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Research highlights key challenges faced by social care workers during Covid-19 pandemic

New research from Keele University has highlighted the key challenges that workers in the social care sector faced during the first wave of Covid-19.

17 Aug 2021

Ten-fold reduced risk of workplace SARS-CoV-2 infection in seropositive essential workers

A reassuring new study supports the opening of workplaces to seropositive workers in view of the extremely low risk of reinfection observed in this cohort.

11 Aug 2021

LEDs can help inactivate SARS-CoV-2 virus

LEDs are commonly used for sterilization -- you may be using one to clean your electric toothbrush, for example. In the continued effort to combat the coronavirus pandemic, LEDs can also help inactivate SARS-CoV-2.

4 Aug 2021

CDC monitoring over 200 individuals possibly exposed to monkeypox

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is monitoring over 200 people who may have been exposed to the monkeypox virus.

22 Jul 2021

Nurses face increased likelihood of burnout during COVID-19, reports study

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 40 percent of nurses and other health care workers had risks associated with an increased likelihood of burnout, reports a survey study in the August issue of the American Journal of Nursing.

22 Jul 2021

Study evaluates ICU workers' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

A high proportion of staff working in intensive care units during the COVID-19 pandemic have experienced mental health conditions, according to a new study.

21 Jul 2021

Reusable N95 masks could offer reduction in waste and cost, study shows

Since the Covid-19 pandemic began last year, face masks and other personal protective equipment have become essential for health care workers. Disposable N95 masks have been in especially high demand to help prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

20 Jul 2021

Study reports low risk for COVID-19 in Emergency Medical Service personnel exposed to aerosol-generating procedures

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that emergency medical service personnel exposed to aerosol-generating procedures (AGP) on COVID-19 patients are generally at low risk of infection. The findings, published in CDC’s Emerging Infectious Diseases, support clinical strategies that maintain established and evidence-based practices for emergency conditions.

13 Jul 2021

3D printing a way out of COVID-19

In a recent review published in the journal, Advanced Functional Materials, researchers K. P. A. Kumar and Martin Pumera focused on the contributions of 3D printing technology towards the health sector in the wake of this deadly pandemic.

13 Jul 2021

Study: 57.8% of healthcare professionals suffered mental disorders during COVID-19 first wave

A study on 149 healthcare professionals in Spain and Mexico reveals that, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, 57.8% of them suffered from mental disorders such as anxiety, acute stress and depression.

12 Jul 2021

How women in England faced childbirth in the COVID-19 pandemic

Pregnant women have suffered considerable uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only were the effects of the virus on the baby unknown, but social restrictions in place threatened their ability to plan their delivery experience or have their birthing partners with them. This is the focus of a new paper, which illustrates the need to provide proper guidance and support to pregnant women during such periods, especially allowing them to feel supported and in control of their childbirth experience.

8 Jul 2021

Compulsory covid-19 vaccination for care home workers is unnecessary, disproportionate and misguided, experts argue

In The BMJ today, experts argue that mandatory vaccination is “unnecessary, disproportionate, and misguided.”

8 Jul 2021

Hospitals may not be adequately prepared for the next pandemic, study finds

As the COVID-19 pandemic wanes in the U.S., a new study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) finds that hospitals nationwide may not be adequately prepared for the next pandemic.

8 Jul 2021

Vaccinate big cats? New report shows SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant infecting endangered lions

There is evidence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infecting animals such as ferrets, fruit bats, and cats. New research led by Vijendra Pal Singh from the ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Disease in India suggests it might be time to vaccinate the big cats as well. Their report details SARS-CoV-2 infection in nine Asiatic lions caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant (B.1.617.2).

7 Jul 2021

Could peridomestic mammals act as zoonotic reservoirs for SARS-CoV-2?

In new research from researchers in the USA and Australia peridomestic mammals, which live in and around human habitations, have been investigated to ascertain how SARS-CoV-2 can affect species external to, but in close proximity to, the human population.

1 Jul 2021

Zinc-embedded polyamides inactivate SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A

The researchers show that the fabric retains its virus-inactivating property and stable zinc content over 50 standardized washes.

1 Jul 2021

Majority of people were unprepared and did not have a pandemic plan, survey reveals

Researchers point out that if these healthy individuals had a challenging time absorbing COVID-related information, then such challenges may be even greater in people with limited educational opportunities or with neurocognitive disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease or a brain injury, due to low health literacy and impaired memory.

1 Jul 2021

Desperate for home care, seniors often wait months with workers in short supply

For years, Louise Shackett has had trouble walking or standing for long periods, making it difficult for her to clean her house in southeastern Maine or do laundry. Shackett, 80, no longer drives, which makes it hard to get to the grocery store or doctor.

30 Jun 2021

Heart attacks during COVID-19 pandemic more likely to result in worse outcomes

Heart attacks during the COVID-19 pandemic were more likely to result in heart failure compared with heart attacks one year earlier, according to research presented today at Heart Failure 2021, an online scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology.

29 Jun 2021

Nanotechnology and the fight against COVID-19

In a review paper published in the open-access MDPI journal Viruses, a team of researchers explored the potential of nanotechnology to alleviate the current and future coronavirus burden. The team focused on its potential role in the detection, diagnosis, protection, and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

29 Jun 2021