U. Oxford stumble would delay trial in Chile; There are 10 ways to prevent a contagion in the micro and subway and China prepares a spray vaccine: three things we learned about the coronavirus this week

It was until this week, the vaccine that had generated the most expectations in the medical community and among the general population. The antidote being developed by the University of Oxford together with the AstraZeneca laboratory had been established as the most promising vaccine in the world.

He had managed to successfully circumvent the first tests on animals, and more auspiciously, then he successfully circumvented the human tests already in phase 1 and phase 2, successes supported by a study in The Lancet magazine.

But the vaccine, baptized AZD1222 had an unexpected setback on Tuesday. During the development of phase 3 of the tests, which involves thousands of people, one of the volunteers presented a dangerous adverse effect: transverse myelitis, a serious condition that produces a inflammation of the spinal cord, and that can cause muscle weakness, paralysis, pain and bladder problems.

The reaction, as dictated by the protocols in these cases, led to the immediate suspension of the tests.

Despite the setback, doctors asked for calm. What these tests are looking for is precisely in a large group of volunteers, is to determine any adverse reaction.

The case involved a woman, who is already improving and will probably be discharged in the next few hours, which will probably lead to the reactivation of the trials.

Pending the final evaluations, It will also be necessary to see what will happen with the announced trial of the vaccine in Chile, and that it would take place at the Las Condes Clinic, which would begin this Monday. Until now, it is not yet known when they might leave.

Despite this, the Minister of Health, Enrique Paris, was calm with the situation, pointing out that “it does not mean that we cannot have other vaccines. There are many other companies developing a. The studies continue in Chile and the rest of the world ”, he said.

In the process of deconfinement, there is very afraid of using public transport, a potential source of contagion.

Of the most common means of transport to move, the least secure is the meter. And it does not have to do with the sanitary measures that are taken there, but due to the effect of physics: the subway train is the one with the least ventilation. And this is a key aspect of contagion.

Scientists have concluded that the SARS-CoV-2 It is spread not only by droplets that are expelled when talking, laughing, coughing or sneezing, but also by aerosols, which are larger and remain suspended in the air for several hours, especially in confined, closed and poorly ventilated places, such as the subway.

In addition, as explained in a note in Qué Pasa Francisca Guzmán, director of the Data Science U. Mayor degree, in the subway there are several possible interaction spaces, not only in the carbut also between people within stations, where mobility increases, therefore, also the number of possible encounters between them which favors infections by close contact and by the radii of contagion in closed spaces with little ventilation, as opposed to open and well ventilated spaces.

To prevent contagions in public transport, you can follow these 10 tips:

1. For the above-mentioned ventilation and interaction reasons, prefer surface transport means, where ventilation is greater.

2. In your transfers, avoid approaching people who speak animatedly and laugh softly. The voice can work like a projectile: it is estimated that one minute of conversation generates a thousand virus-laden drops, which can remain suspended for up to 14 minutes in closed spaces.

3. If you have a choice, prefer to travel in a window seat.

4. Analyze well the distribution in the car or bus. A recommendation may be to be located near the door, which could have better ventilation, but it is usually also the place where the most people crowd, in their desire to get out first. For this reason, over ventilation, it is preferable to avoid crowds.

5. Avoid taking handrails, due to the risk of touching surfaces that may be contaminated and try to travel with disposable gloves. Another fact: studies show that men wash their hands less than women.

6. Many subway passengers prefer to travel in carriages that lead directly to the exit doors, to avoid the tumult when disembarking. However, This habit can be counterproductive, because they are usually the most congested cars.

7. Another recommendation given by the Centers for Disease Control in the US (CDC, its acronym in English), is to try to respect the distance of two meters between passengers. Although in peak hours that may be impossible, if you can do it in hours of less congestion, marks on the ground can help determine the minimum recommended distance.

8. Avoid eating during the trip. Doing so forces him to put his hands to his mouth, with which we have previously touched surfaces of the cabin or the wagon that could be contaminated. In addition, it involves removing the mask.

9. It can be difficult and above all boring, But leaving the cell phone stored and not manipulating it during the trip is also good advice, because it is one of the most contaminated devices that one can manipulate.

10. Also avoid rush hours. According to Leonardo Basso, researcher at the Instituto Sistemas Complejos de Ingeniería (ISCI) of the U. Chile, the critical hours in Santiago are between 7 and 9 in the morning and between 5:30 and 7:30 in the afternoon .

One last piece of advice, difficult for many to follow due to the distance to their jobs, but which is possible for some more privileged people, is to use alternative means, such as bike, scooters or walk.

There are more than 179 vaccines in development, according to the record of the World Health Organization (WHO), but China surprised everyone when this Wednesday announced that it approved the development of the Phase I human testing for nasal spray vaccine, jointly developed by researchers at Xiamen University and Hong Kong University, as well as vaccine manufacturer Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy Enterprise.

According to its creators, the vaccine is not only not painful, like injectables, but also, when administered through the nasal tract, mimics the natural infection of respiratory viruses to stimulate the body’s immune response against the pathogen that causes Covid-19, which would make it more effective than injectable models.