Author: Claudinne Miller
COVID Update by Dr. Lawler
UNMC This week Dr. Lawler provides us with recent COVID trends using wastewater data & discusses the new BA.2.86 COVID-19 variant. On current COVID-19 cases: “We’re relatively close to where we were in the summer of 2021.”
Aug 22, 2023
COVID-19 School Closures Harmed Children’s Mental Health
Psychology Today There has been much conjecture about possible detrimental long-term consequences of school closures on young children and adolescents, but now a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports provides convincing evidence that the mental health of school children was impaired by school closures during the pandemic. The study surveyed 907 adolescents and their parents […]
Aug 22, 2023
Severe COVID-19 may lead to long-term innate immune system changes
NIH Severe COVID-19 may cause long-lasting alterations to the innate immune system, the first line of defense against pathogens, according to a small study funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. These changes may help explain why the disease can damage so many different organs […]
Aug 22, 2023
Where are the mosquitoes that spread malaria in the U.S.? Officials aren’t sure
NBC News The U.S. does not routinely track mosquitoes that spread malaria “because we haven’t been worried about them,” one expert said. Concerns over the insects, however, are growing. A ninth case of malaria diagnosed in a person who had not traveled out of the U.S. has experts on alert — and calling for more […]
Aug 22, 2023
4 Connecticut residents test positive for rare Powassan virus, which comes from tick bites
Connecticut News Four Connecticut residents have tested positive for the rare Powassan virus, marking the first cases of the year, state officials said. All four residents were hospitalized and treated; they have been released from the hospital and are recovering, the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) said. Each person had reported being bitten by a […]
Aug 22, 2023
‘Don’t Kiss or Snuggle Your Turtle,’ C.D.C. Warns Amid Salmonella Outbreak
NYT Twenty-six people have been sickened in recent months in an outbreak linked to small turtles, health officials said. In recent years, health officials have warned those who have bearded dragons, hedgehogs, ducks and chickens as pets to do their part in preventing the spread of salmonella infections. Now, an outbreak of salmonella cases across 11 […]
Aug 22, 2023
Maryland: another case of locally acquired malaria
CBS News Another case of locally acquired malaria was recently identified, this time in Maryland, according to health officials. It’s the latest in a series of infections that have popped up in the U.S., including seven in Florida and one in Texas. These are the first confirmed malaria cases acquired locally in the U.S. since 2003 when eight cases […]
Aug 22, 2023
What to know about COVID Pirola: How new lineage BA.2.86 differs from other variants
USA Today The World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have announced another addition to their lists tracking variants of COVID-19 — and this one may be a little different. Described by the CDC as a new lineage of the virus that causes COVID-19, the mutation has some distinctions from other currently […]
Aug 22, 2023
FDA Approves Vaccine for Pregnant Individuals to Prevent Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Infants
MedPageToday The FDA approved Pfizer’s bivalent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prefusion F protein vaccine (Abrysvo) for use in pregnant individuals to protect newborns from serious RSV-related outcomes. Even though the vaccine was administered in trials starting at 24 weeks’ gestation, the agency approved giving the shot at 32 to 36 weeks’ gestation over a possible risk for […]
Aug 22, 2023
What to Know About the Latest Covid Wave in New York City
NYT Is the city in another Covid wave? Where can you get a test? Should you be wearing a mask? And what if you end up sick? Do you know a friend or co-worker who has recently come down with Covid? Do you have a sore throat or sniffles yourself? Figuring out whether Covid is […]
Aug 22, 2023