Health, features and articles | Educational Science

Feb 29, 2020

US scientists develop crucial blood test for coronavirus antibodies

Testing to diagnose the new coronavirus is starting to ramp up in the United States, but one crucial tool is still lacking: a test to detect antibodies against the virus in people's blood. But such a test may not be far off — in a new study, U.S. researchers not...

Feb 29, 2020

Rapid coronavirus test approved by the FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given emergency approval to a test that could diagnose COVID-19 in 45 minutes, CNN reported. The tests were developed by California-based company Cepheid and will be shipped to U.S. facilities by March 30, according to an FDA announcement. However, right now, the...

Feb 29, 2020

Doctors scramble for best practices on reusing medical masks during shortage

Very little is known about how to properly reuse medical masks to fight infectious diseases. No method is confirmed to work. Still, in a report to doctors, which has yet to be peer reviewed, some researchers are beginning to point to the best options for decontaminating used masks. Medical professionals...

Feb 29, 2020

Ending Wuhan's social distancing too soon may spur 'second wave' of COVID-19 in midsummer

Social distancing measures in Wuhan, China — where the outbreak of the new coronavirus disease, COVID-19, began — likely reduced the number of COVID-19 cases and delayed the peak of the epidemic, according to a new study. What's more, the findings suggest that if these measures — including school and...

Feb 29, 2020

US is new epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic

The coronavirus outbreak reached a somber milestone in the U.S. on Thursday (March 26) — the nation now has more coronavirus cases than any other country in the world. There are now at least 82,174 cases of the new coronavirus disease, COVID-19, in the United States, according to worldometer, a...

Feb 29, 2020

COVID-19 might cause loss of smell. Here’s what that could mean.

While brewing your morning coffee, you suddenly realize that you can't smell the freshly ground beans — could you have COVID-19? In the past week, doctors around the world began sharing reports of smell and taste loss in patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel...

Feb 29, 2020

First US infant death linked to COVID-19 reported in Illinois

The first infant death related to COVID-19 in the United States has been reported in the Chicago area today (March 28). There has never before been a death associated with COVID-19 in an infant, said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). A full...

Feb 29, 2020

Cat infected with COVID-19 from owner in Belgium

A domestic cat in Belgium has been infected with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus that's spreading across the globe, the government's FPS Public Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment announced March 27, according to news reports. This is the first human-to-cat transmission of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)....

Feb 29, 2020

Study will test if hydroxychloroquine can prevent COVID-19

The anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine has made headlines in recent weeks for its potential to help with the new coronavirus disease, COVID-19, though its benefits remain unproven. Now, a new study will test whether the drug can prevent COVID-19 transmission. For the study, researchers in New York and Washington state plan...

Feb 29, 2020

More than 100,000 Americans may die from COVID-19, US officials say.

U.S. officials estimate between 100,000 and 240,000 Americans could die from COVID-19, even with the social distancing measures already in place to slow the outbreak's spread. The next couple of weeks will be very, very painful and rough, Trump said today during a White House briefing today (March 31). These...

Jan 31, 2020

12th US case of coronavirus reported in Wisconsin

A person in Wisconsin has tested positive for the new coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, marking the first case in the state and the 12th case in the U.S., officials announced today (Feb. 5). The patient is an adult who recently traveled to Beijing and had contact with people known to be infected...

Jan 31, 2020

Can pregnant mom pass coronavirus to her unborn child? Early research says no.

There are many unknowns about the new coronavirus, including whether pregnant women who catch the virus can pass it to their unborn child. Now, a preliminary study suggests the virus, known as 2019-nCoV, may not be transmitted during pregnancy. However, the study was small and involved only pregnant women in...

Jan 31, 2020

Images of new coronavirus just released

On Thursday (Feb. 13), the Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML) at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases revealed some of the first images of SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus that has sickened over 60,000 people and killed another 1,370 in the outbreak that began in Wuhan, China. Viruses are teeny-tiny...

Jan 31, 2020

Hemophilia: Causes, symptoms & treatment

Hemophilia is a rare bleeding disorder that prevents the blood from clotting properly. People with hemophilia either lack or have very low amounts of a specific clotting factor: a protein that promotes blood clotting and controls bleeding. As a result, the blood can't clot as efficiently, and a person may...

Jan 31, 2020

'Superspreader' in South Korea infects nearly 40 people with coronavirus

All about COVID-19 (Image credit: Shutterstock)—See live updates on the new coronavirus —How deadly is COVID-19? —How does the new coronavirus compare with flu? —Why are children 'missing' from coronavirus outbreak? Update (Sunday, Feb. 23): The number of coronavirus cases in South Korea has soared to about 602, according to...