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.

Iron-carrying extracellular vesicles promote viral-bacterial co-infection

The mechanism by which acute viral respiratory infections promote secondary bacterial growth and infection in the airways depends on iron-carrying extracellular sacs secreted by the cells lining the host's airways, report researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in a paper published today in Cell Reports.

26 Jan 2021

Remdesivir disrupts SARS-CoV-2 more effectively than other similar drugs

In the treatment of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, antiviral drug remdesivir has emerged as a promising candidate.

26 Jan 2021

FDA takes action on alcohol-based hand sanitizers from Mexico

As part of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's continuing efforts to protect consumers from potentially dangerous or subpotent hand sanitizers, the agency has placed all alcohol-based hand sanitizers from Mexico on a countrywide import alert to help stop products that appear to be in violation from entering the U.S. until the agency is able to review the products' safety.

26 Jan 2021

Drugged driving is outpacing drunk driving, shows study

A recent study of drugged driving, by a team of University of Cincinnati researchers, shows that a sizable percentage of individuals reported the use of marijuana and other illicit drugs while operating behind the wheel.

26 Jan 2021

Mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain analyzed

Using more than 100,000 virus genome sequences uploaded in the GISAID database, researchers found around 9,000 mutations in the virus spike protein RBD.

26 Jan 2021

Rapid reopening crucial in promoting the second wave of COVID-19

The spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected almost a hundred million people, with over two million deaths being attributed to this illness over the past 12 months or so. The only means to counter this so far has been through non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs).

26 Jan 2021

Antibodies and inflammatory markers may help identify COVID-19 cases and predict severity

A new preprint appearing on the medRxiv server describes the changes that occur in numerous antibodies and inflammatory molecules with age and at varying stages, or severity, of the infection and resulting illness. The results may help to predict the risk in individual cases.

26 Jan 2021

'Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome' likely to substantially impact NHS in England

Researchers in the UK have warned that cardiometabolic and pulmonary events among coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survivors following their discharge from hospital is likely to have an ongoing and substantial impact on the National Health Service (NHS) in England.

26 Jan 2021

Microwaves used to inactivate aerosolized pathogens

As the pandemic has continued to spread globally, studies indicate the COVID-19 virus may be contained in aerosols that can be generated and spread through breathing, coughing, sneezing, or talking by infected individuals.

26 Jan 2021

Moderna vaccine fully neutralizes new SARS-CoV-2 variants, study shows

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study showing that Moderna’s mRNA-1273 vaccine neutralizes all circulating variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) tested to date.

26 Jan 2021

Why even presidential pressure might not get more vaccine to market faster

Americans are dying of covid-19 by the thousands, but efforts to ramp up production of potentially lifesaving vaccines are hitting a brick wall.

26 Jan 2021

California’s top hospital lobbyist cements influence in covid crisis

As intensive care units filled and coronavirus cases surged over the holidays, Carmela Coyle invoked a World War II-era quote attributed to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to rally her own troops: "If you're going through hell, keep going."

26 Jan 2021

Big business boosts vaccine effort, but it’s ‘complex choreography’ to get shots in arms

As states await the promise of a renewed federal pandemic response and expand the number of Americans who qualify for a shot, some governors are trying to scale up their covid vaccine operations — and smooth out the kinks — with the help of the private sector.

26 Jan 2021

‘We’re not controlling it in our schools’: Covid safety lapses abound across US

Computer science teacher Suzy Lebo saw covid-19 dangers frequently in her Indiana high school: classes with about 30 students sitting less than 18 inches apart. Students crowding teachers in hallways. Students and staff members taking off their masks around others.

26 Jan 2021

Researchers develop method for presymptomatic COVID-19 detection

An encouraging new study by researchers at University College London, UK, reports the potential of a form of COVID-19 testing which can detect presymptomatic cases.

26 Jan 2021

Codon frequency optimization shows SARS-CoV-2 antiviral potential

A study conducted by researchers in the US has revealed that optimization of codon for bacterial expression causes the production of an inactive enzyme non-structural protein 12 (Nsp12), a catalytic subunit of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of SARS-CoV-2.

26 Jan 2021

Diabetes and glucose levels tied to increased risk of COVID-19 death

Researchers at Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China, found that diabetes and on-admission glucose levels may increase the risk of COVID-19 mortality.

26 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2 rapidly adapts to Vero E6 cell culture propagation

Researchers at the Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the US found that SARS-CoV-2 rapidly adapts to Vero E6 cell culture propagation and that this can be prevented by using cell lines with an active serine protease-mediated entry pathway.

26 Jan 2021

New UK SARS-CoV-2 variant circulating in US since November, says study

A new study by researchers at the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, showed that the new variant has circulated in the US since November.

26 Jan 2021

New SARS-CoV-2 variant must be curbed to protect UK health services, warn experts

A new research project called REACT-1 – launched by researchers at the Imperial College London, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, and Ipsos MORI – has aimed to better understand the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2’s viral spread across the UK.

26 Jan 2021