COVID-19 News and Discussions

[wjfox]

[caltrek]

Drop in Life Expectancy 'Speaks Volumes' About How U.S. Handled Covid
by Jessica Corbett
April 8, 2022

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/ ... vid-expert

Introduction:

(Common Dreams) Just over a month into year three of the Covid-19 pandemic, research revealed Thursday that life expectancy in the United States declined again in 2021—which followed a well-documented drop in 2020 and contrasted a recovery trend in other high-income countries.

"The life expectancy gap between the United States and its peer income countries is now over five years, which is an incredible gap."
The paper, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, shows that U.S. life expectancy fell from 78.86 years in 2019 to 76.99 years in 2020 and 76.60 years in 2021, a net loss of 2.26 years.

The study comes as progressives in Congress continue to fight for Medicare for All legislation to replace the U.S. for-profit healthcare system—one in which 112 million adults struggle to afford care, according to Gallup and West Health.

The research also comes just days after a Poor People's Campaign analysis exposed how the public health crisis was twice as deadly in poor counties as in wealthy ones and "exacerbated preexisting social and economic disparities that have long festered in the U.S."

Johns Hopkins University's case tracker reported that as of Thursday afternoon, Covid-19 had claimed 984,571 lives across the United States, or nearly 16% of the more than six million deaths globally.

[weatheriscool]

Drop in Life Expectancy 'Speaks Volumes' About How U.S. Handled Covid
by Jessica Corbett
April 8, 2022

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/ ... vid-expert

Introduction:

(Common Dreams) Just over a month into year three of the Covid-19 pandemic, research revealed Thursday that life expectancy in the United States declined again in 2021—which followed a well-documented drop in 2020 and contrasted a recovery trend in other high-income countries.

"The life expectancy gap between the United States and its peer income countries is now over five years, which is an incredible gap."
The paper, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, shows that U.S. life expectancy fell from 78.86 years in 2019 to 76.99 years in 2020 and 76.60 years in 2021, a net loss of 2.26 years.

The study comes as progressives in Congress continue to fight for Medicare for All legislation to replace the U.S. for-profit healthcare system—one in which 112 million adults struggle to afford care, according to Gallup and West Health.

The research also comes just days after a Poor People's Campaign analysis exposed how the public health crisis was twice as deadly in poor counties as in wealthy ones and "exacerbated preexisting social and economic disparities that have long festered in the U.S."

Johns Hopkins University's case tracker reported that as of Thursday afternoon, Covid-19 had claimed 984,571 lives across the United States, or nearly 16% of the more than six million deaths globally.

I think it is far more complex then just covid. The poverty that we see in our cities is a good sign that people simply aint able to pay anymore and standards in general are dropping. It is really sad.

[raklian]

[wjfox]

[caltrek]

Drop in Life Expectancy 'Speaks Volumes' About How U.S. Handled Covid
by Jessica Corbett
April 8, 2022

...

I think it is far more complex then just covid. The poverty that we see in our cities is a good sign that people simply aint able to pay anymore and standards in general are dropping. It is really sad.

It is far more complex than just Covid, or even just economics. Case in point:

Study Shows Smoking Increased in Those Trying to Quit During COVID-19
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/949387
April 11, 2022


Introduction:

(Florida Atlantic University via EurekAlert) While smoking rates have declined dramatically in the United States, there are still 35 million smokers. There are few data about whether, and if so, how current cigarette smoking habits among those trying to quit are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Charles H. Hennekens, M.D., Dr.PH., senior author, first Sir Richard Doll Professor of Medicine and senior academic adviser to the dean at Florida Atlantic University’s Schmidt College of Medicine and collaborators from Baylor College of Medicine, examined changes to smoking habits and correlates of increases and decreases during the COVID-19 pandemic among participants enrolled in a tobacco cessation and lung cancer screening program.

Between June and October 2020, they conducted a cross-sectional survey of a program participant sample. The survey consisted of three parts: changes in tobacco use; impact and coping strategies; and COVID-19 exposure and use of protective measures. Demographic variables included age, sex, race/ethnicity and marital status.

Results, published in the Ochsner Journal, showed statistically significant and potentially clinically important differences between those who increased and decreased tobacco use during the pandemic. Among current smokers, 28.2 percent reported increased tobacco use, 17.3 percent reported decreased tobacco use and 54.5 percent reported no change. In addition, there were no reports of relapse among former smokers.

Researchers found correlates of increased tobacco use related to coping strategies and mental health such as high uncertainty about the future, loneliness as a result of social distancing, anger or frustration with how the pandemic has disrupted daily life, boredom because of being unable to work or engage in regular daily activities/ routines, desire to cope using alcohol or drugs, sadness or feelings of hopelessness and worry or fear about challenges to securing basic needs such as groceries or medication.

[wjfox]

[caltrek]

^^^Let Freedumb Ring.

[caltrek]

Note that below is referenced a business announcement, not a peer reviewed study.

RedHill Reports Potent Inhibition of Omicron with Oral COVID-19 Drug Candidate Opaganib in Vitro
by April 11, 2022

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/949386

Introduction:

(RedHill via EurekAlert) TEL AVIV, Israel and RALEIGH, NC, April 11, 2022, RedHill Biopharma Ltd. (Nasdaq: RDHL) (“RedHill” or the “Company”), a specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced study results in which opaganib (ABC294640), a leading oral drug candidate for hospitalized patients with moderate to severe COVID-19, was observed to have potent in vitro efficacy against the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant, while maintaining host cell viability. Based on the new and previously announced data, opaganib’s unique human host-targeted, dual antiviral and anti-inflammatory suggested mechanism is expected to act independently of viral spike protein mutations and remain effective against Omicron sub-variants BA.2, XE and other emerging and future variants.

Work on testing opaganib against Omicron was conducted by the Centre for Immunology and Infection (C2i), The University of Hong Kong’s world-renowned infectious diseases research center, School of Public Health, by Dr. Michael Chan, Principal Investigator, of the Centre for Immunology and Infection, who said: “The results of this study showed opaganib exerting potent inhibition of Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant viral replication in a model that we believe comes as close as currently possible to representing the Omicron clinical pathophysiological pathway. These are highly promising results that lend further weight to opaganib’s hypothesized host-mediated antiviral activity and expected effect irrespective of viral variant.”

“Opaganib was tested for inhibition of Omicron SARS-CoV-2 viral replication using an ex vivo human respiratory explant model, a methodology based on the finding that Omicron has a replication advantage in respiratory tract explants culture,” said Reza Fathi, PhD., RedHill’s Senior VP, R&D. “The results of the study, led by Dr. Chan, one of the leading experts in the field whose extensive COVID-19-related research is widely published in top tier journals such as Nature, are encouraging. The results are also consistent with findings from the Phase 2/3 study in which opaganib was shown, together with reducing mortality in key subpopulations and improving the time to recovery, to accelerate viral RNA clearance by more than 4 days, even in an advanced patient population with a median of 11 days from onset of symptoms – we believe a likely first for a novel oral therapy in this underserved hospitalized moderate to severe COVID-19 patient population.”

[weatheriscool]

Philadelphia reinstates indoor mask mandate
Source: WHYY (PBS Philadelphia)

Philadelphia officials announced Monday that masks will once again be required in indoor spaces. This includes restaurants, gyms, retail stores and schools. The change goes into effect in one week, on April 18th.

The move comes as the city crossed the threshold into Response Level 2: Mask precautions. The city had been in the “All Clear” level for just over a month, since March 2nd, meaning there were no mask or vaccination requirements across the city, with the exception of health care settings and public transit.

To qualify for Level 2, the city must meet two or more of the following requirements:

Daily case levels exceed 100
Cases increase by more than 50% over the previous ten days
Hospitalizations exceed 50



As of Monday, the city reported an average of 142 daily new infections, and cases had increased by more than 50% over the last 10 days. Hospitalizations were at 46, still below the limit. Still, Philadelphia Health Commissioner Cheryl Bettigole said it would be foolish to avoid the warning signs: every time so far, rising cases have been followed by rising hospitalizations and deaths. “ I suspect that this wave will be smaller than the one we saw in January,” she said, referring to the original omicron wave. “But if we wait to find out and to put our masks back on, we’ll have lost our chance to stop the wave.” She added that if it appears hospitalizations don’t increase in response to the new BA2 variant as they have in the U.K. and elsewhere in Europe, the health department can adjust its metrics and the mandate can be

dropped again.

Read more: https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia- ... k-mandate/