COVID-19

Universal vaccine

Researchers are trying to develop a broad-spectrum vaccine capable of protecting people against all types of coronaviruses and their variants

Mixed protection

Preliminary studies suggest that combining two different vaccines could be useful in the fight against the pandemic

Warning from the deep

Monitoring the novel coronavirus in sewage systems improves epidemiological surveillance in Brazilian cities

Vaccines in the real world

CoronaVac and Covishield effectiveness tested in Serrana and Botucatu, two towns in the state of São Paulo

Linamara Rizzo Battistella: In defense of movement

The physician who helped establish Brazil's policy on the rights of people with disabilities now fights to rehabilitate Covid-19 patients

Limited use

ANVISA authorizes the use of three COVID-19 drugs, but they are expensive and designed only for specific situations

Severe illness in children

A rare syndrome linked to the novel coronavirus causes lesions in multiple organs

Focus on the genome

Brazil is still behind in monitoring Sars-CoV-2 genetics, but an injection of funding for research networks and the acquisition of materials could improve the situation

In real time

Academic initiatives are collecting personal accounts of memories and mourning experienced during the pandemic

All eyes on ButanVac

New vaccine candidate uses a more stable version of the spike protein

Patent waivers under debate

Suspending intellectual property rights for vaccines needs to overcome technology and production hurdles if it is to be successful

Education at risk

Prolonged school closings and unequal access to distance learning is causing increased student dropouts and learning-acquisition gaps

Complex choices

Bioethics committees have become increasingly important in solving dilemmas brought about by the pandemic, but few hospitals have them

A town turned laboratory

Epidemiological studies, such as the one led in the town of Serrana, São Paulo, should provide valuable information about the pandemic

New vaccines on the way

Butantan Institute and federal government plan to start human trials of two vaccine candidates in the coming months

The evolution of a virus

Low vaccination rates and lack of control over SARS-CoV-2 circulation is increasing the likelihood that more transmissible and lethal variants will emerge

Research during quarantine

Eurico Arruda: Admirer of viruses

Coronavirus specialist and USP physician speaks about the new variants of SARS-CoV-2 and the risk they represent in the efficacy of some vaccines

The expected effect of vaccines

Administering vaccines on a large scaled will tell us whether, in addition to protecting against the disease, they are also able to prevent infection by SARS-CoV-2

Breathless emerging economies

Lack of public and private investment heightens the dependence of Brazil and South Africa on vaccines from other countries, unlike the other BRICS members

Obstacle course

Research centers working on vaccines for the novel coronavirus in Brazil face major hurdles

Combat strategy

Research networks seeking to strengthen dialogue with the public authorities arise in response to the pandemic

Dimas Covas: The trajectory of Butantan

The hematologist from USP readies the São Paulo institute to fight the pandemic and has plans to transform it into one of the world’s top producers of vaccines and serums

vaccine. Now what?

The introduction of vaccines in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic raises new challenges

A more balanced game

Approved for emergency use, CoronaVac is the first vaccine to be offered in Brazil

The mutation risk

New strains of SARS-Cov-2, such as the one identified in the United Kingdom in December, could make the pathogen more transmissible and virulent

The era of genetic vaccines

The vaccines from BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna result from historical investments in messenger RNA technology leading to the creation of new products

Distribution challenges

Governments need to work with pharmaceutical and logistics companies to overcome obstacles to start the SARS-CoV-2 immunization campaign

Approval strategy

Amid uncertainty, São Paulo announces state vaccination plan

“When I woke up, it was wonderful to realize that I was still alive.”