Completely understandable.
Good news is absolutely coming. It's just a waiting game for now.
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[News] The Coronavirus Good News thread
- Thread starter Bozza
- Start date
Completely understandable.
Good news is absolutely coming. It's just a waiting game for now.
Green Cross Code Man
Wunt be druv
Monoclonal treatments for covid almost ready. From The Telegraph:
The first drugs specifically designed to fight Covid-19 are nearing their launch
Scientists are awaiting the results of the first drugs specifically designed to target Covid-19 and are quietly optimistic that the data, set to be revealed next month, will herald a major breakthrough, Sarah Newey reports.
If confirmed as safe and effective the drugs, known as monoclonal antibodies, could have a dramatic impact on efforts to halt the pandemic and reduce the death toll, say experts.
Monoclonal antibodies are already used to treat conditions including cancer, arthritis and Ebola. They are laboratory produced antibodies specific to the disease in question and delivered via injection. But there's a major drawback: they are expensive to manufacture and distribute.
For Covid-19, scientists hope the treatment will prevent the virus from reproducing inside human cells and could be used in the early stages of disease, to prevent an infection from worsening and turning Covid-19 into something akin to a bad cold.
This contrasts to the two drugs so far proven effective against Covid-19, the antiviral remdesivir and the steroid dexamethasone, which can only be used to treat severely ill patients.
The first trial results for monoclonal antibody therapies are expected to be published next month, but already experts are optimistic.
The first drugs specifically designed to fight Covid-19 are nearing their launch
Scientists are awaiting the results of the first drugs specifically designed to target Covid-19 and are quietly optimistic that the data, set to be revealed next month, will herald a major breakthrough, Sarah Newey reports.
If confirmed as safe and effective the drugs, known as monoclonal antibodies, could have a dramatic impact on efforts to halt the pandemic and reduce the death toll, say experts.
Monoclonal antibodies are already used to treat conditions including cancer, arthritis and Ebola. They are laboratory produced antibodies specific to the disease in question and delivered via injection. But there's a major drawback: they are expensive to manufacture and distribute.
For Covid-19, scientists hope the treatment will prevent the virus from reproducing inside human cells and could be used in the early stages of disease, to prevent an infection from worsening and turning Covid-19 into something akin to a bad cold.
This contrasts to the two drugs so far proven effective against Covid-19, the antiviral remdesivir and the steroid dexamethasone, which can only be used to treat severely ill patients.
The first trial results for monoclonal antibody therapies are expected to be published next month, but already experts are optimistic.
Noises I’ve heard from preliminary trials are that the effectiveness of this far outweighs any treatments we’ve had thus far. Here’s hoping.
blue-shifted
Banned
Yes and here's a chance for big pharma to redeem their reputation and not try to fleece everyone for this to boost their share price
thedonkeycentrehalf
Retired
- Jul 7, 2003
- 8,610
Generalisation there - plenty of pharma companies out there who are not fleecing governments.
LamieRobertson
Not awoke
That stat about Leicester is really striking.
1,336 cases found in July. Of those, 7 were hospitalised.
So that’s a combination of either;
A) the virus weakening/viral loads dropping
B) far more cases being picked up (and therefore containing outbreaks much more effectively)
Or more likely, some combination of the two. Whichever way you spin it, it is undeniably good news.
highflyer
Well-known member
- Jan 21, 2016
- 2,434
The coronavirus symptom tracker also strongly suggests that while the number of positive tests may be picking up, the number of people actually developing symptoms is dropping all the time.
There are so many possible reasons for this (numbers going down, but testing more in total and testing more targeted, better protection of the vulnerable, or vulnerable being more careful, increasing 'immunity' in those getting infected, lower viral loads due to behaviour changes, virus weakening, weather related affects etc etc) it seems impossible to even guess out what's really going on, but whatever it is, as you say, it certainly seems to be good news. Not forgetting ever-improving treatment for those that do end up getting ill (and the rapid development of vaccines).
blue-shifted
Banned
I'm going to predict a very similar outcome in the Northampton outbreak. Again focused on a workplace, with working aged people.
highflyer
Well-known member
- Jan 21, 2016
- 2,434
With regard to symptomatic cases:
Tim Spector, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King's College London, comments:
"It’s encouraging to see that the numbers are coming down slightly across the UK and that the isolated outbreaks in the North of England appear to be well contained so far. This is further confirmation that we aren’t at the beginning of a second wave and rather, still trying to end the first. The figures also suggest that the outbreaks we are seeing in other countries such as Belgium, France and Spain aren't having an effect here in the UK yet.
On top of this, the hot weather which caused concern by making many flock to crowded beaches and parks doesn’t seem to be having the predicted negative impact. Overall, we are pleasantly surprised by the figures this week which are back down to the early July levels and hope that the good news continues.”
Tim Spector, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King's College London, comments:
"It’s encouraging to see that the numbers are coming down slightly across the UK and that the isolated outbreaks in the North of England appear to be well contained so far. This is further confirmation that we aren’t at the beginning of a second wave and rather, still trying to end the first. The figures also suggest that the outbreaks we are seeing in other countries such as Belgium, France and Spain aren't having an effect here in the UK yet.
On top of this, the hot weather which caused concern by making many flock to crowded beaches and parks doesn’t seem to be having the predicted negative impact. Overall, we are pleasantly surprised by the figures this week which are back down to the early July levels and hope that the good news continues.”
LamieRobertson
Not awoke
Postman Pat
Well-known member
SARS-CoV-2-specific memory T cells will likely prove critical for long-term immune protection against COVID-19. We here systematically mapped the functional and phenotypic landscape of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell responses in unexposed individuals, exposed family members, and individuals with acute or convalescent COVID-19. Acute phase SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells displayed a highly activated cytotoxic phenotype that correlated with various clinical markers of disease severity, whereas convalescent phase SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells were polyfunctional and displayed a stem-like memory phenotype. Importantly, SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells were detectable in antibody-seronegative exposed family members and convalescent individuals with a history of asymptomatic and mild COVID-19. Our collective dataset shows that SARS-CoV-2 elicits robust, broad and highly functional memory T cell responses, suggesting that natural exposure or infection may prevent recurrent episodes of severe COVID-19.
https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(20)31008-4#.XzfKDIw3a80.twitter
https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(20)31008-4#.XzfKDIw3a80.twitter
This is why it is SO frustrating reading endless articles giving Antibody test results and talking as they are fact as to what % of people have been infected. It’s complete nonsense, not backed by science whatsoever, yet so much of media is taking ages to wake up to this fact.
We have known that T cells are more important than antibodies for about THREE months now.
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LamieRobertson
Not awoke
Not one for conspiracy theories.
But Leicester still being in lock down looks like it’s for other reasons than cases.
Postman Pat
Well-known member
[Tweet]1294981189103685633[/tweet]
While any death is tragic, that's the trend that really matters. Likely more people died falling down the stairs on those 2 days.
Or got stung by a bee or ate a peanut!