Category: Featured
Jamaica declares dengue outbreak
Jamaica Observer The Ministry of Health and Wellness has declared a dengue fever outbreak in Jamaica. In a release Saturday, the ministry said its National Surveillance Unit advised that the island has surpassed the dengue epidemic threshold for July and August and is on a trajectory to do the same for September. “This means, the […]
Sep 26, 2023
Does It Matter Which COVID-19 Booster Shot You Get?
Time.com ow that it’s fall, it’s time to get updated on your COVID-19 vaccines if you want to stay protected throughout the winter, when infectious diseases flourish. But does it matter which shot you get? For now, there are only two options—both mRNA-based vaccines, made by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) […]
Sep 26, 2023
I Just Got Over COVID. Do I Need an Updated Shot?
MedPageToday Updated COVID shots are becoming available in the U.S. amid what appears to be a surge in cases — leaving some to wonder whether they need an updated shot if they recently recovered from an infection. Official CDC guidanceopens in a new tab or window states that people who are currently infected should wait “at […]
Sep 20, 2023
Does the risk of getting long Covid increase each time you get reinfected?
STAT More than three years into the coronavirus pandemic, fewer and fewer people are experiencing their first Covid-19 infections. But as cases climb, those who’ve had the virus before may wonder: What are their chances of developing long Covid — and does the risk increase with each reinfection? Fatigue and brain fog may be the first […]
Sep 20, 2023
New COVID variant BA.2.86 spotted in 10 states, though highly mutated strain remains rare
CBS News People across at least 10 states have now been infected by BA.2.86, a highly mutated variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 that authorities have been closely tracking. According to data tallied from the global virus database GISAID, labs have reported finding BA.2.86 in samples from Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and […]
Sep 19, 2023
COVID boosters are back: what scientists say about whether to get one
Nature Many countries heading into autumn are targeting high-risk people for vaccinations, leaving lower-risk people uncertain about the right choice. Across the Northern Hemisphere, public-health officials are rushing to roll out autumn COVID-19 vaccination campaigns to guard against a fresh batch of SARS-CoV-2 variants. In England, officials moved the start date for administering an updated booster […]
Sep 12, 2023
CDC recommends updated covid shots, paving the way for vaccine this week
Washington Post Virtually all Americans should get an updated coronavirus shot, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Tuesday, with the vaccines expected to become available within 48 hours — as the respiratory illness season looms. Mandy Cohen, director of the CDC, advised that anyone 6 months and older should get at least one dose of […]
Sep 12, 2023
Should I get a COVID-19 booster?
Science Scientists continue to debate the pluses and minuses of extra doses of vaccine. On 12 September, a vaccine advisory group to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) once again will wrestle with the question of who in the United States should receive a booster shot to protect against COVID-19. As several new […]
Sep 12, 2023
A COVID cure worse than disease?
Harvard Gazette Study weighs in on fears that treatment could spawn super virus. COVID-19 patients are often prescribed antiviral drugs that work by reducing the number of viral particles circulating in the body. One such drug, molnupiravir, tricks the virus into generating mutations, some of which are lethal to the virus itself. The mutations eventually overwhelm […]
Sep 12, 2023
Why public health experts are concerned about BA.2.86, the latest COVID-19 variant
PBS Newshour The latest variant, or sublineage, of SARS-CoV-2 to emerge on the scene, BA.2.86, has public health experts on alert as COVID-19 hospitalizations begin to rise and the new variant makes its way across the globe. The Conversation asked Suresh V. Kuchipudi, a virologist and infectious disease expert at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, […]
Sep 12, 2023