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Research suggests CDC’s claims of mask effectiveness may have been exaggerated By Melissa Rudy | Fox News The stance by the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention (CDC) on face masks has taken many twists and turns throughout the COVID pandemic. After initially claiming face coverings weren’t necessary, the CDC changed course in April 2020, calling on all Americans — even children as young as 2 years old — to mask up. That September, then-CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said during a Senate hearing that "face masks are the most important powerful health tool we have," even suggesting that they...

Small, unique antibody-like proteins known as VNARs—derived from the immune systems of sharks—can prevent the virus that causes COVID-19, its variants, and related coronaviruses from infecting human cells, according to a new study published Dec. 16. The new VNARs will not be immediately available as a treatment in people, but they can help prepare for future coronavirus outbreaks. The shark VNARs were able to neutralize WIV1-CoV, a coronavirus that is capable of infecting human cells but currently circulates only in bats, where SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, likely originated. Developing treatments for such animal-borne viruses ahead of time can...

MASKS/ KN95 MASKS WITH BIOMASS GRAPHENE (2021-04-08)Report a ConcernStarting date:April 8, 2021Posting date:April 15, 2021Type of communication:Medical Device RecallSubcategory:Medical DeviceHazard classification:Type IISource of recall:Health CanadaIssue:Medical DevicesAudience:Healthcare Professionals, General Public, HospitalsIdentification number:RA-75391 Last updated: 2021-04-15 ReasonAffected productsAffected Products A. MASKS WITH BIOMASS GRAPHENEB. KN95 MASKS WITH BIOMASS GRAPHENEReasonHealth Canada has identified the following class I medical devices from Shandong Shengquan New Materials Co. Ltd, do not meet the manufacturer’s requirements of section 10 to 20 of the Medical Devices Regulations (MDR).There is a potential that wearers could inhale graphene particles from some masks, which may pose health risks.Affected productsA. MASKS WITH...

Aug 11 (Reuters) - Three new conditions reported by a small number of people after vaccination with COVID-19 shots from Pfizer (PFE.N) and Moderna (MRNA.O) are being studied to assess if they may be possible side-effects, Europe's drugs regulator said on Wednesday. Erythema multiforme, a form of allergic skin reaction; glomerulonephritis, or kidney inflammation; and nephrotic syndrome, a renal disorder characterised by heavy urinary protein losses, are being studied by the safety committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), according to the regulator.

The researchers say that their discoveries in southwestern China show just how many coronaviruses are there in bats and how many have the potential to spread to people. In a report published in the journal Cell, the Chinese researchers from Shandong University said, "In total, we assembled 24 novel coronavirus genomes from different bat species, including four SARS-CoV-2 like coronaviruses." The origin of coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has remained a mystery even after over 1.5 years the first case of infection was reported in the Wuhan city of China. Now, scientists and countries calling for further investigations to figure out...

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has started to make its way into the arms of Americans, and now patients have started to talk about the side effects. What are the side effects of the J&J vaccine? * Patients who received the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine recently described their symptoms to Business Insider. The symptoms ranged from chills to arm pain, among others. * One patient said she got severe chills, shakes and muscle aches hours after getting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. * Another patient said she had chills in the middle of the night and a headache. She...

A potential treatment for Covid-19 using plasma from recovered patients is to be trialled by doctors at London's Guy's and St Thomas' hospital.The first donations of the plasma have been collected and transfusions will begin in "the coming weeks", the hospital's Biomedical Research Centre said in a statement. It is hoped the potential treatment, known as convalescent plasma, will help patients whose bodies are not producing sufficient antibodies to fight the virus.The hospital says if the trials prove the treatment to be effective, NHS Blood and Transplant will begin a national programme to deliver up to 10,000 units of convalescent...

Link to chart breaking down deaths by provinceAfter entering Italy, Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been spreading fast. As of March 31, 2020, approximately 12.4 thousand deaths were reported by the authorities, of which 7.2 thousand in the region of Lombardy, 1.6 thousand in the region of Emilia-Romagna, and 854 in the region of Piedmont, the regions mostly hit. As of March 19, 2020, the number of coronavirus deaths in Italy exceeded that registered in China. The total number of cases reported in the country reached nearly 106 thousand. The North of the country was mostly hit, and the region with the...