Guidance Focuses on Mental Health Symptoms in Long COVID
An interdisciplinary group of physicians has released the latest guidance in its series on long COVID, this time focusing on mental health symptoms. The guidance, published by the American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (AAPM&R), discusses how to assess mental health systems in patients with post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), or long COVID, […]
Think You Have COVID? Here’s The Best Way To Test Yourself Now.
agrobacter via Getty Images Data shows we should be testing ourselves for COVID later than we might think. It’s that time of year again. Upper respiratory infections like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza and COVID are rising — and we’re only just getting started. The signs and symptoms of these infections can be quite similar […]
The Case for a Yearly COVID Booster Shot
BOSTON — A yearly booster with an mRNA-based COVID vaccine may provide the best protection against catching the pandemic disease, a new analysis of the phase III COVE trial suggested. “Interestingly, we found that the longer duration between boosting actually provides better protection against COVID-19,” Dean Follmann, PhD, of the National Institute of Allergy and […]
COVID Vaccine, Infection May Affect Migraine Course Slightly
COVID vaccination or SARS-CoV-2 infection may play a small role in migraine worsening, preliminary data suggested. While some patients reported migraine worsening after either vaccination or infection, headache diaries did not reflect significant differences in migraine frequency, reported Patricia Pozo-Rosich, MD, PhD, of Vall d’Hebron Hospital in Barcelona, Spain, and co-authors. “Our preliminary data point […]
COVID Vax in Pregnancy Protects Young Infants Against Omicron
Maternal COVID vaccination in pregnancy protected young infants against Omicron-associated hospitalization, but few women actually receive the vaccine during pregnancy, according to new data from the CDC. At least one maternal vaccine dose had an effectiveness of 54% (95% CI 32-68) against COVID-related hospitalization among infants younger than 3 months of age, and an effectiveness […]
Long COVID Rare in U.S. Kids, Has Affected 7% of Adults
Long COVID in the U.S. is rare among children and has affected roughly one in 14 adults, according to a pair of data briefs from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Overall, in 2022, an estimated 1.3% of children in the U.S. ever had long COVID, and 0.5% currently had long COVID, reported […]
I Just Got Over COVID. Do I Need an Updated Shot?
Updated COVID shots are becoming available in the U.S. amid what appears to be a surge in cases — leaving some to wonder whether they need an updated shot if they recently recovered from an infection. Official CDC guidance states that people who are currently infected should wait “at least until recovery from acute illness” […]
Long COVID Symptoms May Emerge Months After Infection
Long COVID symptoms may emerge months after SARS-CoV-2 infection, data from the prospective multicenter INSPIRE study suggested. Symptom prevalence decreased over 1 year among long COVID patients, but persisted or emerged at different time points in some cases, reported Sharon Saydah, PhD, of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, and co-authors in […]
Cognitive Dysfunction, Viral Persistence Studied First in New Long COVID Trials
The first two of the long-awaited long COVID clinical trials from the RECOVER initiative are underway, the NIH said. RECOVER-NEURO, which will study interventions for long COVID cognitive dysfunction, and RECOVER-VITAL, a study targeting viral persistence, are opening enrollment, said Acting NIH Director Lawrence Tabak, DDS, PhD, in a press briefing today. Two other trials, […]
Arthritis and Long COVID: A Double Whammy
“Long COVID” lays a particularly heavy burden on people with pre-existing arthritis, a Canadian survey study indicated. Worsened pain and greater functional limitations relative to their status prior to COVID-19 infection were reported by most individuals in Laval, Quebec, who had some type of arthritis and developed post-acute COVID symptoms following initial infection, according to […]