Coronavirus: Carbon emissions may see biggest drop since World War II as nations scale back economic activity 

But this will be short-lived, and the eventual recovery in economies could leave our environment worse off and further behind in reducing emissions, warn experts

18h ago

CDC asks Americans to wear cloth face masks, but there's little proof they can protect you from coronavirus

Research suggests surgical masks and N95 respirators are significantly more effective at preventing the spread of viral particles than cloth

21h ago

When will the coronavirus pandemic end? Lockdowns crushing economy, lack of vaccine make for grim forecast

Experts told MEA WorldWide that the course of the pandemic will be different in different countries depending on the health infrastructure, measures to limit transmission and economies

22h ago

Scientists to study course of coronavirus in 'Germany's Wuhan' to understand its spread and ways to contain it

German scientists have announced a study in which Heinsberg district, the epicenter of the country’s COVID-19 outbreak, will serve as a laboratory to understand the disease

1d ago

Coronavirus: Just breathing or talking might be enough to spread infection, cautions NAS expert

According to a letter to the White House, the virus may spread through the air in tiny particles that infected people exhale during normal breathing and speech

1d ago

Coronavirus: How social distancing led to 50% decrease in death rates during the Spanish Flu

Strict social distancing and other measures slowed disease spread and decreased death rates by up to 50% in cities that used them during the 1918 pandemic

1d ago

Coronavirus: Ventilators may be taken away from elderly patients and given to those more likely to survive

Relevant factors predicting survival include the severity of acute illness, presence, and severity of underlying medical conditions

2d ago

Chinese city Shenzhen bans eating dogs and cats amid pandemic, says 'modern civilization' calls for it

According to the new rules, animals that can be eaten include pigs, cows, sheep, donkeys, rabbits, chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons and quails

2d ago

Upto 25% people infected with coronavirus may not show symptoms, warns CDC as it reviews use of masks

CDC is reviewing its guidelines on the use of face masks that currently says only those who are sick and those who are taking care of them should wear masks

2d ago

Cats can get coronavirus and infect each other but pet owners need not panic, says study

Pet owners should not panic as there is no evidence they can spread it to humans. The study was conducted based on lab experiments. It is not representative of real-life interactions between people and their pets

3d ago

COVID-19: Does the amount of virus one gets infected with affect severity of the disease?

While scientists are divided on this subject currently, a new study has found a strong link between disease severity and the amount of virus present in the nose

3d ago

Malaysia tells women to stop nagging husbands, wear makeup while in lockdown, issues apology after backlash

In Facebook posts, the women’s ministry had offered 'tips' on how wives should behave at home while the restrictions were in place. The posts have now been removed

3d ago

Coronavirus intelligence failure is worse than Pearl Harbor and 9/11, says expert slamming Trump government

For years, US intelligence agencies have been warning about the increasing risks of a global outbreak with pandemic potential

3d ago

Coronavirus worst crisis since World War II and 25 million people may lose their jobs, says UN chief

The world will lose $860 billion to $3.4 trillion in labor income, says a UN report

3d ago

Coronavirus: Navy ship Comfort, last stationed in NY after 9/11, docks in city to ease pressure on hospitals

But a large number of people gathered to watch the arrival of the ship ignoring coronavirus social distancing restrictions

4d ago

Coronavirus: 20% of US doctors aged 55-64 could be vulnerable to infection, predict experts

Of approximately 1.2 million physicians in the US, an estimated 230,000 are aged 55 to 64 years, whereas among nearly 2 million registered nurses, an estimated 370,000 or 19% are aged 55 to 64 years

4d ago

As world reels from the coronavirus pandemic, bats are harboring a far deadlier disease, show studies

Bats host over 61 viruses that can infect humans. The bat's fierce immune response to viruses could drive viruses to replicate faster in humans, wreaking deadly havoc

5d ago

Coronavirus: Wuhan death toll could be in tens of thousands, far higher than the official 2,547, claims report

As of March 29, Hubei had reported 67,801 cases of confirmed infections, including 50,006 in Wuhan

5d ago

UK retracts move to let women undergo medical abortions at home without going to a clinic due to coronavirus

Hours after the revised guidance was published on the gov.uk website, the changes were pulled down and replaced with the message that this was published in error and there will be no changes to abortion regulations

5d ago

Coronavirus: Two pregnant NY women go undetected till after birth, expose more than 30 hospital staff to disease

Data indicate that healthcare workers are a vulnerable population as it relates to viral transmission risk. This is undoubtedly due to their increased exposure to COVID-19 positive patients

5d ago

Future coronavirus outbreaks are highly likely to originate in China from bats, experts had warned in 2019

According to experts, Chinese food culture maintains that live slaughtered animals are more nutritious and this belief may enhance viral transmission

5d ago

Coronavirus pandemic: Scientists use tech, wearables as early warning systems to tackle the outbreak

This includes an interactive map that shows regions where unusually high levels of illness have been detected across the US as well as an app-based study that leverages wearable data to potentially flag onset of viral illnesses

7d ago

Coronavirus: Experts propose human challenge, ask healthy volunteers to get infected for speedy vaccine trial

The trio says it may seem impermissible to ask people to take on the risk of severe illness or death, even for an important collective gain, but 'we actually ask people to take such risks for others’

7d ago

Coronavirus can cause heart injury in patients even without underlying heart conditions, says study

Other studies have also said that heart injury could be a common condition in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and that it is associated with a higher risk of death

7d ago

Fetuses may be able to contract coronavirus infections in wombs, multiple studies indicate

However, experts caution that more research and more definitive evidence is needed. A previous study had said that newborns might not get the virus from their infected mothers

Mar 27

Coronavirus: US Military only has 'few thousand' hospital beds while study suggests New York alone could need 140k

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the US military is great at planning and logistics when it comes to supporting civilian authorities but has 'limited capacity' in terms of hospitals

Mar 26

Coronavirus: Opening the US by Easter could kill over 80,000 people despite social distancing, warns study

Discontinuing social distancing measures early could lead to a massive surge in infections, hospitalizations and deaths in the US

Mar 26

Social distancing may be enforced again in 2022 as coronavirus could rebound once measures are lifted: Study

Experts feel such measures may have to stay in place over long periods, perhaps with occasional periods of loosening, as immunity slowly accumulates in the population to a point where it would preclude future outbreaks

Mar 25

Kentucky youth who attended ‘coronavirus party’ diagnosed with COVID-19

As of March 24, Kentucky has reported 163 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and four in the state have died from the virus

Mar 24

Man dies of Hantavirus infection in China conjuring memories of the deadly disease US had to deal with in 1993

According to the CDC, Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome is a severe and sometimes fatal respiratory illness in humans caused by infection with hantaviruses

Mar 24

Coronavirus: As cases increase, US experts call for ‘rationing’ of hospital resources and ventilators

Of all the medical care that will have to be rationed, the most problematic will be mechanical ventilation, say experts

Mar 24

Most US hospitals unprepared for coronavirus cases, only 31% nurses say there’s plan in place to isolate patients

In a nationwide survey of over 8000 registered nurses, just 19% report that their employer has a policy to address employees with suspected or known exposure to novel coronavirus

Mar 24

Coronavirus has a natural origin and is not a lab-grown bioweapon, new research ends speculation

Scientists from the US, UK and Australia found no proof that the virus was made in a laboratory or otherwise engineered. They conclude that it is a product of natural evolution

Mar 23

Coronavirus pandemic is 'accelerating', warns WHO as confirmed cases inch closer to 400,000 globally

To win, countries must test every suspected case, isolate and care for every confirmed case and trace and quarantine every close contact

Mar 23

Lack of ICU beds in over half US counties could prove fatal for high-risk patients as coronavirus infections spike

The Kaiser Health News data analysis shows that non-avilability of intensive care beds in counties could be particularly dangerous for over 7 million people who are age 60 and above

Mar 23

Coronavirus: Endangered mountain gorillas at risk as African national parks rush to close borders

Gorillas are particularly susceptible to infectious diseases that affect humans and respiratory infections are the most common, causing up to 20% of sudden deaths in gorillas

Mar 22

Coronavirus: Massive gap in US response revealed after scientists learn colleague tested positive through tweet

Clement Chow, an assistant professor of human genetics tweeted last week that he was in the ICU for coronavirus. And that's when researchers who had attended a meeting with him found out about it

Mar 22

Coronavirus pandemic: Doctors and nurses are experiencing high rates of depression, anxiety and distress

A study based on 1,257 healthcare workers across 34 hospitals in China found that 50.4%, 44.6%, 34%, and 71.5% of all participants reported symptoms of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and distress

Mar 21

Coronavirus: Trump says it’s ‘just a feeling’, snaps at journalist for questioning unproven malaria drug

Contradicting an expert in the coronavirus task force, who said there is no “magic drug", Trump said “I disagree. Maybe there is, maybe there isn’t. We have to see. We’re going to know soon”

Mar 20

Coronavirus pandemic: Experts call for Manhattan Project-style approach to fight virus in the US

The Manhattan Project was a US-led program for developing the first two atomic bombs that were dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War 2

Mar 20

Coronavirus pandemic: Wuhan has a lower death rate than previously estimated, say scientists

A new study says that the case fatality rate in the city is around 1.4%, while past studies have estimated the death rate to be between 2% and 3.4%. By comparison, seasonal flu generally kills about 0.1% of those infected

Mar 20

Coronavirus: Use bandanas and scarves to protect yourself if face masks are not available, says CDC

To tide over the shortage, guidelines issued by CDC also call for re-using facemasks. Trump, meanwhile, has said the federal government is not a shipping clerk and that state governors should buy masks

Mar 19

Coronavirus pandemic: There maybe 5 to 10 undetected cases for every confirmed one, say worried scientists

The findings are particularly worrying for the US as the worst-case scenario projection by CDC shows that 160M to 214M Americans could be infected

Mar 19

Coronavirus pandemic: Millennials not invincible as 20% of those hospitalized in the US were aged 20-44

Among 2,449 patients, whose ages were known during the analysis, 29% were aged 20-44 years and only 5% of cases occurred in people aged 0-19 years

Mar 19

Coronavirus pandemic hits largest Arctic expedition as scientist tests positive despite showing no symptoms

The team member who contracted the virus works on the airborne component of the expedition and had not yet joined the mission in the Arctic. Before being allowed onboard the ship, researchers will now be tested twice

Mar 18

Coronavirus pandemic: People with blood type A are at higher risk of infection, finds study

Those with blood type A are also more likely to die from COVID-19 while those with blood type O are at lower risk, shows the study's analysis

Mar 18

Coronavirus pandemic: Women advised not to undergo IVF as experts call for suspension of non-urgent treatments

Experts say all fertility patients planning treatment should avoid becoming pregnant at this time

Mar 17

Coronavirus pandemic: Top US doctor calls for 14-day nationwide quarantine as virus hits every American state

Dr Ashish Jha from Harvard Global Health Institute has said that a two-week national pause is needed now to figure out how many are infected in the US

Mar 17

Coronavirus pandemic: Newborns might not get virus from their infected mothers, shows a new study of 4 infants

The results support a previous study on nine pregnant women in Wuhan which said that the new coronavirus cannot be passed from mother to child while in the womb

Mar 17

Coronavirus could make millions sick in the US but hospitals have fewer than 100,000 ventilators

According to estimates available from a 2010 study, only 62,188 full-feature mechanical ventilators were available in US acute care hospitals

Mar 17