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.

People may have a pre-existing immune response to COVID-19 thanks to common colds

Now, a new study shows that some people have immune responses against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, thanks to how the body reacted the last time it caught a cold. This means that even if a person has not been exposed to the novel coronavirus, the body has a memory of it and can trigger an immune response to fight the infection.

10 Aug 2020

Vaccine 'nationalism' will slow coronavirus fight if poor countries are left exposed

As the coronavirus vaccine race charges on, many of the investigational candidate vaccines are nearing the final stages of human trials. The results of these trials will determine if they will be granted the green light to manufacture and distribute the vaccine to countries across the globe.

10 Aug 2020

COVID-19 patient with repeatedly undetectable SARS-CoV-2 antibodies

A recent case study published in the Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine in August 2020 illustrates this with its finding of persistent seronegativity in a patient confirmed to be SARS-CoV-2 positive.

10 Aug 2020

USA the source of most of New Zealand's coronavirus cases

New Zealand, an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, is marked by its early and fierce determination to totally arrest the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the viral illness that is causing the current COVID-19 pandemic.

9 Aug 2020

How have non-pharmaceutical interventions helped in COVID-19?

The COVID-19 pandemic shows no signs of abating, with outbreaks in many spots still occurring across the world. From the start, health organizations and governments were focused on implementing non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) in the absence of any effective antivirals or vaccines.

9 Aug 2020

Speed of Novavax vaccine development does not compromise quality of the SARS-CoV-2 immunogen

A new study by researchers from the Scripps Research Institute and Novavax Inc. in the US affirms the structural integrity of the full-length SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein immunogen. It enables the interpretation of immune responses to this multivalent nanoparticle immunogen. Their results are currently available on bioRxiv preprint server.

9 Aug 2020

Encouraging results from Phase I NovaVax SARS-CoV-2 nanoparticle vaccine trial

NVX-CoV2373, a recombinant nanoparticle vaccine developed by Novavax and manufactured at Emergent Biosolutions, was found to be well tolerated and immunogenic – inducing T-cell response and neutralization antibodies four-fold higher than the mean observed in hospitalized coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients, shows a recent study available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

9 Aug 2020

Community-based sampling needed for COVID-19 control, say researchers

Researchers in the UK have warned that it will be essential to carry out community-based sampling in addition to symptomatic testing if the ongoing transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARs-CoV-2) is going to be properly understood and controlled.

9 Aug 2020

New platform shows potential to generate most effective vaccines with fewest side effects

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is shining a bright spotlight on vaccine development. As numerous vaccines race through clinical trials, physicians and researchers continue to work on developing new vaccine technologies to generate the most effective vaccines with the fewest side effects.

7 Aug 2020

Swansea University tests new way to give vaccines through microneedle skin patches

A revolutionary new way to give vaccines through microneedle skin patches is being tested at Swansea University, thanks to £200,000 of EU funding announced by the Welsh Government.

7 Aug 2020

Computer scientists release new digital contact-tracing technique based on Wi-Fi

Researchers at the Center for Smart and Connected Society at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently released a new digital contact-tracing technique that is based on widely-deployed Wi-Fi technology.

7 Aug 2020

A titanium oxide nanowire-based air filter can trap and destroy pathogens

Filter “paper” made from titanium oxide nanowires is capable of trapping pathogens and destroying them with light. This discovery by an EPFL laboratory could be put to use in personal protective equipment, as well as in ventilation and air conditioning systems.

7 Aug 2020

Your favorite store or restaurant is open. How do you know it’s ok to go in?

Just because many businesses are open again doesn't mean the pandemic is over. The coronavirus is still on the loose — actually surging in many locations — which means people have to make serious choices about their health all day, every day.

7 Aug 2020

In rural Missouri, Latinos learn to contain and cope with the coronavirus

Francisco Bonilla is a pastor in Carthage, Missouri, tending to the spiritual needs of the town’s growing Latino community. He's also a media personality, broadcasting his voice far beyond the walls of Casa de Sanidad. Bonilla runs a low-power, Spanish-language radio station from the church.

7 Aug 2020

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

People may have a pre-existing immune response to COVID-19 thanks to common colds

Vaccine 'nationalism' will slow coronavirus fight if poor countries are left exposed

COVID-19 patient with repeatedly undetectable SARS-CoV-2 antibodies

USA the source of most of New Zealand's coronavirus cases

How have non-pharmaceutical interventions helped in COVID-19?

Speed of Novavax vaccine development does not compromise quality of the SARS-CoV-2 immunogen

Encouraging results from Phase I NovaVax SARS-CoV-2 nanoparticle vaccine trial

Community-based sampling needed for COVID-19 control, say researchers

New platform shows potential to generate most effective vaccines with fewest side effects

Swansea University tests new way to give vaccines through microneedle skin patches

Computer scientists release new digital contact-tracing technique based on Wi-Fi

A titanium oxide nanowire-based air filter can trap and destroy pathogens

Your favorite store or restaurant is open. How do you know it’s ok to go in?

In rural Missouri, Latinos learn to contain and cope with the coronavirus

Test sites quickly attract thousands for COVID-19 vaccine study

Nanotronics forms new subsidiary, Nanotronics Health, LLC, to accelerate innovation in the medical device industry

How misinformation undermines Australia's COVID-19 response

DCIS surgical delays do not impact overall survival, shows study

New document includes practical resources to improve diversity and inclusion in clinical research

Oncologists interview physicians to identify specific communication related to COVID-19

Discover how SciY empowers scientists

Why use light scattering to analyze proteins and viral vectors?

Changing the landscape of R&D to build clinical success from the ground up

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