All Articles

CNN — A new paper adds to the mounting evidence that school-age children across the globe experienced significant setbacks in their learning progress during the Covid-19 pandemic.

PARIS – People who have had COVID-19 have an increased risk of developing serious blood clots for up to six months after getting infected, even in mild cases, a study said Thursday.

People with long Covid can experience reduced function in multiple organs for at least a year after being infected with the virus, a study has found.

A new Covid-19 variant that combines two different omicron strains has been identified in the United Kingdom, and it could be the fastest-spreading Covid variant yet, according to early data from British public health officials and the World Health Organization, though experts warn it is too soon to determine if or how much of a threat the variant might be.

Studies have shown that physical activity reduces the chances of getting non-communicable diseases, but a recent study by the University of the Witwatersrand Sport and Health Research Group (WiSH) and Discovery Vitality has found that physical activity also has a positive effect on Covid-19 diagnosis.

A Kaiser Permanente analysis of pregnant patients who tested positive for the coronavirus found more than double the risk of poor outcomes including preterm birth, venous thromboembolism (blood clot), and severe maternal morbidity, which includes conditions such as acute respiratory distress syndrome and sepsis.

Diabetes is known to increase the risk of severe Covid-19. Now, researchers have found an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes in people with Covid-19 after recovery. The study published in Diabetologia investigated diabetes incidence after Covid-19 infection. The researchers examined health records from 1 171 general and internal medicine practices across Germany.

Adults in hospital who have COVID-19 and the flu at the same time are at much greater risk of severe disease and death compared with patients who have COVID-19 alone or with other viruses, research shows.

Seven in ten long COVID patients experience concentration and memory problems several months after the initial onset of their disease, with many performing worse than their peers on cognitive tests, according to new research from the University of Cambridge.

The 11-year-old cat had been vomiting and lethargic for several days, and showed little interest in food.

Data from people infected with SARS-CoV-2 early in the pandemic add to growing evidence suggesting that vaccination can help to reduce the risk of long COVID.

New research has found that the protection offered by Covid-19 vaccines wanes over time, prompting the use of booster vaccinations.

Covid vaccination reduces the risk of developing long Covid, while current sufferers may experience an improvement in symptoms after getting jabbed, a comprehensive review by the UK Health Security Agency suggests.

A team of researchers working at Israel’s Sheba Medical Center has found evidence that suggests a fourth COVID vaccination or second booster shot may not be necessary for most people because it does not add significant protection. In their paper posted on the medRxiv preprint server, the team describes comparing people who were given a second booster shot with people who were not.

Several FDA-approved drugs—including for type 2 diabetes, hepatitis C and HIV—significantly reduce the ability of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 to replicate in human cells, according to new research led by scientists at Penn State. Specifically, the team found that these drugs inhibit certain viral enzymes, called proteases, that are essential for SARS-CoV-2 replication in infected human cells.

(CNN) – Tasha Nelson’s 10-year-old son held back tears when he heard the news.

Researchers at the Department of Microbiology of The University of Hong Kong (HKU) have found that the COVID19 virus can cause acute testicular damage, chronic asymmetric testicular atrophy, and hormonal changes in hamsters despite a light pneumonia.

(CNN) – The antiparasitic drug ivermectin doesn’t prevent severe disease from Covid-19 any more effectively than symptom management and close observation by medical professionals, according to a study published Friday in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

(HealthDay) — After you have recovered from COVID-19, getting at least one dose of a vaccine provides added protection against reinfection, Israeli researchers report.

Many long-haul COVID-19 patients suffer fatigue and cognitive impairments months after their initial COVID-19 diagnosis, according to new research published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.

Even a mild case of COVID-19 can increase a person’s risk of cardiovascular problems for at least a year after diagnosis, a new study shows.

A new study has found that vaccination during pregnancy resulted in more lasting antibody levels in infants when compared to babies born to unvaccinated mothers who had been infected with Covid-19.

On 11 January, just seven weeks after the Omicron variant was first reported, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of a “tidal wave” of infection washing from west to east across the world.

Jan 24 (Reuters) – The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by peer review.

South African and international studies have shown that Covid-19 caused by the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is less severe than previous variants of concern.

LONDON, Jan 19 (Reuters) – People with mild COVID-19 who do not suffer any other traditional “long COVID” symptoms can still exhibit deteriorated attention and memory six to nine months after infection, a study by Britain’s Oxford University has found.

(CNN) – Three large new studies from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlight the importance of getting a booster shot to provide the best protection against the Omicron coronavirus variant.

As soon as Omicron was first identified in Botswana and South Africa, two key questions arose: whether this new variant was more infectious than earlier ones, and whether it caused more or less severe disease.

(CNN) – A new study adds to growing evidence that there is no connection between Covid-19 vaccinations and a reduced chance of conceiving.

An overload of inflammatory molecules trapped inside microscopic blood clots could be behind long COVID, according to a Stellenbosch University study in Bioscience Reports.

More than two-thirds of the common side-effects people experience after a Covid jab can be attributed to a negative version of the placebo effect rather than the vaccine itself, researchers claim.

The question hung in the air like a bad odor, silencing the small group of fully vaccinated and boosted friends and family at my dinner table. “Why not just get Omicron and get it over with? It’s mild, right? And it can boost immunity?”

Coronavirus loses 90% of its ability to infect us within 20 minutes of becoming airborne – with most of the loss occurring within the first five minutes, the world’s first simulations of how the virus survives in exhaled air suggest.

Columbia researchers found that babies born during the pandemic’s first year scored lower on a developmental screening test of social and motor skills at 6 months

Columbia researchers found that babies born during the pandemic’s first year scored lower on a developmental screening test of social and motor skills at 6 months

(HealthDay) — Lockdowns keep people home for a few weeks, but they lose their luster after a few months, claims a new study that comes as many countries consider a return to lockdowns to slow the renewed spread of COVID-19.

An international team of scientists have identified antibodies that neutralize omicron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants.

COVID passes for England were given the green light in parliament in December, with 369 MPs voting in favour and 128 against.

Any amendment or relaxation of Covid protocols could mean “economic suicide”. This was the view of Medicare24 chief executive Mike van Wyk in response to a leaked letter sent this week by the ministerial advisory committee (MAC) to Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla

When the Covid-19 pandemic eventually recedes, scientists and health officials worry that it will leave in its wake a wave of patients suffering from lingering health problems, even after recovering from the acute phase of their infection.

The omicron variant replicates around 70 times faster than delta and the original Covid-19 strain, though the infection severity is likely to be much lower, according to a University of Hong Kong study that adds weight to the early on-ground observations from South African doctors. The supercharged speed of omicron’s spread in the human bronchus was found 24 hours following infection, according to a Wednesday statement from the university.

Where did Omicron come from? By all accounts it is a weird variant. Though highly mutated, it descended not from one of the other variants of concern, such as Alpha, Beta or Delta, but from coronavirus that was circulating maybe 18 months ago. So where has it been all this time? And why is it only wreaking havoc now?

Wearing a face mask — regardless of how flimsy or tight-fitting it is — is better than social distancing at preventing you from catching Covid, a study suggests.

Medics and scientists in South Africa have welcomed early hospital data suggesting that the Omicron coronavirus variant could result in less severe illness than previous waves but warned that higher transmission rates could still overwhelm hospitals.

COVID researchers are working at breakneck speed to learn about the variant’s transmissibility, severity and ability to evade vaccines.

It’s not yet clear whether the Omicron coronavirus variant is more transmissible, deadlier, or can evade existing vaccines.

JOHANNESBURG – On Friday, November 19, Raquel Viana, Head of Science at one of South Africa’s biggest private testing labs, sequenced the genes on eight coronavirus samples – and got the shock of her life.

With the discovery of a new Covid-19 variant by South African scientists, which has caused mass panic around the globe leading to several countries imposing travel bans on South Africa and several southern African countries.

In South Africa, people over the age of 18 years became eligible to get the Covid-19 vaccine in August. However, uptake in the 18–34-year-old group has been particularly low.

(HealthDay) — Memory problems are a common part of the postacute sequelae of COVID-19, according to a research letter published online July 29 in JAMA Network Open.

Every week, a group of epidemiologists across the north-east of the United States joins a Zoom call entirely devoted to discussing the latest hints of new Covid-19 variants being reported around the world.

Mask-wearing is the single most effective public health measure at tackling Covid, reducing incidence by 53%, the first global study of its kind shows.

As more staff return to regular working hours at offices, businesses have an obligation to make sure their premises are safe. Good ventilation with fresh, not recirculated air, is critical.

With more than 18 months of the pandemic in the rearview mirror, researchers have been steadily gathering new and important insights into the effects of COVID-19 on the body and brain.

CAPE TOWN – Africa’s death rates from Covid-19 infections were significantly higher in patients with diabetes, according to a preliminary analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Johannesburg – Across Gauteng audiologists are seeing a lesser known consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic – they are treating patients with hearing loss.

At this point in the pandemic, you or someone you know has probably received at least one COVID-19 test.

Crucially, those carrying the gene respond normally to vaccines because it does not affect the immune system, and so jabs should “cancel out” the increased risk.

The Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine helps prevent severe disease among those infected with the delta variant, according to research involving 1.2 million Discovery medical scheme members in South Africa.

Since Covid-19 took over the world, the image of a thermal scanner pointed at a person’s head, wrist or neck has become part of our daily lives.

Moms who had COVID-19 when they gave birth may help stimulate their infant’s burgeoning immunity against the virus by breastfeeding, a small study hints.

A 98-year-old Covid-19 victim’s body was dissected in front of a paying audience in a Portland, Oregon, hotel ballroom without the family’s consent, according to a KING 5 News investigation.

Thousands of people worldwide are suffering from the lingering effects of Covid-19 – from severe fatigue and struggling to breathe to coping with memory or hair loss.

One in three people infected with coronavirus will experience at least one symptom of long Covid, a new study suggests.

(CNN) – People who got Covid-19 vaccines were not only less likely to die from the virus, but they were less likely to die from any cause over the following months, researchers reported Friday.

As Covid-19 infections surge in England, people are increasingly reporting catching Sars-CoV-2 for a second or even third time.

Several companies have announced that they will implement mandatory vaccination at their workplaces, and it’s expected that many more will follow.

People who have recovered from Covid often ask if there is still benefit to getting vaccinated.

South Africa has enough Covid jabs to vaccinate up to half of the country’s 6.5-million children between the ages of 12 and 17 with one dose of Pfizer’s vaccine before they return to school after the December holidays or start their tertiary education in 2022.

(CNN) – Throughout August, the risk of dying from Covid-19 was 11 times higher for unvaccinated adults than for fully vaccinated adults in the United States, according to new data published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

(CNN) – Pregnant women who develop Covid-19 symptoms risk emergency complications and other problems with their pregnancies, according to two new studies.

Almost a fifth of the most critically ill COVID patients in England in recent months have been pregnant women, according to NHS England, which is urging expectant mothers to get their jabs.

Smokers are 60%-80% more likely to be admitted to hospital with Covid-19 and also more likely to die from the disease, data suggests.

Two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid vaccine are “highly effective” at preventing hospitalisations for at least six months, a large-scale study shows, but protection against infection nearly halves over the same period.

In South Africa, where less than 14% of the population is fully vaccinated and close to half of South Africans aged 18-24 told a survey that they are hesitant to take the Covid-19 jab, health professionals are raising their concerns about the consequences of vaccine hesitancy.

(CNN) – The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an urgent recommendation Wednesday for pregnant women and those who have recently given birth to get vaccinated against coronavirus.

(HealthDay) — It seems like common sense for people who’ve had COVID-19 to think they now have natural immunity, and therefore don’t have to bother getting vaccinated.

Just 54% of people in South Africa over the age of 50 have received at least one COVID-19 jab, with significant variation between provinces, as experts warn of the possibility of another wave of COVID-19 in future.

Several countries – including the UK – are now offering third COVID-19 shots amid reports of vaccines proving less effective over time.

(CNN) – A two-dose version of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine provides 94% protection against symptomatic infection, the company said Tuesday — making a two-dose regimen of J&J’s Janssen vaccine comparable to a two-dose regimen of Moderna’s or Pfizer’s.

According to business analysts, the U.S. nutritional supplement industry grew as much as 14.5% in 2020, due in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic.

(CNN) – Health experts are reinforcing the point that full vaccination remains highly effective against severe illness and death caused by Covid-19 as federal regulators consider the possibility of authorizing a third dose in the upcoming weeks.

New U.S. studies released Friday show the COVID-19 vaccines remain highly effective against hospitalizations and death even as the extra-contagious delta variant swept the country.

Covid-19 has seen many plans go down the toilet, but an Australian-led study shows public loos pose little risk of catching the virus.

The past 18 months have left many parents and carers feeling overwhelmed, irritable and wrung bone dry. Can balance ever be restored?

Being fully vaccinated against Covid-19 not only cuts the risk of catching it, but also of an infection turning into long Covid, research led by King’s College London suggests.

In South Africa all adults aged 18 and above are eligible for vaccination. In other countries they are vaccinating children as young as 12, but this isn’t currently part of South Africa’s strategy.

As the delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 surges across the U.S., almost 1 in 5 Americans continue to resist getting shots that are widely available, safe and effective – particularly for preventing the most severe outcomes of the virus.

SA’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases on Monday shared information on a new Covid-19 variant — dubbed C.1.2 — which was recently detected and confirmed.

With plans for the UK’s Covid vaccine booster programme this autumn soon to be revealed, we take a look at what we do – and don’t – know about waning immunity after vaccination.

Vaccines should be made mandatory, but where people have either a personal or religious objection, they should be compelled to produce a negative Covid-19 test once or twice a week if they work in high-risk settings.

Vaccine development is a complex process. The clinical trial process generally takes seven to 10 years before a vaccine can be approved and rolled out to a population.

Mandatory Covid-19 jabs for specific groups are being discussed by the ministerial advisory committee on vaccines, says its chair, professor Barry Schoub.

Whether you’re for or against him, you must have heard of Anthony Fauci.

Some people itching to get their hands on a COVID-19 cure are putting themselves in danger for taking unprescribed doses of ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug used to treat diseases such as river blindness or scabies in people and prevent heartworm disease and other infestations in animals.

People with weakened immune systems are far more likely than people with healthy bodily defences to end up in an intensive care unit or die from COVID-19.

While recent research found that over 71% of South Africans are willing to take the Covid-19 vaccine, government has indicated its concern with increasing reports of vaccine hesitancy.

In late July, the United States (US) reversed the mask-wearing rules for people who were fully vaccinated against COVID stipulating that they’d have to again wear masks in indoor public places.

A rise in cases of short-sightedness (myopia) among children in Hong Kong may be linked to a significant decrease in the time they have been able to spend outdoors and a sharp rise in screen time during the coronavirus pandemic, suggests research published online in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

South Africa’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout programme, outlined by the Ministry of Health, had three phases, starting with the most vulnerable population.