Peter Wark, Conjoint Professor, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle – 27 July 2020 We’re now all too familiar with the common symptoms of COVID-19: a fever, dry cough and fatigue. Some people also experience aches and pains, a sore throat, and loss of taste or smell. Sufferers with mild illness might […]
Oxford immunologist on coronavirus vaccine: our early results look promising
Rebecca Ashfield, Senior Project Manager, Jenner Institute, University of Oxford A vaccine against COVID-19 is urgently needed if we’re to stop the virus spreading and prevent potentially millions of further deaths. We’re now one step closer to that goal. We have published early results from our clinical trial of the vaccine ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (also known […]
Here’s how scientists know the coronavirus came from bats and wasn’t made in a lab
It is unlikely that any techniques used to genetically engineer the virus would not leave a genetic signature, like specific identifiable pieces of DNA code. Polly Hayes, Lecturer in Parasitology and Medical Microbiology, University of Westminster – 13 July 2020 One of the conspiracy theories that have plagued attempts to keep people informed during the […]
Is the airborne route a major source of coronavirus transmission?
The World Health Organization on Tuesday 7 July acknowledged “evidence emerging” of the airborne spread of the novel coronavirus, after a group of scientists urged the global body to update its guidance on how the respiratory disease passes between people. Reuters Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, La Trobe University – 7 July 2020 As the world […]
Existing cancer drugs could fight COVID-19
Viruses and cancer actually have more in common than you might think Nevan Krogan, Professor and Director of Quantitative Biosciences Institute & Senior Investigator at the Gladstone Institutes, University of California, San Francisco Most antivirals in use today target parts of an invading virus itself. Unfortunately, SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – has […]
Mutating coronavirus: what it means for us
Will the virus evolve to become more or less lethal? Claire Crossan, Research Fellow, Virology, Glasgow Caledonian University – 23 June 2020 An important milestone in the fight against COVID-19 came in early January 2020, when the entire viral genome of the novel coronavirus that causes the disease was sequenced for the first time. Since […]
The right way to breathe, especially during the coronavirus pandemic
By inhaling through the nose, you are delivering Nitric Oxide (NO) directly into your lungs, where it increases both airflow and blood flow and keeps microorganisms and virus particles in check. Louis J. Ignarro, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Molecular & Medical Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles Inhale through your nose and […]
Am I immune to COVID-19 if I have antibodies?
William Petri, Professor of Medicine, University of Virginia Perhaps the most important question now about COVID-19 is the degree to which a prior infection protects from a second infection by the new coronavirus. This affects vaccine development and herd immunity and is something for each of us to consider as antibody tests are now available. […]
Litigation re management of the Covid Crisis
Parliament and the executive seem to think that the Minister can exercise her power as long as COVID19 remains a threat – which could be “for months or even years”. This means that the management of the crisis would remain solely within the purview of the executive. Dave Steward, Chairman of the FW de Klerk […]
ACE2: the molecule that helps coronavirus invade your cells
David C Gaze, Lecturer in Clinical Biochemistry, University of Westminster 12 May 2020 The more we learn about the science behind COVID-19, the more we are beginning to understand the vital role a single molecule in our bodies plays in how we contract the disease. That molecule, Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2, or ACE2, essentially acts […]