Medical Testing

Nasal swab tests predict COVID-19 disease severity, Emory study finds | Emory University | Atlanta GA New research from Emory University is providing a more precise prediction of COVID-19 severity that can be found by looking at autoantibodies in the nasal cavity, leading to more personalized treatment plans.

... For high-risk individuals, this could provide critical information to inform immediate treatment options, including quickly taking medications like Paxlovid within one week of symptoms to mitigate a severe response.

Over 2,700 suspected new mpox cases in one week in Africa A total of 2,729 new suspected cases of the disease mpox have been reported in Africa over the period of one week, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dpa Medical Xpress

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Of these, 1,001 have been confirmed through tests, said Ngashi Ngongo, the head of the mpox team at the Africa CDC.

He added that this number, however, does not provide reassurance regarding the other cases, as it is due to limited testing and laboratory capacities in the affected countries.

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US FDA pauses Novavax's trial of combo COVID-flu shot on safety concerns The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has put Novavax's trial of an experimental COVID-flu vaccine combination on hold after one person who received the shot reported nerve damage, the company said on Wednesday. Reuters Reuters

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FDA authorizes sale of first home COVID/flu combo test outside of emergency use The test joins other over-the-counter COVID-19/flu tests already available under emergency use authorization. CIDRAP

As the country heads into the respiratory illness season, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced yesterday its marketing authorization of the first over-the-counter (OTC) rapid-antigen COVID-19/flu combination test outside of emergency use authorization.