COVID variants

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Global Reaction to Variant Angers South Africa

Government and travel industry feel punished for transparency and scientists' quick work

(Newser) - South Africa's government and travel industry have responded angrily to travel restrictions imposed by the US, Britain and other nations over the latest coronavirus variant . Health Minister Joe Phaahla, at a press conference Friday, said the travel bans "are completely against the norms and standards as guided by...

First Case of New Variant Detected in Europe
WHO Names Variant;
US Issues Travel Restrictions
the rundown
Nov 26, 2021 1:32 PM CST

WHO Names Variant; US Issues Travel Restrictions

World Health Organization dubs it 'omicron' and calls it a 'variant of concern'

(Newser) - The world got an unwanted new arrival on Friday: omicron. Here's the latest on the worrisome new COVID variant:
  • New name: After an emergency review, the World Health Organization on Friday declared the emerging strain of COVID a "variant of concern," reports the Washington Post . The variant,
...

Dow Futures Drop 800 Points as COVID Variant Emerges
Fears of COVID Variant
Slam Stock Market
UPDATED
Nov 26, 2021 8:53 AM CST

Fears of COVID Variant Slam Stock Market

Dow drops more than 2%, and other major indexes in similar straits

(Newser) - Update: Fears of a newly discovered COVID variant has indeed led to a brutal start for the stock market. The Dow plunged about 800 points at the open on Friday, more than 2%, per the AP , while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq also fell, though by smaller percentages. Our ...

New COVID Variant Is a &#39;Big Jump in Evolution&#39;
New COVID Variant Is
a 'Big Jump in Evolution'
THE RUNDOWN
Nov 26, 2021 6:53 AM CST

New COVID Variant Is a 'Big Jump in Evolution'

EU countries rush to restrict travel from southern Africa

(Newser) - Almost two years after the first cases were detected in Wuhan, China, the fight against the coronavirus continues—and authorities are worried that a new variant detected in South Africa could be a major setback. The variant, currently known as B.1.1.529, has mutations that could make it...

South Africa Studies Variant
Variant Worries South Africa
Nov 25, 2021 1:55 PM CST

Variant Worries South Africa

Cases are surging, but scientists don't know yet how many were caused by the new strain

(Newser) - A new coronavirus variant has been detected in South Africa that scientists say is a concern because of its high number of mutations and rapid spread among young people in Gauteng, the country's most populous province, Health Minister Joe Phaahla announced Thursday. The coronavirus evolves as it spreads, the...

Scientists Try to Assess When the Virus Will Transition

Pfizer executive says the pandemic may be fading by the time Biden's vaccine mandate kicks in

(Newser) - President Biden has set a Jan. 4 deadline for employees of businesses to be vaccinated. At that point, a Pfizer board member said Friday, the outbreak might already be in its next stage. "By Jan. 4, this pandemic may well be over, at least as it relates to the...

UK Is Monitoring 'Delta Plus' Mutation

Country just had its biggest one-day jump in COVID cases in 3 months

(Newser) - Some 10 months after British authorities said they were keeping an eye on a COVID variant that became known as alpha, experts say they are now monitoring a mutation in the delta variant. The AY.4.2 mutation—also known as "delta plus," was first detected in India...

US Hits 'Tragic,' 'Completely Avoidable' COVID Milestone

More than 700K Americans dead from coronavirus, a number bigger than population of Boston

(Newser) - Hospitals in crisis mode are starting to see some relief as COVID case numbers driven by a summer surge of the delta variant start to decrease, but the US has reached its "latest heartbreaking pandemic milestone" nonetheless: more than 700,000 deaths, a number bigger than the population of...

New CDC Research Bolsters Support for COVID Vaccines
Unvaccinated
Far More Likely
to Die of COVID
NEW studies
Sep 10, 2021 2:33 PM CDT

Unvaccinated Far More Likely to Die of COVID

Moderna 'moderately' more effective at preventing hospitalization, but all 3 get thumbs-up overall

(Newser) - President Biden is getting pushback , mostly from GOP circles, on the sweeping vaccine mandates his administration put into place this week, but new CDC research may help nudge the vaccine-hesitant into getting their shots without any further directive. Per the Washington Post , the three new studies published Friday "highlight...

Mu Variant Is Now a 'Variant of Interest'

Fauci says it's not an 'immediate threat'

(Newser) - The "mu" coronavirus variant is now officially a "variant of interest"—and scientists naming COVID variants are now halfway through the Greek alphabet. The mu variant, also known as B.1.1621, was given the designation this week by the World Health Organization. The WHO warned that...

New Variant Surfaces in South Africa

Researchers can't tell much yet, but WHO labels this version 'of concern'

(Newser) - Another coronavirus variant has been detected, say researchers who caution against becoming too concerned but suspect it's better at getting around immunity protection than delta. The researchers spotted the C.1.2 variant in May in South Africa, Reuters reports, and published their work this month. It has not...

Lambda Variant Turns Up in Japan, Linked to Olympics

Japanese health ministry didn't disclose case until after Games ended

(Newser) - The delta variant is spreading in the population and in the news. But the lambda variant of the virus that causes COVID, which popped up in South America, is definitely attracting the attention of researchers, who fear it might be more resistant to vaccines than other variants. And now it’...

Carnival Cruise Reports COVID Cases on Ship

Line is tightening its policies as a result

(Newser) - The COVID pandemic closed down the cruise industry for months. Carnival says the shutdown cost them billions . When the cruise line started sailing again this summer , things were smooth for a while. But some positive coronavirus tests are changing things, and the mask policy is changing on Saturday. A ship...

'Sobering' Findings After Partying in Provincetown

Vaccines still keep serious illness at bay, but new CDC report suggests vaxxed can still spread virus

(Newser) - The CDC got more conservative with its face mask guidelines this week, ahead of unpublished research leaked to the Washington Pos t. On Friday, that study was released, and the Post calls its findings "sobering." Per the analysis in its weekly Morbidity and Mortality report , the agency notes...

Leaked CDC Document: The Vaccinated Are Spreading Delta

The document says the COVID-19 variant spreads as easily as chicken pox

(Newser) - A leaked Centers for Disease Control and Prevention document obtained by the Washington Post is quite a bombshell. The internal slide presentation focuses on the need for new messaging around COVID-19 now that the delta variant is surging in the US, and suggests that the variant is so contagious it'...

Scientists Want to See Data Behind CDC Mask U-Turn
Scientists Have Questions 
About New Mask Guidance
THE RUNDOWN
Jul 29, 2021 3:50 PM CDT

Scientists Have Questions About New Mask Guidance

CDC has not released data that led to reversal

(Newser) - The CDC's U-turn on mask guidance this week has brought a return to mask mandates around the country—but some scientists say they want to see the unpublished data cited in the agency's report. The latest CDC guidance, which states that in areas where the virus is surging,...

Pfizer Data: Booster Shot Provides an Actual Boost

Company data shows it increases protection against delta variant

(Newser) - For protection against the delta variant, new data from Pfizer suggests three doses are the way to go. In slides published ahead of a Wednesday earnings call, the company said that antibody levels against the delta variant were five times higher in the 18-to-55 age group after a third dose,...

With Rising Cases Come Vaccine Mandates
This Week, a 'Turning
Point' on Vaccinations
THE RUNDOWN
Jul 27, 2021 10:05 AM CDT

This Week, a 'Turning Point' on Vaccinations

As case numbers rise once again, vaccine mandates gain support

(Newser) - The US has reached a turning point in the pandemic, with businesses, state governments, and even a federal government agency now backing mandatory coronavirus vaccinations for employees. How'd we get here?
  • A 'groundswell': "With vaccination rates stagnating and the delta variant driving yet another wave of cases,
...

Delta Variant Hammers Stock Market Early

Dow is down about 2% in early trading

(Newser) - The delta variant of COVID is causing caseloads to rise and the stock market to head in the opposite direction. Major indexes have started the new week with steep losses because of fears about the variant's impact on the world economy, reports the Wall Street Journal . In early trading,...

Not All the News on the Delta Variant Is Grim
Not All the News on the
Delta Variant Is Grim
the rundown
Jul 15, 2021 12:03 PM CDT

Not All the News on the Delta Variant Is Grim

It's more contagious but cases aren't more severe, notes 'New York Times'

(Newser) - COVID cases in the US and around the world are rising again, thanks largely to the fast-spreading delta variant. But in the New York Times , David Leonhardt offers up a counterpoint to the doom-and-gloom coverage. While delta is indeed more contagious than previous variants, preliminary data suggest it doesn't...

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