Coronavirus Tidbits #274 Dec 3, 2023

Meta-analysis reveals high rates of heart complications in long-COVID patients

A review and meta-analysis of long-term cardiac complications of long COVID finds a high prevalence of chest pain and abnormal heart rhythms (arrythmias).

For the study, published this week in BMC Medicine, a University of Washington–led team reviewed 150 studies on 57 cardiac complications that persisted for at least 1 month after COVID-19 infection. They also conducted a meta-analysis of 137 studies on 17 complications. The studies were published from January 2020 to July 2023.

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/meta-analysis-reveals-high-rates-heart-complications-long-covid-patients

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Biden-Harris Administration Announces Partnership to Distribute Free COVID-19 Tests to Schools Across the Country

All school districts will be able to order tests directly from the federal government beginning in early December

The tests will be made freely available to all traditional and charter LEAs nationwide. School districts may distribute these tests for free to students, staff, parents, and school communities, with the expectation that millions of tests will be sent out in the coming months – allowing schools to stock nurses’ offices, distribute at events, send tests home with students or parents, and more.

https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-announces-partnership-distribute-free-covid-19-tests-schools-across-country

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Rare Syndrome After COVID Vaccines Described

— "Long vax" events often include neurologic symptoms

https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/generalneurology/107644

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Societal polarization regarding vaccinations found to be distorting accuracy of people's recall of pandemic

A quartet of psychologists, economists and health behaviorists from the University of Bamberg, the University of Chicago, the University of Vienna and the University of Erfurt, respectively, has found that people's political views on vaccinations is colorizing their memories of the severity of the global pandemic.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-11-societal-polarization-vaccinations-distorting-accuracy.html?

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New COVID variant takes hold in the United States

So far, preliminary data on the variant suggests it does not trigger more severe illness than previous variants, the WHO said in a recent risk evaluation, but the international agency still noted a recent and "substantial rise" in BA.2.86 cases.

The CDC also noted that BA.2.86 variant poses a "low" public health risk.

But the CDC data released Monday did show that emergency department visits linked to COVID-19 have begun to climb nationwide.

One particular descendant of BA.2.86 might be driving the increase, experts say.

In recent weeks, scientists have been studying a steep increase in a BA.2.86 descendant called JN.1, which has become the fastest-growing subvariant worldwide.

The good news?

This season's vaccines are expected to work against JN.1, as they do against BA.2.86, the agency said.

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RSV increased risk after Covid:

New Test Panel May be Markers of Long Covid:

Four proteins in particular — Ba, iC3b, C5a, and TCC — predicted the presence of long COVID with 78.5% accuracy.

166 patients, 79 of whom had been diagnosed with long COVID and 87 who had not.

medscape.com/viewarticle/998886

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Threats to public health workers

While doctors and nurses were hailed as the frontline heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic, their counterparts in public health were experiencing threats. During the pandemic, threats against public health workers reached an all-time high. After the vaccine was released, those threats increased and changed in nature.

During the pandemic, public health leaders felt internal and external pressure to alter data to support lowering COVID-19 restrictions. More than half of local health directors reported harassment of themselves or their staff between March 2020 and January 2021. As a result, more than one in three public health leaders retired, resigned or were fired.

State legislatures also introduced 1,531 bills during the pandemic seeking to alter public health emergency authorities. Of those, 191 were enacted in 43 states. Just 17 laws expanded public health authorities, while 65 laws contracted emergency authorities.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-11-threats-health-workers.html

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Other:

Denmark reports Mycoplasma pneumonia epidemic

Denmark's Statens Serum Institute (SSI) today said Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections have reached the epidemic level, with an increase that began in the summer but has risen significantly over the past 5 weeks, according to a statement translated and posted by Avian Flu Diary, an infectious disease news blog.

Last week, the Netherlands reported a striking rise in pneumonia in children and young people since August, according to a government surveillance report flagged by FluTrackers, an infectious disease news message board.

The notices of rising pneumonia activity in some European countries come against the backdrop of reports of overwhelmed pediatric hospitals and clinics in China due to a mix of respiratory viruses, including Mycoplasma pneumonia, commonly known as "walking pneumonia." The surge in respiratory infections in China raised fears that a novel pathogen was behind the rise.

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/pneumonia/denmark-reports-mycoplasma-pneumonia-epidemic

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Biden looks to boost domestic drug manufacturing, using use the Defense Production Act, amid shortages

https://www.axios.com/2023/11/28/biden-drug-shortages-defense-production-act-covid