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  • Can thermal cameras help spot coronavirus?

    9 Jun, 2020

    As lockdowns ease, thermal imaging cameras are popping up in all sorts of public places to assess the state of people's health. In this report you will find some tips regarding thermal imaging cameras. 


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  • The effect of large-scale anti-contagion policies on the COVID-19 pandemic

    9 Jun, 2020

    Governments around the world are responding to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic with unprecedented policies designed to slow the growth rate of infections. Many actions, such as closing schools and restricting populations to their homes, impose large and visible costs on society, but their benefits cannot be directly observed and are currently understood only through process-based simulations. Here, we compile new data on 1,717 local, regional, and national non-pharmaceutical int...
  • Convalescent plasma not helpful in China study; hydroxychloroquine doesn't prevent infection

    5 Jun, 2020
    The following is a brief roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.

    Convalescent plasma disappoints in Chinese trial

    Hydroxychloroquine fails to protect against infection in key trial


    Timing, location of sample may impact coronavirus test results


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  • $2bn global coronavirus vaccine fund announced at Gavi summit

    5 Jun, 2020

    A $2bn procurement fund aimed at ensuring that poorer countries can access doses of a potential coronavirus vaccine has been announced at a virtual summit hosted by the UK.



    The announcement was made at the third Gavi vaccine alliance replenishment summit, a virtual pledging event that separately raised $8.8bn, above the target of $7.4bn, for the private-public alliance’s general work on immunising millions of people worldwide from longstanding diseases such as measles.
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  • Serology assays to manage COVID-19

    5 Jun, 2020

    In late 2019, China reported a cluster of atypical pneumonia cases of unknown etiology in Wuhan. The causative agent was identified as a new betacoronavirus, called severe acute respiratory syndrome–coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The virus rapidly spread across the globe and caused a pandemic. Sequencing of the viral genome allowed for the development of nucleic acid–based tests that have since been widely used for the diagnosis of acute (curr...
  • Fitbit receives FDA approval for the Fitbit Flow, a low-cost emergency ventilator for use during the COVID-19 pandemic

    4 Jun, 2020
    Fitbit, the company known for its fitness wearables, announced on Wednesday that it has received emergency use authorization (EUA) from the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for a new emergency ventilator, which Fitbit designed in response to the COVID-19 global health crisis.An automatic resuscitator, Fitbit Flow was inspired by the MIT E-Vent Design Toolbox, and based on specifications for Rapidly Manufactured Ventilation Systems. Fitbit consulted with clinicians at Oregon Health...
  • 3D printing company strikes gold with idea that copper can stop the spread of COVID-19

    4 Jun, 2020

    When COVID-19 hit, SPEE3D founders Byron Kennedy and Steve Camilleri tried to work out how they could prevent the spread of the virus, and decided to investigate if antimicrobial copper could be the key.

    According to Kennedy, copper has been known to kill viruses and bacteria for centuries, so they decided to research if it would kill this specific coronavirus.


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  • Fauci says he's optimistic about coronavirus vaccine protection, but concerned about how long that protection will last

    4 Jun, 2020

    The USA's leading infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said he’s “cautiously optimistic” a coronavirus vaccine will provide some protection against SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, the illness it causes, but is concerned about how long that protection could last.

    In an interview with JAMA editor-in-chief Howard Bauchner Tuesday, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases questioned the "durability" of candidate vaccines.

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  • Effects of non-pharmaceutical interventions on COVID-19 cases, deaths, and demand for hospital services in the UK: a modelling study

    4 Jun, 2020
    Non-pharmaceutical interventions have been implemented to reduce transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the UK. Projecting the size of an unmitigated epidemic and the potential effect of different control measures has been crucial to support evidence-based policy making during the early stages of the epidemic. This study assesses the potential impact of different control measures for mitigating the burden of COVID-19 in the UK.Click here for reference<...
  • WHO to resume hydroxychloroquine trial after earlier halt over safety concerns

    4 Jun, 2020


    Questions raised over study claiming drug linked to higher rate of mortality and heart problems in Covid-19 patients


    The World Health Organization will resume clinical trials of an anti-malaria drug researchers hope may treat Covid-19, after a study of the drug published in May by a major medical journal prompted them to halt trials due to safety concerns.

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  • Coronavirus: Barcelona beach trip for recovering patients

    4 Jun, 2020

    Spanish coronavirus patients are taking trips to the seaside as part of their recovery from the illness.

    Medical teams at the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona have been photographed wheeling people to the beach as part of a programme designed to humanise intensive care units.

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  • New call for Coronavirus research launched on 19 May 2020 with €122 million of additional funding (deadline 11 June 2020)

    2 Jun, 2020
    The European Commission has mobilised an additional €122 million from its research and innovation programme, Horizon 2020, for urgently needed research into the coronavirus. The call addresses the following topics. 


    Repurposing of manufacturing for vital medical supplies and equipment

    Medical technologies, Digital tools and Artificial Intelligence (AI) analytics to improve surveillance and care at high Technology Readiness Levels (TRL)

    Behavioural, social and eco...