Strange IndiaStrange India


3D Illustration of Y-shaped antibodies and a SARS-CoV-2 virus particle.

Antibodies attacking a coronavirus particle (illustration).Credit: Juan Gaertner/SPL/Alamy

Two clinical trials suggest that specific antibody treatments can prevent deaths and hospitalizations among people with mild or moderate COVID-19 — particularly those who are at high risk of developing severe disease. But uptake by patients and physicians has been low in the United States, where some therapies have been authorized for months. The drugs could be particularly important for those who cannot mount an immune response to vaccination. “It is not a replacement for vaccines, but it is a plan B,” says infectious-disease physician Jens Lundgren. The study results, both announced on 10 March, come from randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trials, but have not yet been published.

Nature | 5 min read

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been many open questions — confounded by a lack of data — about how COVID-19 could impact pregnant people and their babies. Now, studies are starting to provide some answers. It does seem that pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of hospitalisation, but babies seem to be spared from severe illness in most cases. This week’s Coronapod looks at the evidence.

Nature Coronapod Podcast | 13 min listen

Subscribe to the Nature Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify.

There is no evidence of an increased risk of blood-clot issues among people who have had the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine, says the World Health Organization and European and UK medical regulators. AstraZeneca reports that the rate of blood clots among the more than 17 million people who have had the jab in the United Kingdom and the European Union is much lower than would be expected among the general population. Germany, Ireland and Norway are among a handful of countries that have suspended their roll out of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine amid concerns about clotting issues, such as deep vein thrombosis.

BBC | 4 min read



Source link

By AUTHOR

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *