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SARS-CoV-2 Mutations, Variants, and National Security

By |2021-05-07T08:34:56-10:00May 8th, 2021|

By Deon Canyon, Sebastian Kevany and Michael S. Baker * Mutations are caused by random, spontaneous errors in the RNA-based genetic code of viruses that occur as the virus replicates within a host. The process of continually emerging, small mutations is called antigenic drift. In influenza and Covid, these mutations are often noticeable by observing changes in viral surface proteins, otherwise known as antigens. The human immune system identifies and reacts to foreign antigens by producing antibodies that target the infection. Most vaccines work by presenting a harmless version of the foreign antigen to train the immune system to be [...]

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An International Public Health and Virus Surveillance Network for National Security

By |2021-05-06T11:02:18-10:00May 6th, 2021|

By Deon Canyon, Sebastian Kevany and Michael S. Baker* Introduction The monitoring and surveillance of novel and variant, emergent and resurgent, infectious viral diseases is a core need for global health and national security. The United States has not, to date, put a priority on the funding and resourcing of private and public laboratories to identify and monitor Covid variants and mutations. While the U.K. sequences 10% of its positive cases, the U.S. currently only inspects around 0.3-1.5% of positive tests for the presence of viral mutations, which is lower than Gambia, Senegal and even Latvia. This created a “gaping [...]

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Achieving Effective Herd Protection with SARS-CoV-2: A strategy to prevent public health and economic collapse

By |2020-09-24T11:27:25-10:00September 24th, 2020|

This article discusses strategies to harness the collective utility of proven tools and approaches in achieving effective herd protection with SARS-CoV-2. Excerpt The main intention of lockdown, known in the Philippines as Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), is to reduce the reproductive rate of SARS-CoV-2 transmission to a point near virus elimination, as demonstrated in the lockdown in Wuhan, China, and in other relatively successful countries. Beyond the direct public health goal, strict lockdown measures towards total stamping out of the virus ultimately aspires to prevent public health and economic collapse, or prolonged societal devastation, which this pandemic is capable of [...]

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What States Say They Can Do and COVID-19 Status at Six Months

By |2020-07-31T15:53:18-10:00July 31st, 2020|

This paper reports finding a significant positive correlation globally between countries’ SPAR scores that indicate their capacities to deal effectively with public health risks and events and their COVID-related morbidity and mortality. Significance disappears in most cases when examined regionally. The authors offer minimal speculation as to the reasons for the unexpected finding, but sensibly suggest both additional factors, not currently assessed by SPAR, and further research. Abstract The International Health Regulations (IHR) is a critical legal tool that ensures and improves the capacity of all signatories, or States Parties, to prevent detect, assess, notify, and respond to public health [...]

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