Pandemic News and Research

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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.

Study highlights COVID-19's mental health toll on older adults with stroke history

A new longitudinal study from the University of Toronto highlights the substantial mental health toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on older adults with a history of stroke.

21 Feb 2024

Research reveals disparities in workplace experiences for minority ethnic NHS staff during the pandemic

Minority ethnic NHS staff were more likely to face workplace harassment, discrimination, and unavailability of personal protective equipment (PPE) than their White British colleagues during the pandemic, reveals research published online in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine.

21 Feb 2024

Study: 2021 Child Tax Credit expansion aided families during pandemic hardship

As a proposal to reinstate expanded Child Tax Credits (CTC) in the United States awaits a vote in the Senate, a new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researchers reveals that the now-expired 2021 CTC expansion benefitted families experiencing financial setbacks due to health or employment challenges spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic.

20 Feb 2024

Passive video use among toddlers can negatively affect language development

A new study from SMU psychologist Sarah Kucker and colleagues reveals that passive video use among toddlers can negatively affect language development, but their caregiver's motivations for exposing them to digital media could also lessen the impact.

20 Feb 2024

Physical activity counters social isolation's mental toll

Physical activity significantly offsets the negative impact of social isolation on mental health, with neuroimaging showing its potential as a compensatory mechanism for emotional well-being.

20 Feb 2024

Investigating dosage in hyperbaric oxygen therapy for post-covid conditions

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, giving patients 100 percent oxygen at a pressure corresponding to 10-20 meters below sea level, has been around for almost 100 years.

20 Feb 2024

Study reveals racial disparities in access to buprenorphine for opioid use disorder

Buprenorphine, a life-saving medication for opioid use disorder, is far less accessible in geographic areas of the United States with racially and ethnically diverse populations than in predominantly white areas, according to a new study of pre-pandemic data led by health policy scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health published today in Journal of Addiction Medicine.

20 Feb 2024

Researchers develop novel nanomedicine loaded with genetic material to fight HIV

Society learned about the value of mRNA during the COVID-19 pandemic when we saw scientists and medical professionals harness its power to deliver a vaccine for the virus within a year.

20 Feb 2024

Survey of US adults reveals common cognitive symptoms in post-COVID-19 patients, linked to impaired daily functioning and depression

Scientists examined how prevalent self-reported cognitive symptoms were in individuals with post-COVID-19 condition as compared to individuals who had prior severe SARS-CoV-2 infections but had not developed post-COVID-19 condition.

19 Feb 2024

New study pinpoints key markers for Long COVID diagnosis

Study identifies elevated serologic responses and memory CD8+ T cell clonal expansion as key markers of Long COVID, offering insights into its pathology and potential diagnostic approaches.

18 Feb 2024

Genetic mechanism shields bacterial communities from viral threats

Like humans struggling to get through the COVID-19 pandemic, bacterial cells need social distancing to thwart viruses.

16 Feb 2024

Lockdown delays in melanoma diagnosis cost Europe £6bn and thousands of lives

Delays in diagnosing melanoma due to Covid-19 lockdown may have contributed to over 100,000 years of life lost across Europe and over £6bn in costs, mainly indirectly due to loss of productivity, finds a new study led by UCL and University Hospital of Basel researchers.

16 Feb 2024