Pandemic News and Research

RSS

A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. During a pandemic, transmission can be anticipated in the workplace, not only from patient to workers in health care settings, but also among co-workers in general work settings. A pandemic would cause high levels of illness, death, social disruption, and economic loss. Everyday life would be disrupted because so many people in so many places become seriously ill at the same time. Impacts could range from school and business closings to the interruption of basic services such as public transportation and food delivery.

The Blackfeet nation’s plight underscores the fentanyl crisis on reservations

As the pandemic was setting in during summer 2020, Justin Lee Littledog called his mom to tell her he was moving from Texas back home to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana with his girlfriend, stepson, and son.

25 May 2022

The effectiveness of molnupiravir and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir in reducing hospitalization and deaths in non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Researchers assessed the effectiveness of two orally administered antiviral medications, nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, and molnupiravir, in decreasing hospitalization and deaths among real-world non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Hong Kong.

25 May 2022

A study on the safety of BNT162b2 COVID vaccine in children under five

In a recent research paper posted to the medRxiv* preprint server, scientists explored the safety of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) BNT162b2 vaccine in children under five years of age.

25 May 2022

Association between reactogenicity and immunogenicity in SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-1273 vaccination

A recent study currently under review at Scientific Reports journal and posted to the Research Square* preprint server demonstrated a potential positive correlation between reactogenicity and immunogenicity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination.

25 May 2022

Efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines declines as pandemic prevalence increases, study says

A new study by a University of Arkansas information systems researcher and his colleague at the University of Waikato in New Zealand shows that COVID vaccine trials conducted in geographic locations with low infection rates had higher efficacy results, compared to trials in locations with high infection rates.

25 May 2022

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies from breast milk persist in infants’ digestive tract

The current preliminary investigation study published in the journal Nutrients sought to investigate the longevity of anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin (Ig)A and IgG in breast milk during the in vitro-simulated gastrointestinal digestion.

24 May 2022

Engineered water nanostructures as a new technology against SARS-CoV-2

In a recent study published in the MDPI journal Nanomaterials, a research group from the United States (US) has shown the possibility of inactivating surrogates of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on surfaces with the use of specific water nanostructures incorporated with nature-derived antimicrobials.

24 May 2022

Study reports on the first instances of in-hospital, household transmission of monkeypox

A new retrospective study of seven patients diagnosed with monkeypox in the UK between 2018 and 2021, suggests that some antiviral medications might have the potential to shorten symptoms and reduce the amount of time a patient is contagious.

24 May 2022

Factors affecting exercise during COVID-19 pandemic

Researchers identify the barriers and facilitators to PA during the COVID-19 pandemic across different demographic groups.

24 May 2022

Insilico Medicine nominates novel preclinical candidate targeting 3CL protease for COVID-19 treatment

Insilico Medicine, a clinical-stage end-to-end artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drug discovery company, today announced its nomination of a novel preclinical candidate (PCC) targeting 3C-like (3CL) protease for the treatment of COVID-19.

24 May 2022

A double layer of silk enhances the function of surgical masks

University of Cincinnati biologists found that a double layer of silk in combination with a surgical mask can enhance its ability to prevent the spread of viruses like COVID-19.

24 May 2022

Stressful work environment and unemployment linked to opioid misuse among U.S. adults

Two linked studies led by UCLA Fielding School of Public Health researchers have found strong associations between drug misuse generally and opioid misuse specifically among unemployed Americans, who were found to have a 40% higher likelihood to misuse opioids than those working 35-40 hours per week.

24 May 2022

Study: More than 43 million additional health workers needed to meet universal health coverage targets

More than 43 million additional health workers are needed to meet targets for universal health coverage around the world, according to a new peer-reviewed study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington's School of Medicine that was published today in The Lancet.

24 May 2022

Common air pollutants linked to more severe outcomes after SARS-CoV-2 infection

Some common air pollutants, such as ground-level ozone, are associated with more severe outcomes after SARS-CoV-2 infection, including admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), according to new research in CMAJ.

24 May 2022

The impact of various masking practices on secondary SARS-CoV-2 transmission in a cohort of K–12 schools

Researchers evaluated the impact of masking policies in schools on the secondary transmission of COVID-19.

24 May 2022

Study compares excess mortality in Massachusetts during the Delta and initial Omicron periods

Researchers estimated excess mortality in Massachusetts during the COVID-19 Delta and early Omicron waves.

24 May 2022

The impact of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein mutations on the performance of rapid antigen tests

The study findings showed that the rapid antigen tests with the DMS approach could accurately identify antibody escape mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 N protein.

24 May 2022

Hamster contact exposure challenge model assesses protection conferred by SARS-CoV-2 vaccination or prior infection against reinfection

Researchers assessed the neutralization efficacy of a saRNA vaccine targeting SARS-CoV-2 S protein against reinfection among hamsters with prior vaccination or infection.

24 May 2022

Characterizing spillover dynamics and global transmission patterns of avian influenza A viruses

...

24 May 2022

The effects of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection on the newborn child

Even as the Omicron variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to spread worldwide, interest in understanding the sequelae of the disease is growing. A new preprint research paper examines the outcomes of babies born to mothers infected with the virus during pregnancy.

24 May 2022

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

The Blackfeet nation’s plight underscores the fentanyl crisis on reservations

The effectiveness of molnupiravir and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir in reducing hospitalization and deaths in non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients

A study on the safety of BNT162b2 COVID vaccine in children under five

Association between reactogenicity and immunogenicity in SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-1273 vaccination

Efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines declines as pandemic prevalence increases, study says

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies from breast milk persist in infants’ digestive tract

Engineered water nanostructures as a new technology against SARS-CoV-2

Study reports on the first instances of in-hospital, household transmission of monkeypox

Factors affecting exercise during COVID-19 pandemic

Insilico Medicine nominates novel preclinical candidate targeting 3CL protease for COVID-19 treatment

A double layer of silk enhances the function of surgical masks

Stressful work environment and unemployment linked to opioid misuse among U.S. adults

Study: More than 43 million additional health workers needed to meet universal health coverage targets

Common air pollutants linked to more severe outcomes after SARS-CoV-2 infection

The impact of various masking practices on secondary SARS-CoV-2 transmission in a cohort of K–12 schools

Study compares excess mortality in Massachusetts during the Delta and initial Omicron periods

The impact of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein mutations on the performance of rapid antigen tests

Hamster contact exposure challenge model assesses protection conferred by SARS-CoV-2 vaccination or prior infection against reinfection

Characterizing spillover dynamics and global transmission patterns of avian influenza A viruses

The effects of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection on the newborn child

Best practices - optimize qPCR processes for pathogen detection eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Latest News