WHO to Rename Monkeypox Virus to Prevent Stigma Associated with the Virus
On June 14, 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that it would rename the monkeypox virus after a group of scientists expressed the opinion that the name “monkeypox” is stigmatizing.1 Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the WHO, said that the United Nations organization is working with partners and the scientific community around […]
CDC Distributing Monkeypox Vaccines Nationwide While Raising Monkeypox Travel Alert to Level 2
On June 6, 2022, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raised its monkeypox travel alert to Level 2, warning Americans to “Practice Enhanced Precautions.”1 The agency stated that monkeypox cases have been rising in at least 29 countries, with 1,019 infections reported to date. Currently, the United States has confirmed 31 cases […]
More Monkeypox Cases Identified as Roche is Ready With PCR Tests
There had been 584 confirmed cases of monkeypox virus in 26 countries as of May 31, 2022.1 The largest outbreak is in the United Kingdom where 190 people are infected with the virus, followed by Spain with 132 people infected, and Portugal with 100 people infected. Before this year, monkeypox in humans was thought to […]
Monkeypox Cases in U.S. Coincide With Vaccine Purchases by BARDA
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on May 21, 2022 that more than 100 confirmed or suspected cases of monkeypox had been identified in 12 countries, including between one and five confirmed cases in the U.S.1 Most of the cases have occurred in Europe with higher numbers in Portugal, Spain and the U.K. WHO officials […]
Study Finds SARS-CoV-2 Much Less Infectious After 20 Minutes in Air
A new study conducted by the University of Bristol Aerosol Research Centre in the United Kingdom found that the SARS-CoV-2 virus loses 90 percent of its virulence within 20 minutes after being exhaled into the air. Further, researchers concluded that the virus loses 50 percent of its ability to spread after only 10 minutes of […]
Treatment Protocols for COVID-19: An Overview
Two years into the global pandemic of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, there is scant guidance from government agencies, universities, or professional medical organizations to help individuals recover from the SARS-CoV-2 infection that causes COVID-19 without the need for hospitalization. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which recommends monoclonal antibodies for high-risk individuals […]
Surge of Coronavirus Infections Among Vaccinated Employees Causes U.S. Labor Shortage
A surge in the number of coronavirus cases due to the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is causing labor shortages in many sectors of the economy across the United States. Airline employees, first responders and health care workers have been hit especially hard during the holiday season.1 2 3 Everyone Should Be Tested for […]
Omicron Found Mostly in Vaccinated Americans So Far
On Dec. 1, 2021, the first case of the new SARS-CoV-2 variant known as Omicron (initially designated “B.1.1.529”) in the United States was confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in California. The case involves a fully vaccinated individual in San Francisco who had returned from a trip to South Africa […]
Tracking the Mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus
As is the nature of viruses, the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 disease symptoms continues to mutate. Some scientists estimate it evolves at a rate of two new mutations every month, although most changes are minor and considered clinically unimportant.1 2 Depending on the type of genetic changes that occur, mutations can affect disease symptoms, […]
Daily COVID Deaths in Sweden Hit Zero, as Other Nations Brace for More Lockdowns
Opinion | More than 100,000 people flooded streets in France over the weekend and multiple COVID vaccination centers were vandalized as opposition grew to the government’s most recent pandemic strategy. In President Emmanuel Macron’s latest incarnation of lockdowns, government officials have decreed that unvaccinated individuals will no longer be allowed to enter cafes, restaurants, theaters, public transportation and […]
