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.

Study: Drinking honeysuckle decoction accelerates the negative conversion of COVID-19 patients

In a new study in Cell Discovery, Chen-Yu Zhang's group at Nanjing University and two other groups from Wuhan Institute of Virology and the Second Hospital of Nanjing present a novel finding that absorbed miRNA MIR2911 in honeysuckle decoction (HD) can directly target SARS-CoV-2 genes and inhibit viral replication. Drinking of HD accelerate the negative conversion of COVID-19 patients.

7 Aug 2020

Electric multicookers could be used for sanitization of N95 respirator masks

Owners of electric multicookers may be able to add another use to its list of functions, a new study suggests: sanitization of N95 respirator masks.

6 Aug 2020

Study documents changes in hospital visitation and communication policies during COVID-19

Four months ago, Michigan glowed red on COVID-19 maps. Hundreds of patients packed hospital intensive care units in the southern part of the state, and hospitals statewide rapidly put strict new visitor policies in place to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.

6 Aug 2020

Humans promote diseases from the animal kingdom

The coronavirus pandemic, which has now infected nearly 19 million and killed more than 712,000 people, most likely originated from bats. Just like other coronavirus outbreaks in the past, a spill-over event or zoonosis caused the viruses to jump from animals to humans.

6 Aug 2020

Study shows recombination among SARS-CoV-2 strains is already occurring, but remains rare

A recent study by U.S. researchers, currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server, indicates that the recombination events among the viral strains of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are already occurring – however, considering current levels of viral genetic diversity, they are neither widespread nor readily detectable.

6 Aug 2020

Heat suggested as a therapeutic intervention in COVID-19

Viruses that are contained within a lipid membrane or “enveloped viruses” such as coronaviruses and rhinoviruses can remain active for long periods in cool, dry conditions, which can lead to increased rates of respiratory infections.

6 Aug 2020

COVID-19 in pregnancy - premature birth common

A new study conducted by researchers at Yonsei University College of Medicine, Korea, suggests that while having coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during pregnancy has little effect on fetal or neonatal mortality, it can be associated with premature birth and sometimes severe outcomes for mother and baby, including death.

6 Aug 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Still waiting for that Trump health plan

President Donald Trump keeps promising to unveil a comprehensive plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, but it keeps not appearing.

6 Aug 2020

Surgical delay does not lower overall survival of women with early-stage breast cancer

A new breast cancer study brings reassuring findings for women with early-stage breast cancer who were forced to delay their cancer operations because of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

6 Aug 2020

OU Health Sciences Center awarded five-year grant for suicide prevention

The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center has been awarded a five-year, $38 million grant to lead and expand a national program dedicated to suicide prevention.

6 Aug 2020

COVID-19: BCG vaccine is safe and possibly has a positive effect

The BCG vaccine, a vaccine originally made against tuberculosis, has a general stimulating effect on the immune system and is therefore effective against multiple infectious diseases - possibly also against COVID-19.

6 Aug 2020

With caveats, hopeful news for preschools planning young kids’ return

Sabrina Lira Garcia is proud to work as a clinical assistant in the COVID-19 ward of a Los Angeles hospital, but sometimes she wishes she could just stay home with her infant son until the pandemic is over.

6 Aug 2020

COST Actions to deal with COVID-19 crisis

The current COVID-19 crisis puts the world to the test, and research and innovation will be key in tackling this enormous challenge.

6 Aug 2020

Health care workers of color nearly twice as likely as whites to get COVID-19

Health care workers of color were more likely to care for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, more likely to report using inadequate or reused protective gear, and nearly twice as likely as white colleagues to test positive for the coronavirus, a new study from Harvard Medical School researchers found.

6 Aug 2020

Nine teams awarded UTHSC/UofM CORNET grant for COVID-19 research

Nine research teams are awardees of the 2020 University of Tennessee Health Science Center/University of Memphis SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 Research CORNET grants.

6 Aug 2020

America’s obesity epidemic threatens effectiveness of any COVID vaccine

For a world crippled by the coronavirus, salvation hinges on a vaccine.

6 Aug 2020

Study: Inhaled sedatives can reduce lung inflammation, improve survival

A team from Lawson Health Research Institute are being funded by the Government of Ontario's COVID-19 Rapid Research Fund to study whether inhaled sedatives can replace those that are delivered intravenously in COVID-19 patients requiring ventilation.

6 Aug 2020

Synthetic peptide can make multidrug-resistant bacteria sensitive to antibiotics

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a synthetic peptide that can make multidrug-resistant bacteria sensitive to antibiotics again when used together with traditional antibiotics, offering hope for the prospect of a combination treatment strategy to tackle certain antibiotic-tolerant infections.

6 Aug 2020

Vela Diagnostics' coronavirus PCR test receives Emergency Use Authorization from FDA

Vela Diagnostics announced that the manual version of its coronavirus PCR test has obtained Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

6 Aug 2020

Fujirebio announces launch of clinical testing for new SARS-CoV-2 Antigen assay

Fujirebio Diagnostics, Inc., a consolidated subsidiary of H.U. Group Holdings, Inc, announced today the initiation of clinical testing needed for the submission of its new SARS-CoV-2 Antigen assay for EUA (Emergency Use Authorization) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

6 Aug 2020