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NYC nurse says he’s not scared: ‘I am only doing my job’ for COVID-19 patients

Before the deadly coronavirus hit New York, Francisco Díaz's job as a gerontological nurse practitioner was educating seniors on managing their diabetes. Now, he's at the heart of the pandemic, working in a New York City emergency room.

17 Apr 2020

Sense accelerates launch of new SARS-CoV-2 disposable test

Sense Biodetection Limited has today announced an accelerated programme to launch the world’s first instrument-free, point-of-care molecular diagnostic test for SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

17 Apr 2020

‘It’s not over until it’s over’: 5 things to know about hitting the COVID-19 peak

As New York, California and other states begin to see their numbers of new COVID-19 cases level off or even slip, it might appear as if we're nearing the end of the pandemic.

17 Apr 2020

URMC launches new coronavirus study to examine immune response

The University of Rochester Medical Center is launching a new study to understand how the body's immune system responds to COVID-19, including if and when a person could be re-infected with the virus and whether some people have pre-existing immunity.

17 Apr 2020

On and off social distancing may be needed until 2022

Lockdown and social distancing measures are in place in many countries across the world, intended to stem the rapid spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) global pandemic. These measures work by reducing the risk of viral transmission in communities, reducing the burden of the healthcare system in dealing with the surge of patients, overwhelming its resources and workforce. Now, experts warn that these social distancing measures may still be needed until 2022.

16 Apr 2020

Pregnancy and fetal outcomes with COVID-19

A new study published preprint in the non-peer-reviewed journal medRxiv in April 2020 provides a systematic review of maternal and fetal outcomes in pregnancy affected by COVID-19, as well as the risk of vertical transmission of the virus.

16 Apr 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: How will we reopen the economy?

President Donald Trump wants to reopen the country soon. But public health experts from across the ideological spectrum insist that won't be safe until the country can dramatically ramp up testing and contact tracing stemming from those infected.

16 Apr 2020

Anosmia (loss of smell) confirmed as a clinical feature of COVID-19

Earlier last month, the association of ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialists in the UK issued a public statement advising patients with a sudden loss of smell or taste to get tested for COVID-19. They cited not only their own observations but those from numerous other ENT consultants the world around. A review of multiple papers on the sinus and nasal symptoms and signs related to the diagnosis of COVID-19, published in April 2020, in the journal Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology, reiterates this finding.

15 Apr 2020

China with the world: COVID-19 experts dialogues - the 4th talk transcript

Q (Prof. Singer): What do you think about the comorbidities and the age of the patients in the treatment of COVID-19? Is the mortality higher in elderly patients as it is reported from recent papers?

From Mindray 15 Apr 2020

A desperate scramble as COVID-19 families vie for access to plasma therapy

Stephen Garcia's family is frantic. The auto body worker, just 32 years old, has been on a ventilator in a Los Angeles-area hospital for nearly two weeks, gravely ill with COVID-19, unresponsive — and unaware of the battle they're waging on his behalf.

15 Apr 2020

California COVID-19 herd immunity theory debunked

A recent theory suggesting that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was doing the rounds in California as early as November 2019, infecting thousands undetected and leading to herd immunity, was debunked by experts from the scientific community. Antibody testing by a group of Stanford Medicine researchers was linked to the theory.

14 Apr 2020

Smart ring predicts onset of COVID-19 in healthcare workers

As entire countries remain in lockdown due to the sweep of the novel coronavirus across the globe, researchers have found a way to protect those who are perhaps most at risk: healthcare workers.

13 Apr 2020

Sensory loss strongly associated with COVID-19 infection

Loss of smell and taste has been anecdotally linked to COVID-19 infections. In a study published April 12, 2020 in the journal International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology, researchers at UC San Diego Health report the first empirical findings that strongly associate sensory loss with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

13 Apr 2020

Cost of ‘repurposing’ existing drugs to treat COVID-19

The paper looks at repurposed drugs that might demonstrate efficacy against COVID-19, and if they could be manufactured profitably at very low costs to ensure affordable access to vital treatments for COVID-19 at low prices globally.

13 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

Five ways parents and children can cope with lockdown

With the novelty of home schooling wearing thin and the reality of not seeing schoolmates hitting home, children across the country might be feeling more unsettled than enthusiastic.

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

Immunizing with plasma to fight against COVID-19

Is it possible that the blood of those who have recovered from COVID-19 can help cure those who are now sick?

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

Huge asymptomatic pool of coronavirus infected worldwide, say researchers

A startling new report from the University of Göttingen debunks the idea that the official statistics regarding the number of confirmed cases of the pandemic COVID-19 are accurate. It is much more likely, say the researchers, that the official figures which are the basis of government action and of much media analysis represent only about 6% of all infections. If so, they say, there are already tens of millions of infected people worldwide.

8 Apr 2020