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Researchers at the University of Missouri recently published a study showing that COVID-19 can cause long term damage to the eye if left untreated. Dr. Pawan Singh, a professor at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, studies ocular infectious diseases. His team recently published “SARS-CoV-2 infects cells lining the blood-retinal barrier and induces a hyperinflammatory immune response in the retina via systemic exposure.” They found that while COVID-19 cannot be contracted through the mucosal membrane of the eye, a COVID infection can cause damage to the eye — things like retinal lesions, microaneurysms in the eye and retinal atrophy. (Smith, 5/29)

Researchers at Rutgers believe they are among the lead in developing an oral COVID-19 treatment that could supplement or replace Paxlovid, an antiviral drug that aids in preventing hospitalizations among high-risk patients. Their report, published in the journal Science, shows that an alternative medication, a viral papain-like protease inhibitor, inhibits disease progression in animals, a necessary step before human drug trials. (Rutgers University, 6/2)

Most of the rise in wastewater detections was due to a steady rise in the western region, with a very slight increase in the southern region. Test positivity is currently highest in Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Nevada. (Schnirring, 5/31)

The pace of COVID fatalities in the U.S. has slowed significantly, with the nation’s death toll standing at more than 1 million people. With precautions like mandatory masking no longer in place, it can seem as if worries about the virus are gone as well. But for many people with disabilities, the threat is still very real. We hear from people in the disability community about their concerns. (Corkery, 6/1)

Today in Science, a study shows that unflagged, factual but misleading Facebook posts reduced the intent to receive the COVID-19 vaccine 46 times more than did false posts flagged by fact-checkers as misinformation, which the authors say points to the need to consider the reach and impact of content rather than just its veracity. (Van Beusekom, 5/31)

Talks aimed at reaching a global agreement on how to better fight pandemics will be concluded by 2025 or earlier if possible, the World Health Organization said on Saturday. The WHO's 194 member states have been negotiating for two years on an agreement that could increase collaboration before and during pandemics after the acknowledged failures during COVID-19. (6/1)