Month: September 2020

By: KDKA-TV News Staff PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — University of Pittsburgh scientists have isolated a biomolecule that “completely and specifically” neutralizes the virus that causes coronavirus. University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers isolated the smallest biological molecule to date that neutralizes the SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to a report published Monday in the journal Cell. The antibody component is 10 times smaller than a full-sized antibody and has been used to create a drug known as Ab8 for use as a therapeutic and preventative against SARS-CoV-2, the report says. The researchers reported that Ab8 is “highly effective” in preventing and treating SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice and hamsters. “Ab8 not only has potential as therapy for COVID-19, but it also cou...

Flu season is always one of the deadliest times of the year. Depending on the strain's severity and certain conditions, the annual onslaught of the flu virus can cause an estimated 50,000 deaths in the U.S. alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But it may not be just the elderly, the young, and the immunocompromised who are at a higher risk with the flu. According to a recent study, anyone who was born in the late 1960s through the late '70s is permanently susceptible to the flu virus in a way other generations are not. The discovery comes via research conducted by Penn Medicine, which completed studies of blood work taken from 140 children (aged 1 to 17) and 212 adults (age...

As the California wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic rage on in tandem, they may pose a serious double threat. "Now we're battling two public health crises," Panagis Galiatsatos, M.D., M.H.S., a pulmonologist at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and volunteer medical spokesperson for the American Lung Association, told ABC News. And it gets worse: The two forces of nature may interact with each other. "When we have public health concerns from wildfires to hurricanes, we worry about worsening spread of the virus," said Galiatsatos. Fire burns on the remains of fire damaged trees as smoke billows in the aftermath of the Beachie Creek fire near Detroit, Ore., Sept. 14, 2020. Fire burns on the remains of fire damaged trees as smoke billows in the aftermath of the Beachie Creek fire ne...

On the list of proposed topics: "Have you had a hard time with friends in the pandemic?", "Are you planning to go back to school in the fall?" and "How have you been coping on a day-to-day basis?" But Lynch quickly realized that the group of immunocompromised college students didn't need questions to guide them. They just wanted to talk about their shared feeling of isolation during the pandemic. They bonded over the fact that people assume that all teens are healthy. They questioned whether their schools were taking the right measures to help those who are more at-risk. They vented about their friends not understanding their inability to leave the house without fear of contracting Covid. It's a virtual support group for immunocompromised students -- but its members don't call it that. Th...

Data for the State of Missouri, shows when testing is up, the postivity rate dips. When testing goes down, the percentage of positive tests ticks back up ST. LOUIS — The week of Aug. 2, Missouri had 7,194 new COVID-19 cases. The week of Aug. 9, the state saw a weekly case number of 7,945. While the number of cases increased by less than 800 cases, the state's positivity rate dropped from 12.85% to 9.61%.  Because, during the week of Aug. 2, 55,995 Missourians got tested. The following week, that number jumped to 82,701. ...