Archive for coronavirus
You’ve had the COVID-19 vaccine. What now?
As more and more people across the country get vaccinated for COVID-19, the rules for social distancing are also slowly shifting. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) rolled out new guidelines for those who are fully vaccinated. But these rules can still be a bit confusing for families, especially when some family ... Read More about You’ve had the COVID-19 vaccine. What now?
Sturdier spikes may explain SARS-CoV-2 variants’ faster spread
The fast-spreading U.K., South Africa, and Brazil variants are raising concerns and questions about whether current COVID-19 vaccines will protect against them. A structural biology study led by Bing Chen, PhD, at Boston Children’s Hospital now reveals how the D614G mutation — carried by all three variants — makes SARS-CoV-2 spread faster. Key takeaways: The main ... Read More about Sturdier spikes may explain SARS-CoV-2 variants’ faster spread
COVID-19: What we know and how to cope with an uncertain future
Last March, when the world as we knew it shut down because of the coronavirus, we imagined we’d be home for a few weeks at most. But here we are, a year later, still unsure when our lives might get back to “normal.” And it’s still unclear what a new normal might even look like. ... Read More about COVID-19: What we know and how to cope with an uncertain future
Neurological involvement common in kids and teens with acute COVID-19 and MIS-C
In the largest study of its kind, researchers from Boston Children’s Hospital found neurological involvement in 22 percent of children and adolescents hospitalized with acute COVID-19 or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). These symptoms included fatigue, headache, confusion, difficulty walking or crawling, or loss of taste and smell. However, 1 in 8 children with ... Read More about Neurological involvement common in kids and teens with acute COVID-19 and MIS-C
If another pandemic hits, our online ‘footprints’ may help the experts
When the new coronavirus hit early last year, little was known about it. As people started coming to the emergency room, doctors scrambled to understand COVID-19 and its trajectory of symptoms. Testing was limited, and only over a period of months did the full fury of the new virus make itself known. Community after community ... Read More about If another pandemic hits, our online ‘footprints’ may help the experts
New findings show risk of bleeding and clotting after COVID-19
A year after COVID-19 was first identified, we have some answers about how to prevent and treat this illness, but there are still many questions. Some of the unknowns include what longer-term effects COVID-19 infection may have on the heart and other systems in the body. One of the complications associated with COVID-19 infection is ... Read More about New findings show risk of bleeding and clotting after COVID-19
Looking for a coronavirus vaccine near you? VaccineFinder may have answers
Soon, any American eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine will be able to search VaccineFinder, an easy-to-use website hosted and run by Boston Children’s Hospital with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The site went live last week in Alaska, Tennessee, Indiana and Iowa, and will be extended to other states as vaccine distribution ramps ... Read More about Looking for a coronavirus vaccine near you? VaccineFinder may have answers
What you need to know about the new COVID-19 vaccine
Today, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Johnson and Johnson (J&J) emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine. We spoke with Dr. Thomas Sandora, hospital epidemiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital, to learn more about this new vaccine, including how effective it was in clinical trials and how it compares with the two COVID-19 vaccines ... Read More about What you need to know about the new COVID-19 vaccine
Is it MIS-C or severe COVID-19? An update on multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children
In May 2020, multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) was formally recognized as a post-infectious syndrome in children exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. In today’s JAMA, a study led by Boston Children’s Hospital refines the medical understanding of MIS-C. Its findings help distinguish this rare condition from severe, acute COVID-19 in children, with which it ... Read More about Is it MIS-C or severe COVID-19? An update on multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children
The COVID-19 vaccine: Why some people of color hesitate
The COVID-19 pandemic has been especially hard on people of color. In addition to higher rates of infection, serious illness, and death, many Black and Latino communities have experienced profound economic hardship and increased anxiety and depression during the pandemic. Against this backdrop, the COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna might seem like great ... Read More about The COVID-19 vaccine: Why some people of color hesitate