Tag Archives: SARS-CoV-2

I Wei Huang/Shutterstock Lindsay Broadbent, Queen’s University Belfast We all know a few of those lucky people who, somehow, have managed to avoid ever catching COVID. Perhaps you’re one of them. Is this a Marvel-esque superpower? Is there any scientific reason why a person might be resistant to becoming infected, when the virus seems to be everywhere? Or is it …

Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock Grace C Roberts, University of Leeds and Lena Glaser, Queen’s University Belfast When we’re exposed to a pathogen such as a virus, our immune system identifies it as a foreign invader and mounts an attack. This ultimately results in the formation of antibodies which can neutralise the invading pathogen next time we encounter it. It’s a complex process. …

Jonathan R Goodman, University of Cambridge Human physiological uniqueness made possible our colonisation of the world. Since our ancestors emerged from the African savanna tens of thousands of years ago, we’ve migrated and established residence in more or less every region on the planet, regardless of how hot or cold in temperature or high or low in altitude. This tendency …

Nahia Idoiaga Mondragon, Universidad del País Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea; Amaia Eiguren Munitis, Universidad del País Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea; Maitane Picaza Gorrotxategi, Universidad del País Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea; María Dosil-Santamaría, Universidad del País Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea; Naiara Berasategui Sancho, Universidad del País Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea; Naiara Ozamiz Etxebarria, Universidad del País …

Shutterstock / Drazen Zigic Sergio Flores Villar, Hospital Universitario Mútua de Terrassa El porcentaje de la población mundial que ha estado en contacto con el virus SARS-CoV-2, medido a través de la seroprevalencia, ronda el 5,2% de la población, mientras que en la franja de edad que va de recién nacidos hasta los 19 años corresponde a un 1,56%. En …

VGstockstudio/Shutterstock Trish Greenhalgh, University of Oxford; Jose-Luis Jimenez, University of Colorado Boulder; Shelly Miller, University of Colorado Boulder, and Zhe Peng, University of Colorado Boulder Two years into the pandemic, most of us are fed up. COVID case rates are higher than they’ve ever been and hospitalisation rates are once again rising rapidly in many countries. Against this bleak picture, …

Shutterstock / Jens Rother Sergio Ferrer Pérez, The Conversation El año pasado dejamos a nuestros protagonistas, la población entera del planeta Tierra, acorralados ante un nuevo coronavirus. Parecían a punto de ser derrotados por la pandemia de covid-19 cuando llegaron las primeras vacunas. Justo cuando terminaba 2020, las primeras dosis comenzaron a ser inyectadas en los brazos de algunos afortunados. …

Ben Krishna, University of Cambridge It is controversial whether viruses are alive, but – like all living things – they do evolve. This fact has become abundantly clear during the pandemic, as new variants of concern have emerged every few months. Some of these variants have been better at spreading from person to person, eventually becoming dominant as they out-compete …

For many parents, the long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine authorization for younger kids can’t come soon enough. Vladimir Vladimirov/E+ via Getty Images Debbie-Ann Shirley, University of Virginia Elementary school children in the United States will soon have one more layer of protection to keep them safe from COVID-19. On Oct. 29, 2021, the Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of the …

Many long COVID-19 symptoms – such as fatigue, brain fog and memory impairment – are similar to those experienced post-concussion. Cavan Images/Cavan Collection via Getty Images Susan Davies, University of Dayton and Julie Walsh-Messinger, University of Dayton Children who get COVID-19 typically recover quickly and will not require special support upon return to school. However, some people who contract the …