11:10 AM 2/16/2021 - Seven Coronavirus Variants In The US All Independently Gained Similar Mutations | White House Covid-19 adviser says drop in US cases could be "misleading" in face of variants
Moderna has supplied 45.5 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine to US
From CNN's John Bonifield
Moderna has supplied 45.5 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine to the United States, the company announced Tuesday.
The company said data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows about 25.5 million doses of its vaccine have been administered across the nation.
An additional 33.2 million doses have been filled into vials and are going through final production and testing before being released to the government, according to the company's latest supply update.
Some of the doses have not been released due to delays.
"Short term delays in the final stages of production and release of filled vials at Moderna’s fill and finish contractor Catalent have recently delayed the release of some doses, but these delays are expected to be resolved in the near term and are not expected to impact monthly delivery targets," the company said in a press release.
Moderna said it expects to deliver 100 million doses by the end of March, followed by an additional 100 million doses by the end of May and another 100 million doses by the end of July.
Dr. Fauci: Decline in Covid-19 cases should not make Americans complacent
From CNN's Aditi Sangal
As Covid-19 cases continue to decline in the United States, Dr. Anthony Fauci says it’s still important to remain careful.
“We’ve just got to be careful about getting too excited about that because we do have the challenge of variants,” he told CNN. “One of the things that we need to make sure we do is we don't get complacent when we see those numbers go down.”
Americans must continue with public health measures until the case count is “so low that it is no longer a threat,” he urged.
The decline in cases, continued public health measures and ongoing vaccinations could together help the US go in the right direction, he added.
While experts watch out for the variants, Fauci said the variant originating from the UK is likely to get dominant in the United States by the end of March but the vaccines being administered protect against that, which is “good news.”
The process of widespread vaccinations will likely start in the spring and large portions of the public will be able to be vaccinated by the end of the summer, he told CNN.
Watch the interview here:
Severe Covid-19 infection may also be linked to eye damage, study suggests
From CNN's Christopher Rios
A new study suggests that Covid-19 may cause damage to the eyes in critically ill patients.
For the study, published in the journal Radiology, researchers reviewed magnetic resonance imaging of 129 patients presenting with severe Covid-19 in France between March 4 and May 1.
Advanced imaging tests showed nine of the 129 (7%) patients had one or several irregularities at the back of the eyes. The irregularities could indicate possible damage or blockage of blood vessels, small bleeds in the eye or disruption of nerve fibers.
All but one of the affected patients had damage in both eyes.
But due to the lack of “systematic ophthalmological examination” of patients in the ICU, researchers were limited by data and unable to correlate their radiographic findings with vision changes.
Researchers think these findings may be caused by widespread blood clotting in small vessels and disruption of an enzyme that protects the eye from damage. They also suggest the finding could be linked to increased pressure in the eyes caused by positioning ICU patients face-down (prone position) when on mechanical ventilation.
Further research is needed to determine exactly what is causing damage to the eye in these critically ill patients and how this damage changes with time, the researchers said.
But the current study suggests that doctors should consider screening patients with severe Covid-19 for ocular problems.
“Our data support the need for screening and follow-up of patients to provide appropriate treatment and improve the management of potentially severe ophiological manifestations,” the authors said.
White House Covid-19 adviser says drop in US cases could be "misleading" in face of variants
From CNN’s Naomi Thomas
Andy Slavitt, White House Covid-19 senior adviser, said on MSNBC Monday the drop in Covid-19 cases could be “misleading,” and the virus could have “a lot of surprises in store for us.”
Among those surprises are the variants, he said, noting that the variant first identified in the UK – or B.1.1.7 – is more virulent.
“I think we should be assuming that the next wave of case growth, to the extent that we have it, is going to be with B.1.1.7, and that’s something that I think everybody has to be even more cautious about,” he said. “It’s nice to see the numbers of cases drop, but it could be misleading.”
Increases in cases aren’t inevitable if people protect themselves, he said, urging people to continue to wear masks and follow guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Ultimately, science will win here, ultimately, we will beat this,” Slavitt said. “But I don’t think we’re anywhere close to out of the woods.”
Connecticut identifies first case of Covid-19 variant first identified in South Africa
From CNN’s Alec Snyder
The Connecticut Department of Public Health has detected its first positive case of the B.1.351 variant of Covid-19, according to a Monday DPH release.
The strain, first identified in South Africa, was detected “in a Connecticut patient who is currently hospitalized out of state with the virus,” the release said.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo confirmed in a Monday press conference that a New York hospital was treating a Connecticut-based patient who had contracted the variant.
The patient is between 60 and 70 years old and has not traveled recently, according to the DPH release, but it did not identify the patient’s sex or whether that individual has any underlying health conditions.
Connecticut DPH and local health officials are “coordinating with officials in New York” and all contact tracing efforts have been completed, the release said.
The state has already confirmed 42 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, the release stated, which is believed to have originated in the United Kingdom.
Chile has vaccinated more than 2 million people
From CNN's Florencia Trucco and Mitchell McCluskey
Comments
Post a Comment