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.

HIV patients are more likely to die from COVID-19 infection

Over the past year, studies have revealed that certain pre-existing conditions, such as cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure, can increase a person's risk of dying from COVID-19.

12 May 2021

Study: Some patients faced persistent disparities as orthopedic visits shifted to telemedicine

Like other medical specialties at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, orthopaedic surgery rapidly pivoted from in-person visits to remote appointments via telemedicine.

12 May 2021

Researchers investigate antibodies that best neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 patients

The COVID-19 pandemic has now claimed over 2 million deaths worldwide, and this number is only increasing. In response, health agencies have rolled out tests to diagnose and understand the disease.

12 May 2021

New clinical trial to test possible therapeutics for COVID-19 in hospitalized patients

The Clinical Trials Network of Tennessee (CTN2) at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center has contracted a new clinical trial to test possible therapeutics for COVID-19 in hospitalized patients. This new trial brings the total generated by CTN2 contracts for the university to nearly $7 million.

12 May 2021

Novel chip-based antigen test can provide ultrasensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2, influenza A

Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have developed a novel chip-based antigen test that can provide ultrasensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A, the viruses that cause COVID-19 and flu, respectively.

12 May 2021

Patients with neurological symptoms associated with COVID-19 are six times more likely to die

Patients with clinically diagnosed neurological symptoms associated with COVID-19 are six times more likely to die in the hospital than those without the neurological complications, according to an interim analysis from the Global Consortium Study of Neurologic Dysfunction in COVID-19 (GCS-NeuroCOVID).

12 May 2021

Study reveals how oral antiviral drug works to attack SARS-CoV-2 virus

A University of Alberta virology lab has uncovered how an oral antiviral drug works to attack the SARS-CoV-2 virus, in findings published May 10 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

12 May 2021

Spread of minority SARS-CoV-2 variants in New York City

Viruses mutate to survive. But not all mutations are beneficial to the virus. On the other hand, some mutations such as N501Y and E484K on the spike protein propelled specific severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants to ‘variant of concern’ status, due to their ability to increase transmission and weaken the response of neutralizing antibodies.

12 May 2021

Evolutionary-spreading model predicts another devastating COVID-19 peak around July 2021

The emergence of this variant highlighted the uneven pace of mutation and selection of variants. New bioinformatics tools are the need of the hour to clarify this and confirm a dynamic evolution by tracking the mutation rates of the spike protein. It generally takes 1 – 6 months for current variants causing COVID-19 case peaks and deaths to survive the pressure of selection.

11 May 2021

Hospitalized pregnant women less likely to die from COVID-19 than non-pregnant patients

Pregnant women who are hospitalized with COVID-19 and viral pneumonia are less likely than non-pregnant women to die from these infections, according to a new study by researchers with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

11 May 2021

T cell populations in nasal mucosa expand after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination

A new study released as a bioRxiv* preprint tried to establish how tissues such as the upper respiratory tract (URT) – which harbor the virus and often act as the point of entry – are difficult to access for routine testing, but are responsive to vaccination.

11 May 2021

New mums more likely to have postnatal depression during COVID-19 lockdown

Almost half (47.5%) of women with babies aged six months or younger met the threshold for postnatal depression during the first COVID-19 lockdown, more than double average rates for Europe before the pandemic (23%), finds a new study led by UCL researchers.

11 May 2021

Study reveals acute immunologic changes in children with long COVID

Many reports are beginning to emerge on the ‘long COVID’ phenomenon. But a new study, released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, describes, for the first time, immunologic changes observed in children with PASC.

11 May 2021

An intranasal COVID-19 vaccine elicits long-lasting immunity against SARS-CoV-2 variants in vivo

A team of scientists from the Washington University School of Medicine and the University of Texas Medical Branch, USA, has recently evaluated the durability and robustness of an adenovirus-vectored, spike-based intranasal COVID-19 vaccine in mice.

11 May 2021

AI methods predict COVID-19 patient outcomes using routine clinical data from ICUs

The investigators used machine learning to predict which patients might get worse and not respond positively to being turned onto their front in intensive care units (ICUs) - a technique known as proning that is commonly used in this setting to improve oxygenation of the lungs.

11 May 2021

MIT researchers generate the complete gene annotation of SARS-CoV-2 genome

In early 2020, a few months after the Covid-19 pandemic began, scientists were able to sequence the full genome of the virus that causes the infection, SARS-CoV-2. While many of its genes were already known at that point, the full complement of protein-coding genes was unresolved.

11 May 2021

Case study describes consequences of undetected SARS-CoV-2 infection during mRNA vaccination

Now, a new report describes a case of a coincidental mRNA vaccination and SARS-CoV-2 infection in a 31-year-old doctor, addressing the theoretical considerations for potential risks and further required actions in case more cases appear in the future.

11 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 UK variant more infectious because of higher viral load

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was triggered by the uncontrolled spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). A year and a half later, the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 viral load and infectiousness remains a matter of scientific debate. Now, a new preprint research paper posted to the bioRxiv server aims to quantify this relationship

11 May 2021

Severe COVID-19 linked to genetic clotting predisposition

Thus, the need to stratify the risk of severe or critical disease in patients presenting with SARS-CoV-2 infection remains a crying necessity. A new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv server discusses the relationship between severe disease and pre-existing susceptibility to clots and other diseases of the cardiovascular system.

11 May 2021

New approach targeting viral RNA could lead to broad spectrum anti-viral drugs

A new approach to tackling viruses by targeting the 'control center' in viral RNA could lead to broad spectrum anti-viral drugs and provide a first line of defense against future pandemics, according to new research at the University of Birmingham.

11 May 2021

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

HIV patients are more likely to die from COVID-19 infection

Study: Some patients faced persistent disparities as orthopedic visits shifted to telemedicine

Researchers investigate antibodies that best neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 patients

New clinical trial to test possible therapeutics for COVID-19 in hospitalized patients

Novel chip-based antigen test can provide ultrasensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2, influenza A

Patients with neurological symptoms associated with COVID-19 are six times more likely to die

Study reveals how oral antiviral drug works to attack SARS-CoV-2 virus

Spread of minority SARS-CoV-2 variants in New York City

Evolutionary-spreading model predicts another devastating COVID-19 peak around July 2021

Hospitalized pregnant women less likely to die from COVID-19 than non-pregnant patients

T cell populations in nasal mucosa expand after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination

New mums more likely to have postnatal depression during COVID-19 lockdown

Study reveals acute immunologic changes in children with long COVID

An intranasal COVID-19 vaccine elicits long-lasting immunity against SARS-CoV-2 variants in vivo

AI methods predict COVID-19 patient outcomes using routine clinical data from ICUs

MIT researchers generate the complete gene annotation of SARS-CoV-2 genome

Case study describes consequences of undetected SARS-CoV-2 infection during mRNA vaccination

SARS-CoV-2 UK variant more infectious because of higher viral load

Severe COVID-19 linked to genetic clotting predisposition

New approach targeting viral RNA could lead to broad spectrum anti-viral drugs

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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