Month: January 2021

For the nearly 100 million people around the world who’ve been infected with the coronavirus, new science offers some comfort: Reinfections appear to be rare, and you may be protected from Covid-19 for at least five months. The study, the largest of its kind, followed more than 20,000 health workers in the UK, regularly testing them for infection and antibodies. Between June and November, the researchers — from Public Health England (PHE) — found 44 potential reinfections out of the 6,614 participants who had tested positive for antibodies or had a previous positive PCR or antibody test when they joined the study. (The full results aren’t yet published, but PHE told Vox a preprint would soon be shared online.) Meanwhile, of the 14,000-plus people who had tested negative for the vir...

A Texas trauma surgeon says it's rare that X-rays from any of her COVID-19 patients come back without dense scarring. Dr. Brittany Bankhead-Kendall tweeted, "Post-COVID lungs look worse than any type of terrible smoker's lung we've ever seen. And they collapse. And they clot off. And the shortness of breath lingers on... & on... & on." "Everyone's just so worried about the mortality thing and that's terrible and it's awful," she told CBS Dallas-Fort Worth. "But man, for all the survivors and the people who have tested positive this is — it's going to be a problem." Bankhead-Kendall, an assistant professor of surgery with Texas Tech University, in Lubbock, has treated thousands of patients since the pandemic began in March. Lubbock, Texas trauma surgeon Dr....

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported 16 new coronavirus-related deaths on Friday and 823 new cases.This is the third day in a row that Maine has topped more than 800 new cases. There are now 32,781 total cases since the beginning of the outbreak.The 16 new COVID-19-related deaths bring the total since the beginning of the pandemic to 477.Aroostook County reported five new deaths, Androscoggin, Cumberland, Hancock, Penobscot and Washington counties each reported two new deaths and Oxford County reported one new death.Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah is scheduled to provide an update on coronavirus in the state at 2 p.m. Beginning next week, his briefings will switch to Tuesdays and Thursdays.MAINE CORONAVIRUS DATA: Deaths: 477 Total cases: 32,781...

Arizona has the highest Covid-19 infection rate in the U.S. and is on the brink of running out of space in crowded hospitals, according to public-health and hospital officials. The state hit a record for new infections last week, with 11,324 in a single day. It has the highest per capita rate of new Covid-19 infections in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the highest rate of Covid-19 hospitalizations, according to the Covid tracking project. As of Monday, roughly 16% of Covid-19 tests in the state were coming back positive, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, and health officials estimate that one in 10 residents is currently infected. “We’re the hottest spot in the U.S. and among the ...

Mask-wearing and social distancing are up in the United States, a survey finds. Noam Galai/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Noam Galai/Getty Images Mask-wearing and social distancing are up in the United States, a survey finds. Noam Galai/Getty Images Americans are being more careful to avoid catching and spreading the coronavirus but are still not being careful eno...