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.

Using community memory to figure out the incubation period for COVID-19

The COVID-19 epidemic that began at the end of 2019 in China’s Wuhan city has now spread to over 185 countries and territories, taking over 177,000 lives out of approximately 2.5 million reported cases. Without either a vaccine or a reliable cure at hand, public health authorities are stretched to contain the virus spread.

22 Apr 2020

Online searches predict daily incidence, deaths due to COVID-19 in US

The pandemic COVID-19 has affected more than 825,000 people in the US, but the daily number of new cases and deaths is not precise. A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in April 2020 reports that Internet search interest could be used as a means to predict the daily incidence of cases in the US, as was proved in China.

21 Apr 2020

Study emphasizes on protective measures to control COVID-19 pandemic

The authors of the statement emphasise that, in light of the psychological, social, economic, civil society, and political problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic, curbing its spread must be given the highest priority.

21 Apr 2020

A novel non-invasive ventilator for $75

Scientists have developed an easy-to-build, cost-effective, and non-invasive ventilator that works akin to commercial devices.

21 Apr 2020

PiCoVacc vaccine candidate for COVID-19 effective in animal trials

In a new study available on the bioRxiv preprint server, a group of researchers from China report on the pilot-scale production of a purified inactivated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus vaccine candidate (PiCoVacc), shown to induce virus-specific neutralizing antibodies in rats, mice, and non-human primates.

21 Apr 2020

Media literacy can have a positive impact on kids' nutrition, family relationships

During this pandemic when few parents can limit screen time, a new study shows that building critical media skills as a family can have a positive impact on kids' nutrition without restricting their access to TV and computers.

21 Apr 2020

Modeling the spread and influence of COVID-19 in China

The rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic led Chinese researchers to model the course of the epidemic early in the year. Their study was published in the Journal of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

21 Apr 2020

Researchers develop new 3D multicomponent dissolvable vaccine platform

In parallel to their current work on a potential coronavirus vaccine, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have developed a new vaccine delivery system for vaccines using live or attenuated viral vectors: a finger-tip sized patch that contains 400 tiny needles, each just half of one millimeter.

21 Apr 2020

Managing new-onset type 1 diabetes during COVID-19 pandemic with tele-diabetes

Two new case studies highlight the use of tele-diabetes to manage new-onset type 1 diabetes in an adult and an infant during the COVID-19 pandemic.

21 Apr 2020

ESC guidance for managing cardiovascular disease during COVID-19

Leading experts treating COVID-19 patients provide advice on managing cardiovascular disease during the pandemic.

21 Apr 2020

Immunity to coronavirus infection may help stem the pandemic

The raging coronavirus pandemic is causing immense fear and uncertainty across the world. One of the most distressing aspects of COVID-19 disease is the seemingly large number of unknowns. These include the burning question of immunity. Does a person who was sick with the COVID-19 and then recovered or was infected without symptoms, have immunity against re-infection?

21 Apr 2020

Virtual reality can help alleviate psychological impact of coronavirus pandemic

A new article discusses the psychological stresses imposed by the coronavirus pandemic and suggests that virtual reality can help alleviate the psychological impact of the need for social isolation.

21 Apr 2020

Army doctors develop COVID-19 isolation chamber to protect health care providers

Army doctors working at hospitals within the Defense Health Agency have prototyped an isolation chamber that can be placed over the head and chest of patients diagnosed with COVID-19.

21 Apr 2020

Mason receives $500,000 USDA grant to implement Rural Opioid Telehealth Project

The George Mason University College of Health and Human Services has received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to implement the Rural Opioid Telehealth Project, which will serve an estimated 177,000 rural, low-income residents of Virginia and West Virginia.

21 Apr 2020

Study receives $1 million to explore new approach to treating first responders with PTSD

A study co-led by researchers at McMaster and Western universities on a new approach to treating public safety personnel (PSP) with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is receiving close to $1 million in funding.

21 Apr 2020

New consensus on managing AMI patients during COVID-19 released

The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, along with the American College of Cardiology and American College of Emergency Physicians have released a consensus statement that provides recommendations for a systematic approach for the care of patients with an acute myocardial infarction during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic.

21 Apr 2020

Report finds nearly half of the U.S. population breathing polluted air

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Clean Air Act, which is responsible for dramatic improvements in air quality.

21 Apr 2020

UV experts publish therapeutic exercise programs for people with physical ailments

Experts from the Faculty of Physical Therapy of Valencia University (UV) are warning that the physical exercise programs that have flooded the internet since the confinement due to the COVID-19 crisis can worsen the symptoms of people with physical ailments and lead to catastrophisation and pain chronification.

21 Apr 2020

Non-invasive, low-cost ventilator developed for regions with limited means

Researchers from the Biophysics and Bioengineering Unit of the UB have created a non-invasive low-cost ventilator, to support patients with respiratory diseases in areas with limited means.

21 Apr 2020

A promising method to diagnose sepsis with high accuracy

Whether activating or silencing genes, breaking down defective cells or building new tissue, our body is constantly working to repair itself, even in cases of illness.

21 Apr 2020