Coronavirus News and Research

RSS

No evidence of active SARS-CoV-2 in breastmilk of infected women

A recent study published in the journal JAMA in August 2020 suggests that SARS-CoV-2 RNA does not represent replication-competent virus and that breast milk may not be a source of infection for infants.

20 Aug 2020

Geographers conduct first daily surveillance of emerging COVID-19 hotspots

Over the course of the coronavirus epidemic, COVID-19 outbreaks have hit communities across the United States. As clusters of infection shift over time, local officials are forced into a whack-a-mole approach to allocating resources and enacting public health policies.

20 Aug 2020

Lack of consistency in COVID-19-related data could harm prevention efforts

Since COVID-19 emerged late last year, there's been an enormous amount of research produced on this novel coronavirus disease.

20 Aug 2020

Influenza A virus can spread by airborne aerosolized fomites, finds study

Viruses like the influenza virus and even the novel coronavirus are capable of spreading from person to person via airborne droplets as well as dust, fibers, and other surfaces. Now, a new study provides evidence of airborne virus transport on microscopic particles called “aerosolized fomites.”

20 Aug 2020

Research finds link between COVID-19 mortality and morbid obesity

The prevalence of morbid obesity in a population is associated with negative outcomes from COVID-19, according to an analysis by researchers at The University of Alabama of morbid obesity data and reported COVID-19 deaths in the United States.

20 Aug 2020

Websites selling home-based COVID-19 testing kits providing inadequate or misleading information

In the UK and US, many websites are selling direct to user self-sampling and testing kits to detect SARS-CoV-2. Recently, a cross-sectional observational study was carried out to check the completeness and accuracy of information provided by these websites.

20 Aug 2020

Fewer rhinovirus infections in Philadelphia after COVID-19 stay-at-home orders

Philadelphia and its surrounding counties issued a series of "stay-at-home" orders on March 17, 2020 in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.

20 Aug 2020

New SARS-CoV-2 vaccine effective in macaques

Researchers from the biotechnology company Novavax in Gaithersburg, Maryland, have developed a vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that successfully induces immunogenicity and protection against the virus in macaques.

20 Aug 2020

New hybrid mask allows ENTs to see more patients

An ear, nose, and throat doctor has invented a simple mask design that significantly improves safety during aerosol-generating procedures of the head and neck.

20 Aug 2020

COVID-19 could compromise key element of immune response

Researchers at the University of Melbourne have made the unsettling discovery that infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) might compromise the activation of the CD8+ T-cell responses that would usually ameliorate disease and drive recovery in cases of respiratory disease.

20 Aug 2020

Whey protein from human breastmilk inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection

Many scientists have reported the effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection on pregnancy and the virus has been detected in breastmilk. Now a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in August 2020 shows that whey protein in human breastmilk efficiently prevents infection with SARS-CoV-2 as well as post-entry viral replication.

20 Aug 2020

Low indoor air humidity increases spread of SARS-CoV-2

The airborne transmission of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 via aerosol particles in indoor environment seems to be strongly influenced by relative humidity.

20 Aug 2020

Yellow fever vaccination campaign launched to target 1.6 million people in the West-Nile region of Uganda

Mr Mark Oguma Oguti and his daughter Claudia are thrilled about the launch of the Yellow Fever Vaccination campaign.

20 Aug 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Democrats in array (for now)

Democrats have shown a remarkably united front, including on health care, in their socially distant, made-for-TV convention this week.

20 Aug 2020

Democratic convention, night 3: Making the party lines clear

The third night of the Democratic National Convention was all about one thing: Sen. Kamala Harris of California becoming the first Black and Indian American woman to accept a major political party’s vice presidential nomination.

20 Aug 2020

Cells lining the nose are key entry point for coronavirus, shows study

Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine, experimenting with a small number of human cell samples, report that the "hook" of cells used by SARS-CoV-2 to latch onto and infect cells is up to 700 times more prevalent in the olfactory supporting cells lining the inside of the upper part of the nose than in the lining cells of the rest of the nose and windpipe that leads to the lungs.

20 Aug 2020

Children play a larger role in the community spread of COVID-19 than previously thought

In the most comprehensive study of COVID-19 pediatric patients to date, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Mass General Hospital for Children (MGHfC) researchers provide critical data showing that children play a larger role in the community spread of COVID-19 than previously thought

20 Aug 2020