What Did the Research Discover? Researchers investigated whether COVID-19 infection increases the long-term risk of developing autoimmune and autoinflammatory connective tissue disorders. The study included 6,912,427 participants in South Korea, with 3,145,388 individuals who had COVID-19 and 3,767,039 who did not. The participants were followed for at least 180...
What Did the Research Discover? Scientists investigated how the 2019-nCoV coronavirus (now known as SARS-CoV-2) spread to humans and whether previous claims about its origins were accurate. Earlier studies suggested that snakes were an intermediate host and that the virus had genetic sequences similar to HIV-1, raising concerns about its origin. To test these...
What did the research discover? This study examined whether short-term side effects after receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine are linked to a stronger immune response. Researchers followed 363 adults in the San Francisco Bay Area who received two doses of either the Pfizer (BNT162b2) or Moderna (mRNA-1273) vaccine and had no prior COVID-19 exposure. They measured...
What did the research discover? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved and authorized updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer for the 2023-2024 season. These vaccines have been modified to better protect against currently circulating COVID-19 variants, including Omicron XBB.1.5. The update aims to reduce serious outcomes like...
What did the research discover? Recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows a significant rise in whooping cough (also known as pertussis) cases. For the week ending September 14, 2024 there were 291 new cases were reported, with New York and Oklahoma experiencing the highest numbers. So far in 2024, the U.S. has recorded over...
What did the research discover? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved FluMist for self- or caregiver-administration. FluMist is a nasal spray vaccine that helps prevent the flu (influenza) in people aged 2 through 49. While FluMist has been around since 2003, it previously had to be administered by a healthcare provider. Now, it can be given by...