We have collated some of the latest news and research surrounding the novel coronavirus from the past fortnight and put it here, all in one place!
Statistics
At the time of writing, there have been:
- 227,337,826 cases
- 4,675,111 deaths
- 204,031,140 recoveries
Research
- A phenome-wide analysis, using UK Biobank data, has identified traits and diseases associated with COVID-19 susceptibility and severity. (Papadopoulou et al, 2021)
- Researchers have uncovered underlying metabolic changes in plasma and immune cells that are associated with COVID-19 severity. (Lee et al, 2021)
- New findings have suggested that the spread of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 has been driven by a combination of immune escape and increased infectivity. (Mlcochova et al, 2021)
- New research has revealed the mechanisms behind the cytokine storm during coronavirus infection and why people with diabetes develop severe COVID-19. (Melvin et al, 2021)
- A genomic surveillance analysis of SARS-CoV-2 has revealed how the virus unfolded in Africa in the first year of the pandemic. (Wilkinson et al, 2021)
- Researchers have developed bispecific antibodies that target multiple regions of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and neutralise variants of concern. (Cho et al, 2021)
- Scientists have shown that SARS-CoV-2, like other viruses, evokes cellular senescence as a primary stress response in infected cells. (Lee et al, 2021)
- New research has identified that significant Treg perturbations correlate with COVID-19 severity. (Galván-Peña et al, 2021)
- A recent study has linked severe COVID-19 to an increase in autoantibodies. (Chang et al, 2021)
Other news
- A recent article has answered key questions about how researchers interpret new studies on coronavirus variants and understand what they mean for public health. (Howes and Cross, 2021)
- A recent article has discussed the Mu SARS-CoV-2 variant, including how it compares to the Delta variant and how much we need to worry. (Mishra, 2021)
- Jumpcode Genomics and the Translational Genomics Researcher Institute (TGen) have partnered on genomic sequencing of COVID-19 to help identify and track variants. (TGen, 2021)
- The NIH has announced the allocation of a nearly $470 million grant to enrol up to 40,000 adults and children newly and previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 in a study that will investigate Long COVID. (NIH, 2021)
Image credit: canva
