WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. health advisory panel on Wednesday is set to review six reported cases of rare blood clots in women who received Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine one day after federal regulators paused the use of the shot to assess the issue.FILE PHOTO: Vials with a sticker reading, “COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine […]
Biden begins to undo Trump's ban on abortion referrals
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Wednesday began to undo a Trump-era ban on clinics referring women for abortions, a policy directive that drove Planned Parenthood from the federal family planning program and created new complications for women trying to get birth control. The proposed rule from the Department of Health and Human Services follows […]
Early monoclonal antibody therapies beneficial for COVID-19, finds study
A team of scientists recently conducted a large-scale study at Northwell Health, New York, USA, to evaluate the efficacy of neutralizing monoclonal antibody (MAB) therapies in preventing disease progression among patients with mild to moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The findings reveal that the timing of initiating MAB therapy is a crucial factor in determining […]
U.S. pauses use of J&J vaccine over rare blood clots, rollout delayed in Europe
(Reuters) – U.S. federal health agencies on Tuesday recommended pausing use of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine for at least a few days after six women under age 50 developed rare blood clots after receiving the shot, dealing a fresh setback to efforts to tackle the pandemic. Johnson & Johnson said it would delay rollout […]
Majority of Brazil COVID-19 ICU patients aged 40 years or younger: report
FILE PHOTO: Medical workers take care of patients in the emergency room of the Nossa Senhora da Conceicao hospital that is overcrowding because of the coronavirus outbreak, in Porto Alegre, Brazil, March 11, 2021. REUTERS/Diego Vara/File PhotoRIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – The surging COVID-19 outbreak in Brazil is increasingly affecting younger people, with hospital data […]
U.S. to call for pause on Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine: NYT
FILE PHOTO: Vials with a sticker reading, “COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only” and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed Johnson & Johnson logo in this illustration taken October 31, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration(Reuters) – U.S. federal health agencies on Tuesday will call for an immediate pause in use of Johnson […]
South Korea considers use of COVID-19 self-test kits amid fourth wave fears
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s health authorities said on Tuesday they would consider the use of coronavirus self-test kits despite their relatively low accuracy, after the new mayor of Seoul called for their approval.FILE PHOTO: Commuters cross a zebra crossing, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Seoul, South Korea, February 3, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Hong-JiThe […]
P681 mutation has little impact on transmissibility in the SARS-CoV-2 UK variant, finds study
The rollout of vaccines is on in an attempt to achieve population immunity against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, the recent emergence of several variants that have altered transmissibility, infectivity and virulence characteristics has cast doubt on the feasibility of this goal. A […]
South Korea says five companies begin clinical trials for covid-19 vaccines: Yonhap
FILE PHOTO: A woman holds a small bottle labelled with a “Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccine” sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration taken October 30, 2020. REUTERS/Dado RuvicSEOUL (Reuters) – Five South Korean companies have launched clinical trials for their coronavirus vaccines, aiming to enter the third phase of trials in the second half of […]
COVID19's cytokine storm ushers in a local complement storm in the lungs
A new study published in the journal Science Immunology analyzed lung epithelial cells from patients infected with COVID-19 and found the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) induces the complement system as a dangerous weapon for viral infection. The complement system is an extension of the innate immune system to recognize pathogens and remove […]