Highly promising vaccines have recently emerged for COVID-19, but this doesn’t mean research into other treatments can slow down. There is still no cure for the disease, and people will likely continue to get sick even after vaccines become widely available—by not getting their COVID shot, for example, or due to potential future outbreaks of […]
Germany enters harder lockdown as virus deaths hit new high
Germany reported a record level of coronavirus deaths as it entered a harder lockdown Wednesday, closing shops and schools to try to bring down stubbornly high new daily infections. The country recorded 179.8 virus infections per 100,000 residents over the last seven days, a new high and significantly more than the 149 per 100,000 reported […]
Vaccine campaigns gather pace as US nears Pfizer approval
The US could soon be the next country to launch an immunization campaign against the novel coronavirus after experts voted to recommend emergency approval for Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine. The key milestone comes as the world’s hardest-hit country logged nearly 6,000 virus deaths in 48 hours with its overall toll approaching 300,000. President-elect Joe Biden called the […]
Grandmother, 90, gets first COVID jab as UK starts vaccine drive
Nurses cheered on Tuesday as an elderly British grandmother became the first person in the Western world to receive an approved vaccine against COVID-19, at the start of a marathon campaign health officials hope heralds a fight-back against the global pandemic. Margaret Keenan called the jab she received at a hospital in Coventry, central England, […]
Study finds some primary school-aged children self-harm, as experts call for earlier intervention
New research reveals that some primary school-aged children have self-harmed, prompting calls for intervention efforts to start earlier. Led by researchers at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) and the University of Melbourne, the study assessed more than 1200 children living in Melbourne, Australia, each year from age 8-9 years (wave 1) to 11-12 years […]
Release of immature blood cells from bone marrow as a signature of severe COVID-19
In severe cases of COVID-19 disease, not only classic immune cells play a role. In particular, the release of immature precursor cells from the bone marrow into the blood indicates a particularly severe course of the disease and could contribute to complications. This has been shown by an international research team involving the DFG Cluster […]
NYC to reopen schools, even as virus spread intensifies
New York City will reopen its school system to in-person learning, and increase the number of days a week many children attend class, even as the coronavirus pandemic intensifies in the city, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday. The announcement marks a major policy reversal for the nation’s largest school system, less than two weeks […]
Russia’s health system under strain as the virus surges back
When Yekaterina Kobzeva, a nurse at a preschool in Russia’s Ural Mountains, began having trouble breathing, she called an ambulance. It was four days before she managed to find a free hospital bed. The ambulance first took her to get a scan—which showed damage from pneumonia to 50% of her lungs, an indication she had […]
Viruses shown to evolve as a result of different immune responses in different ethnic populations
New research into the HIV-1 virus has shed light on an important factor in the evolution of viruses, which is likely also to affect SARS-CoV-2 (the virus which causes COVID-19). This new insight could have important implications for vaccine development. Differences in the cellular immune system in different human populations are now known to influence […]
California, Iowa Toughen Restrictions as COVID Cases Climb
TUESDAY, Nov. 17, 2020 — As the U.S. coronavirus case count climbed past 11 million on Monday, California’s governor announced he is bringing back tighter social distancing restrictions while Iowa’s governor reversed course and announced a statewide mask mandate. The country is averaging 150,000 new cases a day, and will probably reach 250,000 total deaths […]