The biology of coronavirus COVID-19 - including research and treatments

https://ashpublications.org/bloodad...475250/The-SARS-CoV-2-receptor-binding-domain

Well, not exactly. The authors state:

They used a glycan array assay - they didn't actually observe differences in binding to real lung cells.

Also note that spike protein binding to glycans (and sialic acid residues) is already well known.

 

Researchers identify inflammatory protein linked to severe Covid-19

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/me...e-covid-19/ar-BB1esaVL?ocid=ASUDHP&li=BBoPWjQ

 

Moved post

A rare treat for today! RSM
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jJZ5inQCQMi5AcxYhNiQIw?_cldee=YmFyYi5zdWZmb2xrQGdtYWlsLmNvbQ==&recipientid=contact-99eed06f8f84ea11a811000d3a86ad25-7e30243b3f204acda7ac2463f04f8b8d&utm_source=ClickDimensions&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CON.C19&esid=a5cb580c-1987-eb11-a812-0022481a7839

Episode 66: The pandemic year - what happens next?

'Date: Thursday 18 March 2021
Time: 12:30pm - 1:30pm GMT
Dear Sir/Madam,
One year on from the first UK national lockdown, in this hour-long anniversary episode of the COVID-19 Series we look forward, to ask what might happen next in the pandemic.

Professor Sir Simon Wessely will be joined by three expert commentators from the fields of public health, infectious diseases and health psychology: Professor Gabriel Scally, President of the Epidemiology and Public Health Section at the RSM and member of Independent SAGE, Dr Muge Cevik, virologist and clinical lecturer in infectious diseases at the University of St Andrews and member of NERVTAG, and Professor Lucy Yardley, Professor of Health Psychology at the Universities of Southampton and Bristol and member of SAGE.

Offering insights from their areas of expertise, the panel will discuss different scenarios for the future of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what we might expect with an evolving virus, changing human behaviour and different approaches to public health.'

Thank you for registering for "COVID-19 Series: The pandemic year - what happens next? - Episode 66".
Please submit any questions to: webinar1@rsm.ac.uk

 

Paywalled article in Swedish newspaper:

Unik kartläggning: Här är de som dött i covid i Sverige
https://www.dn.se/sverige/unik-kartlaggning-har-ar-de-som-dott-i-covid-i-sverige/

 

Eyes are getting some attention as an entry point. Logical for an airborne virus considering they are nearly always open. There was a study suggesting people wearing glasses may have a slightly lower risk of getting it. Especially relevant with mask-wearing, leaves mostly the eyes unprotected.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFC5ZvULzJI

Bit disappointed it didn't catch on to vision problems, which appear to be neurological, and are pretty common in LC, seems about similar as for ME: blurry vision, double vision, phosphenes, floaters, sensitivity to bright lights, etc. As usual you can't get an answer for unasked questions.

 

Thanks. I was asking a while ago whether the eyes were still considered a vulnerable point, since the concentration seemed to have moved onto the airways.

 

Apparently, Prozac and itraconazole can be repurposed to help fight Covid-19:

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/me...g-covid-19/ar-BB1ftxOt?ocid=ASUDHP&li=AAnZ9Ug

 

Science Brief: SARS-CoV-2 and Surface (Fomite) Transmission for Indoor Community Environments (Updated Apr. 5, 2021)
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/science-and-research/surface-transmission.html

 

Has this been posted?

https://twitter.com/user/status/1383544369114849281


I have not yet been able to read the linked paper and evaluate for myself.

 

Have you all seen this?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-56823627.amp

The headline is very irresponsible IMO.

Anyway what do you think? Are they likely to be able to make antiviral pills for covid? If that's feasible, then why are they only starting to look into it now?

 

Financial Times is more cautious:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.ft.com/content/72050a34-8bab-488f-9777-1d131e583274

 

Why do you think the headline is irresponsible?

 

Seems unlikely to me that we would get pills, especially something you can take at home, anytime soon. When the outbreak started, I remember several doctors predicting we would have specific non-vaccine repurposed drugs available to treat COVID-19 before the vaccines would roll out. A year later, is there any treatment available that ICUs are using beyond standard care? I'm not aware of it at least.

 

I am hesitant to bring it up, but it seems like there is a growing body of evidence that suggests there are at least a couple repurposed medications that have efficacy against COVID.

Something something “big pharma” etc...

 

"Plan for pills to treat virus at home by autumn" implies that it's going to happen.

 

But surely that is the ideal? Give patients drugs they can take when necessary to prevent Covid getting serious and requiring hospital/ICU stays?

 

Yes, but the headline implies that it's going to happen (when really it's just something that they're hoping to achieve, which may actually be unlikely to happen by autumn). Headlines like that will lead people to think "oh it's all going to be okay soon" and therefore take more risks.