New study, according to professors Burtram C. Fielding & Dewald Schoeman, says it changes the way a body fights infection leading to possible protection against severe disease Back at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, case numbers on the continent were still modest. But predictions and projections suggested the disease …
Read More »Corporate greed and COVID-19
Why refusal to support waiver of WTO intellectual-property rules could prolong the pandemic COMMENT | JOSEPH E. STIGLITZ AND LORI WALLACH | The only way to end the COVID-19 pandemic is to immunise enough people worldwide. The slogan “no one is safe until we are all safe” captures the …
Read More »New COVID variants
They have changed the game and vaccines will not be enough. Susan Michie, Professor of Health Psychology and Director of the UCL Centre for Behaviour Change, UCL, and other members of the Lancet COVID-19 Commission Taskforce on Public Health explain why the world now needs global ‘maximum suppression’. At the …
Read More »Is AstraZeneca vaccine safe?
5 questions answered | MAUREEN FERRAN | Associate Professor of Biology, Rochester Institute of Technology On March 22, AstraZeneca released results from its U.S. clinical trial showing that its vaccine is 79% effective and with no serious side effects. Overnight, the National Institutes of Health issued a statement, saying the …
Read More »COVID-19 variants and Vaccines
This interview from the World Health Organisation (WHO) conversations in science programme explains more about variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19, how concerned we should be, and whether vaccines provide protection against these variants. Vismita Gupta-Smith interviewed WHO’s Chief Scientist, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan. Soumya, tell us what …
Read More »WHO warns of COVID-19 ‘tipping point’ as cases rise across Europe
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of a tipping point in the fight against COVID-19, amid surging cases in Europe and the fresh challenge of a mutating virus. “We were prepared for a challenging start to 2021 and it has been just that”, Dr …
Read More »COVID-19 vaccine trials in Africa
What’s promising and what’s problematic | BENJAMIN KAGINA | Senior Research Officer, Vaccines For Africa Initiative, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town Scientists are working around the clock to develop and test vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19. Experts agree that widespread use of safe and …
Read More »Chinese scientist tells Science origin of COVID-19 undetermined
Washington, US | XINHUA | Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli hit back at speculations that SARS-CoV-2 responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic was leaked from her lab, calling for more science-based cooperation, rather than slander, to find treatments and vaccines. “We have done bat virus surveillance in Hubei Province for many years, …
Read More »Research finds vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 produces immunity in mice, macaques
Washington, US | XINHUA | A new nanoparticle vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has shown hints of protection and immunity by safely eliciting the production of antibodies and antiviral T cell responses in mice and pigtail macaques, according to a new preclinical study published Monday in Science …
Read More »U.S. researchers identify gene in antibodies promising for COVID-19 vaccine design
Washington, US | XINHUA | An analysis of nearly 300 recently identified human SARS-CoV-2 antibodies has uncovered a gene frequently used in antibodies that effectively target the virus which causes COVID-19, according to a new study published Monday in Science magazine. The results contribute to growing structural insight that could …
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