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.

Nearly 1 million more deaths relating to COVID-19 occurred in high-income countries

Almost 1 million extra deaths relating to the covid-19 pandemic occurred in 29 high income countries in 2020, finds a study published by The BMJ today.

21 May 2021

University of Leeds and WHO to create global strategy to prevent future pandemic threats

The University of Leeds has partnered with the World Health Organization to create a global strategy to protect populations against future threats such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

21 May 2021

Study analyzes the risk of other medical conditions after recovery from COVID-19

Researchers analyzed data from a large insurance company in the United States. They found an increased risk of other medical conditions after recovering from COVID-19 irrespective of pre-existing conditions or age.

21 May 2021

Study shows distinctive mutation in rapidly emerging SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 sublineage

In a new study currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server, US researchers report the detection of a specific sub-lineage of B.1.1.7 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant harboring a novel S:D178H mutation and elucidate its transmission and evolutionary patterns.

21 May 2021

Total COVID-19 deaths in US counties have been underestimated by 20%, indicates study

Deaths caused by indirect effects of the pandemic emphasize the need for policy changes that address widening health and racial inequities.

21 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 spike mutation can independently predict viral evolution

A team of scientists from Portugal has recently estimated the rate of mutation in two circulating variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) using experimental evolution methods. Their findings reveal that in a condition with no immune surveillance, SARS-CoV-2 can potentially undergo evolution during the first stages of infection. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

21 May 2021

Survey assesses health care delays during COVID-19 outbreak

At the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, a University of Illinois Chicago researcher conducted a survey asking respondents if they experienced health care delays because of the pandemic. In addition to learning about the types of delays, the study also presented a unique opportunity to capture a historic moment at the pandemic's beginning.

21 May 2021

Researchers discover new coronavirus in East Malaysia

Researchers have discovered a new coronavirus, found in a child with pneumonia in Malaysia in 2018, that appears to have jumped from dog to human.

21 May 2021

Emotional support animals can provide quantifiable benefits to people with serious mental illness

A team led by a social work researcher at The University of Toledo has published the first empirical evidence that emotional support animals can provide quantifiable benefits to individuals with serious mental illness who are experiencing depression, anxiety and loneliness.

21 May 2021

Public sense of "collectivism" clearly predicts mask usage, shows study

Around the world and within the U.S., the percentage of people wearing masks during the Covid-19 pandemic has varied enormously. What explains this? A new study co-authored by an MIT faculty member finds that a public sense of "collectivism" clearly predicts mask usage, adding a cultural and psychological perspective to the issue.

21 May 2021

Researchers define immune determinants of protection against SARS-CoV-2 in mice

Researchers in the United States have conducted a preclinical study defining the roles that different arms of the immune system play in fighting primary infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as well as reinfection and infection following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.

21 May 2021

Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinovac vaccines boost SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing responses

Researchers in the United States and Chile have provided preliminary evidence that individuals infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – mount a robust neutralizing antibody response against the virus that can be significantly boosted by two doses of Sinovac Biotech’s CoronaVac vaccine or one dose of Pfizer-BioNTech’s BNT162b2 vaccine.

21 May 2021

North America has 87% of all unique SARS-CoV-2 S protein variants in the NCBI database among six continents

Recently, a team of researchers from various countries analyzed the unique variants of S proteins across six continents, including Africa, Asia, Oceania, Europe, South America, and North America. They wanted to characterize the unique S protein variants embedded in SARS-CoV-2 genomes infecting millions of people globally.

20 May 2021

Swiss study suggests very low prevalence of long COVID in pediatric population

Researchers from Switzerland recently analyzed long COVID symptoms in children and adolescents with a 6-month follow-up based on their SARS-CoV-2 serology. A longitudinal cohort analysis, the Ciao Corona study investigated SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and case clustering among ~2500 children from 55 primary and secondary schools in Zurich, Switzerland.

20 May 2021

Intranasal COVID-19 therapeutic shows promise in preclinical trials

Researchers from the US and Denmark recently described a novel therapeutic option that targets the SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid (RNA) using locked nucleic acid antisense oligonucleotides (LNA ASOs). They identified an LNA ASO that binds to the 5’ leader sequence of SARS-CoV-2 ORF1a/b. This disrupts a highly conserved stem-loop structure with nanomolar efficacy and inhibits viral replication in host cells.

20 May 2021

COVID-19 death rate for people with IDD is higher across the U.S.

The COVID-19 death rate for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) is higher than the general population in several states across the U.S., according to a new study published in Disability and Health Journal.

20 May 2021

Resuming global childhood vaccination campaigns during the COVID-19 pandemic

New research published on the medRxiv* preprint server suggests childhood vaccination to prevent other infectious diseases has plummeted during the pandemic. The decrease appears to stem from the suspension of health campaigns promoting immunization and the risk of catching the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative pathogen of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

20 May 2021

COVID-19 cases in summer 2020 was not as low as previously thought, new genome-based model suggests

Many have attributed the low number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the summer of 2020 to hot weather or increased outdoor activities. But a new study from researchers in Germany suggests this might not have been the case.

20 May 2021

World Health Assembly highlights the urgency to end COVID-19 pandemic and prevent the next one

In a year when COVID-19 threatens the health and well-being of everyone on the planet, the seventy-fourth session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) will stress the urgency of ending the current pandemic and preventing the next one by building a healthier, safer and fairer world.

20 May 2021

New panel launched to address the emergence and spread of zoonotic diseases

International organizations have come together to launch a new One Health High-Level Expert Panel to improve understanding of how diseases with the potential to trigger pandemics, emerge and spread.

20 May 2021

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Nearly 1 million more deaths relating to COVID-19 occurred in high-income countries

University of Leeds and WHO to create global strategy to prevent future pandemic threats

Study analyzes the risk of other medical conditions after recovery from COVID-19

Study shows distinctive mutation in rapidly emerging SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 sublineage

Total COVID-19 deaths in US counties have been underestimated by 20%, indicates study

SARS-CoV-2 spike mutation can independently predict viral evolution

Survey assesses health care delays during COVID-19 outbreak

Researchers discover new coronavirus in East Malaysia

Emotional support animals can provide quantifiable benefits to people with serious mental illness

Public sense of "collectivism" clearly predicts mask usage, shows study

Researchers define immune determinants of protection against SARS-CoV-2 in mice

Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinovac vaccines boost SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing responses

North America has 87% of all unique SARS-CoV-2 S protein variants in the NCBI database among six continents

Swiss study suggests very low prevalence of long COVID in pediatric population

Intranasal COVID-19 therapeutic shows promise in preclinical trials

COVID-19 death rate for people with IDD is higher across the U.S.

Resuming global childhood vaccination campaigns during the COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 cases in summer 2020 was not as low as previously thought, new genome-based model suggests

World Health Assembly highlights the urgency to end COVID-19 pandemic and prevent the next one

New panel launched to address the emergence and spread of zoonotic diseases

Changing the landscape of R&D to build clinical success from the ground up

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Latest News