Wuhan Coronavirus Resource Thread

[syam]

I think mumbai situation is more than little suspicious. even with poor infrastructure, every state in India managing the crisis very well. but somehow mumbai messed it up. very sad. they didn't vote for it, but reaping bad karma.

[Shivaji]

MH consistently having more new cases per day than New York. They should at least bring laws to make wearing mask compulsory and fine those who don't.

MH sad to say, is a complete disaster zone with Mumbai the center. Pics show many areas, irrespective of community, full of people waltzing about, with only a portion wearing masks.

Perhaps time to just give everyone HCQ and hope for the best, given the ICMR results?

I had to move out one stranded relative from Kalyan-Dombivli (close to Mumbai) to Pune. I had applied for one-day pass and got one for travel last Sunday.

I was expecting strict checking at District borders but was not asked for the pass even once in entire Pune-Mumbai-Pune journey (may be because I had pasted pass print-out on car). I could see very little traffic on Mumbai-Pune expressway.

I was stunned to see very casual lockdown in Kalyan - Dombivli. It being Sunday, saw lot of people crowding meat shops, wine shops. Could see groups of people chatting at almost every corner. Police seemed to have given up enforcing lock down. With such kind of lock down for any length of time, I am not sure Mumbai region can ever be free of Corona.

In comparison, Pune seems to be following lockdown relatively well. From West Pune to East Pune, I could see very few people on roads.

[Karan M]

Thank you for the first hand info. Even the police have given up enforcing lockdown means that no better results can be expected. I don't think there is anything left but to mass deploy HCQ after increasing production proportionately.

[DrRatnadip]

Thank you for the first hand info. Even the police have given up enforcing lockdown means that no better results can be expected. I don't think there is anything left but to mass deploy HCQ after increasing production proportionately.

I am in favour of expanding prophylactic use of HCQ, at least in areas where no social distancing is possible such as slums.. Benefits will be definitely more than associated risk.. We have used chloroquine extensively in past for malaria.. I remember giving it to every fever and chills pt even without lab confirmation of malaria in endemic poor areas.. Nobody used to check for QT interval then .. It was reasonably safe..
Covid seems bigger threat now as it is killing employment, economy and our future simultaneously..

https://theprint.in/health/hcq-breakthr ... se/427583/

[hanumadu]

Almost 7000 (6700) new cases today. Half of them from MH. 5 day avg of doubling of active cases reduced from 21 to 16 days in the past few days. I wonder if Mumbai is going for herd immunity. When are anti body tests being done in India?

[Yagnasri]

Being in the red zone, I stopped going out long back except for purchasing weekly vegetables and some items needed for me from the stores opposite my complex. But I see people on the road with masks all the time. No one cares and no one in MH cares. Rumours are all around. Mumbai is in serious problem and there is no end visible.

[nvishal]

Most of the politicians inside shiv sena are village people. Some are barely graduates for certificates sake but almost all are unskilled. Same with maha BJP, congress or NCP.

Much of the skilled(and non-skilled) workforce in maharashtra come from outside.

Many locals(marathis) from mumbai themselves have realised the incompetence of their leaders and have either left Mumbai or finding ways to leave.

----

Be aware that Mumbai is an unplanned city. The roads are barely straight. Buildings and houses have been built wherever possible disregarding basic maths. Countless shanties(jhopad-patties) exist in every town and city around the Mumbai/thane dist(whole Maharashtra even). There is one or two shanties outside every railway station. The maha politicians have carefully maintained these illegal camps because they house lakhs upon lakhs of cheap unskilled labourers which enables(powers) the local industry and markets. Chinese goods that arrive through the sea ports are distributed further towards jharkhand, mp etc. Many of these labourers have fled now making it difficult for industries to run at full capacity. It is difficult to say for sure whether local marathis can fill the massive gap left by these north Indian labourers. The income gap is very huge in Mumbai and I think it has already reached its peak in the early 2010s. Someone like yogi might have already seen an opportunity in this crisis.

[Manish_P]

Speaking of Mumbai

Here's why city local trains are running jam-packed during lockdown

As railway workshops and maintenance shed opened following the gradual lifting of lockdown, trade unions have alleged that local trains run for internal movement of staff are functioning jam-packed without any physical distancing.

A few videos have gone viral on social media showing employees wearing masks but sitting very close to each other.

"COVID-19 has hit Mumbai hard and such things will prove very dangerous," an employee said. He was, however, unable to verify the videos.

"We have already raised the issue of staggering duty hours, inadequate transport facility and further, we have forecasted serious repercussions if the divisions continue to call staff in full strength. We have sought immediate intervention of the General Manager to address this issue, but we not received any reply yet," National Railway Mazdoor Union General Secretary Venu P Nair said.

"Now, most of the branch officers have called for 100 per cent attendance at Matunga workshop and this is leading to crowding inside the coaches," he added.

Note - On the lighter side, being a mumbaikar who commutes (well used to commute) in locals everyday, the train shown in the image would normally be called practically empty
(Forum members from mumbai who are aware of super dense crush load will understand what i mean...)

[DrRatnadip]

Received this from my brother (He is pulmonologist) regarding doxy/ ivermectin combo:

Is there any scientific logic/background for use of
Doxycycline to this study?
a.Antiviral properties: Doxycycline due to its Zinc chelating
properties can inhibit coronavirus infection in humans.
Coronavirus are dependent on Matrix Metallo Proteinases
(MMPs, they have Zinc) for survival in human cells.
b.Doxycycline has anti-inflammatory capabilities that helps in
down regulation of the NFKB pathway as well as a decrease in
levels of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-a, IL-lB, and IL-6.
This property is independent of its antibiotic mechanism.
c. Doxycycline is also being used in treatment of complicated
Pneumonia & septic shock due to Acute Respiratory
distress syndrome (ARDS). Common in Corona/virus

He insisted that there is no harm in trying this combo..However it is not included in any official protocol in India..

[sreerudra]

I think this was already discussed. She is an anti-vaxer and a conspiracy theorist.[/quote]

Thank you sai garu!

[Zynda]

Received this from my brother (He is pulmonologist) regarding doxy/ ivermectin combo:

Is there any scientific logic/background for use of
Doxycycline to this study?
a.Antiviral properties: Doxycycline due to its Zinc chelating
properties can inhibit coronavirus infection in humans.
Coronavirus are dependent on Matrix Metallo Proteinases
(MMPs, they have Zinc) for survival in human cells.
b.Doxycycline has anti-inflammatory capabilities that helps in
down regulation of the NFKB pathway as well as a decrease in
levels of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-a, IL-lB, and IL-6.
This property is independent of its antibiotic mechanism.
c. Doxycycline is also being used in treatment of complicated
Pneumonia & septic shock due to Acute Respiratory
distress syndrome (ARDS). Common in Corona/virus

He insisted that there is no harm in trying this combo..However it is not included in any official protocol in India..

^^Thanks for this valuable piece of info. Do you mind if the above is tweeted? If the right people are copied, perhaps we can elicit a reply/answer to why the combo is not being pursued.

I am not on Twitter but can ask others to tweet.

[DrRatnadip]

Received this from my brother (He is pulmonologist) regarding doxy/ ivermectin combo:

Is there any scientific logic/background for use of
Doxycycline to this study?
a.Antiviral properties: Doxycycline due to its Zinc chelating
properties can inhibit coronavirus infection in humans.
Coronavirus are dependent on Matrix Metallo Proteinases
(MMPs, they have Zinc) for survival in human cells.
b.Doxycycline has anti-inflammatory capabilities that helps in
down regulation of the NFKB pathway as well as a decrease in
levels of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-a, IL-lB, and IL-6.
This property is independent of its antibiotic mechanism.
c. Doxycycline is also being used in treatment of complicated
Pneumonia & septic shock due to Acute Respiratory
distress syndrome (ARDS). Common in Corona/virus

He insisted that there is no harm in trying this combo..However it is not included in any official protocol in India..

^^Thanks for this valuable piece of info. Do you mind if the above is tweeted? If the right people are copied, perhaps we can elicit a reply/answer to why the combo is not being pursued.

I am not on Twitter but can ask others to tweet.

This info should be already available on net i guess.. You are free to tweet sir..

[DrRatnadip]

https://health.economictimes.indiatimes ... e/75911818

Indian govt is expanding use of HCQ in healthcare workers...

[IndraD]

unfortunate news of doctors dying of nCV in India

Illustrious ex HOD of resp medicine, Dr J N Pandey, AIIMS died of nCV https://healthwire.co/former-head-of-me ... -covid-19/

https://punemirror.indiatimes.com/pune/ ... 904244.cms
Pune physician dies

Mumbai doctor dies of nCV https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-n ... w2xdM.html (ambulance could not arrive!)

MP doctor dies of nCV https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cit ... CitiesNews

[nvishal]

I have been using the antibiotic doxycycline for years now on my pet birds(budgerigars) as a prevention against infections. Doxol 100mg costs rs10 for 10 tablets. I think it is also prescribed by some dermatologists against acne. My point is that it is very cheap.

[DrRatnadip]

unfortunate news of doctors dying of nCV in India

Illustrious ex HOD of resp medicine, Dr J N Pandey, AIIMS died of nCV https://healthwire.co/former-head-of-me ... -covid-19/

https://punemirror.indiatimes.com/pune/ ... 904244.cms
Pune physician dies

Mumbai doctor dies of nCV https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-n ... w2xdM.html (ambulance could not arrive!)

MP doctor dies of nCV https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cit ... CitiesNews

Very sad.. I wish this pandemic is over soon.. It has changed lives of many upside down.. Our healthcare system was neglected since decades.. Still We are doing relatively good because of sacrifices made by our healthcare workers.. Those working in covid hospitals are afraid to meet their loved ones.. My Mom is home quarantined in a different city after coming in contact with Covid pt.. Wife working in triage of Covid pts.. She will also be quarantined for next wk.. I am proud of them and hope i will be able to meet them soon..
Hope after this is over govt gives healthcare sector top priority..

[Zynda]

We now have a special power to kill the virus

Some good news on the Covid treatment front. Cytokine therapy trials, for mild and moderate symptoms in asymptomatic individuals and early-stage symptomatic Covid-19 infections, will begin from Monday. Though approvals are awaited, doctors are optimistic

Starting Monday, HCG Cancer Centre will start conducting cytokine therapy trial on humans, which can treat patients with mild to moderate Covid-19 infection. Cytokines are cell signalling molecules that activate immune response and direct movement of cells towards the infection/inflammation site. The therapy involves injecting this cocktail of chemicals into patients with compromised immune systems. Doctors expect the cytokines to activate the immune response in Covid-19 patients. At least 10 people have volunteered and pre-screening is currently going on at HCG. Dr US Vishal Rao, regional director of head and neck surgical oncology and robotic surgery, HCG Cancer Centre, explains the mechanics of the therapy.

Why cytokines? How do they help?
We found that children with immature immune system recover very well from Covid-19 infection and tend to have milder symptoms; but those in the 65+ age bracket with a more mature immune system are at higher risk. A logical explanation to this could be the active thymus gland which is well developed in children in the mother’s womb itself and gets active soon after birth. In the age group 65-plus, the thymus has degenerated.

The thymus gland is located below the thyroid gland and keeps a memory of the enemy (virus). When there is an attack from the virus, this gland starts recruiting ‘soldiers’ to help in the continuous manufacture of anti-viral proteins to kill the virus.

Most people who are dying (due to Covid-19) are dying between the 8th and the 27th day (of the infection). This is because in the initial days the body has some reserve cells to fight the virus (innate immunity).

But by the 5th to 7th day, they need to start recruiting new people in this fight, for which they need the thymus. But in the 65+ age group, the thymus degenerates because the body says ‘I have seen all the viruses I need to’. So we went back to our labs and started finding out how to activate this immunity (active immunity).

Dr Jyothsna, who has worked with a Nobel Prize winner and has had a great experience with Rockefeller, and Dr Gururaj, a cell biologist with immense knowledge of these procedures, are working on this cytokine therapy.

How do you extract cytokines?
We take 2ml of blood from healthy individuals and get a buffy coat (the froth generated when the blood is spun at a high velocity) full of thymic cells. We take the buffy coat and identify the specific thymus cells which are active in the immune system. We then simulate a virus attack on these cells in the laboratory. Due to this, the cells start secreting these special hormones called cytokines.

What next?
There are four to five cytokines and one among them is the interferon. The word interferon means ‘to interfere’; so, when a cell is dying due to the virus, it releases interferons which are called ‘messenger proteins’. These messenger proteins quickly reach out to the neighbouring cells and inform them that there is an impending viral attack, so please get prepared.

When this happens, several other cells start getting ready with the anti-viral engine in their own blood cell machinery which will kill the virus, whenever it infects this cell.

So what did you create?
We created a concoction of cytokines which we believe will reactivate the immune system completely when the virus is about to enter and attack (the system) and not at the terminal stage.

Who all can benefit from this therapy?
It can be given to a Covid-19 patient’s primary contacts, or someone who is developing cough or cold (due to the infection). If you inject the cytokines, their immune system will be reactivated to such a level that when the virus attacks, their body will be prepared significantly to fight back. What we have done is given the body a ‘special power’ to kill the virus.

How is it different from a vaccine?
Vaccines prevent normal individuals from contracting the virus. Here we are trying to help people infected by the virus to kill the virus by reactivating the immune system. Will this therapy prevent viral infection again? We still do not know.

The experiment on animals is successful. We wanted to see whether the animal was going to get a cytokine storm.

Cytokine storm? What’s that?
Covid-19 patients who are terminally ill go through a storm, where the immune system becomes hyperactive. At this juncture, if interferons were to be given when the person is dying, the system is already releasing so many immune cells and the cells are fighting and there are multiple reactions happening. This is when the immune system gets frustrated. Then, these interferons which went to contact the thymus cells are getting surplus of the immunity and that is when it starts a storm.

So how is this different from plasma therapy?
Cytokine therapy is for mild and moderate symptoms in asymptomatic individuals and early-stage symptomatic Covid-19 infections.

In the second stage - a stage of severe illness — we need to prepare the patient with plasma when the patient shows breathlessness and is not on a ventilator.

In the last step—when the person is on the ventilator — we believe the mesenchymal stem cells are one of the best therapy and China has already given results and we are waiting for the approvals. They are doing it in the US too.

[DrRatnadip]

After encouraging results of Tocilizumab in Mumbai, Pune task force has authorized its use in 25 pts .. Results will be analysed later and its use will be further expanded to reduce mortality in critically ill pts (especially with cytokine storm)..

[vijayk]

We now have a special power to kill the virus

Some good news on the Covid treatment front. Cytokine therapy trials, for mild and moderate symptoms in asymptomatic individuals and early-stage symptomatic Covid-19 infections, will begin from Monday. Though approvals are awaited, doctors are optimistic

Starting Monday, HCG Cancer Centre will start conducting cytokine therapy trial on humans, which can treat patients with mild to moderate Covid-19 infection. Cytokines are cell signalling molecules that activate immune response and direct movement of cells towards the infection/inflammation site. The therapy involves injecting this cocktail of chemicals into patients with compromised immune systems. Doctors expect the cytokines to activate the immune response in Covid-19 patients. At least 10 people have volunteered and pre-screening is currently going on at HCG. Dr US Vishal Rao, regional director of head and neck surgical oncology and robotic surgery, HCG Cancer Centre, explains the mechanics of the therapy.

Why cytokines? How do they help?
We found that children with immature immune system recover very well from Covid-19 infection and tend to have milder symptoms; but those in the 65+ age bracket with a more mature immune system are at higher risk. A logical explanation to this could be the active thymus gland which is well developed in children in the mother’s womb itself and gets active soon after birth. In the age group 65-plus, the thymus has degenerated.

The thymus gland is located below the thyroid gland and keeps a memory of the enemy (virus). When there is an attack from the virus, this gland starts recruiting ‘soldiers’ to help in the continuous manufacture of anti-viral proteins to kill the virus.

Most people who are dying (due to Covid-19) are dying between the 8th and the 27th day (of the infection). This is because in the initial days the body has some reserve cells to fight the virus (innate immunity).

But by the 5th to 7th day, they need to start recruiting new people in this fight, for which they need the thymus. But in the 65+ age group, the thymus degenerates because the body says ‘I have seen all the viruses I need to’. So we went back to our labs and started finding out how to activate this immunity (active immunity).

Dr Jyothsna, who has worked with a Nobel Prize winner and has had a great experience with Rockefeller, and Dr Gururaj, a cell biologist with immense knowledge of these procedures, are working on this cytokine therapy.

How do you extract cytokines?
We take 2ml of blood from healthy individuals and get a buffy coat (the froth generated when the blood is spun at a high velocity) full of thymic cells. We take the buffy coat and identify the specific thymus cells which are active in the immune system. We then simulate a virus attack on these cells in the laboratory. Due to this, the cells start secreting these special hormones called cytokines.

What next?
There are four to five cytokines and one among them is the interferon. The word interferon means ‘to interfere’; so, when a cell is dying due to the virus, it releases interferons which are called ‘messenger proteins’. These messenger proteins quickly reach out to the neighbouring cells and inform them that there is an impending viral attack, so please get prepared.

When this happens, several other cells start getting ready with the anti-viral engine in their own blood cell machinery which will kill the virus, whenever it infects this cell.

So what did you create?
We created a concoction of cytokines which we believe will reactivate the immune system completely when the virus is about to enter and attack (the system) and not at the terminal stage.

Who all can benefit from this therapy?
It can be given to a Covid-19 patient’s primary contacts, or someone who is developing cough or cold (due to the infection). If you inject the cytokines, their immune system will be reactivated to such a level that when the virus attacks, their body will be prepared significantly to fight back. What we have done is given the body a ‘special power’ to kill the virus.

How is it different from a vaccine?
Vaccines prevent normal individuals from contracting the virus. Here we are trying to help people infected by the virus to kill the virus by reactivating the immune system. Will this therapy prevent viral infection again? We still do not know.

The experiment on animals is successful. We wanted to see whether the animal was going to get a cytokine storm.

Cytokine storm? What’s that?
Covid-19 patients who are terminally ill go through a storm, where the immune system becomes hyperactive. At this juncture, if interferons were to be given when the person is dying, the system is already releasing so many immune cells and the cells are fighting and there are multiple reactions happening. This is when the immune system gets frustrated. Then, these interferons which went to contact the thymus cells are getting surplus of the immunity and that is when it starts a storm.

So how is this different from plasma therapy?
Cytokine therapy is for mild and moderate symptoms in asymptomatic individuals and early-stage symptomatic Covid-19 infections.

In the second stage - a stage of severe illness — we need to prepare the patient with plasma when the patient shows breathlessness and is not on a ventilator.

In the last step—when the person is on the ventilator — we believe the mesenchymal stem cells are one of the best therapy and China has already given results and we are waiting for the approvals. They are doing it in the US too.

Hope/Prayers for this to work

[anmol]

nationalreview.com

Data Leak Suggests China Had Hundreds of Thousands of Coronavirus Cases in 230 Cities | National Review
By Jim Geraghty | May 20, 2020 12:31 PM

This may be the most spectacularly under-discussed story of the pandemic:

A dataset of coronavirus cases and deaths from the military’s National University of Defense Technology, leaked to 100Reporters, offers insight into how Beijing has gathered coronavirus data on its population. The source of the leak, who asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of sharing Chinese military data, said that the data came from the university. . . .

While not fully comprehensive, the data is incredibly rich: There are more than 640,000 updates of information, covering at least 230 cities—in other words, 640,000 rows purporting to show the number of cases in a specific location at the time the data was gathered. Each update includes the latitude, longitude, and “confirmed” number of cases at the location, for dates ranging from early February to late April.

It is worth noting that each of the 640,000 updates counts a number of cases, and that number may be more than one: “The dataset reports one case of coronavirus in a KFC in the eastern city of Zhenjiang on March 14, for example, while a church in the northeastern provincial capital of Harbin saw two cases on March 17.”

There are many reasons to doubt China’s official numbers. The official count of cases hit 84,000 at the beginning of March and has barely risen at all since then. Since March 1, the official data indicates the country — with almost 1.4 billion people — has had only one day with more than 300 new cases. China’s official figures show just two deaths since April 17. In mid-April, the city of Wuhan revised its number of coronavirus deaths from 2,579 to 3,869 — a statistically improbable increase of exactly 50 percent. If China’s numbers are accurate, then tiny Peru — a country with about 2 percent of China’s population — has more cases since the start of the pandemic.

The contention that a country with almost 1.4 billion people, with many living in close quarters in crowded cities with sanitary conditions that are less than ideal, simply brought its number of new cases and deaths down to nearly zero overnight is simply not plausible.

What are China’s real numbers? If each of the updates is a report of one case, the country had 640,000 cases; if the average of each update is 2 cases, it’s about 1.28 million cases; if the average of each update is 3 cases, it’s 1.92 million cases. Keep in mind, this is in 230 cities — not the entire country, but a good chunk of it.

This dataset from 100Reporters suggests China had at least 640,000 to 2 million cases in 230 cities in a three-month period, a range which feels a lot more plausible than the official numbers, if not an absolutely complete count.

A sum of 640,000 by itself would be the second-highest number of total cases in the world, behind the United States and nearly twice as many as Russia’s 308,000. (For what it’s worth, China’s official numbers indicated the country had 17,000 cases by early February.)

China is the furthest along in this pandemic, and ideally, the rest of the world would be able to look at their experiences to know what to expect as the outbreak progresses. But the top priority of the Chinese government is to look masterly and in control at all times, leaving the rest of the world guessing at just how bad things are in that country.

[Zynda]

^^Slowly, more & more data is showing the extant of Covid mishandling & deception the Chinese did to save face and/or deliberately cripple the world (while sacrificing a few thousands of their own). They are too "big" to be punished directly but I do hope they get to pay for their deeds...but I am not very hopeful because their economy & market is key to many other countries' (EU is a superb example) economic revival.

[IndraD]

Very sad.. I wish this pandemic is over soon.. It has changed lives of many upside down.. Our healthcare system was neglected since decades.. Still We are doing relatively good because of sacrifices made by our healthcare workers.. Those working in covid hospitals are afraid to meet their loved ones.. My Mom is home quarantined in a different city after coming in contact with Covid pt.. Wife working in triage of Covid pts.. She will also be quarantined for next wk.. I am proud of them and hope i will be able to meet them soon..
Hope after this is over govt gives healthcare sector top priority..

I am sure I can say we are very proud of you Dr Ratandeep! Chin up & keep moving, exercise caution & safety, we will get through this as well!

[nam]

Some good news on vaccine development.

6 prototype DNA vaccine developed, showed remarkable efficiency in monkeys. All 6 developed immune protein and none of the monkeys had lung infection post vaccination. The ones which were not vaccinated, developed lung infection.

Higher the level of immunity protein, lower was the viral load.

https://www.bidmc.org/about-bidmc/news/ ... 19-vaccine

[Zynda]

Pretty good dashboard about on-going vaccine & drug trials for Covid and their statuses...

https://biorender.com/covid-vaccine-tracker

Docs, it would be helpful if you folks can go through the site in your free time and give us your thoughts...

[suryag]

Dr. Ratnadip Sir keep moving you are doing great, it is sad that we cant help except for sitting at home. In case, there is something that we can do let us know.

[IndraD]

Some good news on vaccine development.

6 prototype DNA vaccine developed, showed remarkable efficiency in monkeys. All 6 developed immune protein and none of the monkeys had lung infection post vaccination. The ones which were not vaccinated, developed lung infection.

Higher the level of immunity protein, lower was the viral load.

https://www.bidmc.org/about-bidmc/news/ ... 19-vaccine

at the moment there are 240 vaccines in pipeline, each at different stage of development. Two of them quite talked about at the moment are: Oxford & Moderna. Oxford is into second phase of trial and Moderna will now recruit for phase I trial , they had promising results in Macac monkeys. Oxford one prevented pneumonia in monkeys but couldn't prevent infection.
India has 14 vaccines in development process.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/arti ... aign=cppst
they yet have to enter a trial phase but hope to develop a vaccine within 12 months, WHO has enlisted 3 vaccine companies of India.

It is surprising China in spite of harbouring virus since August hasn't developed a vaccine yet! Their vaccine Ad5-nCoV is a genetically engineered vaccine candidate with the replication-defective adenovirus type 5 as the vector to express SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which intends to be used to prevent the disease caused by Covid-19. Phase I trial saw 108 inoculated with vaccine , while they produced cell & antibody mediated immunity, every patient developed fever, headache, chills

Such is the pressure on the govt, US has paid $1 billion to Astra Zenca co partnering Oxford vaccine in advance for 100 million shots. UK already is producing 30 million vaccine along with trial as vulnerable must be vaccinated before winter. From buzz US wants to give both (Moderna & Oxford) shots to its people.

[chola]

^^Slowly, more & more data is showing the extant of Covid mishandling & deception the Chinese did to save face and/or deliberately cripple the world (while sacrificing a few thousands of their own). They are too "big" to be punished directly but I do hope they get to pay for their deeds...but I am not very hopeful because their economy & market is key to many other countries' (EU is a superb example) economic revival.

1) If they sacrificed only a few thousands of their people then they basically have things under control and their narrative is correct.

2) If they are covering up hundreds of thousands of cases then their economy is in the sh1tter anyways and no one can count on them for their economic revival.

The signs from the MNCs are all pointing to number 1:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/car-makers ... 1589552255

Car Makers See Chinese Market Picking Up, Leaving U.S. and Others Behind

Industry fears the split could endure as mature markets in the West battle fresh economic headwinds and long-term structural challenges

By William Boston
May 15, 2020 10:17 am ET

BERLIN—Volkswagen AG, the world’s biggest car maker, saw its global sales shrink by almost half in April, but as coronavirus lockdowns in the U.S. and Europe stunted demand the reopening of China’s economy offered signs of recovery.

The figures are the latest and most striking example of the decoupling under way between the reviving Chinese market and persistently weak demand in the West, a trend already on display in figures from other European car makers in recent weeks.

...

I'm beginning to think that bad karma only happens to those who believe in it. Chinis are athiests.

[jaysimha]

COVID-19 Bulletin (English)
https://vigyanprasar.gov.in/covid19-bulletin/

S&T efforts on COVID-19
https://vigyanprasar.gov.in/covid19-newsletters/

[jaysimha]

Tata Sons to help make ‘Feluda’, CSIR’s Satyajit Ray-inspired Covid paper test kit
Tata Sons and CSIR have signed an MoU for the ‘licencing of knowhow’, and want to make the kit available for Covid-19 testing on the ground by the end of May.
SHANKER ARNIMESH 7 May, 2020 4:11 pm IST

https://theprint.in/science/tata-sons-t ... it/416390/

[nam]

at the moment there are 240 vaccines in pipeline, each at different stage of development. Two of them quite talked about at the moment are: Oxford & Moderna. Oxford is into second phase of trial and Moderna will now recruit for phase I trial , they had promising results in Macac monkeys. Oxford one prevented pneumonia in monkeys but couldn't prevent infection.

Compared to the Oxford vaccine, the American one at the Israel institute, managed to completely stop the infection in all the 6 prototypes.

No one will go for vaccine, which only prevents pneumonia, while there might alternatives which completely eradicates the viral load. They are showing it is possible to completely eradicate the viral load.

Orxford is trying to use it's brand to continue work on a vaccine & probably make money, end result may not be working as desired. Too much hope and pr on the oxford vaccine.

[kit]

^^Slowly, more & more data is showing the extant of Covid mishandling & deception the Chinese did to save face and/or deliberately cripple the world (while sacrificing a few thousands of their own). They are too "big" to be punished directly but I do hope they get to pay for their deeds...but I am not very hopeful because their economy & market is key to many other countries' (EU is a superb example) economic revival.

1) If they sacrificed only a few thousands of their people then they basically have things under control and their narrative is correct.

2) If they are covering up hundreds of thousands of cases then their economy is in the sh1tter anyways and no one can count on them for their economic revival.

The signs from the MNCs are all pointing to number 1:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/car-makers ... 1589552255

Car Makers See Chinese Market Picking Up, Leaving U.S. and Others Behind

Industry fears the split could endure as mature markets in the West battle fresh economic headwinds and long-term structural challenges

By William Boston
May 15, 2020 10:17 am ET

BERLIN—Volkswagen AG, the world’s biggest car maker, saw its global sales shrink by almost half in April, but as coronavirus lockdowns in the U.S. and Europe stunted demand the reopening of China’s economy offered signs of recovery.

The figures are the latest and most striking example of the decoupling under way between the reviving Chinese market and persistently weak demand in the West, a trend already on display in figures from other European car makers in recent weeks.

...

I'm beginning to think that bad karma only happens to those who believe in it. Chinis are athiests.

Karma is the one of the basic tenets of nature laws or physics if you may. As you sow so you reap. No escape from the results of an action. You dont have to believe, but you will when it hits

[anmol]

nocamels.com

Israeli Scientists Submit Patent For Self-Disinfecting, Reusable Mask | Health News
By NoCamels Team | May 25, 2020

A group of Israeli scientists submitted a US patent for a reusable, self-disinfecting protective face mask developed at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.

The product was created by Professor Yair Ein-Eli, dean of the Technion’s Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, who developed a reusable face mask that can be disinfected in a controlled manner using heat – a process that destroys any pathogens accumulated on the mask and renders it reusable.

The technology is based on an inner layer of carbon fibers spread homogenously within the mask. The disinfection process occurs when this layer is heated using a low current source, such as an electric mobile phone charger, the Technion explained in a statement.

Professor Ein-Eli’s research group created the mask prototype and tested it together with Professor Debbie Lindell and Prof. Oded Beja from the Faculty of Biology.

A patent for the tech was submitted in the US in late March and the group is currently in talks with industrial companies for the commercialization of the mask, according to the university.

[hanumadu]

Shekhar Gupta
@ShekharGupta
Meanwhile in Bharat...

Wheat procurement for 2020-21 surpasses 2019’s 34.13 million tonnes amid Covid-19 crisis

We had concerns about harvesting crops during covid19. Look like its not an issue.
Only urban areas are experiencing covid cases.

[chola]

Shekhar Gupta
@ShekharGupta
Meanwhile in Bharat...

Wheat procurement for 2020-21 surpasses 2019’s 34.13 million tonnes amid Covid-19 crisis

We had concerns about harvesting crops during covid19. Look like its not an issue.
Only urban areas are experiencing covid cases.

The concerns came from the lockdown not actually from the workforce being incapacitated by the virus.

I believe if the chinks had never put Wuhan into lockdown, we would be dealing with this scourge like Sweden with far less damage to our economy.

Until Wuhan, no one thought it was even feasable to lockdown millions.

[Primus]

Very sad.. I wish this pandemic is over soon.. It has changed lives of many upside down.. Our healthcare system was neglected since decades.. Still We are doing relatively good because of sacrifices made by our healthcare workers.. Those working in covid hospitals are afraid to meet their loved ones.. My Mom is home quarantined in a different city after coming in contact with Covid pt.. Wife working in triage of Covid pts.. She will also be quarantined for next wk.. I am proud of them and hope i will be able to meet them soon..
Hope after this is over govt gives healthcare sector top priority..

I am sure I can say we are very proud of you Dr Ratandeep! Chin up & keep moving, exercise caution & safety, we will get through this as well!

Agree with Dr. Indra. Ratnadip Ji, your service here on BRF has been stellar, just as it must be in the field I am sure. Hang in there, this too shall pass. Proud of the medical fraternity everywhere. For the first time in decades I feel we are being recognized for the selfless care that we deliver in the face of terrible odds.

[chola]

^^^ ++++++++!

From someone who is not in the medical field but cannot help but offer you my admiration. Sadly, it takes a catastrophy like this to make people stand up and notice. But I hope the silver lining is new priority, support and resources for the health care system and its great and selfless people.

[darshan]

I think UP was thinking of offering khadi masks to public. IMO, everyone coming to collect ration should be given mask(s) of whatever locally available material. People should be wearing whatever mask not only because of the virus not also due to air pollution.

There were many pictures of cyclone affected areas where people were walking around without masks.

[Zynda]

Russia enters final stage of clinical trial of drug to treat Covid patients

Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, and ChemRar Group on Friday announced the start of the final stage of the multicenter randomized open comparative clinical trial of the drug Favipiravir on patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

On 21 May, the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation approved the launch of the final stage, which will involve 330 patients compared to 60 during the initial stage, as well as additional research and medical centers. In total, 30 medical centers in nine Russian regions will conduct studies at the final stage.

The first stage of the trials has already been completed. It lasted 10 days and involved 60 patients with coronavirus infection with moderate illness. Forty people received Favipiravir treatment and the other 20 patients from the control group were on standard therapy. According to the results of the first stage, Favipiravir demonstrated safety with no new or previously unreported side effects detected. The drug’s efficacy was above a threshold of 80%, which is the criterion for a drug with high antiviral activity. The body temperature of 68% of patients taking Favipiravir returned to normal earlier (on the third day) than in the control group (on the sixth day). On average, complete elimination of the virus from the body as a result of Favipiravir treatment occurred in four days, while in the standard therapy group this process took nine days.

Following the first four days of treatment, 65% of the 40 patients who took Favipiravir tested negative for coronavirus, which is twice as many as in the standard therapy group. By day 10, the number of patients whose tests returned negative results reached 35 out of 40.

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, said, “We continue to receive promising data during the clinical trials of Favipiravir. At least 85% of patients in the control groups completely recovered from coronavirus within 10 days after the start of the treatment with the drug. We expect a positive final result of the trial, which will enable us to complete the registration procedure for the drug in Russia and roll out full-scale production and delivery to medical institutions across the country."

“We noticed a faster improvement in the general health and clinical condition of the patients taking Favipiravir, which may lead to earlier discharge from hospital and reduce the burden on medical facilities by 30-40% in the near future. Thanks to the administration of Favipiravir, most patients are not infectious as early as the fifth day of treatment, which is critical to stop the epidemic and ensure a swift return to normal life,” said Elena Yakubova, CEO of ChemRar Pharma.

I understand Favipiravir trials were either approved or being conducted in India. Any updates on the status of its efficacy among Indian patients? Based on the recent events, it seems like India is putting more stock in to Remdesivir based the article in the next post...

[Zynda]

Pretty long article...
Remdesivir tops list of Covid-19 drug contenders, say scientists

More than 130 drugs are under experimentation to treat Covid-19, some may have the potential to stop the virus while others may help calm overactive immune responses that damage organs, according to a tracker maintained by the Milken Institute, an independent economic think tank in the US.

With a vaccine still a long distance away, efforts to repurpose old medications used for other ailments provide hope of an early counter to Covid-19, say scientists, placing the antiviral remdesivir on top of the list of possible contenders.

As Covid-19 continues its spread -- crossing 5.2 million cases and 3,38,000 fatalities on Saturday -- several categories of drugs are under clinical trial. Of them, remdesivir, which initially went into trials for treating the deadly Ebola virus five years ago, has shown promise by modestly speeding recovery from Covid-19, experts said.

More than 130 drugs are under experimentation to treat Covid-19, some may have the potential to stop the virus while others may help calm overactive immune responses that damage organs, according to a tracker maintained by the Milken Institute, an independent economic think tank in the US, “Right now, there is only one effective approach… which is to repurpose already approved drugs for other diseases if they can be used for Covid-19. One example is remdesivir,” Ram Vishwakarma, director of the Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, CSIR, Jammu, told PTI.

Remdesivir is helping people recover faster, and is lowering the death rate among critically ill patients, Vishwakarma said, adding that it can be life-saving.

“We do not have time to develop new drugs. New drug development takes five-10 years so we are using existing drugs and conducting clinical trials to find if any of them are effective,“ Vishwakarma said.

Some molecules available for treating diseases like HIV or other viral infections can be quickly checked against the novel coronavirus, he explained. If found effective, they can be used against Covid-19 with the appropriate approval from drug control bodies.

When drug company Gilead Sciences sought to begin clinical trials for remdesivir to treat the novel coronavirus, it immediately got approval from the US FDA.

According to Vishwakarma, the other drug showing promise is favipiravir, a broad-spectrum antiviral approved in Japan, which is also under clinical trials for its effectiveness against Covid-19.

India is also playing its role. The Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad, has developed the technology to make favipiravir, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Director General Shekar Mande announced this month.

CSIR is conducting clinical trials for favipiravir, remdesivir and an anti-inflammatory drug called colchicine, which is commonly used to treat gout, said Vishwakarma. “A number of drug trials are happening in India, which we are doing with pharmaceutical companies,” Vishwakarma said.

Of the drugs under trial, remdesivir has shown the most promising results, agreed Subhabrata Sen, professor at the Department of Chemistry in Shiv Nadar University in Uttar Pradesh.

Sen, whose lab is involved in the discovery of biologically active molecules, told PTI that some of the drugs being tested are antivirals, and some are anti-malarials and antibiotics. Of the antivirals in the tracker list, some are new molecules under trial, whereas others are old drugs being repurposed and tested for their effectiveness against Covid-19.

Remdesivir, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in April, mimics the genetic material of the coronavirus., When the virus copies its RNA or genetic material, the drug replaces some of the pathogen’s building blocks. According to the authors of this study, the drug prevents new virus copies from being produced.

Preliminary results had shown that patients who received remdesivir had a 31 per cent faster time to recovery than those who received placebo.

However, another study published in the journal Lancet in April cautioned that interpretation of these findings is limited since the remdesivir study was stopped early after the scientists were unable to recruit enough patients due to the steep decline in cases in China.

The authors of the Lancet study concluded that more evidence from ongoing clinical trials is needed to better understand whether remdesivir can provide meaningful clinical benefit.

There are other drugs being tested too.

Some drugs developed to treat HIV, such as lopinavir and ritonavir, are also being tested to cure COVID-19, Vishwakarma said.

A study published in Lancet this month said a treatment involving a combination of the drugs interferon beta-1b, plus the antiviral combination lopinavir-ritonavir and ribavirin, is better at reducing the viral load or quantity of the virus than lopinavir-ritonavir alone.

But these, too, were early findings, observed only in patients with mild to moderate illness, so the scientists behind the study stressed the need for larger trials to examine the effectiveness of this triple combination in critically ill patients.

Another study published last month in the journal Science noted the effectiveness of two small molecule drug candidates named 11a and 11b which could block the SARS-CoV-2 M protease enzyme, which the virus uses to make copies of itself.

The molecules could stop the virus from replicating in monkey cells, and have been found safe for administration in rats and beagles, with the study concluding that both the drugs warrant further studies.

Scientists have also tested the effectiveness of therapies involving the use of antibodies that can bind to some parts of the virus, and block their entry into host cells. In a study, published last month in the journal Cell, scientists reported that antibodies derived from the immune system of the South American mammal called llamas can block the entry of the novel coronavirus into host cells.

This study found that llamas, which belong to the same category of mammals as camels, produce special kinds of antibody molecules that bind tightly to a key protein on the novel coronavirus. However, the scientists believe its efficacy is yet to be proved in human clinical trials.

Last week, scientists from the Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics at Peking University in China, revealed a new method to identify multiple antibodies from recovered Covid-19 patients.

Using a single-cell genomics method, the researchers could rapidly identify antibodies from convalescent plasma, a component of patients’ blood.

When the researchers tested these antibodies in mice, they found that some of them could neutralise the virus.

Another team from the University of Washington in the US found recently that a combination of antibodies, including those from a patient who had recovered from the 2002-03 SARS pandemic virus infection, can effectively block the novel coronavirus.

One of these molecules, named S309, showed particularly strong neutralising activity against SARS-CoV-2, they said, adding that it can act in combination with another, less potent antibody that targets a different site on the virus. However, these results too are yet to be validated in human clinical trials.

Among other therapeutics currently under trial or in use, Sen said US President Donald Trump’s “game changer” drug hydroxycholoroquine was promising “until it demonstrated serious side effects in the form of cardiovascular complications”, rendering it ineffective.

[Ashokk]

China decides to evacuate citizens from India amid rise in coronavirus cases

NEW DELHI: China has decided to evacuate its citizens, including students, tourists and businessmen, from India who are facing "difficulties" in the country and want to return home in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The Chinese embassy put out a notice on its website on Monday, asking those wanting to return home to book tickets in special flights.