Long COVID—defined as symptoms persisting ≥ 2 months beyond acute SARS-CoV-2 infection without alternative explanation—now affects an estimated 65 million people worldwide and lacks any approved, evidence-based therapy; the present overview therefore synthesizes current mechanistic insights and catalogs experimental interventions ranging from supervised rehabilitation to antivirals, anticoagulants, anti-inflammatories, nutraceuticals and emerging biologics.  Key pathogenic drivers include persistent viral reservoirs, chronic low-grade inflammation with IL-1β/IL-6/TNF-α elevation, micro-clot formation via spike-protein–fibrinogen interactions, auto-immunity, gut dysbiosis and mitochondrial dysfunction.  These pathways translate into multi-organ sequelae: endothelial dysfunction, myocarditis, neuro-inflammation, small-fiber neuropathy, ME/CFS-like fatigue, menstrual irregularities, glucose intolerance and renal or hepatic injury.

China has moved from patchy, post-crisis biosafety rules to a unified legal regime anchored by the 2020 Biosecurity Law, yet fragmentation, weak risk intelligence and poor inter-agency coordination still leave gaps that could be exploited by novel pathogens, synthetic biology or geopolitical tension.  Historical review shows three phases: 1949-2002 built basic disease reporting and plant-quarantine systems but relied on paper records; 2003-2019 introduced internet-based surveillance, BSL-3/4 laboratories and alignment with WHO’s International Health Regulations after the SARS shock; 2020-present elevated biosafety to national-security status, enacted the Biosecurity Law and poured funds into diagnostics, vaccines and bio-economic R&D during COVID-19.  These steps created the skeleton of a modern system, but four structural weaknesses persist: strategic plans lack operational road-maps and AI-enabled foresight; the legal framework offers no clear dispute-resolution or accountability mechanisms; organisational silos among health, agriculture, science and military agencies hamper horizontal coordination; and public awareness plus professional training remain patchy, weakening compliance culture.

Researchers from The University of Osaka found that common arguments used to encourage COVID-19 vaccination increase compliance but also intensify negative attitudes toward people with opposing views. The study highlights the need for public health communication strategies that promote vaccination while reducing social polarization.

Researchers at National University of Singapore used multiple interpretable machine learning methods to predict traffic congestion in in Alameda County in the San Francisco Bay Area, USA, during the pre-lockdown, lockdown, and post-lockdown periods.

As U.S. cases rise, a nationally representative panel survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center finds a small but significant drop in the proportion of the public that would recommend that someone in their household get the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella. The survey finds drops in both the perceived safety and effectiveness of the MMR vaccine as well as two other vaccines.

Composite copper–lanthanum and copper–yttrium oxides developed by researchers from Japan demonstrate exceptionally high antiviral activity against non-enveloped virus. These oxides are highly stable and achieve over 99.999% viral inactivation in laboratory tests. Using first-principles calculations and experimental analysis, researchers identified how surface charge, protein inactivation, and copper valence states drive the antiviral performance—setting the stage for advanced antiviral material design.

TU Delft develops new method for large-scale health monitoring via wastewater

Wastewater contains a hidden wealth of information about the communities that produce it. During the Covid-19 pandemic, sewage monitoring for viral RNA became a key tool for tracking outbreaks. TU Delft researcher Martin Pabst and his team are now expanding this concept with a new method that enables large-scale monitoring of human health and microbial activity through wastewater.