Controversial trials in which volunteers are intentionally infected with Covid-19 could accelerate vaccine development, according to the World Health Organization, which has released new guidance on how the approach could be ethically justified despite the potential dangers for participants. From a report: So-called challenge trials are a mainstream approach in vaccine development and have been used in malaria, typhoid and flu,…
Tag: flu
What are zoonotic diseases and what can we do about them?
Infectious diseases that leap from animals to humans are called zoonotic diseases. Covid-19 is an example of a zoonotic disease caused by a coronavirus. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/what-are-zoonotic-diseases-coronavirus-covid19…
Australia sees huge decrease in flu cases due to coronavirus measures
Australia recorded just 229 flu cases this April, compared with 18,705 last April, probably due to lockdown measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2242113-australia-sees-huge-decrease-in-flu-cases-due-to-coronavirus-measures/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Virus Likely To Keep Coming Back Each Year, Say Top Chinese Scientists
Chinese scientists say the novel coronavirus will not be eradicated, adding to a growing consensus around the world that the pathogen will likely return in waves like the flu. From a report: It’s unlikely the new virus will disappear the way its close cousin SARS did 17 years ago, as it infects some people without causing obvious symptoms like fever. This…
How coronavirus drifts through the air in microscopic droplets
Aerosols are the tiny particles of liquid and material that float around in our environment. When they come from an infected person, they may be a significant source of coronavirus transmission. The science of infectious aerosols. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/coronavirus-microscopic-droplets-infectious-aerosols…
US Government Now Working With Peter Thiel’s Palantir On Covid-19 Tracking Tool
With a little help from Peter Thiel’s controversial company Palintir, America’s Department of Health and Human Services is building a powerful new tool to track the spread of the coronavirus. The Verge reports:
The tool, which is reportedly called HHS Protect Now, is already up and running as of April 10th and it helps officials compile reports on the coronavirus’ spread through…
Second wave of coronavirus likely to be even more devastating, CDC director warns
If COVID-19 resurges at the peak of flu season this winter, the health care system will be even more strained than it is now, CDC director Redfield warns. Source: https://www.livescience.com/covid-19-second-wave-flu-season.html
Coronavirus 10 Times More Deadly Than Swine Flu, Says WHO
The coronavirus has proven ten times deadlier than the swine flu outbreak that spread across the globe a decade prior, the World Health Organization has confirmed. The Independent reports: The swine flu pandemic, which spanned a stretch of time between January 2009 and August 2010, saw more than 1.6 million confirmed cases, resulting in the confirmed deaths of 18,449 people. Now…
Blood Tests Show 14 Percent of People Are Now Immune To Covid-19 In One Town In Germany
hackingbear writes: After testing blood from 500 residents for antibodies to the COVID-19 virus in the town of Gangelt, which is a hot spot of the pandemic in Germany, scientists at a nearby university say they have determined that 14% have been infected and are therefore “immune.” Some of those people would have had no symptoms at all. Scientists found that…
What the coronavirus does to your body that makes it so deadly
How the coronavirus infects and how it makes people sick. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/what-covid19-coronavirus-does-to-body-that-makes-it-deadly…