Long COVID Patients, Advocates Rally for More Research, Funding, and Attention
WASHINGTON — Long COVID patients and allies rallied in front of the Lincoln Memorial on Friday — International Long COVID Awareness Day — to demand that the federal government spend more money on long COVID research and reinstate mask mandates in healthcare facilities, among other actions. “We need resources for every man, woman, and child […]
Latest COVID Shots Protect Against Serious Outcomes
The recently updated COVID vaccines showed protection against serious virus-related outcomes in immunocompetent adults, data from the CDC’s IVY and VISION networks showed. From September 2023 to January 2024, vaccine effectiveness (VE) against COVID-related emergency department or urgent care encounters landed at 47% (95% CI 44-50), while protection against hospitalizations associated with the coronavirus ranged […]
Bivalent Vax Protected Kids From Symptomatic COVID
During the 2022-2023 respiratory season, the bivalent COVID vaccines had an effectiveness of 54% against infection and 49% against symptomatic COVID in children and adolescents ages 5 to 17 years, a new study in JAMA showed. In this interview, Melissa Briggs Hagen, MD, MPH, of the CDC’s Coronavirus and Other Respiratory Viruses Division, discusses the […]
Cognitive Slowing May Be a Hallmark of Long COVID
Pronounced cognitive slowing distinguished people with long COVID from others, a cross-sectional study showed. On a 30-second task measuring simple reaction time, moderate-to-severe cognitive slowing was evident among long COVID patients compared with age-matched healthy individuals who had previous symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection and recovered, reported Sijia Zhao, PhD, at the University of Oxford in England, […]
Long COVID Study Suggests Immune System Response At Root Of Symptoms
LOADINGERROR LOADING Scientists may be on the path to understanding long COVID after identifying a change in blood proteins found in people with extended symptoms from the virus. A study published by the journal, Science, on Thursday found that patients experiencing long COVID symptoms had proteins that indicated part of their immune systems remained active […]
Blood Protein Changes May Unravel Long COVID Mysteries
Long COVID was identified in blood proteins, an analysis of longitudinal data suggested. Blood samples from long COVID patients showed changes to blood serum proteins at 6 months that indicated activation of the immune system’s complement cascade, altered coagulation, and tissue injury, reported Onur Boyman, MD, of the University of Zurich in Switzerland, and co-authors […]
These COVID Symptoms Are Red Flags That You Need Medical Attention
valentinrussanov via Getty Images We know the hallmark symptoms of COVID ― like coughing, fatigue, for example ― but there are some COVID-19 symptoms that aren’t normal and shouldn’t be treated as such. When you have a COVID-19 infection, you’re told to isolate and stay away from others until you’re better. But while many folks […]
Higher-Dose Fluvoxamine Fails for COVID Outpatients
The extensive quest to repurpose a cheap therapy for non-hospitalized COVID patients has once again fallen short, this time using a higher dose of fluvoxamine (Luvox), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). In the latest readout from the multi-platform ACTIV-6 trial, time to sustained recovery landed at an identical 10 days whether patients with mild […]
The Most Common COVID Symptoms Doctors Are Seeing Right Now
PixelsEffect via Getty Images Runny nose, congestion and headache are all among the common COVID symptoms right now. A few years ago, certain panic-inducing symptoms ― like loss of taste and smell, for instance ― were synonymous with a COVID-19 infection. But those symptoms have changed with time. “I think the good news is most […]
The Most Common COVID Symptoms Doctors Are Seeing Right Now
PixelsEffect via Getty Images Runny nose, congestion and headache are all among the common COVID symptoms right now. A few years ago, certain panic-inducing symptoms ― like loss of taste and smell, for instance ― were synonymous with a COVID-19 infection. But those symptoms have changed with time. “I think the good news is most […]