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.

Fast lifestyle changes during early stages of pandemic had little effect on climate change

Despite the rapid and significant changes in consumption patterns witnessed during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Japanese households maintained their normal levels of greenhouse gases emissions.

11 May 2021

Anxiety, stress, and depression cause people to blame government for COVID-19 transmission

In a time of a global crisis such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is easy to note how people move through different phases to buckle up for such unprecedented and arduous times.

11 May 2021

The travel-related origin and spread of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.620 strain

A new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv* server describes a new variant B.1.620, which appeared in Lithuania, and is now prevalent in several countries in Europe, as well as in central Africa.

11 May 2021

FDA expands emergency use authorization for Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to include adolescents 12 through 15 years of age.

10 May 2021

FDA to convene virtual meeting to discuss pediatric use of COVID-19 vaccines

The following quote is attributed to Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

10 May 2021

Natural products a rich source for novel antiviral compounds

In a recent review in the journal Viruses, researchers look at natural products that can be identified as potential alternative antiviral agents. The reviewers discussed the antiviral activities of several natural products towards DNA and RNA viruses with an analytical approach. The researchers detailed the cellular/viral targets of the active molecules and their impact on the infection and viral replication cycle.

10 May 2021

Lab reports 1st instance of SARS-CoV-2 variants affecting antigen test performance

Researchers from the US recently determined the sensitivity of the Quidel Sofia SARS Antigen FIA test (Sofia 2). They found a high viral load specimen that tested negative repeatedly while using this antigen test. The study is published on the preprint server, medRxiv.

10 May 2021

3D printing technique extends the possibilities of lateral flow tests

Researchers at KU Leuven (Belgium) have developed a 3D printing technique that extends the possibilities of lateral flow testing.

10 May 2021

New spray protocol improves delivery of nasal antiseptic to reduce COVID-19 infection

A trip to visit family in Kolkata, India, put South Dakota State University assistant professor Saikat Basu in the middle of that country's second wave of COVID-19 infections.

10 May 2021

Different social groups have varying reactions about Covid-19 health disparities, study finds

The Covid-19 pandemic, like many other health crises, has had unequal effects on the U.S. population, with communities of color often hit the hardest.

10 May 2021

New vaccine shows potential to protect from a variety of coronavirus infections

A potential new vaccine developed by members of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute has proven effective in protecting monkeys and mice from a variety of coronavirus infections -- including SARS-CoV-2 as well as the original SARS-CoV-1 and related bat coronaviruses that could potentially cause the next pandemic.

10 May 2021

Research suggests Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine reprograms innate immune responses

Researchers in The Netherlands have warned that Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine induces complex reprogramming of innate immune responses that should be considered in the development and use of mRNA-based vaccines.

10 May 2021

Scientists produce a universal flu vaccine using nanoparticles to induce long-lasting immunity

Researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)’s Vaccine Research Center (VRC) and the University of Washington School of Medicine’s Institute for Protein Design (IPD) developed a universal flu vaccine candidate using small particles (nanoparticles), which can induce a long-lasting immune response.

10 May 2021

$Hospitalized COVID-19 patients with impaired first-phase ejection fraction have higher death risk$

Hospitalized COVID-19 patients with impaired first-phase ejection fraction have higher death risk

Hospitalized COVID-19 patients with impaired first-phase ejection fraction were nearly 5 times more likely to die compared to patients with healthier measures of this early, often undetected sign of heart failure, according to new research published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal.

10 May 2021

Cardiac complications found to be rare in college athletes who contracted COVID-19

In a small study, researchers found college athletes who contracted COVID-19 rarely had cardiac complications. Most had mild COVID symptoms that did not require treatment, and in a small percentage of those with abnormal cardiac testing, there was no evidence of heart damage on special imaging tests.

10 May 2021

Study identifies most persistent neurological problems during long COVID-19

Neuropsychiatric issues have been frequently reported in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) long-haulers. A new study on the medRxiv* preprint server has found which neurological symptoms are likely to persist after a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

10 May 2021

New nanoimmunoassay can detect anti–SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in ultralow-volume blood samples

In a recent study, researchers developed and validated a nanoimmunoassay (NIA) that analyzes 1,024 samples in parallel on a single microfluidic device the size of a USB stick. They detected anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies, achieving a sensitivity of 98% and specificity of 100% based on an analysis of 134 pre-pandemic sera (collected in 2013/2014 and 2018) and 155 sera from reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) positive individuals.

10 May 2021

How schools can help kids heal after the pandemic’s uncertainty

Kai Humphrey, 9, has been learning from home for more than a year. He badly misses his Washington, D.C., elementary school, along with his friends and the bustle of the classroom.

10 May 2021

Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in Germany

Seroprevalence studies have proved their worth in estimating the size and directionality of an outbreak of infectious disease, especially the current pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-induced coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A new study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server describes the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in five representative regions of Germany.

10 May 2021

Total COVID-19 deaths could be 7 million

A new analysis from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), which independently researches health at the University of Washington School of Medicine, shows that the total global toll due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could be more than twice the officially reported number of deaths, at almost 7 million.

10 May 2021

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Fast lifestyle changes during early stages of pandemic had little effect on climate change

Anxiety, stress, and depression cause people to blame government for COVID-19 transmission

The travel-related origin and spread of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.620 strain

FDA expands emergency use authorization for Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine

FDA to convene virtual meeting to discuss pediatric use of COVID-19 vaccines

Natural products a rich source for novel antiviral compounds

Lab reports 1st instance of SARS-CoV-2 variants affecting antigen test performance

3D printing technique extends the possibilities of lateral flow tests

New spray protocol improves delivery of nasal antiseptic to reduce COVID-19 infection

Different social groups have varying reactions about Covid-19 health disparities, study finds

New vaccine shows potential to protect from a variety of coronavirus infections

Research suggests Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine reprograms innate immune responses

Scientists produce a universal flu vaccine using nanoparticles to induce long-lasting immunity

Hospitalized COVID-19 patients with impaired first-phase ejection fraction have higher death risk

Cardiac complications found to be rare in college athletes who contracted COVID-19

Study identifies most persistent neurological problems during long COVID-19

New nanoimmunoassay can detect anti–SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in ultralow-volume blood samples

How schools can help kids heal after the pandemic’s uncertainty

Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in Germany

Total COVID-19 deaths could be 7 million

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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