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86 percent of the UK's COVID-19 patients have no symptoms

Many people who contract the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), develop only mild and moderate symptoms. A small fraction of those infected develop severe symptoms, which usually occur in people who are at higher risk due to comorbidities.

9 Oct 2020

Severe COVID-19 during pregnancy associated with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes

Pregnant women with severe or critical COVID-19 and their unborn infants face increased health risks before and after delivery, a Rutgers study finds.

8 Oct 2020

Young doctor succumbs to COVID, one of the south’s many health workers lost

It took Carrie Wanamaker several days to connect the face she saw on GoFundMe with the young woman she had met a few years before.

8 Oct 2020

Majority of UK residents who tested positive for COVID-19 did not have specific symptoms

86% of UK residents who tested positive for COVID-19 during lockdown did not have the specific virus symptoms (cough, and/or fever, and/or loss of taste/smell), finds a new study by UCL researchers. The authors say a more widespread testing programme is needed to catch 'silent' transmission and reduce future outbreaks.

8 Oct 2020

Vitamin D deficiency may predict COVID-19 seroconversion

A recent study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in October 2020 reports the potential contribution of vitamin D deficiency to an increased risk of COVID-19 in a subset of health care workers in the UK.

8 Oct 2020

Anosmia and ageusia may be useful as COVID-19 surveillance case definitions

A recent study published on the preprint server medRxiv in October 2020 reports the utility of alterations in taste and smell to monitor the prevalence of COVID-19 among contacts and in a community that lacks unlimited testing resources.

7 Oct 2020

Researchers hope to develop an effective COVID-19 vaccine using bovine adenovirus

A researcher in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences is part of a team of scientists working to develop a unique COVID-19 vaccine that uses a bovine adenovirus as a safe and effective delivery vehicle.

7 Oct 2020

Case report of arthritis in a COVID-19 patient

The current paper published in the The Lancet Rheumatology discusses arthritis in a 58-year-old white woman with COVID-19 of less than severe intensity.

7 Oct 2020

Robotic surgery poses challenges as hospital resume elective surgery amid COVID-19

Robotic surgery plays a major role in modern management of prostate cancer, bladder cancer, and other conditions treated by urologists. But it also poses some special challenges as hospitals resume elective surgery amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

7 Oct 2020

Many hospitalized COVID-19 patients exhibit neurological symptoms, study finds

Nearly a third of hospitalized COVID-19 patients experienced some type of altered mental state and function, ranging from delirium to confusion, and in some cases, unresponsiveness, a new study has found.

7 Oct 2020

Antibiotics might be a feasible treatment option for appendicitis, shows study

Henry Ford Health System surgeons involved in the study say patients should choose the best option in consultation with their physician.

6 Oct 2020

Supercharged "clones" trigger the re-emergence of scarlet fever

A University of Queensland-led team of international researchers says supercharged "clones" of the bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes are to blame for the resurgence of the disease, which has caused high death rates for centuries.

6 Oct 2020

Severe COVID-19 in pregnancy increases risk for adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes

A new study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology in September 2020 reports the impact of severe COVID-19 on pregnancy, making an important contribution to the management of the condition in this subgroup of patients.

5 Oct 2020

Understanding how the malaria parasite can withstand fever's heat

Even when a person suffering from malaria is burning up with fever and too sick to function, the tiny blood-eating parasites lurking inside them continue to flourish, relentlessly growing and multiplying as they gobble up the host's red blood cells.

5 Oct 2020

Feasibility of using dry reagents LAMP assay for SARS-CoV-2 detection

In a new study published on the preprint server medRxiv, researchers evaluated the suitability of the Loopamp SARS-CoV-2 Detection kit from Eiken Chemica, Japan, for detecting SARS-CoV-2. This is a LAMP method that uses dry reagents for RNA amplification.

5 Oct 2020

Another study finds cross-reactivity T cell responses against SARS-CoV-2

Using ELISpot and proliferation assays, researchers show strong responses in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients, but not so much in negative samples. However, there may be cross-reactive T cell responses from other human coronaviruses.

5 Oct 2020

A comprehensive clinical and genetic model for predicting severe COVID-19 risk

While determining the risk of severe COVID-19, age, and gender are usually the only considerations. A recent preprint paper published in medRxiv, discusses how researchers from Genetic Technologies Limited, Australia, used the UK Biobank data to develop a comprehensive model that can predict severe COVID-19 risk by incorporating comorbidity risk factors, demographic information, and a set of genetic markers.

4 Oct 2020

Biometric smartwatch data could accurately detect earliy signs of COVID-19

Certain changes in a person's heart and breathing rates could precede symptoms of COVID-19, an increasing number of studies suggests.

1 Oct 2020

Investigational mRNA vaccine to prevent SARS-CoV-2 shows promise in older adults

A Phase 1 trial of an investigational mRNA vaccine to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection has shown that the vaccine is well-tolerated and generates a strong immune response in older adults.

30 Sep 2020

Study shows delirium as a possible warning sign of COVID-19 in frail, older adults

A new analysis of data from researchers at King's College London using information from the COVID Symptom Study app and patients admitted to St Thomas' Hospital in London, has shown that delirium - a state of acute confusion associated with a higher risk of serious illness and death - is a key symptom of COVID-19 in frail, older people.

30 Sep 2020