Author: Claudinne Miller
Google recently released their annual “year in search” video. The 2022 edition was vastly different that the previous year. COVID didn’t show up on the list this year, I think my searches alone would have put it in the top ten. 2021 searches reflected getting through COVID, the lockdowns, mental health, and how to develop […]
Dec 27, 2022
Israel researchers discover 100,000 new RNA viruses
(Jerusalem Post) RNA viruses infect cells by injecting RNA into the cytoplasm of the host cells to transcribe and replicate viral proteins. Since the appearance of COVID-19, viruses have gotten a very bad name in the general public. These tiny intracellular parasites of living organisms are the most numerous biological entities on Earth and cause disease […]
Dec 27, 2022
5 big questions we still need to answer about long covid (Opinion)
(Washington Post) We are nearly three years into the covid-19 pandemic, and the debate about the need for health measures such as vaccine and mask mandates is as hot as ever. One big reason for that: long covid. What even is “long covid”? Broadly speaking, the condition refers to any symptoms persisting weeks to months after […]
Dec 27, 2022
(Frontiers in Immunology) Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a chronic disease considered to be triggered by viral infections in a majority of cases. Symptoms overlap largely with those of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19/long-COVID implying common pathogenetic mechanisms. SARS-CoV-2 infection is risk factor for sustained latent virus reactivation that may account for the symptoms of […]
Dec 27, 2022
(Fortune) You had COVID a few months ago and recovered—but things still aren’t quite right. When you stand up, you feel dizzy, and your heart races. Even routine tasks leave you feeling spent. And what was once a good night’s sleep no longer feels refreshing. Long COVID, right? It may not be so simple. A […]
Dec 27, 2022
As Covid Deaths Climb, Even Seniors Skip the Latest Booster
(NYT) Nearly all Americans over 65 got their initial Covid vaccines. But that immunity is waning, and this time, the government is offering far less support for new shots.
Dec 27, 2022
Epidemics That Weren’t: How Countries Shut Down Recent Outbreaks
(NYT) Some of the most fragile health systems in the world can teach us ways to respond to public health threats early and effectively. When Ebola swept through the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in 2018, it was a struggle to track cases. Dr. Billy Yumaine, a public health official, recalls steady flows of people […]
Dec 27, 2022
Long COVID: Could mono virus or fat cells be playing roles?
(AP) A British historian, an Italian archaeologist and an American preschool teacher have never met in person, but they share a prominent pandemic bond. Plagued by eerily similar symptoms, the three women are credited with describing, naming and helping bring long COVID into the public’s consciousness in early 2020.
Dec 27, 2022
(STAT – by Helen Branswell) People who study infectious diseases and who work in public health have long known a bad pandemic would one day come. They knew such an event would overwhelm hospitals, strain supply chains, and place stresses on society that we would be ill-equipped to meet. Countries like the United States have […]
Dec 27, 2022
Increase in Pediatric Invasive Group A Streptococcal Infections
(CDC) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is issuing this Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to notify clinicians and public health authorities of a recent increase in pediatric invasive group A streptococcal (iGAS) infections. In November 2022, CDC was notified of a possible increase in iGAS infections among children at a hospital […]
Dec 27, 2022