COVID-19 Vaccine Makers Planning for Variants Pfizer and BioNTech say they plan to update their original COVID-19 vaccine and also test a third booster shot in order to prepare for the possibility that new coronavirus variants may be more resistant to the vaccine. “We are taking multiple steps to actContinue Reading
New Coronavirus Variant Surging in California A coronavirus variant first identified in California is more contagious than previous forms of the virus and is spreading across the state, two new studies show. One of them found that compared to other variants, this variant produces twice as many viral particles insideContinue Reading
Transplant Recipient Dies After Receiving COVID-19-Infected Lungs A Michigan woman died of COVID-19 after receiving a double-lung transplant from a donor infected with the new coronavirus, a newly published case study says. It may be the first confirmed time in the United States that the virus was transmitted via anContinue Reading
Listeria Outbreak Spurs Recall of Queso Fresco cheeses All Queso Fresco cheeses made by El Abuelito Cheese, Inc. have been recalled after being linked to a listeria outbreak in four states, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says. There have been seven illnesses so far reported, with four in Maryland,Continue Reading
U.S. to Provide $4 Billion for International COVID-19 Vaccine Program The United States will soon start providing $4 billion for COVAX, an international program to buy and distribute coronavirus vaccines to poor countries. White House officials said President Joe Biden will make the announcement Friday at a G-7 meeting, andContinue Reading
THURSDAY, Feb. 18, 2021 (HealthDay News) — There’s no evidence that the new coronavirus can spread through food or food packaging, U.S. health officials say. Of the more than 100 million cases of COVID-19 worldwide, there hasn’t been any epidemiological evidence of food or food packaging as the source ofContinue Reading
Many U.S. Troops Refusing COVID-19 Vaccination Thousands of U.S. military personnel are refusing or delaying COVID-19 vaccination, even as service members are being deployed to help give shots at vaccination centers nationwide. Up to two-thirds of troops who were offered the vaccine have accepted the shots, “very early data” show,Continue Reading
U.S. Calls for Swift Action on New Ebola Outbreaks Swift action is needed on two new Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Guinea “to avoid catastrophic consequences,” the White House said Tuesday. “While the world is reeling from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Ebola has againContinue Reading
Pfizer Vaccine Cuts COVID-19 Symptoms by 90% in Real-World Study In a ‘real-world’ study, COVID-19 symptoms are reduced by more than 90% in people who receive the Pfizer vaccine. Israeli researchers analyzed data on 1.2 million people, about half of whom received the vaccine, CNN reported. Among those who receivedContinue Reading
TUESDAY, Feb. 16, 2021 (HealthDay News) — As pot gains in acceptance among adults, teenagers appear to be more tempted to try it, a new study out of California finds. After the state legalized marijuana use for adults in 2016, teens’ use of the drug also climbed after years ofContinue Reading