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.

New clinical trial launches to test efficacy of cell therapy for severe COVID-19 cases

After a lightening round of proposals and reviews, an international team of scientists led by Dr. Camillo Ricordi was granted immediate FDA authorization for a 24-patient clinical trial to test the safety and exploratory efficacy of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells to block the life-threatening lung inflammation that accompanies severe cases of COVID-19.

11 Apr 2020

Many of Washington State’s illicit drug users want to reduce use

A new survey of people who inject illicit drugs in the state of Washington yields positive and important findings for policy makers as the world struggles to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, said authors of the survey by the University of Washington and Public Health-Seattle & King County.

11 Apr 2020

Free program to reduce and replace animal tests in scientific research

From June 22 to 25, students and early-career scientists will gather virtually for a free program of lectures, laboratory tours, interactive sessions, e-poster presentations, and virtual engagement with speakers and attendees on innovative methods to reduce and replace animal tests in toxicology and biomedical science.

11 Apr 2020

‘It’s like walking into Chernobyl,’ one doctor says of her emergency room

At one New York City hospital, a doctor’s used mask tore as she performed CPR on her infected patient.

11 Apr 2020

Public transport system could jeopardize Africa’s efforts to curb COVID-19

Africa's crowded public transport system could jeopardize efforts to curb local transmission of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, a scientist says.

11 Apr 2020

Scientists make plant genome public to help combat COVID-19

Plant Nicotiana benthamiana is currently used as a bio-factory for several experimental vaccines against SARS-COV-2.

11 Apr 2020

Comic relief from COVID-19: Leaders really meme it when they say stay home

As their city confronts a wave of COVID-19 patients, Chicagoans are managing to get some belly laughs. The source? Memes of their leader staring down would-be social-distancing violators.

10 Apr 2020

A remote military surgical team can offer insights for U.S. medical centers to tackle COVID-19

As the number of people infected with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) rises in the U.S. and around the world, hospitals are faced with difficult decisions for how to best provide care for a growing number of patients.

10 Apr 2020

American Lung Association launches a $25M initiative to end COVID-19

As the nation’s leading voluntary lung health organization, the American Lung Association is launching a $25M initiative to end COVID-19 and defend against future respiratory virus pandemics.

10 Apr 2020

To ‘keep the lights on,’ doctors and hospitals ask for advance Medicare payments

Darrin Menard, a family physician in Lafayette, Louisiana, has spent the past month easing patients' anxieties about the coronavirus that has killed 10 people in his parish so far.

10 Apr 2020

A Colorado ski community planned to test everyone for COVID-19. Here’s what happened.

In late March, residents of the Colorado town of Telluride and surrounding San Miguel County stood in line, along marked spots spaced 6 feet apart, to have their blood drawn by medical technicians wearing Tyvek suits, face shields and gloves for a new COVID-19 test.

10 Apr 2020

Effect of the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown on long-term health

Dr. Caitlin Notley speaks to News-Medical about her research into the effect of the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown on long-term health.

10 Apr 2020

Low-cost anti-coronavirus face shield made using clear plastic file

When dealing with coronavirus disease, it is essential for healthcare personnel to wear appropriate personal protective equipment.

10 Apr 2020

Researchers design simple, cost-effective oxygen concentrators

The new virus is conquering the world. The more people who become infected with Sars-CoV-2, the more cases there will be in which severe illness will occur.

10 Apr 2020

Arizona COVID-19 Genomics Union to study how the virus may be evolving

The Translational Genomics Research Institute, an affiliate of City of Hope, The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute at Northern Arizona University, and the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona have formed a union dedicated to tracking the COVID-19 coronavirus, it was announced today.

10 Apr 2020

Recommendations for keeping cancer patients, providers safe during COVID-19 pandemic

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network--an alliance of leading cancer centers--is continuing to share new resources for optimal cancer management amid new and changing challenges related to the Coronavirus Disease 2019.

10 Apr 2020

Bluetooth helps battle COVID-19

As the novel coronavirus pandemic sweeps the globe, contact tracing has taken the spotlight as epidemiologists scramble to identify and isolate potential vectors for the disease. Limited technology has forced authorities to fall back on manual methods, which are both time-consuming and limited in reliability since they depend on the ability of the infected individual to remember all the places and persons he/she has been in contact with.

9 Apr 2020