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Increased risk of COVID-19 infection among young people in Germany
A recent study suggested young adults ages 20-24 are primarily responsible for the transmission of the coronavirus. But, says a DW report, the reality...
Small Chinese study finds COVID-19 in patients' semen
Chinese researchers who tested the sperm of men infected with COVID-19 found a minority had the new coronavirus in their semen, opening up a...
Heating could be the best way to disinfect N95 masks for reuse
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, N95 face masks have been in short supply. Health care workers, in particular, desperately need these masks...
Blood clotting a significant cause of death in Irish patients with COVID-19
A study, carried out by the Irish Centre for Vascular Biology, RCSI and St James's Hospital Dublin, has found that abnormal blood clotting occurs...
Anti-hypertensive medications safe for patients with COVID-19 disease
A study has found that high blood pressure medications are safe for patients with COVID-19 disease. Launched in response to a 17 March joint...
COVID-19 trial: Remdesivir accelerates recovery and improves survival
A clinical trial by the US National Institutes of Health found that hospitalised patients with advanced COVID-19 and lung involvement who received remdesivir recovered...
Hydroxychloroquine link to increased cardiac arrhythmia risk — single-centre observational study
In a brief report, a team of pharmacists and clinicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), part of Beth Israel Lahey Health, found...
Considering BCG vaccination to reduce the impact of COVID-19 — The Lancet
In addition to its specific effect against tuberculosis, the BCG vaccine has beneficial nonspecific (off-target) effects on the immune system that protect against a...
Variety of rashes affect younger COVID-19 patients — small Spanish study
Five rashes, including COVID toe, are affecting some hospital patients diagnosed with COVID-19, BBC News reports a small study by Spanish doctors at the...
Assessing non-pharmaceutical interventions in containing COVID-19 in China – Nature preprint
Nature Research has provided an early version of a study by researchers at the WorldPop, School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton,...
What policy makers need to know about protective immunity — The Lancet commentary
Researchers at the Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London and the National Institutes of Health write in a commentary in The Lancet: About a third...
Increasingly a link found between obesity and COVID-19 outcome risk
Following the devastating outbreak of COVID-19 in China in December and January, details began to emerge of the risk factors predisposing sufferers to the...
COVID-19 infection numbers in Germany possibly 10x higher than thought
Ten times more people than previously thought may have already acquired immunity to the coronavirus.
The Daily Telegraph reports that this is according to...
WHO investigating reports that COVID-19 emerged earlier than previously thought
The World Health Organisation has announced that a report that COVID-19 had emerged in December in France, sooner than previously thought, was "not surprising",...
Researchers report discovery of antibody that blocks infection by the SARS-CoV-2 in cells
Researchers at Utrecht University, Erasmus Medical Centre and Harbour BioMed (HBM) have reported that they have identified a fully human monoclonal antibody that prevents...
Researchers looking for specific COVID-19 disease biomarkers
Australian respiratory physician Dr David Darley says something peculiar happens to a small group of COVID-19 patients on day seven of their symptoms. “Up...
Urgent UK alert to GPs: COVID19-related inflammatory syndrome — Paediatric Intensive Care Society
A serious coronavirus-related syndrome may be emerging in the UK, according to an “urgent alert” issued to doctors, following a rise in cases in...
HIV in itself not a risk factor for COVID-19 vulnerability — New York study
In a large case series of patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in New York, relatively few had HIV (0.8%). Aidsmap reports that as the background...
Thrombosis risk of COVID-19 — Dutch National Institute for Public Health
A special report outlines prevention, diagnosis and treatment of complications stemming from blood clots in patients with COVID-19. Two research letters and a case...
Nicotine patches trial awaits approval after French study finds nicotine may be COVID-19 preventative
French researchers are planning to test nicotine patches on coronavirus patients and frontline health workers after a study suggested smokers may be much less...
Calls to screen for sudden loss of smell and/or taste as a presenting symptom of COVID-19
As evidence piles up documenting a sudden loss of smell and/or taste as a presenting symptom of COVID-19, the call to screen for these...
Cochrane's review: Effectivity of quarantine alone or in combination with other public health measures to control COVID-19
The review summarises evidence available from modelling studies that show how quarantining affects the spread of COVID-19. The studies included in the review consistently...
Ultraviolet LEDs effective in eliminating coronavirus from surfaces and, potentially, air and water
"One major application is in medical situations – the disinfection of personal protective equipment, surfaces, floors, within the HVAC systems, et cetera," said materials...
Aerodynamic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 in two Wuhan hospitals
A study presenting evidence for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the air has been published. Environmental monitoring of two hospitals and some public...
Technical and ethical issues mean split ventilation should be used as last resort
Although technically feasible, it isn't clear if the pros of split ventilation outweigh the cons, and the approach is fraught with ethical issues, so...
Best material for homemade face masks may be a combination of two fabrics
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people wear masks in public. Because N95...
Clinical progression of first 12 confirmed US COVID-19 patients analysed
Detailed virological, clinical and epidemiological characterisation of the first 12 patients with confirmed COVID-19 respiratory disease in the US has been reported. Additional studies...
New model to predict course of COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
Italy's SIDARTHE study modelled possible longer-term scenarios of the effects of various countermeasures on the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and estimate estimate...
Guardian's assessment of studies on hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19
The hype around hydroxychloroquine is irresponsible, but the hope is understandable, reports The Guardian. There is as yet no drug that has been shown...
Novel test for COVID-19 may deliver faster results to more people
Early identification of potential patients and diagnosis followed by isolation are critical for controlling the current COVID-19 pandemic and flattening the curve. This study...
Multi-tissue genetic analysis suggests SARS-CoV-2 may infect specific nose cells
Genes associated with how the virus SARS-CoV-2 enters a host were found to be expressed in specific healthy human respiratory, corneal and intestinal epithelial...
Air pollution associated with a high number of deaths from COVID-19
Elevated levels of nitrogen dioxide in the air may be associated with a high number of deaths from COVID-19. A study by Martin Luther...
Safety of chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin for treating COVID-19
Physicians and patients should be aware of several rare but potentially life-threatening adverse effects of chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, even during short courses of...
Santa Clara sero-survey: COVID-19 infections vastly exceed official counts but less deadly than estimated
Widespread antibody testing in a Californian county has revealed a much higher prevalence of coronavirus infection than official figures suggested. The findings also indicate...
Cambridge study identifies 275 options to reduce coronavirus infections
Phased re-opening of schools, businesses and open spaces should be considered alongside a range of practical ways to keep people physically apart, say the...
People over 60 also at 'considerable' increased COVID-19 complication risk
The UK’s policy for shielding older adults from COVID-19 overlooks 7.3m adults aged 60-69, placing them at increased risk and death. These are the...
Trials of anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy for COVID-19 'urgently needed'
With over 100,000 deaths worldwide from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), it is incumbent on researchers to accelerate clinical trials of any readily available and...
The case for healthcare worker screening to prevent hospital transmission
There is a strong case to be made for the mass testing of health care workers to mitigate workforce depletion by unnecessary quarantine; reduce...
New COVID-19 guidance for patients with inflammatory bowel disease — American Gastroenterological Association
The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) has published new COVID-19 guidance for gastroenterologists treating patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): AGA Clinical Practice Update on...
COVID-19 risk for smokers and COPD patients may be due to higher ACE 2 levels — small Canadian study
The increased risk for COVID-19 pneumonia in people who smoke cigarettes or have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may be at least partly explained...