New coronavirus adapts to populations; vaccine works in monkeys
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[May 07, 2020]
By Nancy Lapid
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The following is a
brief roundup 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.
New coronavirus is adapting to different populations
A genetic analysis of samples from more than 7,500 people infected with
COVID-19 suggests that as the new coronavirus spreads quickly around the
world, it is adapting to its human hosts, researchers reported on
Tuesday in the medical journal Infection, Genetics and Evolution. They
found almost 200 recurrent genetic mutations of the new coronavirus -
SARS-CoV-2 - that show how it may be evolving as it spreads in people.
"All viruses naturally mutate," Francois Balloux of University College
London, who co-led the research, told Reuters. "Mutations in themselves
are not a bad thing and there is nothing to suggest SARS-CoV-2 is
mutating faster or slower than expected. So far, we cannot say whether
SARS-CoV-2 is becoming more or less lethal and contagious." (https://reut.rs/3foEOQ8
and https://bit.ly/2A63ay3)
Experimental vaccine protects macaques from SARS-CoV-2 infection
In macaque monkeys, an experimental vaccine for the novel coronavirus
safely induced antibodies that blocked several different SARS-CoV-2
strains, Chinese researchers reported on Wednesday in the journal
Science. The researchers say tests of their vaccine candidate, "PiCoVacc,"
in humans will likely begin later this year. (https://bit.ly/35CDrc5)
Blood thinners may improve survival of hospitalized COVID-19 patients
Blood thinners may improve survival odds for hospitalized COVID-19
patients, a study from New York City suggests. Researchers looked back
at 2,773 patients, about one in four of whom had received a high dose of
blood clot preventers. Patients who got this treatment were more likely
to survive, the researchers reported on Wednesday in the Journal of the
American College of Cardiology. The difference was most pronounced among
the 395 patients who needed mechanical ventilation. In this group, the
death rate was 63% without anticoagulants and 29% when patients did get
blood thinners.
The researchers note that because the study was not randomized, it
cannot prove the drugs directly led to better survival. Large randomized
trials are needed to confirm a benefit, researchers said, and any
potential benefit needs to be weighed against the increased risk of
bleeding with these drugs. (https://bit.ly/2SHrvkh)
COVID-19 antibodies may not predict speed of recovery
The immune system does not always respond to SARS-CoV-2 infection the
way doctors might expect, unpublished data suggest. Researchers at MD
Anderson Cancer Center in Houston found that having antibodies to two
important structures on the surface of the virus does not necessarily
mean patients' recovery will be faster or smoother.
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Scientists work in a lab testing COVID-19 samples at New York City's
health department, during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease
(COVID-19) in New York City, New York U.S., April 23, 2020. Picture
taken April 23, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Dr. Raghu Kalluri, who coauthored the study, told Reuters that
patients with severe COVID-19 disease being treated in intensive
care units had varying levels of antibodies. In fact, some recovered
patients did not have these antibodies at all, which, he said,
suggests that their immune systems fought off the virus in some
unknown way. The study, posted on Tuesday on the preprint server
medRxiv, has not yet been peer reviewed or published in a medical
journal. (https://bit.ly/3b53NEM)
Coronavirus link to loss of smell and taste may be underestimated
The true prevalence of problems with smell and taste among patients
infected with the novel coronavirus may be higher than doctors
realize, according to researchers who reviewed 10 studies published
earlier this year. Among a total of more than 1,600 infected
patients in North America, Asia and Europe, nearly 53% had
diminished or loss of sense of smell, and nearly 44% had problems
with taste. In the subset of studies that used particularly reliable
tests to evaluate patients' ability to smell and taste, rates of
dysfunction were even higher, suggesting "that the true prevalence
of dysfunction in COVID-19 patients may remain underestimated," the
research team wrote on Tuesday in the journal Otolaryngology - Head
and Neck Surgery. Increased awareness "may encourage earlier
diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19, as well as heighten vigilance
for viral spread." (https://bit.ly/2L22Br8)
Researchers list ways to ease stress of frontline caregivers
There are many well documented methods hospitals could use to help
ease frontline caregivers' emotional stress, according to
researchers who reviewed dozens of studies of healthcare staff
working during outbreaks of emerging viruses. Broadly, they say,
interventions fall into the categories of clear communication,
access to adequate personal protection, adequate rest, and practical
and psychological support.
Among their specific recommendations are changes to practice, such
as screening stations to funnel infected patients to specific areas,
redesigning of procedures that pose high risks for spread of
infection, and reducing the density of patients on wards. They wrote
on Tuesday in The BMJ that interventions shown to be helpful in the
earlier studies "were similar despite the wide range of settings and
types of outbreaks ... and thus could be applicable to the current
COVID-19 outbreak."
(Reporting by Kate Kelland and Nancy Lapid; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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