New bat coronavirus discovered in China sparks pandemic concerns
The discovery of a new bat coronavirus in China has sparked concerns about another pandemic.
The virus, named HKU5-CoV-2, is similar to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in that it targets the same human receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE2), according to a report in the South China Morning Post.
HKU5-CoV-2 could potentially lead to human-to-human or even cross-species transmission, the researchers found.
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The research team was led by Zheng-Li Shi at Guangzhou Laboratory in Guangdong, China.
Shi, who is known as the "batwoman," worked at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China, which came under fire as the potential source of COVID-19.
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"This study reveals a distinct lineage of HKU5-CoVs in bats that efficiently use human ACE2 and underscores their potential zoonotic risk," the researchers wrote in the study, which was published in the scientific journal Cell on Feb. 18.
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Researchers from the Guangzhou Academy of Sciences, Wuhan University and the Wuhan Institute of Virology also contributed.
In the study, HKU5-CoV-2 was found to infect human cells as well as artificially grown lung and intestine tissues, according to reports.
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News senior medical analyst, noted that bats are known to harbor several different species of coronaviruses.
"In this case, Shi-Zhengli discovered that a pipistrellus species of bats is carrying a HKU5-COV2 coronavirus that is a cousin of the MERS virus, which caused a limited outbreak in humans in 2012," Siegel told Fox News Digital.
"This particular strain has an ability to bind to the same receptor in the lungs, nose and respiratory passages that allowed SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) to infect humans — so there is a chance of what is known as zoonotic spillover, where this virus could also infect humans and go human to human," he confirmed.
The doctor stated, however, that the risk of this happening remains "very low," as the binding is weaker and the virus is "much less powerful" than SARS-CoV-2.
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"Even as we continue to investigate potential human pathogens, and even as we prepare for possible pandemics, it is very important that we not give in to fear," Siegel said.
"The COVID pandemic is the worst in a century, but it doesn't mean another is about to happen from bird flu or this or anything else."
In an ideal scenario, Siegel said, an international consortium of scientists could be established to help provide global protection.
"That certainly did not happen with the COVID pandemic, and the cloak of secrecy remains," he said. "But studies like this, published in a prominent journal, are a step in the right direction."
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health
"What we know far less about is exactly what research on bat coronaviruses is being conducted in that lab."Original article source: New bat coronavirus discovered in China sparks pandemic concerns
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Chicago Tribune
5 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Letters: Government's reversal on COVID-19 shots for pregnant women is alarming
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While we anticipate that the next report will detail how COVID-19 impacted pregnant women in Illinois, we already know from national data that maternal deaths increased by 33% after March 2020 and that the mortality risk of pregnant patients with COVID-19 infection at delivery was approximately 14 times higher compared with those without. As a physician researcher, I have seen the importance of gaining the trust of patients and the public. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy's announcement that COVID-19 vaccine boosters will not be recommended to pregnant women, which was done without consulting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, left clinicians to navigate a situation in which research is being actively disregarded by those setting federal policy. Not recommending this vaccine jeopardizes insurance coverage of the vaccine and clinicians' ability to gain the trust of pregnant women for vaccines at a time when they are at risk for adverse outcomes. How can we expect pregnant women to trust clinicians if we recommend vaccines that they may not be allowed to access? Are we to advise patients to disregard CDC recommendations? How do we train future researchers and clinicians if epidemiologic data is ignored? We need to listen to research and learn from data. Barring pregnant women from accessing the COVID-19 vaccine is not clinically sound and will negate our collective efforts to improve maternal health in Illinois and nationally. This will have a chilling effect on efforts to investigate and address causes of maternal morbidity and Father's Day here, I am once again reminded of the father I was blessed with. My mom and dad had five girls. 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It was many years later that I realized on the off days of the month, his wallet was empty — except for the $2 that he had set aside so I could take piano lessons. How blessed I was!I started teaching in 1975 and walked away from the classroom this year. After 36 years of teaching high school and 25 years as a college adjunct, I have some unsolicited observations and advice for the fathers out there. In all my 50 years involved with teenagers, I have never met a messed-up kid who had a good relationship with his or her father. Granted, I have met some problem children with wonderful moms, but then I met the dads, and the source of the kid's anger and unhappiness became clear. I also should point out that not all of the kids who had terrible fathers had difficulties, but those kids with bad fathers who turned out OK usually had a positive father figure there for them — a grandfather, an uncle, an older sibling, a stepdad. 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Business Wire
6 hours ago
- Business Wire
Genmab Announces Epcoritamab Investigational Combination Therapy Demonstrates High Response Rates in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory (R/R) Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) Eligible for Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation (ASCT)
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About Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma DLBCL is the most common type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) worldwide, accounting for approximately 25-30 percent of all NHL cases. In the U.S., there are approximately 25,000 new cases of DLBCL diagnosed each year. DLBCL can arise in lymph nodes as well as in organs outside of the lymphatic system, occurs more commonly in the elderly and is slightly more prevalent in men. DLBCL is a fast-growing type of NHL, a cancer that develops in the lymphatic system and affects B-cell lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. For many people living with DLBCL, their cancer either relapses, which means it may return after treatment, or becomes refractory, meaning it does not respond to treatment. Although new therapies have become available, treatment management can remain a challenge. About the EPCORE ® NHL-2 Trial EPCORE NHL-2 is a Phase 1b/2 open-label interventional trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics/biomarkers, immunogenicity, and preliminary efficacy of epcoritamab as a monotherapy and in combination with other standard of care agents in patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (B-NHL). The trial consists of two parts: Part 1 (Dose Escalation) and Part 2 (Dose Expansion). The primary objective of Part 1 is safety, and the primary goal of Part 2 is preliminary efficacy. The primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR) based on best overall response per Lugano criteria. MRD negativity was assessed as a secondary endpoint. Arm 10 of the EPCORE NHL-2 study enrolled 31 patients with R/R DLBCL, who were eligible for R-ICE and ASCT, and had received ≥1 prior line of treatment. At the time of data cutoff (December 18, 2024), median follow-up was 11 months (range, 6−15). Among the 31 patients treated with epcoritamab 48 mg + R-ICE, 61 percent were Ann Arbor stage III/IV, 42 percent had bulky disease ≥7 cm, 81 percent had one prior LOT (range, 1−3), and 65 percent had progressed within 12 months of first-line treatment. More information on this trial can be found at (NCT: 04663347). About Epcoritamab Epcoritamab is an IgG1-bispecific antibody created using Genmab's proprietary DuoBody ® technology and administered subcutaneously. Genmab's DuoBody-CD3 technology is designed to direct cytotoxic T cells selectively to elicit an immune response toward target cell types. Epcoritamab is designed to simultaneously bind to CD3 on T cells and CD20 on B cells and induces T-cell-mediated killing of CD20+ cells. i Epcoritamab (approved under the brand name EPKINLY ® in the U.S. and Japan, and TEPKINLY ® in the EU) has received regulatory approval in certain lymphoma indications in several territories. Where approved, epcoritamab is available as a readily accessible therapy without the need for reducing tumor burden ('debulking'). Epcoritamab is being co-developed by Genmab and AbbVie as part of the companies' oncology collaboration. The companies will share commercial responsibilities in the U.S. and Japan, with AbbVie responsible for further global commercialization. Both companies will pursue additional international regulatory approvals for the investigational R/R FL indication and additional approvals for the R/R DLBCL indication. Genmab and AbbVie continue to evaluate the use of epcoritamab as a monotherapy, and in combination, across lines of therapy in a range of hematologic malignancies. This includes five ongoing Phase 3, open-label, randomized trials including a trial evaluating epcoritamab as a monotherapy in patients with R/R DLBCL compared to investigators choice chemotherapy (NCT04628494), a trial evaluating epcoritamab in combination with R-CHOP in adult patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL (NCT05578976), a trial evaluating epcoritamab in combination with rituximab and lenalidomide (R2) in patients with R/R FL (NCT05409066), a trial evaluating epcoritamab in combination with rituximab and lenalidomide (R2) compared to chemoimmunotherapy in patients with previously untreated FL (NCT06191744), and a trial evaluating epcoritamab in combination with R2 compared to chemotherapy infusion in patients with R/R DLBCL (NCT06508658). The safety and efficacy of epcoritamab has not been established for these investigational uses. Please visit for more information. EPKINLY ® (epcoritamab-bysp) U.S. INDICATIONS & IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION What is EPKINLY? EPKINLY is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with certain types of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), high-grade B-cell lymphoma, or follicular lymphoma (FL) that has come back or that did not respond to previous treatment after receiving 2 or more treatments. EPKINLY is approved based on patient response data. Studies are ongoing to confirm the clinical benefit of EPKINLY. It is not known if EPKINLY is safe and effective in children. Important Warnings—EPKINLY can cause serious side effects, including: Cytokine release syndrome (CRS), which is common during treatment with EPKINLY and can be serious or life-threatening. To help reduce your risk of CRS, you will receive EPKINLY on a step-up dosing schedule (when you receive 2 or 3 smaller step-up doses of EPKINLY before your first full dose during your first cycle of treatment), and you may also receive other medicines before and for 3 days after receiving EPKINLY. If your dose of EPKINLY is delayed for any reason, you may need to repeat the step-up dosing schedule. Neurologic problems that can be life-threatening and lead to death. Neurologic problems may happen days or weeks after you receive EPKINLY. People with DLBCL or high-grade B-cell lymphoma should be hospitalized for 24 hours after receiving their first full dose of EPKINLY on day 15 of cycle 1 due to the risk of CRS and neurologic problems. Tell your healthcare provider or get medical help right away if you develop a fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher; dizziness or lightheadedness; trouble breathing; chills; fast heartbeat; feeling anxious; headache; confusion; shaking (tremors); problems with balance and movement, such as trouble walking; trouble speaking or writing; confusion and disorientation; drowsiness, tiredness or lack of energy; muscle weakness; seizures; or memory loss. These may be symptoms of CRS or neurologic problems. If you have any symptoms that impair consciousness, do not drive or use heavy machinery or do other dangerous activities until your symptoms go away. EPKINLY can cause other serious side effects, including: Infections that may lead to death. Your healthcare provider will check you for signs and symptoms of infection before and during treatment and treat you as needed if you develop an infection. You should receive medicines from your healthcare provider before you start treatment to help prevent infection. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you develop any symptoms of infection during treatment, including fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher, cough, chest pain, tiredness, shortness of breath, painful rash, sore throat, pain during urination, or feeling weak or generally unwell. Low blood cell counts, which can be serious or severe. Your healthcare provider will check your blood cell counts during treatment. EPKINLY may cause low blood cell counts, including low white blood cells (neutropenia), which can increase your risk for infection; low red blood cells (anemia), which can cause tiredness and shortness of breath; and low platelets (thrombocytopenia), which can cause bruising or bleeding problems. Your healthcare provider will monitor you for symptoms of CRS, neurologic problems, infections, and low blood cell counts during treatment with EPKINLY. Your healthcare provider may temporarily stop or completely stop treatment with EPKINLY if you develop certain side effects. Before you receive EPKINLY, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you have an infection, are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. If you receive EPKINLY while pregnant, it may harm your unborn baby. If you are a female who can become pregnant, your healthcare provider should do a pregnancy test before you start treatment with EPKINLY and you should use effective birth control (contraception) during treatment and for 4 months after your last dose of EPKINLY. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant or think that you may be pregnant during treatment with EPKINLY. Do not breastfeed during treatment with EPKINLY and for 4 months after your last dose of EPKINLY. In DLBCL or high-grade B-cell lymphoma, the most common side effects of EPKINLY include CRS, tiredness, muscle and bone pain, injection site reactions, fever, stomach-area (abdominal) pain, nausea, and diarrhea. The most common severe abnormal laboratory test results include decreased white blood cells, decreased red blood cells, and decreased platelets. In follicular lymphoma the most common side effects of EPKINLY include injection site reactions, CRS, COVID-19, tiredness, upper respiratory tract infections, muscle and bone pain, rash, diarrhea, fever, cough, and headache. The most common severe abnormal laboratory test results include decreased white blood cells and decreased red blood cells. These are not all of the possible side effects of EPKINLY. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You are encouraged to report side effects to the FDA at (800) FDA-1088 or or to Genmab US, Inc. at 1-855-4GENMAB (1-855-443-6622). Please see Full Prescribing Information and Medication Guide, including Important Warnings. Globally, prescribing information varies; refer to the individual country product label for complete information. About Genmab Genmab is an international biotechnology company with a core purpose of guiding its unstoppable team to strive toward improving the lives of patients with innovative and differentiated antibody therapeutics. For 25 years, its passionate, innovative and collaborative team has invented next-generation antibody technology platforms and leveraged translational, quantitative and data sciences, resulting in a proprietary pipeline including bispecific T-cell engagers, antibody-drug conjugates, next-generation immune checkpoint modulators and effector function-enhanced antibodies. By 2030, Genmab's vision is to transform the lives of people with cancer and other serious diseases with knock-your-socks-off (KYSO ®) antibody medicines. Established in 1999, Genmab is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, with international presence across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit and follow us on LinkedIn and X. This Media Release contains forward looking statements. The words 'believe,' 'expect,' 'anticipate,' 'intend' and 'plan' and similar expressions identify forward looking statements. Actual results or performance may differ materially from any future results or performance expressed or implied by such statements. The important factors that could cause our actual results or performance to differ materially include, among others, risks associated with preclinical and clinical development of products, uncertainties related to the outcome and conduct of clinical trials including unforeseen safety issues, uncertainties related to product manufacturing, the lack of market acceptance of our products, our inability to manage growth, the competitive environment in relation to our business area and markets, our inability to attract and retain suitably qualified personnel, the unenforceability or lack of protection of our patents and proprietary rights, our relationships with affiliated entities, changes and developments in technology which may render our products or technologies obsolete, and other factors. For a further discussion of these risks, please refer to the risk management sections in Genmab's most recent financial reports, which are available on and the risk factors included in Genmab's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which are available at Genmab does not undertake any obligation to update or revise forward looking statements in this Media Release nor to confirm such statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances after the date made or in relation to actual results, unless required by law. Genmab A/S and/or its subsidiaries own the following trademarks: Genmab ®; the Y-shaped Genmab logo ®; Genmab in combination with the Y-shaped Genmab logo ®; HuMax ®; DuoBody ®; HexaBody ®; DuoHexaBody ®, HexElect ® and KYSO™. EPCORE ®, EPKINLY ®, TEPKINLY ® and their designs are trademarks of AbbVie Biotechnology Ltd. i Engelberts PJ, et al. DuoBody-CD3xCD20 Induces Potent T-Cell-Mediated Killing of Malignant B Cells in Preclinical Models and Provides Opportunities for Subcutaneous Dosing. EBioMedicine
Buzz Feed
14 hours ago
- Buzz Feed
27 Pandemic Changes Still Affecting Us Today
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Many people quit, retired early, or are still struggling with burnout from the trauma of that wild, tragic time. A ton of people delayed services during COVID, and we're still dealing with that backlog of needed care. Wait times for all kinds of important services, including cancer screening and treatment, are still wildly long, and it's hard for new patients to establish care with a primary care provider because panels are full. Patients are also more belligerent than before, especially about things like masking and vaccinations, to the point that my health system has had to put signage up warning that you'll be kicked out for violent or abusive behavior toward employees." —chaosofthesun "Going to the cinema, people would talk before but now people treat the screens like their front rooms. Being on phones, talking all the way through, singing along loudly, and worst of all? I once had someone clip their fingernails in the row in front of me." —katashworth "The pandemic ruined work. Everyone works remotely now, and we never see each other. A lot of my colleagues don't even have assigned desks because they're never in the office." —Anonymous, 57, Victoria BC "Youth mental health. People talk a lot about the iPad kids thing, which is totally valid, but something I think most people don't realize is that the kids who were a little older/more developed when lockdown hit got impacted differently. I've worked with 11-17-year-olds for many years. Since they were old enough to be able to appreciate genuine human connection before the pandemic, they weren't content being stuck in front of a screen. Seeing them experience such a deep level of isolation and hopelessness so young and trying to coach them through that was heartbreaking. It was a traumatic experience that very few of them have bounced back from." —sleepinggazelle414 "My body, my life. Still suffering with long COVID nearly five years on. It's essentially M.E. and Fibromyalgia, and it's stopped me from living the life I want." —Anonymous, 45, UK "Empathy. Everyone spent so much time alone focusing on themselves that they forgot how to see things from another person's perspective." —Anonymous, 31, USA "Access to special education services. It was bad enough prepandemic. But postpandemic, there was a giant backlog of kids needing evaluations, a giant loss of school employees, and a greater need for more intensive supports due to not being able to access early intervention. Its a shitshow. Where I live, it's incredibly common for kids who genuinely need services to be denied them because of all of this." —j4287b3497 "Kids' social ability/intelligence. There is a noticeable gap in kids' social life because their parents just shoved an iPad in they're face and went back to working from home." —charmingsorcerer731 "People are still learning how to be in crowds again. I mostly notice it at concerts. There are people who really think they will get their spot back in front when they leave the crowd for a drink, and I keep hearing complaints about being jostled around in the crowd. I have noticed it lessening, but it will still be a while before people remember that concerts are supposed to be a little rowdy." —surprisedlegend852 "Attitudes. People became so used to everything being at their fingertips (online shopping, Zoom meetings, etc.) that when they DON'T get their way for a valid reason, they SCREAM like toddlers. My friends in customer service had to call the cops more times over the pandemic because of DEATH THREATS OVER A PIECE OF CLOTH. PEOPLE, IT'S NOT GONNA KILL YOU. From then on, it became clear that people don't like being told what to do, even if it's to their benefit." —Anonymous, Georgia "Pre-COVID, I would take long trips to Great Britain, Europe, and all over the US: from Boston to Daytona Beach, FL, to Seattle, WA, to Los Angeles, to Houston, TX, and cities in between. Flying got too risky due to a few non-masked passengers." —Anonymous, 74, Phoenix AZ "My marriage. After working in the health sector during the pandemic, and still doing my 'home' and 'wifey' duties, I found out last year that my husband of 25 years was cheating on me with multiple women via WhatsApp, texts, online gaming, and possibly in person too. He says it was an 'intense' time. Yeah, it was…for everyone. I find it hard to trust anyone now." —Anonymous, 47 "The cost of living." —Anonymous "Absenteeism in school. Kids are missing way too much school." —Anonymous, 45, Midwest "My tolerance for a 40 hour work week." —Anonymous, 40, CT "I don't think the cost of groceries will ever go down. Our grocery bill doubled during the pandemic and has only gotten worse. It's also apparent that the Trump administration does not care to bring prices down for the average American. I used to be able to feed my spouse and me for about $100 a week. It's made our cash flow tighter and tighter even though we both have good jobs." —Anonymous "Health. The pandemic brought vaccines to the forefront, and the rhetoric made many weary of vaccines. I was pregnant towards the end of 2022 when life was returning to 'normal,' and my parents would not get any of the recommended vaccines to be around newborns. It has been very hurtful." —Anonymous, 33, Charlotte NC " work. People figured out how to keep people 'in the loop.' Before the pandemic, when you were not in the office, people would know you were (probably) on leave. These days, nobody cares whether you're physically at work or not; they expect you to be online and answer calls and emails from wherever." —Anonymous, 39, Indonesia "As a retail employee, WORKING RETAIL. Corporations realized they can understaff their stores and save money by making one person do three people's jobs for minimum wage. Customers complain, but we genuinely don't have enough people working to do more than the bare minimum in customer service. " —Anonymous, 23, California "Housing/rent affordability." —Anonymous, 43, Canada "Not that it wasn't already a little bit headed in that dating. The apps are the worst, and the 'algorithms' force you to pay for everything. But going out in person seems just as bleak. It seems like a lot fewer people will approach you in public now to show interest. In general, public interactions have gone down. Coming from a Southern state where people usually love to strike up conversations with strangers, it's very unusual not to have that daily random banter with someone in line at the store or sitting at a bar. The last time someone had interest in me at a bar, they had to get their friend to ask me if I would be OK with them asking me out." —Anonymous, 25, Oklahoma City "'Free services.' For example, Jiffy Lube used to vacuum your car for you. Or the hotel that I worked for offered tea time in the afternoon. Once corporations learned that they could offer less and still charge more, they never went back." —Anonymous, 30, CA "Communion practices at church are still not the same as pre-COVID." —Anonymous "Socializing! I was in college when the pandemic hit. My university was completely virtual for two semesters, and when we finally returned for my last semester of college, there were a ton of social restrictions, and events were canceled. The lifelong friendships people usually make in college were simply underdeveloped for me. I also feel like the pandemic made cellphone addiction way worse for Gen Z. As someone who's not screen addicted, I find it hard to connect these days with people around my age. They're always on their phones. It's exhausting to try to hold a conversation with someone who's only half present." —Anonymous, 26, Maryland Do you agree or disagree with these answers? Is there anything you would add? Comment below!
