Coronavirus Disease COVID 19 News and Research

Latest Coronavirus Disease COVID 19 News and Research

Poor quality testing could increase number of COVID-19 infections

A new study published in the preprint open-access journal medRxiv in April 2020 assesses the value of untargeted testing for infection or immunity in COVID-19 vs. high-quality targeted testing in keeping down the number of infections while slowly relaxing lockdown measures.

23 Apr 2020

1.7 billion people at higher risk from COVID-19, study says

The COVID-19 pandemic affecting 185 countries and territories the world over has already claimed over 190,000 lives and sickened well over 2.7 million as of April 24, 2020. Research shows that most of these fatalities are in older people or those who have underlying medical conditions.

23 Apr 2020

Is the confidence in hydroxychloroquine for the management of COVID-19 justified?

A new review paper published in the preprint open-access journal medRxiv in April 2020 reports that there is not enough evidence to justify the widespread use of the drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in the treatment or prophylaxis of the current COVID-19 illness.

23 Apr 2020

Swedes confident with government and media response to coronavirus

A number of groups in Sweden, including public service broadcasters Sveriges Television (SVT), and Sveriges Radio, are providing their country with the latest coverage of the coronavirus situation. A new survey shows that 80% of Swedes have moderate to high levels of trust in the public reporting and their government officials.

23 Apr 2020

U.S. may have to spend hundreds of billions treating COVID-19

A new study published in the journal Health Affairs in April 2020 quantifies the financial and resource burden which could be placed on the U.S. healthcare system at varying levels of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) community spread.

23 Apr 2020

Low-cost, portable detector takes about 30 minutes to identify pathogens

Most viral test kits rely on labor- and time-intensive laboratory preparation and analysis techniques; for example, tests for the novel coronavirus can take days to detect the virus from nasal swabs.

23 Apr 2020

Abbott’s fast COVID test poses safety issues, lab workers say

Lab personnel say worries are mounting over the safety of a rapid coronavirus test by Abbott Laboratories that President Donald Trump has repeatedly lauded - particularly, the risk of infection to those handling it.

23 Apr 2020

RAS inhibitors and COVID-19 severity in hypertensive patients

A new study published in the journal JAMA Cardiology in April 2020 reports that patients with hypertension who are taking medications called ACE inhibitors (ACEI) or ARBs are not at higher risk for death or more severe illness with COVID-19. This conclusion supports current guidelines for the treatment of hypertension during this pandemic.

23 Apr 2020

Link between BCG and lower COVID-19 mortality disproved by new analysis

The association between BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) vaccination and its purported beneficial effect on COVID-19 transmission/mortality rates was challenged in an expert appraisal of Diamond Princess cruise ship data. At the same time, cross-national differences previously reported were shown to be flawed, reports a new medRxiv study.

23 Apr 2020

New model highlights key measures in curbing local COVID-19 outbreaks

A new decision analytical model published in JAMA Network Open by the researchers from China examined a number of vital epidemiological features of imported severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the Chinese city of Wenzhou, emphasizing the need for timely community containment.

23 Apr 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Whom do we trust for COVID info?

Congress is approving still more money to address the health and economic fallout of the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic.

23 Apr 2020

Novel method may enable decentralized facilities to deliver faster COVID-19 test services

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in over 2.5 million confirmed cases worldwide and nearly over 170,000 deaths as of April 21 according to the World Health Organization.

23 Apr 2020

Study identifies key nose cells as likely COVID-19 virus entry points

Two specific cell types in the nose have been identified as likely initial infection points for COVID-19 coronavirus. Scientists discovered that goblet and ciliated cells in the nose have high levels of the entry proteins that the COVID-19 virus uses to get into our cells.

23 Apr 2020

New research may shed light on people's susceptibility to COVID-19

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in patients with COVID-19 can lead to death but more than 50% of these cases are associated with co-infection with bacterial pathogens.

23 Apr 2020

Biden says OSHA isn’t doing enough to protect workers’ from COVID-19

During an April 15 virtual town hall meeting with front-line workers, former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democrats' presumptive nominee for the White House, was asked by a meat processing worker what he would do to protect workers like her from COVID-19.

23 Apr 2020

Coronavirus crisis opens access to online opioid addiction treatment

Opioid addiction isn't taking a break during the coronavirus pandemic.

23 Apr 2020

Ablexis, AlivaMab Discovery Services, and Berkeley Lights Collaborate to Identify a Diverse Panel of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Human Antibodies

Ablexis, LLC, ADS, and Berkeley Lights, Inc. today announced the generation and recovery of sequences against the S1 spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

From Bruker Cellular Analysis 23 Apr 2020

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19 antibody: In stock and new formats

In mid-March, we announced the availability of an anti-coronavirus antibody shown to recognize SARS-CoV-2 (also referred to as 2019-nCoV or COVID-19). The anti-SARS clone, CR3022, was first described in 2006, and in early 2020, researchers showed the clone has high affinity for the then-termed 2019-nCoV. Scientists worldwide are now exploring this antibody as a candidate for mono- as well as combination-therapy development.

From Absolute Antibody Ltd 23 Apr 2020

New study on African bats charts new ways to share and link published data

Newly published findings about the phylogenetics and systematics of some previously known, but also other yet to be identified species of Old World Leaf-nosed bats, provide the first contribution to a recently launched collection of research articles, whose task is to help scientists from across disciplines to better understand potential hosts and vectors of zoonotic diseases, such as the Coronavirus.

23 Apr 2020

Chinese scientists develop two novel compounds that inhibit SARS-CoV-2 main protease

A team of Chinese scientists has recently developed two novel compounds that inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) and one of them is a good drug candidate for further clinical studies.

23 Apr 2020