Author: Claudinne Miller
Why the new COVID shot is a game-changer (and why the term ‘booster’ is obsolete)
National Geographic The latest vaccine formula is available in local pharmacies now. Experts say it will be like the annual flu shot: one and done. Here’s why. Unlike earlier in the pandemic, when the initial vaccines were followed by a seemingly never-ending stream of boosters, the recently updated COVID vaccine is simple: a single shot. […]
Oct 3, 2023
RedHill’s antiviral, once tested for COVID, works in mice with Ebola
Fierce Pharma RedHill Biopharma, in collaboration with the U.S. Army, announced Oct. 3 that twice-daily oral doses of the medication opaganib boosted survival from about six days in controls to 11 days in animals infected with the virus. In the group treated with the highest dose, 30% of the mice survived, compared to none of […]
Oct 3, 2023
SARS-CoV-2 Associated With Increased Incidence of Psoriasis
Dermatology Times A recent matched cohort study1 published in BMC Medicine found that in a cohort of patients in the UK, SARS-CoV-2 was associated with an increased incidence of psoriasis, among several immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID). Increased incidence was also associated with type 1 diabetes mellitus and inflammatory bowel disease. Investigators Syed et al sought to explore the […]
Oct 3, 2023
South Africa culls about 7.5 million chickens in an effort to contain bird flu outbreaks
AP South Africa has culled about 7.5 million chickens in an effort to contain dozens of outbreaks of two separate strains of avian influenza that threaten to create a shortage of eggs and poultry for consumers, the government and national poultry association said Tuesday. At least 205,000 chickens have died from bird flu in at least 60 […]
Oct 3, 2023
Research shows “direct mechanistic link” between COVID-19 infection and heart attack, stroke
NeuroNews A new study has shed fresh light on the potential connection between pre-existing heart issues and symptoms of ‘long-COVID’. According to researchers from New York University (NYU) Langone Health in New York City, USA, being infected with the pandemic virus SARS-CoV-2 can trigger a dangerous immune response in plaques lining the heart’s largest blood vessels […]
Oct 3, 2023
FDA Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorization (EUA) of the Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted for use in individuals 12 years of age and older to include the 2023-2024 formula. Individuals 12 years of age and older previously vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine (and who have not already been vaccinated […]
Oct 3, 2023
Spouting COVID Misinformation Tied to Use of Ivermectin, HCQ
MedPageToday And survey study finds similar usage of unproven drugs for COVID among Democrats and Republicans. Endorsing COVID-19 vaccine misinformation, lack of trust in physicians or scientists, and conspiracy-mindedness were linked to the use of non-evidence-based treatments for COVID-19, an internet-based survey study of U.S. adults showed. Of more than 13,000 survey respondents who reported […]
Oct 3, 2023
The US Deserves a Better Vaccine Rollout Than This
Bloomberg The rollout of this fall’s Covid vaccine has been frustrating. When CDC authorized the Covid shots for everyone 6 months and older on Sept. 12, the expectation was they’d be available within days. That hasn’t proven to be the case. Instead, appointments seem readily available, only to be cancelled at the last minute; surprise bills for vaccines […]
Oct 3, 2023
Nobel Prize in medicine awarded to scientists who laid foundation for messenger RNA vaccines
Washington Post The Nobel Prize in medicine was awarded Monday to two scientists whose research laid the groundwork for messenger RNA vaccines that transformed the threat of the coronavirus pandemic. Early in her career, Katalin Kariko, 68, a Hungarian-born scientist, saw mRNA’s medical potential and pursued it with ferocious and single-minded tenacity that exiled her to the outskirts […]
Oct 3, 2023
WHO approves second, affordable vaccine in fight against deadly malaria
Washington Post The World Health Organization has approved a new anti-malaria vaccine, which will offer countries a cheap and more accessible option to combat one of the leading causes of child deaths in Africa. Developed by Oxford University, the R21/Matrix-M vaccine is the second such vaccine to be recommended by the WHO, it said in […]
Oct 3, 2023