COVID-19

A new single-dose antiviral drug has been found to lower the risk of hospitalization among high-risk populations by half, according to a new study.

There were also “no significant differences” in side effects seen between the two groups, according to the research team’s statement. “This could be an important addition to our arsenal to fight COVID-19, especially for high-risk patients who may not be able to use currently available treatments because of side-effects or drug interactions with medications they take,” Dr. [article published by the University of Toronto ](https://www.utoronto.ca/news/interferon-speeds-recovery-some-covid-19-patients-u-t-and-uhn-study-finds) [following the Phase 2 trial](https://www.utoronto.ca/news/interferon-speeds-recovery-some-covid-19-patients-u-t-and-uhn-study-finds) [ in 2021](https://www.utoronto.ca/news/interferon-speeds-recovery-some-covid-19-patients-u-t-and-uhn-study-finds) explained that peginterferon lambda stimulates a protein in the body called Interferon-lambda, which has the ability to kill invading viruses. However, it had the same effect on those who were unvaccinated. The study noted that the trial was one of the first to test the treatment in a largely vaccinated population (84 per cent). A single dose of a new antiviral drug has been found to lower the risk of hospitalization or a visit to the emergency department for high-risk patients by half, according to a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

Feb. 8: Results of the phase 3 clinical trial showed that COVID patients who received the drug were half as likely to be admitted to hospital.

House votes to end foreign air traveller COVID vaccine requirement](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-us-house-votes-to-end-foreign-air-traveller-covid-vaccine-requirement/) Medicago’s Covifenz vaccine is plant-based and was approved by Health Canada one year ago for adults aged 18 to 64. Luxury goods companies in China have suffered from intermittent lockdowns, but Canada Goose said Beijing’s decision to dismantle its zero-COVID policy late last year only added to the company’s headaches. [How misinformation can kill you](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/toronto/article-how-misinformation-can-kill-you/) Premiers have requested increased funding since 2020, as health systems buckled under the strain of the pandemic. [Canada’s travel rules](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-canadas-travel-rules-for-vaccinated-and-unvaccinated-people-explained/)for vaccinated and unvaccinated people [When will COVID-19 be endemic?](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-covid-endemic-pandemic-meaning/)The four factors that will shape the virus’s future [Wastewater](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/podcasts/the-decibel/article-wastewater-is-filling-the-covid-19-data-gap/)is filling the COVID-19 data gap [Tax & Spend newsletter](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/newsletters/). An increasing number of health agencies have changed how they're reporting data on the coronavirus. [can be found here](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-coronavirus-cases-canada-world-map-explainer/). [an effective treatment for COVID-19](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-antiviral-drug-covid-19-high-risk/), particularly for high-risk patients. [advised not to test themselves for COVID](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-health-care-workers-on-vancouver-island-advised-not-to-test-themselves/) [U.S. [Antiviral drug could be an effective COVID-19 treatment](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-antiviral-drug-covid-19-high-risk/)for high-risk patients, study shows

A new study finds promise in a drug associated with significantly reduced hospitalizations among high-risk patients who received an injection in the e...

However, it’s not used for those infections because of the availability of oral treatment. The vast majority of participants, 84 per cent, were vaccinated. Those who received peginterferon lambda within three days had an 89 per cent reduction in risk of hospitalization. “The difference with interferon lambda, which is this particular interferon, is that it’s much more focused in where it acts,” said Feld, interim director of the Toronto Centre for Liver Disease. Results of the study were published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. “It’s by a syringe, subcutaneously under the skin, the same way you might deliver insulin, for example,” said Mills, a professor in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact at McMaster University in Hamilton.

The medicine is given as a single injection within one week of symptoms developing, and works against the omicron variant.

The drug interferon lambda may represent a new generation of antiviral treatment. But it will likely be available overseas before the U.S..

Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and three— [Paxlovid](https://time.com/6168394/covid-19-antivirals-antibodies/), [molnupiravir](https://time.com/6168394/covid-19-antivirals-antibodies/), and [convalescent plasma](https://www.fda.gov/media/141477/download)—have emergency use authorization from the FDA. Instead, the company is looking for faster approval outside of the U.S., since it says it already has 100,000 doses ready to distribute and the capacity to quickly manufacture 10 million more. “And given the 8 in the New England Journal of Medicine](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2209760), researchers led by Dr. [study](https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.01.26.23284998v2) showed that SARS-CoV-2 has already begun to develop resistance to molnupiravir, which isn’t uncommon for antiviral drugs. Apelian says that would be too time consuming and expensive for the company in the near term. And [lab studies](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.08.07.499047v1.full.pdf) have found several pathways by which the virus mutates to escape Paxlovid. But after months of discussion, the FDA Only one drug— [remdesivir](https://time.com/5840207/coronavirus-treatment-remdesivir/)—is [approved](https://time.com/5903121/remdesivir-fda-covid-19/) by the U.S. He hopes a future study will put that possibility to the test with a trial in which people with symptoms like fever, cough, and muscle aches would be randomly assigned to receive interferon lambda or placebo even before they were tested to figure out which viral infection they have, so scientists could learn more about the extent of the drug’s efficacy as a broad-spectrum antiviral treatment. Jeffrey Glenn at Stanford University report that a single injection of that drug within three days of of the first symptoms reduced hospitalizations for COVID-19 by 51%, and deaths by 50%, among vaccinated people. Because the treatment requires only a single shot administered by a doctor, compliance was 100%, and researchers observed minimal side effects.

Abstract Background The efficacy of a single dose of pegylated interferon lambda in preventing clinical events among outpatients with acute symptomatic ...

(%) [‡](#t1fn3) 15 (1.5) 2C](#)). 1919 (98.5) 2B](#)). 1003 (98.5) 1113 (57.1) 531 (57.0) [Supplementary Appendix](/doi/suppl/10.1056/NEJMoa2209760/suppl_file/nejmoa2209760_appendix.pdf). [2](#) The representativeness of the trial population is described in the [Supplementary Appendix](/doi/suppl/10.1056/NEJMoa2209760/suppl_file/nejmoa2209760_appendix.pdf).

Of those patients, 32 were in intensive care — an increase of two. Montreal Gazette Headline News Banner. Montreal Gazette Headline News. Sign up to receive ...

The province reported that 612 more COVID-19 cases had been confirmed through PCR testing at its clinics. [montrealgazette.com/coronavirusnews](http://montrealgazette.com/coronavirusnews). [montrealgazette.com/tag/coronavirus](http://montrealgazette.com/tag/coronavirus). Article content [tap here](https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/how-to-get-covid-19-vaccinations-in-montreal). [COVID-19.](http://montrealgazette.com/tag/coronavirus)

Alberta now has 683 people in hospital with COVID-19, 22 of whom are receiving care in ICUs.

In 2022, 1,611 patients were in hospital with the virus, while there were 683 people this year. In the ICU, 44 per cent of patients were being treated because of COVID-19. Since its last data update, Alberta Health has counted 558 new COVID-19 cases in 5,545 PCR tests. 6, 2021, 405 Albertans were hospitalized with COVID-19. Last week’s hospital numbers were retroactively increased from 702 to 726. Alberta’s total number of COVID-19-related deaths went up by 24.

The research found that protection against COVID-19 for infants was most effective when mothers got their second or third dose of mRNA vaccine during ...

The researchers found that a second vaccine dose during pregnancy provided strong protection against the Delta variant for the baby. Another is that they only had data on babies who were tested for COVID-19 with lab-confirmed PCR tests, so they couldn’t include any home rapid antigen test results. The researchers looked at data for 8,809 infants born in Ontario who received COVID-19 PCR tests between May 31, 2021, and Sept. This study shows that getting vaccinated during pregnancy is also “of great benefit to the infant” after they’re born, said Dr. That in turn can harm the fetus, they say. Read more:

A team led by McMaster University researchers Gilmar Reis and Edward Mills has discovered that a single injection of pegylated interferon lambda (lambda) ...

A team led by two McMaster researchers has discovered that a single injection of pegylated interferon lambda (lambda) can successfully treat COVID-19 in people early in the disease. External funding for the study was provided by FastGrants and the Rainwater Charitable Foundation. The ongoing platform study has evaluated multiple potential COVID-19 treatments during the pandemic. Lambda works by activating the immune system’s antiviral defences against COVID-19 viruses invading the airways. Researchers ran the lambda trial from June 2021 to March 2022. We are beginning a study now of lambda for influenza.”

Fredericton has been added to a national wastewater surveillance dashboard, becoming the second New Brunswick city to be reported. Here's what the new data ...

"Laboratory testing services through the P.E.I. 7, when the Fredericton spike occurred, showed the Fredericton health region, Zone 3, had the third highest number of confirmed cases of COVID in the province. But each sample is also sent to the national microbiology laboratory in Winnipeg for additional testing and validation, Bowie said. If the $1.5 million in federal funding recently announced for a P.E.I. New Brunswick tests its own wastewater samples at the Public Health laboratory located within the Dr. It will allow COVID-19 testing to be completed quickly in the region, without the need to ship the samples to the national lab in Winnipeg, the Public Health Agency of Canada spokesperson said. "Wastewater monitoring is the future of public health surveillance for infectious diseases in Canada," Duclos said in a statement at the time. 19, the latest figures available. Last month, federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos visited the Atlantic Veterinary College at the University of Prince Edward Island, which is getting the funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada to "enhance COVID-19 wastewater testing capacity for the Atlantic provinces." 5 and stood at 12, as of Jan. "Comparisons across sites can be difficult … The Department of Health has described wastewater surveillance as a "crucial tool for public health authorities."

In a recent study, children aged under 5 years with COVID-19 more often presented with severe illness when comorbid with another respiratory illness.

However, severe illness was not associated with comorbidity among children aged 5 years and older. Of these, 74% were diagnosed with presumed COVID-19 or other respiratory illness. Comorbidity was found in 21% of children without COVID-19 viral testing. Children were eligible if they met the definition for COVID-NET surveillance, had completed a case report form, and were hospitalized during the study period for presumed COVID-19 or other respiratory illness. Investigators hypothesized cases of comorbidity with COVID-19 and respiratory viruses would lead to different clinical characteristics than isolated COVID-19. In the study period, 6487 children were hospitalized with COVID-19 with a complete case report form.

In a recent study published in COVID, researchers explored the association between cardiac arrhythmias in children and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ...

The researchers hypothesized whether the resolution of this tachycardia is associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The self-resolving pattern of the AFL and the eventual fascicular tachycardia resolution was reported in concert with swab negativization. In the following medium- and short-term follow-ups, the team identified no supraventricular arrhythmias. The intravenous antiarrhythmic treatment was matched with oral somministration until amiodarone was administered entirely orally. There was no evidence of congenital cardiac disease, coronary dilatation, or ventricular dysfunction on the ECG. A 10-month-old infant was admitted to the pediatric emergency room after 24 hours of agitation and inconsolable crying without the presence of fever, gastrointestinal, or respiratory problems.

The province also announced that the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 decreased by seven to 1378.

The province reported that 607 more COVID-19 cases had been confirmed through PCR testing at its clinics. Article content

A team led by McMaster University researchers Gilmar Reis and Edward Mills has discovered that a single injection of pegylated interferon lambda (lambda) ...

For the latter, it occurred in 23/929 and 55/1018 patients in the interferon and placebo groups, respectively, with RR of 0.47; 95% Bayesian CI. Intriguingly, among the patients with a baseline viral load >192 million copies per milliliter (high), interferon treatment showed its effect at day 7 only. The effect of interferon treatment increased among patients who had received it within three days of symptom onset. Among patients who received the treatment within three days after symptom onset, it further reduced to 65%, RR equals 0.42; 95% Bayesian CI. Of 2,617 patients recruited in the trial, 933 and 1,018 were randomized to receive interferon treatment and placebo, respectively. [The New England Journal of Medicine](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2209760), researchers used the TOGETHER platform trial protocol to perform a phase III randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the effectiveness of pegylated interferon (IFN) lambda (λ) therapy in outpatients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Canada and Brazil. The most frequent primary-outcome event was hospitalization, which occurred in a median of five days post-randomization and comprised 74% of all events in the intention-to-treat population. The average age of the trial patients was 43 years, and 57.1% were women. The primary study outcome was hospitalization due to the progression of COVID-19 or an emergency department (ED) visit within 28 days after randomization. Prior to randomization, trial personnel gathered each patient's sociodemographic characteristics, pre-existing health conditions, and the World Health Organization (WHO) clinical progression scale for COVID-19. Two phase II studies have characterized the influence of pegylated interferon lambda treatment on SARS-CoV-2 viral load. Study: [Early Treatment with Pegylated Interferon Lambda for Covid-19](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2209760).

More than 18000 Quebecers have now died due to COVID-19, according to the latest government figures.

Daniel LeBlanc from the city's safety board who are reluctant to express their support over fears of a potential social media backlash. Regina mayor Sandra Masters says there are some who support the move to oust Ward. As it continues to spread, health officials are urging people to keep up with their vaccinations, especially if they have upcoming travel plans. woman who killed husband with baseball bat eligible for parole in 10 years](https://northernontario.ctvnews.ca/northern-ont-woman-who-killed-husband-with-baseball-bat-eligible-for-parole-in-10-years-1.6266649) The family of a Grade 4 student in Hamilton, Ont. 7 hr ago 4 hr ago 2 hr ago 8 hr ago 3 hr ago 1 hr ago 5 hr ago

WELLINGTON COUNTY – Confirmed COVID-19 cases are up for the first time in five weeks across the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) region, ...

As of Feb. In Wellington County, there are 29 known active cases as of Feb. 8, up from 21 on Feb. On Feb. Hospital data on the public health COVID-19 dashboard shows there are nine people with COVID-19 in hospitals across the region as of Feb.

A Georgia High School Association's "sudden cardiac arrest" form dates to 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine.

[2019-2020 Georgia High School Association bylaws](https://www.ghsa.net/sites/default/files/documents/Constitution/GHSA_CBL_2019-2020.pdf) describe the form and how it must be distributed per state law. [Fact check: Videos of people collapsing have no connection to COVID-19 vaccines](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2023/02/02/fact-check-collapses-video-have-no-tie-covid-19-vaccines/11157642002/) The Georgia High School Association has issued the form since 2019 before the COVID-19 vaccine was available. [CDC museum COVID-19 timeline](https://www.cdc.gov/museum/timeline/covid19.html) Senate](https://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/local/political-notebook-bill-named-for-gwinnett-youths-who-died-from-cardiac-arrest-passes-in-ga/article_dae7bad4-15ca-5a94-8505-2164ef6c37e8.html) [Constitution and by-laws](https://www.ghsa.net/sites/default/files/documents/Constitution/GHSA_CBL_2019-2020.pdf) [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-georgia-sudden-cardiac-arrest-form-vaccines-850956825557) and [PolitiFact](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2023/jan/31/viral-image/sudden-cardiac-arrest-awareness-form-resulted-from/) also debunked the claim. [GHSA cardiac arrest awareness form](https://cdn5-ss19.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_125264/File/GHSA%20Cardiac%20Arrest%20Awareness%20Form.pdf) Instead of dancing around the giant elephant in the room." Maybe this will wake you up." "Never seen this form before in my life. [direct link](https://www.facebook.com/lori.gamblebarrett/posts/pfbid0KQBwGc6NrAaVACtxr4Ygekt1xLYYw6KjMss6sJ6Ei9qz5X3yw8eZ6jvdj3aj6a65l?__cft__[0]=AZXVI2JEAREqIdMOSImX3GbtvXM27q0bvuJ-ZEejb7PM47IJBO9w_qe4ybU1a6BgNpBzW7wF0Go16AgaNzqnFuEK8O5VRKhjyKeYpwW3KtiMoHYrl4Piw6XVNfAZfS9lOhg&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R), [archive link](https://archive.org/details/screenshot-2-7-23-facebok-lori-gamble-barrett-1-17-23)) is captioned.