Long COVID—defined as symptoms persisting ≥ 2 months beyond acute SARS-CoV-2 infection without alternative explanation—now affects an estimated 65 million people worldwide and lacks any approved, evidence-based therapy; the present overview therefore synthesizes current mechanistic insights and catalogs experimental interventions ranging from supervised rehabilitation to antivirals, anticoagulants, anti-inflammatories, nutraceuticals and emerging biologics.  Key pathogenic drivers include persistent viral reservoirs, chronic low-grade inflammation with IL-1β/IL-6/TNF-α elevation, micro-clot formation via spike-protein–fibrinogen interactions, auto-immunity, gut dysbiosis and mitochondrial dysfunction.  These pathways translate into multi-organ sequelae: endothelial dysfunction, myocarditis, neuro-inflammation, small-fiber neuropathy, ME/CFS-like fatigue, menstrual irregularities, glucose intolerance and renal or hepatic injury.

China has moved from patchy, post-crisis biosafety rules to a unified legal regime anchored by the 2020 Biosecurity Law, yet fragmentation, weak risk intelligence and poor inter-agency coordination still leave gaps that could be exploited by novel pathogens, synthetic biology or geopolitical tension.  Historical review shows three phases: 1949-2002 built basic disease reporting and plant-quarantine systems but relied on paper records; 2003-2019 introduced internet-based surveillance, BSL-3/4 laboratories and alignment with WHO’s International Health Regulations after the SARS shock; 2020-present elevated biosafety to national-security status, enacted the Biosecurity Law and poured funds into diagnostics, vaccines and bio-economic R&D during COVID-19.  These steps created the skeleton of a modern system, but four structural weaknesses persist: strategic plans lack operational road-maps and AI-enabled foresight; the legal framework offers no clear dispute-resolution or accountability mechanisms; organisational silos among health, agriculture, science and military agencies hamper horizontal coordination; and public awareness plus professional training remain patchy, weakening compliance culture.

Researchers from The University of Osaka found that common arguments used to encourage COVID-19 vaccination increase compliance but also intensify negative attitudes toward people with opposing views. The study highlights the need for public health communication strategies that promote vaccination while reducing social polarization.

Researchers at National University of Singapore used multiple interpretable machine learning methods to predict traffic congestion in in Alameda County in the San Francisco Bay Area, USA, during the pre-lockdown, lockdown, and post-lockdown periods.

As U.S. cases rise, a nationally representative panel survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center finds a small but significant drop in the proportion of the public that would recommend that someone in their household get the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella. The survey finds drops in both the perceived safety and effectiveness of the MMR vaccine as well as two other vaccines.

BUFFALO, NY — December 19, 2025 — A new research paper was published in Volume 17, Issue 11 of Aging-US on November 18, 2025, titled “Epigenetic age predicts depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging: importance of biological sex.”

Composite copper–lanthanum and copper–yttrium oxides developed by researchers from Japan demonstrate exceptionally high antiviral activity against non-enveloped virus. These oxides are highly stable and achieve over 99.999% viral inactivation in laboratory tests. Using first-principles calculations and experimental analysis, researchers identified how surface charge, protein inactivation, and copper valence states drive the antiviral performance—setting the stage for advanced antiviral material design.

The LKS Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) convened the first in-person meeting of the recently launched Lancet Commission on Transforming Primary Health Care (PHC) in the Post-COVID-19 Era in mid-November 2025. The event brought together leading researchers and international experts in PHC sciences, health policy, family medicine, nursing and public health from all seven continents with a balanced representation of gender and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to chart a bold agenda for rebuilding equitable, people-centred and digitally enabled PHC systems worldwide. HKUMed will host a series of ongoing expert discussions and aims to publish the Commission’s landmark paper within the next year.

In the midst of the COVID pandemic, scientists embarked on an ambitious research expedition to the North Atlantic to investigate the inner workings of the ocean’s carbon cycle. A series of storms hammered the three vessels, among the most advanced research ships in the world, while bureaucratic mayhem threatened to scrub the voyage entirely.

No matter where cancer cells grow in the human body, they are a threat to our health and our lives. But instead of treating them with chemotherapy or radiation — which have undesirable side effects — what if we could train our own immune systems to kill the rogue cells? That’s the idea behind mRNA cancer vaccines, which build on science learned from COVID-19 vaccines to address an even larger health concern.