International research review

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently introduced a new Variant of Interest (VOI) titled Mu or B.1.621.

A recent state-of-the-art review in Nature Microbiology summarizes the latest evidence regarding the molecules in our cells that allow SARS-CoV-2 to infect us and how these may give us clues to discover new anti-viral drugs.

The field of public health has never been without critics. Globally, public health officers wield varying amounts of power, with the North American court systems historically respecting and upholding public health order.

Previous studies have shown that children with COVID-19 generally have a milder disease course compared to adults.

New research out of England published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases suggests that hospitalization and visits to the emergency department are twice as likely with the variant of concern (VOC) Delta compared to the Alpha variant.

While countries around the world are working to get their populations vaccinated, the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) has threatened our return to normalcy.

As the world – and Canada – deals with increasing case numbers due to variants, scientists from the Imperial College London provide a snapshot of emerging data on real-life efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines against variants.

In their recent publication in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers Dr. Kashir Ali, Dr. Gary Berman and colleagues presented the interim results of the Moderna vaccine trial in adolescents aged 12 to 17.

Researchers from Ontario indicate that about 80% of students enrolled at a large Canadian university between June and October 2020, prior to the availability of vaccines, intended to receive a COVID-19 vaccine once it was offered.

 A new study published in The Lancet by researchers from Oxford University provides more in-depth safety and immunogenicity data to support a “mix-and-match” vaccine strategy, similar to the one currently used in Canada.