The development of vaccines that effectively block infection by and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 has become a major priority. They must incite the production of neutralizing antibodies, since several recent studies have shown that levels of these antibodies in the blood are linked to protection against reinfection. These antibodies target the spike viral protein and block […]

The international day of education took place on the 24th of January. It provided an opportunity to evaluate the effects of COVID-19 on the health of children and adolescents. The closure of schools, the lockdowns and on-line teaching have all had an effect on their physical and mental health. For the youngest children, the first […]

SARS-CoV-2 has brought about an unprecedented worldwide crisis, affecting health and economies across nations.  By January 2021, more than 85 million people had been infected and the illness had caused more than 1.8 million deaths. There is currently a demand for vaccines that goes far beyond production capacities. This situation has obliged governments to put […]

Following an infection, mature B lymphocytes produce antibodies that target the pathogenic agent but have a limited life span. However, some of them remain in germinal centres (lymph nodes, spleen) where they multiply and continue to refine their antibody qualities. Their life span is longer: these are the memory B lymphocytes that are called upon […]

The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 is the result of zoonotic transmission, that is, from animal to man. This type of transmission risks being at the origin of more and more epidemics since human activities tend to promote close contact with animal reservoirs. The current crisis is itself a symptom of other future problems. It is […]

SARS-CoV-2, responsible for the COVID-19 outbreak, is a virus belonging to the coronavirus family. This family includes 4 species of virus causing benign endemics in humans (HCoVs). It also includes 2 other species (MERS-CoV and Sars-CoV-1) that have recently emerged and which can cause serious illness. The SARS-CoV-2 proteins are relatively different from the proteins […]

SARS-CoV-2 can lead to serious respiratory illness and death, but its ability to spread asymptomatically sets it apart from SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV. In the latter, when these viruses enter the target cell, the spike protein interacts with the ACE2 cellular receptor. But the SARS-CoV-2 spike is more refined in its approach to ACE2 than that […]

Manaus is one of the most affected cities in Brazil. Despite having reached levels of infection where herd immunity should occur (see News-COVID-19.info letter December 14-20 2020), it nevertheless succumbed to a second wave in December 2020. As a consequence, 31 samples were taken in order to try to understand the resurgence of the pandemic; […]

The COVID-19 epidemic – caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus – began in China but spread rapidly. On the 20 January 2021, there were more than 96 million infected people worldwide, with more than 2 million deaths. The successful development of vaccines has been extremely quick. The first documented case of COVID-19 dates from the 1st […]

Several vaccines have been developed in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Amongst them are 2 vaccines, those of  Moderna  and of Pfizer BioNTech, that are based on mRNA technology. These vaccines are effective, safe and now in widespread use to prevent symptoms of the illness. To test them, American researchers recently analysed the antibodies […]