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A new third type of test may offer a simpler way for healthcare workers to identify positive coronavirus cases. The two tests most commonly used are a PCR test, which looks for the virus’ genetic material to see if someone is currently infected, and an antibody test, which sees if someone has been infected in … Read more
Scientists working on a vaccine for coronavirus could know within six weeks if it is likely to work. Sir John Bell, Regius professor of medicine at Oxford University, said ‘several hundred’ people have now been given the jab in the first British trial to find a vaccine. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he … Read more
Hydroxychlorouquine, the malaria drug touted by Trump as a ‘game-changer’ for treating coronavirus, may impair the ability of patients’ immune systems to fight off the infection, a new review suggests. Harvard scientists analyzed a wide array of clinical trials as well as anecdotal reports from various doctors that suggested the drug could help coronavirus patient. … Read more
Gilead Sciences said that it has capacity to make enough doses of its drug remdesivir for ‘several million treatment courses’ next year in a Thursday press release announcing its first quarter earnings. ‘As Gilead continues to work with international partners to expand production, Gilead announced it anticipates more than one million treatment courses will be … Read more
Can dogs SMELL coronavirus? Scientists are launching pilot program to see if a ‘canine surveillance’ unit can screen people at airports and hospitals A pilot study is looking at whether eight Labrador Retrievers may accurately be able to sniff out coronavirus The dogs will be exposed to COVID-19 positive saliva and urine samples and then try to … Read more
On the heels of an early announcement that coronavirus patients given Gilead’s Ebola drug remdesivir fared better than those who didn’t get the treatment, the company’s CEO, Daniel O’Day, deemed the results a cause for ‘hope at a time when it is badly needed,’ in an open letter obtained by Fox News. ‘Positive data’ from … Read more
Severely ill coronavirus patients were less likely to die and less likely to need life support after just two doses of arthritis drug, new study finds Half of 129 severely ill coronavirus patients received two injections of tocilizumab, a drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis Those given the shots were less likely to be put on … Read more
A way to expand coronavirus testing? ‘Pooling’ samples from up to 30 people could help speed up screening and diagnoses, German scientists say Researchers in Germany are suggesting pooling portions of samples taken from multiple people to be tested for coronavirus together If they are all negative, each sample in the group could be ruled … Read more
The US may approve emergency use of an Ebola drug today after one Oxford academic hailed its trial as a ‘fantastic result’ in the fight against COVID-19. Remdesivir, an antiviral made by California-based Gilead Sciences, was shown to slash recovery times in a global trial of more than 1,000 patients, including Britons. Anthony Fauci, America’s top … Read more
Antibodies from an unusual animal could help scientists develop a treatment against the novel coronavirus, a new study suggests. Researchers found two copies of an immune protein produced by llamas can create a new antibody that binds tightly to part of the surface of the new virus. This part, called a spike protein, is what … Read more