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Study examines elderly people's attitudes and compliance to COVID-19 preventive measures

Survey results from 27 countries suggest that, despite their increased risk of severe illness due to COVID-19, elderly people are not more willing to isolate when asked to, and are not more compliant with several COVID-19 preventive measures.

6 Jul 2020

Coronavirus crisis disrupts treatment for another epidemic: Addiction

Shawn Hayes was thankful to be holed up at a city-run hotel for people with COVID-19.

6 Jul 2020

Asthma does not appear to increase the risk of COVID-19, shows study

Asthma does not appear to increase the risk for a person contracting COVID-19 or influence its severity, according to a team of Rutgers researchers.

6 Jul 2020

Cell 'membrane on a chip' could help test potential drug candidates for COVID-19

Researchers have developed a human cell 'membrane on a chip' that allows continuous monitoring of how drugs and infectious agents interact with our cells, and may soon be used to test potential drug candidates for COVID-19.

6 Jul 2020

WHO urged to recognize airborne transmission of COVID-19

Now, a team of international scientists, including 239 health experts from 32 countries, has written an open letter to the WHO urging the organization to revise its recommendations for the spread of SARS-CoV-2, due to mounting evidence that the disease is airborne for more extended periods than the WHO advisory.

6 Jul 2020

Oxford COVID-19 vaccine trials move to stage 3 human trials

The technical name of the vaccine is ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222), as it is made from a virus called ChAdOx1, which is a weakened and non-replicating version of a common cold virus (adenovirus). The vaccine has been engineered to express the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

5 Jul 2020

Research suggests protective effect of influenza vaccine against COVID-19 severity and mortality

A new study involving over 92,000 patients with COVID-19 in Brazil shows that the odds of severe disease, ventilatory support requirement, and death are reduced with a recent trivalent flu vaccine. This seems to indicate that these vaccines should be used as widely as possible to reduce the risk of severe COVID-19, especially among high-risk groups. The study is published on the preprint server medRxiv* in June 2020.

5 Jul 2020

High population density in India associated with spread of COVID-19

Indian health experts say the findings of a US study — which suggest that population density is unrelated to COVID-19 infection rates — to be completely contradictory to their experience of dealing with the pandemic in India, a country with 1.3 billion people.

3 Jul 2020

New approach could illuminate a critical stage in the life cycle of P. vivax malaria parasite

A new approach could illuminate a critical stage in the life cycle of one of the most common malaria parasites.

3 Jul 2020

BBI Solutions reaches 'major milestone' in development of COVID-19 lateral flow antibody test

BBI Solutions, part of the UK-Rapid Test Consortium, has reached a ‘major milestone’ in the development of a COVID-19 lateral flow antibody test.

3 Jul 2020

Survey: 6 out of 10 Swedes feel media provides the information they need on coronavirus pandemic

A decreasing proportion of Swedes think that the media's reporting on the coronavirus provides them with the information they need. Politicians who comment on the virus are perceived to be less in agreement than previously.

3 Jul 2020

Latest findings put Benson Viscometers at the forefront of Covid-19 fight

A clinical viscosity diagnostic instrument is proving to be valuable in the research and treatment of coronavirus after laboratory scientists have identified its ability to provide meaningful data for medical teams treating Covid-19 patients.

3 Jul 2020

WHO endorses Truenat molecular diagnostic tests for TB

The Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, Molbio Diagnostics and the Indian Council of Medical Research announced today that the World Health Organization has now endorsed three of their rapid molecular Truenat assays for initial diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) and subsequent detection of rifampicin resistance in adults and children with signs and symptoms of pulmonary TB.

3 Jul 2020

PPE shortages linked to spread of Covid-19 inside care homes

The spread of Covid-19 inside care homes has been fueled by a lack of personal protection equipment – according to new research from the University of East Anglia.

3 Jul 2020

Thermo Scientific MAS Omni Infectious Controls launched to assess the performance of serological assays

Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science, today announced the availability of the Thermo Scientific MAS Omni Infectious Disease quality control sets for monitoring serological assays for analytes such as HIV 1&2, Hepatitis B & C virus, Syphilis and HTLV I/II.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 3 Jul 2020

Official U.S.tallies likely undercount COVID-19 deaths

The United States is the hardest-hit nation amid the coronavirus pandemic, with its case toll has topping 2.73 million. The death toll in the official tally has reached 128,742. Now, a new study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) deaths between March and May in the country were likely 28 percent higher than the official tally reported.

3 Jul 2020

Human immune response could neutralize new G virus, shows study

Flashback to mid-March: the novel coronavirus had reached San Diego, California. Few people could get tested, and even less was known about how the virus mutated as it spread from person to person.

3 Jul 2020

Diagnosis of COVID-19 by RT-LAMP assay in 25 minutes

Even as COVID-19 continues its inexorable march, taking hundreds of thousands of lives and causing nearly 11 million cases, the diagnosis of the infection is still not sensitive or specific enough. Now, a new study by scientists at the Francis Crick Institute and published on the preprint server medRxiv...

3 Jul 2020

Mutated European strain of coronavirus more contagious but less potent

The coronavirus pandemic is far from over as it actively spreads across the globe. The infection toll has reached a staggering 10.84 million people since it emerged in late December 2019 in Wuhan City, China. The virus that has left the city has now spread to 188 countries and territories and has mutated, becoming more infectious.

3 Jul 2020

Markers of vascular damage in COVID-19

A new study by researchers at Yale University and published on the preprint server medRxiv reports on the plasma levels of biomolecules that reflect vascular damage in COVID-19.

2 Jul 2020