So in addition to my other thread on
Vaccines Being Unprofitable before mRNA (from 2001-2002 scarcity, to SARS 2003+, and how mRNA is cheap'n fast) ...
nm
ucf.forums.rivals.com
Since we're all focused on
'effective immunity,' the medical journals have been quite 'active' in just the last 2 weeks. I'll try to break down many of the articles.
40-50% Reduction in Transmission with at least 1 mRNA Shot
-
New England Journal of Medicine (aggregate 5 references)
Finally we have our
first, actual, real study of transmission reduction, using near
1M households of 'index patients' (tracked), where over 10% were infected with SARS-CoV-2 and considered
'secondary transfers' (human-to-human from those
'index patients'), over 2 months earlier this year (took this long to compile the data) ...
'approximately 40 to 50% lower in households of index patients who had been vaccinated 21 days or more before testing positive than in households of unvaccinated index patients; the findings were similar for the two vaccines.'
But there's a catch ...
'Most of the vaccinated index patients in our data set (93%) had received only the first dose of vaccine.'
So, basically transmission should be half for those vaccinated with at least one shot. It will be interesting if fully vaccinated with 2 shots after 4-6 weeks improves much or a lot. But at least this is the first case where a
'normal' was used -- how many people were
'infected' by people they lived who were vaccinated v. unvaccinated.
But it does confirm that vaccinated adults are still passing on the virus, which doesn't bode well for vaccinating children. That's been my argument all along. But we'll have to wait for comprehensive studies of fully vaccinated individuals, as only 7% were in this early, but comprehensive, set of statistics of nearly 1M households of tracked individuals.
SARS-CoV-2 Variants: Alpha, Beta-Delta-Episilon, Gamma and Lamba - Alpha and Gamma are Worst
-
Various Journals and Schools of Med (Harvard, UMinn, News Medical, Cell Reports)
While Delta (
B.1.617.2) is getting all the attention for outbreaks, it's really t
he Gamma (P.1) in Brazil that is the most deadly among the new, along with the statistics of the initial Alpha (B.117) variant earlier this year that has sent far more to the ICU, than Delta has so far. As reported elsewhere, the J&J Ad26 is effective against the Delta, and mRNA has also now shown to be effective against the new Lamba (C.37). The good news is that T-cells are still good at fighting them all.
Cell Reports: T-cells are minimally impacted against SARS-CoV-2 variants
"The total reactivity against SARS-CoV-2 variants is similar in terms of magnitude and frequency of response, with decreases in the 10 to 22% range observed in some assay/VOC combinations. A total of 7% and 3% of previously identified CD4+ and CD8+ T cell epitopes, respectively, are impacted by mutations in the various VOCs. Thus, SARS-CoV-2 variants analyzed herein do not majorly disrupt the total SARS-CoV-2 T cell reactivity; however, the decreases observed highlight the importance for active monitoring of T cell reactivity in the context of SARS-CoV-2 evolution"
https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-medicine/pdf/S2666-3791(21)00204-4.pdf
[P]NAS: More Genome evolution studies, based on 300,000 mappings
A long, deep-dive, into almost a dozen of the variants that are of most concern.
Understanding the ongoing evolution of SARS-CoV-2 is essential to control and ultimately end the pandemic. We analyzed more than 300,000 SARS-CoV-2 genomes available as of January 2021 and demonstrate adaptive evolution of the virus that affects, primarily, multiple sites in the spike and...
www.pnas.org
[P]NAS: SARS-CoV-2 Variant Gamma (P.1) in Brazil
The dominate strain in Brazil, which is looking to be the most deadly of all. The only good news is that most of the mRNA and even Ad type vaccines seem to be more effective against the Gamma, like Beta, than the newer Beta, Delta, but that doesn't kill nearly as much.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants are of concern, with the P.1 variants dominating in Brazil. Brazil is now seeing a record number of deaths. Here, we report that the pathogenicity in hamsters of a P.1 variant is similar to that of nonvariant SARS-CoV-2...
www.pnas.org
Harvard: Genome more accurate identifies Gamma (P.1) as most deadly variant
Kinda an end-around way of taking the, at the time, previously unknown variant in Brazil, now Gamma (P.1), and comparing its results against genome association studies, including prior avian flu, and coming back to explain how Gamma (P.1) is the most deadly, which lines up well with reality many months later.
'The team looked for links between each mutation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus’s single-stranded RNA and mortality in 7,548 COVID-19 patients. Data for the study came from the global initiative on sharing avian influenza data (GISAID) database, which contains the genetic sequence and related clinical and epidemiological data associated with SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses. The researchers found one mutation—at locus 25,088bp in the virus’s genome—that alters the spike protein and was linked to a significant increase in mortality in COVID-19 patients. The team flagged the variant with this mutation, which was later identified as part of P.1.'
Methodology from genome-wide association studies accurately flags more deadly SARS-CoV-2 variant
www.hsph.harvard.edu
Science (AAAS): SARS-CoV-2 Immune Evasion by Epsilon (B.1.427/B.1.429)
Looks to be 2-3.5x more resistant than Wuhan-1
science.sciencemag.org
UMinn: Alpha (B.117) more severe outcomes
Based on 200,000 patients earlier this year, making it the worst so far, although the Gamma (P.1) may surpass it.
www.cidrap.umn.edu
News Medical: J&J Ad26 Effective Against Delta (B.1.617.2)
J&J Ad26 is still more effective against the earlier B-lineage Beta (B.1.351) as well as the most deadly Gamma (P.1), and pinning down an exacting efficacy against Delta has not been made.
Researchers in the Netherlands have conducted a study showing that Janssen’s Ad26.COV2.S coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) vaccine was effective against variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among eight individuals.
www.news-medical.net
News Medical: mRNA Effective Against Lambda (C.37)
Lamba (C.37) is still about 2.3-3x more resistant against mRNA, but still Effective.
Researchers in the United States have conducted a study suggesting that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines that are currently being rolled out in many countries should be effective against the C.37 lineage (lambda variant) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2...
www.news-medical.net
Performance of SARS-CoV-2 lateral flow antigen tests (Why the Antigen Tests Suck)
-
The Lancet
Because of all of the issues with the
'real-time' PCR (RT-PCR) tests, which when read correctly, still vary from under 50% to 90%. They are often read incorrectly, and everything
'positive' taken as
'COVID' when virtually everyone
'exposed' is
'infected,' but not
'ill' (much less
'diseased'). It was hoped that Lateral Flow Devices (LFD) would improve this over RT-PCR, but it's looking like that's not going to happen. They can be as bad, or worse. It's hard to summarize this without reading a lot of the journal entry, but the initial 2 statements basically are re-hashes of the problem with RT-PCR as well ...
"Lateral flow devices (LFDs) for rapid antigen testing are set to become a cornerstone of SARS-CoV-2 mass community testing, although their reduced sensitivity compared with PCR has raised questions of how well they identify infectious cases. Understanding their capabilities and limitations is, therefore, essential for successful implementation."
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanmic/article/PIIS2666-5247(21)00143-9/fulltext
First Live-Attenuated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (COVI-VAC)
- [Procedings of] the
National Academy of Sciences ([P]
NAS)
This is still in the preliminary stages, in clinical development now, and this is the pre-clinical testing. But the
most potent SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine may be a intranasal (nose injection -- kinda like in the 2011 movie
Contagion) Live-Attenuated one (COVI-VAC).
'Live attenuated vaccines (LAVs) are particularly attractive, as they activate all branches of the host immune system (humoral, innate, and cellular). Also, a vaccine that can present all SARS-CoV-2 antigens to the host is optimal because it can both induce a broad immune response and is less likely to lose significant potency due to the antigenic drift that we are already witnessing.'
This work demonstrates the feasibility of rationally designing and synthesizing vaccine candidates for testing in response to an emerging disease in real world conditions. Furthermore, using a live attenuated codon-pair–deoptimized virus approach ensures that all components of the host immune...
www.pnas.org
Ultrapotent, Natural Immunity Against the Top 13 (and up to 23) SARS-CoV-2 Variants
-
Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science)
One of the best ways we can help stem the tide of any pandemic that refuses to exit the populace, is to start identifying those with natural immunity. And that's what may now be possible. 2 of the 4 antibodies are the most potent and similar.
"The two most potent antibodies, A23-58.1 and B1-182.1, shared highly similar gene family usage in their heavy and light chains, despite being from different donors (table S1). Both use IGHV1-58 heavy chains and IGKV3-20/IGKJ1 light chains and a similarly low levels of SHM (<0.7%) (table S1). This antibody gene family combination has been identified in other COVID-19 convalescent subjects"
science.sciencemag.org
SARS-CoV-2 Can Infect Other Than Via ACE2
-
Cell Reports
If the last journal was an upper, this one is a downer ... and a bit scary. Let's just hope it's rare. Apparently lung cancer and other patients have seemingly contracted SARS-CoV-2 through other means than the commonly understood ACE2 receptor.
https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(21)00762-2