Researchers in the United States, UK, and Canada have published a commentary challenging the suggestion that the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may not be airborne. The novel SARS-CoV-2 virus is the agent responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that continues to pose a significant threat to global public […]
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Pause and effect on Covid vaccines
What The Health? · Pause and Effect on Covid Vaccines The effort to vaccinate Americans against Covid-19 took a hit this week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration jointly called for a pause in use of the vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson while experts try to figure […]
Prolonged brain dysfunction in COVID-19 survivors: A pandemic in its own right
One in three survivors of COVID-19, those more commonly referred to as COVID-19 long-haulers, suffered from neurologic or psychiatric disability six months after infection, a recent landmark study of more than 200,000 post-COVID-19 patients showed. Researchers looked at 236,379 British patients diagnosed with COVID-19 over six months, analyzing neurologic and psychiatric complications during that time […]
Many Say Now Is the Time to Fight Racial Bias in Foster Care
Cheri Williams looks back with regret at the start of her career as a child welfare caseworker in 1998. Systemic racism is a major reason why. “I removed probably about 100 kids from their homes in the 15 months I was an investigator … a lot of them were children of color,” said Williams, who’s […]
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 […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has been linked with six unhealthy eating behaviors
A new probe into the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic revealed correlations to six unhealthy eating behaviors, according to a study by the University of Minnesota Medical School and School of Public Health. Researchers say the most concerning finding indicates a slight increase or the re-emergence of eating disorders, which kill roughly 10,200 people […]
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 […]
Pfizer Requests FDA Approval to Use Its COVID Vaccine in Kids Ages 12 to 15
After trial results showed that its vaccine is 100% effective in preventing COVID-19 in kids, Pfizer-BioNTech has formally asked the Food and Drug Administration for approval to begin vaccinating children ages 12 to 15. The company requested Friday that the FDA amend its emergency use authorization to lower the approved age for vaccination from 16 […]
FDA: Time to Move Away From Using Decontaminated Respirators
Editor’s note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Center. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today recommended that healthcare facilities cut back on the use of strategies for conserving capacity that have been in effect during the COVID-19 crisis, such as decontaminating disposable respirators for reuse. The National Institute […]
Fauci thanks US health workers for sacrifices but admits PPE shortages drove up death toll
Dr. Anthony Fauci thanked America's health care workers, who "every single day put themselves at risk" during the pandemic, even as he acknowledged that PPE shortages had contributed to the deaths of more than 3,600 of them. "We rightfully refer to these people without hyperbole — that they are true heroes and heroines," he said […]