Category: COVID
5 years since the pandemic started, long COVID patients are still hoping for a cure
NPR It’s been five years since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. But many patients with long COVID have yet to find meaningful recovery. Around 6% of adults in the U.S. — or roughly 18 million — are estimated to be living with the damaging aftermath of catching the virus, according to research and a long-running survey of U.S […]
Mar 12, 2025
Five years of Covid exacted a terrible toll. Another epidemic has claimed even more lives
STAT We lost sight of the fact that more young people were dying from drug overdoses than from Covid’ The 2020s have inarguably been Covid-19’s decade. Since the coronavirus outbreak was acknowledged as a pandemic exactly five years ago, the pandemic has killed well over 1 million Americans, derailed the global economy, and sparked political upheaval […]
Mar 11, 2025
COVID Broke the Rules of Virus Evolution
The Atlantic Why did this coronavirus change faster than scientists expected? In the early, uncertain days of the coronavirus pandemic, scientists delivered one comforting pronouncement: The virus that caused COVID mutates rather slowly. If that remained true, the virus would not change much to become more dangerous soon, and any vaccine could provide years of durable protection. What […]
Mar 11, 2025
Paxlovid may not reduce hospitalization risk for vaccinated older adults
Washington Post A new study suggests Paxlovid may not reduce risk of covid hospitalizations and all-cause deaths in vaccinated adults ages 65 to 74. Paxlovid, the five-day antiviral treatment for covid, may not reduce the risk of covid-related hospitalizations and all-cause deaths in vaccinated older adults, a new study suggests. Paxlovid — Pfizer’s combination of nirmatrelvir and […]
Mar 5, 2025
Women have a higher risk for long covid. Estrogen may play a role.
Washington Post A new study shows non-menopausal women between the ages of 40 and 54 had a significantly higher risk of developing long covid than men. Women have a higher risk of developing long covid than men, depending on their stage of life and whether they have experienced menopause, according to a new nationwide study from RECOVER, […]
Feb 26, 2025
U.S. weighs destroying $500 million in stockpiled covid tests
Washington Post The government is reviewing proposals to shut down the program that ships free covid tests to American households and is considering destroying 160 million tests. The Trump administration has been evaluating the costs of destroying or disposing of tens of millions of coronavirus tests that would otherwise be provided free to Americans, according […]
Feb 18, 2025
Natural immunity to SARS-CoV-2 weakened significantly after Omicron’s emergence
Medical News Research reveals a sharp decline in both the effectiveness and duration of protection from prior infection post-Omicron, underscoring the need for updated vaccines to sustain immunity A recent Nature study investigated the consequence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) evolution, particularly between the pre-Omicron era and the Omicron era, concerning the extent and durability […]
Feb 12, 2025
SARS-CoV-2 infection linked to rapid plaque growth in coronary arteries
Medical News A new study found severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection was associated with the rapid growth of plaque in the coronary arteries and an increased risk of cardiovascular events. The results were published today in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). According to Dr. Ge, this systemic inflammation produces […]
Feb 12, 2025
The U.S. Is Having Its Mildest Covid Winter Yet
NYT But there have been plenty of other illnesses to go around. This winter’s Covid wave in the United States has been the gentlest to date, in a welcome reprieve. According to wastewater data aggregated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, not only was there less Covid circulating over the holidays than in previous years, […]
Feb 4, 2025
What to Know About Covid Right Now
NYT Experts expect cases to rise again this winter. Here’s the latest on symptoms, treatments and testing. There are few constants when it comes to Covid, but one thing has held true over the years: Cases climb in the winter. In the weeks after the holidays, especially, more people tend to get sick, as we […]
Jan 28, 2025