Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

GlobalData: Mass home testing for Covid-19 isn’t without its risks

Unfettered access to rapid and safe Covid-19 tests will be one of the most critical factors in reducing the spread of the disease.

29 Apr 2020

GlobalData offers view on Gilead’s suspension of Covid-19 trials in China

Following the news that China trials of Gilead Sciences Inc’s antiviral drug remdesivir in patients with mild symptoms of coronavirus have been suspended due to lack of eligible patients;

From Gilead Sciences, Inc. 29 Apr 2020

Tapping into the powers of nature to identify virus killers

Many organisms have to defend themselves against predators, diseases or pests. Their metabolic products constitute a chemical arsenal that has been used for medical purposes since time immemorial.

29 Apr 2020

Ortho introduces second COVID-19 antibody test with 100% specificity

Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, a global leader of in vitro diagnostics with a rich history of bringing critical tests for infectious diseases to market, today introduced and announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Emergency Use Authorization to its second COVID-19 antibody test—the VITROS Immunodiagnostic Products Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG Test. This test is one of only a handful of antibody tests to be granted Emergency Use Authorization.

From Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc. 29 Apr 2020

Study reveals SARS-CoV-2 RNA cap structure

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in April 2020 reports the discovery of the structure of the cap created by the novel coronavirus on virally encoded mRNAs. The finding could help create new antiviral strategies.

29 Apr 2020

'Smart sample pooling' for COVID-19 could solve test kit shortage problem

A new study from Pakistan suggests 'smart sample pooling' using population grouping with algorithms as a solution to the unavailability of test kits for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that causes COVID-19 disease. The paper is published on the preprint server medRxiv on April 28, 2020.

29 Apr 2020

How weather and demographics influence the COVID-19 spread

What can stop the spread of the novel coronavirus? A new study published in the preprint journal medRxiv in April 2020 debunks the idea that warmer and more humid conditions can hinder the pandemic from spreading with ease.

29 Apr 2020

How toxic are chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine to cells?

The spread of the pandemic disease COVID-19 caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has now reached almost every country of the world, with over 3.11 million cases and over 217,000 deaths as of April 29, 2020.

29 Apr 2020

Computer vision system detects fever remotely to rule out COVID-19

People who approach the front desk at Albert Einstein Jewish Hospital (HIAE) in the city of São Paulo have their temperature taken remotely by a computer vision system installed in a nearby column.

29 Apr 2020

Study highlights biases and social implications in COVID-19 crisis

The biases individuals harbor against people they see as physically dirty emerge in children as young as five years old and persist into adulthood, according to a new study by researchers from Boston College and Franklin & Marshall College, who found these prejudices extend to the sick and may hold implications for people diagnosed with Covid-19.

29 Apr 2020

Men are twice more likely to die of COVID-19 than women

There have been studies that have revealed that men are more likely to get more severe symptoms from COVID-19 disease and also more likely to die from complications of the disease. A new study corroborates these findings. The study titled, “Gender differences in patients with COVID-19: Focus on severity and mortality,” is published in the latest issue of the journal Frontiers in Public Health.

29 Apr 2020

Epivax and Entos Pharmaceuticals to develop DNA-based vaccine for COVID-19

Entos Pharmaceuticals (Entos), a healthcare biotechnology company that develops next generation nucleic acid medicines using the Fusogenix drug delivery platform, today announced a collaboration with EpiVax, Inc. (EpiVax), a world leading informatics and immunology biotechnology company with a proven track record in vaccine development.

28 Apr 2020

French scientists suggest nicotinic agonists could treat COVID-19

Contrary to the warnings issued by health agencies worldwide against cigarette smoking amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a new paper suggests the possibility that nicotine, a component of tobacco, could prevent coronavirus infection.

28 Apr 2020

How hospitals can prepare for an influx of COVID-19 cases

Hospitals and healthcare systems worldwide are overwhelmed, with many facilities full of patients requiring emergency care for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). COVID-19 disease causes severe respiratory illness in patients, with some needing mechanical ventilation.

28 Apr 2020

Exploring the use of stem cells for COVID-19 disease

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has ravaged across the, infecting more than 3.11 million people in just over four months. As the virus continues to spread, scientists are struggling to find an effective treatment for the infection. Now, a breakthrough discovery on stem cells could help in the battle against COVID-19.

28 Apr 2020

Dominant SARS-CoV-2 strain A2a binds more easily to ACE2 receptors

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected almost all countries across the world, and India is no exception. Researchers have found that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has undergone several mutations with time.

28 Apr 2020

Important insights into COVID-19 for worldwide strategic planning

Researchers in China and the United States have analyzed cases of early severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and their close contacts to provide further insights into the disease’s transmission and severity and the effectiveness of control measures.

28 Apr 2020

New approach for easier detection of SARS-CoV-2 via swabs and saliva

A recent Israeli study points toward Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (RT-LAMP) as a potentially effective tool for acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on-the-spot detection by using swabs or saliva – addressing the community need for simple surveillance.

28 Apr 2020

COVID-19: Discrimination and inequality shape risk of severe illness and death

Underlying conditions that increase risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19 are much more common among Black, Native American, and lower-income people in the United States.

28 Apr 2020

UTHealth experts successfully treat 3-week-old infant with severe COVID-19

In one of the first reported cases of its kind, a 3-week-old infant in critical condition recovered from COVID-19 due to rapid recognition and treatment by physicians from McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston/

28 Apr 2020