Another article about Coronavirus variants The
Post# of 148184
The following article was posted today on IPIX's (Brilacidin) website. I don't remember reading previously that the variants may affect the accuracy of diagnostic assays.
January 20, 2021
The Rise of Coronavirus Variants, Early Signs of Immune Escape
The emergence of significant mutations to the novel coronavirus, in the form of variants, have caused heightened concern among scientists and public health officials worldwide.
Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota, commented: “I worry desperately in the next six to 12 weeks we’re going to see a situation with this pandemic unlike anything we’ve seen yet to date. And that is really a challenge that I don’t think most people realize yet.”
More contagious variants of the coronavirus responsible for the global COVID-19 pandemic—resulting in over 2 million deaths—have been detected in numerous countries. The variants appear to express an adaptive advantage both in binding to human cells and replicating more efficiently. Evidence suggests these variants can affect the accuracy of diagnostic assays and reduce susceptibility to neutralizing antibodies. Additional research is underway to determine how the new variants might lessen the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.
Some scientists theorize that it may be only a matter of time before variants evolve to the point at which they can effectively “escape” the first-wave of COVID-19 treatments and vaccines and possibly the body’s own innate immunity.
Alarming reports of potential reinfection have been observed in Manaus, Brazil, which is calling into question whether herd immunity can be achieved. The coronavirus may also be showing signs of evading the body’s T Cell response. Equally worrisome, among recovered COVID-19 patients, data from a large study conducted in the United Kingdom show almost a third return to the hospital within five months and one in eight subsequently die.
The situation described above illustrates a large, and likely prolonged, unmet need for COVID-19 therapeutics to supplement the use of vaccines, as the coronavirus continues to evolve and adapt. A member of incoming U.S. President Biden’s COVID-19 Advisory Board, Dr. Celine Gounder, has mentioned moving beyond an over-reliance on remdesivir and monoclonal antibodies and investing in other promising COVID-19 treatments (“monoclonal antibodies may not be the solution here”).
http://www.ipharminc.com/new-blog/2021/1/20/t...une-escape