With the emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in the rearview mirror, at least for now, we look back on a handful of stories that provided sharp insights at key moments in the pandemic.
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Articles on Omicron variant
Displaying 1 - 20 of 146 articles
The new bivalent boosters against COVID-19 have failed to halt omicron infections. However, new technologies are being developed that pave a way forward.
The XBB.1.5 subvariant — nicknamed ‘Kraken’ — is arguably the most genetically rich and most transmissible SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariant yet.
Canada’s new COVID-19 testing requirement for travellers arriving from China is unlikely to prevent the spread of new subvariants.
XBB.1.5, or ‘kraken’, can evade our immune systems better than earlier variants, and appears to be more infectious. But it’s not cause for alarm.
Some results of independent testing of rapid antigen tests available in Australia have been made public. Here’s what the data tell us.
There are so many forms of the virus, it’s hard to keep up. Here’s what to expect next as the virus mutates and recombines.
Two new omicron subvariants, BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 could lead to another COVID surge. Here’s what we know so far.
Rapid tests can be an incredibly useful tool for early detection of COVID-19. Unfortunately, they sometimes leave people with more questions than answers.
Adding COVID-19 to a list of ‘designated diseases’ will not make vaccination mandatory for school entry. But it may help increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake among children.
As the virus that causes COVID evolves, keeping up with it remains a challenge for variant-specific vaccines. The booster you can get now is the best one to get.
This guidance replaces previous conditional recommendations for the use of these drugs and is based on emerging evidence that they’re not likely to work against omicron.
BA.4.6 seems to be even better at evading our immune response than BA.5.
Early on, public health messaging focused on the need for vaccines to combat COVID-19. But far less attention has been given to the role of boosters in preventing deaths and reducing inequities.
The UK has become the first country to approve the shot, which targets omicron alongside the original strain of SARS-CoV-2.
Just because a variant spreads faster, it doesn’t necessarily mean it has a higher R0.
Face masks are still an effective way to help stop the spread of the BA.5 subvariant.
The last Omicron wave affected younger people. But the new BA.5 variant is seeing case numbers in older age groups higher than ever before – just as hospitals are under the most pressure.
Is it time for a new generation of COVID vaccines? Here’s where the research is at.
Achieving herd immunity via vaccination was always going to be a hard ask. Now it’s mathematically impossible.
Top contributors
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Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
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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
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Assistant Professor of Molecular Medicine, UMass Chan Medical School
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Senior Lecturer, Medical Microbiology, University of Westminster
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Professor of Medicine, University of East Anglia
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Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of South Carolina
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Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of South Carolina
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Associate Professor, Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, The University of Queensland
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Professor, Biology, York University, Canada
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Associate Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle
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Adjunct Professor: Department Internal Medicine, University of Pretoria
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Principal Medical Scientist at National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), National Institute for Communicable Diseases
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Hon Prof, Dept of Child & Adolescent Health, University of Sydney
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Visiting Professor in Biomedical Ethics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute; Distinguished Visiting Professor in Law, University of Melbourne; Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics, University of Oxford
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Consultant Neonatologist and Professor of Ethics, University of Oxford
