COVID and SARS News

December 1, 2023

Top Headlines

Nasal Vaccine Prevents COVID in Preclinical Studies, Researchers Report

Nov. 6, 2023 — Researchers have developed a nasal spray vaccine that delivers the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein into cells of the airway, stopping viral particle replication before a virus can enter the bloodstream. This could improve the rate of vaccination and reduce ...

Single Vaccine Protects Against Three Deadly Strains of Coronavirus

Oct. 18, 2023 — A vaccine designed to protect against three different deadly coronaviruses shows success in mouse studies, demonstrating the viability of a pan-coronavirus vaccine developed by researchers at the Duke Human Vaccine ...

Trivalent Vaccine Candidate Fights Measles, Mumps, SARS-CoV-2

Oct. 2, 2023 — Altered measles and mumps viruses could be used as a platform to create a trivalent COVID-19 vaccine that triggers immunity to multiple variant strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, new research in animals ...

Scientists Develop 20-Subtype mRNA Flu Vaccine to Protect Against Future Flu Pandemics

Nov. 25, 2022 — An experimental mRNA-based vaccine against all 20 known subtypes of influenza virus provided broad protection from otherwise lethal flu strains in initial tests, and thus might serve one day as a ...

Latest Headlines

updated 10:57pm EST

A New Era for Accurate, Rapid COVID-19 Testing

Oct. 26, 2023 — Researchers demonstrate a nanopore-based technique that can detect different variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The method was very effective in detecting the Omicron variant of ...

COVID-19 Vaccination and Boosting During Pregnancy Benefits Pregnant People and Newborns

Aug. 11, 2023 — Receiving a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine or booster during pregnancy can benefit pregnant people and their newborn infants, according to new ...

COVID-19 Vaccination Protects People With Blood Cancer

Dec. 22, 2022 — Researchers have demonstrated that people suffering from blood cancer have a good immune response to COVID-19 vaccinations. Vaccination protects patients with B-cell lymphoma and multiple myeloma ...

First-Line Immune Defenses Against COVID-19 Are Short-Lived and May Explain Reinfection, Study Shows

Dec. 20, 2022 — A new study finds that antibodies produced in the nose decline nine months after COVID-19 infection, while antibodies found in the blood last at ...

Studies Find Omicron Related Hospitalizations Lower in Severity Than Delta, and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID Vaccine Remains Effective in Preventing Hospitalizations

Dec. 13, 2022 — Adult hospitalizations from Omicron-related SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) were less severe than Delta, and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (also known as ...

Long-Term Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccination Is Unaffected by Pregnancy, Study Finds

Dec. 13, 2022 — The long-term immune response to SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination was similar in pregnant individuals compared with non-pregnant individuals of ...

Expanding the Arsenal of Drugs Against COVID-19

Dec. 9, 2022 — Researchers have developed novel compounds with the potential to be drug treatments for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. This work also proves that replacing easily ...

Researchers Identify a New Entryway Into Cells for Virus Causing COVID-19

Dec. 6, 2022 — In a study adding to the pool of knowledge about viral entry, researchers have published a highly compelling study showing a previously unrecognized entryway for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes ...

How Antibody Therapy Impacts COVID Vaccines

Dec. 6, 2022 — People who receive monoclonal antibodies before vaccines may benefit from increased coverage, due to antibody feedback inhibition, according to new ...

How Well Does the Adapted Covid-19 Vaccine Protect?

Dec. 6, 2022 — Researchers studied antibody-mediated neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 variants following a fourth vaccination with different vaccine boosters. Their results showed that booster vaccination improved ...

Earlier Headlines

Summaries
Headlines

Study Uncovers Reasons Americans Did Not Get Booster Vaccines

Oct. 2, 2023 — In September 2022, new bivalent COVID-19 boosters became available in the United States, but less than 20% of the eligible population ultimately received one. A new study identified why so many ...

New Insights Into How Patient Factors and COVID-19 Infection Affect Antibody Responses in People With HIV

Mar. 9, 2023 — Researchers have examined how patient characteristics and COVID-19 infection may affect the antibody responses of people with HIV -- including responses against SARS-CoV-2 proteins as well as ...

Primary Series and Original Booster Provide Protection Against Omicron Infection

Dec. 1, 2022 — mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are less effective against Omicron infections than other variants. A study suggests that the additional protection offered by the initial booster shot may be reduced among ...

Immune T Cell Defense Is Coping With COVID-19 Variants of Concern -- For Now

Dec. 1, 2022 — Immune T cells are continuing to target the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, although mutations are making some T cells less effective, according to new ...

New Omicron Subvariant BQ.1.1 Resistant to All Therapeutic Antibodies, Study Finds

Nov. 23, 2022 — Are the currently approved antibody therapies used to treat individuals at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease also effective against currently circulating viral variants? A recent study shows ...

COVID-19 Vaccine Gives Substantial Protection Against Reinfection, Study Finds

Nov. 22, 2022 — Individuals previously infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, still benefit from vaccination, gaining 60% to 94% protection against reinfection, depending on the variant, according ...

Global COVID-19 Infection Rates May Be Higher Than Previously Reported

Nov. 10, 2022 — Serosurveillance provides estimates of antibody levels against infectious diseases and is considered the gold standard for measuring population immunity due to past infection or vaccination. A study ...

COVID-19 Vaccination Leads to Higher Antibody Levels Than Natural Infection in Both Pregnant People and Their Babies, Study Finds

Nov. 9, 2022 — Pregnant people who received one of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines had 10-fold higher antibody concentrations than those who were naturally infected with SARS-CoV-2, a finding that was also observed in ...

Moderna's COVID-19 Vaccine Safe and Effective for Young Children, Study Finds

Nov. 4, 2022 — Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective in children 6 months to 5 years of age, a clinical trial has ...

Study Finds High Prevalence of COVID-19 and Flu Co-Infections During 2021-2022 Flu Season

Nov. 2, 2022 — Researchers have discovered a high prevalence of COVID-19 co-infections in central Missouri during the 2021-2022 flu season, with a monthly co-infection rate as high as 48 percent among individuals ...

Getting to the Heart of COVID-19 Vaccination and Its Cardiovascular Risks

Nov. 1, 2022 — After mRNA vaccination, adults under 40 have a slightly greater chance of developing myocarditis or pericarditis, yet the vaccine's benefits outweigh the risks, according to a new ...

New Light on Key Differences in Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines

Oct. 31, 2022 — While both protect from severe disease, inactivated SARS-CoV-2 and spike mRNA vaccines trigger different T-cell ...

New Insights on Antibody Responses to Omicron Variants

Oct. 31, 2022 — A new study looks at several aspects of the effects of exposure to earlier forms of the SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen on the immune system's reaction to the prevailing Omicron ...

Multistate Study Examines mRNA Vaccine Effectiveness for Immunocompromised Adults During Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 Predominance

Oct. 26, 2022 — A recent study analyzed mRNA COVID vaccine effectiveness for immunocompromised adults during Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 predominance. The large, geographically diverse study confirms that overall ...

How Severe Is the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 Subvariant Compared With Earlier Variants?

Oct. 26, 2022 — Researchers determined that the BA.2 subvariant is less severe than the previous Delta variant and less severe to an even greater extent than the original Omicron ...

Study Uncovers Mechanisms Necessary for SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Macrophages

Oct. 24, 2022 — Researchers have identified a receptor, CD169 (also called Siglec1), that is exclusively expressed on macrophages and contributes to the hyper-inflammatory response of macrophages upon infection with ...

Intranasal COVID Vaccine That Works Against Variants in Animals

Oct. 24, 2022 — An intranasal vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 could quickly get to the respiratory tract, where the virus most commonly causes symptoms. And a spray or droplets could be a more palatable option for people ...

Third COVID-19 Vaccine Dose Is Highly Effective in Patients With Cirrhosis

Oct. 19, 2022 — Results of a retrospective study of 26,000 patients show that receiving a third dose of the vaccine was associated with 80% reduction in overall COVID-19 and 100% reduction in severe course of the ...

Nanotechnology, Messenger RNA Combined in Possible New 'Universal' COVID-19 Treatment

Oct. 18, 2022 — A new study has produced a proof of principle for a new 'universal' means of treating COVID-19. Researchers demonstrated in a mouse model that it's possible to prompt the production of ...

Myocarditis Seven Times More Likely With COVID-19 Than Vaccines, Study Finds

Oct. 13, 2022 — The risk of developing myocarditis -- or inflammation of the heart muscle -- is seven times higher with a COVID-19 infection than with the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a recent study. Patients with ...

Monday, October 2, 2023