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.

First French COVID-19 case was in December 19

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19), formerly known as the novel coronavirus infection, was first reported in late December 2019 in Wuhan City in China. Many health experts believe that the virus had spread way before it was identified as the culprit for many pneumonia-like diseases. Now, a French doctor says that the coronavirus reached France back in December when it admitted a pneumonia patient into hospital.

5 May 2020

How non-pharmaceutical interventions affect COVID lockdown relaxation

An American study published on the preprint server medRxiv in April 2020 shows the frightening limitations of any relaxation of social distancing norms with respect to containing the COVID-19 spread. Currently, the illness is the cause of massive numbers of deaths, close to 70,000, as well as widespread business shutdowns, loss of revenue and employment, and social disruptions in America.

5 May 2020

Shortages of PPE for healthcare workers could be tackled using social media and 3D printing

Researchers have come up with the use of social media and 3D printing techniques to deal with the severe shortage of personal protective equipment (PPEs) for healthcare workers who are dealing with the highly infectious severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The

5 May 2020

COVID-19 infection risk and outcomes explained by the cell receptor genetic variability

Genetic variants in the angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, utilized by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) for cell entry, are predicted to either encourage or inhibit interaction with viral proteins and subsequently contribute to genetic risk in coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This is the key finding of a new study available on the preprint server bioRxiv*.

5 May 2020

Viral post alleging Obama-era device tax caused current PPE shortage is way off

A social media post, which in April was shared widely on Facebook and made appearances on a conservative online discussion forum, asserts that former President Barack Obama signed legislation that caused companies to manufacture medical devices overseas, including items essential for the current coronavirus pandemic.

5 May 2020

Palliative care helped family face ‘the awful, awful truth’

Seattle mourned the news: Elizabeth and Robert Mar died of COVID-19 within a day of each other. They would have celebrated 50 years of marriage in August.

5 May 2020

Experts propose three areas that must be considered when resuming cardiovascular procedures

The American College of Cardiology together with other North American cardiovascular societies has issued a framework for ethically and safely reintroducing invasive cardiovascular procedures and diagnostic tests after the initial peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

5 May 2020

Psychological issues related to COVID-19 outbreak will contribute to global mental health crisis

Remote psychological support services are struggling to manage COVID-19 fear and stress, as experts warn a mental illness pandemic is on its way.

5 May 2020

Russian scientists create humanized mice to test drugs and vaccines for COVID-19

Following the recent Coronavirus outbreak, almost three million people have been infected worldwide, whereas the death toll has already passed the 200,000 mark, according to official reports.

5 May 2020

Scientists seek to find out if COVID-19 restrictions have increased individuals' outdoor time

In this time of pandemic, maybe you're working from home, managing the kids and their school work, and you need a break.

5 May 2020

A systematic framework to reintroduce cardiovascular diagnosis and treatment care during COVID-19

The American Heart Association, together with 14 cardiovascular societies in North America, today issued joint guidance, "Safe Reintroduction of Cardiovascular Services during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Guidance from North American Society Leadership," to outline a systematic, phased approach to safely reintroducing cardiovascular procedures for diagnosis and treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

5 May 2020

Hydroxychloroquine shown to slow recovery for COVID-19 patients

As researchers try to piece together a therapeutic strategy against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a recent retrospective study from Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, assessed the Hydroxychloroquine's efficacy in increasing SARS-CoV-2 viral clearance, finding that it appeared to significantly slow viral clearance in mild to moderately ill COVID-19 patients.

5 May 2020

Scientists are exploring to find the 'Achilles heel' of coronavirus

Coronavirus, or more exactly SARS-CoV-2, has the world in its grip. How does the virus manage to bind to cells in the human body? How does it gain entry to the cell? How does it hijack the cell's machinery to make it help to replicate the viral genome?

5 May 2020

Study: Brazilian president’s attitude to coronavirus increases 'risky behavior' in the country

Jair Bolsonaro's public undermining of pandemic prevention efforts reduces social distancing in the parts of Brazil where his voter base is strongest, according to a new study using location data from over 60 million phones.

4 May 2020

Human endemic coronavirus reinfection possible after recovery

The novel coronavirus started spreading in December 2019, and since then, it has rippled across the globe, affecting 187 countries and territories, and infecting more than 3.18 million people. However, the behavior and mechanism of the virus, including whether it provides adaptive immunity, is still unclear. There have been reports of reinfection out of South Korea and Japan

4 May 2020

Dead virus fragments are causing COVID-19 reinfection false positives

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has ravaged across the globe, infecting a staggering 3.5 million people, and taking over 251,000 lives. One of the most significant concerns in this global pandemic is the possibility of reinfection as previous reports in South Korea and Japan show people testing positive with the coronavirus again.

4 May 2020

Analysis of India's battle with COVID-19

A new paper published on the preprint server medRxiv in April 2020 suggests, based on mathematical models, that premature removal of lockdown restrictions in India could be highly counterproductive, enhancing the secondary spread of COVID-19, pushing up the number of fatalities and prolonging the course of the pandemic in India.

4 May 2020

Study reveals an unprecedented pace and openness in COVID-19 research

The early academic response to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was specified by research aiming to define the disease, with prompt response from all scholarly publishing stakeholders and short manuscript turnaround times, shows a new study available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

4 May 2020

New information on viral antigens could improve COVID-19 testing

Researchers in France and China have characterized antibody responses to a wide range of antigens present on severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

4 May 2020

Artificial intelligence model can distinguish between pneumonia and COVID-19 from chest x-rays

A research team from Valencia's Polytechnic University, from the CVBLab, has developed a predictive artificial intelligence model that can tell the difference between healthy patients, those who are ill with pneumonia and those who have COVID-19, from chest x-rays.

4 May 2020

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

First French COVID-19 case was in December 19

How non-pharmaceutical interventions affect COVID lockdown relaxation

Shortages of PPE for healthcare workers could be tackled using social media and 3D printing

COVID-19 infection risk and outcomes explained by the cell receptor genetic variability

Viral post alleging Obama-era device tax caused current PPE shortage is way off

Palliative care helped family face ‘the awful, awful truth’

Experts propose three areas that must be considered when resuming cardiovascular procedures

Psychological issues related to COVID-19 outbreak will contribute to global mental health crisis

Russian scientists create humanized mice to test drugs and vaccines for COVID-19

Scientists seek to find out if COVID-19 restrictions have increased individuals' outdoor time

A systematic framework to reintroduce cardiovascular diagnosis and treatment care during COVID-19

Hydroxychloroquine shown to slow recovery for COVID-19 patients

Scientists are exploring to find the 'Achilles heel' of coronavirus

Study: Brazilian president’s attitude to coronavirus increases 'risky behavior' in the country

Human endemic coronavirus reinfection possible after recovery

Dead virus fragments are causing COVID-19 reinfection false positives

Analysis of India's battle with COVID-19

Study reveals an unprecedented pace and openness in COVID-19 research

New information on viral antigens could improve COVID-19 testing

Artificial intelligence model can distinguish between pneumonia and COVID-19 from chest x-rays

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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