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COVID-19 pandemic has triggered greatest declines in life expectancy since World War II

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered life expectancy losses not seen since World War II in Western Europe and exceeded those observed around the dissolution of the Eastern Bloc in central and Eastern European countries.

27 Sep 2021

3D-printed vaccine patch provides greater protection than a typical vaccine shot

Scientists at Stanford University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have created a 3D-printed vaccine patch that provides greater protection than a typical vaccine shot.

25 Sep 2021

A daily pill to treat covid could be just months away, scientists say

Within a day of testing positive for covid-19 in June, Miranda Kelly was sick enough to be scared. At 44, with diabetes and high blood pressure, Kelly, a certified nursing assistant, was having trouble breathing, symptoms serious enough to send her to the emergency room.

24 Sep 2021

Differences in blood gene expression among patients with varying COVID-19 severity

A new study published on the medRxiv* pre-print server and currently undergoing peer-review aims to answer this question through whole blood transcriptomics of individuals with varying degrees of COVID-19 severity. Transcriptomics, done by RNA sequencing, gives insights into the genes expressed in a cell at a given time point. It gives an analysis of all RNA molecules within a cell, in this case, whole blood.

23 Sep 2021

COVID-19 deaths in U.S. surpass 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is most likely the deadliest outbreak in recent American history, exceeding the estimated deaths from the 1918 influenza pandemic.

21 Sep 2021

Scientists identify factors triggering COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among healthcare workers

A team of US-based scientists has recently conducted a survey to determine the willingness of healthcare workers towards coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccinations.

21 Sep 2021

I got a ‘mild’ breakthrough case. Here’s what I wish I’d known.

The test results that hot day in early August shouldn’t have surprised me — all the symptoms were there. A few days earlier, fatigue had enveloped me like a weighted blanket. I chalked it up to my weekend of travel. Next, a headache clamped down on the back of my skull.

20 Sep 2021

New surgical mask with an intelligent fabric can instantaneously deactivate SARS-COV-2 virus

The intelligent fabric of these masks has been created by a team of researchers from the San Alberto Magno Traslational Centre (CITSAM-UCV), led by professor Ángel Serrano.

20 Sep 2021

Pfizer vaccine induces strong immunity in elderly with prior COVID-19

A new study discusses the vaccination response in elderly who were vaccinated with one dose of the Pfizer vaccine 15 months after contracting COVID-19.

16 Sep 2021

Over half of states have rolled back public health powers in pandemic

Republican legislators in more than half of U.S. states, spurred on by voters angry about lockdowns and mask mandates, are taking away the powers state and local officials use to protect the public against infectious diseases.

15 Sep 2021

UK Sepsis Trust calls for people to better understand the signs and symptoms of sepsis

This World Sepsis Day, the UK Sepsis Trust is calling for people to better understand the signs and symptoms of sepsis and recognize it as a medical emergency, in order to reduce the risk of death and mitigate against the very real long-term health effects of post-sepsis syndrome.

15 Sep 2021

Flu shots and COVID-19 immunity

A new paper finds that the influenza vaccine may influence both the response to and incidence of infection by the SARS-CoV-2.

14 Sep 2021

COVID-19 booster vaccine to be offered to millions of vulnerable people from next week

Millions of vulnerable people are to be offered a COVID-19 booster vaccine from next week as the government confirms it has accepted the final advice from the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

14 Sep 2021

Researchers identify the spleen as primary site for priming of 'killer' T cells during influenza infection

CD8+ T cells -; known as "killer" T cells -; are the assassins of the immune system. Once they are primed, they seek out and destroy other cells that are infected with virus or cells that are cancerous.

12 Sep 2021

UGA research offers hope for a viable therapeutic to combat COVID-19

As COVID-19 cases continue to skyrocket across the U.S. and the world, few options are available for treating patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2.

11 Sep 2021

Brown researchers receive $4.9 million to study COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness in older adults

To address the pressing issue of diminishing immunity among older adults to COVID-19 as well to vaccines designed to protect against the virus, a $4.9 million award from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will fund a two-year project led by Brown University researchers and conducted by a team spanning multiple institutions.

10 Sep 2021

Research highlights inequalities in England's COVID vaccine coverage

Researchers led by the epidemiologist Elise Tessier, of Public Health England, have been investigating the proportion of unvaccinated individuals against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by age, sex, location, vaccine type, ethnicity and poverty level in the United Kingdom.

8 Sep 2021

Highly neutralizing human convalescent plasma reduces lung inflammation in SARS-CoV-2-infected macaques

A new study reignites the debate regarding the therapeutic utility of convalescent plasma in treating others with the COVID-19.

7 Sep 2021

Study reveals Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine efficacy and immune response in clinically vulnerable individuals

The current study found that a strong S-antibody response occurs following complete vaccination with two different COVID-19 vaccines.

6 Sep 2021

New online tool to help medical staff quickly support COVID-19 patients

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have developed an online tool to help medical staff quickly determine which COVID-19 patients will need help breathing with a ventilator.

3 Sep 2021