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.

Tapping into the powers of nature to identify virus killers

Many organisms have to defend themselves against predators, diseases or pests. Their metabolic products constitute a chemical arsenal that has been used for medical purposes since time immemorial.

29 Apr 2020

International study to evaluate the effects of COVID-19 in pregnancy launched

Researchers at the University of Oxford are today starting a large, international study to evaluate the effects of COVID-19 in pregnancy.

29 Apr 2020

'Smart sample pooling' for COVID-19 could solve test kit shortage problem

A new study from Pakistan suggests 'smart sample pooling' using population grouping with algorithms as a solution to the unavailability of test kits for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that causes COVID-19 disease. The paper is published on the preprint server medRxiv on April 28, 2020.

29 Apr 2020

How weather and demographics influence the COVID-19 spread

What can stop the spread of the novel coronavirus? A new study published in the preprint journal medRxiv in April 2020 debunks the idea that warmer and more humid conditions can hinder the pandemic from spreading with ease.

29 Apr 2020

AGS publishes policy brief to address COVID-19 concerns in assisted living facilities

In a policy brief published today in its namesake journal, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) offered a roadmap to guide federal, state, and local governments addressing COVID-19 concerns in an important but oft-overlooked arena: Assisted living facilities (ALFs).

29 Apr 2020

How toxic are chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine to cells?

The spread of the pandemic disease COVID-19 caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has now reached almost every country of the world, with over 3.11 million cases and over 217,000 deaths as of April 29, 2020.

29 Apr 2020

Computer vision system detects fever remotely to rule out COVID-19

People who approach the front desk at Albert Einstein Jewish Hospital (HIAE) in the city of São Paulo have their temperature taken remotely by a computer vision system installed in a nearby column.

29 Apr 2020

Men are twice more likely to die of COVID-19 than women

There have been studies that have revealed that men are more likely to get more severe symptoms from COVID-19 disease and also more likely to die from complications of the disease. A new study corroborates these findings. The study titled, “Gender differences in patients with COVID-19: Focus on severity and mortality,” is published in the latest issue of the journal Frontiers in Public Health.

29 Apr 2020

How hospitals can prepare for an influx of COVID-19 cases

Hospitals and healthcare systems worldwide are overwhelmed, with many facilities full of patients requiring emergency care for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). COVID-19 disease causes severe respiratory illness in patients, with some needing mechanical ventilation.

28 Apr 2020

Dominant SARS-CoV-2 strain A2a binds more easily to ACE2 receptors

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected almost all countries across the world, and India is no exception. Researchers have found that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has undergone several mutations with time.

28 Apr 2020

Important insights into COVID-19 for worldwide strategic planning

Researchers in China and the United States have analyzed cases of early severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and their close contacts to provide further insights into the disease’s transmission and severity and the effectiveness of control measures.

28 Apr 2020

New approach for easier detection of SARS-CoV-2 via swabs and saliva

A recent Israeli study points toward Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (RT-LAMP) as a potentially effective tool for acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on-the-spot detection by using swabs or saliva – addressing the community need for simple surveillance.

28 Apr 2020

UTHealth experts successfully treat 3-week-old infant with severe COVID-19

In one of the first reported cases of its kind, a 3-week-old infant in critical condition recovered from COVID-19 due to rapid recognition and treatment by physicians from McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston/

28 Apr 2020

Damon Runyon offers extension awards to help scientists affected by COVID-19 crisis

COVID-19 related laboratory shutdowns present a serious threat to scientists in the critical earliest stages of their careers.

28 Apr 2020

Albany, Wisconsin researchers look for molecular clues to fight COVID-19

In the center of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals are racing to maintain quality care for patients with severe disease while facing a shortage of resources and limited understanding of the novel coronavirus.

28 Apr 2020

Boston Children's Hospital launches two-pronged study of COVID-19 in children

Boston Children's Hospital has launched a two-pronged study of COVID-19 disease among children and youth up to age 25 across the country, with $2.1 million in funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

28 Apr 2020

Novel disinfection process could extend usage of N95 masks during shortage

Amid shortages of personal protective equipment due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a St. Louis health care system has implemented a process to disinfect disposable N95 respirator masks that allows health care workers to reuse their own mask for up to 20 cycles.

28 Apr 2020

New nasopharyngeal swabs move into human trials for COVID-19

Researchers at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, in collaboration with healthcare, research, and industrial partners, have designed a new, fully injection-molded nasopharyngeal swab that can be manufactured quickly and inexpensively at high volume to help address the nationwide and international shortage of swabs for COVID-19 testing and research.

28 Apr 2020

COVID-19 study shows that men have over double the death rate of women

A study has found that men are significantly more likely to suffer severe effects of COVID-19 and die.

28 Apr 2020

Novel computational model quantifies the underlying transmission patterns of COVID-19

With the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in lockdowns in different parts of the world, from the US to many European nations, there have been intense debates on when and how we can safely reopen the economy.

28 Apr 2020