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.

Cancer patients experiencing a deep sense of loneliness and depression during the pandemic

Loneliness and social isolation have been significant problems for the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic, but for cancer patients these issues were particularly acute, likely due to isolation and social distancing, according to a new UCSF study.

6 May 2021

This small Canadian drugmaker wants to make J&J vaccines for poor nations. It needs more than a patent waiver.

Biolyse Pharma Corp., which makes a cancer medication, was gearing up to start making generic biologic drugs, made from living organisms. Then the pandemic hit.

6 May 2021

Study finds link between pandemic-related income loss, financial strain and depression

Researchers have found an independent association between COVID-19-related income loss and financial strain and depression, according to the latest study from the COVID-19 Resilience Project, run by the Lifespan Brain Institute of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn Medicine.

6 May 2021

Unemployed Australian citizens experience mental health deterioration during COVID-19 pandemic, finds study

A team of scientists in Australia has recently investigated the health condition of Australian citizens who lost jobs during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The study findings reveal that job loss is associated with a deterioration in mental health but an improvement in physical health. Importantly, retaining employment has shown a positive impact on the overall mental health condition.

6 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 is activated for fusion by a broad range of proteases, finds study

A team of researchers from the University of Virginia, USA, used single-virus fusion experiments with exogenously controlled proteases to investigate the mechanism of activation directly. They found that the subcellular location of entry depends on the protease activity of the various components, and parallel pathways are possible.

6 May 2021

Transplant recipients with COVID-19 may show lower cellular and antibody immune responses

Transplant patients are typically on chronic immunosuppression, making them automatically more vulnerable to infection with SARS-CoV-2, the agent responsible for the loss of over three million lives in the current COVID-19 pandemic. A new study discusses evidence for subnormal immune responses following COVID-19 in this population.

6 May 2021

Aberrant immune features in healthy elderly and male subjects with severe COVID-19 may predate infection

A new study shows that the immunological features of severe COVID-19 are already present in healthy older adults and in men, before they are infected, indicating a possible explanation for this differential susceptibility towards the virus.

6 May 2021

Could stem cells improve the outcome of ARDS in severe COVID-19?

A recent study, published in Stem Cells Translational Medicine, explores the safety and efficacy of stem cells, which have been touted as the panacea for a wide range of illnesses, ranging from chronic degenerative conditions to cancer.

6 May 2021

About 84% of antibodies in plasma target non-RBD epitopes on SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, finds study

In a new study recently published in the journal Science, a team of researchers in the U.S. found that most of the antibodies circulating in the blood target areas of the viral spike protein outside the receptor-binding domain (RBD), the part of the spike that binds directly to human cell receptors.

6 May 2021

Salesforce, Google, Facebook. How big tech undermines California’s public health system.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has embraced Silicon Valley tech companies and health care industry titans in response to the covid-19 pandemic like no other governor in America — routinely outsourcing life-or-death public health duties to his allies in the private sector.

6 May 2021

Telemedicine is a tool — not a replacement for your doctor’s touch

Earlier in the pandemic it was vital to see doctors over platforms like Zoom or FaceTime when in-person appointments posed risks of coronavirus exposure. Insurers were forced — often for the first time — to reimburse for all sorts of virtual medical visits and generally at the same price as in-person consultations.

6 May 2021

Experts debate on the true incidence and overdiagnosis of PTSD

Some clinicians are concerned that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis has risen throughout Western society since the late 1980s. Is this correct? And if so, has the true incidence of PTSD really spiralled out of control, or has it simply become overdiagnosed?

6 May 2021

ICU survivors have increased risk of suicide and self-harm, study finds

Admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) is associated with a small increased risk of future suicide or self-harm after discharge compared with non-ICU hospital admissions, finds a study published in The BMJ today.

6 May 2021

People with Covid-19 anxiety syndrome may find it harder to return to normal living after pandemic

‘Covid-19 anxiety syndrome’ may cause a significant number of people to struggle with reintegrating back into daily life as UK society returns to normal after the pandemic, says new research by London South Bank University (LSBU), in partnership with Kingston University.

6 May 2021

WHO and Federal Republic of Germany establish new global hub for pandemic and epidemic intelligence

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Federal Republic of Germany will establish a new global hub for pandemic and epidemic intelligence, data, surveillance and analytics innovation.

6 May 2021

Study finds no evidence of increased risk for COVID-19 from aspirin/NSAID use

At the beginning of the pandemic, there were concerns over the use of aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), increasing the risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. NSAIDs are commonly used to treat SARS-CoV-2 infection-related symptoms such as flu and cough and are frequently taken by older adults with multiple health conditions.

6 May 2021

Many cancer patients are experiencing loneliness and social isolation during COVID-19 pandemic

Loneliness and social isolation, which can have negative effects on health and longevity, are being exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. More than half of surveyed adults with cancer have been experiencing loneliness in recent months, according to a study published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

6 May 2021

Experts and the public have underestimated the true extent of COVID-19 pandemic

Who made more accurate predictions about the course of the COVID-19 pandemic - experts or the public? A study from the University of Cambridge has found that experts such as epidemiologists and statisticians made far more accurate predictions than the public, but both groups substantially underestimated the true extent of the pandemic.

6 May 2021

FDA outlines inspectional activities during COVID-19 pandemic

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a new report titled, "Resiliency Roadmap for FDA Inspectional Oversight," outlining the agency's inspectional activities during the COVID-19 pandemic and its detailed plan to move toward a more consistent state of operations, including the FDA's priorities related to this work going forward.

6 May 2021

Researchers identify potent small molecule TMPRSS2 inhibitor against SARS-CoV-2

A team of scientists from the USA and Canada has recently identified and characterized a novel small-molecule compound inhibitor of cellular serine protease TMPRSS2, which shows significant antiviral potency against emerging variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

5 May 2021

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Cancer patients experiencing a deep sense of loneliness and depression during the pandemic

This small Canadian drugmaker wants to make J&J vaccines for poor nations. It needs more than a patent waiver.

Study finds link between pandemic-related income loss, financial strain and depression

Unemployed Australian citizens experience mental health deterioration during COVID-19 pandemic, finds study

SARS-CoV-2 is activated for fusion by a broad range of proteases, finds study

Transplant recipients with COVID-19 may show lower cellular and antibody immune responses

Aberrant immune features in healthy elderly and male subjects with severe COVID-19 may predate infection

Could stem cells improve the outcome of ARDS in severe COVID-19?

About 84% of antibodies in plasma target non-RBD epitopes on SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, finds study

Salesforce, Google, Facebook. How big tech undermines California’s public health system.

Telemedicine is a tool — not a replacement for your doctor’s touch

Experts debate on the true incidence and overdiagnosis of PTSD

ICU survivors have increased risk of suicide and self-harm, study finds

People with Covid-19 anxiety syndrome may find it harder to return to normal living after pandemic

WHO and Federal Republic of Germany establish new global hub for pandemic and epidemic intelligence

Study finds no evidence of increased risk for COVID-19 from aspirin/NSAID use

Many cancer patients are experiencing loneliness and social isolation during COVID-19 pandemic

Experts and the public have underestimated the true extent of COVID-19 pandemic

FDA outlines inspectional activities during COVID-19 pandemic

Researchers identify potent small molecule TMPRSS2 inhibitor against SARS-CoV-2

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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