Pandemic News and Research

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A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. During a pandemic, transmission can be anticipated in the workplace, not only from patient to workers in health care settings, but also among co-workers in general work settings. A pandemic would cause high levels of illness, death, social disruption, and economic loss. Everyday life would be disrupted because so many people in so many places become seriously ill at the same time. Impacts could range from school and business closings to the interruption of basic services such as public transportation and food delivery.

DFG underlines the need for long-term, knowledge-driven basic research

In view of the coronavirus pandemic, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft has underlined the need for long-term, knowledge-driven basic research.

21 Mar 2020

Hoping that insurance expansion will help tamp outbreak, 9 states reopen marketplaces

At least nine states are offering their uninsured residents another opportunity to sign up for a health plan this year as they seek new ways to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic.

21 Mar 2020

Researchers decode 3D architecture of SARS-CoV-2 main protease

Teams around the world are working hard to develop active substances against SARS-CoV-2. The structural analysis of functional proteins of the virus is very helpful for this goal. The function of a protein is closely related to its 3D architecture.

21 Mar 2020

As coronavirus spreads widely, millions of older Americans live in counties with no ICU beds

More than half the counties in America have no intensive care beds, posing a particular danger for more than 7 million people who are age 60 and up - older patients who face the highest risk of serious illness or death from the rapid spread of COVID-19, a Kaiser Health News data analysis shows.

20 Mar 2020

World’s fastest supercomputer identifies chemicals with potential to stop COVID-19

What makes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) global pandemic different from the Spanish flu in 1918? In 1918, transportation, technology, and science were in their infancy, with the medical field not capable of fighting outbreaks. Technology has come a long way, within days, scientists have already identified the type of virus spreading in China, and three months after, vaccine trials have started.

20 Mar 2020

Public health leadership needed to direct COVID-19 response and communications

In the United States today, healthcare providers seem appropriately confused about present and future issues concerning coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

20 Mar 2020

Researchers highlight urgent need for public health leadership during COVID-19 pandemic

For decades, public health officials have directed the containment of emerging pandemics - perhaps most notably - the worldwide eradication of smallpox starting in the early to mid-1960s.

19 Mar 2020

Researchers invent portable AI device for flu and pandemic forecasting

University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers have invented a portable surveillance device powered by machine learning - called FluSense - which can detect coughing and crowd size in real time, then analyze the data to directly monitor flu-like illnesses and influenza trends.

19 Mar 2020

Pets, the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 disease

Can dogs and other pets play a role in the transmission of the novel coronavirus? The question has surfaced after a Pomeranian in Hong Kong tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 or the novel coronavirus last week.

19 Mar 2020

Lopinavir and ritonavir drug combo tested in severe COVID-19

Researchers from China and the United Kingdom have collaborated to conduct a clinical trial looking at the efficacy of a combination of two anti-HIV drugs lopinavir and ritonavir to combat severe cases of COVID-19. Their study titled, “A Trial of Lopinavir–Ritonavir in Adults Hospitalized with Severe COVID-19,” was published in the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

19 Mar 2020

Some children may become seriously ill with coronavirus, experts warn

Evidence shows that coronavirus disease (COVID-19) most often affects older adults, who are 60 years old or more, and those with underlying medical conditions. But a new study has shown that several children in China had developed severe or critical conditions, with one child dying from COVID-19.

19 Mar 2020

Staying positive and managing stress amid the coronavirus crisis

With all the news about the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic circulating online, stress levels are rising. Most countries that are shaken by the virus outbreak have imposed lockdowns, in attempts to curb the disease spread.

19 Mar 2020

Was the novel coronavirus really sneaky in its spread to the U.S.? Experts say no

Unveiling a series of policies meant to mitigate the threat of COVID-19, President Donald Trump also sought to respond to criticism that his administration has been slow to deal with what is now a worldwide pandemic.

19 Mar 2020

Funeral homes, families ponder deaths in the age of COVID-19

As COVID-19 cases spread across the nation, disrupting daily routines for the living, growing numbers of U.S. businesses and families are changing how they deal with the dead.

19 Mar 2020

Italy reports 475 coronavirus deaths in just one day

Italy is grappling with the coronavirus disease pandemic, which has ravaged the country since February. In just a month, the number of cases has reached more than 35,000. Over the past 24 hours, Italy has reported 475 additional deaths, increasing the death toll to a staggering 2,978, a few numbers away from Hubei Province’s toll, the epicenter of the pandemic where the virus originated.

19 Mar 2020