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.

Microbiota modulation and re-establishment of eubiosis could help curb COVID-19 complications

In the paper published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, the researchers noted that since both the respiratory tract and the gastrointestinal mucosa are affected in COVID-19, it is possible that adjunctive therapies that modulate the gut-lung axis.

18 Mar 2021

COVID-19-related lockdowns disproportionately impact women, UK study finds

An increasing number of research works have highlighted how women are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic globally. Disease outbreaks impact men, women, and other genders differently.

18 Mar 2021

Risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection as UK schools reopened in 2020 was very low, say researchers

A study conducted by Public Health England has found that the risk of infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – was very low among both students and staff as primary schools partially and fully reopened over the latter half of 2020.

17 Mar 2021

New SARS-CoV-2 variant in France appears undetectable by PCR

French authorities have announced the emergence of a new variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the northwestern region of Brittany that has escaped detection by standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests.

17 Mar 2021

Older and non-White people less likely to be captured by mobility data used in response to COVID-19

Information on individuals' mobility--where they go as measured by their smartphones--has been used widely in devising and evaluating ways to respond to COVID-19, including how to target public health resources.

17 Mar 2021

Coronaviruses may be vulnerable to ultrasound vibrations, study suggests

The coronavirus' structure is an all-too-familiar image, with its densely packed surface receptors resembling a thorny crown.

17 Mar 2021

FDA authorizes marketing of first SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test using De Novo premarket review pathway

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted marketing authorization of the BioFire Respiratory Panel 2.1 (RP2.1), a diagnostic test for the simultaneous qualitative detection and identification of multiple respiratory viral and bacterial nucleic acids in nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) obtained from individuals suspected of COVID-19 and other respiratory tract infections.

17 Mar 2021

Air purification technologies to combat SARS-CoV-2

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic had people sharing an array of strategies for disinfection and disease prevention.

17 Mar 2021

Researchers develop rapid method for identifying antibody-resistant SARS-CoV-2 mutants

Researchers in the United States have described a novel rapid method for identifying antibody-resistant mutants in SARS-CoV-2.

17 Mar 2021

Could visible light be a safe and effective SARS-CoV-2 disinfectant?

A new study reports that blue light with a wavelength of 400–420 nm can inactivate enveloped viruses like SARS-CoV-2 and influenza. This could allow continuous disinfection of spaces even when people are present.

17 Mar 2021

Can vaccination and infection rates add up to reach Covid herd immunity?

It's been a long, dark winter of Covid concerns, stoked by high post-holiday case counts and the American death tally exceeding 530,000 lives lost.

17 Mar 2021

How can a rapid COVID-19 vaccine rollout expedite the relaxation of pandemic restrictions?

A new study describes a model in which NPIs can be safely relaxed while vaccination is still ongoing, with emphasis on the speed of vaccination campaigns.

17 Mar 2021

Researchers explore difference in reactions to SARS-CoV-2 infection between children and adults

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed over 2.67 million lives in less than a year and a half. However, it is uncommon in children, with less than 2% of the cases being in individuals below the age of 19. Most of these are of mild severity, with the clinical features of severe COVID-19 being rare in this age group.

17 Mar 2021

INTEGRA Biosciences continues strong growth in 2020

INTEGRA Biosciences AG – based in Zizers, Switzerland and Hudson, New Hampshire – has released its 2020 annual report, with sales rising 73% compared to the previous year for this manufacturer of laboratory equipment and pipettes.

From INTEGRA Biosciences 17 Mar 2021

COVID-19 is more difficult to diagnose in children and adolescents, finds study

The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has spread to over 192 countries and territories, causing an enormous loss of lives and economic devastation.

17 Mar 2021

Socioeconomic disparities could explain the association of race/ethnicity with worse COVID-19 outcomes

A new study published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society reveals how socioeconomic factors partially explain the increased odds that Black and Hispanic Americans have of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

17 Mar 2021

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Microbiota modulation and re-establishment of eubiosis could help curb COVID-19 complications

COVID-19-related lockdowns disproportionately impact women, UK study finds

Risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection as UK schools reopened in 2020 was very low, say researchers

New SARS-CoV-2 variant in France appears undetectable by PCR

Older and non-White people less likely to be captured by mobility data used in response to COVID-19

Coronaviruses may be vulnerable to ultrasound vibrations, study suggests

FDA authorizes marketing of first SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test using De Novo premarket review pathway

Air purification technologies to combat SARS-CoV-2

Researchers develop rapid method for identifying antibody-resistant SARS-CoV-2 mutants

Could visible light be a safe and effective SARS-CoV-2 disinfectant?

Can vaccination and infection rates add up to reach Covid herd immunity?

How can a rapid COVID-19 vaccine rollout expedite the relaxation of pandemic restrictions?

Researchers explore difference in reactions to SARS-CoV-2 infection between children and adults

INTEGRA Biosciences continues strong growth in 2020

COVID-19 is more difficult to diagnose in children and adolescents, finds study

Socioeconomic disparities could explain the association of race/ethnicity with worse COVID-19 outcomes

How is speech recognition affected by face masks?

COVID-19 has increased stress levels in the U.S pregnant women

Abbott Pandemic Defence Coalition aims to identify new viral threats and take quick action

Compromised immunity can allow SARS-CoV-2 to evade the immune system

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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