Industry News

How Does the Monkeypox Virus Spread?

The monkeypox virus spreads through close contact with an infected animal or person. Or it can spread when a person handles materials such as blankets that have been in contact with someone who has monkeypox. The monkeypox virus spreads from person to person through: • Direct contact with rashes, scabs or body fluids of a person with monkeypox. • Extended …

The Four Most Important Criteria to Choose a Swab for Cleaning Validation

In pharmaceutical manufacturing, the product must not be contaminated by previous product as well as it should not be contaminated with the cleaning agent used for equipment cleaning. To verify the cleaning process it is validated by taking the sample from various parts of cleaned equipment that is to be used in the manufacturing process and these samples are analyzed …

Children as Young as Age Four Can Self-Swab for COVID-19 Testing

A new study suggests that school aged children can swab their own samples for COVID-19 testing, according to clinical researchers from Atlanta’s Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Before this study, the FDA imposed regulations that prevented children younger than age 14 years from self-swabbing for COVID-19. New data led researchers to suggest updating this policy …

Shanghai Refutes Rumors That Nucleic Acid Testing Will Increase the Risk of Throat Cancer

Recently, there has been another rumor that “nucleic acid/antigen sampling swabs are toxic”. This time, the rumor-mongers are even more abhorrent. They not only used the “poisonous cotton swabs” pictures that have been clarified by the Shanghai rumor-refuting platform, have no scientific basis, and are full of errors, but also add fuel to the rumors and say “prediction: after this …

How to Choose the Right Transport Medium for Influenza Virus Isolation

The success of the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 (2019-nCoV) during the COVID-19 outbreak depends largely on the quality of the specimen and the conditions under which the specimen is transported and stored before being processed in the laboratory. The RT-qPCR diagnosis of COVID-19 requires nasopharyngeal swab specimens. This sample is then deposited in viral transport medium (VTM). There are two main …

China to Balance COVID-19 Fight and Economic Development

A medical worker takes a swab sample from a resident for nucleic acid testing in Jilin city, Jilin province, June 21, 2022. China’s fight against the COVID-19 epidemic has entered the stage that stresses striking a balance between disease control and social and economic development, Li Bin, vice-minister of the National Health Commission, said on Saturday. He said global COVID-19 …

Respiratory Virus Specimen Collection Procedure

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a very contagious, common viral respiratory infection. RSV testing detects the presence of respiratory syncytial virus in nasal secretions to help diagnose the infection. Acceptable specimens for these tests are nasal/pharyngeal (NP) swabs or nasal washes/aspirations. Specimen Collection Nasal/Pharyngeal Swab   Specimen is to be collected on a cotton, rayon, or Dacron swab with an …

Hong Kong to shorten quarantine period on arrival

Starting from Friday, visitors from overseas and Taiwan will undergo a seven-day quarantine consisting of three days at hotel and four days at home, the city’s top leader announced on Monday. Speaking to the media, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said those confirmed positive of COVID-19 after nucleic acid tests will receive a red code on the Leavehomesafe …

How is the Sample Collected for RSV Testing?

Sample collection technique is critical in RSV testing (respiratory syncytial virus testing). The best and most frequently used sample is a nasal aspirate or wash. A syringe is used to push a small amount of sterile saline into the nose, then gentle suction is applied (for the aspirate) or the resulting fluid is collected into a cup (for a wash). …

What is the Difference Between COVID-19 PCR Test, Antigen Test, and Antibody Test?

There are two kinds of tests available for COVID-19: viral tests and antibody tests. RT-PCR test and antigen test are both viral test which detects the presence of SAR-CoV-2 from upper respiratory samples. The RT-PCR test targets the genomic information of the virus (RNA); however, the COVID-19 antigen test kit detects pieces of proteins that make up the SARS-CoV-2 virus. …

China’s COVID-19 Oral Pill Gets Regulatory Approval

China’s top drug regulator said on Monday it has granted conditional approval for a homegrown oral pill to be used to treat COVID-19. Azvudine, developed by Genuine Biotech Co Ltd based in Henan province, was first approved to treat HIV/AIDS patients on July 20 last year, according to the National Medical Products Administration. The approval clears the way for the …

Omicron Variant able to infect wide range of animals

The Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus can infect a broader range of animals than the original strain and the Delta strain, underscoring the significance of monitoring for the virus in susceptible species to prevent further mutations and spillover to humans, according to a recent study conducted by Chinese researchers. By comparing the receptor binding capability-a key step for viral …