Updates
How COVID-19 Attacks The Brain And May Cause Lasting Damage-NPR
Early in the pandemic, people with COVID-19 began reporting an odd symptom: the loss of smell and taste. The reason wasn't congestion. Somehow, the SARS-CoV-2 virus appeared to be affecting nerves that carry information from the nose to the brain. That worried neurologists. Their fears proved well-founded — though the damage may come from the body and brain's response to the virus rather than the virus itself. NPR, … Continue Reading
January 05, 2021
Already Free Of Coronavirus, This Pacific Islands Country Could Become The First In The World To Be Vaccinated-CNN
A cluster of islands in the Pacific Ocean that's one of the few places on Earth entirely free from Covid-19 could become one of the first countries vaccinated against the disease. The Republic of Palau, an archipelago home to about 18,000 people, received its first shipment of the vaccine developed by US pharmaceutical company Moderna on Saturday. Vaccinations started the next day, Palau's Ministry of Health announced on Twitter. The first shipment included 2,800 doses of the vaccine, which … Continue Reading
January 05, 2021
Pandemic Haunts New Year As Virus Growth Outpaces Vaccines-The Associated Press
Despite growing vaccine access, January is looking grim around the globe as the virus resurges and reshapes itself from Britain to Japan to California, filling hospitals and threatening livelihoods anew as governments lock down businesses and race to find solutions. Mexico City’s hospitals hold more virus patients than they ever have. Germany reported one of its highest daily death tolls to date Tuesday, and South African undertakers are struggling to keep up with virus mortalities. Even … Continue Reading
January 05, 2021
Scientists Criticize ‘Rushed’ Approval Of Indian COVID-19 Vaccine Without Efficacy Data-Science Magazine
India’s drug regulator approved two COVID-19 vaccines on 3 January, a decision Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed on Twitter as “a decisive turning point to strengthen a spirited fight!” against the pandemic and a testament to the Indian scientific community’s self reliance. But some scientists and patient advocates are sharply critical of the move—in particular, the decision to greenlight Covaxin, a vaccine developed in India by Bharat Biotech, without awaiting the results of a phase III … Continue Reading
January 05, 2021
China Doubles Down On COVID Narrative As WHO Investigation Looms-Reuters
As a team from the World Health Organization (WHO) prepares to visit China to investigate the origins of COVID-19, Beijing has stepped up efforts not only to prevent new outbreaks, but also shape the narrative about when and where the pandemic began. China has dismissed criticism of its early handling of the coronavirus, first identified in the city of Wuhan at the end of 2019, and foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Monday that the country would welcome the WHO team. Reuters, … Continue Reading
January 05, 2021
Some Health Care Workers Say They Are 'Forgotten' In COVID-19 Vaccination Plans-NPR
Carlos Reyes wears a mask at home and eats alone in his bedroom. During the night, he has nightmares of accidently infecting his family with COVID-19. During the day, he works as a certified nursing assistant at nursing homes in central Massachusetts, often caring for COVID-19 patients. Reyes assumed that as a frontline healthcare worker he would be among the first to receive the vaccine. But when he asked his nursing homes about getting a shot, the answer was "no." NPR, … Continue Reading
January 04, 2021
New COVID Vaccines Need Absurd Amounts Of Material And Labor-Scientific American
Barely a year ago few people outside of a small network of scientists and companies had heard of mRNA vaccines. Today millions are pinning their hopes on these genetics-based immunizations, which have taken center stage in the fight against COVID. But deficiencies in needed supplies and materials for making the vaccines could lead to widespread shortages, some scientists say. Scientific American, … Continue Reading
January 04, 2021
Midwest Economy Improving But Businesses Less Optimistic-The Associated Press
The economy continues improving in nine Midwest and Plains states but business leaders are less optimistic after the latest surge in coronavirus cases in the region, according to a new monthly survey released Monday. The overall index for the region suggests strong growth even though it dipped to 64.1 in December from November’s 69. Any score above 50 on the survey’s indexes suggests growth, while a score below 50 suggests recession. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the … Continue Reading
January 04, 2021
Parents Worry As Crowded Kenyan Schools Reopen After Coronavirus Shutdown-Reuters
Hundreds of children formed an orderly queue that snaked through Nairobi’s biggest slum Kibera on Monday, waiting to enter classrooms for the first time since March, when the government closed schools after Kenya reported its first COVID-19 case. The country is the last in East Africa to fully reopen its schools. Children in grades four, eight and 12 returned to class in October so they could prepare for exams postponed amid the pandemic. The World Health Organization and the U.N. children’s … Continue Reading
January 04, 2021
Britain Takes A Gamble With Covid-19 Vaccines, Upping The Stakes For The Rest Of Us-STAT
In an extraordinary time, British health authorities are taking extraordinary measures to beat back Covid-19. But some experts say that, in doing so, they are also taking a serious gamble. In recent days, the British have said they will stretch out the interval between the administration of the two doses required for Covid-19 vaccines already in use — potentially to as long as three months, instead of the recommended three or four weeks. And they have said they will permit the first dose and … Continue Reading
January 04, 2021
COVID-19 Cases Surge In U.S. As Vaccinations Fall Below Government Predictions-NPR
The grim milestones are piling up as the United States experiences another surge in coronavirus cases. Nearly 300,000 new cases were reported on Saturday. The cumulative death toll crossed more than 350,000 the same day, according to the Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard. Saturday's total of 299,087 new cases marks a new single-day high for the U.S. Though COVID-19 deaths on Saturday totaled 2,398, down from the record high of 3,750 on Dec. 30. NPR, … Continue Reading
December 23, 2020
Pfizer To Supply US With Additional 100M Vaccines Doses-The Associated Press
Pfizer said Wednesday it will supply the U.S. government with an additional 100 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine under a new agreement between the pharmaceutical giant and the Trump administration. Pfizer and its partner BioNTech said that will bring their total current commitment to 200 million doses for the U.S. That should be enough to vaccinate 100 million people with the two-shot regimen. The government also has an option to purchase an additional 400 million doses. The Associated … Continue Reading
December 23, 2020
Mexico To Start COVID Vaccinations As Virus Stretches Hospitals-Reuters
Mexico said it will begin inoculating health workers against COVID-19 on Thursday with the arrival of the first vaccines, as the government battles a sharp surge in infections that has put hospitals under immense strain. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Wednesday vaccinations will begin at hospitals in Mexico City and the northern city of Saltillo, speaking before the first Pfizer vaccines were flown into the capital from Belgium. Reuters, … Continue Reading
December 23, 2020
COVID-19 Vaccines Are A Scientific Feat — But Lower-Income Nations Are Still Fighting For Equity-Devex
The European Commission on Monday approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine, paving the way for European countries to join high-income countries such as the U.S. and U.K. in vaccinating their most at-risk populations. But for many lower-income countries, it remains unclear when their high-risk populations will be able to get their vaccinations. While the past year has seen unprecedented advances in science, it has also seen higher income countries hoarding vaccine doses from … Continue Reading
December 23, 2020
‘Every Day Is An Emergency’: The Pandemic Is Worsening Psychiatric Bed Shortages Nationwide-STAT
The Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically cut the availability of inpatient psychiatric beds, with facilities across the country forced to reduce their capacity to meet social distancing requirements, stem outbreaks of the virus, or repurpose psychiatric beds to care for the surge of Covid-19 patients. The crisis — combined with years of mental health care budget cuts, rising demand for mental health care, and an existing shortage of both psychiatric beds and providers — appears to have put … Continue Reading
December 23, 2020
Trump Slams COVID-19 Relief Bill, Asks For Changes After Bitter Negotiations-NPR
President Trump is threatening to derail a $900 billion COVID-19 relief package passed by Congress on Monday after months of bitter negotiations. In a video released on his Twitter feed Tuesday evening, Trump said he wants Congress to "send me a suitable bill or else the next administration will have to deliver a COVID relief package." Trump said the bill was a "disgrace" and called the payments of up to $600 to qualifying individuals in the current bill "ridiculously low." NPR, … Continue Reading
December 22, 2020
Suspicions Grow That Nanoparticles In Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine Trigger Rare Allergic Reactions-Science Magazine
Severe allergy-like reactions in at least eight people who received the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech over the past 2 weeks may be due to a compound in the packaging of the messenger RNA (mRNA) that forms the vaccine’s main ingredient, scientists say. A similar mRNA vaccine developed by Moderna, which was authorized for emergency use in the United States on Friday, also contains the compound, polyethylene glycol (PEG). PEG has never been used before in an approved vaccine, … Continue Reading
December 22, 2020
US Public School Enrollment Dips As Virus Disrupts Education-The Associated Press
Fearful of sending her two children back to school as the coronavirus pandemic raged in Mississippi, Angela Atkins decided to give virtual learning a chance this fall. Almost immediately, it was a struggle. Their district in Lafayette County didn’t offer live instruction to remote learners, and Atkins’ fourth grader became frustrated with doing worksheets all day and missed interacting with teachers and peers. Her seventh grader didn’t receive the extra support he did at school through his … Continue Reading
December 22, 2020
Drugmakers Rush To Test Whether Vaccines Stop Coronavirus Variant-Reuters
Drug makers including BioNTech and Moderna are scrambling to test their COVID-19 vaccines against the new fast-spreading variant of the virus that is raging in Britain, the latest challenge in the breakneck race to curb the pandemic. Ugur Sahin, chief executive of Germany’s BioNTech, which with partner Pfizer took less than a year to get a vaccine approved, said on Tuesday he needs another two weeks to know if his shot can stop the mutant variant of the virus. Reuters, … Continue Reading
December 22, 2020
UN Food Systems Envoy Warns Of Double Threat To Food Security In Africa Next Year-Devex
With the impacts of climate change becoming more pronounced in Africa, the continent has experienced cycles of extreme weather, including droughts, floods, and cyclones that are fueling widespread food insecurity. This year, food insecurity was further exacerbated by COVID-19, through disruptions in trade and increases in prices. Despite the challenges, Agnes Kalibata, president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, said that the continent was spared the worst-case scenario this … Continue Reading