Science

Changing America reports: People who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 do not need to quarantine if they have been exposed to someone who is infected with the virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says. “Vaccinated persons with an exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 are not required to quarantine if they meet all of …

The Associated Press reports: About 1 in 3 Americans say they definitely or probably won’t get the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a new poll that some experts say is discouraging news if the U.S. hopes to achieve herd immunity and vanquish the outbreak. The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that while 67% of Americans …

The Associated Press reports: The coronavirus is unlikely to have leaked from a Chinese lab and is more likely to have jumped to humans from an animal, a World Health Organization team has concluded, an expert said Tuesday as the group wrapped up a visit to explore the origins of the virus. The Wuhan Institute of Virology in central China …

The Associated Press reports: Evidence is mounting that having COVID-19 may not protect against getting infected again with some of the new variants. People also can get second infections with earlier versions of the coronavirus if they mounted a weak defense the first time, new research suggests. How long immunity lasts from natural infection is one of the big questions …

Changing America reports: Emerging data from Israel indicates that the vaccines manufactured by Pfizer and BioNTech, as well as Moderna, may be even more effective than previous results from clinical trials suggested. Israel’s Ministry of Health studied more than 700,000 fully inoculated people—meaning those who received two doses of either vaccine—in the country and saw only 0.04 percent contract a …

ABC News reports: Researchers say the COVID-19 pandemic is lowering the average American’s life expectancy. A study by the National Academy of Sciences found the average lifetime for an American is now reduced by one year and six weeks. The reduction gets more drastic for communities hit hardest by the pandemic. Researchers say the life expectancy for African Americans has …

The Washington Post reports: There is compelling evidence that covid-19 will have long-term effects on the brains and nervous systems of survivors as they age, and researchers on Tuesday announced a large international study to investigate the correlation between the coronavirus and cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia in later life. Decades of evidence from other respiratory viruses, along …

The New York Daily News reports: In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, health experts had warned against travel, large gatherings and flouting face-mask guidelines during the holiday — and new data shared with the Daily News shows COVID-19 took a toll on New Yorkers who ignored that advice. The number of coronavirus cases in New York City sharply escalated …

ABC News reports: With the trucks rolling and the first government-authorized coronavirus vaccine making its way to all 50 states, a strong majority of Americans are inclined to get the vaccine but are divided over exactly when, a new ABC News/Ipsos poll released Monday finds. More than eight in 10 Americans say they would receive the vaccine, with 40% saying …

The New York Times reports: Despite the horrifying surge of Covid-19 cases and deaths in the United States right now, one bit of good epidemiology news is emerging this winter: It now looks unlikely that the country will endure a “twindemic” of flu and the coronavirus hitting at the same time. That comes as a profound relief to public health …

The New York Times reports: The coronavirus vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech provides strong protection against Covid-19 within about 10 days of the first dose, according to documents published on Tuesday by the Food and Drug Administration before a meeting of its vaccine advisory group. The finding is one of several significant new results featured in the briefing materials, …

The Daily Beast reports: The virus that would go on to ruin the vast majority of 2020 was already spreading in the United States before Christmas last year, a government study has found. The finding was made by scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and it suggests that the coronavirus was infecting people around the world …

The Associated Press reports: A company has started selling the first blood test to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, a leap for the field that could make it much easier for people to learn whether they have dementia. It also raises concern about the accuracy and impact of such life-altering news. Independent experts are leery because key test results have not …

The New York Times reports: The drugmaker Moderna announced on Monday that its coronavirus vaccine was 94.5 percent effective, based on an early look at the results from its large, continuing study. Researchers said the results were better than they had dared to imagine. But the vaccine will not be widely available for months, probably not until spring. Moderna is …

Business Insider reports: Every American could have access to a COVID-19 vaccine before the end of April, Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN on Tuesday night. On Monday, Pfizer announced that the vaccine it had developed had succeeded in the final stage of clinical trials, marking a major milestone in the global race for a vaccine. The drugmaker said the vaccine …

STAT News reports: Pfizer and partner BioNTech said Monday that their vaccine against Covid-19 was strongly effective, exceeding expectations with results that are likely to be met with cautious excitement — and relief — in the face of the global pandemic. The vaccine is the first to be tested in the United States to generate late-stage data. The companies said …

The Guardian reports: New diagnoses of HIV among gay and bisexual men have dropped to their lowest level in 20 years, according to Public Health England. A PHE report reveals that overall, across all genders and sexualities, the number of people with a new HIV diagnosis dropped by 10% from 4,580 cases in 2018 to 4,139 in 2019. There was …

Reuters reports: U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said on Sunday it would be clear whether a COVID-19 vaccine was safe and effective by early December, but that more widespread vaccination would not be likely until later in 2021. “We will know whether a vaccine is safe and effective by the end of November, the beginning of December,” Fauci told …

CBS News reports: Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, told “CBS Evening News” anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell that the United States needs to redouble its efforts to contain the coronavirus as we enter the fall and winter months. The surge could be made worse as families across the country travel and gather for the holiday …

The New York Times reports: The Chinese city of Qingdao is testing all of its 9.5 million residents after it recorded the country’s first locally transmitted cases of the virus in almost two months. The authorities said that a dozen people in Qingdao, a seaside city in Shandong Province, had tested positive for the virus as of Sunday. Officials said …