Hey Health Deskers,
Our scientists are looking at a dip in overall life expectancy, and promising news from vaccine candidates and treatments for COVID-19. We dig into the science behind why substances like vinegar and hydrogen peroxide won’t help efforts to treat the virus and in some cases could be quite dangerous.
Check out our forecasts and explainers and tell us what you think! We love hearing from you. Reach out at health@meedan.com with questions, comments and suggestions for this newsletter and anything else we should cover for you.
Happy reading everyone!
First, a look ahead …
Good news on COVID-19 treatments
Last week we saw COVID-19 infection rates and deaths continue to decline, and even more great news surrounded medications for the virus. Regeneron's monoclonal antibody combination lowered hospitalizations and deaths by 71% and helped reduce symptoms and viral load among 2,696 high risk COVID-19 outpatients. Even more positive outcomes surrounded Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics' experimental COVID-19 pill, molnupiravir. The drug reduced the risk of both hospitalization and death by half in recent clinical trials. This antiviral medication is a highly anticipated development. It is a simple regimen that can be taken at home, and it’s already being produced without much difficulty. It may also be less expensive than monoclonal antibody treatments. Merck is applying for an emergency use authorization in the United States, despite not yet publishing peer-reviewed data on the pill. Merck has also already licensed the medication to five generic drug manufacturers in India. We believe Merck's focus on tiered pricing for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) may preempt companies like Pfizer and Roche, who are also working on coronavirus antiviral medications, to focus on affordability and access until more vaccines are available globally.
Novavax updates
In more medication news, Novavax and the Serum Institute of India submitted an application for an Emergency Use Listing to the World Health Organization for their COVID-19 vaccine, Covavax. Since its inception, Novavax has planned to prioritize vaccine access to LMICs and have already pledged to provide more than 1.1 billion doses to COVAX. Phase 3 clinical trials are still taking place in several countries, but in early studies Covavax demonstrated more than 90% efficacy against the original virus. It also appears to work well against multiple variants of concern. Novavax just received approval to expand their clinical trials to children aged seven to 11 in India, in addition to the 12 to 17 year olds who are already participating. After some manufacturing and submission delays, the companies are hopeful they can ramp up production to meet their targets soon. We believe Covavax could be a game-changer in the fight to protect billions of people against the virus and are hopeful the vaccine is safe, effective, and easily distributed.
A dip in global life expectancy
A recent study found that due to the pandemic, life expectancy from birth dropped in 27 of 29 countries from 2019 to 2020. The largest losses were among males in the United States (2.2 years) and Lithuania (1.7 years) but most reductions were due to higher mortality rates in people above 60 years of age. A mortality increase hasn't been seen at this level since World War II in Western Europe, or since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe. Overall, females from 25 countries and males from ten countries had lower life expectancy in 2020 than they did in 2015. We don't expect data from more countries during 2020-2021 to show much better results.
Now: you asked, we answered. Here are the latest topics our scientists are unpacking for you:
Hydrogen peroxide is not a cure for the common cold, COVID-19, HIV, cancer, or any other disease
Hydrogen peroxide is not a cure for any infectious disease, including COVID-19. There is no evidence that hydrogen peroxide is a cure for the common cold, COVID-19, HIV, cancer, or any other disease. Ingesting hydrogen peroxide is dangerous. It is not meant for human consumption in any form and can be dangerous to human health, especially at high concentrations.
“Inhaling the substance — even when diluted to 3% — can lead to a burning nose, throat, and chest. It can cause respiratory irritation, and eye burning and irritation. Inhaling it in larger quantities can cause even more harmful outcomes. If the substance is more concentrated, say 10% or more, inhaling it can cause bronchitis, severe pulmonary irritation, pulmonary edema (excess fluid in your lungs), and severe shortness of breath. Even inhaling hydrogen peroxide at very low doses (eg. 0.1%) would still not be helpful against any disease and could still cause harm, especially in large quantities.”
What do we know about the side effects of booster shots?
Currently available data suggest that the side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine booster doses are similar to side effects from the initial set of vaccine doses. Approved booster shots are considered safe and are currently recommended in some countries for people who are immunocompromised, people who are older than age 65, and people who are at higher risk of exposure due to their work (e.g. medical and other frontline jobs).
“Although there are vast inequities in COVID-19 vaccine access around the world, multiple countries have started, or are considering, COVID-19 vaccine booster shots, particularly for populations who are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 (e.g. immunocompromised people, people over age 65, and frontline workers). For example, the Philippines announced that the government's 2022 budget will include 45.3 billion pesos (equivalent to $899 million in U.S. dollars) for COVID-19 booster shots. Given this context, there is growing interest in learning about the potential side effects of a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose.”
What do we know about rinsing with vinegar to prevent COVID-19?
While there can be some health benefits to using a nasal rinses (also called nasal irrigation) or mouthwash, there is no scientific evidence that rinsing with vinegar can prevent or treat COVID-19. COVID-19 is caused by coronaviruses with an outer lipid (fat) membrane, so washing hands with soap and using a hand sanitizer with at least 60-70% alcohol can be effective against this type of virus. Wearing a mask or face covering can help prevent viral particles from entering or exiting through the mouth and nose.
“Many people are seeking ways to prevent and cure COVID-19 infection during the current global pandemic. Some people are trying home remedies, despite the lack of scientific evidence for several of the remedies. Some of these home remedies include nasal and oral rinses with different substances. Known ways of preventing viral particles from entering the nose and mouth include keeping physical distance, wearing a mask, practicing good hand hygiene and trying not to touch the face. Research is continuing to study effective ways of preventing viral particles from entering or taking hold in our nose, mouth, throat, and lungs. COVID-19 vaccination can protect people from serious disease symptoms, hospitalization, and death when viral particles do manage to enter the body.”
What do we know about vaccine distribution for children?
One way some countries have tried to increase rates of protection is by immunizing young people, with many countries starting with children as young as 12 years old. In fact, the United Arab Emirates and the People's Republic of China have been vaccinating children from 3 years of age and older with the Sinopharm vaccine.
“While children under 18 might soon be eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines, the focus of childhood COVID-19 immunization campaigns should first be on clinically vulnerable children and those who live with vulnerable or chronically ill adults. Some children can indeed become very ill due to the virus, especially due to the impacts of long COVID-19 and the lack of data we have in different countries about how it impacts kids.”
That’s all for this time folks, have a good week and we’ll be back soon with more science to share!