Tag: MERS

How the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Fought the Pandemic

In a long article titled “Gates versus the Pandemic,” Fast Company looks at the many mitigation efforts launched by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. – It’s one of the largest funders of the World Health Organization. – It’s partnered with the governments of Norway and India, the World Economic Forum, and the research-charity Wellcome Trust to launch an important group…

10 More Virus Researchers Say ‘Virtually No Chance’ Coronavirus Escaped From a Lab

Long-time Slashdot reader Charlotte Web writes: “Virus researchers say there is virtually no chance that the new coronavirus was released as result of a laboratory accident in China or anywhere else,” writes NPR, citing “10 leading scientists who collect samples of viruses from animals in the wild, study virus genomes and understand how lab accidents can happen.” NPR reports: “All of…

First Human Trial In Europe of a Coronavirus Vaccine Has Begun In Oxford

An anonymous reader quotes a report from the BBC: The first human trial in Europe of a coronavirus vaccine has begun in Oxford. Two volunteers were injected, the first of more than 800 people recruited for the study. Half will receive the Covid-19 vaccine, and half a control vaccine which protects against meningitis but not coronavirus. The design of the trial…

MIT’s AI Suggests That Social Distancing Works

In a preprint academic paper published in early April, MIT researchers describe a model that quantifies the impact of quarantine measures on the spread of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus. From a report: Unlike most of the models that have so far been proposed, this one doesn’t rely on data from studies about previous outbreaks, like SARS or MERS. Instead, it taps…

What the coronavirus does to your body that makes it so deadly

How the coronavirus infects and how it makes people sick. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/what-covid19-coronavirus-does-to-body-that-makes-it-deadly…

Potential Vaccine Generates Enough Antibodies To Fight Off Virus

Slashdot readers schwit1 and Futurepower(R) are sharing news about a potential coronavirus vaccine that has been found to produce antibodies capable of fighting off Covid-19. The Independent reports: The vaccine, which was tested on mice by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, generated the antibodies in quantities thought to be enough to “neutralize” the virus within two weeks…

A Scientific Meeting on Coronaviruses Was Cancelled Due To Coronavirus

The latest event to be cancelled as a result of the spread of the novel coronavirus is, ironically, a scientific meeting on coronaviruses. From a report: On March 9, the official meeting of the International Nidovirus Symposium, was postponed to 2021. The meeting, which happens only once every three years, was set to take place this May 10 to 14 in…

We were warned – so why couldn’t we prevent the coronavirus outbreak?

SARS and MERS gave us ample warning of the risk of new coronaviruses, but we failed to set up sufficient defences against covid-19 and other infections Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24532724-700-we-were-warned-so-why-couldnt-we-prevent-the-coronavirus-outbreak/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

Why Are HIV Drugs Being Used To Treat the New Coronavirus?

Gizmodo’s Ed Cara explains why HIV drugs are being used to treat the new coronavirus. An anonymous reader shares the report: On Tuesday, the Japanese government announced it will begin clinical trials to test treatments for the deadly new coronavirus that’s engulfed China and spread to over two dozen countries. Rather than new drugs, they’ll be studying existing medications already used…