Questions About Coronavirus Variants, Answered Kevin Loria
Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site.
There are at least three concerning variants currently spreading in countries around the world, according to Jay Butler, deputy director for infectious diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who spoke at a Jan. 29 briefing organized by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Plus, there are many other lesser-known variants that researchers are tracking, including a number that have emerged within the U.S.
The three variants noted by Butler which first emerged in the U.K., South Africa, and Brazil are all either more transmissible, more likely to cause severe disease, or better at evading the antibodies generated by vaccination or a previous infection. Some have a combination of these traits.
Dr. John G. Bartlett, an internationally recognized pioneer in the study and treatment of HIV/AIDS patients who co-founded the country’s second HIV/AIDS clinic at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, died Jan 19 from pneumonia.
Simon Belenkiy, left, and Sulamif Belenkaya were given monoclonal antibodies to combat COVID-19. (Courtesy)
Illustrative: In this undated image from video provided by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals on Friday, October 2, 2020, scientists work with a bioreactor at a company facility in New York state, for efforts on an experimental coronavirus antibody drug. (Regeneron via AP)
This photo provided by Eli Lilly shows the drug bamlanivimab. On Monday, November 9, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration cleared emergency use of bamlanivimab, the first antibody drug to help the immune system fight COVID-19. The drug is for people 12 and older with mild or moderate COVID-19 not requiring hospitalization. (Courtesy of Eli Lilly via AP)
Three central Ohio hospital systems offered the coronavirus vaccine to employees who work from home, potentially stretching the bounds of what was permitted in the state s initial rollout of the shots.
Phase 1A of Ohio s vaccine rollout identified those first in line to receive the shot as health care workers and personnel who are routinely involved in the care of COVID-19 patients.
The state guidelines, published Dec. 15, said high-risk health care providers should be prioritized during Phase 1A, singling out those with the greatest occupation risk for exposure to and/or transmission of COVID-19. As examples, the state listed surgeons, primary care doctors, urgent-care workers, home health workers, dental providers, pharmacy workers and others who provide direct health care.