Kuwaiti Newspaper | “Corona” … “The Californian strain” approaches the Arab world

In a new setback whose fragments could reach the Arab world, 5 new infections were discovered with the “California strain”, which is a genetic mutation of the “Corona” virus, which was discovered by chance by American doctors and contributed to an increase in the number of infections in the United States.

While doctors were researching the extent of the outbreak of the “British strain” of the “Corona” virus in America, they accidentally discovered a new strain which they called the “California strain” which has in America. actually started to move around the world, as five cases were discovered in Israel; Which means it could spread to the Arab world.

The “California strain”, genetically different from the “British strain”, has contributed to the increase in the number of infections in the United States, and it requires the same preventive measures that have become known.

According to the doctors, “The California strain is different from all the other strains seen, such as the British, African and Brazilian strain, and it develops from a different part and is determined by 5 different mutations, and it included about 40 percent of Southern California cases in January. ” .

For the “California strain”, there is no data to show that it is more dangerous, but it can be more contagious. The breed has appeared in 26 different states across the country in the public database.

So far, all of the data for the “California strain” has nothing to suggest that the vaccine will be less effective, but more studies need to be done.

Scientists in California believe there is a “local strain” of the virus in the US state, which could be responsible for the sharp increase in the number of cases, and they accidentally found it while researching the new “British strain” , knowing that there are several new strains discovered in the world.

It is noteworthy that the new strain has already started to move around the world, as five cases have been discovered in Israel, which means that it has started to move closer to the Arab world.

new model

On the other hand, a research team from the College of Engineering at the University of Southern California has developed a new model that can counter emerging variants of the virus in seconds.

The new study has shown that this artificial intelligence model can analyze the effectiveness of vaccines, which will help in vaccine development in the future.

The researchers believe the model can be easily adapted to analyze potential mutations in the virus, ensuring that the best possible vaccines are identified quickly.

The study said this machine learning model can design vaccines in a process that took months or years, in seconds and minutes.

“This AI framework, applied to the details of this virus, can deliver candidate vaccines in seconds, then quickly transfer them to clinical trials, to perform preventive medical treatments without compromising safety.”

The study says the electronic model processed Corona very quickly during the experiments and made a list of the best ingredients that could be used to combat it.

second dose

In this context, the British newspaper “Sunday Times” indicated, in a report entitled “Delaying the second dose of the” Covid 19 vaccine “saves lives”, that Professor Anthony Harnden, one of the main government advisers on the matter. United Kingdom Vaccine Deployment Data, revealed that vaccine deployment data shows “promising evidence justifies a late approach to the second dose.”

And she pointed out that “Harnden, who is vice chairman of the Joint Committee on Immunization and Immunization, made it clear that those vaccinated enjoy high levels of protection from the first dose,” noting that “some medical workers have criticized the British approach, which delayed the second dose of the vaccine for a period of 12 weeks, to speed up its release.

And the World Health Organization has said the second dose of the “Pfizer” vaccine should be delayed by just 6 weeks.

Austria

In addition, the conservative Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced yesterday in statements to the German newspaper “Welt am Sonntag”, that he is open to the manufacture of Russian or Chinese vaccines in Austria, if they obtain a license to put them on. the market in Europe. Union.

He added that the idea is to “get a safe vaccine as quickly as possible, no matter who made it,” noting that he could receive the Russian vaccine if it is allowed in Europe.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also expressed her openness to the use of Russian and Chinese vaccines.

And the US “Bloomberg” news agency estimated that Russia had achieved the greatest scientific breakthrough since the Soviet era, adding that countries were lining up to get shipments of “Sputnik in”.

rectal swab

Meanwhile, US experts questioned the feasibility of using the rectal tampon, which China has started using, to detect “Corona” infection.

And researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong School of Medicine said they found for the first time that people with “Covid 19” suffered from an active and long-term viral infection, and that it can be found in the digestive system.

They said the infection occurs even in the absence of gastrointestinal symptoms and even after the symptoms of the respiratory system have subsided.

This means that the swab, which is two inches long, is inserted into the anus and is repeatedly moved inside the rectum, which detects “Corona” cases more accurately than nasal swabs. and pharyngeal.

And the medical site “Healthline”, a specialist in the United States, cited experts as saying that the rectal swab is inaccurate.

Clinical microbiology professor Umi Garnier says reports on this smear are incorrect.

He stressed that it is established that the best sample is taken from the upper respiratory tract, and said scientists had already bypassed the issue of stool examination in the early months of the outbreak.

“AstraZeneca”

As part of the vaccine race, British pharmaceutical company “AstraZeneca” reported that its vaccine developed by “Oxford University” appears to offer only limited protection against mild disease caused by the “southern strain”. African “.

A report from the “Financial Times” newspaper said that the study conducted by the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and the University of Oxford showed that the effect of the vaccine was significantly weak against the “African strain”.

A spokesperson for AstraZeneca said in response to the Financial Times report that he believed the “AstraZeneca” vaccine could prevent severe symptoms since the activity of neutralizing antibodies was similar to that of other “Covid 19 vaccines. “.

Abu Dhabi

The Committee for Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management resulting from the Corona pandemic in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi approved the determination of the capacity of commercial, economic and tourism activities in the emirate, as of yesterday , in order to strengthen preventive measures to contain the infection and limit the spread of the virus.

The committee also approved the closure of cinemas and the ban on parties and gatherings, while respecting the number of people, not exceeding 10 people at wedding ceremonies and family events, and 20 people at funerals and funerals.