Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline, two drugmakers, announced that they would provide 200 million doses of their potential COVID-19 vaccine to the WHO and Gavi Alliance co-sponsored COVAX procurement facility, which more than 180 countries have joined. “To address a global health crisis of this magnitude, it takes unique partnerships. The commitment we are announcing today for […] Continue reading ->
A milestone study has found that women giving birth when they are infected with COVID-19, even if asymptomatic, may have more post-birth complications, including fever and hypoxia leading to hospital readmission, as compared to women who are not infected. The study, conducted by Malavika Rabhu of Weill Cornell Medicine, observed 675 women admitted for delivery […] Continue reading ->
In combatting COVID-19, many countries around the world are currently facing “house on fire moments,” as described by Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. However, the syndemic of COVID-19 and TB poses an even more deadly threat. TB and COVID-19 respiratory diseases affect mostly […] Continue reading ->
Current levels of public reluctance to be immunized with a forthcoming COVID-19 vaccine are so high that the resistance would in fact pre-empt many countries from reaching sufficient levels of “community” immunity, according to a new study of vaccine hesitancy among people in 19 of the most COVID-impacted countries around the world. The study of […] Continue reading ->
Along with recording the most deaths from COVID-19 of any country in the world, the US has ranked highest among leading OECD countries in deaths per capita from the infectious disease, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) by researchers from Harvard University and the University of […] Continue reading ->
Genetically modified mosquitoes could be an innovative tool to combat vector-borne diseases and eliminate malaria, says a new WHO position statement. Genetically modified mosquitoes are designed to suppress mosquito populations and reduce their susceptibility to infection and their ability to transmit disease-carrying pathogens. WHO announced their support for the continued investigation into genetically modified mosquitoes as […] Continue reading ->
Pfizer CEO, Albert Bourla, announced Friday in an open letter that the pharmaceutical company developing a COVID-19 vaccine will not request an emergency authorization before mid-November – meaning that the file of the vaccine candidate that is regarded as the front-runner in the global race to get a vaccine to market would only be reviewed […] Continue reading ->
A new study published in The Lancet on Thursday found that an inactivated vaccine candidate, called BBIBP-CorV, was safe and provoked an immune response in healthy individuals. This is the first study of an inactivated COVID-19 vaccine to include participants over 60 years of age. The BBIBP-CorV vaccine is being developed by the Beijing Institute of […] Continue reading ->
A study confirming the first case of a person reinfected with COVID-19 in the US and the fifth such confirmed case of reinfection worldwide was published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal on Monday. The findings suggest that protected immunity conferred by infection with SARS-CoV2 – a phenomenon that is not well understood yet – […] Continue reading ->
Cognitive symptoms are being reported by thousands of COVID-19 survivors, even those with mild symptoms and no previous medical conditions. The symptoms often include memory loss, confusion, difficulty focusing, and dizziness. A study published just last week covering more than 500 hospitalized patients in Chicago, found that some 82% had experienced neurological symptoms at some point […] Continue reading ->