Live Tuberculosis “Vaccine” Being Tested as a Treatment for COVID-19 Infections
Story Highlights Researchers at Texas A&M University and five other academic institutions have begun a phase 4 clinical trial re-purposing a live attenuated tuberculosis vaccine to treat COVID-19. The researchers believe that the TICE® BCG vaccine, which is licensed to prevent and treat bladder cancer, may help mitigate the severity of COVID-19. The research team […]
Why “Operation Warp Speed” Could Be Deadly
Opinion | Politicians are dreaming of a “Manhattan Project-style effort” to develop and distribute a coronavirus vaccine “for most Americans by year’s end.” To accomplish this dramatic cut in vaccine development time, “the program will pull together private pharmaceutical companies, government agencies and the military.” Normal vaccine development time is significantly longer. Fourteen potential coronavirus vaccines are vying to […]
Marked Decrease in Hospital Admissions During COVID Pandemic
A curious thing is happening amid the COVID-19 pandemic: As COVID-19 cases and deaths mount, hospital admissions for other acute ailments are markedly dropping. In an Apr. 6, 2020, New York Times article, Dr. Harlan Krumholz—professor of medicine at Yale and director of the Yale New Haven Hospital Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation—notes:1 The […]
Will Coronavirus Mutations Delay COVID-19 Vaccines?
Story Highlights Seven different coronaviruses have been shown to cause disease in human beings, including common ones that tend to cause transient respiratory infections often referred to as the “common cold,” and others that cause more serious illnesses such as SERS, MERS and the current COVID-19. The virus that causes COVID-19 has been believed to […]
Face Masks to Prevent COVID-19: Conflicting Facts & Advice
In a media briefing on Mar. 30, 2020, World Health Organization (WHO) officials confirmed that facial masks for the prevention of COVID-19 should be worn by those who are sick or in close contact with those infected, and are not recommended for healthy members of the general population.1 A day later, U.S. Vice President Mike […]
COVID-19 Hospitalized Patients and Underlying Chronic Disease
Story Highlights Recent research shows that most hospitalized COVID-19 patients had one or more chronic poor health conditions, such as obesity, hypertension and heart and lung disease. Chronic diseases are the leading cause of death and disability in the United States, making the U.S. population susceptible to more severe COVID-19 infections. Good nutrition helps reduce […]