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.

Loneliness in Parkinson's disease may increase risk for symptom severity

Research from UCLA scientists and colleagues from other institutions finds that people with Parkinson's disease who lack meaningful social interactions may be at an increased risk for severe symptoms related to the disease.

18 Nov 2020

Vitamin D3 supplementation shows no therapeutic benefits in severe COVID-19 patients, study finds

A team of researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil aimed to determine if vitamin D3 supplementation reduces the length of stay in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19.

18 Nov 2020

Around 10 SARS-CoV-2 virions per cell in human body, study finds

A new study has found that there are about ten virus particles in each cell in the body. The research team from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and the University of California in the USA estimate that each infected person carries around 109-1011 virions during peak infection.

18 Nov 2020

Ancient East Asian peoples may have adapted to coronavirus-like epidemic up to 25,000 years ago

A new study by researchers at the University of Adelaide and Australian National University in Australia and the University of Arizona in the US shows that an ancient coronavirus-like epidemic drove the adaptation of East Asian peoples from 25,000 to 5,000 years ago.

18 Nov 2020

How weather affects SARS-CoV-2 transmission: A US-based case study

How changes in the weather affect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been the topic of several studies. The preoccupation of researchers with this aspect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic follows from observations that the flu virus and other coronaviruses follow seasonal patterns. Understanding how SARS-CoV-2’s transmissibility is affected by seasonal changes can thus help us to develop more informed preventative measures against its spread.

18 Nov 2020

Around 30 percent of Australians hesitant to accept SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, study finds

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in November 2020 suggests that a significant proportion of the Australian population is likely to show vaccine hesitancy. This indicates the need for public health messaging as well as, in some cases, other policy measures.

18 Nov 2020

Nature experiences may help mitigate negative mental health effects of COVID-19

A study published in Ecological Applications suggests that nature around one's home may help mitigate some of the negative mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

18 Nov 2020

Severe COVID-19 complications linked to gut barrier breakdown

A new study claims that severe COVID-19 is caused by a positive feedback loop triggered by systemic inflammation and mediated by abnormal gut permeability. This finding could potentially help open up new avenues of treatment.

18 Nov 2020

SARS-CoV-2 causes a unique cytokine storm, study finds

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in November 2020 reports some of the unique elements of COVID-19-induced CRS and how understanding these distinctive characteristics of the disease could help in formulating specific interventions and therapies.

18 Nov 2020

COVID-19's harmful neurological effects are more common in patients with hypertension, diabetes

Some patients with COVID-19 are at higher risk of neurological complications like bleeding in the brain and stroke, according to a study being presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

18 Nov 2020

Government-funded scientists laid the groundwork for billion-dollar vaccines

When he started researching a troublesome childhood infection nearly four decades ago, virologist Dr. Barney Graham, then at Vanderbilt University, had no inkling his federally funded work might be key to deliverance from a global pandemic.

18 Nov 2020

As broad shutdowns return, weary Californians ask ‘is this the best we can do?’

For Tom Davis, being told by the state this week that he must close his Pacific Edge Climbing Gym for the third time in six months is beyond frustrating.

18 Nov 2020

Anger after North Dakota Governor asks COVID-positive health staff to stay on job

Nurse Leslie McKamey has gotten used to the 16-hour shifts, to skipping lunch, to the nightly ritual of throwing all her clothes in the laundry and showering as soon as she walks through the door to avoid potentially infecting her children.

18 Nov 2020

Diabetes and hypertension may increase the risk of COVID-19 brain complications

New data has revealed those with type 2 diabetes and hypertension are at an increased risk of neurological complications following infection with COVID-19.

18 Nov 2020

Study: Non-COVID-19 deaths significantly increased from March through May 2020

March through May saw a significant increase in deaths over previous years - and not just from COVID-19, says a new study from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

18 Nov 2020

Pandemic restrictions reduced global NO2 concentrations by nearly 20%, shows study

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, space- and ground-based observations have shown that Earth's atmosphere has seen significant reductions in some air pollutants.

18 Nov 2020

FDA approves first COVID-19 diagnostic test for at-home use

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the first COVID-19 diagnostic test for self-testing at home and that provides rapid results.

18 Nov 2020

Scientists receive funds at 2020 event hosted by Center for BrainHealth

The Center for BrainHealth, part of The University of Texas at Dallas, recently hosted the first-ever virtual iteration of the annual Friends of BrainHealth Scientist Selection Luncheon, during which the following scientists were awarded funds for their independently designed research studies.

18 Nov 2020

New study may shed light on the adaptive immune response to COVID-19

New research funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) aims to boost understanding of how the immune system responds to COVID-19, from the start of infection to recovery.

18 Nov 2020

Immunological memory can protect people against new infection after COVID-19 recovery

Until now, it was unclear whether a survived SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 leads to persistent immunological memory and thus can protect against a new infection.

18 Nov 2020