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.

COVID-19 pandemic and nanotechnology

Writing in the International Journal of Nanomedicine, Professor Dongki Yang, from the Department of Physiology, Gachon University, South Korea, has reviewed the available knowledge on the coronaviruses, current approaches to tackle the newly emerged SARS-CoV-2 infection, and the innovative application of nanotechnology in the COVID-19 pandemic.

8 Feb 2021

Novel plastic film can deactivate 99.99% of the new coronavirus in 15 minutes

A consortium comprised by companies Braskem, AplFilm and Nanox and the UFSCar (Brazil) and Jaume I of Castellón (Spain) universities have released a plastic film capable of deactivating 99.99% of the new coronavirus in 15 minutes.

8 Feb 2021

Commentary on severe allergic reaction to mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccines

A commentary by John M. Kelso, Division of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, Scripps Clinic, published in the latest issue of the journal Vaccines, discusses anaphylactic reactions to these novel mRNA SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 vaccines.

8 Feb 2021

Molecular surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein mutations using CovRadar

In a recent bioRxiv preprint research paper, scientists from Germany discuss how they made sequence information more easily accessible for epidemiologists and virologists.

7 Feb 2021

Subdominant SARS-CoV-2 epitopes key to understanding emerging variants

Researchers in the UK have conducted a study showing the importance of considering subdominant epitopes within severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) when investigating neutralizing antibodies that target the virus.

7 Feb 2021

Orthodox Jewish in UK disproportionately impacted by COVID-19

Researchers have conducted a study showing an extremely high prevalence of severe acute respiratory coronavirus disease 2 (SARS-CoV-2) within a strictly Orthodox Jewish community in the UK.

7 Feb 2021

Small wearable sensor can detect stress biomarker in sweat

We've all felt stressed at some point, whether in our personal or professional lives or in response to exceptional circumstances like the COVID-19 pandemic. But until now there has been no way to quantify stress levels in an objective manner.

6 Feb 2021

Mortality from sudden cardiac arrest is higher in COVID-19 patients

Sudden cardiac arrest is more often fatal in people with COVID-19, a new study shows. Those responsible for the research see the results as a wake-up call for the public and care providers alike.

6 Feb 2021

Scientists use the knowledge from climate system models to help fight COVID-19 pandemic

At the time of writing, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is seriously threatening human lives and health throughout the world.

6 Feb 2021

New AI-assisted method could help counter COVID-19 mutations

USC researchers have developed a new method to counter emergent mutations of the coronavirus and hasten vaccine development to stop the pathogen responsible for killing thousands of people and ruining the economy.

6 Feb 2021

Study intends to evaluate the effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in 1200 health professionals

The data on the first 1000 health professionals, vaccinated on December 2020, reveals that 90% developed antibodies in the three weeks following the administration of the first dose.

6 Feb 2021

Kessler Foundation scientists receive three grants for spinal cord injury research

Kessler Foundation scientists received three spinal cord injury research grants from the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, to ensure that they have the capacity to complete projects delayed by the pandemic.

5 Feb 2021

California’s rural counties endure a deadly covid winter

Covid-19's fierce winter resurgence in California is notable not only for the explosion in overall cases and deaths in the state's sprawling urban centers.

5 Feb 2021

The state of vaccine supply: ‘Opaque.’ Unpredictable. ‘Hard to pin down.’

Even as the pace of vaccination against covid-19 has steadily accelerated — hitting an average of 1.3 million doses a day in the last days of January — the frustration felt by many of those unable to secure an appointment hasn't waned.

5 Feb 2021

Comparing death tolls from covid to past wars is fraught

Counting the dead is one of the first, somber steps in reckoning with an event of enormous tragic scope, be it war, a natural disaster or a pandemic.

5 Feb 2021

As demand for mental health care spikes, budget ax set to strike

When the pandemic hit, health officials in Montana's Beaverhead County had barely begun to fill a hole left by the 2017 closure of the local public assistance office, mental health clinic, chemical dependency center and job placement office after the state's last budget shortfall.

5 Feb 2021

SGD Pharma Takes Lead in Sustainability, Awarded Platinum EcoVadis Rating for The First Time

SGD Pharma, a leading supplier of glass primary packaging in the pharmaceutical industry, has been awarded a ‘platinum’ rating by EcoVadis, positioning it in the top 1% of all companies rated worldwide.

From SGD Pharma 5 Feb 2021

How does SARS-CoV-2 infect the pancreas?

To understand how SARS-CoV-2 infects the pancreas and investigate its effects, a team of researchers used the human iPSC (induced pluripotent stem cells)-derived pancreatic cultures and analyzed the post-infection cellular and molecular changes.

5 Feb 2021

FDA continues to support the development of medical products to tackle new virus variants

As the public health agency responsible for regulating medical products, we must ensure that health care providers have the most up-to-date diagnostics, treatments and vaccines in their toolbox to fight this pandemic.

5 Feb 2021

Study: Black people are less likely to live near hospitals that administer COVID-19 vaccines

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy and West Health Policy Center found that in many parts of the country, Black people are less likely than white people to live near a pharmacy, clinic, hospital or health center that can administer COVID-19 vaccines.

5 Feb 2021