Tag: pandemic

Time to implement measures preventing future viral zoonoses

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), continues to spread globally, infecting over 114 million people. The virus first emerged in late December 2019 in Wuhan, China, from a potential animal host. Zoonotic diseases have caused outbreaks throughout history, claiming millions of lives. These diseases occur when pathogens

White House: COVID-19 Numbers Take a ‘Concerning Shift’

Feb. 26, 2021 — After several weeks of declining, COVID-19 numbers are back on the rise and new variants continue to emerge, according to White House officials — just as states begin to lift restrictions and open doors to restaurants and businesses. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, reported during a Friday COVID-19 briefing that coronavirus cases and

Scientists receive grant to investigate tumor development within a natural environment

Unlike many of us during the COVID-19 pandemic, biological cells are not isolated from the outside world. Chemical variations, intercellular activity, and other microenvironmental factors impact cell survival. The relationship between cell and environment also applies to the development of cancer, which a team of Virginia Tech scientists is now researching. After receiving a $1.4

EU Mulls Vaccination Passports to Resurrect Tourism After COVID-19

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Union leaders will agree on Thursday to work on certificates of vaccination for EU citizens who have had an anti-COVID shot, with southern EU countries that depend heavily on tourism desperate to rescue this summer’s holiday season. Lockdowns to slow the pandemic caused the deepest ever economic recession in the 27-nation

Researchers explore suicide risk management protocol in cardiac patients

What should researchers do if they encounter a study participant who reports suicidal thoughts? UIC College of Nursing associate professor Susan Dunn explores this question as lead author of "Suicide Risk Management Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial of Cardiac Patients Reporting Hopelessness," a paper published in the January/February edition of Nursing Research. Suicide is

How effective has Israel’s SARS-CoV-2 testing and vaccination campaign been against the UK variant?

Several genetic variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have risen to prominence during the course of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, one of which is the UK variant – termed B.1.1.7 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This variant is associated with increased transmissibility compared to the wild-type

Current monoclonal antibodies less potent against SARS-CoV-2 variants

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), continues to wreak havoc across the globe. Scientists are racing to develop effective therapeutic regimens to combat the infection. One of therapy currently used to stimulate a robust immune response against the virus is monoclonal antibodies, a treatment used for

COVID-19 and lung cancer have a common pathway, say researchers

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a transmissible viral disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the pathogen responsible for the ongoing global pandemic. The virus was first detected in Wuhan, China, at the end of 2019 and to date has caused over 109 million infections worldwide. With over 2.4 million

Biden Administration Changes Vaccination Timeline

Editor’s note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Center. Last week, Anthony Fauci, MD, said that “virtually everybody and anybody in any category could start to get vaccinated” in April. But on Tuesday, the Biden administration changed the timeline for mass vaccinations to May, June, or July. At a CNN

Detection of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variant in New York

Researchers at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena have developed a software tool called "Variant Database" that has detected an emerging lineage of severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) isolates in New York. The novel SARS-CoV-2 virus is the agent responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that continues to sweep the globe

CDC says vaccinated individuals can skip COVID quarantines

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic's global case toll has surpassed 109 million globally. Of these infections, 2.4 million people have already succumbed to the disease. As the pandemic continues to spread, many countries have rolled out vaccinations. Now, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued updated guidance that people who have

Researchers report a new SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern in Uganda

The etiological agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Since then, the virus has infected more than 107 million people worldwide and caused over 2.4 million deaths. Due to its high transmissibility, it has been difficult to

Pandemic showcases Belgium as Europe’s Vaccine Valley

A small country with an outsize reputation in research and pharmaceuticals, Belgium has emerged with a strategic role in the world’s battle against the coronavirus. The drugs giants racing to develop and produce new vaccines at scale in record time are international, but many of their global supply chains intersect here. In 2019, before the