Omicron: South African scientists probe link between variants and untreated HIV
Covid variants may be mutating inside people with suppressed immunity. Source link
variants
COVID Cases Spike as Questions Remain About Omicron’s Threat
Dec. 17, 2021 — Top infectious disease officials expect a surge of COVID-19 cases after the holidays and say Omicron will soon take over as the dominant strain in the United States. The best way to stay protected is by getting vaccinated and boosted, they say. “For the unvaccinated, you’re looking at a winter of … Read more
Prepare, Be Patient, Be Present: Tips for Another COVID Holiday
Dec. 15, 2021 — ‘Tis the season — again — for holiday travel and get-togethers with friends and family amid the challenges of a global pandemic. Yes, personal and public protection measures remain essential, but that doesn’t mean you have to be a Scrooge about traveling and spending time with loved ones. You can still … Read more
Fauci: We May Know Next Week if Omicron Evades Immunity
Dec. 7, 2021 — Studies are underway in test tubes and animals to determine whether the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus can slip past the immune protection of vaccination or a previous infection. Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the results from tests of disabled and … Read more
In COVID Battle, Omicron May Outrun Delta, Experts Say
Dec. 3, 2021 — The genetic changes found in the new Omicron variant show that it could be passed more easily from person to person than Delta, according to the latest threat assessment from the United Kingdom’s Health Security Agency, which has done some of the best and fastest analyses of coronavirus variants in the … Read more
Rapid COVID-19 Tests Will Soon Be Covered by Insurance
Updated at 4:40 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2021. Dec. 2, 2021 — Private insurers will soon be required to reimburse people enrolled in their plans for the cost of at-home, rapid COVID-19 tests, and mask mandates will be extended for air, rail, and bus travelers through at least mid-March. The measures are part of a … Read more
First Omicron Variant Case Identified in U.S.
Dec. 1, 2021 — The first case of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in the United States was confirmed by officials today in an individual in California who had recently traveled to South Africa. He or she was fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and experienced only “mild symptoms that are improving,” officials with the CDC said. … Read more
Fauci: Omicron ‘Very Different From Other Variants’
Nov. 30, 2021 — The newly detected Omicron COVID-19 variant may be highly infectious and less responsive to available vaccines than other mutations, but it is too early to know how it compares to the Delta variant, top infectious disease official Anthony Fauci, MD, said Tuesday. Fauci, speaking at a White House COVID-19 briefing, said … Read more
COVID Spread Among Deer Causes Concern Over New Variants
Nov. 17, 2021 — Growing reports that white-tailed deer have been infected with the coronavuris along with continuing infections and illness in zoo animals and pets, is giving rise to concern that animals may become reservoirs for the development of new variants or even direct animal-to-human transmission. So far, it has mostly been humans who … Read more
Want to See What COVID Strain You Have? The Government Says No
Sept. 14, 2021 — Every day, more than 140,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with COVID-19. But no matter how curious they are about which variant they are fighting, none of them will find out. The country is dotted with labs that sequence the genomes of COVID-19 cases, and the CDC tracks … Read more