nearing 4.7 crore. The cumulative tests as on date have reached 4,66,79,145,” the ministry said.

The substantial increase in the testing levels is anchored in the daily expansion of the network of diagnostic laboratories across the country. As on date, there are 1,631 such laboratories in India — 1,025 in the government sector and 606 private ones. With83,341 new cases reported in a span of 24 hours, the country’s COVID-19 tally mounted to 39,36,747, while the death toll due to the disease climbed to68,472 with1,096 people succumbing to it in a day, the data showed.

Also, catch all the latest updates and trends on the novel coronavirus with CNBCTV18’s blog.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Large antibody study offers hope for virus vaccine efforts

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Antibodies that people make to fight the new coronavirus last for at least four months after diagnosis and do not fade quickly as some earlier reports suggested, scientists have found. Tuesday’s report, from tests on more than 30,000 people in Iceland, is the most extensive work yet on the immune system’s response to the virus over time, and is good news for efforts to develop vaccines.

If a vaccine can spur production of long-lasting antibodies as natural infection seems to do, it gives hope that “immunity to this unpredictable and highly contagious virus may not be fleeting,” scientists from Harvard University and the U.S. National Institutes of Health wrote in a commentary published with the study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

One of the big mysteries of the pandemic is whether having had the coronavirus helps protect against future infection, and for how long. Some smaller studies previously suggested that antibodies may disappear quickly and that some people with few or no symptoms may not make many at all.

The new study was done by Reykjavik-based deCODE Genetics, a subsidiary of the U.S. biotech company Amgen, with several hospitals, universities and health officials in Iceland. The country tested 15% of its population since late February, when its first COVID-19 cases were detected, giving a solid base for comparisons.

Scientists used two different types of coronavirus testing: the kind from nose swabs or other samples that detects bits of the virus, indicating infection, and tests that measure antibodies in the blood, which can show whether someone was infected now or in the past.

Blood samples were analyzed from 30,576 people using various methods, and someone was counted as a case if at least two of the antibody tests were positive. These included a range of people, from those without symptoms to people hospitalized with signs of COVID-19.

In a subgroup who tested positive, further testing found that antibodies rose for two months after their infection initially was diagnosed and then plateaued and remained stable for four months.

Previous studies suggesting antibodies faded quickly may have been just looking at the first wave of antibodies the immune system makes in response to infection; those studies mostly looked 28 days after diagnosis. A second wave of antibodies forms after a month or two into infection, and this seems more stable and long-lasting, the researchers report.

The results don’t necessarily mean that all countries’ populations will be the same, or that every person has this sort of response. Other scientists recently documented at least two cases where people seem to have been reinfected with the coronavirus months after their first bout.

The new study does not establish how much or which type of antibody confers immunity or protection — that remains unknown.

The study also found:

— Testing through the bits-of-virus method that’s commonly done in community settings missed nearly half of people who were found to have had the virus by blood antibody testing. That means the blood tests are far more reliable and better for tracking spread of the disease in a region and for guiding decisions and returning to work or school, researchers say.

— Nearly a third of infections were in people who reported no symptoms.

— Nearly 1% of Iceland’s population was infected in this first wave of the pandemic, meaning the other 99% are still vulnerable to the virus.

— The infection fatality rate was 0.3%. That’s about three times the fatality rate of seasonal flu and in keeping with some other more recent estimates, said Dr. Derek Angus, critical care chief at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Although many studies have been reporting death rates based on specific groups such as hospitalized patients, the rate of death among all infected with the coronavirus has been unknown. The news that natural antibodies don’t quickly disappear “will be encouraging for people working on vaccines,” Angus said.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

All travellers entering Arunachal Pradesh will be tested for COVID-19

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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All travellers entering Arunachal Pradesh will be tested for COVID-19 by rapid antigen test (RAT) at the state’s check gates and helipads, as per the Unlock 4 guidelines issued by the state government. State Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar issued a notification on Monday night on the guidelines which would be effective from September 1 to 30.

The antigen tests of all incoming interstate travellers at the point of entry will be strictly carried out from 8 am to 8 pm. If the travellers are detected as being asymptomatic and negative in the test on arrival, they can report to work or perform their activities in the state following the ‘new normal’, the guidelines said.

However, they should self-monitor their health for 14 days from the date of their arrival for any Covid-19 symptoms, and immediately seek medical consultation or call the district helpline.

If the people are detected as being asymptomatic and positive in the test, they would have the option for home isolation at their destination district if they fulfil the criteria. “If facility for home isolation is not as per the requirements, they will be shifted to the destination district’s Covid care centre (CCC).

“Also, if the travellers are found to be symptomatic in the test on arrival despite found to be negative, they would be required to self-isolate at home and call the district helpline within 24 hours, whereby they will be directed to the nearest testing centre for collection of nasopharyngeal samples for RT-PCR or TrueNat tests,” the notification said.

Those who are symptomatic but test negative in the test on arrival, would be shifted to the ‘suspect case’ section of the dedicated Covid health centers or dedicate Covid hospital of the district for RT-PCR/True Nat tests.

If they test negative in RT-PCR/TrueNat, they may be shifted to a non-Covid health facility for management of symptoms and in case they are detected as being positive, they will be shifted to the confirmed case section of such centers and hospitals.

Travellers who are symptomatic and test positive in the test on arrival will be shifted to a Covid Care Center, a Covid health centre, or a Covid hospital, depending on the severity of their symptoms.

All travellers are to observe the standard precautions like wearing a facemask, observing physical distancing, frequent handwashing with soap and water or using hand sanitizer, following cough etiquette, etc, while in public areas in the state.

Central Para Military Forces and the armed forces will have to follow their own SOPs for Covid-19 management. The state government will continue to offer support by way of testing kits at no cost, the notification said.

As per the new guidelines, truckers and attendants coming into the state and leaving the state within eight hours need not be tested for SARS CoV-2 virus and there will be no restriction on movement of goods at the entry points to the state for truckers and attendants carrying essential items. “They will be tested at point of destination district and not at the point of entry to the state,” the notification added.

Any trucker or attendant who tests positive at the destination district will be managed in a Covid care centre of that district. They have been advised to carry their own necessary arrangements to cook their food and halt for the night away from public areas on their way to the destination district.

Regarding intra-state and inter-district travel, the guidelines said that no authority, including the district administration, will restrict movement or impose any quarantine or testing requirement for inter-district travellers, goods and services.

As per the new guidelines, the district administration is not authorized to impose any restriction on activities outside of the containment zones for Covid-19 management.

Meanwhile, as per the unlock guidelines for the Capital Complex region, all activities will be permitted in areas outside the containment zones, except activities restricted by the Home Ministry.

The Capital Complex region comprises Itanagar, Naharlagun, Nirjuli and Banderdewa areas. “All permitted activities, including hotels, restaurants and gyms, shall, however, follow all SOPs as issued by the Centre earlier on June 4 and August 3 last,” the notification added.

Also, catch all the latest updates and trends on the novel coronavirus with CNBCTV18’s blog

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

In contrast to US, UN backs testing people without symptoms

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The World Health Organization said Thursday that countries should actively test people to find coronavirus cases even if they don’t show symptoms — a stance that comes after the US health agency switched its policy to say that asymptomatic contacts of infected people don’t need to be tested.

At a press briefing, Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead for COVID-19, said when officials are investigating clusters of COVID-19, “testing may need to be expanded to look for individuals who are on the more mild end of the spectrum or who may indeed be asymptomatic.”

Yet new guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it’s not necessary for people who have been in close contact with infected people but who don’t feel sick to get tested. The agency had previously advised local health officials to test people who’d been within about 6 feet (1.8 meters) of an infected person for over 15 minutes.

Van Kerkhove said countries were free to adapt WHO’s testing guidance for their individual needs and while testing itself was important, it was equally critical to get testing results back fast.

“What’s really important is that testing is used as an opportunity, to define active cases so that they can be isolated and so that contact tracing can also take place,” she said. “This is really fundamental to breaking chains of transmission.”

Van Kerkhove also expressed concerns about public behavior, saying she’s growing “a little bit concerned” that the use of masks is leading some people to think they don’t need to keep safe distances from others.

“We’re seeing that people aren’t really adhering to the physical distancing anymore,” Van Kerkhove said. “Even if you’re wearing masks, you still need to try to do the physical distancing of at least one meter and even further if you can.”

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rlier Thursday, the WHO’s chief for Europe, Dr. Hans Kluge, warned that the coronavirus is a “tornado with a long tail” and said rising infections among young people could spread to more vulnerable older people and cause an uptick in deaths.

He said younger people are more likely to come into closer contact with the elderly as the weather cools across the continent and families move activities inside.

“We don’t want to do unnecessary predictions but this is definitely one of the options: that at one point there would be more hospitalizations and an uptick in mortality,” he said, speaking from Copenhagen, site of WHO’s European headquarters.

“It may be that younger people indeed are not necessarily going to die from it but it’s a tornado with a long tail and it’s a multi-organ disease,” he said.

Kluge said 32 out of 55 states and territories in WHO’s European region have recorded a 14-day new infection rate increase of over 10%, calling that “definitely an uptick which is generalized in Europe.”

He said the autumn presented a “tricky situation” because of widespread school reopenings, the onset of the flu season and the increased mortality among older people in winter months.

The UN agency this week recommended that children 6 to 11 wear masks at times to prevent the spread of the virus, especially in areas of wide community transmission or where social distancing cannot be maintained, and children 12 and older wear masks as often as adults.

As cases across Europe have increased amid the summer holiday season, WHO also issued advice for hotels and related businesses. WHO said hotels should consider reducing occupancy rates to ensure social distancing and said all staff and guests should comply with basic COVID-19 prevention measures like frequent hand-washing and mask-wearing.

It said physical barriers like protective plexiglass shields should be used to separate hotel staff and guests at reception desks. WHO said national guidance should be followed on whether or not indoor dining was allowed but that “buffets are not recommended.”

It said gyms, pools and spa facilities could be used with certain restrictions, like limiting the maximum number of people to ensure social distancing.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow