One of SARS-CoV-2’s deepest mysteries is why it hits some people extremely hard and spares others completely. Researchers are gathering evidence on a theory that immune deficiencies based on genetics may underlie some of Covid-19’s unpredictable impact. Jean-Laurent Casanova, M.D., … Continue reading →
Yesterday two of the four farthest-along candidates for a Covid-19 vaccine announced Phase III trials for safety and efficacy. Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna will each enroll 30,000 test subjects, ages 18–85, in the US. Pfizer / BioNTech candidate BNT162b2: … Continue reading →
Today saw publications from three groups developing Covid-19 vaccines (as per the title). Short form: all raise an apparently appropriate immune response, and none causes dangerous side effects. Pfizer’s preprint outlines T-cell response, missing from their initial paper. First let’s … Continue reading →
Moderna has finally published intreim results from their Phase I study — 8 weeks after teasing them in a press release — and the picture is generally positive. Their mRNA vaccine raised a dose-dependent immune response in all 45 subjects … Continue reading →
Moderna, maker of the vaccine candidate that was slated to be first into a Phase III trial with 30,000 human subjects, has suffered a slip. Its stock’s value dropped more than 9% on the news. Moderna’s large-scale trial might yet … Continue reading →
Mystery surrounds those who get infected by SARS-CoV-2 but never develop any symptoms. How common are they in the population? Can they infect others? For how long? Do they develop immunity? Answers are starting to emerge. Early in February, Chinese … Continue reading →
I have recommended reading Derek Lowe, who blogs at Science Magazine on epidemiology, virology, vaccine development, and other subjects touching on the pandemic. His piece today is a survey of where the effort to develop a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 stands … Continue reading →
This open question has huge bearing on how soon we can reopen the economy, what the course of this disease could be beyond the first wave, how successful an eventual vaccine might be, and how we should treat those who … Continue reading →
By now you’ve heard that remdesivir has been shown to reduce the duration of Covid-19 illness in some patients, and that the White House’s Dr. Deborah Birx has been tasked with helping to coordinate its distribution to where it is … Continue reading →
I want to share with you two reflective pieces about our mental (or spiritual?) state during lockdown, and one resource that sparks my hope for humanity actually rising to the challenge of this pandemic. The two essays are from The … Continue reading →
