Category: COVID
The Strongest Evidence Yet That an Animal Started the Pandemic
The Atlantic A new analysis of genetic samples from China appears to link the pandemic’s origin to raccoon dogs. For three years now, the debate over the origins of the coronavirus pandemic has ping-ponged between two big ideas: that SARS-CoV-2 spilled into human populations directly from a wild-animal source, and that the pathogen leaked from […]
Mar 16, 2023
Persistent prosopagnosia following COVID-19
(Science Direct) Abstract COVID-19 can cause psychological problems including loss of smell and taste, long-lasting memory, speech, and language impairments, and psychosis. Here, we provide the first report of prosopagnosia following symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Annie is a 28-year-old woman who had normal face recognition prior to contracting COVID-19 in March 2020. Two months later, […]
Mar 14, 2023
More Young Kids Can Get Bivalent COVID Booster
MedPageToday Pfizer’s booster authorized in children under 5 who received three doses of monovalent vaccine More children under age 5 are now eligible for a COVID-19 booster, the FDA announced on Tuesday. Kids ages 6 months to 4 years who completed their primary vaccination with three doses of the monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech shot can now get a booster […]
Mar 14, 2023
The COVID booster state of play
Axios It’s been six months since many of us got the bivalent COVID booster, which means you may be wondering: Is it time for a new one? Catch up quick: Federal officials are considering a plan to do yearly one-dose boosters, similar to annual flu shots in the fall, with higher-risk groups eligible for at least […]
Mar 14, 2023
SARS-CoV-2 is associated with changes in brain structure in UK Biobank
(Nature) There is strong evidence of brain-related abnormalities in COVID-191,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13. However, it remains unknown whether the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection can be detected in milder cases, and whether this can reveal possible mechanisms contributing to brain pathology. Here we investigated brain changes in 785 participants of UK Biobank (aged 51–81 years) who were imaged twice using […]
Mar 14, 2023
Covid backlash hobbles public health and future pandemic response
Washington Post When the next pandemic sweeps the United States, health officials in Ohio won’t be able to shutter businesses or schools, even if they become epicenters of outbreaks. Nor will they be empowered to force Ohioans who have been exposed to go into quarantine. State officials in North Dakota are barred from directing people […]
Mar 8, 2023
Masks Cut Secondary SARS-CoV-2 Infections by Half
JAMA After exposure to someone with SARS-CoV-2 infection, an uninfected person’s risk of infection is cut in half if both people wore masks, researchers reported in Emerging Infectious Diseases. Public health authorities in Johnson County, Iowa, launched their study after the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) in September 2020 overrode the CDC’s recommended 14-day quarantine […]
Mar 8, 2023
New Covid Boosters’ Protection Waned After Two Months, Study Says
Bloomberg Covid-19 bivalent boosters’ protection against death and hospitalization in elderly people began waning as soon as two months after vaccination, according to a preprint study. Link to Study The findings build on previous reports about the effectiveness of updated boosters from Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc., which showed the shots sharply reduced risks of severe Covid in older adults, […]
Mar 7, 2023
Bacterial co-infections cause twofold increase in mortality in COVID patients: study
Fierce Healthcare Though the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be ebbing significantly in the U.S., endemic COVID-19 still poses a challenge, experts say. Last Friday saw 31,443 new cases of COVID-19, while 344 people died from the disease, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Experts continue to measure the full effects of the pandemic. A study published last […]
Mar 7, 2023
U.S. to lift covid testing requirements on travelers from China
Washington Post U.S. officials are set to relax coronavirus testing requirements on travelers from China as soon as Friday, a decision that comes amid declining covid cases in that country, according to three officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the plan. The White House declined to comment on the plan, which the officials […]
Mar 7, 2023