Dr Stuart Weiss: COVID-19 Update Monday 21-December-2020
By Dr. Stuart Weiss, Intelligent Crowd Solutions
Rapid Test Center of New York
Dr. Stuart Weiss, FACEP, FAAP, CBCP
December 21, 2020
CoViD-19 News and Information you can trust.Welcome new readers from the Rapid Test Center.
Topics: So what’s going on in the UK with SARS-CoV-2 VUI 202012/01 (Variant Under Investigation, year 2020, month 12, variant 01??)
What do we know about this variant?
| New SARS-CoV-2 variant in SouthEast England Over the weekend, there was lots of news about a new SARS=CoV-2 variant circulating in South Eastern England. Viral variants are not uncommon and its the way that viruses adapt and thrive. It’s good for them and perhaps not so good for us. Many European governments have stopped allowing travel from the U.K. and today countries in Latin America joined in banning flights. In the U.K., They are imposing some strict control measures to slow the spread. So what do we know so far about this variant: What’s different? *There are a total of 14 mutations throughout the virus *A couple of changes occured in the spike protein and the receptor binding site. *A deletion at one of the positions makes the S-gene target different and may affect PCR assays. Most PCR tests use several targets so this shouldn’t affect most CoViD-19 tests. How did they discover this? *It was noticed that the transmission rate in SE England increased 3-fold between Oct and December. The Ro went from 1.1 up to 1.5. *A percentage of virus is routine sequenced and they started picking up the variations What does this mean? *This variant seems to be much more easily spread. Some estimates put it at 70% more easily spreadable than other CoViD-19 strains *Studies are underway to determine if this new variant causes more severe disease and whether the changes in the spike protein might affect vaccine effectiveness. *As per the WHO today “There is not enough information at present to determine if this variant is associated with any change in severity of clinical disease, antibody response or vaccine efficacy.” Specific note for labs *The WHO had specific language for labs that use the S-gene as the target for PCR tests. They warned that there may be loss of performance of tests that target this specific gene. Public Health England statement *Backwards tracing done by Public Health England suggests that the variant began spreading slowly in September and broke out in November and began to spread quickly. Between October and December, the new case rate went from 100 cases per 100,000 up to 400 cases per 100,000. So right now, it doesn’t seem to cause any more severe disease but it may spread up to 70% more easily. If this takes hold here, it will cause our hospitalization rates to skyrocket. All we can do is wait for further studies to look at this new variant. Today, Assistant Secretary of the HHS said that the US is not planning any travel bans from the U.K. The administration has been in touch with the C.D.C. but there are no travel recommendations coming out yet. For the moment, keep using good public health practices and keep your distance. The person next to you probably isn’t getting vaccinated anytime soon. Stay safe, we will all get through this together. Be well, Dr. Stu Weiss |
COVID-19 HEADLINES FOR TODAY
| Coronavirus update for December 21, 2020 World Wide Updates Ecuador announces 30-day state of emergency and restrictions to control Covid-19 variant More areas in England could go into stricter restrictions, official says European Commission authorizes Pfizer vaccine Chile announces first doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine will arrive this week South African variant of coronavirus is different from UK variant, WHO says Pakistan suspends travel from the UK Spain will refuse entry to travelers from the UK starting tomorrow UK working closely with international partners to minimize travel disruptions European Union drug regulator recommends authorizing Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine Hauliers in the UK and France express concerns over Dover-Calais situation Boris Johnson to hold emergency meeting as concerns grow over new coronavirus variant AstraZeneca and Russian vaccine makers sign cooperation deal Seoul says it will double number of Covid-19 dedicated ICU beds by end of 2020 EU drugs regulator to deliver its verdict on Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine this afternoon Seoul imposes a ban on public gatherings of more than five people Saudi Arabia suspends all international flights to the kingdom South Korea records highest number of daily virus deaths since the start of the pandemic The Netherlands bans ferry passengers from the UK in addition to flights Sydney reports another 15 cases in cluster after conducting 38,000 tests China aims to vaccinate 50 million people ahead of Lunar New Year Canada will ban all flights from the UK at midnight Sunday Federal Aviation Administration “monitoring” situation with coronavirus variant in the UK Denmark bans flights from the UK for 48 hours Two cases of new UK coronavirus variation detected in Australian quarantine Sweden bans travelers from Britain Singapore gets first batch of COVID-19 vaccines Thai prime minister blames migrant workers for market coronavirus outbreak Total Cases Worldwide: 77,635,767 Total Deaths Worldwide: 1,707,497 Total Recovered: 54,490,138 US Updates British Airways and Delta agree to test all passengers before entering New York CVS Health launching vaccination program for long-term care facilities American Airlines CEO says furloughed workers will be brought back by stimulus Operation Warp Speed believes it will distribute 20 million vaccine doses this year, official says Pennsylvania expecting to receive nearly 200k Moderna vaccine doses this week NYC mayor wants a temporary ban on travelers from Europe Health official estimates 1 in 64 L.A. residents has Covid-19 US official says there’s no recommendation yet on UK travel restrictions because of new variant California Governor quarantining after staff member tests positive for Covid-19 Congress’ pandemic relief deal buys time but seeds bitter battles ahead Amazon closes New Jersey warehouse after rise in Covid-19 cases Garrett dealing with COVID-19 after effects, had coughing fit in locker room NYC to offer health screenings for all students in communities hit hardest by Covid-19 Congress agrees to $900 billion COVID-19 stimulus package Apple temporarily shuts all California store and some others Top U.S. health official says third COVID-19 vaccine could come next month Rose Bowl move to Texas and AT&T Stadium due to California’s COVID-19 restrictions Undocumented immigrants are dying of COVID, but many fear getting vaccine Officials shut down illegal club in NYC with 160 people inside amid pandemic White House task force kept airport Covid-19 screeners in place despite know risk of infection Massachusetts reports 3,760 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and 41 new deaths Tennessee withdraws from Liberty Bowl due to COVID-19 testing Biden receives first dose of Covid-19 vaccine on live television More shipments of COVID-19 vaccine are heading to New Mexico Florida man confesses to using coronavirus quarantine as cover for wife’s murder Total US cases: 18,425,166 Total US deaths: 326,312 Total Recovered: 10,733,515 Total Tested in US: 230,150,821 Total cases in CA: 1,910,645 Total deaths in CA: 22,767 Total cases in TX: 1,597,473 Total deaths in TX: 26,019 Total cases in FL: 1,212,581 Total deaths in FL: 20,680 Total cases in IL: 905,069 Total deaths in IL: 16,527 Total cases in NY: 894,860 Total deaths in NY: 36,505 |
| YouTube Channel |
| The Doctor Stu YouTube channel is up and running but we haven’t added new videos in a little while. I’ll get back to that after the New Year. Go to www.DoctorStu.org to submit questions. |
