COVID-19 FAQ: Can the coronavirus attack the brain?
There is growing evidence that COVID-19 is causing brain damage in patients and that the SARS-CoV-2 virus behind the disease may itself attack the central nervous system....
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Stay informed with the latest scientific research broken down by experts into 3-minute Digests.
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COVID-19 FAQ: What are the various vaccines in the pipeline?
There are at least half a dozen COVID-19 vaccine candidates in development and testing. These include whole virus vaccines, recombinant subunit vaccines and next-generation nucleic acid vaccines....
COVID-19 FAQ: How donated blood from recovered patients can help people with severe cases?
‘Convalescent plasma therapy’ (CPT) – using the antibody-containing blood components of recovered COVID-19 patients – could be an effective treatment for people critically sick with the disease....
COVID-19 FAQ: Can the virus get weaker over time?
Currently, we don’t have clear evidence to suggest that the virus is weakening despite a recent claim from a leading Italian virologist that SARS-CoV-2 was "losing its potency". This comment has drawn criticism from the...
How SARS-CoV-2 can make arteries malfunction and cause more severe COVID-19?
Scientists are investigating how the malfunctioning of the cells lining our blood vessels can make COVID-19 more severe for patients. An alarmingly high proportion of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units - 31% according to th...
COVID-19 FAQ: Can genetic variations impact the severity of the disease?
At the moment there is no clear scientific answer. Researchers are hunting for genetic clues to help identify people at risk from more severe cases of COVID-19....
COVID-19 FAQ: How did a virus from horsehoe bats find a way to infect humans?
In a recent study, University of Texas and New York University teams confirmed that the ‘parent’ of SARS-CoV-2 – RaTG13 was first identified in bats in 2013....
COVID-19 FAQ: What’s the strange syndrome in children that is linked to COVID-19?
Although children are far less likely to fall severely ill with COVID-19 than people over 60, cases of a mysterious inflammatory condition have been identified by doctors who suspect that it’s linked to SARS-CoV-2 infection....
COVID-19 FAQ: How can AI help in the fight against the pandemic?
The COVID-19 pandemic has stirred up a massive effort among researchers to help tackle the crisis. Research teams are using AI techniques to identify symptoms faster, find new therapies and to inform public health policy....