UTSW researchers' findings suggest that COVID-19 boosters and updated vaccines are more important for older adults, who are more susceptible to severe illness with the virus.
Abbott Laboratories’ BinaxNOW is one of at least 14 at-home antigen COVID-19 tests authorized for over-the-counter sale by the Food and Drug Administration
This illustration reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. A novel coronavirus, named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China, in 2019. The illness caused by this virus has been named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
A COVID-19 test is performed at Toronto's Pearson International Airport. Ontario is moving away from the mass testing regime it has been running for most of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Versions of the virus today essentially are the same as the first one that was detected in December. And SARS-CoV-2’s sluggish pace of mutation is good news for us.
The delta strain, first identified in India, has rapidly risen to dominance in the United States and in many parts of the world, likely due to a significantly higher transmissibility rate. It can spread through fleeting transmission and required less time post-infection to become transmissible. Delta shows significantly reduced susceptibility to the combination of bamlanivimab and etesevimab monoclonal antibody treatment, though other EUA monoclonal antibody treatments are available. Delta also displays reduced neutralization by convalescent and post-vaccination sera.
The gamma variant was first identified in Brazil and Japan. It has markedly reduced susceptibility to the combination of bamlanivimab and etesevimab monoclonal antibody treatment, but other EUA monoclonal antibody treatments are available. Reduced neutralization by convalescent and post-vaccination sera.
The CDC has identified four "variants of concern," which are variants whose mutations significantly alter the virus’s ability to infect cells, enhance viral transmissibility, or cause more severe illness. These include alpha, beta, gamma, and delta.