Coronavirus News and Research

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What is the risk of catching the coronavirus on a plane?

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tried to alleviate fears of flying during the pandemic at an event with airline and rental car executives.”The airplanes have just not been vectors when you see spread of the coronavirus,” DeSantis said during a discussion at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Aug. 28. “The evidence is the evidence. And I think it's something that is safe for people to do.”

10 Sep 2020

Hospitals, nursing homes fail to separate COVID patients, putting others at risk

Nurses at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center were on edge as early as March when patients with COVID-19 began to show up in areas of the hospital that were not set aside to care for them.

10 Sep 2020

Most adults wary of taking any vaccine approved before the election

The public is deeply skeptical about any coronavirus vaccine approved before the November election, and only 42% would be willing to get a vaccine in that scenario, according to a new poll.

10 Sep 2020

Scientists explain how SARS-CoV-2 attacks the brain

Now, a team of scientists at Yale University revealed the changes that happen in the brain caused by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that has caused over 27.86 million people and claimed over 903,000 lives.

10 Sep 2020

Researchers are developing rapid-acting, long-lasting disinfectant spray to kill viruses

Current disinfectant products for killing viruses like coronavirus take minutes to fully sanitize surfaces, which isn't practical on high-contact areas such as door handles, elevators and bannisters.

10 Sep 2020

Vapers, smokers, and non-smokers with chronic conditions have higher risks for COVID-19

What do vapers, smokers, and non-smokers with chronic conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes have in common? They all are at higher risk for COVID-19.

10 Sep 2020

Blood clots can be an early indication of COVID-19, shows study

A new paper by vascular surgeons at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery, describes how thrombosis (blood clots in the circulatory system) was an early indication of infection in a COVID-19 patient.

10 Sep 2020

Scientists claim serious data discrepancies in RaTG13 sequence

Even as the COVID-19 pandemic enters its ninth month, scientists continue to debate the origin of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) intensely. A new preprint published in September 2020 discusses the current issues with the bat coronavirus (CoV) strain that is often considered to have very close homology with the above-mentioned virus, concluding that there are inadequate grounds to consider it to be the ancestral pool of SARS-CoV-2.

10 Sep 2020

Study shows more cats might be contracting COVID-19 than before

A newly published study looking at cats in Wuhan, where the first known outbreak of COVID-19 began, shows more cats might be contracting the disease than first believed.

10 Sep 2020

Computer-designed proteins can protect lab-grown human cells from SARS-CoV-2

Computer-designed small proteins have now been shown to protect lab-grown human cells from SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

10 Sep 2020

Study shows role of pathogens in shaping human evolution

Every human cell harbors its own defenses against microbial invaders, relying on strategies that date back to some of the earliest events in the history of life, researchers report.

10 Sep 2020

Convalescent plasma fails to improve outcome of COVID-19 in India

A new study based in India and published on the medRxiv preprint server explores the role of convalescent plasma (CP) in the treatment of moderate COVID-19 within the limitations on resources faced in a developing country.

9 Sep 2020

Brain inflammation seen in fatal COVID-19 cases

Now, a new study by researchers at the Barts Health NHS Trust and the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom shows that some patients develop neurological complications tied to COVID-19.

9 Sep 2020

Risk stratification tool for COVID-19 patients developed

Researchers have worked on the development of a protocol that could stratify COVID-19 patients based on a scoring system. This new study describing the scoring system for risk stratification is titled, “Risk stratification of patients admitted to hospital with covid-19 using the ISARIC WHO Clinical Characterisation Protocol: development and validation of the 4C Mortality Score,” and is published in the latest issue of the British Medical Journal.

9 Sep 2020

Susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection varies across bat species

A recent study by researchers at Wuhan University, China, reveals that many bat species are not potential carriers of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) because of genetic mutations in angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) that prevent the entry of viruses inside bat cells. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

9 Sep 2020

Study reveals how B cells react to SARS-CoV-2

In an exciting immunological medRxiv preprint paper, researchers from Germany and Russia analyzed adaptive immune response in severely affected patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19). They demonstrated a protracted immune reaction characterized by egress of B lymphocytes into the blood.

9 Sep 2020

Pfizer, BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine candidate shows promise in preclinical study

Researchers in the United States and Germany have conducted a study demonstrating the preclinical efficacy of a new candidate vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

9 Sep 2020

UVA radiation may contribute to inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 by sunlight

An international team of researchers has made important discoveries about the sunlight inactivation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that suggest this process is not currently adequately understood.

9 Sep 2020

Exercise and diet are more important than ever with virus at large

If your life these days is anything like mine, a pre-pandemic routine that included regular exercise and disciplined eating has probably given way to sedentary evenings on a big chair, binge-watching reruns of your favorite TV series while guzzling chocolate ice cream or mac 'n' cheese.

9 Sep 2020

Host gene editing main driving force of SARS-CoV-2 mutations

A new study published on the aRxiv preprint server in September 2020 shows that the host immune response, mediated by two RNA editors, causes the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to adapt and change strain characteristics.

9 Sep 2020