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There is a great deal of uncertainty prevailing across the globe over the current COVID-19 pandemic, and clinicians and scientists are working hard to find a cure to treat this disease (Read Solidarity Trial). However, doubt about whether the SARS-CoV-2 virus itself or the patient’s immune system inundates the patient’s organs...

Zhang et al, investigated the infection of SARS-CoV-2 in cats by detecting specific serum Abs. A cohort of serum samples were collected from cats in Wuhan, including 102 sampled after COVID-19 outbreak, and 39 prior to the outbreak. 14.7% of cat sera collected after the outbreak were positive for the receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 by ELISA.

Although SARS-CoV-2 shares 96.2% identity with the coronavirus RaTG13, which was detected in horseshoe bats in Yunnan province (1), it has not previously been detected in humans or other animals. Could the widely disseminated viruses transmit to other animal species, which then become reservoirs of infection?

Due to the heterogeneity of disease symptoms in those infected with the COVID-19-causing virus, SARS-CoV-2, Liu and colleagues (Liu et al., 2020) set out to elucidate whether there were differences in viral dynamics between patients with severe versus mild COVID-19. More specifically, the authors evaluated the shedding of SARS-CoV-2 in nasopharyngeal samples.

Use of face masks, has gained much attention, with the World Health Organization urging people to use them wisely as there is a worldwide shortage. As a result, the general public has started using cloth masks as an alternative, although their efficacy remains to be proven. If a complete shortage of N95 and surgical masks (surgical masks) occurs, HCW...

According to Casadevall A and Pirofski using convalescent sera as passive antibody (Ab) therapy may be an option for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 that could be available as soon as sufficient numbers of people recover and can donate immunoglobulin-containing serum.

As the number of novel coronavirus infections rises daily across the globe, strategies for developing a safe and effective vaccine are rapidly moving forward.  Recently published perspective by Amanat & Kramer highlights 6 main vaccine-platforms being investigated. It is estimated that more than 24 COVID-19 vaccine candidates .

Did you watch the IUIS Webinar on COVID-19 Vaccines by Rino Rappouli (Chief Scientist and Head of R&D at GSK. If you missed it, please watch it below. Prof. Gary Kobinger (Laval University, Canada) conducted an Audio Interview on “SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Development: Where Are We Now ?”.

In 2005, after the 2002-3 SARS epidemic researchers demonstrated the in-vivo anti-viral effect of chloroquine in primate cell lines infected with SARS-CoV. These results were further confirmed by Gao et al., Wang et al., & Liu et al.., who also showed inhibitory effects of chloroquine on SARS-CoV-2, the etiological agent of COVID-19.

Natural Killer (NK) cells and CD8+ Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes (CTLs) play key roles in the control of viral infections. Zheng et al have studied the function of these lymphocytes in 68 COVID-19 patients, including 55 and 13 patients with mild and severe disease, respectively.