Health News

COVID-19: Scientists identify human genes that fight infection

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys have identified a set of human genes that fight SARS-CoV-2 infection, the virus that causes COVID-19. Knowing which genes help control viral infection can greatly assist researchers’ understanding of factors that affect disease severity and also suggest possible therapeutic options. The genes in question are related to interferons, the body’s […]

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Virus Variants Inciting India’s Second Surge, Epidemiologists Say

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – The second surge of COVID-19 cases in India has swamped hospitals much faster than the first because mutations in the virus mean each patient is infecting many more people than before, epidemiologists and doctors say. India’s daily infections skyrocketed more than 20-fold to more than 200,000 on Thursday since a multi-month-low […]

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Response to one COVID-19 vaccine dose strong in previously infected

(HealthDay)—For persons with a history of previous infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the neutralizing antibody titer is higher after one dose of mRNA vaccine than after two vaccine doses among previously uninfected persons, according to a research letter published online April 14 in the New England Journal of Medicine. Gabriele Anichini, […]

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Suppression of COVID-19 waves reflects time-dependent social activity, not herd immunity

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) have developed a new mathematical model for predicting how COVID-19 spreads. This model not only accounts for individuals’ varying biological susceptibility to infection but also their levels of social activity, which naturally change over time. Using their […]

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I got the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Now what?

I got the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Now what? Don’t panic. U.S. health officials on Tuesday recommended pausing vaccinations with J&J’s shot as they look into reports of six clots out of nearly 7 million doses given in the country. Health officials say to be vigilant, but to remember that reports of blood clots […]

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India overtakes Brazil as second worst-hit COVID-19 country

India on Monday overtook Brazil as the country with the second-highest number of coronavirus infections, as it reported a new daily record of more than 168,000 cases. The vast nation of 1.3 billion people has been reporting a rapid increase in new infections in recent weeks, with the surge taking the total toll to 13.5 […]