Over the next 4 weeks, our editorial staff will curate and publish weekly roundups of the most reliable, impartial, solutions-focused journalism around COVID-19.
These roundups are made possible and proudly supported by Hudson & Essex.
MANSFIELD — If you’re tired of reading about the doom and gloom brought to us daily by various media outlets covering COVID-19, you’re not alone.
It can be easy to fall into a rabbit hole of despair when it comes to this story, and that’s unnecessary. Yes, it’s a pandemic. But there are also lots of smart people looking at a variety of solutions to the issue from all over the globe.
That thought is the impetus behind this column. Starting today, and for at least the next month, we’re going to offer links to stories beyond our region, sometimes beyond our nation, profiling potential solutions to a variety of issues that surround COVID-19.
The goal is to introduce the story and offer a link to explore and make your own judgements. Best-case scenario we’re going to avoid stories that create a political debate if at all possible — while recognizing that may be unavoidable when it comes to the drug chloroquin, because of President Trump’s endorsement of it.
Public-private partnership could manufacture a vaccine in record time
A Cambridge biotech company is developing a coronavirus vaccine that could be ready in limited volume as soon as this fall. The speedy timeline is bolstered by its unique technology using messenger RNA — a sort of platform for vaccine development.
Plasma treatments could be life-saving
We’re going to start today by looking to one of our Local Independent Online News publishers, Noozhawk in Santa Barbara. This story details how plasma from a cruise ship passenger (who became the first Ventura County resident to test positive for COVID-19) has been used at a Camarillo hospital to help a critically ill coronavirus patient.
Instant detection from testing?
This one out to us from Technology Networks.com. It details a new saliva test to instantly detect coronavirus.
Remdesivir and the race for treatment
Just up the road in Cleveland, the folks at Cleveland.com profiled a new study probing how remdesivir replicates the coronavirus, and perhaps shedding light on a potential new anti-viral drug.
A potential oral medication
This story was published on April 7 in Scientific American, and highlights a new coronavirus drug slated for human trials, EIDD-2801, which could become the first pill for COVID-19.
What are the pros and cons of chloroquine?
And finally, the British Broadcasting Company offered a fairly straightforward piece on April 6 detailing the pros and cons from around the world on the use of Coronavirus and chloroquine.
Early peek at data suggests COVID-19 patients are responding in Chicago study
“The best news is that most of our patients have already been discharged, which is great. We’ve only had two patients (of 125 in the study) perish,” said Kathleen Mullane, the University of Chicago infectious disease specialist overseeing the remdesivir studies for the hospital. All the patients have been treated with daily infusions of remdesivir.
Oxford University to begin human trials for vaccine
In this story on April 16, researchers said the jab could be ready to be rolled out for emergency use by the autumn following significant progress in the early stages of development. The Oxford team has tested the vaccine successfully on several animal species.
Drug makers want to know if their therapies can keep patients off ventilators
On April 17, MarketWatch reported companies with therapies include Eli Lilly, Gilead Sciences, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Roche Holding are asking a key question. “Removal from mechanical ventilation is an important indicator that the patient’s lungs have improved, and that their pneumonia is resolving,” said Dr. Mark Eisner, an executive at Roche subsidiary Genentech who is overseeing the Actemra trial
Results from initial lopinavir-ritonavir COVID-19 clinical trial
This April 7 story comes to us via the European Pharmaceutical Review and it states that researchers found that the combination of lopinavir-ritonavir HIV antivirals led to rapid symptom improvement in COVID-19 patients.
The world’s biggest trial of drugs to treat COVID-19 to begin in United Kingdom
On April 17, The Guardian reported that more than 5,000 test subjects will participate in the world’s largest drug trial to combat COVID-19, with a hope for answers within weeks. The Recovery trial has recruited over 5,000 patients in 165 NHS hospitals around the UK in a month.
Check back in with us next week and we’ll see what we can find on our next lap around the world in COVID-19.
Facts over fear: That’s been our guiding light as we continue to navigate the uncharted waters of this pandemic.
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Above all, thank you for continuing to take this journey with us. Stay safe, stay healthy.