The latest round-up of the most recent news and research surrounding COVID-19 from the past fortnight.
Statistics
At the time of writing, there have been:
- 129,570,621 cases
- 2,830,132 deaths
- 104,480,253 recoveries
Research
- Researchers have used specialised human airway cell cultures to investigate the impact of respiratory tract temperatures on SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 replication. (Dijkman et al, 2021)
- A recent review has brought together more than 30 experts from Columbia and other medical centres to explore what is currently known about long-haul COVID. (Sehgal et al, 2021)
- Scientists have found that neutralising antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 last at different rates – from days to decades. They also showed that the severity of infection may be a deciding factor in the presence of longer-lasting antibodies. (Chia et al, 2021)
- New research has suggested that serious complications due to blood clots that are experienced by some COVID-19 survivors may be caused by a lingering immune response in the blood vessels. (Chioh et al, 2021)
- An international team has found evidence that SARS-CoV-2 infects cells in the mouth. (Huang et al, 2021)
- Researchers have identified the most toxic proteins made by SARS-CoV-2 and then used an FDA-approved cancer drug to lessen the viral protein’s detrimental effects. (Lee et al, 2021)
- A team has used advanced technology and analytics to map, at single-cell resolution, the cellular landscape of diseased lung tissue in severe COVID-19 and other infectious lung diseases. (Rendeiro et al, 2021)
- Researchers have determined that SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8+ T cell responses remain largely intact and can recognise multiple prominent circulating mutations. (Redd et al, 2021)
- Researchers have mapped the distribution of SARS-CoV-2 in deceased patients with the disease, shedding new light on how viral load relates to tissue damage. (Deinhardt-Emmer et al, 2021)
Other news
- A recent study has found that news coverage of expert scientific evidence is effective in increasing public acceptance of vaccines. However, this effect is diminished by personal narratives about real side effects. (Kuru et al, 2021)
- Pfizer-BioNTech have announced that their vaccine is safe and 100% effective in adolescents (aged 12-15 years old). (Pfizer, 2021)
Image credit: By starline – freepik
