Category - Latest Science

Latest Science

Over-80s show similar antibody responses following single vaccination with either Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine – but cellular responses are enhanced after AstraZeneca vaccine

People aged over 80 receiving a single dose of either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca COVID vaccine show equivalent antibody responses five weeks post vaccination. However, stronger cellular (T cell) responses were seen in...

16 April, 2021

5 min read

Latest Science

Caught in the act: New data about COVID-19 virus’s functions could aid in treatment designs

For the first time, a team of researchers has captured X-ray images of a critical enzyme of the COVID-19 virus performing its function. This discovery could improve design of new treatments against the disease. The...

14 April, 2021

4 min read

Latest Science

These viruses are the most likely to trigger the next pandemic, according to scientists

A new online tool ranks viruses by their potential to jump from animals to people and cause pandemics. The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is the latest pathogen to “spill over” from animals to people, but...

8 April, 2021

4 min read

Latest Science

Slow vaccine roll-out prolonging pandemic

Last week saw increasing transmission of COVID-19 in the majority of countries in the WHO European Region, with 1.6 million new cases and close to 24 000 deaths. The Region remains the second most affected by SARS-CoV-2...

6 April, 2021

5 min read

Latest Science

mRNA technology promises to revolutionize future vaccines and treatments for cancer, infectious diseases

British physician Edward Jenner created the world’s first vaccine in 1796, against smallpox, by injecting a patient with pus from the sores of a milkmaid who had contracted a biologically related virus from cows. And...

1 April, 2021

9 min read

Latest Science

New SARS-CoV-2 Variants — Clinical, Public Health, and Vaccine Implications

Across the world, there are multiple variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). SARS-CoV-2 variants have been classified by the...

30 March, 2021

5 min read

Latest Science

Leprosy drug may help fight COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus that causes COVID-19, is not the only zoonotic coronavirus. In fact, it is the third to have emerged since the turn of the century. It was preceded by severe respiratory syndrome (SARS) in...

30 March, 2021

4 min read

Latest Science

China lists Covid-19 behind only AIDS as second deadly category B infectious disease In 2020

China included COVID-19 statistics in a newly published national statutory infectious diseases report, listing the new coronavirus as the second-highest deadly infectious disease after HIV/AIDS among category B...

30 March, 2021

3 min read

Latest Science

‘Real world’ study by CDC shows Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were 90% effective

A new study suggests the messenger RNA vaccines produced by Moderna and the Pfizer-BioNTech partnership appeared to be 90% effective in preventing Covid-19 infection in a real-world setting. The study was released in...

30 March, 2021

2 min read

Latest Science

Risk of COVID very low in vaccinated medical workers: study

COVID-19 infection was very low in a cohort of vaccinated California healthcare workers (HCWs) amid a surge of new cases, according to a research letter yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine. University of...

25 March, 2021

4 min read