Prior to the emergence of new mutants of the coronavirus, such as the British variant B.1.1.7, the SARS-CoV-2 variant named D614G had already mutated from the original SARS-CoV-2 pathogen that triggered the pandemic. D614G has rapidly spread to become the most abundant variant worldwide and this D614G mutation remains in all the new emerging variants. […]
Single dose of Pfizer BioNTech vaccine reduces asymptomatic infections and potential for SARS-CoV-2 transmission
New data from Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge suggests that a single dose of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine can reduce by four-fold the number of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections. This implies that the vaccine could significantly reduce the risk of transmission of the virus from people who are asymptomatic, as well as protecting others from getting ill. […]
Neuroinvasiveness of SARS-CoV-2 shown by viral RNA and inflammation in the brain
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has claimed well over 2.4 million lives, but its long-term sequelae are still being identified. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) produces an infection that may be associated with a wide spectrum of disease, from asymptomatic to critical or terminal respiratory failure or multi-organ dysfunction. A new […]
Electrochemical oxidation to inactivate SARS-CoV-2
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is spreading all over the world. Designated hospitals, isolation places and cold-chain logistics may produce aerosols and wastewater containing SARS-CoV-2. Full disinfection of these aerosols and wastewater is important for blocking the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Currently, sodium hypochlorite is the most […]
Researchers uncover 'hotspots' on the Spike protein that are critical for SARS-CoV-2 infection
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted considerable investigation into how the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein attaches to a human cell during the infection process, as this knowledge is useful in designing vaccines and therapeutics. Now, a team of scientists has discovered additional locations on the Spike protein that may not only help to explain how certain mutations […]
USDA, FDA highlight no credible evidence of COVID-19 transmission through food or food packaging
After more than a year since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak was declared a global health emergency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to underscore that there is no credible evidence of food or food packaging associated with or […]
Restricting testing to 'classic triad' of symptoms may have missed some COVID-19 cases
Extending the symptoms that trigger a PCR test for COVID-19 could help detect around a third more cases of the disease. New research led by researchers at King's College London and published in the Journal of Infection suggests that restricting testing to the 'classic triad' of cough, fever and loss of smell which is required […]
Surface testing for SARS-CoV-2 in hematology/oncology settings reveals negligible detection
Researchers from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the state’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, evaluated the frequency of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, on various environmental surfaces in outpatient and inpatient hematology/oncology settings located within Rutgers Cancer Institute and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, an RWJBarnabas Health facility. The study revealed […]
Research shows rapid global spread of Southern California COVID-19 strain
A new strain of the coronavirus in Southern California, first reported last month by Cedars-Sinai, is rapidly spreading across the country and around the world as travelers apparently carry the virus with them to a growing list of global destinations, according to new research published today in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Medical Association […]
Could a SARS-CoV-2 accessory protein be responsible for certain COVID-19 symptoms?
Some people with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) develop symptoms, while others do not. In high-risk populations, like the elderly and those with underlying health issues, may experience more severe symptoms. A new study by researchers at the Université de Lyon, France, noted that some COVID-19 symptoms like heart arrhythmias, loss of smell, gastrointestinal problem, and […]