Author: Claudinne Miller
COVID Mask Mandates Return to Hospitals in Five States
Newsweek Hospitals across the U.S. are reinstating COVID-19 mask mandates as the JN.1 variant becomes the dominant strain spreading throughout the country. Hospitals in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York and Washington D.C. have all brought back divisive rules meaning masks are mandatory for selected people in medical settings. The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control has recorded a 10.4 percent increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations […]
Jan 2, 2024
Avoiding COVID was about more than just keeping 2 metres apart, study finds
Euronews A new Oxford University study found that the duration of an encounter with a person sick with COVID was as important as the distance kept from them. How likely is it to get COVID-19 after being exposed to someone infected? It’s been a question on many people’s minds during the pandemic, and one that a group […]
Jan 2, 2024
Here’s How Common Long COVID Is in Children
MedPageToday Six to 12 months after COVID-19 infection, very few children developed post-COVID-19 conditions (PCCs) as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), a prospective Canadian study found. At 6 months after being tested for SARS-CoV-2 in pediatric emergency departments (EDs), just 0.52% of children who tested positive had symptoms and changes in quality of […]
Jan 2, 2024
A trifecta of viruses in the D.C. region has health officials worried
Washington Post A surge in coronavirus and flu infections in recent weeks, driven upward as more people have come into contact with one another during the holidays, has health officials in the Washington region worried about a potential strain on area hospitals. Virginia health officials on Thursday announced the state’s first reported child death due to the […]
Jan 2, 2024
Maryland hospitals see increase in COVID-19, RSV, flu cases
WBAL Hospitals across Maryland are seeing an increase in patients with respiratory illnesses. Doctors said cases of the flu, COVID-19 and RSV are spiking. “Influenza is really increasing, particularly over the last two weeks,” Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health virologist Dr. Andy Pekosz said. “All of them, you’ll often feel very lousy. You’ll […]
Jan 2, 2024
Testing negative but still feeling sick? Doctors explain why
The Hill You’ve got the sore throat, runny nose and cough (or any of the other common COVID-19 symptoms right now), but when you swab your nose and take a test, it comes out negative. Is there a chance you still have COVID-19? Could it be something else? The answer – to both questions – is yes. “If […]
Jan 2, 2024
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
Falcon Population Dwindling
Iceland Review The falcon population in Iceland has never been smaller, at least not since research into it began in 1981. Bird flu is the likely cause, experts at the Icelandic Institute of Natural History told RÚV. The gyrfalcon is the largest of the falcon species and its Icelandic population is genetically unique compared to other […]
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