Coronavirus Breaking News

Humans are not the only species facing a potential threat from the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, according to a new study published by the University of California, Davis, on August 21, 2020. These scientists used genomic analysis to compare the main cellular receptor for the virus in humans — angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) — in 410 different species of vertebrates, including birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals.

They designed a 5-category binding score based on the conservation properties of 25 amino acids important for the binding between ACE2 and the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Only mammals fell into the medium to very high categories and only catarrhine primates (monkeys) into the very high category. Domestic animals such as cats, cattle, and sheep were found to have medium risk, and dogs, horses, and pigs were found to have a low risk for ACE2 binding.

Extending this analysis to human population data, these researchers found only rare (frequency <0.001) variants in 10/25 binding sites.

The Israeli Health Ministry has approved the 'combinatorial pooling' testing method that enables diagnostic labs the capability to simultaneously analyze nose and throat swabs taken from multiple people, helping conserve the supply of reagents necessary for the testing process, reported Haaretz on August 23, 2020.

A new study, Efficient high-throughput SARS-CoV-2 testing to detect asymptomatic carriers, published in Science Advances on August 21, 2020, found 'P-BEST's algorithmic method provides an efficient and easy-to-implement solution for increasing testing capacity that can be easily integrated into diagnostic laboratories.'

"P-BEST can be configured on the basis of the carrier rate," said Dr. Noam Shental, head of the OUI Computer Science Division. "The lower the carrier rate, the higher efficiency.

'Children are more likely to be harmed by not returning to school next month than if they catch coronavirus,' the UK's chief medical adviser Prof Chris Whitty said to the BBC on August 23, 2020. "The chances of children dying from COVID-19 are incredibly small... but missing lessons damage children in the long run."

Of the more than 1 million children who attended pre-school and primary schools in England during June 2020, only 70 children and 128 staff were infected in outbreaks of the coronavirus, according to a new Public Health England study. Overall, SARS-CoV-2 infections and outbreaks were uncommon across all educational settings. And staff members had an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infections compared to students in any educational setting.

Millions of pupils in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland are scheduled to return to UK schools in September, while Scotland schools have already opened.

The US administration is considering bypassing normal regulatory standards to fast-track an experimental coronavirus vaccine from the United Kingdom, AZD1222, for use in the USA, according to 3 people briefed on the plan, reported the Financial Times on August 23, 2020.

According to the Washington Post on August 23, 2020, the U.S. FDA may announce an emergency authorization for the use of convalescent blood plasma as a treatment for certain COVID-19 disease patients. The President has been urging the FDA to be more proactive during the coronavirus pandemic.

Health leaders, including Dr. Francis S. Collins and Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, recently urged caution citing insufficient data from a recent study, reported the NYTimes.

To date, the U.S. FDA has authorized 218 coronavirus diagnostic tests under EUAs, which include 176 molecular tests, 39 antibody tests, and 3 antigen tests.