Science.org: “As this year begins, the Omicron variant is smashing COVID-19 infection records across Europe, North America, Africa, and Australia. With massive numbers of people infected or in quarantine, tens of thousands of flights and trains have been canceled, and work and schools disrupted. Earlier in the pandemic, the frightful, near-vertical rise in cases would… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Medicine
The Year in Cheer 192 ways the world got better in 2021
Reasons to Be Cheerful – This is a wonderful read not least because amidst the upheavals of life in the time of COVID, individuals and groups around the world have chosen, in a myriad of ways to create change in innovative and impactful ways that benefits the lives of millions around the world. A sustainable… Continue Reading
Israel approves 4th vaccine dose for most vulnerable
“TEL AVIV (AP) — Israel has approved a fourth vaccine dose for people most vulnerable to COVID-19, an official said Thursday, becoming one of the first countries to do so as it braces for a wave of infections fueled by the omicron variant. Nachman Ash, the director general of the Health Ministry, announced the decision… Continue Reading
Cancer Patients With Breakthrough COVID-19 Remain at Risk for Severe Outcomes
Physician’s Weekly: “Patients with cancer who develop breakthrough infection following COVID-19 vaccination remain at risk for severe outcomes, according to a study published online Dec. 24 in the Annals of Oncology. Andrew L. Schmidt, M.B., B.S., from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and colleagues examined the clinical features of patients with cancer who developed… Continue Reading
FDA authorizes second COVID-19 antiviral pill
The Verge: “The Food and Drug Administration authorized a second at-home antiviral pill to treat COVID-19 on Thursday. The clearance for the drug, called molnupiravir, came a day after the agency signed off on Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral, called Paxlovid. Both drugs reduce the risk of hospitalization and death in people diagnosed with COVID-19 and at… Continue Reading
Covid’s Risk to Older Adults – Ready to give up on the pandemic?
The New York Times – Spare a moment to think about older people. “Some of the country’s new Covid acceptance — or fatalism — stems from frustration with the costs of pandemic precautions: the loss of learning from closed schools; the isolation from social distancing; the nationwide rise in blood pressure, drug overdoses, mental health… Continue Reading
CDC Report Shows Steep Drop in US Life Expectancy in 2020
Kottke.org: “The CDC recently released their report on Mortality in the United States, 2020 and this graph of US life expectancy at birth since 1950 by Christopher Ingraham dramatically summarizes the report’s main finding: That’s a decrease in life expectancy of 1.8 years from 2019. Here are some more of the report’s significant findings: In… Continue Reading
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Authorizes First Oral Antiviral for Treatment of COVID-19
“Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for Pfizer’s Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir tablets and ritonavir tablets, co-packaged for oral use) for the treatment of mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in adults and pediatric patients (12 years of age and older weighing at least 40 kilograms or about 88 pounds) with positive… Continue Reading
US Army Creates Single Vaccine Effective Against All COVID & SARS Variants, Researchers Say
Defense One – “Within weeks, scientists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research expect to announce that they have developed a vaccine that is effective against COVID-19 and all its variants, even Omicron, as well as from previous SARS-origin viruses that have killed millions of people worldwide. The achievement is the result of almost… Continue Reading
This Scientist Created a Rapid Test Just Weeks Into the Pandemic
ProPublica: “Here’s Why You Still Can’t Get It. Irene Bosch developed a quick, inexpensive COVID-19 test in early 2020. When COVID-19 started sweeping across America in the spring of 2020, Irene Bosch knew she was in a unique position to help. The Harvard-trained scientist had just developed quick, inexpensive tests for several tropical diseases, and… Continue Reading
The World’s Most Profitable Traffic Jam
“Welcome to BIG, a newsletter about the politics of monopoly. If you’d like to sign up, you can do so here. Or just read on…Today’s issue is on an unusual type of story – it’s about how politics can work to fix a major social problem. Ten days ago, the House of Representatives passed a bill… Continue Reading
President Biden Announces New Actions to Protect Americans and Help Communities and Hospitals Battle Omicron
Fact Sheet: “…Increased Support for Hospitals: The President will take several steps to ensure states and health systems across the country have the personnel, beds, and supplies they need as they battle rising Omicron hospitalizations, mostly among the unvaccinated. Today’s steps build on the President’s Winter Plan, which made over 60 Winter COVID-19 emergency response… Continue Reading
