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 effect of novel insertion mutation in SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein RNA

In a recent study, a group of researchers discuss the functional implications of this specific S protein mutation on SARS-CoV-2.

22 Jun 2021

Use of nanotherapeutics in treating coronavirus diseases

Despite advancements in medicine, viral infections still pose a huge threat to human health and are a significant concern for global public health systems.

22 Jun 2021

Coronaviruses identified in two species of Sri Lankan bats

Researchers sampled different species of bats roosting in the Wavul Galge cave in Sri Lanka and found two species harboring alpha- and beta-coronaviruses.

22 Jun 2021

Single-dose of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine reduces symptom duration

A study of workers administered the first dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine showed that they had reduced symptoms and faster viral clearance within six days of administration.

22 Jun 2021

Birthday parties may have boosted infection rates at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic

The link between birthdays and COVID-19 could explain higher infections in counties that did not prevent such gatherings.

22 Jun 2021

New tool exposes deeply entrenched inequities in COVID-19 outcomes

The Urban Health Collaborative, housed in Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health, recently published its "COVID-19 Health Inequities in Cities" dashboard - which exposes deeply entrenched inequities in cities across the United States through the lens of comprehensive data on COVID-19 outcomes.

22 Jun 2021

Study: Immune responses may develop against other proteins produced by SARS-CoV-2

All coronaviruses produce four primary structural proteins and multiple nonstructural proteins. However, the majority of antibody-based SARS-CoV-2 research has focused on the spike and nucleocapsid proteins.

22 Jun 2021

RedHill presents positive Phase 2 results for oral opaganib in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia

RedHill Biopharma Ltd., a specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced presentation of the positive Phase 2 safety and efficacy data for oral opaganib (Yeliva®, ABC294640) in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 pneumonia at the World Microbe Forum (WMF) 2021 (poster #: 5574).

21 Jun 2021

Study identifies significant inequalities in the Liverpool 'mass testing' pilot

A study by the University of Liverpool has shown that while asymptomatic COVID-19 testing in Liverpool was popular, significant inequalities were evident between those who got tested and those who didn't.

21 Jun 2021

Study shows a robust immune response to COVID-19 vaccine in breastfeeding health workers

A recent study by researchers from Poland, published in the journal Vaccines, shows how levels of IgA and IgG antibodies specific to the spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 increase in both breast milk and serum samples of mothers following vaccination against COVID-19 – with important implications for further vaccine planning endeavors.

21 Jun 2021

Could the European hedgehog be a sentinel for infectious agents and a harbinger of environmental pollution?

A recent review paper by Portuguese and Spanish authors, recently published in the journal Biologics, revealed the current state of knowledge regarding hedgehog health – most notably the presence of infectious agents, diseases and other threats that can affect the health of the population.

21 Jun 2021

Multivalent antibodies show high potency against SARS-CoV-2 in new study

A new study in the journal Nature Communications describes the process of converting a SARS-CoV-2 antibody into a multivalent form, thus enabling it to bind at various different points with its epitope.

21 Jun 2021

Study reviews natural drug candidates for potential treatment of COVID-19

A recent paper in the Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences seeks to open up new approaches by reviewing a list of compounds derived from plants and other natural sources, which have potential inhibitory activity against the coronavirus.

21 Jun 2021

Viral phosphoesterases (including in CoVs) can restrict antiviral innate immunity

An interesting new study describes the activities of a family of viral enzymes called two-histidine-phosphoesterases (2H-PEs), found in coronaviruses (CoVs) and rotaviruses, as well as a mammalian A-kinase anchoring protein enzyme, AKAP7, that shares the same function. Together called 2’,5’-PEs, these enzymes all break down 2’,5’-oligoadenylate compounds that activate the antiviral enzyme ribonuclease L (RNase L).

21 Jun 2021

The importance of social distancing for COVID-19 recovery in the US

News-Medical spoke to researchers from Reykjavík University about their research that looked at the importance of social distancing in COVID-19 recovery.

21 Jun 2021

COVID-19 studies should provide sex-disaggregated data, researchers warn

Researchers have warned that studies examining sex-specific responses to infection with SARS-CoV-2 must provide sex-disaggregated data.

21 Jun 2021

Zinc inhibits SARS-CoV-2’s main protease in vitro

Zinc has antiviral properties. However, the detailed kinetics and the mechanism of zinc in the inhibition of viruses, particularly SARS-CoV-2 – the causative virus of COVID-19 – is unclear. To probe the role of zinc as an anti-SARS-CoV-2 agent at the structural and molecular level, researchers in India studied the binding kinetics and the inhibition mechanism of zinc with SARS-CoV-2’s viral proteins.

21 Jun 2021

‘It’s a mission’: Volunteers treat refugees massing at the border

El Chaparral Plaza once teemed with tourists, street vendors and idling taxis. But the plaza, just outside the San Ysidro port of entry on the Mexican side of the border, now serves as a sprawling refugee camp where migrants from Mexico, Central America and Haiti wait in limbo while they seek asylum in the U.S.

21 Jun 2021

What it means when celebrities stay coy about their vaccine status

When two St. Louis Blues hockey players were sidelined because of covid-19 just days before this year's NHL playoffs, the team said young defenseman Jake Walman had been vaccinated against the deadly illness. But it was mum about the vaccination status of a more well-known player: star forward David Perron.

21 Jun 2021

Montana tribe welcomes back tourists after risky shutdown pays off

Millions of people will flock to Montana's Glacier National Park this summer after last year's pandemic-caused tourism skid, and they will once more be able sightsee and camp nearby on the recently reopened Blackfeet Indian Reservation.

21 Jun 2021