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By the Editors
This week, the CDC reported that the average U.S. life expectancy at birth dropped by a full year in the first 6 months of 2020. Elsewhere, researchers say the effects of the pandemic have been vastly underestimated in Africa, which is now seeing the spread of the B.1.351 variant. Vaccine manufacturers reported reduced serum neutralizing activity against this variant this week. In other vaccine news, the World Health Organization granted emergency use authorization for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. And researchers report some potentially good news: a prophylactic nasal spray with a lipopeptide prevented ferrets from being infected following exposure to SARS-CoV-2-positive ferrets.
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LINK(S):
COVID-19 Vaccines: Reduced Activity Against B.1.351 Strain / Delaying Second Dose? (Feb. 18) (Free)
COVID-19: U.S. Life Expectancy Drops / Global Years of Life Lost (Feb. 18) (Free)
COVID-19: Impact in Africa / Prophylactic Intranasal Spray in Ferrets (Feb. 17) (Free)
COVID-19: Eye Abnormalities / Pulse Oximetry Accuracy & Skin Pigmentation (Feb. 16) (Free)
COVID-19: School Guidelines / Severely Immunocompromised (Feb. 15) (Free)
COVID-19 Vaccine: WHO OK's AstraZeneca Vaccine for Emergency Use (Feb. 15) (Free)