CoronaVirus

Feb 5th, 2023 - Although the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causal agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, predominantly infects adults, many children and infants can contract the mild or asymptomatic infection. Nevertheless, severe infection and mortality rates associated with COVID-19 are low among children. Study:  Systems biological assessment of the temporal dynamics of immunity to a viral infection in the first weeks and months of life. ... [Read More]

Feb 5th, 2023 - Florida's COVID-19 uptick this winter may have peaked without a crushing wave of hospitalizations. Statewide, the number of new hospital admissions is dropping after an early January high and is far below what Florida recorded at this time last year when the omicron variant first hit . "We definitely have (virus) activity, but of course nothing like some of the surges we've had in the past," said Mary Jo Trepka, an epidemiologist at Florida International University in Miami. Here's what to know ... [Read More]

Jan 25th, 2023 - T he Omicron variant has morphed into more than half a dozen different strains—the latest of which include BQ.1.1 and XBB.1, and XBB.1.5. Combined, these variants and their close relatives now account for nearly 90% of new COVID-19 infections in the U.S. But so far, no COVID-19 vaccine directly targets them. Instead, the latest bivalent formulation of the booster (and the only one currently available) was designed against the Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5, which are no longer widely ... [Read More]

Jan 20th, 2023 - Tokyo CNN — Japan will consider downgrading Covid-19 to the same category as seasonal influenza this spring, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced Friday. Kishida said he had instructed Health Ministry officials to discuss the move and his administration would also review rules on face masks and other pandemic measures. "In order to further advance the efforts of 'living with Corona' and restore Japan to a state of normalcy, we will transition the various policies and measures to date in ... [Read More]

Jan 19th, 2023 - A new University at Buffalo study conducted at John R. Oishei Children's Hospital is one of the first to reveal that there were fewer cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) during the omicron wave of the pandemic than the delta wave. MIS-C is a rare but severe complication that occurs in children who've previously had COVID-19, and has near 1% mortality. Published in the journal Viruses online on Jan. 7, the study shows that those cases that did occur during omicron ... [Read More]

Jan 18th, 2023 - Doctors in China are being urged not to write COVID-19 on death certificates, Reuters reported. If the patient had underlying diseases, doctors have been told to write that as the cause of death. China has been criticized for grossly underreporting its COVID-19 deaths. If a person who has COVID-19 dies in China, chances are their death certificate won't mention the virus. Six doctors in public hospitals across China say they have been instructed to not attribute deaths to COVID-19 if the ... [Read More]

Jan 11th, 2023 - A recent study posted to medRxiv * assessed the effectiveness of primary and booster vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the Netherlands. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination commenced in the Netherlands on January 6, 2021, and four vaccines (BNT162b2, mRNA-1273, ChAdOx1, and Ad26.COV2.S) were approved for use by April 2021. Booster vaccination began in November 2021, prioritizing healthcare workers and older adults. In March 2022, a ... [Read More]

Jan 11th, 2023 - China's response is 'challenged' by a lack of transparent data, the organization says The World Health Organization said it is working with China to manage the risks of COVID-19 surging again as people travel for Lunar New Year celebrations but the country's response continues to be challenged by a lack of data. COVID-19 is spreading unchecked in China after the country lifted its zero-COVID policy in December, but the WHO said it still does not have enough information from China to make a full ... [Read More]

Jan 11th, 2023 - In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv * preprint server, researchers in the United States assessed the impact of the bivalent messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine on the antibody-mediated neutralization of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron lineages. Early SARS-CoV-2 Omicron lineage variants have mutated, resulting in divergent lineages that drove the 2022 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. As a result, the U.S. Food and Drug ... [Read More]

Jan 8th, 2023 - In a recent study posted to the medRxiv * preprint server, researchers at Oregon Health & Science University assessed the impact of the duration between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and vaccination on immunity against infection. As the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections continues, long-term immunity against COVID-19 has become more critical. Global public health concerns have been exacerbated by the continuous emergence of novel ... [Read More]

Jan 8th, 2023 - The XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant is raising concerns of a potential surge in COVID-19 cases as it sweeps across the Northeast. Officials have warned in recent weeks that the strain is highly transmissible, can more easily evade the immunity offered by vaccines or prior infections than past variants — and is likely to drive cases up around the country. The subvariant has already rapidly spread in the Northeast, where it is currently estimated to be causing about 72 ... [Read More]

Jan 5th, 2023 - World Health Organization officials expressed concern Wednesday about a new omicron subvariant of the coronavirus — its most transmissible yet — while also urging China to be more forthcoming with its data on infections and deaths amid a recent surge there. Declining global surveillance of the coronavirus, incomplete data from China and an increase in covid-19 deaths worldwide are concerning, Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead on covid-19, said at a news conference. "It is ... [Read More]