In 2020 TB case detection fell by almost 20% and mortality rose for the first time in a decade. These setbacks are directly attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The delay in finding definitive answers to how novel infectious diseases come about is not unusual. Look at what happened to our search for Ebola virus.
Social scientists find that using geography-related names or racialized framing around the coronavirus in even one news story can trigger racist stereotypes and biases.
COVID self-testing is widespread in developed countries.
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One of the consequences of the failure of developing countries like South Africa to authorise self-testing is that it is driving a thriving black market.
New variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, arise through mutations when the virus replicates in an infected host’s cells.
(NIAID, cropped from original)
COVID-19 variants are the products of the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. They arise via mutations, but other forces also have roles to play in the generation and transmission of variants.
Immunologists are studying how the SARS-CoV-2 virus interacts with antibodies in the immune system.
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It’s easy to avoid common pitfalls when taking rapid antigen tests. Here are a few to watch out for.
As the pandemic winds down, continual surveillance of wild animals is vital to ensure that it doesn’t switch to another sphere of life.
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A growing body of research shows that COVID-19 protocols should be extended to areas in which there is a human-animal interface such as zoos, wildlife sanctuaries and game farms.
Blood donations have dropped at the same time that the need for blood is soaring.
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Life-saving blood is needed for everything from treating cancers and chronic conditions to helping trauma victims. But blood donations have dropped to crisis levels during the pandemic.
Cases of the Omicron sub-variant BA.2 are now in Australia. While there’s no evidence it causes more severe disease than the original Omicron, early research suggests it’s more transmissible.
Some of the omicron variant’s unique properties – such as its ability to spread rapidly while causing milder COVID-19 infections – could usher in a new phase of the pandemic.
Wishing won’t be enough to make the pandemic history.
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None of our authors can see the future, but many do have expertise that offers insights about what’s reasonable to expect.
The list of SARS-CoV-2 variants – each with its own unique qualities that give it an edge – just keeps growing.
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People are buzzing with questions about the omicron variant and whether it could help usher in herd immunity. A team of virologists deciphers the latest findings.
Thousands of physicians throughout the U.S. rely daily on the critical data provided to them by medical labs.
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The health care system is hemorrhaging medical lab workers, in part because of COVID-19 infections and also because of burnout, low wages and better opportunities elsewhere.
Dean Faculty of Health Sciences and Professor of Vaccinology at University of the Witwatersrand; and Director of the SAMRC Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand