Coronavirus Disease COVID 19 News and Research

Latest Coronavirus Disease COVID 19 News and Research

SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern more virulent than the native strain of the virus

A large study from Ontario confirms that SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs), especially the Delta variant, are more virulent than the native strain of the virus, increasing people's risk of hospitalization, admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and death due to COVID-19.

5 Oct 2021

A review of COVID data reporting in Africa

An international team of scientists has recently investigated how African countries report and share data related to the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. They have found that African countries use distinct reporting systems that include social media posts, website updates, situation reports, press releases, and online dashboards. A detailed report of the findings is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

5 Oct 2021

Cysteamine inhibits SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in vitro

Researchers in the United States have shown that a compound currently used to treat cystinosis exhibits broad antiviral activity against variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

5 Oct 2021

Six key OU humanities programs benefit from $500,000 NEH award

Six key humanities programs at the University of Oklahoma will benefit from a $500,000 award from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the largest ever total grant from the NEH for OU.

5 Oct 2021

Plasmid DNA vaccines induce effective antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2 in mice

Researchers in the United States and China have developed plasmid DNA immunogens that induce effective antibody responses in mice against the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

5 Oct 2021

AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine safe and effective in phase 3 U.S., Chile, and Peru trial

A new study reports on the results of phase III clinical trial on the safety and efficacy of the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine.

5 Oct 2021

A possible protective genetic polymorphism in COVID-19

A new study discusses the role of a mucin gene enhancer on the clinical phenotype of the COVID-19.

5 Oct 2021

New low-cost ventilator could address the shortage of ventilators in developing countries

A new low-cost ventilator design invented during COVID-19 could address the global shortage of ventilators for other respiratory diseases.

5 Oct 2021

Anti-nucleocapsid SARS-Cov-2 antibodies wane over time in long-term care facilities

A new study shows that up to a third of survivors in LTCFs were infected during the first year after infection.

5 Oct 2021

SARS-CoV-2 beta variant elicits variant specific and cross-reactive antibodies

One recent study assessed the serum of Beta variant infected patients to determine whether major non-VOC antibodies could neutralize this virus.

5 Oct 2021

Emergence and evolution of endemic and emerging coronavirus diversity in humans and animals

A study aimed to understand the evolutionary and epidemiology dynamics of coronavirus diversity in animals, humans, and wildlife at ecosystem interfaces.

5 Oct 2021

Connection between aerosol transmission and COVID-19 dynamics

A simulation study explored event-level overdispersion of SARS-Cov-2 spread, utilizing real-world inputs from a large number of social gatherings.

5 Oct 2021

The role of ZBP1 in promoting SARS-CoV-2-induced cytokine expression

A new study reported that the ZBP1-induced inflammatory signaling pathway is dependent on ubiquitination and RIPK3’s scaffolding ability, independent of cell death.

5 Oct 2021

Anti-CD20 therapy patients can develop immune responses after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination

A new systematic review and meta-analysis focused on the humoral and cell-mediated immune responses after COVID-19 vaccination in patients undergoing anti-CD20 antibodies treatment.

5 Oct 2021

Depressed seroconversion in immunocompromised COVID-19 vaccine recipients

Researchers from the University of Singapore have reviewed the data in post-vaccinated immunocompromised patients to examine the effectiveness of these vaccines in these patients.

5 Oct 2021

How accurate is COVID-19 modeling?

Researchers from the Burnet Institute in Melbourne have been using this to investigate how accurate COVID-19 modelling has been.

5 Oct 2021

The pandemic forced my transgender wife to fight our insurer over hormones

For the past eight years, my wife, Ky Hamilton, has undergone gender-affirming hormone therapy. As a transgender woman, she injects Depo-Estradiol liquid estrogen into her thigh once a week.

5 Oct 2021

Solitary confinement condemns many prisoners to long-term health issues

Sometimes, Pamela Winn isn't sure how to connect with people, even those she loves, like her 9-month-old granddaughter. When the baby is in her arms, "I sit there quietly, and I don't know what to say. What to do," she said, her eyes filling with tears. "My socializing skills are just not there anymore."

5 Oct 2021

Humoral responses to SARS-CoV-2 are detectable through saliva, scientists find

Your saliva may be able to tell you if you’ve developed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies, suggests a new medRxiv* preprint study. In immunocompromised groups, salivary Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody levels were associated with IgG titers in blood serum 3 to 4 weeks after mRNA vaccination.

5 Oct 2021

Study suggests shingles vaccine reduces the risk for COVID-19

People who get the shingles vaccine may have a lower risk of being diagnosed and hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), according to a new medRxiv* preprint study. In about 150,000 people over the age of 50, vaccination for shingles was associated with a 32% reduced risk of severe COVID-19 infection.

5 Oct 2021