CoronaVirus

Jul 30th, 2021 - Mutations that make a virus more transmissible are only part of the equation If researchers were predicting which coronavirus variant would take over the world, the Delta variant would not have been their first guess. But since its first appearance in India in December 2020, the highly contagious variant has become the predominant strain of the virus, accounting for more than 90 percent of new COVID cases in the U.S. Delta’s emergence has caused a number of countries to reinstate travel and ... [Read More]

Jul 30th, 2021 - Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a complex disease with a wide range of symptoms, ranging from asymptomatic to very severe. Even though a majority of the people infected with this disease show mild symptoms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that in the USA alone, 4.9% of COVID-19 patients required hospitalization, from the start of the pandemic to March 2021. This disease is caused by a highly infectious RNA virus, namely, severe acute respiratory syndrome ... [Read More]

Jul 30th, 2021 - Health authorities in Thailand raced to set up a large field hospital in a cargo building at one of Bangkok's airports on Thursday as the country reported record numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths. Other field hospitals are already in use in the capital after it ran out of hospital facilities for thousands of infected residents. Workers rushed to finish the 1,800-bed hospital at Don Mueang International Airport, where beds made from cardboard box materials were laid out with mattresses and ... [Read More]

Jul 30th, 2021 - A Covid outbreak first discovered in the Chinese city of Nanjing has spread to five provinces and Beijing, with state media calling it the most extensive contagion after Wuhan. Almost 200 people have been infected since the virus was first detected at the city's busy airport on 20 July. All flights from Nanjing airport will be suspended until 11 August, according to local media. Officials also began city-wide testing amid criticism for their "failure". All 9.3 million of the city's residents - ... [Read More]

Jul 30th, 2021 - Membrane proteins are heavily involved in a variety of cellular processes such as signal transduction, membrane translocation, cell adhesion, and many more, and therefore are of great interest within the field of drug design. The structure of relevant membrane proteins is sometimes mimicked during research using detergent micelles, which are capable of entrapping and extracting the membrane protein within a lipid layer that somewhat emulates the conditions found within the lipid bilayer of the ... [Read More]

Jul 30th, 2021 - Six passengers sailing on Royal Caribbean International's Adventure of the Seas, which departed from Nassau Saturday, have tested positive for COVID-19, Lyan Sierra-Caro, spokesperson for Royal Caribbean, confirmed to USA TODAY Friday. All are American citizens. The tests came back as part of routine, end-of-cruise testing, which is offered as a courtesy by the cruise line since most passengers need to show proof of a negative test in order to return home. Travelers flying to the U.S. from ... [Read More]

Jul 30th, 2021 - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the earlier SARS-CoV-1 gain entry to host cells by interacting with the ACE2 receptor, while the closely related MERS-CoV enters human cells by binding with dipeptidyl-peptidase. Besides these major receptors each virus also interacts with a number of additional surface proteins or glycans that aid in initial adhesion and subsequent internalization. SARS-CoV-2, for example, is known to involve cell surface protease to cleave a ... [Read More]

Jul 30th, 2021 - A worrying trend of rising cases forces one state to lock down amid fears of another wave of infections. India has reported 44,230 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the highest in three weeks, the latest evidence of a worrying trend of rising cases that has forced one state to lock down amid fears of another wave of infections. India was battered by the Delta variant of the virus in April and May but the rate of spread of infections later eased off. It has again been rising, with higher ... [Read More]

Jul 29th, 2021 - Even as new coronavirus cases surge in Tokyo to rates not seen since the pandemic began, Japan's prime minister says the Olympics are not causing the spike. Officials on Thursday confirmed 3,865 new cases in Japan's capital, the highest daily tally reported, just as the Tokyo Olympics near their halfway point. It's the third day in a row the city has set a record for new cases, which started spiking shortly after people associated with the Olympics began arriving in Japan. Before Olympic ... [Read More]

Jul 29th, 2021 - Photos show massive, maskless crowds as Lollapalooza begins in Chicago, sparking concerns of a superspreader event Chicago's four-day Lollapalooza music festival returned Thursday after a year-long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Attendees of the festival are required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result no older than 72 hours. Unvaccinated attendees are required to wear a mask. A shorter and smaller festival in the Netherlands reported similar procedures and ... [Read More]

Jul 29th, 2021 - Researchers in the United States have provided important insights into the antigen-specific cellular response and evolving humoral (antibody) response to messenger RNA- (mRNA) based vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Using single-cell profiling technologies and machine learning analyses, the team identified and characterized antigen-specific T cell, B cell and antibody responses to ... [Read More]

Jul 29th, 2021 - Thailand has ordered the island of Phuket to be completely sealed off from the rest of the country. On July 1, Thailand opened the island to international vaccinated tourists without quarantine, a landmark moment for tourism in Southeast Asia. On July 28, Thailand recorded a daily record of 16,533 COVID-19 cases. Less than 6% of the country is fully vaccinated. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories . The Phuket experiment lasted 30 days. On July 1, the Thai government launched a plan called ... [Read More]

Jul 29th, 2021 - If you do end up getting sick despite vaccination, experts say the COVID-19 shots help reduce the severity of the illness Former CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden explains why this guidance has been issued: 'This Delta variant makes it doubly dangerous.' What is a COVID-19 vaccine "breakthrough" case? It’s when a fully vaccinated person gets infected with the coronavirus. In studies, the two-dose COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna were around 95% effective at preventing illness, while the ... [Read More]

Jul 29th, 2021 - Hospitals in the UK are seeing a rise in children suffering from severe respiratory infections. This includes an unseasonal surge in an infection called the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), in children as young as two months old. It has resulted in growing numbers of hospital admissions for bronchiolitis, a lung inflammation similar to bronchitis . So why is RSV, considered a winter illness, peaking in the summer of 2021? Simply put, restrictions put in place for preventing the spread of ... [Read More]

Jul 29th, 2021 - Vaccinated travelers from the U.S. no longer need to quarantine—but there are still some rules to follow. F rom August 2 some international visitors will finally be able to visit the U.K. with fewer restrictions, but it’s not as simple as flashing your passport at border control. There’s a “traffic light” system and testing requirements dependent on where you come from. Here’s what you need to know before you travel to the U.K. in 2021. Is the U.K. open to U.S. travelers? Yes, U.S. ... [Read More]

Jul 29th, 2021 - BBC News NI outlines the latest data on coronavirus and Covid-19 vaccinations across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Two more coronavirus-related deaths have been recorded in Northern Ireland within the latest 24-hour reporting period. Both deaths occurred within the past 24 hours. Deaths are measured by recording those who died within 28 days of receiving a positive Covid-19 test. The total number of deaths linked to Covid-19 in Northern Ireland since the start of the pandemic is ... [Read More]