January 2020 BloomBerg; Like all new drugs, the vaccines that have been authorized to protect against Covid-19 come with some safety concerns and side effects. Many people who’ve received the first two Western shots deployed, one from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE, and another from Moderna Inc., have experienced fever, headache and pain at …
Read More »Don’t ignore this headline: The pandemic is getting worse. What happens next is up to you
January 2021 CNN; Despite hopes of widespread vaccinations this year, experts warned the start of 2021 would be a very rough time in this pandemic. It turns out the first two weeks have been abysmal. The United States just shattered its all-time records for the most Covid-19 infections, hospitalizations and …
Read More »Chinese Covid-19 vaccine far less effective than initially claimed in Brazil, sparking concerns
January 2021 CNN; A leading Chinese Covid-19 vaccine developed by Sinovac Biotech was just 50.38% effective in late-stage trials in Brazil, significantly lower than earlier results showed, according to a statement published by the government of Sao Paulo Tuesday. While the number exceeds the threshold required for regulatory approval, it …
Read More »Three-quarters of Wuhan patients hospitalized for Covid-19 still had symptoms 6 months later, Chinese study finds
January 2021 CNN; Most patients who had been hospitalized with Covid-19 still suffered a variety of symptoms — including fatigue and sleep difficulties — six months after infection, a Chinese study has found. The study of more than 1,700 patients treated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the original epicenter of the …
Read More »Coronavirus variant discoveries in UK and South Africa began with a bet of a bottle of wine
January 2021 CNN; The discovery of important new coronavirus variants in the UK and South Africa began with a bet of a bottle of wine. In mid-November, Tulio de Oliveira, who leads a genetics lab in South Africa, began receiving anxious phone calls from physicians in the Eastern Cape province …
Read More »Covid variant found in South Africa is worrying experts: Here’s what we know so far
January 2021 CNBC; Viruses mutate all the time, so it’s no surprise that the coronavirus which emerged in China at the end of 2019 has undergone significant mutations as the virus replicates and spreads. But a new strain that has emerged in South Africa is causing concern. Like a variant …
Read More »Europe has kept its schools open for much of the pandemic. Now closures loom
January 2020 CNN; The coronavirus pandemic transformed the working and social lives of millions of European adults in 2020. Children too have suffered immensely, with months of confinement only giving way to some sense of normality when schools in most countries reopened in the summer and autumn. Now even that is under …
Read More »New COVID strain: Six key questions answered
December 2020 Aljazeera; A new variant of the pandemic SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is spreading rapidly in the United Kingdom and prompting high levels of concern among its European neighbours, some of which have cut transport links. The strain, referred to by some experts as the B.1.1.7 lineage, is not the first …
Read More »Why Aga Khan Hospital has banned the use of valve facemasks
The Aga Khan University Hospital announced on Wednesday that it has banned the use of facemasks with valve respirators within its premises. The move is effective immediately, meaning neither staff nor members of the public going to any of its facilities will be let through while wearing them. While health experts …
Read More »UK: ‘New variant’ of coronavirus identified – Hancock
December 2020 BBC; A new variant of coronavirus has been found which is growing faster in some parts of England, MPs have been told. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said at least 60 different local authorities had recorded Covid infections caused by the new variant. He said the World Health Organization …
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