New study reveals Coronavirus (COVD-19) can travel up to 13 feet from patients

sponsored links

---

A recent study analyzing air samples from hospitals in patients with COVID-19 revealed that the virus can travel up to four meters (around 13 feet)- twice the distance current guidelines say people should leave between themselves in public.

Chinese researchers from Wuhan ,who tested surfaces and air samples from an ICU and general Corona ward, led by a team at the Academy of Military Medical Sciences in Beijing,  released the preliminary findings of the investigation on Friday (10^th April) in Emerging Infectious Diseases, a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) journal.

Researchers noticed the virus to be most highly concentrated on the wards floors and said a possible cause might be attributed to the gravity that carried the virus droplets to the ground. There were also high rates on regularly touched surfaces such as computer mice,  bed rails and door knobs

"Apart from that, half of the samples from the ICU medical staff shoes soles tested positive," the research team reported. " Hence, The soles of medical staff shoes may also act as carriers."

AIRBORNE DANGER?

The team also looked at aerosol transmission – where airborne virus containing particle linger in air for several hours rather than dropping to ground immediately after coughing or sneezing .

Researchers found that aerosols containing virus particles were primarily concentrated up to 13 feet near and downstream from patients — while smaller amounts were detected upstream, up to eight feet.

Fortunately, no hospital staff member was infected, "showing that adequate precautions could effectively prevent infection," the authors wrote.

They also offered advice that bucks orthodox guidelines: "Our findings suggest that home isolation of persons with suspected COVID-19 might not be a good control strategy" given the levels of environmental contamination.

Contrary to WHO, US health officials have taken a more cautious approach and advised people to cover their faces while out in public in the event that the virus may be spread through regular breathing and speaking.

Key words: COVD-19,Corona virus,aerosol transmission,Chinese study,ICU medical staff , staff shoes , social distancing redefined , face mask, CDC .

Harvon(ledipasvir and sofosbuvir) Hepatitis C New Drug Get FDA Approval

sponsored links

---

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Harvoni (ledipasvir and sofosbuvir) to treat chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 infection.

Harvoni (ledipasvir and sofosbuvir) is a once-daily NS5A inhibitor and nucleotide analog polymerase inhibitor fixed-dose combination for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 infection

Both drugs in Harvoni interfere with the enzymes needed by HCV to multiply. Sofosbuvir is a previously approved HCV drug marketed under the brand name Sovaldi. Harvoni also contains a new drug called ledipasvir.Harvoni is the first combination pill approved to treat chronic HCV genotype 1 infection. It is also the first approved regimen that does not require administration with interferon or ribavirin, two FDA-approved drugs also used to treat HCV infection.

“With the development and approval of new treatments for hepatitis C virus, we are changing the treatment paradigm for Americans living with the disease,” said Edward Cox, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Office of Antimicrobial Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Until last year, the only available treatments for hepatitis C virus required administration with interferon and ribavirin. Now, patients and health care professionals have multiple treatment options, including a combination pill to help simplify treatment regimens.”

Harvoni is the third drug approved by the FDA in the past year to treat chronic HCV infection. The FDA approved Olysio (simeprevir) in November 2013 and Sovaldi in December 2013.

Hepatitis C is a viral disease that causes inflammation of the liver that can lead to diminished liver function or liver failure. Most people infected with HCV have no symptoms of the disease until liver damage becomes apparent, which may take decades.

Some people with chronic HCV infection develop scarring and poor liver function (cirrhosis) over many years, which can lead to complications such as bleeding, jaundice (yellowish eyes or skin), fluid accumulation in the abdomen, infections and liver cancer. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 3.2 million Americans are infected with HCV, and without proper treatment, 15-30 percent of these people will go on to develop cirrhosis.

Harvoni’s efficacy was evaluated in three clinical trials enrolling 1,518 participants who had not previously received treatment for their infection (treatment-naive) or had not responded to previous treatment (treatment-experienced), including participants with cirrhosis. Participants were randomly assigned to receive Harvoni with or without ribavirin. The trials were designed to measure whether the hepatitis C virus was no longer detected in the blood at least 12 weeks after finishing treatment (sustained virologic response, or SVR), indicating that a participant’s HCV infection has been cured.

In the first trial, comprised of treatment-naive participants, 94 percent of those who received Harvoni for eight weeks and 96 percent of those who received Harvoni for 12 weeks achieved SVR. The second trial showed 99 percent of such participants with and without cirrhosis achieved SVR after 12 weeks. And in the third trial, which examined Harvoni’s efficacy in treatment-experienced participants with and without cirrhosis, 94 percent of those who received Harvoni for 12 weeks and 99 percent of those who received Harvoni for 24 weeks achieved SVR. In all trials, ribavirin did not increase response rates in the participants.

The most common side effects reported in clinical trial participants were fatigue and headache.

Harvoni is the seventh new drug with breakthrough therapy designation to receive FDA approval. The FDA can designate a drug as a breakthrough therapy at the request of the sponsor if preliminary clinical evidence indicates the drug may demonstrate a substantial improvement over available therapies for patients with serious or life-threatening diseases. Harvoni was reviewed under the FDA’s priority review program, which provides for an expedited review of drugs that treat serious conditions and, if approved, would provide significant improvement in safety or effectiveness.

Harvoni and Sovaldi are marketed by Gilead, based in Foster City, California. Olysio is marketed by Janssen Pharmaceutical based in Raritan, New Jersey.

New Hepatitis C combo Harvoni will come at a cost of $1,125 per pill.

Dose : 1 Pill Per Day