8 Lasting Changes Experts Think We’ll See In Kids After This ‘Lost’ Year
The COVID-19 pandemic changed all of our lives, but for developing children, its impact may have more long-term effects. “Every child’s experience of the pandemic is different based on their temperament and their home life,” Jacqueline P. Wight, director of mental health services at DotCom Therapy, told HuffPost. “Many children have experienced mental health challenges, […]
How relaxing COVID-19 restrictions could pave the way for vaccine resistance
Relaxing Covid-19 restrictions could pave the way for new vaccine-resistant virus mutations, according to researchers at the University of East Anglia and the Earlham Institute. A new article published today warns against relaxing Covid-19 restrictions prematurely. It describes how we are in an ‘arms race’ with the virus and how rising cases could provide opportunities […]
Black American women with vitamin D insufficiency more likely to test positive for COVID-19, study finds
Can vitamin D protect Black women from COVID-19? According to research led by Boston University’s Slone Epidemiology Center, the answer may be yes. In a recent study of Black American women, low levels of vitamin D appeared to be related to increased incidence of COVID-19 infection. Researchers from Boston University’s Slone Epidemiology Center assessed levels […]
Leana Wen Discusses Patients’ Different Priorities, Bad COVID Policies
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Leana Wen, MD, MSc, has been one of public health’s most vocal advocates, offering smart analysis and calling out problems with the federal response. One of the most significant contributors to U.S. pandemic failures, she said, has been the prolonged devaluing of public health. That’s part of the reason Wen set […]
Novel autoantibody adds fuel to COVID-19 ‘firestorm’ of inflammation, blood clots: The finding will likely help physicians develop targeted therapies for future COVID patients
Researchers at Michigan Medicine have discovered yet another functional autoantibody in COVID-19 patients that contributes to the disease’s development and the “firestorm” of blood clots and inflammation it induces. A growing body of studies suggests COVID-19 emulates many aspects of systemic autoimmune disorders, including the release of a flurry of overactive immune cells that produce […]
HIV Independently Tied to More Severe COVID-19
HIV was independently associated with a higher risk for severe or critical COVID-19, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) analysis. In a study of people living with HIV in Asia, Europe, Africa, and South America who also were hospitalized for COVID-19, HIV infection was linked with an increased risk of severe or critical COVID-19 […]
COVID-19 Lockdown in Uganda Increased Gender-Based Violence
Women and young girls confined to their homes during the COVID-19 lockdowns experienced increases in sexual violence and exposure to HIV, researchers in Uganda reported. At a press conference at the virtual International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Science, Rose Apondi, MPH, an HIV-prevention specialist with the CDC in Kampala, Uganda, said that when […]
Could COVID Shots in Secret Lure Holdouts?
In COVID-19 hot spots across the country where the Delta variant is thriving and vaccine hesitancy is high, hospitals have continued to urge for more people to get vaccinated. In the case of Ozarks Healthcare, based in West Plains, Mo., the health system recently issued an impassioned plea for people to get vaccinated, even if […]
House Hearing Grapples With COVID Origin and ‘Lab-Leak’ Theory
Experts fielded questions about the possibility that the COVID-19 pandemic originated from a “lab leak” in Wuhan, China, during a hearing of a subcommittee for the House Committee on Space, Science and Technology, on Wednesday. Two microbiologists explored a range of theories, with neither ready to scrap the possibility of a “lab-associated mechanism.” One of […]
Half of Severe COVID Patients Developed New Medical Issues
Nearly half of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 experienced at least one complication, researchers found in a prospective study. There were 49.7% of patients overall who developed one or more COVID-19 complications, and 43.5% of survivors with a minimum of one complication, reported Ewen M. Harrison, MBChB, PhD, from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and […]