Latest healthcare news
Coronavirus and Cholesterol
Does high cholesterol lead to more severe COVID-19 infection? An abstract by Hao Wang & others revealed that when they loaded cells with cholesterol from blood serum using transport in apolipoprotein E this enhanced the endocytic entry of SARS-CoV-2. High...
COVID-19 the next step?
Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection: What is the next step after lockdown? An important challenge for returning to normality is the prevalence of asymptomatic infection and the question of whether such individuals could sustain community virus transmission. Two...
Why have death rates from Coronavirus plateaued
Why have deaths from COVID-19 plateaued in Europe? Is this due to herd immunity? Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 appears to be in marked decline in many countries in Europe, North America and parts of Asia. This follows unprecedented governmental interventions, which...
Social Distancing and COVID-19
Physical distancing, face masks and eye protection, do they prevent person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19? A review published in The Lancet by Derek Chu and others June 1, 2020. The authors aimed to investigate the effects of physical distance, face...
Coronavirus and Anti-Inflammatories
COVID-19 and Anti-inflammatories Initially, due to a French diplomat, it was suggested that anti-inflammatories such as Ibuprofen or Voltarol should not be taken by those patients who might be at risk of developing COVID-19 or being subject to coronavirus...
COVID-19 and Blood Type
Blood Group and Severity of COVID-19 It has been found that having type A blood is linked to a 50% increase in the likelihood that a patient would need oxygen or have to go on a ventilator. This was from a pre-print and not peer reviewed article by Ellinghouse...
Coronavirus Vaccines – Where are we?
COVID-19 Vaccine Development, Where Are We? This is neatly discussed by Nelson Lean and Allison McGeer in a comment article in The Lancet dated May 28, 2020. Clearly, developing a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine is a global priority. Researchers in China,...
Coronavirus and Eating Disorders
Food insecurity. Will this be the sting in the tail following the COVID-19 pandemic? An interesting editorial in The Lancet Global Health discusses the situation in poorer countries following COVID-19 infection. UNICEF published a discussion documented on...
Clotting Disorders and COVID-19
COVID-19 coagulopathy, the evolving story of the clotting disorders associated with COVID-19 COVID-19 has affected over 4 million people worldwide, spreading across the continents. The substantial mortality in at-risk groups is noted and also the multiple...
The Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine
COVID-19 Vaccines - Have we got the capacity to develop a vaccine at rapid speed? An interesting article by Nicole Lurie and others in the New England Journal of Medicine May 21, 2020 looks at the possibility of developing a COVID-19 vaccine at pandemic speed....
