More infectious COVID-19 variants are spreading in the U.S. at the same time as cases are falling and the national vaccination campaign is picking up steam. Put it all together, a Harvard epidemiologist said Friday, and it may all add up to a lucky break for us, and we may […]
French Riviera to go into weekend lockdown over COVID
The French Riviera will go into lockdown for the next two weekends to contain COVID-19 which has been spreading faster in the tourist hotspot than elsewhere in France, the region’s top official said on Monday. Controls at airports and at the land border the southern Alpes-Maritimes region shares with Italy […]
Significant drop in Australians who will get COVID jab
There has been a substantial increase in COVID-19 vaccine resistance and hesitancy among Australians, according to new analysis from the Australian National University (ANU). The survey of more than 3,500 Australians is the only longitudinal study available tracking individuals from prior to the pandemic, and the only study that doesn’t […]
Why telling stories could be a more powerful way of convincing some people to take a COVID vaccine than just the facts
Scientists don’t know exactly what percentage of the population will need to get a COVID vaccine to achieve herd immunity. Some diseases, such as whooping cough, need very high rates of vaccination between 90-95%. The rise of new, more infectious coronavirus variants might mean even more people may need to […]
Increased risk of dying from COVID for people with severe mental disorders
People with severe mental disorders have a significantly increased risk of dying from COVID-19. This has been shown in a new study from Umeå University and Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. Among the elderly, the proportion of deaths due to COVID-19 was almost fourfold for those with severe mental disorders compared […]
Forecast: 125,000 fewer US COVID deaths if 50% initiate vaccination by March 1
A new report combining forecasting and expert prediction data, predicts that 125,000 lives could be saved by the end of 2021 if 50% or more of the U.S. population initiated COVID vaccination by March 1, 2021. “Meta and consensus forecast of COVID-19 targets,” developed by Thomas McAndrew, a computational scientist […]
Sickle cell target could treat COVID
Scientists have found a way to lower stroke risk in sickle cell patients that opens a gateway of potential treatments for inflammation and clotting stemming from conditions such as COVID-19. For the first time, they investigated the use of immune cell proteins as an anti-inflammatory treatment to reduce blood clotting […]
If I Have Cancer, Dementia or MS, Should I Get the Covid Vaccine?
As public demand grows for limited supplies of covid-19 vaccines, questions remain about the vaccines’ appropriateness for older adults with various illnesses. Among them are cancer patients receiving active treatment, dementia patients near the end of their lives and people with autoimmune conditions. Recently, a number of readers have asked […]
In Los Angeles and Beyond, Oxygen Is the Latest Covid Bottleneck
As Los Angeles hospitals give record numbers of covid patients oxygen, the systems and equipment needed to deliver the life-sustaining gas are faltering. It’s gotten so bad that Los Angeles County officials are warning paramedics to conserve it. Some hospitals are having to delay releasing patients as they don’t have […]