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.

Revised manufacturing process for surgical gloves can save more time, energy

Cranfield University researchers in partnership with Meditech Gloves, one of the leading manufacturers of high-quality examination and surgical gloves, have shown how energy savings can be made with the development of more sustainable, biodegradable, protein-free, natural rubber gloves.

19 Nov 2020

Sinovac Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine candidate triggers immune response

Now, Sinovac Biotech's candidate vaccine, CoronaVac, has been found to induce an immune response in healthy adults aged 18–59 years, 28 days post-vaccination. However, the level of antibodies generated was lower than in people who had recovered from the illness.

19 Nov 2020

Mosaic RBD nanoparticles elicit neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2

The researchers show that the mice immunized with homotypic or mosaic nanoparticles produced broad binding and neutralizing responses, in contrast to plasma antibodies elicited in humans by SARS-CoV-2 infection. The RBD nanoparticles induced cross-reactive IgG responses in the immunized mice.

19 Nov 2020

Swiss data shows COVID-19 three times more deadly than the flu

Despite this, COVID-19 is often downplayed to be only a seasonal flu by many. This may be because both influenza and COVID-19 have a similar initial presentation, and it is tough to distinguish between the two based on just the clinical presentation.

19 Nov 2020

Cannabis use disorder may increase risk of COVID-19 hospitalization

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study suggesting that genetic vulnerability to a psychiatric syndrome called cannabis use disorder (CUD) may increase the risk of developing severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that requires hospitalization.

19 Nov 2020

New findings support current and planned clinical trials of Janssen SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

Researchers from the United States and The Netherlands have conducted a pre-clinical study supporting the initiation of a Phase 3 trial to test a two-dose regimen of the Janssen Ad26.COV2.S vaccine candidate among adult and elderly individuals.

19 Nov 2020

Study warns elderly individuals less able to reduce contacts during COVID-19 lockdown

In a rigorous medRxiv* preprint paper, a group of researchers demonstrate shifts in age structure and clinical characteristics of individuals affected with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) after social and economic reopening in three US states and show how elderly individuals were less able to reduce contacts when compared to the younger ones.

19 Nov 2020

Seroprevalence meta-analysis predicts 643 million already infected by SARS-CoV-2 globally

A recent systematic review and meta-analysis conducted by a team of international scientists reveal low seroprevalence of anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies in the general population.

19 Nov 2020

Pregnant women with COVID-19 have low risk of developing severe symptoms

Pregnant women who test positive for COVID-19 and their newborn babies have a low risk of developing severe symptoms, according to a new study from UT Southwestern.

19 Nov 2020

Detectable SARS-CoV-2 antibodies 120 days post-infection in Chicago case study

In a recent study, a team of researchers at Northwestern University, USA, had found that nearly 20 percent seroprevalence in the United States metropolitan site, Chicago, over the summer, during a period when lockdown restrictions were eased. They found that three-quarters of seropositive individuals retained detectable antibodies for at least 120 days or four months.

19 Nov 2020

Carrageenan-based composite nasal spray may help prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection

A team of researchers at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom formulated a spray that contains polysaccharides known for their mucoadhesive antiviral properties for prophylaxis against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

19 Nov 2020

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on those with OCDs

Researchers from the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf and University Hospital, Munich in Germany, have reported their findings on the course of obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCDs) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

19 Nov 2020

SARS-CoV-2 immunity can last over six months, study finds

US-based scientists have released a study on preprint server bioRxiv*, titled “Immunological memory to SARS-CoV-2 assessed for greater than six months after infection,” contributing to the enormous research effort currently underway in this area.

19 Nov 2020

COVID-19 lockdown is associated with high blood pressure

Lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with an increase in high blood pressure among patients admitted to emergency.

19 Nov 2020

Enforced isolation can increase risk of mental health problems in children, adolescents

The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated widespread social isolation, affecting all ages of global society.

19 Nov 2020

Teenagers facing COVID-19 and EVALI show similar symptoms

A UC Davis Health pediatric team presented a powerful case series of three teenagers who had unexplained breathing problems during the COVID-19 pandemic.

19 Nov 2020

Take it from an expert: Fauci’s hierarchy of safety during COVID

As a health journalist, a physician and a former foreign correspondent who lived through SARS in Beijing, I often get questions from friends, colleagues and people I don't even know about how to live during the pandemic.

19 Nov 2020

Genetic variations of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in cats

Using cats as an animal model to study severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission, researchers have determined the virus has a narrow transmission bottleneck.

19 Nov 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: What would Dr. Fauci do?

Since the mid-1980s, whenever there's been a public health crisis, America — and six U.S. presidents — have turned to Dr. Anthony Fauci.

19 Nov 2020

Countries worldwide should promote good nutrition for school-aged children

Countries worldwide need to increase emphasis on the need for healthy nutrition from childhood, including school years to adulthood, to help in brain development, a scientist says.

19 Nov 2020