Mutations

Puerto Rico may point to how to beat the COVID pandemic

Mon, 2022-01-10 09:48 — mike kraft

Why one of the most vaccinated places in America couldn’t avoid omicron Puerto Rico has been hit hard by omicron, but it’s still a model for how the US can beat the pandemic. Nicole Narea Vox

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Pfizer CEO says omicron vaccine will be ready in March

Mon, 2022-01-10 09:32 — mike kraft

Pfizer CEO says omicron vaccine will be ready in March Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said the goal is to product a vaccine that is much better at preventing infection from omicron. Spencer Kimball CNBC

fizer CEO Albert Bourla said a vaccine that targets the omicron variant of Covid will be ready in March, and the company’s already begun manufacturing the doses.

“This vaccine will be ready in March,” Bourla told CNBC’s Squawk Box. “We (are) already starting manufacturing some of these quantities at risk.”

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A fourth of U.S. hospitals are reporting a critical staff shortage as Omicron drives a rise in Covid-19 cases

Mon, 2022-01-10 09:17 — mike kraft

(CNN) About 24% of US hospitals are reporting a "critical staffing shortage," according to data from the US Department of Health and Human Services, as public health experts warn the Covid-19 surge fueled by the Omicron variant threatens the nation's health care system.

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T-cells from common colds can provide protection against COVID-19 - British study

Mon, 2022-01-10 09:07 — mike kraft

T-cells from common colds can provide protection against COVID-19 - study High levels of T-cells from common cold coronaviruses can provide protection against COVID-19, an Imperial College London study published on Monday has found, which could inform approaches for second-generation vaccines. Alistair Smout Reuters

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Cyprus researcher reports a Covid variant that combines omicron and delta

Mon, 2022-01-10 09:00 — mike kraft

Cyprus reportedly discovers a Covid variant that combines omicron and delta

A researcher in Cyprus has discovered a strain of the coronavirus that combines the delta and omicron variant, Bloomberg News reported on Saturday.

Leondios Kostrikis, professor of biological sciences at the University of Cyprus, called the strain “deltacron,” because of its omicron-like genetic signatures within the delta genomes, Bloomberg said.

So far, Kostrikis and his team have found 25 cases of the virus, according to the report. It’s still too early to tell whether there are more cases of the strain or what impacts it could have.

“We will see in the future if this strain is more pathological or more contagious or if it will prevail” against the two dominant strains, delta and omicron, Kostrikis said in an interview with Sigma TV Friday. He believes omicron will also overtake deltacron, he added.

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Four public health experts discuss their personal behavior and risk calculus during this omicron surge --NBC News .

Fri, 2022-01-07 11:30 — mike kraft

In a confusing chapter of the pandemic, experts share their own approaches The omicron variant has left many vaccinated people confused about how to stay safe. Four experts describe their personal behavior and risk calculus. NBC News

The rapid spread of the omicron variant has left many vaccinated people feeling confused about which activities are safe as the U.S. heads into the third year of the Covid-19 crisis.

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U.S. FDA cuts gap for Moderna COVID-19 booster dose to 5 months

Fri, 2022-01-07 10:28 — mike kraft

U.S. FDA cuts gap for Moderna COVID-19 booster dose as cases surge The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday shortened the interval between the primary series of Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine and a booster dose to five months, as it looks to bolster protection against the fast-spreading Omicron variant. Reuters Reuters

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U.S. COVID cases probably have not yet peaked --CDC Director

Fri, 2022-01-07 09:37 — mike kraft

CDC chief says U.S. COVID cases likely have not yet peaked The Omicron-driven surge in U.S. COVID-19 cases has likely not topped out yet, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday as schools, hospitals and businesses struggle with rising caseloads. Reuters Reuters

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A fourth Moderna covid shot may eventuallty be needed as efficacy of boosters likely to decline over time

Thu, 2022-01-06 18:34 — mike kraft

Moderna CEO warns people may need fourth Covid shot as efficacy of boosters likely to decline over time

Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel on Thursday said the efficacy of boosters against Covid-19 will likely decline over time, and people may need a fourth shot in the fall to increase their protection.

Bancel said people who received their boosters last fall will likely have enough protection to get them through the winter, when new infections surge as people gather indoors to escape the cold.

However, Bancel said the efficacy of boosters will probably decline over the course of several months, similar to what happened with the first two doses. The Moderna chief was interviewed by Goldman Sachs during the investment bank’s health-care CEO conference.

“I will be surprised when we get that data in the coming weeks that it’s holding nicely over time — I would expect that it’s not going to hold great,” Bancel said, referring to the strength of the booster shots. ...

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Experts warn that "the next variant is just around the corner."

Thu, 2022-01-06 10:03 — mike kraft

‘The next variant is just around the corner’: Experts warn the world’s at risk until all are vaccinated

New Covid-19 variants are likely to keep on emerging until the whole world is vaccinated against the virus, experts warn.
In low-income countries, only 8.5% of people have received at least one dose of a vaccine, according to data.
The sharing of vaccinations is not just an altruistic act but a pragmatic one, experts note.

LONDON — New Covid-19 variants are likely to keep on emerging until the globe has been vaccinated against the virus, experts warn, saying that the sharing of vaccines is not just an altruistic act but a pragmatic one.

“Until the whole world is vaccinated, not just rich Western countries, I think we are going to remain in danger of new variants coming along and some of those could be more virulent than omicron,” Dr. Andrew Freedman, an academic in infectious diseases at Cardiff University Medical School, told CNBC on Thursday.

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