Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Researchers develop nasal spray against COVID-19 virus

A nasal spray to provide protection against the COVID-19 virus has been formulated by researchers at the University of Birmingham, UK, using materials already cleared for use in humans.

20 Nov 2020

Study: More investment is needed to produce, distribute approved COVID-19 vaccines

The success of a COVID-19 vaccine will depend not only on its efficacy but will hinge at least as much on how fast and widely it can be delivered, the severity of the pandemic, and the public's willingness to be immunized, according to a study published in Health Affairs.

20 Nov 2020

Pork consumption is not likely to cause COVID-19 infection

According to the current state of knowledge, there are no cases that have shown evidence of humans being infected with the novel coronavirus via the consumption of contaminated food.

20 Nov 2020

High cost of drugs could lead to more than 1.1 million deaths among Medicare recipients

More than 1.1 million Medicare patients could die over the next decade because they cannot afford to pay for their prescription medications, according to a new study released today by the West Health Policy Center, a nonprofit and nonpartisan policy research group and Xcenda, the research arm of the drug distributor AmerisourceBergen.

19 Nov 2020

Texas Biomed awarded $1 million to evaluate MAb therapeutics for COVID-19

Texas Biomedical Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, was awarded $1 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to test the efficacy of human monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

19 Nov 2020

Swiss data shows COVID-19 three times more deadly than the flu

Despite this, COVID-19 is often downplayed to be only a seasonal flu by many. This may be because both influenza and COVID-19 have a similar initial presentation, and it is tough to distinguish between the two based on just the clinical presentation.

19 Nov 2020

Pregnant women with COVID-19 have low risk of developing severe symptoms

Pregnant women who test positive for COVID-19 and their newborn babies have a low risk of developing severe symptoms, according to a new study from UT Southwestern.

19 Nov 2020

Carrageenan-based composite nasal spray may help prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection

A team of researchers at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom formulated a spray that contains polysaccharides known for their mucoadhesive antiviral properties for prophylaxis against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

19 Nov 2020

COVID-19 lockdown is associated with high blood pressure

Lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with an increase in high blood pressure among patients admitted to emergency.

19 Nov 2020

Teenagers facing COVID-19 and EVALI show similar symptoms

A UC Davis Health pediatric team presented a powerful case series of three teenagers who had unexplained breathing problems during the COVID-19 pandemic.

19 Nov 2020

Genetic variations of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in cats

Using cats as an animal model to study severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission, researchers have determined the virus has a narrow transmission bottleneck.

19 Nov 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: What would Dr. Fauci do?

Since the mid-1980s, whenever there's been a public health crisis, America — and six U.S. presidents — have turned to Dr. Anthony Fauci.

19 Nov 2020

States’ face-covering mandates leave gaps in protection

Brady Bowman, a 19-year-old student at the University of Colorado-Boulder, and two friends strolled down 11th Street, all sporting matching neck gaiters branded with the Thomas' English Muffins logo. He had received an entire box of the promotional gaiters.

19 Nov 2020

SARS-CoV-2 is not associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes

A recent study examined the risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy, finding that no severe adverse outcomes are expected to either party.

19 Nov 2020

How the influenza virus takes control of a city, and implications for SARS-CoV-2

SARS-CoV-2 has spread around the world, passed across the borders of nations by travelers and cargo.

19 Nov 2020

Study describes the early evolution of oral poliovirus vaccine

While the world reels from the spread of SARS-CoV2, the new coronavirus behind COVID-19, a much older and previously feared scourge--poliovirus--is close to being completely eradicated.

19 Nov 2020

Triple RNA sequencing dissects gene expression of virus and fungi in infection processes

Organ and stem cell transplants are proven and frequently used methods in everyday modern clinical practice. However, even when performed regularly in specialized centers, some patients still experience a number of serious complications afterward.

19 Nov 2020

Researchers assess types of disease and economic harm from Utah's air pollution

Air pollution has been a problem in Utah since before the territory was officially recognized as a state. The mountain valleys of this high elevation region are particularly vulnerable to the buildup of air pollution from vehicles, household heating, and power production.

19 Nov 2020

Machine learning can fill significant gap in Canadian public health data

Machine learning can be used to fill a significant gap in Canadian public health data related to ethnicity and Aboriginal status, according to research published today in PLOS ONE by a University of Alberta research epidemiologist.

19 Nov 2020

SARS-CoV-2 deactivation on surfaces in 30 seconds with a copper paste

In a recent bioRxiv preprint paper, a team of researchers shows the possibility of using copper, in a new conformation, for effectively killing microbes immediately.

18 Nov 2020