California officially opened its doors a year ago today, when many restrictions on COVID were lifted amid widespread optimism to return to ordinary life. The reality was very different. Numerous jumps in the cases, including one at the moment, have turned the coronavirus into something of a permanent companion.
COVID has kept the brain cloudy for at least half a year, according to a UCSD study
The neurological effects of COVID-19 infection often continue after other symptoms have cleared, according to an initial round of studies published Wednesday by UCSD researchers. The majority of patients in the study, published in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, reported symptoms such as fatigue, headache, memory impairment, and decreased concentration up to six months after a mild or moderate case of COVID-19. Some also had coordination and cognitive problems. While symptoms generally improve after half a year, only a third of participants say they are completely resolved by this time. None of the individuals in the study had a history of pre-existing neurological conditions.
“It’s encouraging that most people show some improvement at six months, but that’s not the case for everyone,” said senior author Jennifer C. Graves, an associate professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine and a neurologist at UC San Diego Health. “Some of these participants are high-level professionals who we would expect to get above average in terms of cognitive assessments, but months after they had COVID-19, they are still noticing unusually. A handful of study participants showed an unidentified set of symptoms that included cognitive deficits, tremor and difficulty balancing. “These are people who did not have neurological problems before COVID-19, but now have incoordination of their body and possible incoordination of their thoughts,” Graves said. “We didn’t expect to find out, so we want to let you know in case other doctors see it.” The research team said it would continue to monitor the subject each year for the next 10 years.
Florida only says it does not pre-order vaccines for young children
Every state except Florida has pre-ordered the COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5 from the federal government, waiting for the vaccines to become available for the last unsuitable age group next week, the Miami Herald reported. Civil servants missed a pre-order deadline on Tuesday, meaning there may be delays for families in accessing the vaccine from pediatric clinics, children’s hospitals, pharmacies and health centers. Florida’s chief surgeon, Joseph Ladapo, who was manually elected by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, said Tuesday he was opposed to giving children access to life-saving injections. “From what I saw, there is simply not enough data to inform the benefits and risks of children. I think that’s very clear, “Ladapo, who also heads Florida’s health department, told reporters in Tallahassee, according to Orlando Weekly.
Fewer people get flu vaccines due to polarization of COVID vaccines, the letter says
The political burden of COVID-19 vaccines is affecting the flu vaccination rate, according to a letter from UCLA researchers published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the susceptibility analysis found that while flu vaccine uptake remained relatively stable during the first flu season of the pandemic, after COVID-19 vaccines became widely available, vaccine uptake flu decreases even after adjustments have been made. for pandemic-related changes in access to health care. “Our findings suggest that following the widespread use of COVID-19 vaccines, factors related to COVID-19 vaccination levels (such as safety concerns and distrust of COVID-19 or government vaccines) may have spread, to influence the rate of influenza vaccination, “the authors wrote.
A Stanford doctor warns of a shortage of COVID-related staff
Abraar Khan, an infectious disease expert at Stanford, said on Wednesday that the current jump in COVID-19 in the Gulf region was disrupting staff at the local health system. “In one of the hospitals where I work, enough residents are sick, so we have reduced the staff in our very busy infectious disease service,” he tweeted on Tuesday. Khan said he was infected for the second time last month, a model he sees more and more often. “However, you may feel the burden of covid and whether this is a problem that is worth solving or not, several unemployed doctors are sick at the same time is not a good thing. And that’s too many times a year, “he said. Khan added that as more transferable options increase, it is not enough for government officials to rely on individual responsibility to mitigate the spread of the virus. “We need solutions at the community level – both in politics and in engineering control.
Most of the world’s “high risk” travel, says the CDC
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises Americans to “avoid traveling” to some of the world’s most popular destinations this summer, as most countries in Europe, South America, Asia, North America and the Ocean are listed as “high.” risk ”for COVID-19 in the Agency’s updated map. This is the second worst level in the CDC levels, behind the classification reserved for “special circumstances”. Of the 235 locations monitored by federal officials, 135 were at high risk at Tuesday, indicating 100 new cases per day per 100,000 residents over the past 28 days.
FDA advisers recommend authorizing Pfizer and Modern vaccines for children under 5 years of age
The Vaccine Advisory Committee of the US Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday unanimously recommended the FDA’s emergency approval for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 6 months to 4 years. The three-dose vaccine is 3 micrograms each – the second is given three weeks after the first and the third is given eight weeks after the second. The committee also recommended authorizing the Moderna vaccine for children under 5 years of age earlier on Wednesday. Although they support the authorization of the Pfizer vaccine, many vaccine scientists in the committee have expressed concern, as the vaccine does not appear to provide sufficient protection after two doses, and the assessment of efficacy after the third dose – 80% in preventing symptomatic COVID – is based on only 10 cases. They are concerned, given that the Pfizer vaccine was launched last year as a two-dose vaccine for adults, that parents may not realize that their children will not receive full protection before three doses.
Moderna’s two-dose regimen uses doses of 25 micrograms each, lower than adult and older doses of 100 micrograms and 50 micrograms, respectively. The Pfizer and Moderna recommendations are gradual steps that are likely to lead to full FDA approval for both brands of vaccines, after which the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will review safety and efficacy data for both. The CDC is due to make a decision over the weekend, and the shots could start spreading as early as next week. If one or both vaccines are allowed, this will be the first time that the youngest Americans have the right to be vaccinated. Children under 5 are the last remaining age group in the United States to be vaccinated, and many parents are looking forward to the Food and Drug Administration’s actions to protect their children.
Fauci tested positive for COVID-19
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s chief pandemic adviser, tested positive for COVID-19. He has been fully vaccinated, double-boosted and has mild symptoms, according to a statement from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on Wednesday. “Dr. Fauci will be isolated and will continue to work from home,” he said, noting that he did not consider close contact with President Biden or other senior government officials. “Dr. Fauci will follow the COVID-19 guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and medical advice from his doctor and will return to the NIH when his test is negative,” the statement added.
Rebound infections with Paxlovid remain rare, the study shows
A new study found that of nearly 500 high-risk patients with COVID-19 treated with the antiviral pill Paxlovid, few had rebound symptoms, according to data published Tuesday in Clinical Infectious Diseases. In a February-April study of 483 fully vaccinated people, Mayo Clinic researchers identified four patients who had symptoms, usually mild, of rebound infection an average of nine days after treatment with Paxlovid. None required additional COVID-targeted therapy, the study said. Common features with those with symptoms are pre-existing health conditions and that they received their last dose of vaccine three or more months earlier. But researchers say more research is needed to determine the causes.
Study: Mild COVID may stimulate persistent cognitive symptoms
COVID-19 survivors often experience long-term neurological symptoms that resemble cancer-related cognitive impairment, according to a study published Monday in Cell. There are clear similarities between COVID’s “brain fog” and cancer “chemotherapy,” according to Stanford neuroscientist Michelle Monge, who co-authored the study with local colleagues …
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