Mutations

Russians say its Sputnik V vaccines performs well against COVID mutations

Sun, 2021-02-28 00:34 — mike kraft

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian trial testing the effectiveness of revaccination with the Sputnik V shot to protect against new mutations of the coronavirus is producing strong results, researchers said on Saturday.

Last month President Vladimir Putin ordered a review by March 15 of Russian-produced vaccines for their effectiveness against new variants spreading in different parts of the world.

“(A) recent study carried out by the Gamaleya Centre in Russia showed that revaccination with Sputnik V vaccine is working very well against new coronavirus mutations, including the UK and South African strains of coronavirus,” said Denis Logunov, a deputy director of the centre, which developed the Sputnik V shot.

Results of the trial are expected to be published soon, but this was the first indication of how the tests are going. No further details were available yet.

So-called viral vector shots - such as Sputnik V and a shot developed by AstraZeneca - use harmless modified viruses as vehicles, or vectors, to carry genetic information that helps the body build immunity against future infections. ...

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ANALYSIS: There is a chance to stop the coronavirus from making a big comeback after recent decline

Sat, 2021-02-27 00:09 — mike kraft

Across the United States, and the world, the coronavirus seems to be loosening its stranglehold. The deadly curve of cases, hospitalizations and deaths has yo-yoed before, but never has it plunged so steeply and so fast.

Is this it, then? Is this the beginning of the end? After a year of being pummeled by grim statistics and scolded for wanting human contact, many Americans feel a long-promised deliverance is at hand.

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Pfizer to study using booster shot aimed at virus variant

Thu, 2021-02-25 22:02 — mike kraft

Pfizer to study booster shot aimed at virus variant Pfizer and its partner BioNTech said Thursday they are beginning a stu Peter Sullivan TheHill

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech said Thursday they are beginning a study to test whether a third shot of their COVID-19 vaccine will help protect against variants of the virus.

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WHO panel to recommend 'deeper' study in China of early Covid-19 clues

Mon, 2021-02-22 01:56 — mike kraft

CNN Exclusive: WHO panel to recommend 'deeper' study of early Covid-19 clues The World Health Organization's preliminary report into the origins of the novel coronavirus will recommend more extensive contact tracing of the first known patient with Covid-19 in Wuhan, China, as well as the supply chain of nearly a dozen traders in the Huanan seafood market, which is thought to have played a role in the early spread of Covid-19 in late 2019, according to investigators familiar with the draft report. Sandi Sidhu and Nick Paton Walsh, CNN CNN

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Coronavirus variants are like 'tidal waves' once they fully arrive

Sun, 2021-02-21 01:40 — mike kraft

Coronavirus variants are like 'tidal waves' once they fully arrive Although the U.S. finally reached an important milestone in the number of vaccinations surpassing the number of COVID-19 cases, the country is not out of the woods yet. YahooNews

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White House coronavirus adviser says vaccine companies plan to update shots to address variants

Fri, 2021-02-19 00:27 — mike kraft

White House coronavirus adviser official discusses plans by vaccine companies cope with COVID-19 variants

Andy Slavitt, White House senior adviser on the coronavirus response, said vaccine-producing companies plan to update their shots to address variants of the virus.

During a Washington Post live interview Thursday, he said the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines “work well for” the most prominent variant spreading throughout the United States, which is the one first identified in Britain.

He said that while the vaccines appear less effective against the variants first identified in Brazil and South Africa, they do produce some antibodies.

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Seven U.S. virus variants found with same worry mutation

Wed, 2021-02-17 04:05 — mike kraft

A new study identifies seven U.S. virus variants with the same worrying mutation.

As Americans anxiously watch the spread of coronavirus variants that were first identified in Britain and South Africa, scientists are finding a number of new variants that seem to have originated in the United States — and many of them may pose the same kind of extra-contagious threat.

In a study posted on Sunday, a team of researchers reported seven growing lineages of the coronavirus, spotted in states across the country. All have gained a mutation at the exact same spot in their genes.

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Description of experts tracking variants of the coronavirus

Thu, 2021-02-11 21:46 — mike kraft

How are experts tracking variants of the coronavirus? How are experts tracking variants of the coronavirus? Scientists are scanning virus samples taken from infected people to look for mutations, through a process called genome sequencing. It’s... AP NEWS

How are experts tracking variants of the coronavirus?

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UK’s Kent virus variant becoming more resistant, could spread, scientists warn

Thu, 2021-02-11 21:29 — mike kraft

UK’s Kent virus variant becoming more resistant, scientists warn Sequencing of coronavirus samples must be reduced from five days to 36 hours to help fight against outbreaks. POLITICO

LONDON — The dominant coronavirus variant in the U.K. is becoming more resistant to vaccines, scientific experts have warned.

Two leading scientists in the U.K. warned Wednesday that the variant of the virus first identified in Kent has acquired the same E484K mutation on its spike protein that makes the South Africa variant so worrying for experts.

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WHO expert group recommends use of AstraZeneca vaccine

Thu, 2021-02-11 07:14 — mike kraft

WHO expert group recommends use of AstraZeneca vaccine GENEVA (AP) — Independent experts advising the World Health Organization about immunization on Wednesday recommended the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine even in countries that turned up worrying... AP NEWS

GENEVA (AP) — Independent experts advising the World Health Organization about immunization on Wednesday recommended the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine even in countries that turned up worrying coronavirus variants in their populations.

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