(Reuters) – The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the new coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
New questions about inhibitor COVID-19 efficacy
A new study raises fresh questions about the effectiveness of Gilead Sciences Inc’s (GILD.O) anti-viral drug inhibitor in COVID-19 patients. A randomized, controlled trial of brake desivir in 584 moderately ill COVID-19 patients with pneumonia yielded disappointing results in research published on Friday in JAMA. Compared to standard care without brake drug, a 10-day course of the drug showed no statistically significant effect on course disease at 11 days after treatment began, the study found. A five-day course of brake dedication made a statistically significant difference, but one so small that researchers are not sure it really matters. Several other gold standard subjects are still ongoing, but to this day, important questions remain about the effectiveness of brake derivatives, wrote Erin McCreary and Derek Angus of the University of Pittsburgh in an editorial published alongside the study. They raised questions about whether some patients benefit more from brakesivir than others and whether it is important for patients to receive brakesivir and steroids together. It is still possible that remdesivir could improve recovery for millions of hospital patients with COVID-19, she added, but more research is needed before that becomes clear. Remdesivir is currently sold under an authorization for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19. Gilead has submitted an application seeking full FDA approval. (bit.ly/2E59k3T; bit.ly/32cQHTF; reut.rs/34p4HfA)
Breast milk is an unlikely source of COVID-19 transmission
Transmission of the new coronavirus to infants via breast milk does not appear likely, a new study shows. Researchers analyzed 64 breast milk samples from 18 infected mothers. One sample contained inactive genetic material of the virus, but none of the samples contained active virus particles, the researchers reported Wednesday in JAMA. Even if breast milk was contaminated during pumping and handling, the virus is inactivated by Holder pasteurization, a standard process in human milk banks, in which heating the milk to a certain temperature and then cooling it. In theory, mothers could do this themselves, but “good hygiene as recommended” is the best approach, studied co-author Lars Bode of the University of California, San Diego told Reuters. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised mothers with possible or confirmed COVID-19 to wear a cloth face while breastfeeding a baby and washing hands before touching the baby and any pumps or bottle parts. (bit.ly/31fGoPa)
Maintain substantial humidity to control airborne coronavirus
Keeping an indoor humidity level between 40% and 60% will help limit airborne transmission of the new coronavirus by minimizing the presence of infected viral droplets in the air, according to a new study. The authors said that as the amount of water vapor in the air increases, the viral droplet size increases and the heavier droplets fall out of the air more quickly, leaving less chance for other people to inhale and become infected. In contrast, when humidity is low, the virus-containing droplets dry out – but the small infected virus particles survive, floating in the air for extended periods and flying further through the room, depending on ventilation conditions, the researchers said in the journal Aerosol and Air Quality Research. Dry air also dries out the mucous membranes in the nose and makes them more transparent to viruses. Authorities need to include humidity factors in future guidelines for indoors, said co-author Dr. Sumit Kumar Mishra of CSIR – National Physical Laboratory in New Delhi said in a press release. The findings are relevant not only in cold winter climates, his team said. Lands in tropical and hot climates should ensure that indoor rooms are not dried out by too much cooling with air conditioning. (bit.ly/32eAe15)
Michigan Hospital Introduces Telehealth Volunteering
“Virtual volunteering” in hospitals via telehealth by people who were once volunteers were personal volunteers, would improve pressure on medical workers, improve patient experiences, reduce the risk of viral infection and provide a sense of normality for patients and families, researchers said on Thursday in the journal Medical Humanities. They are urging hospitals to adapt medical volunteering to the coronavirus pandemic by restructuring volunteer services and support networks for virtual platforms. For example, said, many hospitals have volunteers who provide educational services. Currently, patients have lost access to these tutors. Studying co-author Zachary Pickell of the University of Michigan, who has created a spearhead to encourage virtual volunteering, told Reuters, “Recently, we started a multi-department virtual volunteer program at the University of Michigan Hospital to provide support. for patients and families of hospital workers. Our early implementation shows increasing commitment and positive outlook. “(bit.ly/2Qc4TGD)
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Report by Nancy Lapid; Edited by Will Dunham
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