Coronavirus weekly-need-to-know: Air travel, vaccines, loss of taste & more
Each week, we’ll offer you a round-up of our noteworthy coronavirus coverage.
More than 23.6 million people in the United States have tested positive for the coronavirus as of Saturday, Jan. 16, according to Johns Hopkins University. That includes more than 393,000 people who have died nationwide.
Globally, there are now more than 94.1 million confirmed cases of the highly infectious virus, with more than 2 million reported deaths.
About 11.1 million Americans have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Jan. 14, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracker shows.
Here’s what happened between Jan. 8 and Jan. 14.
COVID-19 may become a seasonal illness in time
A new study predicts that SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes COVID-19 — could eventually become no more infectious than the common cold, seasonally reappearing each year alongside other pathogens in the coronavirus family that bring about mild sniffles.
But that will happen only when the coronavirus becomes endemic, the point at which spread among human communities in a way that doesn’t cause massive outbreaks or serious illness is the norm.
Here’s what else researchers predict will happen once the coronavirus evolves into another seasonal illness.
People flying into US will soon have to provide negative COVID-19 test
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday that anyone traveling into the U.S. via airplane must provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test to their airline, citing the rise of new coronavirus strains around the world that appear to be more contagious.
The order will become effective on Jan. 26.
Read on to learn what other rules the CDC will soon require for international travelers.
Does body size affect how well a COVID-19 vaccine works?
Experts say body size does not affect how well a COVID-19 vaccine works because medications and vaccines have different goals that work in different ways.
“Vaccines work differently because it’s not about having a certain level of it in your blood, it’s about stimulating the immune system, and most people’s immune system’s will react to a very small amount of whatever it is that they’re being exposed to,” Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told McClatchy News.
Continue reading to learn more.
Pfizer vaccine likely works against new COVID-19 strains
A preliminary study by drugmaker Pfizer found its COVID-19 vaccine candidate seems to be effective against new strains of the virus that are spreading rapidly in the U.K. and South Africa.
Though scientists previously “expressed confidence that currently authorized vaccines would work against” the more contagious strains of the coronavirus, the results published Thursday are the first to actually analyze their effectiveness.
Here’s what the study found.
Taste loss remedy with oranges, sugar gains popularity on TikTok
Users on the popular video-sharing app TikTok are convinced an at-home remedy that requires charring an orange over an open flame and snacking on the flesh mixed with brown sugar can revive their sense of taste and smell after COVID-19 stripped them of it.
Several people have recorded their surprised reactions to tasting their favorite foods for the first time in weeks, but experts say there isn’t any science to prove the remedy, which users say stems from Jamaican culture, actually works.
Experts explain why the remedy appears to work, here.
Stress, depression may weaken immune response to COVID-19 vaccines
Both available coronavirus vaccines have been shown to be highly effective at preventing infection during clinical trials, but a new review of nearly 50 studies on other vaccines suggests people’s mood and overall well-being play a role in how well their bodies respond to the COVID-19 shot.
Specifically, feelings of stress, depression and anxiety, as well as poor health, can negatively affect a person’s immune response to a vaccine.
These consequences can include a delay in the production of antibodies following vaccination, a reduction in how long immunity lasts and a more intense experience with side effects such as fatigue and muscle soreness.
Read on to learn more.
What happens if you lose your COVID vaccine record card?
Everyone who gets a COVID-19 vaccine will be given what health officials call “second-dose reminder” cards.
Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna shots require two injections separated by about a month in order to gain full protection from infection with the coronavirus.
But don’t worry, if you lose your vaccination record card you can still get your second dose. Because the card is simply a reminder, there are other options in case you misplace it.
Yelp offers new tool on restaurant COVID-19 safety for customers
Online review site Yelp has rolled out a new tool for diners to rate restaurants on face masks and social distancing, for both employees and customers.
Yelp added ways for restaurants to outline their health and safety precautions and for diners to offer feedback on them over the summer. Based on feedback from diners, restaurant entries on Yelp show either a green or orange check to indicate compliance or non-compliance with COVID-19 safety precautions.
Read on to learn more about how the new tool works.
In other coronavirus coverage outside of McClatchy...
J&J’s one-shot Covid vaccine is safe and generates promising immune response in early trial
Antibody-rich plasma treatment reduced deaths for COVID-19 patients: Mayo Clinic study
Smokers in NJ Will Get Access to COVID Vaccine Before General Public
Why COVID-19 has left so many hospitals running low on oxygen
This story was originally published January 15, 2021 at 8:17 AM.
