A chewing gum that could reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission

The markets are fixated on the new coronavirus variant, Omicron, because it is still too early to know whether this variant will be a milder illness than its predecessors. Evidence from initial cases of the new variant is limited.

However, some encouraging news, in general, should be welcomed in times of such uncertainty. There are reports that there are experiments using saliva samples from COVID-19 patients, the gum, which contains the ACE2 protein, neutralized the virus, according to research led by School of Dental Medicine scientists.

The team observed that the gum largely prevented the viruses or viral particles from entering cells, either by blocking the ACE2 receptor or binding directly to the spike protein.

The research team is currently obtaining permission to conduct a clinical trial to evaluate whether the approach is safe and effective when tested in people infected with SARS-CoV-2.

Meanwhile, the safe havens are in play when it comes to forex. The safe-haven yen and Swiss franc gained on Friday as global equities and bond yields fell on fears about the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19,.

Markets are worried that no matter whether the new variant actually is more life-threatening, but whether or not it will lead to renewed social distancing restrictions around the world.

There are also concerns about possible aggressive action by the Federal Reserve to curb surging inflation despite the threat of another wave of covid and lockdowns. For that reason, gold is also attracting a bid:

From a daily perspective, a push above $1,793 opens risk to $1,850 for the month of December according to the daily chart: