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.

Young people experience the highest levels of loneliness during COVID-19 lockdown

People under 30 and people with a history of mental illness experience the highest levels of loneliness and anxiety during COVID-19 lockdown.

19 Jan 2021

Routine thoracic surgery could be performed safely during the COVID-19 pandemic

A study in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology comparing surgeries performed at one Chinese hospital in 2019 with a similar date range during the COVID-19 pandemic found that routine thoracic surgery and invasive examinations were performed safely.

19 Jan 2021

On Trump’s last full day, nation records 400,000 covid deaths

While millions wait for a lifesaving shot, the U.S. death count from covid-19 continues to soar upward with horrifying speed.

19 Jan 2021

Memory B cell response to SARS-CoV-2 evolves up to 6 months after infection, study finds

A new study shows that the memory B cell response to SARS-Cov-2 evolves between 1.3 and 6.2 months after infection in a manner that is consistent with antigen persistence.

19 Jan 2021

Which SARS-CoV-2 mutations can potentially evade antibody recognition?

A team of US-based researchers has systematically identified SARS-CoV-2 mutations that could potentially evade neutralizing antibodies produced by the current vaccine candidates.

19 Jan 2021

Study predicts good passive immunotherapy donors to combat COVID-19

A US-based research team determine good candidates for convalescent plasma donations in promoting passive immunity among severely-ill COVID-19 patients.

19 Jan 2021

New coronavirus strain found in more than one-third of COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles

A new strain of the coronavirus has been found in more than one-third of COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles and may be contributing to the acceleration of the recent surge of cases across Southern California, according to new research from Cedars-Sinai.

19 Jan 2021

Compulsory DNA collection is unethical and has a detrimental effect on genetics research

The compulsory collection of DNA being undertaken in some parts of the world is not just unethical, but risks affecting people's willingness to donate biological samples and thus contribute to the advancement of medical knowledge and the development of new treatments, says a paper in the European Journal of Human Genetics, published online* today [18 January 2021].

19 Jan 2021

Lower CD4 T cell reactivity to seasonal coronaviruses found in healthcare workers with COVID-19

A new study by US-based researchers describes the results of a study on the immune response among healthcare workers, in particular, their T cell responses predating the pandemic.

19 Jan 2021

Large study finds SARS-CoV-2 viral load is lowest in children

A new study by researchers in the Netherlands confirms the hypothesis that for SARS-CoV-2 infection, higher age is associated with increased viral loads.

19 Jan 2021

Are antibiotic regimens for critical COVID-19 patients with bacterial superinfection unnecessarily high?

A new study by researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, USA, shows that antibiotic regimens for critically ill COVID-19 patients with bacterial superinfections may be promoting an unnecessarily high.

19 Jan 2021

Are public health ads worth the price? Not if they’re all about fear

The public service announcement showed a mother finding her teenage son lifeless, juxtaposed with the sound of a ukulele and a woman singing, "That's how, how you OD'd on heroin."

19 Jan 2021

Study examines day-to-day parenting behavior during COVID-19 restrictions

During the COVID-19 pandemic, parents have been faced with challenging circumstances to balance work, household, care of children, and support of distance learning for school-age children without help from their regular support systems such as schools, childcare, and often other family members as well.

19 Jan 2021

N501Y mutation may be associated with higher viral load, says preliminary study

A new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv server deals with the preliminary results of a study on the so-called British variant, UI-202012/01, also known as lineage B.1.1.7 or 20B/501Y.V1.

19 Jan 2021

Researchers identify seven criteria to tackle obesity problem in the UK

Successive governments' approach to obesity policies has destined them to fail, say researchers.Government obesity policies in England over the past three decades have largely failed because of problems with implementation, lack of learning from past successes or failures, and a reliance on trying to persuade individuals to change their behavior rather than tackling unhealthy environments.

19 Jan 2021

Expert urges to stop 5G networks until people’s safety is confirmed

We should err on the side of caution and stop the global roll out of 5G (fifth generation) telecoms networks until we are certain this technology is completely safe, urges an expert in an opinion piece published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

19 Jan 2021