COVID-19 Update #3

Monterey County (6/5/20 - 6/16/20):

394 new cases (1,015 total; 12 total deaths)

Worldwide (6/5/20 - 6/16/20):

1.53 million new cases (7.94 million total / 434,796 total deaths)

U.S.A. (6/5/20 - 6/16/20):

260,000 new cases (2.1 million total / 116,140 total deaths)

California (5/18/20 - 6/4/20):

33,753 new cases (153,560 total / 5,121 total deaths)

6/5/20

California Governor Newsom released new guidance for the reopening of certain businesses such as restaurants, wineries, bars, zoos, museums, family entertainment centers, gyms, hotels for tourism, card rooms, race tracks, campgrounds, and outdoor recreation centers. The order was implemented on June 12th. For businesses to reopen, they must comply with California Resilience Road-map COVID-19 Industry Guidance: https://covid19.ca.gov/roadmap-counties/
The first randomized control trial involving the use of convalescent plasma in severely ill COVID-19 patients was published and suggested that convalescent plasma may be an effective modality of treatment along with standardized care
US Department of Health and Human Services mandated new additions to COVID-19 laboratory protocols, now requiring the addition of data including race, ethnicity, sex, and age. This will provide more accurate information taking into account racial and ethnic populations
The WHO has decided to continue the hydroxychloroquine portion of its SOLIDARITY Trial after conducting an internal investigation on its safety

6/10/20

In a recent trial, remdesivir proved to be effective in treating rhesus macaques that were infected with SARS-CoV-2. These monkeys did not experience symptoms of respiratory disease. Concentration of virus were reduced in lung tissue, resulting in less lung damage

6/12/20

California Governor Gavin Newsom releases new COVID-19 Industry Guidance for Expanded Personal Services. These include businesses such as cosmetology, skin care, electrology, nail salons, tattoo parlors, body art studios, piercing services, and esthetician. All of these businesses are permitted to reopen on June 19th and must comply with California Resilience Road-map COVID-19 Industry Guidance
1.5 million new unemployment claims were filed over the last week in the United States
Kaiser - Family Foundation data from 41 states suggests that residents of long term health facilities represent 15% of total COVID-19 cases, but account for 45% of COVID-19 deaths
Johns Hopkins reports increased incidence and hospitalizations in several states, including California, weeks after relaxation of social distancing measures. Possible contributions include the the Memorial Day holiday as well as recent community demonstrations against racial injustice
Recent study from Cambridge and Greenwich Universities were able to show that face mask usage by 50% or higher of the total population, in addition to social distancing measures, was able to significantly reduce the overall rate of infection

6/13/20

Severe cases of COVID-19 include a high level of inflammatory response known as the “cytokine storm”. This excessive inflammatory bodily reaction to the virus causes acute lung injury and the initiation of ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome). The use of corticosteroids in the treatment of severe COVID-19 cases is currently under intense debate. In a recent case study testing 6 COVID-19 patients, all having severe pneumonia, ARDS, and the hyper-inflammatory syndrome, all were prescribed corticosteroids early in the disease onset. The resulting data displayed that all patients did not require intubation or ICU transfer. ARDS was minimized in a median of 11.8 days, viral clearance was present in 4 patients within a median of 17.2 days, and all patients were able to leave the hospital after a median of 16.8 days. This study shows that early use of a short course of corticosteroids can be effective in the management of severe COVID-19 pneumonia and the hyper-inflammatory syndrome
6/15/20

The FDA ends its EUA (Emergency Use Authorization) for the use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine on the premise that emerging scientific data suggests that these medications are ineffective in the treatment of COVID-19
The Mayo clinic has developed a new SARS-CoV-2 antibody test that measures neutralizing antibodies in a quantitative manner. This test will be helpful in selecting viable convalescent plasma donors, as well as identifying successful vaccines
A Chinese-based vaccine called CoronaVac was able to produce neutralizing antibodies in over 90% of patients in their Phase 2 trial without any serious side effects

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