A study of Infectious Economics in New York identifies discordant SARS-CoV-2 PCR and Rapid Antigen Test Results When Infectious

Anew study raises significant doubts about whether at-home rapid antigen tests can detect the Omicron variant before infected people can transmit the virus to others. The study looks at 30 people from settings including Broadway theaters and offices in New York and San Francisco where some workers were not only being tested daily but were, because

Read More


Need for long-term monitoring of children born during the COVID-19 pandemic: a study shows differences in neurodevelopment at age 6 months.

A new paper published on JAMA Pediatrics by researchers of Columbia University Irving Medical Center analyses a ssociations between in utero exposure to maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection and neurodevelopment which are speculated, but currently unknown. To examine the associations between maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy, being born during the COVID-19 pandemic regardless of maternal SARS-CoV-2 status,

Read More


Study: COVID-19 Hospitalization Costs, Outcomes In 2020 Improved Over Time

The first comprehensive analysis of its kind examines hospital inpatient costs and length of stay. A new study published in Advances in Therapy provides the first comprehensive analysis of the hospitalization costs for COVID-19 patients, factors associated with costs and length of stay, and the monthly trends of costs and length of stay from April to December

Read More


South-Africa Netcare sees ‘significantly fewer’ Omicron patients with existing illnesses at its hospitals

In South Africa, the pattern of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 early in the fourth wave showed fewer hospitalizations and reduced severity of illness compared with earlier waves, according to a research letter published online Dec. 30 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Caroline Maslo, M.D., Ph.D., from Netcare Ltd. South Africa in Johannesburg, and

Read More


COVID-19 patients have severely increased levels of oxidative stress and oxidant damage, and glutathione deficiency

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have investigated the effect of infection with COVID-19 on the levels of oxidative stress, oxidant damage and glutathione, the most abundant physiological antioxidant. Compared to healthy age-matched individuals whose samples were taken before the pandemic started in 2019, patients hospitalized with COVID-19 had significantly increased levels of oxidative stress and

Read More


Emergence in Southern France of a new SARS-CoV-2 variant named B.1.640.2 of probably Cameroonian origin harbouring both substitutions N501Y and E484K in the spike protein and present in 67 hospitalised patients

A new coronavirus variant has been discovered in southern France, spreading in a small outbreak, according to a new study.The variant, tentatively identified B.1.640.2 according to a recent study backed by the French government that has yet to be peer-reviewed, is believed to be Cameroonian in origin and have so far spread to 67 patients in southern France.

Read More


A potential at-home COVID-19 test is just as good as laboratory PCR tests, according to preclinical data

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have designed a high-quality assay that can be used in at-home tests for rapid COVID-19 screening. Results from an early preclinical study suggest that tests with the new assay may be just as reliable as the laboratory-based molecular tests — called PCR tests — used by hospitals for clinical diagnostics.  “Having fast and

Read More


Complement activation induces excessive T cell cytotoxicity in severe COVID-19, associated with fatal outcome.

A new paper published in Cell by Charitè group opens new perspectives to complement role in Covid-19 Highlights •Severe COVID-19 is marked by activated, highly cytotoxic CD16+ T cells •Immune complex-mediated degranulation of CD16+ T cells causes endothelial cell injury •C3a-rich environment in severe COVID-19 promotes differentiation of CD16+ T cells •Activated CD16+ T cells and complement proteins are

Read More