Fair 68°
News
COVID-19: New Variant's 50 Mutations Make It Different From Original Virus, NIH Director Says COVID-19: New Variant's 50 Mutations Make It Different From Original Virus, NIH Director Says
Covid-19: New Variant's 50 Mutations Make It Different From Original Virus, NIH Director Says Why are scientists so concerned about the new strain of COVID-19? Simply stated, when it comes to Omicron, it's all about the sheer numbers -- as in the number of mutations. "The main thing that has us focused on this and has caused us to be sort of 24-7 on Zoom calls the last four days is that it has so many mutations," Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), said Sunday morning, Nov. 28 on CNN. "Omicron has more than 50 variants that make it different from the original virus, including more than 30 that are in the spike protein." The spike proteins …

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
News
COVID-19: Newly Discovered Strain Could Be Worse Than Delta Variant, Scientists Fear COVID-19: Newly Discovered Strain Could Be Worse Than Delta Variant, Scientists Fear
Covid-19: Newly Discovered Strain Could Be Worse Than Delta Variant, Scientists Fear Updated story - COVID-19: New Variant's 50 Mutations Make It Different From Original Virus, NIH Director Says A new COVID-19 variant that could be worse than the Delta strain is sparking concerns among scientists. The B.1.1.529 strain, now known as Omicron, could become a "variant of concern" as soon as Friday, Nov. 26, when the World Health Organization holds an emergency meeting. It is now spreading rapidly in parts of South Africa after first being detected in neighboring Botswana.  The new variant has already shown a large number of mutations, and scientists fear it…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
Sports
Diver From NY Wins Medal At Olympics Diver From NY Wins Medal At Olympics
Diver From NY Wins Medal At Olympics A diving duo from Long Island and Massachusetts who met at the University of Indiana dove their way into the record books, joining the parade of Americans claiming medals at the Tokyo Olympics. Nassau County native Andrew Capobianco, who calls Mineola home, and his teammate, Hampshire County resident Michael Hixon, out of Amherst, Massachusetts, took home the silver medal for the US in the men’s synchronized 3-meter springboard event. The duo finished with a score of 444.36 to take the silver behind the Chinese pair of Wang Zongyuan and Xie Siyi. Germany’s Patrick Hausding and Lars Rudiger …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Pfizer Seeks Federal Approval To Market Vaccine Directly To Consumers COVID-19: Pfizer Seeks Federal Approval To Market Vaccine Directly To Consumers
Covid-19: Pfizer Seeks Federal Approval To Market Vaccine Directly To Consumers Pfizer and European partner company BioNTech are seeking full approval from the federal government to market their two-dose COVID-19 vaccine directly to people age 16 and over, as well as businesses and schools. The vaccine has been available in the United States since mid-December under an Emergency Use Authorization waiver by the Food and Drug Administration. Since then, the companies have delivered more than 170 million doses of the vaccine across the United States. “We are proud of the tremendous progress we’ve made since December in delivering vaccines to millions of Americans, in col…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
Politics
COVID-19: CDC Director Warns Of 'Impending Doom,' As US Cases Rise; Biden Takes New Action COVID-19: CDC Director Warns Of 'Impending Doom,' As US Cases Rise; Biden Takes New Action
Covid-19: CDC Director Warns Of 'Impending Doom,' As US Cases Rise; Biden Takes New Action Alarm bells are ringing and red flags are flying for Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as she senses “impending doom” as the number of COVID-19 cases is on the rise amid a possible fourth wave, as the White House announced new actions. An emotional Walensky's voice broke during a briefing on Monday, March 29 as she cautioned Americans not to get complacent as a new wave of the virus could hit the country. “I’m (going to) lose the script and I’m going to reflect on the recurring feeling I have of impending doom,” she said from the W…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Pfizer Boasts Vaccine Candidate That's More Than 90% Effective COVID-19: Pfizer Boasts Vaccine Candidate That's More Than 90% Effective
Covid-19: Pfizer Boasts Vaccine Candidate That's More Than 90% Effective More reliable than the flu shot? Pfizer on Monday trumpeted a COVID-19 vaccine candidate as more than 90% effective – nearly three times better than the effectiveness of last season’s influenza vaccine. Pfizer said it hopes to have 50 million doses of the free vaccine ready by the end of this year and as many as 1.3 billion doses available next year to fight the deadly global pandemic. Two doses per person of BNT162b2 would be necessary, said the Manhattan-based drug maker, which teamed up with BioNTech of Germany to develop the booster. Pfizer plans to ask the federal Food and Drug Admini…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Politics
COVID-19: US Image Plummets Internationally Over Handling Of Pandemic, Survey Reveals COVID-19: US Image Plummets Internationally Over Handling Of Pandemic, Survey Reveals
Covid-19: US Image Plummets Internationally Over Handling Of Pandemic, Survey Reveals With hundreds still dying daily from COVID-19, views of the United States by citizens of other countries’  continue to crater due to America's response to the crisis, according to a brand-new Pew Research Center survey. The Pew Research Center released the 13-nation survey that shows America’s reputation has also rapidly declined since Donald Trump assumed the office of president in 2017, but now, especially so, during the COVID-19 outbreak. According to researchers, the favorable view of the United States is the lowest it has been since polling began more than 20 years ago. Countrie…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
COVID-19: Here's Percentage Of NYers Who May Have Already Gotten Novel Coronavirus COVID-19: Here's Percentage Of NYers Who May Have Already Gotten Novel Coronavirus
Covid-19: Here's Percentage Of NYers Who May Have Already Gotten Novel Coronavirus A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that as many as one in seven New Yorkers may have already gotten novel coronavirus (COVID-19), even if they weren’t positively tested in a hospital. Using data from Manhattan hospitals, the study determined that approximately 15 percent of the patients studied were positive for COVID-19, even though only a handful had symptoms. There were similar findings in Germany and Iceland, according to researchers. According to a report, “this means that the occasional hopeful suggestions that the coronavirus is already widespread glob…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
NY, CT Residents Among Hundreds Charged In Takedown Of Largest Darknet Child Porn Website NY, CT Residents Among Hundreds Charged In Takedown Of Largest Darknet Child Porn Website
NY, CT Residents Among Hundreds Charged In Takedown Of Largest Darknet Child Porn Website Men from Connecticut and New York are among those charged in the takedown of the largest Darknet child pornography website. Jong Woo Son, 23, a South Korean national, was indicted this week for his operation of Welcome To Video, the largest child exploitation market by volume of content, officials said. Son has also been charged and convicted in South Korea and is currently in custody serving his sentence in South Korea.   An additional 337 site users residing in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jers…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
Gruesome Details Emerge In Murder Of Ex-Northern Westchester Resident Found In Cave Gruesome Details Emerge In Murder Of Ex-Northern Westchester Resident Found In Cave
Gruesome Details Emerge In Murder Of Ex-Northern Westchester Resident Found In Cave A former Northern Westchester resident who was found murdered and sexually assaulted on the Island of Crete in Greece was initially hit by a car twice by the man charged with the crime, authorities said. Suzanne Eaton, 59, a molecular biologist at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Germany, who disappeared on Tuesday, July 2 while on a work conference trip, was found dead six days later in a cave by two people exploring the area, said Crete Police Major Eleni Papathanasiou.  Papathanasiou said it was Eaton's fourth visit to the island to take part in similar…

SHARE

by Kathy Reakes
News
Married Father Of Two Reportedly Suspect In Ex-Northern Westchester Resident's Murder Married Father Of Two Reportedly Suspect In Ex-Northern Westchester Resident's Murder
Married Father Of Two Reportedly Suspect In Ex-Northern Westchester Resident's Murder A married father of two has reportedly been arrested for the murder of a former Northern Westchester resident on the Greek Island of Crete. The unnamed 27-year-old man has already confessed to killing Suzanne Eaton, 59, who graduated from Byram Hills High School in Armonk in 1977, reported the BCC News. Eaton, a renowned molecular biologist, was reported missing Tuesday, July 2, after failing to show up for a conference she was attending.  Following a massive search, her body was found on Monday, July 8, by two explorers inside a World War II bunker, which is a system of manmade …

SHARE

by Kathy Reakes
News
Man Confesses To Murder Of Former Northern Westchester Resident In Greece, Report Says Man Confesses To Murder Of Former Northern Westchester Resident In Greece, Report Says
Man Confesses To Murder Of Former Northern Westchester Resident In Greece, Report Says A 27-year-old man has reportedly admitted to the murder of a former Westchester resident on the island of Crete in Greece. Law enforcement officials said the man was interviewed over the weekend in the death of 59-year-old Suzanne Eaton, the renowned scientist who graduated from Byram Hills High School in Armonk, allegedly confessed to the crime, reported CBS News. Eaton, a molecular biologist went missing Tuesday, July 2, while attending a conference at the Orthodox Academy in Crete, Greece, when she disappeared. Crete police are expected to released additional details on Tuesday, July 1…

SHARE

by Kathy Reakes