In the Press

Many countries imposed national lockdowns in March of 2020 in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. In the Netherlands, the lockdown was associated with an immediate decline in preterm birth.1 Subsequent analyses from other countries and from hospitals and states within the United States reported mixed support for a decline in preterm birth associated with the lockdowns.2,–5 In numerous reports, samples were small and difficult to generalize given limited geographic coverage.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Tuesday announced plans to ramp up research into long Covid, following scathing criticism from patients and experts.

The case is a male national aged 85 years. He complained multiple chronic diseases. The patient had a history of travel outside the country and a direct contact with camels. He started to develop symptoms before his arrival to Qatar. Upon his arrival to Qatar, the patient was admitted to the hospital to receive the necessary medical care in accordance with the national protocol to deal with confirmed or suspected cases of the disease.  

Patients sick with non-Covid related illnesses are being kept away from hospitals as anger grows over failure to control Omicron

The rapid spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) along with its high number of mutations in the spike gene has raised alarms about the effectiveness of current medical countermeasures.

The subvariant of the Omicron strain—BA.2—now accounts for 72.2% of all COVID-19 cases in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Researchers from a USC-led consortium have discovered 15 "hotspots" in the genome that either speed up brain aging or slow it down—a finding that could provide new drug targets to resist Alzheimer's disease and other degenerative brain disorders, as well as developmental delays.

The preclinical data for a vaccine developed at MedUni Vienna to protect against SARS-CoV-2 indicates that it is effective against all SARS-CoV-2 variants known to date, including omicron—even in those who have not yet built up any immunity as a result of vaccination (non-responders). The data from the study were recently published in the journal Allergy.

Detailed characteristics of rheumatic symptoms of COVID-19 were still unknown. We aim to investigate the proportions, characteristics, and risk factors of this condition.

Only half of volunteers deliberately exposed to SARS-CoV-2 developed an infection. None developed serious symptoms, paving the way for further challenge trials.