Evolution of the COVID-19 vaccine development landscape

Evolution of the COVID-19 vaccine development landscape: As of 2 September 2020, the global COVID-19 vaccine R&D landscape includes 321 vaccine candidates, an increase of more than 2.5 fold compared with our previous report. Of these, 32 vaccine candidates are in clinical trials, with plans to enrol more than 280,000 participants from at least 470 sites in 34 different countries. The most advanced clinical candidates are now in phase III trials, and data to support licensure are anticipated to be available later this year. For the leading candidates, large-scale manufacturing of vaccine has already been initiated to enable rapid distribution if approval is obtained.

WHO says Europe can combat spike in infections without full lockdown

Covid-19: WHO says Europe can combat spike in infections without full lockdown: "We can manage the virus and keep the economy running and an education system in operation," said Hans Kluge, head of the WHO's European branch.

The best leader we never had

The best leader we never had: it’s hard to dispute the authors’ central hypothesis: that the virus has exposed the governments of most western democracies to be dysfunctional and sclerotic. They were caught off guard, even though they’ve had decades to prepare for a flu-like pandemic, and proved un-able to source protective equipment for health workers. Their attempts to roll out test-and-trace programmes have been hampered by bureaucratic incompetence — even Germany bungled its contact-tracing app. And the death toll is higher than it should be thanks to a series of unforced errors, such as failing to protect care-home residents. If the Chinese Communist party had manufactured Sars-CoV-2 in the Wuhan Institute of Virology to test the resilience of our system of government, they’d be starting up the tanks about now.

Do Children Really Transmit COVID-19 Less Than Adults?

Do Children Really Transmit COVID-19 Less Than Adults? The Evidence Is Questionable: The theory that children are unlikely to contract or spread COVID-19—a notion that is guiding school reopening plans—may feel reassuring. It shouldn't. It's based on flawed science.

Effect of Calcifediol Treatment and best Available Therapy versus best Available Therapy on Intensive Care Unit Admission and Mortality Among Patients Hospitalized for COVID-19: A Pilot Randomized Clinical study

Effect of Calcifediol Treatment and best Available Therapy versus best Available Therapy on Intensive Care Unit Admission and Mortality Among Patients Hospitalized for COVID-19: A Pilot Randomized Clinical study: Highlights
 • The vitamin D endocrine system may have a variety of actions on cells and tissues involved in COVID-19 progression.
• Administration of calcifediol or 25-hydroxyvitamin D to hospitalized COVID-19 patients significantly reduced their need for Intensive Care United admission.
• Calcifediol seems to be able to reduce severity of the disease.

The Lockdown Has Gone From a Mistake to a Crime

The Lockdown Has Gone From a Mistake to a Crime: I conclude with the words of a Swedish medical doctor, Sebastian Rushworth:

"Covid is over in Sweden. People have gone back to their normal lives and barely anyone is getting infected any more. I am willing to bet that the countries that have shut down completely will see rates spike when they open up. If that is the case, then there won't have been any point in shutting down in the first place ... Shutting down completely in order to decrease the total number of deaths only makes sense if you are willing to stay shut down until a vaccine is available. That could take years. No country is willing to wait that long."

The lockdown is a crime. But even more upsetting is that it is supported by so many Americans. This country is unrecognizable to those of us who lived through the 1968-1970 pandemic, which killed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 100,000 Americans -- the 2020 equivalent of 170,000 Americans. Nothing shut down. Not one mask was worn.

A Supercomputer's Covid-19 Analysis Yields a New Way to Understand the Virus

A Supercomputer's Covid-19 Analysis Yields a New Way to Understand the Virus: The computer had revealed a new theory about how Covid-19 impacts the body: the bradykinin hypothesis. The hypothesis provides a model that explains many aspects of Covid-19, including some of its most bizarre symptoms. It also suggests 10-plus potential treatments, many of which are already FDA approved. Jacobson’s group published their results in a paper in the journal eLife in early July.