COVID-19 Online Newsroom

This randomized clinical trials reports that among adults with mild COVID-19, a five-day course of ivermectin, compared with placebo, didn't significantly improve the time to resolution of symptoms. The findings don't support the use of ivermectin for treatment of mild COVID-19, although larger trials may be needed to understand the effects of ivermectin on other clinically relevant outcomes.

Current best evidence about COVID-19 vaccines, immunity and whether SARS-CoV-2 will become an endemic or seasonal virus is summarized in this Viewpoint.

The treatment uses a type of CRISPR to target viral RNA and appears to stop replication of both viruses in the lungs.

Over the next month, 209 U.S. counties in the United States will need to implement crisis workforce strategies to deal with potentially dangerous shortfalls of intensive care unit doctors, according to a new analysis published today. The analysis draws on data from a just launched county-level hospital workforce estimator, one that takes into account the strain on staffing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Long before humans learned about and started 'social distancing due to COVID-19,' animals in nature intuitively practiced social distancing when one of their own became sick.

A deep sequencing study of 747 SARS-CoV-2 virus isolates has revealed mutant peptides derived from the virus that cannot effectively bind to critical proteins on the surface of infected cells and, in turn, hamper activation of CD8⁺ killer T cells that recognize and destroy these infected cells.

This Viewpoint proposes ways to maximize vaccine efficacy and allocation given the rise of coronavirus variants and authorization of a Johnson & Johnson vaccine, including reserving the latter for younger healthier populations, boosting it with a single-dose messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccination and single mRNA immunization of people with prior documented SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Previous sinus or skull base surgery of an extensive nature is cause for re-evaluating whether to do nasopharyngeal swab testing to detect COVID-19, a new study that included authors from UT Health San Antonio indicates. Other testing, such as at the back of the throat, may be warranted instead.

Social distancing guidelines have reduced the spread of COVID-19, but lockdowns and isolation also have created or aggravated other well-being concerns, reports new research. Mayo Clinic investigators found a significant increase in loneliness and a decrease in feelings of friendship during the pandemic. The study, published Feb. 20 in the journal Social Science & Medicine, also showed disproportionate negative effects among women and those with poorer health.

Pandemic-related anxiety, boredom, and irregular routines were cited as major drivers of increased nicotine and tobacco use during the initial COVID-19 "lockdown," according to research just released by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. The study highlights ways that public health interventions and policies can better support quit attempts and harm reduction, both during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Equitable implementation of COVID?19 vaccine delivery is a national and global priority, with a strong focus on reducing existing disparities and not creating new disparities. But while a framework has been recognized for equitable allocation of COVID?19 vaccine that acknowledges the rights and interests of sexual and gender minorities (SGM), it fails to identify strategies or data to achieve that goal.

COVID?19 has altered the labor market for millions of people, including public health graduates, yet an analysis of job postings for Master's level public health graduates showed that job postings remained at the same levels as before the pandemic, according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

A systematic screening program designed for athletes testing positive for COVID-19 has detected a low incidence of inflammatory heart disease, so far returning professional athletes safely to sport.

Media coverage of COVID during the first few months of the pandemic was relatively positive according to several international studies, notes a researcher from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), who has published a paper analysing misinformation processes in the public sphere and the informative ecosystem during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to this, in general, subscriptions to digital media outlets increased considerably.