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.

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

How is speech recognition affected by face masks?

News-Medical speaks to Dr. Joe Toscano about his latest research that investigated the impact that face masks have on speech recognition.

17 Mar 2021

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

COVID-19 has created new problems for pregnant women in the United States, a group that already faced the highest maternal mortality rate in the developed world even before the pandemic.

17 Mar 2021

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

Abbott today announced the formation of the Abbott Pandemic Defence Coalition, a first-of-its-kind global scientific and public health partnership dedicated to the early detection of, and rapid response to, future pandemic threats.

17 Mar 2021

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

The vast majority of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 clear the virus, but those with compromised immunity--such as individuals receiving immune-suppressive drugs for autoimmune diseases--can become chronically infected.

17 Mar 2021

People with high BMI may now receive their COVID-19 vaccine in California

Now, California state allows individuals with one of ten comorbidities to get their COVID-19 jabs. This comes after obesity being tagged as COVID-19 vaccine eligibility.

16 Mar 2021

Testing for mRNA-1283, Moderna's next generation COVID-19 vaccine commences

As vaccine efforts against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes the coronavirus disease, roll out in various countries, Moderna ups the game by testing its next-generation COVID-19 vaccine.

16 Mar 2021

Salivary IgG to SARS-CoV-2 after mild COVID-19

A team of researchers based in Stockholm, Sweden, has demonstrated that individuals exposed to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have antibodies for the disease up to nine months after acquiring the disease, even if they displayed only mild symptoms.

16 Mar 2021

New Colombian SARS-CoV-2 lineage shares antibody-resistant mutations with other variants

Scientists in Colombia have identified a new highly divergent SARS-CoV-2 lineage with Spike substitutions L249S and E484K. These same mutations have convergently appeared in other mutant strains of the virus, most notably in variants of concern.

16 Mar 2021

Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prizes for 2021 go to four female and six male researchers

Four female and six male researchers are to receive the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize this year, the top award for early career investigators in Germany.

16 Mar 2021

Novel protein construct prevents lethal COVID-19 in mice

Researchers in the United States have developed a novel protein that prevented lethal disease among mice infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

16 Mar 2021

Using iodine as catalyst to advance the sustainability of pharmaceutical syntheses

Synthesizing pharmaceuticals for cancer, viral diseases, and other medical conditions is slow work. A particularly challenging chemical transformation is to start with what's known as an unactivated alkene--a common molecular building block--and end up with a vicinal diamine; i.e., installation of two nitrogen units into carbon--carbon double bonds.

16 Mar 2021