New questions are at the forefront as a study published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology from nine children’s hospitals finds that most asymptomatic children who tested positive for COVID-19 had relatively low levels of the virus compared to symptomatic…
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COVID-19 model inspired by gas-phase chemistry predicts disease spread
A COVID-19 transmission model inspired by gas-phase chemistry is helping the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) forecast COVID-19 deaths across the country. Developed by Yunfeng Shi, an associate professor of materials science and engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,…
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Eliminating COVID-19: what the world can learn from NZ and Taiwan
Both Taiwan and New Zealand have successfully eliminated COVID-19 with world-leading pandemic responses. By taking a particularly proactive approach, Taiwan’s response was probably the most effective and least disruptive of any country’s, researchers say. In an article published in the…
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Trial shows hydroxychloroquine does not prevent COVID-19 in health care workers
University of Minnesota Medical School physician researchers studied hydroxychloroquine as a treatment to prevent COVID-19 for those with high-risk for exposure to the virus—health care workers. The pre-exposure prophylaxis trial results, which were published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, determined that…
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What will convince Americans to get a COVID-19 vaccine?
(HealthDay)—Promoting any emerging COVID-19 vaccine to a skeptical public could be tough. But a new survey finds vaccine uptake might rise if the shot is promoted by medical experts, not politicians, and if it’s been proven safe and effective through…
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No Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Expected Before Election
MONDAY, Oct. 19, 2020 — Pfizer will not apply for emergency authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine before the third week in November, the company’s chief executive said in a statement posted to the Pfizer website on Friday. This is a…
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COVID-19 heightens urgency of advanced care planning, according to study
No one likes to think about their own mortality. But COVID-19 has shoved life’s dark questions to the forefront: “What if I’m hooked to a ventilator and can’t speak?” “If my heart stops beating, do I want to be resuscitated?”…
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COVID-19 masks FAQ: How can cloth stop a tiny virus? What’s the best fabric? Do they protect the wearer?
Face masks reduce the spread of viruses passed on from respiratory secretions. While cloth masks are imperfect, widespread use of an imperfect mask has the potential to make a big difference in transmission of the virus. We started reading the…
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What San Diego’s Hepatitis A outbreak can teach us during COVID-19
In an age when many people get their news from social media, ensuring health information is communicated accurately and understood clearly is critical, especially during infectious disease outbreaks. When the San Diego region experienced a hepatitis A outbreak in 2017…
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Time to Results Faster With Point-of-Care COVID-19 Testing
THURSDAY, Oct. 15, 2020 — Point-of-care testing is associated with large reductions in the time to results for patients presenting with suspected COVID-19, according to a study published online Oct. 8 in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. Nathan J. Brendish, Ph.D.,…
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