[HONG KONG] Asian markets fluctuated in morning trade on Tuesday as investors weighed record gains on Wall Street against fears the resurgent Delta coronavirus variant may put the brakes on the global economic recovery. Major US indices rebounded overnight from a slow start as bargain hunters stepped up purchases – leaving both the Dow and S&P 500 finishing narrowly positive to extend a streak of record high closes for a fifth straight day. Buoyed by those gains on Wall Street, Tokyo opened up 0.5 per cent.
But Mizuho Securities warned that the market will be “weighed down by rising virus cases and geopolitical risks that are pushing the yen higher.”
Markets in China have dragged since a regulatory crackdown on private business by Beijing that has left investors on edge, with Hong Kong fluctuating through the morning session and Shanghai flat.
This Monday 16 August, shoppers in several departments across France now have to show their ‘health pass’ to enter shops and malls that measure more than 20,000m². There are around 126 shopping centres, including eight in Paris, where this rule will be applied. The shopping centres subject to the ‘health pass’ fall in the following departments: Alpes-Maritimes, Bouches-du-Rhône, Charente-Maritime, Corse-du-Sud, Gard, Gironde, Haute-Garonne, Haute-Savoie, Hérault, Landes, Rhône and Var. The ‘health pass’ measure was introduced by these prefectures following the increase of over 200 Covid cases per 100,000 people – a threshold set by the government for the measure to be implemented. Even though the number of cases per 100,000 is below 200 in Paris, the French capital has been subject to this rule. Paris police announced on Saturday that five department stores and three shopping centres as well as the Aéroville centre near Charles de Gaulle airport will fall under the health pass restrictions.
Hard-right politician champions France’s Covid health pass protests
Macron defends vaccination and health pass to stop France ‘closing down’
Prefectures of four departments in the Paris suburbs (Seine-Saint-Denis, Val d’Oise, Val-de-Marne and Hauts-de-Seine) also issued similar orders on Saturday. This covers 32 large stores. This comes a week after France introduced the contraversial ‘health pass’ measure to apply to restaurants, cafés and for train travel. The pass is generated using a QR code either by vaccination, a recent negative test or proof of recovery from Covid-19. Meanwhile, those protesting against the government’s measure took to the streets for the fifth consecutive weekend on Saturday. More than 200,000 people in France, including around 14,000 in Paris, took part in the demonstrations. France recorded around 21,000 new cases and 44 deaths related to Covid-19 in the past 24 hours.
Pfizer and BioNTech said they have submitted early-stage clinical trial data to the FDA as part of their U.S. application seeking authorization of a Covid-19 vaccine booster shot.
In a phase one trial, a booster dose generated “significantly higher neutralizing antibodies” against the original coronavirus strain as well as the beta and delta variants, the companies said.
Federal health officials aren’t recommending booster doses for the general public at this time.
Pfizer and BioNTech said Monday they have submitted early-stage clinical trial data to the Food and Drug Administration as part of their U.S. application seeking authorization of a Covid vaccine booster for everyone 16 and older — not just people with weak immune systems. In a phase one trial, a booster dose of the vaccine generated “significantly higher neutralizing antibodies” against the original coronavirus strain as well as the beta and delta variants, the companies said in a press release. Participants in the trial received a third dose of the two-dose vaccine about eight to nine months after receiving their second shot, they said. “The data we’ve seen to date suggest a third dose of our vaccine elicits antibody levels that significantly exceed those seen after the two-dose primary schedule,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement. “We are pleased to submit these data to the FDA as we continue working together to address the evolving challenges of this pandemic.” The companies said late-stage trial results evaluating the third dose are expected shortly and will also be submitted to the FDA and other regulatory authorities worldwide.
Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) partly explains geographical differences in COVID-19 susceptibility, severity, and mortality. VDD among African-Americans, diabetics, hypertensive, and aged populations possibly explain the higher death rate, aggravated by cocooning. Vitamin D is pleiotropic, mediating bone metabolism, calcium homeostasis, and immune functions, whereas VDD is associated with inflammatory reactions and immune dysfunction, predisposing individuals to severe infections. Vitamin D modulates innate and adaptive immunity via the expression of genes that code antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). And the expression of cluster of differentiation (CD)14, the co-receptor for epidermal toll-like receptor (TLR)4. AMPs stimulate TLR2 in macrophages, increasing the conversion of vitamin D into its active form by cytochrome P450 27B1. Antiviral properties of vitamin D-induced AMPs can shift the polarization of the adaptive immune response from helper T cells (Th)1 to the more regulatory Th2 responses that suppress immune over-reactivity by preventing cytokine storm, which is already demonstrated during the Spanish flu episode. Vitamin D induces antiviral effects by both direct and indirect mechanisms via AMPs, immunomodulation, the interplay between major cellular and viral elements, induction of autophagy and apoptosis, variation of genetic and epigenetic factors. The crosstalk between vitamin D and intracellular signaling pathways may operate as a primary regulatory action on viral gene transcription. VDD may increase the likelihood of infection with enveloped viruses, including retrovirus, hepatitis, and dengue. Global data correlates severe VDD with COVID-19 associated coagulopathy, disrupted immune response and mortality, reduced platelet count, and prolonged prothrombin time, suggesting benefits from supplementation.Key teaching pointsVitamin D induces antiviral effects by direct and indirect mechanisms via AMPs, immunomodulation, induction of autophagy, etc.Epidemiology of VDD partly explains geographical differences in COVID-19 susceptibility, severity, and mortality.Global data correlates severe VDD with COVID-19 associated coagulopathy, disrupted immune response and mortality, reduced platelet count, and prolonged prothrombin time, together suggesting benefits from supplementation.Many clinical trials are underway globally to delineate the role of vitamin D in both prevention and treatment of COVID-19.
CITE: Vyas N, Kurian SJ, Bagchi D, Manu MK, Saravu K, Unnikrishnan MK, Mukhopadhyay C, Rao M, Miraj SS. Vitamin D in Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19: Current Perspective and Future Prospects. J Am Coll Nutr. 2020 Sep 1:1-14. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2020.1806758. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 32870735.
Aug 15 (Reuters) – U.S. health officials have authorized a third dose of COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) for people with compromised immune systems, based on evidence that the standard two shots offered less robust protection in such populations. Here’s what we know about who will be eligible for the additional The Food and Drug Administration updated the emergency use authorization given to the shots from Pfizer, developed with German partner BioNTech (22UAy.DE), as well as the vaccine from Moderna to allow a third dose for people who have received organ transplants, or those with a similarly weakened immune system. Health officials have estimated that less than 3% of American adults would be candidates for a third dose. (Nick Bit: Well that is stupid. Everyone needs a 3rd booster shot now!) The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a third dose is recommended for people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised. They included people who are receiving treatment for solid tumor cancers and cancers of the blood, such as lymphoma or leukemia; patients who have undergone within the last two years a bone marrow transplant or are still taking drugs to suppress their immune system; and patients with advanced or untreated HIV infection. The CDC guidance also includes people who are currently taking high-dose steroids and immune system-suppressing biologic drugs, including medicines for Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis and plaque psoriasis.
The CDC said on Friday that people seeking a third vaccine dose will not need a prescription or recommendation from a healthcare provider. They would self-attest that they are eligible at a vaccination site.
The vaccines themselves have been purchased by the federal government and are being distributed free of charge, but hospitals, pharmacies and other providers can bill insurers for administration costs. People covered by Medicare, the government health plan for people over the age of 65, who qualify for an additional vaccine dose can receive it at no charge. Medicare will continue to pay vaccine providers an average of $40 for each administration of a COVID-19 vaccine. America’s Health Insurance Plans, the trade group representing most private health insurers, said health insurance providers will continue to cover all administrative costs for COVID-19 vaccines as required. A growing number of countries have begun to offer a third vaccine dose to vulnerable populations based on evidence that vaccine protection may wane over time or may not be robust enough against the fast-spreading Delta variant. Israel began offering a third shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to people aged over 60 in July. On Friday, the country lowered that age limit to 50 and said it will also offer an additional dose to health workers. Health clinics in Moscow started offering booster shots in July to people who were vaccinated six or more months ago. Indonesia started giving booster shots produced by Moderna to medical workers in July and is considering extra doses for wider use. Britain, Germany and France plan to begin rolling out boosters for the elderly and vulnerable in September. The World Health Organization has called for a halt to COVID-19 vaccine boosters until at least the end of September to allow for the inoculation of at least 10% of the population of every country.
The number of children hospitalized with COVID-19 in the United States hit a record high of just over 1,900 on Saturday, as hospitals across the South were stretched to capacity fighting outbreaks caused by the highly transmissible delta variant. The delta variant, which is rapidly spreading among mostly the unvaccinated portion of the US population, has caused hospitalizations to spike in recent weeks, driving up the number of pediatric hospitalizations to 1,902 on Saturday, according to data from the US Department of Health and Human Services. Children currently make up about 2.4% of the nation’s COVID-19 hospitalizations. Kids under 12 are not eligible to receive the vaccine, leaving them more vulnerable to infection from the new, highly transmissible variant. “This is not last year’s COVID. This one is worse and our children are the ones that are going to be affected by it the most,” Sally Goza, former president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told CNN on Saturday.
The numbers of newly hospitalized COVID-19 patients aged 18-29, 30-39 and 40-49 also hit record highs this week, according to data from the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.
The spike in new cases has ramped up tension between conservative state leaders and local districts over whether school children should be required to wear masks as they head back to the classroom this month. School districts in Florida, Texas and Arizona have mandated that masks be worn in schools, defying orders from their Republican state governors that ban districts from imposing such rules. The administration of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has threatened to withhold funding from districts that impose mask requirements, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is appealing to the state Supreme Court to overturn Dallas County’s mask mandate, the Dallas Morning News reported Friday. A fifth of the nation’s COVID-19 hospitalizations are in Florida, where the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients hit a record 16,100 on Saturday, according to a Reuters tally. More than 90% of the state’s intensive care beds are filled, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services. The nation’s largest teachers union, the National Education Association, came out in support of mandatory vaccination for its members this week. NEA President Becky Pringle said Saturday that schools should employ every mitigation strategy, from vaccines to masks, to ensure that students can come back to their classrooms safely this school year, CNBC reported. “Our students under 12 can’t get vaccinated. It’s our responsibility to keep them safe. Keeping them safe means that everyone who can be vaccinated should be vaccinated,” Pringle told CNN.
The US now has an average of about 129,000 new COVID-19 cases per day, a rate that has doubled in a little over two weeks, according to a Reuters tally.
The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients is at a six-month high, and an average of 600 people are dying each day of COVID-19, double the death rate seen in late July. Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oregon have reported record numbers of COVID-19 hospitalizations this month, according to a Reuters tally,
pushing health-care systems to operate beyond their capacity. “Our hospitals are working to maximize their available staff and beds, including the use of conference rooms and cafeterias,” Florida Hospital Association President Mary Mayhew said in a statement Friday. In Oregon, Gov. Kate Brown said Friday that she was sending 500 National Guard members to assist overwhelmed hospitals, with 1,500 members in total available to help. In Jackson, Mississippi, federal medical workers are assisting understaffed local teams at a 20-bed triage center in the parking garage of the University of Mississippi Medical Center to accommodate the overflow of COVID-19 patients.
Fifteen children and 99 adults were hospitalized with COVID-19 at UMMC as of Saturday morning, the hospital said. More than 77% of those patients were unvaccinated. Nick Note: They are not being forthcoming. The myth that vaccinated people although their infection rate is the same as vaccinated are not dying is just not true. When I extrapolate the data 25% of the people dead were vaccinated. Which is a higher rate than in the past… If you have not received your third booster shot it’s the same in my opinion as if you have not been vaccinated. The fucks at the CDC will soon announce the 3rd booster shots for everyone. I hope it’s not too late for you, We are in deep shit. Your vaccines are useless… The booster shot your 3rd will help… BUT how much remains to be seen. Mask up, vitamin up, isolate and test anyone whocomes into your airspace. With testing so easy and cheep test yourself at least once a week. Studies have shown if you get infected the sooner you get treatment the better the outcome… We are down to our last 200 test kits out of a thousand ordered. On sale now while supplies last.
(Reuters) – The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is developing a plan to start offering coronavirus booster shots to some Americans as early as this fall, the New York Times reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the effort. The first boosters are likely to go to nursing home residents and health care workers, followed by other older people who were near the front of the line when vaccinations began late last year, the newspaper reported. Officials envision giving people the same vaccine they originally received. They have discussed starting the effort in October but have not settled on a timetable, the report added.
At least 74 people on the island of Martha’s Vineyard have tested positive for the coronavirus after former United States President Barack Obama’s party last Saturday, the Daily Mail reported. This week’s number of infections was the highest confirmed on the island since April. Health officials have, however, admitted to the media outlet that it is still to early to say whether the party contributed to the surge in infections, noting that the only way to know is through “comprehensive contact tracing.”
Last Saturday, the former head of state celebrated his 60th birthday on the island, hosting some 400 people, with guests spotted not wearing facial coverings despite CDC’s recommendations.
Hundreds of people attended Obama’s birthday bash Saturday, flying in from around the country and congregating under tents where partiers danced, ate and drank the night away on his estate in Edgartown. He gathered with friends Thursday at the Barn Bowl & Bistro, joined a larger kick-off celebration Friday at the luxury Winnetu Oceanside Resort. Obama followed up his party with a brunch Sunday at Beach Road restaurant, dining under a specially-erected marquee beside the water in Vineyard Haven. Martha’s Vineyard was already experiencing a new surge in cases when Obama, preparing to welcome 500 guests to his mansion, announced his party would be ‘scaled back’ amid criticism as the Delta coronavirus variant spread across the country. But despite the ex-president’s insistence that he had disinvited everyone but his family and close friends, 300 to 400 people showed up to his party, everyone from Jay Z and Beyonce to Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, a staffer working the event told DailyMail.com.
Many of the guests flew in by private jet and stayed in Edgartown, the center of the island’s COVID resurgence. Several celebrities including Bradley Cooper checked in to the Harbor View Hotel where six staff members tested positive. The Harbor View was among three new COVID clusters in Edgartown, along with the Alchemy Bistro & Bar with 14 cases, and Port Hunter restaurant with five, according to local health officials. The latter two restaurants temporarily shut down, along with several other establishments including the historic Newes from America pub, the Wharf Pub and the Covington Restaurant in Edgartown. Mask mandates have been reinstated at many bars and restaurants throughout the island. Obama, however, insisted he was holding his guests and staff to a high standard. A ‘coronavirus coordinator’ was hired to make sure the party was compliant with the most recent CDC guidance.
Attendees were required to take tests and submit their results to gain entry to the compound. But some of the island’s residents scoffed at the measures to create a COVID-free zone, given that partygoers were circulating between various events and locations, in a town raging with a Delta strain that spreads quickly.
Even vaccinated individuals aren’t immune. Of the 48 people who tested positive last week, more than half were vaccinated, according to health officials.
‘I wouldn’t have gone to the party even if I was invited,’ one resident of Edgartown, who had a friend working at the party, told DailyMail.com. ‘I’m sure some attendees went home with some extra luggage they didn’t pack or see. Stay tuned.’
A Carnival Cruise Line ship that arrived in Belize on Wednesday after departing from Texas recorded 27 positive COVID-19 tests, all among people who are fully vaccinated. The Belize Tourism Board said in a press release that the Carnival Vista ship, which left from Galveston, Texas, arrived in Belize City with a total of 2,895 guests and 1,441 crew members.
“As per the normal protocol, upon submission of the Maritime Declaration by the ship in anticipation of its call to Belize the ship reported that it had on board 27 positive cases, 26 of which were crew members and 1 passenger,” the statement said.
The tourism board added that it, along with Belize’s minister of tourism and diaspora relations, had met virtually with Carnival Vista officials the day before to “discuss the notification that persons aboard the vessel tested positive for COVID-19.” After the meeting, Carnival informed others on the ship that all who tested positive had been isolated and “contact tracing has ended with no additional positive cases found.”
The Wednesday press release noted that Carnival said 99.8 percent of the ship’s crew members and 96.5 percent of passengers were fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Each of the individuals who tested positive are either “asymptomatic or have very mild symptoms,” according to the tourism board. Carnival said in a statement to The Hill that the company has “managed the situation utilizing stringent health protocols which included placing those who tested positive in isolation and close contacts in quarantine.” “The health, safety and well-being of our guests, crew and the destinations we visit is our priority,” Carnival added. “All activities on the ship are taking place and our guests have been terrific at adapting to our new protocols. Carnival is in daily contact with the CDC about the status of all our ships.” The company announced new mask and testing requirements last week, including that “all guests will be asked to wear masks in certain indoor areas of Carnival’s ships” from Aug. 7 through Oct. 31. Carnival also said that effective this Saturday, all fully vaccinated guests will be required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test conducted within three days of boarding the ship. “Vaccinated guests are required to come with their negative test results and proof of vaccination for boarding,” the cruise line said, adding that unvaccinated guests will continue to be required to submit to “pre-cruise PCR testing, testing prior to boarding, and testing within 24 hours of debarkation on cruises of five days or longer.” Other cruise lines have reported COVID-19 outbreaks among passengers and crews as ships attempt to safely return to the seas with coronavirus safety protocols. Late last month, Royal Caribbean said that six of its passengers had tested positive after departing from the Bahamas.
