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1 in 3 Discharged Coronavirus Patients Returned to Hospital Within 5 Months, Researchers Say – Leicester News
– A study carried out by the University of Leicester and the Office for National Statistics found that someone being discharged from hospital had a one-in-three chance of being readmitted within five months. The team also found there was a one-in-eight chance of later dying from Covid-related health problems in hospital.

Fast-Spreading COVID Variant Can Elude Immune Responses – Nature
– Evidence is growing that some coronavirus variants could evade immune responses triggered by vaccines and previous infections. Researchers are trying to make sense of a tsunami of lab studies released this week that raise concerns about some emerging variants and mutations.

Post-COVID Lungs Worse Than The Worst Smokers’ Lungs, Surgeon Says – CBS
– A Texas trauma surgeon says it’s rare that X-rays from any of her COVID-19 patients come back without dense scarring. Dr. Brittany Bankhead-Kendall tweeted, “Post-COVID lungs look worse than any type of terrible smoker’s lung we’ve ever seen. And they collapse. And they clot off. And the shortness of breath lingers on… & on… on.”

California Halts Injections of Moderna Covid Vaccine Batch Due to ‘Higher-than-usual Number of Adverse Events’ – RT
– State epidemiologist Dr. Erica S. Pan said in a statement that “fewer than 10 individuals” suffered “a possible severe allergic reaction” and required medical attention over the past 24 hours after being injected with the specific batch of vaccine. All of the incidents appear to have occurred at a single community clinic that was administering the lot.

Japan To Study Cases Of People Infected Even After Vaccination – SCMP
– While the shots prevent people from getting sick, it is not yet clear whether they prevent them from getting infected
Japan plans to begin inoculations in February after a vaccine is approved for domestic use.

Norway Raises Concern Over Pfizer Vaccine Jabs For Elderly As Australia Seeks Information – SCMP
– Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine comes into focus as Norway raises death toll and lowers age range of people thought to be affected. Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration said it would seek additional information on the vaccine from Pfizer and Norway’s medical regulator.

Ohio Researchers Say They’ve Identified Two New Covid Strains Likely Originating in the U.S. – CNBC
– Ohio researchers said Wednesday that they’ve discovered two new variants of the coronavirus, one of which has become the dominant strain in Columbus, Ohio.
“This new Columbus strain has the same genetic backbone as earlier cases we’ve studied, but these three mutations represent a significant evolution,” Dr. Dan Jones, lead author of the study, said.

Portugal Announces Month-long Lockdown – AA News
– After Portugal registered its highest daily surge of COVID-19 deaths and infections on Wednesday, the country’s prime minister announced a fresh nationwide lockdown. From Friday, no one will be allowed to leave their homes for unjustified reasons.

Doctor’s Death After Covid Vaccine Is Being Investigated – New York Times
– A Florida physician developed an unusual blood disorder shortly after he received the Pfizer vaccine. It is not yet known if the shot is linked to the illness.

It’s Time To Consider Delaying The Second Dose Of Coronavirus Vaccine – Washington Post
– While Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were designed to test the effectiveness of two shots given about a month apart, both showed that the first shot had a substantial benefit beginning around 10 days afterward. In both trials, by the time of the second shot, the first was already 80 to 90 percent effective in preventing covid-19 cases.

Vaccinated US Nurse Contracts COVID-19, Expert Says Pfizer Shot Needed More time to work – Reuters
– A nurse in California tested positive for COVID-19 more than a week after receiving Pfizer Inc’s vaccine, an ABC News affiliate reported on Tuesday, but a medical expert said the body needs more time to build up protection.

Putin Decides to Receive Coronavirus Vaccine – Reuters
– Russia’s president Vladimir Putin will receive the Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus. Russia launched a voluntary vaccination programme with the Russia-made Sputnik V vaccine earlier in December, starting with the most vulnerable groups in Moscow.

Frustration Over Vaccine Rollout Builds, As New Variant Reported in U.S. for First Time – STAT
– As frustration over the pace of the Covid-19 vaccine rollout continues to build, health officials in Colorado on Tuesday reported the first known U.S. case of the variant of Covid-19 discovered in the U.K.

Covid Vaccine Rollout Fuels Hopes of Record Eurozone Growth in 2021 – Financial Times
– Effects on labour market and credit flows will continue to hinder recovery.

Biden Will Invoke Defense Production Act to Boost Covid Vaccine Production, Advisor Says – CNBC
– President-elect Joe Biden plans to invoke the Defense Production Act after he takes office next month to boost production of Covid vaccines, a member of his Covid-19 advisory team said. The wartime production law allows the president to compel companies to prioritize manufacturing for national security purposes. It could help U.S. secure components and specialized products that manufacturers need to produce the vaccines.

British Hospitals Stretched as COVID-19 Cases Surge – CBC
– British hospitals are cancelling non-urgent procedures and scrambling to find space for COVID-19 patients as coronavirus cases continue to surge despite tough new restrictions imposed to curb a fast-spreading new variant of the virus.

AstraZeneca Covid Vaccine Has ‘Winning Formula’, Says CEO – DH
– The process of granting emergency use approval for Bharat Biotech’s Covid-19 vaccine ‘Covaxin’ may take time as its phase 3 trials are still underway, while Pfizer is yet to make a presentation. Going by this, Oxford vaccine ‘Covishield’ is likely to be the first to be rolled out in India.

HK Sees 59 New Covid-19 Cases with Cluster at United Christian Hospital Ward – The Standard
– There is an outbreak in United Christian Hospital’s Palliative Care and Medical ward 2D where four staff members and 11 patients were infected.After inspecting the site this afternoon, microbiologist and government adviser Yuen Kwok-yung said there was a super-spreader in the ward.

The Best and Worst Places to Be in Covid: U.S. Sinks in Ranking – Bloomberg
– Winter and the long-anticipated rollout of coronavirus vaccines triggered some surprising shifts in Bloomberg’s Covid Resilience Ranking, a measure of the best places to be in the Covid-19 era.

Neanderthal Gene Found in Many People May Open Cells to Coronavirus and Increase COVID-19 Severity – Science
– If you become infected with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, you might wish there was a fast way to check your Neanderthal ancestry. A small but significant number of people have an ancient gene variant from the extinct hominin that may double, or even quadruple, their risk of serious complications from COVID-19.

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