News of the World

[kyonides]

Australian Covid vaccine abandoned over false HIV response

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-55269381

A promising Australian candidate for a coronavirus vaccine has been abandoned after trial participants returned false HIV positive results.
CSL and UQ stressed that the positive results were false - meaning trial participants' health was not at risk.
The vaccine had been in stage one of trials, and proving to be effective in making antibodies.
But it also generated HIV antibodies in some recipients - which meant it showed false positives for HIV. Further testing proved the HIV wasn't there.
CSL and UQ said fixing the flaw would take about a year, prompting a decision to abandon the trial.

Perhaps for us it'd be illogical to stop developing the vaccine just because of a false positive for HIV but let's keep in mind that somebody would have got the shot to prevent him or her from contracting the Wuhan virus. Several months later that person would need to prove that he or she hasn't contracted AIDS, that individual would have been listed as positive even if that were some incorrect result. It's the kind of medical errors that could destroy somebody's life forever.

Wuhan Virus: Genes and Severely Ill Patients

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-54832563

Scientists looked at the DNA of patients in more than 200 intensive care units in UK hospitals.
Their genomes were then compared with the DNA of healthy people to pinpoint any genetic differences, and a number were found - the first in a gene called TYK2.
“It is part of the system that makes your immune cells more angry, and more inflammatory,” explained Dr Baillie.
But if the gene is faulty, this immune response can go into overdrive, putting patients at risk of damaging lung inflammation.
A class of anti-inflammatory drugs already used for conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis targets this biological mechanism, including a drug called Baricitinib.

Even so the drug needs to be tested on thousands of patients before they can certify it's a good treatment for covidose people.

Genetic differences were also found in a gene called DPP9, which plays a role in inflammation, and in a gene called OAS, which helps to stop the virus from making copies of itself.
Variations in a gene called IFNAR2 were also identified in the intensive care patients.
IFNAR2 is linked to a potent anti-viral molecule called interferon, which helps to kick-start the immune system as soon as an infection is detected.
It’s thought that producing too little interferon can give the virus an early advantage, allowing it to quickly replicate, leading to more severe disease.

This would be the third study that links Covid to interferon, genetic mutations and autoimmune disorders.