SARS CoV 2 News and Research

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Does the type of hand sanitizer matter? A study involving 568 people suggests it might

In a 72-day randomized trial involving 568 participants in Japan, an experimental hand sanitizer containing ethanol, benzalkonium chloride, and lactic acid was associated with a 40% lower cumulative incidence of upper respiratory symptoms than a commercial ethanol-based sanitizer. Participants using the experimental formulation also experienced fewer illness-related work restrictions, although infections were not laboratory-confirmed and the proposed residual antimicrobial mechanism was not directly tested.

14 Oct 2026

Researchers improve CRISPR technology for detecting HIV and other RNA viruses

Scientists have long used a powerful gene-editing tool called CRISPR to make precise changes to DNA. But a different version of the technology, known as Cas13a, targets RNA, the genetic material found in viruses such as HIV.

13 Oct 2026

A simple handgrip test offers new clues about long COVID

Weaker handgrip strength correlates with severe long COVID symptoms, highlighting its potential as a measure for muscle dysfunction and recovery challenges.

12 Oct 2026

Nasal immune adjuvant protects mice against respiratory viruses for months

The COVID-19 pandemic showed the challenges of protecting populations when a new respiratory virus emerges.

9 Oct 2026

Certain gut bacteria may intensify inflammatory responses to vaccines

A person's microbiome may help determine whether they develop a fever after receiving a vaccination, according to a new study.

8 Oct 2026

Researchers find gene expression patterns linked to severe pediatric COVID-19

Researchers have identified patterns of gene activity associated with severe COVID-19 in children that are shared with other serious respiratory infections.

7 Oct 2026

Short-term vaping exposure injures deep lung tissue and immunity

Just days of e-cigarette vapor exposure can injure the lungs' most delicate tissue and leave it more vulnerable to viral infection, according to a study led by National Jewish Health researchers and published in JCI Insight.

6 Oct 2026

COVID-19 immunity shows cross-reactivity against related bat coronaviruses

People who recovered from COVID-19 infection or were vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 are more likely to have immunity to other closely related bat coronaviruses that could have the potential to threaten future human health.

1 Oct 2026

MIT engineers use artificial intelligence to create heat-resistant RNA vaccines

MIT engineers have found a way to stabilize the lipid nanoparticles used to deliver RNA vaccines, which could allow the vaccines to be more widely distributed.

28 Sep 2026

Genomic study tracks massive chikungunya epidemic on Réunion Island

Between August 2024 and June 2025, Réunion Island experienced a massive chikungunya epidemic, with more than 54,000 confirmed cases and 43 deaths, making it the second major Chikungunya virus outbreak on the island after the 2005-2006 epidemic, which had affected about a third of the islands' population.

25 Sep 2026

SARS-CoV-2 protein ORF8 drives macrophage infection and lung inflammation

In the sickest COVID-19 patients, the SARS-CoV-2 virus doesn't just cause severe damage by directly infecting airway cells.

18 Sep 2026

New funding boosts data archive that tracks healthy aging environments

With an $11 million award from the National Institute on Aging, University of Michigan researchers will build and share national data that track how neighborhood conditions change over time, helping scientists study how local environments affect older adults' health.

17 Sep 2026

SARS-CoV-2 uses two fusion keys to enter host cells

To enter our cells, the Covid-19 virus fuses its surrounding membrane with the membrane of the target cell.

17 Sep 2026

Hedgehog coronaviruses reveal potential pathways for cross-species transmission

Washington State University researchers have discovered how a group of coronaviruses circulating in hedgehogs invades host cells, a key to understanding their potential to jump between species and their risk of causing a pandemic in humans.

16 Sep 2026

New AI method tracks immune responses without known antibody databases

A research team comprising Associate Professor FUNAKOSHI Yohei, Associate Professor YAKUSHIJIN Kimikazu, Professor MINAMI Hironobu, and Associate Professor OHJI Goh of Kobe University, together with graduate student MASUDA Genki, then-graduate student IIZUMI Shunsuke, Associate Professor OHUE Masahito, and colleagues at the Institute of Science Tokyo, has developed a new analysis method, LM-QASAS.

9 Sep 2026

COVID-19 linked to lower subsequent risk of type 1 diabetes

New research to be presented at the Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy (Sept 28 – Oct 2) shows that people who have had COVID-19 have a lower, rather than higher, risk of subsequent development of type 1 diabetes (T1D).

8 Sep 2026

Mosaic nanoparticle vaccine boosts broad mucosal coronavirus immunity

The persistent threat of emerging coronaviruses highlights the critical need to establish frontline defenses directly at the respiratory entry portal.

4 Sep 2026

Shared biological pathways may explain chronic fatigue across diseases

A shared biological secret that helps explain chronic exhaustion in conditions including long Covid and PTSD has been discovered by researchers at the University of East Anglia and Oxford BioDynamics.

2 Sep 2026

Antiviral COVID-19 drug shows no benefit for Long COVID

Results from a clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published today in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases show that the antiviral drug, PAXLOVID, commonly prescribed to treat acute COVID-19, does not have an impact on Long COVID symptoms when compared to placebo.

1 Sep 2026