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Of Denmark's Omicron patients, 75% were fully vaccinated, and 9% had received a booster shot.
Only 20% and 24% of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine recipients in a Chinese study had detectable neutralizing antibodies against two isolates of the highly transmissible Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant, while recipients of the Coronavac vaccine had no antibodies against either isolate.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today declared the end of its thirteenth Ebola outbreak, given that two 21-day incubation periods have passed since the last patient was discharged from treatment, the World Health Organization (WHO) African regional office said today.
One study finds that 2 doses of Moderna were highly effective against all variants, but Delta protection waned.
The virus multiplies 70 times faster in the bronchi than Delta and the original SARS-CoV-2, researchers report.
About half of the deaths have occurred in the past year, when vaccines have been available.
Researchers updated a Commonwealth Fund study yesterday, and now estimate that COVID-19 vaccination has prevented 1.1 million US deaths and 10.3 million hospitalizations, up from July's figure of 279,000 deaths and 1.25 million hospitalizations prevented.
Finance ministers for G7 countries yesterday issued a statement in support of actions to boost development of new antibiotics.
The pill cut non-Omicron hospitalization or death 89% if taken early in the disease course, company data show.
Those staying in hotel rooms with medical and social support fared better than those in a shelter.
Even if Omicron causes less severe disease, sheer numbers could overwhelm hospitals.
UK researchers estimate that an additional 2, 1, and 6 cases of myocarditis occur per 1 million people in the week after one dose of the AstraZeneca/Oxford, Pfizer/BioNTech, and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, respectively, while a positive SARS-CoV-2 test was tied to much higher odds of that and other serious heart conditions.
A national policy restricting over-the-counter (OTC) antibiotic sales in Brazil was linked with a drop in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in two pathogens that frequently cause community-acquired infections, Brazilian researchers reported yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Only 44% of adults 65 and older had received a booster shot by Thanksgiving, yet 1 in 100 in that age-group have died.
A review of 32 clinical practice guidelines for severely ill patients shows most were of poor quality.
"No one should be in any doubt: there is a tidal wave of Omicron coming," Prime Minister Boris Johnson says.
Experts faced 4 cases with little in common, and the disease is known as the "great mimicker," another difficulty.
Antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections (RTIs) fell in England during the first year of the pandemic, researchers reported today in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week released its Foodborne Outbreak Response Improvement Plan, which is designed to boost the speed, effectiveness, coordination, and communication of events for both the FDA and its investigation partners.
The plan included input from the US Department of Agriculture, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state health officials, and other stakeholders.
Researchers detail a 9,000% increase in mask litter over 14 months in 11 countries, with hospitals using an extra 89 million masks a month.
