Viruses, Infections & Disease, features and articles | Educational Science

Mar 31, 2020

The mysterious connection between the coronavirus and the heart

The novel coronavirus mainly attacks the lungs. But doctors have been increasingly reporting cases of another battlefield raging within the body: the heart. More than 1 in 5 patients develop heart damage as a result of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, one small study published March 27 in the journal JAMA...

Mar 31, 2020

Model suggests how airborne coronavirus particles spread in grocery store aisles

Scientists in Finland have modeled how small airborne viral particles spread in a grocery store setting, which may help us better understand the spread of the new coronavirus. For the study, researchers at Aalto University, the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and the University of...

Mar 31, 2020

Think you already had COVID-19? New antibody study may find out.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) is starting a study to determine how many Americans have already had COVID-19 without knowing it. The researchers will analyze participants' blood samples for the presence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. These antibodies can show if a person has...

Mar 31, 2020

Coronavirus resources: US state and local health departments

As COVID-19 continues to spread across the globe, the U.S. has become the epicenter of the pandemic. Live Science has put together a list of state and local health departments with coronavirus resources particular to each area. The websites vary in how accessible and detailed they are, with some like...

Mar 31, 2020

New study suggests COVID-19 hopped from dogs to humans. Here's why you should be skeptical.

The novel coronavirus likely originated in bats, but the pathogen may have then hopped into dogs before infecting humans, a new study suggests. But not everyone agrees with that hypothesis. One expert told Live Science that there are a lot of weaknesses in the study and that the data don't...

Mar 31, 2020

'Profound' smell loss is a common COVID-19 symptom, study confirms

A new study supports the notion that loss of either smell or taste may be an early warning sign of COVID-19. Anecdotal accounts of smell and taste loss associated with COVID-19 have been reported worldwide, but without formal studies, scientists could not determine how common the symptom was among those...

Mar 31, 2020

Vermont: Latest updates on coronavirus

Last updated on Tuesday, April 21 at 11:00 a.m. E.D.T. Vermont is reporting 818 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 24 hospitalizations and 30 deaths associated with the disease according to the state's health department. (An additional 25 hospitalized patients are suspected of having the disease, but it has not been confirmed...

Mar 31, 2020

Poison control sees spike in calls for cleaner, disinfectant accidents amid COVID-19 pandemic

Calls to poison control centers regarding exposure to household cleaners and disinfectants have spiked amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report. The report authors found that, from January to March this year, poison control centers received 45,550 calls related to cleaner and disinfectant exposure. That's up 20% compared...

Mar 31, 2020

Nearly 9 in 10 COVID-19 patients who are put on a ventilator die, New York hospital data suggests

Around 88% of patients with COVID-19 who were put on a ventilator in a New York hospital system died, according to a new study. In the new study, researchers analyzed data from 5,700 patients who were hospitalized from March 1 to April 4 through Northwell Health, the largest health system...

Mar 31, 2020

South Dakota: Latest updates on coronavirus

Last updated on April 27 at 6 p.m. EDT. South Dakota has 2,245 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the state's health department. An additional 14,130 tests have come back negative for the virus. At least 1,316 patients have recovered from the virus, and 150 have been hospitalized. The state...

Mar 31, 2020

COVID-19 may be tied to rare syndrome in children, UK doctors warn

Children have been thought to be largely spared from the worst of the new coronavirus, but doctors in the U.K. are now warning of a possible connection between COVID-19 and an unusual inflammatory syndrome in children. However, experts stress that serious illness related to COVID-19 in children is still very...

Mar 31, 2020

Recovered patients who tested positive for COVID-19 likely not reinfected

More than 260 COVID-19 patients in South Korea tested positive for the coronavirus after having recovered, raising alarm that the virus might be capable of reactivating or infecting people more than once. But infectious disease experts now say both are unlikely. Rather, the method used to detect the coronavirus, called...

Feb 29, 2020

Hand sanitizer sold out? Here's how to make your own.

With concerns about COVID-19 running high, supplies of hand sanitizer at local stores may start to run low. If they run out, is it safe to make your own, and will DIY hand sanitizer protect you against coronavirus infection? During recent weeks, sales of hand sanitizer have skyrocketed, peaking around...

Feb 29, 2020

How to self-quarantine during coronavirus outbreak

With more than 378 confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. and more than 15 associated deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is actively monitoring, and trying to contain, the transmission of the disease, called COVID-19. In some cases, depending on risk level, the CDC may ask individuals...

Feb 29, 2020

What does quarantine mean?

Quarantine is a state or place of isolation for a person or animal who may have come in contact with contagious diseases. The period of isolation lowers the chance that person or animal could transfer illnesses to others. Quarantine isn't reserved for sick people only. People who appear healthy could...