CORONAVIRUS RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: 1-MINUTE READS
Lockdowns are a powerful tool
Lockdowns and other distancing measures have had resounding success at thwarting the new coronavirus, according to two independently conducted studies. One found that stay-at-home orders and policies that restrict face-to-face contact were especially effective in 11 European countries, reducing transmission by 81%. The combination of policies aimed at slowing the virus’s spread prevented more than 3 million deaths from the epidemic’s start to early May. Another study that looked at China, the United States and 4 more countries showed that across all 6 countries, anti-transmission measures averted roughly 500 million infections.
Reference: Nature paper 1 & Nature paper 2
Surfaces could pose only a modest risk
Contaminated surfaces might have only a minor role in transmitting COVID-19 within households. Researchers looked for traces of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in 21 households that each included at least one infected person. They found viral RNA in just 3% of samples from the most frequently touched objects, such as door knobs, and in 15% of samples from bathroom drains and toilets. The team could not grow infectious virus from any of the samples.
Reference: medRxiv preprint (not yet peer reviewed)
Blood type might influence COVID-19 risk
Researchers have identified two human gene variants that could make people more susceptible to lung failure associated with COVID-19. One variant lies in the swathe of the genome that determines blood groups. People with blood type A+ had an increased risk of lung failure compared with those with other blood types, whereas those with type O blood were protected to some extent. The second variant, on chromosome 3, is near six genes, including one that interacts with the molecular receptor that the virus uses to enter human cells.
Reference: medRxiv preprint (not yet peer reviewed)
Lockdowns and other distancing measures have had resounding success at thwarting the new coronavirus, according to two independently conducted studies. One found that stay-at-home orders and policies that restrict face-to-face contact were especially effective in 11 European countries, reducing transmission by 81%. The combination of policies aimed at slowing the virus’s spread prevented more than 3 million deaths from the epidemic’s start to early May. Another study that looked at China, the United States and 4 more countries showed that across all 6 countries, anti-transmission measures averted roughly 500 million infections.
Reference: Nature paper 1 & Nature paper 2
Surfaces could pose only a modest risk
Contaminated surfaces might have only a minor role in transmitting COVID-19 within households. Researchers looked for traces of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in 21 households that each included at least one infected person. They found viral RNA in just 3% of samples from the most frequently touched objects, such as door knobs, and in 15% of samples from bathroom drains and toilets. The team could not grow infectious virus from any of the samples.
Reference: medRxiv preprint (not yet peer reviewed)
Blood type might influence COVID-19 risk
Researchers have identified two human gene variants that could make people more susceptible to lung failure associated with COVID-19. One variant lies in the swathe of the genome that determines blood groups. People with blood type A+ had an increased risk of lung failure compared with those with other blood types, whereas those with type O blood were protected to some extent. The second variant, on chromosome 3, is near six genes, including one that interacts with the molecular receptor that the virus uses to enter human cells.
Reference: medRxiv preprint (not yet peer reviewed)
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