Covid-19 News and Discussions

[Yommie]

People who had severe covid-19 show cognitive decline years later

An analysis of people who were hospitalised with covid-19 in the first wave of the pandemic has revealed that the ongoing decline in their cognitive abilities is the equivalent to losing 10 IQ points

www.newscientist.com

People who had severe covid-19 show cognitive decline years later​

An analysis of people who were hospitalised with covid-19 in the first wave of the pandemic has revealed that the ongoing decline in their cognitive abilities is the equivalent to losing 10 IQ points

By Michael Le Page

31 July 2024

Covid-19 can have lasting effects on physical and mental health

Aleksandr Davydov / Alamy


The cognitive abilities of people who were hospitalised with covid-19 during the first wave of the pandemic remain lower than expected, even years later, and there is some evidence that this is forcing them to change jobs.

“What we found is that the average cognitive deficit was equivalent to 10 IQ points, based on what would be expected for their age, et cetera,” says Maxime Taquet at the University of Oxford.



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His team looked at 475 people in the UK who had been hospitalised with covid-19 and discharged before 31 March 2021. All had completed psychiatric and cognitive assessments six months after their discharge from hospital as part of another study. Taquet’s team asked them to repeat the assessments two to three years later and found that, on average, peoples’ symptoms of depression, anxiety and fatigue had worsened. “More people are getting worse than getting better,” says Taquet.

Overall, 47 per cent had moderate to severe depression at the second assessment compared with 34 per cent at six months, while 40 per cent had moderate to severe fatigue compared with 26 per cent in the first tests. The proportion of people with moderate to severe anxiety saw a smaller change, rising from 23 per cent to 27 per cent.


The results of the cognitive assessments were unchanged, with an average cognitive deficit equivalent to 10 IQ points at both initial and follow-up tests. As the participants weren’t tested before being hospitalised, there is no baseline to compare to, says team member Paul Harrison, also at the University of Oxford. Instead, the team compared the results to what would be expected for people of the same age, sex and education level, based on a survey called the Great British Intelligence Test.

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Why so many people’s symptoms grew worse isn’t clear, but the team did find that those with more severe symptoms in the initial psychiatric tests were more likely to see them intensify over time. Taquet says one participant said it was hard to be short of breath for three years and not experience depression.



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The team also found that more than a quarter of participants had changed their occupation since being hospitalised, with half of those who changed occupation saying they did so due to poor health. The researchers found a strong association between changing occupation and cognitive decline, but not with depression, anxiety or fatigue. This suggests that many people are making the change because they can no longer cope with the cognitive demands of their previous role, rather than because of a lack of energy or interest, says Taquet.

He acknowledges that the study has some major limitations. While around 2500 people were invited to take part in the research, only a fifth responded so it isn’t clear how representative the study is.

 

[Yommie]

'The virus wants to live.' California's big COVID spike isn't expected to ease anytime soon

With COVID numbers in California spiking this summer, experts are warning the new FLiRT strains driving the spread could be around for some time.

www.latimes.com

‘The virus wants to live.’ California’s big COVID spike isn’t expected to ease anytime soon​

People walk around Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles on July 28, 2024.

(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
By Rong-Gong Lin IIStaff Writer
July 31, 2024 Updated 6:36 AM PT

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With COVID-19 numbers in California spiking this summer, experts are warning the new strains driving the spread could be around for some time.

The latest COVID summertime surge is being fueled by what have collectively been dubbed the FLiRT subvariants — a collection of highly transmissible sibling strains that have muscled their way to prominence both in California and nationwide. In doing so, they’ve supplanted last winter’s dominant strain, JN.1, and are presenting new challenges to immune systems not yet primed to keep them at bay.

“It does seem like we are spitting out more and more variants a lot more quickly, and that’s probably to be expected,” said Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, regional chief of infectious disease at Kaiser Permanente Southern California. “This virus is still very, very new to humans, and the virus wants to live, and the way that it lives is by evading immunity” — circumventing people’s defenses by evolving in a way to keep the chain of infection going.


And data show the collective FLiRT family is making itself known in a major way.

Here is a closer look at where California stands with COVID and how to protect yourself.

COVID surging in California, nears two-year summer high. ‘Almost everybody has it’​

July 29, 2024

Why are the FLiRT variants posing such a challenge?​

There are quite a few FLiRT variants, which are descendants of last winter’s dominant strain, JN.1. Toward the end of spring, around Memorial Day weekend, that moniker largely applied to just a trio of distinct strains — officially designated KP.1.1, KP.2 and KP.3.

But just when it appeared that those three might be the showstoppers of the summer, an alphabet soup of additional potential threats emerged: KP.3.1.1, KP.2.3, KP.1.1.3, KP.4.1, and KP.1.2.

Of all of them, KP.3.1.1 is most clearly on the rise. For the two-week period that ended July 20, KP.3.1.1 comprised 17.7% of samples nationwide, up from 6.8% for the prior two-week period, according to estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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KP.3.1.1 “has really taken off,” Hudson said.

‘Playing COVID roulette’: Some infected by FLiRT variants report their most unpleasant symptoms yet​

July 8, 2024
By contrast, the older KP.3 has stagnated. Its share of coronavirus samples was estimated to be 32.9% for the two-week period that ended July 20, down slightly from 33.7% over the prior two-week period.

Those latest CDC estimates mean it’s possible that KP.3.1.1 could be “taking over for the next two or three weeks,” Hudson said Friday. “So, unfortunately, I think we are going to see a lot more cases.”

Isn’t that a lot of strains in such a short period of time?​

Yep. But the coronavirus that causes COVID — officially known as SARS-CoV-2 — is still very new to humans and hasn’t settled into the more predictable pattern that public health officials might be aware of for other infectious diseases, such as the flu.

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Since emerging in late 2019, the coronavirus has continually evolved in ways meant to evade immune protection. The strains best positioned to infect as many people as possible eventually rise to prominence, a trend that has played out previously in the pandemic with the rise of the Delta and Omicron variants, both of which triggered devastating surges.

As humans gain protection against any particular variant — such as through an updated vaccination or surviving an infection — the virus will seek to evolve in a way to keep the chain of infection going.

“And it may be that this particular summer, we have just seen a lot more of a faster churn of some of the variants, and they’ve just been a little bit more infective,” Hudson said.

It’s also true that, with this being the fifth summer of the COVID era, many people have thrown caution to the wind, and many sick people are continuing to go about their lives without masking or other precautions — allowing the virus to more efficiently spread.


California

Rising COVID clashes with carefree California summer as cases jump, precautions fade​

July 16, 2024

What do the metrics show?​

Wastewater: Coronavirus levels in California sewage are considered “very high” for a third consecutive week, the CDC said Friday, following four straight weeks during which viral levels were “high.” For the seven-day period that ended July 20, the most recent data available, coronavirus levels in California wastewater were at 93% of the peak from the summer of 2022. They’ve already exceeded last summer’s high.

Coronavirus levels surging in California wastewater​

Weekly wastewater viral activity level
Line chart shows COVID levels in wastewater. For the week ending on July 20, the California level is 11.53, considered very high. Nationwide, the level is high at 6.14.
California

U.S.












Viral activity level categoriesVery high High ModerateLow MinimalLatest data is for the week ending on July 20.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Sean Greene
Los Angeles Times

Tests: The rate at which California’s COVID-19 tests are turning up positive has now exceeded last summer’s peak. For the seven-day period that ended July 22, 13.8% of coronavirus tests came back positive. Last summer’s maximum was 13.1%.

Deaths and hospitalizations: Overall, deaths and hospitalizations from COVID appear to be lower than last summer. In Los Angeles County, there were an average of 286 COVID-19-positive people in hospitals for the week that ended July 20. That’s flat from the prior week’s figure of 291, and about half as many as last summer’s peak and one-quarter as many as the peak of summer 2022.

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Olympics once again buzzing with fans and crowds after COVID-era ebb​

July 30, 2024

What are some prevention tips?​

Vaccines: Doctors urge people to consider getting up to date on their vaccinations — particularly if they are at higher risk of severe complications from COVID-19. People should have received at least one updated shot since September, but most people haven’t done so. Those 65 and older should have received a second dose four months after their first. Immunocompromised people should have received one or two doses of the updated vaccine, and may get additional doses two months after their last recommended dose.

Avoid sick people: Some might dismiss their symptoms as a cold, when it could be the start of a COVID-19 illness. “If you have cough-and-cold symptoms, at this point, living in Los Angeles, you should really think that they are COVID until proven otherwise,” Hudson said.

Masking: Masking in public places such as airports has not been required for years. But it can reduce the risk of getting COVID. The strategy can be particularly effective when traveling, such as on a plane. Travel is “a very common, common way that we are seeing people get exposed,” Hudson said.

If exposed: L.A. County health officials recommend close contacts of people who have COVID-19 wear a well-fitting mask around other people for 10 days after their last exposure. They also suggest getting tested three to five days after their last exposure.


California

Long COVID risk has decreased but remains significant, study finds​

July 23, 2024

What if I get COVID?​

Testing: Hudson encouraged people to test repeatedly if they have COVID-19 symptoms, even as far out as the fifth day after the onset of illness. People who feel sick might test negative the first couple of days they have symptoms, but end up testing positive later on.

Isolation and masking up: The CDC urges people to stay home and away from others if they’re sick. People can resume normal activities 24 hours after their symptoms have improved and they’ve been fever-free without using medicine such as Tylenol or Advil. But the CDC also advises added precautions for five additional days to avoid infecting others, such as wearing a mask and keeping their distance from others. These precautions should also be followed by people who test positive but have no symptoms, the CDC said.

The L.A. County Department of Public Health suggests that infected people who have symptoms test negative before leaving isolation. The agency also suggests that people who are infected — whether or not they have symptoms — wear a mask around others for 10 days after they start feeling sick or, if asymptomatic, get their first positive test result. However, they can remove their mask sooner if they have two sequential negative tests at least one day apart.

Avoiding the most vulnerable: The L.A. County Department of Public Health also suggests that those who are infected avoid contact with high-risk people for 10 days after the onset of symptoms or their first positive test result. If patients recover and then get sick again, they may have COVID rebound and need to isolate.


California

‘If it’s COVID, Paxlovid’? For many, it should be easier to get. Here’s what to know about antivirals​

Jan. 29, 2024
Antiviral treatment: Consider asking a healthcare provider if you can be prescribed an anti-COVID drug such as Paxlovid. Antivirals can be used to treat people with mild to moderate illness who are at risk of seeing their condition deteriorate. Some data suggest that patients who take Paxlovid clear out coronavirus from their bodies faster, and some health officials have said it should be more widely utilized. The state of California once made virtual medical COVID visits free for residents seeking an antiviral prescription, but that program ended in March. The contractor that provided the service, sesamecare.com/covid, now offers those medical services for a fee, though with a discount for California residents.

Beware of COVID rebound: COVID rebound can occur when people with COVID-19 feel better, but then start to feel sick two to eight days after they’ve recovered. Some people may also test positive again. COVID rebound can result in you again becoming infectious. Rebound can happen whether or not you take Paxlovid. If you feel sick again after having recovered from COVID, go back to following the same instructions to stay at home and away from other people during the first phase of the illness.

 

[Yommie]

Why Olympians Who Have COVID-19 Can Still Compete in Paris

The rules aren’t as stringent as they were in Tokyo

time.com

Why Athletes Who Have COVID-19 Can Still Compete in the Paris Olympics​

4 minute read

Adam Peaty of Britain during heat 4 of the Men’s 100m breaststroke.Evgenia Novozhenina—Reuters
By Alice Park / Paris
August 1, 2024 12:02 PM EDT
British swimmer Adam Peaty was the first athlete to reveal he had COVID-19 at the Paris Olympics, a day after winning silver in the men’s 100-m breaststroke at La Defense Arena.

In a statement, Team GB said Peaty had started feeling sick, with throat symptoms, before his race on July 28, that his symptoms got worse afterward, and he then tested positive for COVID-19.


Since then, nearly a dozen swimmers, including several members of the Australian women’s water-polo team, have tested positive, raising questions about how widely the virus is spreading, especially in the pool.

A spokesperson for Paris 2024 said in an emailed statement to TIME that the organization is encouraging athletes to practice good infection-control behaviors such as “wearing a mask in the presence of others, limiting contacts and washing hands regularly with soap and water or using hand sanitizer.”



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For now, there does not appear to be an outbreak, but, as cases of COVID-19 rise around the world—in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the number of infections is growing in 36 states—it’s inevitable that the virus would make an appearance at the Olympics, where thousands of athletes and millions of spectators have gathered.


But the rules surrounding COVID-19—including vaccination recommendations, who gets tested, isolation procedures, and masking guidance—are very different at the Paris Games than they were during the Tokyo Olympics. In Tokyo, in the summer of 2021, athletes—and the media who had contact with them in interview zones—were tested regularly. Anyone testing positive was immediately isolated and remained separated from others until they tested negative. While vaccination wasn’t mandated, most national Olympic sports organizations, including the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), strongly recommended that athletes be up-to-date with their COVID-19 shot. Officials also conducted temperature checks for anyone entering any competition to monitor for fevers, one symptom of an infection. To further limit the possibility of an outbreak, no spectators were allowed at those Games.

In Paris, the fans are back, virtually none of them wearing masks, and there is no regular testing of athletes. A spokesperson for the USOPC said in emailed responses to questions from TIME that American athletes are generally tested only if they have symptoms such as a persistent cough, fever, or sore throat, or if they are just generally feel unwell, and COVID-19 is being treated like any other respiratory illness such as the cold or flu. That means there is no rule preventing athletes from training or competing, just as there isn’t anything from stopping someone with the sniffles or a stuffy nose.


To protect other Olympians, however, since athletes share rooms and countries occupy the same living space in the Olympic Village, if athletes test positive, they are generally moved to a single room to limit the chance of getting others sick. The USOPC is also arranging for separate transportation for them to and from practices and events and delivering their meals so they won’t need to be in the public dining hall. Medical clinics at the Olympics also have isolation rooms to accommodate people who test positive.

“We will allow them to train and compete as long as they feel up to it,” the USOPC spokesperson said.

Those practices follow guidance from the CDC, which advises people who test positive to stay home and away from others but suggest returning to normal activities when symptoms have improved and any fever has resolved on its own (without medications) for at least 24 hours. People can still spread the virus at that point, so the CDC recommends frequent hand-washing, wearing masks, and practicing social distancing in crowded indoor settings for at least five days. “Keep in mind that you may still be able to spread the virus that made you sick, even if you are feeling better,” the agency says on its website. “You are likely to be less contagious at this time, depending on factors like how long you were sick or how sick you were.”


The cases involving water sports raises the question of whether being in the water with infected athletes increases the risk of spread. Early in the pandemic, the CDC advised that pools don’t carry any heightened risk of spreading the virus, but the enclosed spaces people use for swimming such as locker rooms, showers, and the pool area itself might promote transmission because of the poor ventilation in those areas.

The Paris 2024 spokesperson said “we are carefully monitoring the health situation in close coordination with the Ministry of Health.”

 

[Yommie]

Thursday's Pandemic Update: New Covid Data Just In From Several States​

 

[Yommie]

COVID-19 cases rise across California during summer​

 

[Yommie]

Are COVID cases surging in Los Angeles County?​

 

[Yommie]

‘Incredibly disappointing’: Ontario halts wastewater testing for COVID, other viruses​

 

[Yommie]

With COVID cases on the rise, Arizona schools will remain open​

 

[Yommie]

Wastewater data shows COVID rate in Massachusetts is twice the national average​

 

[Yommie]

Researchers say COVID-19 pandemic played role in Davidson County's population decline​

 

[Yommie]

Women ending pregnancies on their own and new COVID-19 vaccine ready for the fall - Medical Minute,​

 

[Yommie]

Arizona top educator says state school's should treat COVID like they do flu​

 

[Yommie]

Covid in Ukraine.

Наталія Іванченко про спалах COVID-19 в Україні (Natalia Ivanchenko about the outbreak of COVID-19 in Ukraine)​

 

[Yommie]

Covid numbers on the rise in Louisiana​

 

[Yommie]

COVID-19 cases rising in Dane County​