Coronavirus News and Research

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Preexisting drug shows promise as a weapon against SARS-CoV-2 virus

First appearing in late 2019 in Wuhan City, China, the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to cause sickness and death across the globe.

14 Aug 2020

‘Is this when I drop dead?’ Two doctors report from the COVID front lines

Health workers across the country looked on in horror when New York became the global epicenter of the coronavirus.

14 Aug 2020

COVID data failures create pressure for public health system overhaul

After terrorists slammed a plane into the Pentagon on 9/11, ambulances rushed scores of the injured to community hospitals, but only three of the patients were taken to specialized trauma wards. The reason: The hospitals and ambulances had no real-time information-sharing system.

14 Aug 2020

Back to life: COVID lung transplant survivor tells her story

Mayra Ramirez remembers the nightmares. During six weeks on life support at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Ramirez said, she had terrifying nightmares that she couldn't distinguish from reality.

14 Aug 2020

Can SARS-CoV-2 die out without immunity?

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take thousands of lives every day in different parts of the world, vaccine and antiviral research is continuing, as the only hope of emergence from under its shadow. However, a recent study by researcher Bhavin S Khatri at Imperial College London and published on the preprint server medRxiv* in August 2020 suggests that the pandemic may die out more rapidly than thought, provided the reproduction number is kept low.

14 Aug 2020

Search engines can spread false information on vaccines, shows study

Anti-vaccine websites, which could play a key role in promoting public hesitancy about a potential COVID vaccine, are far more likely to be found via independent search engines than through an internet giant like Google.

14 Aug 2020

COVID-19 during pregnancy shows no affect on placental structure and pathology

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in August 2020 shows that the placenta in pregnant women infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) does not show any signs of abnormality that can be attributed to the infection.

14 Aug 2020

De novo designed SARS-CoV-2 nanoparticle vaccine

In light of the continuing threat to public health, social functioning, and economic activity posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists are working urgently to bring out a vaccine that is both safe and effective, and capable of mass production. A new paper published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in August 2020 shows that such a vaccine may be produced by using arrays of one severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) protein on a nanoparticle platform.

14 Aug 2020

Experimental COVID-19 vaccine prevents severe disease in mice

Now, a novel experimental vaccine that is made from a mild virus genetically-modified to carry an essential gene from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes the coronary disease (COVID-19), has shown promise in preventing pneumonia in mice infected with the virus.

14 Aug 2020

WHO urges the public to avoid routine dental work amid the coronavirus pandemic

With the cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) skyrocketing globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) is now warning the public to avoid routine dental procedures to reduce the risk of infection.

14 Aug 2020

Health and safety consequences of policing homelessness

Two weeks ago, Colorado State Patrol troopers began clearing out nearly 200 residents from homeless encampments that surround the Colorado Capitol.

13 Aug 2020

UD researchers gain new insights into hepatitis B virus' genetic blueprint

Researchers at the University of Delaware, using supercomputing resources and collaborating with scientists at Indiana University, have gained new understanding of the virus that causes hepatitis B and the "spiky ball" that encloses the virus's genetic blueprint.

13 Aug 2020

Vaping raises COVID-19 risk among teens and youth

A new study by Californian researchers has shown that youth and teenagers who use electronic cigarettes are five times more likely to be affected by COVID-19 disease, and those that use both electronic and traditional cigarettes are seven times more likely to get the infection.

13 Aug 2020

JAK inhibitors or type I interferon shown to reduce mortality in COVID-19

Now, a new study by researchers at Yale University and published on the preprint server medRxiv in August 2020 reports that the use of two drug categories, namely, JAK inhibitors and Type I interferons (IFNs), is associated with a dramatic improvement in mortality in COVID-19.

13 Aug 2020

Study finds higher incidence of physical intimate partner violence during COVID-19

There was a higher incidence and severity of physical intimate partner violence (IPV) among patients seen at a large, academic medical center in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with the prior three years, according to a new study published in Radiology.

13 Aug 2020

Membrane nanoparticles acts as a bait to trap SARS-CoV-2

In an exciting new bioRxiv preprint research paper, Chinese researchers describe the development of membrane nanoparticles from ACE2-rich cells with a potent capacity to block the adherence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

13 Aug 2020

Synthetic nanobodies prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection

A team of researchers from the University of California San Francisco has created a powerful nasal spray or inhaler that can provide high-grade protection against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The report is presently available on the bioRvix* preprint server.

13 Aug 2020

Lockdowns and business closures could fuel the rise of obesity, warn researchers

Scientists sound the alarm: Lockdowns may escalate the obesity epidemic Emotional stress, economic anxiety, physical inactivity and social distance - locking down society to combat COVID-19 creates psychosocial insecurity that leads to obesity, warn three Danish researchers.

13 Aug 2020

New research finds mHealth technologies as a viable option to monitor COVID-19 patients

An international task force, including two University of Massachusetts Amherst computer scientists, concludes in new research that mobile health (mHealth) technologies are a viable option to monitor COVID-19 patients at home and predict which ones will need medical intervention.

13 Aug 2020

USC researchers find the likely order of COVID-19's symptoms

USC researchers have found the likely order in which COVID-19 symptoms first appear: fever, cough, muscle pain, and then nausea, and/or vomiting, and diarrhea.

13 Aug 2020