Month: August 2021

The United States' delta-variant surge is shifting into a deadly new phase: The number of weekly fatalities is now rising in more than three-quarters of the states. The latest tally shows more than 4,800 deaths in a week, a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. That's more than triple the figure of the relative lull in early July. And the death toll is actually worse because a large California county changed its methodology, removing hundreds of reported deaths from the rolls. Coronavirus hospitalizations have hit pandemic highs among all ages under 50, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. And total new infections are still rising in almost every state. “We’re seeing a lot of people get seriously ill,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Biden administration’s l...

A medical worker disinfects the chairs after people received a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during a vaccination session for elderly people over 75 years old, at a stadium in New Taipei City, Taiwan June 25, 2021. REUTERS/Ann Wang TAIPEI, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Taiwan has rejected an application for the emergency use of UBI Pharma's (6562.TWO) COVID-19 vaccine candidate, the government said on Monday, though the president said she would get a separate domestic shot in a show of support for the scheme. Although Taiwan has ordered millions of Moderna (MRNA.O) and AstraZeneca (AZN.L) shots, developing a local vaccine has been a major goal and it is due next week to start administering its first domestic vaccine, made by Medigen Vaccine Biologics (654...

By Jessica Patrick, WRAL multiplatform producer Raleigh, N.C. — On Monday, Wake County will begin offering a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine to certain groups. The booster shot is available to people with weakened immune systems who have already received two doses of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines. Those eligible include: Cancer patients undergoing active treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood and organ transplant recipients taking medicine to suppress their immune systems Stem cell transplant recipients who are less than two years out from their transplant and taking medicine to suppress their immune systems Anyone with moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency Anyone with advanced o...

WASHINGTON, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Alison Toni felt lucky to get Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine in Chile earlier this year. A month later, she was in Minnesota getting vaccinated again. Toni, an American living in Chile, was visiting her parents in Minneapolis in April when she got her first Pfizer shot at a CVS pharmacy. She traveled back for the second dose in June. She did not disclose being previously vaccinated. "They didn't ask, and I didn't tell," said Toni, 55. She took that step after reading that China's Sinovac vaccine had a lower efficacy than the Pfizer Inc shot, developed with German partner BioNTech, and the Moderna Inc shot, both widely available in the United States. She also consulted with her doctor beforehand. Toni is among the group of people coming from abroad who have been ...

Devdan, who is 22-months-old, has Type 2 Spinal Muscular Atrophy. (PHOTO: Ray of Hope)SINGAPORE — A couple's desperate attempt to save their 22-month-old son's life by appealing to the public for funds has been successful with the family now able to pay for a one-time-only gene therapy treatment costing $2.868 million. The sum was raised over 10 days via more than 29,000 donors. "We are completely blown away by the level of support, love and generosity that poured in," said Devdan's parents Dave Devaraj and Shu Wen, both 33, on the Ray of Hope charity website.  "We are deeply grateful. You have given Devdan a second chance at life," they added. The toddler will receive the treatment soon at the National University Hospital (NUH). Devaraj and Shu launched their crowdfunding campaign on 3 ...

While some breakthrough cases among those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 are inevitable, they are unlikely to result in hospitalization or death. But one important question about breakthrough infection that remains unanswered is: Can the vaccinated develop so-called long Covid? Long Covid refers to a set of symptoms — such as severe fatigue, brain fog, headache, muscle pain and sleep problems — that can persist for weeks or months after the active infection has ended. The syndrome is poorly understood, but studies suggest that between 10 and 30 percent of adults who catch the virus may experience long Covid, including those who experienced only mild illness or no symptoms at all. But the vast majority of data collected about long Covid has been in the unvaccinated population. ...