Covid-19

Scientists have used CRISPR gene-editing technology to successfully block the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in infected human cells, according to research released Tuesday that could pave the way for Covid-19 treatments.

Writing in the journal Nature Communications, researchers in Australia said the tool was effective against viral transmissions in lab tests, adding that they hoped to begin animal trials soon.

The US Food and Drug Administration updated its warning labels Monday for the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine to include information about an observed "increased risk" of a rare neurological disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS).

The news is a further blow for the company, which was granted an emergency use authorization for its shot in February but has played a minor role in America's coronavirus immunization campaign.

On Monday, Axios reported that public health officials in Ohio have traced a COVID-19 outbreak to a church retreat in Camp Chautauqua, attended by hundreds of people from multiple states.

"The church retreat at Camp Chautauqua, Ohio, was attended by more than 800 people and churches from 'Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana,' per the county health department statement," reported Axios's Ivana Saric. "At least 30 COVID-19 cases have been identified among attendees in Ohio and Kentucky. Of note: The camp and event organizers didn't respond to public health officials for several days after the initial cases were identified and haven't provided contact information for the other attendees, the statement added."

Newly unearthed emails reveal that Drs. Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx were deeply alarmed by the medical advice of Dr. Scott Atlas, the controversial former health adviser appointed by former President Donald Trump.

BuzzFeed News reports that Birx and Fauci exchanged emails expressing concerns about Atlas, who downplayed the science surrounding face masks while also pushing for the United States to reopen its economy even as thousands of Americans were dying every day from COVID-19.

Tennessee's top vaccine official has been fired amid a push by anti-vaccine activists in her state to stop the promotion of the COVID-19 vaccines to teenagers.

The Tennessean reports that Dr. Michelle Fiscus, the medical director for vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization programs at the Tennessee Department of Health, was dismissed on Monday by Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee without explanation after Republicans in the state legislature attacked her and other public health officials for a campaign to get young people vaccinated.

Republicans and their media allies were harshly criticized on Monday for harming America's vaccination efforts.

"What used to be the conservative movement in this country is becoming a death cult. The measure of its power is less in ballots cast than in how many people die needlessly in service of this twisted worldview," Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson wrote. "This reality was on view over the weekend in Dallas at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where attendees cheered when Alex Berenson, who has made himself a Fox News folk hero for spreading misinformation about covid-19 vaccines, crowed about the fact that fewer Americans were getting their shots than public health officials had hoped."

Newsmax host Rob Schmitt on Monday dangerously declared he believes vaccines go "against nature" and diseases are "supposed to wipe out a certain amount of people, and that's just kind of the way evolution goes."

Admitting he's "not a doctor," as Media Matters reports, Schmitt mused on-air, "I'm not an anti-vaxxer. I'm not a pro-vaxxer. I'm somebody that's looking at this thing and trying to figure it out."

A small coronavirus outbreak has been linked to last month's annual Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Tennessee.

The organization has not yet notified more than 15,000 evangelical Christians about the cluster of positive tests linked to the mid-June gathering at Nashville's Music City Center, although health officials say the outbreak was large enough to justify alerting attendees from all 50 states, reported the Tennesseean.

A Louisiana nurse who questioned the safety of vaccines has died of complications from COVID-19.

Olivia Guidry, a registered nurse in the emergency department at Ochsner Lafayette General, died Saturday after being hospitalized for the coronavirus in the intensive care unit, reported The Advocate.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, expressed horror on Sunday over a crowd at a conservative gathering this past week celebrating the federal government's inability to meet its vaccination goals.

"It's horrifying," Fauci told host CNN's Jake Tapper in an interview. "I mean, they are cheering about someone saying that it's a good thing for people not to try and save their lives."

French President Emmanuel Macron is due to address the country on Monday evening to present new measures against the Delta variant of Covid-19, whose rapid progression is hampering France's emergence from restrictions. Vaccination may be made compulsory for health professionals and health pass requirements look set to be extended.

Faced with a resurgence of Covid-19 infections, Macron is expected to announce new measures on Monday to try to prevent a fourth wave from sweeping through French hospitals by the end of July.

Businesses have reopened in Los Angeles and elsewhere in the United States, with "We're hiring" signs everywhere. But if life has a pre-Covid feel, a new challenge has arisen for restaurants: workers are not willing to return at any cost.

"We are dealing with a staffing shortage that I have not experienced in my career," said Skyler Gamble, a manager at Acme Hospitality, which oversees several restaurants in Santa Barbara around two hours' drive north of Los Angeles.