Health

The new coronavirus can persist in men’s semen even after they have begun to recover, a finding that raises the possibility the virus could be sexually transmitted, Chinese researchers said. A team at Shangqiu Municipal Hospital tested 38 male patients treated there at the height of the pandemic in China, …

Japan on Thursday approved Gilead Sciences Inc’s remdesivir as a treatment for COVID-19, making it the country’s first officially authorized drug to tackle the coronavirus disease. Japan reached the decision just three days after the U.S. drugmaker filed for fast-track approval for the treatment. “There has so far been no …

A genetic study of samples from more than 7,500 people infected with COVID-19 suggests the new coronavirus spread quickly around the world after it emerged in China sometime between October and December last year, scientists said on Wednesday. Scientists at University College London’s Genetics Institute found almost 200 recurrent genetic …

At least 90,000 health-care workers worldwide are believed to have been infected with COVID-19, and possibly twice that, amid reports of continuing shortages of protective equipment, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) said on Wednesday. The disease has killed more than 260 nurses, it said in a statement, urging authorities …

Italian researchers claim to have developed a vaccine that can neutralize the coronavirus in human cells. Tests carried out at Rome’s Lazzaro Spallanzani Hospital, which specializes in infectious diseases, generated antibodies in mice that work in human cells. “This is the most advanced stage of testing of a candidate vaccine …

The following is a brief roundup of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. An antibody that “neutralizes” the novel coronavirus Researchers said they have produced a monoclonal antibody that can “neutralize” the new …

A lab at Florida Atlantic University is simulating a human cough to understand how far and fast cough droplets can spread.

New York state is reporting more than 1,700 previously undisclosed deaths at nursing homes and adult care facilities as the state faces scrutiny over how it’s protected vulnerable residents during the coronavirus pandemic. At least 4,813 people have died from COVID-19 in the state’s nursing homes since March 1, according …

The first coronavirus case in France could have occurred a month earlier than official figures suggest, according to a professor from Avicenne Hospital, following the retesting of 24 patient blood samples. Professor Yves Cohen from the Avicenne Hospital in Bobigny said in an interview with local media that it appears …

World leaders, organizations and banks on Monday pledged 7.4 billion euros ($8 billion) for research to find a vaccine against the new coronavirus, but warned that it is just the start of an effort that must be sustained over time to beat the disease. The funds, pledged at a video-conference …

Scientists have discovered a microbe that completely protects mosquitoes from being infected with malaria. The team in Kenya and the UK say the finding has “enormous potential” to control the disease. Malaria is spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes, so protecting them could, in turn, protect people. The researchers …

The World Health Organization confirmed that the new Corona virus does not descend from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, from which the pandemic started, noting that this strain has a natural origin ” Mike Ryan, director of the World Health Organization’s emergency program, told a news conference today, Friday, in …

Sudan has outlawed female genital mutilation (FGM), in a move that has been hailed by women’s rights campaigners. The country’s transitional government approved an amendment to its criminal legislation on 22 April and made it public on Friday. The new law states that anyone who performs FGM, whether inside a …

It is rare for Donald Trump to credit other countries with world records, but at a press briefing last month the US President unveiled a list that put Belgium at the top. Unfortunately for Belgium, it was a ranking of deaths from the coronavirus. According to numbers collated by the …

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to authorize the emergency use of remdesivir to treat those infected with the coronavirus. The experimental antiviral drug is being tested on patients as a treatment for Covid-19. Both Dr. Anthony Fauci and President Donald Trump have expressed optimism about early results from …

A new antibody test to check whether someone has been infected with coronavirus, and said to be 99 per cent accurate, has been certified for use across Europe. Global diagnostics specialists Abbott, which has a UK base in Maidenhead, has said it is expecting to have shipped millions of the …

Despite infecting more than 3 million people around the world, there are still 33 countries and territories that have yet to report a single case of the novel coronavirus. These include Comoros, Lesotho, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and tiny far-flung island nations in the Pacific such as Nauru, Kiribati, and the Solomon …

The coronavirus outbreak is causing a rare stir in the usually staid global tea market, with labour lockdowns stifling supplies just as millions in lockdown drive up demand for the beverage known for its immunity-boosting properties. Five countries – China, India, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Vietnam – account for 82% …

One billion people could become infected with the coronavirus worldwide unless vulnerable countries are given urgent help, an aid group has warned. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) said financial and humanitarian aid was needed to help slow the global spread of the virus. It said, “fragile countries” such as Afghanistan …

The global coronavirus count has just surged past 3 million, according to newly released statistics by Johns Hopkins University. The US, with nearly one-third of all Covid-19 infections, still remains the hardest-hit country. The number of registered cases of Covid-19 around the world stands at 3,002,303 as of Monday, April …