Nancy Lapid

(Reuters.) – Here is a list of recent COVID-19 studies. There is some research that needs to be further investigated to verify the results and has not been peer reviewed.

Evidence points to Omicron weakness as a possible cause of antibody weakening

Labor experiments have shown that vaccines against Omicron virus are not effective.

Researchers at Columbia University discovered that Omicron was “markedly resistant” to neutralization by antibodies from blood donors of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines. This is according to a Wednesday bioRxiv report. Moderna (NASDAQ:), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:) or Oxford/AstraZeneca or from survivors of COVID-19. Then, the researchers tested nine monoclonal antibody that had been approved for use as well as 10 experimental ones. They stated that 18 of 19 of the 19 tested antibodies had “either been abolished, or impair” their neutralizing capabilities. This includes those already approved for use.

European researchers also reported similar findings in a separate paper posted on Wednesday at bioRxiv. “Omicron was either completely or partially intolerant to neutralization” according to the nine monoclonal antibodies they tested, and blood samples of 90 COVID-19 recipients.

They also discovered that the neutralizing power of antibodies was significantly lower in those who were vaccinated and who survived. The European Group stated that neutralizing antibodies levels in these patients were between 5 and 31 times higher against Omicron than for Delta.

Patients with COVID-19 may benefit from more frequent care.

New research examines the reasons COVID-19 patients who are on mechanical ventilators struggle to breathe and what common treatments could save their lives.

Pulmonary surfactant is a fluid that lines the air sacs of the lungs. It prevents the sacs collapsing after each inhalation. Preterm babies who lack sufficient surfactant were the first to discover that surfactant is important.

This month’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine published a study that showed for the first-time, COVID-19 patients who are on ventilators had less surfactant than normal people.

Researchers treated 10 adults with the same preterm baby artificial surfactant. The benefits of the treatment were not apparent quickly, and the patients required repeat treatments far more frequently than they expected.

Researchers said that COVID-19 is a virus that infects lung cells and causes death. However, these cells are likely to recover after the infection has ended. These new results suggest that multiple surfactant dosages will need to be taken over several days until the lung cells can make their own.

Click for a Reuters graphic https://tmsnrt.rs/3c7R3Bl on vaccines in development.