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.

Need amid plenty: Richest US counties are overwhelmed by surge in child hunger

Alexandra Sierra carried boxes of food to her kitchen counter, where her 7-year-old daughter, Rachell, stirred a pitcher of lemonade.

18 Mar 2021

Landmark Covid relief law pumps more than $100 billion into public health

Acknowledging that chronic underfunding of public health contributed significantly to the nation's fragmented response to the coronavirus pandemic, Democrats included more than $100 billion in the recently enacted relief package to address urgent needs and enhance future efforts.

18 Mar 2021

Study reveals unknown immune defense system that protects the lungs from viral infections

Researchers have uncovered a previously unknown arm of the immune defence system that protects the lung from lethal viral infections.

18 Mar 2021

Study reports high prevalence of depression and anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic

A study conducted at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health reports a high global prevalence of both depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic and shows how implementation of mitigation strategies including public transportation and school closures, and stay-at-home orders impacted such disorders.

18 Mar 2021

Reduced tax on beer and wine will have health consequences, says NTNU professor

Eliminating the sugar tax and reducing the taxes on beer and wine will have health consequences, according to Steinar Krokstad, a professor of public health at NTNU.

18 Mar 2021

How resistant is the SARS-CoV-2 Brazilian variant to antibodies?

Researchers based at the University of Oxford, UK, have shown that the P.1 Brazilian variant of SARS-CoV-2 is less resistant to natural or vaccine acquired antibody responses than the B.1.351, South African, variant, despite sharing convergent mutations.

18 Mar 2021

Can vaccine evading SARS-CoV-2 variants be restricted by prioritized vaccine rollout?

A new study discusses the question of how vaccine priority is affected by the possibility of vaccine escape.

18 Mar 2021

Could cinnamon modulate the immune response in severe COVID-19?

A new study describes the potential for two common plant products to make a difference in the management of severe COVID-19.

18 Mar 2021

Do Artemisia annua L. compounds have SARS-CoV-2 antiviral potential?

Caused by SARS-CoV-2, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led to over 121.2 million cases and over 2.6 million deaths worldwide. An interesting new study examines the potential antiviral activity of compounds present in the plant Artemisia annua L.

18 Mar 2021

Aptamer Group and Mologic enter commercial partnership to develop aptamer-based SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen test

Aptamer Group, the developer of diagnostic and therapeutic Optimer™ reagents, today announced a commercial partnership with Mologic.

From Aptamer Group 18 Mar 2021

Gene expression of viral entry factors may explain the differences of COVID-19 severity

A new study uncovers which cell types can be infected by SARS-CoV-2 due to their viral entry factors. The study also suggests that increased gene expression of these viral entry factors in some individuals partially explains the differences of COVID-19 severity reported in relation to age, gender and smoking status.

18 Mar 2021

Personal protective equipment distributed during COVID-19 has biggest environmental impact

According to a new study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, the carbon footprint of personal protective equipment (PPE) provided to health and social care staff in England during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic was equivalent to flying from London to New York 244 times every day.

18 Mar 2021

The role of S-acylation in the enhancement of SARS-CoV-2 infectivity

A new study published on the bioRxiv server focuses on the role of S-acylation in the SARS-CoV-2 infection cycle. It has also characterized Spike acylation and has also identified other acylated viral proteins and host enzymes involved in the process of infection. Further, it has also revealed the importance of acylation in viral biogenesis and infection.

18 Mar 2021

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

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Need amid plenty: Richest US counties are overwhelmed by surge in child hunger

Landmark Covid relief law pumps more than $100 billion into public health

Study reveals unknown immune defense system that protects the lungs from viral infections

Study reports high prevalence of depression and anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic

Reduced tax on beer and wine will have health consequences, says NTNU professor

How resistant is the SARS-CoV-2 Brazilian variant to antibodies?

Can vaccine evading SARS-CoV-2 variants be restricted by prioritized vaccine rollout?

Could cinnamon modulate the immune response in severe COVID-19?

Do Artemisia annua L. compounds have SARS-CoV-2 antiviral potential?

Aptamer Group and Mologic enter commercial partnership to develop aptamer-based SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen test

Gene expression of viral entry factors may explain the differences of COVID-19 severity

Personal protective equipment distributed during COVID-19 has biggest environmental impact

The role of S-acylation in the enhancement of SARS-CoV-2 infectivity

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

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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