Research

ANALYSIS: Coronavirus: Tests 'could be picking up dead virus'

Sun, 2020-09-06 10:47 — mike kraft

Covid tests 'could be picking up dead virus' Scientists say a positive coronavirus result does not guarantee that someone is infectious. BBC News

The main test used to diagnose coronavirus is so sensitive it could be picking up fragments of dead virus from old infections, scientists say.

Most people are infectious only for about a week, but could test positive weeks afterwards.

Researchers say this could be leading to an over-estimate of the current scale of the pandemic.

But some experts say it is uncertain how a reliable test can be produced that doesn't risk missing cases.

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Covid-19 Live Updates: At-Home Virus Tests Remain ‘Aspirational’

Sun, 2020-09-06 10:17 — mike kraft

As hope builds over possible frequent at-home testing, experts call the idea a long shot.

Over the past few weeks, a Harvard scientist has made headlines for a bold idea to curb the spread of the coronavirus: rolling out antigen tests, a decades-old underdog in testing technology, to tens of millions of Americans for near-daily, at-home use.

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Medical Espionage: Race for Coronavirus Vaccine Pits Spy Against Spy

Sat, 2020-09-05 19:46 — mike kraft

WASHINGTON — Chinese intelligence hackers were intent on stealing coronavirus vaccine data, so they looked for what they believed would be an easy target. Instead of simply going after pharmaceutical companies, they conducted digital reconnaissance on the University of North Carolina and other schools doing cutting-edge research.

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Pharma Companies Plan Joint Pledge on Vaccine Safety

Sat, 2020-09-05 09:17 — mike kraft

A group of drug companies competing with one another to be among the first to develop coronavirus vaccines are planning to pledge early next week that they will not release any vaccines that do not follow rigorous efficacy and safety standards, according to representatives of three of the companies.

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Results of Russia's COVID-19 vaccine produced antibody response: The Lancet

Fri, 2020-09-04 09:59 — mike kraft

Results of Russia's COVID-19 vaccine produced antibody response: The Lancet Russia's "Sputnik-V" COVID-19 vaccine produced an antibody response in all participants in early-stage trials, according to results published on Friday by The Lancet medical journal that were hailed by Moscow as an answer to its critics. Polina Ivanova U.S.

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Top Adviser To Operation Warp Speed Calls An October Vaccine 'Extremely Unlikely'

Thu, 2020-09-03 19:26 — mike kraft

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is asking states to have a plan in place to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as late October — but that doesn't mean an effective treatment will be ready quite so soon.

In separate interviews Thursday with NPR, the chief scientific adviser to the Trump administration's vaccine development effort and the former director of the CDC's office of public health preparedness cautioned that an effective vaccine is likely still months away.

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NIH announced funding for stepped up support for new COVID testing technologies

Thu, 2020-09-03 13:59 — mike kraft

NIH continues to boost national COVID-19 testing capacity New laboratory and point-of-care tests to enable access and rapid result. National Institutes of Health (NIH)

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Nasal swab followed by antibody test may catch incorrect Covid-19 diagnoses

Thu, 2020-09-03 08:59 — mike kraft

Nasal swab followed by antibody test may catch incorrect Covid-19 diagnoses Use of dual testing could help as swabs miss around 30%-50% of infections, say UK researchers Sarah Boseley the Guardian

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Vaccine group says 76 rich countries now committed to 'COVAX' access plan

Wed, 2020-09-02 18:03 — mike kraft

Exclusive: Vaccine group says 76 rich countries now committed to 'COVAX' access plan Seventy-six wealthy nations are now committed to joining a global COVID-19 vaccine allocation plan co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO) that aims to help buy and fairly distribute the shots, the project's co-lead said on Wednesday. Kate Kelland U.S.

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Why the Coronavirus More Often Strikes Children of Color

Wed, 2020-09-02 12:47 — mike kraft

One of the notable features of the new coronavirus, evident early in the pandemic, was that it largely spared children. Some become severely ill, but deaths have been few, compared to adults.

But people of color have been disproportionately affected by Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, and recent studies have renewed concern about the susceptibility of children in these communities.

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