Testing for coronavirus has been a fiasco in the US. But now companies are developing super fast tests, including ones that might eventually be as simple as at home pregnancy tests.
The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is currently detected using invasive nasal swabs. But the virus is also present in saliva, potentially paving the way for cheaper, safer tests that people could do at home.
The US and its allies are demanding answers over how COVID-19 became a pandemic. But instead of pointing fingers at China, the inquiry should focus on scientific clues to help us thwart future disasters.
Conspiracy theories about COVID-19, such as those advanced in the video ‘Plandemic,’ tend to pull from the same playbook. Recognizing that can help keep you from falling for this kind of thinking.
Krishna Sriram, University of California, San Diego; Paul Insel, University of California, San Diego y Rohit Loomba, University of California, San Diego
The ACE2 receptor allows the virus that causes COVID-19 to infect and destroy our cells. What is the normal role of ACE2 in the body, and could it be the key to blocking infection?
Recommendations around mask usage are confusing. The science isn’t. Evidence shows that masks are extremely effective to slow the coronavirus and may be the best tool available right now to fight it.
Nearly two million antibody tests imported into Australia can’t be used to diagnose COVID-19. But it’s difficult to make an antibody test that is specific and sensitive enough.
Bats have been the reservoir for recent disease outbreaks, including SARS and the current COVID-19 pandemic. But it’s human activity that allows the virus to cross over.
A molecule responsible for lowering our blood pressure also helps coronavirus get into our cells and replicate. And it occurs more in men than in women.
Early reports by the National Health Laboratory Service indicated that it had the capacity to do 30,000 tests a day. But capability to do so has not materialised.
Vaccine development is usually a long process. The coronavirus pandemic is forcing researchers to innovate and test potential vaccines faster than ever before.
A vaccine historically used to prevent tuberculosis is now among the contenders for a COVID-19 vaccine. So what is the BCG vaccine and why might it work against coronavirus?
South Africa’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was one of ‘intervene first and ask questions later’. Now is the time for government to state clearly what its strategic endgame is.
Wearing masks is being introduced in conjunction with maintaining a physical distance of at least 1.5 metres and following hygiene measures such as hand washing.
Dean Faculty of Health Sciences and Professor of Vaccinology at University of the Witwatersrand; and Director of the SAMRC Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand