Western Australia: Is it time for the state to open up and let covid-19 in?

Western Australia, which has remained largely covid-free, has cancelled its border reopening due to omicron fears, but there may be little to gain by holding out longer Health 21 January 2022 By Alice Klein Women wearing face masks in Perth, Australia Matt Jelonek/Getty Images Western Australia, which has mostly dodged the coronavirus by sealing itself … Read more

This Cheap, Effective, Patent-Free COVID Vaccine Could Be a Global Game-Changer

The world now has a new COVID-19 vaccine in its arsenal, and at a fraction of the cost per dose. Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has seen over 314 million infections and over 5.5 million deaths worldwide. Approximately 60 percent of the world population has received at least one dose of a … Read more

Vaccine development: Process could be fast-tracked using antibody imaging tool

A new imaging approach monitors antibody responses to vaccines more quickly than current techniques, which could accelerate vaccine design 19 January 2022 By Carissa Wong An artist’s illustration of antibodies (red and blue) responding to an infection with SARS-CoV-2 (purple) SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY By analysing high-resolution images, a computer can quickly predict the sequence of … Read more

COVID Quickly, Episode 21: Colds Build COVID Immunity, and the Omicron Vaccine Delay

Josh Fischman: Hi, and welcome to COVID, Quickly, a Scientific American podcast series. This is your fast-track update on the COVID pandemic. We bring you up to speed on the science behind the most urgent questions about the virus and the disease. We demystify the research, and help you understand what it really means. I’m … Read more

Covid-19 news: Most short-term vaccine symptoms down to nocebo effect

By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, Jason Arunn Murugesu and Layal Liverpool A man receives a vaccine jab at a mass vaccination centre at Wembley Stadium in London, England. Xinhua/Shutterstock Latest coronavirus news as of 2pm on 19 January Most symptoms reported following covid-19 vaccines … Read more

Over 60% of Adverse Reactions to COVID-19 Vaccines May Just Be The Nocebo Effect

The human mind, it seems, is a very powerful thing. According to a new study involving over 45,000 patients, most of the adverse reactions people experienced after having a COVID-19 vaccination could be due to the nocebo effect.   The nocebo effect is a bit like the ‘evil twin’ of the placebo effect, occurring when … Read more

Covid-19 news: Joint flu and covid-19 vaccine could be offered in 2023

By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, Jason Arunn Murugesu and Layal Liverpool A healthcare worker prepares a dose of the Moderna covid-19 vaccine in Keelung, Taiwan, on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022 I-Hwa Cheng/Bloomberg via Getty Images Latest coronavirus news as of 12pm on 18 January … Read more

Flu vaccines during pregnancy protect babies for 6 months after birth

Evidence shows that getting a flu jab during pregnancy provides substantial protection to young babies, but uptake in many countries is still concerningly low Health 14 January 2022 By Alice Klein Pregnant women can pass on antibodies to their babies Shutterstock/Rido Babies are two-thirds less likely to get the flu in their first six months … Read more

Fascinating Mouse Study Hints We May One Day Have mRNA Vaccine for Skin Cancer

Being sun smart could one day include a vaccination not unlike those currently providing millions around the world with immunity against coronavirus. While most immunizations sensitize our immune system to an aggressive agent like a virus or even cancer cell, emerging mRNA vaccine technology could instead train our bodies into generating additional antioxidant proteins, boosting our ability … Read more

Don’t Freak Out if a COVID Vaccine Slightly Changes Your Period Cycle, Says Study

Women vaccinated against COVID-19 saw a slight delay in their period of almost a day compared to those who were unvaccinated, a US government-funded study said Thursday. But the number of days of bleeding was not affected, according to the research carried out on nearly 4,000 individuals and published in Obstetrics & Gynecology.   Lead … Read more