What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

An ampule of Ebola drug Remdesivir is pictured during a news conference at the University Hospital Eppendorf (UKE) in Hamburg, Germany. File picture: Ulrich Perrey/Pool via Reuters

An ampule of Ebola drug Remdesivir is pictured during a news conference at the University Hospital Eppendorf (UKE) in Hamburg, Germany. File picture: Ulrich Perrey/Pool via Reuters

Published May 6, 2020

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Here's what you need to know about the

coronavirus right now:

Post-pandemic workspace makeover

As lockdowns are gradually lifted and people anticipate

returning to offices, many wonder what the post-pandemic

workspace will look like.

Occupational experts say one-way corridors, buffer zones

marked out by coloured carpet or tape around desks, and clear

plastic screens to guard against colleagues' coughs and sneezes

may become the norm.

The changes could be hard to adapt to, and could have a

negative impact on employee well-being, said organizational

psychologist Brad Bell.

Remdesivir pricing

Beximco Pharmaceuticals, one of Bangladesh's largest

drugmakers, will start this month to make the experimental

antiviral drug remdesivir, which has shown promise in fighting

the virus.

In a first cost indication, the company plans to price each

vial between $59 and $71, Beximco's Chief Operating Officer

Rabbur Reza told Reuters, adding that a patient might need

anywhere from five to 11 vials.

Gilead's remdesivir patent in theory means it has exclusive

rights to make it, but global trade rules allow nations defined

by the United Nations as least-developed countries, including

Bangladesh, to ignore such patents and make drugs more

affordable in those markets.

Bangladesh would then be allowed to export the drug to other

least-developed countries, though Reza stressed Bangladesh would

get first priority.

Pakistanis testing positive on repatriation

Many Pakistani citizens being repatriated from the United

Arab Emirates are testing positive for the virus on arriving

home, officials said on Tuesday.

The UAE government rejected the claim, saying everyone was

tested before departure, with those found infected not being

allowed to travel.

About 12% were testing positive on most flights, but on a

couple, the proportion rose to between 40% and 50%.

"The hypothesis is that a lot of the labourers live in

crowded dormitories and in those, essentially, it's easier to

infect each other," Moeed Yusuf, a prime ministerial special

assistant on national security, told Reuters.

     

Llama nanobodies

A llama called Winter could prove useful in the hunt for a

virus treatment, say US and Belgian scientists who have

identified a tiny particle that appears to block the

coronavirus.

The llama in Belgium is central to the studies of the

scientists, from the country's VIB-UGent center for medical

biotechnology and the University of Texas at Austin, who

published their research on Tuesday in the journal Cell.

Llamas and other members of the camel family are distinct in

creating standard antibodies and smaller antibodies called

nanobodies, with which scientists can more easily work.

The team aims to begin animal tests, with a view to allowing

trials with humans to begin by the end of the year. Saelens said

negotiations were under way with pharmaceutical companies.

Reuters

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