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Dr. Sanjay Gupta Profile picture
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24 Dec, 9 tweets, 4 min read
As of today, we have two newly authorized treatments for early Covid-19 in high-risk patients — @pfizer 's Paxlovid and @Merck 's molnupiravir. (1/
cnn.com/2021/12/22/hea…
Paxlovid is for ages 12+ at high risk of severe disease. It was found to lower the risk of hospitalization or death by about 88%. (2/
For molnupiravir, that number is around 30%. It is for ages 18+ who are at high risk, not recommended if you’re pregnant, and for when alternatives aren’t available or appropriate. (3/
While these are no substitutes for vaccination, @EricTopol notes these drugs are important because they don’t revolve around our immune response and aren’t impacted in the same way by variants. (4/
erictopol.substack.com/p/why-paxlovid…
In fact, the @US_FDA now says only one authorized monoclonal antibody treatment, sotrovimab, appears to remain effective against Omicron (5/
phe.gov/emergency/even…
That’s because these antibodies (monoclonals and vaccine-induced) target the spike protein — where Omicron has a number of mutations. (6/
Antivirals deal with a different part of the virus, interfering with the way it replicates. Pfizer says its pill already appears to retain activity against Omicron in lab tests. (7/
A key point as shipments ramp up over the coming weeks: both are prescription-only and meant to be taken within 5 days of first symptoms, which means access to testing and care are crucial. (8/
cnn.com/2021/12/22/pol…
But again, these are NOT a substitute for preventive measures like vaccines. You should still get a vaccine and a booster if you’re eligible. (9/ #GetVaccinated

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More from @drsanjaygupta

Dr. Sanjay Gupta Profile picture
27 Jul
@CDC’s new guidance recommends #vaccinated people in areas of high or substantial transmission to mask when in indoor public spaces. Why? As the @CDCgov director explained new data finds vaccinated people with #Deltavariant can carry the same viral load as those not 💉 (1/7)
Back on May 13, when @CDCgov first changed their guidance, #DeltaVariant made up about 1.4% of all reported cases. Now it makes up 83% of cases (2/7).
This raises questions about how easily #vaccinated people can transmit #Covid_19. It Is important to point out there is little correlation between viral load and symptoms. One can have a high viral load, but few symptoms. The vaccines are still doing their job (3/7).
Read 7 tweets
Dr. Sanjay Gupta Profile picture
29 Mar
While we are beginning to feel the light on our faces after this pandemic, part of me wonders if we will actually take away the lessons we learned this past year. We owe it to every life lost to make sure this never happens again. I hope you’ll be watching tonight. #CovidWar
Dr. Fauci told me that this virus is evil...but also extraordinary. Where could something so dangerous really come from, and how was it so perfectly adapted to spread in human populations? Keep watching to find out. #CovidWar
Dr. Fauci also told me “this is a war. So if you're going to fight a war, you better start shooting at the enemy instead of at each other.” How exactly did politics impact our response to Covid-19? #CovidWar
Read 16 tweets
Dr. Sanjay Gupta Profile picture
8 Mar
Having 3 authorized vaccines is an incredible scientific feat, but like I’ve said before: vaccines aren’t vaccinations. So, still have lingering vaccine questions?@CarlosdelRio7 @PreetiNMalani did the work for you and broke down what we know. 1/8
When it comes to which vaccine you should receive, they say get whatever is available. Eventually, when there's more supply, the mrRNA vaccines could provide an advantage for higher risk folks. J&J vaccine is great for people who wouldn’t be able to return for a 2nd dose. 2/8
There isn’t clear evidence that the vaccines prevent transmission yet. There’s some early data that this could be the case, but they add that: “Protection against transmission may be difficult to prove because a decline in infections may be due to multiple factors.” 3/8
Read 8 tweets
Dr. Sanjay Gupta Profile picture
18 Feb
It’s important to remember that coronaviruses mutate all the time. And, the more they spread, the more mutations can happen. That is why simply reducing transmission is the key to reducing new variants. (1/8)
So far we have identified variants by calling them things like B.1.1.7 or B.1.351, or associating them with where they were first identified. (2/8)
But, a group of researchers has found a better way - naming them after birds - or at least that’s what they did for a new crop of variants that they’ve found in the US. (I personally love the bird names -- naming variants like we name hurricanes) (⅜)
cnn.com/2021/02/14/hea…
Read 8 tweets
Dr. Sanjay Gupta Profile picture
18 Feb
I know you may have concerns about the new variants and whether our current vaccines will work against them. Some good news: a new lab study shows @pfizer 's vaccine offers solid protection against the variant first seen in South Africa aka B.1.351. (1/7)
Researchers tested an engineered version of the variant (B.1.351) against blood samples from people who had received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (2/7)
There was a reduction in neutralizing antibody activity against the variant, but researchers said it was still enough to neutralize the virus. (3/7)
cnn.com/2021/02/17/hea…
Read 7 tweets
Dr. Sanjay Gupta Profile picture
9 Feb
@CDCgov is expected to to release guidelines to reopen schools this week. So what do we know about keeping safe? One study found that over a 13 week period - schools in a Wisconsin district had a 37% lower incidence of infections relative to the surrounding community. 1/10
The report found that among the 191 cases detected in the schools - only 7 were from in-school spread. This is evidence that schools can be safe if (and this is an important if…) they have the resources to do it. 2/10
cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/7…
Masks - More than 92% of students used masks. Students were provided with double or triple layer cloth masks. And both younger and older children used them. This is a great guide on the difference in masks. 3/10
Read 10 tweets

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