Companies Developing Vaccines Against New Coronavirus Variants As concerns mount about mutations that could make the new coronavirus more difficult to fight, two companies say they’re working to develop new vaccines against emerging variants of the virus that causes COVID-19. GlaxoSmithKline is teaming with German biopharmaceutical company CureVac to createContinue Reading
Russian COVID-19 Vaccine Safe and Effective: Study Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine appears safe and effective, according to early results of a late-stage study. The trial of the vaccine, called Sputnik V, involved about 20,000 people in Russia last fall. It found that the vaccine is about 91% effective and also appearsContinue Reading
WHO Team Probing COVID Origins Visits Wuhan Food Markets As part of their trip to China to investigate the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, a World Health Organization team on Sunday went to two large food markets in the city of Wuhan. They spent about an hour at the HuananContinue Reading
Study Suggests COVID-19 Harms Men’s Fertility, But Experts Question Findings Severe COVID-19 might harm men’s fertility by reducing the quality of their sperm, a new study says, but some experts were skeptical about the findings. In the study, researchers analyzed semen from 84 men with COVID-19 and 105 uninfected men.Continue Reading
Millions of Pandemic Preparedness Dollars Misspent: Report Millions of dollars meant for pandemic preparedness and vaccine research were used by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for unrelated activities such as removing office furniture, administrative expenses, legal services, news subscriptions and the salaries of other department employees, anContinue Reading
Biden to Reopen HealthCare.gov Insurance Markets to Help with COVID Coverage An executive order to reopen the HealthCare.gov insurance markets for a special sign-up for Americans who need coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to be signed Thursday by President Joe Biden. Details of the plan, which would fulfillContinue Reading
Brazilian Coronavirus Variant Found in Minnesota The first known U.S. case of a more infectious Brazilian variant of the coronavirus has been confirmed in a person in Minnesota who recently traveled to Brazil, state health officials said Monday. The patient lives in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and became ill inContinue Reading
Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Effective Against British and South African Variants, Company Says Moderna says its COVID-19 vaccine remains effective against two worrisome new coronavirus variants from Britain and South Africa, but it is somewhat less effective against the South African variant. In response, the company says it is working onContinue Reading
Dr. Anthony Fauci Feels ‘Liberated’ in Biden Administration After nearly a year of being muzzled about the coronavirus pandemic by the Trump administration, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday that it’s “liberating” to be part of an administration that bases its decisions on science. “One of the new things in thisContinue Reading
Studies Pinpoint Genes That Raise Risk for Breast Cancer New research into exactly which genetic mutations increase breast cancer risk in women without a family history of the disease may help guide decisions about screening and preventive surgery, doctors say. The two large studies also examined how common these geneticContinue Reading