The BA.2 subvariant of Omicron appears 33% more transmissible than the more common BA.1 Omicron coronavirus variant, according to preprint findings published in a Danish study. Researchers calculated the probability for spreading an infection within a household was...
Omicron Evades Some, but Not All, Monoclonal Antibody Treatments, Study and FDA Say
Some of the human monoclonal antibodies (used clinically to prevent patients from becoming severely ill from COVID-19 disease) may not be protective against the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 now spreading across the United States, researchers reported January 19, 2022...
Omicron Generally Causes Less Severe COVID-19 Disease, Multiple Studies Show
Several sources of real-world data from across the globe indicate the Omicron coronavirus variant produces a less severe form of COVID-19 disease. In South Africa, where Omicron was identified in November 2021, a private health insurance administrator reported in...
Saliva Covid Test Better Than Nasal Swabs To Detect Omicron, Study Says
COVID-19 saliva tests appear more effective at detecting the Omicron variant, a recently posted pre-print paper says. Researchers in South Africa tested 382 people who were not sick enough to be hospitalized but still had COVID-19 symptoms. They found that in those...
FDA Authorizes & CDC Recommends Booster Shots for Older Teens
Updated Booster Guidance for 16-and-17-year-olds On December 9, the Food and Drug Administration authorized third booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for 16-and-17-year-olds. Hours later CDC Director Walensky signed off on third shots for the age...
Omicron Has Extensive Escape of Pfizer Vaccine Protection, First Study of New Covid Variant Suggests
Study Findings A small study out of South Africa published online on December 7th offered a first look at how well people immunized with Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine might fare against the new Covid variant, Omicron. After testing Omicron against blood samples from...
5 Reasons To Keep PCR Home COVID Test Kits on Hand
With the arrival of the Delta and Omicron variants, we are not just yet finished with the COVID-19 pandemic. Sure, the wide distribution of vaccines has greatly helped in our fight to slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease. But as...
COVID Update: Did Omicron Catch a Cold?
Omicron COVID-19 variant possibly looks more like the common cold. It looks like Omicron may have caught a cold. Seriously, researchers say the Omicron variant may have acquired at least one of its mutations from another virus, more likely the common cold, or possibly...
Vitamin D & Coronavirus Prevention: Facts & Myths
So What's the Link Between Vitamin D and Covid? Vitamin D has been studied for nearly a century as an aid in the prevention and treatment of respiratory infections. There is presently a great deal of anxiety regarding the spread of the Delta and Omicron variants of...