#covid

Sep 16, 2021
6 min

Letter by pediatric physician, Dr Helge Hartung, on current state of COVID.

As school starts again and COVID case numbers rise -again-, September 2021 feels a lot like September 2020. Wasn’t it supposed to be over by now? Weren’t we supposed to be back to normal, whatever that new normal might be? Weren’t our children supposed to start a normal school year, after 18 long months of Zoom school and all the limitations required to keep our children and teachers safe? Yes, yes and yes. And yet it is déjà vu all over again, to paraphrase Yogi Berra. All t

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Penn Medicine Study Details Robust T-Cell Response to mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines.

Pam King Sams

Aug 16, 2021
3 min

Penn Medicine Study Details Robust T-Cell Response to mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines.

Penn Study Details Robust T-Cell Response to mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines—a More Durable Source of Protection Results underline the importance of a second dose and include implications for booster shots Messenger-RNA (mRNA) vaccines against the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 provoke a swift and strong response by the immune system’s T cells—the heavy armor of the immune system—according to a study from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvan

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Lab-grown beating heart cells identify potential drug to prevent COVID-19-related heart damage.

Pam King Sams

Aug 10, 2021
3 min

Lab-grown beating heart cells identify potential drug to prevent COVID-19-related heart damage.

Cambridge scientists have grown beating heart cells in the lab and shown how they are vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection. In a study published in Communications Biology, they used this system to show that an experimental peptide drug called DX600 can prevent the virus entering the heart cells. The heart is one the major organs damaged by infection with SARS-CoV-2, particularly the heart cells, or ‘cardiomyocytes’, which contract and circulate blood. It is also thought that da

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News from Memorial Hermann - What You Should Know About COVID-19's Delta Variant.

Pam King Sams

Jul 21, 2021
3 min

News from Memorial Hermann - What You Should Know About COVID-19's Delta Variant.

You’re surely eager to put the COVID-19 pandemic behind you. But if you or your children are not vaccinated, not so fast. The latest coronavirus villain—the Delta variant—has proven to be the fastest and most infectious spreader. Though a virtual newcomer last March, it’s already linked to more than 40 percent of positive COVID-19 tests. All viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, develop small changes to their genetic code as they replicate. Such virus variations are to be expected—v

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Scientists Say COVID-19 Booster Shots Aren’t Needed Yet. Here’s Why.

Pam King Sams

Jul 20, 2021
6 min

Scientists Say COVID-19 Booster Shots Aren’t Needed Yet. Here’s Why.

The past week has been a wild ride for fully vaccinated Americans seeking clarity on whether they will need COVID-19 booster shots—either now or in the future, particularly as more contagious variants emerge. On July 8, Pfizer and BioNTech announced they planned to seek emergency authorization for a booster dose of their vaccine, saying that their data shows their vaccine’s efficacy is waning and that a booster “may be needed within six to 12 months after full vaccination.” P

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From Penn Medicine - The Pandemic Crushed the Flu... What Happens When It Returns?

Pam King Sams

Jul 9, 2021
8 min

From Penn Medicine - The Pandemic Crushed the Flu... What Happens When It Returns?

Cases of influenza and other respiratory viruses sank dramatically during the pandemic, with potential implications for both people and pathogens. During the annual flu season, many people experience the usual symptoms: a runny nose, sneezing, body aches, and fever. Flu can also be deadly. In the United States alone, influenza viruses cause hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and tens of thousands of fatalities each year. During the pandemic, however, a drastic change o

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The Department of Health - Abu Dhabi (DOH) introduces Covid-19 Research Registry.

Pam King Sams

Jun 1, 2021
1 min

The Department of Health - Abu Dhabi (DOH) introduces Covid-19 Research Registry.

The Department of Health has introduced an open Covid-19 Research Registry platform for gathering all research activities related to the SARS-COV2 coronavirus which potentially can provide critically important time-sensitive data for the management of Covid-19, as it continues to demonstrate its commitment to join the global effort to proactively fight Covid-19. The national research registry can quickly aggregate the necessary data to enable new and vital insights and critic

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CDC’s Mask Guidance Spurs Confusion and Criticism, as Well as Celebration

Pam King Sams

May 20, 2021
8 min

CDC’s Mask Guidance Spurs Confusion and Criticism, as Well as Celebration

Federal health officials’ decision to rescind almost all masking and distancing recommendations for fully vaccinated Americans created as much confusion as it did celebration, sending states, businesses and individuals scrambling to figure out what rules, if any, are still appropriate and when. Many, including President Biden, hailed the relaxation of restrictions by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a milestone in the nation’s return to normal. But with a maj

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Penn Medicine researchers honored on CBS Face the Nation for groundbreaking work in mRNA.

Pam King Sams

May 3, 2021
1 min

Penn Medicine researchers honored on CBS Face the Nation for groundbreaking work in mRNA.

Drew Weissman, MD, PhD, a professor of Infectious Diseases and an mRNA researcher, was honored by “Face the Nation” on CBS News for his groundbreaking work with colleague Katalin Kariko, PhD, an adjunct associate professor, that paved the way for COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. The pair's research and “life’s work” were presented as part of the “winding chain of effort...which has led to 146 million Americans being vaccinated” against COVID-19, the show said. #pennmedicine #mRNA #Cov

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Memorial Hermann’s disease expert Dr. Linda Yancey on why newly vaccinated may still carry Covid-19.

Pam King Sams

Apr 28, 2021
2 min

Memorial Hermann’s disease expert Dr. Linda Yancey on why newly vaccinated may still carry Covid-19.

According to Memorial Hermann's Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Linda Yancey, the newly vaccinated can still be a carrier for COVID-19. "We know for sure vaccine prevent serious illness and deaths from COVID-19," Yancey told Chron. "We know that a lot of people can get asymptomatic COVID-19. This is especially true with young people. Up to 30 percent of people can have the virus and not know it." In some "breakthrough" cases, Americans who have received COVID-19 vaccines st

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