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.

Colleges and universities plan for normal-ish campus life in the fall

Dr. Sarah Van Orman treads carefully around the word "normal" when she describes what the fall 2021 term will look like at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and other colleges nationwide.

6 Apr 2021

Research shows efficacy of early warning signals for disease emergence amid COVID-19

The study, published on the pre-print server medRxiv, shows that early warning signals (EWS) provide expected trends, predicting future epidemics and disease emergence.

6 Apr 2021

CAL20.C SARS-CoV-2 variant skyrocketing in California evades host immune response

In a study published on the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers report the effect of neutralizing antibodies from recovered patients or mRNA vaccinated individuals on neutralizing this variant.

6 Apr 2021

Novel hydrogel-based vaccine formulation shows high efficacy against SARS-CoV-2

A fascinating new preprint research paper posted to the bioRxiv* server discusses impressively high neutralizing responses elicited with a single dose of a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine formulation, which could help turn the tide of the current pandemic if validated.

6 Apr 2021

Study highlights need to optimize telehealth and in-person emergency care

Even before the pandemic made telehealth a hot topic, people with minor urgent health needs had started to turn to companies that offer on-demand video chats with physicians that they don't normally see.

6 Apr 2021

South Africa SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.351 easily escapes Sputnik vaccine

A new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv* server reports on vaccine resistance data that pushes the end of the pandemic further away.

6 Apr 2021

Researchers to test a promising treatment for high-risk COVID-19 outpatients

The nation has been coping with the pandemic for more than a year, and in this time, researchers have learned a great deal about how to treat COVID-19.

6 Apr 2021

Women experienced high rates of mental health problems early in COVID-19 pandemic

A study at the University of Chicago Medicine found U.S. women experienced increased incidence of health-related socioeconomic risks (HRSRs), such as food insecurity and interpersonal violence, early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

6 Apr 2021

Health disparities in Pennsylvania have become more pronounced during COVID-19, shows report

A new report by AARP Pennsylvania and Drexel University's College of Nursing and Health Professions highlights how geographic, racial/ethnic and economic factors are combining to restrict access to health care services for many Pennsylvanians, creating disparities that have become more pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

5 Apr 2021

Vaccine nationalism reinforces inequities in access and exacerbates health disparities

While the U.S. has begun to vaccinate millions of Americans each day, COVID-19 vaccine supplies around the world remain scarce.

5 Apr 2021

Study: Alzheimer's disease treatments could reduce the financial burden to U.S. state budgets

Alzheimer's disease treatments that slow progression of the disease could significantly reduce the financial burden to U.S. state budgets, according to a new USC study.

5 Apr 2021

Masks, good ventilation are more important than social distancing for reducing COVID spread

A new study from the University of Central Florida suggests that masks and a good ventilation system are more important than social distancing for reducing the airborne spread of COVID-19 in classrooms.

5 Apr 2021

EMS workers face triple the risk for mental health problems

Emergency medical service (EMS) workers face triple the risk for significant mental health problems such as depression and posttraumatic stress disorder compared to the general population, according to a recently published study by researchers from Syracuse University.

5 Apr 2021

Researchers study how social media misinformation influences vaccine readiness in Appalachia

The saying goes, "You can't believe everything you find on the Internet." As simple as that sounds, navigating social media can often blur the line between reality and fantasy. This proves especially difficult when trying to fight a global pandemic.

5 Apr 2021

Survey: Public trust in the CDC has declined during COVID-19 pandemic

Public trust in the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has fallen during the coronavirus pandemic, with the decline bringing overall population-level trust in the agency to the same lower level of trust long held by Black Americans about the agency, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

5 Apr 2021

Phase 1 clinical study of unique vaccine to protect against COVID-19 begins

A unique vaccine to protect against COVID-19 begins clinical testing Tuesday, 6 April, at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), part of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command.

5 Apr 2021

Can universal vaccines and treatments against future SARS-CoV-2 variants be developed?

A team of researchers from Saudi Arabia and Spain recently quantified the rapid evolution of SARS-CoV-2 by tracking the mutations of the virus globally, focusing on the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the virus’s spike protein, which determines its infectivity.

5 Apr 2021

Researchers Identify potent small molecule inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2

A team of scientists from the USA and Sweden has recently screened 8 million small molecule inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2.

5 Apr 2021

SARS-CoV-2 cryptic transmission modeling shows emergence of first wave in US and Europe

To analyze this cryptic transmission phase and the first wave of the pandemic that ensued, researchers from Italy, UK, and the US used a data-driven, spatial, stochastic, and age-structured epidemic model. They developed a mechanistic understanding of the evolution of the epidemic and estimated the time required for local transmission in various states and countries. The model developed by the team offers a statistical idea of SARS-CoV-2 introductions across European countries and many states in the US.

5 Apr 2021

Montana sticks to its patchwork Covid vaccine rollout as eligibility expands

Montana's Covid-19 vaccine distribution is among the most efficient in the nation, but closer examination reveals a patchwork of systems among counties and tribal governments that will be put to the test as the state opens vaccine eligibility to all people 16 and older starting this month.

5 Apr 2021

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Colleges and universities plan for normal-ish campus life in the fall

Research shows efficacy of early warning signals for disease emergence amid COVID-19

CAL20.C SARS-CoV-2 variant skyrocketing in California evades host immune response

Novel hydrogel-based vaccine formulation shows high efficacy against SARS-CoV-2

Study highlights need to optimize telehealth and in-person emergency care

South Africa SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.351 easily escapes Sputnik vaccine

Researchers to test a promising treatment for high-risk COVID-19 outpatients

Women experienced high rates of mental health problems early in COVID-19 pandemic

Health disparities in Pennsylvania have become more pronounced during COVID-19, shows report

Vaccine nationalism reinforces inequities in access and exacerbates health disparities

Study: Alzheimer's disease treatments could reduce the financial burden to U.S. state budgets

Masks, good ventilation are more important than social distancing for reducing COVID spread

EMS workers face triple the risk for mental health problems

Researchers study how social media misinformation influences vaccine readiness in Appalachia

Survey: Public trust in the CDC has declined during COVID-19 pandemic

Phase 1 clinical study of unique vaccine to protect against COVID-19 begins

Can universal vaccines and treatments against future SARS-CoV-2 variants be developed?

Researchers Identify potent small molecule inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2

SARS-CoV-2 cryptic transmission modeling shows emergence of first wave in US and Europe

Montana sticks to its patchwork Covid vaccine rollout as eligibility expands

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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