Coronavirus Disease COVID 19 News and Research

Latest Coronavirus Disease COVID 19 News and Research

Vaccine design can face specific challenges, say researchers

The goal of a vaccine is to trigger a response that safely protects against an infection and/or the burden of disease.

13 May 2020

Hospital workers complain of minimal disclosure after COVID exposures

Dinah Jimenez assumed a world-class hospital would be better prepared than a chowder house to inform workers when they had been exposed to a deadly virus.

13 May 2020

Racial status and the pandemic: A combustible mixture

In early March, Madalynn Rucker, then 69, agonized over whether to close her Sacramento consultancy office.

13 May 2020

Study explores whether senicapoc drug can mitigate lung damage in COVID-19 patients

Scientists around the globe are working to identify approved and investigational drugs that can be repurposed to treat COVID-19.

13 May 2020

Applying AI to map how COVID-19 virus attacks the heart

A joint UK-US research team is applying a pioneering artificial intelligence system to map for the first time how the COVID-19 virus attacks the heart with such deadly impact.

13 May 2020

New study investigates the effect of asymptomatic COVID-19 transmission

COVID-19's rapid spread throughout the world has been fueled in part by the virus' ability to be transmitted by people who are not showing symptoms of infection.

13 May 2020

Quest and Ortho Clinical Diagnostics join forces to expand COVID-19 antibody testing

Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, a global leader of in vitro diagnostics with a rich history of bringing critical tests for infectious diseases to market, today announced it is working with Quest Diagnostics, the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services, to expand COVID-19 antibody testing to more than 20 Quest laboratories across the U.S.

13 May 2020

Analysis of single-cell data indicates that SARS-Cov-2 targets many cell types

Before it can sicken people, the new coronavirus must first sneak into their cells. But not any cell will do. The virus can enter only those with a certain combination of molecules on their surfaces.

13 May 2020

Scientists are looking for alternate methods to predict the spread of COVID-19

With the ongoing challenges associated with large-scale testing for COVID-19--including test kit shortages, stringent testing criteria and the inherent limitations of current tracking systems on mildly symptomatic and asymptomatic populations, scientists are looking for alternate methods to boost testing in order to predict the spread of the disease.

13 May 2020

New rapid CRISPR-based test for sensitive SARS-CoV-2 detection

A new study reports the approval of a new CRISPR-based coronavirus test that is both sensitive and rapid and intended to help reduce the time required to test symptomatic or potentially contagious cases.

13 May 2020

Researchers to test the strength and contact time of disinfectants used against viruses

Cleaning products, alcohol-based sanitizers and other common chemicals are all being used on surfaces to try to kill the virus that causes COVID-19, but knowing how much to use and how long to use it for is unknown, according to Craig Meyers, distinguished professor of microbiology and immunology and obstetrics and gynecology, College of Medicine, Penn State, who is looking at testing these chemicals to find out.

13 May 2020

New method to control inflammatory response induced by COVID-19

Severe COVID-19 illness can result in excessive inflammation throughout the body, including the lungs, heart and brain. University of Minnesota Twin Cities student Molly Gilligan recently published an article in the journal Cancer & Metastasis Reviews that studied the human body's robust inflammatory response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is now recognized as a hallmark symptom.

13 May 2020

Passive immummization can offer instant, short-term fortification against infectious agents

The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has infected more than 4 million people and killed close to 280,000.1 Finding a vaccine has become a global public health priority.

13 May 2020

The ‘new normal’ in post-COVID-19 dental practice

A new paper published in the British Dental Journal in May 2020 reports on the new ways of partnership between the dental industry and dental professionals, in view of the extremely high risk of aerosol production during dental procedures, to reduce the risk of passing on COVID-19 infection.

13 May 2020

Are pregnant women at higher risk from COVID-19? A Swedish study

A new study published by the Public Health Agency of Sweden in its Brief Report shows that compared to non-pregnant women, pregnant and postpartum women with COVID-19 have a higher risk of requiring intensive care.

12 May 2020

Johns Hopkins offers a free online course to become a contact tracer

Aside from mass testing, one of the most important methods to curb the transmission of the novel coronavirus is through extensive contact tracing. Now there's an opportunity to become a contact tracer as the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has launched a six-hour online course.

12 May 2020

Organ transplantations plummet amid coronavirus pandemic

The coronavirus disease has spread rapidly across nearly all countries across the globe, with more than 4.25 million people infected. The pandemic has taken a toll on the lives of people, especially those in locked down nations. Aside from the negative impact on economic and social aspects, patients who are sick with other diseases may also suffer from the effects of the pandemic.

12 May 2020

Could JAK blockers help treat COVID-19?

A new study published in the journal Science Immunology in May 2020 reports that compounds that safely inhibit the JAK protein could be useful in treating COVID-19.

12 May 2020

A 'multi-omics' approach to the development of drugs against COVID-19

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in May 2020 reports a multi-omics approach that could make it easier to develop drugs that are effective against COVID-19.

12 May 2020

Study provides further insights into the relationship between smoking and COVID-19

A Canadian study available on the preprint server medRxiv* shows that current smokers are slightly more likely than never smokers to test positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), but cautions about the possibility of reverse causality where smokers actually quit to avoid the disease.

12 May 2020