Antibodies and SARS-CoV-2 infections: Tthe more the better
Oxford University Hospital tracked infections in 12,500 of its healthcare workers. Enlarge / Oxford University is associated with the hospital that ran this study, as well as a vaccine that is currently undergoing clinical trials. (credit: Gallo.....»»
Plasma-based engineering creates contact-killing, antifouling, drug-release surfaces
The deepening concern over antibiotic-resistant infections, coupled with prevailing hospital-acquired infections from surgical tools, implants, and heavily touched surfaces, has ramped up antimicrobial material development in recent years......»»
4,346 Flights Cancelled on New Year"s Day
4,346 flights were cancelled worldwide by this morning, including 2,508 in the U.S. Airlines have been blaming cancellations on increasing Covid-19 infections among flightcrews creating staffing shortages, the Associated Press reports. "More than 1.....»»
Samsung warns of supply variables due to tighter lockdown in Xi"an
With China imposing tighter lockdown measures in Xi'an due to a spike in COVID-19 infections locally, Samsung Electronics has warned of variables and challenges facing its operations in the Chinese city......»»
Scientists Identify antibodies that can kill the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus
Image Credit:CIPhotos via Getty Images By Denise ChowA global team of scientists has discovered antibodies that can kill the variant responsible for the rise of Omicron around the world. In addition, the scientists claim that these antibodies can neu.....»»
CDC Cuts Isolation Time For COVID-19 Infections From 10 Days To 5
U.S. health officials on Monday cut isolation restrictions for Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine. The Associated Press reports: Centers for Disease Contro.....»»
Denmark Sees Initial Signs That Dire Omicron Surge Can Be Avoided
"Early benchmarks from Denmark on infections and hospitalizations are providing grounds for guarded optimism that highly vaccinated countries might be able to weather the omicron wave," reports the Washington Post. "The developments, coupled with De.....»»
SARS-CoV-2 goes "underground" to spread from cell to cell
The virus that causes COVID-19 has adopted some stealth moves to stay alive and kicking, and one secret to its success is hiding from the immune system by spreading through cell-to-cell transmission, a new study has found......»»
US Army Creates Single Vaccine Against All COVID, SARS Variants
Slashdot readers fahrbot-bot and Tangential share a report from Defense One: Within weeks, scientists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research expect to announce that they have developed a vaccine that is effective against COVID-19 and all its v.....»»
Omicron cases less likely to require hospital treatment, studies show
High rate of infectiousness could still strain hospitals around the world. Enlarge / Illustration of antibodies (red and blue) responding to an infection with Covid-19 (purple). (credit: Getty Images) A lower share of people.....»»
Coating surfaces with a thin layer of copper has the potential to kill the virus causing COVID-19 faster
Researchers have discovered that using a thin-film coating of copper or copper compounds on surfaces could enhance copper's ability to inactivate or destroy the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for COVID-19......»»
Skin cell Band-Aid, monoclonal antibodies among experiments launched by SpaceX
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket beat the rain and launched at 5:08 a.m. Tuesday from Kennedy Space Center to bring 6,500 pounds of cargo that includes a variety of medical experiments to the International Space Station......»»
Exploring genetics of SARS-CoV-2 and related viruses in animals around the world
A genetic and geographic analysis of variants of SARS-CoV-2 -- the virus that causes COVID-19 -- and related viruses in humans and animals may provide evidence of interspecies transmission worldwide......»»
Breakthrough infections generate "super immunity" to COVID-19, study suggests
Breakthrough infections greatly enhance immune response to variants of the virus that causes COVID-19, according to new research. The study is the first to use live SARS-CoV-2 variants to measure cross-neutralization of blood serum from breakthrough.....»»
WHO Sounds Warning Over Fast-spreading Omicron
The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is spreading faster than the Delta variant and is causing infections in people already vaccinated or who have recovered from the COVID-19 disease, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said. From a rep.....»»
Details released on the Trump administration’s pandemic chaos
Report provides details of how Trump's appointees got in the way. Enlarge / Scott Atlas, a White House adviser, used his position to advocate for allowing the SARS-CoV-2 virus to spread and tried to block testing for it, which would fu.....»»
An aptasensor has been designed to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus in saliva
Scientists at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) have developed the first photo-electrochemical aptasensor that detects the SARS-CoV-2 virus in a saliva sample. This sensor, which uses aptamers (a type of artificial antibody), is more sensit.....»»
Third dose of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine leads to 37-fold jump in antibodies
While work on omicron-specific shots continues, boosters thwart severe omicron infections. Enlarge (credit: JOSEPH PREZIOSO / Getty Images) Moderna announced Monday that its booster provides protection against COVID-19 varian.....»»
Covid Vaccines Fight Serious Illness, But Only Pfizer and Moderna With a Booster Stop Omicron Infections
"A growing body of preliminary research suggests the COVID vaccines used in most of the world offer almost no defense against becoming infected by the highly contagious omicron variant," reports the New York Times. (Emphasis added, because they stres.....»»
Pfizer’s anti-COVID drug still looks effective after further analysis
No deaths, ~80 percent drop in hospitalization compared to the placebo group. Enlarge / Scenes like this might become less common if a new SARS-CoV-2 protease inhibitor becomes widely available. (credit: Getty Images) On Monda.....»»
Scientists develop an RNA-based breath test to detect COVID-19
A breathalyzer that reverse-transcribes RNA from airborne SARS-CoV-2 in breath predicts lower respiratory tract involvement and is less invasive than alternative testing approaches, report researchers......»»