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.

DFG establishes interdisciplinary commission to strengthen pandemic research

Against the background of the current coronavirus pandemic, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) is to establish an interdisciplinary commission for pandemic research.

18 Jun 2020

SARS-CoV-2 in breast milk can be inactivated using Holder pasteurization

Researchers in Germany have shown that human milk infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can be pasteurized using a standard method to ensure it is safe for breastfeeding.

18 Jun 2020

Survey: 9 in 10 Americans concerned pharma will leverage COVID-19 to increase drug prices

Nearly 9 in 10 U.S. adults are "very" (55%) or "somewhat" (33%) concerned that the pharmaceutical industry will leverage the COVID-19 pandemic to raise drug prices.

18 Jun 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: SCOTUS, Trump collide over transgender rights

Transgender people have had a head-spinning week. First, the Trump administration issued long-promised rules rolling back the Obama administration's protections against discrimination in health care.

18 Jun 2020

Swedish public's confidence in government officials is back at the same level as it was in March

After a significant increase in April, the Swedish public's confidence in government officials is now back at the same level as it was in March.

18 Jun 2020

Staffing levels and quality linked to COVID-19 toll in nursing homes

A new study shows that residents of long-term care facilities with lower nurse staffing levels, poorer quality scores, and higher concentrations of disadvantaged residents suffer from higher rates of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths.

18 Jun 2020

Novel biomarkers required to triage and monitor severely ill COVID-19 patients

Diagnostics company SphingoTec GmbH ("sphingotec") announced today the results of a working group meeting of clinical experts that discussed the utility of sphingotec's diagnostic solutions for acute and critical care in supporting the triage, diagnosis, and management of severely ill COVID-19 patients.

18 Jun 2020

‘Just make it home’: The unwritten rules blacks learn to navigate racism in America

Speak in short sentences. Be clear. Direct but not rude. Stay calm, even if you're shaking inside. Never put your hands in your pockets. Make sure people can always see your hands. Try not to hunch your shoulders. Listen to their directions.

18 Jun 2020

The costs of safely reopening a high-end restaurant

Like countless other restaurateurs across California and the nation, Alex and Charity Prestifilippo have been caught in a precarious health-and-safety limbo.

18 Jun 2020

Repurposing immunosuppressants to manage COVID-19

It might seem paradoxical to suggest immunosuppression could play a role in managing COVID-19. The seemingly logical therapeutic option for this disease would be an antiviral.

18 Jun 2020

Parents report increase in child’s emotional difficulties during COVID-19 lockdown

Parents/carers of children aged 4-10 years of age reported that over a one-month period in lockdown, they saw increases in their child’s emotional difficulties, such as feeling unhappy, worried, being clingy and experiencing physical symptoms associated with worry, according to early results from the Co-SPACE study, asking parents and carers about their children’s mental health through the COVID-19 crisis.

18 Jun 2020

Scientists aim to understand the biology of SARS-CoV-2 virus to enable drug development

The University of Huddersfield has awarded funding to a research team that aims to provide a head start in developing drugs that will combat future pandemics.

18 Jun 2020

Japanese health supplement could help tackle Covid-19 in people with comorbid conditions

A unique Beta 1,3-1,6 Glucan based Japanese health supplement, produced by black yeast, Aureobasidium Pullulans, could strategically help tackle Covid-19 in people with comorbid conditions like diabetes, kidney and heart diseases, as published in Frontiers in Immunology Journal recommending clinical studies, for validation.

18 Jun 2020

Study shows how EU safety legislation has affected UK vapers

Vapers have been largely reassured by recent EU safety regulations, but some have been pushed to the black market for stronger hits - according to new research from the University of East Anglia.

18 Jun 2020

Swiss-based VirtaMed provides surgical training in hospitals with mobile simulation lab

As Switzerland enters Phase 3 of COVID-19 restrictions, Zurich-based VirtaMed brings medical training to hospitals across the country with a mobile surgical simulation lab.

From VirtaMed 18 Jun 2020

COVID-19 and blood group in aortic valve replacement

The COVID-19 pandemic has been found to cause disproportionate harm in patients with cardiovascular disease, especially among the elderly population, among other risk factors. However, a new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in June 2020 is the first to report its clinical features in patients with aortic stenosis who have had a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

18 Jun 2020

COVID-19 could trigger diabetes in healthy people

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) causes severe illness in people with underlying health conditions, such as heart disease, hypertension, lung illness, and diabetes. Now, scientists warn that viral infection may trigger the development of diabetes in healthy people.

18 Jun 2020

SARS-CoV-2 found in river water, flags risk for humans, wildlife and livestock

Now, a new study by scientists in Ecuador and published on the preprint server medRxiv in June 2020 shows that the virus is present in river water too, which could imply a significant transmission risk in developing countries with inadequate sanitation facilities.

17 Jun 2020

Globally, 350 million could be at risk of severe COVID-19 and hospitalization

Now, a new study shows that one in five individuals is at risk of getting a severe case of COVID-19 due to the presence of underlying disease. The study appeared in the latest issue of The Lancet Global Health this week.

17 Jun 2020

Can a toilet flush spread coronavirus?

A new study by Chinese researchers at Yangzhou University shows how fluid dynamics can predict if flushing a toilet with the lid open could lead to the transmission of a virus. The study titled, “Can a toilet promote virus transmission? From a fluid dynamics perspective,” was published in the latest issue of the journal, The Journal of Acoustical Society of America (JASA).

17 Jun 2020