Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations are dropping dramatically across the U.S., suggesting that measures to interrupt transmission are working, at least for now.
Scientists Tracking COVID-19 Mutations for Future Forecasts
The United States needs to expand its capacity for genomic surveillance rapidly and exponentially, said Kristian Andersen, who directs a program of infectious disease genomics at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. by Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times / February 9, 2021 Hong Xie, senior research scientist at the University of Washington Virology Lab, readies the liquid handler robot in the lab that starts the viral sequencing process from local samples of SARS-CoV-2 positive, on Jan. 14, 2021. (Steve Ringman/The Seattle Times/TNS) TNS
(TNS) - When a novel coronavirus began its murderous run a little more than a year ago, the use of genetic sequencing as a tool for tracking infectious disease outbreaks was in its infancy.
NYC Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi said approximately 1,500 samples from New York residents have been sequenced between the city's public health lab, the state public health lab and academic labs since Jan. 1.
Pfizer vaccine appears effective against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants Pfizer vaccine appears effective against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants
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THE COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech appears to be effective against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants that spread more easily than other strains, early data suggest.
Researchers from Pfizer and the University of Texas Medical Branch tested antibodies from 20 people who received the vaccine as part of a phase 3 trial against a lab-generated SARS-CoV-2 virus containing a mutation that allows the spike protein to bind more effectively to its receptor.
The COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech appears to work against variants of SARS-CoV-2 that make them more transmissible.