In Booming Blood Business, A Milliliter Sample Of Convalescent Plasma Could Go For $1,000
Blood brokers are taking advantage of the high demand for plasma from companies that want to develop antibody tests. “Disease-state” blood for most conditions typically ranges from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars per sample. In other scientific news on the virus: ventilation's role in infections, what's safe to do this summer, updates on the Kawasaki-like symptoms showing up in kids, and more.
The Wall Street Journal:
Blood Of Recovered Covid-19 Patients Is Becoming A Hot Commodity
The blood business is booming. This normally obscure trade has been set alight by the race to develop Covid-19 antibody tests, which use blood to tell whether someone has already been infected with the coronavirus. The tests are seen as key to easing lockdowns that have shut down economies around the world. However, while surging demand has proven a boon for the traders known as blood brokers who source this commodity, diagnostic companies say high prices for the blood of recovered Covid-19 patients are posing a hurdle to developing tests. (Roland, 5/29)
CIDRAP:
Indoor Spread Of COVID-19 Can Be Lessened, Experts Say
The spread of aerosolized SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, inside public buildings could be suppressed using engineering controls such as effective ventilation, possibly with air filtration and disinfection and avoidance of air recirculation and overcrowding, according to a research letter published yesterday in Environment International. The international group of researchers said the evidence is sufficiently strong for aerosols as an important mode of coronavirus transmission, most of which occurs indoors, and that indoor measures to slow the spread are often easily implemented at relatively low cost. (Van Beusekom, 5/28)
The Washington Post:
What Public Health Experts Say Is Safe To Do This Summer
Summer during a pandemic brings new questions about what is safe and how to best protect ourselves. Is it okay to go to a public pool? Travel by plane? Stay in a hotel? Send a kid to camp? On the upside, public health experts say, we can do more outdoors, where ventilation is better and sunlight and humidity might help destroy the virus. Working against us: Many of us cooped up for much of the spring are craving connection. (Shaver, 5/27)
The Washington Post:
Doctors Theorize About Cause Of Kawasaki-Like Syndrome In Children Linked To Covid-19
The four children showed up at the Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital in late April and early May, almost exactly one month after the peak of New York City’s coronavirus surge. All had fevers, rashes and strange blood readings that did not look like any illness doctors had seen before. And yet, the cases looked remarkably similar to one another. A study about the children, ages 13, 12, 10, and 5, published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine, provides the first detailed look at the rapid progression of a mysterious syndrome linked to covid-19 that has alarmed public health officials. (Cha, 5/28)
The Wall Street Journal:
Scientists Developing Diagnostic Test For Childhood Disease Linked To Covid-19
Scientists are turning to artificial intelligence in an attempt to develop the first diagnostic test for Kawasaki disease that will be available for widespread use. Kawasaki is a rare but dangerous childhood condition that was recently linked to Covid-19. The Seattle Children’s Research Institute, one of the country’s leading pediatric research centers, and life-science company Prevencio Inc. are tapping machine learning techniques to analyze blood samples for protein markers and other variables to accurately predict the presence of the disease. (Sreeharsha, 5/29)
NPR:
Coronavirus Antibody Testing Shows Lower Fatality Rate For Infection
Mounting evidence suggests the coronavirus is more common and less deadly than it first appeared. The evidence comes from tests that detect antibodies to the coronavirus in a person's blood rather than the virus itself. The tests are finding large numbers of people in the U.S. who were infected but never became seriously ill. And when these mild infections are included in coronavirus statistics, the virus appears less dangerous. (Hamilton, 5/28)
CNN:
Wearing A Mask At Home Could Help Stop Coronavirus Spread Among Family Members, Study Says
One of the few reliefs in our current pandemic is removing that mask when you arrive back home after a trip to the store. If you've got family there, however, a new study suggests you may want to keep it on. The study, which was published in BMJ Global Health on Thursday, showed that wearing a mask at home was 79% effective at preventing the spread of the virus -- but only when family members started wearing masks before symptoms emerged in the first person infected. Cleaning the house frequently with bleach or disinfectants was almost equally effective at 77%. (Lee, 5/28)
Politico:
What's Safe To Do During A Pandemic? We Polled America And Asked Experts
What is safe to do during the pandemic? As states begin to reopen, it might feel hard to tell. Should we still wear masks outside? (Some areas don’t require it, while Virginia just made them mandatory for all public indoor spaces.) Is it risky to get a haircut? (Several states have reopened salons, while others deem them still too dangerous.) And can we visit friends and relatives? (McGill and Jin, 5/28)
WBUR:
When Testing Positive For The Coronavirus Doesn’t Mean You’re Contagious
Only about 5% of patients with COVID-19 continue to test positive for more than a month, as did Joyce. But a study published this week out of Singapore found that 70% are still positive 15 days after the first sign of COVID-19. That means more than a million U.S. residents who’ve had the coronavirus might still test positive beyond the period when research shows they can infect others .More health systems and government agencies are moving away from the two negative test requirement to 10 days in isolation and a symptom assessment. (Bebinger, 5/29)
