By Andrew Harding, BBC News South African scientists – hailed for their discovery of Omicron – are investigating the “highly plausible hypothesis” that the emergence of new Covid-19 variants could be linked, in some cases, to mutations taking place inside infected people whose immune systems have already been weakened by other factors, including, though not […]
By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY A study by Oregon researchers finds that people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 who have a breakthrough infection end up with what the authors call “super immunity.” They caution the vaccinated should not seek COVID-19 infection, but the “hybrid immunity” offers some solace for those who catch one despite having been […]
By Dr. Dave A. Chokshi As a father of a young child and the City’s doctor, it has been especially meaningful for me to see so many brave children roll up their sleeves to get vaccinated against COVID-19. I have had the privilege of being present when some have gotten their first dose. I remember […]
By David Leonhardt, NY Times Get ready for the Omicron surge, and take it seriously. But remember that the vaccines appear to provide strong protection against what matters most: severe Covid illnesses. That’s my reading of experts’ reactions to the latest developments on the Omicron variant. Today, I will walk through them. Highly contagious The […]
By Colbert I. King, Washington Post A fellow was stuck on his rooftop in a flood. He was praying to God for help. Soon a man in a rowboat came by and shouted to the man on the roof: “Jump in. I can save you.” The stranded fellow shouted back: “No, it’s okay. I’m praying […]
By Dave Goldiner and Chris Sommerfeldt, NY Daily News All private sector workers in the city must be vaccinated against COVID-19 under a first-in-the-nation mandate rolled out by Mayor de Blasio on Monday — but the sweeping new rule drew swift pushback from business leaders and could pose a logistical headache for incoming Mayor Eric […]
By Shabir A. Madhi, The Conversation South Africa reacted with outrage to travel bans, first triggered by the UK, imposed on it in the wake of the news that its genomics surveillance team had detected a new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The Network for Genomics Surveillance in South Africa has been monitoring changes in […]
By Suresh V. Kuchipudi, The Conversation A new variant named omicron (B.1.1.529) was reported by researchers in South Africa on Nov. 24, 2021, and designated a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization two days later. Omicron is very unusual in that it is by far the most heavily mutated variant yet of SARS-CoV-2, […]
By Nancy S. Jecker & Caesar Atuire, The Conversation Omicron, the latest COVID-19 variant dubbed a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization, has prompted new travel restrictions in many nations. Although little is known about omicron, scientists have expressed concern that it may be more transmissible or vaccine-resistant than previous variants. On Nov. […]
By Tamra Burns Loeb, Gail Wyatt, Michele R. Cooley-Strickland, The Conversation With college students back on campus, and COVID-19 with us for the foreseeable future, it has become increasingly clear that educators need to develop a new definition of safer sex. Although the virus is not a sexually transmitted infection, students can spread COVID-19 through […]