Coronavirus Disease COVID 19 News and Research

Latest Coronavirus Disease COVID 19 News and Research

Dexamethasone should be a standard drug in severe COVID-19

Many scientists have explored the use of new as well as already approved drugs for this condition, and one of the very few promising leads is dexamethasone. Dexamethasone is a corticosteroid, which has been reported in some earlier studies to reduce mortality in these patients by 18% and 36% in COVID-19 patients who are on oxygen and ventilators, respectively.

3 Aug 2020

SARS-CoV-2 spike protein recognized by innate immune receptors in a glycan-dependent way

The spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) depends on its ability to infect new host cells following its replication and release from infected cells. This pivots on its ability to bind to cell surface receptors like the ACE2 enzyme.

3 Aug 2020

Severe fatigue common in COVID-19, independent of disease severity

Patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection often complain of fatigue, but now a new study shows that it also causes severe and frequent fatigue in those who recover after mild illness too.

2 Aug 2020

The race to a coronavirus vaccine

As the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases skyrocket to a staggering 18 million, the race to attain vaccine approval is on. More than a hundred candidate vaccines are being developed and tested to prevent infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Now, many vaccine candidates are undergoing human stage 2 and 3 trials to prove their efficacy and safety.

2 Aug 2020

There could be 7 million unplanned pregnancies because of COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic has rippled across the globe, infecting nearly 18 million individuals worldwide to date. Though the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) affects people from all walks of life, women and girls may experience devastating effects of the outbreak.

2 Aug 2020

School children unlikely to play a significant role in COVID-19 spread, says Finnish study

A study conducted by researchers in Finland suggests that children who are exposed to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in schools are unlikely to transmit the virus further and play any significant role in the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

2 Aug 2020

Pre-COVID-19 coronavirus antibodies fail to neutralize SARS-CoV-2

Researchers in Austria have shown that antibodies with potent neutralizing activity against a well-established seasonal coronavirus had no neutralizing activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

2 Aug 2020

New bivalent vaccine delivers robust cell-mediated and humoral immunity against SARS-CoV-2

In a groundbreaking bioRxiv study, US researchers demonstrate the capability of next-generation bivalent human adenovirus serotype 5 (hAd5) vaccine for inducing both cellular and humoral immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – using both an S protein sequence optimized for cell surface expression and a conserved nucleocapsid antigen designed to be transported to the endosomal subcellular compartment.

2 Aug 2020

Synthetic riboregulators detect SARS-CoV-2 genome parts in 40 minutes

By exploiting the tools of synthetic biology, the researchers from Turkey have successfully developed a de novo riboregulator system for rapidly detecting the presence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) genomic material. Their paper is currently available on medRxiv preprint server.

2 Aug 2020

Study reveals attack rate of COVID-19 on trains

A study by scientists from the University of Southampton has examined the chances of catching COVID-19 in a train carriage carrying an infectious person.

1 Aug 2020

FDA authorizes first two COVID-19 serology tests

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the first two COVID-19 serology tests that display an estimated quantity of antibodies present in the individual's blood.

1 Aug 2020

Meta-analysis shows 57% mortality reduction with convalescent plasma in COVID-19

Now, a new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in July 2020 reports that an older treatment modality, namely, the use of convalescent antibody-rich plasma, brings down the mortality rate in hospitalized COVID-19 patients by an astonishing 57%. This adds evidence for the use of convalescent plasma in the treatment of high-risk patients.

1 Aug 2020

Children carry 100 times more SARS-CoV-2 virus as adults, study says

As the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to wreak havoc across the globe, it has been thought that children mostly seemed to be spared by severe illness. In the majority of cases, children infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) only develop a mild illness, with some tagged as asymptomatic.

31 Jul 2020

Research suggests New York City may have reached coronavirus herd immunity threshold

A new study by researchers at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Brookhaven National Laboratory and published on the preprint server medRxiv in July 2020 discusses the effect of a factor called persistent contact heterogeneity on the final epidemic size of COVID-19.

31 Jul 2020

Air travel helped spread novel coronavirus in Brazil

Domestic and international air travel helped spread the novel coronavirus in Brazil, a study has found, as tourism bodies push for global travel to resume amid infection resurgences in some countries.

31 Jul 2020

NIH invests $248.7 million in new COVID-19 testing technologies to meet U.S. demand

The National Institutes of Health is investing $248.7 million in new technologies to address challenges associated with COVID-19 testing (which detects SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus).

31 Jul 2020

Mandatory BCG vaccination correlates with flattening of the curve in COVID-19 spread

Scientists have found that countries with mandatory Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination until at least the year 2000 tended to exhibit slower infection and death rates during the first 30 days of the outbreak of COVID-19 in their country.

31 Jul 2020

Brain Navi develops new nasal swab robot to prevent cross infections

Inspired by the pandemic, Brain Navi developed a new robot to perform nasal swab tests autonomously to prevent cross infections so we can save the medical system and reestablish economies.

31 Jul 2020

COVID-19 rapid antibody test receives CE mark and mass production begins

The COVID-19 rapid antibody test, developed by Abingdon Health, the medical device manufacturer leading the UK-Rapid Test Consortium, has received its CE mark. This means it is approved for professional use in the UK and EU.

31 Jul 2020

Leading expert is sounding the alarm on newly-identified symptom of coronavirus

A VascularNurse Consultant and senior lecturer at the University of Huddersfield is sounding the alarm on a newly-identified symptom of the coronavirus, dubbed COVID-toes, after witnessing a sharp increase in the amount of patients being referred to vascular clinics, with similar symptoms to arterial disease but, who then test positive for COVID-19.

31 Jul 2020