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Vincent Rajkumar Profile picture
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14 May, 9 tweets, 3 min read
Pan Corona Virus vaccine thread

What you missed from the WH briefing yesterday: Dr. Fauci's comments. @ASlavitt

1/ We are going to keep having mutants/variants and one of the solutions would be to have a pan corona virus vaccine that stops the virus no matter what it does.
2/ Dr. Fauci referred to an important paper published in @nature on an exciting new nanoparticle cross neutralizing antibody technology targeting both pandemic and pre-emergent coronaviruses. nature.com/articles/s4158…
3/ The idea is to make a vaccine that elicits antibodies that can neutralize multiple different coronaviruses: A pan-coronavirus vaccine. And that it might be possible! Coming from Dr. Fauci who led the NIH team that developed the Moderna vaccine, I am taking notice.
4/ The study Dr. Fauci referenced from @DukeU showed that there is a specific highly-conserved site on the receptor-binding domain of the corona virus spike protein. This site makes multiple human and bat coronaviruses highly vulnerable to cross-neutralizing antibodies.
5/ The SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) nanoparticle vaccine is augmented by arraying multiple copies of the RBD, 24 copies in this case, to mimic a normal virus particle and thereby boost the immune response.
5/ The study showed that in moneys, this novel multimeric nanoparticle vaccine targeting a highly conserved site on the receptor binding domain of multiple human and national corona viruses, completely blocked SARS-CoV-2 infection.
6/ It produced higher neutralizing antibody activity against SARS CoV-2 than we have observed with current vaccines or natural infection. It also elicited cross-neutralizing antibody against multiple bat coronaviruses, human SARS-CoV-1, and variants of SARS-CoV-2!!!
7/ We have a ways to go. But this is truly exciting. Whether this technology or another, the study shows that we can target highly conserved sites of this horrible virus with new vaccines, and produce a pan corona virus immune response that protects from this and future variants.
*animal not national

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More from @VincentRK

Vincent Rajkumar Profile picture
14 May
A lot of COVID deaths in India in young people who should be doing well & recovering.

I am making a plea to doctors in India to cut down the use of STEROIDS. Please.

Steroids are only useful after the patient is hypoxic. Harmful if given early, or given for too long
In the first week of the illness when the virus is dividing, the use of steroids can suppress the immune response and make the virus divide even more. Steroids are not antivirals. There was a trend to more deaths in RECOVERY trial in patients who were not hypoxic.
In patients who have hypoxia, it signals that there is lung involvement. By now the virus is likely controlled by the body and the damage is from the immune system. Only at this stage are steroids useful: at small dose (Dex 6 mg) and short duration (5 days).
Read 10 tweets
Vincent Rajkumar Profile picture
14 May
A year ago today, >100 prominent scientists wrote an open letter calling on leaders to require masks for all to control COVID.

Our letter had an impact. @jeremyphoward @zeynep @erikbryn @EricTopol @trishgreenhalgh @DrSidMukherjee masks4all.co/letter-over-10…
The letter was announced in @USATODAY

@jeremyphoward @zeynep @JillDLawrence google.com/amp/s/amp.usat…
The WHO updated its guidance on June 5, 2020, agreeing that masks are recommended for all people in areas with high transmission— not just people with respiratory symptoms.
Read 10 tweets
Vincent Rajkumar Profile picture
13 May
CDC revised guidance on masks. Good news. We have been saying for a while that our messaging on vaccines has to emphasize that masks will go away and restrictions will cease as vaccination rates increase.
Revised guidance: People who are fully vaccinated may skip masks and distancing in most indoor & outdoor settings. Exceptions noted below. @nytimes
google.com/amp/s/www.nyti…
This is possible because:

1) >70% of people age 65 and older in the US are FULLY vaccinated
2) 83% people age 65 and older have had at least one dose.
3) Almost 50% of adults in the US have had at least one dose.
4) Of the rest 1/3 have had COVID and recovered.
@ASlavitt
Read 10 tweets
Vincent Rajkumar Profile picture
13 May
This tweet sent on the same day the CDC director was worried about "impending doom" was based on my confidence in COVID vaccines. Americans did heed the director's advise and followed precautions. I'm glad it was a ripple, not a wave. We are making steady progress. #GetVaccinated
Most countries in the world would love to be in our position: more than enough COVID vaccines for every resident. Vaccines approved even for children 12-18.

But we have a problem. To prevent cases and deaths in the fall, we must overcome vaccine hesitancy and reach herd immunity
Vaccines work only if people take them.
Read 4 tweets
Vincent Rajkumar Profile picture
13 May
Only 2.5% of the population in India is fully vaccinated. (Which is part of the problem)

Fully vaccinated healthcare workers appear to be protected from severe COVID. Important story from @soutikBBC @BBCWorld bbc.com/news/world-asi…
I have been speaking to doctors and hospitals and I get the same sense.
Nothing in medicine is perfect. So you will hear about patients who have been fully vaccinated succumb. But this is likely the exception. 👇
Read 5 tweets
Vincent Rajkumar Profile picture
12 May
FAQ: Will current vaccines protect against the B.1.617 variant that is felt to be playing a role in the COVID crisis in India.

Answer: Yes they will. The summary of all the information out there is that current vaccines are highly protective, especially against severe disease.
It doesn't mean vaccinated people in India can relax on precautions. Or that we stop worrying about the mutant entering other countries & causing problems. Coz:

-Vaccinated people may still spread to others
-We need more data on protection
-There may be other mutants that arise
It does mean:

-Vaccines work & people should get vaccinated as soon as possible.
-Countries with extra doses of COVID vaccine, any COVID vaccine, should send surplus to help India. You will save a huge number of lives. You will also protect yourself from rise of new mutants
Read 6 tweets

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