Author: Claudinne Miller
China’s Abrupt Covid Pivot Leaves Many Without Medicines
(New York Times) Millions are desperate to get their hands on fever-reducing drugs and antivirals such as Pfizer’s Paxlovid as infections across China outpace supplies. As Covid rips through parts of China, millions of Chinese are struggling to find treatment — from the most basic cold remedies to take at home to more powerful antivirals […]
Dec 20, 2022
Dogs May Reliably Detect SARS-CoV-2 Infections at Mass Events
(JAMA) Dogs trained to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection by smell correctly identified individuals with active infections at concerts with a specificity of nearly 100% and a sensitivity of 82%, researchers reported in BMJ Global Health. The results suggest that dogs may provide a fast and reliable screening option for public events at which mass screening is required. Eight trained […]
Dec 20, 2022
Aromatherapy spray that killed two people in a multistate outbreak also killed pet raccoon
(NBC News) A lavender and chamomile-scented aromatherapy spray contaminated with deadly bacteria that killed two people in 2021 also killed one of the victim’s pet raccoon, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. In October 2021, investigators with the CDC discovered the bacteria Burkholderia pseudomallei in the lavender and chamomile scent of Better Homes & Gardens […]
Dec 20, 2022
China COVID wave could kill one million people, models predict
(Nature) Up to one million people in China could die from COVID-19 over the next few months, according to some of the first projections since the government lifted many of its strict ‘zero-COVID-19’ measures. However, two studies find that the number of deaths could be reduced by giving most of the population a fourth vaccine […]
Dec 20, 2022
Vaccination rates are falling, and it’s not just the COVID-19 vaccine that people are refusing
(Nature) Vaccines offer a potent armour against infectious diseases that once carried a heavy toll of mortality and morbidity, particularly among children. Gaps were already forming in that armour in the years before the COVID-19 pandemic. But amid stagnating vaccination rates, the pandemic acted like a shotgun, punching many more holes in humanity’s defences against […]
Dec 20, 2022
Ebola in Uganda: 23 days since confirmation of last case, Lockdown lifted in Mubende and Kassanda
(Outbreak News Today) Uganda’s Ministry of Health declared an outbreak of Sudan Ebola Virus (SVD) on September 20 after a case was confirmed in Mubende district. This is the first time in more than a decade that Uganda reported an outbreak of Sudan ebolavirus. According to officials, it’s been 23 days since the last confirmed case was […]
Dec 20, 2022
China’s Covid-19 Outbreak Has US Worried About New Variants
(Bloomberg) The US is concerned China’s runaway Covid-19 outbreak might spawn new mutations of the virus, as the world’s most populous country continues to grapple with the impact of loosening “Covid Zero” protocols that had kept the pandemic at bay. “When it comes to the current outbreak in China, we want to see this addressed,” […]
Dec 20, 2022
Trends in Homicide Rates for US Children Aged 0 to 17 Years, 1999 to 2020
(JAMA) What are the recent changes and long-term trends in homicide rates for children aged 0 to 17 years and precipitating circumstances and characteristics most commonly associated with these deaths? Findings In this cross-sectional study of 38362 homocide victims, homicide rates for some geographic and child demographic groups declined; however, rates recently increased across several subpopulations.
Dec 20, 2022
Data-driven identification of post-acute SARS-CoV-2 infection subphenotypes
(Nature) The post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) refers to a broad spectrum of symptoms and signs that are persistent, exacerbated or newly incident in the period after acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. Most studies have examined these conditions individually without providing evidence on co-occurring conditions. In this study, we leveraged the electronic health record data of […]
Dec 20, 2022
Are Subphenotypes for Long COVID Beneficial?
(MedPageToday) A recent study opens in a new tab or window published in Nature Medicine, “Data-driven identification of post-acute SARS-CoV-2 infection subphenotypes” by Hao Zhang, PhD, et al. used a data-driven framework to stratify patients suffering with post-acute SARS-CoV-2 (PASC), also referred to as long COVID, into different subcategories of sequelae. The bulk of the patients in the […]
Dec 20, 2022