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<keyword id="6368596" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="boston">Boston</keyword>, Scientists have charted the first atlas showing how the <keyword id="1231121" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="genetic-material">genetic material</keyword> of the novel coronavirus interacts with the <keyword id="22999" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="proteins">proteins</keyword> in human cells, an advance which may provide a starting point for the development of new treatments against COVID-19. According to the <keyword id="6354645" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="researchers">researchers</keyword>, including those from Broad Institute in the US, one of the most urgent tasks is to understand all the <keyword id="8529201" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="molecular-interactions">molecular interactions</keyword> between the virus and the cells it infects. They explained that a detailed understanding of these interactions will help identify the processes in host cells which favour the multiplication of the virus, and the ones which activate the host immune system. While the SARS-CoV-2 virus uses host proteins to replicate, the scientists said until now, there has been no detailed understanding of all the proteins occurring in human cells which interact with the viral genetic material -- its RNA. In the current research, published in the journal Nature Microbiology, the scientists created the first global atlas of direct interactions between the SARS-CoV-2 RNA and the proteins present in human cells. Based on the findings, the researchers also identified important regulators of viral replication. The scientists infected human cells with the novel coronavirus, purified the viral RNA and identified the proteins bound to it. "In this particular case, we were able to perform quantitative measurements to identify the strongest specific binding partners," said study co-author Mathias Munschauer from <keyword id="10498406" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-helmholtz-institute">the Helmholtz Institute</keyword> for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) in Germany. The scientists said the atlas of RNA-protein interactions offers unique insights into SARS-CoV-2 infections, enabling the systematic breakdown of factors influencing the replication of the virus, and host defense strategies -- a crucial prerequisite for the development of new therapeutics. From the results, the scientists identified 18 host proteins that play an important role during SARS-CoV-2 infection, and found 20 small molecules that may inhibit these proteins. They believe the two proteins CNBP and LARP1 are particularly interesting. The researchers also identified target sites in these proteins that could be used to inhibit the replication of the virus. According to Munschauer, the characterization of LARP1 as an antiviral factor is a major finding. "The way LARP1 binds to viral RNA is very interesting, because it is similar to the way LARP1 regulates certain cellular messenger RNAs that we already know. This in turn provides insights into possible mechanisms of action," he added. According to the scientists, three out of four small molecules they tested inhibited viral replication in different human cell types -- findings that may open up new ways to treat COVID-19. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-stocks-to-watch-mrs-bectors-ril-bharti-airtel-vodafone-idea-ilfs-interglobe-aviation-future-group-deepak-nitrite-jubilant-foodworks-and-others/articleshow/79933826.cms">Top stocks to watch – Mrs Bectors, RIL, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, IL&amp;FS, InterGlobe Aviation, Future Group, Deepak Nitrite, Jubilant FoodWorks, and others</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/there-are-one-of-only-17-indian-companies-out-of-500-that-aced-the-du-pont-test/articleshow/79911627.cms">There are one of only 17 Indian companies out of 500 that aced the Du Pont test</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/wipro-buyback-offer-details-and-700-million-metro-ag-deal-drives-share-price/articleshow/79911875.cms">Wipro offers 10% more to buy back shares and signs a $700 million deal with Metro AG – everything that’s driving the IT services stock higher today</a>

Scientists decode how Coronavirus interacts with proteins in human cells

Berlin, May 5 () Several drugs approved for the treatment of hepatitis C viral infection have been identified as potential candidates against COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, according to a study based on extensive calculations using supercomputer simulations. Researchers from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) in Germany simulated the way that about 42,000 different substances listed in open databases bind to certain proteins of SARS-CoV-2, and thereby inhibit the penetration of the virus into the human body or its multiplication. Using the powerful MOGON II supercomputer operated by JGU and the Helmholtz Institute Mainz, the researchers made more than 30 billion single calculations within two months. They found that compounds from the four hepatitis C drugs simeprevir, paritaprevir, grazoprevir, and velpatasvir have a high affinity to bind SARS-CoV-2 very strongly and may therefore be able to prevent infection. "This computer simulation method is known as molecular docking and it has been recognised and used for years. It is much faster and less expensive than lab experiments," said Professor Thomas Efferth from JGU, lead author of the study published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization. "As far as we know, we were the first to have used molecular docking with SARS-CoV-2. And it is fantastic news that we have found a number of approved hepatitis C drugs as promising candidates for treatment," Efferth said. The results are also supported by the fact that both SARS-CoV-2 and the hepatitis C virus are a virus of the same type, a so-called single-stranded RNA virus, explained Efferth. According to the researchers, a natural substance from the Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), which has been used in Asia against various other diseases for some time now, might be another strong candidate against SARS-CoV-2. "Our research results now need to be checked in laboratory experiments and clinical studies," said Efferth. Molecular docking had already been used successfully in the search for active substances against the coronaviruses MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV, he added. SARSAR

Hepatitis C drugs may help fight COVID-19, supercomputer simulations suggest

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The seabed of the <keyword id="12683576" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="southern-ocean" source="Orion">Southern Ocean</keyword> around <keyword id="12266096" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="antarctica" source="Orion">Antarctica</keyword> is still poorly understood. </li><li>A large international study has been piecing together sonar data to scan the ocean floor. </li></ul>Scientists have published a map showing the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/national-geographic-adds-fifth-southern-ocean-to-maps-2021-6?r=US&amp;IR=T">Southern Ocean</a> floor in unprecedented detail.The new images, generated from sonar data that took years to collect, show canyons, ridges, and mountains deep under the water.The map was <a href="https://rdcu.be/cO8h2">published in the peer-reviewed journal Scientific Data on Tuesday</a>. It is part of the Nippon Foundation <a href="https://seabed2030.org/faq">General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) Seabed 2030 project</a>, which aims to map the entire ocean floor by 2030.<div type="image" title="A picture of the Southern Ocean seafloor shows the relief of formations deep underwater." height="2000" width="2000" msid="92089187" hostid="261"></div>About 21% of the world's seabeds have been precisely mapped so far, the foundation said."The map is so important as it provides the most accurate knowledge on the shape of the seafloor," Boris Dorschel lead author of the paper, told Insider in an email. Dorschel is a senior scientist at the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research in Germany and head of the regional center southern ocean of the seabed 2030 Project."It is a visual extension of the terrestrial world we know below the waves. We now can see canyons, channels, and mounts in great detail in many places," Dorschel said.<div type="image" title="A zoom of the southern ocean map from the The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project" height="1306" width="1741" msid="92089188" hostid="261"></div>The map was drawn by compiling measurements taken by ships navigating the waters around Antarctica, a practice called bathymetry.It provides crucial information that can improve climate-change models by giving better information about how the world's oceans move.The shape of the seabed changes the way the ocean water mixes, and hence its temperature, in turn influencing temperatures around the world.<div type="image" title="A zoom of the southern ocean map from the The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project" height="1306" width="1741" msid="92089189" hostid="261"></div>Better mapping could also help efforts to conserve marine life, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-61723806">per the BBC.</a> Fish and other animals tend to congregate around underwater mountains, so knowing where those are can help people find the right areas to conserve."Personally I cannot stop moving over the map and enjoying the sight," said Dorschel, the project leader.

Hi-res images show the ocean floor around Antarctica in unprecedented detail

<keyword id="156223" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Preschool">Preschool</keyword> and <keyword id="5164" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="school-children">school children</keyword> in Germany have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, three to four times more than reported via PCR testing during the second wave, a <keyword id="6355244" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="study">study</keyword> has revealed. Preschool children showed an <keyword id="11073470" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="antibody-frequency">antibody frequency</keyword> of 5.6 per cent from October 2020 to February 2021. Among school children who were tested between November 2020 and February 2021, the figure was as high as 8.4 per cent. Overall, the antibody frequency at the end of the second wave (January and February 2021) was about eight times higher compared to the end of the first wave (April to July 2020), revealed the study published in the journal Med. "Children are often said to be less likely infected compared to adults. However, the data for this assumption is sparse. The results of our study clearly show that both preschool and school children are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection," explained Anette-Gabriele Ziegler, from Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Munich-Neuherberg, Germany. "To better control infections in this population group, adequate measures to contain the spread of the virus in kindergartens and schools could be helpful," Ziegler said. The significant increase is the result of higher exposure to the virus in the fall and winter, school openings and novel more infectious virus variants, said the researchers, adding that <keyword id="11073471" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="more-infections">more infections</keyword> compared to reported cases "may be due to asymptomatic cases in childhood". Among the 446 children who tested positive in the second wave, the proportion of antibody-positive children without symptoms was 68 per cent among pre-schoolers. Among school-aged children, it was 51.2 per cent. The children were part of the screening study "Fr1da", led by Ziegler in Bavaria, to identify early stage of Type-1 diabetes. No association between Type-1 diabetes and Covid-19 was found in the children. During the first wave in Germany in spring 2020, the team detected a SARS-CoV-2 antibody frequency of 0.87 per cent in the children who took part in the study. This means that six times more children in Bavaria were infected with the coronavirus than reported via PCR tests, the researchers stated. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/nokia-x20-specifications-nokia-new-phones-price-in-india/articleshow/81981039.cms">Six new Nokia smartphones announced – price, specifications and availability details you should know</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/founders-take-note-heres-why-most-startups-fail/articleshow/81981138.cms">Founders, take note: here’s why most startups fail</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/google-phone-app-now-lets-you-record-calls-automatically-from-unknown-numbers/articleshow/81982791.cms">Google Phone app now lets you record calls automatically from unknown numbers</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/adar-poonawalla-serum-institute-of-india-has-bought-stake-policybazaar/articleshow/81985425.cms">Serum Institute of India buys into IPO-bound insurance unicorn PolicyBazaar, as True North sells part stake in secondary sale</a>

Scientists report more infections in kids in second wave of COVID-19

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><a href="http://disc.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gesNews/airs_christmas_ice_storm">NASA Goddard Scientific Visualization Studio</a>Global image of surface temperature between December 23-25, 2013. Dark blue is -36 degrees Fahrenheit and dark red is 89 degrees Fahrenheit.</div></div></div> It's no surprise that climate change is raising summer temperatures in many parts of the globe, but what you might not know is where most of that extra heat is going.<a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mystery-of-ocean-heat-deepens-as-climate-changes/">Scientists</a> <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=tbtEAAAAQBAJ&amp;pg=PA472&amp;lpg=PA472&amp;dq=90%25+of+heat+from+global+warming+is+going+into+the+ocean&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=SOV3Kra8O-&amp;sig=B8cOkCscN5uMiUsOQXAvEaloAXU&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0CF0Q6AEwCWoVChMI0IDew8KPxwIVRRs-Ch01QAxi#v=onepage&amp;q=90%25%20of%20heat%20from%20global%20warming%20is%20going%20into%20the%20ocean&amp;f=false">estimate</a> <a href="http://www.livescience.com/28248-deep-ocean-warming.html">that</a> as much as 90% of it is heading straight into our oceans, and that has major consequences not only for marine wildlife but for the world's economy.The average surface temperature around the world has increased by roughly <a href="http://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/global-temperature/">1.08 degrees Fahrenheit</a> over the last 40 years, but that number would be a lot larger if it weren't for the oceans."To date, the oceans have essentially been the planet's refrigerator and carbon dioxide storage locker," Hans-Otto Pörtner, who is a researcher at the Alref Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centra for Polar and Marine Research, told <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150703135248.htm">ScienceDaily</a>. "For instance, since the 1970s they've absorbed roughly 93% of the additional heat produced by the greenhouse effect, greatly helping to slow the warming of our planet."<h2>Lesser of the two evils</h2>Pörtner is a co-author on a study published July 3 in <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/349/6243/aac4722">Science</a> that looks at which marine ecosystems - such as coastal habitats and capture fisheries - are at risk of suffering irreversible damage by the end of the 21st century. Depending on one of two potential scenarios that the researchers addressed, the risks for worldwide irreparable damage will either be moderate or severe by the end of the 21st century.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red_sea_coral_reef.jpg">Hagainativ/Wikimedia Commons</a></div></div></div>In the first scenario, the researchers assume that humans get their act together, immediately, and drastically slash the rate of carbon dioxide emissions in line with the regulations set by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen_Accord">Copenhagen Accord</a> - a document introduced in 2009 to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change that estimates how much 80% of the countries in the world should reduce emissions to prevent a total increase of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century.The second scenario assumes that carbon dioxide emissions continue on their current, upward trend, and that humans don't take extreme action to curb our emissions.In the first scenario, the researchers report that most risks will remain a moderate possibility. But in the second scenario, "if we just go on with business as usual," Pörtner told ScienceDaily, "by the end of this century the changes will hit nearly every ecosystem in the oceans and cause irreparable harm for marine life."It's hard to estimate exactly how much money these irreversible damages to the oceans' ecosystems will cost humanity, but here are some estimates the researchers site:<ul><li>Coastal habitats, including coral reefs, oyster beds, and kelp forests, protect human infrastructure from storms saving an estimated <a href="http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1579/0044-7447%282008%2937%5B241%3ATVOCWF%5D2.0.CO%3B2">$23.2 billion each year</a> in the US alone.</li><li>Increasing oceanic temperatures and acidity will either reduce mussel production by 50% (scenario 1) or 70% (scenario 2) by the year 2100, which could cost the world over <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10584-011-0383-3">$100 billion</a> by the end of the century.</li><li>Unfortunately, coral reefs face severe decline and mortality rates regardless of which scenario the researchers assessed. From tourism alone, this mass die off will cost anywhere between <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378014001782">$1.9 to $12 billion</a> and up to <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/a3ef2e3f-37fc-4c6f-ab1b-3b54ffc3f449/files/gbr-economic-contribution.pdf">69,000 jobs in Australia</a> alone by 2100.</li></ul><h2>Grabbing attention</h2>Numbers like these are starting to catch the attention of asset management firms like investor Jeremy Grantham, whose firm, <a href="https://www.gmo.com/north-america/about">Grantham Mayo van Otterloo</a> (GMO), had a total market value of more than $118 billion in March 2015, making it one of the largest asset fund management firms in the world.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pictures-of-money/">Flickr/pictures of money</a></div></div></div>In <a href="https://www.gmo.com/docs/default-source/public-commentary/gmo-quarterly-letter.pdf?sfvrsn=16">GMO's latest quarterly report</a>, Grantham sites eight factors that could be responsible for the "potentially slowing long-term growth" in US gross domestic product (GDP). And among these eight factors, Grantham includes "steadily increasing climate difficulties."Increasing temperatures and acidity in the oceans are just one of the climate difficulties that Grantham sites. He also addresses the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/climate-change-is-causing-food-shortages-2015-8">drought, flooding, and precipitation variability</a> that global warming is predicted to intensify around the world, according to the UN's <a href="http://ipcc-wg2.gov/AR5/images/uploads/WG2AR5_SPM_FINAL.pdf">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a>.If we do not make changes now, we will suffer the consequences in the future. And aside from the devastation to Earth's marine wildlife, people's finances would likely suffer as well:"We do a terrible job of planning for the long term, particularly in postponing gratification, and we are wickedly bad at dealing with the implications of compound math," Grantham solemnly concludes."All of this makes it easy for us to forget about the previously painful market busts; facilitates our pushing stocks and markets on occasion to levels that make no mathematical sense, and allows us regrettably, to ignore the logic of finite resources and a deteriorating climate until the consequences are pushed up our short-term noses." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/future-marine-life-climate-change-2015-7">This animated map shows how different our oceans will be by 2050</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="1xdmQ0djpk7m58pv-9mQkozUGf2a9GmO" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

Here's where over 90% of the extra heat from global warming is going and the billions of dollars it's costing us

Ed Jones/AFP via Getty ImagesA lab technician works on an antibody test for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus at the International Vaccine Institute in Seoul, South Korea in an attempt to learn more about the COVID-19 virus, March 11, 2020.<ul class="summary-list"><li>Experts are racing to develop <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/can-people-can-get-reinfected-with-coronavirus-antibody-test-2020-3">tests that can identify who has recovered from COVID-19</a> and may be immune. These serological tests search for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-live-updates-latest-news">coronavirus</a> antibodies in the blood.</li><li>Such tests provide quicker results and are easier to produce than the diagnostic tests that help doctors identify positive cases.</li><li>A serological test that provides results within 15 minutes after a finger prick will be available within weeks in the US. It could help get immune Americans back to work and school.</li><li>Blood from recovered people could also be used to treat critically ill coronavirus patients.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>It's easy to wonder whether the illness you had a few weeks ago was the coronavirus, though you might not have realized it at the time.A new serological test could provide some clarity.The test uses a few drops of your blood to determine whether you have antibodies to the coronavirus. If so, that means you got the virus and recovered from it (even if you never received a positive diagnosis).Having identifiable coronavirus antibodies in your bloodstream also means you've probably built up immunity. In an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A3jiM2FNR8">interview last week</a>, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-fauci-those-who-recover-will-be-immune-2020-3">confident</a> that recovered coronavirus patients will be immune.Fauci said he'd be "willing to bet anything that people who recover are really protected against re-infection."That's why identifying people who had the virus and recovered is imperative in the fight against the outbreak - those individuals could return to work or school safely while others remain isolated."Ultimately, this might help us figure out who can get the country back to normal," Florian Krammer, a professor in vaccinology at Mount Sinai's Icahn School of Medicine, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-immune-test-insigh/u-s-companies-labs-rush-to-produce-blood-test-for-coronavirus-immunity-idUSKBN21C1KK">told Reuters</a>. "People who are immune could be the first people to go back to normal life and start everything up again."Coronavirus antibody tests are already widely in use in China and South Korea. In the US, many are in the works from various university labs and private companies. On Tuesday, the US Food and Drug Administration granted an Emergency Use Authorization for an antibody test from medical company Bodysphere Inc.According to <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200331005420/en/FDA-Authorizes-New-Two-Minute-Serological-Test-Kit">a press release</a>, millions of the "two-minute testing kits" could be in hospitals within weeks.<h2>How the blood tests work</h2>Antibody tests are different than the typical diagnostic tests used to determine whether someone has COVID-19. The latter involves taking samples of mucus and saliva and running a test in a lab to see if those samples contain the coronavirus' genomic sequence. That tells doctors whether the patient has an active infection, and the test results can take 24 to 48 hours.A serological test, on the other hand, can tell whether a person has coronavirus antibodies in 10 to 15 minutes. The tests surface letter bands to indicate the results, similar to the way home pregnancy tests work."They either detect human antibodies in blood using an antigen designed to be similar to a feature of the virus," Charles Cairns, dean of the Drexel University College of Medicine, told <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/covid-19-coronavirus-pandemic-how-antibody-blood-tests-work">Science News</a>. "Or conversely, the test detects the virus in blood using a [human-made] antibody designed to trap the virus."<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?id=tag%3Areuters.com%2C2012%3Anewsml_GM1E87M122501&amp;share=true">Mike Segar/Reuters</a>A staff member at the AIDS Service Center of New York City holds an OraQuick Advance Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody test kit, July 3, 2012.An at-home kit would include a needle to prick your finger with, a 3-inch mixing stick, and a test solution, according to David Ho, CEO of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center.Antibody blood tests have been used for about two decades in other disease-tracking initiatives, including for HIV in rural Africa, Ho said in a video call sponsored by the group Committee of 100. The kits cost $1 to $6 each, he added, depending on the volume purchased.<h2>Identifying who's immune to the coronavirus could help get people back to work sooner</h2>REUTERS/Mike SegarA man crosses a nearly empty 5th Avenue in midtown Manhattan during the coronavirus outbreak in New York City, March 25, 2020.Some US-based companies are already selling antibody tests to other countries. California-based biotech company Biomerica sells COVID-19 antibody tests for less than $10 in Europe and the Middle East, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-immune-test-insigh/u-s-companies-labs-rush-to-produce-blood-test-for-coronavirus-immunity-idUSKBN21C1KK">Reuters</a>. Chembio Diagnostics, a medical-device company based in New York, is sending its antibody tests to Brazil and also plans to study them in the US, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-immune-test-insigh/u-s-companies-labs-rush-to-produce-blood-test-for-coronavirus-immunity-idUSKBN21C1KK">Reuters</a> reported.In Colorado, United Biomedical is working with one county to test 8,000 residents for COVID-19 antibodies. And Henry Schein, Inc. has begun manufacturing "several hundred thousand" point-of-care antibody tests, and expects "significantly increased availability" in the month ahead.The UK government bought 3.5 million at-home antibody tests last week, according to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/25/uk-coronavirus-mass-home-testing-to-be-made-available-within-days">The Guardian</a>, and is looking to distribute them to people who are self-isolating as soon as possible.Researchers at Germany's Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig want to send out hundreds of thousands of antibody tests to residents over the coming weeks, <a href="https://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/medizin/coronavirus-grosse-antikoerper-studie-soll-immunitaet-der-deutschen-feststellen-a-c8c64a33-5c0f-4630-bd73-48c17c1bad23">Der Spiegel reported on Friday</a>. Germany might even <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-germany-covid-19-immunity-certificates-testing-social-distancing-lockdown-2020-3">issue "immunity certificates" based on the results</a>.Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, told Reuters that serological tests are appealing to political and business leaders alike."These tests would be very attractive if they're cost effective, readily available, and easy to do," he said. <h2>Blood from people who've recovered from COVID-19 could help treat others </h2>Associated PressDr. Zhou Min, a recovered COVID-19 patient who has passed his 14-day quarantine, donates plasma in a blood center in Wuhan, China, February 18, 2020.Coronavirus antibodies from the bloodstreams of people who have recovered could also help patients who are still actively fighting infections.Last week, the FDA <a href="https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/investigational-new-drug-ind-or-device-exemption-ide-process-cber/investigational-covid-19-convalescent-plasma-emergency-inds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved</a> the emergency use of an experimental treatment that uses blood from people who've recovered from the coronavirus. This type of transfusion, which dates back to the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918, is based on the transfer of antibodies from person to person.The approach shows promise: Five critically ill coronavirus patients in China <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-convalescent-plasma-treatment-early-chinese-study-results-2020-3">got better after receiving plasma transfusions</a> from patients who had previous coronavirus infections. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said last week that the state plans to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-new-york-state-blood-treatment-covalescent-plasma-spanish-flu-2020-3">start using the plasma treatment</a> for its COVID-19 patients. Ben Pimentel contributed reporting.<a href="/intelligence/digital-health?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr_bii&amp;itm_term=ctgr_subscription&amp;itm_content=health&amp;itm_campaign=digital-health"></a> Featured Health Articles: - <a href="/telehealth-industry-explained">Telehealth Industry Explained</a> - <a href="/value-based-care-pay-for-performance-healthcare-model">Value-Based Care Explained</a> - <a href="/senior-care-market-trends">Senior Care &amp; Assisted Living Market</a> - <a href="/wearable-technology-healthcare-medical-devices">Smart Medical Devices &amp; Wearable Tech</a> - <a href="/artificial-intelligence-healthcare">AI in Healthcare</a> - <a href="/remote-patient-monitoring-industry-explained">Remote Patient Monitoring Explained</a>- <a href="/ai-medical-diagnosis-report">AI in Medical Diagnosis Systems</a> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-treatment-vaccine-cure-drugs-2020-3">4 potential coronavirus treatments that researchers are working on right now</a></h3>

A quick finger-prick blood test can determine whether you've ever had the coronavirus. It could be widely available within weeks.

Ed Jones/AFP via Getty ImagesA lab technician working on a neutralizing antibody test on the Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus at a Bio Safety Level (BSL) 3 laboratory at the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) in Seoul, in attempts to learn more about the novel coronavirus pandemic, on March 11, 2020.<ul class="summary-list"><li>New <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/can-people-can-get-reinfected-with-coronavirus-antibody-test-2020-3">tests can identify people who have recovered from COVID-19</a> by searching for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-live-updates-latest-news">coronavirus</a> antibodies in the blood. They could available within weeks in the US.</li><li>Such tests can provide results in 15 minutes or less, after a single finger prick. They are also easier to produce than the diagnostic tests that check for active infections.</li><li>Experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci are confident that recovered coronavirus patients will be immune, though further research is needed to be sure.</li><li>That means identifying individuals who have recovered is critical in the process of getting people back to work and school.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>More than <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-map-stay-at-home-orders-lockdowns-2020-3">85% of Americans</a> are under stay-at-home orders, and at least one-third of the world is under <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/more-people-under-lockdown-than-alive-during-world-war-ii-2020-3">some type of lockdown</a>.The restrictions promote social distancing to "flatten the curve," keeping the number of coronavirus infections at a level that won't overwhelm healthcare systems. But keeping so many people at home is also tanking the global economy, depriving students of education. About <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/unemployment-us-congress-stimulus-money-fight-coronavirus-recession-2020-4">10 million</a> Americans have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-jobless-claims-report-preview-economy-forecasts-coronavirus-unemployment-chart-2020-3">filed for unemployment</a> insurance in the last two weeks, and the US restaurant industry had <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-restaurant-industry-faces-down-apocalypse-2020-3">hemorrhaged $25 billion</a> in losses as of March 22. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/major-colleges-and-universities-going-remote-over-coronavirus-fears">Major universities</a> have switched to remote classes, and public schools are <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/03/31/california-inches-closer-joining-list-states-expected-keep-schools-closed-2019-20-school-year/">closed indefinitely</a> in California, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.Plus, of course, staying at home is making many of us lonely and stir-crazy. So the question on many people's minds is: When the lockdowns will end?Experts can't say for sure. As of now, the US's social-distancing guidelines have been extended <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-presser-extends-social-distancing-guidelines-until-april-30-2020-3">through at least April 30</a>. According to Davidson Hamer, a professor of global health and medicine at Boston University, some relief could come in <a href="https://www.wbur.org/commonhealth/2020/03/30/david-hamer-covid-19-coronavirus-update">mid-May</a>. Epidemiologists at Harvard University think intermittent lockdowns may need to <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.22.20041079v1.full.pdf">extend into 2022</a>, with social-distancing measures in place between 25% and 70% of the time through that point. However, a new antibody test rolling out in the US within weeks offers a glimmer of hope: These tests will be able to tell whether or not a person has already had the coronavirus (regardless of whether they showed symptoms at the time). A positive result would mean they're probably immune.Widespread antibody testing could divide America into two groups: the vulnerable and the recovered. The latter could slowly go back to work, breathing life into the US economy and helping us get back on track before a vaccine becomes available. <h2>Identifying people who are immune </h2>The coming serological tests use just <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-antibody-blood-test-covid-19-2020-3">a few drops of your blood</a> to determine whether you have antibodies to the coronavirus. If so, that means your body has built up immunity, suggesting that you've recovered, even if you never received a positive diagnosis. Antibody tests differ from the diagnostic tests used to determine whether someone has an active COVID-19 infection. The latter involves taking samples of mucus and saliva and running a test in a lab to see if those samples contain the coronavirus' genomic sequence. The results can take 24 to 48 hours.<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?id=tag%3Areuters.com%2C2012%3Anewsml_GM1E87M122501&amp;share=true">Mike Segar/Reuters</a>A staff member at the AIDS Service Center of New York City (ASC/NYC) holds an OraQuick Advance Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody test kit at ASC/NYC's lower Manhattan headquarters July 3, 2012.A serological test, on the other hand, can tell whether a person has coronavirus antibodies within minutes - similar to the way home pregnancy tests and <a href="http://ldh.la.gov/index.cfm/page/1116">HIV antibody tests</a> work. A kit includes a needle (to prick your finger with), a three-inch mixing stick, and a test solution.It's like dusting for its fingerprints after a crime, rather than catching the virus in the act.<h2>Antibody tests in the works</h2><a href="https://www.henryschein.com/us-en/images/corporate/pr-covid-19-test-final-03.26.2020a.pdf">Henry Schein Inc.</a> announced the availability of hundreds of thousands of antibody tests in the US on Monday; those can deliver results within 15 minutes. It expects "significantly increased availability" in the month ahead.In Colorado, United Biomedical is working with one county to test 8,000 residents for COVID-19 antibodies.Other US companies are already selling antibody tests abroad. The California biotech company Biomerica sells coronavirus antibody tests for less than $10 in Europe and the Middle East, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-immune-test-insigh/u-s-companies-labs-rush-to-produce-blood-test-for-coronavirus-immunity-idUSKBN21C1KK">Reuters</a>. Chembio Diagnostics, a medical-device company based in New York, is sending its antibody tests to Brazil and plans to study them in the US.The UK government bought 3.5 million at-home antibody tests last week, according to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/25/uk-coronavirus-mass-home-testing-to-be-made-available-within-days">The Guardian</a>, and is looking to distribute them to people who are self-isolating as soon as possible. Australia has ordered <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/news/deputy-chief-medical-officer-interview-on-abc-news-breakfast">1.5 million tests</a> of its own.Researchers at Germany's Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research want to send out hundreds of thousands of antibody tests over the coming weeks to residents, <a href="https://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/medizin/coronavirus-grosse-antikoerper-studie-soll-immunitaet-der-deutschen-feststellen-a-c8c64a33-5c0f-4630-bd73-48c17c1bad23">Der Spiegel magazine reported Friday</a>. Germany might even <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-germany-covid-19-immunity-certificates-testing-social-distancing-lockdown-2020-3">issue "immunity certificates" based on the results</a>.Gerard Krause, the epidemiologist leading the project, told Der Spiegel that people who are immune "could be given a type of vaccination card that, for example, allows them to be exempted" from restrictions on their movement and travel.<h2>'The first people to go back to normal life'</h2>As these antibody tests start to be distributed, experts will be able to begin identifying individuals who have most likely developed some level of immunity to the coronavirus.In an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A3jiM2FNR8">interview last week</a>, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-fauci-those-who-recover-will-be-immune-2020-3">confident</a> that recovered coronavirus patients will have immunity, adding that he'd be "willing to bet anything that people who recover are really protected against re-infection."That means <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-nasa-astronaut-tips-advice-quarantine-lockdown-2020-3">recovered patients</a> could return to work or school safely."Ultimately, this might help us figure out who can get the country back to normal," Florian Krammer, a professor in vaccinology at Mount Sinai's Icahn School of Medicine, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-immune-test-insigh/u-s-companies-labs-rush-to-produce-blood-test-for-coronavirus-immunity-idUSKBN21C1KK">told Reuters</a>, adding: "People who are immune could be the first people to go back to normal life and start everything up again."Krammer and his colleagues gave an overview of their own COVID-19 serological test in <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.17.20037713v1">a recent study</a>, though it has yet to be peer-reviewed.Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesDr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious disease at Vanderbilt University, told Reuters that serological tests would be appealing to political and business leaders alike."These tests would be very attractive if they're cost effective, readily available, and easy to do," he said.<h2>Antibody tests would also give experts a better sense of how bad the pandemic really is</h2>One of the biggest challenges surrounding the outbreak is experts' inability to accurately assess how many people have been infected. That's imperative because the data informs death rates and tells experts whether we are close to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-uk-herd-immunity-coronavirus-catastrophic-boris-johnson-covid-2020-4">"herd immunity"</a> - the point at which the virus can no longer spread easily because enough people are immune."If you could prevent roughly 50% of transmission, you could essentially stop the epidemic," Stephen Morse, an epidemiologist at Columbia University, told Business Insider, adding: "The epidemic wouldn't be able to sustain itself and the outbreak would fizzle."The diagnostic tests we have now don't give experts a clear sense of the true case totals because many people who likely have the coronavirus aren't being tested due to limited availability. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-city-coronavirus-cases-deaths-hospitalizations-by-age-chart-2020-3">In New York City</a>, which has about 25% of the US's coronavirus cases, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene <a href="https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-main.page">is telling</a> New Yorkers who think they have mild COVID-19 cases to stay home and not seek care (or tests)."If you think you have COVID-19 and your illness is mild, you do not need to see your health care provider and you will not be tested," the site says.Sgt. Amouris Coss/U.S. Army National Guard/Handout/ReutersA group of healthcare workers in New York City prepare to administer coronavirus diagnostic tests, March 24, 2020.What's more, up to 25% of people infected with the virus show no symptoms at all, <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/31/824155179/cdc-director-on-models-for-the-months-to-come-this-virus-is-going-to-be-with-us">according to Robert Redfield</a>, director of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Almost all of those asymptomatic people are not included in official counts, either. The benefits of serological tests cannot be overstated, according to George Miller, a professor of pediatrics and epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health."COVID-19 is still spreading rapidly throughout the United States, and antibody tests remain an underappreciated weapon in our fight to stop it," Miller wrote in <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/04/01/coronavirus-antibodies-test-immunity/">an op-ed</a> in The Washington Post. "Armed with such tests, we can provide the public with much more specific information about their own susceptibility, possibly permit immune individuals to return to work, and help people make more informed decisions about when and whether to loosen restrictions on their social activities."Morgan McFall-Johnsen and Holly Secon contributed reporting.<a href="/intelligence/digital-health?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr_bii&amp;itm_term=ctgr_subscription&amp;itm_content=health&amp;itm_campaign=digital-health"></a> Featured Health Articles: - <a href="/telehealth-industry-explained">Telehealth Industry Explained</a> - <a href="/value-based-care-pay-for-performance-healthcare-model">Value-Based Care Explained</a> - <a href="/senior-care-market-trends">Senior Care &amp; Assisted Living Market</a> - <a href="/wearable-technology-healthcare-medical-devices">Smart Medical Devices &amp; Wearable Tech</a> - <a href="/artificial-intelligence-healthcare">AI in Healthcare</a> - <a href="/remote-patient-monitoring-industry-explained">Remote Patient Monitoring Explained</a>- <a href="/ai-medical-diagnosis-report">AI in Medical Diagnosis Systems</a> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/unemployment-numbers-coronavirus-economy-layoffs-2020-3">3.3 million Americans filed for unemployment - and an economist predicts it could be far worse than the Great Recession</a></h3>

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