covid 19 News and Research

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New modeling study identifies effective nonpharmaceutical interventions at reducing COVID-19 transmission

Limiting gatherings to fewer than 10 people and closing educational institutions were among the most effective nonpharmaceutical interventions at reducing transmission of SARS-CoV-2, a new modeling study finds.

15 Dec 2020

Study: COVID-19 patients have greater risk of health problems, mortality than those with flu

Almost a year ago, COVID-19 began its global rampage, going on to infect about 69.5 million people and kill about 1.6 million as of early this month.

15 Dec 2020

SARS-CoV-2 unique deletion variants found in clinical specimens

While participating in the SPHERES Consortium project, US researchers sequenced 2,726 clinical patient specimens gathered in March 2020 and identified eight unique ORF7a deletion variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Their results are currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

15 Dec 2020

Neanderthal gene variant increases risk of severe COVID-19

Researchers in Germany have conducted a study showing that between 2 and 8% of people in Eurasia carry a genetic variant inherited from Neanderthals that significantly increases the risk of becoming critically ill with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

15 Dec 2020

Reports of drinking bleach to prevent COVID-19 skewed by "problematic" claims

Researchers in the United States have conducted studies suggesting that reports of people ingesting household cleaning agents as a way of protecting against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are skewed by "problematic" responses to surveys.

15 Dec 2020

Researchers estimate the impacts of COVID-19 on U.S. health care community

During the COVID-19 pandemic, health care workers have been at the forefront of the battle against the life-threatening illness. Sadly, they are not immune to the effects of the disease. Many have contracted COVID-19, and some have died.

15 Dec 2020

AI-based study of social media maps SARS-CoV-2 vaccine hesitancy across the US

Researchers from the University of Rochester, USA, has produced an AI-based study that analyzes the social media platform Twitter to gauge public opinions in the US surrounding SARS-CoV-2 vaccines to shed greater light on this issue.

15 Dec 2020

Could wastewater surveillance help track SARS-COV-2 community outbreaks?

A team of US-based researchers recently conducted an illuminating study that explores this method and its potential uses. In doing so, they have underscored the potential utility of wastewater surveillance in managing SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks.

15 Dec 2020

Telemedicine needed to diagnose and treat swallowing difficulties in COVID-19 patients, say physicians

COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the disease, have caused health care providers to change how they treat patients.

15 Dec 2020

Accurate STI reporting impacted by clinical focus on COVID-19

With the health care community heavily focused on COVID-19 since the first quarter of 2020, there have been concerns that reporting of other diseases -- and the resulting data that enables them to be more effectively treated and controlled -- may have been impacted.

15 Dec 2020

Non-contact IR thermometers fail for COVID-19 temperature screening, say physicians

While a fever is one of the most common symptoms for people who get sick with COVID-19, taking one's temperature is a poor means of screening who is infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the disease, and more importantly, who might be contagious.

15 Dec 2020

Study finds gaps in opioid use disorder treatment during COVID shutdowns

In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, visits to the doctor declined dramatically. One group of patients that appears to have weathered this trend are those who were already being treated for opioid use disorder.

15 Dec 2020

FDA issues emergency use authorization for first fully at-home OTC COVID-19 diagnostic test

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the first over-the-counter (OTC) fully at-home diagnostic test for COVID-19.

15 Dec 2020

Trump’s wrong. 15% ‘herd immunity’ is not on par with strength of a vaccine

During a Dec. 8 press conference about Operation Warp Speed, President Donald Trump likened the spread of the coronavirus throughout the population — which experts agree bestows some immunity on the people who became ill — to having a COVID-19 vaccine.

15 Dec 2020

Drug may increase vaccine protection in older adults

A drug that boosts the removal of cellular debris in immune cells may increase the protective effects of vaccines in older adults, a study published today in eLife shows.

15 Dec 2020

Researchers use HACCP framework to assess COVID-19 transmission risks in universities

Using the Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points (HACCP) framework, researchers assessed the risk and mitigation strategies for universities with students returning to campus. The methodology allowed a rapid response to curb disease transmission with continuing education.

15 Dec 2020

Structural inequalities in Brazil linked to higher COVID-19-related mortality in low-income areas

A team of researchers aimed to determine the differential health effects of COVID-19 on disadvantaged population groups. They found that low-income and Black and Pardo communities in the country are more likely to die from COVID-19.

15 Dec 2020

Researchers develop new method to predict COVID-19 worldwide

Methods currently used around the world for predicting the development of COVID-19 and other pandemics fail to report precisely on the best and worst-case scenarios. Newly developed prediction method for epidemics, published in Nature Physics, solve this problem.

15 Dec 2020

Scientists show a sort of signature in the brains of lonely people

This holiday season will be a lonely one for many people as social distancing due to COVID-19 continues, and it is important to understand how isolation affects our health.

15 Dec 2020

People in poorest areas more likely to be affected by severe Covid-19

People in Scotland's poorest areas are more likely to be affected by severe Covid-19 - and to die from the disease - than those in more affluent districts, according to a study of critical care units.

15 Dec 2020