COVID19 - GHealth News

Sep12021 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Why Is It Taking So Long to Get a Covid Vaccine for Kids?

COVID19, Vaccines

By: Tara Parker-Pope As kids around the country head back to school, there has been disappointing news this week for parents of children under 12. While many health experts had hoped for an early fall approval of a vaccine for young children, two of the nation’s top public health officials said it’s not going to happen. “I’ve got to be honest, I don’t see the approval for kids 5 to 11 coming much before the end of 2021,” said Dr. Francis S. Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, on the NPR program “Morning Edition.” Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, offered a slightly more hopeful timeline. He told the “Today Show” on NBC that there was a “reasonable chance” that Covid-19 shots would be available to children under 12 by mid- to ...

Aug232021 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

FDA grants full approval to Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine

COVID19

The U.S. gave full approval to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine Monday, a milestone that could lift public confidence in the shots and spur more companies, universities and local governments to make vaccinations mandatory. The Pentagon immediately announced it will press ahead with plans to require members of the military to get the vaccine. The formula made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech now carries the strongest endorsement from the Food and Drug Administration, which has never before had so much evidence to judge a shot’s safety. More than 200 million Pfizer doses have been administered in the U.S. — and hundreds of millions more worldwide — since December. But up to now, they were dispensed in this country under what is known as emergency use authorization from the FDA. ...

Jul142021 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

FDA adds warning about rare reaction to J&J COVID-19 vaccine

COVID19, Vaccines

U.S. regulators on Monday added a new warning to Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine about links to a rare and potentially dangerous neurological reaction, but said it’s not entirely clear the shot caused the problem. The Food and Drug Administration announced the new warning, flagging reports of Guillain-Barre syndrome, an immune system disorder that can cause muscle weakness and occasionally paralysis. Health officials described the side effect as a “small possible risk” for those getting the shot. The action comes after the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reviewed reports of about 100 people developing the syndrome after receiving the one-dose vaccine. Almost all of were hospitalized and one person died, the FDA said. Guillain-Barre syndrome occurs w...

Jun252021 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Fact check: What do we know about the coronavirus delta variant?

COVID19

As India battles a deadly second wave, the UK is seeing COVID-19 cases rise despite vaccinations. Germany is also wary about another wave spurred by the delta variant. What exactly is the delta variant? The earliest documented COVID-19 case caused by the delta variant (B.1.617.2) was first found in the Indian state of Maharashtra back in October 2020, and has since then spread widely throughout India and across the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) labelled it a "variant of concern" (VOC) on May 11. So far, the WHO has identified four VOC: alpha (B.1.1.7), beta (B.1.351), gamma (P.1) and delta. The delta variant has multiple mutations. Scientists don't know the exact function of these mutations at this point in time but they are asso...

Jun212021 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

US to spend $3.2B on treatments for COVID-19, other viruses

COVID19

The United States is devoting $3.2 billion to speed development of antiviral pills to treat COVID-19 and other dangerous viruses that could turn into pandemics. The new program will invest in “accelerating things that are already in progress” for COVID-19 but also would work to come up with treatments for other viruses, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert. He announced the investment at a White House briefing. “There are few treatments that exist for many of the viruses that have pandemic potential,” he said, including Ebola, dengue, West Nile and Middle East respiratory syndrome. But he added, “vaccines clearly remain the centerpiece of our arsenal. The U.S. has approved one antiviral drug, remdesivir, specifically for COVID-19, and allowed emerg...

Jun142021 by GHealth News1 Comment

Which COVID-19 vaccine is the best? – Video

COVID19

The internet seems to know exactly which vaccines are the best - and the worst. But you can't compare vaccines that easily. And doing so might even be harmful in a pandemic. We tend to look at efficacy rates. Because they measure how likely you are to get COVID-19 after you’ve been vaccinated. The problem is that these numbers were not created equal. Instead they are determined by when and where the efficacy trials took place and who was included. Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRKZh_RXJC0 Source: DW

Jun52021 by GHealth News1 Comment

Had COVID? You’ll probably make antibodies for a lifetime

COVID19

Many people who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 will probably make antibodies against the virus for most of their lives. So suggest researchers who have identified long-lived antibody-producing cells in the bone marrow of people who have recovered from COVID-19. The study provides evidence that immunity triggered by SARS-CoV-2 infection will be extraordinarily long-lasting. Adding to the good news, “the implications are that vaccines will have the same durable effect”, says Menno van Zelm, an immunologist at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. Antibodies — proteins that can recognize and help to inactivate viral particles — are a key immune defence. After a new infection, short-lived cells called plasmablasts are an early source of antibodies. But these cells recede soon...

May242021 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

C.D.C. Is Investigating a Heart Problem in a Few Young Vaccine Recipients

COVID19

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is looking into reports that a very small number of teenagers and young adults vaccinated against the coronavirus may have experienced heart problems, according to the agency’s vaccine safety group. The group’s statement was sparse in details, saying only that there were “relatively few” cases and that they may be entirely unrelated to vaccination. The condition, called myocarditis, is an inflammation of the heart muscle, and can occur following certain infections. The C.D.C.’s review of the reports is in the early stages, and the agency has yet to determine whether there is any evidence that the vaccines caused the heart condition. The agency has posted guidance on its website urging doctors and clinicians to be alert to unusual he...

May172021 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

WHO lists additional COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use and issues interim policy recommendations

COVID19

GHealth News - WHO listed the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, giving the green light for this vaccine to be rolled out globally. The Sinopharm vaccine is produced by Beijing Bio-Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd, subsidiary of China National Biotec Group (CNBG). “The addition of this vaccine has the potential to rapidly accelerate COVID-19 vaccine access for countries seeking to protect health workers and populations at risk,” said Dr Mariângela Simão, WHO Assistant-Director General for Access to Health Products. “We urge the manufacturer to participate in the COVAX Facility and contribute to the goal of more equitable vaccine distribution.” WHO’s Emergency Use Listing (EUL) is a prerequisite for COVAX Facility vaccine supply. It also allows countries to expedite...

May152021 by GHealth News1 Comment

What you need to know about the CDC’s new mask guidelines

COVID19

By Laurie McGinley and Lenny Bernstein The announcement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday that people who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus no longer need to wear masks in most places was hailed as the path to liberation for many who have endured through the strictures of the pandemic. But the new recommendations also raised an array of questions and complications for businesses, consumers and parents — and the answers might not be clear for some time. Does the new CDC recommendation mean that if I am vaccinated I no longer have to wear a mask anywhere? No. The CDC wants vaccinated people to wear masks in health-care settings and on planes, buses, trains and other public transportation. Also, everyone will have to abide b...