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A potent coronavirus variant originating in South Africa and found to be partly resistant to current vaccines and antibody treatments has been detected for the first time in the United States in two South Carolina patients, health officials said on Thursday.
Medical experts said arrival of the so-called South African variant presented an alarming new challenge in efforts to contain a raging pandemic that has claimed at least 430,000 American lives in 11 months, as authorities struggle to launch the largest mass-vaccination campaign in US history.
All viruses mutate frequently, and scientists have identified several variants of the novel coronavirus found to be more transmissible than the original strain.
New playbook for Covid-19 protection emerges after year of study, missteps
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The barriers can be good at preventing larger virus-containing droplets from landing on and infecting healthy individuals
(AP)
Daniela Hernandez,
, The Wall Street Journal
Mask-wearing, good air flow and frequent rapid tests are more important than surface cleaning, temperature checks and plexiglass. Scientists say America needs to double down on protection protocols as potentially more-contagious coronavirus variants take hold and vaccines are slow to roll out
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Scientists are settling on a road map that can help critical sectors of the economy safely conduct business, from meatpacking plants to financial services, despite the pandemic’s continued spread.
U S Entering Darkest Weeks of Pandemic, COVID-19 Expert Says medscape.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from medscape.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Is the Covid-19 peak (finally) behind us? Here s what experts say.
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The U.S. daily case rate of the novel coronavirus appears to be slowing, but public health officials say the ongoing race between rolling out Covid-19 vaccines and the quickly circulating new coronavirus variants will ultimately determine whether the nation has finally hit a turning point in its battle against the virus.
New York Times, the United States average daily number of newly reported coronavirus cases over the past week was 172,429, which is down by 31% when compared with the average from two weeks ago and enough of a decline to spur some experts to say this could mark a downshift in America s epidemic after nearly four months of consistently increasing case numbers.