What can you expect from another COVID winter?

The pandemic should be better this winter than last, but it's important to accept the virus will never go completely away. "COVID is here to stay."

Amy Lunday-JHU • futurity
Nov. 22, 2021 ~9 min

New 10-minute test detects Covid-19 immunity

Paper-based blood test developed by SMART researchers can rapidly determine the presence of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies.

Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology • mit
Nov. 22, 2021 ~8 min


Comparing 17.5 million options shows CDC got COVID vaccine rollout right

A study of 17.5 million strategies shows the CDC made the right recommendations for the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. But there is room for improvement.

Rachel Cramer-Iowa State • futurity
Nov. 19, 2021 ~7 min

A pandemic of armchair experts: how we decide who and what to believe

Holding contrarian views - despite a lack of personal expertise - is just part of being human. Here’s the psychology behind what we choose to believe.

Daniel Read, Professor of Behavioural Science, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick • conversation
Nov. 19, 2021 ~7 min

Could oral antiviral pills be a game-changer for COVID-19? An infectious disease physician explains why these options are badly needed

Merck and Pfizer both have oral antiviral pills under review by the FDA. Such treatments could help turn the tide of the pandemic.

Patrick Jackson, Assistant Professor of Infectious Diseases, University of Virginia • conversation
Nov. 19, 2021 ~9 min

Why Moderna won't share rights to the COVID-19 vaccine with the government that paid for its development

Moderna claims its scientists alone invented the mRNA sequence used to produce its COVID-19 vaccine. The US government, which helped fund the drug, disagrees.

Ana Santos Rutschman, Assistant Professor of Law, Saint Louis University • conversation
Nov. 18, 2021 ~11 min

Letting teens consent on their own may boost HPV vaccine rates

More teenagers might get the HPV vaccine if they could do so without involvement of their parents, a new study shows.

Fred Mamoun-Yale • futurity
Nov. 18, 2021 ~6 min

Making vaccination compulsory for NHS frontline workers likely to make patients suffer

Making vaccination mandatory for NHS staff is likely to leave hospitals struggling, says an expert

Katherine Woolf, Professor of Medical Education Research, UCL • conversation
Nov. 18, 2021 ~7 min


A lab-stage mRNA vaccine targeting ticks may offer protection against Lyme and other tick-borne diseases

The study found that ticks were unable to feed on guinea pigs vaccinated with an mRNA vaccine, preventing transmission of the pathogen that causes Lyme disease.

Andaleeb Sajid, Staff Scientist, National Institutes of Health • conversation
Nov. 17, 2021 ~5 min

US vaccine rollout was close to optimal at reducing deaths and infections, according to a model comparing 17.5 million alternative approaches

With limited vaccines available in early 2021, the CDC had to decide which people received vaccines first. With the help of a supercomputer, researchers have shown that the CDC did an excellent job.

Claus Kadelka, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, Iowa State University • conversation
Nov. 17, 2021 ~5 min

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