Tech NewsNews

Two Allergic Reactions to Covid-19 Vaccine on Tuesday Prompt New Warning in UK

The UK’s top health agency issued a warning on Wednesday that anyone with “significant” allergies to food, medicine, or vaccines should not receive the vaccine, according to a new report from the BBC. The warning comes as two health care workers in England with histories of severe allergies experienced allergic reactions to the new Pfizer/BioNTech … Continued

Tech NewsNews

‘Cruise to Nowhere’ Returns to Somewhere After Passenger Tests Positive For Covid-19

One passenger on a so-called “cruise to nowhere” in Singapore has tested positive for covid-19, just a week after Royal Caribbean cruises began operating again in the region during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Strait Times. All 2,800 people aboard the Quantum of the Seas ship, which set sail on Dec. 3, have been … Continued

Tech NewsNews

Rebekah Jones, Fired Florida Data Scientist, Raises $100K After Cops Stormed Her Home

It’s a tale as old as time: Woman becomes data curator for the Florida government during a global pandemic, Florida government fires woman for accurately reporting the data it’s trying to suppress, woman continues to tweet accurate but forbidden statistics about deadly virus to a massive online following, Florida law enforcement officers storm the woman’s … Continued

ScienceHealth

Headache, Fatigue, and Other Not-So-Scary Side Effects of Pfizer’s Covid-19 Vaccine

Today we got the first substantial look at data on one of the covid-19 vaccines likely to reach the U.S. general public later this month. The Food and Drug Administration and the companies Pfizer and BioNTech released summary documentation of the trial data collected so far on Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine candidate. The lengthy materials, … Continued

ScienceHealth

Report: Trump Admin Turned Down Chance to Buy 100 Million More Doses of Pfizer’s Covid-19 Vaccine

On Monday, the UK became the first country to begin mass vaccination against the novel coronavirus pandemic using a vaccine manufactured by Pifzer. That vaccine should begin being rolled out in the U.S. soon—though there might not be enough to go around for a while, thanks in part to the White House’s purchasing decisions. The … Continued

ScienceHealth

Large Study of Americans Shows the Broad Health Problems Covid-19 Can Cause

New research out Tuesday looks to pin down the many health problems that can arise from a bout of covid-19. The long list includes more common ailments like pneumonia, kidney failure, and widespread inflammation, as well as rarer complications like serious heart inflammation, collapsed lungs, and severe blood clotting. The new study, published in the … Continued

Tech NewsNews

Chinese State Media Suggests Covid-19 Pandemic Started by Frozen Meat Imported Into Wuhan

Chinese state media outlet the Global Times released a new editorial on Sunday strongly suggesting the covid-19 pandemic, which started in the city of Wuhan, may have been caused by frozen meat imported from overseas. The suggestion is just the latest volley in a dispute over whether the Chinese government could have done more to … Continued

Tech NewsNews

‘Mystery Illness’ Kills 1 and Sickens Hundreds in Eluru, India

One person is dead and at least 345 people have become sick with a “mystery illness” since Saturday in India’s southern state of Andhra Pradesh, according to new reports from the Indian Express and the Hindustan Times. Patients have shown a variety of symptoms, including vomiting, frothing at the mouth, seizures, giddiness, and a burning … Continued

Tech NewsNews

Trump Reveals That Another Member of His Inner Circle, Rudy Giuliani, Has Covid-19 Via Tweet

To no one’s surprise, especially given the reckless behavior exhibited by President Donald Trump and those in his orbit, Rudy Giuliani, the president’s infamous personal and campaign lawyer most recently known for farting in the courtroom, has covid-19. Giuliani’s diagnosis was announced by Trump himself on Twitter on Sunday. In the tweet, the president showered … Continued

ScienceHealth

Birx: Health Officials Still Have Their Hands Full Debunking Trump’s Covid-19 ‘Myths’

White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said she’s frustrated that viral covid-19 “myths” like those spread by the president and other high-profile politicians continue to undermine public perception about the severity of covid-19, even now eight months into the pandemic after the virus has killed more than 281,000 peoplein America. In an interview … Continued

Tech NewsNews

Bank Workers Could Get the Covid-19 Vaccine Ahead of Most Americans

Bank tellers may get to skip the line to receive the covid-19 vaccine once it becomes available, jumping ahead of those who are at an increased risk for severe symptoms from the virus such as people 65 and older or who have preexisting conditions. Per a MarketWatch report this week, the American Bankers Association, an … Continued

io9Movies

Letitia Wright Responds to Backlash for Sharing Transphobic, Antivax Video

In yet another example of how the best rule of thumb is to simply never tweet, Black Panther star Letitia Wright has found herself on the receiving end of a significant amount of backlash from the public. This came after she shared a video of a YouTuber who questioned the seriousness of the ongoing covid-19 … Continued

ScienceHealth

Biden Says He’ll Ask Country to Wear Masks for 100 Days, Issue Mask Mandates in Federal Jurisdiction

President-elect Joe Biden says he will ask the entire country to wear masks for the first 100 days of his presidency, and he will issue federal mask mandates applying to places where he believes he has jurisdiction, including federal buildings and interstate transportation. Biden also committed to allow the public to watch him receive a … Continued

ScienceHealth

How Are You Feeling About the Vaccines?

The past few weeks have brought a flurry of news about covid-19 vaccines, and it’s enough to make anyone feel both optimistic and confused. On Monday, the UK became the first western nation to approve the emergency use of a vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, with doses expected to be doled out next … Continued

Tech NewsNews

Dr. Fauci Warns Americans to Stay Home This Christmas As U.S. Breaks New Covid-19 Records

Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s most prominent expert on infectious diseases, is warning Americans not to travel over the Christmas and Hanukkah holidays. Fauci’s warning comes as new data reveals Americans didn’t heed his pleas to stay home this Thanksgiving, with just a 5% reduction in vehicle traffic on U.S. roads compared to the Thanksgiving holiday … Continued

Tech NewsPrivacy and Security

Hackers Target Covid-19 Vaccine Distribution ‘Cold Chain,’ Though Motives Remain Unknown

Hackers “assumed to be state agents” have been waging a phishing campaign against pharmaceutical firms and other institutions involved in the forthcoming distribution of a vaccine against the novel coronavirus, IBM announced on Thursday. In a post on Security Intelligence releasing their findings, IBM Security X-Force researchers wrote that “precision targeting of executives and key … Continued

io9Movies

Every 2021 Warner Bros Film Will Stream on HBO Max for Free

Theongoing novel coronavirus pandemic has radically changed the movie industry as we know it, and its ramifications are going to continue into the foreseeable future. Warner Bros., attempting to deal with that uncertain future, has just announced a shocking, unprecedented step. Today the studio behind some of the biggest blockbusters in the world has announced … Continued

ScienceHealth

Obama, Bush, and Clinton Say They’ll Get Covid-19 Vaccine—but They Won’t Cut in Line

Three former U.S. presidents will likely be taking a vaccine for covid-19 on camera as soon as it’s available to them. In interviews with media outlets this week, Barack Obama and spokespeople for George W. Bush and Bill Clinton stated that they’ve volunteered to become part of an awareness campaign to encourage others to get … Continued

ScienceHealth

CDC Relaxes Quarantine Guidelines for People Exposed to Covid-19

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has provided new guidance on how long people exposed to the coronavirus should quarantine away from others. Though the agency still recommends a 14-day quarantine period for people exposed to the coronavirus as the safest way to reduce the risk of further spread, it is now issuing two … Continued

Tech NewsNews

Elon Musk Says He Did Have Covid-19, Actually

“Something extremely bogus is going on,” Elon Musk tweeted on Nov. 13. It’s been a busy month, and you could be forgiven if you forgot about the Tesla founder’s confusing tweet in which he said that his rapid antigen test had come back positive and negative. It appeared that Musk may have covid-19, but then … Continued