Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

CDC expands recommendations for COVID-19 booster dose to include all adults

Today, CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H., endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' (ACIP) expanded recommendations for booster shots to include all adults ages 18 years and older who received a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine at least six months after their second dose.

19 Nov 2021

Risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes from SARS-CoV-2 likely lower than previously suggested

The risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in women who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 is likely lower than several earlier studies have suggested, a national study of all pregnant Swedish women tested for SARS-CoV-2 between March 2020 and January 2021 reports.

19 Nov 2021

Effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination during Delta variant predominance

A new study investigated the continued effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination during the delta variant predominance in a diverse and urban healthcare setting.

19 Nov 2021

Functions of glycosylation in SARS-CoV-2 proteins and human receptor ACE2

In a review published in Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, researchers from Sichuan University have reviewed the available literature.

19 Nov 2021

Comparing effectiveness of virus and patients-centered strategies to reduce COVID-19 mortality

Researchers from Sorbonne Université have been reviewing papers exploring different anti-COVID-19 drugs.

19 Nov 2021

First long-acting injectable HIV treatment appraised and approved by NICE

ViiV Healthcare, the global specialist HIV company majority owned by GlaxoSmithKline plc, with Pfizer Inc. and Shionogi Limited as shareholders, is pleased to announce that eligible people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in England and Wales will soon have routine access to Vocabria (cabotegravir long-acting injection) developed by ViiV Healthcare in combination with Rekambys (rilpivirine long-acting injection), developed by Janssen Sciences Ireland UC (Janssen), one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.

19 Nov 2021

Predicting the capacity of mammal species to become zoonotic SARS-CoV-2 hosts

Researchers identified a subset of species in which the threat of spillback infection appears the most significant due to location and increased contact with humans in areas with a high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2.

19 Nov 2021

Vaccine-or-test requirements increase work and costs for governments

Amanda Kostroski, a 911 dispatcher in Madison, Wisconsin, leaves her busy job once a week to go to a county health clinic to be tested for covid-19.

19 Nov 2021

Viral biomolecular condensation

A review published in PLOS Pathogens deconstructs virus condensation and provides a biochemical background for LLPS.

19 Nov 2021

A covid head-scratcher: Why lice lurk despite physical distancing

The Marker family opened their door on a recent evening to a woman dressed in purple, with a military attitude to cleanliness.

19 Nov 2021

A nasal COVID vaccine using a weakened influenza vector

The authors of a new study, published on the bioRxiv* preprint server, constructed a COVID-19 nasal vaccine candidate by inserting a gene encoding the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, named CA4-dNS1-nCoV-RBD (dNS1-RBD) in a live attenuated influenza virus (LAIV) vector.

18 Nov 2021

Severe COVID-19 patients have significantly higher NK and T cell frequency

A new study published in the open-access journal Cells aimed to clarify the role of NK and T cell subsets in SARS-CoV-2 infection in hospitalized COVID-19 patients to unravel their potential association with disease severity.

18 Nov 2021

Air filter and floor sampling to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in schools

A study recently published on the medRxiv* preprint server observed the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in five schools (96 classrooms) in Davis, California (USA), by collecting weekly surface-swab samples from classroom floors and/or portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) units.

18 Nov 2021

LSHTM expert comments on NICE approval of first long-acting injectable HIV treatment

NHS watch-dog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), has published guidance recommending the use of the first long-acting injectable treatment for HIV-1.

18 Nov 2021

What is the public perception surrounding COVID immunity certificates?

Researchers investigate views on immunity certificates and how they interact with other opinions on the pandemic.

18 Nov 2021

SARS-CoV-2 infection and reinfection in farmed mink

A new study finds that farmed mink acquire SARS-CoV-2 infection, freely transmit it among themselves, and were reinfected, despite being seropositive.

18 Nov 2021

Antiretroviral drugs detected in drinking water

Years ago, there was a time that kids from a rural village in South Africa still wanted to swim in the rivers nearby. But when they got out of the water, those with sensitive skins would have the worst rash ever, says Prof Philiswa Nomngongo.

18 Nov 2021

Structure of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein postfusion

A new study published in PNAS proposes a higher resolution in situ structure of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in its postfusion state.

18 Nov 2021

Blood proteomic survey in undiagnosed population with COVID-19

In this study, scientists have profiled 276 circulating proteins that are associated with cardiovascular and metabolic functions.

18 Nov 2021

Real-world effectiveness and safety of COVID-19 vaccines

A new study published in Infectious Diseases of Poverty aimed to systematically evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the COVID-19 vaccines in the real world as well as establish a reliable evidence-based basis to determine the actual protective effect of the COVID-19 vaccines, especially considering the new waves of infection brought about by the variants.

18 Nov 2021