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.

Sweden’s controversial decision increased COVID-19 deaths

Sweden's controversial decision not to lock down during COVID-19 produced more deaths and greater healthcare demand than seen in countries with earlier, more stringent interventions, a new analysis finds.

6 Jul 2020

Obesity and BME status may place individuals at high-risk of contracting COVID-19

Obese people among black and minority ethnic communities (BME) are at around two times higher the risk of contracting COVID-19 than white Europeans, a study conducted by a team of Leicester researchers has found.

6 Jul 2020

Human trials of potential COVID-19 vaccine commence in South Australia

A potential COVID-19 vaccine developed at Flinders University has commenced human trials in South Australia.

6 Jul 2020

‘I couldn’t let her be alone’: A peaceful death amid the COVID scourge

As her mother lay dying in a Southern California hospital in early May, Elishia Breed was home in Oregon, 800 miles away, separated not only by the distance, but also by the cruelty of the coronavirus.

6 Jul 2020

Artificial intelligence can detect serious eye disease in diabetic patients

Results from the largest study of artificial intelligence use in the English Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (DESP), have shown that the technology can accurately detect serious eye disease among those with diabetes (retinopathy) and could halve the human workload associated with screening for diabetic eye disease, saving millions of pounds annually.

6 Jul 2020

Study examines elderly people's attitudes and compliance to COVID-19 preventive measures

Survey results from 27 countries suggest that, despite their increased risk of severe illness due to COVID-19, elderly people are not more willing to isolate when asked to, and are not more compliant with several COVID-19 preventive measures.

6 Jul 2020

2021 health plans granted leeway to limit consumers’ benefit from drug coupons

Without medication to manage her plaque psoriasis, Jennifer Brown's face, scalp, trunk and neck periodically become covered in painful red, flaky patches so dry they crack and bleed.

6 Jul 2020

What seniors should know before going ahead with elective procedures

For months, Patricia Merryweather-Arges, a health care expert, has fielded questions about the coronavirus pandemic from fellow Rotary Club members in the Midwest.

6 Jul 2020

Coronavirus crisis disrupts treatment for another epidemic: Addiction

Shawn Hayes was thankful to be holed up at a city-run hotel for people with COVID-19.

6 Jul 2020

Asthma does not appear to increase the risk of COVID-19, shows study

Asthma does not appear to increase the risk for a person contracting COVID-19 or influence its severity, according to a team of Rutgers researchers.

6 Jul 2020

WHO urged to recognize airborne transmission of COVID-19

Now, a team of international scientists, including 239 health experts from 32 countries, has written an open letter to the WHO urging the organization to revise its recommendations for the spread of SARS-CoV-2, due to mounting evidence that the disease is airborne for more extended periods than the WHO advisory.

6 Jul 2020

Oxford COVID-19 vaccine trials move to stage 3 human trials

The technical name of the vaccine is ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222), as it is made from a virus called ChAdOx1, which is a weakened and non-replicating version of a common cold virus (adenovirus). The vaccine has been engineered to express the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

5 Jul 2020

Research suggests protective effect of influenza vaccine against COVID-19 severity and mortality

A new study involving over 92,000 patients with COVID-19 in Brazil shows that the odds of severe disease, ventilatory support requirement, and death are reduced with a recent trivalent flu vaccine. This seems to indicate that these vaccines should be used as widely as possible to reduce the risk of severe COVID-19, especially among high-risk groups. The study is published on the preprint server medRxiv* in June 2020.

5 Jul 2020

High population density in India associated with spread of COVID-19

Indian health experts say the findings of a US study — which suggest that population density is unrelated to COVID-19 infection rates — to be completely contradictory to their experience of dealing with the pandemic in India, a country with 1.3 billion people.

3 Jul 2020

Study: One-third of Parkinson's patients experienced increased symptoms during lockdown

A third of people with Parkinson's have experienced increased symptoms during lockdown, according to a survey by Lancaster University and the charity Parkinson's UK.

3 Jul 2020

Survey: 6 out of 10 Swedes feel media provides the information they need on coronavirus pandemic

A decreasing proportion of Swedes think that the media's reporting on the coronavirus provides them with the information they need. Politicians who comment on the virus are perceived to be less in agreement than previously.

3 Jul 2020

Official U.S.tallies likely undercount COVID-19 deaths

The United States is the hardest-hit nation amid the coronavirus pandemic, with its case toll has topping 2.73 million. The death toll in the official tally has reached 128,742. Now, a new study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) deaths between March and May in the country were likely 28 percent higher than the official tally reported.

3 Jul 2020

Integration of diverse set of species and environments can enhance biomedical research cycle

In an article published today in Science, a multidisciplinary research team from more than 10 universities and research institutes outlines how integrating a more diverse set of species and environments could enhance the biomedical research cycle.

3 Jul 2020

Study: Variation in COVID-19 viral genome improves its ability to infect human cells

Researchers have shown that a variation in the viral genome of Covid-19 improved its ability to infect human cells and helped it become the dominant strain circulating around the world today.

3 Jul 2020

Diagnosis of COVID-19 by RT-LAMP assay in 25 minutes

Even as COVID-19 continues its inexorable march, taking hundreds of thousands of lives and causing nearly 11 million cases, the diagnosis of the infection is still not sensitive or specific enough. Now, a new study by scientists at the Francis Crick Institute and published on the preprint server medRxiv...

3 Jul 2020