COVID Hospitalizations Fall Rapidly In US

COVID Hospitalizations Fall Rapidly In US

By RTTNews Staff Writer | Published: 2/2/2021 6:08 AM ET

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

The United States is witnessing significant improvement in all three metrics that measure the coronavirus pandemic's severity, with COVID-19 hospitalizations decreasing rapidly after falling below the 100,000 mark at the weekend.

Only 93,536 people are currently admitted in U.S. hospitals with coronavirus infection, which is the fewest since November 29, according to the latest data by COVID Tracking Project. Out of this, 18,572 patients are admitted in Intensive Care Units. The numbers reached a peak of 132,474 on January 6.

Compared to last week, the number of people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 is down by 10 percent or more in 38 states.

The test positivity rate continues to fall regularly. Out of nearly 1.60 million people who were tested for coronavirus on Monday, 9.78 percent were diagnosed with the disease.

With 130,759 additional cases reporting in the last 24 hours, the total U.S. cases rose to 26,317,623, according to the latest data by Johns Hopkins University. 1881 new deaths were reported across the country in the same period, taking the national total to 443,355.

January was the deadliest month in the United States so far with the pandemic, claiming the lives of 95,211 Americans, nearly 20000 more than in December.

On average, more people were hospitalized in the country than in any other month due to COVID-19.

A new projection from the University of Washington says nearly 200,000 more people are likely to die between now and May 1.

Nearly half a billion vaccine doses have been distributed across the country until Monday and at least 32,222,402 shots were administered, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Anti-Covid vaccine distribution will "get better very quickly" as the Biden administration rolls out a series of measures aimed at ramping up inoculation, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci.

CDC's epidemiological expert Dr. Casey Barton Behravesh told reporters Monday that the risk of animals, including pets, spreading Covid-19 to human beings is considered to be low.

Meanwhile, Tokyo Olympic Games chief vowed that the global sports event will be held this year "no matter how the Covid situation will be."

"We will make sure the Games will be held no matter how the Covid situation will be. We go beyond the discussion of whether we hold (the Games) or not hold. We are to come up with 'new' Olympics," Games organizing committee president Yoshiro Mori said at a news conference Tuesday.

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Article written by an RTT News Staff Writer, and posted on the RTT News.com website.

Article reposted on Markethive by Jeffrey Sloe

Johnson amp Johnson’s Covid-19 Vaccine Safe Well-tolerated

Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 Vaccine Safe, Well-tolerated

By RTTNews Staff Writer | Published: 1/14/2021 5:15 AM ET

Johnson & Johnson announced that its Covid-19 vaccine candidate, JNJ-78436735, being developed by its unit Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies and currently undergoing in a Phase 3 trial, has been found to be safe and well tolerated.

The interim Phase 1/2a data was published on Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. A preview of part of these interim data was posted on medRxiv in September 2020.

As per the data, the single-dose investigational COVID-19 vaccine candidate provided an immune response that lasted for at least 71 days. This is the duration of time measured in this study in participants aged 18-55 years.

The ongoing Phase 1/2a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial aims to evaluate the safety, reactogenicity, and immunogenicity of Janssen's COVID-19 vaccine candidate at two dose levels, administered intramuscularly as single-dose or two-dose schedules, eight weeks apart, in healthy adults, aged 18 to 55 years. The study is ongoing at multiple clinical sites in Belgium and the United States.

According to the company, the COVID-19 vaccine candidate induced an immune response and was generally well-tolerated across all study participants. After a single vaccination, neutralizing antibodies against COVID-19 were detected in over 90 percent of study participants at Day 29 and 100 percent of participants aged 18-55 years at Day 57.

These neutralizing antibodies remained stable through Day 71, currently the latest timepoint available in this ongoing study, in all participants aged 18-55 years.

The study also evaluated a two-dose regimen, in which the data showed that a second dose of the vaccine candidate, administered 56 days apart, was less reactogenic while it triggered more than a two-fold increase in antibodies against COVID-19.

Johnson & Johnson expects to announce topline Phase 3 data for its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine candidate in late January 2021.

If the single-dose vaccine is shown to be safe and effective, the company expects to submit an application for Emergency Use Authorization with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration shortly afterwards. Other regulatory applications around the world will be made subsequently.

Janssen is investigating multiple doses and dosing regimens of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate to evaluate long-term efficacy.

The single-dose regimen in the Phase 3 ENSEMBLE trial completed enrollment on December 17, 2020, while a two-dose regimen in the Phase 3 ENSEMBLE 2 study is ongoing.

Johnson & Johnson's phase III study of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, JNJ-78436735, which was initiated in late September, was temporarily paused in early October due to an unexplained illness in a study participant. However, the trial resumed later after clearance from a regulatory board.

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Article written by an RTT News Staff Writer, and posted on the RTT News.com website.

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Parcare Health Network Faces Probe On COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

Parcare Health Network Faces Probe On COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

By RTTNews Staff Writer | Published: 12/28/2020 10:14 AM ET

New York State Health officials are joining with State Police to investigate Parcare Community Health Network for allegedly violating state guidelines for distribution of COVID-19 vaccine by obtaining and distributing them illegally.

In a statement, NY State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker stated that the State Department of Health is aware of reports that "Parcare Community Health Network, an Orange County provider, may have fraudulently obtained COVID-19 vaccine, transferred it to facilities in other parts of the state in violation of state guidelines and diverted it to members of the public…"

He added that this is contrary to the state's plan to administer it first to frontline healthcare workers, as well as nursing home residents and staffers.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn-based health care company reportedly insisted that it followed all proper procedures to get the Moderna vaccines. The company said it was approved to administer the shots by both the state Department of Health as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Following the criminal probe, Parcare further said it proactively returned its remaining stash of COVID-19 vaccines, and also provided the documentation regarding the proper receipt of the vaccines to the State Health department.

ParCare reportedly had administered 869 of 2,300 doses it received through an order placed by the DOH.

ParCare's clinic in Orange County faces the investigation. It operates five other clinics located in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

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Article written by an RTT News Staff Writer, and posted on the RTT News.com website.

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Walmart Administers Its First Covid Vaccine In New Mexico

Walmart Administers Its First Covid Vaccine In New Mexico

By RTTNews Staff Writer | Published: 12/24/2020 6:06 AM ET

Walmart said it started administering its first COVID-19 vaccines to health care workers in the state of New Mexico.

The retail giant said the recently approved Moderna vaccine was given to pharmacists at select Walmart stores and Sam's Clubs.

The company is in discussions with other states to support their vaccine administration efforts.

Walmart is preparing its 5,000+ pharmacies at Sam's Clubs and Walmart stores to be ready when the time comes to administer to essential workers, first responders and older Americans in "Priority 1B" and "Priority 1C", as per recommendation by the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

Walmart earlier had said that it would not have any say in who can receive the vaccine, but is ready to support states once they do.

The federal government allocates the vaccine to states, and states determine who should receive the first doses of the vaccine and when.

In the state of New Mexico, the first doses were given to Walmart's own pharmacists as they will be on the front lines of administering these vaccines. Pharmacy clinical service manager Alexis Abbatantuono, a 13-year associate, was the first Walmart pharmacist to receive a vaccine in its facilities.

The store locations were carefully selected by the New Mexico Department of Health to help ensure that the vaccine is safely administered in rural areas that need help supporting vaccine distribution to health care workers.

Tom Van Gilder, Chief Medical Officer, Walmart, said, "We know the vital role our stores, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians will play in the immunization of communities across the country, so keeping them healthy and safe is a critical first link in the chain of wide vaccine distribution."

The company further said it will also be prepared for all Americans to receive the vaccine in the spring and summer when the broad rollout happens.

On December 10, before the approval of the first covid-19 vaccine BNT162b2 developed by Pfizer Inc. and German biotech firm BioNTech SE, the retail giant had said that it was prepared to administer the COVID-19 vaccine at its pharmacies across the nation.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on December 11 authorized Pfizer – BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use. Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine mRNA-1273 was approved for emergency use on December 18.

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Article written by an RTT News Staff Writer, and posted on the RTT News.com website.

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Experts Call Upon Governments To Recommend Higher Doses Of Vitamin D Intake To Fight COVID-19

Experts Call Upon Governments To Recommend Higher Doses Of Vitamin D Intake To Fight COVID-19

By RTTNews Staff Writer | Published: 12/22/2020 11:26 AM ET

A group of over 100 scientists, doctors and health experts from across the globe have written an open letter calling for increased use of Vitamin D to fight the SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The Open Letter calls on all governments, public health officials, doctors, and healthcare workers to recommend daily Vitamin D intake of 4000 IU (100mcg) for adults. According to the signatories, there is ample scientific evidence to suggest that "low Vitamin D levels almost certainly promote COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths".

On December 17, the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issued a guideline concluding that there was little evidence for using Vitamin D supplements to prevent or treat COVID-19.

As per the NICE guideline, everyone should take 400 IU (10 microgram) of Vitamin D supplement daily from October to early March, for the maintenance of healthy bone and muscle. The main source of vitamin D is sunlight. But with the pandemic forcing many people to stay indoors more than usual this spring and summer, it is even more important this year to take a Vitamin D supplement as we head through the winter months, stresses the guideline published by the NICE.

The NICE guideline also warns that taking a high dose of Vitamin D over a long period of time could be harmful as it can lead to hypercalcemia, or calcium buildup in the body. That said, the revised NICE guidance agrees that, when more information becomes available, the recommendation on vitamin D supplementation and treatment should be considered for an update.

Contrary to the warning about Vitamin D toxicity, the signatories say that toxicity would be extremely rare with the intake level (4000 IU) they have suggested and that Vitamin D is much safer than steroids, such as dexamethasone, the most widely accepted treatment that has also shown a significant COVID-19 benefit.

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US Covid-19 Vaccination Begins As CDC Recommends Pfizer Vaccine

US Covid-19 Vaccination Begins As CDC Recommends Pfizer Vaccine

By RTTNews Staff Writer | Published: 12/14/2020 3:23 AM ET

The United States started Covid-19 vaccinations on Monday after Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC, gave the approval for Pfizer- BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine.

The CDC Director accepted the recommendation by CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices or ACIP for vaccination with Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in people 16 years of age and older. The recommendation follows the Emergency Use Authorization or EUA issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the vaccine on last Friday.

Redfield said, "As COVID-19 cases continue to surge throughout the U.S., CDC's recommendation comes at a critical time."

The Pfizer Vaccine is authorized for use under EUA for active immunization to prevent covid-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 or SARS-CoV-2 in individuals 16 years of age and older.

The ACIP recommendation is based on the scientific evidence supporting the COVID-19 vaccine, including data from a Phase 3 clinical study announced last month, as well as on interim guidance that ACIP made on December 1, 2020 regarding the allocation of initial vaccine doses.

The ACIP on December 1 had recommended for a Phase 1a rollout where first priority of COVID-19 vaccines is given to health care personnel treating patients, and residents in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

CNN reported that the first freight trucks carrying around 184,275 vials of the vaccine departed Pfizer's facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Sunday.

The vaccines will be distributed by the U.S. Department of Defense in partnership with agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services, including the CDC, to government-designated facilities across the country.

Earlier, Gen. Gustave Perna, chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed, noted that Pfizer would move vaccine from its manufacturing facility to the UPS and FedEx hubs, and then it would go out to already identified 636 locations nationwide.

According to Perna, the estimate is that 145 sites across all the states would have receive vaccine on Monday, another 425 sites on Tuesday, and the final 66 sites on Wednesday in the initial delivery of the Pfizer orders for vaccine.

Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech earlier said they now gather additional data and prepare to file a planned Biologics License Application or BLA with the FDA for a possible full regulatory approval in 2021.

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Another day another all-time high Bitcoin hits 24K in weekend surge

Another day, another all-time high — Bitcoin hits $24K in weekend surge

Bitcoin hits a fresh all-time high of $24,210 on Coinbase as volatility ensures the weekend bulls are not yet done.


Image courtesy of CoinTelegraph

            DEC 19, 2020

Bitcoin (BTC) set a new all-time high on Dec. 19 as markets continued to deliver surprises in weekend trading.

BTC price just hit another all-time high

Data from Cointelegraph Markets and Tradingview showed BTC/USD just eclipsing its record level set this week, reaching $24,210 on Coinbase before reversing.

Volatility was high as the previous all-time high of $23,777 just gave way before resistance kicked in once again. According to exchange orderbook data, sellers are ready at $24,000, with that area now forming a psychological barrier currently under attack from bulls.


BTC/USD hourly chart (Coinbase). Source: Tradingview (Click image for larger view)

"Let's go, another all-time high during weekend hours?" Cointelegraph Markets analyst Michaël van de Poppe tweeted, keenly eyeing the renewed energy in Bitcoin markets.


Bitcoin exchange buy and sell areas (white = more orders). Source: Material Indicators (Click image for larger view)

Trader warns $18.5K still support to watch

The move continues a trend that has developed in recent weeks, significant price action occurring during weekends rather than strictly during the week.

On Saturday, meanwhile Van de Poppe urged caution, arguing that crucial support still lay much lower on the BTC/USD chart at $18,500.

"Such vertical rallies aren't sustainable for long. Thus, a correction will occur at some point. However, predicting when it happens is anyone's guess as Bitcoin may easily run to $30,000 and then see a 30% correction," he summarized.

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Original article posted on the CoinTelegraph.com site, by William Suberg.

Article re-posted on Markethive by Jeffrey Sloe

OneCoin marketing guru in plea talks

OneCoin marketing guru in plea talks

The "public face of OneCoin" is in plea talks for a range of charges


Image courtesy of CoinTelegraph

            DEC 19, 2020

According to court reports from Friday, yet another suspected player behind the OneCoin ponzi scheme is now set to face justice.

On Friday, counsel for marketing guru Karl Sebastian Greenwood and US prosecutors informed Manhattan Judge Edgardo Ramos that the two sides are currently discussing a plea deal for Greenwood, who was indicted in 2018 for charges relating to his involvement in the OneCoin Ponzi scheme.

Greenwood — who is currently facing five charges including money laundering, fraud, and conspiracy — was described in previous civil litigation as the “public face of OneCoin.” Greenwood was responsible for pitching OneCoin and soliciting new investments in the project, which eventually defrauded billions from investors worldwide.

The indictment alleges that Greenwood "made false statements and misrepresentations soliciting individuals throughout the world […] resulting in the receipt of over $1 billion of investor funds”. The marketer operated out of Sweden during his time with OneCoin, and was arrested in Thailand in 2018.

Greenwood is in jail in Manhattan as he awaits his trial or a possible deal. The mastermind behind OneCoin, Ruja "Cryptoqueen" Ignatova, remains at large.

The OneCoin case and its aftermath has proven to be one of the messiest in crypto’s history, and a movie based on the events is set to enter production with star Kate Winslett, along with a separate BBC series in the works.

Additionally, despite the ongoing litigation Greenwood should consider himself lucky: Ignatova’s personal lawyer Mark S. Scott was disbarred in November following his conviction for money laundering, and two other marketers involved with promoting OneCoin were found dead after a reported kidnapping in July.

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Original article posted on the CoinTelegraph.com site, by Andrew Thurman.

Article re-posted on Markethive by Jeffrey Sloe

I’d Be A Billionaire Now’ Early Bitcoiner Regrets Selling 50000 Bitcoins Before 2012

‘I'd Be A Billionaire Now' — Early Bitcoiner Regrets Selling 50,000 Bitcoins Before 2012

By Brenda Ngari – December 18, 2020

The price of bitcoin recently soared beyond $23,000 after effortlessly taking out the $20,000 psychologically important level. The recent upsurge means that MicroStrategy's holdings have doubled in value since the business intelligence firm invested millions into the cryptocurrency back in September when the flagship cryptocurrency was still hovering sub-$11,000.

But, not every large investor has made out like a bandit. In a series of tweets on Friday, early bitcoin investor Martti Malmi recently revealed that he sold 50,000 bitcoins more than eight years ago and has essentially missed out on over $1 billion in profit. Malmi, who is also a pioneer bitcoin developer, mined the BTC on his personal laptop in the period between 2009 and 2010 and sold it before 2012. At the current prices, the same amount would be worth $1.1 billion today.

Malmi, however, didn't liquidate his mammoth BTC cache for nothing. He was able to quit his “boring” junior software developer job and move to Japan for several months to study the Japanese language. While in Japan, he visited the office belonging to Mt. Gox crypto exchange way before it suffered the infamous hack.

Malmi sold over 10,000 BTC in 2011 when the exchange rate for the cryptocurrency reached the $15-$30 range and used the proceeds to purchase a nice studio apartment in Helsinki at only 22 years of age. 

However, if he never sold his old bitcoin, he could have had so much more. The early bitcoin core developer regrets but he believes “with the early Bitcoiners we set in motion something greater than personal gain.”

In October 2011, he offered a 1000 BTC prize to anyone who would get a major business to accept bitcoin. This bounty was not claimed and he then decided to HODL the rest of his bitcoin holdings. Unfortunately, he was forced to sell most of his BTC at a painfully low rate of $5 per piece in 2012 as he hunted for a new job.

Although he missed out on the ten-figures worth of profits, Malmi still keeps some of his savings in bitcoin up to now. “That’s not much, but still nice gains over the years. Happy about the recent development,” he added.

Malmi has learned that although money matters, “you don’t need to be rich to lead a perfectly good life” as it is mostly about the basic things. More importantly, he is happy about his greater contribution to the bitcoin space. “You don’t live forever. Pursuing something greater than yourself brings meaning in life,” he summarized.

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DISCLAIMER

The views expressed in the article are wholly those of the author and do not represent those of, nor should they be attributed to, ZyCrypto. This article is not meant to give financial advice. Please carry out your own research before investing in any of the various cryptocurrencies available.

The original article written by Brenda Ngari and posted on ZyCrypto.com.

Article reposted on Markethive by Jeffrey Sloe

Messari Values Coinbase At Nearly 30 Billion As The Bitcoin Exchange Prepares To Officially Go Public

Messari Values Coinbase At Nearly $30 Billion As The Bitcoin Exchange Prepares To Officially Go Public

By Brenda Ngari – December 18, 2020

Messari, a cryptocurrency data and research provider has valued Coinbase at close to $30 billion. This comes after the San Francisco-based crypto exchange filed all the necessary documents for an IPO with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Coinbase Confirms SEC Registration

The crypto exchange made the announcement in a December 17 tweet and an accompanying blog post which reads,

“Coinbase Global, Inc. today announced that it has confidentially submitted a draft registration statement on Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The Form S-1 is expected to become effective after the SEC completes its review process, subject to market and other conditions.”

In the tweet, Coinbase clearly indicates that the firm is set to complete an Initial Public Offering (IPO) subject to regulatory review.

Speculations about an IPO from Coinbase have been swirling for months since July of this year. Back then, it was rumored that Coinbase was considering a stock market listing and was already having serious discussions with law firms and various investment banks but had not filed any paperwork with the SEC.

Although Coinbase has not revealed a specific date, the recent update confirms the rumors and suggests that the exchange could be going public very soon.

Messari Tags Coinbase’s Valuation at $28 Billion

As Coinbase gets ready for a public offering, Messari is estimating the exchange’s current valuation to be $28 billion. The research firm analyzed various aspects of Coinbase including its trading volumes, debit cards, and assets under custody to arrive at this ballpark figure.

In October of 2018, Coinbase was valued at $8 billion after a fundraising round. Messari, however, believes the firm now has a $28 billion valuation. Regardless, it will be a huge IPO and it will allow more institutional and retail investors to get exposure to cryptocurrencies.

A strategist at Messari noted that an IPO would not only benefit Coinbase but also the crypto industry at large:

“This listing is important even for Token valuations as Coinbase will provide a valuation anchor — not only for future equity listings — but also for crypto-native exchange tokens.”

Perfect Timing?

Coinbase’s submission with the SEC is especially notable because it comes at a very interesting time in the crypto space. Basically, the exchange announced the registration just a day after the world’s oldest cryptocurrency leaped past the $20,000 mark for the first time in history.


BTCUSD Chart By TradingView (Click image for larger view)

Bitcoin’s meteoric rise has drawn a lot of attention from mainstream media across the globe and the entire financial world. Thus, Coinbase could be capitalizing on the spotlight that has been placed on bitcoin to position itself as Wall Street’s go-to bet on cryptocurrencies.

It should, however, be noted that Coinbase is not the first blockchain-focused company to launch an IPO. Other firms like Marathon and Canaan have also gone down the road of a public offering. There are also reports that San Francisco-based blockchain payments firm Ripple is considering going public.

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DISCLAIMER

The views expressed in the article are wholly those of the author and do not represent those of, nor should they be attributed to, ZyCrypto. This article is not meant to give financial advice. Please carry out your own research before investing in any of the various cryptocurrencies available.

The original article written by Brenda Ngari and posted on ZyCrypto.com.

Article reposted on Markethive by Jeffrey Sloe