Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

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

Two mRNA vaccines are effective even without post-shot symptoms or prior SARS-CoV-2 infection

Vaccination with the two messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, yields a robust antibody response, even if a person did not develop significant symptoms following vaccination or did not have a prior SARS-CoV-2 infection.

26 Aug 2021

Hyfe’s smartphone cough-tracking app used in a groundbreaking epidemiological research

Hyfe, a cough monitoring smartphone app and digital diagnostics tool developed by an international team of scientists and public health professionals, recently announced that their technology is now being incorporated into groundbreaking research in Spain in partnership with the University of Navarra, and involving over 800 participants.

26 Aug 2021

Study examines impact of COVID pandemic on birth outcomes in Wales

Researchers in the UK have looked at the impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic on the population birth outcomes in 2020, detailing the experiences of the expectant mothers from immunization rates for babies to self-reported levels of stress and anxiety in the mothers, compared to pre-COVID years.

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

The woman behind the development of mRNA-based vaccines against coronavirus

With her research, biochemist Katalin Karikó laid the foundation for the development of RNA vaccines against the coronavirus. Now she is being honoured for this by the Würzburg Societas Physico-Medica.

25 Aug 2021

Government launches back to school and college campaign

Today (Thursday 26 August) the government launches its back to school and college campaign to set out the experience that students can 'get back to' from September, with restrictions such as bubbles eased to allow a full return to sport, music, drama, science experiments and being with their friends.

25 Aug 2021

Predictability of single symptom screening for pediatric SARS-CoV-2 infections

A new study on the preprint server medRxiv* discusses the predictive value of single symptom-based screening to confirm pediatric SARS-CoV-2 cases.

25 Aug 2021

Higher SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant transmission among K-12 schoolchildren can be reduced by interventions, says study

A new study reports the results of a model framed to explore the transmission of the delta variant among schoolchildren and the most effective intervention methods to minimize such spread.

25 Aug 2021

Can the spread of COVID-19 infection be mitigated through a strict vaccination strategy within 100 days?

A new study evaluates the new COVID-19 policy implemented in NSW.

25 Aug 2021

Unconventional T cell and inflammation levels in COVID-19 during pregnancy

A new study published on the medRxiv* preprint server has focused on investigating SARS-CoV-2 immune responses in pregnant women

25 Aug 2021

Hot spots where covid vaccination lags push experimental antibody treatment

For months, Joelle Ruppert was among the millions of Americans who are covid vaccine holdouts. Her reluctance, she said, was not so much that she opposed the new vaccines but that she never felt "compelled" by the evidence supporting their experimental use.

25 Aug 2021

Enzyme related to rattlesnake neurotoxin linked with COVID-19 infection severity

Study shows that an enzyme may be a key mechanism driving COVID-19 severity and could provide a new therapeutic target.

25 Aug 2021

Study on SARS-CoV-2 Delta breakthrough infections shows twice the risk as Alpha

A recent study conducted by Portuguese scientists has claimed that mRNA-based coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are less effective against the delta variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Moreover, in breakthrough infections by delta variant, vaccines are less effective in reducing viral loads. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

25 Aug 2021

Study could provide a new therapeutic target to reduce COVID-19 mortality

An enzyme with an elusive role in severe inflammation may be a key mechanism driving COVID-19 severity and could provide a new therapeutic target to reduce COVID-19 mortality, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

25 Aug 2021

Reassuring news about the protection that SARS-CoV-2 vaccines offer

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines have proven effective at preventing COVID-19-related mortality and illness. Since no vaccine is 100% effective, breakthrough infections are likely to occur. New research by a group of scientists at Erasmus Medical Center and Radboud University in the Netherlands looked at vaccine-breakthrough infections in a large group of vaccinated healthcare workers (HCWs).

25 Aug 2021

Study: Majority of hospital-acquired COVID-19 cases were contracted from other patients

The majority of patients who contracted COVID-19 while in the hospital did so from other patients rather than from healthcare workers, concludes a new study from researchers at the University of Cambridge and Addenbrooke's Hospital.

25 Aug 2021

SARS-CoV-2 Delta likely to acquire resistance to wild-type spike vaccines

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* explores the mechanism of the Delta variant's high infectivity and suggests a plausible pathway by which the Delta variant could escape from vaccine-induced immunity.

24 Aug 2021

Researchers find clues to how lung damage develops in the aftermath of a respiratory infection

The deadliest time in a viral respiratory illness sometimes is actually after the virus is cleared from the body. Destructive processes that are set in motion during an infection crest in the weeks after the virus is defeated, leading to organ damage that can cause chronic illness or even death.

24 Aug 2021

UC San Diego Health performed region’s first double lung transplant for a COVID-19 patient

On a July afternoon, Federico Gomez Gil, 56, is dressed in a short-sleeved, collared shirt, sweatpants and a baseball cap. He sits in a chair in a hospital room, surrounded by his wife and two daughters. Given the past five months, this is the moment of a lifetime — a new lifetime.

24 Aug 2021