Tulane Outbreak Daily | May 14, 2020

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Monday! Tulane University: The Race for COVID-19 Treatments, Tests and a Vaccine

Kids’ COVID-Linked Ailment Is Not Your Typical Kawasaki Disease – Med Page Today

As data continue to emerge about a multi-system inflammatory disorder in children apparently connected to COVID-19, evidence is growing that this is not your typical Kawasaki disease.

Research reveals how long SARS-CoV-2 survives on surfaces, in feces and urine – Medical news

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19 disease can remain viable for a maximum of one week on smooth environmental surfaces, for several hours in human feces, and for a maximum of 4 days in human urine. This knowledge could help guide disinfection policies to control the virus spread. [Related pre-print]

Study suggests a protein may predict severe COVID-19 – Medical News Today

High levels of the protein suPAR in the blood of a person with COVID-19 may be a predictor of a more severe disease course. [Related Study]

COVID-19 Sequelae Can Linger for Weeks – Med Page Today

Even patients with mild cases describe persistent fatigue, trouble breathing, cardiac issues

Russia, South America emerge as major COVID-19 hot spots – CIDRAP

A surge of infections in Russia lifted the country’s COVID-19 total to the world’s second highest, as illness numbers and deaths continued to rise sharply in parts of South America.

From Black Death to fatal flu, past pandemics show why people on the margins suffer most – Science Magazine

When the Black Death arrived in London by January 1349, the city had been waiting with dread for months. Londoners had heard reports of devastation from cities such as Florence, where 60% of people had died of plague the year before. In the summer of 1348, the disease had reached English ports from continental Europe and begun to ravage its way toward the capital. The plague caused painful and frightening symptoms, including fever, vomiting, coughing up blood, black pustules on the skin, and swollen lymph nodes. Death usually came within 3 days.

Explaining the mechanisms, symptoms, and diagnosis of the new coronavirus – Science direct

COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus SARS-Cov-2, has infected over 4 million people in 212 countries, of whom at least 272,000 have died. The ongoing economic and social impact of the pandemic is staggering, but despite a daily flood of news on the disease, few laypeople know that paradoxically, COVID-19 mostly kills through an overreaction of the immune system, whose function is precisely to fight infections. [Related Paper]

Experts uncover a clue to why COVID-19 preys on seniors – Augusta University

Researchers at Augusta University may have gained an understanding of why older people and those with pre-existing health conditions are more vulnerable to coronavirus.

RNA molecules that should attack the virus when it tries to infect the body are diminished with age and chronic health problems, investigators report. [Related Study]

‘Wuhan Diary’ Brings Account Of China’s Coronavirus Outbreak To English Speakers – NPR

The writer’s detailed account of the novel coronavirus outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan, originally published in Chinese as a daily diary as the virus rapidly spread there, becomes available in English on Friday as Wuhan Diary: Dispatches from a Quarantined City. Bits and clips of Fang Fang’s writing on the situation in Wuhan made it out of China and into English as the outbreak was unfolding, but now the full account will be available in English.

Researchers explore role of cytokine storm in severe COVID-19 – Science Advisory Board

An overreaction of the immune system to SARS-CoV-2 — a phenomenon known as cytokine storm — has emerged as a major contributor to patient mortality during the COVID-19 outbreak. In a recent series of papers, authors examined cytokine storm and offered perspectives on preventing it from occurring.

Loud talking could leave coronavirus in the air for up to 14 minutes – MIT Tech Review

Thousands of droplets from the mouths of people who are talking loudly can stay in the air for between eight and 14 minutes before disappearing, according to a new study. The research, conducted by a team with the US National Institutes of Health and published in PNAS Wednesday, could have significant impact on our understanding of covid-19 transmission.

Fauci Says U.S. Death Toll Is Likely Higher. Other COVID-19 Stats Need Adjusting, Too – NPR

t’s not just the death toll that’s likely higher. Medical statisticians say we have been undercounting cases since the pandemic started — not only in the U.S. but also around the world. That’s because in countries rich and poor and in between, people who contract COVID-19 are not necessarily diagnosed — because of the shortage of tests and the difficulty of getting tested in some parts of the world, especially remote spots.

This is what we know so far about how covid-19 affects the rest of the body – MIT Tech Review

Covid-19 is primarily a respiratory infection that attacks the lungs, making it harder for patients to breathe and get enough oxygen to the rest of the body. Pneumonia and other respiratory conditions can quickly set in, eventually leading to death if the body cannot fight off the infection. But after over four months of cases, doctors are getting a more detailed look at some of the unexpected ways the virus hits the human body beyond the nasal cavity, throat, and lungs. Here are a few new things we’ve learned in recent weeks:

Coronavirus: Applying Influenza Pandemic Lessons To COVID-19 – American Council on Science and Health

The novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has been the source of never-ending surprises, all of which have been very bad. Predicting how the pandemic will end has been a particular challenge, given that we know so little about the basic biology of the virus, and we have few historical precedents upon which we can rely.

Official Reporting for May 14, 2020