Past COVID-19 infection may provide immunity for several months, but still leaves risk of transmission to others, a Public Health England (PHE) study has found. “This means even if you believe you already had the disease and are protected, you can be reassured it is highly unlikely you will develop severe infections but there is […] Continue reading ->
DELHI, INDIA – In the last week of December 2020, Chanda Devi heard a truck roll into her neighborhood in North Bhopal, Central India. Residents were called outside by a voice, booming through loudspeakers. They were eligible to collect Rs 750 (about US$10) to receive a “corona vaccine”. The people said that they were recruiters, […] Continue reading ->
Switzerland’s drug regulatory agency, Swissmedic, has authorized Moderna’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for use – in a move that should helop accelerate its rollout of vaccines against the pandemic, The Swiss Federal Government has secured 7.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, with deliveries expected to begin next week from the Visp-based plant where most of […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) research investigation in China to study the origin of the SARS-CoV2 virus that triggered a worldwide pandemic of COVID-19 is not intended to apportion blame, Executive Director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme Michael Ryan stressed in a press briefing on Monday. The statement was made hours after WHO Executive Director […] Continue reading ->
After months of delay, China has confirmed that a WHO research team investigating the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus will finally be allowed to enter the country on Thursday, 14 January – a week after Beijing blocked their entry, leaving two international experts stuck in transit. Members of the task force will now be able […] Continue reading ->
Two new studies published this week highlight the challenges to health policy posed by COVID-19 – with seriously ill COVID-19 patients continuing to suffer with “Long COVID” months after being released from the hospital – while completely asymptomatic cases drive more than half of overall disease transmission. More than three quarters of patients diagnosed with […] Continue reading ->
The United Kingdom has approved the mRNA vaccine developed by Moderna, securing an additional 10 million doses to its initial 7 million: but supplies aren’t expected until spring. Despite procuring 17 million doses of the vaccine, a rollout isn’t anticipated for some time, with Moderna vaguely stating that “deliveries of the COVID-19 Vaccine … from […] Continue reading ->
WHO called on European countries to step up their game to curb the highly contagious COVID-19 variants that are overtaking the region, already straining overstretched health systems. Meanwhile some researchers were warning that the new virus variants could spell double trouble if the mutation first identified in South Africa, in particular, makes new vaccines just […] Continue reading ->
After brief holiday respites, countries in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa have reverted to major lockdowns as a strategy to stave off new, and even more infectious, SARS-CoV2 virus variants that have been identified in the United Kingdom and in South Africa – which threaten to overwhelm health systems even as countries also […] Continue reading ->
The European Medicines Agency (EMA), the EU drug regulator, recommended issuing a conditional marketing authorization for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, which follows the authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in late December. “This vaccine provides us with another tool to overcome the current emergency,” Emer Cooke, Executive Director of EMA, said in the press release. “It is […] Continue reading ->