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.

Corralling the facts on herd immunity

For a term that's at least 100 years old, "herd immunity" has gained new life in 2020.

29 Sep 2020

Efforts to keep COVID-19 out of prisons fuel outbreaks in county jails

When Joshua Martz tested positive for COVID-19 this summer in a Montana jail, guards moved him and nine other inmates with the disease into a pod so cramped that some slept on mattresses on the floor.

29 Sep 2020

PrimeStore® MTM novel viral transport media successfully evaluated by Public Health England for SARS-CoV-2 inactivation

EKF Diagnostics announces that the novel viral transport media PrimeStore® MTM has been successfully evaluated for effective SARS-CoV-2 inactivation.

From EKF Diagnostics 29 Sep 2020

Study identifies thousands of deaths caused by heart disease and stroke during COVID-19 pandemic

A major new study has identified 2085 excess deaths in England and Wales due to heart disease and stroke during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. On average, that is 17 deaths each day over four months that probably could have been prevented.

29 Sep 2020

COVID-19-related interruptions in rehabilitation care causes emotional distress in breast cancer survivors

Beyond the tragic surges in hospitalizations and deaths, the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted healthcare for people with a wide range of medical conditions - including cancer.

29 Sep 2020

How might India's monsoon season impact COVID-19 ?

A new study, by two Goethe University Frankfurt researchers, published on the preprint server medRxiv* in September 2020 explores the relationship between the monsoon season, the chances of exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation, and the COVID-19 mortality.

29 Sep 2020

Fear of COVID-19 can increase risk of substance abuse

Long after a COVID-19 vaccination is developed and years after the coronavirus death toll is tallied, the impact on mental health will linger, continuing to inflict damage if not addressed, according to new research.

29 Sep 2020

MU researchers identify mutations in virus causing COVID-19

When Saathvik Kannan's father, a faculty member at the University of Missouri, saw his friend, Kamlendra Singh, a research professor at MU, on television being interviewed for his research identifying possible treatments for COVID-19, he called Singh to congratulate him on his work.

29 Sep 2020

Fasting blood glucose levels upon admission tied to COVID-19 prognosis, study finds

In the study, which appeared on the pre-print open-source medRxiv* server, the investigators aimed to determine the prognostic value of blood glucose in predicting outcomes in COVID-19 disease, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

28 Sep 2020

Mental preparedness of nurses and nursing students in India for COVID-19

Researchers from Bengaluru, India, tried to assess the psychological preparedness of Indian nurses and nursing students in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic that has now affected over 33.27 million people worldwide seems to rage on unabated and is something that these healthcare workers have never faced before in their careers.

28 Sep 2020

Smell and taste changes last longer than other COVID-19 symptoms

A preprint paper published on the medRxiv server details a recent study by researchers from The Hebrew University, Hadassah-Hebrew University medical center, and Hadassah University Hospital, which addresses this gap in knowledge about the symptoms experienced by COVID-19 patients.

28 Sep 2020

SARS-CoV-2 re-infection is real but rare: Case study

Now, American researchers have looked at all reported cases of re-infection and the possible reasons behind them. Their study titled, “Re-infection with SARS-CoV-2 and Failure of Humoral Immunity: a case report,” is published online on the preprint server medRxiv in September 2020.

28 Sep 2020

Study finds link between screen time, dietary patterns and various health behaviors

The era of the television brought with it the TV dinner -- a fast, convenient meal that, while nutritionally questionable, meant the whole family could gather together on the sofa to enjoy "The Ed Sullivan Show" and eat their Swanson Salisbury steak, too.

28 Sep 2020

New agreements to ensure all countries have fair access to COVID-19 rapid diagnostic tests

A set of agreements to make available, for low and middle-income countries, affordable, high-quality COVID-19 antigen rapid tests were today announced by the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator.

28 Sep 2020

One-third of parents in the U.S. won’t get flu shots for their kids during the pandemic

A survey from the National Poll on Children’s Health, however, revealed that one-third of American parents have no plans of getting their children vaccinated for the flu virus this year during the COVID-19 pandemic.

28 Sep 2020

J&J's COVID-19 vaccine shows potent immune response in phase 2 human trial

A multicenter phase 1/2a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial has been conducted recently to evaluate the safety, reactogenicity, and immunogenicity of a non-replicating adenovirus-based vaccine, namely Ad26.COV2.S against severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

28 Sep 2020

Hamsters and ferrets clear low dose SARS-CoV-2 infection in 14 days

A recent study by French researchers has demonstrated that experimental exposure to severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is capable of inducing mild infection in hamsters and ferrets within 7 – 10 days of exposure. However, the infection completely resolves within 14 days. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server.

28 Sep 2020

Resveratrol and pterostilbene inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro

A team of scientists at the University of Groningen, in the Netherlands, demonstrates that a natural plant product, resveratrol, and its structural analog, pterostilbene, have long-lasting antiviral effects against severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server.

28 Sep 2020

Science academies present joint statement on health, sustainability, and digitization

In the run-up to the summit of the G20 countries in November 2020 to be held in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), the science academies of these countries have presented their joint statement "Foresight: Science for Navigating Critical Transitions".

28 Sep 2020

Life-threatening COVID-19 associated with specific genetic variants

Results of a genome-wide association study on 2,244 critically-ill patients due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from 208 intensive care units across the United Kingdom revealed significant host-specific genetic determinants that can predispose people to the severe form of the disease. The report is currently available on the medRxiv preprint server.

28 Sep 2020

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Corralling the facts on herd immunity

Efforts to keep COVID-19 out of prisons fuel outbreaks in county jails

PrimeStore® MTM novel viral transport media successfully evaluated by Public Health England for SARS-CoV-2 inactivation

Study identifies thousands of deaths caused by heart disease and stroke during COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19-related interruptions in rehabilitation care causes emotional distress in breast cancer survivors

How might India's monsoon season impact COVID-19 ?

Fear of COVID-19 can increase risk of substance abuse

MU researchers identify mutations in virus causing COVID-19

Fasting blood glucose levels upon admission tied to COVID-19 prognosis, study finds

Mental preparedness of nurses and nursing students in India for COVID-19

Smell and taste changes last longer than other COVID-19 symptoms

SARS-CoV-2 re-infection is real but rare: Case study

Study finds link between screen time, dietary patterns and various health behaviors

New agreements to ensure all countries have fair access to COVID-19 rapid diagnostic tests

One-third of parents in the U.S. won’t get flu shots for their kids during the pandemic

J&J's COVID-19 vaccine shows potent immune response in phase 2 human trial

Hamsters and ferrets clear low dose SARS-CoV-2 infection in 14 days

Resveratrol and pterostilbene inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro

Science academies present joint statement on health, sustainability, and digitization

Life-threatening COVID-19 associated with specific genetic variants

Best practices - optimize qPCR processes for pathogen detection eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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