Health

Answers to 9 crucial questions about the coronavirus variants spreading around the world

Samantha Lee/Business Insider Experts worldwide are urgently studying three coronavirus variants to understand what risks they pose. One variant first identified in the UK, one in South Africa, and one in Japan are probably more contagious than the original strain. They have caused cases to surge and the three nations to lock down. Here are nine key questions about the variants, answered. Experts are urgently investigating three different coronavirus variants - first identified in the UK,...
Tags: Health, Japan, UK, London, California, Cdc, US, Trends, South Africa, Healthcare, Brazil, Who, Astrazeneca, Tokyo, Ohio, Pfizer

US could face 'perpetual' coronavirus infections as more contagious variants take hold, ex-FDA chief Scott Gottlieb warns

Former FDA Commissioner-designate Dr. Scott Gottlieb. Zach Gibson/Getty Images The US could face "perpetual" coronavirus infections as variants take hold, Dr. Scott Gottlieb said Thursday on CNBC. Variants first identified in the UK and South Africa are "going to build very quickly if we can't get protective immunity into the population," Gottlieb said. "The vaccine is really our only backstop against these variants taking hold," the former Food and Drug Administration commissioner warned....
Tags: Health, UK, California, Cdc, US, Trends, South Africa, Healthcare, Food And Drug Administration, Brazil, Fda, Cnbc, US Food and Drug Administration, Center for Disease Control, Johns Hopkins University, Gottlieb

Catching coronavirus gives 83% protection against reinfection for up to 5 months, a study suggests - but you could still spread the virus

A CVS pharmacist gives the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to a resident at the Emerald Court senior living community in Anaheim, California. Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images Catching coronavirus gives you about 83% protection from reinfection for up to five months, a large preliminary UK study suggests. This is comparable to the protection offered by vaccines. Work is ongoing to find out how long immunity lasts, whether vaccines work in people previo...
Tags: Health, UK, England, Trends, Healthcare, National Health Service, Pfizer, Public Health England, Young, Cvs, Hopkins, Tang, Eleanor Riley, Warwick Medical School, Moderna, Lawrence Young

Moncef Slaoui, head of Operation Warp Speed, reportedly resigns as the top US vaccine advisor at the request of Biden's transition team

Moncef Slaoui, chief advisor of Operation Warp Speed. Reuters Operation Warp Speed's chief advisor Monclef Slaoui has stepped down at the request of President-elect Joe Biden's transition team, CNBC reported, citing an unnamed official from the team.  Operation Warp Speed is President Donald Trump's vaccine initiative, which has dedicated $6 million to coronavirus "countermeasures," including vaccine development. Slaoui will stay for 30 days from Biden's inauguration on January 20 to help ...
Tags: Health, Politics, Politico, US, Trends, Department Of Defense, Bloomberg, Joe Biden, GlaxoSmithKline, Biden, Donald Trump, Cnbc, Reuters, US Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, Moderna

Disneyland Resort, closed since March, is being turned into a mass vaccination site for Californians

Disney Parks Disneyland Resort will transform into a mass vaccination site to get thousands of Southern Californians their shots, government officials announced on Monday. The Anaheim theme park usually has an average daily attendance of 50,000, but has been shuttered since mid-March due to coronavirus restrictions. The first people to be offered a vaccine appointment at Disneyland Resort later this week will be essential workers, and those over 70 years-old. Orange County plans to get al...
Tags: Health, California, Disney, US, Trends, Healthcare, Pod, Disneyland Resort, Orange County, Reuters, Anaheim, Third District, Disney Parks, Pamela Hymel, Doug Chaffee, Harry Sidhu

The Trump administration will recommend giving all Americans over 65 a COVID-19 shot as soon as possible, in new guidance reportedly arriving Tuesday

US President Donald Trump. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images The Trump administration will on Tuesday recommend expanding vaccine eligibility to everyone over 65 years old, Axios reported. Currently, only essential workers and those over 75 are getting their COVID-19 shots. Axios cited an unnamed senior administration official. The vaccines available in the US require two doses. The guidelines also prioritize more people getting their first shot, rather than holding back doses to give people th...
Tags: Health, US, Trends, Bloomberg, Joe Biden, Healthcare, Pfizer, The New York Times, Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, Trump, University of South Florida, Moderna, Axios, Coronavirus, COVID, Donald Trump Tasos Katopodis Getty

The UK has two new 'life-saving' COVID-19 treatments that cut the death risk by 24% in critically unwell people. Experts say it's not a miracle cure but is 'clearly useful'

A patient on a ventilator at Houston's United Memorial Medical Center. Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Two new "life-saving" treatments can now be used in UK hospitals, because they reduce the risk of death by 24% in people critically unwell with coronavirus – according to a preliminary study. Tocilizumab and sarilumab, anti-inflammatory drugs usually used for arthritis, can reduce the length of time in hospital by 10 days, the UK government announced on Thursday.   The...
Tags: Health, UK, Trends, Treatment, NHS, Healthcare, Evans, Houston, Jacobs, Stephen Evans, London School of Hygiene Tropical Medicine, Adam Jacobs, Matt Hancock, Department of Health and Social Care, Jonathan Van Tam, Premier Research

The UK's decision to delay 2nd vaccine doses could cause 'greater risk' from coronavirus variants, South Africa's most senior vaccine expert suggests

People wearing face masks queue at a South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) to collect their government grant in Cape Town South Africa, Monday, May 11, 2020. South Africa's Western Cape province, which includes the city of Cape Town, has emerged as the country's coronavirus hotspot, accounting for more than half of the nation's confirmed cases, which have gone above 10,000.(AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht) Associated Press The chair of the South African government's vaccine ...
Tags: Health, UK, US, America, Trends, South Africa, Healthcare, Ubs, Cape Town, Astrazeneca, Pfizer, University of Oxford, Sky News, Business Insider, Department Of Health, Cape Town South Africa

A top scientist explains why a more infectious coronavirus variant is a bigger problem than a deadlier strain

A nurse puts on her Personal Protective Equipment before tending to a COVID-19 patient on October 21, 2020 in Essen, Germany. Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images The deadly coronavirus that's spread across the world has mutated. One variant, called B.1.1.7, is more infectious, and has forced the UK into national lockdown. The variant has also been discovered in multiple US states, and in other countries around the world. The variant does not appear to be more deadly, and experts believe existing va...
Tags: Health, Europe, UK, US, Trends, Healthcare, Denmark, Hollywood Florida, Lisa Taylor, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, CSB, Kucharski, Joe Raedle Getty, Adam Kucharski, Coronavirus, COVID

The coronavirus variant in South Africa seems to evade antibody drugs, which is 'very concerning,' ex-FDA chief Scott Gottlieb says

Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb with Margaret Brennan on "Face the Nation" in Washington, DC, on March 8. Chris Usher/CBS via Getty Images Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former Food and Drug Administration commissioner,  said Tuesday that a coronavirus variant identified in South Africa was "very concerning" because it might get around antibody drugs that try to help the body fight infection. Speaking on CNBC, he said evidence from the Seattle-based Bloom Lab, which hasn't been peer-review...
Tags: Health, UK, US, Trends, United States, South Africa, Washington Dc, Healthcare, Food And Drug Administration, Astrazeneca, Fda, Associated Press, University of Oxford, Seattle, Cnbc, Reuters

The South African COVID-19 variant appears to evade antibody drugs, which is 'very concerning,' ex-FDA chief Scott Gottlieb says

Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb talks with Margaret Brennan on "Face the Nation" in Washington DC March 8, 2020 Chris Usher/CBS via Getty Images Former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said Tuesday that the South African COVID-19 variant is "very concerning" because it may get around antibody drugs that try to help the body fight infection. Speaking on CNBC, he said evidence from Seattle-based Bloom Lab, which hasn't been peer-reviewed, suggested that...
Tags: Health, UK, Washington, US, Trends, United States, South Africa, Healthcare, Astrazeneca, Cbs, Fda, Associated Press, University of Oxford, Seattle, John Bell, Cnbc

6 crucial unanswered questions about AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine results

A lower initial dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, would mean double the number of vaccine doses available, once regulators approve it. VINCENZO PINTO/AFP via Getty Images For the third consecutive Monday, a drugmaker said its coronavirus vaccine candidate was successful in late-stage studies. AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford said their two-dose shot was effective at preventing COVID-19, according to preliminary results.  AstraZeneca's news follows similar announcements of suc...
Tags: Health, UK, Science, US, Trends, Getty Images, Analysis, Healthcare, Oxford, Brazil, Astrazeneca, Pfizer, University of Oxford, Biotech, Afp, Pollard