Science

Fast, Less-Accurate Coronavirus Tests May Be Good Enough, Experts suggest

Fri, 2020-08-07 09:51 — mike kraft

For months, the call for coronavirus testing has been led by one resounding refrain: To keep outbreaks under control, doctors and researchers need to deploy the most accurate tests available — ones reliable enough to root out as many infections as possible, even in the absence of symptoms.

That’s long been the dogma of infectious disease diagnostics, experts say, since it helps ensure that cases won’t be missed. During this pandemic, that has meant relying heavily on PCR testing, an extremely accurate but time- and labor-intensive method that requires samples to be processed at laboratories.

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NIH begin testing remsesier plus beta-1a; Israel to start human vaccine tests

Thu, 2020-08-06 19:36 — mike kraft

NIH clinical trial testing remdesivir plus interferon beta-1a for The study is anticipated to enroll more than 1,000 hospitalized adults with COVID-19. National Institutes of Health (NIH)

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New study on Asymptomatic People Carrying the Coronavirus in High Amounts

Thu, 2020-08-06 18:50 — mike kraft

Of all the coronavirus’s qualities, perhaps the most surprising has been that seemingly healthy people can spread it to others. This trait has made the virus difficult to contain, and continues to challenge efforts to identify and isolate infected people.

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Houston Methodist Hospital reports rapid recoveryof COVID-19 patients with new drug

Thu, 2020-08-06 13:16 — mike kraft

Houston Methodist reports rapid recovery of critically ill COVID-19 patients with new drug Houston Methodist Hospital is making national headlines after doctors use a new drug to help treat COVID-19 patients. Brittany Taylor KPRC

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ANALYSIS: The coronavirus is never going away--The Atlantic

Thu, 2020-08-06 12:04 — mike kraft

The Coronavirus Is Never Going Away No matter what happens now, the virus will continue to circulate around the world. Sarah Zhang The Atlantic

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Scientists Uncover Biological Signatures of the Worst Covid-19 Cases

Wed, 2020-08-05 12:41 — mike kraft

Scientists are beginning to untangle one of the most complex biological mysteries of the coronavirus pandemic: Why do some people get severely sick, whereas others quickly recover?

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Vaccines: Johnson @Johnson and Novavax report contracts, developments

Wed, 2020-08-05 10:28 — mike kraft

NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey, Aug. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) (the Company) today announced its Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies have entered into an agreement with the U.S. government for the large scale domestic manufacturing and delivery in the U.S. of 100 million doses of Janssen's SARS-CoV-2 investigational vaccine, Ad26.COV2.S, for use in the United States following approval or Emergency Use Authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

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As Trump Praises Plasma, Researchers Struggle to Finish Critical Studies

Tue, 2020-08-04 19:31 — mike kraft

Since April, the Trump administration has funneled $48 million into a program with the Mayo Clinic, allowing more than 53,000 Covid-19 patients to get plasma infusions. Doctors and hospitals desperate to save the sickest patients have been eager to try a therapy that is safe and might work. Tens of thousands more people are now enrolled to get the treatment that’s been trumpeted by everyone from the president to the actor Dwayne Johnson, better known as The Rock.

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Study on the risk of COVID-19 among front-line health workers compared with thegeneral community

Tue, 2020-08-04 14:19 — mike kraft

http://www.thelancet-press.com/embargo/hcwcovid.pdf

Risk of COVID-19 among front-line health-care workers and the general community: a prospective cohort study

Summary Background Data for front-line health-care workers and risk of COVID-19 are limited. We sought to assess risk of COVID-19 among front-line health-care workers compared with the general community and the effect of personal protective equipment (PPE) on risk.

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