Health

When Ashlie Fowler, 29, was 12 weeks pregnant with her first-born child, she was made aware that her son had developed a condition known as gastroschisis, a birth defect of the abdominal wall, owing to which, organs leak out of the body. This occurs as the organs begin to develop. Generally, the small and large intestines exit through a small hole to the right of the belly button, and at times can include other organs such as the stomach and liver.

Gastroschisis is a rare condition that affects about 4 in 10,000 newborns. While the baby has now been moved to his home, a lot sooner than expected, he seems to be doing much better. His parents have named him Koa – which stands for fighter or warrior in Hawaiian. A name befitting of this champion tot.

The biggest concern that both medical staff and his parents had, was concerning his weight, however, medical specialists were confident that baby Koa would be fine and instilled the same confidence in his parents. The delivery of this champ had to take place at a specialist hospital, as a regular hospital would not suffice. Initially, they wanted to have a natural birth, but mother nature had her own plans and as the tot was breached, a C-section was carried out. After Koa took his first gasps of air, the staff had put all of his organs into a sanitized bag to prevent and infection, neither did they want his organs to dry up or lose heat.

He was then wrapped like a cocoon and placed in an incubator, where he seemed to be rather content. Ashlie praised the dedicated medical staff that made all of this possible, as she couldn’t take her eyes of her miracle. Doctors continued to monitor the tot’s condition to ensure that he put on the necessary weight he needed to. This is a feel-good piece that’s a great way to uplift spirits through the grim times most, if not all of us have had to endure. The future holds a lot in store for this little munchkin and his family. Happy New Year!

A panel of independent experts from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has given a green signal to a pediatric COVID19 shot that has been developed by Pfizer. With the sanction, nearly 28 million children in the United States have become eligible for COVID19 vaccination this week. However, many parents are still hesitant to get their kids immunized. Health officials are trying all ways and means to persuade parents to get their kids inoculated as soon as possible. Considering the vaccine hesitancy, some health officials have decided to motivate these eligible children to get the vaccine by including them in many incentive programs. New York City officials have said that children can get $100 if they take the first dose of Pfizer’s COVID19 pediatric shot at a vaccine site that is run by the city administration. These kids can claim tickets to other exciting venues of the city as well such as the Statue of Liberty or the Brooklyn Cyclones baseball team. Other people living in New York City who have been vaccinated as well have been given such incentives. Mayor Bill de Blasio has said that health officials of the city want children and parents to take full advantage of such incentive programs and get themselves immunized. Kids or anyone can use these incentives around the holidays but most essentially, the officials want kids and families to be safe from the dreaded disease.

Health officials in Chicago as well are giving away $100 gift cards to children in the age range of 5 to 11 years when they get vaccinated against COVID19 at Chicago Public Health events or clinics. The Chicago School District, which is one of the biggest schools in the US, as well has decided to close the school on November 12 to observe Vaccination Awareness Day; therefore, children can easily get their shots. The CEO of the Chicago School District, Pedro Martinez has said that it is very unlikely that the school makes any late changes in the school calendar but it is viewed as a crucial investment in the future of the school and the health and welfare of the students and school staff. San Antonio health officials in Texas have declared that parents or guardians of children who help their kids to get the vaccines at a public health clinic can claim $100 gift cards for the H-E-B grocery store. Health officials from Louisiana as well have said that children who are in the age group of 5 to 11 years can get $100 if they take COVID19 shots. Public Health officials from Minnesota have recently launched a vaccine campaign program for kids called Kids Deserve a Shot. The program aims to strengthen the number of vaccinated people in the age range of 12 to 17 years.

The state officials in Minnesota have been giving away $200 visa cards along with an opportunity to participate in a lucky draw for a $100000 college scholarship or a Minnesota experience prize package. However, some experts have said that it is unclear whether these incentive programs will help strengthen the number of vaccinated people. A study that has been released last month has shown that incentive lotteries that have been conducted by 19 states in the US have not worked well in increasing the number of vaccines used. This study has been released in the journal JAMA Health Forum. Nevertheless, health officials think that the lottery incentive might be less alluring as compared to actual cash for vaccination. A survey that has been done by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) has found that nearly 47 percent of people who earlier have alleged that they want to wait and watch have said paid time off from work might persuade them to get vaccines. Nearly 39 percent of people enrolled in the survey have said that a cash incentive of $200 from their employers might motivate them for vaccination. As per the CDC data, over 58 percent of the US population has been fully vaccinated so far.

The San Francisco Department of Health has decided to make COVID19 shot for children who are 5 to 11 years old mandatory to be able to participate in society. However, many parents have condemned the decision stating that the health officials have taken the decision to mandate COVID 19 shots despite no one who has been below the age of 20 years has lost their lives in the city. The data from San Francisco’s official COVID19 tracker has shown that no one under the age of 20 years has died out of 664 people who have lost their lives when the virus has hit the states nearly two years ago. The data has revealed that only 1529 children have been diagnosed with COVID19 infection in the city in that period. Parents have been asking the officials if they will have to carry their children’s birth certificates to restaurants and grocery stores to show their kids are not eligible for vaccines yet. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that less than 700 people who have been below 18 years of age have succumbed to COVID19. Only 206 of them have been below 5 years of age. However, the recording of the data has started in April 2020 itself. The CDC figures have shown that there have been nearly 1.9 million confirmed cases in kids who have been in the age group of 5 to 11 years from March 2020 to October 10, 2020. Well, some experts say that figures might be much higher than the official number as some children might have been down with mild or asymptomatic infection who might have not been tested.

The officials have said that despite the data and figures, children who are in age set of 5 to 11 years will have to prove they are immunized in order to enter indoor restaurants and entertainment spots in San Francisco. San Francisco is the first city in the United States that has implemented strict vaccine mandates for indoor settings in August 2021 for kids and adults who are above 12 years of age. The decision has come after the CDC has given a go-ahead to Pfizer pediatric COVID19 shot for children aged 5 to 11 years. The CDC’s decision to grant emergency use authorization to Pfizer pediatric shots has led to a storm of debates across the US. Some opponents have been saying that there is not enough data to suggest that immunizing kids aged 5 to 11 years is required. They have said that children in this age group are at a lower risk of COVID19 and they contribute to only 0.1 percent of more than 750000 COVID19 deaths in the US. With CDC’s decision, the US has become the first nation to authorize a COVID19 shot for children as young as 5 years. However, scientists in the UK have given a warning to officials against suggesting a shot for this age group. Many polls have shown that many parents are not willing to get their children immunized and one poll has revealed that only a third might consider vaccinating their kids.

Health Officer of San Francisco, Susan Philip has said that the city administration will give children only two months to get fully immunized after that they will need to have their vaccination passport or they will not be allowed to enter local establishments. Vaccination for children in this age range has started in California the day after the CDC has authorized Pfizer pediatric shot. A report says that China has already started vaccinating its children as young as 3 years old. Chile has started rolling out vaccines for children who are in the age set of 6 years and above. Israel as well might follow the US footsteps as the CDC has given a green signal to Pfizer’s pediatric shot. Bahrain as well has authorized Sinopharm COVID19 pediatric vaccine for children aged 3 to 11 years. However, these countries are exceptions as many countries are still measuring the risks and benefits of vaccinating small children against COVID19.

Following a salmonella epidemic that affected over 650 individuals throughout the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging consumers to test their onions. The CDC has issued an alert for fresh, entirely red, white, as well as yellow onions shipped from Chihuahua, Mexico. ProSource Inc. supplied them to supermarkets and restaurants across the United States. According to the CDC, the implicated onions were last imported by the firm on August 27, however, they would last for up to 3 months in warehousing and may still be in businesses and homes. As per the CDC, illnesses linked to tainted onions began to surface on September 1.

As of Wednesday, the epidemic has been linked to 652 recorded cases in 37 states. The states with the most recorded cases were Texas, Virginia, and Illinois. Oregon, Dakota, Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan, West Virginia, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma, Maryland, California, Utah, New Mexico, Kansas, Minnesota Wisconsin, Mississippi, Tennessee, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, as well as Connecticut, were among the other states reporting cases.

Although no one has died as a direct result of this outbreak, 129 individuals have been hospitalized. According to the CDC, officials are investigating to determine whether additional onions and vendors are related to the epidemic. The CDC also urged companies to inspect their storage refrigerators for contaminated onions. “If you can’t identify where they came from, toss them,” the CDC advised. “Wash and disinfect all surfaces which have come in contact with these onions.” Almost all salmonella infections cause symptoms such as diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps within 6 hours to 6 days of being subjected to the bacteria. The sickness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and the majority of patients recover without any therapy. Children under the age of five, individuals over the age of 65, and persons with weaker immune systems are more prone to experience severe responses.

Health experts have said that another 28 million people have become eligible to receive the COVID19 vaccine in the United States as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has formally recommended the Pfizer COVID19 shot for children who are in the age group of 5 to 11 years. The chief of the CDC, Dr. Rochelle Walensky has said that the agency has taken a crucial step to fight against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the country. As parents of millions of children wait to get their kids vaccinated, the federal agency has given a go-ahead to the Pfizer vaccine to be used in 28 million children who are 5 to 11 years old. Experts have said that a panel of independent experts that advises the CDC has voted unanimously to propose Pfizer COVID19 shot for children. Experts have said that the vaccine can be given to children immediately but it will not kick start in full force until November 8, 2021. Now, the White House officials will officially announce that Pfizer’s pediatric shot will be widely available in the US. Over the next week, nearly 15 million doses of the Pfizer pediatric shot will be dispatched. Nearly 10 million of these doses will be given to pediatricians’ offices. Around 5 million doses will be given to pharmacies. President Joe Biden has said that it is a major step forward in the fight against the deadly virus for the United States. Many parents are concerned about the safety of their children since the delta variant has started spreading across the US leading to a higher number of cases, hospital admissions, and deaths in kids.

Experts have claimed that Pfizer’s pediatric shot for kids aged 5 to 11 years has been proved to be nearly 91 percent efficient in preventing symptomatic infection. Children will be immunized with a smaller one-third dose of the shot. Pfizer has revealed that none of the children who have been enrolled in the clinical trials of the pediatric shot have developed an uncommon heart inflammation side effect that is known as myocarditis. A small number of adults have been dealing with myocarditis after vaccination with mRNA vaccines. Most young men have been found with this rare side effect. A myocarditis expert from the CDC, Dr. Matt Oster has claimed that the benefits of Pfizer’s pediatric shot prevail over the possible risk of myocarditis linked to mRNA shots. He has been a part of the expert panel of the CDC and has said that contracting COVID19 is harmful to the heart as compared to getting the shots. Dr. Sarah Oliver from the CDC has said that for each million pediatric inoculation, nearly 18500 infections, and 80 hospital admissions can be averted. She has come up with this estimation with the help of a model on COVID19 infections throughout the pandemic so far. As per the model, if COVID19 cases reach to its peak again due to the delta strain, nearly 58200 cases, and 220 hospital admissions can be averted with each million pediatric immunization. Pediatric vaccination can further prevent the spread of the virus and instill confidence into a safer return to in-person learning in schools. One of the members of the CDC’s expert panel, Dr. Sarah Long has said that the data of clinical trials show that it is an effective vaccine that can save lives of kids and officials should make it widely available to reduce the public health burden. The sanction process of the Pfizer shot has started last week when a committee of experts from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has voted almost collectively to give approval to Pfizer’s pediatric shot. The committee of experts has assessed all the efficiency and safety data of the shot before giving it a go-ahead. The acting commissioner of the FDA, Janet Woodcock has given a green signal to the vaccine last week, and then the process has moved to the CDC for final decision before the shot can be rolled out in the country.

However, it is still uncertain whether parents are going to accept the shot for their kids. A survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation has found that a third of parents have given their nod to get their kids aged 5 to 11 years vaccinated right away while another one-third of parents have said that they want to wait and watch how the vaccine performs. However, the findings of the survey have shown a slight increase in vaccine reception among parents who have elementary school-going children. Dr, Janet Woodcock has said that she hopes that parents will focus on the benefits of Pfizer’s pediatric shot. She has said that as more people will witness children getting immunized and protected from the virus and being able to take part in activities without fear of the virus, they will also push for their children’s vaccination. Dr. Woodcock has said that Pfizer’s pediatric shot can prevent the medical issues that come along with COVID19 infection. She has said that no parent should take the risk as COVID19 infection can lead to long COVID, multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS), or hospitalization due to the severe disease. Experts who have been a part of the approval process have said that the risk of not getting the shot far outweighs the risk of mild vaccine side effects that have been observed in some adults earlier.

The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) has done a survey of unimmunized workers that have shown that employees who have not taken COVID19 shots yet have said that they wish to quit their jobs if they will be forced to take the vaccines. The survey that is considered a think tank on health issues has found that nearly 72 percent of unvaccinated participants have said that they will quit their jobs if their employers follow the federal rule to mandate COVID19 shots and do not offer a testing option. About 37 percent of unimmunized workers have said that they will quit their jobs if their employers mandate COVID19 vaccination or force them to undergo weekly COVID19 testing. The US government has drafted the workplace safety ruling, which says that all businesses with 100 or more workers need to make the COVID19 vaccine mandatory or require testing their employees for COVID19 weekly. The officials from the US government have said that the rule will apply to around 80 million employees working in the United States, that is two-thirds of all working-class people across the country. Health experts who have carried out the survey have said that if the surveyed unimmunized workers pursue their threats to quit their jobs, it will result in nearly 5 percent to 9 percent of working-class people leaving their jobs in the US; but it depends on what rule they run into at their workplace. Nevertheless, experts have said that the findings of the survey have come with a huge caution that many uninoculated workers who have threatened to quit might not leave their jobs. The vice president and head of public opinion and survey research at the Kaiser Family Foundation, Dr. Liz Hamel has said that what people reply in surveys and how they will react to the loss of jobs are two different things.

Health officials have reported that many major employers such as United Airlines and Tyson Foods that have made COVID19 vaccination compulsory at their organizations have seen that almost all their workers have complied with the mandate. The new survey has found that nearly 24 percent of people enrolled in the survey have said that they know someone who has quit their job due to the vaccine mandate. Around 5 percent of unimmunized adults have said that they have actually left their jobs due to their employers’ vaccine mandate. Experts have said that people who have said that they have left their work signify only 1 percent of all adults in the United States. The survey has enrolled more than 1500 adults from the US. They have used telephonic interviews for the survey. The findings of the survey appear to be troublesome for the job market in the US, said the experts. It has become hard for employers to find and retain employees. A record number of job openings have outnumbered the number of people looking for jobs. The Labor Department of the US has released data that has shown that people have been leaving their jobs at a record pace. Earlier this year, many employers have been hesitant to impose a vaccine mandate due to the fear of losing workers who do not want to take the shots or undergo testing for COVID19 frequently. Considering the scenario, many business groups such as the US Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable have extended their support to the federal rules, as there have been fewer odds of losing employees if other employers as well have followed the same rule. Recently, a number of other business groups have expressed their concerns that the vaccine mandate might add to the country’s already besieged supply chain issues if unimmunized employees start quitting their jobs.

Some analysts have said that a number of police personnel and fire departments across the US where vaccine mandate is about to be imposed might see staff shortage as huge numbers of people are yet to get the vaccine in their ranks. Dr. Liz Hamel has said that the opposition to rulings that are linked to COVID19 is not surprising. She has said that it has been hard for many people who have not been vaccinated to book an appointment for COVID19 shots earlier this year. However, nearly 72 percent of adults have at least taken the first dose of their two-dose vaccine regime. Now, with the increased availability of COVID19 shots, remaining unvaccinated adults are trying everything to dodge the vaccine thinking vaccination is not good for them. As per the latest data, employer vaccine mandate has become quite common now. The survey has found that nearly 25 percent of surveyed employees have said that their employers have imposed a vaccine mandate and need them to be vaccinated. A survey that has been released in the month of June has shown that 9 percent of workers have confessed their employers need them to be immunized against COVID19. The government officials have revealed that some employers such as government contractors and the majority of health care employees mandatorily need to be vaccinated against COVID19 without the option of being tested frequently. They have said that federal workers as well need to get the COVID19 shots in order to comply with the federal ruling. Some other employers specifically those who think it is too hard and costly for them to organize an extensive testing program as well might need to impose the vaccine mandate without providing the testing option to their workers. The CEO of United Airlines, Scott Kirby has said that it will be troublesome for airline operations and passengers to conduct regular testing. He has said that if an airline might see thousands of workers testing positive for COVID19 if it conducts regular testing and these workers might not get their test results on time to report to the office. It will lead to multiple service-related issues and flight cancellations. United Airlines has revealed that workers who have been immunized are very hesitant to work long with people who are not vaccinated yet. As per the report, around 97 percent of United Airline workers have taken the vaccine complying with the federal rule and about 3 percent of 67000 united Airlines employees in the US have applied for religious or medical exemptions. The officials from Tyson Foods have said that nearly 96 percent of its 120000 US workers have taken the vaccine complying with the vaccine mandate.

Health experts have been trying to find answers to one of the most mysterious questions that why men are more susceptible to COVID19 as compared to women. However, a new study has shown that it might be due to hereditary differences in the immune responses between men and women. The study has been done by experts from the Massachusetts General Hospital. The authors of the study have looked at 38 women who have tested positive for COVID19 during pregnancy. Experts have revealed that half of the participants have been pregnant with baby boys. The majority of women have been diagnosed with mild or moderate COVID19 infection. Health experts who have been involved in the new research have measured the levels of antibodies in the bloodstream of pregnant women and their fetuses with the help of extracted placenta tissues and blood samples taken from the umbilical cords. The findings of the research have shown that women who have been pregnant with baby boys have been found with fewer antibodies as compared to women who have been pregnant with baby girls. The authors of the study have also said that expectant mothers have passed on fewer antibodies to their male fetuses as compared to those women who have been carrying baby girls. The co-author of the study, Dr. Andrea Edlow has said that there is some crosstalk going on between the fetus and the immune systems of mothers. Dr. Andrea Edlow is working at the Massachusetts General Hospital as a maternal-fetus medicine expert. The findings of the study have highlighted broader differences in the way men and women react to SARS-CoV-2 infection, said the expert.

The outcomes of the new study have revealed that male fetuses appear to produce an inflammatory response to the virus that has not been found in female fetuses. Dr. Andrea Edlow has noted that the inflammatory response might be obstructing the ability of mothers to transfer COVID19 antibodies to their unborn baby boys. The authors of the study have said that they are not certain whether male fetuses react to the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the same way as boys and men do, however, there are some similarities. The study has noted that there has been an overexpression of interferon-stimulated genes in the placentas of women who are pregnant with baby boys that help promote inflammation. These genes have been under-expressed in the placentas of women who have been pregnant with baby girls. Dr. Andrea Edlow has claimed that such types of responses have been proved to be essential in shielding the fetus and placenta against an infection when an expectant mother is suffering from a viral infection. Nevertheless, such responses can lead to a harmful impact if it is exaggerated. The authors of the study have confirmed that the same type of immune response has been seen among men who have been diagnosed with COVID19 infection. A study that has been published last year has shown that men have been found with greater levels of cytokines as compared to women who have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 virus infection. Cytokines are a type of protein that can trigger inflammation. It makes men more susceptive to COVID19 as compared to women, said the experts. As per the database prepared by the US government, men account for the majority of COVID19 related deaths in the United States while they account for the minority of reported COVID19 cases in the country. Health experts have said that the trend is quite frequent among all age groups of men. They have said that men contribute to nearly 48 percent of total confirmed COVID19 cases in the US.

Dr. Andrea Edlow has said that the findings of the study have shown that the inflammation responses observed in male fetuses have a major effect later in male life. The authors of the study have said that the findings of the new study do not fully elucidate the sex bias in COVID19, however, they offer some insight into male immunity in general that begins in the uterus itself. As per the findings of the new study, none of the fetuses that have been observed in the study have inherited COVID19 infection during pregnancy; however, it has been consistent in Dr. Andrea Edlow’s past studies. All babies who have been delivered have maintained normal birth weights. Experts have said that none of the pregnancies that have been analyzed in the study have resulted in miscarriage or stillbirth. The authors of the study have told that they have not been able to find what will be the long-term effects on fetuses that are developing in the inflammatory atmosphere. Dr. Edlow has said that she is collaborating with other experts to see if exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the mother’s womb can affect the growth of the child. Many past studies have shown that diseases that are contracted during pregnancy can put children at a higher risk of neurodevelopmental issues such as ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder), and autism. Experts have said that ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder), and autism are more frequent in boys. The co-author of the new report has claimed that whatever is occurring in development appears to trigger sex-bias risk for the child. The authors of the report have not been able to find whether COVID19 antibodies that are obtained by the fetus in the womb will translate into immunity against the virus after birth in the real world as well. Health officials have advised that both expectant mothers and children who are eligible for vaccination should receive COVID19 shots irrespective of whether they have been diagnosed with the infection in the past. They have warned that women who are pregnant are two times more likely to lose their lives due to the disease as compared to women who are not pregnant. A study that has been done by Dr. Andrea Edlow has shown that pregnant women tend to develop a weaker immune response after the first doses of Pfizer or Moderna COVID19 shots, therefore getting the second dose is even more crucial.

A team of scientists from NYU Langone Health has effectively transplanted a working pig kidney into a human body and has found that it has been working normally. Health experts have said that it is a small step in the decades-long pursuit that someday animal organs can be used to save the lives of patients who have been waiting for organ donors for transplants. Pigs have been the prime focus of recent studies where scientists have tried to address the issue of organ shortage. However, they have been a number of hurdles in using pigs’ organs for transplants. Health experts have said that a type of sugar found in pig cells that is a foreign element to the human body can lead to immediate organ rejection. That is the reason; the head of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute, Dr. Robert Montgomery, and his surgical team has conducted the transplant with a genetically modified pig kidney. Dr. Robert Montgomery has said that genetic modification of the animal kidney is needed to eradicate the sugar found in pig cells and to prevent an immune system attack. The team of surgeons has attached the pig kidney to a pair of large blood vessels in the leg of the dead patient whose body has been kept on a ventilator. Scientists have done so that they can observe their experimental transplant for two days. The team of surgeons has found that the pig kidney has been working fine and has effectively filtered waste and produced urine. Health experts have said that the success of this experiment has paved the way for doctors to use pigs to help bridge the gap in the accessibility of healthy organs for patients who are in need of life-saving transplants. Scientists have said that the experiment has been successful, as the body has not rejected the organ.

The lead scientist Dr. Robert Montgomery has said that the pig kidney has exhibited absolutely normal function and the body has not immediately rejected the organ, which they have been worried about. The experiment has been done last month and led by Dr. Robert Montgomery. Dr. Andrew Adams from the University of Minnesota Medical School, who has not been involved in the study, has said that the findings of the experiment are quite encouraging. He has said that the research reassured patients, scientists, and regulatory authorities that they are moving forward in the right direction. As per the current data, nearly half of all patients who are in need of transplants and waiting for donors turn too sick or lose their lives before an organ donor is available. Dr. Robert Montgomery has claimed that the demand for transplants will always go beyond the supply of healthy human organs. He has said that if human organs are considered the fossil fuel of the organ supply, pig organs are like wind and solar energy, sustainable and infinite. Health experts have said that the vision for an animal-to-human transplant that is also known as xenotransplantation has been conceived in the 17th century as scientists have attempted to use animal blood for transfusions. In the 20th century, scientists have tried their hands on transplants of organs from baboons into humans particularly for baby Fae, a dying infant who has been able to live for 21 days with a baboon heart. As these attempts have garnered no major success and public interest, scientists have turned their focus from primates to pigs. Experts have said that pigs have some more advantages as compared to monkeys and apes. Pigs are produced for food, therefore there are no ethical concerns regarding using them to increase organ supply. Pigs are found with large litters, short gestation periods, and they have organs comparable to humans.

Scientists have successfully used pig heart valves in humans for decades. Health experts have informed that the blood thinner heparin is extracted from pig intestines. Experts have used skin grafts of pigs on burns and Chinese experts have been able to restore sight with the help of pig corneas. In the past, many experiments on cross-species surgery have resulted in organ rejection as human antibodies have attacked an alien organ. Experts have removed the sugar molecule known as Alpha-gal that is found in pig cells with the help of genetic editing. Many biotech firms as well are trying to develop appropriate pig organs for transplant that can help reduce the shortage of human organs. The officials from the US government have said that there are more than 90000 people who are on the waiting list for a kidney transplant. Around 12 of them lose their lives each day while waiting for suitable donors. The findings of the new study are a triumph for Revivicor, which is a subsidiary of a firm known as United Therapeutics that has modified and raised a herd of 100 pigs in extremely controlled conditions at a facility in Iowa.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized gene alteration in pigs from Revivicor and has said that it is safe for human food consumption and medicine. However, the officials of the FDA have said that the company requires to present more paperwork before transplants of pig organs into living humans. The chief of United Therapeutics, Martine Rothblatt has said that this is a crucial way forward in acknowledging the potential of xenotransplantation that can save thousands of lives in the future. A researcher from the Hastings Center, Karen Maschke has said that raising pigs to be organ donors might sound unethical to some people, but it will be more acceptable if issues about animal welfare are addressed properly. Karen Maschke is going to draft ethics and policy proposals for the first clinical experiments that will be funded by the National Institutes of Health. Other health experts have said that tests on non-human primates and the findings of this test on a human body have shown a way forward for the first tentative pig kidney or heart transplants into living human beings.

A new study has shown that many patients who have been hospitalized with COVID19 in 2020 have paid up to $4000 from their own pocket, even after many insurance firms have implemented waivers for treatment linked to COVID19. Experts who have been involved in the study have said that when the pandemic has hit the United States last year, insurance firms have waived off most of the medical costs for treatment related to COVID19. Experts have said that the decision has been a show of goodwill towards the customers and to dodge health care premium rebates ordered by Obamacare. However, a team of experts from the University of Michigan has found that not all waivers have been all-inclusive. Experts have said that it means patients who have been privately insured have paid more than $4000 out of their own pockets for their hospital bills. Patients who have been covered under Medicare have ended up paying nearly $1500 from their own pockets. The authors of the study have collected data from 7.7 million patients who have been insured by private insurance firms. They as well have studied the data from 1.1 million people who have been covered under Medicare Advantage Plans. Experts have found that slightly more than 4000 patients have been admitted to hospitals after testing positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus at some point of time from March to September 2020. As per the study, nearly 981 patients or 71.2 percent of patients out of 1377 patients who have had private insurances have paid an average of $788 from their own pockets for medical bills. However, around 5 percent of such patients with private insurances have been given a huge bill for facility services with an average of $3840 in out-of-pocket costs. Nearly two percent of patients with private insurances have paid $4000 out of their own pockets for facility costs.

Experts who have been involved in the study have said that facility services consist of lab services, accommodation in hospitals, and pharmacy services. They have claimed that these are some of the most costly services that are covered within the out-of-pocket waivers for a huge part of insurance plans. The authors of the study have noted that if the lack of out-of-pocket costs for facility services is a sign of the existence of an insurer cost-sharing waiver for these services, the majority of hospitalizations in the study covered by insurers have had waived off cost-sharing for facility services. If this assumption is true, a higher number of out-of-pocket costs for professional and ancillary services shows that cost-sharing waivers by many insurers might have not been able to cover costs for care linked to hospital admissions. Experts have said that professional and ancillary service charges that patients have faced include ambulance use, services offered by clinicians, and other claims like the use of medical machinery. Health experts have said that since the waivers have been applied by private insurers rather than being ordered by the US government, they are not supposed to be all-inclusive. On the other hand, the authors of the study have not been able to determine if the waivers have been intentionally non-inclusive or not. They have said that it is uncertain whether the failure to offer an all-inclusive waiver has been intentional. Other than COVID19 testing and vaccination, there is no mandate from the US government for insurers to wave off cost-sharing for hospital admissions linked to COVID19. Therefore, waivers offered by insurers might be heterogeneous. Waivers from some insurers apply to facility services. While other waivers offered by insurers apply to care linked to hospital admissions more widely.

The authors of the study have said that some out-of-pocket charges that have been paid by patients might be due to some administrative faults. They have said that even if insurers have wanted to offer waivers to cover all care linked to hospital admissions, execution issues might have taken place. Health experts have said that patients might have been billed wrongly if insurers fail to link clinician inpatient evaluation and management bills to the COVID19 hospitalization. The authors of the new report have said that patients who have been covered by Medicare Advantage Plans have paid less. However, some patients have paid out of their own pockets even after getting the cost waivers. Among those who have faced out-of-pocket costs, the majority of them have paid nearly an average of $277 when they have been billed by clinicians. As far as hospital bill goes, they have paid an average of $1536 and 0.2 percent of patients have paid more than $4000. Health officials have said that these waivers have come into existence in the early stage of the pandemic and they have served a few jobs for insurance firms. They have said that earlier, the move has come as a good deed when the lives of millions of people have been in high danger. Then, waivers have helped increase the amount; the insurance firms have been paying for medical losses. The 2010 law known as Obamacare has become a part of the Affordable Care Act as well as a provision that insurance firms must invest at least 80 percent of their earned revenue via premiums on medical expenditure. The law says that if any insurance firm falls short of any amount of 80 percent, it needs to pay back to customers via insurance rebates. Experts have said that the law has been implemented to make sure that insurers do not force exceptionally high premium costs and start spending a majority of amounts on internal managerial costs. However, insurance firms still have not been able to reach the 80 percent mark even after offering waivers. They have $2.1 billion in rebates that have been owed to customers after the last year. The authors of the study have pointed out that these waivers have dramatically vanished this year. Patients who have been admitted to hospitals in the later stage of the pandemic have paid thousands for out-of-pocket costs to seek treatment for COVID19. The findings of the study have shown that if insurers agree to end cost-sharing waivers, the out-of-pocket cost for COVID19 related hospital admissions might be large.

For the first time, a team of scientists from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine has shown that other coronavirus shots and prior coronavirus infection can offer a wide range of immunity against other similar types of coronaviruses. This is the first study that has demonstrated cross-protective immunity by shots. The findings of the study show possibility of a universal vaccine that can be effective against all types of coronaviruses. A universal vaccine might help avert other pandemics in the future as well. The lead author of the study, Pablo Penaloza-MacMaster has claimed that the findings of the study show that if someone is exposed to one type of coronavirus, he or she might have cross-immunity against other coronaviruses as well. The lead author is an associate lecturer of microbiology and immunology from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. The authors of the study have said that they have seen that plasma extracted from people who have been vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been able to create antibodies that have been cross-reactive against the SARS-CoV-1 and the common cold coronavirus known as OC43. The findings of the new study have shown that mice inoculated with a SARS-CoV-1 shot made in 2004 have been able to produce immune responses, which have prevented intranasal exposure by the SARS-CoV-2 in the animals. Apart from this, experts have found that immunity derived from prior coronavirus illness as well can prevent ensuing infections with other coronaviruses.

The findings of the study have shown that mice that have been immunized with COVID19 shots and later have been exposed to the common cold virus OC43 that is different from the SARS strains have been partly immune to the common cold. However, the protection has not been that robust. Experts have said that the SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 viruses are genetically similar while the OC43 virus or common cold virus is more different from SARS strains. The lead author of the study has said that as long as the coronavirus is more than 70 percent similar, the shot will prevent it. If these animals are exposed to a very unlike family of coronaviruses, the vaccines might not be able to offer a long-lasting defense. The team of scientists has said that considering how diverse each family of coronavirus is, a universal vaccine for all coronavirus might be possible in the distant future. However, there might be a way forward for making a shot for each family of coronaviruses such as Sarbecoronavirus, Embecoronavirus, and Merbecoronavirus. On the other hand, the findings of the new will help scientists reevaluate their theory of a universal coronavirus shot. The lead author of the new report has said that although a universal shot for coronavirus might not come in near future, experts might be able to come up with a generic shot for each family of such viruses. A universal shot for Sarbecoronavirus might be able to protect people from viruses such as SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2, and other SARS-related pathogens. A universal shot for Embecoronavirus might be able to save people from HKU1 and HCoV-OC43 that lead to the common cold.

The lead author of the study has joined hands with a medical expert, Dr. Igor Koralnik to test the immune reaction among humans who have been given COVID19 shots. Both experts as well have looked at the immune reactions in people who have been admitted to Northwestern Memorial Hospital after testing positive for COVID19 disease. Dr. Igor Koralnik is the head of the neuro-infectious disease and global neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Lavanya Visvabharathy as well has been a part of the new study. She is a postdoctoral research scholar in neurological manifestations of COVID19 at Feinberg. The authors of the study have said that they have seen that these people have been able to produce antibodies that can fight against viruses such as HCoV-OC43 in a better way. Now the team is trying to find how long the cross-protection is going to last. The lead author of the study has been studying the HIV vaccine for 10 years before the COVID19 pandemic has hit the region. He has been studying how HIV multiplies. It has led him to think about cross-reactivity within coronavirus shots. Pablo Penaloza-MacMaster has said that we do not have an HIV shot, as it is not possible to make cross-reactive antibodies. However, scientists can develop cross-reactive antibodies for coronaviruses for sure. Experts have said that the issue of variability among such viruses can be dealt with easily. The new study has been backed and funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Tanushree Dangi and Dr. Nicole Palacio have worked as co-authors of the study. The results of the new study have been released in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. The authors of the study have said that shots that have been made for the SARS-CoV-2 virus have been proved to be quite effective in all age groups. On the other hand, some of the shots have not been potent enough against other strains of the virus. As per the experts, the SARS-CoV-2 keeps mutating as it spreads further. Mutation of the virus shoots up the possibility of new strains. Many studies have found that the delta strain has the ability to dodge defense derived from shots. Experts have said that a universal shot might solve this issue once for all. However, the authors of the new study have said that there is a need for further studies to verify the findings. Other experts have said that the study has paved the way for a better approach for drugmakers.

A team of experts from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden has done a new study that has found that widely known statin drugs that are used to reduce the levels of cholesterol might be able to reduce the risk of mortality. The authors of the study have looked at the health records of 1 million residents of Stockholm who have been in the age range of 45 years and above from March and November 2020. Among the participants of the study, nearly 18 percent of them have been given a statin such as simvastatin from Merck & Co. known as Zocor, and atorvastatin from Pfizer Inc. known as Lipitor. The findings of the study have shown people who have been prescribed statin drugs have been at a reduced risk of developing serious complications due to COVID19 infection. Most participants who have been prescribed statin medicines to reduce the levels of cholesterol and have shown fewer outcomes of COVID19 infection have been male. They have been older in age. These people have been found with more underlying health issues. They have belonged to low-income households and have has less disposable income. After health experts have adjusted these factors, then also, these people who have been taking statin drugs have been at a 12 percent reduced risk of death due to COVID19 infection. The authors have released the findings of the study in a journal called PLOS Medicine.

The authors of the study have not compared the findings of the study in people who have tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Health experts who have been involved in the study have relied on prescriptions to gather data on people who have been taking statin medications. They have not analyzed whether people have been taking statin drugs as prescribed by health care providers. However, after adjusting all factors, it has been proven that treatments with statin drugs might have a modest preventive beneficial effect on the risk of mortality linked to COVID19 infection. Experts have said that the link between reduced risk of fatality due to COVID19 and statin drugs has been examined to understand the pleiotropic impact of statins on coagulation and immune response. Many past studies on the same topic have been observational ones and have been found with design drawbacks. The findings of these studies have led to major heterogeneity and doubts. In the new study, the exposure to statin treatment among the participants has taken place before the COVID19 pandemic has hit the region. Experts have collected the data on deaths from the Swedish Cause of Death Registry. They have used multivariable Cox regression models to evaluate hazard ratios (HRs). The authors of the study have further conducted a target trial emulation limited to initiators of statin treatments. As per the experts, around 2545 participants have lost their lives due to COVID19 during the follow-up of the study. In the cohort, nearly 51.6 percent of them have been women. Around 53.3 percent of statin users have been male with a median age of 71 years. These male participants have been mostly on anticoagulant and antihypertensive treatments. Around 765 statin drug users and 1780 non-users have lost their lives to COVID19 infection during the follow-up of the research. The authors of the study have concluded that statin therapy has been linked to a reduced risk of fatality due to COVID19.

The authors of the study have mentioned that statin therapy might have a modest negative link to the mortality related to COVID19 infection. As per the findings of the study, people should continue with the statin treatment for health issues such as cardiovascular disease, and hyperlipidemia during the COVID19 pandemic as per the existing guidelines by the health officials. However, experts have said that there is a need for further confirmation and randomized clinical trials to verify the link between statin therapy and the reduced risk of death related to COVID19. Many health experts are trying to find different alternative therapies and treatments to save as many lives as possible during the pandemic. Experts have cautioned people saying that people should not only rely on alternative therapies, as vaccines are the only safe and most effective option to prevent COVID19 disease. Recently some experts have also said that getting booster shots from a different COVID19 vaccine might be safe and will help trigger a stronger immune response. A recent study has found that people who have been vaccinated with the single-dose shot from Johnson & Johnson initially have shown a much better immune response after they have received booster shots from a different COVID19 shot. This study has been conducted by the National Institutes of Health. The study has enrolled more than 450 people who have been given initial shots of either Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson. The study has noted that mixing and matching booster shots with various vaccine tools is quite a safe practice among adults. Pfizer- BioNTech and Moderna COVID19 shots have been designed with the help of an mRNA tool while the single-dose shot developed by Johnson & Johnson works on viral vector technology. The new study has looked at a total of nine groupings of initial shots and booster shots. The authors of the study have said that using different types of COVID19 shots for booster doses can produce a more robust immune response and higher levels of antibodies as compared to using the same type of shot for booster doses. They have said that mixing and matching vaccines for booster doses will offer immunological benefits as well that can improve the endurance and breadth of immunity, which is derived from currently existing COVID19 shots.

Heath experts who have come out with a new large-scale study have said that an intranasal form of oxytocin hormone might not be more effective than a placebo. The study has found that the intranasal form of oxytocin might not be potent enough to promote social behaviors among children who are dealing with autism. Many scientists have been considering oxytocin as a candidate for treating autism due to its role in promoting social bonds for more than 10 years. Some small trials have shown that oxytocin might be effective in improving social skills in some autistic people who are identified with low levels of oxytocin and infants who are suffering from Prader-Willi syndrome. Experts have said that Prader-Willi syndrome is a condition linked to autism. However, the findings of the study have shown that oxytocin especially in its existing form might not be helpful for most children who are dealing with autism. A lecturer of pediatrics from the University of Toronto in Canada, Evdokia Anagnostou as well has supported the findings of the study. The expert has not been involved in the study. Scientists have said that the study might be the largest clinical trial that has been done on oxytocin treatment for autism to date. The lead author of the study, Dr. Linmarie Sikich has said that though findings have nullified the effectiveness of oxytocin, some people might still feel that the treatment might be helpful for many people who are dealing with autism. The findings of the study have been released in a journal known as the New England Journal of Medicine. A senior scientist of biological psychiatry from the University of Oslo in Norway, Daniel Quintana has said that such types of studies are vulnerable to publication bias, in which non-significant findings have fewer odds of being published as compared to significant results. Therefore, the new study appears to be a crucial contribution to the field. However, the findings of the study do not suggest putting the idea of using intranasal oxytocin as autism treatment to rest. Daniel Quintana has not been involved in the study.

The authors of the study have enrolled nearly 250 autistic children who have been in the age range of 3 to 17 years. Some have the participants have been given intranasal oxytocin spray and some of them have been kept on placebo for 24 weeks. Initially, children have been given a low dose of oxytocin administered once each day. Experts have said that if children have been able to tolerate the low dose, they have slowly switched to a higher dose two times a day. Thereafter, parents of these children have reported the social behaviors of their children via a series of questionnaires at standard intervals. As per an adapted part of the Aberrant Behavior Checklist, participants of both groups have shown some progress in their social behaviors. The aberrant Behavior Checklist has been a key measuring tool of the trial for outcomes. These improvements have lasted for the rest of the trial. The Pervasive Development Disorders Behavior Inventory and the Social Responsive Scale have measured that there has been improvement in sociability and motivation as well in both groups. The authors of the study have said that the findings of the study have been unchanged by the age of participants, their verbal abilities, and the levels of oxytocin in their bloodstream. The lead author Evdokia Anagnostou has said that treating the disease with just oxytocin might not be enough. However, she has said that there is a possibility that the drug might improve other facets of social functions such as affiliation, cognition, reward, and association. These aspects might not be highlighted by the questionnaires that have been used in the trial.

Last month, a small study on intranasal oxytocin in children who have been dealing with Phelan-McDermid syndrome has shown no impact of the drug on social traits that have been reported by parents. The Phelan-McDermid syndrome is a neurological issue that can lead to autism. Experts have said that the field is struggling with the issue of measuring the social behavior of autistic children and it is still not resolved. The head of the Translational Center for Neuroscience at Emory University in Atlanta Georgia, Larry Young has said that the study has found more about how oxytocin affects the brain. He has said that the idea about how the hormone impacts the social behaviors of children has shifted with the new findings. He has said that the hormone does not improve sociability among such children in general. However, it shoots up the salience of stimuli that helps patients to learn and perceive things from facial expressions and body actions in a better way. Larry Young has said that combining the hormone treatment with other kinds of behavior training might be more effective. The lead author has claimed that due to the heterogeneity of the disease, some people with autism might get some benefits from oxytocin. It is possible that children enrolled in the trial might be suffering from different forms of autism that might have affected the findings. She has said that there is a need for further research to find out whether giving oxytocin intranasally is the most effective way to send the drug into the brain. It is uncertain how the brain takes up the hormone when it is delivered intranasally. Anagnostou has said that it will be more effective to use a compound of the hormone that can trigger oxytocin receptors or a paralleled system in the brain rather than flossing the brain with oxytocin. She has claimed that experts need to know whether oxytocin is the only way to control the brain or they can use some other strategies as well.

In a new study, experts have found that a commonly used 50-year-old diuretic drug has shown promising efficiency in reducing an individual’s risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Health experts who have been involved in the study have said that they have been hunting for a pre-approved drug that can be repurposed to find a new and more effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. The findings of the new study have revealed that exposure to this widely used diuretic drug can cut down the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The study has started many years ago along with the research of brain tissue samples that have been taken from patients who have been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. The authors of the study have designed and used a new computational approach to find out gene expression profiles that are specific to the dreaded disease. They have particularly analyzed certain specific strains that have been linked to a gene known as APOE. The APOE has been known to be linked to an elevated risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Later, experts have shifted their focus to observing a database of more than 1300 drugs that have been authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The lead author of the study, Dr. Alice Taubes has claimed that an impartial method has helped them to find some drugs that are able to reverse the altered gene expression, which is linked to Alzheimer’s disease, back to the normal status. Alice Taubes has said that the findings of the study have given some crucial clues about which drugs can be efficient against Alzheimer’s disease linked to APOE4 gene expression. Health experts have stated that a drug that is known as bumetanide has turned out to be a top contender for developing a new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease out of an already authorized drug. They have said that it has been in use for many decades, particularly as a diuretic drug.

The authors of the study have tested the effectiveness of this drug on many animal models of Alzheimer’s disease. The findings have shown that the drug is able to reduce cognitive deficits significantly and has been able to reduce the volume of toxic amyloid proteins. The drug has been able to restore a normal state of electrical brain activity as well, said the experts. A co-senior author of the study, Marina Sirota has noted that there is a need for in-depth safety testing before initiating a clinical trial in humans and animals, and cell studies as well while developing a traditional drug. However, in the case of an existing FDA authorized drug, they can use and test real-world human data to test in silico to identify the effectiveness of the drug. Therefore, the authors of the study have analyzed real-world data to understand the drug’s efficiency in reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in humans. Experts have analyzed electronic health data of more than five million people whittled down to two age and demographically coordinated sets of nearly 3000 people each. One set of people has been exposed to bumetanide and the other has been treated with a different type of diuretic drug. People in both groups have been identified with similar genetic risks of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. However, those who have been exposed to bumetanide have been at 35 to 75 percent lower risk of being detected with the disease. The senior author of the study, Yadong Huang has said that though animal models involving bumetanide have looked at a specific APOE4 genetic pre tendency to the disease, the real-world tests have been more general and have shown that the drug might be broadly potent. Huang has said that as the two electronic health data do not divide patients as per their APOE4 types, the real-world data shows that the drug might be more largely effective against the disease afar from the patients who have two prints of APOE4.

It is not the first time when bumetanide has been suggested to treat mental diseases. Experts have said that the method that is used by the drug to treat water retention in cells affects neuron activity in the brain as well. The authors of the study have said that for ages, health care providers have considered bumetanide as an effective therapy for treatment for autism spectrum disorder. Animal studies and interim human trials have shown that the drug might be able to lessen behavioral anomalies that are linked to the disease. However, experts’ hope has collapsed after a pair of large-scale phase 3 trials have been stopped after interim findings have shown that the drug is no better than a placebo. A neuroscientist from the University of Nevada, Los Angeles, Jeffrey Cummings has said that he does not believe that bumetanide will work as a potent treatment for the disease. He has said that the findings will help scientists to invest their energy in a direction to come up with new drugs that are based on how bumetanide can help improve the condition. Cummings has said that the link between the drug and Alzheimer’s disease has not been proved yet. The side effects caused by this drug are not desirable among elderly people. He has claimed that the outcomes of the new study show a range of pathways that have not been tested fully. As the FDA has already granted a sanction to bumetanide and it has an established safety profile, experts are planning to launch a large-scale clinical trial to test its potency in humans. Experts have said that initially, clinical trials will focus on patients who carry APOE4 genetic risk factors specifically. The head of the drug development program at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Division of Neuroscience, Jean Yuan has said that the outcomes of the new study are strong enough to begin a clinical trial to test the drug in people who carry certain genetic risks factors for the disease. She has said that it seems that the future of Alzheimer’s disease treatment will be quite personalized, as the disease appears to be more heterogeneous as compared to what has been perceived earlier. Experts have said that Alzheimer’s disease might need definite types of care such as multiple remedies, to target a person’s unique genetic and disease traits.

Malaria is considered one of the worst diseases for decades by health experts. However, with the breakthrough childhood malaria vaccine, the fight against the disease is going to be much easier. The World Health Organization (WHO) as well as promoted the widespread use of this malaria vaccine that has been developed by GlaxoSmithKline. This is the first malaria shot that has received such kind of approval from the WHO. Health experts have said that the vaccine will be suggested for children living in sub-Saharan Africa and other high-risk regions. The new millstone vaccine involves a four-dose regimen and the first dose starts at 5 months of age. Experts have said that malaria is a mosquito-borne disease, which is caused by at least five different species of Plasmodium parasite. They have claimed that the majority of infections are led by Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. In Africa, most cases are linked to Plasmodium falciparum, said the experts. Experts have said that symptoms of malaria such as fever, headache, and chills are mild in the early stage. However, Plasmodium falciparum can cause severe disease leading to severe organ damage and at times death if the disease is not treated timely. Malaria especially affects children.

Health experts have been implementing mosquito control and treatment programs that have led to a major decline in cases of malaria in recent decades. However, experts have reported nearly 229 million cases of malaria across the world in 2019. As per the data, nearly 400000 people have lost their lives due to the disease across with world. Experts have said that this death toll is the second highest only to tuberculosis for a single contagious disease since COVID19 has surpassed malaria and tuberculosis in the last two years. Health officials have found that the appearance of insecticide resistance among female Anopheles mosquitoes, the vectors of the disease has further unsettled tremulous progress in efforts to fight against malaria. They have said that the constant threat of malaria has made the way for the development of a childhood malaria shot. Unstoppable cases of the disease across the world have made the vision of a childhood shot even more enticing. Experts have said that for ages, coming up with a childhood shot for a complex organism like a parasite has been proved to be harder as compared to developing a vaccine for bacteria and viruses until now. While announcing the endorsement of the shot, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), has said that it is a historic moment for medical science. The development of malaria shots for children is a milestone for science, said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. He has said that with the help of this vaccine along with other currently available tools, experts can prevent many cases and save tens of thousands of young lives every year.

At present, the GlaxoSmithKline vaccine has been named as RTS, S/ASo1; however, it will be sold by the brand name Mosquirix. Experts have said that although it is a breakthrough vaccine, it is only discreetly efficient. The shot has been able to prevent nearly half of severe cases that are caused by Plasmodium falciparum in the clinical trials as compared to the control group, which have been held for the WHO endorsement. However, this level of immunity has been seen in the first year of immunization only, by the fourth year, immunity has reduced to quite a low level, said the experts. Health leaders have claimed that with a potency of 55 percent, the new malaria shot has been able to meet only the bare minimum requirement for the WHO endorsement. This year, a large-scale study has shown that with a blend of this shot and other anti-malaria treatments, experts can reduce the risk of severe infection and death by 70 percent that is a likable target for public health initiatives. On the other hand, another study has found that if the shot is used widely, it will be able to prevent nearly 20000 deaths each year in sub-Saharan Africa. Experts hope that like other vaccines in the past, Mosquirix might contribute to the first step towards more potent shots in the future. As per the latest update, there are multiple vaccines for malaria that are in pipeline. Moderna as well is planning to come up with an inventive malaria shot using mRNA technology. The firm has already made its successful attempt at developing the COVID19 shot with the help of the mRNA tool.

A leading infectious disease scientist from the White House in the US, Dr. Anthony Fauci has said that people who have not been fully immunized are many times more likely to be admitted to hospitals and die due to COVID19 infection. The expert has shared the data on the SARS-CoV-2 virus by the status of vaccination that has been taken from Public Health-Seattle and King County in the state of Washington. The data has revealed that people who have not been fully inoculated or have not even taken the first dose are at eight times greater risk of testing positive for COVID19. Dr. Anthony Fauci has said that such people are at 41 times higher risk of being hospitalized due to COVID19 and 57 times elevated risk of death due to the disease as compared to those who have taken both doses of COVID19 shots. He has said that estimates from the last month show how contagious the delta variant is and how efficient COVID19 shots are against the most severe complications induced by the virus. Dr. Fauci has said that COVID19 shots that are being used in the US are highly potent and free of cost and they are able to protect people and communities.

Experts who have come up with the data have compared breakthrough cases among residents of King County that have taken place when people have been diagnosed with COVID19 14 days after taking their first dose to people with COVID19 who have not taken the shots yet. Earlier experts have said that COVID19 shots do not offer 100 percent immunity from the SARS-CoV-2 virus; therefore, it means that there will be many breakthrough cases as people continue to take the shots. However, many studies have now shown that fewer than 1 percent of people who have been fully vaccinated will test positive for the dreaded virus, and even fewer people will have a severe infection even if they contract the disease. As per the latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 14643 people who have been fully immunized have been admitted to hospitals after contracting the virus post-vaccination. Among these people, only 4493 people have lost their lives.

Experts have said that the new data collected by the King County officials have shown that breakthrough cases are quite uncommon and COVID19 vaccines have been working well against severe problems due to the disease. Experts have said that in the last one month, around 11868 people who have not started their vaccination or have completed their vaccine regimen within 14 days have been diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 virus as compared to only 5640 fully vaccinated people who have been fully immunized. The rate of new daily cases among fully immunized people has been 10.7 new cases per 100000 people. On the other hand, the rate of new cases among people who have not been fully vaccinated has been 82.4 cases per 100000 people. It shows that people who have not been fully inoculated are at a 7.7 times higher risk of testing positive for the virus. Health experts have said that the risk has been further higher among not fully vaccinated residents in terms of hospitalization and death due to COVID19. They have said that nearly 543 people from King County who have not been fully immunized have been admitted to hospitals along with a rate of 8.72 cases per 100000 people each day in the last month. While around 131 people who have been fully protected have been admitted to hospitals with a rate of 0.21 cases per 100000 per day. It shows that people who are fully immunized are at 41 times lower risk of hospitalization.

Experts have said that last month, nearly 90 people have lost their lives due to COVID19 among not fully immunized people and only 26 people have succumbed to disease among those who have been fully protected with COVID19 shots. The daily rate of death due to COVID19 among not fully vaccinated people has been 2.28 deaths per 100000 people. The death rate among fully vaccinated people has been 0.04 deaths per 100000 people per day. It shows that people who have not started their vaccine regimen or have not completed their second dose within 14 days are 57 times more likely to lose their lives due to COVID19 as compared to those who have been fully immunized. As these cases, deaths, and hospitalizations have taken place in the last month, Dr. Fauci has said that the delta variant might have been a driving factor. Last, week, a report from The State Health Department has shown that all virus samples that have been sent for genetic sequencing have been found to be linked to the delta variant. It shows that the delta strain has been behind all new cases in the county.

Experts have said that the delta variant is two times more infectious as compared to other dominant strains such as the Alpha strain that has been detected in the UK for the first time. The delta variant has been found in India for the first time during the second wave of the pandemic. The Secretary of Health of Washington, Dr. Umair Shah has said that officials are quite worried about the surge in cases that have been caused by the delta strain, which is spreading rapidly among men, women, children, and elderly people. Experts have advised people to take the shots as soon as possible to protect themselves and their loved ones as COVID19 shots are the most vital tool to end the pandemic. They have said that people should adhere to COVID19 prevention guidelines such as mask-wearing and social distancing.

The COVID19 shot that has been developed by Pfizer and BioNTech is accessible for people who are in the age group of 12 years and above. Still, teenagers of any eligible age group are least vaccinated in the United States. An analysis of data obtained from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has shown that only 46 percent of people who are in the age range of 12 to 17 years have been vaccinated with two doses of COVID19 shot as compared to 83 percent of adults who are above 65 years of age. A non-profit organization called Neighbor2Neighbor has recently held their Vax to School event in Randolph County, Georgia. However, the rate of vaccination in Randolph County has been considerably low. As per last week’s data, only 10 percent of teenagers in the age range of 12 to 14 years have received only one dose of COVID19 shot in Randolph County. Data from the Georgia Department of Public Health have shown that nearly 20 percent of people in the age range of 12 to 19 years have taken only one dose of COVID19 vaccines. A pediatric infectious disease expert, Dr. Adam Ratner has said that a mistaken belief that has been circulating since the start of the pandemic might be a reason behind the low rate of vaccination among teenagers. Dr. Ratner is working at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine. He has said that he feels that there is still a lingering sense that it is a pandemic of elder people; however, it is not the case anymore. Dr. Adam Ratner who is associated with the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases has said that with the rising number of cases among children and teenagers and the number of kids dealing with severe infection, COVID19 has become a real concern now but people are still in denial.

Many studies have shown that kids are at a far lower risk of being infected with severe COVID19 disease or die due to the disease, however, they can still contract the virus. Experts have said that September specifically has been a bad month for children. The data from the American Academy of Pediatrics have shown that a large number of kids have tested positive for COVID19 in the US this month as compared to any other month of the pandemic. Experts from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have said that now children as well are at risk of death due to COVID19. As per the CDC data, nearly 571 kids who have been under 17 years have lost their lives after being diagnosed with COVID19. The month of September has been quite hard for the US, particularly Randolph County. The rate of COVID19 has shot up twofold among teenagers who are in the age range of 14 to 17 years as compared to adults in the last month. The rate of infection among teens has been three times greater as compared to the case rate among elderly people who are above 65 years of age. Neighbor2Neighbor has been doing great work so far in Randolph County. The nonprofit organization has been going door-to-door to create awareness about vaccination and has been answering people’s queries regarding COVID19 shots. In the month of July, a huge number of adults have lined up at their vaccine clinic to get the vaccines; it has been a testament to the success of their campaign. Nearly 80 people have received vaccines at their vaccine clinic in Randolph County that has a population of 6900 people.

The nonprofit group has expected that the same number of teenagers will come to their teen clinics for vaccination. Nearly a dozen volunteers have turned a lunchroom of the Old J.B. Smith School into a vaccine clinic that can cater to nearly 40 teenagers at a time. As per the report, volunteers of the nonprofit organization have been practicing all COVID19 prevention measures such as social distancing, mask-wearing, and hygiene at the clinic. They have arranged refreshments for teenagers and made the clinic teenager-friendly. A volunteer of Neighbor2Neighbor, Sandra Willis has said that it is essential for everyone to take the shots to put an end to this devastating pandemic. Schools in Randolph County have been closed for many days in August. As per the report, a student from elementary school and four high school students have been diagnosed with COVID19 in the county. The officials from Randolph County have said that closing down schools has been a good decision for more than 800 students. The decision has allowed them some time to disinfect school buildings and buses. The officials have said that parents should keep a tab on their social and personal interactions.

They should be mingling with a small group of friends and family and continue to practice COVID19 appropriate measures. Schools have put daily temperature checks on the buses and regular screening in place since authorities have opened schools in the county. A school nurse, who has helped the nonprofit firm to install Vax to School Clinic, Angela Wilborn has said that cases appear to be in control as of now in the county. Wilborn has said that schools in Randolph County have made mask-wearing and face shields compulsory, which is a good practice. Experts have said that a recent graduate has tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the county and failed to survive the disease, since then, other students have become more vigilant about COVID19 appropriate behavior. The death of the recent graduate student has come as a reminder that COVID19 should be dealt with with caution. The medical chief of the COVID19 Vaccine Program of the Children’s National in Washington DC, Dr. Claire Boogaard has said that if parents and teenagers are well aware of the COVID19 threat, they will make vaccination a priority. However, teenagers do not weigh the risk in the same way as adults do. Usually, teenagers do not comprehend the long-term consequences of their decisions. Dr. Claire Boogaard has said that pediatricians have a duty to convince them to get the shots and help them get rid of vaccine hesitancy.

Salesforce chief executive officer Marc Benioff has taken concerns of employees over new abortion laws seriously and has offered all assistance to those who want to relocate. The announcement has been made after several employees raised concern over abortion access in the state where they live. However, the company has not referred to any specific state in its message to employees. The message to thousands of employees was sent on Slack. It is pertinent to mention that new legislation went into effect in Texas this week and it allows abortions only before most women know they are pregnant.

“This is a very personal issue and has a direct impact on each one of us,” the message reads. “If our employees face any concerns or have any issue while accessing reproductive healthcare in their state, Salesforce will help relocate them and members of their immediate family.” The software giant is not the first company to offer such assistance to those who need help in this regard in Texas. Companies like Uber, Lyft, and dating site Bumble have already announced that they would support people in this. This comes as the US Department of Justice has sued the state over its new abortion law.

Without directly mentioning the name of the state, the company said that it stands with all women employees of Salesforce. Later, Benioff did say that Texas was in the mind when the company sent the Slack message. The new law of Texas bans puts a blanket ban on abortion after weeks. This is the time frame before which most people don’t even realize that they are pregnant. There is no exception in the law and empowers anyone to sue someone for helping in abortion in any way. This not only includes hospital or health care services but also those who help pay for the procedure. This even includes those who drive the person to the hospital for the procedure.

Scientists have said that the protective effects of immunization are at their highest levels two weeks after the second dose of COVID19 shot. At this time, people are considered fully immunized. After being fully vaccinated, if someone is diagnosed with COVID19, it means that the person has contracted a breakthrough infection. Generally, breakthrough infections are of the same nature as regular COVID19 infections in people who are not vaccinated. However, there are some differences between both kinds of infection. A study of COVID19 symptoms has highlighted the five most common signs and symptoms of COVID19. The authors of the study have said that headache, sore throat, loss of smell, sneezing, and runny nose are some most common symptoms of breakthrough coronavirus infection. They have said that some of these symptoms such as runny nose, sore throat, and headache are quite frequent among people who have not taken COVID19 shots. People who are not immunized deal with persistent cough and fever as well; however, these symptoms are less common in breakthrough infections among people who are fully vaccinated. A study has shown that people who are diagnosed with breakthrough infections are at 58 percent lower risk of having a fever as compared to unimmunized people with COVID19 infection. Many people who have been detected with COVID19 after vaccination has said that they have been feeling like a head cold. Experts have said that people who are fully immunized are at a much lower risk of being hospitalized if they are diagnosed with COVID19 after taking the vaccine as compared to people who have not been inoculated. During the initial stages of breakthrough infection, vaccinated people are diagnosed with fewer symptoms and are at a lower risk of long COVID.

Health experts have said that if COVID19 shots are not able to prevent infection, they make it milder, that is the reason, fully vaccinated people are found with less viral load. A study that has been done by scientists from the United Kingdom has shown that at least one person in 500 fully vaccinated people are diagnosed with a breakthrough infection. The authors of the study have said that everyone is not at the same level of risk. They have said that there are four factors that contribute to the level of immunity of vaccinated people. As per the scientists, the specific type of vaccine that people take and the relative risk reduction that is offered by each type of vaccine play an important role. Experts have said that relative risk reduction is defined by the ability of the shot to prevent people from catching the virus as compared to people who have not taken the shot. Scientists have said that in many clinical trials, the COVID19 shot that has been designed by Moderna has been proved to be 94 percent effective in preventing COVID19 infection. While COVID19 vaccine that has been developed by Pfizer and BioNTech has been able to reduce the infection by 95 percent and Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been able to cut down the risk by 66 percent and AstraZeneca shot has been proved to be 70 percent effective in reducing the risk of COVID19. Many experts have said that if a longer interval is left between two doses of AstraZeneca shot, the protection level offered by the shot will shoot up to 81 percent. Experts have said that the length of time since immunization as well as an essential factor; therefore, the debate over booster shots is heating up now these days. Early studies have shown that the protection provided by Pfizer shot wanes away after six months of immunization. Another preprint study from Israel has supported these findings. Experts have said that although it is too early to comment on the efficacy of COVID19 shots after six months of immunization, immunity offered by shots is more likely to reduce over time, said the experts. However, these studies have not been peer-reviewed by scientists yet.

Scientists have said that the emergence of different variants of coronavirus as well as a concerning factor. Health experts have said that most COVID19 vaccines have been tested against the original strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, therefore these vaccines might not be highly effective against a wide range of variants of COVID19. Public Health England has found that two doses of Pfizer COVID19 shot are faintly less protective against the Alpha variant of the virus. Scientists from the UK have said that the shot can reduce the symptoms of the disease by only 93 percent. Pfizer shot has been only 88 percent effective against the delta variant that has been circulating in the US and causing a massive surge in COVID19 cases across all states. AstraZeneca shot as well is less effective against the variants of concern, said the experts. The study on symptoms of COVID19 as well supports all these findings. The findings of the study have shown that after two to four weeks of taking the second dose of Pfizer shot, people, have been at 87 percent lower risk of having symptoms of COVID19 when they are exposed to delta variant. The authors of the COVID19 symptom study have said that after four to five months of having a second dose, immunity goes down to 77 percent. Health experts have said that these findings talk about average risk decline in a population. However, people’s level of risk relies on their levels of immunity and the ability of their immune systems. Experts have said that people’s vulnerability to the virus depends on some specific factors such as how exposed they are to the virus that can be determined by their profession. Experts have said that immune health keeps reducing with age. Long-term health issues as well can damage people’s response to inoculation. As per the latest report, elderly people who are dealing with weakened immune systems might have low levels of immunity that is induced by COVID19 vaccines. Experts have said that levels of protection derived from vaccination might wane away more rapidly among people with weakened immune systems as compared to the general population. Health experts have said that people who are at a higher risk of COVID19 have been given the shots nearly eight months ago; it might shoot up their risk of contracting the breakthrough infection as their levels of protection might have started waning away.

The Delta variant of Covid-19 is having a devastating impact on America’s public health system. The rising cases have once again left the health authorities on their toes. The slow pace of vaccination in some parts has only added to the woes. President Joe Biden recently signed executive orders to step up efforts to vaccinate Americans who are yet to take even the first dose. He also signed punitive measures. Although America’s vaccination speed was highest in the world, the country didn’t manage to inoculate the entire population with two doses and provide a shield against the Delta variant. Vaccines that are being administered to Americans are Pfizer and Moderna. Both are two doses vaccines. The single-dose vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson is also being given to people.

Vaccines are the most effective weapon to fight against Covid-19. However, the lower efficacy of vaccines against the Delta variant has come as a hindrance in the war. Scientists and doctors around the world are saying that a complete dose of vaccines can cut the threat of virus spread. Therefore, it becomes crucial to provide vaccines to the entire population. According to a new study, Moderna’s vaccine effectively works against Delta variant than other drugs. Indiana University researchers said that Moderna provides greater protection than vaccines developed by Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson. The study said that Moderna is 95 percent effective. It significantly cuts the risk of hospitalization.

Researchers said that the study involved adults above 18 years of age. They recommended that all eligible people should take vaccines. Vaccines reduce the severity in case of infection. They said that vaccination can ease the burden on the country’s hospitals and healthcare facilities. Researchers said that Pfizer’s vaccine is 80 percent effective at cutting the hospitalization risk due to the Delta variant. The vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson works 60 percent against the variant. The study was done between June and August when the Delta variant was in the predominant phase. They found that unvaccinated people were required to visit hospitals around 5 to 7 times than those vaccinated group. The study added that vaccine effectiveness is lower in people above 75 years of age.

The chief executive of Pfizer Albert Bourla has pledged to provide enough doses of their COVID19 shot to meet the goal of the World Health Organization (WHO) to elevate equitable vaccine distribution across the world. He has said that the company has enough vaccine supply to meet the expectation of the WHO, while many pharmaceutical experts have been saying that an increased supply of vaccines will look like patent waivers are taken off the table. Pfizer is expected to deliver 41 percent of its vaccines to low and middle-income nations around the world towards the end of the year. On the other hand, Johnson & Johnson has pledged to ship more than 50 percent of doses of its single-dose COVID19 shot to poor countries across the world as production of the vaccine increases in the second half of this year. The CEO of Pfizer Albert Bourla has said that it is better to contribute to the WHO’s goal of vaccinating at least 10 percent of the population in each country of the world. Health experts have said that the donation of 200 million doses of Pfizer shots that has been proposed by the Biden government will be used to vaccinate nearly 15 to 18 percent of the population of 92 poorest nations across the world. In a conference of the global pharma industry association, Albert Bourla has said that by next year, the company will be able to offer enough doses to the WHO for their initiative. With enough doses, all countries around the world will have to address the same issues, as there will be many people who will be hesitant to take the shots.

Drugmakers have been protesting against the plan that has been proposed by South Africa and India to waive off intellectual property rights on COVID19 shots. The proposal has been supported by the United States as well. These countries have put forward this proposal in the hope of intensifying access to COVID19 vaccines for low and middle-income nations across the world. Albert Bourla has said that these shots have been designed by two visions, one is the original development, and the other is increased manufacturing. He has claimed that there is no point in transferring the technology as it is going to take years of effort. A new study that has been done by Airfinity, which is a life science analytics firm, has shown that developed nations own at least 500 million doses of COVID19 shots that might be distributed this month. These high-income countries will have nearly 1.1 billion doses by the end of this year, said the experts. However, these estimates do not talk about the supplies that are required to vaccinate teenagers and need to be stored for each nation to give booster shots to people who have already been immunized.

Health leaders have said that if western countries need to give booster shots only to those who are above 50 years and have been immunized with two doses, then, the surplus will increase twofold, which will be nearly 2.5 billion doses. The CEO of Airfinity, Rasmus Bech Hansen has said that the officials have estimated the surplus supply last month only as the production of the vaccines has shot up. He has said that earlier, government officials have been reluctant to acknowledge drugmakers’ predictions on supply due to setbacks in vaccine production and the supply chain. However now, vaccine makers such as Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Moderna, who have come up with authorized COVID19 shots have shown consistent output. Hansen has said that in a situation where officials are unable to show confidence in future supply, stocking up is the best thing to do. However, looking at the current situation, when companies across the world are delivering the doses at a steady speed, there is no point in stocking up the supply.

Health leaders have claimed that the United States and European Union have massive total surpluses of doses; however, some western nations have many vaccines for their people as they have been trying to spread their bets. As per the latest report, the US and EU have signed contracts for five COVID19 vaccines each. The chief scientific officer of the Johnson & Johnson, Dr. Paul Stoffels has said that speeding up vaccination across the world will help fight against the new emerging variants of coronavirus as they might be able to dodge the antibodies that are derived from vaccines. He has said that it is essential to vaccinate as many people as possible at a faster pace as it will block the replication of the virus and the arrival of new variants in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) has criticized many high-income nations for stockpiling COVID19 shots, treatment, and preventive medicines. The officials have said that it has derailed the WHO’s efforts to fairly distribute these resources across the world. The WHO has condemned global inequalities in COVID19 vaccination programs as immunization has started last year during winter.

The WHO has been advocating the equal distribution of doses in poorer countries as many high-income nations have already immunized most of their populations and have started offering booster shots as well. The technical chief of the COVID19 team at the WHO, Maria Van Kerkhove has said that the inequality in vaccination has elongated the pandemic. She has said that what these rich countries are doing is not just undue but it is immoral as well. Last month, the WHO has asked developed countries to halt the distribution of booster shots for at least two months. The global health agency has urged these countries to deflect their surplus doses to low-income countries to vaccinate at least 10 percent of the population of each nation across the world towards the end of this month. The WHO has pledged to immunize at least 40 percent of the world population by December 2021. As per the report, the US has already offered booster shots to more than 1.3 people. As per the data from the United Nations, France, and the UK as well have started distributing booster shots to their populations. On the other hand, only 3 percent of people in Africa have been fully vaccinated against COVID19 so far.