Viruses, Infections & Disease, features and articles | Educational Science

Jan 31, 2021

Another new coronavirus variant now detected in 13 countries

A new coronavirus variant has been detected in the U.K., Nigeria and 11 other countries, including the U.S., according to a report by researchers at the University of Edinburgh. The variant, dubbed B.1.125, contains a mutation in the virus's spike protein, which allows it to bind to and enter human...

Jan 31, 2021

Lengthy clinical trials to test vaccines modified for variants won't be necessary, FDA says

If the novel coronavirus mutates such that current COVID-19 vaccines are no longer effective at fighting the virus, researchers will have to modify the vaccines. But new guidelines issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indicate that long, extensive clinical trials may not be necessary to test the modified...

Jan 31, 2021

New coronavirus variant in NYC has vaccine-evading mutation

A new coronavirus variant with concerning mutations is on the rise in New York City, according to news reports. This latest coronavirus variant, dubbed B.1.526, first emerged in New York in November 2020, and it now accounts for about 25% of coronavirus genomes that were sequenced from New York in...

Jan 31, 2021

FDA clears Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use on Saturday (Feb. 27), making it the third shot cleared for use in the country. The authorization of this vaccine expands the availability of vaccines, the best medical prevention method for COVID-19, to help...

Dec 31, 2020

Endangered ferrets get experimental COVID-19 vaccine

While humans are still awaiting a jab with a coronavirus vaccine, endangered black-footed ferrets in Colorado have already gotten their shots. One hundred and twenty of the ferrets (Mustela nigripes) — once thought completely extinct — have been vaccinated with an experimental veterinary COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Associated Press....

Dec 31, 2020

Virus variant found in S. Africa may resist antibodies

Antibodies against the novel coronavirus may not work as well against a new variant of the virus identified in South Africa, early data suggest. Scientists recently raised concerns that the variant, known as 501.V2, may be resistant to COVID-19 vaccines, Live Science previously reported. Experts noted that the variant has...

Dec 31, 2020

Pfizer vaccine works against coronavirus mutation in UK and S. Africa variants

Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine is effective against a key mutation found in variants of the virus that are spreading faster than the original strain, according to an early study. While viruses mutate all the time, scientists worry that some of the new mutations in the novel coronavirus, specifically those in a...

Dec 31, 2020

Worrisome California coronavirus variant is tied to large outbreaks

A worrisome coronavirus variant is being found in more and more outbreaks in California — including a large outbreak in San Jose in which an air-powered Christmas tree costume led to 90 infections, according to news reports. Scientists don't know yet whether the variant, called L452R, is more transmissible than...

Dec 31, 2020

The pandemic broke the CDC. New director will try to fix it.

The incoming CDC director has a lot of work to do, and she knows it. Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on Tuesday (Jan. 19) that over the last four years, scientists with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been muzzled and science hasn't been heard. Walensky, formerly a...

Dec 31, 2020

UK coronavirus variant may be more deadly, early evidence suggests

Officials in the United Kingdom say the U.K. variant of the novel coronavirus may be more deadly than other strains, but they stress that the evidence for this is still very uncertain. This variant, called B.1.1.7, was first identified in Kent, England, in September 2020 and has since spread around...

Dec 31, 2020

Allergic reactions to Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine are extremely rare, report finds

Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine rarely causes severe allergic reactions, according to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Between Dec. 21 and Jan. 10, more than 4.04 million people were given Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, but only 10 developed a serious, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis....

Dec 31, 2020

Why cats and dogs may need their own COVID-19 vaccines

Cats and dogs may eventually need their own COVID-19 vaccines to prevent the coronavirus from evolving further and spilling back to humans, according to one group of researchers. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is known to infect a number of animals besides humans, including cats, dogs, minks, tigers and...

Dec 31, 2020

Can moms pass COVID-19 immunity to their newborns?

If a woman catches COVID-19 during pregnancy, can her baby pick up any immunity to the virus in the womb? Early data hint that the answer is yes, but many questions still remain. In a new study, published Jan. 29 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, scientists analyzed blood samples from...

Oct 31, 2022

RSV: Symptoms, treatments, antibodies and vaccines

Editor's note: This page was last updated on Aug. 24, 2023 following the approval of various RSV vaccines and a new preventative, antibody-based drug. Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is a very common respiratory virus, particularly among children. Indeed, by age 2, 90% of people have had at least one...

Aug 31, 2022

Will monkeypox become a pandemic?

As of Sept. 21, the current monkeypox outbreak has infected 62,532 people across 105 countries. Still, the World Health Organization (WHO) has not yet classified the current caseload as a pandemic. But could that change? Given its spread, could monkeypox become a pandemic? The answer to that question depends on...