18 Comments

Thanks for this thorough update on what remains an important priority for immunocompromised people who are most at risk of severe outcomes from Covid.

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Thanks for your note and support of Ground Truths!

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the kostaive samrna vaccine looks like it shows better durability at 6-12 months, so that's an improvement for durability that may help us in the longer run.

the whole "we have to pretend like it's the flu and intervene once a year" was an extremely damaging model to start from though

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I really appreciate this update, because I am regularly wondering how things are going in this line of research. Do you know if any of these trials are involving kids or teens? Do you think it will be like the mRNA shots where adult ones come first and then kid ones lag behind by quite a bit?

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The trials are all in adults (in the US at least) and so you're right, then kids later. If they survive the current cuts

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Thank you for the update on the nasal COVID19 vaccines, Dr. Topol. While vaccines are the primary preventive, given the respiratory portal of entry for the SARS-CoV2 virus, nasal and inhalant vaccines do offer some unique advantages. The same may be said of vector vaccines compared to mRNA vaccines. What's lacking in the realm of therapeutics is an inexpensive, safe, multi-systemic anti-inflammatory repurposed drug addressing what our team has identified as the ultimate viral-host immune target, the a7nAChRs. Unique among published studies is our cohort of inpatient and outpatient COVID-19 victims wherein we utilized repurposed hydroxyUREA (HU). HU has been shown to be consistently efficacious, durable and safe for our 5 day protocols despite many viral variants to date. A 3-prong approach: 1. vaccines, 2. non-pharmacological (air filtering, masking, handwashing), 3. the multi-functional anti-viral, potent a7nAChR anti-inflammatory, nitric oxide donor HU, together have the greatest potential to move forward over the current efforts focusing on pure antivirals and vaccines. Infusions offered under the EUA protocols have failed to address the virus' capacity to evade the host's immune response. Immune modulation of the a7nAChRs has not been seriously addressed with current studies nor has HU been given serious study for acute, advanced COVID-19 and PASC. HU (not to be confused with 5-HU or hydroxychloroquine) should be scrutinized.

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Thank you for this important update. Dr. Topol is the only one who continues to update any progress on new Covid vaccine technology.

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i strongly recommend you to https://hildabastian.wordpress.com/

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Will the slash/attack on science research funding prevent or delay the development of this long awaited vaccine? If so, could you create a fundraiser so interested individuals can contribute to continuing this COVID research

Will it impact your job? I hope your work can continue and that Scripps Research survives the budget cuts.

Can you do a podcast about the scientific and public impact on the US withdrawal from WHO and the massive CDC, NIH cuts? Thanks

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Thank you, as always, for keeping us abreast of important developments like this. I particularly appreciated the alarm you sounded about the future of these projects in the current environment. I have restacked, hoping I can add, in my wee small way, to awareness of the stakes.

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Do you think these vaccines are our best shot or better therapeutics? If you’re comfortable sharing, at this stage of the pandemic what precautions are you taking?

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I do think it's our best shot at prevention of infection and blocking spread.

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While it may be the best shot at prevention and reduce spread, the reality is that with less and less public acceptance of vaccine boosters, less and less attention to one's personal risks and one's contribution to spreading viral infections, an affordable therapeutic must be part of the trio: vaccines, barriers/quarantine, durable and a consistently effective therapeutic option. Therapy should not be based purely on interfering with viral replication such as the antiviral Pfizer product.

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seriously?? good masks would work way better.

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Under other related programs reporting 'IgA secretly antibodies." ...Does China tell us about secretly antibodies?

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A Typo...secretory. Thanks for noting, not fixed.

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There are spelling police everywhere Dr T ;>)

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now fixed !

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