Good News Roundup: The Fight Against COVID-19 Vol. 5

Coronavirus vaccine could be ready sooner than expected while some countries begin lifting lockdown measures

As we enter the month of May, the influx of positive news while fighting the coronavirus pandemic continues. The world is a week closer to solving the COVID-19 crisis and here is another round up of just some of the medical progress being made along with the positive updates from around the world: 

Over 10 lakh people recovered

The number of people that have recovered from the coronavirus has climbed over the 10 lakh mark. Spain and Germany alone account for nearly 2.5 lakh recovered COVID-19 patients. As nations continue to take precautionary steps to slow the spread, scientists are also getting closer to developing vaccines and cures for the coronavirus pandemic. Early detection is also a key aspect for the recovery of those infected.

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Oxford Scientists Could Have Vaccine Ready By September

Medical facilities, institutes and pharmaceutical companies from around the world are working on cures and vaccines for the COVID-19 pandemic. While most development timelines estimate at least one year till mass production, one group of scientists at Oxford University have found a way to speed up the process. Thanks to previously proven inoculation trials, the Oxford group has been able to test much larger sample groups to show the effectiveness of their coronavirus vaccine. If their vaccine proves to be effective and safe and they get emergency approvals from the regulators, the first million doses could be made available by September 2020. 

Another batch of scientists from the National Institute of Health tried the Oxford vaccine last month on six rhesus macaque monkeys. The animals were then exposed to large quantities of the COVID-19 virus and were found to be healthy even after 28 days. This instance highlights the potential of the Oxford vaccine if proven to be equally effective in human trials.

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Countries Are Beginning To Roll-back Lockdown Measures

France, Italy and Spain are among the worst-hit by the pandemic but have started to see an improving rate of recovery for COVID-19 patients. As a result, these countries are looking to gradually roll back some of their lockdown restrictions in May. Italy will begin reopening its economy while maintaining social distancing guidelines and factories will be reopened as well. In Spain, the drop in coronavirus-related deaths has encouraged the government to offer relief to the kids. After six weeks of lockdown isolation, kids will be allowed to play outside again, even if just for one hour a day. France also witnessed a huge drop in COVID-19 related deaths this past week.

Other countries like New Zealand and Australia are also looking to start reopening some non-essential businesses soon. While their pre-emptive shutdowns and large scale testing helped control the spread, both nations are aware that the infection rate could shoot up again if they don’t take enough precautions during this period. India will also roll back some of the extreme lockdown measures in May in the ‘safe zones’ where little to no new cases have been detected.

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Citizen-Science Project Recruits Gamers To Help Make COVID-19 Drugs

Gaming and science have more in common that most might think. Both fields require the skill of problem and are not mutually exclusive in that aspect. Thus, gamers can help scientists figure in developing drugs to fight the COVID-19 virus. A game by the name of “Foldit” challenges its players to help scientists create new proteins by solving complex puzzles in 3D or using their own shapes. The game data is then analysed by scientists to see if any player created something that could prove to be a viable design for a protein. This is a proven exercise too as Foldit players have already helped scientists build better enzymes and unravel crystalline structures of compounds used in life-saving medicines.

The puzzle challenge presented by the COVID-19 virus, as explained by the scientists involved in this project, is this - to “gum up the keyhole”. Reportedly, the virus has a long spike that fits perfectly onto one of the receptors which surround our cells, allowing it to slide into our cells like a key into a lock, which then infects the cell and spreads. The Foldit game is being used to try and discover an alternative protein that fits the same lock which could prevent the virus from accessing the cell. Hence the puzzle name “gum up the keyhole”. This particular solution by itself would not help with the vaccine or a cure for the coronavirus, but it will help give COVID-19 patients a better chance of survival.

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Comedian, Car Collector Jay Leno Producing Face Shields In His Garage

The name Jay Leno is held in high regard among various circles and groups, especially in the USA. One of those groups is that of automotive enthusiasts as Leno is a major car nerd himself. The celebrity comedian has acquired a vast collection of cars over the decades and uses massive garages to store it. During the month of April, Jay decided to make some more use of the facilities and resources at his disposal to help out the emergency services during the pandemic.

Leno has been using his 3D-printers in the garage to manufacture plastic face shields non-stop. Him and his close associates amass all the masks at the end of each week and hand them over to the local fire department which then distributes them to the first responders of other emergency services and to hospital workers.

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You can read last week's good news roundup Vol.4 here.