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.

Vitamin D could improve outcomes in COVID-19

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in May 2020 shows that vitamin D could have a beneficial effect on the course of illness for COVID-19 patients.

7 May 2020

Excluding children from COVID-19 clinical trials may limit their treatment options

A new viewpoint article from Harvard Medical School, published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, discusses the hesitancy to include children in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) clinical trials, potentially diminishing their therapeutic options in the long run.

7 May 2020

New app to be developed to protect carers, support workers during COVID-19 pandemic

Three University of Stirling projects will play a key role in safeguarding carers and support workers during the COVID-19 pandemic - and assessing the impact the experience has on them.

7 May 2020

Lancaster psychologist helps NHS oncology staff to remain healthy during COVID-19 crisis

A Lancaster psychologist is part of a UK team researching staff who work in oncology departments to share their experiences and views about working during the COVID-19 crisis.

7 May 2020

How the pandemic and an anti-vax health official are roiling a Montana community

Even as Montana begins a gradual easing of stay-at-home restrictions intended to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the political schism it highlighted is creating reverberations in one community in the northwestern corner of the state.

7 May 2020

EFP develops safety protocol for dental practices during Covid-19

Oral healthcare is severely affected all over the world by the Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic because of the risk implied for both dental professionals and patients.

7 May 2020

Economic blow of the coronavirus hits America’s already stressed farmers

Richard Oswald, still mourning the loss of his family's homestead to flooding along the Missouri River, is planting corn and soybeans into ground that last year was feet deep underwater.

7 May 2020

DFG to set up new clinical and research units

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) is setting up three new Research Units and one new Clinical Research Unit.

7 May 2020

Twist Bioscience Identifies Competitive Antibodies for SARS-CoV-2

Twist Bioscience Corporation has identified competitive antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, which could potentially be used for diagnostic tests and treatments.

7 May 2020

New study to focus on impact of COVID-19 pandemic on older adults

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social contact, loneliness, wellbeing and physical activity in older adults will be the focus of a new University of Stirling study.

7 May 2020

Researchers develop nano-based anti-coronavirus surface coating

The coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which is responsible for the current COVID-19 pandemic, is transmitted between people mainly via respiratory droplets, but it is known that the virus remains stable on various surfaces for days.

7 May 2020

British Liver Trust urges people to drink responsibly during COVID-19 pandemic

The UK’s leading liver health charity, the British Liver Trust, is urging people to drink responsibly as in-store sales of alcohol rocket since lockdown began.

7 May 2020

Researchers show how bats carry the MERS coronavirus

A University of Saskatchewan (USask) research team has uncovered how bats can carry the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus without getting sick--research that could shed light on how coronaviruses make the jump to humans and other animals.

7 May 2020

New survey gains broader insights into the personal impact of Covid-19 on people with eye conditions

Eye research charity Fight for Sight has launched a survey to gather broader insights into the personal impact that Covid-19 is having on people with sight loss and eye conditions.

7 May 2020

Dynata’s Global COVID-19 Symptom Map can help organizations respond to ongoing pandemic

The world’s largest first-party data and insights platform, Dynata, is using its scale and reach to assist organizations around the world with the monitoring and tracking of COVID-19.

7 May 2020

The effect of weather on COVID-19 infection rate

Viral epidemics are nothing new in human history. Several viruses circulate freely every year among human beings, causing seasonal outbreaks of disease and death, such as the seasonal flu. A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* reports that temperature plays a significant role in the growth of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

6 May 2020

Air pollution associated with greater virulence of COVID-19

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in April 2020 provides convincing evidence that air pollution contributes to greater severity of COVID-19. The researchers say, “This suggests the detrimental impact climate change will have on the trajectory of future respiratory epidemics.”

6 May 2020

Study discovers inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 entry priming protein by approved drug

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome -coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread to most of the world, causing millions of cases and hundreds of thousands of deaths. A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* shows that a protease inhibitor drug already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could inhibit viral entry.

6 May 2020

Low CD8 and NK cell counts in the lung linked to high SARS-CoV-2 ACE2 receptor levels

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in April 2020 reports that low levels of specific immune cells, namely, CD8 T cells and NK cells, are linked to higher expression of the ACE2 molecule, which acts as a receptor for the CoV.

6 May 2020

How do betacoronaviruses evolve?

Researchers have worked on the evolution of the pathogenic strains of the betacoronaviruses including the SARS CoV-2 that has caused the COVID-19 pandemic.

6 May 2020