Researchers report that a nasal spray vaccine against the new coronavirus shows promise in animal testing.
Rodents that were given two doses of the vaccine had antibody and T-cell responses that were strong enough to suppress SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
The vaccine also reduced lung damage, inflammation and disease severity in the rodents, according to scientists from Lancaster University in England and Texas Biomedical Research Institute in San Antonio.
"We found that administering this vaccine through a nasal spray completely protected the animals from shedding the virus which causes transmission of the virus. This means the immunization of the upper respiratory tract through a nasal spray can prevent individuals from spreading the virus and developing infections elsewhere in the body," said study author Muhammad Munir, a Lancaster University virologist.
"Though the vaccine showed promising safety and efficacy in this animal model, human trials are still required to determine its applicability and to obtain regulatory approvals," Munir added in a university news release.
The nasal spray vaccine is based on a common poultry virus called the Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV), which can replicate in humans but is harmless. The research team engineered NDV to produce the spike proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to prime the body's immune system to attack the coronavirus.
Their findings were published recently on BioRxiv, a preprint server for research that has not yet been peer-reviewed.
There are a number of advantages to a nasal spray vaccine, including it being noninvasive, triggering local immunity, and being an alternative for people who are afraid of needles or have blood clotting disorders, according to the researchers.
They noted that there's already a nasal spray vaccine for seasonal flu, so this type of vaccination has been proven to be effective.
A nasal spray vaccine for COVID-19 could provide a low-cost alternative for the developing world, because it could be produced using existing worldwide infrastructure for seasonal flu virus vaccines, the researchers suggested.
"The scalability and economical production make this vaccine candidate suitable for low- and middle-income countries," said study author Mohammed Rohaim, also from Lancaster University.
News (8)
National Taiwan University Public Health Expert: Epidemic in most counties and cities under control Shuangbei has not risen
Reporter : Lin Zixin / Editor : Lv Meiqi / Direct translation / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/6/9/n13010145.htm / Direct translation
Image : Taiwanese people lined up at the Tamsui Mackay Community Screening Station on the morning of the 9th to wait for screening. (Central News Agency)
The number of local cases of covid confirmed in Taiwan has exceeded 10,000. National Taiwan University Public Health Expert Chen Xiuxi said on 9 June that most counties and cities in Taiwan that have been infected are now under control, and the Shuangbei epidemic has not continued to increase, showing that the level 3 alert has been effective. However, due to the continuous small-scale cluster infections, the government still has to strictly follow the government's vigilance measures before the vaccination rate reaches 40%.
Chen Xiuxi and the National Taiwan University alumni group held an online live broadcast of the CCP virus epidemic prevention science on 9 June. He pointed out that except for the high number of confirmed cases in Shuangbei, the epidemic situation in other counties and cities has been controlled, and the epidemic situation in Shuangbei has not continued to rise, showing 3 Level alert exerts its effect. In addition, Chen Xiuxi said that the invisible infection was also found through quick screening, and NPI (non-drug intervention) measures complemented each other to effectively block community transmission. The metropolitan area Kaohsiung performed best.
There is no community epidemic in more than half of Taiwan’s cities, which means the level 3 alert is working, but Chen Xiuxi said that this cannot be relaxed because the continuous diagnosis of Shuangbei and the Miaoli migration incident represent small cluster infections, and Taiwan currently needs to be controlled most. It is how to prevent small-scale cluster infections, from intensive care units, long-term care, and related medical institutions, even to vulnerable groups, all of which need to be deployed in advance to prevent community epidemics.
Then there is the rising fatality rate in Taiwan. The fatality rate of confirmed cases in Taiwan recently reached 2.83%, which is higher than the global average of 2.2%. Chen Xiuxi analyzed several factors, including different epidemic waves and different types of viruses, and the age of attack varies with each other. Epidemics vary from wave to wave, the effectiveness of initial medical energy allocation, vaccines affecting severe illness and drug treatments will affect the recovery rate and deaths, confirmed cases and underreporting of hidden cases, etc.
Chen Xiuxi gave an example: The epidemic in Italy, the UK, Spain and the U.S. invaded vulnerable groups such as the elderly in the first wave of epidemics in 2020, causing the death toll to rise. Later, the amount of medical care was deployed, the minor and severe cases were triaged, and vaccines were started again.
Taiwan is currently in the first wave of epidemics in 2021, coupled with the influence of variant viruses, it is prone to distortion when comparing the fatality rate with international ones.
According to foreign research findings, Chen Xiuxi mentioned that the older the person, the longer the hospital stay. People with diabetes, obesity, heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, etc. may need intensive care unit care and may increase the risk of death. Therefore, it is recommended that the vaccine be included in the priority order in the future.
Chen Xiuxi said that setting up quick screening stations in hotspots, finding hidden cases, and cooperating with NPI measures is the best policy before the vaccine is administered. The current epidemic in Taiwan’s communities has been controlled, but the wavelet epidemics such as migrant workers in Miaoli continue to be popular. Before the vaccine delivery rate reaches 40%, it is still necessary to follow the government's warning measures and implement rigorously in order to reduce the epidemic.
News (9)
Patriot leaders explain strategy to get audits in ten different states
News (10)
Virginia will be the next state to send delegates to visit Arizona’s Maricopa County forensic audit of the 2020 election, National File understands.
A number of delegates from various states have visited the forensic audit currently taking place in Maricopa County of the 2020 election results. As National File reported, the states who have sent delegates to visit so far are Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia, Alaska and Colorado. Many of these delegates included pro-Trump state legislators, who may end up advocating for a forensic audit of the election results in each of their own states.
In a series of tweets, Arizona State Representative Mark Finchem, a strong ally of President Trump who is currently running to challenge Katie Hobbs for the position of Arizona Secretary of State in the 2022 elections, confirmed that more states will be coming to visit the audit, but until they have arrived, the names of the states will not be released “to prevent harassment.” He added that those legislators who have already arrived thought that the visit to the audit floor was “well worth it”.
After spending a portion of time with these legislators, the unanimous sentiment that the trip and time spent was well worth it. Election integrity is a priority in every community across America. Many state delegates have shown interest in the audit to ensure a future with fraud-free elections as the focus, and I am very pleased that Arizona is leading the way. All states need to come here because insecure elections are indeed a national security threat worth fixing.
It had already been announced that Virginia will be one of the upcoming states to visit the Arizona audit. Finchem further confirmed to National File that the Virginia delegation had sent an advanced representative to observe, and prepare for an upcoming full future visit soon.
National File reported last month that Arizona State Senator Wendy Rogers had toured the audit floor, and was able to dispel a number of myths regarding what exactly was taking place in Maricopa County:
Rogers was able to describe the procedures on the floor of the audit, confirming that security was taken incredibly seriously by the volunteers and organizers. Tally sheets and ballots were only allowed to be moved if there were three things present, that being people, papers, and cameras. Contrary to the claims of Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, the data collection system used by CyFIR was “read only,” and couldn’t change any votes, with everything at the site also being videoed, Rogers said.
A retired USAF pilot who is serving as a volunteer for the audit also informed her that the chain of custody procedures for the ballots “are as precise and flawless as Strategic Air Command’s.” He further slammed Hobbs, saying it was “laughable” that she claimed the machines were compromised, when she initially claimed that they were unhackable.
News (11)
Study: People who have recovered from covid unlikely to benefit from vaccine
Reporter : Zachary Stieber / Publisher : The Epoch Times PREMIUM / Image : Eli Hartman/Odessa American via AP
People who have previously been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 are protected against being infected again and thus don’t need to be vaccinated, according to a new study.
“Our conclusion is that if you were previously infected, you are protected because of the previous infection and you don’t need the vaccine,” Dr. Nabin Shrestha, of the Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Infectious Disease, told The Epoch Times.
Shrestha and colleagues at the clinic studied data on employees, separating them into four groups: previously infected and unvaccinated, previously infected and vaccinated, not previously infected and unvaccinated, and not previously infected and vaccinated.
They found that the vaccines were strongly effective in preventing infection from the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19, but that previous infection also bestowed a natural immunity.
“Among the people who were previously infected, whether they took the vaccine or not, there really were no COVID cases,” Shrestha said.
Of the 52,238 employees studied, 2,579 were previously infected. About half of those remained unvaccinated. Of the 49,659 employees who did not have a previous infection, 41 percent did not get a vaccine.
Using a Cox proportional hazards regression model and adjusting for the phase of the pandemic, vaccination was linked to a significantly lower risk of infection among those not previously infected but not among those who had had the disease.
In conclusion, the authors wrote, “Individuals who had had SARS-CoV-2 infection are unlikely to benefit from COVID-19 vaccination, and vaccines can be safely prioritized to those who have not been infected before.”
SARS-CoV-2 is another name for the CCP virus.
The study is not peer-reviewed. It was submitted to journals, but they rejected it “because they think it’s not a priority for them,” Shrestha said. But it adds to the growing body of research that supports natural immunity existing for some time among those who contracted the illness.
Research published last month indicated that people who recovered from mild COVID-19 have long-lasting antibody protection. That built on research that reached a similar finding. Previous research also indicated that people who had COVID-19 showed virus-specific T cell responses. The World Health Organization on May 10, in an updated scientific brief (pdf), said that most people who are infected with the CCP virus and recover develop “strong protective immune responses” that remain “robust and protective against reinfection for at least 6–8 months.”
Based on what the Cleveland Clinic researchers found, natural protection from infection lasts at least a year.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently recommends that virtually everybody should get a COVID-19 vaccine. In a brief last updated in March, the agency acknowledges that studies indicate people who recover from the disease are protected against reinfection. The evidence “suggests that the risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection is low in the months after initial infection but may increase with time due to waning immunity,” the agency stated.
The CDC declined to respond to the new study.
“We do not comment on non-CDC authored papers. We continually evaluate the science that leads to our guidance, and if it needs to be changed, we will be base that on our own research and studies,” a spokesman told The Epoch Times in an email.
Shrestha, the study’s lead author, believes recommending vaccination for previously infected people is misguided.
“I personally feel that the vaccines are amazingly effective. We need to use them wisely. We should really not be thinking of this as a U.S. problem; it is a global problem,” he said. “It would make more sense to use the vaccine anywhere in the world where it would be effective in getting the pandemic under control.”
News (12) to (13) / Reporter : Suman Priya Mendoca, International Business Times / Image : Pixabay
Li Xu's thesis on six miners from Mojiang
Li Xu, a postgraduate student of Kunming Medical University, wrote a thesis on these six miners and was published in 2013. The thesis included medical reports, radiological images such as CT scans, and detailed information regarding the diagnosis and treatment of the six miners aged between 30 and 63.
According to Li's paper [available in China's scientific paper archive at cnki.net], the six miners had symptoms of a "SARS-like" coronavirus contracted from horseshoe bats. In 2012, the virus was called as Mojiang virus.
The thesis also had a point that coronavirus which is quite similar to SARS-CoV-2 could have been infecting humans as early as 2012. Reports also claim that thesis even provided circumstantial evidence for broader allegations that WIV had captured, studied and conducted "gain of function" experiments on viruses found in the mine, including RaTG13.
In fact, China's top bat coronavirus researcher Shi Zhengli of Wuhan Institute of Virology [WIV], identified as many as 293 coronaviruses in and around the mine between 2012 and 2015. After extensive research, eight other kinds of 'SARS-Like' coronavirus samples were taken from the site. But Shi and other researchers had said that none of the eight was a closer match to SARS-CoV-2 than RaTG13. According to Shi's studies, RaTG13 shares 96.2% of its genome with SARS-CoV-2. However, Shi is said to have retested 13 serum samples from four of the patients and found no sign they had been infected with SARS-CoV-2.
News (13)
India-based scientists' research results on Mojiang miners' infection
In another research about the origin of COVID-19, India-based scientists Dr Monali Rahalkar and Dr Rahul Bahulikar stated that they had studied the documents related to an abandoned copper mine in Mojiang in south China. Speaking to India Today, after a thorough study they claimed that the mineshaft was full of bat droppings which are crumbly and turn to dust when touched. "When someone walks on it, the dried pellets burst and get mixed into the atmosphere around, making the air allergic if inhaled," said Dr Rahalkar.
The six miners also got ill and exhibited symptoms that are commonly seen in COVID-19 patients. Dr Monali Rahalkar also said that some of the miners even had pulmonary thromboembolism (blockage of an artery in the lungs). According to Dr Rahalkar, the radiological reports of COVID-19 patients were similar to those of the six miners from Mojiang. The CT scans of the miners had ground-glass opacities which were peripheral and match the characteristics of scans of COVID-19 patients.
They also said that the medicines administered to the six miners were also similar to the ones being given to COVID-19 patients. "The miners were treated with antiviral antibiotics because there were some secondary infections, including fungal infections," said Dr Monali Rahalkar.
In addition to Li Xu and Dr Monali Rahalkar and Dr Rahul Bahulikar's claims, Dr Zhong Nanshan, the pulmonologist popular as the Corona Doctor of China, also had concluded that the condition of six miners was the result of a viral infection.
News (14)
Taiwan health official: Spread of covi variants around the world could be seen as "next pandemic"
Reporter : Adam Molon / Publisher : The Epoch Times PREMIUM
The continuous mutation of the CCP virus, with multiple variants circulating around the world, could be described as the “next pandemic,” a top Taiwanese health official has warned.
Wu Chung-hsiun, President of Taiwan’s Development Center for Biotechnology (DCB) and Director of the Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Industries Promotion Office of Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), told The Epoch Times he thought it was too early to predict the end of the COVID-19 pandemic “because this [virus]…keeps mutating and is still infecting people around the world.”
“So, actually, maybe we can consider that as the next pandemic.”
Wu’s comments were made in advance of the DCB’s annual Taiwan Biotech Forum, scheduled to be streamed via YouTube on June 10. The forum, which is slated to include presentations by vaccine makers Pfizer and AstraZeneca, features the theme “Preparing for the Next Pandemic.”
The forum will be held only days after U.S. Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Dan Sullivan (R-Ark.) stopped in Taiwan—flying in on a U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane—to announce a donation of 750,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses. Duckworth said during the stopover that “the United States will not let [Taiwan] stand alone” and that the vaccine donation “also reflects gratitude for Taiwan’s efforts to send PPE [personal protective equipment] and other supplies to America in the early days of the pandemic.”
Taiwan has received vaccine shipments from the U.S.-based Moderna and UK-based AstraZeneca, but authoritarian China reportedly blocked democratic Taiwan’s plans to purchase vaccines from the German firm BioNTech.
Wu said that a Taiwan-produced vaccine may be available by July, at the earliest, and expressed serious concern about the quality of vaccines that Chinese firms have proposed to provide to Taiwan, stating that Taiwan is more confident in and comfortable with U.S.-produced vaccines. He noted that, unlike COVID-19 vaccines produced by American firms, vaccines from Chinese firms are produced using attenuated, or weakened, coronaviruses, which can be dangerous if the coronaviruses are not killed or sufficiently weakened.
“[Chinese vaccine makers] are using the attenuated virus…that kind of approach could cause very serious side effects if the attenuation part is incomplete. So, that could cause infection rather than immunization,” Wu said.
“The Pfizer, the Moderna, the AZ [AstraZeneca] [vaccines] … we could have very clear public information about those, and they are coming from reliable sources that we use to corroborate. So, I think, in that aspect, that’s one of the major justifications that we tend to use the Pfizer and Moderna [vaccines], etcetera. And also, we have the capability to manufacture those if needed.”
Wu commented on many members of the DCB’s management team holding degrees from both U.S. and Taiwanese universities, stating that robust scientific and academic interaction means that Taiwanese and American scientists share a common language and philosophy.
“We share the same philosophy as people in the States because we have our higher education,” he said. “Our thinking process, pretty much, is in line with the scientists or the academic in the States. So, when we exchange information, we know exactly, when we say ‘A,’ we mean ‘A,’ and you hear ‘A’ literally … when we try to do something and try to find collaborators in the States, it’s very easy because we communicate, we speak the same language.”
DCB Vice President Chang Chi-feng told The Epoch Times that in addition to vaccines, the maintenance of human rights during the pandemic will be an important topic of discussion during the Taiwan Biotech Forum. “Taiwan’s people, I think we do emphasize human rights,” she said, pointing to a scheduled forum presentation by a Taiwanese law professor that discusses a “human-rights-centered approach for pandemic control.”
Following the onset of the pandemic in 2020, Taiwan was able to keep schools and businesses open while also implementing effective pandemic defense measures, which resulted in strong economic performance. Taiwan achieved annual GDP growth of nearly three percent in 2020, higher than China’s for the first time in three decades.
“Taiwan’s goal for the pandemic is to keep economic growth steady,” Chang said. “Taiwan became very good [economically] in the last year, because we kept everything normal, everything steady.”
Wu stated that sharing its expertise in pandemic management is one way in which Taiwan can continue to contribute to the global community.
“Our national capability, actually we can contribute a lot,” he said. “Taiwan is experienced in fighting the pandemic…Taiwan can help.”
News (15)
Mysterious brain disease spreading in Canada since 2015
Report by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA / Source : International Business Times / Image : Gabrielle Coimer, the mysterious brain disease patient (Web Screen Grab NYT)
Doctors in Canada are baffled by the death of six persons and infections in 48 others caused by an unknown neurological disease. New Brunswick Health Minister Dorothy Shephard said that an expert committee is leading the ongoing investigation to find the cause of the deadly and mysterious brain disease.
"The discovery of a potentially new and unknown syndrome is scary," Shephard said during a media conference further adding, "I know that New Brunswickers are concerned and confused about this potential neurological syndrome."
The public health department in the province investigating the cases has observed that 48 people were struck by a mix of symptoms including insomnia, impaired motor function and hallucinations.
Other symptoms of the mysterious disease include extreme fatigue, involuntary jerking movements and memory lapses.
The first case of the disease dates back to 2015 but the news of the unknown syndrome came to light on 5 March 2021 as the province's deputy chief medical officer of health, Dr. Cristin Muecke, sent a memo to various medical associations in New Brunswick mentioning the unknown disease.
Reportedly, most of the existing patients at the time were living in and around the Moncton, N.B., area and the Acadian Peninsula in the northeastern part of New Brunswick. However, it is unclear if the syndrome is linked to geography as there is not any hard evidence.
News (16)
Dr. Anthony Fauci headlined a 2017 conference starring researchers central to COVID-19’s origins and subsequent coverup including EcoHealth Alliance President Peter Daszak and top Wuhan’s lab researcher Shi Zhengli.
In addition to Dr. Fauci delivering the keynote address, researchers central to the ongoing debate about COVID-19’s origins – who’ve reportedly played major roles in the coverup of the Wuhan lab’s role in the pandemic – also spoke.
One conference speaker, Wuhan Institute of Virology Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Director Shi Zhengli, was recently the subject of a heated line of questioning from Senator Rand Paul with Dr. Fauci.
“For years, Dr. Ralph Baric, a virologist in the U.S., has been collaborating with Shi Zhengli of the Wuhan Virology Institute, sharing his discoveries about how to create super viruses. This gain-of-function research has been funded by the NIH,” Senator Paul inquired before Dr. Fauci asserted the claims were “entirely and completely incorrect.”
Despite Dr. Fauci’s attempts to distance himself from the Wuhan-based researcher, who has earned the sobriquet “bat lady” for her work on SARS-like coronaviruses, the conference agenda reveals they both spoke at the event.
And the topic of Shi’s speech – “SARS coronavirus may have originated from frequent recombination events between SL-CoVs in a single horseshoe bat habitat” – proves especially pertinent to COVID-19. Dr. Fauci addressed “emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases: from AIDS to Zika.”
Also speaking at the event was Peter Daszak, who serves as the President of EcoHealth Alliance. The nonprofit has come under scrutiny for receiving millions in U.S. taxpayer dollars from Dr. Fauci’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and funneling part of the sum to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, as the Chinese Communist Party-run lab lists Daszak’s group as a partner.
Dr. Linfa Wang, the Director of Duke-NUS Medical School’s Emerging Infectious Diseases Program, also addressed the conference.
In addition to being listed as co-authors on studies alongside Daszak and Shi, Wang was also part of Daszak’s efforts to release a statement in the Lancet medical journal that prematurely debunked COVID-19’s potential man-made origins.
Ref: https://thenationalpulse.com/exclusive/fauci-headlined-conference-with-shi-and-daszak/
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