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FDA issues emergency use authorization for first serology point-of-care test for COVID-19

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the first serology (antibody) point-of-care (POC) test for COVID-19.

24 Sep 2020

Many people are overestimating their risk of becoming seriously ill and dying from COVID-19

A new National Science Foundation-funded survey of six states has found that during the past two months, more people are wearing masks, vaccine uncertainty is on the rise, and many people are overestimating their risk of becoming seriously ill and dying from COVID-19.

24 Sep 2020

Siemens’ SARS-CoV-2 antibody immunoassays meet regulatory targets

New research being presented at the ESCMID Conference on Coronavirus Disease (ECCVID, online 23-25 September) shows that, in a head-to-head comparison of five tests used to detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (known as 'immunoassays'), an assay manufactured by Siemens and one developed by an academic partnership led by the University of Oxford had the most accurate results.

24 Sep 2020

Fourth Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating COVID-19 vaccine begins in the U.S.

A fourth Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating an investigational vaccine for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has begun enrolling adult volunteers.

23 Sep 2020

Most people with COVID-19 develop symptoms, study says

A new study by researchers at the University of Bern and published in the journal PLOS Medicine reports that while some people never experience any symptoms, most of those infected with the novel coronavirus do develop symptoms.

23 Sep 2020

Prenatal cannabis exposure may increase risk for psychopathology in middle childhood

While cannabis use during pregnancy is on the rise, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have found evidence that the resulting children are more likely to have psychopathology in middle childhood.

23 Sep 2020

FDA announces requirement of class-wide labeling changes for benzodiazepines

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today in a Drug Safety Communication that it is requiring an update to the Boxed Warning, the agency's most prominent safety warning, and requiring class-wide labeling changes for benzodiazepines to include the risks of abuse, misuse, addiction, physical dependence and withdrawal reactions to help improve their safe use.

23 Sep 2020

How families are keeping Halloween from turning into a COVID nightmare

For Laura Stoutingburg and her family, Halloween has always been a monthlong celebration of corn mazes, pumpkin patches and, of course, trick-or-treating in their suburban Denver neighborhood.

23 Sep 2020

'Silent' wave of neurological consequences may be on its way due to COVID-19

Is the world prepared a wave of neurological consequences that may be on its way as a result of COVID-19? This question is at the forefront of research underway at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health.

23 Sep 2020

New criteria on drinking water standard add extra levels of protection for families

Newly published changes to NSF/ANSI/CAN 61, the drinking water product standard required in the United States and Canada, further restrict the amount of lead that can leach from plumbing products, NSF International announced today.

23 Sep 2020

Shielding strategy could be ineffective in reducing COVID-19 prevalence and mortality

With the recognition that certain subgroups of the population seemed to have a higher risk of developing severe disease following infection, some countries put shielding policies into place to protect them from infection.

23 Sep 2020

New book sheds light on addiction to psychoactive drugs

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press (CSHLP) announced the publication of Addiction, 2e, now available on its website in ebook and hardcover formats.

23 Sep 2020

Study suggests herd immunity to COVID-19 in Brazilian city of Manaus

According to the study estimates, the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes COVID-19 – rapidly increased in Manaus between March and April, before slowly declining between May and September.

22 Sep 2020

FDA proposes updates to clarify evidence related to 'intended use' of FDA-regulated products

Today, we proposed updates to our regulations to clarify the types of evidence the FDA considers when determining the "intended use" of a product.

22 Sep 2020

New 'prediction model' can help hospitals care for COVID-19 patients

Using a combination of demographic and clinical data gathered from seven weeks of COVID-19 patient care early in the coronavirus pandemic, Johns Hopkins researchers today published a "prediction model" they say can help other hospitals care for COVID-19 patients - and make important decisions about planning and resource allocations.

22 Sep 2020

CDC withdraws guideline on SARS-CoV-2 airborne spread

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently published a new guideline, recognizing that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can spread via aerosols. Now, the health agency takes back its statement by deleting the updates published on Sept. 18.

22 Sep 2020

Study explores women's interest in long-acting injectable PrEP to prevent HIV

Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effective method of reducing risk for HIV, yet use of PrEP is uniformly low, especially among women.

22 Sep 2020

Study provides evidence of stark social inequities in COVID-19 outcomes

A geocoding approach - linking routinely collected public health data to neighborhood socioeconomic factors - shows consistently higher rates of COVID-19 illness and death among people living in more-disadvantaged communities, reports a study in the November/December Journal of Public Health Management and Practice.

22 Sep 2020

How COVID-19 flew to Greece

A recent study published in the journal Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease in September 2020 reports a series of cases following travel on a commercial airliner that heralded the earliest imported COVID-19 infections in Greece.

22 Sep 2020

FDA establishes the Digital Health Center of Excellence

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it is launching the Digital Health Center of Excellence within the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH).

22 Sep 2020