COVID-19

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Breathalyzer Can Tell if You Have COVID in 3 Minutes

FDA grants emergency use authorization to breath test

(Newser) - A coronavirus breathalyzer could soon be coming to a doctor's office, hospital, or testing site near you. For the first time, a COVID-19 breath test has been granted emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration, USA Today reports. Patients blow into tubes in a manner similar to...

Pfizer Wants FDA to OK Boosters for 5- to 11-Year-Olds

3rd dose among this set appears to offer significant antibody boost, even against omicron

(Newser) - Pfizer said Thursday it wants to expand its COVID-19 booster shots to healthy elementary-age kids. US health authorities already urge everyone 12 and older to get one booster dose for the best protection against the newest variants—and recently gave the option of a second booster to those 50 and...

Travel Mask Mandate Extended Another 15 Days

CDC says it needs more time to assess impact of BA.2 subvariant

(Newser) - The nationwide mask mandate on planes, trains, and other public transportation has been extended yet again. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that the mandate, which had been due to expire April 18, will be extended for at least another 15 days, meaning travelers will be required...

Outlook Is Bleak for Russia's Sputnik Vaccine

WHO approval looks 'unlikely' following invasion of Ukraine: 'WaPo'

(Newser) - Russia's coronavirus vaccine was the first approved for use in any country just six months into the global pandemic. But Sputnik V has now seen "an inauspicious fall," the Washington Post reports, adding Russia's invasion of Ukraine looks to have "sabotaged any further aspirations" for...

Calls for Johnson's Resignation Grow Amid 'Partygate' Update

British PM will be fined by police for breaching COVID regulations during lockdown bashes

(Newser) - UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office said Tuesday that he and Rishi Sunak, the nation's Treasury chief, will be fined by police for breaching COVID-19 regulations following allegations of lockdown parties at government offices while millions in Britain were barred from meeting with friends and family, per the...

COVID Is Surging in Shanghai. Why Are There No Deaths?

The city's harsh virus-containment policies may prevent serious illness, but human cost is high

(Newser) - Since March 1, the city of Shanghai has reported more than 130,000 COVID cases, no deaths, and a single severe case. These statistics stand out "compared with outbreaks elsewhere," reports the Wall Street Journal. For example, Hong Kong has seen deaths sharply rise recently, despite following a...

Extra-Contagious COVID Strain Is Taking Over

BA2 is now dominant in 68 countries, including the US

(Newser) - In the latest battle of the coronavirus mutants, an extra-contagious version of omicron has taken over the world. The coronavirus version known as BA2 is now dominant in at least 68 countries, including the United States.The World Health Organization says it makes up about 94% of sequenced omicron cases...

Latest Drop in Life Expectancy Hit White People the Hardest

It fell in 2021 for the second year in a row

(Newser) - After 2020 saw the biggest one-year decline in US life expectancy since World War II, researchers hoped COVID vaccines would reverse the trend in 2021. Instead, life expectancy dropped for the second year in a row, according to a new study . Researchers say a 1.9-year drop in life expectancy...

Shanghai Officials Fired Over COVID Response

Authorities say they failed to control outbreak

(Newser) - Three local officials in Shanghai have been sacked over a slack response to the COVID-19 outbreak in China’s largest city, where residents are complaining of harsh lockdown conditions leading to shortages of food and basic necessities. An official notice Friday gave no details of the allegations against the three...

US COVID Cases Fall, but Not in Half the States

Fauci warns fall could bring an upswing

(Newser) - As COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed around the country, the data on new infections are mixed. The number of daily new infections decreased 5% overall in the US over the past two weeks, Axios reports, to about 28,700 from an average of 30,000 or so. The number of deaths...

Nancy Pelosi Tests Positive
Nancy Pelosi Tests Positive
Apr 7, 2022 10:30 AM CDT

Nancy Pelosi Tests Positive

House speaker, 82, has no COVID symptoms, says spokesperson

(Newser) - Add Nancy Pelosi's name to the list of DC bigwigs who've tested positive for COVID-19. "After testing negative this week, Speaker Pelosi received a positive test result for COVID-19 and is currently asymptomatic," tweeted spokesman Drew Hammill on Thursday. He added that Pelosi, who's vaccinated...

Shanghai Residents Are Running Out of Food

Lockdown has been extended indefinitely

(Newser) - Shanghai's phased lockdown to stamp out a COVID outbreak was not a success—after locking down one half of the city, then the other, a lockdown of both halves of the city has been extended indefinitely and case numbers have hit new records six days in a row. Public...

List Grows of Officials Testing Positive After DC Event

Garland, Raimondo, Schiff, and Castro all attended Gridiron Dinner last weekend

(Newser) - Gathering so many top government officials for an evening of nonpartisan satire and laughter might have been dangerous. Members of Congress and the Cabinet have tested positive for the coronavirus since Saturday's Gridiron Dinner, an annual white-tie event in Washington. Attorney General Merrick Garland added his name to the...

Hong Kong to All Residents: Please Test for 3 Days Straight
In Hong Kong,
a Big Ask on COVID
Apr 2, 2022 6:00 AM CDT

In Hong Kong, a Big Ask on COVID

City wants all 7.4M residents to voluntarily test for COVID for 3 days in a row next week

(Newser) - Hong Kong authorities on Saturday asked the entire population of more than 7.4 million people to voluntarily test themselves for COVID-19 at home for three days in a row starting next week. The announcement by Chief Executive Carrie Lam came as the southern Chinese city is struggling to contain...

Pregnancy Almost Doubles Risk of Breakthrough COVID
A 'Striking' COVID Finding
Related to Pregnancy
NEW STUDY
Apr 1, 2022 7:02 AM CDT

A 'Striking' COVID Finding Related to Pregnancy

Pregnant people at higher risk of breakthrough COVID than organ transplant recipients

(Newser) - Pregnant people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 have a higher risk of breakthrough infection than vaccinated organ transplant recipients and those with weakened immune systems, new research suggests. It's a "striking" finding as the immunocompromised have taken precedence in the rollout of a fourth vaccine shot, reports...

Shanghai Locks Down Other Half of City

West side is locked down, but lockdowns on east side could be extended

(Newser) - About 16 million residents in Shanghai are being tested for the coronavirus during the second stage of the lockdown that shifted Friday to the western half of China's biggest city and financial capital. Meanwhile, residents of Shanghai’s eastern districts who were supposed to be released from four days...

China's Economy Slips Below a Key Threshold

Activity in manufacturing, services contract for first time since February 2020

(Newser) - The omicron variant of COVID-19 is hitting the world's second-largest economy hard. Amid efforts at containment, China's official Purchasing Managers' Index for the manufacturing sector dropped below 50 on the 100-point scale in March, the National Bureau of Statistics said Thursday, meaning activity contracted after four straight months...

Ivermectin Has No Benefit Against COVID
Ivermectin Won't
Protect You From COVID
NEW STUDY
Mar 31, 2022 6:47 AM CDT

Ivermectin Won't Protect You From COVID

Double-blind, randomized trial found it did not reduce hospitalizations even if taken early

(Newser) - Treating COVID-19 patients with ivermectin did not alleviate the illness or reduce hospitalizations, according to a major double-blind, randomized clinical trial published Wednesday, which effectively rules out the anti-parasitic drug as a treatment. "There's really no sign of any benefit," Dr. David Boulware, an infectious-disease expert at...

After 2 Years, CDC Drops Cruise Travel Notice

'Travelers will make their own risk assessment,' agency says

(Newser) - Less than four months after it urged Americans to avoid cruises , the CDC has dropped its public health notice warning of the risks of cruise travel. The notice was first issued two years ago amid coronavirus outbreaks on ships worldwide. The agency "is removing the COVID-19 Cruise Ship Travel...

Florida, 20 Other States Challenge Plane Mask Rule

CDC mandate is set to expire April 18

(Newser) - Florida and 20 other states sued Tuesday to halt the federal government's requirement that people wear masks on planes, trains, ferries, and other public transportation amid the coronavirus pandemic. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Tampa, Florida, contends that the mask mandate exceeds the authority of the Centers...

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