Month: November 2020

Researchers have uncovered a mysterious gene in the genetic code of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 – a segment virtually hidden from view in the virus's genome, and largely overlooked until now.   The newly identified gene – called ORF3d – is an example of what's called an overlapping gene: a kind of 'gene within a gene' that's effectively concealed in a string of nucleotides, because of the way it overlaps the coded sequences of other genes. "In terms of genome size, SARS-CoV-2 and its relatives are among the longest RNA viruses that exist," explains bioinformatician Chase Nelson from the American Museum of Natural History. "They are thus perhaps more prone to 'genomic trickery' than other RNA viruses." Viruses are actually quite prone to hosting overlapping genes, so it's not exactly a...

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"How are we going to do this?" she texted a colleague who was also on the webinar. Her colleague responded with an exploding head emoji. Pfizer's vaccine needs to be stored at about minus 75 degrees Celsius, which is about 50 degrees colder than any vaccine currently used in the United States. Doctors' offices, pharmacies and state labs don't have freezers that go nearly that low. The solution is a set of handling and storage requirements that a doctor at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention described as "very complex." The CDC has asked states to be ready to receive Pfizer's vaccine by November 15, but state officials say the first time they heard the specific requirements was on October 15, giving them just weeks to prepare. State health officials were "shocked" when ...

The number of available intensive care hospital beds in Dallas County has shrunk as the coronavirus pandemic continues to advance through North Texas, new county data shows. Now at 52, the county’s inventory of available adult ICU beds is at one of its lowest points since the midsummer coronavirus peak in July. The figure does not include beds that hospitals can add if needed. Each hospital has its own surge plan, which could include doubling up beds in rooms and converting surgical centers. “Everyone is very concerned with the trends,” said Dr. Philip Huang, the health director. “People aren’t being as vigilant with infection control.” The daily census count is a snapshot and can shift. Figures for the total number of adult ICU beds were not immediately available. The county previously r...

EVERETT — State and local health experts on Tuesday expressed, in dire terms, the need for people to act immediately to stop the spread of COVID-19. New cases of the coronavirus are greatly surpassing previous record highs in Snohomish County and statewide, while hospitalizations are also increasing. Officials warned that if the situation doesn’t improve, they’ll re-impose some restrictions on businesses and social gatherings so the health care system is not overwhelmed with sick people. “If we had a dashboard, every light would be blinking red and every warning buzzer would be going off,” Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers said at a news briefing. “The third wave of the virus appears to be the largest wave yet. The fact that we’re entering winter months with the highest case co...

(NEXSTAR) – A new study on COVID-19 in big U.S. cities found that a small number of often-frequented places are responsible for the transmission of a large majority of infections – and suggests limiting crowd size at these venues might be the best way to fight the virus. Cleveland offering winter operations grants to restaurants to help during pandemic (as seen in the story above) The study, which was published in the journal Nature, used cellphone data to track the hourly movement of 98 million people and model how the virus spread as they visited sporting goods stores, restaurants, churches and car dealers, among other locations. According to the study, restaurants opening at full capacity generated the greatest increase in COVID-19 cases, followed by gyms, cafes ...