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.

Next-gen nano technologies set to transform the medical industry

Next-gen nano technologies that can prevent infection and diagnose disease are set to transform the medical industry as this important UniSA research is awarded more than $2 million dollars under the National Health and Medical Research Council 2021 Investigator Grants.

21 May 2020

COVID-19 may damage the central nervous system

Researchers at University Hospital Düsseldorf, Germany, have provided important insights into the potential impact that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could have on the central nervous system.

21 May 2020

Nebraska researcher develops new technology for contact tracing

How does society establish a new normal during a pandemic?

21 May 2020

New study provides valuable insight into health and wellbeing of children in Ireland

A new report, Spotlight on Adolescent Health and Well-being, published today by WHO Regional Office for Europe, compiles extensive data on the physical health, social relationships and mental well-being of 227 441 schoolchildren aged 11, 13 and 15, from 45 countries.

21 May 2020

Researchers collaboratively evaluate mask effectiveness to prevent coronavirus pandemic

In the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic, masks were in such short supply they were nearly impossible to find. As a result, people began creating substitute masks out of anything possible - scarves, repurposed old T-shirts, even vacuum bags.

21 May 2020

Study shows selenium-containing compounds inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication and assembly

A recent paper by researchers from the Netherlands and Poland provides evidence that modified ebselen derivatives may serve as highly promising prospective drugs against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The manuscript is freely available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

21 May 2020

Computational immunology paves the way for SARS-CoV-2 peptide cocktail vaccine candidate

By employing an immunoinformatics approach, a new study available on the preprint server bioRxiv* shows how the combination of peptides designed from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) nucleocapsid phosphoprotein and spike glycoprotein may trigger an improved immunological response with respectable safety profile, informing, in turn, further vaccine development.

21 May 2020

COVID-19 in farmed Mink in the Netherlands

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in May 2020 reports the development of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in farmed mink in two locations in the Netherlands.

21 May 2020

Does abdominal fat affect COVID-19 outcomes?

As the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be slowing down in some parts of the world slightly but accelerating in others, scientists are investigating the role played by a host of factors that might impact the final outcome. A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in May 2020 examines the role of abdominal fat (visceral obesity, VO) in severe COVID-19.

21 May 2020

Lower mean number of household members associated with more COVID-19 cases

Regions of Italy with higher family fragmentation and a high number of residential nursing homes experienced the highest rate of COVID-19 infections in people over age 80, according to a new study published May 21, 2020 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Giuseppe Liotta of the University of Rome, Italy, and colleagues.

21 May 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: When it comes to COVID-19, states are on their own

At least so far, states that reopened their economies are not seeing a major spike in cases of COVID-19. But it remains unclear if that is because the coronavirus is not spreading, because the data is lagging or because the data is being manipulated.

21 May 2020

LLNL engineers address shortage of nasopharyngeal swabs for COVID-19

In this era of COVID-19, tracking the disease adequately enough to allow state and local officials to lift shelter-in-place orders and return to a semblance of normalcy in the absence of a vaccine will require widespread testing, according to medical experts.

21 May 2020

Study: COVID-19 infection may cause subacute thyroiditis

COVID-19 infection may cause subacute thyroiditis, according to a new case study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

21 May 2020

Medical rationing could cause unlawful death from COVID-19

While the initial coronavirus peak is starting to pass - in Europe, at least - without the ventilator shortages many feared, the spectre of a second wave or future outbreak means questions of medical rationing still hold sway.

21 May 2020

Producing virus-specific antibodies after COVID-19

In order to design effective vaccines for COVID-19, we need to understand our immune responses. News-Medical speaks to Professor Chen Dong to find out more.

21 May 2020

Bioinsider launches COVID-19 virtual meeting series

Bioinsider has opened registration and a call for speaker proposals for its four-part virtual meeting series, Together as One COVID-19 Series.

21 May 2020

Analysis: Get ready for the vaccine — they’re never simple

If there is a silver lining to the flawed U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic, it is this: The relatively high number of new cases being diagnosed daily — upward of 20,000 — will make it easier to test new vaccines.

21 May 2020

Reopening dental offices for routine care amid pandemic touches a nerve

Tom Peeling wanted his teeth cleaned and wasn't going to let the coronavirus pandemic get in the way.

21 May 2020

Nasopharyngeal swab vs. saliva for COVID-19 diagnosis

One thing has become apparent in the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19. Early diagnosis and treatment, when necessary, is crucial to prevent the progression of the disease to critical and life-threatening stages where the mortality rate is much higher than otherwise. Rapid diagnosis is also key to containing outbreaks by allowing for efficient contact tracing in hospitals as well as in communities.

21 May 2020

Research looks at COVID-19 in cancer patients

As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, new questions arise as to the risk posed by the virus to different patient populations, including the elderly and those with underlying disease. A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in May 2020 deals with the risk of COVID-19 in the subgroup of patients with cancer.

21 May 2020