Author: Shannon Becker
A booster is your best shot now
(Ground Truths Blog) I know it’s hard to keep track of the new variants, with esoteric designations and without names (Hello WHO, where are you?). But several of these are quite troubling because their growth advantage compared to BA.5 (the wave we’re getting over) is substantial, chiefly related to their ability to work around our […]
Oct 24, 2022
Long-COVID post-viral chronic fatigue and affective symptoms are associated with oxidative damage, lowered antioxidant defenses and inflammation: a proof of concept and mechanism study
(Nature) The immune-inflammatory response during the acute phase of COVID-19, as assessed using peak body temperature (PBT) and peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), predicts the severity of chronic fatigue, depression and anxiety symptoms 3–4 months later.
Oct 24, 2022
Modeling the spatio‑temporal spread of COVID‑19 cases, recoveries and deaths and effects of partial and full vaccination coverage in Canada
(Nature) The purposes of our study are to map high-risk areas in Canada as well as quantifying the effects of vaccination intervention and socio-demographic factors on the transmission rates of infection, recovery, and death related to COVID-19. The data of this research included weekly number of COVID‑19 cases, recovered, and dead individuals from 2020 through […]
Oct 24, 2022
Children’s hospitals grapple with a nationwide surge in RSV infections
(NPR) An unseasonably early spike in respiratory syncytial virus cases among young children is pushing some hospitals to capacity. RSV, as it’s called, is a respiratory virus that mostly manifests as a mild illness with cold-like symptoms in adults but can cause pneumonia and bronchiolitis in very young children. It can be life-threatening in infants and young […]
Oct 24, 2022
Six people who tested positive for monkeypox have died, health departments confirm
(CNN) Six people who tested positive for monkeypox – two in New York City, two in Chicago, one in Nevada and one in Maryland – have died, local health departments have confirmed. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said it was “deeply saddened by the two reported deaths, and our hearts […]
Oct 24, 2022
A ‘Tripledemic’? Flu and Other Infections Return as Covid Cases Rise
(NYT) Flu cases are higher than usual for this time of year and are expected to soar in the coming weeks. A third virus, R.S.V., is straining pediatric hospitals in some states. Cases of flu have begun to tick up earlier than usual, and are expected to soar over the coming weeks. Children infected with […]
Oct 24, 2022
D.C.-area children’s hospitals are at capacity
(Washington Post) Children’s hospitals in the D.C. area have been full for weeks, with patients stacking up in emergency departments as a surge in respiratory illnesses exacerbates the strain of staff shortages and a dwindling supply of pediatric beds. Continue reading at the link
Oct 21, 2022
FDA’s vaccines chief sees possibility of more Covid boosters — sooner than he’d like
(STAT News) Peter Marks, who leads the Food and Drug Administration’s vaccines operation, is still losing sleep over Covid. Yes, vaccines for all age groups have been authorized or approved. Yes, an updated vaccine is now available. And, yes, multiple products are in use and hundreds of millions of doses have been given in this […]
Oct 21, 2022
Children’s hospitals, overflowing with respiratory patients, consider calling National Guard
(The Hill) Some children’s hospitals around the country are being overwhelmed with patients suffering from respiratory illnesses. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in particular is on the rise, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases have spiked, especially in the Northeast and South.
Oct 21, 2022
Making Trouble
(Science) The United States is moving to tighten oversight of studies that could make viruses more dangerous. But how far should it go? In a U.S. government lab in Bethesda, Maryland, virologists plan to equip the strain of the monkeypox virus that spread globally this year, causing mostly rash and flulike symptoms, with genes from […]
Oct 21, 2022
