SAO CARLOS, Brazil (Reuters) – The fight against COVID-19 is a lonely one with patients forced into isolation in intensive care wards, removed from family and friends. But two nurses in the small city of Sao Carlos, in Sao Paulo state, have discovered a way to help with a millimeter…
China’s Sinovac Vaccine 67% Effective for Symptomatic Infection
SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Sinovac’s COVID-19 vaccine CoronaVac was 67% effective in preventing symptomatic infection in the first real-world study of the Chinese shot, the Chilean government said on Friday. The vaccine was 85% effective in preventing hospitalizations and 80% effective in preventing deaths, the government said in a report prepared…
UK: Lockdown, Not Vaccines, Behind Drop in COVID Deaths
LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned on Tuesday that the rapid drop in COVID-19 deaths was largely down to a three-month lockdown, not the vaccination programme, and that cases would rise once again as restrictions ease. The United Kingdom launched its inoculation drive in December and has…
Mexican-Made COVID-19 Vaccine Could Be Ready This Year
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico aims to have developed a vaccine against COVID-19 that could be granted approval for emergency use this year, a senior official said on Tuesday, an outcome that could wean it off unreliable foreign supplies for its slow vaccination program. The head of the National Council…
China Considers Mixing COVID-19 Vaccines to Boost Protection Rate
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s top disease control official has said the country is formally considering mixing COVID-19 vaccines as a way of further boosting vaccine efficacy. Available data shows Chinese vaccines lag behind others including Pfizer and Moderna in terms of efficacy, but require less stringent temperature controls during storage….
Viral Thoughts: Why COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories Persist
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Daniel Roberts hadn’t had a vaccination since he was 6. No boosters, no tetanus shots. His parents taught him inoculations were dangerous, and when the coronavirus arrived, they called it a hoax. The vaccine, they said, was the real threat. So when the 29-year-old Tennessee man…
WHO Does Not Back Vaccination Passports for Now: Spokeswoman
GENEVA (Reuters) – The World Health Organization does not back requiring vaccination passports for travel due to uncertainty over whether inoculation prevents transmission of the virus, as well as equity concerns, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday. “We as WHO are saying at this stage we would not like to see…
High-Risk US Adults May Not Consistently Wear Masks
(Reuters) – Most U.S. adults with chronic medical conditions know they face higher odds of severe COVID-19 but that does not mean they avoid high-risk behaviors, survey data suggest. In late 2020, researchers asked nearly 6,000 participants in the Understanding America Study about their perceived risks from the new coronavirus,…
COVID Vaccine Hesitancy Could Mean More Deaths, Long Restrictions
Editor’s note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Center. Even as millions of Americans flock to be vaccinated against COVID-19, there’s a pressing question on the flip side of these lines and hard-to-find appointments — how many people will decide, ultimately, not to get a…
In US, Lockdowns Added 2 Pounds per Month
Americans gained nearly 2 pounds per month under COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders in 2020, according to a new study published Monday in JAMA Network Open. Those who kept the same lockdown habits could have gained 20 pounds during the past year, the study authors said. “We know that weight gain is…
‘Alarm Bells’: Brazil’s COVID-19 Chaos Sparks Fear, Countermeasures From Neighbors
MONTEVIDEO/BUENOS AIRES/ASUNCION (Reuters) – When the Copa America basketball tournament got underway last month in the midst of a pandemic, the hosts in Cali, Colombia took no chances. Players and staff from participating men’s national teams from around Latin America lived in a local “bubble” without contact with outsiders; all…