EurekAlert! COVID-19 Online Newsroom - Latest News Releases

Latest News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 23-Jul-2025 11:11 ET (23-Jul-2025 15:11 GMT/UTC)

How does infection with respiratory syncytial virus affect the health of older adults?

Wiley
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a retrospective study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, adults aged 65 and older hospitalized for RSV in Ontario, Canada experienced significantly higher rates of adverse outcomes such as longer length of hospital stay, transfer to intensive care, and 30-day mortality, compared with patients hospitalized with influenza, urinary tract infection, or fracture.

Journal: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

The Covid-19 pandemic may have aged our brains, according to a new study

University of Nottingham
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study, led by experts at the University of Nottingham, has found that the Covid-19 pandemic may have accelerated people’s brain health, even if they were never infected with the virus.

Journal: Nature Communications

Post-COVID-related lung abnormalities almost always regress

Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Peer-Reviewed Publication

They affect up to 50% of patients who have had an infection requiring hospitalization. An international consensus statement has been drawn up for radiologists to harmonize the management of post-COVID patients. The lead author is a radiologist from Università Cattolica at Rome campus, Italy

Journal: Radiology

International radiology consensus outlines best practices for post-COVID CT

Radiological Society of North America
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Experts representing multiple societies and institutions across 14 countries have published guidance for computed tomography (CT) imaging in patients with residual lung abnormalities after COVID-19 illness.

Journal: Radiology

‘Teen’ bats most likely to spread mutant coronaviruses

Cornell University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New Cornell University research finds juvenile and subadult bats may be the most likely to spread new coronaviruses to other species.

Journal: Nature Communications

Abnormal long COVID PET/MR findings linked to future cardiac and pulmonary diseases

Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Long COVID patients with abnormal cardiopulmonary PET/MR findings may be more likely to develop heart and lung diseases, according to new research published in the July issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. The study—which included the largest cohort of long COVID subjects with cardiopulmonary symptoms with the longest follow-up duration—suggests that abnormal cardiopulmonary PET/MR should be considered a risk factor for future cardiac and pulmonary disease and that closer monitoring is warranted in these patients.

Journal: Journal of Nuclear Medicine
Funder: NIH/National Institutes of Health, Spanish Society of Cardiology, NIH/National Institutes of Health, AHA

How AI can enhance early detection of emerging viruses: UNLV study

University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Coupling wastewater surveillance and a newly developed AI algorithm can help public health organizations more quickly predict potential outbreaks.

Journal: Nature Communications

Vitamin D deficiency increases risk of COVID-19 hospitalization

University of South Australia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

As the latest wave of COVID-19 shows no signs of abating, University of South Australia experts say it’s not just booster shots that could offer protection – healthy levels of vitamin D may also play a role.

Journal: PLOS One

Co-infections in young bats could underpin coronavirus emergence

University of Sydney
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research by the University of Sydney offers important insights into how and when new coronavirus variants arise in bats.

Journal: Nature Communications

One-third of U.S. public schools screen students for mental health issues

RAND Corporation
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Increased attention has been focused on the mental health of American children following the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey of public school principals finds that nearly one-third of the nation’s K-12 U.S. public schools mandate mental health screening for students, with most offering in-person treatment or referral to a community mental health professional if a student is identified as having depression or anxiety.

Journal: JAMA Network Open
Funder: NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Trends in physician exit from fee-for-service Medicare

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: Over time, physician exit from traditional Medicare has increased. This result is consistent with earlier findings, but exits remained high even after the pandemic, which likely accelerated some physicians’ exit. The findings may reflect multiple factors, including the greater burden of new communication methods (e.g., portal messages) and demands for clinical documentation.

Journal: JAMA Health Forum

First global-to-local study reveals stark health inequalities from COVID-19 in 2020–2021

FAR Publishing Limited
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A first-of-its-kind global-to-local study has found that COVID-19’s impact varied remarkably across 920 locations worldwide, even within the same country. By analyzing data on cases, deaths, and healthy years lost between 2020 and 2021, the researchers revealed that broad national or regional averages may mask substantial local disparities. The study calls for more detailed, location-specific data to guide better public health decisions in future pandemics.

Funder: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Data-driven detection of concerning SARS-CoV-2 variants months in advance

German Center for Infection Research
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Since the start of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, several variants of the virus have developed into Variants of Concern (VOCs), as classified by the World Health Organization (WHO). VOCs are virus variants that are predicted or known to cause large waves of infections due to their altered phenotypic characteristics and with risk of altering disease severity, reducing vaccine effectiveness or otherwise leading to increased burden of health care systems. The CoVerage web platform for genomic surveillance of the SARS-CoV-2 virus enables a rapid, computational identification and characterization of potential Variants of Interest (pVOIs), with a lead time of almost three months before their WHO designation as a VOC or as related variant categories and predicts their ability to escape existing immunity acquired by prior vaccinations or infections. Researchers led by Alice McHardy have successfully demonstrated this in a comprehensive analysis published in Nature Communications. Early detection of VOCs is particularly important for vaccine development in order to ensure vaccine protection against new virus variants.

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: Deutsches Zentrum für Infektionsforschung

Less pain, more gain: A new recipe for safer, stronger mRNA therapies

University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Borrowing from the anti-inflammatory properties of olive oil, Penn Engineers used a century-old chemical reaction to redesign the lipid nanoparticles that deliver mRNA. By adding phenol groups, antioxidant compounds found in olive oil, to the delivery molecules, they created a new class of lipids that reduce inflammation and enhance performance. The result is a safer, more effective platform for mRNA vaccines and therapies, with promising results in animal models of COVID-19, cancer and gene editing.

Journal: Nature Biomedical Engineering
Funder: NIH/National Institutes of Health, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, U.S. National Science Foundation, American Cancer Society, NIH/National Cancer Institute

COVID-19 vaccine booster uptake and effectiveness among US adults with cancer

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: In this retrospective cohort study, COVID-19 booster vaccinations were associated with significant protection against severe COVID-19, with a favorable number needed to vaccinate among persons with cancer. However, uptake of COVID-19 vaccine boosters was low, and interventions are therefore justified to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake in this high-risk population.

Journal: JAMA Oncology

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