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A large study from Ontario confirms that SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs), especially the Delta variant, are more virulent than the native strain of the virus, increasing people’s risk of hospitalization, admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and death due to COVID-19. The research is published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). The study […]
Results of a new study led by the University of Maryland School of Public Health show that people infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 exhale infectious virus in their breath—and those infected with the Alpha variant (the dominant strain circulating at the time this study was conducted) put 43 to 100 times more virus […]
A recent study conducted by Portuguese scientists has claimed that mRNA-based coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are less effective against the delta variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Moreover, in breakthrough infections by delta variant, vaccines are less effective in reducing viral loads. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint […]
To date, the rapid spread of acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected more than 205 million individuals and claimed more than 4.3 million lives worldwide. In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, a pandemic. Even though a few drugs and vaccines are available to […]
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel coronavirus that has caused infections and deaths in millions of people worldwide since its emergence in Wuhan, China, in late December 2019. SARS-CoV-2 affects not only humans but also cats, dogs, ferrets, hamsters, and non-human primates. The virus was even found to affect minks, and cases […]
Researchers in the United States have developed a new model for testing mutations in the four structural proteins of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Testing of the proteins for their effects on viral assembly, packaging and host cell entry provided a previously unanticipated explanation […]
All coronaviruses produce four primary structural proteins and multiple nonstructural proteins. However, the majority of antibody-based SARS-CoV-2 research has focused on the spike and nucleocapsid proteins. A study published in PLOS Biology by Anna Heffron, Irene Ong and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA, suggests that immune responses may develop against other proteins produced […]
The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a highly contagious RNA virus. Scientists across the world have been working at record speed to develop vaccines such as Pfizer’s BNT162b2 vaccine and Moderna’s mRNA-1273 vaccine. Various regulatory bodies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), […]
International research led by Monash University and the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity has achieved a proof of concept for a new, fast, portable saliva screening test that uses an infrared light technology to confirm infection with SARS-CoV-2. The research is published today in Angewandte Chemie. Professor Bayden Wood from the Monash University […]
'Don't forget the mask' – although most people nowadays follow this advice, professionals express different opinions about the effectiveness of face masks. An international team led by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, Germany, has now used observational data and model calculations to answer open questions. The study shows under which […]