WHO Reports Significant Overuse of Antibiotics to Treat SARS-CoV-2 Infections
The World Health Organization (WHO) presented findings of extensive overuse of antibiotics during the peak years of the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have made the already existing threat of antimicrobial resistance much worse.1 The WHO has called antibiotic resistance one of the greatest global public health threats.2 According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control […]
CDC Says Overweight People Need Longer Needles for Vaccinations
If you were among the many who experienced a breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection despite getting a COVID-19 shot (or two or three), federal health officials suggest that—if you are overweight or obese—the length of the needle used to inject you might be to blame, not vaccine failure. New recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control […]
Merck and Pfizer Seek Approval for COVID-19 Antiviral Drugs
Merck and Pfizer have submitted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) applications to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to authorize distribution of what would be the first antiviral drug specifically designed to treat COVID-19 disease.1 Merck/Ridgeback Biotherapeutics are seeking EUA approval for Molnupiravir (MK-4482/EIDD-2801), an investigational oral antiviral drug originally developed to treat influenza.2 Pfizer […]
Another Shot at a Vaccine for Lyme Disease
The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) has provided the University of Maryland with a $3.5 million dollar grant to develop a vaccine for Lyme disease.1 Principal investigators Utal Pal, PhD, professor at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Maryland College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Matthias Schnell, PhD, director […]
Flu Vaccination Associated With Increased Viral Shedding
Opinion | When your body is infected with a disease-causing virus such as influenza, the virus is “shed” into the environment, via your saliva and other bodily fluids and skin lesions. If someone comes in contact with that shed virus, it’s possible that they, too, will become infected with the virus. There’s still a lot of […]
Face Masks to Prevent COVID-19: Conflicting Facts & Advice
In a media briefing on Mar. 30, 2020, World Health Organization (WHO) officials confirmed that facial masks for the prevention of COVID-19 should be worn by those who are sick or in close contact with those infected, and are not recommended for healthy members of the general population.1 A day later, U.S. Vice President Mike […]