Pandemic News and Research

RSS

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.

New COVID-19 pooling test detects asymptomatic carriers

A new peer-reviewed study published in Science Advances confirms the success of a new COVID-19 pooling test that identifies all positive subjects, including asymptomatic carriers, in a single round of testing.

21 Aug 2020

Nasal vaccine effective in preventing COVID-19 infection in mice

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a vaccine that targets the SARS-CoV-2 virus, can be given in one dose via the nose and is effective in preventing infection in mice susceptible to the novel coronavirus.

21 Aug 2020

Researchers find clues to successful immune response in the T cells of COVID-19 patients

When news about a novel coronavirus switched from a chronicle of its progress in China to headlines about a worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, Gladstone Institutes scientist Nadia Roan, PhD, was in the midst of publishing several papers on T cells and their role in HIV spread and long-lasting infections.

21 Aug 2020

COVID-19 patients most likely readmitted to hospital for respiratory distress, study finds

This study describes characteristics of patients with COVID-19 who returned to the ER or required readmission to the hospital within 14 days of being discharged. Understanding what conditions impact these patient outcomes can help improve care during the hospital stay and after discharge.

21 Aug 2020

Harvard's Wyss Institute launches Torus Biosystems to develop, commercialize DNA nanotechnology

The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University announced today that Cambridge, MA-based Torus BiosystemsTM, Inc., will develop and commercialize DNA nanotechnology developed at the Wyss Institute by Peng Yin and David Zhang.

21 Aug 2020

Strong feelings of germ aversion and pathogen disgust associated with preventative behavior

Creeped out by cooties? Grossed out by germs? Squeamish about sickness? If so, then you might also find yourself engaging in more preventative health behaviors, like frequent handwashing and disinfecting your living environment, during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

21 Aug 2020

Democratic convention, night 4: ‘Facts over fiction’ in Biden’s speech

In a near-empty arena on the river in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, former Vice President Joe Biden accepted the Democratic nomination for president, promising hope over fear, fairness over privilege, love over hate.

21 Aug 2020

Public confidence in the Swedish media is decreasing but has strengthened for government officials

Swedes perceive the tone of reporting on the coronavirus in the media as less hyped/alarmist than they did prior to the summer. Public confidence in the media is decreasing but has strengthened for government officials.

21 Aug 2020

Study: Many COVID-19 patients suffer cardiovascular damage even after recovery

One of the most harrowing effects of COVID-19 is severe damage to the lungs, which makes breathing hard or impossible for those who're severely affected.

21 Aug 2020

California’s data failures stymie efforts to curb the virus

The failure of California's infectious disease monitoring system for a stretch of at least 20 days in July and August triggered potentially deadly fallout that continues to reverberate across the state.

21 Aug 2020

DeSantis says COVID is a lower risk for school-aged kids than flu

Even as his state is a hotbed for COVID-19, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been pushing schools to reopen so parents have the choice of sending children back to the classroom or keeping them home to learn virtually.

21 Aug 2020

Swab, spit, stay home? College coronavirus testing plans are all over the map

Yousuf El-Jayyousi, a junior engineering student at the University of Missouri, wanted guidance and reassurance that it would be safe to go back to school for the fall semester. He tuned into a pair of online town halls organized by the university hoping to find that.

21 Aug 2020

Deadly mix: How bars are fueling COVID-19 outbreaks

From the early days of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak, states have wrestled with the best course of action for bars and nightclubs, which largely have their economic prospects tied to social gatherings in tight quarters. As the virus has pinched the industry’s lifeblood, bar owners in a handful of states are fighting in court against government orders that they stay closed.

21 Aug 2020

SARS-CoV-2 ORF9c responsible for immune evasion and efficient infection of host

A recent study by researchers at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute and the University of California San Francisco and published on the preprint server bioRxiv in August 2020 shows that a protein encoded by the subgenomic sequence ORF9c of SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for the low antiviral response in infected humans, enabling the successful replication of the virus in the host.

21 Aug 2020

The Native Antigen Company announces custom contract service to develop influenza A and B antigens

The Native Antigen Company, one of the world’s leading suppliers of reagents that enables research into vaccines and diagnostics for emerging and endemic infectious diseases, today announced the introduction of its custom contract service to rapidly develop antigen panels for influenza A and B viruses.

21 Aug 2020

NPL scientists design a simple, low-cost ventilator

Scientists and engineers from the National Physical Laboratory have created a low cost and easy-to-manufacture ventilator design, in response to the need for affordable ventilator technologies in emerging markets.

21 Aug 2020

New survey tool gathers, analyzes patient feedback on remote consultations

Healthcare surveys specialist, CFEP Surveys, has today announced the availability of a new survey to gather and analyse patient feedback on telephone and video consultations.

21 Aug 2020

Macaques show low neutralizing antibody and cellular immune response to SARS-CoV-2

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in August 2020 presents a cynomolgus macaque model that develops symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection in a mild form, with low or no antibody responses, making it suitable to study human responses to vaccines and drugs targeting the virus.

21 Aug 2020

Researchers compare COVID-19 transmission risk when singing, speaking and breathing

Now, a new study* set to determine if singing and playing of woodwind and brass instruments produce more respiratory droplets and aerosols than speaking. Further, they want to know if the size and temperature of the venue will make a difference in the accumulation of aerosol droplets in the air.

21 Aug 2020

Bioinformatics identifies key genes and cellular pathways in COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic is showing no signs of waning or extinction anytime soon. Now, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in August 2020 shows a new bioinformatics approach to studying the pathogenesis of this disease, by uncovering the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and cell signaling pathways that cause the disease characteristics. This will help develop better therapies to counter the effects of these genes.

20 Aug 2020

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

New COVID-19 pooling test detects asymptomatic carriers

Nasal vaccine effective in preventing COVID-19 infection in mice

Researchers find clues to successful immune response in the T cells of COVID-19 patients

COVID-19 patients most likely readmitted to hospital for respiratory distress, study finds

Harvard's Wyss Institute launches Torus Biosystems to develop, commercialize DNA nanotechnology

Strong feelings of germ aversion and pathogen disgust associated with preventative behavior

Democratic convention, night 4: ‘Facts over fiction’ in Biden’s speech

Public confidence in the Swedish media is decreasing but has strengthened for government officials

Study: Many COVID-19 patients suffer cardiovascular damage even after recovery

California’s data failures stymie efforts to curb the virus

DeSantis says COVID is a lower risk for school-aged kids than flu

Swab, spit, stay home? College coronavirus testing plans are all over the map

Deadly mix: How bars are fueling COVID-19 outbreaks

SARS-CoV-2 ORF9c responsible for immune evasion and efficient infection of host

The Native Antigen Company announces custom contract service to develop influenza A and B antigens

NPL scientists design a simple, low-cost ventilator

New survey tool gathers, analyzes patient feedback on remote consultations

Macaques show low neutralizing antibody and cellular immune response to SARS-CoV-2

Researchers compare COVID-19 transmission risk when singing, speaking and breathing

Bioinformatics identifies key genes and cellular pathways in COVID-19

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

Latest News