Covid News Updates

New Medicine against All Variants of COVID-19

Researchers now have come up with an extremely effective medicine for preventing the disease caused by all known variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. A molecule known as TriSb92, which was developed by researchers at the University of Helsinki, has been confirmed as affording effective protection against coronavirus infection. The molecule identifies a region in the spike protein of the coronavirus common to all current variants of the virus and inhibits its functioning.

“When administered nasally, the TriSb92 molecule is extremely effective in preventing infection, and experiments carried out in cell cultures indicate that it also encompasses the very latest variants, including XBB, BF7 and BQ.1.1,” said study investigator Anna R. Makela.

According to the researchers, the molecule remains fully functional at room temperature for at least 18 months, making it well suited for use as a nasal spray. While the worst stage of the coronavirus pandemic right now appears to be behind us, nasally administered protection can be a crucial help in preventing the spread of the virus in the future.

“The latest variants effectively avoid the immune protection provided by both vaccines and the COVID-19 disease, and current vaccines are not effective in preventing transmission,” said Makela.

The nasal spray can protect individuals from serious disease who do not gain sufficient immunity from vaccines, such as immunocompromised individuals and older adults. According to the researchers, the molecule could also work against future animal-borne close relatives of SARS-CoV-2, which are expected to be the cause of entirely new coronavirus pandemics.

“Since the region in the coronavirus’s spike protein affected by the TriSb92 molecule has remained almost unchanged in all viral variants so far emerged, it can be assumed to be effective also against future SARS-CoV-2 variants,” said Makela. “The easily and inexpensively produced TriSb92 could be a very important first line of defense in curbing such a new pandemic, pending the development, production and distribution of vaccines,” said Makela.

Distinguishing COVID-19 from the Flu

If you have a cough, sore throat or congestion, it may be due to any number of respiratory viruses. Conventional tests can identify certain likely culprits by relying on chemical reactions, but some researchers want to swap chemistry for electrical changes sensed by nanomaterials. Scientists now report using a single-atom-thick nanomaterial to build a device that can simultaneously detect the presence of the viruses that cause COVID-19 and the flu at much lower levels and much more quickly than conventional tests for either.

The symptoms of both flu and COVID-19 overlap considerably, making it difficult to distinguish between them. “When both of these viruses are circulating together as they did earlier this winter, it would be immensely useful to have a sensor that can simultaneously detect whether you have COVID, flu, none of the above or both,” said study investigator Deji Akinwande, who is with The University of Texas at Austin.

The device currently under development could be modified to test for other infections as well. The Texas researchers constructed the COVID-19 and flu sensor using graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice pattern. Its extreme thinness renders graphene highly sensitive to any electrical changes in its environment. Akinwande and other researchers see enormous potential in using it and other, similar nanomaterials to create sensors for many different applications.

“These ultra-thin nanomaterials generally hold the record for best sensitivity, even down to the detection of single atoms, and they can improve the ability to detect very small quantities of basically anything that needs to be sensed, whether it’s bacteria or viruses, in gas or in blood,” said Akinwande.

Previously, his group reported designing a graphene-based temporary tattoo that could monitor blood pressure. The tattoo consists of pairs of sensors placed along the arteries of the arm. One half of each pair sends out an electrical current that its partner detects. This signal is used to determine blood flow.

The researchers linked antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and against the flu virus to graphene. When a sample from an infected person is placed on the sensor, these antibodies bind to their target proteins, prompting a change in the electrical current.

Surveillance and Vaccination May be the Key to Ending the Pandemic 

As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its third year in the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, has called on countries to strengthen surveillance and bridge gaps in vaccination coverage to end the emergency and better prepare for future health crises. Over the past three years, the Americas had over 190.3 million COVID-19 cases and over 2.9 million deaths, accounting for 25% and 43% of the global total respectively.

“The pandemic underscored that no country or organization in the world was fully prepared for the impact of this pandemic,” said Dr Barbosa. Today, incidence rates are 20-30 times lower than a year ago, so “while we are not totally out of the woods, we are in a much better place,” he added.

The PAHO Director highlighted the key role PAHO played in helping countries get to this place. This includes building and strengthening the COVID-19 Genomic Surveillance Regional Network, which is key to tracking the evolution of the virus, as well as monitoring for other pathogens with pandemic potential, including avian flu. Over the past three years, the network has facilitated the uploading of more than 580,000 sequences from Latin America and the Caribbean into global databases.

Dr. Barbosa warned that COVID-19 is still with us and the virus has yet to settle into a predictable pattern. While testing rates have dropped, it is crucial that countries maintain and continue to strengthen surveillance as the SARS-CoV-2 virus “can evolve and adapt quickly”.

Reaching the 30% of people who have yet to receive their COVID-19 primary series of COVID-19 vaccine, is also key to preparing ourselves for any new wave of infection or new variant of concern. 

John Schieszer is an award-winning national journalist and radio and podcast broadcaster of The Medical Minute. He can be reached at medicalminutes@gmail.com.