Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Recognizing viral genomes in quick, ‘CRISP’ ways

Researchers from China recently reviewed the latest advancements, applications, and prospects of virus detection using CRISPR-Cas systems.

27 Aug 2021

MS patients on anti-CD20 therapy have robust T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination

Scientists have observed that MS patients exhibit a robust T cell response despite a reduced humoral response to COVID-19 vaccines. Read more here.

27 Aug 2021

The negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adult mental health in the UK

A review of the literature on the impact of COVID-19 on adult mental health in the UK has revealed a decline in mental health. Read more here.

27 Aug 2021

Oral mucosa identified as potential target for SARS-CoV-2 infection

A recent study suggested that ACE2 receptors are expressed in oral tissues, making the oral cavity an important potential entry point of SARS-CoV-2.

26 Aug 2021

Potential variant of interest in South Africa assigned to the PANGO lineage C.1.2

Continual genomic surveillance of the SARS-CoV-2 strains in South Africa has revealed an increase in the number of sequences belonging to C.1 lineage during the third wave (May 2021) of SARS-CoV-2 infections. This observation was unexpected because C.1 was last reported in January 2021.

26 Aug 2021

The influence of COVID-19 on platelet activation and aggregation

In a paper recently uploaded to the bioRxiv* preprint server, humanized ACE2 mice are infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and platelets are subsequently isolated from the blood for quantitative proteomic analysis.

26 Aug 2021

Scientists assess SARS-CoV-2 mutants in ferret hosts

In a paper recently uploaded to the preprint server bioRxiv* by the cause of SARS-CoV-2 mutations observed in mink and ferrets is investigated, and the danger posed by such mutations to humans assessed.

26 Aug 2021

Large UK study examines impact of Delta variant on viral burden and vaccine effectiveness

Now, a new study published on the medRxiv* preprint server focused on determining the effectiveness of the BNT162b2, ChAdOx1, and mRNA-1273 vaccines by conducting SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive tests.

26 Aug 2021

Could soluble CD24 offer some hope against severe COVID-19?

A recent randomized phase III trial conducted by researchers at the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, US, evaluated the impact of CD24Fc in severe COVID-19 patients and showed promising clinical efficacy. This study is available as a preprint on the medRxiv* server.

26 Aug 2021

SARS-CoV-2 alpha variant increased COVID-19 severity in Scotland's 3rd wave

A team of UK-based scientists has recently revealed that the alpha variant (B.1.1.7) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the third pandemic wave in Scotland and that the variant is associated with more severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

25 Aug 2021

Child mortality in England dropped significantly during COVID-19 pandemic

In a study conducted at Cardiff University and the University of Bristol, UK, scientists have observed that in England, the all-cause child mortality rate has dropped significantly during the first year of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic compared to that in the pre-pandemic year. The highest reduction in mortality rate has been observed in children under the age of 10 years. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

25 Aug 2021

Study shows school closures can be minimized by regular testing and vaccination against COVID-19

A new study discusses a novel model to determine age-specific differences in susceptibility of infection, contact patterns, and contagiousness to COVID-19.

25 Aug 2021

COVID-19 hospitalizations 29 times more likely in unvaccinated individuals, CDC study suggests

Getting inoculated against SARS-CoV-2 protects against getting severe COVID-19 or being hospitalized. In a new study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), scientists noted that unvaccinated individuals are 29 times more likely to be hospitalized due to COVID-19 than those who were vaccinated.

25 Aug 2021