Coronavirus – Page 2 – The News Desk

5Sep

By adminNo Comments

Health

Everything you need to know about the new Covid variant – podcast | Science

The UK Health Security Agency has announced plans to bring forward its autumn Covid-19 vaccination programme, and scale up testing and surveillance, after the emergence of the BA.2.86 variant. Madeleine Finlay and Ian Sample discuss where current infection rates stand, the characteristics of the new variant, and how prepared the UK is for a new wave How to listen to podcasts: everything you need to know

The Best N95, KF94, and KN95 Face Masks (2023)

3Sep

By adminNo Comments

Technology

The Best N95, KF94, and KN95 Face Masks (2023)

It's incredibly important to get a mask that fits your face. A big part of the reason cloth or even surgical masks can be less effective is due to the gaps between the mask and the face. These areas can allow unfiltered air to get through and enter your nose and mouth. N95 masks are generally designed to fit snugly, which is why they're safer. However, the CDC advises those with heart or lung problems to talk to their doctor before using an N95 since wearing these masks can make it harder to breathe.What Are Workplace Performance Masks?Most of the CDC and Food and Drug Administration's mask guidance and standards were initially designed with medical settings like doctors' offices and hospitals in mind. However, the pandemic has made it much more common and necessary for people to wear mas...

7 Face Masks Your Kids May Actually Wear (2023)

3Sep

By adminNo Comments

Technology

7 Face Masks Your Kids May Actually Wear (2023)

For three years, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued complicated—and occasionally contradictory—guidance on when you should wear a mask, depending on whether you're inside, outside, vaccinated, or not vaccinated. But no matter how cautious you are, if you're a parent, there is one significant way you're probably getting sick: Your kid is now in school.This summer brought an uptick in cases, due to a number of factors—whether that was wildfire smoke that may affect the immune system or waning immunity from vaccinations. Ventilation and vaccination remain key tools in combating the spread, and so is a good mask. Unvaccinated children 2 years old and above should wear face masks in public spaces. If your kids are back in school or if you're planning to travel t...

Amid rise in COVID hospitalizations, health experts reveal new details about updated boosters

29Aug

By adminNo Comments

Health

Amid rise in COVID hospitalizations, health experts reveal new details about updated boosters

Amid rise in COVID hospitalizations, health experts reveal new details about updated boosters - CBS News Watch CBS News There has been a rise in COVID hospitalizations, and as cooler weather approaches, the CDC revealed its timeline for updated boosters. Dr. Celine Gounder explains what to expect this fall. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

New COVID variants EG.5, FL.1.5.1 and BA.2.86 are spreading. Here’s what to know.

23Aug

By adminNo Comments

Health

New COVID variants EG.5, FL.1.5.1 and BA.2.86 are spreading. Here’s what to know.

Health authorities say they're closely tracking the spread of three new COVID-19 variants now spreading around the country.Levels of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths for now remain far below previous peaks seen during past summer and winter waves of the virus, but have been climbing steadily for several weeks.Public health officials have said that they're well-equipped for the latest seasonal uptick in the virus, with COVID-19 tests and forthcoming vaccines expected to work for the variants on the rise around the country. But the appearance of a new "highly mutated" variant has raised questions among virus trackers about what the coming months could hold.Here's the latest about what we know about the new COVID-19 variants now on the rise. Wh...

CDC tracking new COVID variant BA.2.86 after highly mutated strain reported in Michigan

18Aug

By adminNo Comments

Health

CDC tracking new COVID variant BA.2.86 after highly mutated strain reported in Michigan

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday it is tracking a recently discovered COVID-19 strain, BA.2.86, after a case of the highly mutated variant was discovered in Michigan. "Today we are more prepared than ever to detect and respond to changes in the COVID-19 virus. Scientists are working now to understand more about the newly identified lineage in these 4 cases and we will share more information as it becomes available," CDC spokesperson Kathleen Conley said in a statement to CBS News. Experts say reports of BA.2.86 being spotted in countries on multiple continents — Denmark, Israel, U.K. and U.S. — suggest it is at least capable of transmitting widely and could have been spreading undetected for some time. It comes afte...

COVID hospitalizations accelerate for fourth straight week

16Aug

By adminNo Comments

Health

COVID hospitalizations accelerate for fourth straight week

New COVID-19 hospitalizations have accelerated for a fourth straight week, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data now shows.A total of 10,320 patients in the U.S. were newly hospitalized with COVID-19 for the week ending August 5, according to the figures published Monday, an increase of 14.3% from the week before. Levels remain far below the summer peak that strained hospitals at this time last year, when 42,813 admissions were reported for the week of August 6, 2022. Where are COVID hospital trends worst?Hospitals across the Southeast are continuing to report the nation's highest rate of COVID-19 admissions. In the region spanning Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, 4.58 new patients...

CDC says COVID variant EG.5 is now dominant, including strain some call “Eris”

14Aug

By adminNo Comments

Health

CDC says COVID variant EG.5 is now dominant, including strain some call “Eris”

The EG.5 variant now makes up the largest proportion of new COVID-19 infections nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated, as multiple parts of the country have been reporting their first upticks of the virus in months.Overall, as of Friday, 17.3% of COVID-19 cases nationwide were projected to be caused by EG.5, more than any other group, up from 7.5% through the first week of July. The next most common variants after EG.5 are now XBB.1.16 at 15.6%, XBB.2.23 at 11.2% and XBB.1.5 at 10.3%. Some other new XBB spinoffs are now being ungrouped from their parents by the CDC, including FL.1.5.1, which now accounts for 8.6% of new cases. EG.5 includes a strain with a subgroup of variants designated as EG.5.1, which a biology professo...

First long COVID treatment clinical trials from NIH getting underway

13Aug

By adminNo Comments

Health

First long COVID treatment clinical trials from NIH getting underway

Two new clinical trials to test potential treatments for long COVID are now set to launch, the National Institutes of Health said Monday, opening enrollment for the first of an array of federally-funded studies aimed at evaluating treatments for long-term symptoms still faced by many COVID-19 survivors.They will begin with a study into using Pfizer's Paxlovid antiviral pills, the NIH announced, which are currently only approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat COVID-19 early during an infection. Up to 900 patients will be enrolled in the study, which is named RECOVER-VITAL — a smaller number than was previously planned. The trial's design has also been tweaked to test taking the pills for 25 days, a difference from another recent study from Stanford University that was stoppe...

Loss of smell or taste was once a telltale sign of COVID. Not anymore.

12Aug

By adminNo Comments

Health

Loss of smell or taste was once a telltale sign of COVID. Not anymore.

Once a hallmark sign of many COVID-19 cases — sometimes more reliable than even flu-like symptoms at sniffing out people infected by the virus early in the pandemic — was the sudden loss of smell and taste. But growing research suggests this symptom has become far less common, with only a small fraction of new patients reporting it last year.The findings come from analysis of a sweeping dataset of medical records gathered by the National Institutes of Health for COVID-19 researchers from around the country. "In the past, people were quite aware, if they had a cold and they lost their sense of smell, that they potentially had COVID. Whereas now, you really can't tell," Dr. Evan Reiter, medical director of VCU Health's Smell and Taste Disorders Center, told CBS News. ...