Pandemic News and Research

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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.

A novel method for SARS-CoV-2 sentinel surveillance

In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers monitored coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission trends using a new sentinel surveillance framework.

18 May 2022

Discovery of a potent SARS-CoV-2 RBD specific human monoclonal antibody

A recent article posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server demonstrated structural underpinnings of the neutralization of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variants by 002-S21F2, an extensive SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody.

18 May 2022

Twitter chatter identifies fraudulent COVID-19 products early

In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* pre-print server, researchers evaluated methods that could automatically and quickly detect counterfeit coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention and treatment products using Twitter chats.

18 May 2022

The efficacy of CoronaVac against SARS-CoV-2 in cancer patients

In a recent study published in the Journal of Medical Virology, researchers analyzed the efficacy of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection among cancer patients.

18 May 2022

Can remote healthcare interventions mitigate psychological impact of COVID-19 restrictions in older people?

In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* pre-print server, researchers evaluated whether a remotely delivered healthcare intervention could help reduce depression and loneliness in elderly with long-term conditions (LTCs) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

17 May 2022

Impact of cannabidiol on cellular innate immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 genes

A new study published in the journal Life Sciences has focused on examining the effects of ORF8 and ORF10 genes and SARS-CoV-2 Membrane (M) protein on apoptosis.

17 May 2022

New technology may pave the way for development of point-of-care devices and diagnostic tests

Biomarkers are components that may be present in biological samples and are related to specific diseases. Therefore, doctors can analyze biological samples from a patient to check their health condition or to monitor the progress of a specific therapy.

17 May 2022

Poll: Most people over 50 feel their health is the same or better than before 2020

Despite the pandemic's terrible toll on older adults, a new national poll shows that most people over 50 still say their health is as good as it was before March 2020, or even better.

17 May 2022

Community-focused model improves equitable access to COVID-19 vaccination

New research from Boston Medical Center (BMC) shows how intentionality and partnership between community leaders and medical health centers can improve COVID-19 vaccination uptake in Black and Latino communities.

17 May 2022

Camelid IFNs could play important role in combating emerging zoonotic pathogens

In a recent study published in the Developmental & Comparative Immunology journal, the discovery of a novel form of mammalian interferon-Beta (IFN-β) with four cysteine residues from the dromedary camel and the five remaining members of the mammalian suborder Tylopoda is described.

17 May 2022

3rd dose of COVID mRNA vaccine expands memory and capacity of immune system to combat Omicron

Researchers from the United States have now found that the immune recall induced by a two-dose primary series of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination after an initial natural infection highly improves the longevity of the antibodies as well as induces an enhanced breadth of protection across the SARS-CoV-2 variants.

17 May 2022

COVID-19 has exacerbated adolescent mental health crises and suicidality

The past decade has seen a worrisome increase in mental health crises among adolescents. A new study led by Patricia Ibeziako, MD, associate chief of clinical services in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Services at Boston Children's Hospital, shows that the situation worsened with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

17 May 2022