EurekAlert! COVID-19 Online Newsroom - Latest News Releases

Latest News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 31-May-2026 08:15 ET (31-May-2026 12:15 GMT/UTC)

Doubling of new prescriptions for ADHD medications among adults since start of COVID-19 pandemic

Canadian Medical Association Journal
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New prescriptions for stimulants among adults, largely to treat ADHD, more than doubled since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in younger adults, found new research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.251065.

Journal: Canadian Medical Association Journal

New book examines how COVID-19 crisis entrenched inequality for women around the world

Simon Fraser University
Book Announcement

A newly released compendium, Feminism and COVID-19: How Women Fare in the Face of a Global Crisis, is revealing how women across the world were simultaneously critical for the success of the global COVID-19 response, and disproportionately impacted by the pandemic’s secondary effects, such as lost income, and increased unpaid care work and violence.

Book co-editors, Dr. Julia Smith of Simon Fraser University and Dr. Clare Wenham from the London School of Economics, gathered together a unique multidisciplinary and transnational team of authors and experts who examined nine case studies of the COVID-19 response and its global and local impacts on women from Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Hong Kong, Kenya, Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

How viruses mess with our brains

Université de Genève
Peer-Reviewed Publication

What impact does a viral infection have on our memory, attention, and concentration? The COVID-19 pandemic has reignited interest in this question, which has now been extended to other infections such as HIV, herpes, and hepatitis. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and Geneva University Hospital (HUG) reviewed over 900 scientific articles exploring the links between the immune system and cognitive functions. This analysis, published in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, has identified several biological markers associated with cognitive decline in the context of infection. It also provides a solid foundation for future research.

Journal: Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

Machine-learning immune-system analysis study may hold clues to personalized medicine

York University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study led by York University found that not only could machine-learning models accurately pinpoint differences in healthy controls and those living with HIV, but also found outliers in both groups that provide fascinating glimpses into the complex nature of the immune system and what personalized medicine could look like in the future, accounting for variables such as age, comorbidities and genetics.

Journal: Patterns

Children’s development set back years by Covid lockdowns, study reveals

University of East Anglia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research reveals that Covid lockdowns set children's development back by years. The study shows how the pandemic hampered children’s ability to regulate their behaviour, stay focused and adapt to new situations. The greatest impact was seen among pupils who were in reception year (ages four-five) when the first lockdowns began - a crucial stage when youngsters normally learn to socialise, follow routines and navigate the busy world of the classroom.

The team say that children may still be feeling the effects years later.

Journal: Child Development

Study finds natural fungal supplement improves COVID-19 vaccine response

University of California - San Diego
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A UC San Diego study shows that taking a mushroom-derived supplement during COVID-19 vaccination was safe, eased short-term side effects, and supported longer-lasting immune responses, particularly for people receiving their first vaccine.

Journal: BMC Immunology

A therapeutic target that would curb the spread of coronaviruses has been identified

Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Barcelona
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Coronaviruses not only use the machinery of the human cells they infect: they modify it to achieve optimal conditions to produce viral proteins and thus spread more quickly. This is the main conclusion of a study by Pompeu Fabra University published in Nature Communications. The study identifies enzymes that modify transfer RNAs (tRNAs) –small cellular parts required to build proteins– as key elements for coronavirus infection. These enzymes are activated by the stress response of viral infection and could be a new therapeutic target for developing broad-spectrum antiviral drugs against coronaviruses.

Journal: Nature Communications

Study identifies molecular cause of taste loss after COVID

University of Colorado Anschutz
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists have identified molecular and structural changes in taste buds that may explain why a small subset of people experience long-term taste loss after COVID-19 infection.

Journal: Chemical Senses

Long COVID and recovery among US adults

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: In 2024, 8.3% of U.S. adults—an estimated 21.3 million—reported ever having long COVID (LC), among whom nearly 6 in 10 reported recovery, consistent with RECOVER initiative findings showing similar LC prevalence in 2023 and 2024 and longitudinal Veterans Affairs data demonstrating declining LC prevalence. Yet many adults, particularly those 35 years or older, continue to experience lasting symptoms. With no LC treatment demonstrating clear efficacy, greater investment in understanding biological mechanisms, including immunotypic differences between those who recover and those who do not, may provide insights into pathways of persistence and potential targets for intervention.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

NUS Medicine-Monash study: Intranasal vaccine booster shows stronger immune response and protection against sarbecoviruses

National University of Singapore, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Monash University have developed a vaccine booster candidate administered via the nasal route, which confers strong immunity in the respiratory tract. The study offers a promising strategy to enhance immunity and inform future booster approaches.

Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation

COVID-19 infection predicts higher risk of kidney disease, study finds

Penn State
Peer-Reviewed Publication

People with prior COVID-19 infection have a significantly higher risk of acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease and kidney failure compared to those who had influenza or no infection, according to a new study from researchers at Penn State College of Medicine.

Journal: Communications Medicine

Differing immune responses in infants may explain increased severity of RSV over SARS-CoV-2

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Investigate research from St. Jude & The Jackson Labs explaining why infants get more severe disease from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) than SARS-CoV-2.

Journal: Science Translational Medicine

Citizens engage with information in different ways during a crisis – understanding this can support public authorities’ communication efforts

University of Eastern Finland
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The COVID-19 pandemic was a major health crisis that challenged citizens’ information management routines. Epistemic ideals guided how people scanned and filtered information, engaged with it and adapted their behaviour accordingly. Conducted in Finland, a recent study found that four distinctive profiles characterise citizens’ engagement with information.

Journal: International Journal of Public Sector Management

Tulane study reveals key differences in long-term brain effects of COVID-19 and flu

Tulane University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An analysis comparing the effects of influenza versus COVID-19 in mice found differences in how lungs heal after infection and potentially shed light on why COVID-19 causes neurological issues such as brain fog.

Journal: Frontiers in Immunology
Funder: NIH

36 months later: Distance learning in the wake of COVID-19

Florida Museum of Natural History
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The COVID-19 pandemic had an immediate effect on how educators at museums and science centers interacted with their audiences, with many transitioning to online content. A new study assesses the state of online museum programming three years after the pandemic’s onset to find out what worked and what didn’t.

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