“Viruses exist to thrive. ”That’s a line from William Haseltine’s recent essay for Scientific American. Haseltine is a former Harvard School of Medicine professor and author of “Variants! The Shape-Shifting Challenge of COVID-19.” Even when straitened to the single question, “How Will the Coronavirus Evolve?”— and that’s the title of his essay —COVID-19 is a… Read More
Shortly after the Centers for Disease Control announced Thursday, May 13, that vaccinated Americans could return to normal, ditching the masks in almost all situations, including large gatherings, Shelby County government said Health Directive No. 21, set to go into effect Saturday, may be in for a rewrite.
With more than a year of data from its own employees, researchers at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have evidence that COVID vaccines prevent infection among people who have no symptoms.
One variant linked to India’s recent COVID-19 surge was detected in Shelby County this week, said David Sweat, Shelby County Health Department deputy director. Doug McGowen, City of Memphis chief operating officer, also announced two changes to countywide vaccine availability next week – including a new walk-in that will offer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.… Read More
Zoning variances for Orleans Station — the 12-building, 10-acre apartment and commercial development on the medical school campus — received unanimous approval Wednesday, April 28, by the Board of Adjustment. In an online meeting challenged by technical difficulties and board-member absences, the Board of Adjustment also rejected a Summer Avenue business’s request to allow an… Read More
Doctors tending the COVID wings in local hospitals are sucking in their breath for different reasons. Patient numbers are nothing like they were at the height of the winter surge, but the people in their care now are younger and often very sick. “We had stopped seeing as many badly ill patients about three-four weeks… Read More
Tennessee is one of 11 places in the nation where the gulf between the haves and have-nots makes it pretty easy to predict who likely is going to get a severe case of COVID and end up on a ventilator or worse. In West Tennessee, the work is being done by researchers at the University… Read More
A fourth surge would look very different, says Dr. Manoj Jain, infectious disease expert advising the City of Memphis. “First, it will be mostly among young people. Second, the hospitalization and mortality rates will be lower compared to previous waves. These people are less likely to have serious complications, but we’re already seeing relatively young… Read More
