COVID-19 News and Discussions

[wjfox]

[Time_Traveller]

UK government wasted nearly £10bn on unused Covid PPE, figures show

Thu 25 Jan 2024 18.40 GMT

Ministers have been accused of throwing away taxpayers’ money “as if it were confetti” after official figures revealed that the government wasted nearly £10bn on defective or unusable personal protective equipment during the Covid crisis.

Annual accounts for the Department of Health and Social Care published on Thursday show that nearly three-quarters of the money it spent on PPE during the pandemic has been written off.

The figures show £9.9bn of the £13.6bn worth of PPE that the department bought between 2020 and 2022 was unusable or its value is now less than the government paid for it. This includes defective or unsuitable equipment as well as PPE that could not be used before its expiry date.

Gareth Davies, the comptroller and auditor general of the National Audit Office, said: “Ongoing efforts to detect, prevent and recover fraud must continue, improving public confidence that this drain on the public finances is being tackled effectively and efficiently.”

The figures come as the National Crime Agency investigates allegations of bribery and fraud in the awarding of PPE contracts.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... gures-show

[Ken_J]

well thanks for those nightmares.

but interestingly dopamine processing is changed in ADHD and Autism, so we might expect a lot of kids to start seeing diagnosis criteria being met (you know how certain everybody was that covid can't hurt kids and they should all go back to school).

[caltrek]

Tech Assisted Breathing Exercises Relieve Long Covid Symptoms
January 29, 2024

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) Simple breathing exercises done twice daily while using a mobile phone app can help relieve the symptoms of Long Covid, new research has found.

Resonant breathing, which consists of a four second inhale and six second exhale through the nose repeated for 10 minutes, significantly improved symptoms among the 13 Long Covid patients in the University of Leeds study, which is published today.

Participants used a free heart rate variability app on their mobile phones, which provided breathing guides that allowed them to track the effects of the technique. They monitored the effects using a chest strap heart rate monitor while completing the breathing exercises. Data from this, combined with heart rate data from a smart watch worn for the duration of the study, was used to analyse their progress.

After the four-week intervention, participants reported a reduction in their symptoms, better sleep and improved physical functioning.

The research was led by Dr Manoj Sivan, Associate Professor and Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Leeds’ School of Medicine, and research lead for the Long Covid service at Leeds Community Healthcare Trust.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1032679

[raklian]

[caltrek]

Machine Learning to Battle COVID-19 Bacterial Co-infection
February 1, 2024

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) University of Queensland researchers have used machine learning to help predict the risk of secondary bacterial infections in hospitalised COVID-19 patients.

The machine learning technique can help detect whether antibiotic use is critical for patients with these infections.

Additional extract:

“To reduce the risk of bacterial co-infections, it would be theoretically possible to just treat all COVID-19 patients with antibiotics.

“However, there’s a danger that over-treating with antibiotics could potentially lead to antibiotic resistance and the creation of bacterial superbugs.

“We’ve helped develop a robust predictive model to determine the risk of bacterial infections in COVID-19 patients, facilitating a careful use of antibiotics.”

Read more of the Eurekalert article here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1033221

To read a presentation of the results of the study as published in The Lancet: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lan ... /fulltext

[wjfox]

[wjfox]

[caltrek]

New Analysis Reveals Many Excess Deaths Attributed to Natural Causes are Actually Uncounted COVID-19 Deaths
February 6, 2024

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) The new study provides the most compelling data yet to suggest that excess mortality rates from chronic illnesses and other natural causes were actually driven by COVID-19 infections, disproving high-profile claims that have attributed these deaths to other factors such as COVID vaccinations and shelter-in-place policies.

Nearly 1,170,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the United States according to official federal counts, but multiple excess mortality studies suggest that these totals are vastly undercounted. While excess mortality provides an estimation of deaths that likely would not have occurred under normal, non-pandemic conditions, there is still little evidence into whether the SARS-CoV-2 virus contributed to these additional deaths, or whether these deaths were caused by other factors such as healthcare disruptions or socioeconomic challenges.

Now, a new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) and the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) provides the first concrete data showing that many of these excess deaths were indeed uncounted COVID-19 deaths.

Published in the journal PNAS, the study compared reported COVID-19 deaths to excess deaths due to non-COVID, natural causes, such as diseases and chronic illnesses, and found that increases in non-COVID excess deaths occurred at the same time or in the month prior to increases in reported COVID-19 deaths in most US counties.

Read more of the Eurekalert article here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1033667

For a presentation of the study as published in PNAS: https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2313661121

[caltrek]

New Study Finds Roughly 1 in 10 Pregnant People Will Develop Long COVID
February 12, 2024

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) National Harbor, Md. ― While there is a growing body of research about the long-term effects of COVID in the general adult population, little research has been done on the long-term impacts on those who get COVID while pregnant.

In a new study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting™, researchers will unveil findings that suggest that approximately 1 in 10 people who have COVID during pregnancy will develop long COVID.

Researchers followed a group of individuals from 46 states plus Washington, D.C., who got COVID while pregnant to see whether they developed long COVID and, if so, what factors put people at greater risk. The pregnancy cohort is part of a larger study, the NIH RECOVER Initiative, that aims to learn more about the long-term effects of COVID in adults and children.

Of the 1,503 people in the pregnancy cohort, slightly more than half (51 percent) were fully vaccinated before contracting COVID; and the average age at infection was about 32 years old. The study looked at a person’s pre-existing conditions, socioeconomic status, and severity of COVID during pregnancy.

Researchers found that 9.3 percent of pregnant people developed long COVID when evaluated six months or more after their initial infection. The most common symptoms people reported included feeling worn out after even minor physical or mental activity, also known as post-exertional malaise, fatigue, and dizziness.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1033445

[wjfox]

[weatheriscool]

[weatheriscool]

[caltrek]

Long-term Data Reveals SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Vaccine-induced Antibody Responses are Long-lasting
February 26, 2024

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) A long-term analysis conducted by leading microbiologists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai reveals that antibody responses induced by COVID-19 vaccines are long-lasting. The study results, published online in the journal Immunity on February 22, challenge the idea that mRNA-based vaccine immunity wanes quickly.

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in late 2019 sparked the global pandemic that is now in its fifth year. Vaccines that were developed at record speed have saved millions of lives. However, the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants and waning immunity have decreased the effectiveness of the vaccines against symptomatic disease. The common perception now is that mRNA-based vaccine-induced immunity wanes quickly. However, this assumption is largely based on data from short-term studies that include a very limited number of data points following peak responses.

The Mount Sinai research team’s analysis of more than 8,000 samples collected over a three-year period in New York City examined how antibody responses to the virus’s spike protein changed after infections, during the primary immunization series, during monovalent and bivalent booster vaccination, and during breakthrough infections.

They found that upon primary immunization, participants with pre-existing immunity (those who had previously been infected with the virus) mounted higher antibody responses faster and achieved higher steady-state antibody titers than individuals who had not been previously infected. The waning of antibody response was characterized by two phases: an initial rapid decay from the strong peak after vaccination, followed by a stabilization phase with very slow decay, suggesting that antibody levels were very long-lasting. Booster vaccination equalized the differences in antibody concentration between participants with and without pre-existing immunity. Breakthrough infections increased antibodies to similar levels as an additional vaccine dose in individuals who had not previously been infected.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1035651

For results of the study as published in in Immunity:https://www.cell.com/immunity/fulltext/ ... 24)00043-8

[caltrek]

Improving Public Understanding of the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System
February 26, 2024

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) PHILADELPHIA – The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) is an open, national surveillance system used by medical professionals as well as the public at large to self-report potential adverse medical events following vaccination. These events are entered as unconfirmed reports to VAERS, which is managed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As the CDC notes, “Reports sent to VAERS may include incomplete, inaccurate, coincidental, and unverified information.”

Pre-pandemic, there was little public attention paid to VAERS. Since the pandemic and the development of vaccines against Covid-19, however, vaccination-related information has flooded social media around the globe. The result has been an “infodemic” fueled by mis- and disinformation about vaccination, some of which is based on a misreading, misunderstanding, or misrepresentation of what VAERS is and what its reports show.

In a new Viewpoint piece in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), “Misinformation and the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System,” three University of Pennsylvania scholars examine how VAERS reports have been misrepresented during the pandemic. Drawing on data first published in an Annenberg Public Policy Center white paper, the researchers argue that the VAERS system has been misused by vaccine skeptics to fuel vaccine hesitancy. They urge public health agencies to improve public understanding of the vaccine surveillance reports and their significance – or lack thereof.

Read more of the Eurkalert article here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1035657

Read the Annenberg white paper here: https://cdn.annenbergpublicpolicycenter ... _2023.pdf

[caltrek]

National Study Reveals Recovery Hurdles for Children Following COVID-19 Hospitalization
February 26, 2024

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) BALTIMORE, February 26, 2024— New research is showing just how difficult recovery is for children who are hospitalized due to COVID-19. Trailblazing data from a national multicenter survey shows that up to one-third of children did not fully recover and experienced persistent symptoms from 1 to 2 years after release from the hospital.

The research, published in Frontiers in Pediatrics, found that 30% of parents (23 out of 79) reported that their child had not recovered from COVID-19 and/or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a rare but serious complication that can occur after COVID-19. Children who had not recovered were more likely to have symptoms that were new or persisted after hospital discharge. The majority (87%) of these children had neurological symptoms, in particular headache (60.9%) and weakness (47.8%).

Dr. Beth Slomine, co-director of the Brain Injury Clinical Research Center at Kennedy Krieger, assistant vice president of psychology, and one of the authors in this study, emphasizes that these numbers are evidence of the lasting impacts COVID-19 has on some children.
“The numbers are striking and speak volumes,” Dr. Slomine said. “Our findings highlight the urgent need for better monitoring systems and care strategies to address the long-term effects that the pandemic made on pediatric health.”

Read more of the Eurkealert article here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1035622

For results of the research as published in Frontiers in Pediatrics: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/1 ... 0385/full

[caltrek]

CDC Shortens COVID-19 Isolation Period. What to Know About New Guidelines
by Eduardo Cuevas, Adrianna Rodriguez and Ken Alltucker
March 1, 2024

Introduction:

(USA Today) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is updating its COVID-19 guidance so people who test positive for the virus will no longer be directed to isolate at home for five days.

On Friday, top health officials announced a new policy focusing on actions people can take to reduce spreading a variety of common respiratory viruses, such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19. Those actions include staying at home when sick, staying up to date with vaccines, practicing good hygiene and improving indoor air quality.

The change marks the first time the agency has revised its coronavirus guidelines since 2021. It is intended for people and employers, not for hospitals or nursing homes that have separate guidance, the CDC said.

CDC officials called the change a streamlined approach that’s easier for people to understand and more in line with circulating respiratory viruses that spread the same way and have similar symptoms.

The announcement reflects progress made in reducing hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 over the last two years, CDC Director Mandy Cohen said in a Friday news conference. Still, she emphasized continued use of vaccines and treatments.

Read more here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other ... -BB1jbunr

[caltrek]

Latest Booster Reduces Adults’ Risk of Moderate or Severe COVID by More than Half
March 1, 2024

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) The most recent COVID-19 booster shot reduces adults’ risk of moderate or severe COVID by more than half, according to a new nationwide data study from September 2023 through January 2024, a period of JN.1 variant dominance.

The new study is one of the first to evaluate protection provided by the updated shot against COVID-19-associated emergency department and urgent care visits (markers for moderate disease) and against hospitalizations (a marker for severe disease), in individuals 18 and older, due to JN.1, the most recently predominant strain of COVID.

“Halving your risk of needing to visit an E.D. or urgent care center or to be treated in the hospital for COVID is significant,” said study co-author Shaun Grannis, M.D., M.S., Regenstrief Institute vice president for data and analytics and a professor at Indiana University School of Medicine. “As an informatician I want to highlight that the data we analyzed came from different populations and geographic locations, adults of all ages and the most recent COVID strain. This analysis strongly supports the benefit of getting a booster shot and as a clinician, I encourage my patients to do so.”

“These are encouraging findings,” said study co-author Brian Dixon, PhD, MPA, interim director of Regenstrief Institute’s Clem McDonald Center for Biomedical Informatics and professor at Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health. “These estimates of vaccine effectiveness are what we would expect for an annual booster designed for an endemic virus that continues to evolve. We looked at a longer time period than similar studies in Europe, and we found good performance. Yet we do need to be alert to the presumed waning of the updated booster’s effectiveness, which we have seen in earlier COVID-19 vaccines. Americans should expect the CDC to recommend future boosters, likely on an annual schedule.”

These findings of protection against moderate and severe disease provided by the booster in this large study are consistent with those of an earlier, small scale study of individuals seen for testing at a pharmacy. That study did not include hospitalized patients.

For information concerning the authors of the study as contained in the cited Eurekalert article: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1036187

For a presentation of study results by the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/mm7308a5.htm

[firestar464]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/ ... r-BB1iW4nQ

Scientists may now know what is causing long COVID

[caltrek]

Study Finds COVID Vaccines are Safe for Pregnant Women and Babies
March 7, 2024

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) Landmark study contradicts misinformation about brain development and conditions like autism in children.
The COVID vaccine is safe to administer during pregnancy, reports UC San Francisco in an important finding on the safety of the vaccine in infants – despite widespread fear and misinformation.

The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, is the first scientific inquiry into whether infants are at increased risk of neurodevelopmental impairments as a result of maternal vaccination.

The landmark study of more than 2,200 infants from across the country found that in utero exposure to the vaccine caused no abnormal delays when the infants were tested at 12 months and again at 18 months.

“This is a very reassuring finding – pregnant women have been facing unanswered questions around COVID vaccinations for several years,” said first author Eleni Jaswa, MD, MSc, a reproductive endocrinologist and fertility specialist at UCSF Health, noting the investigation started in April 2020. She is also an assistant professor in the UCSF Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences.

Read more of the Eurekalert article here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1036950

For results of the study as presented in Jama Pediatrics: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamape ... le/2814106