The Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced on Friday that the majority people of his country will surely receive the coronavirus vaccine by the month of September next year.

"The fact that the doctors highlighted that if all goes according to plan, we should be able to have a majority of Canadians vaccinated by next September… puts us in very good stead," he was quoted by local media.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/too-salty-canadian-officials-ask-residents-not-to-let-moose-lick-their-cars-344833">Too salty: Canadian officials ask residents not to let moose lick their cars</a>

"Vaccines are on the horizon. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel.," he added.

However,&nbsp;Canada's deputy chief public health officer Dr Howard Njoo cautioned the public that their Prime Minister was choosing to see the glass half full. Explaining the situation, he said, "With the approval, perhaps, of these two vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, perhaps we’re looking at delivery of some six million doses in January and February."

He added that while the Prime Minister is declaring the vaccine availability in the month of September, it can be stretched till December too, depending on the situation. "If the prime minister set September out there as an objective, that’s fine because we’re continuing to work hard to be able to offer vaccination to the majority of Canadians. So if it’s September or December, for me, it’s just a matter of months."

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/frankfurt-airport-prepares-to-transport-covid-19-vaccine-346008" hreflang="en">Frankfurt Airport prepares to transport COVID-19 vaccine</a>

Trudeau also informed people that his government has already purchased freezers to store the vaccines which will help in transporting the vaccine to the disconnected areas from the main cities, and also in the areas where the&nbsp;native populations reside.

The announcement came as Canada recorded a total of&nbsp;358,741 coronavirus cases, taking the death toll to&nbsp;11,894 till date.

The Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced on Friday that the majority people of his country will surely receive the coronavirus vaccine by the month of September next year.

The Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced on Friday that the majority people of his country will surely receive the coronavirus vaccine by the month of September next year. "The fact that the doctors highlighted that if all goes according to plan, we should be able to have a majority of Canadians vaccinated by next September… puts us in very good stead," he was quoted by local media. Also read| Too salty: Canadian officials ask residents not to let moose lick their cars "Vaccines are on the horizon. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel.," he added. However, Canada's deputy chief public health officer Dr Howard Njoo cautioned the public that their Prime Minister was choosing to see the glass half full. Explaining the situation, he said, "With the approval, perhaps, of these two vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, perhaps we’re looking at delivery of some six million doses in January and February." He added that while the Prime Minister is declaring the vaccine availability in the month of September, it can be stretched till December too, depending on the situation. "If the prime minister set September out there as an objective, that’s fine because we’re continuing to work hard to be able to offer vaccination to the majority of Canadians. So if it’s September or December, for me, it’s just a matter of months." Also read| Frankfurt Airport prepares to transport COVID-19 vaccine Trudeau also informed people that his government has already purchased freezers to store the vaccines which will help in transporting the vaccine to the disconnected areas from the main cities, and also in the areas where the native populations reside. The announcement came as Canada recorded a total of 358,741 coronavirus cases, taking the death toll to 11,894 till date.

'Light at the end of the tunnel': Justin Trudeau promises COVID-19 vaccine by September

As the world is awaiting COVID-19 vaccine, Frankfurt Airport officials are gearing up to handle the process of transporting millions of the vaccine that will be available worldwide from different locations.

Frankfurt Airport is one of the busiest airports when it comes to transporting&nbsp;pharmaceutical goods and will be playing an important role in transporting the COVID-19 vaccine.

"The stress is increasing now that we're entering the 'hot' phase," expressed&nbsp;Lufthansa Cargo's director of operations,&nbsp;Karin Krestan.

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Officials have also claimed they been preparing themselves for this since August. "The processes have been established, we're very confident and we feel well prepared," said&nbsp;Max Philipp Conrady, head of the freight infrastructure.

Officials have been working extra hours since the beginning of the pandemic, to make sure all medicines are delivered on time, including&nbsp;surgical gowns, masks and making sure the port is ready for any emergency.

The main area needed in this process is the 'Cargo Cool Center' which is a vast temperature-controlled hangar and can handle nearly 120,000 tons of vaccines and other pharmaceutical products.&nbsp;

It has 12,000 square metres (129,000 square feet) of temperature-controlled warehouses, essential for storing medicines, and about 8,000 square metres (86,000 square feet), around the size of a football field, handles Lufthansa cargo alone, Krestan said.

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The airport has, now, invested in&nbsp;high-tech refrigerated "dollies" that will help transport vaccines from cold storages to the planes as the Pfizer vaccine should&nbsp;remain at around -70 degrees C (-94 F) — in contrast to other vaccines such as AstraZeneca and Oxford which can be shipped in normal refrigerators.

These will specifically be useful as the EU has decided to buy nearly 300 million doses of the&nbsp;Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, putting pressure on the cargo hub. The officials believe that while the airport will be able to handle the doses being ordered, the flight capacity will play a major factor in the distribution of the vaccines.

Cargo planes can normally carry up to a million doses unless sub-zero temperatures must be maintained. Adding to the challenge, 40 per cent of annual global air cargo is typically carried by passenger aircraft, which have been vastly curtailed due to the pandemic. Frankfurt is in talks&nbsp;with manufacturers to see how can the traffic be optimised efficiently.

(With inputs from AFP)

As the world is awaiting COVID-19 vaccine, Frankfurt Airport officials are gearing up to handle the process of transporting millions of the vaccine that will be available worldwide from different locations.

As the world is awaiting COVID-19 vaccine, Frankfurt Airport officials are gearing up to handle the process of transporting millions of the vaccine that will be available worldwide from different locations. Frankfurt Airport is one of the busiest airports when it comes to transporting pharmaceutical goods and will be playing an important role in transporting the COVID-19 vaccine. "The stress is increasing now that we're entering the 'hot' phase," expressed Lufthansa Cargo's director of operations, Karin Krestan. × Officials have also claimed they been preparing themselves for this since August. "The processes have been established, we're very confident and we feel well prepared," said Max Philipp Conrady, head of the freight infrastructure. Officials have been working extra hours since the beginning of the pandemic, to make sure all medicines are delivered on time, including surgical gowns, masks and making sure the port is ready for any emergency. The main area needed in this process is the 'Cargo Cool Center' which is a vast temperature-controlled hangar and can handle nearly 120,000 tons of vaccines and other pharmaceutical products. It has 12,000 square metres (129,000 square feet) of temperature-controlled warehouses, essential for storing medicines, and about 8,000 square metres (86,000 square feet), around the size of a football field, handles Lufthansa cargo alone, Krestan said. × The airport has, now, invested in high-tech refrigerated "dollies" that will help transport vaccines from cold storages to the planes as the Pfizer vaccine should remain at around -70 degrees C (-94 F) — in contrast to other vaccines such as AstraZeneca and Oxford which can be shipped in normal refrigerators. These will specifically be useful as the EU has decided to buy nearly 300 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, putting pressure on the cargo hub. The officials believe that while the airport will be able to handle the doses being ordered, the flight capacity will play a major factor in the distribution of the vaccines. Cargo planes can normally carry up to a million doses unless sub-zero temperatures must be maintained. Adding to the challenge, 40 per cent of annual global air cargo is typically carried by passenger aircraft, which have been vastly curtailed due to the pandemic. Frankfurt is in talks with manufacturers to see how can the traffic be optimised efficiently. (With inputs from AFP)

Frankfurt Airport prepares to transport COVID-19 vaccine

Australia's second-largest state, Victoria, once the country's COVID-19 hotspot, said on Friday it has gone 28 days without detecting any new infections, a benchmark widely cited as eliminating the virus from the community.

The state also has zero active cases after the last COVID-19 patient was discharged from the hospital this week, a far cry from August when Victoria recorded more than 700 cases in one day and active infections totalled nearly 8,000.

The spread of the virus was only contained after a lockdown lasting more than 100 days, leaving some 5 million people in Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city, largely confined to their homes.

While the lockdown has seen infections wane, it slowed Australia's economic recovery from its first recession in three decades after large swathes of the country's economy was shut down in March.

Australia's economy shrank 7% in the three months to the end of June, the biggest quarterly decline since records began in 1959. The unemployment rate hit a 22-year high of 7.5% in July as businesses and borders closed to deal with the coronavirus.

The slowdown in cases, however, has seen Australian states and territories remove social distancing restrictions.

Australia's southern island state, Tasmania, on Friday became the latest to open its border to Victoria, reuniting families who had been apart for months.

"It has been very difficult, but we are going to make up for it. We are going to go to the beach and have beautiful Tasmanian seafood and some pinot noir," Allison Park, a Victoria resident visiting family in Tasmania, told reporters in the city of Hobart after arriving on a plane from Melbourne.

Victoria is the last state to gain access to Tasmania, which closed its borders in March.

COVID NORMAL

While Australia is removing restrictions in contrast to other countries in Europe, which are imposing curbs to counter a surge of infections, local lawmakers have said only an effective vaccine will restore longstanding normalcy.

Australia has secured access to four vaccine candidates, but its best hope for a quick vaccination programme lies with the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is already being manufactured locally.

The Australian Government has committed to buying 33.8 million doses of the vaccine.

A speedy roll-out of the AstraZeneca came under the microscope, however, when the company said it will likely run an additional global trial to assess the efficacy of its COVID-19 vaccine.

Still, Australia's Minister for Health Greg Hunt said this would not delay Canberra's expected timetable to begin vaccinations from March.

Australia's nearly 28,000 COVID-19 infections recorded to date, according to health ministry data, are far fewer than many other developed countries. Victoria accounts for more than 90% of the country's 905 deaths.

Australia's second-largest state, Victoria, once the country's COVID-19 hotspot, said on Friday it has gone 28 days without detecting any new infections, a benchmark widely cited as eliminating the virus from the community.

Australia's second-largest state, Victoria, once the country's COVID-19 hotspot, said on Friday it has gone 28 days without detecting any new infections, a benchmark widely cited as eliminating the virus from the community. The state also has zero active cases after the last COVID-19 patient was discharged from the hospital this week, a far cry from August when Victoria recorded more than 700 cases in one day and active infections totalled nearly 8,000. The spread of the virus was only contained after a lockdown lasting more than 100 days, leaving some 5 million people in Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city, largely confined to their homes. While the lockdown has seen infections wane, it slowed Australia's economic recovery from its first recession in three decades after large swathes of the country's economy was shut down in March. Australia's economy shrank 7% in the three months to the end of June, the biggest quarterly decline since records began in 1959. The unemployment rate hit a 22-year high of 7.5% in July as businesses and borders closed to deal with the coronavirus. The slowdown in cases, however, has seen Australian states and territories remove social distancing restrictions. Australia's southern island state, Tasmania, on Friday became the latest to open its border to Victoria, reuniting families who had been apart for months. "It has been very difficult, but we are going to make up for it. We are going to go to the beach and have beautiful Tasmanian seafood and some pinot noir," Allison Park, a Victoria resident visiting family in Tasmania, told reporters in the city of Hobart after arriving on a plane from Melbourne. Victoria is the last state to gain access to Tasmania, which closed its borders in March. COVID NORMAL While Australia is removing restrictions in contrast to other countries in Europe, which are imposing curbs to counter a surge of infections, local lawmakers have said only an effective vaccine will restore longstanding normalcy. Australia has secured access to four vaccine candidates, but its best hope for a quick vaccination programme lies with the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is already being manufactured locally. The Australian Government has committed to buying 33.8 million doses of the vaccine. A speedy roll-out of the AstraZeneca came under the microscope, however, when the company said it will likely run an additional global trial to assess the efficacy of its COVID-19 vaccine. Still, Australia's Minister for Health Greg Hunt said this would not delay Canberra's expected timetable to begin vaccinations from March. Australia's nearly 28,000 COVID-19 infections recorded to date, according to health ministry data, are far fewer than many other developed countries. Victoria accounts for more than 90% of the country's 905 deaths.

Australia's Covid-19 hotspot goes 28 days without an infection

The United States on Wednesday registered more than 2,400 deaths from Covid-19 in 24 hours, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally -- the highest daily toll in six months as the Thanksgiving holiday began. It also registered nearly 200,000 new cases.

The record remains 2,603 deaths, set on April 15, but the country could easily exceed that number in the coming winter months. Overall, daily new infections haven’t dipped below 100,000 in three weeks, and for the 15th consecutive day, the US break its own hospitalization record.

The number of Covid-19 cases in the US has topped 12.7 million with over 262,090 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

In its latest update on Thursday, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the country's caseload and death toll stood at 12,765,039 and 262,090, respectively. 
 
US President-elect Joe Biden cited accelerating plans to deliver a vaccine as he appealed for his "weary" countrymen to dig deep.

"There is real hope, tangible hope. So hang on. Don't let yourself surrender to the fatigue," Biden said in a televised Thanksgiving address.

"You will get your lives back. Life is going to return to normal. That will happen. This will not last forever."

(With inputs from agencies)

The United States on Wednesday registered more than 2,400 deaths from Covid-19 in 24 hours, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally -- the highest daily toll in six months as the Thanksgiving holiday began.

The United States on Wednesday registered more than 2,400 deaths from Covid-19 in 24 hours, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally -- the highest daily toll in six months as the Thanksgiving holiday began. It also registered nearly 200,000 new cases. The record remains 2,603 deaths, set on April 15, but the country could easily exceed that number in the coming winter months. Overall, daily new infections haven’t dipped below 100,000 in three weeks, and for the 15th consecutive day, the US break its own hospitalization record. The number of Covid-19 cases in the US has topped 12.7 million with over 262,090 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University. In its latest update on Thursday, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the country's caseload and death toll stood at 12,765,039 and 262,090, respectively. US President-elect Joe Biden cited accelerating plans to deliver a vaccine as he appealed for his "weary" countrymen to dig deep. "There is real hope, tangible hope. So hang on. Don't let yourself surrender to the fatigue," Biden said in a televised Thanksgiving address. "You will get your lives back. Life is going to return to normal. That will happen. This will not last forever." (With inputs from agencies)

Over 2,400 US Covid-19 deaths in 24 hours, a six-month high: Johns Hopkins

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday ruled out closing down businesses and urged the public to follow health guidelines as the country grappled with the second wave of the coronavirus with the national tally of infections reaching 382,892.

Khan told media in Lahore that he was concerned about the situation after the daily COVID-19 death toll crossed 50 while being as low as below the single-digit just two weeks ago.

He said that despite the rising cases, his government would not shut down factories and businesses.

"We cannot render the daily wage worker unemployed," he said, adding that people should follow the guidelines.

"I strongly urge all factory, shop, and shopping mall owners to strictly enforce safety protocols. And the easiest thing to do is just to wear a mask," he said.

He said that Pakistan was successful in defeating the virus during the first wave and asked people to show the same willingness to follow safety measures.

In reply to a question, he said that the opposition should stop holding public rallies as his government would not allow any such activity because it would spread the infection.

"We must never allow any such activities which cause people to gather. We know that when people have close contact, the virus spreads at a very fast rate," he said.

Khan's remarks came as Pakistan detected more than 3,009 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the national tally to 382,892, while 59 people died in a single day, taking the COVID-19 death toll to 7,803, according to the data issued by the Ministry of National Health Services.

Minister for Planning Asad Umar who is heading the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), a dedicated official entity to combat the virus, issued a warning on late Tuesday that the situation would further deteriorate in the coming two weeks.

"We experienced a peak in COVID-19 cases in June and if we do not follow the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), we may face the worst situation in the next two weeks," he said.

He said that lately, 1,750 people were on oxygen or ventilators, while in June, 3,400 were on ventilators.

The ministry reported that at least 332,974 people recovered from the disease but some 1,867 were in critical condition. The number of active patients was 42,115.

The authorities performed at least 41,583 tests on the last day, showing a positivity rate of 7.2 per cent.

Speaker of the National Assembly Asad Qaisar called a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on COVID-19 on Wednesday in the Parliament House.

He invited all parliamentary parties but the 11-party alliance, Pakistan Democratic Alliance (PDM), refused to attend it.

"It is illegal for the speaker to call the meeting as he is not authorized to convene it," PDM Secretary-General and former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Health Services said that Pakistan completed the second round of COVID-19 study that showed around 7 per cent or 15 million people are exposed to the virus.

"In the second round, about 7per cent of individuals were detected to be exposed to COVID-19 around the time the survey was conducted which was before the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases," according to the survey.

Pakistan is among the few countries that have conducted and completed the Seroprevalence study in big and small cities, which also showed that a lot of people remained asymptomatic, recommending wearing masks.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday ruled out closing down businesses and urged the public to follow health guidelines as the country grappled with the second wave of the coronavirus with the national tally of infections reaching 382,892.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday ruled out closing down businesses and urged the public to follow health guidelines as the country grappled with the second wave of the coronavirus with the national tally of infections reaching 382,892. Khan told media in Lahore that he was concerned about the situation after the daily COVID-19 death toll crossed 50 while being as low as below the single-digit just two weeks ago. He said that despite the rising cases, his government would not shut down factories and businesses. "We cannot render the daily wage worker unemployed," he said, adding that people should follow the guidelines. "I strongly urge all factory, shop, and shopping mall owners to strictly enforce safety protocols. And the easiest thing to do is just to wear a mask," he said. He said that Pakistan was successful in defeating the virus during the first wave and asked people to show the same willingness to follow safety measures. In reply to a question, he said that the opposition should stop holding public rallies as his government would not allow any such activity because it would spread the infection. "We must never allow any such activities which cause people to gather. We know that when people have close contact, the virus spreads at a very fast rate," he said. Khan's remarks came as Pakistan detected more than 3,009 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the national tally to 382,892, while 59 people died in a single day, taking the COVID-19 death toll to 7,803, according to the data issued by the Ministry of National Health Services. Minister for Planning Asad Umar who is heading the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), a dedicated official entity to combat the virus, issued a warning on late Tuesday that the situation would further deteriorate in the coming two weeks. "We experienced a peak in COVID-19 cases in June and if we do not follow the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), we may face the worst situation in the next two weeks," he said. He said that lately, 1,750 people were on oxygen or ventilators, while in June, 3,400 were on ventilators. The ministry reported that at least 332,974 people recovered from the disease but some 1,867 were in critical condition. The number of active patients was 42,115. The authorities performed at least 41,583 tests on the last day, showing a positivity rate of 7.2 per cent. Speaker of the National Assembly Asad Qaisar called a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on COVID-19 on Wednesday in the Parliament House. He invited all parliamentary parties but the 11-party alliance, Pakistan Democratic Alliance (PDM), refused to attend it. "It is illegal for the speaker to call the meeting as he is not authorized to convene it," PDM Secretary-General and former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said. Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Health Services said that Pakistan completed the second round of COVID-19 study that showed around 7 per cent or 15 million people are exposed to the virus. "In the second round, about 7per cent of individuals were detected to be exposed to COVID-19 around the time the survey was conducted which was before the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases," according to the survey. Pakistan is among the few countries that have conducted and completed the Seroprevalence study in big and small cities, which also showed that a lot of people remained asymptomatic, recommending wearing masks.

Pakistan PM Imran Khan rules out closing down businesses amid a surge in COVID-19 cases

Hundreds of flights at one of China's busiest airports were cancelled Tuesday as Shanghai raced to bring a local coronavirus outbreak under control. 
 
Health officials have tested thousands of staff at Pudong International Airport since a small cluster of Covid-19 cases in the city was linked to several cargo handlers.

China -- where the virus first emerged late last year -- has largely brought the pandemic under control through travel restrictions and lockdowns, but it is now battling a number of domestic outbreaks in different cities.

Shanghai has reported seven local infections linked to the airport this month, with most cases found in the past few days.

The outbreak has sparked plans to give high-risk workers at the travel hub and experimental vaccine China has already been providing to state employees, international students and essential workers heading abroad since July.

On Tuesday, figures from data services firm VariFlight showed that over 500 flights out of Pudong Airport had been called off -- nearly half the day's scheduled flights.

Almost half of the scheduled inbound flights were also cancelled.

More than 17,700 people had been swabbed by Monday morning at part of a drive to test airport cargo staff, state news agency Xinhua reported, with those infected including employees at logistics firms FedEx and UPS.

Videos shared Sunday night on social media appeared to show a large crowd at the airport trying to push their way into a multi-storey car park where the testing was taking place and being held back by a row of people wearing full hazmat suits.

Later footage published by Shanghai health officials showed rows of people queuing at what appears to be the same location and being ushered to testing stations by health workers.

Nearly half of all scheduled flights were also cancelled at Tianjin International Airport, a northern port city testing around 2.6 million people to try and bring a local cluster under control.

Tianjin reported five local cases on Saturday and another on Tuesday.

China has been rolling out mass-screening campaigns in response to the emergence of local Covid-19 cases, in some instances collecting test samples from entire districts or cities.

Authorities have in recent days shifted their focus to imported frozen food and other inbound shipments, which have been blamed for a resurgence of local infections.

Hundreds of flights at one of China's busiest airports were cancelled Tuesday as Shanghai raced to bring a local coronavirus outbreak under control. Health officials have tested thousands of staff at Pudong International Airport since a small cluster of Covid-19 cases in the city was linked to several cargo handlers.

Hundreds of flights at one of China's busiest airports were cancelled Tuesday as Shanghai raced to bring a local coronavirus outbreak under control. Health officials have tested thousands of staff at Pudong International Airport since a small cluster of Covid-19 cases in the city was linked to several cargo handlers. China -- where the virus first emerged late last year -- has largely brought the pandemic under control through travel restrictions and lockdowns, but it is now battling a number of domestic outbreaks in different cities. Shanghai has reported seven local infections linked to the airport this month, with most cases found in the past few days. The outbreak has sparked plans to give high-risk workers at the travel hub and experimental vaccine China has already been providing to state employees, international students and essential workers heading abroad since July. On Tuesday, figures from data services firm VariFlight showed that over 500 flights out of Pudong Airport had been called off -- nearly half the day's scheduled flights. Almost half of the scheduled inbound flights were also cancelled. More than 17,700 people had been swabbed by Monday morning at part of a drive to test airport cargo staff, state news agency Xinhua reported, with those infected including employees at logistics firms FedEx and UPS. Videos shared Sunday night on social media appeared to show a large crowd at the airport trying to push their way into a multi-storey car park where the testing was taking place and being held back by a row of people wearing full hazmat suits. Later footage published by Shanghai health officials showed rows of people queuing at what appears to be the same location and being ushered to testing stations by health workers. Nearly half of all scheduled flights were also cancelled at Tianjin International Airport, a northern port city testing around 2.6 million people to try and bring a local cluster under control. Tianjin reported five local cases on Saturday and another on Tuesday. China has been rolling out mass-screening campaigns in response to the emergence of local Covid-19 cases, in some instances collecting test samples from entire districts or cities. Authorities have in recent days shifted their focus to imported frozen food and other inbound shipments, which have been blamed for a resurgence of local infections.

Shanghai tackles coronavirus outbreak, hundreds of flights cancelled

In a bid to steal valuable data related to Coronavirus vaccine research, government-linked hackers China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are engaged in concerted attempts to steal coronavirus vaccine secrets.

Calling it an intellectual property war security experts said that hackers are trying to obtain trial results early and seize sensitive information about mass production of drugs.

China and Russia are also racing to develop a vaccine, bringing together its state, military and private sectors to combat a disease that has killed over 1.39 million people worldwide.

Earlier this month, A report by Microsoft revealed that hackers for the Russian and North Korean governments have targeted more than half a dozen of organisations involved in the COVID-19 treatment and vaccine research from around the globe.

In this report by Microsoft, the tech giant stated that a Russian hacking group, known as 'Fancy Bear', and a pair of North Korean actors called "Zinc" and "Cerium", by Microsoft, were implicated as they tried to break into the networks of nearly seven pharmaceutical companies and vaccine researchers in fice countries, namely, Canada, France, India, South Korea, and the United States.

(With inputs from agencies)

In a bid to steal valuable data related to Coronavirus vaccine research, government-linked hackers China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are engaged in concerted attempts to steal coronavirus vaccine secrets.

In a bid to steal valuable data related to Coronavirus vaccine research, government-linked hackers China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are engaged in concerted attempts to steal coronavirus vaccine secrets. Calling it an intellectual property war security experts said that hackers are trying to obtain trial results early and seize sensitive information about mass production of drugs. China and Russia are also racing to develop a vaccine, bringing together its state, military and private sectors to combat a disease that has killed over 1.39 million people worldwide. Earlier this month, A report by Microsoft revealed that hackers for the Russian and North Korean governments have targeted more than half a dozen of organisations involved in the COVID-19 treatment and vaccine research from around the globe. In this report by Microsoft, the tech giant stated that a Russian hacking group, known as 'Fancy Bear', and a pair of North Korean actors called "Zinc" and "Cerium", by Microsoft, were implicated as they tried to break into the networks of nearly seven pharmaceutical companies and vaccine researchers in fice countries, namely, Canada, France, India, South Korea, and the United States. (With inputs from agencies)

Intellectual property war: Hackers try to steal Covid vaccine secrets

Staff at Shanghai's biggest international airport are facing mass testing after a small outbreak of Covid-19 in the city was linked to several cargo handlers, with plans underway to vaccinate high-risk workers.

Life in China -- where the virus first emerged late last year -- has largely returned to normal following strict testing and harsh lockdowns, but there has been a series of sporadic local outbreaks over recent months.

Shanghai has reported six local infections linked to the airport this month, with most of the cases in the past few days.

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*Chaos at Shanghai Pudong Airport after three recent confirmed COVID-19 cases are airport workers. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%E4%B8%8A%E6%B5%B7?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#上海</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%E6%B5%A6%E4%B8%9C?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#浦东</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/China?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#China</a> <a href="https://t.co/cHcwcRay9d">pic.twitter.com/cHcwcRay9d</a>
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Overnight Sunday into Monday, workers in full protective gear ushered Pudong International Airport staff into a multi-storey car park to have the virus test, with videos posted online by Shanghai health authorities showing scores of people filing into the facility.

More than 17,700 people had been swabbed by Monday morning in the drive to test airport cargo staff, the official Xinhua news agency reported, and results had come back negative on over 11,500 so far.

Frontline cargo workers will be given regular tests in the future and those in high-risk jobs will also be given vaccines for Covid-19, Xinhua added, citing Shanghai Airport Authority vice-president Zhou Junlong, who said the process would be voluntary.

China has been giving experimental Covid-19 vaccines to people including state employees, international students and essential workers heading abroad since July.

On Monday authorities said two cargo handlers at the airport who tested positive earlier this month had entered and cleaned a container arriving from North America -- without wearing masks -- in late October.

China has been rolling out mass-testing campaigns upon the emergence of local cases, and authorities have recently shifted their focus to imported frozen food and other imports, which are blamed for a resurgence of local infections.

A cluster of domestic cases has also been reported in the northern port city of Tianjin, where state media said 2.6 million people are being tested.

Staff at Shanghai's biggest international airport are facing mass testing after a small outbreak of Covid-19 in the city was linked to several cargo handlers, with plans underway to vaccinate high-risk workers.

Staff at Shanghai's biggest international airport are facing mass testing after a small outbreak of Covid-19 in the city was linked to several cargo handlers, with plans underway to vaccinate high-risk workers. Life in China -- where the virus first emerged late last year -- has largely returned to normal following strict testing and harsh lockdowns, but there has been a series of sporadic local outbreaks over recent months. Shanghai has reported six local infections linked to the airport this month, with most of the cases in the past few days. *Chaos at Shanghai Pudong Airport after three recent confirmed COVID-19 cases are airport workers. #上海 #浦东 #China pic.twitter.com/cHcwcRay9d — ChinaPropertyFocus (@ChinaPropFocus) November 22, 2020 × Overnight Sunday into Monday, workers in full protective gear ushered Pudong International Airport staff into a multi-storey car park to have the virus test, with videos posted online by Shanghai health authorities showing scores of people filing into the facility. More than 17,700 people had been swabbed by Monday morning in the drive to test airport cargo staff, the official Xinhua news agency reported, and results had come back negative on over 11,500 so far. Frontline cargo workers will be given regular tests in the future and those in high-risk jobs will also be given vaccines for Covid-19, Xinhua added, citing Shanghai Airport Authority vice-president Zhou Junlong, who said the process would be voluntary. China has been giving experimental Covid-19 vaccines to people including state employees, international students and essential workers heading abroad since July. On Monday authorities said two cargo handlers at the airport who tested positive earlier this month had entered and cleaned a container arriving from North America -- without wearing masks -- in late October. China has been rolling out mass-testing campaigns upon the emergence of local cases, and authorities have recently shifted their focus to imported frozen food and other imports, which are blamed for a resurgence of local infections. A cluster of domestic cases has also been reported in the northern port city of Tianjin, where state media said 2.6 million people are being tested.

Watch: Shanghai airport plunged into chaos after worker tests positive for Covid, mass testing begins

The Nepali government has sent requests to several countries that are producing Covid-19 vaccines seeking their early availability after they are proven to be effective, officials said here on Sunday. 
 
The requests were made after the Nepali government introduced an ordinance last week, paving the way for bringing the vaccines for emergency use, reports Xinhua news agency.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/moderna-to-charge-25-37-for-covid-19-vaccine-344644" hreflang="en">Moderna to charge $25-$37 for COVID-19 vaccine</a> 
 
"We have sent requests to the countries including China, India, the US, the UK, Russia and Australia for early availability of vaccines," Jageshwor Gautam, spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population told Xinhua. 
 
"The letters were sent through our foreign ministry. It has been three days that we sent the requests," Gautam said. 
 
Sewa Lamsal, spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to Xinhua that such requests were made to a number of countries.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-grants-emergency-use-authorisation-to-regeneron-covid-19-antibodies-344588" hreflang="en">US grants emergency use authorisation to Regeneron Covid-19 antibodies</a> 
 
By introducing an ordinance, the Nepali government has authorized the Department of Drug Administration, the regular of the pharmaceutical sector, to register the vaccines of infectious diseases that have been declared as an epidemic or pandemic. 
 
The department has also been authorized to make necessary recommendations to provide import licenses to the firms or institutions to import vaccines as per the ordinance. 
 
The Nepali government has also formed a high-level committee represented by secretaries of finance, home and foreign affairs ministries to facilitate the early import of the vaccines. 
 
Nepal has so far reported a total of 218,639 coronavirus cases with 1,305 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health and Population.

The Nepali government has sent requests to several countries that are producing Covid-19 vaccines seeking their early availability after they are proven to be effective, officials said here on Sunday.

The Nepali government has sent requests to several countries that are producing Covid-19 vaccines seeking their early availability after they are proven to be effective, officials said here on Sunday. The requests were made after the Nepali government introduced an ordinance last week, paving the way for bringing the vaccines for emergency use, reports Xinhua news agency. Also read| Moderna to charge $25-$37 for COVID-19 vaccine "We have sent requests to the countries including China, India, the US, the UK, Russia and Australia for early availability of vaccines," Jageshwor Gautam, spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population told Xinhua. "The letters were sent through our foreign ministry. It has been three days that we sent the requests," Gautam said. Sewa Lamsal, spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to Xinhua that such requests were made to a number of countries. Also read| US grants emergency use authorisation to Regeneron Covid-19 antibodies By introducing an ordinance, the Nepali government has authorized the Department of Drug Administration, the regular of the pharmaceutical sector, to register the vaccines of infectious diseases that have been declared as an epidemic or pandemic. The department has also been authorized to make necessary recommendations to provide import licenses to the firms or institutions to import vaccines as per the ordinance. The Nepali government has also formed a high-level committee represented by secretaries of finance, home and foreign affairs ministries to facilitate the early import of the vaccines. Nepal has so far reported a total of 218,639 coronavirus cases with 1,305 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health and Population.

Nepal seeks early availability of Covid-19 vaccines

The year 2020 began with a grim atmosphere as the novel coronavirus took over the world, sending billions of people around the globe in a lockdown. The situation became worse as the year progressed and the world lost millions to the deadly virus.

However, now, as the&nbsp;end of the year is nearing, scientists are inching closer to developing a coronavirus vaccine. To add to the good news, a British study has now found that people who have been affected by the virus once are unlikely to contract the deadly disease again at least for the next six months.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pfizer-biontech-apply-for-covid-19-vaccine-approval-in-us-344445">Pfizer-BioNTech apply for COVID-19 vaccine approval in US</a>

This study, the World Health Organization (WHO) says is a hope the world needed at this point of the year. "This is really good news to see that we are seeing sustained levels of immune response in humans so far," said Mike Ryan,&nbsp;WHO’s top emergency expert. "It also gives us hope on the vaccine side."

However, WHO's technical lead on COVID-19,&nbsp;Kerkhove, has asked people and researchers to exercise caution even after the study has been proved right. "We still need to follow these individuals for a longer period of time to see how long immunity lasts," said&nbsp;Kerkhove.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fauci-guarantees-accuracy-in-pfizer-moderna-covid-19-vaccine-data-344204">Fauci guarantees accuracy in Pfizer, Moderna COVID-19 vaccine data</a>

The news has come after the US biotech giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech have applied for immediate approval of the vaccine in the country on Friday.

"The FDA recognizes that transparency and dialogue are critical for the public to have confidence in COVID-19 vaccines," Stephen Hahn, organisation n head, said. "I want to assure the American people that the FDA's process and evaluation of the data for a potential COVID-19 vaccine will be as open and transparent as possible."

The year 2020 began with a grim atmosphere as the novel coronavirus took over the world, sending billions of people around the globe in a lockdown. The situation became worse as the year progressed and the world lost millions to the deadly virus.

The year 2020 began with a grim atmosphere as the novel coronavirus took over the world, sending billions of people around the globe in a lockdown. The situation became worse as the year progressed and the world lost millions to the deadly virus. However, now, as the end of the year is nearing, scientists are inching closer to developing a coronavirus vaccine. To add to the good news, a British study has now found that people who have been affected by the virus once are unlikely to contract the deadly disease again at least for the next six months. Also read| Pfizer-BioNTech apply for COVID-19 vaccine approval in US This study, the World Health Organization (WHO) says is a hope the world needed at this point of the year. "This is really good news to see that we are seeing sustained levels of immune response in humans so far," said Mike Ryan, WHO’s top emergency expert. "It also gives us hope on the vaccine side." However, WHO's technical lead on COVID-19, Kerkhove, has asked people and researchers to exercise caution even after the study has been proved right. "We still need to follow these individuals for a longer period of time to see how long immunity lasts," said Kerkhove. Also read| Fauci guarantees accuracy in Pfizer, Moderna COVID-19 vaccine data The news has come after the US biotech giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech have applied for immediate approval of the vaccine in the country on Friday. "The FDA recognizes that transparency and dialogue are critical for the public to have confidence in COVID-19 vaccines," Stephen Hahn, organisation n head, said. "I want to assure the American people that the FDA's process and evaluation of the data for a potential COVID-19 vaccine will be as open and transparent as possible."

Study claims COVID-19 immunity lasts at least six months; WHO signals hope

India is racing ahead with work on its coronavirus vaccine. Serum Institute has said that Oxford COVID-19 vaccine should be available for the general public by April 2021. US President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday accused Donald Trump of brazenly damaging democracy. And on Thursday, a man attacked several people with a knife in Oberhausen, German authorities said, leaving five injured.

Here are the latest headlines you must not miss:&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-us-continues-to-battle-huge-uptick-as-it-sees-over-2200-new-deaths-344219">Coronavirus: US continues to battle huge uptick as it sees over 2,200 new deaths</a> 
 
<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2020/08/08/153602-us-corona.jpg?itok=vux0e8zM" />The United States in the last 24 hours confirmed more than 2,200 coronavirus deaths, highest ever since May, according to a tally by the Johns Hopkins University tally on Thursday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/oxford-covid-19-vaccine-to-be-available-for-indians-by-april-2021-serum-institute-chief-344212">Oxford COVID-19 vaccine to be available for Indians by April 2021: Serum Institute Chief&nbsp;</a> 
 
<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2020/10/27/166969-coronavirus-vaccine.jpg?itok=xnnXsZ64" />India is racing ahead with work on its coronavirus vaccine as countries around the world sought to conquer the pandemic and rescue their economies.

 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/i-am-confident-he-knows-he-hasnt-won-joe-biden-on-trump-344203">‘I am confident he knows he hasn't won’: Joe Biden on Trump</a> 
 
<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2020/11/16/170065-untitled-design-18.jpg?itok=_N2v_Zfr" />

US President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday accused Donald Trump of brazenly damaging democracy as the incumbent pressed on with a campaign to reverse his election loss through fraud claims and personal outreach to election authorities.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/germany-stabbing-attack-five-injured-in-oberhausen-suspect-arrested-344208">Germany stabbing attack: Five injured in Oberhausen, suspect arrested</a> 
 
<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2020/11/20/170450-german-police.JPG?itok=ZCwC-Pd0" />

A man attacked several people with a knife in Oberhausen on Thursday evening, German authorities said, leaving five injured. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/irans-revolutionary-guard-corps-unleashes-new-warship-with-drones-helicopters-onboard-344150">In pics: Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps unleashes new warship with drones, helicopters onboard</a> 
 
<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/2020/11/19/170394-warship3.jpg" /> 
&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/your-story-21-year-old-student-begins-a-start-up-company-in-kabul-344202/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

India is racing ahead with work on its coronavirus vaccine. Serum Institute has said that Oxford COVID-19 vaccine should be available for the general public by April 2021.

India is racing ahead with work on its coronavirus vaccine. Serum Institute has said that Oxford COVID-19 vaccine should be available for the general public by April 2021. US President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday accused Donald Trump of brazenly damaging democracy. And on Thursday, a man attacked several people with a knife in Oberhausen, German authorities said, leaving five injured. Here are the latest headlines you must not miss: Coronavirus: US continues to battle huge uptick as it sees over 2,200 new deaths The United States in the last 24 hours confirmed more than 2,200 coronavirus deaths, highest ever since May, according to a tally by the Johns Hopkins University tally on Thursday. Oxford COVID-19 vaccine to be available for Indians by April 2021: Serum Institute Chief India is racing ahead with work on its coronavirus vaccine as countries around the world sought to conquer the pandemic and rescue their economies. ‘I am confident he knows he hasn't won’: Joe Biden on Trump US President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday accused Donald Trump of brazenly damaging democracy as the incumbent pressed on with a campaign to reverse his election loss through fraud claims and personal outreach to election authorities. Germany stabbing attack: Five injured in Oberhausen, suspect arrested A man attacked several people with a knife in Oberhausen on Thursday evening, German authorities said, leaving five injured. In pics: Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps unleashes new warship with drones, helicopters onboard

Morning news brief: Covid vaccine by April, Biden criticizes Trump, and more

A report by Microsoft revealed that hackers for the Russian and North Korean governments have targeted more than half a dozen of organisations involved in the COVID-19 treatment and vaccine research from around the globe.

In this report by Microsoft, the tech giant stated that a Russian hacking group, known as 'Fancy Bear', and a pair of North Korean actors called "Zinc" and "Cerium", by Microsoft, were implicated as they tried to break into the networks of nearly seven&nbsp;pharmaceutical companies and vaccine researchers in fice countries, namely, Canada, France, India, South Korea, and the United States.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-russias-covid-19-vaccine-sputnik-v-arrives-in-india-342873" hreflang="en">Watch: Russia's COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V arrives in India</a>

While the majority of the break-in attempts failed, a few unspecified numbers of attempts succeeded. Majority of these attacks were aimed at medical organisations that were involved in the process of testing the COVID-19 vaccine. However, Microsoft has declined to publically identify the companies that were targetted by Rusian and North Korean hackers. The software company has also refused to provide a timeline of these attacks.

The Russian embassy in Washington, however, has declined all such accusations in the past. This time, too, the officials said there was "nothing that we can add" to the previous statements of denials.

This report came as several countries in the world are competing to produce and distribute the first COVID-19 vaccine to the world, as a lot of countries have now stepped into the second wave of coronavirus.

Microsoft also urged that a new&nbsp;set of global rules and regulations barring digital intrusions aimed at healthcare providers should be set up.

Microsoft executive Tom Burt said in a statement his company was timing its announcement with Microsoft President Brad Smith's appearance at the virtual Paris Peace Forum, where he would call on world leaders "to affirm that international law protects health care facilities and to take action to enforce the law."

A report by Microsoft revealed that hackers for the Russian and North Korean governments have targeted more than half a dozen of organisations involved in the COVID-19 treatment and vaccine research from around the globe.

A report by Microsoft revealed that hackers for the Russian and North Korean governments have targeted more than half a dozen of organisations involved in the COVID-19 treatment and vaccine research from around the globe. In this report by Microsoft, the tech giant stated that a Russian hacking group, known as 'Fancy Bear', and a pair of North Korean actors called "Zinc" and "Cerium", by Microsoft, were implicated as they tried to break into the networks of nearly seven pharmaceutical companies and vaccine researchers in fice countries, namely, Canada, France, India, South Korea, and the United States. Watch: Russia's COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V arrives in India While the majority of the break-in attempts failed, a few unspecified numbers of attempts succeeded. Majority of these attacks were aimed at medical organisations that were involved in the process of testing the COVID-19 vaccine. However, Microsoft has declined to publically identify the companies that were targetted by Rusian and North Korean hackers. The software company has also refused to provide a timeline of these attacks. The Russian embassy in Washington, however, has declined all such accusations in the past. This time, too, the officials said there was "nothing that we can add" to the previous statements of denials. This report came as several countries in the world are competing to produce and distribute the first COVID-19 vaccine to the world, as a lot of countries have now stepped into the second wave of coronavirus. Microsoft also urged that a new set of global rules and regulations barring digital intrusions aimed at healthcare providers should be set up. Microsoft executive Tom Burt said in a statement his company was timing its announcement with Microsoft President Brad Smith's appearance at the virtual Paris Peace Forum, where he would call on world leaders "to affirm that international law protects health care facilities and to take action to enforce the law."

Hackers from Russia, North Korea targeted COVID-19 vaccine: Microsoft

Israel signed a deal with Pfizer Inc on Friday to receive 8 million doses of the drugmaker`s potential COVID-19 vaccine, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, enough to cover close to half of Israel`s population.

Pfizer and German partner BioNTech SE confirmed a deal was forthcoming in a statement on Thursday but did not disclose financial details. There was no immediate comment from the two companies on Friday.

The agreement still requires approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Israel's health ministry, Israeli Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said. Pfizer is expected to apply for approval this month, he added.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-russias-covid-19-vaccine-sputnik-v-arrives-in-india-342873">Also&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-russias-covid-19-vaccine-sputnik-v-arrives-in-india-342873" hreflang="en">watch: Russia's COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V arrives in India</a>

Pfizer`s potential vaccine is likely to be a two-dose course of treatment, meaning that 8 million doses would cover 4 million of Israel`s 9 million population. 
In televised remarks, Netanyahu said the agreement marked "a great day for Israel" and added: "The goal is for the vaccine supply to start in January and increase in the months thereafter".

Pfizer on Monday announced that its experimental COVID-19 vaccine was more than 90% effective based on initial trial results, a potential major victory in the war against a virus that has killed more than a million people and battered the world economy.

In addition to its new deal with Pfizer, Israel has an agreement with Moderna Inc for the future purchase of its potential vaccine. Moderna said on Wednesday it had enough data for a first interim analysis of the late-stage trial of its vaccine candidate.

Israel signed a deal with Pfizer Inc on Friday to receive 8 million doses of the drugmaker`s potential COVID-19 vaccine, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, enough to cover close to half of Israel`s population.

Israel signed a deal with Pfizer Inc on Friday to receive 8 million doses of the drugmaker`s potential COVID-19 vaccine, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, enough to cover close to half of Israel`s population. Pfizer and German partner BioNTech SE confirmed a deal was forthcoming in a statement on Thursday but did not disclose financial details. There was no immediate comment from the two companies on Friday. The agreement still requires approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Israel's health ministry, Israeli Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said. Pfizer is expected to apply for approval this month, he added. Also watch: Russia's COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V arrives in India Pfizer`s potential vaccine is likely to be a two-dose course of treatment, meaning that 8 million doses would cover 4 million of Israel`s 9 million population. In televised remarks, Netanyahu said the agreement marked "a great day for Israel" and added: "The goal is for the vaccine supply to start in January and increase in the months thereafter". Pfizer on Monday announced that its experimental COVID-19 vaccine was more than 90% effective based on initial trial results, a potential major victory in the war against a virus that has killed more than a million people and battered the world economy. In addition to its new deal with Pfizer, Israel has an agreement with Moderna Inc for the future purchase of its potential vaccine. Moderna said on Wednesday it had enough data for a first interim analysis of the late-stage trial of its vaccine candidate.

Israel signs deal with Pfizer for potential COVID-19 vaccine

For the first time, the United States reported more than 150,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day, driven by record infection counts in more than a dozen states.

This is an alarming record that came just over a week after the country first experienced 100,000 cases in a single day.

More than 153,000 new cases were recorded in the US and the nation’s total topped 10.5 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.&nbsp;

California became the second state in the country after Texas to surpass one million total cases.

Meanwhile, deaths are also averaging to over 1,000 each day.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker suggested that he could soon impose a stay-at-home order in the state, where more than 75,000 cases have emerged in the last week.

"We're running out of time and we're running out of options," New York Times quoted Pritzker.

Case numbers are trending upward in 46 states and holding relatively steady in four, while no state is seeing a decline in cases.

Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Minnesota all exceeded their previous single-day records on Thursday by more than 1,000 cases.

"COVID-19 is everywhere in our state: It is bad everywhere, and it is getting worse everywhere," said Julie Willems Van Dijk, the deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

According to the latest update by Johns Hopkins University, the US currently has 10,546,706 coronavirus cases in total, with 242,622 deaths.

(With inputs from agencies)

For the first time, the United States reported more than 150,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day, driven by record infection counts in more than a dozen states.

For the first time, the United States reported more than 150,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day, driven by record infection counts in more than a dozen states. This is an alarming record that came just over a week after the country first experienced 100,000 cases in a single day. More than 153,000 new cases were recorded in the US and the nation’s total topped 10.5 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. California became the second state in the country after Texas to surpass one million total cases. Meanwhile, deaths are also averaging to over 1,000 each day. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker suggested that he could soon impose a stay-at-home order in the state, where more than 75,000 cases have emerged in the last week. "We're running out of time and we're running out of options," New York Times quoted Pritzker. Case numbers are trending upward in 46 states and holding relatively steady in four, while no state is seeing a decline in cases. Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Minnesota all exceeded their previous single-day records on Thursday by more than 1,000 cases. "COVID-19 is everywhere in our state: It is bad everywhere, and it is getting worse everywhere," said Julie Willems Van Dijk, the deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. According to the latest update by Johns Hopkins University, the US currently has 10,546,706 coronavirus cases in total, with 242,622 deaths. (With inputs from agencies)

US records highest single-day spike with over 150,000 new COVID-19 cases

A nasal spray that blocks the absorption of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has completely protected ferrets it was tested on, according to a small study released Thursday by an international team of scientists. The study, which was limited to animals and has not yet been peer-reviewed, was assessed by several health experts at the request of The New York Times.

If the spray, which the scientists described as nontoxic and stable, is proved to work in humans, it could provide a new way of fighting the pandemic. A daily spritz up the nose would act like a vaccine.

“Having something new that works against the coronavirus is exciting,” said Dr. Arturo Casadevall, the chairman of immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who was not involved in the study. “I could imagine this being part of the arsenal.”

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/covaxin-could-be-available-as-early-as-february-says-icmr-scientist-340936">Covaxin could be available as early as February, says ICMR scientist</a>

The work has been underway for months by scientists from Columbia University Medical Center in New York, Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands and Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Columbia University Medical Center.

The team would require additional funding to pursue clinical trials in humans. Dr. Anne Moscona, a paediatrician and microbiologist at Columbia and co-author of the study, said they had applied for a patent on the product, and she hoped Columbia University would approach the federal government’s Operation Warp Speed or large pharmaceutical companies that are seeking new ways to combat the coronavirus.

The spray attacks the virus directly. It contains a lipopeptide, a cholesterol particle linked to a chain of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. This particular lipopeptide exactly matches a stretch of amino acids in the spike protein of the virus, which the pathogen uses to attach to a human airway or lung cell.

Before a virus can inject its RNA into a cell, the spike must effectively unzip, exposing two chains of amino acids, in order to fuse to the cell wall. As the spike zips back up to complete the process, the lipopeptide in the spray inserts itself, latching on to one of the spike’s amino acid chains and preventing the virus from attaching.

“It is like you are zipping a zipper but you put another zipper inside, so the two sides cannot meet,” said Matteo Porotto, a microbiologist at Columbia University and one of the paper’s authors.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/bangladesh-signs-deal-with-india-for-30-million-doses-of-covid-19-vaccine-340815" hreflang="en">Bangladesh signs deal with India for 30 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine</a>

The work was described in a paper posted to the preprint server bioRxiv Thursday morning, and has been submitted to the journal Science for peer review.

Dr. Peter J. Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, said the therapy looked “really promising.”

“What I’d like to know now is how easy it is to scale production,” he said.

In the study, the spray was given to six ferrets, which were then divided into pairs and placed in three cages. Into each cage also went two ferrets that had been given a placebo spray and one ferret that had been deliberately infected with SARS-CoV-2 a day or two earlier.

Ferrets are used by scientists studying flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome and other respiratory diseases because they can catch viruses through the nose much as humans do, although they also infect each other by contact with feces or by scratching and biting.

After 24 hours together, none of the sprayed ferrets caught the disease; all the placebo-group ferrets did.

“Virus replication was completely blocked,” the authors wrote.

The protective spray attaches to cells in the nose and lungs and lasts about 24 hours, Moscona said. “If it works this well in humans, you could sleep in a bed with someone infected or be with your infected kids and still be safe,” she said.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-pm-boris-johnsons-ambitious-mass-testing-program-fails-to-detect-over-50-cases-in-crucial-trial-340977">UK PM Boris Johnson's ambitious mass testing program fails to detect over 50% cases in crucial trial</a>

The amino acids come from a stretch of the spike protein in coronaviruses that rarely mutates. The scientists tested it against four different variants of the virus, including both the well-known “Wuhan” and “Italian” strains, and also against the coronaviruses that cause SARS and Middle East respiratory syndrome.

In cell cultures, it protected completely against all strains of the pandemic virus, fairly well against SARS and partially against MERS.

The lipoprotein can be inexpensively produced as a freeze-dried white powder that does not need refrigeration, Moscona said. A doctor or pharmacist could mix the powder with sugar and water to produce a nasal spray.

Monoclonal antibodies to the new coronavirus have been shown to prevent infection as well as treat it, but they are expensive to make, require refrigeration and must be injected. Australian scientists have tested a nasal spray against COVID-19 in ferrets, but it works by enhancing the immune system, not by targeting the virus directly.

Because lipopeptides can be shipped as a dry powder, they could be used even in rural areas in poor countries that lack refrigeration, Moscona said.

Moscona, a pediatrician who usually works on parainfluenza and other viruses that infect children, said she was most interested in getting the product to poor countries that may never have access to the monoclonal antibodies and mRNA vaccines that Americans may soon have. But she has little experience in that arena, she said.

“I’ve always been a basic scientist,” she said. “I’ve never done drug development or taken anything to the FDA or anything like that.”

A nasal spray that blocks the absorption of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has completely protected ferrets it was tested on, according to a small study released Thursday by an international team of scientists.

A nasal spray that blocks the absorption of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has completely protected ferrets it was tested on, according to a small study released Thursday by an international team of scientists. The study, which was limited to animals and has not yet been peer-reviewed, was assessed by several health experts at the request of The New York Times. If the spray, which the scientists described as nontoxic and stable, is proved to work in humans, it could provide a new way of fighting the pandemic. A daily spritz up the nose would act like a vaccine. “Having something new that works against the coronavirus is exciting,” said Dr. Arturo Casadevall, the chairman of immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who was not involved in the study. “I could imagine this being part of the arsenal.” Also read| Covaxin could be available as early as February, says ICMR scientist The work has been underway for months by scientists from Columbia University Medical Center in New York, Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands and Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Columbia University Medical Center. The team would require additional funding to pursue clinical trials in humans. Dr. Anne Moscona, a paediatrician and microbiologist at Columbia and co-author of the study, said they had applied for a patent on the product, and she hoped Columbia University would approach the federal government’s Operation Warp Speed or large pharmaceutical companies that are seeking new ways to combat the coronavirus. The spray attacks the virus directly. It contains a lipopeptide, a cholesterol particle linked to a chain of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. This particular lipopeptide exactly matches a stretch of amino acids in the spike protein of the virus, which the pathogen uses to attach to a human airway or lung cell. Before a virus can inject its RNA into a cell, the spike must effectively unzip, exposing two chains of amino acids, in order to fuse to the cell wall. As the spike zips back up to complete the process, the lipopeptide in the spray inserts itself, latching on to one of the spike’s amino acid chains and preventing the virus from attaching. “It is like you are zipping a zipper but you put another zipper inside, so the two sides cannot meet,” said Matteo Porotto, a microbiologist at Columbia University and one of the paper’s authors. Also read| Bangladesh signs deal with India for 30 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine The work was described in a paper posted to the preprint server bioRxiv Thursday morning, and has been submitted to the journal Science for peer review. Dr. Peter J. Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, said the therapy looked “really promising.” “What I’d like to know now is how easy it is to scale production,” he said. In the study, the spray was given to six ferrets, which were then divided into pairs and placed in three cages. Into each cage also went two ferrets that had been given a placebo spray and one ferret that had been deliberately infected with SARS-CoV-2 a day or two earlier. Ferrets are used by scientists studying flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome and other respiratory diseases because they can catch viruses through the nose much as humans do, although they also infect each other by contact with feces or by scratching and biting. After 24 hours together, none of the sprayed ferrets caught the disease; all the placebo-group ferrets did. “Virus replication was completely blocked,” the authors wrote. The protective spray attaches to cells in the nose and lungs and lasts about 24 hours, Moscona said. “If it works this well in humans, you could sleep in a bed with someone infected or be with your infected kids and still be safe,” she said. Also read| UK PM Boris Johnson's ambitious mass testing program fails to detect over 50% cases in crucial trial The amino acids come from a stretch of the spike protein in coronaviruses that rarely mutates. The scientists tested it against four different variants of the virus, including both the well-known “Wuhan” and “Italian” strains, and also against the coronaviruses that cause SARS and Middle East respiratory syndrome. In cell cultures, it protected completely against all strains of the pandemic virus, fairly well against SARS and partially against MERS. The lipoprotein can be inexpensively produced as a freeze-dried white powder that does not need refrigeration, Moscona said. A doctor or pharmacist could mix the powder with sugar and water to produce a nasal spray. Monoclonal antibodies to the new coronavirus have been shown to prevent infection as well as treat it, but they are expensive to make, require refrigeration and must be injected. Australian scientists have tested a nasal spray against COVID-19 in ferrets, but it works by enhancing the immune system, not by targeting the virus directly. Because lipopeptides can be shipped as a dry powder, they could be used even in rural areas in poor countries that lack refrigeration, Moscona said. Moscona, a pediatrician who usually works on parainfluenza and other viruses that infect children, said she was most interested in getting the product to poor countries that may never have access to the monoclonal antibodies and mRNA vaccines that Americans may soon have. But she has little experience in that arena, she said. “I’ve always been a basic scientist,” she said. “I’ve never done drug development or taken anything to the FDA or anything like that.”

Nasal spray prevents COVID infection in ferrets, study finds

As the coronavirus cases are on a rise again, India is combining resources to fast track the production of a COVID-19 vaccine,&nbsp;COVAXIN.

A senior government scientist&nbsp;told a news agency, Reuters, that the COVID-19 vaccine could be launched by February 2021, as the vaccine trials have been showing good results and the last stage of the trial will begin this month.

Watch |&nbsp;

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COVAXIN is being developed a private Indian company,&nbsp;Bharat Biotech, with the aid of government-run&nbsp;&nbsp;Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

The news has come as a welcome surprise as the company had earlier claimed that the vaccine could only be ready by the second quarter of 2021.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-adds-over-50000-new-coronavirus-cases-in-a-day-340753" hreflang="en">India adds over 50,000 new coronavirus cases in a day</a>

"The vaccine has shown good efficacy," senior ICMR scientist Rajni Kant, who is also a member of its COVID-19 task-force, said at the research body`s New Delhi headquarters on Thursday.

"It is expected that by the beginning of next year, February or March, something would be available."

The statement came after India recorded more than 50,201 coronavirus cases in the country on Thursday morning taking the toll beyond 8.3 million, and the death toll rose to&nbsp;124,315.

"It has shown safety and efficacy in the phase 1 and 2 trials and in the animal studies - so it is safe but you can`t be 100% sure unless the phase 3 trials are over," Kant, head of ICMR's research management, policy, planning and coordination cell said.

"There may be some risk, if you are ready to take the risk, you can take the vaccine. If necessary, the government can think of giving the vaccine in an emergency situation."

As the coronavirus cases are on a rise again, India is combining resources to fast track the production of a COVID-19 vaccine, COVAXIN. A senior government scientist told a news agency, Reuters, that the COVID-19 vaccine could be launched by February 2021, as the vaccine trials have been showing good results and the last stage of the trial will begin this month.

As the coronavirus cases are on a rise again, India is combining resources to fast track the production of a COVID-19 vaccine, COVAXIN. A senior government scientist told a news agency, Reuters, that the COVID-19 vaccine could be launched by February 2021, as the vaccine trials have been showing good results and the last stage of the trial will begin this month. Watch | COVAXIN is being developed a private Indian company, Bharat Biotech, with the aid of government-run Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The news has come as a welcome surprise as the company had earlier claimed that the vaccine could only be ready by the second quarter of 2021. Also read| India adds over 50,000 new coronavirus cases in a day "The vaccine has shown good efficacy," senior ICMR scientist Rajni Kant, who is also a member of its COVID-19 task-force, said at the research body`s New Delhi headquarters on Thursday. "It is expected that by the beginning of next year, February or March, something would be available." The statement came after India recorded more than 50,201 coronavirus cases in the country on Thursday morning taking the toll beyond 8.3 million, and the death toll rose to 124,315. "It has shown safety and efficacy in the phase 1 and 2 trials and in the animal studies - so it is safe but you can`t be 100% sure unless the phase 3 trials are over," Kant, head of ICMR's research management, policy, planning and coordination cell said. "There may be some risk, if you are ready to take the risk, you can take the vaccine. If necessary, the government can think of giving the vaccine in an emergency situation."

India's COVID-19 vaccine to be ready by February: Sources

The Australian government has agreed to purchase two more COVID-19 vaccines in development, beefing up the country`s prospective arsenal against the pandemic to 135 million doses as it aims to complete a mass inoculation programme within months.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday the government will buy 40 million vaccine doses from Novavax, and 10 million from Pfizer and BioNTech.

That adds to the 85 million doses Australia has already committed to buy from AstraZeneca and CSL Ltd should trials prove successful, taking the country`s total anticipated outlay to A$3.2 billion ($2.3 billion).

"We aren`t putting all our eggs in one basket," Morrison told reporters in Sydney.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/in-hunt-for-virus-source-who-let-china-take-charge-340029">In hunt for virus source, WHO let China take charge</a>

Health Minister Greg Hunt said the Novavax and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, which will be manufacturd in the United States and Europe, would complement the AstraZeneca and CSL products, which would be manufactured in Australia.

"That means we are now in a very strong position with the portfolio of four different vaccines, two protein, one viral vector and one MRMA, which is the Pfizer vaccine, and that`s innovative - the world hasn`t had an MRMA vaccine before," Hunt told TV broadcaster Nine Network.

The Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Novavax vaccines are considered to be among the leading candidates in the global race to receive regulatory approval.

Should trials prove successful, Australia expects to receive the first batches of the AstraZeneca vaccine in early 2021 and begin a mass rollout in March to be completed by the end of the year.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/beijing-bars-arrivals-from-uk-belgium-due-to-second-covid-19-waves-340721" hreflang="en">Beijing bars arrivals from UK, Belgium due to second COVID-19 waves</a>

If all four vaccines come to market, Australia and its population of 26 million people will find itself with excess doses, even allowing for the fact that many of the candidates in development require two doses to be effective.

Australia has said it plans to donate any excess doses to Pacific Island countries and has committed to spending around A$525 million to ensure Pacific nations and East Timor achieve full immunisation coverage.

Australia is the largest aid donor to the Pacific islands and has sought in recent months to step up its engagement out of concern it risks being overshadowed by Chinese aid and financial support.

Zero local transmission

The announcement of the new planned vaccine purchases came as Australia recorded no cases of locally transmitted COVID-19 over the past 24 hours for the second time in a week. The country on Sunday recorded the first day without any local cases since early June.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-registers-highest-covid-19-cases-in-24-hours-amid-elections-340645" hreflang="en">US registers highest COVID-19 cases in 24 hours amid elections</a>

Australia has reported just over 27,600 coronavirus cases and 907 deaths, far fewer than most other developed countries thanks to extensive testing, contact tracing and lockdowns.

As national case numbers have slowed slowed to fewer than 10 each day, states and territories have been reopening borders and relaxing differing levels of social distancing restrictions.

Qantas Airways on Thursday said it would boost the number of flights between New South Wales and Victoria states after officials announced on Wednesday that border restrictions would be lifted later this month.

The national carrier will go from the ten return flights it is currently operating each week between Sydney and Melbourne to more than 250 flights between the two states weekly. The Sydney-Melbourne route was one of the busiest in the world before the pandemic.

The Australian government has agreed to purchase two more COVID-19 vaccines in development, beefing up the country`s prospective arsenal against the pandemic to 135 million doses as it aims to complete a mass inoculation programme within months.

The Australian government has agreed to purchase two more COVID-19 vaccines in development, beefing up the country`s prospective arsenal against the pandemic to 135 million doses as it aims to complete a mass inoculation programme within months. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday the government will buy 40 million vaccine doses from Novavax, and 10 million from Pfizer and BioNTech. That adds to the 85 million doses Australia has already committed to buy from AstraZeneca and CSL Ltd should trials prove successful, taking the country`s total anticipated outlay to A$3.2 billion ($2.3 billion). "We aren`t putting all our eggs in one basket," Morrison told reporters in Sydney. Also read| In hunt for virus source, WHO let China take charge Health Minister Greg Hunt said the Novavax and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, which will be manufacturd in the United States and Europe, would complement the AstraZeneca and CSL products, which would be manufactured in Australia. "That means we are now in a very strong position with the portfolio of four different vaccines, two protein, one viral vector and one MRMA, which is the Pfizer vaccine, and that`s innovative - the world hasn`t had an MRMA vaccine before," Hunt told TV broadcaster Nine Network. The Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Novavax vaccines are considered to be among the leading candidates in the global race to receive regulatory approval. Should trials prove successful, Australia expects to receive the first batches of the AstraZeneca vaccine in early 2021 and begin a mass rollout in March to be completed by the end of the year. Also read| Beijing bars arrivals from UK, Belgium due to second COVID-19 waves If all four vaccines come to market, Australia and its population of 26 million people will find itself with excess doses, even allowing for the fact that many of the candidates in development require two doses to be effective. Australia has said it plans to donate any excess doses to Pacific Island countries and has committed to spending around A$525 million to ensure Pacific nations and East Timor achieve full immunisation coverage. Australia is the largest aid donor to the Pacific islands and has sought in recent months to step up its engagement out of concern it risks being overshadowed by Chinese aid and financial support. Zero local transmission The announcement of the new planned vaccine purchases came as Australia recorded no cases of locally transmitted COVID-19 over the past 24 hours for the second time in a week. The country on Sunday recorded the first day without any local cases since early June. Also read| US registers highest COVID-19 cases in 24 hours amid elections Australia has reported just over 27,600 coronavirus cases and 907 deaths, far fewer than most other developed countries thanks to extensive testing, contact tracing and lockdowns. As national case numbers have slowed slowed to fewer than 10 each day, states and territories have been reopening borders and relaxing differing levels of social distancing restrictions. Qantas Airways on Thursday said it would boost the number of flights between New South Wales and Victoria states after officials announced on Wednesday that border restrictions would be lifted later this month. The national carrier will go from the ten return flights it is currently operating each week between Sydney and Melbourne to more than 250 flights between the two states weekly. The Sydney-Melbourne route was one of the busiest in the world before the pandemic.

Australia orders more COVID-19 vaccines for total of 135 million doses

As the world is rushing towards manufacturing and producing a COVID-19 vaccine,&nbsp;the&nbsp;Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has refused to pay for the coronavirus vaccine being developed by a Chinese company&nbsp;Sinovac Biotech.

A few days ago when asked if he would be aiming to get the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine, Bolsonaro issued a stern 'no' and said, "We will not buy a Chinese vaccine."

Now, Bolsonaro has taken a shot at the&nbsp;Sao Paulo Governor for promoting a coronavirus vaccine.&nbsp;“Dear Sao Paulo Governor (João Doria), I know you’re passionate. You know this but no one is going to take a forced vaccine, it would be difficult,” the president said.

“Find another. I am the government, the money is not mine but the people’s. I am not going to buy your vaccine also. Find another to buy your vaccine.”

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/brazils-jair-bolsonaro-rejects-chinese-covid-19-vaccine-336929">Also read|&nbsp;Brazil will not buy China's Sinovac vaccine, says President Jair Bolsonaro</a>

The statement has come at a time when Brazil is crippling with the coronavirus pandemic and has been observing single-day surges of coronavirus infections. The daily surge has led to people and health experts urging the President to initiate another lockdown, like many other European and Western countries.

However, Bolsonaro has defined these lockdowns by other countries to be&nbsp;"crazy". Bolsonaro has been a critic of full lockdowns and "stay-at-home" measures, claiming the virus is being hyped.

Bolsonaro's decision to deny purchase of the Chinese coronavirus vaccine has also attracted criticism from many experts who have urged the President to let the vaccine enter the country to contain the widespread of the deadly virus&nbsp;which has affected millions of locals, including the President and his family.

The statement was also followed by a comment from the&nbsp;head of the country's health regulator Anvisa, Antonio Barra Torres who has claimed that Brazil will have a COVID-19 vaccine ready by June

Meanwhile,&nbsp;Sao Paulo state biomedical research centre, the Butantan Institute, is testing the Sinovac vaccine, and Governor João Doria said he hopes to have health regulator approval by the end of the year to start vaccinating people in January.

As the world is rushing towards manufacturing and producing a COVID-19 vaccine, the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has refused to pay for the coronavirus vaccine being developed by a Chinese company Sinovac Biotech.

As the world is rushing towards manufacturing and producing a COVID-19 vaccine, the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has refused to pay for the coronavirus vaccine being developed by a Chinese company Sinovac Biotech. A few days ago when asked if he would be aiming to get the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine, Bolsonaro issued a stern 'no' and said, "We will not buy a Chinese vaccine." Now, Bolsonaro has taken a shot at the Sao Paulo Governor for promoting a coronavirus vaccine. “Dear Sao Paulo Governor (João Doria), I know you’re passionate. You know this but no one is going to take a forced vaccine, it would be difficult,” the president said. “Find another. I am the government, the money is not mine but the people’s. I am not going to buy your vaccine also. Find another to buy your vaccine.” Also read| Brazil will not buy China's Sinovac vaccine, says President Jair Bolsonaro The statement has come at a time when Brazil is crippling with the coronavirus pandemic and has been observing single-day surges of coronavirus infections. The daily surge has led to people and health experts urging the President to initiate another lockdown, like many other European and Western countries. However, Bolsonaro has defined these lockdowns by other countries to be "crazy". Bolsonaro has been a critic of full lockdowns and "stay-at-home" measures, claiming the virus is being hyped. Bolsonaro's decision to deny purchase of the Chinese coronavirus vaccine has also attracted criticism from many experts who have urged the President to let the vaccine enter the country to contain the widespread of the deadly virus which has affected millions of locals, including the President and his family. The statement was also followed by a comment from the head of the country's health regulator Anvisa, Antonio Barra Torres who has claimed that Brazil will have a COVID-19 vaccine ready by June Meanwhile, Sao Paulo state biomedical research centre, the Butantan Institute, is testing the Sinovac vaccine, and Governor João Doria said he hopes to have health regulator approval by the end of the year to start vaccinating people in January.

Brazil's Bolsonaro refuses to pay for Chinese COVID-19 vaccine

Oxford is developing a COVID-19 vaccine with&nbsp;Serum Institute of India, and as the trials further, the CEO&nbsp;Adar Poonawalla has claimed that the vaccine will be available till the end of the year.

As per the CEO, the trials of the Covishield, the coronavirus vaccine, are showing promising results and may be available for production by December. However, he also added that the claim is being made on the basis of the data collected in the UK.

"A&nbsp;lot is subject to data from the UK and also a lot depends on the approvals coming through from the Drugs Controller General Of India," Poonawalla told an Indian media house.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/first-generation-of-coronavirus-vaccine-likely-to-be-imperfect-says-uk-taskforce-338477">Also read|&nbsp;First generation of coronavirus vaccine 'likely to be imperfect', says UK taskforce</a>

As per the statement, the researchers will apply for emergency authorisation with the&nbsp;Drugs Controller General Of India if the data from the trials show promising results. Whether or not there will be a need to apply for emergency authorisation will not be clear till the last stage.

He took to Twitter to share the "good news", saying "A lot of people were wondering and asking the question, will these early vaccines be effective for the elderly and most vulnerable, here is some preliminary good news."

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A lot of people were wondering and asking the question, will these early vaccines be effective for the elderly and most vulnerable, here is some preliminary good news. <a href="https://t.co/QEnuifxuiW">https://t.co/QEnuifxuiW</a>
— Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) <a href="https://twitter.com/adarpoonawalla/status/1320752441730633730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Findings on blood tests carried out on a subset of older participants echo data released in July that showed the vaccine generated robust immune responses in healthy adults ages 18 to 55, AstraZeneca said Monday.

“It is encouraging to see immunogenicity responses were similar between older and younger adults and that reactogenicity was lower in older adults, where the Covid-19 disease severity is higher,” AstraZeneca told an American local media channel. “The results further build the body of evidence for the safety and immunogenicity” of the vaccine candidate

The vaccine being developed by Oxford is one of the front runners in the race of several other vaccines being tested by Russia, China and few of the more first-world countries.

Oxford is developing a COVID-19 vaccine with Serum Institute of India, and as the trials further, the CEO Adar Poonawalla has claimed that the vaccine will be available till the end of the year.

Oxford is developing a COVID-19 vaccine with Serum Institute of India, and as the trials further, the CEO Adar Poonawalla has claimed that the vaccine will be available till the end of the year. As per the CEO, the trials of the Covishield, the coronavirus vaccine, are showing promising results and may be available for production by December. However, he also added that the claim is being made on the basis of the data collected in the UK. "A lot is subject to data from the UK and also a lot depends on the approvals coming through from the Drugs Controller General Of India," Poonawalla told an Indian media house. Also read| First generation of coronavirus vaccine 'likely to be imperfect', says UK taskforce As per the statement, the researchers will apply for emergency authorisation with the Drugs Controller General Of India if the data from the trials show promising results. Whether or not there will be a need to apply for emergency authorisation will not be clear till the last stage. He took to Twitter to share the "good news", saying "A lot of people were wondering and asking the question, will these early vaccines be effective for the elderly and most vulnerable, here is some preliminary good news." A lot of people were wondering and asking the question, will these early vaccines be effective for the elderly and most vulnerable, here is some preliminary good news. https://t.co/QEnuifxuiW — Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) October 26, 2020 × Findings on blood tests carried out on a subset of older participants echo data released in July that showed the vaccine generated robust immune responses in healthy adults ages 18 to 55, AstraZeneca said Monday. “It is encouraging to see immunogenicity responses were similar between older and younger adults and that reactogenicity was lower in older adults, where the Covid-19 disease severity is higher,” AstraZeneca told an American local media channel. “The results further build the body of evidence for the safety and immunogenicity” of the vaccine candidate The vaccine being developed by Oxford is one of the front runners in the race of several other vaccines being tested by Russia, China and few of the more first-world countries.

Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine will be ready by December: Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla

The novel coronavirus has changed the lifestyle and habits of people all around the world, and the scientists keep revising the symptoms to make sure they are able to provide the latest information to the people.

In two of&nbsp;such researches, the scientists have found out that a person's&nbsp;blood type can play a very important role in one's vulnerability towards the novel <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">coronavirus</a>.

As per two independent researches conducted, it was revealed that people with the blood group O are less vulnerable to the deadly virus, whereas the blood groups&nbsp;A and AB are most at risk.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/covid-19-increases-risks-for-cancer-patients-common-cold-antibodies-no-help-vs-coronavirus-335363">Also read|&nbsp;COVID-19 increases risks for cancer patients; common cold antibodies no help vs coronavirus</a>

The first&nbsp;research was conducted by a team of researchers from Odense University Hospital and the University of Southern Denmark.

The scientists collected data from the Danish health registry data of over 473,000 people who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

We have the advantage of a strong control group,” Lead author Dr Torben Barington of Odense University Hospital said. “Denmark is a small, ethnically homogenous country with a public health system and a central registry for lab data. So our control is population-based, giving our findings a strong foundation.”

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/long-covid-may-hit-several-body-parts-doctors-335354">Also read|&nbsp;'Long Covid' may hit several body parts: Doctors</a>

As per the observations made according to these data, they concluded that people who had blood type O were less vulnerable whereas people with A and AB were more at risk.

The second research is based on nearly 95 people from&nbsp;Vancouver, Canada who had tested positive for the virus. The interesting observation made in this study was that the patients with the blood group&nbsp;A and AB required more of the&nbsp;mechanical ventilation, as compared to the blood group O. Similar was the case with patients being admitted in the ICU.

Lead author Dr Mypinder Sekhon, of the University of British Columbia, said: “Of particular importance as we continue to traverse the pandemic, we now have a wide range of survivors who are exiting the acute part of Covid-19, but we need to explore mechanisms by which to risk stratify those with longer-term effects.”

The novel coronavirus has changed the lifestyle and habits of people all around the world, and the scientists keep revising the symptoms to make sure they are able to provide the latest information to the people.

The novel coronavirus has changed the lifestyle and habits of people all around the world, and the scientists keep revising the symptoms to make sure they are able to provide the latest information to the people. In two of such researches, the scientists have found out that a person's blood type can play a very important role in one's vulnerability towards the novel coronavirus. As per two independent researches conducted, it was revealed that people with the blood group O are less vulnerable to the deadly virus, whereas the blood groups A and AB are most at risk. Also read| COVID-19 increases risks for cancer patients; common cold antibodies no help vs coronavirus The first research was conducted by a team of researchers from Odense University Hospital and the University of Southern Denmark. The scientists collected data from the Danish health registry data of over 473,000 people who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. We have the advantage of a strong control group,” Lead author Dr Torben Barington of Odense University Hospital said. “Denmark is a small, ethnically homogenous country with a public health system and a central registry for lab data. So our control is population-based, giving our findings a strong foundation.” Also read| 'Long Covid' may hit several body parts: Doctors As per the observations made according to these data, they concluded that people who had blood type O were less vulnerable whereas people with A and AB were more at risk. The second research is based on nearly 95 people from Vancouver, Canada who had tested positive for the virus. The interesting observation made in this study was that the patients with the blood group A and AB required more of the mechanical ventilation, as compared to the blood group O. Similar was the case with patients being admitted in the ICU. Lead author Dr Mypinder Sekhon, of the University of British Columbia, said: “Of particular importance as we continue to traverse the pandemic, we now have a wide range of survivors who are exiting the acute part of Covid-19, but we need to explore mechanisms by which to risk stratify those with longer-term effects.”

This blood group is less vulnerable to the novel coronavirus

As the world is waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine to be launched soon, some scientists have revealed a startling discovery claiming that the vaccines might increase the risk of&nbsp;HIV.

A group of researchers published a report in The&nbsp;Lancet medical journal and claimed that the vaccines in developmental stage may increase the risk of acquiring HIV in the people who use the vaccine.

This statement has been backed by a&nbsp;“cautionary tale” from over a decade ago when a vaccine candidate had risk increased the risk of men, specifically, catching the virus. That vaccine had used a modified virus called&nbsp;adenovirus 5 (Ad5).

Scientists have been suggested to not use this modified virus in vaccines since then. The paper that voted against any further use of this vaccine was led by US' main man on coronavirus task force, Dr. Anthony Fauci.

However, it has been observed that&nbsp;Ad5 has been used as a vector in some of the COVID-19 vaccines. The journal Science has identified four such vaccine candidates all around the world who have mentioned the use of Ad5 in their vaccines. These vaccines are in clinical trial phases, with one being in the US and&nbsp;two in large scale phase 3 trials in Russia and Pakistan.

The researchers of this new study have urged scientists and volunteers to pay more attention to the use of Ad5. People participating in the trial and the consumers of the vaccine should understand that increasing risk of HIV, and the developers of the vaccine should also provide&nbsp;“considerable literature" on the risk of HIV along with consent forms, the researchers said.

The authors have now made their report public as they fear the use of vaccine in areas with high HIV prevalence.&nbsp;“I don’t see why I would pick an Ad5 vector (vaccine) when there are many other alternative choices,"&nbsp;Lawrence Corey, one of the authors told Science.

As the world is waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine to be launched soon, some scientists have revealed a startling discovery claiming that the vaccines might increase the risk of HIV.

As the world is waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine to be launched soon, some scientists have revealed a startling discovery claiming that the vaccines might increase the risk of HIV. A group of researchers published a report in The Lancet medical journal and claimed that the vaccines in developmental stage may increase the risk of acquiring HIV in the people who use the vaccine. This statement has been backed by a “cautionary tale” from over a decade ago when a vaccine candidate had risk increased the risk of men, specifically, catching the virus. That vaccine had used a modified virus called adenovirus 5 (Ad5). Scientists have been suggested to not use this modified virus in vaccines since then. The paper that voted against any further use of this vaccine was led by US' main man on coronavirus task force, Dr. Anthony Fauci. However, it has been observed that Ad5 has been used as a vector in some of the COVID-19 vaccines. The journal Science has identified four such vaccine candidates all around the world who have mentioned the use of Ad5 in their vaccines. These vaccines are in clinical trial phases, with one being in the US and two in large scale phase 3 trials in Russia and Pakistan. The researchers of this new study have urged scientists and volunteers to pay more attention to the use of Ad5. People participating in the trial and the consumers of the vaccine should understand that increasing risk of HIV, and the developers of the vaccine should also provide “considerable literature" on the risk of HIV along with consent forms, the researchers said. The authors have now made their report public as they fear the use of vaccine in areas with high HIV prevalence. “I don’t see why I would pick an Ad5 vector (vaccine) when there are many other alternative choices," Lawrence Corey, one of the authors told Science.

Few COVID-19 vaccines may increase risk of HIV infections: Researchers

Russia's COVID-19 vaccine, which is being marketed as world's first coronavirus vaccine, has received a green signal from the Indian authorities to begin clinical trials in the country.

The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has given approval to&nbsp;Dr Reddy's, a global pharmaceutical company headquartered in India, to conduct phase 2 and 3 clinical human trials of the Sputnik V, the Russian vaccine.

Dr. Reddy's has partnered up with&nbsp;Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) on September 16 to carry out clinical trials and distribution of the Russian vaccine in India.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-spreads-fake-news-about-oxfords-covid-19-vaccine-claims-it-turns-humans-into-monkeys-335768">Also read:&nbsp;Russia spreads fake news about Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine; claims it turns humans into monkeys</a>

Co-chairman and Managing Director of Dr Reddy's Laboratories G.V. Prasad in a statement said "This is a significant development that allows us to commence the clinical trials in India and we are committed to bringing in a safe and efficacious vaccine to combat the pandemic."

"On regulatory approval in India, RDIF shall supply to Dr Reddy`s 100 million doses of the vaccine. The Sputnik V vaccine, which is based on well-studied human adenoviral vector platform with proven safety, is undergoing clinical trials for the coronavirus pandemic," a statement from the Russian fund had earlier stated.

As of now, the authorities are hoping that the deliveries of the vaccine could begin towards the end of 2020.&nbsp;"The agreement between RDIF and Dr Reddy`s reflects the growing awareness of countries and organisations to have a diversified anti-COVID vaccine portfolio to protect their populations," RDIF added.

Russia's COVID-19 vaccine, which is being marketed as world's first coronavirus vaccine, has received a green signal from the Indian authorities to begin clinical trials in the country.

Russia's COVID-19 vaccine, which is being marketed as world's first coronavirus vaccine, has received a green signal from the Indian authorities to begin clinical trials in the country. The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has given approval to Dr Reddy's, a global pharmaceutical company headquartered in India, to conduct phase 2 and 3 clinical human trials of the Sputnik V, the Russian vaccine. Dr. Reddy's has partnered up with Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) on September 16 to carry out clinical trials and distribution of the Russian vaccine in India. Also read: Russia spreads fake news about Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine; claims it turns humans into monkeys Co-chairman and Managing Director of Dr Reddy's Laboratories G.V. Prasad in a statement said "This is a significant development that allows us to commence the clinical trials in India and we are committed to bringing in a safe and efficacious vaccine to combat the pandemic." "On regulatory approval in India, RDIF shall supply to Dr Reddy`s 100 million doses of the vaccine. The Sputnik V vaccine, which is based on well-studied human adenoviral vector platform with proven safety, is undergoing clinical trials for the coronavirus pandemic," a statement from the Russian fund had earlier stated. As of now, the authorities are hoping that the deliveries of the vaccine could begin towards the end of 2020. "The agreement between RDIF and Dr Reddy`s reflects the growing awareness of countries and organisations to have a diversified anti-COVID vaccine portfolio to protect their populations," RDIF added.

COVID-19: Russia's Sputnik V gets go ahead for clinical trials in India

The United States may be within months of a profound turning point in the country’s fight against the coronavirus: the first working vaccine.

Demonstrating that a new vaccine was safe and effective in less than a year would shatter the record for speed, the result of seven-day workweeks for scientists and billions of dollars of investment by the government. Provided enough people can get one, the vaccine may slow a pandemic that has already killed 1 million people worldwide.

It’s tempting to look at the first vaccine as President Donald Trump does: an on-off switch that will bring back life as we know it. “As soon as it’s given the go-ahead, we will get it out, defeat the virus,” he said at a September news conference. But vaccine experts say we should prepare instead for a perplexing, frustrating year.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/covid-19-this-one-blood-group-is-less-vulnerable-to-coronavirus-335456">Also read|&nbsp;COVID-19: This one blood group is less vulnerable to coronavirus</a>

The first vaccines may provide only moderate protection, low enough to make it prudent to keep wearing a mask. By next spring or summer, there may be several of these so-so vaccines, without a clear sense of how to choose from among them. Because of this array of options, makers of a superior vaccine in early stages of development may struggle to finish clinical testing. And some vaccines may be abruptly withdrawn from the market because they turn out not to be safe.

“It has not yet dawned on hardly anybody the amount of complexity and chaos and confusion that will happen in a few short months,” said Dr. Gregory Poland, director of the Vaccine Research Group at the Mayo Clinic.

Some of this confusion is inevitable, but some is the result of how coronavirus vaccine trials were designed: Each company is running its own trial, comparing its jab with a placebo. But it didn’t have to be this way.

In the spring, when government scientists began discussing how to invest in vaccine research, some wanted to test a number of vaccines all at once, against each other — what’s known as a master protocol.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/covid-19-increases-risks-for-cancer-patients-common-cold-antibodies-no-help-vs-coronavirus-335363">Also read|&nbsp;COVID-19 increases risks for cancer patients; common cold antibodies no help vs coronavirus</a>

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was in favor of the idea. But these mega-trials pose a business risk for any given vaccine maker because they reveal how a vaccine stacks up against its competitors.

Instead, the government offered to bankroll large vaccine trials if companies agreed to some common ground rules and shared some data. The companies were still allowed to run the trials on their own.

“You have to have the total cooperation of the pharmaceutical companies to get involved in a master protocol,” Fauci said. “That — I don’t know what the right word is — didn’t turn out to be feasible.”

The vaccine vetting system wasn’t set up for this logjam. Typically, scientists take several years to prepare a vaccine before testing it on people. Early safety trials, known as phase 1 and 2, may take several years.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/long-covid-may-hit-several-body-parts-doctors-335354">Also read|&nbsp;'Long Covid' may hit several body parts: Doctors</a>

If all goes well — and it typically doesn’t — then phase 3, the final stage, can begin, comparing thousands of people who receive a vaccine with thousands who are given a placebo. It may take three more years to get these results. Only then — a decade or more after the research has begun — will a vaccine manufacturer build a factory to make the products.

When the coronavirus began to spread early this year, vaccine researchers around the world knew we could not afford to wait that long. The World Health Organization organized a group of experts to start what came to be known as the Solidarity Vaccines Trial. Several vaccines would be given at random to one large group of volunteers, while a smaller group would receive a placebo.

All of the vaccines would be tested against the same placebo group, and all of the volunteers would be living in the same circumstances. “You have a fully valid comparison, not only of each of those vaccines against placebo, but against each other,” said Thomas Fleming, a biostatistician at the University of Washington and a member of the Solidarity Vaccines Trial group.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/winter-is-coming-is-the-world-ready-to-fight-coronavirus-in-winters-335853">Also read|&nbsp;Winter is coming: Is the world ready to fight coronavirus in winters?</a>

It took nine months to get off the ground, but that trial will start later in October with a small study in Latin America.

Around the same time that the WHO was hatching plans for its mega-trial, U.S. government officials were discussing how they could best invest in — and speed up — vaccine trials. Some researchers, including Fauci, advocated a design much like the WHO’s.

But Moncef Slaoui, chief adviser of Operation Warp Speed, the multiagency effort to hasten the development of coronavirus vaccines and treatments, said in a statement that such a trial would have been impractical. “If OWS had tested all vaccines under one master protocol, the operation would have had to wait months before starting and recruit 200,000 volunteers at the same time.”

In the end, the government opted for what it described as a “harmonized approach.” It would allow vaccine makers to run their own trials, but only if they used protocols that followed certain guidelines and let the National Institutes of Health test all of their volunteers in the same way. In exchange for following these rules, the companies would get to tap into to the NIH’s large network of clinical testing sites and receive major financial support for their trials. Through this program, the government has promised $10 billion to vaccine makers to date.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-lockdowns-led-to-unprecedented-decline-in-global-emissions-study-335217">Also read|&nbsp;Coronavirus lockdowns led to unprecedented decline in global emissions: Study</a>

So far, AstraZeneca, Johnson &amp; Johnson and Moderna have begun trials in the network. Novavax and Sanofi are expected to start their own phase 3 studies in the next couple of months. But Pfizer, one of the front-runners, never joined the network, opting to run trials completely on its own.

If Pfizer’s results turn out well, many experts expect the company to ask the Food and Drug Administration for an emergency authorization of its vaccine, potentially for just one group of high-risk people. The company might then swiftly move to apply for a license, making it widely available.

The authorization of a vaccine will depend on how much protection the vaccine provides in the phase 3 trial — what scientists refer to as its efficacy. In June, the FDA set 50% efficacy as the target for a coronavirus vaccine.

But the efficacy in a trial may not necessarily match its effectiveness out in the real world. That’s because, like any statistical study, phase 3 trials have margins of error. A vaccine that met the FDA’s guidelines might actually be more than 50% effective or might be less so. It might well turn out to be only 35% effective.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-company-sinopharm-offering-free-covid-19-vaccine-to-students-335488">Also read|&nbsp;Chinese company Sinopharm offering free COVID-19 vaccine to students</a>

Whether it goes to Pfizer or another company, that first vaccine authorization could hamper ongoing trials of its competitors. Some volunteers, unsure of whether they had been given an experimental vaccine or a placebo, could drop out of an ongoing trial to get the authorized vaccine, slowing down the research. John Shiver, Sanofi’s global head of vaccine research and development, agreed that this scenario might play out for the company’s vaccine trial.

Things could be even worse for vaccines in earlier stages of testing. Those products might have to prove that they are better than the newly approved vaccine. The difference between two vaccines will be smaller than between a vaccine and a placebo. As a result, these trials may have to be bigger and run longer. The steep cost may be more than many of the small startups working on innovative vaccines can afford.

“That basically prevents the development of better vaccines,” said Dr. Naor Bar-Zeev, a vaccine expert at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Given the massive taxpayer investment, the public should demand better.”

The FDA’s guidelines raise the possibility of testing future vaccines against an authorized one, but they don’t give a clear sense of whether the agency would change the requirements for testing. “We cannot speculate on what may or may not happen in the future,” an FDA spokeswoman said.

Slaoui of Operation Warp Speed said in a statement that once a vaccine is authorized, trials that had not yet started or had just begun recruiting volunteers would be restricted to groups that were not approved to receive the authorized vaccine. Because the first wave of vaccines is likely to go to health care workers or other high-risk groups, this policy could mean these groups would not be allowed to be part of new clinical trials.

By spring or summer, there may well be several coronavirus vaccines for American consumers to choose from. But that choice will be tough. A vaccine that showed 50% efficacy in one trial, for example, might actually be more protective than one showing 60% efficacy in a different trial.

“I can see people reading a lot into even minor differences that could just be statistical chance,” said Natalie Dean, a biostatistician at the University of Florida.

In a phone call with reporters Friday, Paul Mango, an official at the Department of Health and Human Services, said that Operation Warp Speed was on track to have up to 700 million doses of various vaccines by March or April — enough, he said, for “all Americans who wish to get it.” As for who would get which vaccine, he said that would be left up to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee. “They will guide us as to which vaccine is most appropriate for which class of Americans,” he said.

But the advisory committee doesn’t have a plan for that yet, and Dr. Grace Lee, a professor of pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine and a member of that committee, warned it would have a hard time coming up with one. “It’s tough to do, given all the uncertainty with COVID vaccines,” she said.

Even moderately effective vaccines will be a huge help in reducing the cases of COVID-19 — but only if enough people take them, and only if they realize they could still get sick. “We’ll have to continue to use a mask for some of these vaccines,” said Poland of the Mayo Clinic.

The NIH’s harmonized approach for all phase 3 trials getting Operation Warp Speed funding is likely to bring some scientific insights. It’s possible, for example, that across all trials, some molecular signature in a vaccinated person’s blood would show that they were protected. Future trials could simply look for those signatures rather than wait for people to get sick.

There’s no guarantee that such a clear signature will emerge, however. And more uncertainty will come about as regulators continue to look for rare but dangerous side effects in authorized vaccines.

“You’re going to have random events,” Bar-Zeev said. For example, a group of older people could all have strokes shortly after being vaccinated, raising the question of whether the vaccine was the culprit. “It’s very possible that some vaccines will be withdrawn.”

The only way to manage this chaotic year, Poland said, is for scientists to talk honestly about how vaccines are tested and for people to learn what lies ahead. “As long as you frame something in advance, people do better with it,” he said.

The United States may be within months of a profound turning point in the country’s fight against the coronavirus: the first working vaccine. Demonstrating that a new vaccine was safe and effective in less than a year would shatter the record for speed, the result of seven-day workweeks for scientists and billions of dollars of investment by the government.

The United States may be within months of a profound turning point in the country’s fight against the coronavirus: the first working vaccine. Demonstrating that a new vaccine was safe and effective in less than a year would shatter the record for speed, the result of seven-day workweeks for scientists and billions of dollars of investment by the government. Provided enough people can get one, the vaccine may slow a pandemic that has already killed 1 million people worldwide. It’s tempting to look at the first vaccine as President Donald Trump does: an on-off switch that will bring back life as we know it. “As soon as it’s given the go-ahead, we will get it out, defeat the virus,” he said at a September news conference. But vaccine experts say we should prepare instead for a perplexing, frustrating year. Also read| COVID-19: This one blood group is less vulnerable to coronavirus The first vaccines may provide only moderate protection, low enough to make it prudent to keep wearing a mask. By next spring or summer, there may be several of these so-so vaccines, without a clear sense of how to choose from among them. Because of this array of options, makers of a superior vaccine in early stages of development may struggle to finish clinical testing. And some vaccines may be abruptly withdrawn from the market because they turn out not to be safe. “It has not yet dawned on hardly anybody the amount of complexity and chaos and confusion that will happen in a few short months,” said Dr. Gregory Poland, director of the Vaccine Research Group at the Mayo Clinic. Some of this confusion is inevitable, but some is the result of how coronavirus vaccine trials were designed: Each company is running its own trial, comparing its jab with a placebo. But it didn’t have to be this way. In the spring, when government scientists began discussing how to invest in vaccine research, some wanted to test a number of vaccines all at once, against each other — what’s known as a master protocol. Also read| COVID-19 increases risks for cancer patients; common cold antibodies no help vs coronavirus Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was in favor of the idea. But these mega-trials pose a business risk for any given vaccine maker because they reveal how a vaccine stacks up against its competitors. Instead, the government offered to bankroll large vaccine trials if companies agreed to some common ground rules and shared some data. The companies were still allowed to run the trials on their own. “You have to have the total cooperation of the pharmaceutical companies to get involved in a master protocol,” Fauci said. “That — I don’t know what the right word is — didn’t turn out to be feasible.” The vaccine vetting system wasn’t set up for this logjam. Typically, scientists take several years to prepare a vaccine before testing it on people. Early safety trials, known as phase 1 and 2, may take several years. Also read| 'Long Covid' may hit several body parts: Doctors If all goes well — and it typically doesn’t — then phase 3, the final stage, can begin, comparing thousands of people who receive a vaccine with thousands who are given a placebo. It may take three more years to get these results. Only then — a decade or more after the research has begun — will a vaccine manufacturer build a factory to make the products. When the coronavirus began to spread early this year, vaccine researchers around the world knew we could not afford to wait that long. The World Health Organization organized a group of experts to start what came to be known as the Solidarity Vaccines Trial. Several vaccines would be given at random to one large group of volunteers, while a smaller group would receive a placebo. All of the vaccines would be tested against the same placebo group, and all of the volunteers would be living in the same circumstances. “You have a fully valid comparison, not only of each of those vaccines against placebo, but against each other,” said Thomas Fleming, a biostatistician at the University of Washington and a member of the Solidarity Vaccines Trial group. Also read| Winter is coming: Is the world ready to fight coronavirus in winters? It took nine months to get off the ground, but that trial will start later in October with a small study in Latin America. Around the same time that the WHO was hatching plans for its mega-trial, U.S. government officials were discussing how they could best invest in — and speed up — vaccine trials. Some researchers, including Fauci, advocated a design much like the WHO’s. But Moncef Slaoui, chief adviser of Operation Warp Speed, the multiagency effort to hasten the development of coronavirus vaccines and treatments, said in a statement that such a trial would have been impractical. “If OWS had tested all vaccines under one master protocol, the operation would have had to wait months before starting and recruit 200,000 volunteers at the same time.” In the end, the government opted for what it described as a “harmonized approach.” It would allow vaccine makers to run their own trials, but only if they used protocols that followed certain guidelines and let the National Institutes of Health test all of their volunteers in the same way. In exchange for following these rules, the companies would get to tap into to the NIH’s large network of clinical testing sites and receive major financial support for their trials. Through this program, the government has promised $10 billion to vaccine makers to date. Also read| Coronavirus lockdowns led to unprecedented decline in global emissions: Study So far, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna have begun trials in the network. Novavax and Sanofi are expected to start their own phase 3 studies in the next couple of months. But Pfizer, one of the front-runners, never joined the network, opting to run trials completely on its own. If Pfizer’s results turn out well, many experts expect the company to ask the Food and Drug Administration for an emergency authorization of its vaccine, potentially for just one group of high-risk people. The company might then swiftly move to apply for a license, making it widely available. The authorization of a vaccine will depend on how much protection the vaccine provides in the phase 3 trial — what scientists refer to as its efficacy. In June, the FDA set 50% efficacy as the target for a coronavirus vaccine. But the efficacy in a trial may not necessarily match its effectiveness out in the real world. That’s because, like any statistical study, phase 3 trials have margins of error. A vaccine that met the FDA’s guidelines might actually be more than 50% effective or might be less so. It might well turn out to be only 35% effective. Also read| Chinese company Sinopharm offering free COVID-19 vaccine to students Whether it goes to Pfizer or another company, that first vaccine authorization could hamper ongoing trials of its competitors. Some volunteers, unsure of whether they had been given an experimental vaccine or a placebo, could drop out of an ongoing trial to get the authorized vaccine, slowing down the research. John Shiver, Sanofi’s global head of vaccine research and development, agreed that this scenario might play out for the company’s vaccine trial. Things could be even worse for vaccines in earlier stages of testing. Those products might have to prove that they are better than the newly approved vaccine. The difference between two vaccines will be smaller than between a vaccine and a placebo. As a result, these trials may have to be bigger and run longer. The steep cost may be more than many of the small startups working on innovative vaccines can afford. “That basically prevents the development of better vaccines,” said Dr. Naor Bar-Zeev, a vaccine expert at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Given the massive taxpayer investment, the public should demand better.” The FDA’s guidelines raise the possibility of testing future vaccines against an authorized one, but they don’t give a clear sense of whether the agency would change the requirements for testing. “We cannot speculate on what may or may not happen in the future,” an FDA spokeswoman said. Slaoui of Operation Warp Speed said in a statement that once a vaccine is authorized, trials that had not yet started or had just begun recruiting volunteers would be restricted to groups that were not approved to receive the authorized vaccine. Because the first wave of vaccines is likely to go to health care workers or other high-risk groups, this policy could mean these groups would not be allowed to be part of new clinical trials. By spring or summer, there may well be several coronavirus vaccines for American consumers to choose from. But that choice will be tough. A vaccine that showed 50% efficacy in one trial, for example, might actually be more protective than one showing 60% efficacy in a different trial. “I can see people reading a lot into even minor differences that could just be statistical chance,” said Natalie Dean, a biostatistician at the University of Florida. In a phone call with reporters Friday, Paul Mango, an official at the Department of Health and Human Services, said that Operation Warp Speed was on track to have up to 700 million doses of various vaccines by March or April — enough, he said, for “all Americans who wish to get it.” As for who would get which vaccine, he said that would be left up to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee. “They will guide us as to which vaccine is most appropriate for which class of Americans,” he said. But the advisory committee doesn’t have a plan for that yet, and Dr. Grace Lee, a professor of pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine and a member of that committee, warned it would have a hard time coming up with one. “It’s tough to do, given all the uncertainty with COVID vaccines,” she said. Even moderately effective vaccines will be a huge help in reducing the cases of COVID-19 — but only if enough people take them, and only if they realize they could still get sick. “We’ll have to continue to use a mask for some of these vaccines,” said Poland of the Mayo Clinic. The NIH’s harmonized approach for all phase 3 trials getting Operation Warp Speed funding is likely to bring some scientific insights. It’s possible, for example, that across all trials, some molecular signature in a vaccinated person’s blood would show that they were protected. Future trials could simply look for those signatures rather than wait for people to get sick. There’s no guarantee that such a clear signature will emerge, however. And more uncertainty will come about as regulators continue to look for rare but dangerous side effects in authorized vaccines. “You’re going to have random events,” Bar-Zeev said. For example, a group of older people could all have strokes shortly after being vaccinated, raising the question of whether the vaccine was the culprit. “It’s very possible that some vaccines will be withdrawn.” The only way to manage this chaotic year, Poland said, is for scientists to talk honestly about how vaccines are tested and for people to learn what lies ahead. “As long as you frame something in advance, people do better with it,” he said.

First, a vaccine approval. Then ‘chaos and confusion.’

A row broke out on Friday over a World Health Organisation (WHO) clinical trial which concluded that the anti-viral drug remdesivir had little or no impact on a patient's chances of surviving COVID-19.

Notably, a concoction of remdesivir with a few other drugs was used to treat US President Donald Trump's coronavirus infection.

Gilead Sciences Inc., the US company that developed the drug, said the findings appeared inconsistent with evidence from other studies validating the clinical benefit of the drug.

"We are concerned the data from this open-label global trial has not undergone the rigorous review required to allow for constructive scientific discussion," Gilead said in a statement.

But Richard Peto, an independent statistician hired by the WHO to scrutinise the results of its Solidarity trial, dismissed Gilead's criticism.

"It's a reliable result, don't let anybody tell you otherwise, because they'll try to," Peto said adding, "this is real world evidence."

Earlier in the day, the UN health agency said remdesivir appeared to have little or no effect on keeping people alive or on the length of hospital stays among patients with the respiratory disease.

Its trial was conducted on 11,266 adult patients in over 30 countries and its findings may shift the focus of treatments away from antivirals such as remdesivir to new monoclonal antibodies which the WHO has said could be added to its studies.

Gilead, which quickly repurposed what it had developed as an Ebola drug when the COVID-19 pandemic began, said that other, smaller remdesivir trials showed the treatment cut COVID-19 recovery time by five days and helped reduce the risk of death in some patients who were getting oxygen.

Peto, an Oxford University professor emeritus, said the smaller trial's perceived benefit in keeping people alive could have been mere "chance".

"And you've got to randomise in large numbers," Peto said. "There isn't sufficient emphasis based on the need for large numbers if you want really reliable results."

For the remdesivir arm of the WHO's Solidarity trial, 2,743 patients were given remdesivir, compared to 2,708 in the control group. Gilead's study had 1,062 participants.

"The real disappointment is that remdesivir has also failed in a larger number of cases and in the 'real world setting'," Clemens Wendtner, Chief Physician of Infectiology and Tropical Medicine at Munich's Schwabing Clinic, said.

The WHO's trial also found that other medicines repurposed since the pandemic began -- malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, anti-HIV drug combination lopinavir/ritonavir and interferon -- offered little or no benefit to COVID-19 patients.

The hydroxychloroquine and anti-HIV studies were abandoned earlier this year, and interferon was dropped on Thursday.

Guidance on how countries should deploy remdesivir will come in two or three weeks after a data review, WHO officials said.

Remdesivir was given emergency use authorisation from the US Food and Drug Administration on May 1.

The European Union has also given remdesivir emergency authorisation and agreed to a 1 billion euro ($1.2 billion) remdesivir deal on Tuesday, weeks after Gilead was informed by the WHO about the results of the Solidarity trial.

The European Medicines Agency said it would review the trial data "to see if any changes are needed to the way these medicines are used."

(with inputs from agencies)

A row broke out on Friday over a World Health Organisation (WHO) clinical trial which concluded that the anti-viral drug remdesivir had little or no impact on a patient's chances of surviving COVID-19.

A row broke out on Friday over a World Health Organisation (WHO) clinical trial which concluded that the anti-viral drug remdesivir had little or no impact on a patient's chances of surviving COVID-19. Notably, a concoction of remdesivir with a few other drugs was used to treat US President Donald Trump's coronavirus infection. Gilead Sciences Inc., the US company that developed the drug, said the findings appeared inconsistent with evidence from other studies validating the clinical benefit of the drug. "We are concerned the data from this open-label global trial has not undergone the rigorous review required to allow for constructive scientific discussion," Gilead said in a statement. But Richard Peto, an independent statistician hired by the WHO to scrutinise the results of its Solidarity trial, dismissed Gilead's criticism. "It's a reliable result, don't let anybody tell you otherwise, because they'll try to," Peto said adding, "this is real world evidence." Earlier in the day, the UN health agency said remdesivir appeared to have little or no effect on keeping people alive or on the length of hospital stays among patients with the respiratory disease. Its trial was conducted on 11,266 adult patients in over 30 countries and its findings may shift the focus of treatments away from antivirals such as remdesivir to new monoclonal antibodies which the WHO has said could be added to its studies. Gilead, which quickly repurposed what it had developed as an Ebola drug when the COVID-19 pandemic began, said that other, smaller remdesivir trials showed the treatment cut COVID-19 recovery time by five days and helped reduce the risk of death in some patients who were getting oxygen. Peto, an Oxford University professor emeritus, said the smaller trial's perceived benefit in keeping people alive could have been mere "chance". "And you've got to randomise in large numbers," Peto said. "There isn't sufficient emphasis based on the need for large numbers if you want really reliable results." For the remdesivir arm of the WHO's Solidarity trial, 2,743 patients were given remdesivir, compared to 2,708 in the control group. Gilead's study had 1,062 participants. "The real disappointment is that remdesivir has also failed in a larger number of cases and in the 'real world setting'," Clemens Wendtner, Chief Physician of Infectiology and Tropical Medicine at Munich's Schwabing Clinic, said. The WHO's trial also found that other medicines repurposed since the pandemic began -- malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, anti-HIV drug combination lopinavir/ritonavir and interferon -- offered little or no benefit to COVID-19 patients. The hydroxychloroquine and anti-HIV studies were abandoned earlier this year, and interferon was dropped on Thursday. Guidance on how countries should deploy remdesivir will come in two or three weeks after a data review, WHO officials said. Remdesivir was given emergency use authorisation from the US Food and Drug Administration on May 1. The European Union has also given remdesivir emergency authorisation and agreed to a 1 billion euro ($1.2 billion) remdesivir deal on Tuesday, weeks after Gilead was informed by the WHO about the results of the Solidarity trial. The European Medicines Agency said it would review the trial data "to see if any changes are needed to the way these medicines are used." (with inputs from agencies)

Row breaks out over WHO trial casting doubt on remdesivir as COVID-19 drug

As the world is trying to fight the novel coronavirus, authorities are also warning people against fake news and misinformation. However, a campaign in Russia is taking a jibe at the Oxford Univeristy's possible vaccine, and the campaign is taking the nation by storm.

The campaign started in Russia is trying to discredit the coronavirus vacine being developed by the scientists at the Oxford University. The aim of this campaign is to spread fear about the vaccine by claiming that the people who use this vaccine will turn into apes because the scientists have reportedly used 'chimpanzee virus'.

Russian social media saw wide spread of images and videos that suggested that the UK vaccine would be dangerous. Some of these images were also shown on the Russian TV&nbsp;programme Vesti News — which is lauded as the equivalent of the UK's popular channel BBC's show Newsnight.

One of the most popular images that took over the internet is of the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson walking near the Downing Street, but instead of Johnson's face, a face of an ape has been placed and the picture was captioned,&nbsp; "I like my bigfoot vaccine".
<img alt="Boris Johnson" data-align="left" data-caption="The image of Boris Johnson was played with and the caption read, &quot;I like my bigfoot vaccine&quot;." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2d7dfce3-9706-4ba8-ac5c-977446ada746" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Boris%20Johnson.jpg" />
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The images also made fun of the&nbsp;pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, the company which is manufacturing the vaccine, by showing a&nbsp;chimpanzee in a lab coat working in&nbsp;AstraZeneca's laboratory.

Another image showed humans lining up outside an AstraZeneca tent, and apes and&nbsp;chimpanzees leaving the tent from the other side. The popular 'Uncle Sam' too was featured in one of these images with a message saying, "I want you – to take the monkey vaccine."

These images are being studied as a crude retaliation and a desperate try to harm all other vaccines who are competing against Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, that is being marketed as world's first COVID-19 vaccine.

The authorities at the Oxford University and AstraZeneca have voiced their disappointment and concern towards such malicious attempts to defame the vaccine.

Professor Pollard, who is professor of Paediatric Infection and Immunity at the University of Oxford, told BBC Radio Four's programme, "In this context we are in at the moment, any misinformation, where we are trying to think of an intervention that we can have in the future to help the pandemic, whether they are treatments or vaccine, anything that undermines that could be extremely dangerous.

"The type vaccine we have is very very similar to a number of other vaccines, including the Russian vaccine, all of which use the Common Cold virus from humans or from chimpanzees.

"To our bodies, the viruses look the same.

"We don't actually have any chimpanzees involved at all in the process of making the vaccine, because it is all about the virus, rather than animals it might more commonly infect," he concluded.

Meanwhile,&nbsp;AstraZeneca's chief executive Pascal Soriot also condemned these fake campaigns and said, "Scientists at AstraZeneca and at many other companies and institutions around the world are working tirelessly to develop a vaccine and therapeutic treatments to defeat this virus. But it is independent experts and regulatory agencies across the world that ultimately decide if a vaccine is safe and effective before it is approved for use. Misinformation is a clear risk to public health."

He urged people to "use reliable sources of information, to trust regulatory agencies and to remember the enormous benefit vaccines and medicines continue to bring to humanity."

The campaign started a month ago when a volunteer in the Oxford vaccine;s trial fell ill, and the trial was halted for a bit. However, an insider has told the western media that the aim of this campaign was simply to spread these images on the western media and social media platforms.

However, a spokesperson for the Russian embassy told The Times, "The suggestion that the Russian state may conduct any kind of propaganda against the Astrazeneca vaccine is itself an example of disinformation.

"It is obviously aimed at discrediting Russia's efforts in combating the pandemic, including the good cooperation we have established with the UK in this field."

As the world is trying to fight the novel coronavirus, authorities are also warning people against fake news and misinformation. However, a campaign in Russia is taking a jibe at the Oxford Univeristy's possible vaccine, and the campaign is taking the nation by storm.

As the world is trying to fight the novel coronavirus, authorities are also warning people against fake news and misinformation. However, a campaign in Russia is taking a jibe at the Oxford Univeristy's possible vaccine, and the campaign is taking the nation by storm. The campaign started in Russia is trying to discredit the coronavirus vacine being developed by the scientists at the Oxford University. The aim of this campaign is to spread fear about the vaccine by claiming that the people who use this vaccine will turn into apes because the scientists have reportedly used 'chimpanzee virus'. Russian social media saw wide spread of images and videos that suggested that the UK vaccine would be dangerous. Some of these images were also shown on the Russian TV programme Vesti News — which is lauded as the equivalent of the UK's popular channel BBC's show Newsnight. One of the most popular images that took over the internet is of the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson walking near the Downing Street, but instead of Johnson's face, a face of an ape has been placed and the picture was captioned, "I like my bigfoot vaccine". The images also made fun of the pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, the company which is manufacturing the vaccine, by showing a chimpanzee in a lab coat working in AstraZeneca's laboratory. Another image showed humans lining up outside an AstraZeneca tent, and apes and chimpanzees leaving the tent from the other side. The popular 'Uncle Sam' too was featured in one of these images with a message saying, "I want you – to take the monkey vaccine." These images are being studied as a crude retaliation and a desperate try to harm all other vaccines who are competing against Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, that is being marketed as world's first COVID-19 vaccine. The authorities at the Oxford University and AstraZeneca have voiced their disappointment and concern towards such malicious attempts to defame the vaccine. Professor Pollard, who is professor of Paediatric Infection and Immunity at the University of Oxford, told BBC Radio Four's programme, "In this context we are in at the moment, any misinformation, where we are trying to think of an intervention that we can have in the future to help the pandemic, whether they are treatments or vaccine, anything that undermines that could be extremely dangerous. "The type vaccine we have is very very similar to a number of other vaccines, including the Russian vaccine, all of which use the Common Cold virus from humans or from chimpanzees. "To our bodies, the viruses look the same. "We don't actually have any chimpanzees involved at all in the process of making the vaccine, because it is all about the virus, rather than animals it might more commonly infect," he concluded. Meanwhile, AstraZeneca's chief executive Pascal Soriot also condemned these fake campaigns and said, "Scientists at AstraZeneca and at many other companies and institutions around the world are working tirelessly to develop a vaccine and therapeutic treatments to defeat this virus. But it is independent experts and regulatory agencies across the world that ultimately decide if a vaccine is safe and effective before it is approved for use. Misinformation is a clear risk to public health." He urged people to "use reliable sources of information, to trust regulatory agencies and to remember the enormous benefit vaccines and medicines continue to bring to humanity." The campaign started a month ago when a volunteer in the Oxford vaccine;s trial fell ill, and the trial was halted for a bit. However, an insider has told the western media that the aim of this campaign was simply to spread these images on the western media and social media platforms. However, a spokesperson for the Russian embassy told The Times, "The suggestion that the Russian state may conduct any kind of propaganda against the Astrazeneca vaccine is itself an example of disinformation. "It is obviously aimed at discrediting Russia's efforts in combating the pandemic, including the good cooperation we have established with the UK in this field."

Russia spreads fake news about Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine; claims it turns humans into monkeys

Several companies in the race for a coronavirus vaccine have stumbled upon a new and unexpected hurdle: activists protesting the use of a substance that comes from sharks in their products.

The oily compound, called squalene, is churned out by shark livers and has immunity-boosting powers, which has led several companies to use it as an ingredient in vaccines. A group called Shark Allies has mounted a campaign calling on the Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory bodies to halt the sourcing of the compound from sharks, warning that mass distribution of a coronavirus vaccine could require harvesting tissue from more than 500,000 sharks.

The call to action made headlines around the globe. But the story on shark squalene isn’t as clear-cut as it might at first seem.

Why are some people so upset about sharks and vaccines?

Companies commonly use squalene as a moisturizing additive in cosmetics and sunscreens. But the substance has also been occasionally used in vaccines as an adjuvant — a chemical that kick-starts the immune system into action, driving stronger, longer-lasting protection against disease.

Although adjuvants aren’t necessary for all vaccines, they can make or break certain recipes. By boosting products’ immunity-priming powers, they can also increase the immunization’s efficiency, giving the vaccine’s ingredients more bang for their buck and freeing up supplies for more doses.

Shark livers are considered among the best sources of the compound. Between 63 million and 273 million sharks die at the hands of humans each year, and liver oil is harvested from at least a couple million of them, according to Catherine Macdonald, a shark biologist in Florida.

Two of the companies under the scrutiny of Shark Allies are GlaxoSmithKline and Seqirus, which each manufacture adjuvants that contain about 10 milligrams of squalene per dose. Those ingredients are found in a number of coronavirus vaccines being tested in humans, including products from Sanofi, Medicago and Clover Biopharmaceuticals, which have all partnered with GSK.

According to one estimate, between 2,500 and 3,000 sharks are needed per metric ton of squalene. Shark Allies extrapolated from these statistics to arrive at their widely quoted numbers tabulating the potential ecological toll on sharks.

Are Shark Allies’ numbers realistic?

Such estimates are difficult to make.

Macdonald pointed out that sharks — of which there are more than 500 species worldwide — vary in size, weight and liver squalene content. The number of sharks required to yield enough squalene-adjuvanted vaccine doses to treat everyone on Earth is thus likely to be a “huge range,” she said. Her own calculations for this statistic stretch between tens of thousands and more than 1 million, depending on how many doses are needed per person.

It’s also the case that of the dozens of vaccine candidates in clinical trials in people, most don’t include squalene. To only rely on vaccines that use shark-based squalene, “a ton of other promising candidates would have to fail — they would have to be the last vaccines standing,” said Saad Omer, a vaccine expert at Yale University. A more plausible scenario would probably involve the distribution of several products made by multiple companies.

Are there alternatives to shark oil?

Squalene has plenty of plant and animal sources (including humans, who produce it to lubricate and protect their skin).

But squeezing squalene out of plants is a pain, while “shark oil is cheap and easy to come by,” said Stefanie Brendl, the executive director of Shark Allies.

“We feel that’s not an excuse,” she said.

She pointed to Amyris, a California-based company, which has been pursuing a synthetic alternative.

Evan Berland, director of U.S. corporate communications for GSK, said the company “is committed to environmental stewardship and is actively exploring the potential for alternative sources of its raw materials when possible.”

No squalene alternatives, however, would be available “within the time frame of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

Joanne Cleary, a Seqirus spokeswoman, said her company was in a similar situation. “More will need to be done to research plant-based or synthetic alternatives before they can be used in vaccines,” she said.

Swapping adjuvants, or even adjuvant sources, isn’t trivial, Omer said. Each product has to be refined and tested to ensure it’s safe and effective, and work its way — often ploddingly — through the necessary regulatory steps.

Are vaccine makers to blame for harvesting shark squalene?

Neither GSK nor Seqirus named their suppliers. But GSK said the sharks their squalene came from were “typically caught for other purposes.”

Macdonald said it’s impossible to answer questions about the exact number of sharks that would be killed explicitly for their squalene. Fishers capture sharks for their meat or fins, or simply as bycatch; in many cases, the oil pulled from their bodies might otherwise have been discarded.

So should you really worry that coronavirus vaccines will result in a mass culling of sharks?

No.

Even the Shark Allies team does not think the vaccine industry is “going out and hunting down sharks — we are not saying that at all,” Brendl said. Nor do they wish for companies to terminate or delay coronavirus vaccine production.

“But there are alternatives to shark adjuvants,” she said. “Start testing them.”

Macdonald and others noted that vaccine manufacturers by no means bear the brunt of the responsibility for hoarding shark liver oil. Most fish-sourced squalene is still routed to cosmetics — “much less important things” than vaccines, said Jasmin Graham, a shark biologist at Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida.

Crafting more sustainable fishing practices, she said, could help tackle multiple issues at once.

“I don’t think we should demonize the people trying to save our lives,” Graham said. “There are much larger, more important hills to die on.”

Several companies in the race for a coronavirus vaccine have stumbled upon a new and unexpected hurdle: activists protesting the use of a substance that comes from sharks in their products.

Several companies in the race for a coronavirus vaccine have stumbled upon a new and unexpected hurdle: activists protesting the use of a substance that comes from sharks in their products. The oily compound, called squalene, is churned out by shark livers and has immunity-boosting powers, which has led several companies to use it as an ingredient in vaccines. A group called Shark Allies has mounted a campaign calling on the Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory bodies to halt the sourcing of the compound from sharks, warning that mass distribution of a coronavirus vaccine could require harvesting tissue from more than 500,000 sharks. The call to action made headlines around the globe. But the story on shark squalene isn’t as clear-cut as it might at first seem. Why are some people so upset about sharks and vaccines? Companies commonly use squalene as a moisturizing additive in cosmetics and sunscreens. But the substance has also been occasionally used in vaccines as an adjuvant — a chemical that kick-starts the immune system into action, driving stronger, longer-lasting protection against disease. Although adjuvants aren’t necessary for all vaccines, they can make or break certain recipes. By boosting products’ immunity-priming powers, they can also increase the immunization’s efficiency, giving the vaccine’s ingredients more bang for their buck and freeing up supplies for more doses. Shark livers are considered among the best sources of the compound. Between 63 million and 273 million sharks die at the hands of humans each year, and liver oil is harvested from at least a couple million of them, according to Catherine Macdonald, a shark biologist in Florida. Two of the companies under the scrutiny of Shark Allies are GlaxoSmithKline and Seqirus, which each manufacture adjuvants that contain about 10 milligrams of squalene per dose. Those ingredients are found in a number of coronavirus vaccines being tested in humans, including products from Sanofi, Medicago and Clover Biopharmaceuticals, which have all partnered with GSK. According to one estimate, between 2,500 and 3,000 sharks are needed per metric ton of squalene. Shark Allies extrapolated from these statistics to arrive at their widely quoted numbers tabulating the potential ecological toll on sharks. Are Shark Allies’ numbers realistic? Such estimates are difficult to make. Macdonald pointed out that sharks — of which there are more than 500 species worldwide — vary in size, weight and liver squalene content. The number of sharks required to yield enough squalene-adjuvanted vaccine doses to treat everyone on Earth is thus likely to be a “huge range,” she said. Her own calculations for this statistic stretch between tens of thousands and more than 1 million, depending on how many doses are needed per person. It’s also the case that of the dozens of vaccine candidates in clinical trials in people, most don’t include squalene. To only rely on vaccines that use shark-based squalene, “a ton of other promising candidates would have to fail — they would have to be the last vaccines standing,” said Saad Omer, a vaccine expert at Yale University. A more plausible scenario would probably involve the distribution of several products made by multiple companies. Are there alternatives to shark oil? Squalene has plenty of plant and animal sources (including humans, who produce it to lubricate and protect their skin). But squeezing squalene out of plants is a pain, while “shark oil is cheap and easy to come by,” said Stefanie Brendl, the executive director of Shark Allies. “We feel that’s not an excuse,” she said. She pointed to Amyris, a California-based company, which has been pursuing a synthetic alternative. Evan Berland, director of U.S. corporate communications for GSK, said the company “is committed to environmental stewardship and is actively exploring the potential for alternative sources of its raw materials when possible.” No squalene alternatives, however, would be available “within the time frame of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. Joanne Cleary, a Seqirus spokeswoman, said her company was in a similar situation. “More will need to be done to research plant-based or synthetic alternatives before they can be used in vaccines,” she said. Swapping adjuvants, or even adjuvant sources, isn’t trivial, Omer said. Each product has to be refined and tested to ensure it’s safe and effective, and work its way — often ploddingly — through the necessary regulatory steps. Are vaccine makers to blame for harvesting shark squalene? Neither GSK nor Seqirus named their suppliers. But GSK said the sharks their squalene came from were “typically caught for other purposes.” Macdonald said it’s impossible to answer questions about the exact number of sharks that would be killed explicitly for their squalene. Fishers capture sharks for their meat or fins, or simply as bycatch; in many cases, the oil pulled from their bodies might otherwise have been discarded. So should you really worry that coronavirus vaccines will result in a mass culling of sharks? No. Even the Shark Allies team does not think the vaccine industry is “going out and hunting down sharks — we are not saying that at all,” Brendl said. Nor do they wish for companies to terminate or delay coronavirus vaccine production. “But there are alternatives to shark adjuvants,” she said. “Start testing them.” Macdonald and others noted that vaccine manufacturers by no means bear the brunt of the responsibility for hoarding shark liver oil. Most fish-sourced squalene is still routed to cosmetics — “much less important things” than vaccines, said Jasmin Graham, a shark biologist at Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida. Crafting more sustainable fishing practices, she said, could help tackle multiple issues at once. “I don’t think we should demonize the people trying to save our lives,” Graham said. “There are much larger, more important hills to die on.”

Coronavirus vaccine makers are not mass-slaughtering sharks

The Chinese city of Qingdao said on Monday it will test its entire population of more than 9 million people for coronavirus, after discovering 12 new infections that appeared to be linked to a hospital treating imported infections.

Daily COVID-19 infections in mainland China have fallen drastically since early in the outbreak, which first emerged in the city of Wuhan. China had reported no new domestically transmitted cases since early August, but has remained on high alert.

Qingdao reported a total of six new COVID-19 cases and six asymptomatic infections on Sunday, all linked to the Qingdao Chest Hospital, where infected travellers arriving from overseas have been treated in an isolated area.

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The specific source of infection was still under investigation, the city government said on Sunday.

The testing would cover the city in five days, the city said.

The new cases were all of current or former patients in Qingdao Chest Hospital, hospital staff, or their family members. One asymptomatic case was a taxi driver whose wife worked at the hospital and was also infected.

Qingdao said it has locked down the Qingdao Chest Hospital as well as the emergency department of its central hospital, which the taxi driver visited. Buildings housing infected individuals have also been locked down as part of the city's virus containment measures.

The new infections emerged shortly after China completed its Golden Week holiday, during which millions of people travelled domestically.

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Disease control authorities in several cities including Beijing advised residents to avoid unnecessary trips to Qingdao. An investment and trade expo in Qingdao organised by the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 16-18 was postponed, state TV reported.

Qingdao's mass testing campaign is not China's first. Wuhan tested its entire population, and mass schemes involving several million samples have also been conducted in Beijing and Urumqi.

The National Health Commission's daily tally reported 21 confirmed COVID-19 cases, but none in Qingdao were included. The number of new nationwide asymptomatic cases, which China counts separately from confirmed cases, rose to 32 from 23 a day earlier, the NHC said. It did not offer a breakdown on where the new asymptomatic cases were reported, although it said 29 were imported.

Total confirmed COVID-19 cases in mainland China now stand at 85,578. The death toll remains at 4,634.

The Chinese city of Qingdao said on Monday it will test its entire population of more than 9 million people for coronavirus, after discovering 12 new infections that appeared to be linked to a hospital treating imported infections.

The Chinese city of Qingdao said on Monday it will test its entire population of more than 9 million people for coronavirus, after discovering 12 new infections that appeared to be linked to a hospital treating imported infections. Daily COVID-19 infections in mainland China have fallen drastically since early in the outbreak, which first emerged in the city of Wuhan. China had reported no new domestically transmitted cases since early August, but has remained on high alert. Qingdao reported a total of six new COVID-19 cases and six asymptomatic infections on Sunday, all linked to the Qingdao Chest Hospital, where infected travellers arriving from overseas have been treated in an isolated area. Also read: Twitter flags Trump tweet for violating its rules on COVID-19 information The specific source of infection was still under investigation, the city government said on Sunday. The testing would cover the city in five days, the city said. The new cases were all of current or former patients in Qingdao Chest Hospital, hospital staff, or their family members. One asymptomatic case was a taxi driver whose wife worked at the hospital and was also infected. Qingdao said it has locked down the Qingdao Chest Hospital as well as the emergency department of its central hospital, which the taxi driver visited. Buildings housing infected individuals have also been locked down as part of the city's virus containment measures. The new infections emerged shortly after China completed its Golden Week holiday, during which millions of people travelled domestically. Also read: Extra pounds may raise risk of severe COVID-19 Disease control authorities in several cities including Beijing advised residents to avoid unnecessary trips to Qingdao. An investment and trade expo in Qingdao organised by the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 16-18 was postponed, state TV reported. Qingdao's mass testing campaign is not China's first. Wuhan tested its entire population, and mass schemes involving several million samples have also been conducted in Beijing and Urumqi. The National Health Commission's daily tally reported 21 confirmed COVID-19 cases, but none in Qingdao were included. The number of new nationwide asymptomatic cases, which China counts separately from confirmed cases, rose to 32 from 23 a day earlier, the NHC said. It did not offer a breakdown on where the new asymptomatic cases were reported, although it said 29 were imported. Total confirmed COVID-19 cases in mainland China now stand at 85,578. The death toll remains at 4,634.

China's Qingdao orders city-wide testing after new COVID-19 infections

COVAX is a project&nbsp;aimed at ensuring that poorer countries have access to vaccines against the novel coronavirus that took over the world in the beginning of the the year 2020.

Now, China has joined this project. However, it seems unfair that the country which is being investigated for spreading the novel coronavirus onto the world is being allowed to be a part of this project.

WION's question is that should the UN not be holding China accountable for the pandemic — a virus that caused nine months of lockdowns, infected&nbsp;nearly 36.6 million people, caused over one million deaths in 188 countries, took away 400 million job losses and pushed&nbsp;16 countries into recession.

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However, instead of punishing China, the United Nations is providing it a platform for philantrophy.

After reports of the virus being lab-made in&nbsp;Wuhan, defective masks and faulty PPE kits, can the world afford&nbsp;faulty vaccines too?

The UN seems to have skipped how China went back on its promise to Bangladesh. It is asking a country to cough up money for vaccine trials after promising free doses.&nbsp;

The UN expects China to help poor countries. However,&nbsp;Beijing does not function that way; it doesn't believe in welfare, unless there is scope for expansion or a debt trap.

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China does not believe in help; it believes in hindrance and silencing voices. A very recent example of this is the case of the lawyer and citizen journalist Chen Chiushi who reported on the coronavirus outbreak and then he went missing.

Then, Wuhan businessman Fang Bin has not been seen since February. He was broadcasting photos of Wuhan during the pandemic. He was later arrested in February and has not been seen since.

Next, we have example of a law professor Xu Zhangrun. He had criticised China's handling of the virus. Xu had published an essay on February 10, hinting that China's censorship of information on the virus has hampered the fight against it. The essay was soon taken down. He was placed under house arrest and cut off from the internet.

Then Dr. Li wenliang tried warning the world about this virus. He was summoned to a police station and made to sign a letter that read, "We solemnly warn you: if you keep being stubborn, with such impertinence, and continue this illegal activity, you will be brough to justice--- is that understood?"

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Li had to agree to it and write, "Yes, I do."

This is how the Chinese communist party treats all those who do not align with its policies.

The head of human rights watch Keneneth Roth recently called China "an orwellian high-tech surveillance state."

Chinese President Xi Jinping is more interested in covering up the source of the coronavirus. He isn't interested in helping the world overcome the pandemic; why else would China slap punitive taxes on Australia.

Canberra is being penalised for demanding a probe on this virus. Then there are organisations like WION which are being targeted for doing their job. You already know how china has repeatedly hit out at WION, through press releases, through its mouth piece — The Global Times.

<a href="wionews.com/india-news/china-blocks-access-to-wion-website-after-india-bans-59-chinese-apps-310271">Also read:&nbsp;China blocks access to WION website after India bans 59 Chinese apps</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/chinablockswion-readers-stand-in-solidarity-with-us-310490">China also blocked WION </a>and now China is lecturing us on how to report. The Chinese mission issued a letter in which China said it "would like to remind our media friends that there is only one China in the world."

"Indian media can stick to Indian govt's position on Taiwan question and not violate the one-China principle," the letter continued.

This letter was issued on October 05. What had inspired this letter was WION running a programme on the Taiwanese national day and some of India's leading newspapers carried full-page ads on this programme.

To summarise, China gets to hide an outbreak, export a virus, threaten international media and get away with all of this.

The UN should be leading the effort of holding China accountable for its efforts.

It's part of UN website reads, "The United Nations can take actions on the issue confronting humanity in the 21st century."

This pandemic is this century's biggest crisis. And, UN's health body WHO has already lost its credibitly by downplaying the crisis and becoming an apologist for China.

Now the UN is allowing China to join COVAX, instead of pulling it up. It is setting the wrong example, instead of making China pay.

If the United Nations does not do this, rogue countries such as China will repeatedly attack world peace and world bodies like the UN will further lose their credibility.

COVAX is a project aimed at ensuring that poorer countries have access to vaccines against the novel coronavirus that took over the world in the beginning of the the year 2020.

COVAX is a project aimed at ensuring that poorer countries have access to vaccines against the novel coronavirus that took over the world in the beginning of the the year 2020. Now, China has joined this project. However, it seems unfair that the country which is being investigated for spreading the novel coronavirus onto the world is being allowed to be a part of this project. WION's question is that should the UN not be holding China accountable for the pandemic — a virus that caused nine months of lockdowns, infected nearly 36.6 million people, caused over one million deaths in 188 countries, took away 400 million job losses and pushed 16 countries into recession. Also read: Spain invokes state of emergency over Madrid lockdown as Europe grapples with virus However, instead of punishing China, the United Nations is providing it a platform for philantrophy. After reports of the virus being lab-made in Wuhan, defective masks and faulty PPE kits, can the world afford faulty vaccines too? The UN seems to have skipped how China went back on its promise to Bangladesh. It is asking a country to cough up money for vaccine trials after promising free doses. The UN expects China to help poor countries. However, Beijing does not function that way; it doesn't believe in welfare, unless there is scope for expansion or a debt trap. Also read: With ‘cure’ comment, Trump exaggerates known benefits of another COVID-19 therapy China does not believe in help; it believes in hindrance and silencing voices. A very recent example of this is the case of the lawyer and citizen journalist Chen Chiushi who reported on the coronavirus outbreak and then he went missing. Then, Wuhan businessman Fang Bin has not been seen since February. He was broadcasting photos of Wuhan during the pandemic. He was later arrested in February and has not been seen since. Next, we have example of a law professor Xu Zhangrun. He had criticised China's handling of the virus. Xu had published an essay on February 10, hinting that China's censorship of information on the virus has hampered the fight against it. The essay was soon taken down. He was placed under house arrest and cut off from the internet. Then Dr. Li wenliang tried warning the world about this virus. He was summoned to a police station and made to sign a letter that read, "We solemnly warn you: if you keep being stubborn, with such impertinence, and continue this illegal activity, you will be brough to justice--- is that understood?" Also read: What happens if a US presidential candidate dies before the election Li had to agree to it and write, "Yes, I do." This is how the Chinese communist party treats all those who do not align with its policies. The head of human rights watch Keneneth Roth recently called China "an orwellian high-tech surveillance state." Chinese President Xi Jinping is more interested in covering up the source of the coronavirus. He isn't interested in helping the world overcome the pandemic; why else would China slap punitive taxes on Australia. Canberra is being penalised for demanding a probe on this virus. Then there are organisations like WION which are being targeted for doing their job. You already know how china has repeatedly hit out at WION, through press releases, through its mouth piece — The Global Times. Also read: China blocks access to WION website after India bans 59 Chinese apps China also blocked WION and now China is lecturing us on how to report. The Chinese mission issued a letter in which China said it "would like to remind our media friends that there is only one China in the world." "Indian media can stick to Indian govt's position on Taiwan question and not violate the one-China principle," the letter continued. This letter was issued on October 05. What had inspired this letter was WION running a programme on the Taiwanese national day and some of India's leading newspapers carried full-page ads on this programme. To summarise, China gets to hide an outbreak, export a virus, threaten international media and get away with all of this. The UN should be leading the effort of holding China accountable for its efforts. It's part of UN website reads, "The United Nations can take actions on the issue confronting humanity in the 21st century." This pandemic is this century's biggest crisis. And, UN's health body WHO has already lost its credibitly by downplaying the crisis and becoming an apologist for China. Now the UN is allowing China to join COVAX, instead of pulling it up. It is setting the wrong example, instead of making China pay. If the United Nations does not do this, rogue countries such as China will repeatedly attack world peace and world bodies like the UN will further lose their credibility.

China to join COVAX: When will UN hold China responsible for its actions?

The delay in the investigation of the origin of COVID-19 only benefits Beijing as it gives China an opportunity to wash its sins.

Today, China announced it will participate in the WHO-backed global vaccine program. However the question remains that can the Chinese vaccines be trusted?

A Chinese vaccine is the world's biggest mystery right now as the world knows practically nothing about it.

Global agencies have not approved it, but that hasn't stopped China from administering it. Thousands of people in China are being inoculated with unproven vaccines. The list includes members of the medical fraternity, government workers and the military.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/spain-invokes-state-of-emergency-over-madrid-lockdown-as-europe-grapples-with-virus-334020">Also read:&nbsp;Spain invokes state of emergency over Madrid lockdown as Europe grapples with virus</a>

Now, China wants to take its unproven vaccines beyond the mainland, and so it has now joined Covax — a world health organization project that aims to distribute coronavirus vaccines to poorer nations.

Why is china doing this?&nbsp;

Beijing has been hesitant to commit to the global effort. Officials in China said they have already promised vaccines to a number of allies. They have not shared details about their vaccine programme.

There is no clarity on whether vaccine recipients are being tracked or monitored for any side effects.

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Beijing has poured billions into multiple vaccine projects. It owns rights to most of the potential vaccines in late stage trials. However, what it lacks is credibility and this effort is to earn some points.

China wants a vaccine&nbsp;to fight criticism over the pandemic cover up.&nbsp;

In recent weeks, Chinese companies have tired to take their trials abroad. Allegedly because they were unable to find enough volunteers at home.

In China's Shaoyang city, the local officials issued orders to hunt for more volunteers. A notice was put up that says people in schools, kindergartens and nursing homes could qualify for emergency use of vaccines.

China's vaccine project has hit roadblocks in Pakistan too. Doctors are urging people to volunteer for a shot of Chinese vaccines. However,&nbsp;few want to be guinea pigs for an unproven vaccine

Despite the concerns, China has turned to propaganda to showcase itself as a frontrunner in the vaccine race. One top official used the vaccine to showcase her loyalty to the party. Way back in March, Major General Chen Wei, who is China's top epidemiologist took a shot of a vaccine even before it was tested on animals. The shot was administered to Chen and six others.

The Chinese state media and the PLA took pride in this and shared images. However, they had to delete them later from Weibo.

China has four vaccines in the last phase of clinical trials. Taking an unproven vaccine is a shot in the dark. In the case of China, few may want to take it.

The delay in the investigation of the origin of COVID-19 only benefits Beijing as it gives China an opportunity to wash its sins. Today, China announced it will participate in the WHO-backed global vaccine program.

The delay in the investigation of the origin of COVID-19 only benefits Beijing as it gives China an opportunity to wash its sins. Today, China announced it will participate in the WHO-backed global vaccine program. However the question remains that can the Chinese vaccines be trusted? A Chinese vaccine is the world's biggest mystery right now as the world knows practically nothing about it. Global agencies have not approved it, but that hasn't stopped China from administering it. Thousands of people in China are being inoculated with unproven vaccines. The list includes members of the medical fraternity, government workers and the military. Also read: Spain invokes state of emergency over Madrid lockdown as Europe grapples with virus Now, China wants to take its unproven vaccines beyond the mainland, and so it has now joined Covax — a world health organization project that aims to distribute coronavirus vaccines to poorer nations. Why is china doing this? Beijing has been hesitant to commit to the global effort. Officials in China said they have already promised vaccines to a number of allies. They have not shared details about their vaccine programme. There is no clarity on whether vaccine recipients are being tracked or monitored for any side effects. Also read: With ‘cure’ comment, Trump exaggerates known benefits of another COVID-19 therapy Beijing has poured billions into multiple vaccine projects. It owns rights to most of the potential vaccines in late stage trials. However, what it lacks is credibility and this effort is to earn some points. China wants a vaccine to fight criticism over the pandemic cover up. In recent weeks, Chinese companies have tired to take their trials abroad. Allegedly because they were unable to find enough volunteers at home. In China's Shaoyang city, the local officials issued orders to hunt for more volunteers. A notice was put up that says people in schools, kindergartens and nursing homes could qualify for emergency use of vaccines. China's vaccine project has hit roadblocks in Pakistan too. Doctors are urging people to volunteer for a shot of Chinese vaccines. However, few want to be guinea pigs for an unproven vaccine Despite the concerns, China has turned to propaganda to showcase itself as a frontrunner in the vaccine race. One top official used the vaccine to showcase her loyalty to the party. Way back in March, Major General Chen Wei, who is China's top epidemiologist took a shot of a vaccine even before it was tested on animals. The shot was administered to Chen and six others. The Chinese state media and the PLA took pride in this and shared images. However, they had to delete them later from Weibo. China has four vaccines in the last phase of clinical trials. Taking an unproven vaccine is a shot in the dark. In the case of China, few may want to take it.

Mysterious COVID-19 vaccine: China's cry of help for friendship

Since the pandemic took over the world, bats have gone from being just a&nbsp;creature to one of the most important subjects of various studies. It is not solely the scientists and researchers who are how taking interest in these creatures, but even civilians who want to sharpen their knowledge to protect themselves from any other viruses.

Working on the same lines, researchers&nbsp;Daniel G. Streicker and&nbsp;Amy T. Gilbert have published a report in the Science journal urging their fellow researchers to launch immediate and more detailed study into the impacts of the bats in various viruses.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/dr-li-meng-yan-reveals-chinas-fake-science-and-the-covid-19-cover-up-333982">Also read:&nbsp;Dr. Li-Meng Yan reveals China’s fake science and the COVID-19 cover-up</a>

Streicker is a vampire bat researcher at the University of Glasgow and&nbsp;Gilbert is&nbsp;a disease ecologist at the National Wildlife Research Center in Fort Collins, Colorado.

The two researchers believe that instead of finding why the bats play an important role, it is important to first figure how do they play an important role in the spread of viruses.

"Immunological traits have been proposed to allow bats to control viruses differently from other animals. However, incomplete baselines for broader comparisons across vertebrates and extensive immunological variation among bat species casts uncertainty on their distinctiveness as viral reservoirs," the report reads.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/who-awaits-chinas-nod-on-list-of-experts-to-probe-origin-of-coronavirus-333580">Also read:&nbsp;WHO awaits China's nod on list of experts to probe origin of coronavirus</a>

As per the researchers, there is a common perception that bats nurture more viruses as compared to other animals.&nbsp;Streicker claims that the experts, he believes, lack the actual data on this claim as they tend to ignore the huge number of species in bats.

"Bats (order Chiroptera) comprise ∼1400 species that split from the remaining members of the Scrotifera (carnivores, pangolins, cetaceans, and odd- and even-toed ungulates) over 60 million years ago."

They do agree that some bats species can harbor few viruses such as&nbsp;SARS and MERS that are hazardous to the human species, but&nbsp; it is not enough to prove that these viruses are more dangerous than any other viruses caused to humans through other animals.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/outbreaks-among-minks-hold-secrets-to-understanding-animal-to-human-transmission-of-covid-19-317738">Also read:&nbsp;Outbreaks among minks hold secrets to understanding animal-to-human transmission of COVID-19</a>

“We seem to be lacking really strong, compelling evidence that the viruses of bats are more diverse or more prone to infect humans or more dangerous when they do infect humans than viruses of other animals,” he told a media house.

The researchers also talk about the heightened interest in bat-related studies. "Heightened interest in bat-associated viral zoonoses has also revealed high immunological variation among species."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/why-no-one-should-believe-covid-19-is-naturally-occurring-310667">Also read:&nbsp;Why no one should believe COVID-19 is naturally-occurring</a>

Gilbert and Streicker also pointed out a few specific areas of research in which bats can serve as the subjects of testing. These can be related to new techniques for disease control and/or animal population vaccines. Giving an example, they cited how rabies in foxes has been fought with&nbsp;vaccines in bait that foxes eat. Simialrly, the researchers said, a vaccine can be applied in the bat fur that can be spread with contact. However, this needs more research.

They also stressed on the importance of researchers coming together from various disciplines.&nbsp;“We need interactions between immunologists, virologists, ecologists and evolutionary biologists,” Streicker said. He also added that such interactions are happening at a greater scale now due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

"The search for answers may inspire new approaches to manage disease threats to human and animal health," the report reads.

Since the pandemic took over the world, bats have gone from being just a creature to one of the most important subjects of various studies. It is not solely the scientists and researchers who are how taking interest in these creatures, but even civilians who want to sharpen their knowledge to protect themselves from any other viruses.

Since the pandemic took over the world, bats have gone from being just a creature to one of the most important subjects of various studies. It is not solely the scientists and researchers who are how taking interest in these creatures, but even civilians who want to sharpen their knowledge to protect themselves from any other viruses. Working on the same lines, researchers Daniel G. Streicker and Amy T. Gilbert have published a report in the Science journal urging their fellow researchers to launch immediate and more detailed study into the impacts of the bats in various viruses. Also read: Dr. Li-Meng Yan reveals China’s fake science and the COVID-19 cover-up Streicker is a vampire bat researcher at the University of Glasgow and Gilbert is a disease ecologist at the National Wildlife Research Center in Fort Collins, Colorado. The two researchers believe that instead of finding why the bats play an important role, it is important to first figure how do they play an important role in the spread of viruses. "Immunological traits have been proposed to allow bats to control viruses differently from other animals. However, incomplete baselines for broader comparisons across vertebrates and extensive immunological variation among bat species casts uncertainty on their distinctiveness as viral reservoirs," the report reads. Also read: WHO awaits China's nod on list of experts to probe origin of coronavirus As per the researchers, there is a common perception that bats nurture more viruses as compared to other animals. Streicker claims that the experts, he believes, lack the actual data on this claim as they tend to ignore the huge number of species in bats. "Bats (order Chiroptera) comprise ∼1400 species that split from the remaining members of the Scrotifera (carnivores, pangolins, cetaceans, and odd- and even-toed ungulates) over 60 million years ago." They do agree that some bats species can harbor few viruses such as SARS and MERS that are hazardous to the human species, but it is not enough to prove that these viruses are more dangerous than any other viruses caused to humans through other animals. Also read: Outbreaks among minks hold secrets to understanding animal-to-human transmission of COVID-19 “We seem to be lacking really strong, compelling evidence that the viruses of bats are more diverse or more prone to infect humans or more dangerous when they do infect humans than viruses of other animals,” he told a media house. The researchers also talk about the heightened interest in bat-related studies. "Heightened interest in bat-associated viral zoonoses has also revealed high immunological variation among species." Also read: Why no one should believe COVID-19 is naturally-occurring Gilbert and Streicker also pointed out a few specific areas of research in which bats can serve as the subjects of testing. These can be related to new techniques for disease control and/or animal population vaccines. Giving an example, they cited how rabies in foxes has been fought with vaccines in bait that foxes eat. Simialrly, the researchers said, a vaccine can be applied in the bat fur that can be spread with contact. However, this needs more research. They also stressed on the importance of researchers coming together from various disciplines. “We need interactions between immunologists, virologists, ecologists and evolutionary biologists,” Streicker said. He also added that such interactions are happening at a greater scale now due to the Coronavirus pandemic. "The search for answers may inspire new approaches to manage disease threats to human and animal health," the report reads.

Researchers urge scientists to find more about bat viruses

“If you have to sneeze, you’re in trouble,” Bill Johnson said of wearing the Air, an acrylic visor that evokes 1960s Soviet cosmonaut culture. Johnson, 44, a voice and video engineer in Utah, had tested an early model of the device on an airplane from Salt Lake City to Seattle to Ketchikan, Alaska, then on a three-hour ferry ride and a floatplane to reach his bush cabin.

“I flew with my older brother, and he couldn’t have been any more embarrassed,” he said. Most of the time, he didn’t realize it was on, except when people started to stare. “Kids would point and laugh,” Johnson said. “They were the most honest.”

The Air, which features built-in HEPA filters, four hours of power on a lithium battery and a removable washable fabric, is one of the new space age-style wearables being marketed as the evolution of mask culture.

There’s also the BioVyzr, a pressurized, anti-fog face shield with two adjustable fans that run for up to eight hours on a single USB charge. The creators describe the device, which looks a bit like the weather shield of a baby carriage, as a new form of personal protective equipment: a powered air-purifying respirator, or PAPR, which they say can remove as much as 95% of particulate matter, such as droplets and aerosols.

A more minimalist Bubble Boy option is the iSphere, a plastic orb with half a dozen attachable variations such as filters, valves, headsets, even snorkels.

Mask mania has given way to a very experimental cottage industry. BioVyzr, which raised over $750,000 in May on crowdfunding site Indiegogo, has sold more than 50,000 units at $379 apiece to customers and wholesalers worldwide, totaling over $18 million in sales, according to Yezin Al-Qaysi, the 32-year-old CEO of Vyzr Technologies. Shipping begins this week and will continue through October. Microclimate, the maker of Air, says it has sold 1,000 units at $199 each and will begin shipping them in mid-October.

But with months of misinformation, politicization and downright confusion on just how to wear masks and which are best, many experts wonder: Are these futuristic creations credible? (To be clear, masks are very effective and save lives. People who don’t wear masks put everyone else at risk.)

Laurie Herzlin, 55, purchased two BioVyzrs, “to get back out into the world again as I have been in isolation for 203 days now.” She is immunocompromised and had planned to wear the face shield on a flight from her home in Florida to visit her daughter in Toronto.

“Yes, people will stare. They might even take pictures and post them on social media. But I would be OK with that,” Herzlin said. “I just want to stay healthy.”

After multiple emails and phone calls with Air Canada, providing them with photos of the BioVyzrs, which they requested, the airline refused to let her wear it on the plane. “Air Canada finally came back with a generic response that cited ‘safety concerns,’” she said.

A doctor in the airline’s medical department told her the BioVyzr “does not meet the description of permitted safety masks,” a reasoning Herzlin called “reckless.” (Air Canada declined to comment on the incident but said its mask policy follows the Canadian government’s regulations.)

Johnson said that between all his connecting flights en route to Alaska, only one Transportation Security Administration agent made him take off his Air visor. “I said to him, ‘You’re asking me to take my mask off, but you’re letting everyone else keep their mask on,’” he recalled. “He had to tell somebody to take a mask off in a pandemic.” Once onboard, the Alaska Airlines crew was in awe: “The pilot said ‘I need one of those, how do I get one?’ The flight attendants thought it was the coolest thing.”

Are these masks more effective than normal masks?

Short answer is: No. Added eye protection, such as glasses or a visor, may be beneficial, according to a September study of 276 COVID-19 cases in a Chinese hospital in Suizhou. While such a small study group means it’s too early to draw conclusions, any barrier to touching our faces is positive.

But what about airflow — and just how airtight are they?

“For any mask or fancy filter, one thing we need to keep in mind is how well they fit, tightly, to the face,” said Chenyu Sun, an internist at Saint Joseph Hospital in Chicago who recently co-authored a study on face mask efficacy.

Sun said health care workers often get specially fitted for N95 masks, and the one-size-fits-all approach of retailers is troubling. So is the lack of guidance for proper use.

“Inside out, upside down, probably even less people know how to take masks off properly without contamination. This also applies to these devices,” said Sun, who added that sporting doomsday gear may have unintended psychological consequences. “Will the general public really accept these? Now, even for regular masks, there is a lot of debate.”

“People double-take, but I think Canada is very polite so nobody stares too long,” said Al-Qaysi, who wears the BioVyzr around downtown Toronto, where the company is based.

Raina MacIntyre, the head of the Kirby Institute’s biosecurity research program at the University of New South Wales and the lead author on a recent face mask review, warns that if these masks don’t “provide a perfect seal on all contact surfaces, unfiltered air will flow preferentially through the gaps. HEPA filters are good for filtering pathogens, but these devices need to be tested for fit and filtration.”

She added: “The reason for needing a perfect seal is to force the air through the filter.”

Real efficacy, she said, means approval by the FDA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the agency that regulates this form of powered air respirator. “The virus is present in aerosols, so such a device will not be protective.”

The makers of the iSphere and the Air say they have no plans to test with either agency. Al-Qaysi said that BioVyzr’s first model was not approved by an outside body but that the company is “working to make sure future models are NIOSH approved.”

Yena Young, a creator of the iSphere who goes by the alter ego “Ms. Bubble,” calls her work more art than innovation. “iSphere has no medical evidence and we do not think that it is better than N95 masks,” she said. “But surely it opens up discussions about our perspectives, confusion from the lack of scientific knowledge, misunderstanding in greeting gestures, fear about covering faces, fear of others, the need of a transparent identity.”

David Hall, chair of Microclimate, which makes the Air, said the company is “still doing tests to verify our thesis that sealing at the neck is better than on the face.”

“The question of mask efficacy is a difficult one and very much dependent on the mask design and materials,” said Martin Fischer, a Duke University chemist. “I am not aware of any studies comparing HEPA-filtration masks and conventional cloth masks.”

While masks play a role in communication and expression, eye-popping products create false security, said Sun, who emphasizes continued need for affordable PPE, distancing and basic hygiene.

“A simple cloth covering, surgical or cloth mask, will be more than adequate for most people,” said Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco.

Beyond wild stares, futuristic masks “offer no further advantage,” he said. “There is absolutely no peer-reviewed literature or regulatory organization who has rigorously reviewed these data and certified it for occupational PPE.”

There is also new evidence that plastic coverings may not be as good as advertised. In late September, Japanese researchers reported that face masks provide effective protection and that nonwoven fabric masks block the most droplets from a cough. Plastic face shields are not very effective at protecting others, they found; they may protect a wearer against droplets from others, but not the other way around.

Chin-Hong, who calls the new wave of designs exciting but unproven, said the focus should be “getting folks to wear any facial covering that provides a good fit and are comfortable rather than fussing about new devices.”

“If you have to sneeze, you’re in trouble,” Bill Johnson said of wearing the Air, an acrylic visor that evokes 1960s Soviet cosmonaut culture. Johnson, 44, a voice and video engineer in Utah, had tested an early model of the device on an airplane from Salt Lake City to Seattle to Ketchikan, Alaska, then on a three-hour ferry ride and a floatplane to reach his bush cabin.

“If you have to sneeze, you’re in trouble,” Bill Johnson said of wearing the Air, an acrylic visor that evokes 1960s Soviet cosmonaut culture. Johnson, 44, a voice and video engineer in Utah, had tested an early model of the device on an airplane from Salt Lake City to Seattle to Ketchikan, Alaska, then on a three-hour ferry ride and a floatplane to reach his bush cabin. “I flew with my older brother, and he couldn’t have been any more embarrassed,” he said. Most of the time, he didn’t realize it was on, except when people started to stare. “Kids would point and laugh,” Johnson said. “They were the most honest.” The Air, which features built-in HEPA filters, four hours of power on a lithium battery and a removable washable fabric, is one of the new space age-style wearables being marketed as the evolution of mask culture. There’s also the BioVyzr, a pressurized, anti-fog face shield with two adjustable fans that run for up to eight hours on a single USB charge. The creators describe the device, which looks a bit like the weather shield of a baby carriage, as a new form of personal protective equipment: a powered air-purifying respirator, or PAPR, which they say can remove as much as 95% of particulate matter, such as droplets and aerosols. A more minimalist Bubble Boy option is the iSphere, a plastic orb with half a dozen attachable variations such as filters, valves, headsets, even snorkels. Mask mania has given way to a very experimental cottage industry. BioVyzr, which raised over $750,000 in May on crowdfunding site Indiegogo, has sold more than 50,000 units at $379 apiece to customers and wholesalers worldwide, totaling over $18 million in sales, according to Yezin Al-Qaysi, the 32-year-old CEO of Vyzr Technologies. Shipping begins this week and will continue through October. Microclimate, the maker of Air, says it has sold 1,000 units at $199 each and will begin shipping them in mid-October. But with months of misinformation, politicization and downright confusion on just how to wear masks and which are best, many experts wonder: Are these futuristic creations credible? (To be clear, masks are very effective and save lives. People who don’t wear masks put everyone else at risk.) Laurie Herzlin, 55, purchased two BioVyzrs, “to get back out into the world again as I have been in isolation for 203 days now.” She is immunocompromised and had planned to wear the face shield on a flight from her home in Florida to visit her daughter in Toronto. “Yes, people will stare. They might even take pictures and post them on social media. But I would be OK with that,” Herzlin said. “I just want to stay healthy.” After multiple emails and phone calls with Air Canada, providing them with photos of the BioVyzrs, which they requested, the airline refused to let her wear it on the plane. “Air Canada finally came back with a generic response that cited ‘safety concerns,’” she said. A doctor in the airline’s medical department told her the BioVyzr “does not meet the description of permitted safety masks,” a reasoning Herzlin called “reckless.” (Air Canada declined to comment on the incident but said its mask policy follows the Canadian government’s regulations.) Johnson said that between all his connecting flights en route to Alaska, only one Transportation Security Administration agent made him take off his Air visor. “I said to him, ‘You’re asking me to take my mask off, but you’re letting everyone else keep their mask on,’” he recalled. “He had to tell somebody to take a mask off in a pandemic.” Once onboard, the Alaska Airlines crew was in awe: “The pilot said ‘I need one of those, how do I get one?’ The flight attendants thought it was the coolest thing.” Are these masks more effective than normal masks? Short answer is: No. Added eye protection, such as glasses or a visor, may be beneficial, according to a September study of 276 COVID-19 cases in a Chinese hospital in Suizhou. While such a small study group means it’s too early to draw conclusions, any barrier to touching our faces is positive. But what about airflow — and just how airtight are they? “For any mask or fancy filter, one thing we need to keep in mind is how well they fit, tightly, to the face,” said Chenyu Sun, an internist at Saint Joseph Hospital in Chicago who recently co-authored a study on face mask efficacy. Sun said health care workers often get specially fitted for N95 masks, and the one-size-fits-all approach of retailers is troubling. So is the lack of guidance for proper use. “Inside out, upside down, probably even less people know how to take masks off properly without contamination. This also applies to these devices,” said Sun, who added that sporting doomsday gear may have unintended psychological consequences. “Will the general public really accept these? Now, even for regular masks, there is a lot of debate.” “People double-take, but I think Canada is very polite so nobody stares too long,” said Al-Qaysi, who wears the BioVyzr around downtown Toronto, where the company is based. Raina MacIntyre, the head of the Kirby Institute’s biosecurity research program at the University of New South Wales and the lead author on a recent face mask review, warns that if these masks don’t “provide a perfect seal on all contact surfaces, unfiltered air will flow preferentially through the gaps. HEPA filters are good for filtering pathogens, but these devices need to be tested for fit and filtration.” She added: “The reason for needing a perfect seal is to force the air through the filter.” Real efficacy, she said, means approval by the FDA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the agency that regulates this form of powered air respirator. “The virus is present in aerosols, so such a device will not be protective.” The makers of the iSphere and the Air say they have no plans to test with either agency. Al-Qaysi said that BioVyzr’s first model was not approved by an outside body but that the company is “working to make sure future models are NIOSH approved.” Yena Young, a creator of the iSphere who goes by the alter ego “Ms. Bubble,” calls her work more art than innovation. “iSphere has no medical evidence and we do not think that it is better than N95 masks,” she said. “But surely it opens up discussions about our perspectives, confusion from the lack of scientific knowledge, misunderstanding in greeting gestures, fear about covering faces, fear of others, the need of a transparent identity.” David Hall, chair of Microclimate, which makes the Air, said the company is “still doing tests to verify our thesis that sealing at the neck is better than on the face.” “The question of mask efficacy is a difficult one and very much dependent on the mask design and materials,” said Martin Fischer, a Duke University chemist. “I am not aware of any studies comparing HEPA-filtration masks and conventional cloth masks.” While masks play a role in communication and expression, eye-popping products create false security, said Sun, who emphasizes continued need for affordable PPE, distancing and basic hygiene. “A simple cloth covering, surgical or cloth mask, will be more than adequate for most people,” said Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco. Beyond wild stares, futuristic masks “offer no further advantage,” he said. “There is absolutely no peer-reviewed literature or regulatory organization who has rigorously reviewed these data and certified it for occupational PPE.” There is also new evidence that plastic coverings may not be as good as advertised. In late September, Japanese researchers reported that face masks provide effective protection and that nonwoven fabric masks block the most droplets from a cough. Plastic face shields are not very effective at protecting others, they found; they may protect a wearer against droplets from others, but not the other way around. Chin-Hong, who calls the new wave of designs exciting but unproven, said the focus should be “getting folks to wear any facial covering that provides a good fit and are comfortable rather than fussing about new devices.”

Are astronaut-style face shields the future of PPE?