Posts by vgn1
GLOBAL VIRUS NETWORK COMMENDS THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY FOR UNPRECEDENTED COVID-19 VACCINE ADVANCES
Recommends Large-scale Vaccination To Thwart The Pandemic Baltimore, Maryland, USA, December 16, 2020: The Global Virus Network (GVN), a coalition comprised of the world’s preeminent human and animal virologists from 59 Centers of Excellence and 10 Affiliates in 33 countries, working collaboratively in the preparedness, defense and first research response to emerging, exiting and unidentified…
Read MoreInterferon Antagonism of SARS-CoV-2
It has become clear that the type 1 interferon responses to SARS-CoV-2 have a great deal to do with the outcome of infection. Patients with benign courses of infection yield high levels of expression of interferon-α (IFNα), while critical cases of COVID-19 show low levels of its expression. Paradoxically, in severe disease, expression of INF…
Read MoreProgress in the Treatments of COVID-19
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, extensive research has focused on therapeutics. A combinational approach of traditional drug development and drug repurposing is necessary to make progress in treating and preventing COVID-19 in a timely manner. While developing new drugs is critical, repurposing existing molecules has been a major strategy. In the early stages…
Read MoreGVN STATEMENT ON RECENT COVID-19 VACCINE DATA SUCCESS
Baltimore, Maryland, USA, November 17, 2020: The Global Virus Network (GVN), , which comprises global preeminent human and animal virologists from 57 Centers of Excellence and 11 Affiliates in 33 countries, said today that the 94.5% efficacy rate of the Moderna vaccine, according to early data announced yesterday, is a significant step towards developing an effective…
Read MoreGlobal Virus Network (GVN) and the University of South Florida Launch Online Course “Microbiomes and Their Impact on Viral Infections”
GVN Offers Four Scholarships to Self-Paced Online Training Course Baltimore, Maryland, USA, November 17, 2020: The Global Virus Network (GVN), together with the University of South Florida (USF) Institute on Microbiomes, recently launched the self-paced online course “Microbiomes and Their Impact on Viral Infections.” Taught by world-renowned instructors, this course will provide students, academics, and…
Read MoreRapid and Frequent Testing for COVID-19
The cases of new SARS-CoV-2 infections are currently increasing at an alarming rate, suggesting that winter might bring a large healthcare crisis. Diagnostics have become a critical tool in curbing COVID-19. It is important that accurate results be obtained rapidly and that collection of samples be as fast, simple, and convenient as possible. What tests…
Read MoreGVN Statement on Pfizer and BioNTech Data from COVID-19 Vaccine Study
Baltimore, Maryland, USA, July 23, 2020: The Global Virus Network (GVN), a coalition comprised of the world’s preeminent human and animal virologists from 57 Centers of Excellence and 10 Affiliates in 33 countries, said today that the results of the Phase 3 study by Pfizer and BioNTech on their mRNA-based vaccine candidate, BNT162b2, represents a…
Read MoreHerd Immunity – Can We Get There?
The concept of herd immunity is frequently brought up as an alternative to lockdown and intervention-based strategies for curbing the COVID-19 pandemic, this sensitive issue being much influenced by policy makers. In this context it is important to first define herd immunity. This is obtained when enough of the population has immunity to an infectious…
Read MoreHow Long Is A SARS-CoV-2 Infected Person Contagious?
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, the global community has become accustomed to comprehensive, interventional strategies such as wearing a mask, social distancing, hand hygiene, and surface cleaning and disinfection. It is well known that transmission of SARS-CoV-2 occurs through direct, indirect, or close contact with infected people through infectious secretions, such as saliva and…
Read MoreEffect of Suppressed Innate Immunity on Covid-19 Severity
One of the important determinants of severe Covid-19 appears to be an inappropriate response by the innate immune system. Specifically, this involves, on the one hand, insufficient or delayed expression and signaling by type 1 interferons (IFNs), which induce innate cell-mediated immunity. The interferon (IFN) response constitutes the major first line of defense against viruses.…
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