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.

Study identifies three novel broad-spectrum SARS-CoV-2 cell entry inhibitors

Researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Cornell University in the U.S. just described several new inhibitors of human coronavirus spike proteins by screening a library of approved drugs with SARS-S and MERS-S pseudotyped particle entry assays. Their exciting findings are currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server.

13 Jul 2020

Bat research critical to help predict and prevent the next pandemic

The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has a likely connection to bats, and the next viral outbreak probably will too, unless scientists can quickly learn more about the thousands of viruses carried by one of the most diverse mammals on the planet.

13 Jul 2020

Skin rash may be a symptom of COVID-19

Researchers at King’s College London and Zoe Global Ltd have conducted a study suggesting that skin rashes could be valuable predictors of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

13 Jul 2020

Drug associated with lower mortality in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients

Critically ill COVID-19 patients who received a single dose of a drug that calms an overreacting immune system were 45% less likely to die overall, and more likely to be out of the hospital or off a ventilator one month after treatment, compared with those who didn't receive the drug, according to a new study by a team from the University of Michigan.

13 Jul 2020

Next showdown in Congress: Protecting workers vs. protecting employers in the pandemic

Congressional leaders are squaring off over the next pandemic relief bill in a debate over whom Congress should step up to protect: front-line workers seeking more safeguards from the ravages of COVID-19 or beleaguered employers seeking relief from lawsuits.

13 Jul 2020

NUS teams develop three nasopharyngeal swab designs for COVID-19 testing

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, there has been a global surge in demand for nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs, a key element in testing for SARS-CoV-2. Singapore is no exception. Commercially available NP swabs used in COVID-19 test kits are often out of stock due to supply chain disruptions.

13 Jul 2020

States allow in-person nursing home visits as families charge residents die ‘of broken hearts’

States across the country are beginning to roll back heart-wrenching policies instituted when the coronavirus pandemic began and allow in-person visits at nursing homes and assisted living centers, offering relief to frustrated families.

13 Jul 2020

Researchers analyze the effects of beta-blockers on men and women with hypertension

Women taking beta-blockers for hypertension with no prior history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) have a nearly 5% higher risk for heart failure than men when they present to hospitals with acute coronary syndrome, according to new research published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal.

13 Jul 2020

EKF introduces novel molecular transport media for dual COVID-19 and influenza sampling

EKF Diagnostics the global in vitro diagnostics company, announces that it has added a novel viral transport media for the safe sample handling and testing of multiple infectious diseases from a single swab to its product range.

From EKF Diagnostics 13 Jul 2020

Adding to COVID stress, families of health workers fight for denied workers’ comp benefits

James “Mike” Anderson was a hospital employee in suburban Philadelphia with a low-profile though critical job: changing air filters in COVIAdding To COVID Stress, Families Of Health Workers Fight For Denied Workers’ Comp BenefitsCOVID cases in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, had ramped up to as many as 90 per day.

13 Jul 2020

Preserving people's health is as important as reviving the economy during COVID-19, argue researchers

Strategies for the safe reopening of low and middle-income countries (LMICs) from months of strict social distancing in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic must recognize that preserving people's health is as important as reviving the economy, argue an international team of researchers.

13 Jul 2020

South Carolina reports first cases of coronavirus-related pediatric inflammatory syndrome

Coronavirus-related pediatric inflammatory syndrome, also known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C, is a rare inflammatory condition that affects children and adolescents and is tied to exposure to the novel coronavirus.

13 Jul 2020

Researchers develop COVID-19 mortality risk calculator

A new study published in July 2020 on the preprint server medRxiv describes the use of machine learning to provide a better understanding of the risk factors in large and mixed groups. The use of algorithms can help objectively evaluate these factors and perhaps capture interactions that could be missed in a purely observational study.

13 Jul 2020

No unique viral sequences found in pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2

In contrast to previous hypotheses, researchers from the University College London and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust found no evidence of unique viral sequences from patients with pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS). Their study is published on the medRxiv* preprint server.

12 Jul 2020

Global government COVID-19 interventions - no one-fits-all solution exists

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in July 2020 shows that some less intrusive NPIs are better than total lockdown. This may help to shape future measures should repeated waves of the pandemic occur.

12 Jul 2020

Working memory plays key role in social distancing compliance during COVID-19

Whether you decided to engage in social distancing in the early stages of COVID-19 depended on how much information your working memory could hold.

12 Jul 2020

First extensive review of COVID-19's effects on all affected organs outside the lungs

After only a few days caring for critically ill COVID-19 patients at the start of the outbreak in New York City, Aakriti Gupta, MD, realized that this was much more than a respiratory disease.

12 Jul 2020

New study to examine COVID-19's impact on the mental health of older adults

Rates of depression and stress have increased among the general population since the COVID-19 pandemic began. However, we know little about the current state of mental health of older adults (65+), who are at a higher risk for illness and death due to infection, and account for more than 95% of COVID-19 deaths in Ontario.

12 Jul 2020

GE Healthcare selects UH to evaluate new mobile x-ray system enabled with Critical Care Suite

GE Healthcare chose University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center in November of 2019 as the first hospital in the US to evaluate its new mobile x-ray system enabled with Critical Care Suite, the world's first on-device AI solution for triage & notification of critical findings and quality errors.

12 Jul 2020

Survey reveals COVID-19 pandemic-related mental health concerns among college students

The COVID-19 pandemic is putting significant stress on college students, many of whom are worried about increasing financial pressures caused by the pandemic and the lack of easily accessible mental healthcare.

11 Jul 2020

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Study identifies three novel broad-spectrum SARS-CoV-2 cell entry inhibitors

Bat research critical to help predict and prevent the next pandemic

Skin rash may be a symptom of COVID-19

Drug associated with lower mortality in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients

Next showdown in Congress: Protecting workers vs. protecting employers in the pandemic

NUS teams develop three nasopharyngeal swab designs for COVID-19 testing

States allow in-person nursing home visits as families charge residents die ‘of broken hearts’

Researchers analyze the effects of beta-blockers on men and women with hypertension

EKF introduces novel molecular transport media for dual COVID-19 and influenza sampling

Adding to COVID stress, families of health workers fight for denied workers’ comp benefits

Preserving people's health is as important as reviving the economy during COVID-19, argue researchers

South Carolina reports first cases of coronavirus-related pediatric inflammatory syndrome

Researchers develop COVID-19 mortality risk calculator

No unique viral sequences found in pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2

Global government COVID-19 interventions - no one-fits-all solution exists

Working memory plays key role in social distancing compliance during COVID-19

First extensive review of COVID-19's effects on all affected organs outside the lungs

New study to examine COVID-19's impact on the mental health of older adults

GE Healthcare selects UH to evaluate new mobile x-ray system enabled with Critical Care Suite

Survey reveals COVID-19 pandemic-related mental health concerns among college students

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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