Politics, Science, and Other Assorted Musings

Quick links News     Diagnostics     Drugs    Devices    Epidemiology/Infection control     Tips     Politics    Feel good du jour     Comic relief     Perspective/Poem     Bits of beauty Announcements: First, there is now a Resources Page here for the most commonly asked questions I’m getting. Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don’t be shy about that. New post: CDC Advised To Weaken Infection Protections As Mysterious Pneumonia Brews Overseas https://www.forbes.com/sites/judystone/2023/11/24/cdc-told-to-weaken-infection-protections-as-mysterious-pneumonia-brews-overseas/?sh=5f4703a348de News  hospitalizations rose 8.6% compared to the previous week. More than 16,000 people were admitted to the hospital for COVID last week. COVID-related deaths rose 9.1% over the same period, with COVID responsible for 2.4% of all deaths. ED visits for COVID rose 7.1% test positivity is at 8.4%, reflecting a 0.1 percentage-point rise, Vaccine uptake: at 31.7%, followed by 14.8% in other adult age-groups, and 5.4% for children. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/covid-data-show-small-rise-ahead-holidays COVID-19 vaccination before infection strongly linked to reduced risk of developing long COVID Receiving at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine before the first infection is strongly associated with a reduced risk of developing post-COVID-19 condition, commonly known as long COVID, finds a study published by The BMJ…

Quick links News     Diagnostics     Drugs    Devices    Epidemiology/Infection control     Tips     Politics    Feel good du jour     Comic relief     Perspective/Poem     Bits of beauty Announcements: First, there is now a Resources Page here for the most commonly asked questions I’m getting. Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don’t be shy about that. News  Americans’ Trust in Scientists, Positive Views of Science Continue to Decline Pew Research Center Overall, 57% of Americans say science has had a mostly positive effect on society. This share is down 8 percentage points since November 2021 and down 16 points since before the start of the coronavirus outbreak. 73% of U.S. adults have a great deal or fair amount of confidence in scientists to act in the public’s best interests. But trust in scientists is 14 points lower than it was at the early stages of the pandemic. https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2023/11/14/americans-trust-in-scientists-positive-views-of-science-continue-to-decline/ ~ ~ ~ Survey finds many Americans are letting their guard down during respiratory illness season A third believe they don’t need vaccines if they’re not high risk and that their decision on whether to get vaccinated doesn’t affect others COLUMBUS,…

Quick links News     Diagnostics     Drugs    Devices    Epidemiology/Infection control     Tips     Politics    Feel good du jour     Comic relief     Perspective/Poem     Bits of beauty Announcements: First, there is now a Resources Page here for the most commonly asked questions I’m getting. Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don’t be shy about that. Latest Post: A Storm Is Gathering Around A CDC Committee For Its Controversial Infection Control Guidance in Forbes Please submit your written public comment to HICPAC@CDC.GOV by midnight Monday, Nov 6 See Epidemiology section or my post for more details. ~ ~ ~ Also, volunteer to help get out the vote and cure ballots. You can email me or check for some opportunities on Mobilize.us Important races and ballot issues are close in VA, Ohio, and PA. You can make a difference in these close races News  At least 14% in US have long COVID One in seven people in the US reported having had long COVID by the end of 2022, suggests a large-scale investigation of long COVID and symptom prevalence by academics at UCL and Dartmouth. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-11-americans-covid.html? ~ ~ ~ Impact of…

Quick links News     Diagnostics     Drugs    Devices    Epidemiology/Infection control     Tips     Politics    Feel good du jour     Comic relief     Perspective/Poem     Bits of beauty Announcements: First, there is now a Resources Page here for the most commonly asked questions I’m getting. Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don’t be shy about that. News  Study highlights potential role of statin drug in critical COVID-19 cases Simvastatin (Zocor), the widely available statin drug used to treat high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, has a 96% probability of improving outcomes for critically ill COVID-19 patients and a 92% chance of improving survival at 3 months, according to new results from the ongoing Randomized Embedded Multifactorial Adaptive Platform for Community Acquired Pneumonia (REMAP-CAP) trial. The global trial began in March 2020 and is ongoing. The goal of the multicenter, international trial is to see how and if different known treatments, including essential medicines, could aid COVID-19 patients. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/study-highlights-potential-role-statin-drug-critical-covid-19-cases ~ ~ ~ Covid shots may slightly increase risk of stroke in older adults, particularly when administered with certain flu vaccines Vaccines for Covid-19 and influenza may slightly increase the risk of strokes…

Quick links News     Diagnostics     Drugs    Devices    Epidemiology/Infection control     Tips     Politics    Feel good du jour     Comic relief     Perspective/Poem     Bits of beauty Announcements: First, there is now a Resources Page here for the most commonly asked questions I’m getting. Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don’t be shy about that. News  Covid rates are steadily rising, notably in Boston, prompting me to ask, in response to a Boston Globe article and my post last week about anti-maskers and Boston hospital infection control people opposing masking: I wonder if about 425 patients were hospitalized w COVID19 & the 7-day percent positivity was 9.87% in Boston is enough to change @ericashenoy and @ShiraDoronMD’ stance that HCWs don’t have to #mask? If not, what level is needed to bring back #MasksInHealthcare, @MassGenBrigham ~ ~ ~ RSV hospitalizations have worse clinical outcomes for older Americans than flu, COVID Though hospitalizations for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are less common than those for flu or COVID-19, they are more severe and more likely to occur in adults ages 75 and older, according to new data published today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report….

Quick links News     Diagnostics     Drugs    Devices    Epidemiology/Infection control     Tips     Politics    Feel good du jour     Comic relief     Perspective/Poem     Bits of beauty Announcements: First, there is now a Resources Page here for the most commonly asked questions I’m getting. Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don’t be shy about that. Posts: LTE in Cumberland Times News 9/25 UPMC policies risk infecting patients with COVID As of May 1, UPMC Western Maryland dropped the requirement for staff to mask when caring for patients. They say that patients may request that staff mask, and they would “consider this.” This is problematic. First, many patients may be too acutely ill or unable to speak. Some may be confused, others unresponsive. And many patients, sick and vulnerable, are simply afraid of alienating the staff caring for them. As a patient advocate, I recently asked nursing staff on two units to mask when caring for a close friend. I was told there was no requirement for them to do so. Despite our asking, compliance was sporadic. No one should risk a hospital-acquired COVID infection. The death rate from…

Quick links News     Diagnostics     Drugs    Devices    Epidemiology/Infection control     Tips     Politics    Feel good du jour     Comic relief     Perspective/Poem     Bits of beauty Announcements: First, there is now a Resources Page here for the most commonly asked questions I’m getting. Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don’t be shy about that. News  Free Covid tests: U.S. households will be able to order four free COVID-19 tests at COVIDTests.gov. The tests will be able to detect currently circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants, HHS said. ~ ~ ~ Supply and insurance issues snarl fall Covid-19 vaccine campaign slowing the momentum of the fall vaccine campaign at a critical juncture. Last year, most people who got a bivalent Covid-19 vaccine did so within the first two months of approval, according to CDC data. because of privatization/commercialization of the rollout. Vaccines are supposed to be covered by all insurers under the Affordable Care Act. People who don’t have health insurance or who don’t have enough are eligible to get Covid-19 vaccines for free at Walgreens and CVS, and through local health departments and federally qualified health centers through the government’s Bridge Access…