Coronavirus Tidbits #287, March 24, 2024

Forecasts:

1.43% (1 in 70) are infectious;

>680,000 COVID cases/day;

>30,000 resulting Long Covid cases/day.

Expect continued declines in transmission the next 3 weeks, but a high trough.

-- Mike Hoerger, http://pmc19.com/data

~ ~ ~

430,000 new infections/day; JN.1 + "FLiRT" (F456L and R346T) are now growing.

1 in every 770 became infected today;

1 in every 77 people currently infected

JP Weiland https://twitter.com/JPWeiland/status/1768774655542767937

Wastewater levels: https://data.wastewaterscan.org/tracker/

~ ~ ~

Vaccines cut risk of post-COVID heart failure, blood clots for at least 6 months, data suggest

from large European study published in Heart

The study period (January to July 2021) was dominated by the Alpha and then Delta variants. Participants included adults of all ages and those at high risk for poor COVID-19 outcomes.

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/vaccines-cut-risk-post-covid-heart-failure-blood-clots-least-6-months-data-suggest

~ ~ ~

 3 reasons older Americans should get the latest COVID jab now

Increased age means increased risk.

Even now, four years after the start of the pandemic, people 65 years old and up are about twice as likely to die from COVID-19 than the rest of the population. People 75 years old and up are 10 times more likely to die from COVID-19.

Vaccination is still safe, effective—and more beneficial than risky.

And Medicare covers it.

Long COVID can compromise the immune system.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-people-aged-65-and-older-should-get-a-spring-covid-vaccine/

~ ~ ~

COVID’s toll on the brain: new clues emerge

A leaky blood–brain barrier and inflammation might account for some of the cognitive symptoms of COVID-19.

Some new studies suggest that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, directly infects brain cells. Those findings bolster the hypothesis that direct infection contributes to COVID-19-related brain problems. But the idea that brain inflammation is key has gotten fresh support: one study, for example, has identified specific brain areas prone to inflammation in people with COVID-19.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00828-9

“In patients with brain fog, MRI scans revealed signs of damaged blood vessels in their brains… dye injected into the bloodstream leaked into their brains and pooled in regions that play roles in language, memory, mood and vision. It’s the first time anyone’s shown that long COVID patients can have leaky blood brain barriers.”

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/long-covid-brain-fog-blood-brain-barrier-damage

~ ~ ~

New monoclonal antibody released:

FDA has granted emergency use auth for Pemgarda (pemivibart), a monoclonal Ab given IV every 3 mos, as PRE-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS (not treatment) of COVID19 in mod-severely immunocompromised age 12+ & 40 kg+

https://www.statnews.com/2024/03/22/covid-immunocompromised-antibody-protection-invivyd/

~ ~ ~

People with hypermobility may be at heightened risk of long Covid

esp POTS and persistent fatigue, research suggests.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/mar/19/people-with-hypermobility-may-be-more-prone-to-long-covid-study-suggests

~ ~ ~

Long Covid and work:

KEY STUDY : MISSED WORK due to SARS-CoV-2 INFECTION ! https://medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.10.24304054v1… "At three months post-infection, 40.8% of participants reported at least one SARS-CoV-2 symptom and 9.6% of participants reported five or more SARS-CoV-2 symptoms. When asked about missed work due to their SARS-CoV-2 infection at three months, 7.1% of participants reported missing ≥10 workdays and 13.9% of participants reported not returning to work since their infection. At three months, participants with ≥5 symptoms had a higher adjusted odds ratio (aOR)

of missing ≥10 workdays (2.96, 95% CI 1.81-4.83) and not returning to work (2.44, 95% CI 1.58-3.76) compared to those with no symptoms. Prolonged SARS-CoV-2 symptoms were common, affecting 4-in-10 participants at three-months post-infection, and were associated with increased odds of work loss, most pronounced among adults with ≥5 symptoms at three months. Despite the end of the Federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency and efforts to “return to normal”, policymakers must consider the clinical and economic implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on people’s employment status and work absenteeism, particularly as data characterizing the numerous health and well-being impacts of Long COVID continue to emerge."

Other:

Marked rise in toxic shock and #Strep infections in Japan

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/15/japan-streptococcal-infections-rise-details?CMP=share_btn_url

~ ~ ~

Avian flu:

H5N1 avian flu detected for first time in US livestock

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/avian-flu-detected-first-time-us-livestock