Covid-19 news: Antibodies remain in breast milk months after infection

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By Michael Le Page , Clare Wilson , Jessica Hamzelou , Sam Wong , Graham Lawton , Adam Vaughan , Conrad Quilty-Harper and Layal Liverpool

Latest coronavirus quality arsenic of 12pm connected 27 September

Neutralising antibodies successful bosom beverage whitethorn support infants from covid-19 infection

Breastfeeding women who person had a covid-19 secrete neutralising antibodies against the microorganism into their bosom beverage for up to 10 months aft infection, according to probe presented astatine a conference. Rebecca Powell astatine Mount Sinai Hospital successful New York and her colleagues analysed bosom beverage samples from 75 women who had recovered from a covid-19 infection. They recovered that 88 per cent of the samples contained antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and successful astir cases they were susceptible of neutralising the virus.

The findings, presented astatine the Global Breastfeeding and Lactation Symposium connected 21 September, suggest that breastfeeding could assistance to support babies from getting infected with covid-19. This is known to beryllium the lawsuit for different respiratory diseases specified arsenic influenza and pertussis. While young children are astatine little hazard from terrible covid-19 than adults, astir 1 successful 10 infants beneath the property of 1 necessitate infirmary attraction if they are infected. Antibodies extracted from bosom beverage could besides beryllium utilized arsenic a therapy for adults with covid-19, Powell told The Guardian.

The survey besides recovered that the bulk of women who had the Pfizer/BioNTech oregon Moderna vaccines besides had coronavirus-specific antibodies successful their bosom milk, but little levels of antibodies were seen successful beverage from women who had the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. This supports erstwhile probe suggesting that vaccinations for breastfeeding mothers tin assistance to support their babies from covid-19 infection, though this has not yet been demonstrated conclusively.

Other coronavirus news

The covid-19 pandemic has led to the biggest autumn successful beingness expectancy successful occidental Europe since the 2nd satellite war, researchers person found. The study, published successful the International Journal of Epidemiology, included information from 29 countries, 22 of which saw a driblet successful beingness expectancy that was greater than fractional a twelvemonth successful 2020. The effects were larger for men than women successful astir countries. Men successful the US saw the biggest fall, with 2.2 years taken disconnected their beingness expectancy successful 2020 compared with 2019.

Australian authorities person announced plans to assistance restrictions gradually successful Sydney, which has been successful lockdown since June. Restaurants, retail stores and gyms tin statesman to reopen connected 11 October, but lone radical who are afloat vaccinated volition beryllium allowed to resume shopping, eating out, and immoderate different activities. Around 60 per cent of radical aged 16 and implicit are presently afloat vaccinated successful the authorities of New South Wales.

Essential accusation astir coronavirus

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Covid-19 vaccines: Everything you request to cognize astir the starring shots

Long covid: Do I person it, however agelong volition it past and tin we dainty it?

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What to read, ticker and perceive to astir coronavirus

New Scientist Weekly features updates and investigation connected the latest developments successful the covid-19 pandemic. Our podcast sees adept journalists from the mag sermon the biggest subject stories to deed the headlines each week – from exertion and space, to wellness and the environment.

The Jump is simply a BBC vigor 4 bid exploring however viruses tin transverse from animals into humans to origin pandemics. The archetypal occurrence examines the origins of the covid-19 pandemic.

Why Is Covid Killing People of Colour? is simply a BBC documentary, which investigates what the precocious covid-19 decease rates successful taste number patients uncover astir wellness inequality successful the UK.

Panorama: The Race for a Vaccine is simply a BBC documentary astir the wrong communicative of the improvement of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine against covid-19.

Race Against the Virus: Hunt for a Vaccine is simply a Channel 4 documentary which tells the communicative of the coronavirus pandemic done the eyes of the scientists connected the frontline.

The New York Times is assessing the advancement successful improvement of imaginable cause treatments for covid-19, and ranking them for effectiveness and safety.

Humans of COVID-19 is simply a task highlighting the experiences of cardinal workers connected the frontline successful the combat against coronavirus successful the UK, done societal media.

Belly Mujinga: Searching for the Truth is simply a BBC Panorama probe of the decease of transport idiosyncratic Belly Mujinga from covid-19, pursuing reports she had been coughed and spat connected by a lawsuit astatine London’s Victoria Station.

Coronavirus, Explained connected Netflix is simply a abbreviated documentary bid examining the coronavirus pandemic, the efforts to combat it and ways to negociate its intelligence wellness toll.

COVID-19: The Pandemic that Never Should Have Happened, and How to Stop the Next One by Debora Mackenzie is astir however the pandemic happened and wherefore it volition hap again if we don’t bash things otherwise successful future.

The Rules of Contagion is astir the caller subject of contagion and the astonishing ways it shapes our lives and behaviour. The author, Adam Kucharski, is an epidemiologist astatine the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, and successful the publication helium examines however diseases dispersed and wherefore they stop.

Previous updates

24 September

Deaths from covid-19 pb to driblet successful beingness expectancy for boys calved successful UK

Life expectancy for men successful the UK has fallen for the archetypal clip successful 4 decades, owed to the interaction of the covid-19 pandemic. New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggest that a lad calved betwixt 2018 and 2020 is expected to unrecorded for 79 years, compared with 79.2 years for births betwixt 2015 and 2017. For women, beingness expectancy remains unchanged astatine 82.9 years. The estimates are calculated based connected existent mortality rates, which were unusually precocious successful 2020, particularly for men.

The figures bash not mean a babe calved successful 2018-2020 volition unrecorded a shorter life, says Pamela Cobb from the ONS Centre for Ageing and Demography. “To get a amended estimation of this we request to see however mortality and truthful beingness expectancy volition amended into the future. It volition beryllium respective years earlier we recognize the impact, if any, of coronavirus connected this,” she says.

Other coronavirus news

Covid-19 vaccines person prevented 123,100 deaths successful England, according to caller estimates. The figures, which person been calculated by Public Health England and the University of Cambridge, screen the play up to 17 September. Previous estimates had enactment the fig astatine 112,300 deaths. Around 23.9 cardinal infections person besides been prevented by the vaccine rollout, on with 230,800 infirmary admissions among radical aged 45 and over. More than 89 per cent of each radical aged 16 and implicit successful England person present received astatine slightest 1 dose of vaccine, portion astir 82 per cent are afloat vaccinated.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has endorsed booster vaccines for radical aged 65 and implicit and those with underlying wellness conditions, pursuing the authorisation from the Food and Drug Administration connected Wednesday. The CDC’s sheet of advisers declined to enactment booster vaccines for radical successful jobs with a precocious hazard of vulnerability to the virus, specified arsenic healthcare workers, but CDC manager Rochelle Walensky decided to see this class successful the agency’s recommendation. The proposal applies to radical who person already had 2 doses of Pfizer/BioNTech covid-19 vaccine astatine slightest six months ago.

Use our covid-19 dashboard to enactment up to day with deaths, cases, and vaccination rates astir the world.

23 September

US regulator authorises boosters for older people, but rejects broader rollout

The US medicines regulator has authorised coronavirus booster vaccines for radical aged 65 and over, radical astatine precocious hazard of terrible illness and those who are regularly exposed to the virus, specified arsenic healthcare workers. The determination means that these groups tin commencement to person a 3rd dose of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine 6 months aft their 2nd dose. Those who person had different vaccines volition person to hold for further approvals.

Pfizer had asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to let other doses for each radical aged 16 and over, but the FDA sheet concluded that determination was insufficient grounds to enactment boosters for the wider colonisation beyond high-risk groups. A abstracted advisory committee for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which determines US vaccine policy, is expected to contented guidance contiguous which whitethorn see recommendations connected which groups should suffice arsenic precocious risk. The US has already fixed other vaccines to implicit 2 cardinal radical with compromised immune systems.

Other coronavirus news

The US volition donate 500 cardinal much covid-19 vaccines to different countries, president Joe Biden has announced astatine a virtual acme connected the pandemic, bringing the country’s full donations to implicit 1 cardinal doses. Delivery of the caller tranche volition statesman successful January. At a United Nations General Assembly gathering yesterday, leaders from processing nations including the Philippines, Peru and Ghana condemned wealthier nations for failing to stock vaccines equitably.

New question rules for England that necessitate travellers from immoderate countries to quarantine adjacent if they are afloat vaccinated person sparked outrage and bewilderment, The Guardian reports. Under the rules, travellers to England who person been afloat vaccinated with Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna oregon Janssen vaccines successful the US, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea oregon a European Union state are exempt from quarantine, but radical who received the aforesaid vaccines successful different countries indispensable quarantine for 10 days aft arrival. Doctors and politicians from India, Brazil and Nigeria are among those who person expressed choler astir the rules.

Latest connected coronavirus from New Scientist

Winter forecast: A authorities technological advisory committee has said that the fig of radical successful England admitted to infirmary with the coronavirus could emergence to betwixt 2000 and 7000 a time implicit the adjacent fewer months. Here’s why the predictions for wintertime are truthful bleak, contempt precocious vaccination rates.

22 September

More than 1 successful a 100 schoolhouse children successful England person covid-19, but absences are little than successful July due to the fact that full classes nary longer isolate

About 1.2 per cent of schoolhouse children successful England were absent owed to confirmed oregon suspected covid-19 connected 16 September, according to caller figures from the UK’s Department for Education. This compares with 1.0 per cent successful July earlier schools closed for the summertime holidays. Most schools reopened successful September having removed immoderate societal distancing restrictions, including mask-wearing and keeping children wrong “bubbles” – tiny groups usually consisting of 1 oregon a fewer classes. Under this strategy the full bubble would bel sent location to isolate if 1 subordinate tested positive. Now, under-18s bash not person to enactment astatine location and isolate if they person been successful interaction with idiosyncratic who has tested affirmative – lone if they themselves make symptoms oregon person a affirmative trial result.

The caller rules mean that portion determination is presently a higher complaint of covid-19 infections among under-18s, less children person to miss schoolhouse due to the fact that of isolation rules. The full complaint of covid-19-related absences was 1.5 per cent connected 16 September, compared with 14.3 per cent successful July. “These nationalist figures disguise immoderate important issues arising astatine a section level, and we already cognize of schools that are struggling to support classes unfastened owed to outbreaks occurring,” Paul Whiteman, wide caput of the National Association of Head Teachers told The Guardian.

Other coronavirus news

Australia volition reopen its borders for planetary question by Christmas astatine the latest, the country’s Tourism Minister Dan Tehan said today. Meanwhile successful the authorities of Victoria, teachers and childcare workers person been told that they indispensable beryllium afloat vaccinated against covid-19 earlier they instrumentality to enactment adjacent month.

The Johnson & Johnson “single-dose” covid-19 vaccine is much effectual aft 2 doses, the steadfast said yesterday. A 2nd dose of the jab fixed 8 weeks aft the archetypal led to radical being 94 per cent little apt to get a symptomatic corruption compared with those who were unvaccinated, successful a US trial. Just 1 dose was 66 per cent effectual successful the archetypal period aft vaccination. Giving the 2nd dose six months aft the archetypal led to an even higher emergence successful antibodies.

See erstwhile updates from June to July 2021, May 2021, April-March 2021, February 2021, January 2021, November/December 2020, and March to November 2020.