Articles

COVID-19: UN chief calls for global ceasefire to focus on ‘the true fight of our lives’ (un.org)

“The fury of the virus illustrates the folly of war”, he said.  “That is why today, I am calling for an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world.  It is time to put armed conflict on lockdown and focus together on the true fight of our lives.” 

Submitted by mo2 on Tue, 03/23/2021 - 21:12

Open Schools, Covid-19, and Child and Teacher Morbidity in Sweden (nejm.org)

Open Schools, Covid-19, and Child and Teacher Morbidity in Sweden

In mid-March 2020, many countries decided to close schools in an attempt to limit the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus causing coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).Sweden was one of the few countries that decided to keep preschools (generally caring for children 1 to 6 years of age) and schools (with children 7 to 16 years of age) open. Here, we present data from Sweden on Covid-19 among children 1 to 16 years of age and their teachers. In Sweden, Covid-19 was prevalent in the community during the spring of 2020.

Submitted by Admin on Thu, 02/18/2021 - 19:02

How soon will COVID-19 vaccines return life to normal? (sciencemag.org)

How soon will COVID-19 vaccines return life to normal?

SAN DIEGO—Twenty days into the new year, cars were entering a parking lot bumper-to-bumper in the shadow of Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres baseball team. Arms waving, attendants directed the cars into three lines, which split into four more, and yelled as though the first pitch had already been thrown. “I’m going to load you up, I’m sending you 10, you can stack them!” one attendant hollered to another.

But the Padres don’t play in January.

Submitted by Admin on Tue, 02/16/2021 - 19:54

CDC recommends double masks to help protect against COVID-19 (cbsnews.com)

CDC recommends double masks to help protect against COVID-19

After months of demands for federal health officials to update mask recommendations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced new guidelines Wednesday that include wearing well-fitting face masks or two masks at a time to help curb the COVID-19 pandemic.

Submitted by Admin on Thu, 02/11/2021 - 19:37

Common asthma drug cuts COVID-19 hospitalization risk, recovery time - Oxford study (reuters.com)

Common asthma drug cuts COVID-19 hospitalization risk, recovery time - Oxford study

(Reuters) - A commonly used asthma treatment appears to reduce the need for hospitalizations as well as recovery time for COVID-19 patients if given within seven days of symptoms appearing, researchers at the University of Oxford said on Tuesday.

The findings were made following a mid-stage study of the steroid budesonide, sold as Pulmicort by AstraZeneca Plc and also used for treating smoker’s lung.

Read the complete article on reuters.com

Submitted by Admin on Tue, 02/09/2021 - 19:44

Age groups that sustain resurging COVID-19 epidemics in the United States (sciencemag.org)

Following initial declines, in mid 2020 a resurgence in transmission of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) occurred in the US and Europe. As COVID19 disease control efforts are re-intensified, understanding the age demographics driving transmission and how these affect the loosening of interventions is crucial. We analyze aggregated, age-specific mobility trends from more than 10 million individuals in the US and link these mechanistically to age-specific COVID-19 mortality data.

Submitted by Admin on Tue, 02/02/2021 - 19:32