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.

Research reveals recovery of cancer screening tests and associated disparities after first pandemic peak

The numbers of cancer screening tests rebounded sharply in the last quarter of 2020, following a dramatic decline in the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, at one large hospital system in the Northeastern United States. These findings were released in a study published in Cancer Cell.

8 Jul 2021

Researchers use video conferencing app to study memory effects of high-potency cannabis

Even before the pandemic made Zoom ubiquitous, Washington State University researchers were using the video conferencing app to research a type of cannabis that is understudied: the kind people actually use.

8 Jul 2021

Hospitalizations for eating disorders among teenagers increase during COVID-19

The number of adolescents admitted to the hospital for severe illness from eating disorders has increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, new research suggests.

8 Jul 2021

Hospitals may not be adequately prepared for the next pandemic, study finds

As the COVID-19 pandemic wanes in the U.S., a new study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) finds that hospitals nationwide may not be adequately prepared for the next pandemic.

8 Jul 2021

Changes to COVID-19 vaccination strategy could speed up herd immunity

Researchers in the United States have proposed changes to the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination strategy that they say would increase the likelihood of herd immunity being achieved in the most timely and cost-effective manner.

8 Jul 2021

Scientists study how our immune system responds to COVID-19 variants

Australian scientists researching how our immune system responds to COVID-19 have revealed that those infected by early variants in 2020 produced sustained antibodies, however, these antibodies are not as effective against contemporary variants of the virus.

8 Jul 2021

How SARS-CoV-2 has evolved over the course of the pandemic

In an effort to understand the ongoing evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 genome, researchers constructed a phylogenetic tree of all available SARS-CoV-2 genomes.

7 Jul 2021

B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 is more transmissible than B.1.526

A new paper available on the medRxiv* preprint server presents evidence that the B.1.1.7 VOC is more transmissible than the B.1.526 strain.

7 Jul 2021

B.1.427/B.1.429 variant of SARS-CoV-2 evades neutralization via disulfide bond rearrangement

A new paper discusses an intriguing new mechanism of immune evasion traceable to specific mutations in the B.1.427/B.1.429 variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

7 Jul 2021

Mathematical modeling helped inform early statewide policies to reduce COVID-19 transmission

Colorado researchers have published new findings in Emerging Infectious Diseases that take a first look at the use of SARS-CoV-2 mathematical modeling to inform early statewide policies enacted to reduce the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic in Colorado.

7 Jul 2021

Developing precision, community-based approaches to reduce obesity among Latino children

As part of Governor Gavin Newsom's newly budgeted California Comeback Plan and the California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine, researchers at UC San Diego, led by the Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute, will receive approximately $3 million to create a precision, community-based program to address specific health problems related to adverse childhood experiences or ACEs, a term that describes potentially traumatic events that affect children, such as family violence, abuse or neglect.

7 Jul 2021

Can memory T cell responses to seasonal coronaviruses protect against severe COVID-19?

In a recent study published in the journal Science Immunology, scientists have revealed that the presence of CD8+ T cells against conserved epitopes of seasonal coronaviruses is associated with mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). These immune cells exhibit a memory phenotype and provide protection against severe disease.

7 Jul 2021

Mother-to-baby SARS-CoV-2 transmission in pregnancy possible but rare, says study

A new meta-analysis, released on the medRxiv* preprint server, suggests that, though possible, the virus is rarely transmitted to the newborn in real life. A scientific brief from the World Health Organization (WHO) in February 2021 describes three mechanisms by which the virus might be transmitted from the mother to the fetus or newborn.

7 Jul 2021

New study reports low SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections in vaccinated healthcare workers

Researchers examined cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in fully and partially vaccinated healthcare workers, finding that vaccination provided strong immunity to the virus even though VOCs are on the rise in the non-vaccinated community at large.

7 Jul 2021

Study explores loneliness among men in the COVID-19 pandemic

A recent study from the University of York, UK, has taken on an underexplored area regarding the prevalence, and associated factors of loneliness, among men in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

7 Jul 2021

Experts offer guidance on diagnosis and treatment of myocarditis in children

Myocarditis in children is a rare yet challenging condition to treat. Diagnosis and treatment includes multiple options, and many cases of myocarditis resolve on their own, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association, "Diagnosis and Management of Myocarditis in Children," published today in Circulation, the Association's flagship journal.

7 Jul 2021

Will the US’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign be undermined by novel SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern?

New research from Arizona State University, USA, uses a novel mathematical model to predict the impact of vaccination and vaccine-induced cross-protection on the B.1.1.7 variant and other SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating in the US as of June 2021. The study has been published in medRxiv* preprint server, while it undergoes peer review.

7 Jul 2021

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Research reveals recovery of cancer screening tests and associated disparities after first pandemic peak

Researchers use video conferencing app to study memory effects of high-potency cannabis

Hospitalizations for eating disorders among teenagers increase during COVID-19

Hospitals may not be adequately prepared for the next pandemic, study finds

Changes to COVID-19 vaccination strategy could speed up herd immunity

Scientists study how our immune system responds to COVID-19 variants

How SARS-CoV-2 has evolved over the course of the pandemic

B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 is more transmissible than B.1.526

B.1.427/B.1.429 variant of SARS-CoV-2 evades neutralization via disulfide bond rearrangement

Mathematical modeling helped inform early statewide policies to reduce COVID-19 transmission

Developing precision, community-based approaches to reduce obesity among Latino children

Can memory T cell responses to seasonal coronaviruses protect against severe COVID-19?

Mother-to-baby SARS-CoV-2 transmission in pregnancy possible but rare, says study

New study reports low SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections in vaccinated healthcare workers

Study explores loneliness among men in the COVID-19 pandemic

Experts offer guidance on diagnosis and treatment of myocarditis in children

Will the US’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign be undermined by novel SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern?

Discovery of SARS-CoV-2–induced pathways uncovers groundbreaking drug repurposing strategies

California’s highest covid infection rates shift to rural counties

As covid vaccinations slow, parts of the US remain far behind 70% goal

Best practices - optimize qPCR processes for pathogen detection eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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