Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline, two drugmakers, announced that they would provide 200 million doses of their potential COVID-19 vaccine to the WHO and Gavi Alliance co-sponsored COVAX procurement facility, which more than 180 countries have joined.  

“To address a global health crisis of this magnitude, it takes unique partnerships. The commitment we are announcing today for the COVAX Facility can help us together stand a better chance of bringing the pandemic under control. This moment also reflects our long-term commitment to global health and ensures our COVID-19 vaccines are affordable and accessible to those most at risk, everywhere in the world,” said Thomas Triomphe, Global Head of Sanofi Pasteur. 

Sanofi and GSK began their Phase 1/2 clinical trial in September and they expect to start late-stage testing by the end of the year. Although Sanofi and GSK aren’t leading in the race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, compared to Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson, their recombinant protein-based vaccine could become an important player in the long-term push for a COVID-19 vaccine.

Mortality Rates Decreasing, Even As Many Countries Experience Rising COVID-19 Cases, Finds Study

Meanwhile, although COVID-19 infection rates are rising globally, a recent report published last week in the Journal of Hospital Medicine found declining rates in mortality. The study conducted in New York among COVID-19 patients observed a significant drop in mortality rates from 25.6 percent in March to 7.6 percent in August. 

The other trends in COVID-19 hospitalization and infection were shifts in demographics and severity of the illness. The median age of COVID-19 hospitalization dropped from 63 years old in March to 49 in August. The comorbidities of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 has also decreased from 80.7 percent to 71.6 percent. 

The researchers adjusted for the demographic changes and found that the results represented actual improvements. The 18.2 percentage point decrease between March and August could be attributed to improved treatment of COVID-19 in hospitals. 

“This is still a high death rate, much higher than we see for flu or other respiratory diseases,” said Leora Horwitz, director of NYU Langone’s Center for Healthcare Innovation and Delivery Science. “I don’t want to pretend this is benign. But it definitely is something that has given me hope.” 

Developments in care of patients with SARS-CoV2, including using ventilators, blood thinners, steroids, and knowing what complications to watch for, contributes to better illness outcomes, said Horwitz. “We don’t have a magic bullet cure, but we have a lot…of little things that add up.”

SARS-CoV2 Antibodies decline within Two Months of Exposure, New Study Finds

At the same time, results from recent study by Imperial College London found declining rates of antibody prevalence among individuals in England from June to September 2020. The results suggest rapidly decreasing population immunity and increasing risk of reinfection. 

The “REACT-2” study included 365,104 adults in three random, non-overlapping samples, and tested for antibody prevalence at three points after the peak of COVID-19 in England in April. 17,576 tested positive for SARS-CoV2 antibodies. The prevalence of antibodies was highest in individuals aged 18-24 and lowest in the 75 and over age group. 

The first round of testing in June found that six percent of those tested had detectable antibodies. In August, the prevalence had reduced to 4.8 percent, and September recorded a rate of 4.4 percent. The highest decline in antibody prevalence was in the oldest population group, 75 and over. 

Image Credits: Sanofi.