Category: COVID
COVID-19 vs Seasonal Influenza: A Comparative Analysis Reveals Alarming Trends
Infection Control Today A recent article by Yan Xie and colleagues1 presented strong data that COVID-19 is much worse than seasonal influenza. The researchers observed increased rates of delayed and long-term death and disability in US military veterans who were hospitalized with COVID-19 as compared to those hospitalized with seasonal influenza. The COVID-19 group of patients had […]
Jan 2, 2024
Dr. Lawler’s COVID Update
Watch here: https://bit.ly/3vh3RRD Dr. Lawler discusses a Brazilian cohort study titled “Developmental impairment in children exposed during pregnancy to maternal SARS-COV2”. Plus, updates on COVID-19 hospital admissions and wastewater data.
Jan 2, 2024
COVID, flu severity similar, but Omicron BA.5 patients more likely to die, 2021-22 study suggests
CIDRAP In 2021 and 2022, the proportion of hospitalized COVID-19 and influenza patients admitted to a US intensive care unit (ICU) were similar, but COVID-19 patients admitted during the Omicron BA.5 variant period were more likely to die in the hospital, according to a study published late last week in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. A team led by […]
Jan 2, 2024
Every COVID Infection Increases Your Risk of Long COVID, Study Warns
Science Alert Vaccines ensure bouts of COVID are far less deadly than they were at the pandemic‘s start, yet multiple studies now suggest even seemingly mild cases of the coronavirus have a cost. With every single infection, our risk of long COVID increases. While this risk starts (relatively) low for most of us, particularly those vaccinated and in […]
Dec 27, 2023
Top COVID FAQs of 2023: Staying safe at home, flying tips, shot combos, new variant
NPR This is the year that the COVID-19 pandemic was declared to be no longer a global health emergency. But even though case counts are down in 2023, it’s not as if everything is back to normal. There is, for example, a new omicron variant that was first detected in late summer and has spread […]
Dec 26, 2023
New COVID variant JN.1 surges to 44% of cases, CDC estimates — even higher in New York, New Jersey
CBS News The new COVID-19 variant that scientists call JN.1 now makes up about 44.1% of COVID-19 cases across the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated Friday, marking another week of the fast-spreading variant’s steep rise in the U.S. The increase is more than two times larger than the 21.3% that the CDC now […]
Dec 26, 2023
Utah clinic offers new treatment for patients dealing with Long COVID
KSL.com While the COVID-19 pandemic may seem like it’s in the rearview mirror, many people are still struggling with long-term effects of the disease. At one point in 2022, the CDC reported that 1 in 5 adults who contracted the virus were still experiencing long COVID. The numbers have decreased since then, but the effects of long […]
Dec 26, 2023
‘Long Flu’ Is Real — But Long COVID Is Worse, Study Shows
MedPage Today Long-term effects from influenza affect the respiratory system, long COVID is multisystemic. In patients hospitalized for either COVID-19 or seasonal influenza, rates of death, negative effects on long-term health, and hospital readmissions were high, but less so for the flu patients, a comparative analysis showed. Over 18 months of follow-up, patients hospitalized with […]
Dec 19, 2023
4 Big COVID Predictions for 2024
AARP It’s been about four years since COVID-19 was first identified, and in that time, much has changed, including the virus itself. We now have pills that can treat it and at-home tests that can identify an infection. We also have vaccines that have been updated to better match versions of the virus that are currently circulating. Despite […]
Dec 19, 2023
What to Know About the New Covid Variants
NYT HV.1 has overtaken EG.5 as the leading variant in the U.S. Scientists are also watching two other variants, BA.2.86 and JN.1. Two closely related variants, EG.5 and HV.1, currently comprise nearly half of the Covid-19 cases in the United States. EG.5 became the dominant variant nationwide in August. At that time, the World Health Organization classified […]
Dec 19, 2023
