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April 25, 2024
 

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Apoorva Mandavilli
For Apoorva Mandavilli's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
A chicken in its coop on Fogline Farm in Pescadero, California, on March 1. Unlike the coronavirus, the H5N1 virus has been studied for years. Vaccines and treatments are available should they ever become necessary.
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 6, 2024
Is bird flu coming to people next? Are we ready?
Outbreaks have been found among dairy cows in multiple states, as well as at least one infection in a farmworker in Texas.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 19, 2022
Will COVID boosters prevent another wave? Scientists aren’t so sure.
The shots may help vulnerable Americans dodge serious illness or death. But some experts believe boosters must be improved and are calling for a new strategy.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 1, 2022
New infectious threats are coming. The U.S. probably won’t contain them.
The coronavirus revealed flaws in the nation's pandemic plans. The spread of monkeypox shows that the problems remain deeply entrenched.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 17, 2022
How often can you be infected with the coronavirus?
Variants that are adept at dodging the body's defenses and waves of infections two, maybe three times a year, may be the future of COVID-19.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 19, 2022
Scientists question data behind an experimental Alzheimer’s drug
Studies linked to Cassava Sciences, once a stock market favorite, have been retracted or challenged by medical journals.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 11, 2022
New COVID vaccine findings pose tough questions for parents of young children
For adults, vaccines proved to be safe and powerfully protective in clinical trials and were speedily authorized for use. But the trials in children were complicated by the arrival of virus variants.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 2, 2022
Vaccine protection against moderate illness waned among adolescents, new CDC data suggests
The vaccine does protect against severe illness, and booster shots increase the protection.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 22, 2022
Got a COVID booster? You probably won’t need another for a long time.
New studies suggest that several parts of the immune system can mount a sustained, potent response to any coronavirus variant.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 10, 2022
The next vaccine debate: Immunize young children now, or wait?
Next week, advisers to the U.S. FDA will decide whether to endorse two doses of the vaccine for children 6 months to 4 years old, before trials have shown the full course to be effective.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 5, 2022
Younger Americans benefited less from COVID booster shots than older people
Several recent studies have found that vaccination alone, without boosters, remained strongly protective against severe illness and death in most people, even after omicron's appearance.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 3, 2022
The COVID-19 vaccine we need now may not be a shot
Nasal vaccines may be the best way to prevent infections long term, because they provide protection exactly where it is needed to fend off the virus: the mucosal linings of the airways.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 9, 2022
Will ‘forever boosting’ beat the coronavirus?
Everyone should get a booster shot. In the long run, though, doses every few months aren't a viable public health strategy, scientists say.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 29, 2021
Will the vaccines stop omicron? Scientists are racing to find out.
A “Frankenstein mix” of mutations raises concerns, but the variant may remain vulnerable to current vaccines. If not, revisions will be necessary.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 2, 2021
How often do COVID-19 vaccines cause heart problems in kids?
While the vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna do seem to be associated with an increased risk of myocarditis, the absolute risk remains very small.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 18, 2021
In a handful of U.S. states, early data hint at a rise in breakthrough infections
With the arrival of the contagious delta variant, COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths among vaccinated Americans also may have increased, according to preliminary figures.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 9, 2021
How does the delta variant dodge the immune system? Scientists find clues.
The variant, first identified in India, is believed to be about 60% more contagious than alpha, the version of the virus that thrashed Britain and much of Europe earlier this year.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 28, 2021
Pfizer and Moderna vaccines likely produce long-lasting immunity
The findings add to growing evidence that most people immunized with mRNA vaccines may not need boosters, so long as the virus and its variants do not evolve much.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
May 27, 2021
Immunity to the coronavirus may persist for years, scientists find
The findings may help put to rest lingering fears that protection against the virus will be short-lived.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 4, 2021
Reaching ‘herd immunity’ is unlikely in the U.S., experts now believe
New variants and persistent hesitancy about vaccines will keep the goal out of reach. The virus is here to stay, but vaccinating the most vulnerable may be enough to restore normalcy.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 20, 2021
People who have had COVID-19 should get single vaccine dose, studies suggest
New studies show that one shot of a vaccine can greatly amplify antibody levels in those who have recovered from the coronavirus.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.
Over 40% of Japan's municipalities at risk of vanishing, study finds
Of 1,729 local municipalities nationwide, 744 have been identified as being at risk of disappearing.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Tokyo issues strong warning on yen intervention as currency dips further
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki speaks during a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok on the sidelines of IMF and G20 meetings in Washington last week.
Princess Aiko makes debut at imperial garden party
Princess Aiko attends an imperial garden party in Tokyo on Tuesday.
For amateur sumo, a fresh start offers hope against time-wasting and gamesmanship
Wrestlers prepare for the start of a bout at the 2023 Sumo World Championships in Tokyo. Starting this month, placing one hand on the clay first is no longer allowed.
LDP veteran Nikai's youngest son expected to succeed him in Wakayama
Toshihiro Nikai, former secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, announced in March that he would not run in the next Lower House election to take responsibility for the political funds scandal that rocked his party and his own faction.
New workers name Shohei Ohtani as 'dream boss' for two years running
Shohei Ohtani has been overwhelmingly voted as the “dream boss” for people who started working in April, according to a survey.
A craft beer crawl through Tokyo’s top bars, brewpubs and dives
If all you drink is Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin, you're depriving yourself of some of the best craft beer Tokyo has to offer — and there sure is a lot of it out there.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass
Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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