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Vipin M. Vashishtha

@vipintukur

May 4, 2021 • 9 tweets • 6 min read • Read on X

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Have we reached to the peak of 2nd #Covid wave in India? May be, yes! Its already 2.5 months in to it. Most badly affected countries peaked within 1.5-3 months of onset of a new surge. Is it too early to comment? 1/

More interesting would be to see which way our curve goes: the UK/Israel or the US way! While both UK/Israel took 1.5-2 months to flatten their curves w/ strict lockdowns & aggressive vaccination, US had a long plateau (>3.5 months) 2/

However, there is heterogeneity in caseloads: While states like MH, UP, CG, PB, DL are showing ⬇️ in case load, some southern & eastern states (KA, KL, AP, TN, WB, ) still reporting cases in high numbers! What is driving Covid in these states? 3/ indiatoday.in/coronavirus-ou…

Different variants (VOC) are circulating in diff states of India. While it is #B1617 is in MS & neighboring states, #B117 in PB, DL & northern states, Delhi & #B1618 in WB & eastern states outbreak.info/situation-repo… 4/

Now, a new variant having #N440K spike substitution is believed to be behind the sudden rise of cases in southern India, particularly in KA, KL, AL & Telangana. Some believe it is believed to be 15 times more lethal than the earlier ones 5/ biorxiv.org/content/10.110…

So, what lies in store for #India? The few key factors that may extend India's suffering for a prolonged period:
1-lack of strict #lockdowns: having halfway yo-yo lockdowns are not the answer!
2-sluggish #inoculation drive: still only 2% of the population received 2-doses! 6/

3-rampant circulation of #variants: not sure which one is the main driver!
4-limited #sequencing: only 1% of isolates sequenced!
5-modestly efficacious #vaccines: unlike the other 3 countries
6-lack of #effectiveness data on currently employed vaccines: so, driving blindly! 7/

What could be the saving grace? Hoping the rapid descent follows the explosive ascent! And the virus, mutating at a staggering pace, might be heading for an evolutionary cliff all on its own. Amen! 8/
bbc.com/future/article…

One interesting thing to note: All the three countries had 3 waves, the last surge the severest!

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More from @vipintukur

Vipin M. Vashishtha

@vipintukur

Apr 3

Researchers have developed an oral antiviral drug candidate for COVID-19 that could overcome major limitations of Paxlovid, currently the most prescribed oral treatment. 1/

As with its predecessor, the new drug candidate, Jun13296, targets a different viral protein than Paxlovid does and works alone rather than in combination with another drug called ritonavir. 2/

This new compound, #Jun3296 is more potent than the 1st generation candidate. In animal studies, this 2nd-generation inhibitor still provides 90% protection at just one-third dose of the initial compound and significantly outperforms it in reducing viral loads in the lungs. 3/

Read 9 tweets

Vipin M. Vashishtha

@vipintukur

Apr 2

Even after 5 yrs since its arrival, SARS-CoV-2 mutations keep emerging. A new variant LP.8.1 is rising. Almost 1 in 5 COVID cases in New South Wales are it. In the UK, it accounts for at least 3 in 5 cases. Just what is LP.8.1? Is it worrying? 1/

LP.8.1 was first detected in July 2024. It’s a descendant of Omicron, specifically of KP.1.1.3, which is descended from JN.1, a subvariant that caused large waves of COVID infections around the world in late 2023 and early 2024. 2/

The WHO designated LP.8.1 as a variant under monitoring in January. This was in response to its significant growth globally, and reflects that it has genetic changes which may allow the virus to spread more easily and pose a greater risk to human health. 3/

Read 8 tweets

Vipin M. Vashishtha

@vipintukur

Apr 1

SARS-CoV-2 spike protein binds fibrinogen, causing thrombo-inflammation, according to a recent study. The virus must bind to fibrinogen, but why? Could this relationship help the virus evolve? Could this cause post-COVID heart attacks? 1/

Scientists often think they grasp a virus's anatomy, tricks, and body movement. But occasionally, we discover something unexpected that radically transforms how we view an infection. 2/

Some strategies are well documented: antigenic drift, glycan shielding, immune suppression. But every so often, we stumble upon a novel mechanism that redefines our understanding of viral pathogenesis. 3/

Read 17 tweets

Vipin M. Vashishtha

@vipintukur

Mar 27

COVID-19 increases the risk of autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes. The virus alters the immune system in unknown ways, making it difficult to design medicines to prevent post-COVID autoimmunity. 1/

One leading hypothesis involves viral “molecular mimics”—proteins from the virus that resemble the body’s own proteins. These mimics may trigger an immune response against the virus but unintentionally cause the immune system to target healthy tissues as well. 2/

Thanks to recent advancements in data analysis and machine learning, scientists have now identified a set of SARS-CoV-2-derived molecular mimics that may play a role in initiating autoimmune responses. 3/

Read 10 tweets

Vipin M. Vashishtha

@vipintukur

Mar 27

mRNA-COVID-19 vaccines train the 'long-term memory' of immune system

Researchers have determined that the novel mRNA-COVID-19 vaccines not only induce acquired immune responses such as antibody production, but also cause persistent epigenetic changes in innate immune cells 1/

Thus, vaccination with mRNA vaccines could lead to an enhanced immune response to future encounters with pathogens which are not specifically targeted by the vaccine. 2/

These findings reveal that mRNA vaccines cause epigenetic 'training' of innate immune cells, sustaining immunological response. Epigenetic alterations may enable long-lasting innate immunity that enhances acquired immune system protection. 3/

Read 12 tweets

Vipin M. Vashishtha

@vipintukur

Mar 26

In a proof-of-concept study, people with cognitive impairment in #LongCOVID were found to have asymmetrical glymphatic dysfunction in the left hemisphere of the brain which also correlated with disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). 1/

A group of researchers used special MRI techniques to assess perivascular spaces in the brain of 14 individuals with LongCOVID compared to 10 healthy controls. 2/

A significant reduction in the DTI-ALPS index—a measure of glymphatic function—in the left hemisphere of LongCOVID patients was found, indicating impaired waste clearance in the brain. 3/

Read 6 tweets

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