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.

New WHO essential diagnostics list expands the suite of tests to promote better health

To address the lack of access to tests and testing services in multiple countries, WHO since 2018 has published a yearly essential diagnostics list (EDL), a basket of recommended in vitro diagnostics that should be available at point-of-care and in laboratories in all countries to increase timely and life-saving diagnoses.

1 Feb 2021

New COVID-19 variant identified in Brazilian Amazon spreads faster

A new variant of the virus that causes COVID-19, identified in Brazil, is likely more transmissible than its parent strain because of mutations in the spike protein, according to researchers.

1 Feb 2021

Adoption of care delivery, cost reduction and quality improvement to improve access to care

The American College of Cardiology's Cardiovascular Summit will feature several poster presentations on care delivery, cost reduction and quality improvement that offer innovative concepts to combat access to care, especially during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and as the broader health care system works to improve health equity.

1 Feb 2021

Head-scratching over Newsom’s choice of Blue Shield to lead vaccination push

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, struggling to salvage a once-bright political future dimmed by his mishandling of the covid crisis, tapped nonprofit health insurer Blue Shield of California last week to allocate the state's covid vaccine.

1 Feb 2021

When your chance for a covid shot comes, don’t worry about the numbers

When getting vaccinated against covid-19, there's no sense being picky. You should take the first authorized vaccine that's offered, experts say.

1 Feb 2021

Researchers explore rapid outbreak of COVID-19 in U.S. detention facility

To assess the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in a detention facility experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak, researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted testing for detained individuals in six quarantined dormitories at various time points.

1 Feb 2021

Researchers in Japan compare two seroprevalence antibody tests for SARS-CoV-2

Researchers have shown that using reliable antibody tests in conjunction is an effective way to estimate seroprevalence in low prevalence settings.

1 Feb 2021

CDC examines COVID-19 outbreak among U.S. office workers: a case study in transmission

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the U.S. found that despite mitigation efforts, two COVID-19 outbreaks emerged among office workers in Washington, DC.

1 Feb 2021

India’s COVID-19-related hygiene promotion campaign shows some positive results

A new study explores the results of such hygiene promotion campaigns on handwashing practices in rural Odisha, India.

1 Feb 2021

Can metformin reduce mortality in diabetic individuals with severe COVID-19?

A new study by researchers in China and the U.S. describes a round-up of the effects of commonly used hypoglycemic drugs on the outcomes of COVID-19 in diabetic patients.

1 Feb 2021

New platform for detecting and monitoring SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses

Researchers in the U.S. have released a new study that describes a powerful but inexpensive tool designed to detect and monitor specific antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 over time.

1 Feb 2021

Ivermectin may not be the ‘silver bullet’ antiviral against COVID-19

A team of researchers based in Peru and the U.S. recently examined the role of the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin in treating COVID-19.

1 Feb 2021

Colchicine may have therapeutic potential against COVID-19

A new study describes the results of colchicine in mitigating the inflammatory storm associated with COVID-19, and thus preventing a percentage of severe and critical cases.

1 Feb 2021

How a bounty of vaccines flooded a small hospital and its nearby college

When administrators at Hillsdale College, a conservative liberal-arts school in Michigan, heard its local hospital didn't have a way to store the Pfizer-BioNTech covid vaccine, they offered the use of its science department's ultra-low temperature freezer. The vaccine must be stored at minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit.

1 Feb 2021

Older adults without family or friends lag in race to get vaccines

A divide between "haves" and "have-nots" is emerging as older adults across the country struggle to get covid-19 vaccines.

1 Feb 2021

Enriched diet and companionship can reduce pain in mice with sickle cell disease

Researchers from the University of California, Irvine and the University of Minnesota have found that an enriched diet and companionship can reduce pain in mice with sickle cell disease by increasing serotonin.

1 Feb 2021

Nurses play crucial role in helping reduce stress for families of ICU patients

Nurses play a crucial role in helping to reduce the stress experienced by family members of critically ill patients, according to an article in Critical Care Nurse (CCN).

1 Feb 2021

Routine vaccinations in India disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic

A team of researchers studied the disruptions in the vaccinations across India during the current pandemic.

1 Feb 2021

Inhaled single dose vaccine creates antibodies and prevents infection in rhesus macaques

Now, a new preprint research paper describes a chimpanzee adenovirus-vectored vaccine that, when administered intranasally in rhesus macaques, led to a robust immune response and demonstrated protection against infection by the virus that causes COVID-19, namely, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The preprint is published on the bioRxiv server.

1 Feb 2021

Study: COVID-19 mortality racial disparities associated with social factors

COVID-19 mortality racial disparities in the U.S. are associated with social factors like income, education and internet access, according to a Rutgers study.

31 Jan 2021