covid 19 News and Research

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New WHO essential diagnostics list expands the suite of tests to promote better health

To address the lack of access to tests and testing services in multiple countries, WHO since 2018 has published a yearly essential diagnostics list (EDL), a basket of recommended in vitro diagnostics that should be available at point-of-care and in laboratories in all countries to increase timely and life-saving diagnoses.

1 Feb 2021

New platform using green algae tests for SARS-CoV-2 virus

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have demonstrated the potential of using green algae to make recombinant viral proteins that could be used in large scale assays to detect antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) - the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

1 Feb 2021

Granulocyte changes could help predict patient outcomes in COVID-19

Researchers in Sweden have provided a comprehensive characterization of circulating granulocytes in people infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

1 Feb 2021

Early induction of functional SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells linked with mild symptoms in COVID-19 patients

Humoral and cellular adaptive immunity are two immune mechanisms that act against pathogens. Humoral immunity is mediated by antibodies, while cellular immunity does not involve antibodies and is, instead, facilitated by T cells.

1 Feb 2021

New COVID-19 variant identified in Brazilian Amazon spreads faster

A new variant of the virus that causes COVID-19, identified in Brazil, is likely more transmissible than its parent strain because of mutations in the spike protein, according to researchers.

1 Feb 2021

Adoption of care delivery, cost reduction and quality improvement to improve access to care

The American College of Cardiology's Cardiovascular Summit will feature several poster presentations on care delivery, cost reduction and quality improvement that offer innovative concepts to combat access to care, especially during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and as the broader health care system works to improve health equity.

1 Feb 2021

Head-scratching over Newsom’s choice of Blue Shield to lead vaccination push

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, struggling to salvage a once-bright political future dimmed by his mishandling of the covid crisis, tapped nonprofit health insurer Blue Shield of California last week to allocate the state's covid vaccine.

1 Feb 2021

When your chance for a covid shot comes, don’t worry about the numbers

When getting vaccinated against covid-19, there's no sense being picky. You should take the first authorized vaccine that's offered, experts say.

1 Feb 2021

Researchers explore rapid outbreak of COVID-19 in U.S. detention facility

To assess the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in a detention facility experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak, researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted testing for detained individuals in six quarantined dormitories at various time points.

1 Feb 2021

Researchers in Japan compare two seroprevalence antibody tests for SARS-CoV-2

Researchers have shown that using reliable antibody tests in conjunction is an effective way to estimate seroprevalence in low prevalence settings.

1 Feb 2021

CDC examines COVID-19 outbreak among U.S. office workers: a case study in transmission

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the U.S. found that despite mitigation efforts, two COVID-19 outbreaks emerged among office workers in Washington, DC.

1 Feb 2021

Study finds high bleeding risk in a sub-group of COVID-19 patients

The human body strives to keep itself in homeostasis, or balance. When blood clots are created, the body's innate response is to break the clots down to prevent significant health problems from arising.

1 Feb 2021

Studies show slowing of UK life expectancy after financial crisis

Increases in life expectancy in the UK and elsewhere had slowed even before 2016 - and COVID-19 is expected to further eliminate any gains, Newcastle University studies show.

1 Feb 2021

India’s COVID-19-related hygiene promotion campaign shows some positive results

A new study explores the results of such hygiene promotion campaigns on handwashing practices in rural Odisha, India.

1 Feb 2021

Can metformin reduce mortality in diabetic individuals with severe COVID-19?

A new study by researchers in China and the U.S. describes a round-up of the effects of commonly used hypoglycemic drugs on the outcomes of COVID-19 in diabetic patients.

1 Feb 2021

New platform for detecting and monitoring SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses

Researchers in the U.S. have released a new study that describes a powerful but inexpensive tool designed to detect and monitor specific antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 over time.

1 Feb 2021

Ivermectin may not be the ‘silver bullet’ antiviral against COVID-19

A team of researchers based in Peru and the U.S. recently examined the role of the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin in treating COVID-19.

1 Feb 2021

Colchicine may have therapeutic potential against COVID-19

A new study describes the results of colchicine in mitigating the inflammatory storm associated with COVID-19, and thus preventing a percentage of severe and critical cases.

1 Feb 2021

How a bounty of vaccines flooded a small hospital and its nearby college

When administrators at Hillsdale College, a conservative liberal-arts school in Michigan, heard its local hospital didn't have a way to store the Pfizer-BioNTech covid vaccine, they offered the use of its science department's ultra-low temperature freezer. The vaccine must be stored at minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit.

1 Feb 2021