Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Prevalence of vaccine breakthrough cases in SF Bay Area

A new study focuse on studying breakthrough infections in a highly vaccinated community owing to the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants.

30 Aug 2021

Will mRNA vaccine boosters be required for SARS-CoV-2 variants?

A new study shows that the highly effective mRNA Moderna vaccine designed against the original SARS-CoV-2 strain may lose some efficacy as new variants arise.

30 Aug 2021

Sustained and effective response to Janssen COVID-19 vaccine Is enhanced by delayed booster

A new study adds to the data on the optimum interval between the first and second doses of the adenovirus vectored COVID-19 vaccine.

30 Aug 2021

Can SARS-CoV-2 be transmitted in the food cold chain?

A new study reports that the risk of transmitting SARS-CoV-2 through such fomites is very low.

30 Aug 2021

Post mRNA-1273 vaccination rashes

A group of researchers reported that skin reactions after the administration of the mRNA-1273 vaccine are rare yet possible.

30 Aug 2021

Development of extra protective broad-spectrum antimicrobial face shield

In a new study available on the preprint server Preprints*, researchers have innovated a transparent face shield with intrinsic antimicrobial activity.

30 Aug 2021

Could genetic variants in host cell receptors (ACE2) explain COVID-19 susceptibility among certain ethnic groups?

Led by Ioannis Karakikes of Stanford University, a new study suggests some hospitalized patients with COVID-19 contain ACE2 genetic variants that increase ACE2 expression. Some variants that altered ACE2 protein expression and binding affinity were more prevalent in people with European backgrounds.

30 Aug 2021

Study reveals how SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern modulate receptor and antibody binding

In a trailblazing engineering effort, Canadian and US researchers indicate that the emergence of novel variants of SARS-CoV-2 stems from the mutations of spike glycoprotein that confer either increased affinity for the host cell receptor or increased antibody evasion.

30 Aug 2021

CoronaVac elicits lower antibody response than natural SARS-CoV-2 infection, study suggests

A recent study from Thailand highlights a rather low degree of neutralization-afforded protection mounted by the inactivated whole-virus CoronaVac vaccine compared to natural infection with SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19.

30 Aug 2021

The impact of mild SARS-CoV-2 infection on maternal-fetal immunity

Recently, a new study published on the pre-print server bioRxiv* examined the effect that maternal asymptomatic COVID-19 had on decidual and peripheral immune cells during the later stage of pregnancy.

30 Aug 2021

Large Israeli study offers detailed look at safety profile of mRNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2

A deep look into a nationwide mass vaccination setting in Israel revealed that the BNT162b2 (Pfizer–BioNTech) vaccine is not linked with an elevated risk of a majority of the adverse events under study, with the exception of myocarditis. However, even that potentially severe adverse event is much more pervasive following the infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), found a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

30 Aug 2021

Next-gen COVID vaccine to make persistent neutralizing antibodies

Presently, there is a need to develop improved versions of COVID-19 vaccines that are effective against the SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) and can confer long-term protection. Considering the need of the hour, scientists from the University of Sydney in Australia have generated a new COVID-19 vaccine CoVac-II and evaluated its effect against COVID-19 strains. The findings from this study are published on the bioRxiv* preprint server while awaiting peer review.

30 Aug 2021

Can molecular mimicry impact fertility in female COVID-19 patients?

There exists a possibility that COVID-19 can also affect the reproductive function in the body, which can lead to infertility in infected patients. A study published in the American Journal of Reproductive Immunology explored the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on reproductive functions and fertility.

30 Aug 2021

Modeling of COVID-19 seroprevalence and resurgence in Canada

Despite increased vaccine distribution and a significant decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases in Canada, the future of the pandemic is still a major concern, based on the possibility of a resurgence in the short term as well as long term and an understanding of the future of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) immunity. It is not clear if the Canadian population will reach herd immunity or if there is a risk of future resurgence of the virus in the Fall or Winter.

30 Aug 2021

COVID-19 in Virginia: Beliefs drive behavior

A new paper examines this phenomenon as it relates to the state of Virginia to outline lessons to be learned from this debacle of pandemic management.

29 Aug 2021

Have SARS-CoV-2 symptoms changed in the UK population over time?

A new paper compares changes in the symptoms due to COVID-19 over the course of the pandemic.

29 Aug 2021

What might the third wave of COVID-19 in India look like?

A new study applies mathematical modeling to understand what the third wave of the pandemic might look like in India.

29 Aug 2021

SARS-CoV-2 destabilizes host RNA to improve fitness

In a study recently published in the journal Nature Communications, scientists have mapped the interactions between SARS-CoV-2 RNA and host RNA. They have observed that the virus heavily methylates its genome using the methylation machinery of the host RNA, leading to an improvement in viral fitness.

27 Aug 2021