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Omicron variant

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COVID-19: Rapid Spread Of Highly Mutated JN.1 May Mean It's More Contagious Than Other Strains COVID-19: Rapid Spread Of Highly Mutated JN.1 May Mean It's More Contagious Than Other Strains
Covid-19: Rapid Spread Of Highly Mutated JN.1 May Mean It's More Contagious Than Other Strains The rapid spread of a new subvariant that has quickly become the leading cause of COVID-19 infections in the US may mean it's more contagious than other highly transmissible offshoots of the Omicron variant. JN.1 now accounts for 44 percent of US cases, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released on Friday, Dec. 22. Just a week earlier, JN.1 had made up 21.4 percent of US cases in previously reported CDC data. In the Northeast, JN.1 is even more widespread, accounting for more than 56 percent of new COVID cases, the CDC says. The…

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by Joe Lombardi
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COVID-19: Highly Mutated Pirola Variant Now Identified In 10 States COVID-19: Highly Mutated Pirola Variant Now Identified In 10 States
Covid-19: Highly Mutated Pirola Variant Now Identified In 10 States A newly identified COVID-19 strain with around 30 mutations has now been identified in 10 states. Cases of the BA.2.86 strain, known as Pirola, have been confirmed in:  Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, New York,  Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington. The Michigan case, the first in the US, was an older woman who had recently returned from Japan who reportedly had mild symptoms. Related story - COVID-19: These Are Most Likely Symptoms Of New Pirola Variant Spreading In US At a World Health Organization (WHO) news briefing late last month, authorities said …

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by Joe Lombardi
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COVID-19: First Case Of Highly Mutated Pirola Variant Confirmed In NY COVID-19: First Case Of Highly Mutated Pirola Variant Confirmed In NY
Covid-19: First Case Of Highly Mutated Pirola Variant Confirmed In NY A newly identified COVID-19 strain with around 30 mutations is spreading in the nation and around the world, with a fourth state in America and several more countries confirming cases. Click here for a new, updated report - COVID-19: These Are Most Likely Symptoms Of New Pirola Variant Spreading In US The BA.2.86 strain, known as Pirola, has now been identified in four states: New York, Michigan, Virginia, and Ohio.  New York became the latest state to report the presence of the variant this week after wastewater samples tested positive for the strain. "While we have yet …

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by Joe Lombardi
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COVID-19: New Variant With 30 Mutations May Cause Breakthrough Infections, CDC Warns COVID-19: New Variant With 30 Mutations May Cause Breakthrough Infections, CDC Warns
Covid-19: New Variant With 30 Mutations May Cause Breakthrough Infections, CDC Warns A newly identified COVID-19 strain with around 30 mutations may cause breakthrough infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The BA.2.86 strain, now known as Pirola, has been identified in three states: Michigan, Virginia, and Ohio. The Michigan case, the first in the US, was an older woman who had recently returned from Japan. "BA.2.86 may be more capable of causing infection in people who have previously had COVID-19 or who have received COVID-19 vaccines," the CDC said in a Risk Assessment Summary. "Scientists are evaluating the effectiveness of the f…

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by Joe Lombardi
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COVID-19: Highly Mutated Pirola Variant Spreading In US With New Cases Confirmed COVID-19: Highly Mutated Pirola Variant Spreading In US With New Cases Confirmed
Covid-19: Highly Mutated Pirola Variant Spreading In US With New Cases Confirmed Scientists are scrambling to study a newly identified COVID-19 strain with around 30 mutations spreading in the United States and multiple other countries. Click here for a new, updated story - COVID-19: First Case Of Highly Mutated Pirola Variant Confirmed In NY The BA.2.86 strain, known as Pirola, has now been identified in three states: Michigan, Virginia, and Ohio. The Michigan case, the first in the US, was an older woman who had recently returned from Japan. At a World Health Organization (WHO) news briefing on Friday, Aug. 25, authorities said they consider BA.2.86 to be…

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by Joe Lombardi
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COVID-19: Subvariant XBB Accounts For 40% Of US Cases, Sparking Concerns Of New Wave COVID-19: Subvariant XBB Accounts For 40% Of US Cases, Sparking Concerns Of New Wave
Covid-19: Subvariant XBB Accounts For 40% Of US Cases, Sparking Concerns Of New Wave An Omicron strain called XBB.1.5 which now accounts for the majority of COVID-19 cases from the New York tristate area through New England has the potential to trigger a new wave of infections, a top expert is now saying. The XBB.1.5 variant makes up 40.5 percent of cases in the United States, and 70 percent of cases in the New York tristate area through New England, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "I would expect a wave of infection with this new variant," Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), told MS…

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by Joe Lombardi
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COVID-19: Vaccine Targeting Omicron Variant Authorized For Young Children By FDA COVID-19: Vaccine Targeting Omicron Variant Authorized For Young Children By FDA
Covid-19: Vaccine Targeting Omicron Variant Authorized For Young Children By FDA The Food and Drug Administration has authorized the use of updated COVID-19 booster shots targeting the Omicron variant for younger children. The FDA announced the amended emergency use authorization of the bivalent Moderna and Pfizer booster vaccines on Wednesday, Oct. 12. Today, FDA amended the EUA of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent and the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent to authorize their use as a single booster dose in younger age groups. https://t.co/C2Sx5Nkk0R pic.twitter.com/xsPfO2Mek3 — U.S. FDA (@US_FDA) October 12, 2022 The Moderna bivalent booster is autho…

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by Nicole Valinote
Lifestyle
COVID-19: CT Cancer Patient Has Been Infected With Virus At Least 471 Days, Case Study Says COVID-19: CT Cancer Patient Has Been Infected With Virus At Least 471 Days, Case Study Says
Covid-19: CT Cancer Patient Has Been Infected With Virus At Least 471 Days, Case Study Says A Connecticut resident experienced a chronic COVID-19 infection for at least 471 days, researchers reported. Researchers from Yale University found that a patient, who is diagnosed with lymphoma, has been testing positive for the virus for at least 471 days and that the virus rapidly mutated during their infection, according to the Daily Mail. The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, can be found here. Researchers reported that their surveillance system captured 30 nasal swabs from the unnamed individual, and sequenced COVID-19 genomes from day 79 through 471, which was between Feb…

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by Nicole Valinote
News
COVID-19: New Wave With 'Worst Version' Of Omicron Starting, Leading NY Doctor Says COVID-19: New Wave With 'Worst Version' Of Omicron Starting, Leading NY Doctor Says
Covid-19: New Wave With 'Worst Version' Of Omicron Starting, Leading NY Doctor Says A new COVID-19 wave with the strongest strain of the Omicron variant appears to have started in New York, one of NYC's top epidemiologists in the city is saying. Dr. Jay Varma, who was former Mayor Bill de Blasio's top public health advisor during the pandemic, said the infection rate appears to have stabilized at a high level rather than subsiding as summer starts to get into full swing. "This is likely the beginning of a BA.5 wave," Varma stated in a Tweet.  "Reported cases are at a high plateau, which means actual transmission is very high when you account for the &g…

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by Joe Lombardi
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COVID-19: Updated Vaccine Boosts Protection Against Omicron, Moderna Says COVID-19: Updated Vaccine Boosts Protection Against Omicron, Moderna Says
Covid-19: Updated Vaccine Boosts Protection Against Omicron, Moderna Says Biotechnology company Moderna announced its goal to release an updated booster vaccine this summer after data analysis showed the booster's superior protection against the Omicron variant compared to its original vaccine.  The company said in an announcement on Wednesday, June 8, that data analysis shows that its Omicron-containing bivalent COVID vaccine shows superior neutralizing antibody response against Omicron one month after administration compared to its original vaccine. Moderna said the side effects of the new booster dose are comparable to a booster dose of its original …

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by Nicole Valinote
News
COVID-19: FDA Expands Eligibility For Pfizer Booster To Children 5 Through 11 COVID-19: FDA Expands Eligibility For Pfizer Booster To Children 5 Through 11
Covid-19: FDA Expands Eligibility For Pfizer Booster To Children 5 Through 11 Federal health officials have granted emergency use authorization for a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in children. On Tuesday, May 17, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it is expanding eligibility for boosters to include children between the ages of 5 and 11 years old. That age group will be permitted to receive their booster shot five months after completing their initial COVID-19 vaccination series, officials said. FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said that while data shows COVID-19 is less severe in children, the vaccine and boosters can help …

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: 'Rising Tide' Of NY Cases Sparking Concern, Hochul Says COVID-19: 'Rising Tide' Of NY Cases Sparking Concern, Hochul Says
Covid-19: 'Rising Tide' Of NY Cases Sparking Concern, Hochul Says Some alarm bells are sounding for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul as new COVID-19 sub-variants have been spreading around parts of the state, causing concern as the number of new infections continues to rise. Hochul said that state health officials have identified two mutated strains of the high-transmissible Omicron variant that are the main culprit behind the “rising tide” of new cases of the virus in New York. The governor noted that health experts have found no evidence that the newly emerging strains of the virus are more severe than others, just more easily transferred. According to the D…

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by Zak Failla