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COVID-19 Variants

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COVID-19: FDA Approves Updated Booster Shots Targeting New Variants COVID-19: FDA Approves Updated Booster Shots Targeting New Variants
Covid-19: FDA Approves Updated Booster Shots Targeting New Variants Health officials are one step closer to rolling out updated COVID-19 vaccines just in time for a rise in cases heading into the fall and winter months. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved new vaccines on Monday, Sept. 11, that are meant to better target currently circulating COVID-19 variants and provide better protection against hospitalization and death, the agency announced. Monday’s move affects vaccines manufactured by Moderna and Pfizer. The updated mRNA vaccines are each approved for people ages 12 and older and are authorized under emergency use for children ages 6 mo…

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by Michael Mashburn
Lifestyle
COVID-19: Poll Reveals Percentage Of Americans Who Say ‘We Just Need To Get On With Our Lives' COVID-19: Poll Reveals Percentage Of Americans Who Say ‘We Just Need To Get On With Our Lives'
Covid-19: Poll Reveals Percentage Of Americans Who Say ‘We Just Need To Get On With Our Lives' The majority of Americans are ready to move on from the COVID-19 pandemic and simply accept it as a part of everyday life and move on, according to a newly released national poll. Monmouth University released the results of a new study, which found that seven in 10 Americans agree with the sentiment “it’s time that we accept that COVID-19 is here to stay and we just need to get on with our lives.” Of that 70 percent, 78 percent of those polled reported that they had previously contracted COVID-19, and 65 percent of whom have not been infected. The largest divide came between conservatives…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Be 'Vigilant' Over New Variant, Lamont Tells CT Residents COVID-19: Be 'Vigilant' Over New Variant, Lamont Tells CT Residents
Covid-19: Be 'Vigilant' Over New Variant, Lamont Tells CT Residents With concern growing across the country over the new COVID-19 variant Omicron, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said residents should be vigilant. "While there have been no cases of the Omicron variant reported here in Connecticut or the United States to date, we still must be vigilant," Lamont said.  Related story - COVID-19: First Cases Of New Variant Identified In North America The variant, which first surfaced in South Africa recently, has garnered significant attention as its spread has been found in Europe, Canada, and Asia.  While little is known about Omicron, the World …

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by Kathy Reakes
News
COVID-19: Infection Rate, Hospitalizations Down Dramatically; Latest Breakdown By County COVID-19: Infection Rate, Hospitalizations Down Dramatically; Latest Breakdown By County
Covid-19: Infection Rate, Hospitalizations Down Dramatically; Latest Breakdown By County A positive COVID-19 infection rate that spiked above 4 percent in Connecticut this week dipped back to normal the following day, according to the state Department of Health. There were 13,749 COVID-19 tests administered statewide on Tuesday, Sept. 14, resulting in 401 new laboratory-confirmed infections for a 2.92 percent daily positive infection rate. The latest figure came a day after the state reported a 4.21 infection rate, among the highest since the numbers began plateauing in Connecticut toward the end of the summer. A total of 10 more COVID-19 patients - six of whom were vaccinated …

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Five CT Counties Now At High Risk For Spread; Here's Latest Info COVID-19: Five CT Counties Now At High Risk For Spread; Here's Latest Info
Covid-19: Five CT Counties Now At High Risk For Spread; Here's Latest Info Five counties in Connecticut are now designated within the “high transmission” category for COVID-19 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). With variants of the virus surging through Connecticut communities, the CDC is closely monitoring five counties, though Fairfield and Middlesex counties have been downgraded from "high transmission" to "substantial transmission" in the past week.  New Haven, Windham, Hartford, Litchfield, and New London counties are now being watched most closely by the CDC due to the recent rise in infections. In the past seven days, new COVID c…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: More Contagious Variant From India Now Spreading In United States COVID-19: More Contagious Variant From India Now Spreading In United States
Covid-19: More Contagious Variant From India Now Spreading In United States The more transmittable COVID-19 strain that came to the United States from India is becoming more prevalent as the country continues its recovery from the pandemic. New data found that the India variant is rapidly spreading across the US and now makes up approximately 7 percent of all new COVID-19 cases, according to a new report on Outbreak.info. At the beginning of May, the India variant only accounted for approximately 1 percent of new cases. The data shows that the variant - which is believed to be at least 60 percent more transmissible than the original strain from Wuhan, China - pea…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Pfizer, Moderna Release Clinical Trial Results On Response Against Virus Variants COVID-19: Pfizer, Moderna Release Clinical Trial Results On Response Against Virus Variants
Covid-19: Pfizer, Moderna Release Clinical Trial Results On Response Against Virus Variants Both Pfizer and Moderna - two of the three COVID-19 vaccines approved for distribution in the US - have seen promising results in combating variants of the virus in recent studies. This week, both pharmaceutical companies released results of clinical trials that show the vaccines are effective in combating COVID-19 variants, including the prominent strains from South Africa and Brazil. Moderna has been testing a 50-microgram dose of its vaccine in previously vaccinated people, which found the booster dose increased neutralizing antibody responses against the original virus as well as the va…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: New Studies Shed Light On Moderna Vaccine's Effectiveness Against Variants COVID-19: New Studies Shed Light On Moderna Vaccine's Effectiveness Against Variants
Covid-19: New Studies Shed Light On Moderna Vaccine's Effectiveness Against Variants Researchers have found that the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine has proven effective in fighting off more contagious variants of the virus. A pair of new studies found that the Moderna vaccine, which is one of three approved by the FDA for administration in the U.S., is effective against the California variant that has recently been rapidly spreading, with protection lasting for at least six months. In one study, researchers from Duke University found that antibodies generated by the Moderna dose had approximately two times less neutralizing power against the California strain. While it showed a …

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by Zak Failla
Sports
COVID-19: Youth Sports, Not Reopening Schools, Fueling Increase In Cases, CDC Says COVID-19: Youth Sports, Not Reopening Schools, Fueling Increase In Cases, CDC Says
Covid-19: Youth Sports, Not Reopening Schools, Fueling Increase In Cases, CDC Says Youth sports, not the recent reopening of schools, has been cited for the recent rise of new COVID-19 cases among youths across America, federal health officials said. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said that the latest data found that COVID is spreading rapidly among younger Americans participating in after-school activities such as sports and clubs, where they gather unsafely in clusters. Walensky noted that the reopening of schools has not been linked to the rise in US cases, which are up approximately 3 percent week-to-w…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: First Case Of 'Double Mutant' Variant Detected In US COVID-19: First Case Of 'Double Mutant' Variant Detected In US
Covid-19: First Case Of 'Double Mutant' Variant Detected In US A new “double mutant” variant of the COVID-19 virus that could potentially be more infectious has been confirmed for the first time in the United States, raising red flags for researchers. The Stanford Clinical Virology Lab identified one case of the new variant — which first emerged in India — in California, officials announced to the San Fransisco Chronicle over the weekend. At least seven other purported cases of the same variant are also under investigation in the Bay Area. According to officials, the new strain has been dubbed the “double mutant” because it carries two mutations in…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
COVID-19: Fourth Wave? Experts Disagree, But Say US At Tipping Point In Battle Vs. Virus COVID-19: Fourth Wave? Experts Disagree, But Say US At Tipping Point In Battle Vs. Virus
Covid-19: Fourth Wave? Experts Disagree, But Say US At Tipping Point In Battle Vs. Virus Who will win - the vaccine or the variants? That appears to be the question as to whether or not the United States could see a potential fourth wave of cases amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Two of the nation's top experts disagree but both are saying America is at a tipping point in the now more than one-year-long war against the virus.  Here's how it stands as of Monday, April 5.  More than one-third of American adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine. At the same time, there have been outbreaks of cases, especially in younger people, of the more contagious B.1.1.7 st…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
COVID-19: Here's What We Know Now About Three Virus Strains CDC Calls 'Variants Of Concern' COVID-19: Here's What We Know Now About Three Virus Strains CDC Calls 'Variants Of Concern'
Covid-19: Here's What We Know Now About Three Virus Strains CDC Calls 'Variants Of Concern' As millions more American receive the COVID-19 vaccine each day, the key question now in the now more than year-long battle against the novel coronavirus comes down to this: Do the three approved vaccines being administered in the United States work against the new strains of the virus that have been confirmed, especially the highly contagious Brazil, United Kingdom, and South Africa variants? As of now, the answer is unclear because the variants first surfaced in the United States either in late December 2020 or in January 2021. "So far, studies suggest that antibodies generated through v…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
COVID-19: First Cases Of Highly Contagious South African Mutant Strain Identified In US COVID-19: First Cases Of Highly Contagious South African Mutant Strain Identified In US
Covid-19: First Cases Of Highly Contagious South African Mutant Strain Identified In US The highly transmissible variant of COVID-19 first identified in South Africa has now made its way to the United States. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control announced late Thursday morning, Jan. 28 the detection of two cases associated with the variant that first emerged recently in South Africa, the first such cases in the US.  Neither patient has traveled recently, meaning the variant is likely already spreading in the community following an undetected introduction. "At this time, there’s no evidence to suggest that the B.1.351 (South African) variant c…

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by Joe Lombardi