New study may help explain low oxygen levels in COVID-19 patients
A new study published in the journal Stem Cell Reports by University of Alberta researchers is shedding light on why many COVID-19 patients, even those not in hospital, are suffering from hypoxia--a potentially dangerous condition in which there is decreased oxygenation in the body's tissues. The study also shows why the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone has been an effective treatment for those with the virus.
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60 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered in UK
Health services across the UK have now administered a total of around 60.6 million vaccines since 8 December, including around 37.9 million people with their first dose (72%) and 22.6 million with both doses (43%), ensuring they have the strongest possible protection against COVID-19 from a second dose.
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Why are some COVID-19 vaccines working better for men than women?
MSU researcher is studying, raising awareness about the role of sex in the efficacy of vaccines that make use of nanomedicine.
If there's one take-home message for the general public about the coronavirus vaccines approved in the U.S., it's that they are remarkably effective.
COVID-19 monoclonal antibodies reduce risk of hospitalization and death
Monoclonal antibodies, a COVID-19 treatment given early after coronavirus infection, cut the risk of hospitalization and death by 60% in those most likely to suffer complications of the disease, according to an analysis of UPMC patients who received the medication compared to similar patients who did not.
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New vaccine platform: 'Two-one replicon-and-VLP-minispike vaccine' against COVID-19
To stop the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, vaccines of high quality, safety, and efficacy are required. Scientists of the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut and the Ludwig Maximilian University at Munich have conceived in the laboratory a novel vector vaccine based on the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) with only one part of the spike protein as antigen. They have tested the characteristics of this vaccine in mice.
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COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are immunogenic in pregnant and lactating women
Pregnant women with symptomatic COVID-19 have a higher risk of intensive care unit admissions, mechanical ventilation and death compared to non-pregnant reproductive age women. Increases in preterm birth and still birth have also been observed in pregnancies complicated by the viral infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that people who are pregnant may choose to be vaccinated at their own discretion with their healthcare provider.
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Major differences in COVID patient care caused by insufficient data, misleading advice
While there was extensive use of drug repurposing throughout the first 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was substantial heterogeneity over the types of drugs used for treatment purposes globally. Some drugs, including hydroxychloroquine, saw sharp declines in use, while adjunctive therapies grew into a more relied upon method for patient management.
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