Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Coronavirus spreads even without symptoms and how Hangzhou province contained virus spread

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is rapidly spreading across the globe, and containment measures have been implemented at many of the hotspots for the disease. Though isolation and quarantine measures are considered the best way to contain the virus, one new study suggests it might not be as effective as hoped.

9 Mar 2020

Scientists may have found a way to prevent coronavirus spread

Just like any other virus, the coronavirus needs a host to survive. Viruses enter the cells of the human body to cause disease by attaching to a specific receptor site on the host cell membrane. To do this, they attach to proteins in the capsid through glycoproteins found in the envelope of the virus.

8 Mar 2020

Individual responsibility to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is equally vital as government action

How individuals respond to government advice on preventing the spread of COVID-19 will be at least as important, if not more important, than government action, according to a new commentary from researchers at the University of Oxford and Imperial College London in the UK, and Utrecht University and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands.

7 Mar 2020

USask researchers receive almost $1 million to fight new coronavirus

A University of Saskatchewan research team and collaborating scientists from across the country have been awarded almost $1 million over two years to develop animal models and test vaccine candidates for effectiveness and safety against the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

7 Mar 2020

Liver fibrosis associated with one type of heart failure, regardless of HIV or hepatitis C status

While there is an association between liver fibrosis and heart failure, the mechanisms for this association are currently unclear but may be of particular importance for people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and/or hepatitis C, both of which are chronic infections that affect the liver and heart.

7 Mar 2020

With coronavirus lurking, conferences wrestle with whether to cancel

Nearly 100,000 pop culture fans flocked to Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle last year, including many dressed as superheroes, aliens and robots. But something scarier than a comic book villain is roiling the conference this year — the spread of the coronavirus.

6 Mar 2020

On front lines, first responders brace for coronavirus ― and their own protection

When first responders answered roughly 10 calls from a long-term care center in Kirkland, Washington, over the course of a week, they did not expect to become patients themselves.

6 Mar 2020

A joint effort to confront the challenges of rising antimicrobial resistance in Asia

The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) and the Technical University of Denmark's (DTU) National Food Institute announced today a joint effort to strengthen external quality assurance programs for diagnostic laboratories in Asia to confront the challenges of rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the region.

6 Mar 2020

Study to explore COVID-19-related discrimination against Chinese-Americans

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has sparked various reactions from different populations across the globe. With the sudden surge of cases worldwide and the spread of the virus to other countries, racism, and discrimination against Chinese American people has increased.

5 Mar 2020

Gastrointestinal manifestations and fecal-oral transmission of novel coronavirus

The world is bracing for the impact of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, which has now spread to over 30 countries, infecting more than 80,000 people with over 2,600 deaths globally. A better understanding of how this virus is transmitted is key to preventing its spread.

5 Mar 2020

Active censoring of coronavirus information 'enabled' by China for months

In keeping with China's often repressive policy towards news outlets and the dissemination of news and views that it doesn't want to be in the public domain, it is becoming apparent that Chinese social media WeChat and live-streaming app YY have long been editing what they display about the novel coronavirus illness.

5 Mar 2020

Best practices shown to protect healthcare workers from COVID-19

In a new study published on March 5th, 2020, in the journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, researchers claim that the meticulous application of best practices for infection control does protect healthcare workers from the COVID-19 illness.

5 Mar 2020

Coronavirus and currency notes – the connection

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended people to avoid using currency notes to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus or the novel coronavirus that has caused a global panic infecting over ninety-thousand individuals and killing over 3,000 up until now.

5 Mar 2020

Coronavirus outbreak in the UK – 1st death and cases jump to 115

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has now spread to 87 countries, including the United Kingdom, which has now recorded its first UK coronavirus death in Berkshire. Now, government officials are suggesting the closure of parliament to prevent the spread of the virus.

5 Mar 2020

Iran grapples with coronavirus outbreak, frees prisoners

Iran has the third-highest number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), deaths after China and Italy, the highest in Western Asia, and the fourth-highest number of SARS-CoV-2 cases, surpassed by only Mainland China, South Korea, and Italy. The country reported its first COVID-19 case on February 20.

5 Mar 2020

Coronavirus is mutating with a second strain identified by scientists

The coronavirus is mutating as scientists identified a second strain, which is more aggressive and contagious.

5 Mar 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: A ‘Super Tuesday’ for the health debate?

The Super Tuesday presidential primaries have left only two major Democratic candidates standing: former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Whoever prevails to face off against President Donald Trump in November will shape how the party confronts Republicans on health care.

5 Mar 2020

Curcumin can be delivered effectively into cells via tiny nanoparticles

For years, curry lovers have sworn by the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric, but its active compound, curcumin, has long frustrated scientists hoping to validate these claims with clinical studies.

5 Mar 2020

During a pandemic, states’ patchwork of crisis plans could mean uneven care

A possible coronavirus pandemic could overwhelm the nation's hospitals and force doctors into difficult decisions about how to allocate limited resources. Yet, experts say, only a handful of states have done the work necessary to prepare for such worst-case scenarios.

5 Mar 2020

New coronavirus app combined with machine intelligence to enable at-home risk assessment

A coronavirus app coupled with machine intelligence will soon enable an individual to get an at-home risk assessment based on how they feel and where they've been in about a minute, and direct those deemed at risk to the nearest definitive testing facility, investigators say.

5 Mar 2020