Blood plasma showed no benefit in Covid-19 patients in trial The findings, published in BMJ, could re-energize the debate over whether blood plasma is an effective treatment for the disease. Damian Garde STAT

Infusing hospitalized Covid-19 patients with blood plasma from people who recovered from the disease had no effect on whether patients got sicker or died, according to the first completed randomized trial of the treatments.

'He has blood on his hands': Columbia University study shows that Trump could have avoided over 130,000 COVID-19 deaths with a more robust pandemic response "The U.S. should have – and could have – done better to protect the nation," researchers wrote in the study. Oma Seddiq Business Insider

Upwards of 130,000 coronavirus deaths were "avoidable" if President Donald Trump and his administration had acted sooner and implemented widespread public health precautions, according to a new Columbia University report released on Wednesday. 

Experts: Don't count on mild flu season amid COVID-19 "The message is be prepared for a bad flu season on top of a bad COVID season," says Edward Belongia, MD. CIDRAP

The Southern Hemisphere had a very light flu season in 2020, with Australia seeing only 315 cases over its winter, down 99.8% from the 130,000 cases seen in most years. But flu experts say that, while the low numbers could portend a similar scenario in the Northern Hemisphere, it would be a foolhardy not to prepare for high caseloads this winter.

CDC redefines COVID-19 close contact, adds brief encounters NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials Wednesday redefined what counts as close contact with someone with COVID-19 to include briefer but repeated encounters. For months, the Centers for... AP NEWS

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials Wednesday redefined what counts as close contact with someone with COVID-19 to include briefer but repeated encounters.

EU to link national COVID-19 tracing apps together BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Commission on Monday launched an EU-wide system devised to link national COVID-19 tracing apps together in its latest effort to slow down the coronavirus... AP NEWS

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Commission on Monday launched an EU-wide system devised to link national COVID-19 tracing apps together in its latest effort to slow down the coronavirus pandemic.

Latest on the worldwide spread of coronavirus The European Union will be ready to approve new measures to support member states should economies suffer further, its vice president said, as a surge in COVID-19 cases prompts more restrictions. Reuters Staff U.S.

(Reuters) - The European Union will be ready to approve new measures to support member states should economies suffer further, its vice president said, as a surge in COVID-19 cases prompts more restrictions.

Two new peer-reviewed studies are showing a sharp drop in mortality among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The drop is seen in all groups, including older patients and those with underlying conditions, suggesting that physicians are getting better at helping patients survive their illness.

"We find that the death rate has gone down substantially," says Leora Horwitz, a doctor who studies population health at New York University's Grossman School of Medicine and an author on one of the studies, which looked at thousands of patients from March to August.

The study, which was of a single health system, finds that mortality has dropped among hospitalized patients by 18 percentage points since the pandemic began. Patients in the study had a 25.6% chance of dying at the start of the pandemic; they now have a 7.6% chance.

How can you track community spread of COVID-19 in your area? Experts weighed in on how community spread can be measured and monitored, and what you should do if cases increase in your area. YahooNews

When it comes to measuring the prevalence of the coronavirus, one term frequently comes up: community spread.