Biotech/medical – Lifeboat News: The Blog

Apr 11
2020

Some doctors moving away from ventilators for virus patients

Some hospitals have reported unusually high death rates for coronavirus patients on ventilators, and some doctors worry that the machines could be harming certain patients. When people talk of the safety of medicines, they need to also talk of the safety of ventilators as the wrong treatment can kill a patient, and we have enough evidence that ventilators are not working.

NEW YORK (AP) — As health officials around the world push to get more ventilators to treat coronavirus patients, some doctors are moving away from using the breathing machines when they can.

The reason: Some hospitals have reported unusually high death rates for coronavirus patients on ventilators, and some doctors worry that the machines could be harming certain patients.

The evolving treatments highlight the fact that doctors are still learning the best way to manage a virus that emerged only months ago. They are relying on anecdotal, real-time data amid a crush of patients and shortages of basic supplies.

Apr 11
2020

Local Diver’s Underwater Rebreathing Technology Could Mask Some Pandemic Problems

Rhode Island resident and professional diver Michael Lombardi said the rebreather technology he uses for deepwater dives could be used by health-care professionals battling the coronavirus.

Apr 11
2020

Pentagon using Defense Production Act authority to ramp up N95 mask production

The Pentagon is executing its first project under the authorities granted by the Defense Production Act in order to produce more than 39 million critical N95 masks amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“On the evening of April 10, the Department of Defense received approval from the White House Task Force to execute the first DPA Title 3 project responding to COVID-19,” Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Mike Andrews said in a statement.

“The $133M project will use these authorities to increase domestic production capacity of N95 masks to over 39 million in the next 90 days,” the statement added.

Apr 11
2020

Viruses — lots of them — are falling from the sky

Something we may need to consider if there are evidently now people in remote Amazonian tribes dying from Covid-19…

An astonishing number of viruses are circulating around the Earth’s atmosphere — and falling from it — according to new research from scientists in Canada, Spain and the U.S.

The study marks the first time scientists have quantified the viruses being swept up from the Earth’s surface into the free troposphere, that layer of atmosphere beyond Earth’s weather systems but below the stratosphere where jet airplanes fly. The viruses can be carried thousands of kilometres there before being deposited back onto the Earth’s surface.

“Every day, more than 800 million viruses are deposited per square metre above the planetary boundary layer — that’s 25 viruses for each person in Canada,” said University of British Columbia virologist Curtis Suttle, one of the senior authors of a paper in the International Society for Microbial Ecology Journal that outlines the findings.

Apr 11
2020

A boy from a remote Amazonian tribe has died, raising concerns about Covid-19’s impact on indigenous people

The 15-year-old boy, a Yanomami from the village of Rehebe on the Uraricoera River, died Thursday, according to Brazil’s Ministry of Health.

He had been in the intensive care unit in Roraima General Hospital in Boa Vista, the capital of Roraima state, since April 3. The hospital has not revealed his cause of death, the Ministry of Health said.

Apr 11
2020

The US just became the first country in the world to record more than 2,000 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours

“More Americans died between Monday and Saturday (8,800) than died from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq combined.”

The US reported 2,108 deaths on Friday and passed 500,000 confirmed cases, but White House officials say the speed of the outbreak is easing off.

Apr 11
2020

Covid-19 Research Update: Dr. Jacob Glanville and Sarah Ives

Join us for LIVE updates as Dr. Jacob Glanville and Sarah Ives give the world the latest news on the novel research being done in the fight against #Covid19.

- Today at 2:45PST — LEARN MORE about all of the amazing things happening in their world by clicking the links below!

www.distributedbio.com www.centivax.com — #Centivax #Dbio #DistributedBio #Biotechnology #Research #Antibodies #Pandemic

Apr 11
2020

A coronavirus vaccine could be ready by September, according to a British scientist who is developing one

Professor Sarah Gilbert said a working vaccine by September was “just about possible if everything goes perfectly.”

Apr 11
2020

CSL Behring and Takeda Pharmaceutical Are Leading a Coalition to Develop a COVID-19 Hyperimmune Therapy

Collaboration will always accelerate society faster than competition ever will:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.fool.com/amp/investing/2020…coali.aspx

“Biotest, BPL, LFB, and Octapharma have joined an alliance formed by CSL Behring (ASX: CSL/USOTC: CSLLY) and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE:4502/NYSE: TAK) to develop a potential plasma-derived therapy for treating COVID-19. The alliance will begin immediately with the investigational development of one, unbranded anti-SARS-CoV-2 polyclonal hyperimmune immunoglobulin medicine with the potential to treat individuals with serious complications from COVID-19.”

Six companies will work together to develop a plasma-derived antibody product to fight SARS-CoV-2.

Apr 11
2020

Reno-based Hamilton Medical awarded $551M contract to make ventilators

RENO, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — A Reno company has been awarded more than $550 million to help make ventilators during the coronavirus outbreak.

In a statement released on Friday, Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., said Hamilton Medical would receive a five-month, $551 million contract as part of a national effort to stockpile 100,000 ventilators over the next 100 days.

Amodei states the money is coming in the form of a firm-fixed-price contract that began on March 31.