Omicron News and Research

RSS

Bivalent COVID-19 vaccine boosts immunity but needs to be updated

A major bivalent COVID-19 vaccine induces production of neutralizing antibodies against the coronavirus that circulated at the start of the pandemic as well as subvariants of omicron, albeit less abundantly, according to a Brazilian study reported in the Journal of Medical Virology.

25 Apr 2024

New tARC-seq method enhances precision in tracking SARS-CoV-2 mutations

A tARC-seq approach to precisely determine SARS-CoV-2 mutation frequency.

24 Apr 2024

Innovative peptide-based hydrogel therapy for virus prevention

Vaccines remain the gold standard of protection against dangerous pathogens, but take considerable time and vast resources to develop.

23 Apr 2024

Study discovers hidden mechanism behind rapid COVID variants

The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID has the unsettling ability of often generating variants of itself. Other viruses also mutate, but as SARS-CoV-2 quickly spread throughout the entire human population during the pandemic, killing millions, the virus' dynamic evolution posed a serious problem: it repeatedly challenged our bodies' immune response fighting the virus and hindered the process of getting updated vaccines ready.

23 Apr 2024

Research highlights emergence of immune-evasive SARS-CoV-2 variants in immunocompromised patients

New research to be presented at next week's ESCMID Global Congress (formerly ECCMID) in Barcelona, Spain (27-30 April) highlights the risk of new immune-evasive SARS-CoV-2 variants emerging in immunocompromised patients.

18 Apr 2024

New vaccine promises broad protection against SARS-CoV-2 and other sarbecoviruses

Researchers at Georgia Tech and the University of Wisconsin have created a broad-spectrum vaccine capable of defending against various SARS-CoV-2 variants and related bat coronaviruses.

17 Apr 2024

Annual COVID-19 vaccine proves to be a wise investment for personal health and pocketbook

Study finds that receiving an annual COVID-19 vaccine is clinically and economically beneficial for individuals, regardless of insurance status, offering savings by reducing the likelihood of infection and its associated costs.

11 Apr 2024

PHMC Health Center on Cedar: A new hub for community health in West Philadelphia

Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC), a nonprofit public health institute that creates and sustains healthier communities, has opened the PHMC Health Center on Cedar, a federally qualified health center (FQHC) located inside the PHMC Public Health Campus on Cedar at 54th Street and Cedar Avenue in West Philadelphia.

9 Apr 2024

Novel SARS-CoV-2 mutations found in floodwaters near homeless communities

Study highlights the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and novel spike gene mutations in flood control channels affected by homeless populations, demonstrating the value of environmental surveillance in understanding public health dynamics.

4 Apr 2024

Wastewater surveillance reveals COVID-19 transmission patterns in unsheltered encampments

To better understand COVID-19's spread during the pandemic, public health officials expanded wastewater surveillance.

3 Apr 2024

Scientists develop trivalent vaccine offering broad protection against coronaviruses

Scientists have been searching for the optimal coronavirus vaccine since the Covid-19 pandemic started.

1 Apr 2024

Higher COVID-19 hospitalization and mortality rates in MS patients despite vaccination

New real-world research being presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2024) in Barcelona, Spain (27-30 April) reveals that people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) face a much higher risk of being hospitalised and dying from COVID-19 than the general population.

28 Mar 2024

WHO recommends R21/Matrix-M vaccine for malaria prevention in children

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended a new vaccine, R21/Matrix-M, for the prevention of malaria in children.

27 Mar 2024

Molnupiravir influences SARS-CoV-2 evolution in immunocompromised patients

Study found that the antiviral molnupiravir affects the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in immunocompromised patients, suggesting its use modifies viral mutation patterns and may impact viral evolution.

25 Mar 2024

Severity of current SARS-CoV-2 variants is not linked to the number of mutations

New research from UNC Charlotte's Center for Computational Intelligence to Predict Health and Environmental Risks (CIPHER) has found that the two most prevalent strains of the virus that cause COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 variants BA.2.86 and JN.1, are not significantly better than their predecessor Omicron at evading immune responses and causing infections despite having a high number of mutations compared to previous variants.

19 Mar 2024

Long COVID manifests as a post-viral syndrome indistinguishable from other respiratory illnesses

Long COVID appears to manifest as a post-viral syndrome indistinguishable from seasonal influenza and other respiratory illnesses, with no evidence of increased moderate-to-severe functional limitations a year after infection, according to new research being presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2024) in Barcelona, Spain (27-30 April).

14 Mar 2024

Research highlights the need for continued surveillance of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and vaccines

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and the National Institute for Health and Care Research Biomedical Research Centre at UCLH have highlighted the importance of continued surveillance of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and vaccine performance as the virus continues to evolve.

11 Mar 2024