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.

Novel clinical trial fast tracks testing of COVID-19 therapies

A novel clinical trial developed by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine launched today at UPMC to address one of the most important debates during the COVID-19 pandemic:

9 Apr 2020

Microneedle patches for potential COVID-19 vaccines or therapeutics

The COVID-19 pandemic is spreading over the world, causing panic and illness on a scale unprecedented in one hundred years. Even while the death toll nears 100,000, with over 1.5 million confirmed cases worldwide, public health experts and medical professionals are battling it using all the weapons available. Unfortunately, these are all too few.

9 Apr 2020

Simplified ventilator for COVID-19 patients designed by particle physicists

An international team of particle physicists have paused their search for dark matter to focus on the needs of victims of the global pandemic -- in particular, their need to breathe.

9 Apr 2020

3D printing silicone for breathing apparatus to help handle the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic is exhausting the healthcare resources of many countries, both developed and developing. With the escalating volume of patients who need intensive care and ventilation, breathing masks have become a high-priority item that many medical companies are racing to fill orders for in many parts of the world.

9 Apr 2020

Testing One, Two, Three - Over 75% of people with COVID-19 are asymptomatic

A new study published in the British Medical Journal in April 2020 suggests that the number of people infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is astonishingly higher than the number of cases reported so far. This could help shape future social distancing measures.

9 Apr 2020

Weekly COVID-19 fatality predictions from leading epidemiologists

While many developed and developing countries are reeling under the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19 disease, preventive and therapeutic measures alike need more accurate forecasts of fatal and non-fatal events to achieve preparedness and ensure an optimal outcome. Now scientists at Imperial College, London, have come up with a new weekly forecast of the number of deaths due to coronavirus and the likely number of cases reported in countries where the virus is actively spreading.

9 Apr 2020

Hypertensive patients on ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers may have improved COVID-19 prognosis

Emerging concerns that common antihypertensive treatment approaches with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) – jointly known as renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitors – may exert a negative effect in COVID-19 patients are not grounded in scientific evidence, as reported by researchers in a recent review article published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings journal.

9 Apr 2020

‘Baby, I can’t breathe’: America’s first ER doctor to die in heat of COVID-19 battle

At about 5 a.m. on March 19, a New York City ER physician named Frank Gabrin texted a friend about his concerns over the lack of medical supplies at hospitals.

9 Apr 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Who will pay for COVID-19 care?

In the absence of clear leadership from the federal government, states and private companies are pursuing their own plans to help Americans cope with the coronavirus pandemic.

9 Apr 2020

University of Utah Health, Intermountain Healthcare launch two clinical trials to treat COVID-19 patients

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 (HCQ) and azithromycin - to treat patients with COVID-19 (infection with the novel coronavirus).

9 Apr 2020

Newsom’s ambitious health care agenda crumbles in a ‘radically changed’ world

This was supposed to be a big health care year for California.

9 Apr 2020

COVID-19 crisis threatens beleaguered assisted living industry

David Aguirre jumped in his truck and drove toward the hospital in the predawn darkness the minute he got the news: His 91-year-old mom was being rushed from her Texas assisted living facility to the emergency room.

9 Apr 2020

Novel coronavirus targets specific secretory cells in the lungs

Viruses attack specific host cells, which can cause chaos in the body. The novel coronavirus, now called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 or SARS-CoV-2 for short, infects respiratory epithelial cells in the lining of the lung, causing difficulty of breathing. The usual cause of death of those who contract the virus is pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Now, a new study has found that SARS-CoV-2 specifically attack certain progenitor cells called bronchial transient secretory cells in the lungs.

9 Apr 2020

Boehringer Ingelheim steps up to fight COVID-19 with Global Support Program

Boehringer Ingelheim has significantly stepped up its support to the fight against Covid-19. A Global Support Program has been set up to bring more financial relief, protective materials and medicine donations to healthcare institutions and communities in need around the world.

From Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH 9 Apr 2020

University Hospital Trust in Paris installs 60 Stratasys 3D printers to support frontline staff battling COVID-19

Ensuring its frontline medical staff are equipped with the appropriate equipment during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the University Hospital Trust in Paris, France, has invested in a fleet of 60 industrial-grade Stratasys FDM 3D Printers. All of them arrived on Tuesday, 31 March, within 24 hours of ordering.

From Stratasys 9 Apr 2020

Georgetown University Venture Lab startups launch The COVID-19 Testing Locator

The Social App and Basil Labs—two startups in the Georgetown University Venture Lab, which is funded by the Lenosis family, have launched The COVID-19 Testing Locator to provide a free utility for anyone in the United States to locate nearby testing locations.

9 Apr 2020

Smokers have more ACE2 receptors making it easier for SARS-CoV-2 to infect

A new study published in the European Respiratory Journal in April 2020 reveals that people with smoking-damaged lungs and those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are likely to have a higher level of the angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2).

9 Apr 2020

Ai used to detect COVID-19 pneumonia

Coronaviruses have 'spilled over' to human populations throughout history, causing respiratory illnesses, often associated with pneumonia. The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which emerged in 2002 in China, and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), which was first seen in Saudi Arabia in 2012, are similar to the current global pandemic spreading worldwide, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

9 Apr 2020

Scientists demonstrate importance of aligning internal circadian clock with day-night cycles

Timing is everything. A fresh example supporting the old saying has been found in connection with the systems regulated by biological clocks.

8 Apr 2020

Top NAU microbiologist joins Arizona COVID-19 Genomics Union

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

8 Apr 2020