omicron photos on Flickr

www.redeemedexpressions.com/fort-worth-portrait-project/

This album is part of the event coverage for the Fort Worth Portrait Project. The project tells the story of Fort Worth from 2014 - 2044 one captioned portrait at a time, but I also enjoy covering events like this one too.

Please follow the Fort Worth Portrait Project:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/be-part-of-the-project/

Do you want to be featured in the project? Just head to the following site with a photo and a caption:

TCU AOII Big Little Reveal 2014-36 by Raul Mosley

The Lambda Rho chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi at TCU held their 2014 Big-Little Reveal on Friday, October 3.

Sierra, a student at USC, describes the Big-Little reveal this way in her blog: "The day every new member and to-be Big waits impatiently for all semester long is finally here, the day where Little has to wonder no more of which girl she would call Big from this day on for the rest of her life. It's the day of reveal and as all of the Bigs are stressing to get the final touches done and set up the activities for the day, the Little's wait anxiously, excited to finally be united with their one and only but nervous about what is in store for them until that point." For the rest of her post, see www.thisonelifeblog.com/blog/big-little-reveal-week-day-4....

You can learn more about the Lambda Rho chapter of AOII here:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/fort-worth-portrait-project/

This album is part of the event coverage for the Fort Worth Portrait Project. The project tells the story of Fort Worth from 2014 - 2044 one captioned portrait at a time, but I also enjoy covering events like this one too.

Please follow the Fort Worth Portrait Project:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/be-part-of-the-project/

Do you want to be featured in the project? Just head to the following site with a photo and a caption:

Alpha Omicron Pi Bid Day at TCU-348 by Raul Mosley

The Lambda Rho chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi greeting new members during the chapter's second ever Bid Day at TCU. For those of you who don't know what Bid Day is...and I didn't either...all the sororities assemble on the Campus Commons. Then the newbies are released one chapter at a time to run toward their new sisters. It's kinda like a cattle drive, but with a much happier ending.

I also rolled about 90 seconds of video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qnt0kMEWWQ&list=UUlJLPNVzTQB...

You can learn more about AOII here:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/fort-worth-portrait-project/

This album is part of the event coverage for the Fort Worth Portrait Project. The project tells the story of Fort Worth from 2014 - 2044 one captioned portrait at a time, but I also enjoy covering events like this one too.

Please follow the Fort Worth Portrait Project:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/be-part-of-the-project/

Do you want to be featured in the project? Just head to the following site with a photo and a caption:

TCU AOII Big Little Reveal 2014-217 by Raul Mosley

The Lambda Rho chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi at TCU held their 2014 Big-Little Reveal on Friday, October 3.

Sierra, a student at USC, describes the Big-Little reveal this way in her blog: "The day every new member and to-be Big waits impatiently for all semester long is finally here, the day where Little has to wonder no more of which girl she would call Big from this day on for the rest of her life. It's the day of reveal and as all of the Bigs are stressing to get the final touches done and set up the activities for the day, the Little's wait anxiously, excited to finally be united with their one and only but nervous about what is in store for them until that point." For the rest of her post, see www.thisonelifeblog.com/blog/big-little-reveal-week-day-4....

You can learn more about the Lambda Rho chapter of AOII here:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/fort-worth-portrait-project/

This album is part of the event coverage for the Fort Worth Portrait Project. The project tells the story of Fort Worth from 2014 - 2044 one captioned portrait at a time, but I also enjoy covering events like this one too.

Please follow the Fort Worth Portrait Project:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/be-part-of-the-project/

Do you want to be featured in the project? Just head to the following site with a photo and a caption:

TCU AOII Big Little Reveal 2014-111 by Raul Mosley

The Lambda Rho chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi at TCU held their 2014 Big-Little Reveal on Friday, October 3.

Sierra, a student at USC, describes the Big-Little reveal this way in her blog: "The day every new member and to-be Big waits impatiently for all semester long is finally here, the day where Little has to wonder no more of which girl she would call Big from this day on for the rest of her life. It's the day of reveal and as all of the Bigs are stressing to get the final touches done and set up the activities for the day, the Little's wait anxiously, excited to finally be united with their one and only but nervous about what is in store for them until that point." For the rest of her post, see www.thisonelifeblog.com/blog/big-little-reveal-week-day-4....

You can learn more about the Lambda Rho chapter of AOII here:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/fort-worth-portrait-project/

This album is part of the event coverage for the Fort Worth Portrait Project. The project tells the story of Fort Worth from 2014 - 2044 one captioned portrait at a time, but I also enjoy covering events like this one too.

Please follow the Fort Worth Portrait Project:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/be-part-of-the-project/

Do you want to be featured in the project? Just head to the following site with a photo and a caption:

20220109 by Guy M Wong

www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/08/omicron-shows-covid...

Omicron could be ‘first ray of light’ towards living with Covid

UK government scientist predicts possibility of less severe variant but warns ‘we’re not there yet’

The emergence of Omicron could be the “first ray of light” towards living with Covid as an endemic disease, according to a government scientific adviser.

Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (Spi-M) and a University of Warwick professor, said Omicron could be an indicator that in the future there may be a less severe variant that is similar to the common cold. But as Covid cases continued to rise in the UK and hospitalisations at their highest in almost a year, he said “we’re not quite there yet”.

“The thing that might happen in the future is you may see the emergence of a new variant that is less severe, and ultimately, in the long term, what happens is Covid becomes endemic and you have a less severe version. It’s very similar to the common cold that we’ve lived with for many years,” he told Times Radio on Saturday.

“We’re not quite there yet, but possibly Omicron is the first ray of light there that suggests that may happen in the longer term. It is, of course, much more transmissible than Delta was, which is concerning, but much less severe.”

He added: “Hopefully, as we move more towards the spring and we see the back of Omicron, we can get more inter-relationships of living with Covid as an endemic disease and protecting the vulnerable. Any variant that does emerge which is less severe, ultimately, in the longer term, is where we want to be.”

A total of 18,454 people were in hospital with coronavirus on 6 January, according to government figures. This marks a 40% week-on-week rise and the highest number since 18 February.

Middlesbrough, Copeland and Redcar and Cleveland had among the UK’s highest week-on-week rises in Covid cases, while in London they were thought to be slowing down.

Tildesley said rises in hospital admissions in the north-east, north-west and the Midlands were “concerning” and that most parts of the country were approximately two to three weeks behind London.

“On the slightly more positive side, so it doesn’t sound all doom and gloom, what we are seeing from hospital admissions is that stays in hospital do appear to be on average shorter, which is good news, symptoms appear to be a little bit milder, so this is what we are seeing consistently with the Omicron variant,” he added.

According to NHS England data, 39,142 NHS staff at hospital trusts in England were absent due to Covid on 2 January – a 59% rise on the previous week and more than triple the number at the beginning of December.

The Health Service Journal estimated that staff absences across the whole of the NHS for all reasons, including Covid, could be as high as 120,000. About 9,300 armed forces are available on standby.

the spring and we see the back of Omicron, we can get more inter-relationships of living with Covid as an endemic disease and protecting the vulnerable. Any variant that does emerge which is less severe, ultimately, in the longer term, is where we want to be.”

A total of 18,454 people were in hospital with coronavirus on 6 January, according to government figures. This marks a 40% week-on-week rise and the highest number since 18 February.

Middlesbrough, Copeland and Redcar and Cleveland had among the UK’s highest week-on-week rises in Covid cases, while in London they were thought to be slowing down.

Tildesley said rises in hospital admissions in the north-east, north-west and the Midlands were “concerning” and that most parts of the country were approximately two to three weeks behind London.

“On the slightly more positive side, so it doesn’t sound all doom and gloom, what we are seeing from hospital admissions is that stays in hospital do appear to be on average shorter, which is good news, symptoms appear to be a little bit milder, so this is what we are seeing consistently with the Omicron variant,” he added.

According to NHS England data, 39,142 NHS staff at hospital trusts in England were absent due to Covid on 2 January – a 59% rise on the previous week and more than triple the number at the beginning of December.

The Health Service Journal estimated that staff absences across the whole of the NHS for all reasons, including Covid, could be as high as 120,000. About 9,300 armed forces are available on standby.

Meanwhile, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has advised against giving a second booster, or a fourth dose, of the vaccine to care home residents and people aged 80-plus after figures showed it was 90% effective at preventing hospital admission.

Instead, experts want to prioritise the rollout of the first booster dose and encourage those who are still unvaccinated to have first and second doses.

To date, more than 51 million people have had a first dose and more than 47 million have had a second dose. More than 35 million have had a booster or third dose.

www.reuters.com/world/europe/germany-assessing-reliabilit...

Germany assessing reliability of antibody tests for Omicron - minister

Reuters

FRANKFURT, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Germany will study how reliable rapid antigen tests are in detecting the fast-spreading Omicron variant of COVID-19, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said on Sunday.

"We do not know exactly how well these tests work for Omicron," Lauterbach said on public broadcasting channel ARD, adding the results of the assessment would become available within the next few weeks.

It was clear, however, that "the alternative not to test at all ... would be far too dangerous," said Lauterbach, a scientist and physician.

Earlier, he had told a Sunday newspaper that Germany must revamp its COVID-19 vaccination strategy to tackle the Omicron variant and to ensure it can develop a new vaccine rapidly if it faces a more deadly coronavirus variant in the future. New measures for dining out and bar visits were brought in only last Friday.

Omicron now accounts for 44% of coronavirus infections in Germany, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious disease said.

On Sunday, RKI registered 36,552 newly reported corona infections within 24 hours, three times the number a week earlier.

The Bundestag lower house of parliament will soon discuss a draft bill for a general vaccination mandate that is supported by businesses and the public sector, but has been delayed amid uncertainty about united support for it within the three-party coalition government.

Lauterbach, of the Social Democratic Party, strongly advocates obligatory vaccinations and Justice Minister Marco Buschmann of the libertarian FDP in an interview with Sunday newspaper Bild am Sonntag also urged parliament to decide on the issue soon.

However, the parliamentary leader of the Green Party, Britta Hasselmann said in an interview with the Funke media group that the parties had to discuss the issue internally first.

"It is not an easy decision, it implies a deep intervention," she said.

O (Omicron) by Joanie Lemercier

1

A permanent installation directed by Romain Tardy & Thomas Vaquié

Hala Stulecia, Wroclaw, Poland.

More details: www.antivj.com/O/

Alpha Omicron Pi Bid Day at TCU-206 by Raul Mosley

The Lambda Rho chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi greeting new members during the chapter's second ever Bid Day at TCU. For those of you who don't know what Bid Day is...and I didn't either...all the sororities assemble on the Campus Commons. Then the newbies are released one chapter at a time to run toward their new sisters. It's kinda like a cattle drive, but with a much happier ending.

I also rolled about 90 seconds of video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qnt0kMEWWQ&list=UUlJLPNVzTQB...

You can learn more about AOII here:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/fort-worth-portrait-project/

This album is part of the event coverage for the Fort Worth Portrait Project. The project tells the story of Fort Worth from 2014 - 2044 one captioned portrait at a time, but I also enjoy covering events like this one too.

Please follow the Fort Worth Portrait Project:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/be-part-of-the-project/

Do you want to be featured in the project? Just head to the following site with a photo and a caption:

Omicron Psi (57) by Dickinson State University

DSC_0885 by Alan Tang

Omicron Associate Class Zeta Sis Reveal

Koni-Omega Microfilm Camera HK-35 nº 1 by Dirk HR Spennemann

Koni-Omega Microfilm Camera HK-35

Manufactured by Konishiroku Photo Industries (distributed by Berkey Photo) fitted with Omicron 70mm f/5.6

Omicron Scorpinae - Model Q4 (POV) by Captain Foo

2

Paxar Omicron 150F28-4534 by Guess Tsai

1

Pentax 645Z + Paxar Omicron 6 inch f/2.8

DSC_0881 by Alan Tang

Omicron Associate Class Zeta Sis Reveal

DSC_0886 by Alan Tang

Omicron Associate Class Zeta Sis Reveal

Grande formato by Osvaldo Santos Lima

3 9

Ainda me seduz a ideia de fotografar o mundo por meio de um belo e grande visor de uma 4x5.

Ela me espera, guardada, como você que espera de mim um carinho, guardado.

Osvaldo Santos Lima

www.omicronfotografia.com.br

Omicron Flashback Comparison: Lighthouse by Ryan Wood / legocnefs

3

Why? Because I didn't do this during the first run of photos and because most of you don't know this is going to BrickCon :)

---

Full gallery

DSC_0874 by Alan Tang

Omicron Associate Class Zeta Sis Reveal

TCU AOII Big Little Reveal 2014-142 by Raul Mosley

The Lambda Rho chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi at TCU held their 2014 Big-Little Reveal on Friday, October 3.

Sierra, a student at USC, describes the Big-Little reveal this way in her blog: "The day every new member and to-be Big waits impatiently for all semester long is finally here, the day where Little has to wonder no more of which girl she would call Big from this day on for the rest of her life. It's the day of reveal and as all of the Bigs are stressing to get the final touches done and set up the activities for the day, the Little's wait anxiously, excited to finally be united with their one and only but nervous about what is in store for them until that point." For the rest of her post, see www.thisonelifeblog.com/blog/big-little-reveal-week-day-4....

You can learn more about the Lambda Rho chapter of AOII here:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/fort-worth-portrait-project/

This album is part of the event coverage for the Fort Worth Portrait Project. The project tells the story of Fort Worth from 2014 - 2044 one captioned portrait at a time, but I also enjoy covering events like this one too.

Please follow the Fort Worth Portrait Project:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/be-part-of-the-project/

Do you want to be featured in the project? Just head to the following site with a photo and a caption:

DSC_0804 by Alan Tang

Omicron Associate Class Zeta Sis Reveal

OmiCron v.2 at Rhythm Society's Mystery - 029 by Jason Stephens

OmiCron the Interface at the Rhythm Society's end of the world celebration on Dec 21st, 2012. Oakland CA

Omicron Flashlight by George Kemenes

1

Simmon Omega 120 nº 21 by Dirk HR Spennemann

Simmon Omega 120 range finder camera (second model, 1954)

with 90mm f=3.5 Omicron lens in a Wollensak Rapax shutter

This is the first civilian production of the Combat camera made by the Simmon Brothers (known for their range of enlargers). Has a ratchet rapid film advance. The camera was later further developed by Konica to create the Koni-Omega Rapid.

TCU AOII Big Little Reveal 2014-156 by Raul Mosley

The Lambda Rho chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi at TCU held their 2014 Big-Little Reveal on Friday, October 3.

Sierra, a student at USC, describes the Big-Little reveal this way in her blog: "The day every new member and to-be Big waits impatiently for all semester long is finally here, the day where Little has to wonder no more of which girl she would call Big from this day on for the rest of her life. It's the day of reveal and as all of the Bigs are stressing to get the final touches done and set up the activities for the day, the Little's wait anxiously, excited to finally be united with their one and only but nervous about what is in store for them until that point." For the rest of her post, see www.thisonelifeblog.com/blog/big-little-reveal-week-day-4....

You can learn more about the Lambda Rho chapter of AOII here:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/fort-worth-portrait-project/

This album is part of the event coverage for the Fort Worth Portrait Project. The project tells the story of Fort Worth from 2014 - 2044 one captioned portrait at a time, but I also enjoy covering events like this one too.

Please follow the Fort Worth Portrait Project:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/be-part-of-the-project/

Do you want to be featured in the project? Just head to the following site with a photo and a caption:

DSC_0799 by Alan Tang

Omicron Associate Class Zeta Sis Reveal

DSC_0802 by Alan Tang

Omicron Associate Class Zeta Sis Reveal

Alpha Omicron Pi Bid Day at TCU-229 by Raul Mosley

The Lambda Rho chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi greeting new members during the chapter's second ever Bid Day at TCU. For those of you who don't know what Bid Day is...and I didn't either...all the sororities assemble on the Campus Commons. Then the newbies are released one chapter at a time to run toward their new sisters. It's kinda like a cattle drive, but with a much happier ending.

I also rolled about 90 seconds of video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qnt0kMEWWQ&list=UUlJLPNVzTQB...

You can learn more about AOII here:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/fort-worth-portrait-project/

This album is part of the event coverage for the Fort Worth Portrait Project. The project tells the story of Fort Worth from 2014 - 2044 one captioned portrait at a time, but I also enjoy covering events like this one too.

Please follow the Fort Worth Portrait Project:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/be-part-of-the-project/

Do you want to be featured in the project? Just head to the following site with a photo and a caption:

OmiCron v.3 at Sea of Dream NYE 2012_ - 05 by Jason Stephens

OmiCron in the Fractal Forest (the interactive tech area of the Anon Salon NYE party, Sea of Dreams)

Omicron Queen by Eddie murdock

Fryberger: Alpha Omicron Pi_9238 by University of Louisville

Alpha Omicron Pi: AOΠ Meets the Wild

DSC_0801 by Alan Tang

Omicron Associate Class Zeta Sis Reveal

Alpha Omicron Pi Bid Day at TCU-236 by Raul Mosley

The Lambda Rho chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi greeting new members during the chapter's second ever Bid Day at TCU. For those of you who don't know what Bid Day is...and I didn't either...all the sororities assemble on the Campus Commons. Then the newbies are released one chapter at a time to run toward their new sisters. It's kinda like a cattle drive, but with a much happier ending.

I also rolled about 90 seconds of video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qnt0kMEWWQ&list=UUlJLPNVzTQB...

You can learn more about AOII here:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/fort-worth-portrait-project/

This album is part of the event coverage for the Fort Worth Portrait Project. The project tells the story of Fort Worth from 2014 - 2044 one captioned portrait at a time, but I also enjoy covering events like this one too.

Please follow the Fort Worth Portrait Project:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/be-part-of-the-project/

Do you want to be featured in the project? Just head to the following site with a photo and a caption:

AOII Bid Day, CSULB, Spring 2011 Panhellenic Recruitment by Alpha Omicron Pi CSULB

Alpha Omicron Pi participated in CSULB's Panhellenic Recruitment and are pleased to welcome nearly 30 new members!

These amazing women are poised to make a great impact on the Lambda Beta chapter of AOII and CSULB's Greek Community.

For more information about AOII or CSULB Panhellenic Recruitment, please see our website at www.alphaomicronpicsulb.org

TCU AOII Big Little Reveal 2014-188 by Raul Mosley

The Lambda Rho chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi at TCU held their 2014 Big-Little Reveal on Friday, October 3.

Sierra, a student at USC, describes the Big-Little reveal this way in her blog: "The day every new member and to-be Big waits impatiently for all semester long is finally here, the day where Little has to wonder no more of which girl she would call Big from this day on for the rest of her life. It's the day of reveal and as all of the Bigs are stressing to get the final touches done and set up the activities for the day, the Little's wait anxiously, excited to finally be united with their one and only but nervous about what is in store for them until that point." For the rest of her post, see www.thisonelifeblog.com/blog/big-little-reveal-week-day-4....

You can learn more about the Lambda Rho chapter of AOII here:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/fort-worth-portrait-project/

This album is part of the event coverage for the Fort Worth Portrait Project. The project tells the story of Fort Worth from 2014 - 2044 one captioned portrait at a time, but I also enjoy covering events like this one too.

Please follow the Fort Worth Portrait Project:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/be-part-of-the-project/

Do you want to be featured in the project? Just head to the following site with a photo and a caption:

20220509 by Guy M Wong

api.nationalgeographic.com/distribution/public/amp/scienc...

Two new Omicron variants are spreading. Will they drive a new U.S. surge?

New versions of Omicron are again causing a surge of COVID-19 cases in South Africa, and studies show that these new subvariants are so different from the original version of Omicron that immunity generated from a previous infection may not provide much protection.

Dubbed BA.4 and BA.5, the new subvariants are nearly identical to each other, and both are more transmissible than the Omicron BA.2 subvariant. In South Africa, they replaced the BA.2 strain in less than a month. They are now responsible for a spike in South Africa’s COVID-19 cases, which have tripled since mid-April.

“If you were unvaccinated, what you got is almost no immunity to BA.4 and BA.5,” says Alex Sigal, a virologist at the Africa Health Research Institute and at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. “There might be some immunity that may be enough to protect against severe disease, but not sufficient to protect against symptomatic infection.”

South Africa is the worst hit country on the continent, with more than 100,523 official deaths from COVID-19—and that’s likely a gross underestimate according to a recent study in The Lancet. With BA.4 and BA.5 now on the rise, the death toll is likely to grow, as only a third of the South African population has received a COVID-19 vaccine; the rate of vaccination is even lower in the rest of Africa.

For now, the subvariant known as BA.2.12.1 remains dominant in the U.S., causing new hospitalizations to spike in the last week by more than 17 percent nationally.

www.cnbc.com/amp/2022/05/09/covid-novavax-nvax-q1-2022-ea...

Covid Novavax (NVAX) Q1 2022 earnings

KEY POINTS

▫️Novavax reported its first profitable quarter, though it still missed expectations on earnings and revenue.

▫️Novavax's Covid vaccine has rolled out in several major economies around the world.

▫️The two-dose vaccine could receive U.S. authorization this summer.

Novavax on Monday reported its first profitable quarter as its Covid vaccine rolls out across several countries around the world, though the company still missed earnings and revenue expectations.

Novavax reported net income of $203 million in the first quarter, compared to a net loss of $222.7 million the same period last year. The company reiterated its 2022 revenue guidance of $4 billion to $5 billion.

However, Novavax has not yet received an order from Covax, the international partnership that procures vaccines for lower-income nations. The timing and quantities of future orders from Covax are unclear which could affect the revenue guidance, Chief Financial Officer Jim Kelly told analysts during the company's earnings call.

"It's an unclear marketplace right now in the low- and middle-income countries," CEO Stanley Erck told analysts.

Novavax stock was down nearly 19% in extended trading.

Chief commercial officer John Trizzino told analysts there's also upside to the revenue guidance in the U.S. market if the vaccine is authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. Novavax anticipates the FDA will authorize the shots for adults ages 18 and older as a two-dose primary vaccination series this summer, according to Erck. The company is currently in negotiations with the U.S. government on how it can meet demand after authorization, the CEO said.

Here's how the company performed compared with what Wall Street expected, based on analysts' average estimates compiled by Refinitiv:

▫️Adjusted earnings: $2.56 per share, vs. $2.69 expected

▫️Revenue: $704 million, vs. $845 million expected

The FDA's committee of independent advisors is set to meet June 7 to review Novavax's data and make a recommendation on whether the shots should be cleared for use. Erck said Novavax's manufacturing partner Serum Institute of India successfully passed on FDA inspection ahead of the committee meeting. Novavax also has submitted vaccine data on adolescents ages 12 to 17 to the FDA and will submit additional data on booster doses, Erck said.

Novavax will start clinical trials on a vaccine that targets mutations on the omicron variant this month, the CEO said. The FDA committee is also holding a meeting on June 28 on whether the U.S. needs to switch to a new vaccine design that targets recent virus mutations. The current vaccines still target the original strain of the virus that emerged in Wuhan, China, in 2019.

Novavax was one of the early participants in Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. government-backed race to develop a Covid vaccine in 2020. Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson ultimately beat the company to the punch as it struggled to ramp up its manufacturing capacity. Novavax asked the FDA to authorize the shot four months ago in January, but officials said the review process is complicated.

"This is an incredibly complex review process that involves review of not just clinical data but also manufacturing data that will be needed to make a determination about emergency use authorization," Dr. Doran Fink, deputy director of clinical review at the FDA's vaccine division, told the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's committee of independent vaccine advisors last month.

Novavax has received authorizations in 41 countries for its two-dose Covid vaccine outside the U.S. The company shipped more than 42 million doses of its shots this year in markets including the European Union, Canada, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia, according to Trizzino.

"As we look ahead to the second quarter, we expect our shipments to key markets to increase," Trizzino said. Novavax is fulfilling a 42 million dose order to the EU which should result in increased revenue for the second quarter, he said.

Novavax's clinical trial in the U.S. and Mexico found that the protein-based vaccine was 90% effective at preventing mild illness and 100% percent effective at preventing severe illness. However, the study was conducted from December 2020 through April 2021, well before the delta and omicron variants emerged and weakened Covid vaccines ability to block infections.

Novavax released results from a lab study in December that showed the vaccine triggered an immune response against omicron, though not as strong as the response against the original strain of the virus. A third dose boosted the immune response against omicron to levels similar to the U.S. and Mexico clinical trial, suggesting a high level of protection with a booster.

If authorized by the FDA, Novavax's shots would offer an alternative for people who do not want to take the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Novavax uses more traditional protein-based technology, while Pfizer and Moderna's shots use messenger RNA for the first time. Though Moderna and Pfizer shots have proven safe and effective against severe illness, some people may prefer technology that has a longer track record.

"We continue to hear from our market research as well as anecdotally that there's a high demand for a choice in the marketplace," Trizzino said.

2013 Portland Retro Gaming Expo by AtariAge

Omicron, a fun shooter for the Atari 2600 that will soon be available in the AtariAge Store.

DSC_0832 by Alan Tang

Omicron Associate Class Zeta Sis Reveal

DSC_0844 by Alan Tang

Omicron Associate Class Zeta Sis Reveal

IMG_1297 by Ryan Rubino

3

20220916 by Guy M Wong

www.news-medical.net/news/20220912/Did-the-US-jump-the-gu...

Did the US jump the gun with the new omicron-targeted vaccines?

Last month, the FDA authorized omicron-specific vaccines, accompanied by breathless science-by-press release and a media blitz. Just days after the FDA's move, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention followed, recommending updated boosters for anyone age 12 and up who had received at least two doses of the original covid vaccines. The message to a nation still struggling with the covid-19 pandemic: The cavalry — in the form of a shot — is coming over the hill.

But for those familiar with the business tactics of the pharmaceutical industry, that exuberant messaging — combined with the lack of completed studies — has caused considerable heartburn and raised an array of unanswered concerns.

The updated shots easily clear the "safe and effective" bar for government authorization. But in the real world, are the omicron-specific vaccines significantly more protective — and in what ways — than the original covid vaccines so many have already taken? If so, who would benefit most from the new shots? Since the federal government is purchasing these new vaccines — and many of the original, already purchased vaccines may never find their way into taxpayers' arms — is the $3.2 billion price tag worth the unclear benefit? Especially when these funds had to be pulled from other covid response efforts, like testing and treatment.

Several members of the CDC advisory committee that voted 13-1 for the recommendation voiced similar questions and concerns, one saying she only "reluctantly" voted in the affirmative.

Some said they set aside their desire for more information and better data and voted yes out of fear of a potential winter covid surge. They expressed hope that the new vaccines — or at least the vaccination campaign that would accompany their rollout — would put a dent in the number of future cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.

That calculus is, perhaps, understandable at a time when an average of more than 300 Americans are dying of covid each day.

But it leaves front-line health care providers in the impossible position of trying to advise individual patients whether and when to take the hot, new vaccines without complete data and in the face of marketing hype..

Don't get us wrong. We're grateful and amazed that Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna (with assists from the National Institutes of Health and Operation Warp Speed) developed an effective vaccine in record time, freeing the nation from the deadliest phase of the covid pandemic, when thousands were dying each day. The pandemic isn't over, but the vaccines are largely credited for enabling most of America to return to a semblance of normalcy. We're both up-to-date with our covid vaccinations and don't understand why anyone would choose not to be, playing Russian roulette with their health.

But as society moves into the next phase of the pandemic, the pharmaceutical industry may be moving into more familiar territory: developing products that may be a smidgen better than what came before, selling — sometimes overselling — their increased effectiveness in the absence of adequate controlled studies or published data, advertising them as desirable for all when only some stand to benefit significantly, and in all likelihood raising the price later.

This last point is concerning because the government no longer has funds to purchase covid vaccines after this autumn. Funding to cover the provider fees for vaccinations and community outreach to those who would most benefit from vaccination has already run out. So updated boosters now and in the future will likely go to the "worried well" who have good insurance rather than to those at highest risk for infection and progression to severe disease.

The FDA's mandated task is merely to determine whether a new drug is safe and effective. However, the FDA could have requested more clinical vaccine effectiveness data from Pfizer and Moderna before authorizing their updated omicron BA.5 boosters.

Yet the FDA cannot weigh in on important follow-up questions: How much more effective are the updated boosters than vaccines already on the market? In which populations? And what increase in effectiveness is enough to merit an increase in price (a so-called cost-benefit analysis)? Other countries, such as the United Kingdom, perform such an analysis before allowing new medicines onto the market, to negotiate a fair national price.

The updated booster vaccine formulations are identical to the original covid vaccines except for a tweak in the mRNA code to match the omicron BA.5 virus. Studies by Pfizer showed that its updated omicron BA.1 booster provides a 1.56 times higher increase in neutralizing antibody titers against the BA.1 virus as compared with a booster using its original vaccine. Moderna's studies of its updated omicron BA.1 booster demonstrated very similar results. However, others predict that a 1.5 times higher antibody titer would yield only slight improvement in vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic illness and severe disease, with a bump of about 5% and 1% respectively. Pfizer and Moderna are just starting to study their updated omicron BA.5 boosters in human trials.

Though the studies of the updated omicron BA.5 boosters were conducted only in mice, the agency's authorization is in line with precedent: The FDA clears updated flu shots for new strains each year without demanding human testing. But with flu vaccines, scientists have decades of experience and a better understanding of how increases in neutralizing antibody titers correlate with improvements in vaccine effectiveness. That's not the case with covid vaccines. And if mouse data were a good predictor of clinical effectiveness, we'd have an HIV vaccine by now.

As population immunity builds up through vaccination and infection, it's unclear whether additional vaccine boosters, updated or not, would benefit all ages equally. In 2022, the U.S. has seen covid hospitalization rates among people 65 and older increase relative to younger age groups. And while covid vaccine boosters seem to be cost-effective in the elderly, they may not be in younger populations. The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices considered limiting the updated boosters to people 50 and up, but eventually decided that doing so would be too complicated.

Unfortunately, history shows that — as with other pharmaceutical products — once a vaccine arrives and is accompanied by marketing, salesmanship trumps science: Many people with money and insurance will demand it whether data ultimately proves it is necessary for them individually or not.

We are all likely to encounter the SARS-CoV-2 virus again and again, and the virus will continue to mutate, giving rise to new variants year after year. In a country where significant portions of at-risk populations remain unvaccinated and unboosted, the fear of a winter surge is legitimate.

But will the widespread adoption of a vaccine — in this case yearly updated covid boosters — end up enhancing protection for those who really need it or just enhance drugmakers' profits? And will it be money well spent?

The federal government has been paying a negotiated price of $15 to $19.50 a dose of mRNA vaccine under a purchasing agreement signed during the height of the pandemic. When those government agreements lapse, analysts expect the price to triple or quadruple, and perhaps even more for updated yearly covid boosters, which Moderna's CEO said would evolve "like an iPhone." To deploy these shots and these dollars wisely, a lot less hype and a lot more information might help.

DSC_0814 by Alan Tang

Omicron Associate Class Zeta Sis Reveal

Alpha Omicron Pi Bid Day at TCU-220 by Raul Mosley

The Lambda Rho chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi greeting new members during the chapter's second ever Bid Day at TCU. For those of you who don't know what Bid Day is...and I didn't either...all the sororities assemble on the Campus Commons. Then the newbies are released one chapter at a time to run toward their new sisters. It's kinda like a cattle drive, but with a much happier ending.

I also rolled about 90 seconds of video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qnt0kMEWWQ&list=UUlJLPNVzTQB...

You can learn more about AOII here:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/fort-worth-portrait-project/

This album is part of the event coverage for the Fort Worth Portrait Project. The project tells the story of Fort Worth from 2014 - 2044 one captioned portrait at a time, but I also enjoy covering events like this one too.

Please follow the Fort Worth Portrait Project:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/be-part-of-the-project/

Do you want to be featured in the project? Just head to the following site with a photo and a caption:

20221103 by Guy M Wong

www.livemint.com/news/india/covid19-4-superfoods-that-wil...

COVID-19: 5 superfoods that will boost your immunity amid Omicron XBB spread

What is the best way to deal with variants having immune-escape properties?

The best way to deal with them is to keep the immunity quotient high throughout the year, ie through exercise and diet.

Here is a list of foods that can further boost your immunity:

Green tea: It is extremely rich in antioxidant and can highly boost immunity.

Yogurt: Fermented foods are excellent sources of good bacteria that keep your gut healthy.

Vegetables, fruits and nuts: A proper combination of these three is the best source of nutrients needed to keep yourself healthy.

www.news-medical.net/news/20221031/An-innovative-nasal-va...

An innovative nasal vaccine strategy to combat COVID

In a recent study published in the journal Science, researchers at Yale University developed a novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination strategy termed 'prime and spike' (P&S) that leveraged existing systemic immunity triggered by parenteral vaccination (prime) to boost immunity at the respiratory mucosa.

Background

The respiratory mucosa is the primary site of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in humans; however, at this site, parenteral vaccination regimens cannot induce adequate protective immunity. Relying on intramuscular (IM) administration, these vaccines have been shown to induce high levels of circulating antibodies, memory B cells, and circulating effector cluster of differentiation (CD)4+ and CD8+ T cells in preclinical and clinical models. However, they fail to induce tissue-resident memory B (BRM) cells and T (TRM) cells and mucosal immunoglobulin G (IgG) and dimeric IgA.

Recent preclinical assessments of vaccines delivered intranasally (IN) induced adequate mucosal immunogenicity at respiratory mucosa. They also conferred immune protection and reduced viral shedding in mice, hamsters, and nonhuman primates. Further, they induced cross-reactive immunity against sarbecoviruses.

About the study

In the present study, researchers hypothesized systemic priming with messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA)-lipid nanoparticle (LNP) followed by IN boosting conferred adequate protective immunity, unlike parenteral vaccination.

So they vaccinated K18-hACE2 mice with mRNA-based BNT162b2 vaccine IM - the prime dose. After 14 days, they intranasally (IN) administered an unadjuvanted SARS-CoV-2 spike - the booster dose. The team used divergent unadjuvanted intranasal SARS-CoV-2 spike boosters or an immunosilent polyplex encapsulating spike mRNA. They euthanized these mice at days 21 or 28 to assess for mucosal humoral immunity.

First, the team assessed anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike IgG and IgA in nasal turbinates, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and serum. IM prime nor IN spike alone helped mice develop mucosal anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. However, mice that received P&S developed high levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgA and IgG in the nasal wash and BALF.

Further, the researchers compared mucosal CD8+ T cell and antibody responses following P&S under varying conditions. For instance, they tested the efficacy of two-week versus four-week boosting intervals. Likewise, they tested how 25-μl P&S vaccine formulations worked compared to 50-μl intranasal inoculations. Finally, the team evaluated humoral and cellular mucosal immune responses on days 91 and 140 in mice who received IM mRNA-LNP and were boosted with IN spike three months later.

Results

The BRMcells in the lungs serve as an important local immune effector in protecting against SARS-CoV-2. P&S led to increased antigen-specific B cells within lung tissue. It also increased class-switched antibody-secreting cells (ASC) and class-switched BRM cells in lung tissue expressing IgA or IgG. Thus, P&S elicited local B cell responses in the lung. Furthermore, P&S expanded the lung parenchyma and airway CD8+ TRM and CD4+ TRM cells.

The results showed that the robustness of P&S was modifiable across multiple experimental variables, yet, it did not affect overall immune responses. Most importantly, even delayed IN P&S boosting (up to three months after priming) elicited durable mucosal humoral and cellular immune responses.

Intranasal SARS-CoV-2 spike boosting protects against COVID-19-like disease.(A) Experimental schema: K18-hACE2 mice were IM primed with 0.05 μg of mRNA-LNP and IN boosted with 1 μg of spike IN 14 days post-IM Prime. Six weeks post boost, mice were challenged with 6×104 PFU SCV2 (2019n-CoV/USA_WA1/2020). The first cohort was used to evaluate weight loss and survival up to 14 days post-infection (DPI). The second cohort was used to collect lung and nasal turbinate tissues 2 DPI for viral titer measurement. The third cohort was used to collect lung tissues 5 DPI for histological assessment. (B to D) Weight loss and survival of naïve, IM Prime, or P&S mice from 1 to 14 DPI. (E to F) Measurement of infectious virus titer in lung and nasal turbinate tissues at 2 DPI by plaque assay. (G) Pathology score of lung sections at 5 DPI by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. (H) Representative H&E staining results from uninfected IM Prime, or P&S mice. Scale bar: 250 μm. Sections are representative of multiple sections from at least five mice per group. (I) Experimental schema: K18-hACE2 mice were IM primed with 0.05 μg of mRNA-LNP and IN boosted with 10 μg of mRNA encapsulated by PACE (IN PACE-Spike) 14 days post-IM Prime. Six weeks post boost, mice were challenged with 6×104 PFU SCV2 (2019n-CoV/USA_WA1/2020). Weight loss and survival were monitored up to 14 DPI. (J to L) Weight loss and survival of naïve, IM Prime, or Prime and PACE-Spike K18-hACE2 mice from 1 to 14 DPI. Mean ± s.e.m.; Statistical significance was calculated by [(D) and (L)] log-rank Mantel-Cox test, [(E) and (F)] one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s correction, or (G) Student’s t test; *P≤0.05, **P ≤ 0.01, ***P ≤ 0.001, ****P ≤ 0.0001. Individual data points are represented and pooled from two independent experiments.

Conclusions

FluMist is the only approved respiratory mucosal vaccine that relies on a live attenuated influenza virus. It is only approved for young people and is contraindicated in people with pre-existing respiratory conditions. Several recombinant subunit vaccines are administered IN but require co-formulation with adjuvants to enhance immunogenicity. However, administering such vaccines to the respiratory tract in humans has proven difficult without adjuvants. Also, IN adjuvanted inactivated influenza vaccine has led to Bell's palsy in some cases, likely due to adjuvant toxicity mediating neuronal inflammation. As SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve and become more immune evasive and transmissible, boosting that induces mucosal immunity is urgently warranted.

The current study described the preclinical development of an alternative vaccine strategy, P&S. P&S utilized diverse unadjuvanted spike subunit protein(s) to elicit strong protective mucosal immunity following mRNA-LNP parenteral vaccination. Since P&S leveraged pre-existing immunity rather than inhibited it, unadjuvanted IN P&S boosting proved more successful in individuals who had received multiple previous vaccine doses. In addition, P&S could also trigger mucosal immunity to other sarbecoviruses, such as SARS-CoV-1. Further, it could be broadly applicable as a booster against new SARS-CoV-2 VOCs in a previously vaccinated individual or as a de novo primary immunization strategy against other emerging respiratory pathogens.

Alpha Omicron Pi Bid Day at TCU-235 by Raul Mosley

The Lambda Rho chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi greeting new members during the chapter's second ever Bid Day at TCU. For those of you who don't know what Bid Day is...and I didn't either...all the sororities assemble on the Campus Commons. Then the newbies are released one chapter at a time to run toward their new sisters. It's kinda like a cattle drive, but with a much happier ending.

I also rolled about 90 seconds of video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qnt0kMEWWQ&list=UUlJLPNVzTQB...

You can learn more about AOII here:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/fort-worth-portrait-project/

This album is part of the event coverage for the Fort Worth Portrait Project. The project tells the story of Fort Worth from 2014 - 2044 one captioned portrait at a time, but I also enjoy covering events like this one too.

Please follow the Fort Worth Portrait Project:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/be-part-of-the-project/

Do you want to be featured in the project? Just head to the following site with a photo and a caption:

TCU AOII Big Little Reveal 2014-141 by Raul Mosley

The Lambda Rho chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi at TCU held their 2014 Big-Little Reveal on Friday, October 3.

Sierra, a student at USC, describes the Big-Little reveal this way in her blog: "The day every new member and to-be Big waits impatiently for all semester long is finally here, the day where Little has to wonder no more of which girl she would call Big from this day on for the rest of her life. It's the day of reveal and as all of the Bigs are stressing to get the final touches done and set up the activities for the day, the Little's wait anxiously, excited to finally be united with their one and only but nervous about what is in store for them until that point." For the rest of her post, see www.thisonelifeblog.com/blog/big-little-reveal-week-day-4....

You can learn more about the Lambda Rho chapter of AOII here:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/fort-worth-portrait-project/

This album is part of the event coverage for the Fort Worth Portrait Project. The project tells the story of Fort Worth from 2014 - 2044 one captioned portrait at a time, but I also enjoy covering events like this one too.

Please follow the Fort Worth Portrait Project:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/be-part-of-the-project/

Do you want to be featured in the project? Just head to the following site with a photo and a caption:

TCU AOII Big Little Reveal 2014-173 by Raul Mosley

The Lambda Rho chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi at TCU held their 2014 Big-Little Reveal on Friday, October 3.

Sierra, a student at USC, describes the Big-Little reveal this way in her blog: "The day every new member and to-be Big waits impatiently for all semester long is finally here, the day where Little has to wonder no more of which girl she would call Big from this day on for the rest of her life. It's the day of reveal and as all of the Bigs are stressing to get the final touches done and set up the activities for the day, the Little's wait anxiously, excited to finally be united with their one and only but nervous about what is in store for them until that point." For the rest of her post, see www.thisonelifeblog.com/blog/big-little-reveal-week-day-4....

You can learn more about the Lambda Rho chapter of AOII here:

www.redeemedexpressions.com/fort-worth-portrait-project/

This album is part of the event coverage for the Fort Worth Portrait Project. The project tells the story of Fort Worth from 2014 - 2044 one captioned portrait at a time, but I also enjoy covering events like this one too.

Please follow the Fort Worth Portrait Project: