ANALYSIS AND COMMENTS

December 2020 HealthLine; Many people with a weakened immune system have a higher riskTrusted Source of severe COVID-19. This includes people with cancer or HIV or those who have organ transplants. Also included are bone marrow recipients, and people taking corticosteroids or other medicines that suppress the immune system. Public health experts …

December 2020 CNN; People with a “significant history of allergic reactions” should not be given the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, UK health authorities said Wednesday, after two health care workers experienced symptoms after receiving a shot the day before. The precautionary advice was given after the pair “responded adversely” following their shots …

December 2020 Politico; States struggling to prioritize who should receive the initial coronavirus shots are handing off those critical decisions to health care providers, giving them less than two weeks to decide how to ration the scarce doses among their own employees. An expert panel advising the Centers for Disease …

November 2020 Healthline; COVID vaccine may be approved for use by the end of December. The U.S. federal government has poured billions of dollars into the development of vaccines. They have also put in orders for hundreds of millions of doses. AstraZeneca announced Nov. 23 that its COVID-19 vaccine is …

November 2020 MedicalNews; Numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths are at record highs worldwide, with no signs of a significant drop anytime soon. At the time of this article’s publication, more than 61 million people have developed SARS-CoV-2 infections worldwide, and more than 1.4 million people have died from COVID-19. Meanwhile, scientists …

November 2020 CNN; The World Health Organization has updated its ongoing guidance on Covid-19 medications to advise against using the antiviral drug remdesivir to treat hospitalized patients, no matter how severe their illness may be. According to the update, published in the medical journal the BMJ on Thursday, current evidence does not …

November 2020 BBC; The coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech appears to protect 94% of adults over 65 years old. More data released from their continuing phase three trial suggests it works equally well in people of all ages and ethnicities. The companies say they will now apply for …

November 2020 Bloomberg; Moderna Inc. said its Covid-19 vaccine was 94.5% effective in a preliminary analysis of a large late-stage clinical trial, another sign that a fast-paced hunt by scientists and pharmaceutical companies is paying off with potent new tools that could help control a worsening pandemic. The highly positive readout …

November 2020 lshtmNews; During the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland, whilst the absolute risk remained low, patient-facing healthcare workers were at three-fold higher risk of hospitalisation with COVID-19 than the general population, according to new research published in the BMJ. The study involving the London School of Hygiene …

November 2020 BBCNews; The first effective coronavirus vaccine can prevent more than 90% of people from getting Covid-19, a preliminary analysis shows. The developers – Pfizer and BioNTech – described it as a “great day for science and humanity”. Their vaccine has been tested on 43,500 people in six countries …