SARS News and Research

RSS

COVID‐19 epidemics could be seasonal, peaking during the cold season

Now, a new study shows the link between lower humidity and an increase in locally acquired positive cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which means that outbreaks may happen during the winter season.

4 Jun 2020

Distancing, masks and eye gear protects against spread of SARS-CoV-2 finds large study

In a comprehensive systemic analysis of different studies, researchers have found that physical distancing, use of face masks, and eye protection were the most effective ways to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection from one person to another.

4 Jun 2020

Study says vitamin-magnesium combo may reduce severity of COVID-19 in seniors

The COVID-19 pandemic that began in late December 2019 has spread to over 188 countries and territories, causing over 6.5 million cases and 385,000 deaths. With no effective therapeutic COVID-19 drug or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine in sight, researchers are exploring different strategies to limit its spread and mortality.

4 Jun 2020

Hesperos’ immune system-on-a-chip emulates immune reactions for tissue damage and acute inflammation

Hesperos Inc., pioneers of the Human-on-a-Chip in vitro system, today announced the publication of a new peer-reviewed publication that describes how the company’s technology can be used to investigate immune responses following treatment with biological therapeutics for multi-organ systemic diseases, including cancer, infectious diseases and inflammatory disorders.

4 Jun 2020

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences’ RNAdvance Viral XP kit listed for use in EUA-authorized COVID-19 testing

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences today announced RNAdvance Viral XP has been added to the list of acceptable extraction methods for use in the Centers for Disease Control’s EUA-authorized COVID-19 test referenced in the FDA’s FAQ on testing for SARS-CoV-2. Laboratories are now permitted to independently validate RNAdvance Viral XP for use.

From Beckman Coulter Life Sciences 4 Jun 2020

Age and diabetes the biggest risk factors for death in pregnant COVID-19 patients

A recent research letter published on the preprint server medRxiv in June 2020 evaluates the risk factors that may lead to higher mortality in pregnant women with COVID-19 in middle-income countries.

4 Jun 2020

How COVID-19 affects people with Down Syndrome

A new study published in June 2020 on the preprint online server medRxiv reports on the increased risk of COVID-19 in Down Syndrome (DS) and certain characteristic features that are found in this population segment.

3 Jun 2020

Discharge-ready patients still breathing out SARS-CoV-2 particles, finds study

In just five months, the COVID-19 paralyzed huge cities, confined billions to their homes, and brought economic activity to a standstill in much of the world. Tens of thousands of patients became critically ill, overwhelming healthcare facilities. Even as many recovered and were ready to go home, a new study published in May 2020 on the preprint server medRxiv reports that a significant number of patients ready to go home still have virus particles in their exhaled breath.

3 Jun 2020

Genetic variations linked to COVID-19 severity

A new report by researchers from Thailand's Mahidol University and published on the preprint server medRxiv in May 2020 reports that the clinical severity of COVID-19 may be linked to the genetic makeup of the patient in addition to external factors.

3 Jun 2020

AI can be used to expand the role of chest X-ray imaging in COVID-19 diagnosis

According to a recent report by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers, artificial intelligence (AI) should be used to expand the role of chest X-ray imaging -- using computed tomography, or CT -- in diagnosing and assessing coronavirus infection so that it can be more than just a means of screening for signs of COVID-19 in a patient's lungs.

3 Jun 2020

Showers, toilets and washbasins may act as SARS-CoV-2 reservoirs despite low environmental transmission

In their new research paper currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server, scientists from the University of Bonn in Germany demonstrated that indirect environmental transmission most likely plays only a minor role in the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, certain potentially neglected viral reservoirs have to be taken into account when introducing epidemiological measures.

3 Jun 2020

Blood group type may affect susceptibility to COVID-19 respiratory failure

A group of over 120 researchers from various institutions across Europe has performed the first genome-wide association study to reveal host genetic factors that may contribute to respiratory failure in cases of coronavirus disease 209 (COVID-19).

3 Jun 2020

COVID-19 patients exhale millions of viral particles per hour

An international team of researchers reports that patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) release thousands of viral particles directly into the air simply though breathing.

3 Jun 2020

Hype collides with science as FDA tries to rein in ‘Wild West’ of COVID blood tests

"Save your business while saving lives," reads the website of Because Health, a Seattle tech startup selling two types of tests to employers willing to pay $350 a pop to learn whether their workers have been infected with COVID-19.

3 Jun 2020

New COVID-19 test speeds up access to urgent care

The first analysis of a new point-of-care "nucleic acid test" for SARS-CoV-2 in a UK hospital setting shows these machines dramatically reduce time spent on COVID-19 'holding' wards - allowing patients to be treated or discharged far quicker than with current lab testing set-ups.

3 Jun 2020

Convalescent plasma therapy improves outcomes in majority of COVID-19 patients

First peer-reviewed publication on US trial results from Houston Methodist published in The American Journal of Pathology

3 Jun 2020

Sample inactivation may contribute to false-negative rate of SARS-Cov-2

To protect medical laboratory personnel from infection when testing clinical samples for SARS-CoV-2, most laboratories inactivate the virus before testing.

3 Jun 2020

Scientists map how SARS-CoV-2 infects the airways

Now, in a significant scientific study, a team of researchers at the University of North Carolina Health Care (UNC) have mapped how SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), infects the nasal cavity, the airways, and down to the lungs.

3 Jun 2020

Siemens receives FDA approval for SARS-CoV-2 antibody test

Siemens Healthineers has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had issued an Emergency Use Authorization for its total antibody test to detect the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies, including Immunoglobulin M (IgM) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) in the blood.

3 Jun 2020

Does smoking increase COVID-19 risk?

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to smolder and smoke in many parts of the world, with over 100,000 cases, and more than 3,000 deaths reported every day. Many factors are responsible for the higher risk of infection in certain specific population subgroups are known.

2 Jun 2020