Virus variants have been shown to be more deadly, more contagious; some may get vaccinated

The following is a summary of some of the latest scientific studies on the new coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

Several variants can “get rid” of vaccines

Antibodies induced by Moderna Inc and Pfizer Inc / BioNTech SE vaccines are dramatically less effective in neutralizing some of the most worrying coronavirus variants, a new study suggests.

The researchers obtained blood samples from 99 people who received one or two doses of any of the vaccines and tested their vaccine-induced antibodies against virus replicas designed to mimic 10 circulating variants globally.

Five of the 10 variants were “extremely resistant to neutralization,” even when volunteers received both doses of the vaccine, researchers reported Friday in Cell.

All five highly resistant variants had mutations on the surface of the virus – known as K417N / T, E484K and N501Y – which characterize a rampant variant in South Africa and two variants that spread rapidly in Brazil.

According to previous studies, the proportion of neutralizing antibodies decreased 5 to 6 times compared to the variants discovered in Brazil. Compared to the variant discovered in South Africa, the neutralization decreased 20 to 44 times. A variant now circulating in New York has the E484K mutation.

“While New York studies are underway, our findings suggest that similar variants that harbor E484K may be more difficult to neutralize for vaccine-induced antibodies,” said study leader Alejandro Balazs of Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital. .

“Despite our results,” he added, “it is important to consider that vaccines raise other types of immune responses that could protect against the development of severe disease.”

The variant identified in the UK is more deadly

The coronavirus variant first identified in the UK, known as B.1.1.7, is more deadly than other variants circulating there, a new study seems to confirm.

The researchers analyzed data on 184,786 people in England diagnosed with COVID-19 between mid-November and mid-January, including 867 who died.

For every three people who died within four weeks of being infected with another variant, about five died after becoming infected with B.1.1.7, according to an article published in medRxiv prior to the peer review.

Overall, the risk of death with B.1.1.7 was 67% higher than the risk with other variants in England, the authors said.

As with the previous variants, the risk of death of patients increased with age, male gender and pre-existing medical conditions. B.1.1.7 is now widespread throughout Europe and is expected to become prevalent in the United States.

“Crucially,” the researchers wrote, “emerging data suggest that currently approved SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are effective against B.1.1.7.”

The variant identified in Brazil is twice as infectious

Between November and January, in Manaus, Brazil, the frequency of COVID-19 cases involving the P.1 coronavirus variant increased from non-existent to 73%, and the number of infections there quadrupled compared to what the city experienced in the first wave of pandemic, according to a report posted on medRxiv before the peer review.

The report suggests that the higher infectivity of variant P.1 probably contributed to this.

Based on national health surveillance data, the authors estimate that variant P.1 is approximately 2.5 times more transmissible than previous variants circulating in Manaus.

The spread of P.1 occurred despite the fact that 68% of the city’s population was already infected with the initial strain of coronavirus, the researchers noted.

In their analysis, the risk of reinfection with P.1 was low. The ability of the variant to cause severe disease or its pathogenicity is still unclear.

“Variant P.1 has already been detected in at least 25 countries,” the authors said. “This requires urgent studies … of variant P.1, as greater transmissibility and pathogenicity can lead to the collapse of even well-prepared health systems.”

To avoid infection, the new CPR technique adds distance

To prevent coronavirus infection during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), medical professionals can increase their distance from the patient by doing chest compressions using the inanimate foot heel – known as foot-heel compression – instead of hands, suggests a new study.

The researchers had 20 medical professionals perform standard manual chest compression, followed by chest compression of the heel-foot after a brief instruction on a mannequin.

There were no differences in any of the measured variables, including the correct placement of the heel for compression purposes, the correct depth of chest compression, and the compression rate.

The study found that the potential spread of breathing drops from the patient to the person performing CPR would likely be minimized by foot-heel compression.

“In special circumstances, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, chest compression in the foot can be an effective alternative … compared to manual chest compression, while significantly increasing the distance to the patient,” the researchers concluded in a paper posted on medRiv on Monday before peer review.