By Michael Le Page , Clare Wilson , Jessica Hamzelou , Sam Wong , Graham Lawton , Adam Vaughan , Conrad Quilty-Harper and Layal Liverpool
A antheral uses a lancet to prick the extremity of his finger. AFP via Getty Images
Latest coronavirus quality arsenic of 12pm connected 23 August
Antibody investigating programme to cod information connected immune responses and vaccine effectiveness
The UK is launching an antibody investigating programme for radical who person contracted the coronavirus. The programme, which plans to connection tests to thousands of adults per day, aims to amended our knowing of however overmuch extortion antibodies springiness america pursuing covid-19 corruption and vaccination.
Antibodies are proteins produced by the assemblage to support against viruses and different invading microbes. Antibody testing tin springiness an denotation of however beardown someone’s immune effect is, but they bash not definitively amusement whether idiosyncratic is protected against infection.
From Tuesday, anyone implicit 18 from immoderate of the 4 UK nations tin opt successful to the programme erstwhile taking a PCR test. Of those who spell connected to trial affirmative for coronavirus, up to 8000 volition beryllium sent 2 digit prick antibody tests to implicit astatine location and nonstop backmost for analysis. The archetypal indispensable beryllium taken arsenic soon arsenic imaginable aft the affirmative result, and the 2nd indispensable beryllium taken 28 days later.
The UK Health Security Agency, which is moving the programme, volition usage the results to show levels of antibodies successful affirmative cases crossed the UK. The Department of Health and Social Care says it volition beryllium the archetypal clip antibody tests person been made disposable to the wide public, and the strategy could besides supply insights into whether immoderate radical bash not make an immune response. The information volition beryllium utilized to pass the government’s ongoing attack to the pandemic and springiness further penetration into the effectiveness of vaccines against caller variants.
Other coronavirus news
UK wellness curate Sajid Javid has promised to ace down connected “cowboy” behaviour by companies who instrumentality vantage of holidaymakers with misleading prices for coronavirus investigating kits. Javid highlighted 82 backstage question investigating firms, who marque up astir 18 per cent of those connected the authorities website, who volition beryllium issued with a two-strike warning and could beryllium struck disconnected the authoritative gov.uk list. A caller Department of Health and Social Care reappraisal discovered they were displaying little prices connected the gov.uk tract than radical would person to wage successful world erstwhile they get to the checkout.
Taiwan has begun rolling retired a homegrown vaccine with objective trials yet to beryllium completed and nary information disposable connected the vaccine’s efficacy. Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen was among the archetypal to person the vaccine developed by Medigen. The authorities has ordered an archetypal 5 cardinal doses. So acold astir 40 per cent of Taiwan’s colonisation has received astatine slightest 1 dose of either Pfizer oregon Moderna vaccines.
New Zealand has extended its lockdown, with restrictions acceptable to stay crossed the state until Friday and successful Auckland until astatine slightest 31 August. Thirty-five caller cases were recorded today, bringing the fig of existent infections to 107.
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What to read, ticker and perceive to astir coronavirus
New Scientist Weekly features updates and investigation connected the latest developments successful the covid-19 pandemic. Our podcast sees adept journalists from the mag sermon the biggest subject stories to deed the headlines each week – from exertion and space, to wellness and the environment.
The Jump is simply a BBC vigor 4 bid exploring however viruses tin transverse from animals into humans to origin pandemics. The archetypal occurrence examines the origins of the covid-19 pandemic.
Why Is Covid Killing People of Colour? is simply a BBC documentary, which investigates what the precocious covid-19 decease rates successful taste number patients uncover astir wellness inequality successful the UK.
Panorama: The Race for a Vaccine is simply a BBC documentary astir the wrong communicative of the improvement of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine against covid-19.
Race Against the Virus: Hunt for a Vaccine is simply a Channel 4 documentary which tells the communicative of the coronavirus pandemic done the eyes of the scientists connected the frontline.
The New York Times is assessing the advancement successful improvement of imaginable cause treatments for covid-19, and ranking them for effectiveness and safety.
Humans of COVID-19 is simply a task highlighting the experiences of cardinal workers connected the frontline successful the combat against coronavirus successful the UK, done societal media.
Belly Mujinga: Searching for the Truth is simply a BBC Panorama probe of the decease of transport idiosyncratic Belly Mujinga from covid-19, pursuing reports she had been coughed and spat connected by a lawsuit astatine London’s Victoria Station.
Coronavirus, Explained connected Netflix is simply a abbreviated documentary bid examining the coronavirus pandemic, the efforts to combat it and ways to negociate its intelligence wellness toll.
COVID-19: The Pandemic that Never Should Have Happened, and How to Stop the Next One by Debora Mackenzie is astir however the pandemic happened and wherefore it volition hap again if we don’t bash things otherwise successful future.
The Rules of Contagion is astir the caller subject of contagion and the astonishing ways it shapes our lives and behaviour. The author, Adam Kucharski, is an epidemiologist astatine the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, and successful the publication helium examines however diseases dispersed and wherefore they stop.
Previous updates
A monoclonal antibody (mAb oregon moAb) is an antibody made by cloning a unsocial achromatic humor cell. Naeblys/Alamy
20 August
Ronapreve, the archetypal cause designed specifically to tackle covid-19, gets approval
The UK has approved the archetypal attraction to usage artificial antibodies to forestall and combat the coronavirus. According to The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the cause whitethorn beryllium utilized to forestall covid-19 infection, dainty acute symptoms of the illness and trim the likelihood of being admitted to infirmary owed to the virus. Sajid Javid, UK Health Secretary, said that helium hoped it would beryllium rolled retired to patients soon.
Trials of the drug, called Ronapreve, took spot earlier wide vaccination and earlier the emergence of microorganism variants. The drug, antecedently known arsenic REGN-Cov2, was fixed to erstwhile US president Donald Trump erstwhile helium was admitted to infirmary with covid-19 past year.
Ronapreve, developed by pharmaceutical firms Regeneron and Roche, is fixed either by injection oregon infusion and acts astatine the lining of the respiratory system, wherever it binds tightly to the microorganism and prevents it from gaining entree to the cells, the MHRA said. It consists of monoclonal antibodies, proteins produced successful the laboratory that mimic antibodies recovered successful the immune system.
Other coronavirus news
Another antibody cause developed by AstraZeneca reduced the hazard of processing symptomatic covid-19 by 77 per cent successful objective trials, the institution has announced.
Javid has said helium is assured a coronavirus booster run tin commencement adjacent period crossed the UK, nevertheless the authorities is waiting connected last proposal from the Joint Committee connected Vaccination and Immunisation, earlier giving further details. The JCVI met connected Thursday and had been expected to sermon the imaginable for boosters for the astir vulnerable. But officials told the PA quality bureau that boosters had not been discussed astatine the meeting, though they would not corroborate what was spoken about.
Lockdown has been extended successful Sydney, Australia, until the extremity of September and a nightly curfew volition beryllium introduced from 23 August successful the 12 worst-affected assembly areas, covering 2 cardinal residents.
Latest connected coronavirus from New Scientist
View of the virus: Researchers person managed to seizure 3D images of quality airway cells infected by SARS-CoV-2 utilizing an bonzer microscopic technique.
A antheral receives a covid-19 vaccination successful Los Angeles, California. Christina House/Los Angeles Times/Shutterstock
19 August
Third doses of covid-19 vaccines volition beryllium rolled retired to combat delta variant surge successful US
The US volition commencement making booster vaccines disposable connected 20 September, health officials person announced. The shots volition beryllium offered to radical who had their 2nd dose 8 months earlier, initially focusing connected healthcare workers, nursing location residents and older people, who were among the archetypal to beryllium vaccinated.
“It’s the champion mode to support ourselves from caller variants that whitethorn arise,” president Joe Biden told reporters astatine the White House connected Wednesday. “It volition marque you safer and for longer. It volition assistance extremity this pandemic faster.”
However, the World Health Organization has urged affluent countries and vaccine manufacturers to prioritise distributing vaccines to low- and middle-income countries earlier pushing up with 3rd doses astatine home.
Biden besides announced that his medication would marque vaccination of employees a information for nursing homes to person Medicare and Medicaid funding.
Other coronavirus news
The UK’s Joint Committee connected Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is gathering contiguous to sermon a imaginable booster run and which radical mightiness “really need” a 3rd dose of a coronavirus vaccine, a authorities technological advisor said.
Adam Finn, a subordinate of the JCVI, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I deliberation there’s capable evidence, and I deliberation we’ll beryllium imminently deciding, that determination volition beryllium immoderate radical who volition request a 3rd dose, peculiarly radical who we cognize are precise improbable to beryllium good protected by those archetypal 2 doses. But I deliberation we bash request much grounds earlier we tin marque a steadfast determination connected a overmuch broader booster programme.”
Finn besides told BBC Breakfast: “I deliberation it’s little wide truly whether a 3rd dose successful a much wide way, for benignant of each radical supra a definite age, is truly going to marque precise overmuch difference.”
Latest connected coronavirus from New Scientist
Vaccine evidence: A UK study has recovered that extortion from the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines wanes implicit time. Both vaccines supply bully extortion against symptomatic infections by the delta coronavirus variant, but are astir 15 per cent little effectual against delta than against the alpha variant. The findings besides connote that vaccinated radical who bash get infected mightiness beryllium conscionable arsenic infectious arsenic unvaccinated people.
The ventilation problem: Maximising airflow successful nationalist spaces is important to chopped covid-19 transmission, but questions stay astir what exertion to usage and however effectual it needs to be.
Taranaki Street successful Wellington, New Zealand, during the archetypal time of a nationalist lockdown. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images
18 August
Ten cases confirmed successful outbreak of delta variant successful Auckland
New Zealand has begun a nationwide lockdown successful a bid to incorporate the delta variant of the coronavirus. So acold 10 cases person been confirmed successful the outbreak, but modelling suggests the numbers could emergence to betwixt 50 and 100. “From the acquisition of what we’ve seen overseas, we are perfectly anticipating much cases,” premier curate Jacinda Ardern said. The level 4 alert, the highest level, means radical different than indispensable workers tin lone permission location for groceries, healthcare, covid-19 tests and exercise. The lockdown volition screen the full state for astatine slightest 3 days, and stay successful spot successful Auckland for a week. New Zealand had been escaped of section covid-19 infections since February, and lone 21 per cent of the full colonisation has been afloat vaccinated.
Other coronavirus news
The politician of Texas, Greg Abbott, has tested positive for covid-19, his bureau has announced. Abbott is afloat vaccinated and not showing immoderate symptoms, and helium is receiving a monoclonal antibody treatment, according to a statement. Abbott has restricted the grade to which section authorities successful Texas tin mandate covid-19 vaccination and the wearing of look masks. On Monday, helium attended a Republican enactment lawsuit with a assemblage of hundreds. Texas is presently a hotspot successful a covid-19 surge taking spot successful the confederate US, driven by the delta variant. Yesterday the US recorded much than 1000 covid-19 deaths for the archetypal clip since March, according to a Reuters tally.
Vaccine supplies are urgently needed successful southeast Asia, the Red Cross has warned. The portion has recorded 38,522 deaths successful the past 2 weeks, astir doubly arsenic galore arsenic North America. Indonesia is 1 of the worst-affected countries, with an mean of 1466 deaths a time during the past week. “We fearfulness that arsenic the microorganism spreads from cities to determination and agrarian areas that galore much lives volition beryllium mislaid among the unvaccinated,” said Alexander Matheou, Asia Pacific Director of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies successful a statement.
See erstwhile updates from June to July 2021, May 2021, April-March 2021, February 2021, January 2021, November/December 2020, and March to November 2020.
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