Genetically Engineered Cow Plasma Therapy for COVID-19 Will Be Tested on Humans
Story Highlights Human trials for a new COVID-19 immunotherapy candidate (SAB-185) that is derived from genetically engineered cow plasma will begin in July 2020. The cows have been genetically engineered to produce human antibodies to fight off COVID-19. Plasma from the cows is expected to assist COVID-19 patients overcome the infection. SAb Biotherapeutics (SAB), a […]
Rapid Tests for Coronavirus Raise Concerns Over Accuracy
On Mar. 27, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to pharmaceutical and medical devices company Abbott Laboratories, Inc. of Abbott Park, Illinois for a rapid diagnostic test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus known as ID NOW.1 2 3 “We know how important it is to get point-of-care tests out […]
WHO Says COVID-19 Asymptomatic Transmission Is ‘Very Rare’
From the data we have, it still seems to be rare that an asymptomatic person actually transmits onward to a secondary individual. … We have a number of reports from countries who are doing very detailed contact tracing. They’re following asymptomatic cases, they’re following contacts and they’re not finding secondary transmission onward. It is very […]
Will Newborns Be Separated from Parents for COVID-19 Testing?
Opinion | The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the biggest funder of vaccines in the entire world and, according to Gates, its COVID-19 vaccination effort “dwarfs anything we’ve ever worked on before.”1 Indeed, Gates push for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination—and investment in those vaccines—is historically unprecedented. In an Apr. 30, 2020 GatesNotes post,2,3 Gates even […]
Anti-Depressants in Short Supply During COVID-19 Lockdowns
Drug shortages listed by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are exposing some of the ramifications of responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, including state lockdowns and social distancing regulations.1 Zoloft (sertraline hydrochloride), an anti-depressant manufactured by Pfizer and its generic counterparts produced by other drug makers, have been added to the FDA’s list of […]
Blood Type May Affect Vulnerability to COVID-19
Story Highlights An international group of geneticists has compared DNA of patients hospitalized for severe COVID-19 infection with that of healthy volunteers and found six gene clusters that may provide insight into the wide range of responses to the virus. Results showed that patients with Type A blood appeared to have a greater susceptibility for […]