Outbreaks of infectious diseases have been recorded throughout history. Currently, SARS-CoV-2, a contagious virus that causes the disease called COVID-19, is impacting individuals worldwide. Many countries have set their sight on an effective vaccination program to end their infectious disease outbreaks. The term “herd immunity” has been mentioned in association with ending the COVID-19 outbreaks.
Viruses
Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Center. A scoring system based on 10 parameters in a complete blood count (CBC) with differential within 3 days of hospital presentation predict those with COVID-19 who are most likely to progress to critical illness, new evidence shows. Advantages include prognosis based on a common
Smell loss – called anosmia – is a common symptom of COVID-19. For the past nine months, the two of us – a sensory scientist and an infectious disease epidemiologist – have applied our respective expertise to develop smell-based screening and testing programs as part of a response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. In early October,
The Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) evaluated Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine as highly effective with a favorable safety profile, based on interim data from an ongoing phase 3 trial. The panel acknowledged that further studies will be required post issuance of an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to collect additional data on
In the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, much research has focused on the role of neutralizing antibodies in countering infection by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Most of these studies have been based on genome sequencing, showing matches between the Hypervariable Region (HVR) and the antigen’s receptor-binding domain (RBD). The results have
Editor’s note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Center. After a new, potentially more easily transmissible genetic variant of SARS-CoV-2 was reported in the United Kingdom, several scientists have said that current vaccines are likely to protect against the new variant, and vaccine manufacturers are running tests to make sure.
As the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) threatens the globe infecting over 43.8 million people, the development of a vaccine against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is of paramount importance. Apart from the dissemination of the vaccine, its acceptance among the public is also crucial. Obtaining a high uptake of the vaccine will be
Ten months into the coronavirus pandemic, more than 35 million have already been infected, and more than one million have died. Caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), remains a global health threat since there are still no available drugs and vaccines against the virus. The World Health
You’ve just learned that you were exposed to someone with COVID-19, and now you too may have the virus in your system. Some questions you might have out of the gate: at what point during the incubation period do you become contagious, if you happen to be infected — and how should that dictate what
Last week I got tested with both Covid-19 tests – the nasal swab and the blood test for antibodies. (I have not experienced any symptoms but was concerned about asymptomatic spread since I have immunocompromised relatives and friends.) I”m still waiting for my results from CityMD but outside of the wait (more than a week
Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Sep 29 2020 In a study published in Autophagy, researchers at the University of Maryland (UMD) shed new light on how Zika virus hijacks our own cellular machinery to break down a protein that is essential for neurological development and cellular communication, getting it to “eat itself”. By triggering this process
One day you’re feeling great, the next day you’re coughing, and before you know it, you’ve got the flu virus — now would be the perfect time to knock on wood. According to the Center For Disease Control, contracting the flu virus is most common during the Fall and Winter. Typically, flu activity begins to