Thousands of scientists around the world are working on problems raised by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here is a summary of some recent research from peer-reviewed academic journals and scientific agencies:
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An editorial in the journal Science suggests researchers shouldn't lower their standards for COVID-19 studies despite the urgent need for answers. It says small studies that aren't part of an overall strategy often generate leads that seem promising but fail to pan out, diverting resources and distracting attention from better bets. The editorial adds that such studies often duplicate each other and depend on research designs that may be easy to implement but reveal little. The authors argue that the need for rigorous standards doesn't disappear in the face of an emergency.
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A website is tracking all COVID-19 clinical trials underway in all stages everywhere in the world. COVID-trials.org lists 650 trials in total. Just over half — 332 — are taking place in China; another 97 are happening in the United States. There are 17 in Canada. The most studied drug is hydroxychloroquine. Despite the lack of evidence for its effectiveness, the antimalarial touted by U.S. President Donald Trump is the subject of 130 trials. Chinese traditional medicine is the second-most studied therapy at 102 trials.
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The New England Journal of Medicine suggests one reason COVID-19 has had such a larger impact than the 2003 SARS epidemic is that it transmits before symptoms become apparent. Researchers found that in one nursing home, test results provided viable virus cultures from nearly three-quarters of residents and health workers, even though none showed symptoms at the time of the test. The study presents figures that show SARS was controlled within eight months after infecting 8,100 people in certain areas. The novel coronavirus has infected almost three million people within five months and continues to spread rapidly around the world.
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The Journal of Sustainable Tourism is beginning to tote up COVID-19's impact on the travel industry. The United Nations World Tourism Organization predicts losses of up to $450 billion in 2020. Other international groups forecast $252 billion less revenue for airlines. Industry estimates suggest U.S. hotel income will be cut in half. Losses from cruise ships and restaurants have yet to be tabulated, but the published paper says losses from cancelled sports events all over the globe will amount to hundreds of billions of dollars.
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One indirect cost of the COVID-19 pandemic is the toll it has taken on research into other communicable and fatal diseases, says an editorial in the Journal of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. The University of Alberta authors argue that while research into the novel coronavirus remains vital and a top priority, other diseases kill many more people. Malaria, for example, kills 500,000 people a year. The authors say that many scientists working on those diseases have been asked to wind down their work and the consequences of that will be felt long after the COVID-19 crisis over.
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Non-reviewed research from Oxford University is looking into the link between climatic conditions and the spread of COVID-19. It says weather may influence the novel coronavirus's transmission. Cold and dry conditions appear to boost the spread. The analysis found the death rate from COVID-19 increases with latitude, as does the per capita number of cases. It adds that as of Sunday, six countries — all in the Northern Hemisphere — accounted for three-quarters of deaths in the pandemic. The countries — which make up 7.5 per cent of global population — are Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 28, 2020
Bob Weber, The Canadian Press