Remedies for ‘Razor-Blade Throat,' a Symptom of the Emerging Nimbus COVID Variant
A new COVID-19 subvariant, dubbed 'Nimbus,' has rapidly gained prominence across the United States to become the dominant strain in recent weeks, according to health officials.
They are warning of a new twist to COVID-19 symptoms: a severe sore throat often described as 'razor blade throat' with pain that is more severe than typical coronavirus symptoms.
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The Hill
24 minutes ago
- The Hill
Experimental Moderna flu shot more effective than approved vaccine, company says
Moderna Inc. said Monday its experimental flu shot showed positive results in a late-stage trial. In a Phase 3 study, the company's mRNA-1010 flu vaccine's efficacy was nearly 27 percent higher for adults 50 and older than a currently available shot. The shot also showed strong efficacy against each of the major influenza strains in the shot including A/H1N1, A/H3N2 and the B/Victoria lineages. Efficacy appeared consistently strong across age groups, flu vaccination status and among people with various risk factors, Moderna said in a statement. The trial enrolled more than 40,800 adults 50 and older from 11 countries. 'The severity of this past flu season underscores the need for more effective vaccines,' said Stephane Bancel, chief executive officer of Moderna. 'An mRNA-based flu vaccine has the potential advantage to more precisely match circulating strains, support rapid response in a future influenza pandemic, and pave the way for COVID-19 combination vaccines.' Seasonal flu-related hospitalizations and outpatient visits reached a 15-year high during the 2024-25 season, according to the CDC. At least 600,000 Americans were hospitalized last year due to flu-related illness, agency data show. According to the CDC, seasonal flu-related hospitalizations and outpatient visits reached a 15-year high during the 2024-2025 season. [2] More than 600,000 Americans were hospitalized due to flu-related illness last year, leading to substantial direct and indirect costs, as well as widespread disruption to daily life and work After consulting the Food and Drug Administration, Moderna withdrew its application last month for a dual flu and COVID-19 vaccine for adults 50 years old and older. Moderna plans to resubmit the application for the combination vaccine with the new data, according to CNBC. The company also plans to submit the data on the mRNA-1010 shot to U.S. regulators this year.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Everything you need to know about vaccine-preventable diseases
For months, Alberta's doctors have chimed over and over again: Get vaccinated against the measles. As cases have surpassed 1,000, leading to a higher likelihood of severe symptoms and possible fatalities, the chime has grown louder, accompanied by province-wide campaigns to educate Albertans on the importance of the vaccine. It's an outbreak of infection and dismay, as the disease was once declared eradicated from the province, thanks to a robust vaccination campaign in the 90s that saw 95 per cent of the community immunized against the virus. It's a vaccine-preventable disease — 'the vaccine prevents the individual from contracting the disease,' according to Dr. Craig Jenne, infectious disease specialist, and in turn also protects others who aren't able to get the vaccine. The list of vaccine-preventable diseases is long — The World Health Organization lists 25 diseases for which vaccines are available — but the impact of vaccines can vary, from being able to mitigate symptoms to being able to eradicate a virus from a community. 'COVID or influenza for example, those vaccines may not be able to block infection but they do significantly reduce risk of hospitalization,' Jenne said. It's as obvious as it sounds — with a couple of caveats. A vaccine-preventable disease can be prevented by taking a vaccine, usually before infection, but for some, even after, if the infection was immediate. The effect of a vaccine can range, according to Jenne, from reducing, if not fully preventing, the chance of severe disease to preventing infection altogether. The influenza virus for example can also be found in animals and mutates frequently, rendering a single vaccine ineffective at preventing it entirely. But vaccines can still be effective at mitigating the symptoms of the virus. 'New variants pop up that that are pretty good at dodging the full protection of the vaccine,' Jenne said. 'Yet ongoing clinical studies show that people that are vaccinated and have received updated vaccines remain protected, at least largely, against hospital admission, ICU admission and death. So that says that they're still working.' 'They're preventing the disease but they're maybe not preventing infection altogether.' Measles on the other hand is a preventable disease, as it only passes between humans and does not mutate, rendering two doses of the measles mumps and rubella vaccine enough to secure lifelong immunization. According to the World Health Organization, there are currently 25 diseases for which vaccines have been created with a range of abilities to either mitigate a virus' severity or prevent infection altogether. Not all diseases with a vaccine are eradicable. It depends on the nature of the virus and on community action taken to immunize against the virus. For one, the virus has to be a human-only disease, Jenne said. 'Influenza lives in ducks and geese and birds and cats … it's almost impossible to vaccinate everything on the planet to stop infection. So we will always see influenza coming back.' A disease like Hepatitis B that only lives in humans and doesn't mutate frequently could conceivably be eradicated, but only if there is a 'strong community uptake' of the vaccine, according to Dr. Zahra Shajani, associate dean for the University of Calgary's nursing faculty's undergraduate program. 'For a disease to be eradicated, you need community support where you need everybody to take the vaccine and be able to boost themselves or get immune,' she said. Yes. Smallpox was a human disease caused by the variola virus and a global vaccination campaign rendered the disease eradicated by 1980. 'Many of us are not immunized against smallpox and that's because it doesn't exist anymore,' Jenne said. 'It doesn't live on our planet except in a handful of freezers, in extremely secure labs. It does not circulate … as a result, I'm not vaccinated but I still don't get that illness anymore.' Because of the immense complications and effort to rally communities across the globe to be vaccinated against the disease. 'This includes a lot of rural and underdeveloped areas where they can be a lot of hesitancy for international aid, international vaccine programs,' Jenne said. 'So it has become unfortunately quite political.' The wild poliovirus for example, was almost eradicated by the 1980s and currently is only endemic to two countries — Afghanistan and Pakistan. However in recent years, polio cases have been discovered in Angola, Gaza and even the U.S. in 2022, due to globally declining vaccination rates. Unlike COVID-19 or influenza, the measles virus has remained largely consistent throughout the decades, which removes the need to frequently create a new vaccine to fight it. Two doses, either doled out during childhood or as an adult is enough to ensure immunization for life. Measles is also a human disease, which means that in the hypothetical scenario wherein everyone was vaccinated against the virus, it would not longer be able to spread and could be eradicated entirely. The proof of the pudding lies in the the robust vaccination campaign of the 90s wherein 95 per cent of individuals in a community were immunized against the virus. By 1998, measles was declared eradicated from country, with few cases popping up sporadically in the years since. However declining vaccination rates, especially in rural communities, have brought back the infection, leading to the current outbreak. The list is short, according to Shajani. While some diseases are only human-transferable, their vaccines are not lifelong and need to be taken every few years to maintain immunity. Tetanus, for example, requires a shot every 10 years to maintain immunity against the disease. 'You need multiple doses or boosters,' Shajani said. Few diseases like mumps, rubella, measles, chickenpox and pertussis require only one or two shots to maintain lifelong immunity. Measles is among the most infectious of the lot, with a reproduction number of 12 to 18, which means that on average one infected person will infect 12 to 18 other people in the community with no immunity. Mumps and chickenpox, while not considered as contagious as measles, are also highly infectious diseases with reproduction numbers of approximately 10. Pertussis, better known as whooping cough, has a reproduction number of 15 to 17 and has been showing up in Alberta, due to declining vaccination rates. 'Last year we had hundreds of cases of whooping cough in Alberta,' Jenne said, noting that in the past, a busy year for the disease would have seen about 100 to 150 cases. 'We're seeing a large resurgence of these vaccine preventable illnesses.' Nothing is as effective and as easy as getting a vaccine, Jenne and Shajani say. An N-95 mask worn properly can 'dramatically reduce the spread of measles,' Jenne said, as it is an airborne virus. 'They have to be worn properly with a tight seal around our nose and mouth. The ability to do that properly without training, without supervision, is actually very difficult.' For diseases that are water-borne, vigilant sanitation and hygiene practices like washing hands and staying away from contaminated areas, when possible, can help reduce risk of infection, according to Shajani. 'But I honestly think vaccines are the best way. Because they're such an easy, low-hanging fruit,' she said. Despite subsisting on a nutritious diet and practicing proper sanitation, a person can still get sick, she added. 'Vaccines prevent outbreaks, they build immunity and herd community infrastructure.'
Bloomberg
2 hours ago
- Bloomberg
Stock Movers: Circle Falls, Disney Climbs, Moderna Meets Flu Shot Goal
On this episode of Stock Movers: Circle Internet (CRCL) falls 2.7% in US premarket trading after JPMorgan — which was a lead in its successful IPO this month — starts coverage with an underweight recommendation, citing a valuation that's beyond the broker's 'comfort zone.' Barclays, meanwhile, gives the stock an overweight rating, saying it's 'one of the only ways' to tap into the stablecoin hype. Disney (DIS) climbs 2% after Jefferies upgraded it's rating to buy, with the broker now seeing limited risk for a slowdown for its key parks division in 2H 2025. Moderna Inc. (MRNA) climbs 5% after saying its experimental flu shot met its goal in a late-stage trial, clearing the path for its broader strategy of selling combination vaccines. The shot's efficacy was 27% higher than a licensed influenza vaccine in adults 50 years and older, the company said in a statement Monday. The trial enrolled more than 40,000 adults across 11 countries. The results set the stage for Moderna to offer a single shot that protects against Covid and flu. US regulators recently told the company that it needed to produce flu vaccine efficacy data — and not just data on the immune response — delaying a potential approval for a combination shot until next year.
