Covid-19

News

31 Aug 2023
Applied Microbiology International (AMI) is boosting training and development opportunities for early career scientists in journal publishing with the appointment of 14 new junior editors on its flagship journal Letters in Applied Microbiology (LAM). They were selected from more than 100 applicants by the Editor-in-Chief, Dr Marcela Hernández.
30 Aug 2023
How much is adequate screen time for a child? It is the question at the forefront of many parents’ minds. Now, a recent cohort study has found that the amount of screen time spent by one-year-olds is associated with developmental delays.
24 Aug 2023
Study suggests broad-spectrum vaccines with wide coverage necessary to achieve effective immunity against future, functionally-distinct variants.
JHSSR Vol. 5 (1) Jul. 2023
14 Aug 2023
Greetings from JHSSR, Horizon is proud to announce the highly acclaimed publication of the latest issue of 2023, Vol. 5, Issue 1 (Jul. 2023). The issue is now live at the Journal’s webpage. You may explore our range of contributions within this Issue. Explore this issue, click the links below.
28 Jul 2023
Scientists have isolated potent neutralising antibodies from a COVID-19 vaccinated SARS survivor that exhibited remarkable breadth against known sarbecoviruses. The antibodies targeted a conserved region of the spike protein and blocked receptor binding and viral fusion. These findings could guide the development of broadly active therapeutics against current and future coronaviruses.
26 Jun 2023
What scientists learned about the rare antibodies targeting SARS-CoV-2’s Achilles’ heel could help fine-tune our COVID-19 vaccine strategy for longer-lasting immunity.
26 Apr 2023
Singapore scientists find use of healthcare resources, absenteeism and reduced productivity due to mental health issues place a significant burden on Singapore’s economy.
14 Apr 2023
Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are a foldable buggy that can be used on the moon, synthetic nano-nets to help combat antibiotic resistance, and how that new car smell may not be a good thing.
11 Apr 2023
With many countries enacting strict lockdowns in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, economists have begun looking at the wider implications of such policies. Typically, they employ a cost-benefit analysis, but this has certain limitations. To overcome these limitations, a Tohoku University professor has turned to a surprising source: physics
10 Apr 2023
The COVID-19 pandemic has made us more aware of the aerosols that hang around in the air and spread certain infectious diseases. Common dental procedures can be potentially hazardous in this regard. Therefore, it is crucial for researchers to be able to measure how aerosols spread so they can reduce them. A recent study harnessed a high-sensitivity camera and a high intensity LED light source, along with a mannequin and dental air turbine, to measure the spread of aerosols and the effectiveness of various means to reduce them.
27 Mar 2023
Researchers from Osaka University have found that repeated high-dose treatment, known as pulse therapy, with the steroid methylprednisolone reduces in-hospital deaths in COVID-19 patients who receive invasive mechanical ventilation, but not in patients who don’t receive invasive mechanical ventilation. These findings were only possible using appropriate statistical methods to remove bias from the data, which originally seemed to show that the opposite was true. These results can improve patient treatment and reduce COVID-19-related deaths worldwide.
Using heated tobacco product makes severe COVID-19 more likely
23 Mar 2023
A research group from Osaka Metropolitan University investigated the relationship between tobacco use, including heated tobacco products, with the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19. The researchers administered an online survey of living conditions in February 2022 to 30,130 participants aged 16-81 years, finding that heated tobacco product users had significantly higher rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to non-tobacco users. Furthermore, the research group found that among all tobacco users, those who used both heated tobacco products and traditional cigarettes had the highest incidence of requiring hospitalization or oxygen due to COVID-19.
17 Mar 2023
Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are a fish that is both transparent and multicolored, making mice grow antlers, and surgery on a very small heart.
16 Mar 2023
PAXLOVID™ rollout continues with Laos, Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia as international access to oral treatments improves.
15 Mar 2023
An Osaka University study investigated how the COVID-19 onset and media coverage affected hand hygiene compliance. Voluntary use of hand sanitizer in a hospital rose from 5% in December 2019 to 70%+ by August 2020. In the same period, TV coverage reached 7.7 hours/day on a national broadcaster. The study’s simulations found a significant relation between TV coverage and hand hygiene compliance, though no correlation between compliance and newly confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths.
Covid-19 vaccines and syringe
07 Mar 2023
Researchers in Sarawak, Malaysia, measured the immunity responses of people who received different COVID-19 vaccines.
03 Mar 2023
Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are that COVID is transmissible between dogs, a new material created to replace extracted teeth, and a fungi-eating plant that was thought to be extinct.
24 Feb 2023
Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are a robotic hand with a magic touch, a solution to reduce the negative effects of screen time in children, and a team charting dung beetles.
More than half of patients suffer long COVID symptoms
24 Feb 2023
A research group from the Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine conducted a survey of 285 patients regarding the long-term aftereffects of COVID-19. As a result, they revealed that more than half of COVID-19 patients still had residual symptoms, even close to a year afterward. It became clear that fatigue, abnormalities in senses of taste and smell, hair loss, and sleep disorders could persist, regardless of the severity of the initial COVID-19.
Collecting samples at a wastewater treatment plant for the study (Photo provided by Masaaki Kitajima).
21 Feb 2023
Sifting through sewage for SARS-CoV-2 genetic material could help authorities tailor infection control policies.
13 Feb 2023
Team studies discrimination, mental distress, and work impairment in COVID-19 survivors.
13 Feb 2023
Researchers from Osaka University have shown sex-specific differences in the immune response to COVID-19 infection. By identifying and analyzing the immune cell population in COVID-19 patients, they showed that infection results in a reduced ratio of circulating follicular T regulatory (cTfr) cells to a network of antibody-producing proteins, correlated with dysregulated antibody production. This cTfr cell reduction is more significant in males, providing cellular evidence for the observed association between increased risk and male sex.
30 Jan 2023
Researchers from Osaka University compared the sensitivity of rapid antigen tests (RATs) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the Omicron variant of COVID-19 using data produced by the Japan Professional Football League. They found the comparative sensitivity of RATs for Omicron was not affected by the duration from the onset of symptoms to testing.
13 Jan 2023
Researchers led by Osaka University demonstrated the role of endothelial cell-specific protein Roundabout4 (Robo4) in the reduction of vascular permeability and mortality in mouse models of severe infection. The research team identified a drug inhibitor that increased Robo4 expression and reduced mortality in sepsis and SARS-CoV-2 mouse models of infection. These findings may aid in the development of drugs to reduce the mortality rate of severe infectious diseases.
23 Dec 2022
Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are how a wasp uses its genitals to defend itself, a compound commonly found in mushrooms that could delay cognitive decline, and sunshine as a cure for myopia.
19 Dec 2022
Researchers from Osaka University found that the “belief in just deserts”, which is the idea that infected individual deserves to be infected, was associated with attitudes about government restrictions during public health emergencies in the context of the COVID-19 global pandemic. This information could lead to new strategies for combating discrimination, prejudice, and stigma against COVID-19 patients.
15 Dec 2022
Understanding how bats tolerate viral infections, Material separates water from...water, The virtual sense of touch polished to next level and COVID-19 negatively impacted early-careers and female researchers. Read all in the December's Editor's Choice.
13 Dec 2022
A study by Osaka University has shown that the prevalence of non-communicable diseases, which included hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and mental disorders, increased after the Fukushima disaster and the COVID-19 outbreak. These findings emphasize the importance of improving post-disaster health promotion strategies and recommendations.
02 Dec 2022
What if you could tell if your surroundings contained COVID-19 particles or droplets the moment they or you entered the vicinity? This is now closer to reality. A research group has engineered a battery-less, self-powering device that can wirelessly transmit the detection of coronavirus in the air.
29 Nov 2022
Kavli IPMU's Jia Liu is part of team which found the number of astronomy research papers being produced increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the number of new or junior researchers entering the field has dropped, and no single country's female astronomers were able to be more productive than their male colleagues on average.

Events

28 Apr 2022
Organizers: Refinitiv, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, and Asian Development Bank
28 Apr 2022
Some of Asia's top social scientists discuss ways to build an alliance with the region’s policy infrastructure for post-COVID-19 times.
20 Jun 2022
COVID-19 International Innovation Awards (a virtual event), part of MTE 2022 year-long innovation awards programme, is scheduled to return on 20-24 June 2022. The awards are created to acknowledge and celebrate all innovations in response to COVID-19.
25 Jan 2022
With a brand-new focus, join us to explore Asia Healthcare Analytics Summit happening LIVE on 25 & 26 January 2022 via Hopin platform with 30+ Inspiring speakers, 100+ Virtual attendees, 4+ Networking session, 3+ Panel discussions of healthcare experts globally participating in this summit.
24 Nov 2021
To what degree social science and scientists have been involved in national COVID-19 responses across the region to address the pandemic’s multi-dimensional effects? To reflect on this, SEA Junction in collaboration with ARC-UI, GDN and IPSR, MU will host the online event on 24 November, 4.00 to 5.30 pm (Bangkok time, GMT+7).
11 Oct 2021
Pandemics and Policy: Protecting Health and Promoting Economic Recovery
03 Aug 2021
SEA Junction in collaboration with AJAR will hold the 7th #WhatsHappeninginMyanmar Bi-Weekly Updates by Khin Ohmar on 3 August 2021 at 8.00-9.00 pm (Bangkok Time) via Zoom and Facebook Live.
17 Jul 2021
To highlight the challenges, resilience and roles of artists, SEA Junction will hold a blended event on 17 July 2021 with the title of “From Fear to Resilience: Artists Amid the Pandemic”. The gathering will explore the resilience of both traditional and contemporary artists in Thailand and wider Southeast Asia.
07 Jul 2021
The 1st ALTERSEA conference aims to bring together researchers from around the world to reflect on the main issues studied by the Observatory in Southeast Asia: social movements and social activism, as well as less visible initiatives, marginal or infra-political forms of protest and resistance, and what we might consider social systems of political regulation.
26 Oct 2021
The theme of ICFLP this year is ‘Law and Legal Practice in the Post-Pandemic Era: Opportunities, Solutions and Innovations’.
07 Oct 2021
The National Healthcare Group (NHG) is proud to present the 19th Edition of the Singapore Health & Biomedical Congress (SHBC).
14 Jun 2021
Scheduled to return in June 2021, the awards were created to recognize and honour all COVID-19-related inventions.
07 Apr 2021
Join us from 7 to 9 April 2021 at the Precision Public Health Asia 2021 Conference to find out how precision public health can improve health outcomes and equity to deliver ‘personalised’ public health.
18 Feb 2021
Alter Sea, in collaboration with SEA Junction, Fiskom Uksw and Centre Asie du Sud-Est, is pleased to invite you to attend the webinar titled “Alternative Solutions in Facing Covid-19 Across Southeast Asia”. The event will take place on February 18 at 3 pm.
21 Oct 2021
Call for Papers for 2021 conference: People, Power, Politics, Pandemics and Other Perils in Southeast Asia. The event will take place on 21-24 October 2021 at University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, Canada. Deadline: Thursday 8 April 2021. Submit from the link below.
15 Dec 2020
The exhibition provides a platform to showcase the images and stories of migrant workers taken on the field. Opening of photo exhibition is on 15th December 5.30pm - 6.30pm at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.
23 Nov 2020
Global health emergencies look set to be a part of our lives. What awaits us in 2021 and what lessons can we draw from COVID-19 coverage? How can we support newsrooms and journalists for more informed and impactful journalism about global scientific, technical and human challenges? What role does journalism play in seeking solutions for a better world that is both healthy, and sustainable?
15 Oct 2020
The Science Walden Center of South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), in collaboration with Artist Jieun Gu exhibited an art work, along the Taehwa River in Ulsan, S. Korea.
16 Nov 2020
Optimising Clinical Trials | Commercialising Great Science | Partnering for Growth
10 Jul 2020
Tohoku University is hosting an online lecture on COVID-19 on July 10. Led by top virologist Hitoshi Oshitani, the panel will share the latest on the pandemic, and discuss how history, culture and religion can help us understand the challenges ahead.
04 Jul 2020
Tohoku University's Graduate School of Education is hosting a three-part webinar series on how the COVID-19 pandemic is transforming education in the Asia-Pacific region. The event is in English and open to everyone. But spots are limited and registration is required. Details: https://bit.ly/2MT2UFA
The Khwarizmi International Award (KIA) acknowledges the efforts made by researchers, innovators and inventors from across the globe and to appreciate their high quality research work and contributions to different fields of science and technology.
26 Jun 2020
Flattening the Curve with Digital Health: Episode 7 - Australia
18 Jun 2020
Flattening the Curve with Digital Health: Episode 6 - Thailand
10 Jun 2020
Flattening the Curve with Digital Health: Episode 5 - Japan
04 Jun 2020
Flattening the Curve with Digital Health; Episode 4 - Malaysia
23 Sep 2020
Adapting to COVID 19, and driving a pivotal change in drug trials, market penetration, pricing and regulatory compliance
02 Sep 2020
Celebrating and learning from COVID 19 success stories to shape new frontiers in patient experience, healthtech and innovation.
21 May 2020
Flattening the Curve with Digial Health - Episode 2: Singapore
28 May 2020
Flattening the Curve with Digital Health: Episode 3 - South Korea

Researchers

Dr. Niranjan Devkota is a distinguished researcher in climate change, agriculture, and poverty. He actively contributes to policy dialogues and has extensive experience in governmental and non-governmental sectors, demonstrating his commitment to driving positive change.
Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (ASHBi), Kyoto University
Dr. Ashfaq Ahmad Shah (Scientist Daderkoot)
Dr Ashfaq Ahmad Shah 'اشفاک ' born on 6 June 1992, from south Kashmir, Doderkoot ددیرکوٹ Kulgam, Jammu and Kashmir, India is the infection immunity doctoral researcher at the Graphic Era (Deemed to be University), Dehradun, UK, India. Dr Shah is pursuing novel dimensions of infection immunity pertaining to the correlation and impact of phyto-immune components termed phytoalexins and phytoanticipins on the benign immune system of human beings. This parameter of immunology is termed phytoalexin-immunomodulation scrutiny. His area of interest lies in Preclinical and clinical studies, i.e. vaccine adjuvant development, development of anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial compounds, evaluation of antibiotic resistance, study of Immuno-modulatory activities, disease model studies, protease isolation against specific protein antigens, and the discipline of Kalology including tyrosinase inhibition, PPO inhibition, skin whitening agents, kerato-peeling etc. Dr Ashfaq is a Doctoral Researcher, Reviewer and Editorial member of several journals and books. He is having several publications in journals of national and international repute. So far he has published more than thirty scopus infection/immunology/pharmacology scientific papers, including Fifteen international book chapters and two international books. Mr Shah received the Young scientist award in August 2023 for his groundbreaking academic performance in the field of infection immunity. Mr Shah has also been an editor of Wikipedia pages in medical science since 2015 with more than 1000 edits in medical topics available to medical literature worldwide.
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
Cheng Siang Tan
Dr. Cheng-Siang Tan is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). He is an expert in infectious and emerging diseases and biosafety and biorisk management.
Ilham Akhsanu Ridlo is an early-career researcher and assistant professor at Indonesia's Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Airlangga. He is a Ph.D. student at Institut für Kommunikationswissenschaft und Medienforschung (IfKW), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. Ilham believes science communication is crucial in bridging the gap between research practice and health policy implementation. His research area concerns how scientists and journalists influence decision-makers to understand scientific uncertainty in public health.
The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Matthew Tay
Dr. Tay has researched antibodies and diseases like malaria and SARS-CoV-2 at A*STAR. His focus is on discovering methods for developing antibodies that can be used in therapies against multidrug-resistant pathogens.
I am a Health Economist/Researcher, working with UN agencies in the development of policy documents for developing countries including Nepal, Ethiopia and Pakistan.
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
Department of Microbiology / Biomolecular Sciences Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia
University of Malaya
Ridha is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and is jointly an associate member of Advanced Manufacturing and Materials Processing (AMMP) Center at the University of Malaya.
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
Dr. Fariha is a Senior Lecturer and a Civil Engineer at Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. She is actively conducting research on Kenaf-sorb beads that is potentially for wastewater treatment at the factory’s effluent point.
Dr. Mohammed N. Abdulrazaq is currently an Assoc. Prof. at Department of Engineering & Technology, Management & Science University (MSU), Malaysia.
Taylors university
Dr Chin Chin Sia is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Business & Law, Taylor's University, Malaysia.
Universiti Malaysia Sabah
Dr. Connie Cassy Ompok is an early childhood education expert and a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Psychology and Education, Universiti Malaysia Sabah. She Started her career in Early Childhood Education as a preschool teacher (2004-2007), a lecturer in early childhood education at the Malaysian Institute of Teacher Education (2008-2016) before serving as a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education at UMS (2016 until now).
Currently a research assistant in the laboratory of green energy in Zhejiang University of Technology.
Picture of Nisha Arunatilake
Nisha Arunatilake has been a Research Fellow at IPS since 2000 and was appointed as the Director of Research in January 2018. She has extensive post-doctoral experience in conducting policy related economic research in labour market analysis, education, public finance and health.
I am a sociologist studying domestic violence and sexual violence situations and measures in Japan, and am the director of two NGOs, All Japan Women’s Shelter Network and Rape Crisis Center in Hiroshima. As an NGO activist, we, All Japan Women’s Shelter Network, submitted “The Request for the Prevention of DV and Child Abuse under the Condition of Novel Coronavirus Countermeasures” to the Japanese government on March 30. This letter of request drew more attention than we expected, and many newspapers and TV quickly covered the issue. A lot of people have talked about this online. The prime minister and minister of gender equality have since addressed the issue in statements, and the Cabinet has approved emergency funding for expanded consultation services.
International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Picture of Navsharan Singh
I have researched and published extensively on informal sector workers, especially women workers and I understand the their precarity of work and lives. I have also been working on the vulnerability of Internally Displaced People and those affected by mass sectarian violence. COVID-19 impacts these groups very significantly and in very specific ways.
Professor Nilanjan published a study which yielded findings on how individuals with a higher socioeconomic status (SES) are more likely to have jobs that provide opportunities for remote work to be performed, which allows for social distancing during the pandemic. Her study also explores how likely individuals with low SES will begin to break social distancing measures and be exposed to a greater risk of infection, but those with high SES are able to circumvent this problem.
The Asian Institute of Technology
My research is on women migrant factory workers as well as women in fisheries in the Mekong region, Thailand, where I have been studying for the last decade through various research projects. These group of women workers are the most dynamic as well as vulnerable in the region.
Duke-NUS Medical School
Linfa Wang
Professor Linfa Wang is a Professor with the Emerging Infectious Diseases Programme at Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
Associate Professor Sophia Archuleta is the Head and Senior Consultant of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the National University Hospital, Singapore.
I am a socio-cultural anthropologist and faculty member at Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh, pursuing my graduate research on Rohingya refugee policy at University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, USA.
Dr NK Prasanna
Dr NK Prasanna is currently working as Sr. Scientist & Editor, Indian Journal of Biochemistry & Biophysics, Research Journals Division at CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research, New Delhi. Before joining CSIR (NIScPR), she was at IIT Guwahati. Dr Prasanna completed her Ph.D from Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. In CSIR-NIScPR, She served one important flagship journals viz. Indian journal of Biochemistry and Biophysics (IJBB; ISSN: 0301-1208) It is pertinent to mention that the journal ranks first among all the NIScPR journals as per the available Journal Metrics by international agencies such as Thomson Reuters and Scopus. Details of remarkable academic achievements of IJBB which she spearheading, both nationally and globally. The Indian journal of Biochemistry and Biophysics (IJBB) is a premier SCI-indexed bimonthly peer-reviewed research journal that publishes original research articles in the subject area of biochemistry and biophysics
Jyoti U. Devkota is a Full Professor of Statistics in the Department of Mathematics in Kathmandu University, Nepal. Her research focus is on the development and application of statistical methodology to solve problems in renewable energy, population and health.
International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM)
Ramzi is an Assistant Professor at International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).
International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM)
Professor at Department of Landscape Architecture, KAED, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Research interests include urban design/urban landscape, cultural landscape, residential landscape, GIS and human-computer interaction, and environmental planning.
Enlightened Myanmar Research Foundation (EMReF)
Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Enlightened Myanmar Research Foundation (EMReF)
Janhavi Dave is the International Coordinator of HomeNet South Asia.
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)
Prof. Maggie Hu is currently an Assistant Professor of Real Estate and Finance at The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Duke-NUS Medical School
Dr Danielle Anderson is the Scientific Director of the Duke-NUS Medical School ABSL3 laboratory.
ICDDR,B: Centre for Health and Population Research
Infectious Disease Epidemiologist
Prof. Mahmudur Rahman is an Infectious Disease Epidemiologist. He is enlisted in the IHR roster of Experts and included in the Emergency committees of MERS CoV, Ebola and Poliomyelitis. He is also the Current Chair and member in different committees of WHO.

Giants in history

Wu Lien-teh (10 March 1879 – 21 January 1960) was a Malaysian-born doctor who invented a mask that effectively suppressed disease transmission. Winning the prestigious Queen’s Scholarship enabled Wu to become the first Chinese student to study medicine at the University of Cambridge.