Coronavirus Disease COVID 19 News and Research

Latest Coronavirus Disease COVID 19 News and Research

GIV protein involved in the immune system could form basis for novel therapeutics

The immune response to infections is a delicate balance. We need just enough action to clear away the offending bacteria or viruses, but not so much that our own bodies suffer collateral damage.

15 Oct 2020

SARS-CoV-2 can infect brain cells and damage neurons

Researchers have found that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can infect the brain cells, mainly the astrocytes, and negatively affects cognition and neuronal cells.

15 Oct 2020

Digital environmental tools can help track and predict effects of COVID-19

A digital sprint, featuring a series of hackathons, led by Cranfield University and the Natural Environment Research Council has seen multiple projects awarded prizes for innovation and use of digital technology.

15 Oct 2020

Obese persons have greater risk of developing severe COVID-19

The probability that an obese person will develop severe COVID-19 is high regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, and the presence of co-morbidities such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart or lung disease, according to a study by Brazilian researchers published in Obesity Research & Clinical Practice.

15 Oct 2020

Capillary blood microsampling could prove a breakthrough in SARS-CoV-2 serosurveillance

As COVID-19 seems to be making a comeback in many areas of the world, including Japan, a new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in October 2020 shows the relevance of microsamples of blood in serosurveillance of this disease.

15 Oct 2020

Researchers develop ViDok app to test potential COVID-19 treatments

Anyone with a smartphone can download the app ViDok, which lets users pick from a library of molecules that might bind to key proteins on the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, and then can tweak the molecules to try to find a better fit.

15 Oct 2020

Higher levels of lymphocytes reduce risk of long-term complications in asymptomatic COVID-19 patients

COVID-19 remains stubbornly inconsistent. More than a million people have died and 35 million have been diagnosed, but a large fraction of people infected with the coronavirus--about 45%, according to recent estimates--show no symptoms at all.

15 Oct 2020

Rapid SARS‐CoV‐2 IgM‐IgG combined antibody test

A recent study published on the preprint server medRxiv in October 2020 reports a new diagnostic test for SARS-CoV-2 based on the detection of antibodies.

15 Oct 2020

SARS-CoV-2 may become endemic if reinfection proves commonplace, say researchers

To date, a few verified repeat SARS-CoV-2 infections have been documented around the world. "Should reinfection [with SARS-CoV-2] prove commonplace, and barring a highly effective vaccine delivered to most of the world's population, SARS-CoV-2 will likely become endemic," write Jeffrey Shaman and Marta Galanti in this Perspective.

15 Oct 2020

Lockdowns improved air quality, averted tens of thousands of deaths in severely polluted regions

Lockdowns initiated to curb the spread of the coronavirus in China and Europe at the beginning of the pandemic improved air quality, averting tens of thousands of deaths in regions where air pollution has a significant impact on mortality, a new study shows.

15 Oct 2020

Human bivalent SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies more potent

A recent study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in October 2020 reports more effective viral neutralization by bivalent anti-spike antibodies. This could promote the development of better therapeutics and vaccines.

15 Oct 2020

Certain live-attenuated vaccines can prevent severe complications of COVID-19

COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc globally, with over one million deaths to date. Yet what if an existing vaccine could make COVID-19 less deadly? A study just published put the theory to test, with promising results.

15 Oct 2020

Researchers investigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2

Winter is on its way. And in this year of coronavirus, with it comes the potential for a second wave of COVID-19. Add in flu season and our tendency to head inside and close our windows to the cold, wet weather, and it appears the next several months are going to present us with new health challenges.

15 Oct 2020

New saliva tests can enable early detection and diagnosis of COVID-19, head & neck cancer

Summit Biolabs, Inc., an early-stage molecular diagnostics company specializing in saliva-based testing for COVID-19 and head & neck cancer, and the Colorado Center for Personalized Medicine (CCPM) at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus announced today a broad strategic collaboration involving research, development and commercialization of saliva liquid-biopsy tests for early cancer detection and diagnosis of COVID-19 and other viral contagions.

15 Oct 2020

Study shows how people could reduce pandemic-induced stress

Everybody, it seems, is stressed out to some degree by the coronavirus pandemic. It may be anguish over the sickness or death of a friend or family member. It may be anxiety over a job that has been altered or eliminated. It may be disquiet over the competing demands of work and family while working from home.

14 Oct 2020

Ct values can be used to estimate epidemic dynamics

Researchers recently showed that the varying population distribution of Cycle threshold (Ct) values from positive SARS-CoV-2 samples could help infer epidemic dynamics.

14 Oct 2020

New research looks at the experiences of 'long Covid' sufferers

Some people who experienced a 'mild' infection of Covid-19 are suffering long-lasting symptoms months after contracting the virus,known as 'long Covid'.

14 Oct 2020

Leadership, communication and compliance key to New Zealand's COVID-19 success

Researchers from New Zealand have studied the epidemiological curve of the COVID-19 pandemic in their country. Their study titled "COVID-19 in New Zealand and the impact of the national response: a descriptive epidemiological study" was published on October 13, 2020, in The Lancet Public Health.

14 Oct 2020

The COVID-19 vaccine pipeline

Researchers from Mayo Clinic, United States of America, have reviewed the immunity developed against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19 disease.

14 Oct 2020

WVU joins with CDC to conduct a seven-week mask observation study

The rate of COVID-19 positivity among young adults has been higher than other age groups during July and August. And, while the West Virginia University community is no stranger to doing its part to help suppress the positivity rate and keep others safe, there are significant factors that may result in WVU students letting down their guard when it comes to mitigation strategies - in particular, wearing a mask.

14 Oct 2020