Pandemic News and Research

RSS

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.

Researchers to develop predictive COVID-19 Intervention Modelling for East Africa

A £1m grant from the Wellcome Trust has enabled researchers from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick, to work with East African countries in their emergency preparations for COVID-19 as the pandemic spreads across Africa.

20 Apr 2020

Food insecurity in Vermont increased 33% during coronavirus pandemic, survey reveals

Food insecurity in Vermont has increased by one-third during the coronavirus pandemic, from 18.3% to 24.3%, according to a statewide survey conducted by the University of Vermont at the end of March and announced in a series of briefs today.

20 Apr 2020

EMBL-EBI and partners launch new COVID-19 Data Portal

EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute and partners today launched the COVID-19 Data Portal, which enables the sharing and analysis of data related to the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

20 Apr 2020

A data dashboard developed to support COVID-19 tracking and response in Indiana

Regenstrief Institute and partners have developed a data dashboard to support COVID-19 tracking and response in the state of Indiana. The dashboard augments the state's existing information by providing data on patients' course of care through healthcare systems in Indiana.

20 Apr 2020

Artificial 'candy canes' block viral entry and infection

Viruses are part of the human experience throughout our lives. They cause lots of different illnesses with the current coronavirus pandemic as just one example.

20 Apr 2020

Screen time for babies linked to higher risk of autism-like symptoms later in childhood

Sitting a baby in front of a screen and less parent-child play time, are associated with ASD-like symptoms later in childhood.

20 Apr 2020

New COVID-19 test is eight times faster, can help locate asymptomatic carriers

A team of Israeli researchers is using AI to develop an algorithm-based test that can speed COVID-19 testing eightfold and help locate asymptomatic carriers, funded by a grant from the Ben-Gurion University Covid-19 Effort.

20 Apr 2020

Wavelength Pharmaceuticals expands supplies of key drug ingredients for critically ill COVID-19 patients

Wavelength Pharmaceuticals, a leading supplier of active pharmaceutical ingredients, today reported that it has greatly expanded production of APIs for certain pharmaceutical products needed to manage respiratory critical care patients.

20 Apr 2020

Before ‘tidal wave’ of illness, nursing home thought it had COVID-19 contained

More than 20 patients have died. Dozens more are still hospitalized. And residents who had already been sent back to a nursing home in Gallatin, Tennessee, have turned up with new cases of COVID-19.

20 Apr 2020

How climate change is putting doctors in the hot seat

A 4-year-old girl was rushed to the emergency room three times in one week for asthma attacks.

20 Apr 2020

Mologic launches new lab-based COVID-19 antibody tests

Mologic Ltd, a leading developer of rapid diagnostic technologies, announced that it will begin manufacturing its laboratory diagnostic test for COVID-19.

20 Apr 2020

Amid pandemic, FDA seizes cheaper drugs from Canada

The Food and Drug Administration in the past month has stepped up seizures of prescription drugs being sent to American customers from pharmacies in Canada and other countries, according to operators of stores in Florida that facilitate the transactions.

20 Apr 2020

Smoking doubles risk of severe COVID-19 disease

The fatality rate among infected people increases among the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions. Now, a new study published as a pre-print on medXriv, links smoking to the progression of COVID-19 disease, suggesting that the odds of disease progression is more than double in smokers.

20 Apr 2020

Poorer regions in the Philippines have more COVID-19 cases

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has dramatically affected European countries and the United States, reporting the highest number of confirmed cases. In Asia, though the number of infections gradually increases, some countries have reported high death rates, including Indonesia and the Philippines.

20 Apr 2020

Remote monitoring of COVID-19 patients using AI device

Massachusetts' Institute of Technology (MIT) at its Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) has developed a device that can monitor patients with the highly infective COVID-19 remotely and thus prevent the spread of the infection to healthcare workers.

19 Apr 2020

How are the interventions against COVID-19 working in Sweden?

In a new study, Swedish researchers speculate the effects of the present intervention strategies on the healthcare system as the COVID-19 pandemic affects the nation. Their study titled, “Intervention strategies against COVID-19 and their estimated impact on Swedish healthcare capacity,” has not been published yet; however, the findings are available as pre-peer-reviewed study at medRxiv.

19 Apr 2020

Novel coronavirus mutation could spell trouble for vaccine development

New research shows that the novel coronavirus is undergoing mutations that could make it challenging to develop a vaccine against. There are a few vaccine candidates that are in the making to prevent COVID-19. With a potential for mutation, the vaccines that are being developed now may not work against the emergent mutated strains worry Taiwanese and Australian researchers. The study is titled, “Analysis of the mutation dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 reveals the spread history and emergence of 2 RBD mutant with lower ACE2 binding affinity.”

19 Apr 2020

Scientists unveil novel coronavirus variants in India

The global coronavirus disease COVID-19 pandemic is ravaging the world, affecting 185 countries and territories and infecting 2.4 million people. Now, a team of scientists aims to shed light on the variants of the novel coronavirus strains in India, showing how changes correspond to its transmission and how it causes disease.

19 Apr 2020

Research suggests Nelfinavir and Cepharanthine as potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents

A new study published in the journal bioRxiv in April 2020 reports the identification of a promising multidrug treatment against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for causing COVID-19 disease. The team predicts that this combination will prevent the virus from reproducing, hence both halting the transmission and progress of the disease.

19 Apr 2020

Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin treatment in 80 COVID-19 patients: short-term outcomes

The COVID-19 pandemic is still spreading around the world and affecting nearly 2.4 million people, with over 164,000 dead so far. With neither vaccine nor proven therapeutic drug being available so far, the need of the hour is for effective treatment. Now, a new study reports the potential usefulness of a combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin as a treatment in mild cases of COVID-19 infection and urges the need for further evaluation and widespread use if its findings are confirmed.

19 Apr 2020