Hong Kong is in “all-out combat” to contain a surge in coronavirus cases, the city’s number two official said on February 20, with the ramping up of community isolation and treatment units helped by mainland Chinese construction teams.
Antibodies induced by mRNA COVID-19 vaccines keep improving in quality for at least six months while the immune system continues to “train” its antibody-producing B cells, according to a new study. In other research, dysfunctional red blood cells contribute to the blood vessel injuries common in severe COVID-19, according to laboratory studies that also may suggest a way to treat the problem.
Malaysian researchers found that treatment with the anti-parasite drug ivermectin did not prevent patients with COVID-19 from becoming severely ill in a randomized clinical trial published in the JAMA Internal Medicine journal on February 18.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on February 17 that the FTC would file a lawsuit aimed at stopping the merger of Rhode Island’s two largest health care providers, Lifespan Corp. and Care New England Health System.
Top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said on February 16 that it is time for the United States to start inching back towards normality, despite remaining risks from COVID-19.
An Omicron-specific booster could be ready by August, the CEO of U.S. biotech firm Moderna told Reuters, but the firm is still gathering clinical data to determine whether that vaccine would offer better protection than a new dose of the existing jab.
BioNTech’s co-founder and top executive said the vaccine maker has no plans to enforce its intellectual property rights should organizations in Africa strike out on their own to produce unauthorized versions of the company’s shot.
More than one year after the first COVID-19 vaccination was administered in the United States and more than 545 million doses later, new data from a survey conducted online by The Harris Poll among over 2,000 U.S. adults on behalf of Ocugen Inc. show a majority of Americans want more COVID-19 vaccines options to choose from.
The European Union and the Gates Foundation will invest over 100 million euros ($113.4 million) during the next five years to help set up an African medicines regulator to boost the continent’s drugs and vaccine production, the EU Commission said on February 15.
Washington, D.C. will no longer require people show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter many businesses beginning on February 15, its mayor said, joining a slew of local leaders who are dialing back pandemic restrictions as the Omicron wave ebbs.