Findings Conflicted for Benefit of Tocilizumab in COVID-19

FRIDAY, Oct. 23, 2020 — Tocilizumab may be beneficial for adults with COVID-19 admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), although other findings are conflicting, according to three studies and an editorial published online Oct. 20 in JAMA Internal Medicine. Shruti Gupta, M.D., M.P.H., from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and colleagues analyzed data […]

Politics Key to Americans’ Views on COVID-19, Poll Shows

FRIDAY, Oct. 23, 2020 — The new coronavirus holds no political views. The pathogen’s only aim is to infect, spread and thrive. But in what is surely no surprise in a deeply divided America, it turns out that your political views play a large role in your attitude towards COVID-19 prevention efforts. Republicans tend to […]

All seniors could get COVID-19 vaccine by end of January, HHS head says

All seniors, health care workers, first responders and vulnerable individuals could be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of January, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar told reporters Wednesday (Oct. 21) during a news briefing.  But this ambitious timeline rests on a critical factor: enough data to know that […]

CDC: Number of COVID-19 Deaths May Be Underreported

THURSDAY, Oct. 22, 2020 — The number of COVID-19-related deaths may be underestimated, according to research published in the Oct. 20 early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Lauren M. Rossen, Ph.D., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues assessed trends and demographic patterns in excess […]

Q&A: A COVID-19 vaccine is coming—will it be safe?

In March, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a consensus among health care providers and public health officials that a vaccine that provided complete immunity to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, would effectively end the pandemic. At the time, experts suggested that the development of a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine […]

Q&A: Neonatal intensive care policies vary widely in wake of COVID-19

Two new studies from the George Washington University School of Nursing examine the evolving restrictions American hospitals have put in place to protect vulnerable infants and health care workers from contracting COVID-19. Together with a team of scientists, Ashley Darcy-Mahoney, a professor and researcher focused on infant health and developmental outcomes in high-risk infants, published […]

New tool predicts risks of hospital admission and death from COVID-19

A new risk tool, developed by UK researchers to predict a person’s risk of being admitted to hospital and dying from COVID-19 has been published by The BMJ today. With cases increasing in the UK and elsewhere, and winter approaching, there is an urgent need for reliable models that predict the likely course of COVID-19, […]

EU to link national COVID-19 tracing apps together

The European Commission on Monday launched an EU-wide system devised to link national COVID-19 tracing apps together in its latest effort to slow down the coronavirus pandemic. Following testing in different EU countries earlier this autumn, the bloc’s executive arm said the system got underway with three national apps—Germany’s Corona-Warn-App, Ireland’s COVID tracker, and Italy’s […]

New lab test clarifies the potential protective effects of COVID-19 antibodies

Knowing you have developed antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus after recovering from COVID-19 doesn’t tell you everything about your immunity. The levels and even types of antibodies can differ among patients, and those differences can influence whether a person is protected against being reinfected. Scientists at The Ohio State University have developed a new lab […]