Vulnerable | Common News Update

Apr12021 by adminNo Comments

New vulnerable sites identified on surface of COVID spike protein that ‘could help future vaccine development’

Technology

Scientists have discovered new vulnerable sites on the surface of the COVID-19 spike protein for antibodies which could help in the development of vaccines.Coronavirus is surrounded by spike proteins that it uses to enter and infect human cells. COVID vaccines work by teaching the immune system to make antibodies to the spike protein. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt, Germany, have developed a detailed model of the spike protein to identify potential target sites on its surface for the antibodies.They said previous models have not shown the flexibility of the spike protein or the movements of the protective glycans - which they describe as chains of sugar molecules - that coat it. ...

Mar142021 by adminNo Comments

Covid-19: Charities urge vulnerable people to book vaccines

Health

PA MediaMillions of vulnerable people with underlying health conditions, such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease, are being urged to book their Covid jabs.Charities including Cancer Research UK, Mencap and the Terrence Higgins Trust have written an open letter to those in priority group six.They are trying to reassure people that vaccines are safe and effective.The Department of Health said more than half of the seven million people in that group have had their first dose.Priority group six includes those aged 16 to 64 with an underlying health condition, their carers, and people with learning disabilities.Underlying health conditions include chronic respiratory, heart, kidney and liver disease and neurological conditions, immunosuppression, asplenia, diabetes, morbid obesity and severe...

Mar112021 by adminNo Comments

Tourists are flocking to see fireflies, putting new stress on vulnerable ecosystems

Science

March 11 (UPI) -- Every year, more than a million people travel to watch fireflies and their luminous mating rituals. Firefly tourism, it turns out, is trending. Wildlife tourism has benefits, injecting cash into local economies and raising awareness about environmental problems, but tourism can also put pressure on already vulnerable ecosystems. Advertisement Without stronger protections for firefly beetles, the authors of a new paper -- published Thursday in the journal Conservation Science and Practice -- warn firefly tourism could wipe out local populations. "Firefly tourism has long been popular in countries like Japan, but it's really only started to skyrocket in places like India, the U.S. and Mexico in the past decade or so," lead author Sara Lewis, professor of biology at Tufts U...

Feb162021 by adminNo Comments

Covid: Extra 1.7m vulnerable added to shielding list

Health

Getty ImagesThere is to be a large expansion of the number of people being asked to shield in England.An extra 1.7 million people are expected to be added to the 2.3 million already on the list.Half of the group have not yet been vaccinated so will now be prioritised urgently by their local GPs.It comes after a new model was developed that takes into account extra factors rather than just health.This calculation includes things such as ethnicity, deprivation (by postcode) and weight to work out a person's risk of becoming seriously ill if they were to catch Covid.It also looks at age, underlying health issues and prescribed medications.Prof Andrew Hayward, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), which has been involved in the modelling, said it ...

Dec312020 by adminNo Comments

Nashville bombing spotlights vulnerable voice, data networks

Technology

PHOENIX -- The Christmas Day bombing in downtown Nashville led to phone and data service outages and disruptions over hundreds of miles in the southern U.S., raising new concerns about the vulnerability of U.S. communications.The blast seriously damaged a key AT&T network facility, an important hub that provides local wireless, internet and video service and connects to regional networks. Backup generators went down, which took service out hours after the blast. A fire broke out and forced an evacuation. The building flooded, with more than three feet of water later pumped out of the basement; AT&T and said there was still water on the second floor as of Monday.The immediate repercussions were surprisingly widespread. AT&T customers lost service — phones, intern...