Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Australia and New Zealand negotiate 'travel bubble'

With the new travel bubble, travelers could fly between Australia and New Zealand without undergoing the mandatory 14-day quarantine at either end of the journey. The new link is now being discussed by the two leaders, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

5 May 2020

Study provides evidence for safety and efficacy of chloroquine in COVID-19

After a pilot study (Huang et al.Journal of Molecular Cell Biology, in press), having proved the safety and effectiveness of the drug to reduce the viral RNA to undetectable levels in 10 COVID-19 patients, the researchers began this current study, published on the preprint server medRxiv.

5 May 2020

Israeli scientists discover monoclonal antibody that neutralizes SARS-CoV-2

Now, in a significant medical breakthrough, Israel's Institute for Biological Research Institute (IIBRI) has wrapped up the development of a potential treatment for the coronavirus disease. The scientists say they have identified an antibody that neutralizes SARS-CoV-2.

5 May 2020

First French COVID-19 case was in December 19

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19), formerly known as the novel coronavirus infection, was first reported in late December 2019 in Wuhan City in China. Many health experts believe that the virus had spread way before it was identified as the culprit for many pneumonia-like diseases. Now, a French doctor says that the coronavirus reached France back in December when it admitted a pneumonia patient into hospital.

5 May 2020

How non-pharmaceutical interventions affect COVID lockdown relaxation

An American study published on the preprint server medRxiv in April 2020 shows the frightening limitations of any relaxation of social distancing norms with respect to containing the COVID-19 spread. Currently, the illness is the cause of massive numbers of deaths, close to 70,000, as well as widespread business shutdowns, loss of revenue and employment, and social disruptions in America.

5 May 2020

SARS-CoV-2 genome shows mutation hotspots and type-specific distribution

Now, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv reports on a large scale analysis of SARS-CoV-2 genomes and reveals a clonal geo-distribution and rich genetic variations.

5 May 2020

COVID-19 and exposure to air pollution

A scientist from the Netherlands has worked on a study that looked at the association between COVID-19 infections and exposure to air pollution. Researcher Bo Pieter Johannes Andrée’s study titled “Incidence of COVID-19 and Connections with Air Pollution Exposure Evidence from the Netherlands” was released prior to the peer review process on the online server Medrxiv.

5 May 2020

Shortages of PPE for healthcare workers could be tackled using social media and 3D printing

Researchers have come up with the use of social media and 3D printing techniques to deal with the severe shortage of personal protective equipment (PPEs) for healthcare workers who are dealing with the highly infectious severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The

5 May 2020

COVID-19 infection risk and outcomes explained by the cell receptor genetic variability

Genetic variants in the angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, utilized by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) for cell entry, are predicted to either encourage or inhibit interaction with viral proteins and subsequently contribute to genetic risk in coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This is the key finding of a new study available on the preprint server bioRxiv*.

5 May 2020

Cat coronavirus drug shows promise for treatment of COVID-19

“They are strong drug candidates for the treatment of human coronavirus infections because they have already been successful in animals (cats),” writes the team. “The work here lays the framework for their use in human trials for the treatment of COVID-19.”

5 May 2020

Study finds two FDA-approved drugs are promising against COVID-19

Korean researchers have screened 48 FDA-approved drugs against SARS-CoV-2, and found that two, that are already FDA-approved for other illnesses, seem promising.

5 May 2020

Palliative care helped family face ‘the awful, awful truth’

Seattle mourned the news: Elizabeth and Robert Mar died of COVID-19 within a day of each other. They would have celebrated 50 years of marriage in August.

5 May 2020

Psychological issues related to COVID-19 outbreak will contribute to global mental health crisis

Remote psychological support services are struggling to manage COVID-19 fear and stress, as experts warn a mental illness pandemic is on its way.

5 May 2020

Russian scientists create humanized mice to test drugs and vaccines for COVID-19

Following the recent Coronavirus outbreak, almost three million people have been infected worldwide, whereas the death toll has already passed the 200,000 mark, according to official reports.

5 May 2020

Patients recently recovered from COVID-19 produce virus-specific antibodies

Most newly discharged patients who recently recovered from COVID-19 produce virus-specific antibodies and T cells, suggests a study published on May 3rd in the journal Immunity, but the responses of different patients are not all the same.

5 May 2020

Study explores maternal infection and its role in neurodevelopmental disorders

The immune responses of a female mouse before pregnancy can predict how likely her offspring are to have behavioral deficits if the immune system is activated during pregnancy, according to researchers from the Center for Neuroscience at the University of California, Davis.

5 May 2020

AGA publishes new COVID-19 recommendations for gastroenterologists

AGA has published new expert recommendations in Gastroenterology: AGA Institute Rapid Review of the GI and Liver Manifestations of COVID-19, Meta-Analysis of International Data, and Recommendations for the Consultative Management of Patients with COVID-19.

5 May 2020

Indian physicians’ petition puts focus on race risks in the wake of COVID-19

A group of leading, ethnic Indian physicians has petitioned Britain's National Health Service (NHS) to formally include ethnicity as a COVID-19 infection risk factor for healthcare workers in the UK.

5 May 2020

Hydroxychloroquine shown to slow recovery for COVID-19 patients

As researchers try to piece together a therapeutic strategy against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a recent retrospective study from Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, assessed the Hydroxychloroquine's efficacy in increasing SARS-CoV-2 viral clearance, finding that it appeared to significantly slow viral clearance in mild to moderately ill COVID-19 patients.

5 May 2020

Scientists are exploring to find the 'Achilles heel' of coronavirus

Coronavirus, or more exactly SARS-CoV-2, has the world in its grip. How does the virus manage to bind to cells in the human body? How does it gain entry to the cell? How does it hijack the cell's machinery to make it help to replicate the viral genome?

5 May 2020