Coronavirus News and Research

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Common cold in the past may provide some protection from COVID-19

Seasonal colds are by all accounts no fun, but new research suggests the colds you've had in the past may provide some protection from COVID-19.

29 Sep 2020

Case fatality rates for COVID-19 and health indicators

Researchers from Turkey and Switzerland collaborated to study the nation-specific case fatality rates for COVID-19 caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The pandemic has affected around 33.5 million people worldwide and killed over 1 million making it one of the largest global health crises in recent memory.

29 Sep 2020

A study contradicting the phenotypical relationship between plasmablasts and developing neutrophils

A team of scientists from Australia challenges the findings of a recent study by Wilk et al. demonstrating that plasmablasts transdifferentiate into developing neutrophils in severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The Australian study is currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server.

29 Sep 2020

SARS-CoV-2 infects human embryonic epithelial and lung cells

As COVID-19 continues to spread the world over, investigators are still trying to understand how it ravages the human body. A recent study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in September 2020 shows that the virus is capable of infecting human embryonic cells that are destined to form the epithelial surfaces of the body, both internal and external, as well as lung cells.

29 Sep 2020

Discovery of specific kinase as a novel drug target against SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses

By using a modern genome-wide knockout approach to single out coronavirus host factors in human cells, researchers from Rega Institute in Belgium discovered a potential new target that might be exploited for developing drugs against the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, but also future outbreaks of highly pathogenic coronaviruses

29 Sep 2020

UC researchers find potential treatment that could be applied to COVID-19

By examining preexisting research for other conditions, researchers at the University of Cincinnati have found a potential treatment that could be applied to COVID-19.

29 Sep 2020

Naturally occurring enzyme holds potential as low-cost therapeutic to treat COVID-19

Researchers from UCLA and China have found that catalase, a naturally occurring enzyme, holds potential as a low-cost therapeutic drug to treat COVID-19 symptoms and suppress the replication of coronavirus inside the body.

29 Sep 2020

Corralling the facts on herd immunity

For a term that's at least 100 years old, "herd immunity" has gained new life in 2020.

29 Sep 2020

Computer model unravels mystery behind severe inflammation in people with COVID-19

A study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Cedars-Sinai addresses a mystery first raised in March: Why do some people with COVID-19 develop severe inflammation?

29 Sep 2020

Efforts to keep COVID-19 out of prisons fuel outbreaks in county jails

When Joshua Martz tested positive for COVID-19 this summer in a Montana jail, guards moved him and nine other inmates with the disease into a pod so cramped that some slept on mattresses on the floor.

29 Sep 2020

A special issue on the emerging COVID-19 infection

Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B publishes special issue on 'Research on Emerging COVID-19 (Target, Mechanism, and Therapeutics)' edited by Hai-Bin Luo, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China; Shilin Chen, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing, China and Peiqing Liu, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.

29 Sep 2020

Fear of COVID-19 can increase risk of substance abuse

Long after a COVID-19 vaccination is developed and years after the coronavirus death toll is tallied, the impact on mental health will linger, continuing to inflict damage if not addressed, according to new research.

29 Sep 2020

Fasting blood glucose levels upon admission tied to COVID-19 prognosis, study finds

In the study, which appeared on the pre-print open-source medRxiv* server, the investigators aimed to determine the prognostic value of blood glucose in predicting outcomes in COVID-19 disease, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

28 Sep 2020

Smell and taste changes last longer than other COVID-19 symptoms

A preprint paper published on the medRxiv server details a recent study by researchers from The Hebrew University, Hadassah-Hebrew University medical center, and Hadassah University Hospital, which addresses this gap in knowledge about the symptoms experienced by COVID-19 patients.

28 Sep 2020

SARS-CoV-2 re-infection is real but rare: Case study

Now, American researchers have looked at all reported cases of re-infection and the possible reasons behind them. Their study titled, “Re-infection with SARS-CoV-2 and Failure of Humoral Immunity: a case report,” is published online on the preprint server medRxiv in September 2020.

28 Sep 2020

Healthy vitamin D levels could reduce COVID-19 complications

Published in the journal PLOS ONE, the study investigates the link between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and its effect on adverse clinical outcomes and parameters of immune function and mortality due to COVID-19.

28 Sep 2020

New study reveals the impacts of COVID-19 on unborn children

What are the risks to an unborn child if a woman contracts COVID-19 while pregnant, and how can doctors identify which pregnancies are at greater risk of adverse outcomes if a pregnant mother tests positive?

28 Sep 2020

One-third of parents in the U.S. won’t get flu shots for their kids during the pandemic

A survey from the National Poll on Children’s Health, however, revealed that one-third of American parents have no plans of getting their children vaccinated for the flu virus this year during the COVID-19 pandemic.

28 Sep 2020

J&J's COVID-19 vaccine shows potent immune response in phase 2 human trial

A multicenter phase 1/2a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial has been conducted recently to evaluate the safety, reactogenicity, and immunogenicity of a non-replicating adenovirus-based vaccine, namely Ad26.COV2.S against severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

28 Sep 2020

Hamsters and ferrets clear low dose SARS-CoV-2 infection in 14 days

A recent study by French researchers has demonstrated that experimental exposure to severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is capable of inducing mild infection in hamsters and ferrets within 7 – 10 days of exposure. However, the infection completely resolves within 14 days. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server.

28 Sep 2020