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.

New effort to support those who fall on the wrong side of global vaccine divide

As SciDev.Net celebrates 20 years of reporting about the impact of science on people in low- and middle-income countries, the need for our work is greater than ever.

4 Jan 2021

Certain aquatic insects can forewarn against possible outbreaks of diarrheal disease, shows study

Chironomids, a group of aquatic insects closely related to mosquitoes, act as natural reservoirs of disease-causing cholera bacteria and can forewarn against possible outbreaks of the diarrhoeal disease, a new study suggests

4 Jan 2021

WHO lists Comirnaty COVID-19 mRNA vaccine for emergency use

The World Health Organization (WHO) today listed the Comirnaty COVID-19 mRNA vaccine for emergency use, making the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine the first to receive emergency validation from WHO since the outbreak began a year ago.

3 Jan 2021

Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025: Include grains as a healthy eating pattern at any life stage

The Grain Chain, a farm to fork coalition of stakeholders in the grain industry sector and chaired by the American Bakers Association, celebrates the recommendation published today in the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans to "consume half of your grains from whole grain sources" and the remainder from enriched grains.

29 Dec 2020

Sustained immune dysregulation due to COVID-19 in non-hospitalized patients

COVID-19, which has killed 1.7 million people worldwide, does not follow a uniform path.

29 Dec 2020

Older adults, minorities and people with lower incomes face inequities in telemedicine use

After "COVID-19," the term that most people will remember best from 2020 is likely to be "social distancing." While it most commonly applied to social gatherings with family and friends, it has impacted the way many receive medical care.

29 Dec 2020

New, rapid antibody test gives detailed information on how the immune system reacts to Covid-19

A new type of antibody test is being developed by researchers at Linnaeus University and the bioanalysis company Attana. Compared to the binary antibody tests used today, this rapid test can give more detailed information on how our immune systems react to Covid-19 and other types of viruses and bacteria.

29 Dec 2020

Live free or die if you must, say Colorado urbanites — but not in my hospital

Whenever Larry Kelderman looks up from the car he's fixing and peers across the street, he's looking across a border. His town of 28,000 straddles two counties, separated by County Line Road.

29 Dec 2020

Phase 3 trial of Novavax COVID-19 vaccine candidate begins enrolling volunteers

The Phase 3 trial of another investigational coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine has begun enrolling adult volunteers.

28 Dec 2020

In fast-moving pandemic, health officials try to change minds at warp speed

Nine months into the pandemic that has killed more than 320,000 people in the U.S., Kim Larson is still trying to convince others in her northern Montana county that COVID-19 is dangerous.

28 Dec 2020

Popular glucose-lowering drug may cause rare diabetes complication in COVID-19 patients

Diabetes is a known risk factor for morbidity and mortality related to COVID-19. In diabetes patients, rare but severe complications, like the potentially lethal condition diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), can arise when illness or certain conditions prevent cells from receiving enough glucose to fuel their functioning.

28 Dec 2020

Severity of COVID-19 correlates with the ratio of antibodies targeting crucial viral protein

COVID-19 antibodies preferentially target a different part of the virus in mild cases of COVID-19 than they do in severe cases, and wane significantly within several months of infection, according to a new study by researchers at Stanford Medicine.

24 Dec 2020

SARS-CoV-2 spike-antibody binding strength and hydrogen bond numbers are temperature dependent, study finds

A new preprint on the bioRxiv* server describes the interactions between the binding spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus with the antibodies. Earlier studies have addressed the similarity in the 3D structures of the spike protein in the two SARS viruses as seen on cryo-EM.

24 Dec 2020

Could engineered red blood cells be an effective antiviral against SARS-CoV-2?

In a new study, released on the bioRxiv* preprint server, a team of researchers explores the antiviral potential of red blood cells against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative pathogen of COVID-19.

24 Dec 2020

Animal study suggests palmitoylation inhibitor reduces virulence of SARS-CoV-2

A new study preprint on the bioRxiv* server demonstrates the ability of a fatty acid synthase inhibitor to improve the survival of mice infected with murine hepatitis virus. In so doing, it adds to the sum of knowledge about the relationship of SARS-CoV-2 with cholesterol metabolism in the host cell.

24 Dec 2020

Loss of taste and smell may be most reliable COVID-19 symptoms for digital surveillance

A team of researchers from various institutions in London, Israel, and the USA recently tested the existence of consistent links between COVID-19 symptoms and SARS-CoV-2 test status in 3 national surveillance platforms.

24 Dec 2020

Mental disorders highly prevalent during coronavirus pandemics

Researchers in the United States have conducted an analysis showing the high prevalence of mental disorders across populations impacted by coronavirus pandemics.

24 Dec 2020

Reopening college campuses could initiate COVID-19 superspreading

Researchers at Stanford University in the United States have conducted a study showing that college campuses have an extremely high incidence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and that reopening them could initiate superspreading into neighboring communities.

24 Dec 2020

Analysis: Some said the vaccine rollout would be a ‘nightmare.’ They were right.

Even before there was a vaccine, some seasoned doctors and public health experts warned, Cassandra-like, that its distribution would be "a logistical nightmare."

24 Dec 2020

Kobe University and Sysmex conduct joint research on ELISPOT method for identifying COVID-19

Kobe University and Sysmex Corporation have been engaged in joint research on the ELISPOT method, a new blood test for identifying the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

24 Dec 2020

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

New effort to support those who fall on the wrong side of global vaccine divide

Certain aquatic insects can forewarn against possible outbreaks of diarrheal disease, shows study

WHO lists Comirnaty COVID-19 mRNA vaccine for emergency use

Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025: Include grains as a healthy eating pattern at any life stage

Sustained immune dysregulation due to COVID-19 in non-hospitalized patients

Older adults, minorities and people with lower incomes face inequities in telemedicine use

New, rapid antibody test gives detailed information on how the immune system reacts to Covid-19

Live free or die if you must, say Colorado urbanites — but not in my hospital

Phase 3 trial of Novavax COVID-19 vaccine candidate begins enrolling volunteers

In fast-moving pandemic, health officials try to change minds at warp speed

Popular glucose-lowering drug may cause rare diabetes complication in COVID-19 patients

Severity of COVID-19 correlates with the ratio of antibodies targeting crucial viral protein

SARS-CoV-2 spike-antibody binding strength and hydrogen bond numbers are temperature dependent, study finds

Could engineered red blood cells be an effective antiviral against SARS-CoV-2?

Animal study suggests palmitoylation inhibitor reduces virulence of SARS-CoV-2

Loss of taste and smell may be most reliable COVID-19 symptoms for digital surveillance

Mental disorders highly prevalent during coronavirus pandemics

Reopening college campuses could initiate COVID-19 superspreading

Analysis: Some said the vaccine rollout would be a ‘nightmare.’ They were right.

Kobe University and Sysmex conduct joint research on ELISPOT method for identifying COVID-19

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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