COVID-19 infection - The African Mirror

Apr

2021

T cells induced by COVID-19 infection respond to new virus variants

JULIE STEENHUYSEN A critical component of the immune system known as T cells that respond to fight infection from the original version of the novel coronavirus appears to also protect against three of the most concerning new virus variants, according to a U.S. laboratory study released. Several recent studies have shown that certain variants of the novel coronavirus can undermine immune protection from antibodies and vaccines. But antibodies - which block the coronavirus from attaching to human cells - may not tell the whole story, according to the study by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases…

Mar

2021

By The African Mirror

COVID-19 affects men and women differently. It’s important to track the data

HEALTH

THE African Population Health Research Centre, based in Kenya, has been mining data across 47 countries in Africa, tracking differences in COVID-19 infection, illness and deaths among men and women. Sylvia Muyingo lays-out their key findings and explains why tracking these data is important. SYLVIA KIWUWA MUYINGO, Associate research scientist/ Statistician, African Population and Health Research Center What did you set out to track? Why? I am part of a team that is tracking the latest COVID-19 global data broken down by sex, also known as sex-disaggregated data. It is the world’s largest database of sex-disaggregated data on COVID-19 and…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

Why do antibodies fade after a COVID-19 infection, and will the same thing happen with vaccines?

COVID-19

THE goal of the COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out worldwide is to stimulate our immune systems into creating a protective response against the coronavirus, particularly by generating antibodies. These antibodies then circulate in our blood until needed in the future, attacking and removing the coronavirus quickly from our bodies if we become infected. STEVEN SMITH, Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences, Brunel University London The speed with which the scientific and medical communities have developed and tested these new vaccines has been extraordinary. However, this short timescale leaves us with some outstanding questions. Key among these is how long the protection…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

U.S. television legend Larry King dies at 87

WORLD

LARRY King, who quizzed thousands of world leaders, politicians and entertainers for CNN and other news outlets in a career spanning more than six decades, has died at age 87, CNN has reported, citing a source close to the family. King had been hospitalized in Los Angeles with a COVID-19 infection, according to several media reports. He had endured health problems for many years, including a near-fatal stroke in 2019 and diabetes. He had been hospitalized at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for more than a week, CNN reported. Millions watched King interview world leaders, entertainers and other…

Nov

2020

By The African Mirror

Ethnic minorities disproportionately affected by coronavirus -The LancetE

COVID-19

ETHNIC minority groups are disproportionately affected by the novel coronavirus, with Blacks and Asians at increased risk of COVID-19 infection compared to white individuals, according to an analysis published in The Lancet medical journal About 18.7 million patients from 50 studies were included to establish the findings, the analysis said. Forty-two of the studies were from the United States and eight from the United Kingdom. "Asians may be at higher risk of ITU (intensive therapy unit) admission and death," the analysis read. "These findings are of critical public health importance in informing interventions to reduce morbidity and mortality amongst ethnic…