Category: Science and Tech
When is it OK to make germs worse in a lab? It’s a more relevant question than ever
(NPR) Over 150 virologists have signed on to a commentary that says all the evidence to date indicates that the coronavirus pandemic started naturally, and it wasn’t the result of some kind of lab accident or malicious attack. They worry that continued speculation about a lab in China is fueling calls for more regulation of experiments with […]
Jan 31, 2023
How Effective Is Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir in Vaccinated Persons with COVID-19?
(NEJM) Preferred therapies for mild-to-moderate COVID-19 include a 3-day intravenous course of remdesivir or nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid). The only published randomized trial of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir was conducted prior to widespread vaccination (N Engl J Med 2022; 386:1397. opens in new tab). Thus, clinicians need further information on the effectiveness of this treatment in more-heavily immune populations. Investigators […]
Jan 24, 2023
A New Report Outlines a Vision for National Wastewater Surveillance
(New York Times) The Covid-19 pandemic demonstrated the promise of tracking pathogens in sewage. Now, the nation needs to act on it, experts say. Wastewater surveillance provided valuable public health information during the Covid-19 pandemic and merits “further development and continued investment,” according to a new report released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine […]
Jan 24, 2023
Airplane lavatories deliver new hope for the CDC’s variant hunt
(Politico) The cramped, damp and poorly lit airplane toilet is among the scourges of air travel, a source of dread for young and old alike. But the deafening “swoosh” of the airplane lavatory may have finally found a higher calling: helping government scientists detect deadly viruses entering the United States. As Covid-19 cases explode in […]
Jan 17, 2023
Can you use an expired at-home COVID-19 test?
(NBC) Many of us may have stored extra at-home COVID-19 tests in case they are needed in the future, but what should you do if the kit is past its expiration date? According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a COVID-19 testing kit should not be used if it is expired since the parts […]
Jan 17, 2023
What seniors need to know about taking Paxlovid
(CNN) A new coronavirus variant is circulating, the most transmissible one yet. Hospitalizations of infected patients are rising. And older adults represent nearly 90% of US deaths from Covid-19 in recent months, the largest portion since the start of the pandemic. What does that mean for people 65 and older catching Covid for the first […]
Jan 17, 2023
USDA reports more H5N1 avian flu in mammals, including bears
(CIDRAP) The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) recently reported 12 more highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu detections in mammals, including skunks, bears, a raccoon, and a red fox. Most of the animals that tested positive were from West Coast states, including Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. Oregon reported the virus in […]
Jan 10, 2023
Stanford Medicine scientists pinpoint COVID-19 virus’s entry and exit ports inside our noses
(Stanford Medicine) A discovery by Stanford Medicine researchers and colleagues may pave the way for a “morning after” or prophylactic nasal spray to prevent infection. Somebody just coughed on you. On a plane. At a dinner party. In a supermarket line. If only there were a “morning after” nasal spray that could knock out respiratory […]
Jan 10, 2023
COVID-19 is more widespread in animals than we thought
(National Geographic) From lions and tigers to big hairy armadillos, a growing number of animals have been infected with the coronavirus. Here’s what we’ve learned. We think of COVID-19 as a human pandemic, but it’s much more than that. The virus that causes the disease, SARS-CoV-2, can infect a wide and growing range of animals, […]
Jan 10, 2023