Dr. StephenHoge,president ofModerna, expressed hope the pharmaceutical company's Covid-19 vaccine would deliver the "highest efficacy" against the Omicron variant.
"Our hope, at least in Moderna,is that we're going to continueto see the highest efficacyoverall and continue to see theboosters push that even higher," he said during CNN's town hall tonight.
Hoge was responding to Moderna CEO Stphane Bancel remarks on Tuesday in which he suggested current vaccinesmight struggle with Omicron.
"There is no world, I think, where [the effectiveness] is the same level... we had with [the] Delta [variant]," Bancel said in an interview with the Financial Times. "I think it's going to be a material drop. I just don't know how much because we need to wait for the data. But all the scientists I've talked to... are like, 'This is not going to be good.'"
Hoge took issue with Bancel's word choice, but acknowledged this evening that it is likely the current vaccines could be less effective against Omicron.
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 262.8 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths has now passed 5.21 million. More than 7.99 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.
China detected 91 domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases with confirmed symptoms on Tuesday, the highest daily count since 2 November.
Australian authorities say they've detected another probable case of the Omicron variant in Sydney.
Serum Institute of India has sent doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Indonesia, in its first export of the Novavax shot through the COVAX vaccine-sharing facility, the Indian government said on Wednesday.
Singapore's COVID-19 vaccination rate has risen to 96% of the eligible population. The city-state has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world.
Nigeria has confirmed its first cases of the Omicron variant in two travellers who arrived from South Africa last week.
Daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases per million people in selected countries.
Image: Our World in Data
The United States, Canada and Hong Kong have all tightened rules around international travel in the wake of the emergence of the Omicron COVID-19 variant.
The US will require all air travellers entering the country to show a negative COVID-19 test performed within one day of departure. Currently, vaccinated travellers can present a negative result within 3 days. Passengers will also be required to test 3-5 days after arrival.
Hong Kong will ban non-residents from entering the city from Japan, Portugal and Sweden from Friday. Residents can only board flights if fully vaccinated and will have to undergo 21-days of quarantine in a hotel at their own cost.
Canada will extend its ban on travellers from southern Africa to also cover those from Nigeria, Malawi and Egypt, health officials said on Tuesday, for a total of 10 countries. Canada will require people arriving by air from all nations except the United States to take a COVID-19 test, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said.
The moves come as the World Health Organization warned that blanket travel bans will not stop the spread of Omicron. The organization urged 'an evidence-informed and risk-based approach' to any measures, including possible screening or quarantine of international travellers.
The COVID Response Alliance for Social Entrepreneurship is a coalition of 85 global leaders, hosted by the World Economic Forum. Its mission: Join hands in support of social entrepreneurs everywhere as vital first responders to the pandemic and as pioneers of a green, inclusive economic reality.
Its COVID Social Enterprise Action Agenda, outlines 25 concrete recommendations for key stakeholder groups, including funders and philanthropists, investors, government institutions, support organizations, and corporations. In January of 2021, its members launched its 2021 Roadmap through which its members will roll out an ambitious set of 21 action projects in 10 areas of work. Including corporate access and policy change in support of a social economy.
For more information see the Alliance website or its impact story here.
A panel of expert advisors to the United States Food and Drug Administration have narrowly voted to recommend the agency authorize Merck's antiviral COVID-19 pill.
If the FDA authorizes the drug, it would be the first at-home treatment for the virus nearly two years into the pandemic. The authorization would likely be limited to patients at high risk of developing severe disease, although the exact population would be defined by the agency.
"COVID-19 is still an emergency situation," said committee member Dr. David Hardy, who voted yes. "There is a need for something like this. This is the first opportunity that an oral outpatient medication for mildly symptomatic to moderately symptomatic persons would be available, although I do have questions about its overall longer-term efficacy."
Merck published data last week suggesting the drug was less effective than previously thought.
Written by
Joe Myers, Writer, Formative Content
The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.
A patient receives a dose of vaccine against Covid-19, in Aristotelous Square, in the center of Thessaloniki on November 26, 2021.
SAKIS MITROLIDIS | AFP | Getty Images
Greece has announced mandatory vaccinations for older age groups from mid-January in an attempt to curb the number of coronavirus infections in the country.
Failure to get a first dose of a coronavirus shot by Jan. 16 for anyone aged 60 or over will result in a monthly fine of 100 euros ($114). The money will go toward the Greek health system.
"It is not a punishment. It is a price of health, but also an act of justice towards the most vaccinated," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said via Twitter on Tuesday.
Greece reported 7,720 new cases on Tuesday, down from a record high of 8,969on Nov. 9, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
However, the authorities are worried about infections rising further in the runup and during the Christmas holidays. To this effect, they are also stepping up testing capacities.
As of Tuesday, about 62% of the Greek population was fully vaccinated against the virus this is below the EU's average of 66%, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
However, data from the health ministry showed that about 520,000 people over the age of 60 have failed to get a jab so far, according to Reuters. Greece has a population of about 11 million.
Greece's announcement comes at a time when other European nations are also considering compulsory vaccination.
German Chancellor-designate Olaf Scholz said Tuesday that he would like to see mandatory inoculations in the near future. "So I suggest beginning of February or March," he said in an interview, cited by Deutsche Welle.
France and Italy were among the first European nations to impose a mandate that forced health professionals to get vaccinated. Meanwhile, Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg earlier this month announced that Covid vaccination would become mandatory in his country from Feb. 1.
There is much that's still unknown about this variant, Omicron. While scientists are gathering more information, the public wants to know how worried they should be.
Is the alarm around Omicron warranted? What's already known, and what are the key pieces of information still to be researched? Are there things we can do to prepare for it?
CNN: What raised alarms for scientists about Omicron, compared to other variants?
Dr. Leana Wen: With new variants, there are three key questions to ask. First, is it more transmissible? If it's more contagious, it could displace existing variants and become the dominant strain. This is what happened with the Delta variant.
Second, is it more virulent -- could it cause more severe disease? If so, that's obviously very concerning.
Third, is there what we call "immune escape," meaning does it evade the protection of existing vaccines? The vaccines we have are highly effective against the variants that have already been identified. It's unlikely that a new variant will render the vaccines totally ineffective, but there could be reduction in efficacy.
In the case of Omicron, what initially raised alarms for doctors and scientists in South Africa was the rapid rate of spread of this new variant. It appears to be outcompeting Delta in speed, but whether it will force out Delta and become dominant remains to be seen.
In addition, the large number of this variant's mutations -- over 50 in all -- raises the question of immune escape, both to vaccines and treatments like monoclonal antibodies.
These are types of information that we will need to obtain through further scientific studies.
CNN: What else are researchers looking for, and how long will it take to find this information?
Wen: We need to answer all three questions above. Right now, we suspect this new variant is more transmissible, but that needs to be confirmed. Also, we have no idea about the severity of disease that Omicron causes. This is something we may get more information about in the coming days by tracking the clinical outcomes of the initial individuals found to be infected in southern Africa.
Studies are already ongoing to examine whether the antibodies produced by the vaccines will have an effect against Omicron. Dr. Anthony Fauci and others estimate that these studies will take about two weeks to come back.
There are other key facts that we will find out in the coming days and weeks. Many vaccine researchers believe that those who have received not just the vaccine but the booster will have a very strong antibody response that could cover additional variants. We'll find out whether this is the case by assessing laboratory data and at real-life observations to see if people who are vaccinated and boosted are less likely to be infected with Omicron. In addition, we don't yet know the degree to which recovery from prior Covid-19 infections could protect against Omicron.
There's also the issue of testing and therapeutics. It appears that the PCR tests can readily detect Omicron. Can at-home, rapid antigen tests do this, too? Preliminary review by the Food and Drug Administration suggests they can. Will monoclonal antibodies, as well as the new oral Covid-19 pills, work against Omicron? Scientists are hard at work to find out answers to these questions.
CNN: If there is so much that's unknown about Omicron, aren't countries overreacting by implementing restrictions?
Wen: I don't think so. For so much of the pandemic, we have been playing catch-up, reacting to things that happened instead of proactively preparing. Maybe Omicron will turn out to be a false alarm. Maybe this variant doesn't spread that easily, or doesn't cause severe disease, or doesn't have immune escape. I hope this is the case, but hope is not a strategy.
From a policy perspective, I believe that governments need to prepare for a worst-case scenario. That means alerting clinicians to the possibility of omicron so they know to look for it, preparing hospitals for potentially added capacity, and instructing citizens on what they can do to better protect themselves. President Joe Biden has, for example, urged all adult Americans to get booster shots, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has changed their recommendation so that everyone 18 and older should get boosted.
CNN: Does preparing for the worst also include developing new vaccines that target Omicron?
Wen: Moderna and Pfizer have announced that they are already looking at Omicron-specific vaccines. In general, it's a good thing to be proactive and start this kind of research. My hope is that we will find the vaccines we already have are effective enough against Omicron, especially with the additional protection of the booster dose.
CNN: What do you say to those who are losing hope, who see Omicron as setting us back to square one?
Wen: We are not starting over. Far from it. There is a lot that's different now versus the beginning of the pandemic. We have vaccines, testing and therapeutics. We have infrastructure in place to respond to this variant and future variants. That said, we still need to be on guard and be prepared to deploy the tools we have.
CNN: Many people have travel plans. Should they postpone them?
Wen: If you have international travel plans, I advise you to consider that things are very fluid right now. With so many countries instituting travel bans or additional restrictions, you could end up stuck somewhere in mandatory quarantine or without easy flights out. People who are particularly vulnerable to severe illness might also want to postpone trips, especially with so much unknown about Omicron.
That said, if you are fully vaccinated and boosted, and it's important for you to take the trip, you could still decide to do it. Make sure to check the guidelines for the location you are visiting and your country of origin, and be prepared to change your plans depending on the dynamics of the virus and various government policies.
CNN: Are there things that people can do to prepare for Omicron?
Wen: Know that the same measures that protect against other variants also protect Omicron, in that this is still Covid-19, a respiratory virus. Indoor masking, physical distancing and improved ventilation will reduce the likelihood of spread.
Federal health officials are strongly urging booster doses. Individuals who are unvaccinated should get vaccinated as soon as possible. That includes children who are newly eligible for the vaccines. Those who have been vaccinated and are at least six months out from Pfizer or Moderna or two months out from Johnson & Johnson need to get their booster shots.
We have gone through so much together and made tremendous progress. We can get through this next stage of the pandemic, too, including with this and other variants.
COVID-19: First omicron variant case discovered in US in California
The California and San Francisco Departments of Public Health have confirmed a recent case of COVID-19 caused by omicron.
Associated Press, USA TODAY
SAN FRANCISCO The first case of the coronavirus omicron variantin the United States was confirmed at 4a.m. Wednesday after an all-night session by scientists here.
The city's tightly connected network of public health and university medical center researchersworked together to confirm an infection reported six days earlier was indeed omicron. As soon asthe results came in, they were quickly communicated to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The case began on Nov. 22,when a traveler flew into San Francisco International Airport from South Africa, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a news conference.
The person, a San Francisco resident who was not identified, did not develop COVID-19 symptoms until Thanksgiving Day. Two days later, on Nov. 28, they were tested and got the results back the next day. Positive.
Despite feeling ill, they went out of their way to contact the San Francisco Department of Public Health to alert officials about the positive test, and that they had recently been in South Africa.
They did the right thing and got tested and reported their travel history, Dr. Grant Colfax, the citys director of public health, said at thenews conference.
The personhad received the full two-dose courseof the Moderna vaccine but no booster. They had mild symptoms and have recovered but arestill self-quarantining. Public health officials have reachedout to close contacts, all of whom have so far tested negative, the CDC said.
Because the patient had come from South Africa, which has a large number of known omicron cases, the citys medical community was on high alert for cases amongrecent arrivals from that country.
I heard about it yesterday at about 3 p.m., Dr. Charles Chiu said Wednesday. Hislaboratory at the University of California, San Francisco, did the analysis.Chiu is aninfectious disease specialist and director of the UCSF-Abbott Viral Diagnostics and Discovery Center.
A nose swab sample from the patient arrived at 10 p.m. Tuesday, and Chius lab ran a very fast molecular test that looked for whats known as an S gene dropout, where the spike gene isnt detected on the test.
The test came back within two hours and showed the person had been infected with a drop-out variant. The S gene dropout is found with both the alpha and omicron coronavirus variants, so the test only indicated it might be omicron, but didn't prove it.
To confirm this finding, we needed to sequence the viral genome, said Chiu. Using a pocket-sized gene sequencer, his labassembled the variants entire genome within eight hours.
At 4 a.m. in San Francisco, the results were in and the first case of omicron was discovered in the United States. The CDC was alerted within two hours.
Officials caution its unlikely the case was the country's actual first, simply the first identified.
We knew that it was just a matter of time, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. governments top infectious disease expert.
Contact Elizabeth Weise at eweise@usatoday.com
KANSAS CITY, Mo. Health leaders confirmed Wednesday a new omicron variant of COVID-19 was detected for the first time in the United States. But most patients will never know which SARS-CoV-2 strain infected them.
So far doctors have generally used the same treatment for all patients no matter which variant or strain infected them, so knowing the exact strain is not medically necessary on an individual level.
That approach could change if the omicron strain resists those treatments, called monoclonal antibodies.
I think we still need to wait for the full information about how effective the monoclonal antibody cocktails are to this variant, said Dr. Dana Hawkinson, University of Kansas Health System medical director of infection prevention and control. That data should be coming up fairly soon.
In the meantime, health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention want to know which variants are present in the community to help local leaders craft guidelines like travel restrictions, mask mandates, or limits on gathering sizes.
In Missouri, all positive COVID-19 test results get reported to the Department of Health and Human Services. It analyzes about 600 of those specimens on a regular basis for genomic sequencing. A spokesperson said the state shares that information with the CDC through its SPHERES consortium because sequencing will improve our understanding of which variants are circulating in the U.S., how quickly variants emerge, and which variants are the most important to characterize and track in terms of health.
In a written statement, the spokesperson explained the state works with the CDC so public health experts in Missouri and nationwide will be able to monitor important changes in the virus as it continues to circulate as well as advance public health research in the areas of transmission dynamics, host response, and evolution of the virus.
Missouri and Kansas do not send information on individual sequencing results to patients or test providers/administrators.
In Kansas, not every positive COVID-19 test result gets sent to the Department of Health and Environment. In November, the agency sequenced 3.3 percent of all positive tests it received.
Kansas also works with the CDCs SPHERES program. A KDHE spokesperson said in a statement, Having data on the predominant strains circulating adds another layer of understanding when we look at trends in cases, hospitalizations, deaths, the number of breakthrough infections, how well therapeutics work.
Eurofins-Viracors Lees Summit, Missouri, laboratory detects strains and variants in positive COVID-19 test results for vaccine manufacturers who want to find out whether their vaccines are as effective against new strains.
Chief Scientific Officer Steve Kleiboeker explained the process of sequencing is expensive and time-consuming, taking roughly three to four days to get results.
Eurofins-Viracor has developed a two-in-one PCR test used in Europe which can detect both COVID and emerging strains with good precision.
We could do these rapid, inexpensive PCR tests and help point the arrow to the samples that then need to be sequenced, which is more labor intensive and time intensive and costly, Kleiboeker said. Its really a classic screening approach. You can take many hundreds, thousands, of samples and know where to look with your sequencing.
Kansas City, Missouri, resident Reid Hildenbrand contracted COVID-19 in August. He never found out which strain infected him.
When I got tested, I asked, Hey, is it possible to know if this is delta variant? Is that something Ill know in my results or whatever?, Reid described his surprise when he found out that would not be part of his results.
Kleiboeker said there may be a day when sequencing on an individual basis is necessary, but its too soon to say.
That may be our next challenge down the road. We dont know, we try to be ready for any challenge, Kleiboeker said.
Editors note: The Salt Lake Tribune is providing free access to critical stories about the coronavirus. Sign up for our Top Stories newsletter, sent to your inbox every morning. To support journalism like this, please donate or become a subscriber.
One in six of all COVID-19 deaths recorded in Utah since the pandemic began occurred in the past two months, state health data shows.
The Utah Department of Health reported on Wednesday that 17 more Utahns died from COVID-19 in the past day, bringing Utahs November death toll to 308 higher than the 294 deaths reported in October. (Eight of the deaths reported Wednesday occurred before Nov. 1 and were only recently confirmed to have been caused by the coronavirus.)
In the past two months alone, there have been 602 COVID-19 deaths recorded in Utah 17% of the total 3,545 deaths recorded since the first Utahn succumbed to COVID-19 on March 22, 2020.
UDOH on Wednesday also reported 2,297 new coronavirus cases in the past day, and the rolling seven-day average of new positive cases stands at 1,204.
The number of children getting vaccinated continues to climb 68,019 children ages 5-11 have gotten at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine since they became eligible; thats about 18.6% of kids that age in Utah, according to the health department.
According to an infectious disease physician at Intermountain Healthcare, about 80% of Utahns who are dying from COVID-19 are unvaccinated. Of those dying from breakthrough infections, most have multiple co-morbidities or are immunocompromised.
Intensive care units in the state remain near capacity. UDOH reported Wednesday that 94.2% of all ICU beds in Utah and 98.6% of ICU beds in larger medical centers in the state are occupied. (Hospitals consider any figure over 85% to be functionally full). Of all ICU patients, 41.3% are being treated for COVID-19.
Vaccine doses administered in the past day/total doses administered 18,668/4,155,655.
Number of Utahns fully vaccinated 1,811,559 55.7% of Utahs total population. That is an increase of 5,244 in the past day.
Cases reported in the past day 2,297.
Cases among school-age children Kids in grades K-12 accounted for 444 of the new cases announced Tuesday 19.3% of the total. There were 226 cases reported in children aged 5-10; 102 cases in children 11-13; and 116 cases in children 14-18.
Tests reported in past day 16,119 people were tested for the first time. A total of 34,307 people were tested.
Deaths reported in past day 17. (Eight of the deaths occurred before Nov. 1, but were later was confirmed to be the result of COVID-19 after further testing.)
Four Salt Lake County residents are among the deaths reported Wednesday: a man and a woman, each 45-64, and two men, each 65-84.
Four people from Iron County a man 25-44, two women 45-64, and a woman 65-84 were reported among the deaths. So were three men from Millard County: One 45-64, and two 65-84.
Two Weber County residents a woman 25-44, and a man 85 or older also died.
The deaths also included: A Davis County man 65-84, a Tooele County man 45-64, a Utah County man 45-64, and a Washington County man 25-44.
Hospitalizations reported in the past day 514. That is three more than reported on Tuesday. Of those currently hospitalized, 201 are in intensive care, two fewer than reported on Tuesday.
Percentage of positive tests Under the states original method, the rate is 14.3% in the past day. That is equal to the seven-day average of 14.3%.
The states new method counts all test results, including repeated tests of the same individual. Wednesdays rate was 6.7%, lower than the seven-day average of 9.5%.
[Read more: Utah is changing how it measures the rate of positive COVID-19 tests. Heres what that means.]
Risk ratios In the past four weeks, unvaccinated Utahns were 12.7 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than vaccinated people, according to a Utah Department of Health analysis. The unvaccinated also were 9.7 times more likely to be hospitalized, and 3.7 times more likely to test positive for the coronavirus.
Totals to date 598,098 cases; 3,545 deaths; 25,987 hospitalizations; 3,983,993 people tested.
The infected person was identified as a traveler who had returned from South Africa on Nov. 22, developed mild symptoms and tested positive Monday. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco obtained a sample from the patient Tuesday evening and worked feverishly overnight to assemble the genetic sequence.
The person, who had had the two doses of the Moderna shot but had not been vaccinated long enough to receive a booster shot, is improving and agreed to remain in quarantine, California officials said.
All the individuals close contacts have been reached and have tested negative, officials said. The patient was identified only as being between 18 and 49.
At least 23 other countries have reported omicron infections since South African authorities first identified the variant a week ago an announcement that led the U.S. and many other countries to almost immediately bar airline travelers arriving from southern Africa.
But the variant is still surrounded by many unknowns, among them: Is it more contagious than other versions, as some scientists are beginning to suspect? Does it make people more seriously ill? And can it evade the vaccine?
Any declaration of what will or will not happen with this variant, I think it is too early to say, Fauci said.
He and other medical experts strongly emphasized that Americans should continue to follow public health advice to get vaccinated and get their booster shots.
If you look at the things we have been recommending, theyre just the same, Fauci said.
Genomic sequencing on the patients virus from UCSF was confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
We will likely see this scenario play out multiple times across the country in the coming days or weeks, said Scott Becker, CEO of the Association of Public Health Laboratories.
This particular case shows the system working as it was designed to work an individual with travel history from South Africa, an astute laboratory and quick prioritization of the specimen for sequencing, and close coordination with public health officials.
Nigeria and Saudi Arabia also reported omicron infections Wednesday, marking the first known cases in West Africa and the Persian Gulf region.
It is not known precisely where or when the variant first emerged, though it is clear it was circulating in Europe several days before South Africa sounded the alarm.
European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it will take two to three weeks before it becomes fully clear what omicron can do to the world.
This is, in normal times, a short period. In pandemic times, its an eternity, she lamented.
At the same time the omicron variant is spreading new fear and uncertainty, the dominant delta variant is still creating havoc, especially in Europe, where many countries are dealing with a surge in infections and hospitalizations and some are considering making vaccinations mandatory.
Going further than many other countries in trying to contain the virus, Japan has banned foreign visitors and asked international airlines to stop taking new reservations for all flights arriving in the country until the end of December.
The U.S. is working toward requiring that all air travelers to the country be tested for COVID-19 within a day before boarding their flights, up from the current three days.
On Wednesday, the World Health Organization warned that blanket travel bans are complicating the sharing of lab samples from South Africa that could help scientists understand the new variant.
World leaders continued to emphasize that the best way to contain the pandemic remains vaccinations.
For the first time, von der Leyen said EU nations should consider making vaccinations mandatory, as several have done for certain sectors, or as Austria has done overall. Altogether, 67% of the EUs population is vaccinated, but that relatively high rate hasnt stopped several countries from seeing surges.
Greece plans to impose fines of 100 euros ($113) per month on people over 60 who dont get vaccinated. Slovakia is considering giving that age group 500 euros ($565) if they step forward for the shot. German Chancellor-designate Olaf Scholz, meanwhile, said he will back a proposal to mandate vaccinations for everybody.
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This story was corrected to show Nigeria now says it found the omicron variant in samples from November, not October.
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AP writer Michael Balsamo and AP journalists around the world contributed to this report.
Friday, Sept. 25 -- Day before first positive test
President Trump awoke in Florida and zig-zagged along the East Coast for a variety of events. He held a Latinos for Trump rally in Doral, Florida; an official event in Atlanta; a fundraiser in Washington; and a rally in Virginia.
Saturday, Sept. 26 -- Day of first positive test, per Meadows
Later, Trump attended a rally in Pennsylvania.
According to Meadows, Trump tested positive before traveling to the rally in Pennsylvania and then subsequently testing negative.
Sunday, Sept. 27 -- Golf, debate prep, press conference
Two days ahead of the first presidential debate, Trump spent at least some of Sunday in prep sessions with his team. He also visited his golf course and convened a press conference before holding a reception for Gold Star families at the White House.
Monday, Sept. 28 -- At the White House
The President spent Monday at the White House, partly in preparation for the next day's debate. He held events outdoors at the White House, one on trade and one on a new Covid-19 testing strategy.
Tuesday, Sept. 29 -- Debate day
Trump remained out of sight at the White House until departing for the first presidential debate in Cleveland.
Wednesday, Sept. 30 -- Visit to Minnesota
The President and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin met in the Oval Office Wednesday morning. Later, Trump traveled to Minnesota for a fundraiser and campaign rally. On the way home, officials said Hope Hicks, one of Trump's closest aides, began displaying symptoms and isolated in a separate cabin.
Thursday, Oct. 1 -- Fundraisers and testing
Officials at the White House were aware that Hicks had tested positive for Covid-19, though it's not clear exactly when her results came back. Still, Trump went ahead with his schedule, including a fundraiser in New Jersey.
"He's tested regularly and the first positive test he received was after his return from Bedminster," White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters.
Friday, Oct 2 -- Walter Reed
The researchers note that the gum looks and feels like the type of gum found in convivence stores and can be stored at normal temperatures for years without damaging the ACE2 protein molecules that trap the SARS-coV-2 particles.
Malte Mueller/Getty Images
Previous evidence has shown that people infected with Covid-19 have high levels of the virus in theirsaliva.Now, researchershave developed an experimental chewing gum that traps SARS-CoV-2 viral particles, the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. The gum may help lower viral transmission when infected individuals breathe, talk, or cough, reports Nancy Lapid forReuters.Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania published details of the study this month in the research journalMolecular Therapy.
The experimental gum traps viral particles through copies of a receptor called the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)receptors riddled along its surface. Like a key inserted into a locked door, SARS-Cov-2 enters human cells by latching onto ACE2 receptors. ACE2 proteins are found lining the surfaces of some cells and epithelial tissues in the body, such as the lungs, heart, blood vessels, kidneys, liver, and gastrointestinal tract.
Scientists designed the gum with plant-derived ACE2 proteins with the novel idea that viral particles will latch onto the gum, minimizing the ability for the virus to spread from ones mouth to others, reports Grace C. Roberts for theConversation.
To test the gums effectiveness in trapping the virus, researchers collected saliva samples from Covid-19 patients and mixed them with a powdered form of the gum. When looking at the samples, the team found that the gum laced with ACE2 proteins had soaked up viral particles from the infected saliva, whereas normal chewing gum did not have the same effect. In total, the viral load in infected samples was lowered by 95 percent when mixed with 50 milligrams of the powdered gum, Reuters reports.
The researchers note that the gum looks and feels like the type of gum found in convivence stores and can be stored at normal temperatures for years without damaging the ACE2 protein molecules.
However, the gum is still in early-stage research and has not been tested in humans or in real-worldscenarios. The results are from experiments conducted in lab-controlled conditions using a machine that simulated chewing, Roberts notes in theConversation. While the chewing gum laced with the proteins traps more viral particles, the experiment does not answer questions likehow body temperature or oral bacteria impact the effectiveness of the gumor how long will the gums ability to trap viral particles lasts, per theConversation.
Although the gum reduced the virus transmission ability in infected saliva, it is still unknown how the gum will be helpful in those who are not infected since the virus can still be transmitted through droplets from the nose and eyes.
Overall, the gum could theoretically be effective against other variants of Covid-19 since all forms of SARS-CoV-2 enterthe body by latching onto ACE2 proteins regardless of mutations. However, real-world applications still need to be completedto confirm this. If found to be an effective tool, the gum could be another prevention tactic to add to the current toolkit of public health measures against the virus like masks, social distancing, and vaccination. The chewing gum could also be usefulin countries where vaccines are sparselyavailable or unaffordable, per Reuters.
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