The novel coronavirus may be able to block pain and mask the illness in its early stages as it spreads throughout the body, a new study suggests. The team, from the University of Arizona Health Sciences, says the findings may explain why nearly half of all patients with COVID-19 experience no symptoms.

Julie Bauman is an oncologist and the deputy director of the University of Arizona Cancer Center. As a specialist who works with cancer patients every day, she understands their unique vulnerability to COVID-19. Due to this increased risk, doctors at the UA Cancer Center noticed a decrease in patients coming in for preventive screenings at the height of the pandemic, resulting in an increase in advanced cases arriving at the cancer center as the number of coronavirus cases declines.

The virus that causes COVID-19 acts as a pain reliever, suggests the findings of a new study that could offer “one possible explanation for the unrelenting spread” of the disease, researchers said. Researchers with the University of Arizona Health Sciences said SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, may inadvertently function as a pain reliever, which “may explain why nearly half of all people who get COVID-19 experience few or no symptoms, even though they are able to spread the disease.

President Donald Trump continues to tout an experimental treatment he received for COVID-19 as a cure for the disease despite an absence of evidence to back up that claim. Immunobiologist Deepta Bhattacharya at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson said there's a theoretical chance the treatment could prevent people from developing their own immunity. The monoclonal antibodies may block the part of the virus that the immune system needs to "see" to develop protective immunity. If that's the case, the immune system wouldn't develop its own longer-lasting antibodies.

The University of Arizona researchers have discovered that COVID-19 can give a false sense of pain relief. Many people with COVID-19 don’t show symptoms right away or are asymptomatic entirely, which sparked the interest of researchers at the U of A.

The $2.3 million National Institutes of Health grant will enable Dr. Alicia Allen to explore how women’s hormones influence postpartum opioid relapse and if they may be used as a preventative strategy.

President Trump is described as symptom-free, but experts question the significance of his antibody test results. Dr. Deepta Bhattacharya, an immunologist at the University of Arizona College of Medicine said the results shared by White House physician Dr. Sean P. Conley wouldn’t shed much light on Mr. Trump’s condition. “The way that it’s implied is that he’s made a normal immune response, but I don’t see how you would be able to tell the difference.”

Coronavirus could go on undetected for some people. As the President of America reportedly has 'no symptoms' after falling ill, scientists discover how the disease may dull the senses. In October 2020, researchers from the University of Arizona Health Sciences revealed coronavirus is capable of dulling pain pathways. The study is published in the journal Pain.

Skipping radiation and receiving less chemotherapy may become the new standard of care for some lymphoma patients, according to a recent collaborative study led by a Daniel Persky, MD, associate director for clinical investigations at the UArizona Cancer Center.

New research from the University of Arizona Health Sciences could explain why nearly half of all people who get coronavirus show few or no symptoms.