Brazil coronavirus variant is now second most common in the US

PFIZER WHEN WAS IT APPROVED? December 11, 2020  WHO CAN GET IT? Anyone 16 or older DOSAGE: 2 doses, given 21 days apart  HOW DOES IT WORK? Uses messenger RNA to deliver a tiny bit of genetic code from the virus to ‘teach’ the body to make a protein that provoke antibody production   HOW EFFECTIVE … Read more

Moderna vaccine is effective against California variant and produces antibodies for least 6 months

Moderna Inc’s coronavirus vaccine is effective against the California variant and its protection last for six months, two new studies find. In one study, researchers from Duke University found that the antibodies generated by Moderna’s jab had about two times less neutralizing power against the strain that was first discovered in the Golden State. While … Read more

‘Prof Lockdown’ warns AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine is ‘vulnerable’ to South African variant

Professor Neil Ferguson warned the South African strain had taken root in Europe Professor Neil Ferguson today called for tighter border controls with Europe to keep out the dangerous South African of coronavirus amid fears it could undermine Britain’s vaccine roll-out. The SAGE adviser – dubbed ‘Professor Lockdown‘ because his gloomy modelling of the first … Read more

Portable test can diagnose COVID-19 in just 15 minutes and determine if it is a variant in 3 hours

Scientists say they have created a new, portable test that can detect coronavirus in just minutes and even identify if it is a highly infectious variant. Developed by the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, in La Jolla, California, the test is called NIRVANA (nanopore sequencing of isothermal rapid viral amplification for near real-time analysis). The … Read more

Doctor warns US is ‘walking into the mouth of this virus monster’ as UK variant becomes dominant

As the coronavirus variant first identified in the UK becomes dominant in the U.S., doctors are warning that a fourth wave could be imminent.   There are at least 11,569 cases of the strain, known as B 1.1.7, in 49 of the 50 states and the Distinct of Columbia., according to the Centers for Disease Control … Read more

Study estimates 67% of cases between December and February were linked to UK variant

About two-thirds of all U.S. coronavirus cases identified over the past three months may be linked to the variant first identified in the UK, a new study suggests. There are at least 11,569 cases of the strain, known as B 1.1.7, in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  But … Read more

South African Covid variant makes current crop of vaccines 30% less effective, SAGE warns

The South African coronavirus variant may make vaccines 30 per cent less effective, the Government’s scientific advisers have warned. Analysis by SAGE found the strain can cause up to a 10-fold decrease in the effectiveness of antibodies in vaccinated or previously infected people. While antibodies are not the only part of the immune response against … Read more

India claims it spotted a ‘double mutant’ Covid variant that spreads easier and may escape vaccines

India today claimed it has spotted a ‘double mutant’ Covid variant that may spread easier and make vaccines less potent.  Government-backed researchers detected the strain in samples taken in the western state of Maharashtra.  They suggested the variant is a hybrid of two different Covid strains — a rare event which occurs when two viruses … Read more

‘New York’ Covid variant that is already in the UK may not render jabs useless, says expert

A new Covid variant spotted in Britain is not a threat because it does not appear to carry any vaccine-resistant mutations, an infectious diseases expert has said. Samples of the New York B.1.526 variant taken from infected US patients were found to contain the troublesome E484K mutation, which can partially evade the immune system. But … Read more

Germany’s Chancellor Merkel blames Kent variant as she cancels Easter

Germany extended its lockdown measures by another month and imposed several new restrictions, including largely shutting down public life over Easter, in an effort to drive down the rate of coronavirus infections. Chancellor Angela Merkel announced the measures early this morning after a lengthy video call with the country’s 16 state governors, nearly three weeks … Read more