By Nancy Lapid
June 2 (Reuters) - The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.
Coronavirus does not threaten U.S. blood supply
Current guidelines for screening U.S. blood donors for symptoms of COVID-19 and for a history of recent infections are effectively protecting the blood supply from contamination with the new coronavirus, researchers say. In a study conducted for the National Institutes of Health, researchers tested nearly 18,000 minipools of blood samples – that is, blood samples pooled from total of roughly 258,000 donors from across the country. Only three minipools contained genetic material from the virus, according to a report published in the journal Transfusion. In all three, the viral levels were low. In the one minipool that could be tested for infectivity, the virus material was noninfectious, the researchers said. Other
Current guidelines for screening US blood donors for symptoms of COVID-19 and for a history of recent infections are effectively protecting the blood supply from contamination with the new coronavirus, researchers say. Low levels of vitamin D have been tied to higher risks for COVID-19 and more severe illness, although no studies have proved that vitamin D deficiency is actually to blame.
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The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.
Coronavirus does not threaten U.S. blood supply
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Current guidelines for screening U.S. blood donors for symptoms of COVID-19 and for a history of recent infections are effectively protecting the blood supply from contamination with the new coronavirus, researchers say. In a study conducted for the National Institutes of Health, researchers tested nearly 18,000 “minipools” of blood samples – that is, blood samples pooled from total of roughly 258,000 donors from across the country. Only three minipools contained genetic material from the virus, according to a report published in the jour
COVID unlikely to be passed through blood donations
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COVID unlikely to be passed through blood donations
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People who previously had COVID can donate blood without transmitting the virus, according to a National Institute of Health study released Tuesday.
The findings show donors have a less than 1% chance of transmitting the virus as long as any COVID-related symptoms and infections cleared up 14 days prior to donating blood, per U.S Food and Drug Administration guidelines.
The agency s January 2021 guidelines require a physical screening for COVID symptoms and infections. Individuals who test positive for COVID antibodies but never developed symptoms or received an mRNA-based vaccine are able to donate without waiting 14 days. Anyone who tests positive for COVID must wait 14 days before donating, whether or not they have symptoms. There is no requirement to test donated blood samples. Researchers