During the 1st wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, between April and July 2020, many countries banned non-essential travel so as to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2. After the 1st wave, many European countries lifted these restrictions. States adopted different border surveillance systems, such as allowing travel only to countries with low rates of the virus, […]

SARS-CoV-2 causes infection of the upper respiratory passages causing respiratory disease or even multiple organ failure that can lead to death. These pathologies are a priori the result of over-activation of the immune system, known as a cytokine storm, rather than infection by the virus itself. The entry of a virus, SARS-CoV-2 for example, into […]

In August 2021, the World Health Organisation (WHO) designated 4 variants as “of concern” (Variants of Concern, VOC): the Alpha/UK, the Beta/South African, the Gamma/Brazilian and the Delta/Indian variants. This classification was based on their abilities to spread and to escape immune responses, and on their virulence. Amongst the 21 vaccines that have been urgently […]

Mass vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is the best means we have of controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. The Moderna and Pfizer mRNA vaccines, which are based on immunity created by targeting the spike protein which governs the entry of the virus into the cell, have been shown to be more than 94% effective in preventing symptomatic cases. […]

The first wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections in mid-2020 was more or less brought under control in India through a national lockdown. However, since March 2021, the country has experienced an explosion in cases due to the lifting of certain restrictions and the emergence of the Delta variant, at the end of 2020. This variant seemed […]

The African continent represents less than 4% of worldwide cases and deaths linked to COVID-19. However, these figures are possibly an under-estimation, since the 2nd wave of the pandemic in January 2021 was much more widespread in numerous countries. The majority of these countries quickly put preventive health measures in place, notably concerning international travel […]

The aim of artificial intelligence (AI) is that machines are able to imitate real intelligence. Artificial neural networks are made up of computer servers capable of processing complex calculations from large databases. AI and the resulting processed data are dynamic, since the machine is constantly learning thanks to the algorithms developed by researchers. AI holds […]

Anti-COVID smartphone apps that enable contact tracing would seem to be a useful tool against the pandemic. These apps allow the tracing of infected people and their close contacts and advise those affected to be tested and to self-isolate. But they pose two major problems. Firstly, since these apps can transmit very personal information, how […]

The health of COVID-19 patients can quickly degenerate. It is therefore crucial to be able to identify risks and treat them according to the clinical situation. When a case progresses towards the severe state, levels of suPAR (soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor) rise more rapidly and sooner than other known biomarkers of severity (CRP, IL-6, […]

  At the beginning of the pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 infected people who had never met with any kind of similar virus, and who therefore had no antibodies adapted to the situation. It then became more transmissible due to the rapid appearance of the D416G mutation (in the spike) and the P323L mutation (in the polymerase). A […]