Tappa matlust covid
Summary. COVID (coronavirus disease ) is an illness caused by a virus. This virus is a coronavirus called SARS-CoV It spreads when a person who has the infection breathes out droplets and very small particles that contain the virus.
COVID-19 symptoms and what to do
On this page, you'll find links to resources on important issues such as symptoms, risks, and how you. Editor's note: This story was first published on Aug. As of Aug. However, deaths remained far below the weekly rates during previous surges, with reported during the week ending Aug. On Aug. AAMCNews spoke with academic experts in infectious disease, viruses, and vaccines to answer some common questions about the latest variants and the new vaccines.
The now-dominant KP. Omicron appeared in late and was the last variant to mutate enough to significantly escape immunity from the original strain and vaccines tailored to it. Since then, the variant mutations have had only small impacts on immune evasion. The spike protein is also the part of the virus that the vaccines have been developed to target. The FLiRT variants have several minor mutations to the spike protein — perhaps enough to trick antibodies for a while — but not enough to completely evade immunity, Montefiori explains.
The antibodies that are triggered from either a vaccination or an infection generally last for three to four months, notes Kawsar Talaat, MD, a vaccinologist and associate professor in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. However, he adds that there were greater uncertainties about the effectiveness against hospitalization and death than against infection due to the relatively small number of hospitalizations and deaths.
As of May, only Still, those who have healthy immune systems and have previously been vaccinated or infected are less likely to experience the more severe cases of COVID that result in hospitalization or death. This may be why hospitalizations and deaths rose only slightly this summer, since most people had some previous exposure to the virus, a vaccine, or both. Decision-makers at the FDA faced a dilemma when it came to guidance for producing updated COVID vaccines: Create vaccines tailored to the strain circulating in the spring, or wait to adapt the vaccine to a variant that was more likely to be dominant in the fall and risk delaying the production and rollout.
Complicating the decision was the fact that Novavax, an American biotechnology company, had already developed a JN. In preclinical trials in mice, Moderna found that a previous version of the vaccine updated to target JN. The important thing, he says, is to remain up-to-date on vaccination. While the days of mask mandates are in the past, some physicians advise strategic masking. The CDC also recommends that those in high-risk groups see their doctor for a prescription of the antiviral medication Paxlovid.
This includes people 65 and older or anyone over age 12 with a condition that is a risk factor for severe COVID, including diabetes, asthma, heart disease, obesity, or pregnancy. The prescription must be started within five to seven days of developing symptoms. Some people have reported a rebound of symptoms after taking Paxlovid and initially recovering from symptoms. Montefiori predicts that we will need annual updated COVID vaccines, just as seasonal flu shots are the norm.
However, future vaccines may be different.
A nasal vaccine , also in the works, might be more effective at preventing infection, since the virus is airborne and the antibodies could be more localized to catch the virus upon entry to the body, Talaat explains. But how well the vaccines work will depend largely on people getting them. Though COVID is not as dangerous as it once was, it is still deadly for some, including young children, the elderly, and the immunocompromised, and it carries the risk of long COVID.
The mRNA vaccines have a strong safety profile , Sawyer says, with data from millions of vaccinations showing that the worst side effects — myocarditis inflammation of the heart and Guillain-Barré syndrome a neurological disorder — are incredibly rare. Bridget Balch is a staff writer for AAMCNews whose areas of focus include medical research, health equity, and patient care. She can be reached at bbalch aamc.
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Paxlovid rebound: What you need to know
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