This Tuesday, European researchers documented two new cases of COVID-19 reinfection, just a day after the first genetically proven case of reinfection was reported in a 33-year old man in Hong Kong. The 33-year old had contracted two genetically distinct strains of Covid-19 over a period of four and a half months. The potential for […] Continue reading ->
The US Food and Drug Administration Commission Stephen Hahn on Monday apologized for overstating the effectiveness of convalescent plasma as a treatment for COVID-19, after the agency faced backlash for Hahn’s claims that the treatment could reduce mortality by as much as 35%, made during an announcement of the FDA emergency approval of the therapy […] Continue reading ->
Part of a series of stories about how the coronavirus lockdowns and relaxations are playing out in different parts of Africa. For more on this, see our stories on South Africa and Ibadan, Nigeria. Kampala, Uganda – As Uganda’s coronavirus cases double in only two weeks, the Ministry of Health is considering a second lockdown […] Continue reading ->
Brazzaville – The independent Africa Regional Certification Commission (ARCC) for Polio Eradication officially declared on Tuesday that the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region is free of wild poliovirus. This marks the eradication of the second virus from the face of the continent since smallpox 40 years ago. And while vaccine derived polio is still circulating […] Continue reading ->
There is insufficient evidence that treating people hospitalized for COVID-19 with blood plasma from recovered patients is safe and effective – and more randomized clinical trials are thus needed, warned the World Health Organization on Monday. Evidence overall remains “inconclusive,” said WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan at a WHO press conference on Monday. She spoke […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization and UNICEF have issued new age-specific mask guidance for children, recommending looser masking protocols for younger children. The agency’s new guidance comes the week after a new study from researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital found that children infected with COVID-19 had higher virus levels in their nose and throats than […] Continue reading ->
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) requires “critical” support to fend off a growing Ebola outbreak in the western Province of Équateur, warned WHO’s Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti on Friday. Her warnings came as Équateur’s Ebola cases have almost doubled to one hundred in the past five weeks, of which 96 are confirmed […] Continue reading ->
Six months into the pandemic, the rapidly evolving science behind COVID-19 has complicated efforts to clamp down on the virus’ rampage around the world. Geneva Solutions asked Antoine Flahault, director of the Institute of Global Health at the University of Geneva, and leading voice on COVID-19 science in the region, how we can take swift […] Continue reading ->
United Kingdom Secretary of State for Health Matt Hancock’s announcement to replace Public Health England (PHE) with a new agency focused on biosecurity and infectious disease threats has drawn widespread criticism from health experts. The Health Secretary announced that PHE will be replaced with a new National Institute for Health Protection (NIHP) in a speech […] Continue reading ->
COVID-19 infection may be associated with an increased risk of Type I diabetes in children, according to a new study published by researchers from Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. Diabetes emerged as a high risk factor for severe COVID-19 disease in the early days of the pandemic. But the new study, published in the Diabetes […] Continue reading ->