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Tag: research

Substantial decrease noted in severe respiratory illness during first 2 years of pandemic

Compared to the 3 years prior to the pandemic, children with medically complex conditions and otherwise healthy children saw decreases in severe non-COVID respiratory illnesses in 2020 and 2021, the authors of a study yesterday note in JAMA Network Open.

The cross-sectional study, based on 139,078 respiratory hospitalizations in Canada, shows that the mitigation efforts used during the first several months of COVID-19 likely prevented serious outcomes from respiratory illness complications, including hospitalizations, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, and death.

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COVID increased gender life expectancy gap in US

For more than 100 years, American women have outlived American men, largely due to differences in rates of cardiovascular disease and lung cancer. Now COVID-19 has widened the gendered life expectancy gap, according to a research letter published yesterday in JAMA Internal Medicine.

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Can’t Think, Can’t Remember: More Americans Say They’re in a Cognitive Fog

There are more Americans who say they have serious cognitive problems — with remembering, concentrating or making decisions — than at any time in the last 15 years, data from the Census Bureau shows.

The increase started with the pandemic: The number of working-age adults reporting “serious difficulty” thinking has climbed by an estimated one million people.

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What Tony Fauci Told Me About Long COVID and Other Postviral Illnesses

Too many people are suffering from long COVID and other postviral syndromes. Anthony Fauci says we need to step up funding and research now.

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Study finds prenatal vaccination protects infants from COVID

Infants as old as 6 months were protected from COVID‑19 infections only when mothers were vaccinated prenatally, and not before pregnancy, according to a new study in JAMA Network Open.

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We Interrupt This Mood of Denial to Update COVID’s Threat

Although many Canadians act as though the pandemic has ended, the airborne virus that causes COVID-19 continues to evolve at an amazing pace with devastating consequences for both individuals and the public at large.

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Loss of smell, taste after mild COVID improves within 3 years, study shows

Mild COVID-19 infections can cause a loss of taste and smell, but a study today in JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery suggests that almost all cases resolve within 3 years of initial infection.

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New study suggests gargling with salt water may be associated with lower COVID hospitalization

A new study being presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting in Anaheim, California determined that both a low- and high-dose saline regimen appeared to be associated with lower hospitalization rates compared to controls in SARS-CoV-2 infections.

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This drug was hailed as a COVID game-changer. Here’s what we know about Paxlovid today

The drug could help people at high risk, writes Dr. Lynora Saxinger. But COVID has changed. Here’s what you should know about the current risks and benefits.

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Long COVID linked to allergies in new study

In an analysis of 13 published prospective studies of people of all ages with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection who were followed up for at least 12 months, pre-existing allergic conditions were linked to higher risks of experiencing long COVID, according to a study today in Clinical & Experimental Allergy.

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Study suggests mass vaccination programs cut COVID cases in Japan 65%

The population benefit of COVID-19 vaccination via direct and indirect effects was substantial in Tokyo in early 2022 during Omicron, with an estimated 65% reduction in the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections, according to a new model that compared risks between unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals.

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Childhood abuse linked to higher risk of adult COVID‑19 death

A new study from researchers at the University of Pittsburgh shows adults who suffered childhood abuse or neglect were more likely to be hospitalized for COVID‑19 or die from the virus in adulthood.

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Global COVID vaccination saved 2.4 million lives in first 8 months, study estimates

The COVID-19 vaccination campaign in 141 countries averted 2.4 million excess deaths by August 2021 and would have saved another 670,000 more lives had vaccines been distributed equitably, estimates a working paper from University of Southern California (USC) and Brown University researchers.

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Study: Regardless of variant, half of long-COVID patients fail to improve after 18 months

More than 50% of long-COVID patients failed to improve 1.5 years after their initial diagnosis, according to a new study based on cases seen at a Danish post-COVID clinic, both before and after the Omicron variant period.

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EPA Testing Shows the Power of DIY Air Filters to Trap Viruses

The results are in: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency research testing of do-it-yourself ‘Corsi-Rosenthal Box’ indoor air filters shows they are 99% effective in removing airborne virus. The ‘Owl Force One’ device tested by the EPA was built by UConn Indoor Air Quality Initiative researchers with Middletown, Connecticut public school children.

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SARS-CoV-2 virus found to migrate within neurons and infect the brain

The emergence of different variants of SARS-CoV-2 has produced a wide range of clinical profiles and symptoms in patients. For the first time, researchers at the Institut Pasteur and Université Paris Cité have demonstrated, in an animal model, a characteristic common to several SARS-CoV-2 variants: the ability to infect the central nervous system.

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