Andrew Brooks, Designer of COVID-19 Saliva Test, Dies at 51
The Rutgers University researcher created the first FDA-authorized spit test, which has since been used by millions of people.
Feb 2, 2021
ABOVE: Andrew Brooks photographed in April 2020 at the RUCDR Infinite Biologics soon after the Rutgers COVID-19 saliva test received emergency approval from the FDA.
NICK ROMANENKO
Andrew Brooks, a molecular neuroscientist who developed the first COVID-19 saliva test to receive emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration, died on January 23 of a heart attack. He was 51.
In the early days of the pandemic, when testing resources such as swabs and reagents were scarce, Brooks’s saliva test offered a fast and reliable way to screen large numbers of people. The test, which he designed while head of the Rutgers-affiliated biorepository RUCDR Infinite Biologics, protected essential workers from exposure to the virus as they collected samples by doing away with the
Coronavirus vaccinations disrupted as huge snowstorm hits US east coast
Numerous states have issued states of emergency, giving authorities extra powers as tens of thousands of vaccines are delayed
Coronavirus vaccinations were postponed across the US east coast as a huge snowstorm wreaked havoc on Monday.
Around 10,000 shots were cancelled in Connecticut, with Governor Ned Lamont announcing a delay to the state s weekly resupply.
The storm had already disrupted the second phase of Massachusetts roll-out. Residents aged 75 over in Boston will have to wait for their vaccine after one site that was supposed to open Monday did not. This storm is going to get worse before it gets better, tweeted New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, adding that six vaccination mega-sites in the state would remain closed Tuesday.
Life-threatening winter storm batters U.S. Northeast
By Maria Caspani
Reuters
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A powerful winter storm engulfed much of the U.S. Northeast on Monday as several inches of snow fell across vast swaths of the region and high winds swept coastal areas, causing widespread disruption in New York City and other major urban centers in the region.
The powerful nor easter - a storm whose winds blow from the northeast - is forecast to bring 1 to 2 feet (31 cm to 61 cm) of snow across the United States most densely populated region through Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Snowfall rates could reach 2 to 4 inches (5 cm to 10 cm) per hour during the storm s peak.
By Maria Caspani
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Northeast on Monday awoke under a blanket of snow as a powerful winter storm pummeled a vast swath stretching from Pennsylvania through New England, causing widespread disruption in New York City and other major urban centers in the region.
The powerful nor easter is forecast to bring 1 to 2 feet (31 cm to 61 cm) of snow across the region through Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service, and snowfall rates could reach 2 to 4 inches (5 cm to 10 cm) per hour during the storm s peak.
If it achieves its maximum potential, it would be the first winter storm to generate more than 2 feet of snow in New York City since 2016, when a record-breaking blizzard dumped 27.5 inches (70 cm) on the country s most populous city, according to the weather service.