[I]t’s still a pandemic causing far too many (re)infections, hospitalisations, deaths and long covid when tools exist to prevent them. […] Cases and hospitalisations for…
Comments closedTag: long COVID
Vaccination Dramatically Lowers Long Covid Risk
At least 200 million people worldwide have struggled with long COVID: a slew of symptoms that can persist for months or even years after an infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID. But research suggests that that number would likely be much higher if not for vaccines.
A growing consensus is emerging that receiving multiple doses of the COVID vaccine before an initial infection can dramatically reduce the risk of long-term symptoms. Although the studies disagree on the exact amount of protection, they show a clear trend: the more shots in your arm before your first bout with COVID, the less likely you are to get long COVID. One meta-analysis of 24 studies published in October, for example, found that people who’d had three doses of the COVID vaccine were 68.7 percent less likely to develop long COVID compared with those who were unvaccinated. “This is really impressive,” says Alexandre Marra, a medical researcher at the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital in Brazil and the lead author of the study. “Booster doses make a difference in long COVID.”
Comments closedLong COVID changes heart rate variability, study suggests
According to a small case-control study today in Scientific Reports, long COVID can affect heart rate variability (HRV) at rest and during deep breathing, adding to the evidence that persistent symptoms of the virus can be associated with cardiac and dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system (dysautonomia). This system regulates involuntary functions like heartbeat, blood pressure, and sweating.
The study, conducted by Brazilian researchers, included 21 patients with long COVID and 20 controls. Long COVID—defined by the authors as new or persistent symptoms experienced 12 or more weeks after infection—has been associated with heart palpitations, orthostatic intolerance (difficulty staying upright), dizziness, and syncope.
Comments closedVaccines reduce the risk of long COVID in children
Vaccinated children are less likely than unvaccinated children to develop long COVID, the myriad of symptoms that can last for months to years following a SARS-CoV-2 infection, according to a forthcoming US study1.
“This is really important data,” says Jessica Snowden, a paediatric infectious-disease specialist at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. She says that in the United States, COVID-19 vaccines are recommended for children as young as 6 months old. But uptake has been low. “This will demonstrate to families how important it is that we protect our kids, not just from acute COVID, but from the longer-term impacts of COVID as well.”
Comments closedCOVID-19 mortality rates are up in N.L., and reporting efforts are down, researcher says
An infectious disease researcher says COVID-19 cases in Newfoundland and Labrador are on the rise again — and that it comes at a time when the province isn’t showing the full picture when it comes to reporting statistics.
Tara Moriarty, a researcher and professor at the University of Toronto, told CBC News that COVID-19 cases are up across the country heading into the holiday season. And while Newfoundland and Labrador is in a slightly better situation, she said, her research indicates that about one in every 37 residents are infected by COVID-19.
Comments closed“We have to be able to have open conversations about the reality of COVID and not pretend that it’s not there,” infectious disease expert Dr. Dick Zoutman told the Whig-Standard in a candid interview about the terrible toll that the pandemic is taking on public health.
Data published by Public Health Ontario on Dec. 7 reveals that the COVID-19 Wastewater Signal for Eastern Ontario is rising on a steep curve. In other words, SARS-CoV-2, the airborne virus that causes COVID-19, is spreading out of control, sickening adults and children alike.
Comments closedStudy shows long COVID worse for patients than ‘long flu’
In the 18 months after a serious COVID-19 or seasonal influenza infection, patients are at a significant increased risk of death, hospital readmission, or health problems affecting a number of organs, though COVID patients are hit harder, according to a study published yesterday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
The study was led by Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, the chief of research and development at the VA St. Louis Health Care System and a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University. Al-Aly has been studying long COVID for the past 3 years, and has been interested in studying the differences between the acute and chronic phases of the disease.
Comments closedArguing long COVID is being downplayed, an advocate has launched this St. John’s billboard
A new billboard has popped up along a prominent road in St. John’s, warning people of the long-term effects of COVID-19 and to take precautionary measures.
The Topsail Road sign — which says “Long COVID ruins lives. Mask up” — was organized not by health officials, but a group concerned about the impact of the disease.
Comments closedLe mystère entourant la COVID longue limite les capacités de traitements
Four years after the first cases of what was later called COVID-19, infections continue to spread and lead to new cases of long COVID. However,…
Comments closedUn adulte canadien sur neuf a eu des symptômes de la COVID longue
About one in nine Canadian adults developed long-term symptoms after contracting COVID-19, according to a new Statistics Canada report.
This represents 3.5 million Canadians, according to the federal agency’s report published on Friday.
Nearly 80% of people with long-term symptoms of COVID-19 have been suffering from it for six months or more, the report says, including 42% for a year or more.
Comments closed1 in 9 Canadians have had ‘long COVID’: StatCan
About one in nine Canadian adults have had long-term symptoms from COVID-19 infection, according to a Statistics Canada report issued Friday.
That amounts to 3.5 million Canadians, it said.
Almost 80 per cent of those people with long-term symptoms have them for six months or more, the report said.
In addition, more than half of those who ever had long-term symptoms still had them as of June 2023.
Comments closed1 in 9 Canadian adults have had long-term symptoms from COVID infection: StatCan
Statistics Canada says about one in nine Canadian adults have had long-term symptoms from COVID-19 infection.
The report released today says that amounts to 3.5 million Canadians.
Symptoms are defined as long-term if they persist for three months or longer after a COVID-19 infection and they can’t be explained by anything else.
Almost 80 per cent of people with long-term symptoms have them for six months or more.
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