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.

Scientists develop low-cost lab-on-paper device for rapid and accurate detection of SARS-CoV-2

A team of scientists from the University of Connecticut, USA, has developed a low-cost lab-on-paper technology to rapidly and easily detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The work has recently been published in a Royal Society of Chemistry’s Lab on a Chip journal.

18 Jun 2021

Combination of interferon-α and nafamostat inhibits SARS-CoV-2 in vivo

A new study, released as a preprint on bioRxiv* server, shows that a combination of the biological interferon-α and the small molecule nafamostat are effective against SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro, as well as in vivo.

18 Jun 2021

COVID-19 outbreak in Mauritius dominated by new SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.318

Underlining the key role of genomic surveillance in keeping tabs on the spread of SARS-CoV-2, a new medRxiv* preprint shows how a new variant called B.1.1.318 rose to dominance in the small island country of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean.

18 Jun 2021

Could horse-derived antibody therapy be effective against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern?

A new study, released as a preprint on the bioRxiv* server, reveals the high neutralizing efficacy of hyperimmune horse serum against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This could prove, if validated, to be a more affordable yet potent therapeutic in reducing the morbidity and mortality caused by this virus.

18 Jun 2021

The hard realities of a ‘no jab, no job’ mandate for health care workers

Christopher Richmond keeps a running tab on how many workers at the ManorCare skilled nursing facility he manages in western Pennsylvania have rolled up their sleeves for a covid-19 vaccine.

18 Jun 2021

Convalescent plasma associated with better survival in blood cancer patients with COVID-19

Convalescent plasma therapy was associated with better survival in blood cancer patients hospitalized with COVID-19, especially in sicker patients. The findings by the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19) are newly published in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Oncology.

18 Jun 2021

COVID-19 virus can infect the testes, hamster study shows

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch have observed that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can infect the testes of infected hamsters.

18 Jun 2021

Nanodecoys made from human lung spheroid cells can neutralize SARS-CoV-2

Nanodecoys made from human lung spheroid cells (LSCs) can bind to and neutralize SARS-CoV-2, promoting viral clearance and reducing lung injury in a macaque model of COVID-19.

18 Jun 2021

Study shows mRNA COVID-19 vaccines is safe for male reproduction

The Pfizer and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines is safe for male reproduction, according to a new study by University of Miami Miller School of Medicine researchers published in JAMA, the most widely circulated general medical journal in the world.

18 Jun 2021

Convalescent plasma can improve chances of survival among blood cancer patients with COVID-19

A large, retrospective, multicenter study involving Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that convalescent plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients can dramatically improve likelihood of survival among blood cancer patients hospitalized with the virus.

18 Jun 2021

New computational model simulates the spread and impact of COVID-19 virus

The emergence and rapid spread of novel Covid-19 coronavirus in early 2020 spurred numerous accelerated efforts to develop a vaccine. At the time it was not clear how effective these vaccines needed to be to slow or stop the pandemic.

18 Jun 2021

Which vitamins and minerals help with COVID?

A study published in the journal Inflammopharmacology reviewed recent data related to the role of vitamins and minerals in treating COVID-19 patients. The primary goal of the review is to highlight the possible therapeutic role of vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K, and micronutrients as immunity boosters in COVID-19 patients.

18 Jun 2021

The SARS-CoV-2 virus and its vaccines pose unique challenges

Iranian researchers recently provided a review of the attempts made to develop safe SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. The researchers outlined potential challenges and concerns, including disease enhancement, virus mutation, and public acceptability. Their work is published in the journal Immunological Investigations.

18 Jun 2021

Medieval plague victims were buried with considerable care and attention, shows study

In the mid-14th century Europe was devastated by a major pandemic - the Black Death - which killed between 40 and 60 per cent of the population. Later waves of plague then continued to strike regularly over several centuries.

18 Jun 2021

Alarming COVID study indicates long-term loss of gray matter and other brain tissue

In a research paper recently uploaded to the preprint server medRxiv* by Prof. Gwenaëlle Douaud et al. (June 15th, 2021), participants that had taken part in a brain study prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic were invited back for a series of follow-up tests, revealing significant losses of grey matter surrounding the olfactory and gustatory system in those that had been infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

18 Jun 2021

Ride e-scooters with safety to prevent head and neck injuries

As pandemic restrictions begin to loosen around the country and summer temperatures rise, more people will be moving about on public rideshare electric scooters. With that comes this warning: Ride with safety.

18 Jun 2021

Indian WHO study examines COVID-19 susceptibility in children versus adults

Now, a group of researchers from India have explored this concept due to the lack of solid evidence and have undertaken a community and population-based serosurveillance study for the coronavirus infection under the World Health Organisation (WHO) Unity umbrella. In this study, participants older than two years old were compared to older adults in terms of seropositivity.

17 Jun 2021

Research may lead to rapid, accurate, point-of-care testing for COVID

A team of scientists headed by SANKEN (The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research) at Osaka University demonstrated that single virus particles passing through a nanopore could be accurately identified using machine learning.

17 Jun 2021

Unequal hospital quality associated with higher COVID-19 death rate for Black patients

The COVID-19 death rate for Black patients would be 10 percent lower if they had access to the same hospitals as white patients, a new study shows.

17 Jun 2021

Study shows the benefit of natural spaces for mental health during lockdown

A study carried out by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Instituto de Saúde Pública of the University of Porto, concludes that exposure to natural spaces during the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 was beneficial for the mental health of Spanish and Portuguese citizens.

17 Jun 2021