Why drug used to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients may only benefit males: Research into the way our immune systems respond to COVID-19 reveals the sex of a patient may affect how well drugs work
A new study from the University of Calgary shows how dexamethasone, the main treatment for severe COVID-19 lung infections, alters how immune cells work, which may help male patients, but has little to no benefit for females. These remarkable findings are the result of a multidisciplinary study published in Nature Medicine, led by Dr. Jeff […]
Opinion | Nursing Homes Have More Than Just a COVID Problem
For more than a year, my colleagues and I have been publishing a monthly COVID-19 Nursing Home Dashboard tracking the impact of COVID-19 on nursing home residents and staff. That’s 14 months assembling data on how many nursing homes are understaffed or don’t have enough personal protective equipment (PPE), 14 months documenting the rates of […]
How Did the COVID Pandemic Affect Liver Transplant Outcomes?
The COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial impact on liver transplantation outcomes, with lower graft survival and patient survival at 90 days post-transplant versus a pre-pandemic time period, a researcher said. Graft survival was significantly lower during the COVID versus pre-COVID period (95.2% vs 96.0%) and there was a significant decline in patient survival (96.0% vs […]
Sleep Apnea Tied to Risk for Severe COVID-19
Sleep-related hypoxia was associated with worse outcomes in COVID-19 patients, a retrospective study found. In the case-control study involving patients in the Cleveland Clinic Health System, sleep-related hypoxia was linked with greater COVID-19-related hospitalization and mortality (adjusted HR 1.31, 95% CI 1.08-1.57, P=0.005), reported Reena Mehra, MD, MS, of the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute […]
CDC Hasn’t Updated COVID Vax Breakthrough Data
As Americans weigh the risks of holiday gatherings, many are looking for data on COVID-19 breakthrough cases, hospitalizations, and deaths among the vaccinated — but nationally, that information is not reported in real-time. In mid-October, the CDC started publishing cases and deaths by vaccination status on its COVID Data Tracker for the first time. But […]
U.S. Should Take Heed Of Europe, Pandemic’s New Epicenter, WHO Official Warns
Europe has again become the epicenter for the COVID-19 pandemic, with the World Health Organization warning Wednesday that deaths from the coronavirus had risen in Europe by 10% over the past week. The European region was the only one of the WHO’s six regions where cases and deaths had risen, with the other world regions […]
Vaccinated Blood Cancer Patients Still at Risk for Severe COVID-19
Patients with hematologic malignancies who had breakthrough COVID-19 infections still had high risk for severe or critical disease, according to a registry-based study. Out of 113 reported cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection post-vaccination in people with blood cancers, 79 (60.4%) experienced severe or critical disease, with 75 requiring hospitalization, reported Livio Pagano, MD, of the Università […]
COVID-19 Vaccination Okayed for Younger Children – Wyoming Department of Health
COVID-19 Vaccination Okayed for Younger Children November 3, 2021 Safe, free and effective vaccinations meant to help prevent COVID-19 infection and illness are now available and recommended for younger, school-aged children, according to the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now endorses the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children […]
Two Doses of mRNA COVID Vax Not Enough for the Immunosuppressed
COVID-19 vaccines worked fairly well in keeping immunocompromised patients out of the hospital from the infection, but still less than for those with a competent immune system, a study showed. After two vaccine doses, immunocompromised patients saw 77% vaccine effectiveness (95% CI 74%-80%) against hospitalization for confirmed COVID-19, with a 3.9% rate of SARS-CoV-2 test […]
The COVID-19 Pandemic Could Continue Well Into 2022. Here’s Why.
The COVID-19 Pandemic Could Continue Well Into 2022. Here’s Why. | HuffPost Latest News Part of HuffPost World News. ©2021 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. We might be ready for the pandemic to be over, but it looks set to be with us for a long […]