Covid19mathblog.com
Another existing drug for treatment for covid-19 – 30X more effective than remdesivir – https://sfist.com/2021/01/25/ucsf-team-finds-cancer-drug-that-is-30-times-more-effective-at-fighting-covid-19-than-remdesivir/
“A research team at UCSF has landed on a potential game-changing treatment for COVID-19, though it is a cancer drug made by a Spanish firm that is not yet approved for any uses in the United States.
The drug is called Aplidin (generic name: plitidepsin), and it’s a compound that was originally derived from one found in a bizarre marine creature found near Ibiza called Aplidium albicans. As the team explains in a new report in the journal Science, plitidepsin was shown to dramatically inhibit the replication of SARS CoV-2, a.k.a. the coronavirus, and may in fact be 30 times more effective as an antiviral treatment than remdesivir, which has been used on an emergency basis in patients in clinical settings since last winter.
The team that discovered the new treatment was led by UCSF systems biologist Nevan Krogan, and it appears to potentially be the biggest success to arrive from a project that began last February to isolate existing drugs and compounds that might work as antiviral treatments.”
“Scientists both in San Francisco and on other teams around the globe participating in the same effort found two human proteins that appeared to be key in the fight to shut down the coronavirus’ ability to replicate inside people, Sigma R1 and Sigma R2, and their drug search initially focused on these. Aplidin works on the human protein known as eEF1A, and because it focuses on the human part of the equation and not the virus, it should hopefully remain effective as the virus mutates.
And the project is highlighting something scientists have long stressed about the importance of maintaining biodiversity in the world’s oceans and elsewhere. The marine invertebrate from which this compound is derived is an ascidian or sea squirt that looks "a bit like a disembodied brain," as the Chronicle explains. The drug is actually owned by a Spanish company founded by a scuba diver, Pharma Mar, and it’s been approved in Australia for treating the blood cancer known as multiple myeloma. It’s also been used in the EU as a treatment for lymphoblastic leukemia. The drug is in Phase 2 clinical trials in Spain, during which it has been tested on 45 severely ill COVID patients. Based on data on the first 27 of those patients, the drug significantly reduced the amount of time people spent in the hospital, with 81 percent going home after 15 days, compared to a typical rate of under 50 percent. And according to a separate paper, Aplidin appears to be effective against the UK variant of the virus as well.”
“Aplidin still has to undergo more broad-based Phase 3 clinical trials, which will reportedly take place in both Spain and the U.S. And it remains to be seen how long it could be — should it prove as effective as the early trials suggest — before the drug becomes widely available here.”
The US is blocking international travel now whereas CA is opening up even though LA county is still the worse in the country in confirmation and deaths – https://www.traveloffpath.com/new-u-s-travel-restrictions-could-devastate-mexico-tourism/
“After a new testing requirement mandates all Americans to present proof of a negative Covid-19 antigen test, many travelers were left scrambling on where and how to get testing. Just when Americans thought it couldn’t get any harder to travel abroad, Joe Biden announced a new presidential proclamation stating all travelers entering the U.S. from abroad would need to self-quarantine following the CDC’s recommended guidelines of 7-10 days.”
https://apnews.com/article/california-lifts-stay-home-order-virus-1c298c67338a5914f7c3857cd167edcc
“Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted stay-at-home orders across the state Monday in response to improving coronavirus conditions, a surprising move hailed by beleaguered businesses but that prompted caution from local health officials concerned the public may let down its guard.
“We’re seeing a flattening of the curve — everything that should be up is up, everything that should be down is down — case rates, positivity rates, hospitalizations, ICUs,” Newsom said at a virtual news conference.
The turnaround puts California in a starkly different place than it was last month, when some Southern California hospitals overwhelmed by virus patients were crafting emergency plans for rationing care.”
Complaining about Nasal Swab? How about an anal swab? https://www.newsweek.com/covid-anal-swabs-beijing-residents-more-accurate-says-chinese-expert-1564381?
“"In some asymptomatic cases or in individuals with mild symptoms, they tend to recover from the illness very quickly. It’s possible that there will be no trace of the virus in their throat after three to five days.
"What we’ve found is that in some infected patients, the coronavirus survives for a longer period of time in their digestive tract or excrement than in their respiratory tract."
Li said rectal swabs increase the rate of detectability and lower the chances of a missed diagnosis.
"Of course, anal swabs aren’t as convenient as throat swabs, so they’re only being used on individuals in key quarantine areas. This will reduce the return of false positives," he added.
According to guidelines published by China’s National Health Commission, anal swabs are to be administered 3 to 5 centimeters (1.2 to 2 inches) inside the rectum. The swab is to be rotated and removed before being securely placed inside a sample container.
On Friday, a resident of Tangshan in Hebei province, about 120 miles east of Beijing, told CCTV that she was given double rectal swabs as part of citywide testing in her area. She said each swab took just under 10 seconds.
A few medical papers release since the start of the outbreak last year have suggested anal swabs as a more accurate way of testing for COVID-19, but its merits have yet to be widely accepted by the Chinese medical community.”
Still a good reporting day – US under 2K deaths
CA leading the states in both death and confirmation
First time in awhile LA county not leading death. Tarrant County (near Dallas TX) leading deaths at 81 – LA at 52 but next 5 counties all S. California
Middle of the country seems to not have much covid issue
Good news LA is coming down.
