Coronavirus News & Updates

[Khafee]

Pentagon awards $133M in N95 contracts to 3M, O&M Halyward and Honeywell
View attachment 12358
Army 1st Lt. Liston Barber administers an N95 respirator fit test for Air Force 1st Lt. Jennifer Rossi, registered nurse, at Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, Friday. The Department of Defense on Tuesday awarded $133 million to three contractors to increase production of the masks. Photo by Jason W. Edwards/U.S. Army

April 21 (UPI) -- The Pentagon announced Tuesday that it is awarding $133 million to increase domestic production of N95 masks by over 39 million over the next 90 days.

Under the deal, 3M will receive $76 million, O&M Halyward will receive $29 million and Honeywell will receive $27.4 million to make the masks, which have been in short supply since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Department of Defense, the investment is intended to ensure the United States government "gets dedicated long term industrial capacity to meet the needs of the nation."

3M is contracted to provide 78 million units within six months, with an additional 13 million units per month by June, where O&M Halyward will add 25 million units within 6 months and an additional 12.5 million masks every month after. Under the contract Honeywell will add 38 million units within six months and 12 million units per month after.

On Tuesday attorneys general from 19 states and the District of Columbia sent a letter to 3M CEO and board Chairman Michael Romando calling on the company more to fight price gouging, saying their offices have been flooded with complaints about excessive prices for the respirators.

Also on Tuesday, National Nurses United, the largest union of nurses in the United States, protested at the White House to demand President Donald Trump "use his authority under the Defense Production Act to order the mass production of PPE, including N95 respirators, face shields, gowns, gloves and shoe coverings, as well as ventilators and COVID-19 testing kits."

Earlier this month the Pentagon awarded an $86.4 million contract to Aurora Industries to provide face masks for the Defense Logistics Agency and last week Battelle Industries was awarded a $415 million deal to decontaminate N95 respirators, increasing the number of times they can be used twentyfold.

 

[space cadet]

Pharmaceutical firm Aytu BioScience testing UV light treatment

President Trump has been mocked relentlessly for suggesting that ultraviolet light could be brought “inside the body” to kill the coronavirus, but there is ongoing research to do just that.

m.washingtontimes.com

Firm tests UV light treatment that Trump was mocked for mentioning
President Trump has been mocked relentlessly for suggesting that ultraviolet light could be brought “inside the body” to kill the coronavirus, but there is ongoing research to do just that.

For example, the pharmaceutical firm Aytu BioScience announced on April 20, four days before the Trump remarks, that it has signed an exclusive licensing deal with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The center has developed and is testing a UV-A “Healight” designed to be inserted via a catheter inside the trachea to kill pathogens, including the coronavirus.

Ultraviolet, or UV, light is commonly used by physicians to treat skin diseases. Cedars-Sinai says UV-A phototherapy potentially could be employed in internal organs.

Aytu BioScience said: “The Healight technology employs proprietary methods of administering intermittent ultraviolet (UV) A light via a novel endotracheal medical device. Pre-clinical findings indicate the technology’s significant impact on eradicating a wide range of viruses and bacteria, inclusive of coronavirus. The data have been the basis of discussions with the FDA for a near-term path to enable human use for the potential treatment of coronavirus in intubated patients in the intensive care unit (ICU).”

At Thursday’s White House pandemic task force briefing, Mr. Trump talked of possible future therapies. On the dais, William Bryan, acting director of the Department of Homeland Security’s science and technology sector, briefed reporters on how UV light can kill surface viruses. Mr. Byran also spoke of experiments with bleach and isopropyl alcohol eliminating viruses in expelled saliva and respiratory fluids.

This prompted Mr. Trump to say, “I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute. One minute. And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or, or almost a cleaning?”

And then he turned to ultraviolet light.

“Question that probably some of you are thinking of if you’re totally into that world, which I find to be very interesting,” he said. “So supposing we hit the body with a tremendous, whether it’s ultraviolet or just very powerful light. And I think you said that hasn’t been checked but you’re going to test it. And then I said, supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way. And I think you said you’re gonna test that, too.”
The president was roundly mocked for both suggestions, more so for disinfectant than for UV light.
The Drudge Report said at the top of its home page: “Trump: Inject Disinfectants into Body? Test UV Light Inside Patients.”
Inserting UV light is exactly what Cedars-Sinai is investigating and is talking to the Food and Drug Administration about securing emergency approval for Healight.
The Aytu BioScience’s statement quoted Dr. Mark Pimentel, who is leading the project: “Our team has shown that administering a specific spectrum of UV-A light can eradicate viruses in infected human cells (including coronavirus) and bacteria in the area while preserving healthy cells.”
Dr. Ali Rezaie, one of the Healight inventors, said: “Our lab at Cedars-Sinai has extensively studied the effects of this unique technology on bacteria and viruses. Based on our findings we believe this therapeutic approach has the potential to significantly impact the high morbidity and mortality of coronavirus-infected patients and patients infected with other respiratory pathogens. We are looking forward to partnering with Aytu BioScience to move this technology forward for the benefit of patients all over the world.”
Aytu Bioscience web page states, “The Healight is a catheter embedded with small LED lights that emit UVA light in a specific way.”
The Cedars-Sinai Healight team published an article last year in the United European Gastroenterology Journal, titled “Internally Applied Ultraviolet Light as a Novel Approach for Effective and Safe Anti-Microbial Treatment.”
“These findings suggest that UVA therapy can potentially provide a safe and effective novel approach to antimicrobial treatment via phototherapy on internal organs,” Aytu BioScience says on its website.
Unfiltered UV light is dangerous to humans. But filtering out the harmful UV-C and leaving just UV-A, makes it safe, the company says.
A video animation shows a catheter being inserted inside the trachea, stopping at the bronchial tubes and the light being administered.
Infection is one of the most common and serious side effects for intensive care patients on tracheal intubation to breath.

 

[Zeeman]

Maryland has received 'hundreds of calls' about the effectiveness of ingesting disinfectants to treat coronavirus, governor says

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Sunday that his state has received "hundreds of calls" from residents asking about the effectiveness of ingesting disinfectants to treat coronavirus after President Donald Trump dangerously suggested that it could be a possible treatment for the deadly virus.

www.cnn.com

 

[Khafee]

Maryland has received 'hundreds of calls' about the effectiveness of ingesting disinfectants to treat coronavirus, governor says

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Sunday that his state has received "hundreds of calls" from residents asking about the effectiveness of ingesting disinfectants to treat coronavirus after President Donald Trump dangerously suggested that it could be a possible treatment for the deadly virus.

www.cnn.com

 

[space cadet]

Maryland has received 'hundreds of calls' about the effectiveness of ingesting disinfectants to treat coronavirus, governor says

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Sunday that his state has received "hundreds of calls" from residents asking about the effectiveness of ingesting disinfectants to treat coronavirus after President Donald Trump dangerously suggested that it could be a possible treatment for the deadly virus.

www.cnn.com

Trump didn't think about how dumb some people are before speaking, you can't fault him for stupid people

 

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U.S. military’s Northern Command moves to new ‘stabilize’ phase in COVID-19 fight

U.S. Northern Command, which is overseeing the military role for fighting COVID-19, has shifted to a stabilizing effort with an eye to scaling down anti-virus support activities, a Pentagon source said on Monday.

www.washingtontimes.com

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. military's Northern Command moves to new 'stabilize' phase in COVID-19 fight



Sailors assigned to Naval Special Warfare Group TWO conduct military air operations in the United States. U.S. Navy SEALs engage in a continuous training cycle to improve and further specialize skills needed to conduct missions from sea, air and land. ... more >

U.S. Northern Command, which is overseeing the military role for fighting COVID-19, has shifted to a stabilizing effort with an eye to scaling down anti-virus support activities, a Pentagon source said on Monday.

The source told The Washington Times that NorthCom had been in “phase 3, respond” and now has directed components to move to phase 4. Phase 5 would be “transition.”

The source said the command is watching developments and will look to end specific support operations if appropriate on a case by case basis.

The order is perhaps a sign that the country is turning the corner on blunting the pandemic.

Evidence of the new phase came last week when the Pentagon talked of ending the hospital ship USS Comfort deployment to New York City and returning it to Navy control in Norfolk.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Johnathan Rath Hoffman told reporters,

“While in New York City and other locations, local officials indicate that the rate of infections and hospitalizations is declining, we are aware that there are other cities where that is not the case. Therefore, NORTHCOM is still taking action to ensure that DOD personnel and resources are deployed in the proper locations to do the most good. As of today, we have more than 60,000 personnel deployed nationwide, including 4,400 medical professionals on the front lines.”

 

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Coronavirus Antibodies Present In Nearly 25% Of All NYC Residents, Cuomo Says; Un-PAUSE In Certain Regions Of NY Might Begin In May

Cuomo said 14.9% of those tested statewide tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies, which is up from the initial 13.9% in a previous sampling.

newyork.cbslocal.com

 

[Falcon29]

Coronavirus Antibodies Present In Nearly 25% Of All NYC Residents, Cuomo Says; Un-PAUSE In Certain Regions Of NY Might Begin In May

Cuomo said 14.9% of those tested statewide tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies, which is up from the initial 13.9% in a previous sampling.

newyork.cbslocal.com

Guess we can say this is good news? Means everyone in NYC has had the virus and most are asymptomatic and already recovered from it if I understand correctly.

 

[space cadet]

Guess we can say this is good news? Means everyone in NYC has had the virus and most are asymptomatic and already recovered from it if I understand correctly.

I think we may have gotten over the hump

 

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Coronavirus: Has Sweden got its science right?

The strategy devised by scientists was to keep large parts of society open but not everyone is convinced.

www.bbc.com

Coronavirus: Has Sweden got its science right?
By Maddy SavageBBC News, Stockholm

Sweden's strategy to keep large parts of society open is widely backed by the public. It has been devised by scientists and backed by government, and yet not all the country's virologists are convinced.

There is no lockdown here. Photos have been shared around the world of bars with crammed outdoor seating and long queues for waterfront ice cream kiosks, and yet it is a myth that life here goes on "as normal".

On the face of it little has shut down. But data suggests the vast majority of the population have taken to voluntary social distancing, which is the crux of Sweden's strategy to slow the spread of the virus.

Usage of public transport has dropped significantly, large numbers are working from home, and most refrained from travelling over the Easter weekend. The government has also banned gatherings of more than 50 people and visits to elderly care homes.

Around 9 in 10 Swedes say they keep at least a metre away from people at least some of the time, up from seven in 10 a month ago, according to a major survey by polling firm Novus.

How serious is Sweden's outbreak?
Viewed through the eyes of the Swedish Public Health Agency, the way people have responded is one to be celebrated, albeit cautiously.

The scientists' approach has led to weeks of global debate over whether Sweden has adopted a sensible and sustainable plan, or unwittingly plunged its population into an experiment that is causing unnecessary fatalities, and could fail to keep the spread of Covid-19 under control.

In Stockholm, the epicentre of the virus so far, cases have largely plateaued, although there was a spike at the end of this week, put down partly to increased testing.

There is still space in intensive care units and a new field hospital at a former conference venue is yet to be used.

"To a great part, we have been able to achieve what we set out to achieve," says state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell. "Swedish healthcare keeps on working, basically with a lot of stress, but not in a way that they turn patients away."

In contrast with other countries where political leaders have fronted the national response to the crisis, Dr Tegnell has led the majority of news conferences.

His tone is typically matter of fact, with a strong focus on figures, and few mentions of the emotional impact of the crisis on victims and their families.

But the Swedish Public Health Agency has maintained high approval ratings throughout the pandemic.

Why Sweden chose a different path
Sweden's decision to leave larger parts of society open than most of Europe came after Dr Tegnell's team used simulations which anticipated a more limited impact of the virus in relation to population size than those made by other scientists, including those behind a major report by Imperial College, London.

That report apparently swayed the UK government to introduce a lockdown.
In addition, the Swedish Public Health Agency pushed the idea early on that a large proportion of cases were likely to be mild.

But it denied its strategy was based on the overall goal of herd immunity.

A core aim was to introduce less stringent social distancing measures that could be maintained over a long period time. Schools for under-16s have remained open to enable parents to keep working in key areas.

All other Nordic countries opted for stricter temporary restrictions, although some of these have since been relaxed.

What do the numbers tell us?
Sweden, with a population of 10 million, remains amongst the top 20 in the world when it comes to the total number of cases, even though it mostly only tests those with severe symptoms. More widespread checks on key workers are now being introduced.

It has higher death rates in relation to its population size than anywhere else in Scandinavia.

Unlike in some countries, Sweden's statistics do include elderly care home residents, who account for around 50% of all deaths. Dr Tegnell admits that is a major concern.

Foreign residents, particularly those from Somalia who are more likely to live in multi-generational households, are also overrepresented in the figures.

"There are too many people dying," says Claudia Hanson, an epidemiologist based at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden's largest medical research facility. She is critical of the government's approach and argues more of society should have been temporarily shut down in March while officials took stock of the situation.

Dr Hanson is among 22 scientists who wrote a damning piece in Sweden's leading daily last week, suggesting "officials without talent" had been put in charge of decision-making.

The man leading Sweden's response
But chief state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell is broadly popular in Sweden. An experienced scientist with more than 30 years in medicine, he is known for his relaxed demeanour and preference for pullovers.

"He's a low-key person. I think people see him as a strong leader but not a very loud person, careful in what he's saying," reflects Emma Frans, a Swedish epidemiologist and science writer. "I think that's very comforting for many."

She argues that many national and international media have been "searching for conflict" within the scientific community, whereas she believes there is a consensus that Anders Tegnell's approach is "quite positive", or at least "not worse than other strategies".

Will Swedes develop immunity?
History will judge which countries got it right. But the latest scientific discussion is focused on the number of Swedes who may have contracted the virus without showing any symptoms.

This is important because many scientists here believe Swedes may end up with much higher immunity levels compared with those living under stricter regulations.

A public health agency report this week suggested around a third of people in Stockholm will have been infected by the start of May.

That was later revised down to 26% after the agency admitted a calculation error. But several high-profile scientists have offered even greater numbers.

Prof Johan Giesecke, ex-chief scientist of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), believes at least half of all Stockholmers will have caught the virus by the end of the month.

It could even be up to half the population of Sweden, suggests Stockholm University mathematician Tom Britton.

And until a vaccine is developed, epidemiologist Emma Frans says immunity will "probably be important" for Sweden.

"When it comes to studies and other types of coronaviruses, they have shown that people get immune. Maybe not long-term immunity, but even if we only get this kind of short-term immunity, it may be enough to stop this pandemic," says Dr Frans.

Why not enough is yet known
The Swedish Public Health Agency believes it is still "too early to say" how much of an impact asymptomatic infection rates will have on protecting the general population.
"We don't know that much about immunity yet," says Dr Tegnell's deputy, Anders Wallensten. "We will know more as more people are tested for antibodies, but also the more time goes on, and if more accounts of re-infection etcetera are reported."

This uncertainty means there is no guarantee Swedes in areas with high infection rates will see social distancing recommendations lifted any time soon, he says.

Is this Swedish 'exceptionalism'?
What happens next in Sweden may largely depend on people carrying on with social distancing.

Some Swedes have responded with an "outburst of nationalism" and a "sense of pride, for Sweden deviating from the European norm", says Prof Nicolas Aylott, a political scientist at Stockholm's Södertorn University.

"It sort of chimes with a rather deep seated sense of Sweden's specialness."

That may encourage some Swedes to follow the recommendations but the country is by no means united.

On social media there has been vocal dissent from some foreign residents championing tougher measures.

Meanwhile, there are signs that others living in Sweden believe the worst of the crisis is over.

Mobile phone data suggests Stockholm's residents are spending more time in the city centre than a fortnight ago, and last weekend police raised concerns about overcrowding in nightlife hotspots.

Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has warned it is "not the time to relax" and start spending more time with friends and family.

But with spring weather arriving after Sweden's notoriously long, dark winter, that may be easier said than done.

 

[Khafee]

Coronavirus response: France, the Netherlands and the UK send navy ships to the Caribbean
April 28, 2020

France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom have decided to join efforts in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis currently affecting their overseas territories.

In order to help relieve local populations, they decided to bring a coordinated military answer in support of civilian crisis management tools.

French, British and Dutch armed forces are deploying military assets in the Caribbean to support their local authorities.

As a result, French amphibious assault ship PHA Dixmude, British primary casualty receiving ship RFA Argus and Dutch multi-function support ship for amphibious operations HNLMS Karel Doorman have been sent to the Caribbean.

As informed, the cooperation will be operated by a regional military joint coordination cell which will be located in Fort de France. Its mission will be to optimize national military contributions to support states’ action. This mechanism is expected to provide more agility and flexibility in the response to the spread of the virus throughout the Caribbean.

“Inspired by lessons drawn from their military cooperation during Hurricane Irma in 2017, as well as discussions in EI2 format, the three nations intend to benefit from this experience by better coordinating their actions in a spirit of mutual support and European solidarity,” the UK’s Ministry of Defense (MOD) said.

 

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'Possible Breakthrough': Oxford Scientist Says Coronavirus Vaccine Could Be Ready Within Months

'We're the only people in the country who want the number of new infections to stay up for another few weeks, so we can test our vaccine.'

www.westernjournal.com

'Possible Breakthrough': Oxford Scientist Says Coronavirus Vaccine Could Be Ready Within Months

Oxford University scientists have started testing a coronavirus vaccine on humans and hope it will be widely available by September.

The lab got a head start on on the global race to find a vaccine because it had previously worked on inoculations for other viruses including a close relative of the coronavirus sweeping the globe, CBS News reported, calling it a “possible breakthrough.”

The vaccine injects the coronavirus’ genetic material into a neutralized cold virus and triggers the immune system to fight it off by mimicking COVID-19.

“Well personally, I have a high degree of confidence about this vaccine, because it’s technology that I’ve used before,” Sarah Gilbert, a professor of vaccinology at Oxford, said.

The vaccine has reportedly worked in protecting rhesus macaque monkeys exposed to COVID-19, The New York Timesreported.

“The rhesus macaque is pretty much the closest thing we have to humans,” Dr. Vincent Munster, who conducted the test, said.

SinoVac, a Chinese company, has also started a clinical trial on a vaccine that was effective in rhesus macaques.

Scientists are testing the Oxford vaccine on humans now by giving it to 550 participants and giving a placebo to 550 others.
“It feels like finally, I’m able to do something,” scientist Elisa Granato told CBS News. “This was a way for me to contribute to the cause.”

If the vaccine proves to be effective and it receives an emergency approval from regulators, the scientists say the first few million doses could be available in September, according to The Times.

CBS reported that the largest drugmaker in the world, based in India, will start producing the Oxford vaccines next month before they’re proven to work on humans.

Dr. Emilio Emini, director of the vaccine program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said that more than one vaccine will most likely be needed.

Some vaccines may work more effectively in certain groups, like children and the elderly, and having more than one vaccine in production will help avoid manufacturing bottlenecks, he told The Times.

Although efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus seem to be working, it may prove problematic for scientists trying to develop a vaccine.

“We’re the only people in the country who want the number of new infections to stay up for another few weeks, so we can test our vaccine,” Professor Adrian Hill said of Oxford’s efforts.

Researchers are forbidden by ethics rules to infect human test patients with a serious disease, so they can only test coronavirus vaccines on people where the virus is naturally spreading around them.

 

[Khafee]

UAE sends medical, food aid to Pakistan
Wam/Abu Dhabi

The UAE delivered the first batch of critical medical supplies to Pakistan on April 2.

On Tuesday 28th April the UAE sent an aid plane containing 14 metric tonnes of medical and food supplies to Pakistan to bolster the country's efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The aid will assist approximately 7,000 medical professionals as they work to contain the virus.

Commenting on the aid delivery, Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al Zaabi, UAE Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, said: "As part of the bilateral cooperation that has underpinned the brotherly relations between our two countries for decades, the UAE is proud to extend assistance to Pakistan in furtherance of global solidarity in the fight against Covid-19."


"Through this aid, we honor the frontline healthcare workers in Pakistan and around the world who are working tirelessly to put an end to this crisis," he remarked.

The UAE delivered the first batch of critical medical supplies to Pakistan on April 2. On April 5, the second batch of 11 metric tonnes of medical supplies provided by the UAE arrived in Islamabad.

To date, the UAE has provided more than 320 metric tons of aid to over 30 countries, supporting nearly 320,000 medical professionals in the process.

#UAE sends medical and food aid to #Pakistan in fight against #COVID?19 #WamNews UAE sends medical and food aid to Pakistan in fight against COVID-19 pic.twitter.com/aedziq8TYW

 

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U.S. officials crafting retaliatory actions against China over coronavirus as President Trump fumes

The president has in recent days told advisers that China has to pay for the outbreak.

web.archive.org

I am over my free limit so I can't copy it

 

[Zeeman]

Unfortunately there is no doubt in my mind that this virus is here to stay for a very long time. There is no treatment in sight.
People talk about vaccine as if like in movies one day everyone will get injection and things will be alright.
Vaccine development takes long time and proper clinical trials and long term studies are needed to make sure it’s safe. I don’t know anyone who would just get an without knowing the long term effects of such medications .

Expert report predicts up to two more years of pandemic misery | CNN

Covid-19 is not going away, a new report on the coronavirus pandemic says. The report from CIDRAP predicts 18 months to two more years of Covid-19 cases and deaths.

www.cnn.com