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.

UChicago Medicine launches clinical trial to explore plasma transfusions for COVID-19 patients

The University of Chicago Medicine is launching a clinical trial to study whether blood plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 can be used to treat patients who are still in the hospital with severe disease symptoms.

13 Apr 2020

FDA approves new Rutgers saliva test for coronavirus

The FDA has granted emergency use authorization to Rutgers' RUCDR Infinite Biologics and its collaborators for a new collection approach that utilizes saliva as the primary test biomaterial for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the first such approval granted by the federal agency.

13 Apr 2020

Rockefeller and SNF announce $3 million expansion of partnership for COVID-19 research

The Rockefeller University and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation today announced a $3 million expansion of their longstanding partnership for research and medicine, bolstering Rockefeller's round-the-clock research initiatives related to COVID-19 and the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes it.

13 Apr 2020

Intermountain Healthcare and University of Utah Health launch two COVID-19 clinical trials

Researchers from Intermountain Healthcare and University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City have launched two vital clinical trials to test the effectiveness and safety of two drugs - hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin - to treat patients with COVID-19.

13 Apr 2020

Remdesivir shows promise in post-infection treatment for COVID-19 disease

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has no approved treatment or vaccine as the world grapple with its wrath. The viral infection has so far infected 1.8 million and killed more than 114,000 people. Now, a team of scientists has shown that an experimental antiviral drug, remdesivir, has shown promise in treating patients with severe COVID-19.

13 Apr 2020

Getting back to normal in Germany after coronavirus pandemic

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) global pandemic is wreaking havoc across the globe, affecting 1.85 million people and has killed more than 114,000 people. The respiratory illness, akin to the SARS and MERS epidemics in the past, is infectious and dangerous to vulnerable populations, such as older adults and those with underlying health conditions.

13 Apr 2020

Physical-distancing slows spread of COVID-19 and reduces ICU admissions

The world is now at a standstill, as many countries have imposed restrictions to stem the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Nations are in lockdowns indefinitely, until the situation improves. The vast spread of the novel coronavirus is now inevitable, as the number of confirmed cases topped 1.85 million, many scientists are determining health measures that could help mitigate the global pandemic.

12 Apr 2020

Avoid COVID-19, stay away from busy indoor places, say modeling scientists

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, health departments all over the world have been highlighting social distancing, especially avoiding crowded spaces like supermarkets, movie theatres, and offices.

12 Apr 2020

Cats, ferrets more vulnerable to COVID-19 than dogs

A recent Chinese study published on the preprint server BioRxiv finds that cats and ferrets appear to be extremely vulnerable to the virus, but dogs, pigs, and poultry do not seem to contract it. As preprints, papers are not yet peer-reviewed, undergoing only basic scientific screening.

12 Apr 2020

Little to lose - time for everyone to wear face masks for COVID-19

The CDC says it's time to encourage everyone to wear cloth face masks as a precaution against the spread of the COVID-19 disease pandemic. "We have little to lose, and potentially something to gain," say researchers in linked pieces in the prestigious journal, The BMJ.

12 Apr 2020

Lasers turn metal surfaces into bacteria killers

Purdue University researchers have discovered a laser treatment to texture metals that can potentially transform almost any metal surface into one that quickly eliminates any bacteria that come into contact with it.

12 Apr 2020

First detailed map of transcriptome and epitranscriptome for novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)

A team of researchers has come out with the first detailed map of the transcriptome and epitranscriptome of the virulent SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 disease, the illness that has become a pandemic ravaging both developed and less developed countries of the world. The study, published in the journal Cell in April 2020, may assist in the development of new vaccines and therapeutics.

12 Apr 2020

What are the side effects of social and physical distancing?

Researchers Sandro Galea from the Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Raina M. Merchant, from the Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, and Nicole Lurie, from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. Oslo, Norway, published an opinion paper in the JAMA Internal Medicine titled, “The Mental Health Consequences of COVID-19 and Physical Distancing The Need for Prevention and Early Intervention”.

12 Apr 2020

Recovered South Korean COVID-19 patients test positive again

Following the reports from different countries of patients recovered from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) but testing positive again during the control diagnostic appraisal, South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) documents a similar occurrence in 51 patients.

12 Apr 2020

UMSOM launches new initiative to expand COVID-19 testing

University of Maryland School of Medicine Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, announced today the launch of a large-scale COVID-19 Testing Initiative that will significantly expand testing capability over the coming weeks, enabled by new funding of $2.5 million from the State of Maryland.

12 Apr 2020

Risks and benefits of separating infants from COVID-19-positive mothers

In a new commentary, Alison Stuebe, MD, President of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, addresses the risks and benefits of separating infants from COVID-19-positive mothers following birth.

12 Apr 2020

Highlighting the detrimental impact of global COVID-19 pandemic response on SRHR

The Lancet commentary "Centring sexual and reproductive health and justice in the global COVID-19 response" highlights the detrimental impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic response on sexual and reproductive health and rights.

12 Apr 2020

AGA publishes new COVID-19 guidance for gastroenterologists treating patients with IBD

Today, the American Gastroenterological Association published new COVID-19 guidance for gastroenterologists treating patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): AGA Clinical Practice Update on Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Expert Commentary.

12 Apr 2020

UCSF surgeons formulate operation-triage plan for handling COVID-19 outbreak

Within a month of the University of California San Francisco Health treating its first patient with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on Feb. 3, UCSF surgeons began formulating a plan to respond to the pandemic and help manage the health care system's available resources.

11 Apr 2020

Furor erupts: Billions going to hospitals based on Medicare billings, not COVID-19

Probably few hospital systems need the emergency federal grants announced this week to handle the coronavirus crisis as badly as Florida's Jackson Health does.

11 Apr 2020