covid-19

After leading much of the developed world in first and second vaccination rates, the United States is now falling behind other Western countries in booster rates. According to Our World in data 28% of Americans have received a booster compared to 55% of the United Kingdom, 51% of France, and 44% of…

Sweden has joined a small list of nations to recommend a fourth COVID-19 vaccination. On Monday Sweden’s public health agency recommended that people 80 years and older take a second booster shot. Research done by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shown booster shot efficacy…

A small research study's findings point to dysfunction of the vagus nerve as a potential cause for long COVID-19. Researchers believe the virus alters the vagus nerve such as by thickening it. The vagus nerve is responsible for controlling heart rate, speech, movement of food, and other vital…

The World Health Organization has said that the COVID-19 sub-variant Omicron BA.2, first found in January, is now expected to spread globally. According to research in Denmark, Omicron BA.2 is 1.5 times more contagious than the original Omicron BA.1. However, vaccines are still highly effective in…

With the dramatic drops in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, California is lifting its indoor masking mandate in public settings. Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted that due to stabilizing hospitalizations across the state and a 65% decrease in cases since the Omicron peak the indoor mask mandate for…

Experts in India have begun research on a COVID-19 vaccine that would be applied nasally rather than injected into the bloodstream. With the rise of variants such as Omicron, current COVID-19 vaccines have seen a decrease in long-term protection against the coronavirus. Nasal vaccines could be a…

Talk of COVID-19 becoming an endemic illness has escalated in recent weeks with the rise of the Omicron variant. However, some experts have warned against this characterization. Raina MacIntyre, a professor of global biosecurity at the University of New South Wales in Sydney has said case numbers…

The military services have adapted a thorough process to deal with individuals who refuse the vaccination, as well as those who request medical, administrative, or religious exemptions. On Wednesday, the Army announced that soldiers who refuse to receive the obligatory COVID-19 vaccination will be…

 On Monday, January 31, 2022, following the long-awaited submission of data, Novavax announced Monday that it had formally filed a request for emergency use authorization of its protein-based COVID-19 vaccine in the United States. If authorized, the Novavax shots could be the first COVID-19…

Pfizer and BioNTech have requested emergency use authorization from the FDA to be able to administer the COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 6 months up to 5 years. The FDA’s vaccine committee is set to meet on February 15 to discuss this submission.  According to Dr. Paul Offit, a member of the…

After many people seemingly randomly experience long term symptoms of COVID, studies have now just found certain biological indicators that might help predict who is most at risk. The first is the magnitude of the viral load indicated by coronavirus RNA levels in blood in the beginning of an…

In light of the flattening Omicron surge, the White House has discussed what coexisting with COVID-19 without interruptions to normal life would look like. White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients on Wednesday said vaccines and other treatments will be the main tools in treating and…

The Biden administration has officially withdrawn its vaccine and testing mandate aimed at large businesses after the Supreme Court blocked the rule earlier this month. The mandate would have required businesses with one hundred or more employees to make full vaccination, regular COVID-19 testing,…

Spain was one of the first European countries to declare a stay-at-home order and now, almost two years later, Spain is preparing for an alternative approach. The country is currently home to one of Europe’s highest vaccination rates wit simultaneously being the most pandemic-battered economy.…