Author: Claudinne Miller
CDC recommends updated covid shots, paving the way for vaccine this week
Washington Post Virtually all Americans should get an updated coronavirus shot, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Tuesday, with the vaccines expected to become available within 48 hours — as the respiratory illness season looms. Mandy Cohen, director of the CDC, advised that anyone 6 months and older should get at least one dose of […]
Sep 12, 2023
Should I get a COVID-19 booster?
Science Scientists continue to debate the pluses and minuses of extra doses of vaccine. On 12 September, a vaccine advisory group to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) once again will wrestle with the question of who in the United States should receive a booster shot to protect against COVID-19. As several new […]
Sep 12, 2023
Can COVID, Flu, and RSV Shots Be Given at the Same Time?
MedPageToday Many adults ages 60 and up will be eligible for three vaccines this fall — a COVID booster, the flu shot, and the new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine — so the big question is, can they get them all at once? Since there are no data on giving this trio of vaccines at the same time, […]
Sep 12, 2023
Molecular mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 resistance to nirmatrelvir
Nature Nirmatrelvir is a specific antiviral targeting the main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2, and has been approved to treat COVID-191,2. As an RNA virus characterized by high mutation rates, whether SARS-CoV-2 will develop resistance to nirmatrelvir is a concern. Our previous studies have shown that several mutational pathways confer resistance to nirmatrelvir but some result […]
Sep 12, 2023
COVID-19 virus detected in tears of patients with, without ocular symptoms
Healio SARS-CoV-2 may be transmissible through ocular routes, highlighting the importance of taking precautions during ocular examinations of patients diagnosed with COVID-19, according to a study. “It is worth noting that the viral load in conjunctival samples is generally lower when compared to nasopharyngeal secretions,” Kanishk Singh, MBBS, MD, from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, and colleagues […]
Sep 12, 2023
HPAI Influenza Devastating Birds, Marine Mammals in Peru–Study Identifies Concerning Viral Mutations
Press Herald NIAID-funded researchers working in Peru have signaled concern about the deaths of birds and marine mammals from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) that has been spreading globally. Historically, South America’s coastal ecosystems and poultry industry have been spared from HPAI outbreaks. “These viruses are rapidly accruing mutations, including mutations of concern, that warrant further […]
Sep 12, 2023
Understanding Sleep Problems and Long COVID
NIH Researchers explore whether poor sleep is a cause or result of Long COVID. Sleep is as important for our health as good food and clean water. It allows our brains to preserve memories and remove waste products. But for some people with Long COVID, sleep no longer comes easily. Research suggests that about 40% of people with […]
Sep 12, 2023
A COVID cure worse than disease?
Harvard Gazette Study weighs in on fears that treatment could spawn super virus. COVID-19 patients are often prescribed antiviral drugs that work by reducing the number of viral particles circulating in the body. One such drug, molnupiravir, tricks the virus into generating mutations, some of which are lethal to the virus itself. The mutations eventually overwhelm […]
Sep 12, 2023
Why public health experts are concerned about BA.2.86, the latest COVID-19 variant
PBS Newshour The latest variant, or sublineage, of SARS-CoV-2 to emerge on the scene, BA.2.86, has public health experts on alert as COVID-19 hospitalizations begin to rise and the new variant makes its way across the globe. The Conversation asked Suresh V. Kuchipudi, a virologist and infectious disease expert at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, […]
Sep 12, 2023
How to Help Patients Navigate a Newly Complex Vaccine Season
MedPageToday In years past, once the calendar moved into September, there were straightforward recommendations across healthcare settings being provided to all adult patients about the benefits of receiving the annual influenza vaccine. Healthcare providers and patients are no longer in such a simple landscape for fall 2023. Along with the already-available influenza vaccines, two recently […]
Sep 12, 2023