The US and UK Government Release Reports on Long COVID to Support Patients and Further Research

The US Government is committed to helping people across America affected by Long COVID. In April, President Joe Biden issued a Memorandum on Addressing the Long-Term Effects of COVID-19, which called for the creation of two reports. Within 120 days, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), leading a whole-of-government response, developed two reports that

Read More


COVID-19 pandemic dynamics in South Africa and epidemiological characteristics of three variants of concern (Beta, Delta, and Omicron)

A model of COVID-19 dynamics in South Africa reveals epidemiological characteristics of the main SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and highlights their potential to cause further outbreaks. Published in eLife, the researchers’ findings highlight the need for more proactive planning and preparedness for future variants of concern (VOCs), including the development of a universal vaccine that can

Read More


Inhaled aprotinin reduces viral load in mild-to-moderate inpatients with Covid-19: paper published in European Journal of Clinical Investigation

New variants of the causative pathogen, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), continue to emerge, and the ‘new normal’ appears to be a scenario where human beings coexist with the virus. However, many individuals are at higher risk of severe COVID-19 due to comorbidities like obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, advancing age,

Read More


Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Targeting Fast-Spreading Omicron BA.1 and BA.4/5 will be delivered as soon as October 2022

Pfizer and BioNTech will begin trials of their updated mRNA Covid-19 vaccine designed to protect against the newer BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants of the coronavirus latest this month, BioNTech announced on Monday, joining other vaccine makers like Moderna who are trying to create updated shots targeting the faster spreading and immune evasive variants. The trial

Read More


Dysregulation of the kallikrein-kinin system and neutrophils role in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of patients with severe COVID-19

Results published by University of Leuven researchers in eBioMedicine Markers of inflammation and coagulation are predictors for clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Binding of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 receptor, which is involved in kinin breakdown, could interfere with the kallikrein-kinin pathway. SARS-CoV-2 induced dysregulation

Read More


12,7% COVID-19 patients develop long COVID symptoms: results of a large Dutch study

One in eight adults (12.7%) who are infected with SARS-CoV-2 experience long term symptoms due to COVID-19, suggests a large Dutch study published in The Lancet. The study provides one of the first comparisons of long-term symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection (often called ‘long COVID’) with symptoms in an uninfected population, as well as measuring symptoms in

Read More


Prognosis and persistence of smell and taste dysfunction in 5% patients with Covid-19: meta-analysis results published in The BMJ

About 5% of adults may develop long-lasting changes to their sense of smell or taste after COVID-19 infection, suggests research published by The BMJ today. With more than 550 million confirmed COVID-19 cases to date, this means that at least 15 million and 12 million adult patients may experience long-term smell and taste deficiencies, respectively. Given the

Read More


SARS-CoV-2 Variants Have Developed Resistance to Human Interferons

CU Anschutz researchers examined how five SARS-CoV-2 variants interact with diverse interferons and found the virus has adapted to evade this important front-line defense of the innate immune system Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have investigated how antiviral proteins called interferons interact with SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19. The study, published in Proceedings

Read More