March 23 coronavirus news

A majority of Covid-19 “long haulers” – Covid-19 patients with persistent symptoms – experience four or more neurologic symptoms lasting for at least six weeks or more, according to a study published on Tuesday in the journal Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology.

The small study from researchers at Northwestern Medicine evaluated just 100 non-hospitalized “long hauler” patients across 21 states who had symptoms consistent with Covid-19 such as sore throat, cough, or mild fever and were being treated at the Northwestern Neuro-Covid-19 clinic. 

The most frequent non-neurologic symptoms reported by the group included fatigue (85%), depression/anxiety (47%); shortness of breath (46%); chest pain (37%); and insomnia (33%).

Putting the data into context: There are a number of limitations of the study. First, only half of the 100 patients had any positive PCR or coronavirus antibody tests to confirm their infection. The other half of the patients did not have any laboratory-confirmed results of coronavirus infection but had symptoms consistent with Covid. The researchers noted that the initial generations of antibody tests were developed based on a hospitalized patients and were not sensitive enough to detect antibodies in non-hospitalized long haulers.

The researchers were able to evaluate 48 of the patients in person, but the other 52 patients were evaluated via telehealth visits, which did not allow for complete neurologic exams. 

They also noted that 16 of the patients had a pre-existing autoimmune disorder including multiple sclerosis, lupus, and Hashimoto’s disease, and 42 of the patients evaluated had reported having a history of depression or anxiety. 

Aside from the limited sample size, the researchers noted that a majority of the patients were white, and therefore the results may not be generalized to minority populations.

Read more on what's being called 'long covid':

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Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc said Tuesday its dual antibody treatment for Covid-19 reduced symptomatic illness by four days at any level of dose tried in its clinical trial. 

The treatment also seemed to reduce hospitalizations and death by about 70% compared to placebo, the company said.

At any dose given, the treatment significantly reduced the patient’s viral load.

Monoclonal antibodies are lab-made immune system proteins that are infused to boost a patient’s immune response to fight disease. The Covid-19 treatments seem to work best early in the course of an infection. The treatments are also being tested to see if they can prevent infection.

Regeneron's treatment has already been authorized for use at a higher dose by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) treatment. It was used to treat former President Donald Trump when he developed Covid-19 last year.

The pharmaceutical company said it would now seek FDA emergency use authorization for its antibody cocktail at a lower dose in light of the latest trial data. The move could essentially double manufacturing capacity.

“We will rapidly discuss the new data with regulatory authorities and request that the 1,200 mg dose be added to the US emergency use authorization, in order for the anticipated REGEN-COV supply to be available to treat even more patients,” said Dr. George Yancopoulos, Regeneron’s President and Chief Scientific Officer.

This late-stage trial involved nearly 5,000 non-hospitalized patients. Each had at least one underlying condition that would make them more vulnerable to severe Covid-19. The trial also had a diverse patient population. About 35% of the patients were Latino/Hispanic, and 5% were Black.

The results are not published in a journal, nor are they peer-reviewed, but the company said it plans to submit the results for peer review as soon as possible.

Regeneron isn't the only company working on an antibody treatment. Drugmaker Eli Lilly has two authorized treatments, but they may not work as well against some of the variants.

The FDA had reviewed research done on the mutations that characterize several of the new variants. None of the experiments involved live, infected patients, but the FDA said the finding were serious enough to warrant a change to the emergency use authorizations that were granted to the products. 

The Kremlin on Tuesday said the Russian President Vladimir Putin’s coronavirus vaccination process won’t be filmed.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on a conference call that Putin has not yet been vaccinated but they expect he will be by the end of the day. 

Peskov continued Putin “doesn’t like” being vaccinated on camera, adding “you will have to take our word for it.”

The Kremlin spokesman added it’s not known yet whether Putin will go to an appointment or if a doctor will visit him but it will be done in such a way to minimize the President’s working schedule.  

When asked why the Russian leader is not planning to show his vaccination process for publicity, Peskov said Putin does a lot to promote getting vaccinated: 

The Kremlin spokesman also said it will not be disclosed which vaccine will be used, but it will be one of the three Russian vaccines that have been approved: Sputnik V, EpiVacCorona or CoviVac. 

“We deliberately do not say what kind of vaccine the president will take, all the while noting that all three Russian vaccines are absolutely reliable and effective,” said Peskov.

Putin revealed he intended to get inoculated Tuesday during a live televised video conference. “Vaccination is voluntary. This is a personal decision of each person. By the way, I intend to do it myself tomorrow,” he said.

Counterfeit vaccine cards and what are being billed as Covid-19 vaccines are now for sale on the dark web, a new report says.

Security researchers at cybersecurity firm Check Point Software found listings for Covid-19 vaccines brands, including AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, for up to $1,000 a dose, as well as at least 20 vaccine certificates for $200 each.

The dark web is a part of the internet not detected by search engines where cybercriminals often sell and buy illicit materials, from credit card numbers and drugs to cyberweapons and now, apparently, coronavirus-related products.

A Check Point spokesperson told CNN Business it's uncertain if the vaccines are real but said "they appear to be legitimate" from pictures of packaging and medical certificates. Advertisements for vaccines on the dark web are up 300% in the past three months, according to the report.

Meanwhile, vaccine certificates — or proof of vaccination cards — are created and printed to order; the buyer provides the name and dates they want on the certificate and the vendor replies with what Check Point said resembles an authentic card.

Read the full story here:

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Anyone trying to travel abroad from England next week will need a "reasonable excuse" or face being hit with a hefty fine, according to new legislation drafted by the British government.

Rule breakers face a penalty of nearly $7,000 (£5,000). 

The new Covid-19 travel rules are part of a set of restrictions the UK government published on Monday, as it sets its roadmap for leaving the current lockdown. Lawmakers are due to vote on the drafted legislation on Thursday, with the measures coming into force from Monday. 

The law says, "no person may, without a reasonable excuse- leave England to travel to a destination outside the United Kingdom, or travel to, or be present at, an embarkation point for the purpose of traveling from there to a destination outside the United Kingdom."

The restrictions do not apply to travel within the common area, which includes the rest of the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, and the Republic of Ireland. Exceptions to the ban apply when it is "reasonably necessary" for a person to work, study, provide charitable services, fulfill a legal obligation, sell or rent a property, and for some childcare, medical or family reasons.  

An independent board that reviews data from multiple Covid-19 vaccine candidates in the US has expressed concern over AstraZeneca’s announcements on its latest findings, according to a statement posted Tuesday by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Early Monday, AstraZeneca issued a news release saying its Covid-19 vaccine showed 79% efficacy against symptomatic disease and 100% efficacy against severe disease and hospitalization, citing long-awaited US trial data. The latter figure was based on five total cases of severe disease or hospitalization in people who received the placebo, and zero similar cases among those who received the vaccine, NIAID director Dr. Anthony Fauci said during a coronavirus briefing Monday.

The DSMB is an independent expert group which sees trial data before the pharmaceutical companies, the doctors running the trials, or even the US Food and Drug Administration. It has the power to advise a company of positive interim findings, or to halt a trial over safety concerns. That's what happened to the AstraZeneca trial in September after a study participant developed neurological symptoms, for example.

Last year, the US's medical research agency, the National Institutes of Health, appointed a common DSMB to monitor Covid-19 vaccine clinical trials funded by the federal government -- including AstraZeneca, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

This DSMB has 10 to 15 members with specialties including vaccine development, statistics and ethics.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and the first lady, Kim Jung-sook, received AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine on Tuesday, the Blue House announced.

Moon’s vaccination is in preparation for his visit to the United Kingdom for the G7 summit in June, his office said. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has invited South Korea, India and Australia to attend the summit as guests.

Another nine members of Moon's delegation were also vaccinated Tuesday in the same public clinic in Seoul.

The bigger picture: Starting Tuesday, adults age 65 and over will receive AstraZeneca vaccines across the country, the Blue House added.

In February, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said senior citizens would be excluded from AstraZeneca vaccines amid efficacy concerns.

However, last week the KDCA announced the government had decided to expand the use of AstraZeneca vaccines based on research from the United Kingdom.

According to the KDCA, more than 680,000 people in the country have been vaccinated so far.

South Korea's Covid cases: On Monday, South Korea reported 331 local and 15 imported cases of the coronavirus, the KDCA’s news release said. The Greater Seoul Area accounted for 229 of the cases found.

Overall, the country has recorded 99,421 Covid-19 cases since the pandemic began. The national coronavirus death toll stands at 1,704.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday she will extend the country's lockdown to April 18 due to its rise of Covid-19 cases. 

Merkel announced an even stricter five-day lockdown over the Easter holiday between April 1 to April 5.

Almost all shops will be closed over the five-day period, and she requested all religious services be moved online over Easter.

No more than five adults from two households can gather. Only grocers will be allowed to open on Saturday, April 3. 

Germany has reported more than 2.6 million cases and more than 74,000 related deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Fully vaccinated people should feel free to visit their unvaccinated family and friends without restrictions -- but visits should be limited to one unvaccinated household at a time, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said Monday. 

And sorry, but even fully vaccinated grandparents should not be bringing their grandkids to church or otherwise exposing them to crowds, the officials said during a web briefing.

The CDC will update its guidance once it becomes clear how well vaccination prevents spread of the virus. But for the time being, there are still limits on what fully vaccinated people should do, they said.

These recommendations only apply to people who are fully vaccinated, Skoff said, which means it has been two weeks since the second dose of a two-dose vaccine series or two weeks since receiving the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. 

Read more here.