Why Is Omicron So Contagious?
The new coronavirus variant may be better than other versions at avoiding human immune defenses—but that ability may change in different countries -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.....»»
COVID’s spread within hospitals hit all-time high amid omicron wave
Hospital risk was still relatively low, but surge speaks to omicron's transmissibility. Enlarge / A health care worker treats a patient inside a negative pressure room in the COVID-19 intensive care unit at Freeman Hospital West in Jop.....»»
Omicron subvariant BA.2 continues global rise as experts assess mixed data
Lab studies suggest higher pathogenicity, but so far, real-world data on severity doesn't. Enlarge (credit: Getty | Xinhua News Agency) A sub-lineage of the omicron coronavirus variant, dubbed BA.2, continues to increase stea.....»»
Vaccine makers announce slowdowns for omicron-specific booster
"If the wave ends, that does not mean it can't begin again." Enlarge / Vials of undiluted Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. (credit: Getty | BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI ) Vaccine makers are pushing back when omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccines c.....»»
Discovery of New HIV Variant Sends Warning for COVID Pandemic
Infectious disease expert William A. Haseltine cautions that a coronavirus variant could emerge with the transmissibility of Omicron and the deadliness of the original SARS -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.....»»
Omicron wave was brutal on kids; hospitalization rates 4X higher than delta’s
Incidental cases do not account for the jump in hospitalizations, the authors found. Enlarge / Boston Medical Center Child Life Specialist Karlie Bittrich sees to a baby while in a pediatrics tent set up outside of Boston Medical Cente.....»»
Booster protection from omicron hospital stay dips from 91% to 78%
Despite inevitable waning, protection against severe disease still looks strong. Enlarge / A vial containing Moderna COVID-19 booster vaccine at a vaccination center. (credit: Getty | SOPA Images) COVID-19 booster doses are la.....»»
Microsoft Tells Workers To Prepare To Return To the Office
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the New York Times: Microsoft told employees that they will need to return to office next month, transitioning back to its corporate campus for the first time since the Omicron coronavirus variant tore through.....»»
Omicron"s Surprising Anatomy Explains Why It Is Wildly Contagious
Specific mutations hide the COVID variant from the immune system and give it a new route into more cells -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.....»»
Moderna’s omicron booster was only as good as current vaccine in monkey study
Boosting with an omicron-specific vaccine didn't offer more protection against omicron. Enlarge / A vial of the current Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. (credit: Getty | Ivan Romano) In a small group of monkeys, an omicron-specific v.....»»
Agonizing Cough of Croup Rising in Kids with COVID
The omicron variant appears to be creating more cases in small children -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.....»»
Long-Haul COVID Cases Could Spike after Latest Wave
The huge number of Omicron infections could add a lot more people with disabling long-term symptoms. Vaccinations could blunt the impact -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.....»»
For T-cells, omicron is nothing unusual
T-cell response from earlier infection or vaccination is down, but not by much. Enlarge / False-color image of a T-cell (orange) latching on to a cell in preparation for killing it. (credit: Getty Images) From the start, the o.....»»
The Omicron Variant Has New Versions Already. What Comes Next?
Viruses keep evolving until they run out of hosts to infect. Worldwide, billions remain unvaccinated against Covid—which means Omicron isn’t the end......»»
Omicron may have FDA rethinking vaccine strategy for kids under 5 [Updated]
If the goal is baseline protection, we can get there with 2 doses, Gottlieb says. Enlarge / A child getting a vaccination on February 19, 2021, in Bonn, Germany. (credit: Getty | Ute Grabowsky) Update 1/31/2022, 10:15pm ET: P.....»»
Omicron may have FDA rethinking vaccine strategy for kids under 5
If the goal is baseline protection, we can get there with 2 doses, Gottlieb says. Enlarge / A child getting a vaccination on February 19, 2021, in Bonn, Germany. (credit: Getty | Ute Grabowsky) The Food and Drug Administratio.....»»
Omicron-specific vaccine boosters are now in humans as trials begin
The boosters may be ready in March, but what comes next is anyone's guess. Enlarge / A vial of the current Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. (credit: Getty | Ivan Romano) The first doses of omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccines went into.....»»
Moderna Starts Trial of an Omicron-specific COVID-19 Vaccine
Moderna gave its omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccine to the first participant in a clinical trial, the company announced Wednesday. The report comes a few days after Pfizer / BioNTech launched a trial of its shot targeting the fast-spreading variant. F.....»»
Omicron’s wave is at least 386% taller than delta’s—and it’s crushing hospitals
Omicron wave's hospital admissions are 76% higher than delta's, CDC reports. Enlarge / Medical Director of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) checks the vital signs of a COVID-19 patien while her husband rests in a bed next to her at Provid.....»»
WHO warns of potential for more variants as omicron subvariant found in US
"Learning to live with COVID cannot mean that we give this virus a free ride." Enlarge / World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (credit: Getty | Fabrice Cof) The head of the World Health Or.....»»
Why Omicron Is Putting More Kids in the Hospital
The huge jump in cases means more hospitalizations. And children’s small airways can be more easily blocked by infections -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.....»»