Four years ago, a brand new virus turned the world upside down. Today, we know more and can do more about the coronavirus called SARS-CoV2, and the disease called COVID-19, than ever before. A summary of the latest knowledge and guidance.
Tag: Coronavirus
MSU co-authored study: 10 insights to reduce vaccine hesitancy on social media
Young Anna Argyris, associate professor in the Michigan State University Department of Media and Information, is part of an international team studying the detrimental effects of vaccine misinformation on social media and interventions that can increase vaccine uptake behaviors.
Students are missing more school, and school nurses may be well-positioned to help
School nurses are more than just health care heroes. They also play a key role in identifying students who are at risk for chronic absenteeism — a growing problem that diminishes academic success and can hurt students’ health and lead to a variety of negative long-term life outcomes.
A new era for accurate, rapid COVID-19 testing
Research from Osaka University demonstrates a nanopore-based technique that can detect different variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The method was very effective in detecting the Omicron variant of the virus in the saliva of people with COVID-19.
Mapping the coronavirus spike protein could provide insight into vaccine development
Although the COVID-19 pandemic was the first time most of humanity learned of the now infamous disease, the family of coronaviruses was first identified in the mid-1960s.
Viral evolution expert available for comment on new BA.2.86 COVID variant
URBANA, Ill. — Last week’s classification of BA.2.86 as a COVID “variant under monitoring” by the World Health Organization raises many epidemiological and public health questions. Among the unknowns is how the virus evolved to acquire 36 to 38 mutations…
COVID-19, Flu and RSV vaccines — what you need to know
Keck Medicine of USC experts discuss new recommendations for staying healthy and safe during the respiratory virus season
Pure capped mRNA vaccine opens the door to more effective vaccines with lower chances of inflammation
A research group from Japan has developed a method to produce highly active mRNA vaccines at high purity using a unique cap to easily separate the desired capped mRNA.
Cholesterol lures in coronavirus
New study shows that cholesterol aggregates can promote SARS-CoV-2 infection to help the virus invade cells
Family resemblance: How T cells could fight many coronaviruses at once
Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology show that T cells can recognize several different viral targets, called “antigens,” shared between most coronaviruses, including common cold coronaviruses and SARS-CoV-2. They also looked more in-depth at what fragments of these antigens, called “epitopes,” are recognized and how conserved they are across different coronaviruses.
Lockdowns and vaccines: a balancing act
A new study investigates whether COVID-19 lockdowns and vaccines complement or substitute each other, offering insights to policymakers about optimizing public health and economic outcomes.
Teens who trust online information find it less stressful
Teens’ trust in the news they consume on social media – or lack of it – may be key to whether it supports or detracts from their well-being, according to Cornell-led psychology research.
Dangerous Hitchhikers: Visualizing How We Spread Coronavirus within Our Homes
While COVID-19 can be transmitted via contact with contaminated objects, most studies have focused on airborne droplet transmission.
Global analysis of coronavirus protein research reveals how countries respond to disease
Researchers examined how a country’s number of published 3D protein structures for coronaviruses correlated with its economic output and population. The findings reveal important insights into how different countries’ research establishments respond to disease outbreaks.
Nanomaterial Boosts Potency of Coronavirus Disinfectants
Enhanced disinfectant is two-to-four times more effective in neutralizing pathogen threat
Employing tradeoffs for more realistic COVID messaging
A Cornell University economist conducted an experiment with nearly 700 people in three countries to gauge the public’s perception of relative risk factors.
Deer carry SARS-CoV-2 variants that are extinct in humans
Cornell University researchers have found white-tailed deer – the most abundant large mammal in North America – are harboring SARS-CoV-2 variants that were once widely circulated, but no longer found in humans.
UC Irvine, UCLA researchers identify new therapeutic approach to prevent ARDS
A novel peptide designed by University of California, Irvine researchers has been found to suppress the damaging lung inflammation seen in acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS. Their study, which appears in iScience, describes the first specific treatment designed to prevent the deadly disease, which can appear in patients with severe lung injury from infections with bacteria and viruses, like pneumonia, flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19.
Japan’s lack of infectious diseases research exposed by COVID-19 pandemic
Japan’s government has drawn criticism from some of the nation’s researchers following a new analysis that shows Japan has for years been lagging in the field of infectious diseases research, including after the COVID-19 pandemic had hit.
Potential therapy derived from a banana protein works against SARS-CoV-2
A paper in Cell Reports Medicine details the efficacy of H84T-BanLec against all known human-infecting coronaviruses, including MERS, the original SARS, and SARS-CoV2, including the omicron variant.
Severe COVID-19 caused by “senile” interferon response in older patients, researchers suggest
Researchers in Germany have discovered that age-dependent impairments in antiviral interferon proteins underlie the increased susceptibility of older patients to severe COVID-19. The study, published today in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), shows that aged mice infected with SARS-CoV-2 are protected from severe disease by treatment with one of these interferons, IFN-γ.
Study: Long COVID continues to take a toll on state economy
Like a case of long COVID-19 itself, the effects of the coronavirus continue to linger in pockets of the state and its economy. They affect Oregonians to a wide range of degrees, ranging from the toll of missed work and lost wages due to long COVID to disruptions with child care and an uneven recovery in the workforce, among others. Those are among the findings in the latest report by University of Oregon researchers.
Nationwide study shows rise in pregnancy-related complications during COVID-19 pandemic
In a paper published in JAMA Network Open, physician-scientists assessed how pregnancy-related complications and obstetric outcomes changed during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-pandemic.
Most older adults ready to roll up sleeves this fall for updated COVID-19 boosters, U-M poll shows
A new poll shows that 61% of people over 50 who have already gotten at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine are very likely to roll up their sleeves this fall to get an updated booster shot once they become available.
That percentage might increase if health care providers specifically recommend the updated vaccine to their patients, the poll suggests.
Fast, efficient COVID-19 biosensor under development
IUPUI researchers are developing a “biosensing platform” for COVID-19 that’s fast, efficient, accurate and highly sensitive, which could help scientists stay on top of shifting virus variants.
Speeding up the search for the next COVID-19 antiviral
To develop new COVID-19 medications, researchers are working to target nsp13, a protein coronaviruses need to replicate. In ACS Infectious Diseases, researchers describe a new approach to identifying molecules that interfere with this protein, a step toward developing pan-coronavirus antivirals.
Monoclonal Antibody Treatment Reduced Deaths in Hospitalized COVID Patients
A monoclonal antibody treatment taken by patients hospitalized with COVID-19 did not improve recovery time but did reduce deaths, according to a study published July 8 in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
New Antibody Detection Method for Coronavirus That Does Not Require a Blood Sample
Despite significant and stunning advances in vaccine technology, the COVID-19 global pandemic is not over.
Newer COVID-19 Subvariants Are Less Vulnerable to Immunity Induced by Vaccination and Previous Infection, Researchers Find
In a letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine, physician-scientists report that the three Omicron subvariants currently dominant in the United States – officially known as subvariants BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5 – substantially escape neutralizing antibodies induced by both vaccination and previous infection.
UNH Research Finds Repurposed Drug Inhibits Enzyme Related to COVID-19
With the end of the pandemic seemingly nowhere in sight, scientists are still very focused on finding new or alternative drugs to treat and stop the spread of COVID-19. In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers at the University of New Hampshire have found that using an already existing drug compound in a new way, known as drug repurposing, could be successful in blocking the activity of a key enzyme of the coronavirus, or SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19.
The Medical Minute: Questions answered about COVID vaccines for babies, toddlers
For the last – and littlest – segment of the population yet to receive it, the COVID-19 vaccine is federally approved and available for all people 6 months of age and older. A Penn State Health pediatric infectious disease physician explains why it’s safe and answers questions.
Study in Chinese City Finds Children Spread COVID-19 Easier and Lockdowns Worked
Using high quality COVID-19 data from a northern Chinese city, two UAlbany researchers concluded that young people were most responsible for an increase in direct and secondary infections, and also determined that county-wide lockdowns proved effective in stemming the spread of the virus.
COVID-19 Rebound after Taking Paxlovid Likely Due to Insufficient Drug Exposure
COVID-19 rebound following Paxlovid treatment likely due to insufficient drug exposure, UC San Diego researchers find after showing rebound patient did not show drug resistance or impaired immunity.
Massive dataset reveals which governments have best responded to COVID-19 pandemic
How well did our political institutions manage the COVID-19 pandemic and are they prepared to handle future threats to the public? A research team led by faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York hopes to answer these questions and more after compiling an extensive dataset tracking public health government responses to COVID-19 at all levels of government throughout the world.
The Coronavirus Epidemic of 2020 in Finland Began with Five Virus Lineages
Researchers from the University of Helsinki and KU Leuven in Belgium investigated the arrival and spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Finland in 2020.
Risk of Breakthrough COVID-19 Infection after Vaccination Is Higher Among People with HIV
Finding suggests that all people with HIV might benefit from additional dose in primary vaccination.
Academia, Pharma Team up to Discover New Drugs in Fight Against SARS-CoV-2, Viruses of the Future
Consortium of Hackensack Meridian CDI, Rockefeller University, Columbia University, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Rutgers University, Merck, Tri-Institutional Therapeutics Discovery Institute, Inc., and Aligos Therapeutics to combine expertise to ‘accelerate’ new breakthroughs
Shark antibodies may have the teeth to stop COVID-19
Tiny antibodies in sharks have dexterity and flexibility that human antibodies do not. They can bind tightly to the spike proteins of coronaviruses and neutralize the virus. This could help researchers develop new vaccines and therapies for COVID-19.
Study found that food shortages and COVID-19 have led to unsafe feeding practices among formula-reliant families
The new collaborative report details the impact of baby formula shortages on infant-feeding practices.
Scent dogs detect coronavirus reliably from skin swabs
A recent study by the University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital confirmed that scent detection dogs can be taught to identify individuals with a coronavirus infection from skin swabs.
New Oral Antiviral Drug Reduces Death in Early COVID-19
Researchers note that health care providers are now able to add to their armamentarium against COVID-19 their prescription of this new antiviral drug for high-risk, newly-infected patients as soon as possible following diagnosis or within five days of the onset of symptoms.
Underestimating people’s COVID concerns undermines cooperation
Misperceptions of marginalized and disadvantaged communities’ level of concern regarding COVID-19, as well as other issues such as climate change, constitutes a form of social misinformation that may undermine cooperation and trust needed to address collective problems, according to new Cornell-led research.
Rapid antigen COVID-19 tests may not be keeping pace with variants of concern, researchers find
In a recent study, scientists at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center used live virus culture to assess how well four rapid antigen tests are able to detect these COVID variants of concern.
Dog coronavirus jumps to humans, with a protein shift
Cornell University researchers have identified a shift that occurs in canine coronavirus that may provide clues as to how it transmits from animals to humans.
Face Shape Influences Mask Fit, Suggests Problems with Double Masking Against COVID-19
In Physics of Fluids, researchers use principal component analysis along with fluid dynamics simulation models to show the crucial importance of proper fit for all types of masks and how face shape influences the most ideal fit. They modeled a moderate cough jet from a mouth of an adult male wearing a cloth mask over the nose and mouth with elastic bands wrapped around the ears and calculated the maximum volume flow rates through the front of mask and peripheral gaps at different material porosity levels.
DNA Analysis Provides Insight into Associations Between Worse COVID and Other Conditions
Through analyzing human DNA samples in a large biobank, Penn Medicine researchers found associations between genetic variants with severe COVID and conditions involving blood clots and respiratory issues
At U-M, risk from surface contamination of COVID-19 was much lower than air transmission
Air transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the coronavirus pandemic, was much higher than surface transmission at the University of Michigan, according to a study by researchers at U-M’s School of Public Health.
Decoy receptor protects against Omicron infection
They say that the best defense is a good offense; and now, researchers from Japan have found that the best defense against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection could be a good decoy.
Researchers scour Twitter to analyze public attitudes about COVID-19 vaccinations
Vaccination policy, vaccine hesitancy and post-vaccination symptoms and effects among top topics tweeted
UCI professor wins prestigious Robert Koch Prize for groundbreaking research
Irvine, Calif., April 27, 2022 – Philip Felgner, Ph.D., professor in residence of physiology & biophysics at the University of California, Irvine, is one of two scholars to win the prestigious 2022 Robert Koch Prize for fundamental contributions to the transfer of nucleic acids into cells. This pioneering technology for treating infectious diseases played a crucial role in developing the messenger RNA COVID-19 vaccines.