Covid-19

Chris Christie bullies Black CEO about 'urban kids' and 'failing' teachers to oppose COVID relief

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Sunday opposed COVID relief for schools because he claimed that "urban" teachers are "failing" to teach children.

During a panel discussion with Democracy for America CEO Yvette Simpson on ABC's This Week, Republican strategist Sarah Fagan railed against a relief package that is being advocated by Democrats.

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'This strain is in blue states': Ron DeSantis blows off coronavirus mutations in Florida

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Sunday dismissed the growing number of COVID-19 cases in his state that have been attributed to a highly-infectious new mutation.

Fox News host Maria Bartiromo asked the governor about prominence of new COVID-19 strains in Florida.

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The coronavirus pandemic is making many Americans rethink having kids

When lockdowns rippled across the country last March, many experts speculated that couples cohabitating together would be more apt to have sex and therefore procreate. There is precedent for this speculation: a month-long blackout in Zanzibar in 2008 — in which many were forced to stay home more frequently, just as one might during a pandemic — caused a mini-baby boom nine months later.

This article first appeared in Salon.

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Top US health authority backs schools reopening

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday issued new guidelines urging schools to reopen safely and as soon as possible, while offering a detailed plan for limiting the spread of Covid-19.

The strategy emphasizes universal masking, handwashing, and disinfection, as well as contact tracing, but spent relatively little time on the subject of ventilation, despite this being the virus' main transmission route.

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Virus expected to last long-term despite global vaccine rollout

The head of the EU's disease control agency warned Friday that the novel coronavirus could last indefinitely even as global infections slowed by nearly half in the last month and vaccine rollouts gathered pace in parts of the world.

In an interview with AFP, ECDC chief Andrea Ammon urged European countries in particular not to drop their guard against a virus that "seems very well adapted to humans" and may require experts to tweak vaccines over time, as is the case with the seasonal flu.

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US now ramping up to track mutant viruses, but effort may be too little, too late

ATLANTA — Machines whir away as scientists in the lab at the Center for Biotechnology and Genomic Medicine of the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University try to unlock the code of disease that can pose a threat to human life. Jin-Xiong She, the lab’s director, is making sure genetic material from patients is properly sequenced to identify the mutation to blame for their illnesses. He has used the genetic sequencing platforms to answer lingering questions about juvenile diabetes and other ailments. Now, he and his staff of scientists stand ready to help in solving one of the greatest s...

China refused to provide WHO team with raw data on early COVID cases, team member says

By Brenda Goh SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China refused to give raw data on early COVID-19 cases to a World Health Organization-led team probing the origins of the pandemic, one of the team's investigators said, potentially complicating efforts to understand how the outbreak began. The team had requested raw patient data on the 174 cases of COVID-19 that China had identified from the early phase of the outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, as well as other cases, but were only provided with a summary, said Dominic Dwyer, an Australian infectious diseases expert who is a member of th...

COVID-19 virus variants are evolving ‘escape’ mutations -- and immune-compromised patients provide a breeding ground

For more than two months, a 73-year-old cancer patient fought COVID-19 at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. His doctors did genomic sequencing on blood and respiratory samples collected as he got better and then, suddenly, worse. They chronicled the emergence of a slew of coronavirus mutations — including an ominous one that is part of strains from the United Kingdom and South Africa now sweeping around the globe, threatening the effectiveness of new vaccines. New cases in Montgomery County and at Penn show the coronavirus variant is spreading across the Philly region The thing is, ...

Latest trendy profile point on dating apps? Vaccine status

Dating apps offer a snapshot about a person's life, but in the space of a few weeks, a surprising health issue has emerged as a dealmaker or heartbreaker: have you had the coronavirus vaccine?

Some are bragging they have gotten the shot in order to better their chances, while others are using it to justify what one singleton described as "the most 2021 rejection ever."

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Trump had 'infiltrates' on his lungs and officials feared he needed a ventilator at Walter Reed for COVID

Former President Donald Trump was much sicker than was revealed when he went to the hospital with COVID-19 in October, according to new reporting.

According to a bombshell New York Times report published on Thursday, it was revealed that Trump had "infiltrates" on his lungs. An "infiltrate" is "an abnormal substance that accumulates gradually within cells or body tissues," experts explained on a radiology site.

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Los Angeles forced to suspend vaccine centers over dire shortage

Facing a severe vaccine shortage, Los Angeles moved to temporarily close five major inoculation centers including its giant Dodger Stadium site Thursday, even as California this week topped the nation's pandemic death toll.

"We're vaccinating people faster than new vials are arriving here in Los Angeles, and I'm very concerned right now," said Mayor Eric Garcetti, slamming the vaccine supply as "uneven... unpredictable and too often inequitable."

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US pharmacy vaccine drive begins as cases fall

The United States' Covid vaccination drive entered a new phase Thursday as thousands of pharmacies were scheduling shots, but a wave of optimism brought about by falling cases could soon be tested by dangerous variants.

President Joe Biden's administration was shipping a million doses to some 6,500 drugstores and supermarket pharmacies nationwide, with several chains announcing they would begin giving out the first shots Friday.

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Fox News guest: People who need $1,400 relief checks have 'mental health problems'

Conservative financial pundit Dave Ramsey on Thursday asserted that people who need COVID-19 relief checks have "mental problems."

During an interview on Fox News, Ramsey was asked what level of relief the American people should receive in the next COVID-19 bill.

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