Coronavirus News and Research

RSS

Is ACEI, ARB use linked to testing positive for COVID-19?

A new study published in the prestigious journal JAMA Cardiology in May 2020 reports that there is no association between the use of ACEIs/ARBs and testing positive for COVID-19. This supports current medical advice to continue using these drugs as indicated irrespective of the ongoing pandemic but indicates the need for more research to rule out any additional risk of severe illness due to these agents.

6 May 2020

Public perception of SARS-CoV-2 influences health behavior

A new study published in the Journal of Risk Research in April 2020 shows that public health behaviors aimed at preventing viral spread are influenced by public risk perception, which varies between countries around the world.

6 May 2020

GlaxoSmithKline awards grants to support ATS COVID-19 Crisis Fund

Today, the American Thoracic Society announced that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has awarded the Society two grants totaling $380,000 to support the ATS COVID-19 Crisis Fund, a newly launched initiative to develop and disseminate research, education and scientific recommendations to providers in the pulmonary and critical care communities, as well as other clinicians in need of expanding their skill set during this emergency.

6 May 2020

New mathematical tool can predict the spread of infectious diseases more accurately

An international team of researchers has developed a new mathematical tool that could help scientists to deliver more accurate predictions of how diseases, including COVID-19, spread through towns and cities around the world.

5 May 2020

Australia and New Zealand negotiate 'travel bubble'

With the new travel bubble, travelers could fly between Australia and New Zealand without undergoing the mandatory 14-day quarantine at either end of the journey. The new link is now being discussed by the two leaders, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

5 May 2020

Study provides evidence for safety and efficacy of chloroquine in COVID-19

After a pilot study (Huang et al.Journal of Molecular Cell Biology, in press), having proved the safety and effectiveness of the drug to reduce the viral RNA to undetectable levels in 10 COVID-19 patients, the researchers began this current study, published on the preprint server medRxiv.

5 May 2020

Israeli scientists discover monoclonal antibody that neutralizes SARS-CoV-2

Now, in a significant medical breakthrough, Israel's Institute for Biological Research Institute (IIBRI) has wrapped up the development of a potential treatment for the coronavirus disease. The scientists say they have identified an antibody that neutralizes SARS-CoV-2.

5 May 2020

First French COVID-19 case was in December 19

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19), formerly known as the novel coronavirus infection, was first reported in late December 2019 in Wuhan City in China. Many health experts believe that the virus had spread way before it was identified as the culprit for many pneumonia-like diseases. Now, a French doctor says that the coronavirus reached France back in December when it admitted a pneumonia patient into hospital.

5 May 2020

SARS-CoV-2 genome shows mutation hotspots and type-specific distribution

Now, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv reports on a large scale analysis of SARS-CoV-2 genomes and reveals a clonal geo-distribution and rich genetic variations.

5 May 2020

COVID-19 and exposure to air pollution

A scientist from the Netherlands has worked on a study that looked at the association between COVID-19 infections and exposure to air pollution. Researcher Bo Pieter Johannes Andrée’s study titled “Incidence of COVID-19 and Connections with Air Pollution Exposure Evidence from the Netherlands” was released prior to the peer review process on the online server Medrxiv.

5 May 2020

Shortages of PPE for healthcare workers could be tackled using social media and 3D printing

Researchers have come up with the use of social media and 3D printing techniques to deal with the severe shortage of personal protective equipment (PPEs) for healthcare workers who are dealing with the highly infectious severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The

5 May 2020

COVID-19 infection risk and outcomes explained by the cell receptor genetic variability

Genetic variants in the angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, utilized by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) for cell entry, are predicted to either encourage or inhibit interaction with viral proteins and subsequently contribute to genetic risk in coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This is the key finding of a new study available on the preprint server bioRxiv*.

5 May 2020

Cat coronavirus drug shows promise for treatment of COVID-19

“They are strong drug candidates for the treatment of human coronavirus infections because they have already been successful in animals (cats),” writes the team. “The work here lays the framework for their use in human trials for the treatment of COVID-19.”

5 May 2020

Study offers a snapshot of the spread of coronavirus infection in Stockholm

By Easter weekend 10 percent of Stockholm's population had been infected with the coronavirus, according to anonymous samples collected via post from 1,000 of the city's residents.

5 May 2020

Viral post alleging Obama-era device tax caused current PPE shortage is way off

A social media post, which in April was shared widely on Facebook and made appearances on a conservative online discussion forum, asserts that former President Barack Obama signed legislation that caused companies to manufacture medical devices overseas, including items essential for the current coronavirus pandemic.

5 May 2020

Palliative care helped family face ‘the awful, awful truth’

Seattle mourned the news: Elizabeth and Robert Mar died of COVID-19 within a day of each other. They would have celebrated 50 years of marriage in August.

5 May 2020

Russian scientists create humanized mice to test drugs and vaccines for COVID-19

Following the recent Coronavirus outbreak, almost three million people have been infected worldwide, whereas the death toll has already passed the 200,000 mark, according to official reports.

5 May 2020

Hydroxychloroquine shown to slow recovery for COVID-19 patients

As researchers try to piece together a therapeutic strategy against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a recent retrospective study from Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, assessed the Hydroxychloroquine's efficacy in increasing SARS-CoV-2 viral clearance, finding that it appeared to significantly slow viral clearance in mild to moderately ill COVID-19 patients.

5 May 2020

Scientists are exploring to find the 'Achilles heel' of coronavirus

Coronavirus, or more exactly SARS-CoV-2, has the world in its grip. How does the virus manage to bind to cells in the human body? How does it gain entry to the cell? How does it hijack the cell's machinery to make it help to replicate the viral genome?

5 May 2020

Study: Brazilian president’s attitude to coronavirus increases 'risky behavior' in the country

Jair Bolsonaro's public undermining of pandemic prevention efforts reduces social distancing in the parts of Brazil where his voter base is strongest, according to a new study using location data from over 60 million phones.

4 May 2020