SARS CoV 2 News and Research

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Paper-based device to detect coronavirus in wastewater

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread to180 countries and territories, affecting more than 850,000 people. The transmission of the coronavirus is through respiratory droplets. However, the risk of transmission through feces is low, based on data from previous coronavirus outbreaks. Though transmission of the novel coronavirus through sewerage systems is low, testing could help predict coronavirus outbreaks or spread.

31 Mar 2020

FDA to trial malaria drugs Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week provided the necessary authorization for clinical trials of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of the novel coronavirus. These two drugs have been claimed by President Donald Trump to be a potential treatment for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, which causes COVID-19 disease. To date, there has been no conclusive proof regarding the safety and efficacy of these drugs in COVID-19 cases, say officials.

31 Mar 2020

NJIT engineers design masks, shields and swabs to combat the surge in COVID-19 infections

As emergency response teams in the region scramble to acquire dwindling medical supplies to combat the surge in COVID-19 (coronavirus) infections, diverse members of the New Jersey Institute of Technology community - from engineers to physicists to advanced manufacturing specialists to students - are designing and fabricating devices to help address the shortfall.

31 Mar 2020

COVID-19 peak could be delayed until November with social distancing

While these numbers are alarming, a group of experts has predicted that we are far from seeing a peak effect of this infection, and if the present measures of social distancing work, the peak of the epidemic in New South Wales, Australia would be less severe and occur in November.

31 Mar 2020

TGen ramps up testing for COVID-19 to combat global health threat

Since mid-January, the Translational Genomics Research Institute has joined the world-wide effort to test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus causing the COVID-19 disease.

31 Mar 2020

Virus-scanning tool could identify previously undetected cases of COVID-19 infections

When a virus invades the body, it leaves fingerprints behind. A research tool known as VirScan can detect this evidence - from just a single drop of blood - and identify the viruses that have infected a person in the past. Soon, the new coronavirus will join the VirScan lineup.

31 Mar 2020

China's control measures during the first 50 days may have limited spread of COVID-19

China's control measures during the first 50 days of the COVID-19 epidemic may have delayed the spread of the virus to cities outside of Wuhan by several days and, by interrupting transmission nationwide, prevented more than 700,000 infections across the country, according to an international team of researchers.

31 Mar 2020

Three Australian experts explain the course of COVID-19

Researchers have been studying the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) closely since its beginning in December 2019. To date, the virus has infected over 850,000 individuals across the globe and killed over 41,000.

31 Mar 2020

Understanding the novel coronavirus genome

The novel coronavirus emerged in December 2019 in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, in China, and since then, it has rapidly spread to over 170 countries across the globe. Our knowledge of the virus, now officially named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is still in the early stages. However, scientists around the world are racing to better understand the virus, in the hope of shedding light on potential vaccines and therapies.

31 Mar 2020

INTEGRA, BioTools and Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology work together to accelerate COVID-19 testing

The global COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented demands on pathology services to test patient samples for the novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus alongside their pre-existing respiratory virus panels.

From INTEGRA Biosciences 31 Mar 2020

Eight strains of coronavirus afflicting the world

Scientists around the world are racing to study the novel coronavirus strain severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Now, it appears that there are eight strains of SARS-CoV-2 circulating the globe. The good news is that according to infectious disease physician and clinical microbiologist Charles Chiu, “The virus mutates so slowly that the virus strains are fundamentally very similar to each other.”

31 Mar 2020

How to boost your immune system to fight coronavirus

As the world struggles with the coronavirus pandemic, more and more people are trying to protect themselves against the virus by all means possible. There are currently no vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), so boosting the immune system by way of diet, regular exercise, and sleep are sensible measures.

31 Mar 2020

United States tracking mobile phones to map spread of COVID-19

United States officials are using location data from mobile phone users to track the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is causing the global pandemic of COVID-19. The USA, as of today, has a total of 163,807 cases of COVID-19 and has recorded 3,008 deaths.

30 Mar 2020

Origins of SARS-CoV-2 – natural or man-made?

With over 780,000 individuals across the world infected and over 37,000 dead, the world is gripped by the pandemic caused by the novel strain of coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

30 Mar 2020

COVID-19: What is social distancing?

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a novel coronavirus, akin to previous infections such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002 and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus disease (MERS-CoV) in 2012.

30 Mar 2020

Coronavirus shown to spread in high heat and humidity

A new study explores the possibility that the novel coronavirus, which is ravaging the world, can spread in hot and humid conditions, dispelling the view held by some investigators that the virus is more easily transmissible in colder climates.

30 Mar 2020

AI tool could accurately predict which COVID-19 patients will develop respiratory disease

An artificial intelligence tool accurately predicted which patients newly infected with the COVID-19 virus would go on to develop severe respiratory disease, a new study found.

30 Mar 2020

Scientists model human CMV-induced microcephaly using brain organoids

A City of Hope scientist is one step closer to discovering what weakens a pathogen that appears to cause babies to be born with abnormally small heads.

30 Mar 2020

How long to a coronavirus vaccine?

The whole world is waiting for one. A vaccine is the only thing that could conceivably save the world from a horrifying cascade of deaths, other than a miracle, it seems.

29 Mar 2020

Will 'old faithful' tuberculosis BCG vaccine work against COVID?

All over the world, except in China, the place where it all began, the COVID-19 pandemic is making its relentless way through the population. So far, it has caused nearly 34,000 deaths – and the situation in the US is still worsening with over 142,000 cases and 2,489 deaths. In Australia, the number of cases has climbed to 4,093, with 16 fatalities.

29 Mar 2020