What I learned about Covid-19 seven months after the first lawsuit in the United States

Where things stand: As of Monday, at least 183,000 people had died and more than 6 million were infected in the United States, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Why it matters: Leaders of all levels need to know who to protect and how best to protect them. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has repeatedly repeated five things people can do to prevent the spread of the virus. Always wear a mask whenever you go out. May be exposed. Keep a physical distance. Avoid sticks and close sticks if possible. Keep away from the crowd and congregation. Maintains hand hygiene.

The state still struggles to stop the mass outbreak. Outbreaks are controlled in some states, and cases are increasing in others. This is one of the factors that is being taken appropriately and is whether people are following the guidance.

To address this infection, we need to focus on two things. Protecting the most endangered population and understanding the impact young people have on preventing the spread of the disease.

Reducing infection among all groups can have a significant impact on protecting more vulnerable populations, even in children and young adults who are less likely to get serious illness.

Test status

Where things stand: The United States has come a long way since struggling with the Covid-19 test, but that doesn’t mean there’s still a long way to go. Although some major bottlenecks have been eliminated, there is still no sufficient, easy, and quick test that many public health officials need to fully understand the virus.

Two main types of tests are available to diagnose Covid-19.

Why it matters: Cities, counties, states, or super spreader events are still in epidemic. Public health officials need quick and effective testing to isolate, track, and stop virus infections.

For many Americans, having a coronavirus test meant waiting a few days, according to public health experts-often too many days to make it worthwhile. If you wait too long, you miss the opportunity to quarantine someone and prevent the virus from spreading during peak infections. Rapid testing is one of the main tools that South Korea has used to quickly stop the spread of the virus.

According to data from the COVID Tracking Project, the United States conducted more than 4.7 million tests last week. It may sound like a lot, but it still adds to less than 20 million tests a month.

Treatment and vaccine

Where things stand: Coronavirus treatments are gradually evolving. According to the FDA, three were approved, and as of August 31, there were at least 270 active trials and 570 trials in the planning phase of treatment.

DexamethasoneA widely available steroid has been found to help hospitalized Covid patients. One study found that it could help a sick person in a hospital who needed ventilation and oxygen. The 10-day low-dose regimen was found to reduce the risk of death in one-third of regimens using ventilators or oxygen.

Convalescent plasma The latest treatment for Covid-19 with an FDA emergency use permit. Use blood donated by people who have recovered from a coronavirus infection. There is hope for this treatment-it has been used to treat other deadly coronaviruses-but many health professionals say more research is needed to prove its benefits. It was. Many publicly available data do not include the gold standard of study, randomized controlled trials. Shared data show that people treated with plasma are often also treated with other drugs, making it difficult to know the effects of plasma.

According to the World Health Organization, 33 vaccines are in human clinical trials worldwide as of August 31st.

Operation Warp Speed, a US government vaccine development effort, supports eight vaccines, six of which have been announced. Operation Warp Speed’s goal is to get 300 million safe, effective vaccines by January 2021.

modern: The vaccine developed by Moderna and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases began Phase 3 trials in the US in late July. Early results from the mRNA-1273 vaccine study showed that it elicits immune and T cell responses in all age groups. This is what researchers wanted to see. The higher the dose, the greater the immune response of the recipient, but the worse the side effects. Over half of the participants had side effects such as fatigue, chills, headaches, muscle aches and injection site pain.

Pfizer / BioNTech: The vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech also began Phase 3 trials in the United States in late July. The companies have moved to a Phase 2/3 trial that combines a vaccine candidate called BNT162b2. In a combined Phase 1/2 study, the vaccine also evoked both T cell and antibody responses. This is a “dual-arm” effect that companies expect to provide longer protection. Pfizer released a news release in which preliminary data from Phase 1/2 trials showed a “favorable overall tolerability profile” and “side effects such as fever and fatigue lasting 1-2 days were generally mild to moderate.” There were no chills and no serious adverse events. “

AstraZeneca: Vaccines created by AstraZeneca and Oxford University launched Phase 3 trials in the US on Monday. Results from earlier studies released earlier showed that the vaccine elicited an antibody response within 28 days and a T cell response within 14 days. Neutralizing antibodies-so called because they can neutralize the virus-were detected in most participants after one shot and in all participants after the second shot. There were no serious vaccine-related adverse events. Fatigue and headache were the most commonly reported reactions.

More vaccines at work: The Johnson & Johnson vaccine will begin Phase 3 US trials in mid-September. Novavax’s vaccine is scheduled to begin Phase 3 trials in the US by the end of September, and Sanofi/GlaxoSmithKline plans to begin Phase 3 later this year.

Why they matter: It is important to note that until the vaccine is approved, most of the available treatments are used in hospitals for sick patients. It excludes many people who are very ill with this illness, but probably not the most ill of all. In the ideal scenario, the doctor wants to receive treatment that can be used in all scenarios. So, not only for the sick in the hospital, but also for the people at home.

Think about the flu season and how people who test positive can be given options like Tamiflu. It can be taken at home and will help reduce symptoms and reduce the need to be in the hospital. Such drugs will help Americans feel more comfortable about “resuming normal life.” However, to date, treatment has been limited to the most ill people in the hospital, or those currently using oxygen or ventilation.

These treatments are the bridge or stop gap until the vaccine is developed. And, according to most public health experts, it’s likely until spring 2021.

Vaccines must be safer than anything else, but they must also protect a wide range of populations. That is why it is so important to carry out trials for older patients and minorities. There was discussion of both the importance and the difficulty of hiring both of these groups. And that is a concern. One good news is that there was data from Moderna’s vaccine that showed an immune response in all age groups and no difference in symptoms between ages.