Analysis

Why is Delta so infectious? New lab tool spotlights little noticed mutation

Fri, 2021-11-05 19:35 — mike kraft

New lab tool spotlights mutation that speeds spread of Delta variant

As the world has learned to its cost, the Delta variant of the pandemic coronavirus is more than twice as infectious as previous strains. Just what drives Delta’s ability to spread so rapidly hasn’t been clear, however. Now, a new lab strategy that makes it possible to quickly and safely study the effects of mutations in SARS-CoV-2 variants has delivered one answer: a little-noticed mutation in Delta that allows the virus to stuff more of its genetic code into host cells, thus boosting the chances that each infected cell will spread the virus to another cell.

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Questions answered on coronavirus vaccines for children

Fri, 2021-11-05 11:14 — mike kraft

Your questions on coronavirus vaccines for children, answered The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved coronavirus vaccinations for children between the ages of 5 and 11 on Tuesday, and the Biden administration has said the effort will begin in earnest next week. YahooNews

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Gene linked to doubling risk of COVID-19 death found by UK scientists

Fri, 2021-11-05 10:31 — mike kraft

Gene linked to doubling risk of COVID-19 death found by UK scientists British scientists have identified a gene that doubles the risk of dying from COVID-19, providing new insights into why some people are more susceptible to the disease than others, while opening up possibilities for targeted medicine. Reuters Reuters

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EXPLAINER: What the federal vaccine mandate means for U.S. firms and workers

Fri, 2021-11-05 09:56 — mike kraft

EXPLAINER: What vaccine mandate means for firms and workers The Biden administration's sweeping new COVID-19 mandate will apply to 84 million workers at mid-size and large companies. President Joe Biden described the rules issued Thursday as urgently needed to get more Americans inoculated. AP NEWS

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Here is a closer look at the new COVID rules and what they mean for companies and their employees:

WHAT DO THE NEW RULES DO?

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Masks offer the greatest protection indoors but other public-health measures matter, too --New study .

Thu, 2021-11-04 18:14 — mike kraft

When are masks most useful? COVID cases offer... Nature - Masks offer the greatest protection indoors and during long exposures to people infected with the coronavirus — but other public-health measures matter, too. Remmel, Ariana nature

An analysis of hundreds of COVID-19 cases suggests that face masks are most protective in specific circumstances, such as exposure to a person with COVID-19 that lasts for more than three hours or that takes place indoors¹.

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Why scientists worldwide are watching the UK's COVID infections experiences

Thu, 2021-11-04 11:26 — mike kraft

Why scientists worldwide are watching UK COVID... Nature - The country’s relaxation of measures such as masking — especially in England — is showing the limits of relying on vaccines alone. Taylor, Luke nature

The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom has often foreshadowed what came later elsewhere. The highly contagious Alpha variant was first detected there, and the country then reported high caseloads of the more-contagious Delta strain before this variant dispersed around the rest of the world. The United Kingdom also saw a wave of infections that seems to have preceded a similar glut now sweeping Western Europe.

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Life expectancy fell sharply in the U.S. and Russia last year because of COVID

Thu, 2021-11-04 10:57 — mike kraft

The United States had the second-steepest decline in life expectancy among high-income countries last year during the pandemic, according to a study of death data spanning several continents.

The only country studied that saw a starker overall trend was Russia.

The study, published Wednesday in The BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal), assessed premature death in 37 countries, comparing observed life expectancy in 2020 with what would have been expected for the year based on historical trends from 2005-2019. Life expectancy dropped in 31 of these countries during the pandemic.

The U.S. trend was among the worst. ...

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COVID proteins that trigger strokes and heart attacks identified by Israeli team

Wed, 2021-11-03 20:12 — mike kraft

COVID proteins that trigger strokes and heart attacks identified by Israeli team Discovery, made through ‘peek in virus's black box,’ could lead to therapies that halt havoc wrought on vascular system, say Tel Aviv University scientists timesofisrael

Israeli scientists have identified the virus proteins that are triggering strokes and heart attacks in COVID-19 patients, in a breakthrough they expect will pave the way for new drugs.

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