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Omicron
How the Omicron Subvariant Evolved To Breach Lung Defenses
Scientists have discovered a mutation in the Omicron BA.5 subvariant, allowing it to efficiently infect lung cells. This development could lead to more severe disease outcomes, especially in high-risk groups. The study emphasizes the importance of ongoing monitoring of Omicron subvariants’ evolution.Future SARS-CoV-2 variants may also regain the ability to infect the lower respiratory tract.Omicron-derived virus variants currently account for the majority of SARS-CoV-2 infections globally. Compared to its predecessors,…
Omicron-specific mRNA-based booster vaccine gets DCGI nod
New Delhi: The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) on Tuesday announced that the Omicron-specific mRNA-based Booster vaccine developed using the indigenous platform technology by Gennova Biopharmaceuticals has got a nod from the office of the Drug Control General of India (DCGI) for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).…
Covid shots should target omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 this fall
XBB.1.5 strain of CovidCFOTO | Future Publishing | Getty ImagesThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday recommended that vaccine manufacturers make single-strain Covid shots for the fall that target omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, the dominant strain of the virus nationwide."Based on the totality of the evidence, FDA has advised manufacturers who will be updating their COVID-19 vaccines, that they should develop vaccines with a monovalent XBB 1.5 composition," the agency said in a release, referring to pharmaceutical…
Seniors, immunocompromised can receive additional omicron shots
Sylvester Fisher gets a influenza vaccine from pharmacist Patricia Pernal during an event hosted by the Chicago Department of Public Health at the Southwest Senior Center on September 09, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. The vaccines were being offered along with pneumonia vaccines and the recently authorized COVID-19 booster vaccine, which protects against the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and the more recent omicron variants, BA.4 and BA.5 during the event. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)Scott Olson | Getty Images News |…
COVID-19 Omicron Variant Is More Deadly Than the Seasonal Flu
By European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
April 14, 2023Recent research suggests that adults hospitalized with the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 have a higher death rate than those with seasonal influenza, despite Omicron being less virulent than Delta and Alpha strains. This higher death rate may be due to Omicron patients being older with more underlying illnesses and lower COVID-19 vaccination rates.During the 2021-2022 flu season, patients who were hospitalized with the flu had a 55% lower…
‘Study on covid vaccines’ efficacy soon’
The study will find out why people have been contracting covid even after taking booster shots , said Pragya Yadav, the NIV scientist who isolated the first SARS-CoV2 virus in 2020.
Asked if there’s a need for a 4th dose, Yadav said in an interview, “Before we talk about 4th dose, we should enhance coverage of 3rd precautionary dose to enhance the immune response." Only about 228.7 million Indians have received the third dose—the booster shot—so far.…
People who catch Omicron are less likely to get Long Covid | Science
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic unfurled across the United Kingdom, hematologist John Willan has worried about the disease’s toll on his patients. In March 2020, Willan, who works at the University of Oxford and Wexham Park Hospital, began to track the hospital’s COVID-19 cases among people with leukemias, lymphomas, and other blood diseases. He counted not just the dozens of deaths, but also persistent and disabling symptoms collectively called Long Covid,…
Omicron XBB.1.5 variant highly transmissible and infectious, Lancet study shows
A study published in the…