Health
SARS-CoV-2: the challenges of mutation and possible strategies
The efficacy of the current COVID-19 vaccines might be lower against the new variants of SARS-CoV-2. The new strain that emerged in the United Kingdom has a higher transmissibility than previous strains of the virus. We asked scientists whether the new mutations are a threat to the current public health measures and to COVID-19 vaccines.
Covid-19: different types of vaccines and how they work
A range of Covid-19 vaccines are being developed worldwide and the differences between them can be confusing. How do the new mRNA vaccines work? What about vector vaccines? We asked scientists to give us an insight into the different types of Covid-19 vaccines.
Passive immunisation for COVID-19
Passive immunisation for COVID-19 There is currently no specific treatment for SARS-CoV-2. However, a number of treatments have been explored in patients with life-threatening COVID-19 (such as antimalarial drugs, antivirals, immunomodulatory agents, and glucocorticoids) with varying results. Convalescent plasma collected from recovered COVID-19 patients, containing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, could potentially be an effective therapeutic tool. ...
Mix of COVID-19 cluster-busting with vaccine push may bring a new normal faster
Combining so-called “backward tracing” with traditional forward tracing to help identify source events of COVID-19 outbreaks has been cited as a potential way of better tracking the disease, as seen in some Asian countries. Now that vaccines are emerging on the scene, how can this concept be used for more effective cluster-busting?
Vaccination policy in times of Covid-19
As multiple COVID-19 vaccines are emerging, what can be done to tackle vaccination hesitancy and ensure rapid and equitable deployment?
COVID-19: ensuring a safe and effective vaccine
Scientists around the world are working hard to come up with a COVID-19 vaccine to suppress the pandemic. How can the EU guarantee that rapidly approved vaccines are safe and effective? We asked senior representatives from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) for their thoughts.
Tocilizumab : a treatment alternative in COVID-19 pneumonia
Patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia often need to be mechanically intubated and have an increased mortality risk. Tocilizumab, a drug used against the cytokine storm underlying this clinical condition, has shown positive effects in clinical trials.
The key role of antivirals in COVID-19 treatment (remdesivir)
A few weeks after the SARS-CoV-2 was identified by Chinese researchers as the cause of ‘COVID-19’, an antiviral called remdesivir, originally used during the 2014 Ebola outbreak, came into play as the first available option to treat patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Even if the approval process for remdesivir caused some controversy, experts consider the combined use of antivirals and other drugs a promising solution for treatment of Covid-19.
