Coronavirus Breaking News

Situated in the Caribbean Sea, Grand Cayman is the westernmost of the three Cayman Islands. According to residents, three is a magic number.

When two is few and four is much, three islands are always just right, is a local saying.

And based on recent announcements, the U.S., Canadian, and U.K. governments agree with that saying.

For example, on January 10, 2023, the U.S. Department of State issued a low-level travel advisory for the Cayman Islands.

And if U.S. citizens need assistance, they must visit the U.S. Embassy in Kingston, Jamaica.

As the Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory, the U.K.'s Foreign Travel Advice recently confirmed there are no government requirements or limits on public gatherings in the Cayman Islands.

Since there's no formal British diplomatic or consular representation, local authorities deal with all requests for emergency assistance.

From a health perspective, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed in November 2022 there are no health notices currently in effect for the Cayman Islands.

Furthermore, all vaccinated and unvaccinated visitors have been permitted to enter the Cayman Islands without additional documents since August 2022.

Travelers are not required to:

• Apply for a Travel Declaration
• Present a negative COVID-19 test
• Show proof of vaccination
• Wear masks

The Cayman Islands is conveniently about one hour flight south of Florida and is easily accessible via nonstop service from most travel hubs in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.

George Town is the capital city, helping thousands of visitors enjoy their vacation. Besides seasonal hurricanes, the Cayman Islands is the place to relax in 2023.

Disclosures: This article is not paid content. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has scheduled a Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) meeting for January 26, 2023.

This digital meeting will start at 8:30 AM and is open to the public via YouTube https://youtu.be/ZjULNuSYfd0.

FDA confirmed it intends to make background material available to the public no later than two business days before the meeting. In addition, materials for this meeting will be available on the VRBPAC main webpage.

Furthermore, interested persons may present data, information, or views, orally or in writing, on issues pending before the Committee using this docket number: FDA-2022-N-2810.

Comments received on or before January 18, 2023, will be provided to the VRBPAC. Comments received after January 18, 2023, and by January 25, 2023, will be considered by the FDA. 

Additional meeting information is available on this FDA webpage.

The VRBPAC reviews and evaluates data concerning the safety, effectiveness, and appropriate use of vaccines and related biological products intended to prevent, treat, or diagnose human diseases.

And, as required, any other products for which the FDA has regulatory responsibility.

The Committee also considers the quality and relevance of the FDA's research program, which provides scientific support for regulating these products and makes appropriate recommendations to the Commissioner of the FDA.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced at 0850 EST that normal air traffic operations are resuming gradually across the United States following an overnight outage to the FAA’s Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system.

The NOTAM provides safety information to flight crews when flying in the U.S.

Before commencing a flight, pilots are required to consult NOTAMs, which list potential adverse impacts on flights, from runway construction to the potential for icing. 

Furthermore, the FAA is in the process of modernizing the NOTAM system to improve the delivery of safety-critical information to aviation stakeholders.

Earlier on January 11, 2023, the FAA confirmed departures were resuming at Newark Liberty and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson airports due to air traffic congestion in those areas.

The AP reported about 21,000 flights were scheduled for departure today.

There are several new scientific developments regarding COVID-19 that might be useful to you for navigating the pandemic, wrote Katelyn Jetelina, Ph.D., an epidemiologist trying to make sense of this pandemic world.

All stem from different COVID-19 "story threads" I've written before. So, a quick round-up was posted by Jetelina at this substack link.

Separately, the U.S. CDC's Data Tracker publishes various information that is perpetually updated.

And the WHO publishes weekly epidemiological updates (Jan. 4, 2023) on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Genexine Inc. recently announced updated results following the completion of its Phase 2 clinical study using GX-188E, its first-in-class proprietary DNA vaccine, in combination with KEYTRUDA® in 65 patients with HPV 16- and/or HPV 18- positive recurrent or metastatic advanced cervical cancer.

GX-188E is a therapeutic DNA vaccine that encodes the E6/E7 fusion protein of HPV subtypes 16 and 18 and is administered intramuscularly by electroporation.

On January 8, 2023, Genexine disclosed the final efficacy analysis of a phase 1/2 clinical trial showed an Objective Response Rate of 35% (21 of 60 patients), indicating that of the 60 patients with advanced cervical cancer, 21 patients saw either over 30% reduction in tumor size or complete remission.

Furthermore, cancer patients with a CPS<1 showed a response rate of 29.2%, while those with a CPS≥1 showed a response rate of 38.9%.

With a disease control rate of 57.0%, this combination therapy was effective in more than half of the patients.

The overall survival was 16.7 months which compares favorably to other agents that have been granted accelerated approval by U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2nd line cervical cancer treatment.

Neil Warma, President and CEO of Genexine, commented in a press release on January 8, 2023, "... the results ... reinforce our belief that GX-188E could open up new treatment opportunities to all cervical cancer patients, especially PD-L1 negative patients who currently have limited options."

"We also appear to be extending patient survival beyond that of currently marketed drugs which should position us well as we move into larger Phase 3 studies to become a leader in the oncology DNA vaccine market."

Genexine management is presenting these data at the JP Morgan conference on January 9-13, 2023.

'The most important things you can do to help prevent cervical cancer are to get vaccinated against HPV, have regular screening tests, and go back to the doctor if your screening test results are not normal,' says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Disclosure: This announcement was curated for mobile readership and is not paid content.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed today additional highly pathogenic avian influenza (HAPI) H5N1 detections in mammals.

The updated USDA listing as of January 9, 2023, includes skunks, bears, raccoons, and another red fox.

The USDA previously confirmed the Eurasian H5N1 strain first appeared in North America in January 2022.

On January 5, 2023, the StarHeral reported HAPI infections were the cause of death for four animals at the Riverside Discovery Center in Scottsbluff. The Nebraska zoo confirmed a cougar, bear, and two tigers had died.

The release indicates the animals ate local geese with HPAI in their systems.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says although bird flu (HAPI) viruses mainly infect and spread among wild migratory water birds and domestic poultry, some bird flu viruses can infect other animals as well.

While it’s unlikely people would become infected with bird flu viruses, it is possible, says the CDC.

Globally, six human influenza A H5N1 2.3.4.4b infections were reported last year, including a man working with birds in Colorado

Since April 2022, about 110 H5N1 detections in mammals were confirmed during 2022.

The USDA reported HAPI detections had affected 47 states and led to the loss of over 57.8 million birds as of January 4, 2023.

Additional HAPI (bird-flu) news is posted at PrecisionVaccinations.com/Avain.

The Government of Canada confirmed on January 7, 2023, Canadians should exercise a high degree of caution in Mexico due to civil unrest.

And to avoid non-essential travel to various areas due to high crime levels.

For example, Canadians visiting Mexico were recently informed to limit their movements in Mexico's northwest area. Canadian tourists in Mexico's Sinaloa state remained in their hotels for several days after civil unrest was reported.

The Canadian government has released a list of travel advisories for countries like Mexico to avoid similar situations, empowering more informed travel decisions.

"The safety of Canadians abroad is a top priority for the Government of Canada," Marilyne Guèvremont, spokesperson at Global Affairs Canada, told Global News on January 8, 2023.

To alert U.S. citizens of these risks, the in-person consular services at the U.S. Consular Agency in Mazatlan remained suspended on January 9, 2023. 

This is a continuation of the suspension of services previously announced, stemming from the violence across Sinaloa. 

U.S. citizens in need of a passport who plan to fly from Sinaloa to the United States in the next week should email the American Citizen Services unit at the U.S. Consulate General in Hermosillo.

The U.S. Consulates General in Hermosillo and Guadalajara continue to offer in-person consular services.

The U.S. State Department reminds U.S. citizens that Sinaloa is classified as Level 4 – Do Not Travel – in its travel advisory for Mexico.

Please visit travel.state.gov for the entire Mexico Travel Advisory, issued in October 2022, to see state-level summaries and advisory levels for your specific travel destination.