Vaccine Development Summary
11-13-2020, 12:15 PM
#391
Perennial Reserve
Joined APC: Jan 2018
Posts: 12,118
Yet another potential issue...
This is an issue that the medical community has been reluctant to discuss for some time, but it affects many infectious diseases. And it is quite possible it will affect the development of COVID vaccines as well.
There are many people in the world today with impaired immune systems, some genetically caused (remember the ‘bubble boy’?), far more as a result of medical treatment for cancers and other medical problems like organ transplants requiring immune suppressants, and more yet from people living with HIV.
Many antibiotics and antivirals depend on the recipients own body to kill pathogens, the antibiotic or antiviral merely slows replication until that happens. But if it doesn’t happen, because the immune process is inadequate, the infection continues - albeit at a lower rate of reproduction. This has three bad effects, one or the person because they never really do clear the infection, but two for the society. The first of these is induction of resistance to the current therapy, be it antibiotic or antiviral, and the other is that it allows greater time for infection in the host increasing the time for spontaneous mutations to occur.
This is an isolated case, but it suggests that mutations in such individuals are not a rare event, and it may be necessary for the COVID vaccines to be reformulated annually - much like is done with influenza today - unless polyvalent vaccines can be developed.
From Nature:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00502-w
There are many people in the world today with impaired immune systems, some genetically caused (remember the ‘bubble boy’?), far more as a result of medical treatment for cancers and other medical problems like organ transplants requiring immune suppressants, and more yet from people living with HIV.
Many antibiotics and antivirals depend on the recipients own body to kill pathogens, the antibiotic or antiviral merely slows replication until that happens. But if it doesn’t happen, because the immune process is inadequate, the infection continues - albeit at a lower rate of reproduction. This has three bad effects, one or the person because they never really do clear the infection, but two for the society. The first of these is induction of resistance to the current therapy, be it antibiotic or antiviral, and the other is that it allows greater time for infection in the host increasing the time for spontaneous mutations to occur.
This is an isolated case, but it suggests that mutations in such individuals are not a rare event, and it may be necessary for the COVID vaccines to be reformulated annually - much like is done with influenza today - unless polyvalent vaccines can be developed.
From Nature:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00502-w
13 November — The coronavirus can mutate swiftly in one person’s body
The new coronavirus resurged again and again in the body of an infected man, eventually killing him while showing evidence of fast-paced evolution.
Manuela Cernadas and Jonathan Li at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and their colleagues followed the course of COVID-19 in a 45-year-old man with a long-standing autoimmune disorder, who was on a medication regimen that included powerful immunosuppressants (B. Choi et al. N. Engl. J. Med. https://doi.org/fhv8; 2020). Roughly 40 days after the man first tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, follow-up tests indicated that the virus was dwindling — but it surged back, despite antiviral treatment.
The man’s infection subsided and then returned twice more before he died, five months after his first COVID-19 diagnosis. Genomic analysis showed that the man had not been infected multiple times. Instead, the virus had lingered and quickly mutated in his body.
The new coronavirus resurged again and again in the body of an infected man, eventually killing him while showing evidence of fast-paced evolution.
Manuela Cernadas and Jonathan Li at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and their colleagues followed the course of COVID-19 in a 45-year-old man with a long-standing autoimmune disorder, who was on a medication regimen that included powerful immunosuppressants (B. Choi et al. N. Engl. J. Med. https://doi.org/fhv8; 2020). Roughly 40 days after the man first tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, follow-up tests indicated that the virus was dwindling — but it surged back, despite antiviral treatment.
The man’s infection subsided and then returned twice more before he died, five months after his first COVID-19 diagnosis. Genomic analysis showed that the man had not been infected multiple times. Instead, the virus had lingered and quickly mutated in his body.
11-16-2020, 03:31 AM
#392
Banned
Joined APC: Nov 2020
Posts: 237
Moderna Vaccine 94.5% Effective
Very encouraging results coming out of Moderna this morning. Earliest doses by December.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...m_npd_nn_tw_ma
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...m_npd_nn_tw_ma
11-16-2020, 04:56 AM
#394
Clear ECAM
Joined APC: Oct 2014
Posts: 934
All we need is for the 65+ crowd and high-risk individuals to get stuck for the hospitalization and death numbers to fall into the basement.
11-16-2020, 05:40 AM
#395
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
Posts: 40,056
Of note, the Moderna formulation does not require cryogenic storage, just fridge temps.
They said they have bulk quantities ready to ship within hours of FDA approval (still need some time to get enough safety data to seek approval).
They said they have bulk quantities ready to ship within hours of FDA approval (still need some time to get enough safety data to seek approval).
11-16-2020, 05:42 AM
#396
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
Posts: 40,056
They should be the most motivated, aside from health-care workers (who don't have a choice anyway). My parents are REALLY sick of self-imposed lockdown, they were sure excited to see the news this week.
11-16-2020, 05:51 AM
#397
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2015
Position: UNA
Posts: 4,640
11-16-2020, 05:56 AM
#398
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
Posts: 40,056
Vaccine status article:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-h...-idUSKBN27W1F9
AZ and J&J are hoping to have data by year end. Trials were delayed because of low covid prevalence in the places where they were doing the trials. That problem appears to have been fixed with the winter (fatigue?) surge.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-h...-idUSKBN27W1F9
AZ and J&J are hoping to have data by year end. Trials were delayed because of low covid prevalence in the places where they were doing the trials. That problem appears to have been fixed with the winter (fatigue?) surge.
Last edited by rickair7777; 11-16-2020 at 06:15 AM.
11-16-2020, 06:06 AM
#399
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
Posts: 40,056
I think they have millions but not tens of millions, so health-care workers first presumably.
11-16-2020, 06:07 AM
#400
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2015
Position: Underpaid, LCC
Posts: 275
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
