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Tag: SARS-CoV-2

Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

Long COVID rates vary significantly by state. See where California ranks

Published February 16, 2024

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Published by: San Francisco Chronicle
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By Aidin Vaziri

About a quarter of U.S. adults who had COVID-19 during the past four years endured persistent symptoms lasting at least three months following their infection. But the prevalence of long COVID varied significantly by state, with California having a relatively low incidence compared to the national average, according to a report released Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Long COVID encompasses over 200 symptoms that can last for months or even years after a coronavirus infection, including extreme fatigue, brain fog, heart palpitations, sexual dysfunction or digestive disorders.

The CDC’s breakdown of long COVID hotspots revealed a clear correlation between areas with higher rates of persistent symptoms and those with the greatest skepticism about the pandemic, per research from the National Institutes of Health.

Continue readingLong COVID rates vary significantly by state. See where California ranks
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Ottawa-Gatineau community update | 2024‑02‑15Photo of Parliament Hill, the Supreme Court, and the Ottawa River in Ottawa. There is snow on the ground and part of the river is covered with snow and ice. It’s a sunny day, with a blue sky.
Topic: Ottawa-GatineauView all posts for the topic: Ottawa-Gatineau

Ottawa-Gatineau community update | 2024‑02‑15

Published February 15, 2024

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📈 The COVID-19 wastewater viral signal for Ottawa is very high. The signal has decreased substantially since a peak around January 12, 2024. Levels are still about 1,050% higher than the value during a low point on July 12, 2023. The signal has increased during the first week of February 2024.

⚠️ The percent positivity is high (9.39% in Ottawa; 12.0% in the Outaouais).

Continue readingOttawa-Gatineau community update | 2024‑02‑15
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Topic: SaskatchewanView all posts for the topic: Saskatchewan

Free supply of COVID-19 tests coming to an end in Saskatchewan

Published February 14, 2024

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Published by: Regina Leader-Post
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With the start of the COVID-19 pandemic nearly four years in the rear-view, measures like masks, social distancing and free COVID-19 test kits have continued to wind down.

On Wednesday, the Government of Saskatchewan confirmed it will no longer supply free tests, which have been widely available at voluntary distribution sites like public libraries.

In response to the pandemic, the federal government procured and distributed rapid antigen tests to provinces and territories, making them freely available to individuals and families as a way to prevent the spread of the COVID-19.

Continue readingFree supply of COVID-19 tests coming to an end in Saskatchewan
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Topic: CanadaView all posts for the topic: Canada

COVID PPE makers sue Ottawa for $5B, say feds broke promise

Published February 14, 2024

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Published by: Global News
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By Patti Sonntag

Fifteen Canadian mask and respirator manufacturers are suing the federal government for $5.4 billion in damages, claiming that Ottawa broke its promises to buy their products to fight the spread of COVID-19.

In a statement of claim filed in Federal Court last week, the companies and their industry association, the Canadian Association of PPE Manufacturers (CAPPEM), made “negligent misrepresentations” that prompted them to invest in personal protection equipment innovations, manufacturing and production.

The federal government will have an opportunity to file a defence to the unproven allegations as the court case proceeds.

Continue readingCOVID PPE makers sue Ottawa for $5B, say feds broke promise
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Topic: rapid testsView all posts for the topic: rapid tests

Researchers report COVID home tests as accurate as the same tests given by a clinician

Published February 14, 2024

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Published by: CIDRAP
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By Mary Van Beusekom

A single-center study conducted at a free community testing site in Maryland suggests that patient-administered BinaxNow COVID-19 rapid antigen tests (RATs) have similar accuracy as those performed by a clinician, although the results can be misinterpreted or falsely negative.

Researchers from the Baltimore Convention Center Field Hospital and Johns Hopkins University and their collaborators compared the sensitivity and specificity of Abbott’s BinaxNOW home RAT with those administered by a healthcare provider and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from February to July 2022, a period of Omicron variant predominance.

The median age of the 953 participants was 34 years, 60.6% were women, 58.6% were White, 98.2% were English-speaking, and 34.1% had at least one COVID-19 symptom. Hospital staff administered both a RAT and an RT-PCR test to participants, who then self-tested with a RAT, the results of which were both self-reported and reviewed by the researchers.

Continue readingResearchers report COVID home tests as accurate as the same tests given by a clinician
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Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

COVID patients are 4.3 times more likely to develop chronic fatigue, CDC report finds

Published February 14, 2024

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Published by: ABC News
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By Mary Kekatos

COVID-19 patients are at least four times more likely to develop chronic fatigue than someone who has not had the virus, a new federal study published Wednesday suggests.

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) looked at electronic health records from the University of Washington of more than 4,500 patients with confirmed COVID-19 between February 2020 and February 2021.

They were followed for a median of 11.4 months and their health data was compared with the data of more than 9,000 non-COVID-19 patients with similar characteristics.

Fatigue developed in 9% of the COVID patients, the team found. Among COVID-19 patients, the rate of new cases of fatigue was 10.2 per 100 person-years and the rate of new cases of chronic fatigue was 1.8 per 100 person-years.

Continue readingCOVID patients are 4.3 times more likely to develop chronic fatigue, CDC report finds
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Topic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario

Ford government facing lawsuit over expansion of Pickering care home where dozens died during COVID

Published February 13, 2024

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Published by: Toronto Star
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By Maria Iqbal

A health advocacy coalition and the daughter of a deceased long-term-care resident have launched a court challenge against the Ministry of Long-term Care’s approval of the expansion of a Pickering home where the Canadian military reported disturbing conditions during the pandemic.

The challenge announced Tuesday calls for a judicial review of the ministry’s decision to approve an 87-bed expansion of Orchard Villa long-term-care home and a new 30-year licence for its parent company, Southbridge Care Homes.

The home would also redevelop 131 of its 233 existing long-term care beds.

Orchard Villa was one of five homes that the military entered in April 2020, when it reported inadequate staff training and resident care within the facility. According to the recent court filing, 206 of Orchard Villa’s 233 residents had COVID by spring 2020. During the first wave, 71 residents died at the home.

Continue readingFord government facing lawsuit over expansion of Pickering care home where dozens died during COVID
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Topic: AustraliaView all posts for the topic: Australia

Too many patients are catching COVID in Australian hospitals, doctors say. So why are hospitals rolling back precautions?

Published February 10, 2024

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Published by: ABC News
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By Hayley Gleeson

Steve Irons’ older brother Jim was only supposed to be in hospital for a short while. A retired stockman from Maryborough, Queensland, Jim was diagnosed with leukaemia just before Christmas in 2022. He was flown to Brisbane for testing, then back to Maryborough Hospital, where doctors were putting together a plan for him to be treated at home.

But a patient in the room next door to Jim’s had COVID, Steve says, and on January 14 last year, Jim tested positive too. “After four days, when the hospital told me he was no longer infectious, I took the risk and decided to visit him,” says Steve, who’d flown up from Tasmania. “I sat with him for three days, playing country music, reading to him.”

And then, on Saturday January 21, Jim Irons died of COVID-19 pneumonia and acute myeloid leukaemia, aged 79. It still distresses Steve to know his brother would have lived longer had he not caught a dangerous virus in a place he should have been safe.

Continue readingToo many patients are catching COVID in Australian hospitals, doctors say. So why are hospitals rolling back precautions?
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Topic: Waterloo RegionView all posts for the topic: Waterloo Region

Group of University of Waterloo students demanding improved response to COVID-19-related issues

Published February 9, 2024

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Published by: CityNews
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By Josh Piercey

A group of students at the University of Waterloo (UW) have penned an open letter to administration demanding the institution meet certain standards of care due to its ‘silence and inaction about the ongoing health crisis.’

Their group, called the Covid Action, Response and Equity (CARE) Coalition UW, is made up of about 10 students attending the university.

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Topic: New ZealandView all posts for the topic: New Zealand

Covid-19: Vaccines saved thousands of lives during Omicron outbreak, study estimates

Published February 9, 2024

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Published by: RNZ
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A new study estimates vaccines prevented between 4000 and 12,000 deaths during the Omicron phase of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The paper, published in the medical journal Vaccine, models scenarios with different levels of vaccine coverage in the 18 months from January 2022.

The authors say the elimination strategy meant most people were able to be vaccinated before being exposed to the virus.

The researchers say it meant there were between 34,000 and 56,000 fewer hospitalisations over the period.

Continue readingCovid-19: Vaccines saved thousands of lives during Omicron outbreak, study estimates
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Topic: ocular diseasesView all posts for the topic: ocular diseases

Video | Doctors raise worries over COVID eye condition causing inflammation

Published February 8, 2024

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Published by: Global News
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The world is now used to COVID-19 and while the illness isn’t dominating our lives like it used to, it’s still with us. Now doctors are sounding the alarm about a growing number of cases affecting people’s eyes.

They are still learning about why and how it happens, as well as how it can affect vision. Mike Drolet hears about one man’s experience and what optometrists are saying about the condition.

Continue readingVideo | Doctors raise worries over COVID eye condition causing inflammation
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Topic: convoy occupationView all posts for the topic: convoy occupation

Convoy organizers claim Ottawa police board should pay damages in proposed class-action lawsuit

Published February 8, 2024

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Published by: Ottawa Citizen
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By Aedan Helmer

Convoy protest organizers defending a proposed class-action lawsuit now argue the Ottawa Police Services Board should be on the hook for any potential damages to be paid out, claiming protesters were following police directions when they parked hundreds of trucks in downtown Ottawa during the 2022 demonstration.

“None of the defendants … had originally expected to park any vehicles on the streets of downtown Ottawa as part of the protest,” according to a new third-party claim filed by the lawyer for the defendants, which include organizers Tamara Lich, Chris Barber and Pat King.

Continue readingConvoy organizers claim Ottawa police board should pay damages in proposed class-action lawsuit
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Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

Protect Our Province masking message on New West billboard takes aim at COVID

Published February 8, 2024

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Published by: New Westminster Record
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The pandemic has highlighted the lasting health impacts viruses can have, long after the acute infection is over and done with.

Many viruses, not just Covid, play a role in causing more serious long-term diseases. Epstein- Barr Virus (EBV), the mononucleosis or kissing disease virus, is associated with Multiple Sclerosis.

Recently, B.C. rolled out an at home self-test for Human Papilloma Virus, that’s because HPV can cause throat and cervical cancer.

After the Great Influenza of 1918, it took us years to learn that children born in and around that time were later at higher risk for Parkinson’s disease (remember Robert De Niro in the movie Awakenings), not to mention cardiac disease and diabetes.

Continue readingProtect Our Province masking message on New West billboard takes aim at COVID
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Topic: Ottawa-GatineauView all posts for the topic: Ottawa-Gatineau

COVID-19 cases continue downward trend

Published February 8, 2024

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Published by: Ottawa Citizen
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COVID-19 infections showed another drop in the last seven days, with Ottawa Public Health reporting 144 new cases as of Tuesday.

That compares with 177 new cases reported last week and 264 new cases the week before.

The health agency reported five new deaths from COVID-19, compared with four a week earlier.

Continue readingCOVID-19 cases continue downward trend
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Topic: seniorsView all posts for the topic: seniors

Thousands of seniors are still dying of Covid-19. Do we not care anymore?

Published February 8, 2024

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Published by: CNN
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By Judith Graham

The Covid-19 pandemic would be a wake-up call for America, advocates for the elderly predicted: incontrovertible proof that the nation wasn’t doing enough to care for vulnerable older adults.

The death toll was shocking, as were reports of chaos in nursing homes and seniors suffering from isolation, depression, untreated illness, and neglect. Around 900,000 older adults have died of Covid-19 to date, accounting for 3 of every 4 Americans who have perished in the pandemic.

But decisive actions that advocates had hoped for haven’t materialized. Today, most people — and government officials — appear to accept Covid as a part of ordinary life. Many seniors at high risk aren’t getting antiviral therapies for Covid, and most older adults in nursing homes aren’t getting updated vaccines. Efforts to strengthen care quality in nursing homes and assisted living centers have stalled amid debate over costs and the availability of staff. And only a small percentage of people are masking or taking other precautions in public despite a new wave of covid, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus infections hospitalizing and killing seniors.

Continue readingThousands of seniors are still dying of Covid-19. Do we not care anymore?
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Topic: United KingdomView all posts for the topic: United Kingdom

UK to scrap Covid intensive care kit despite offer to send to Ukraine

Published February 7, 2024

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Published by: Financial Times
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By Laura Hughes

The UK government is due to scrap the country’s entire reserve of coronavirus pandemic intensive care equipment next month, despite requests to send 2,000 respirators to Ukraine.

The Covid Strategic Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Reserve was created in April 2020 due to concerns about a shortage of respiratory equipment during the pandemic. It includes 6,682 Ventura breathing aids, which are set to be disassembled and recycled by April 1, government officials have confirmed.

The Afya Foundation, a US charity that distributes disused quality medical supplies around the world, said its partners in Ukraine have confirmed hospitals there are in desperate need of additional medical equipment and it was standing by to ship 2,000 of the devices to the country.

Continue readingUK to scrap Covid intensive care kit despite offer to send to Ukraine
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Topic: convoy occupationView all posts for the topic: convoy occupation

Judge tosses motion to dismiss proposed class-action lawsuit against convoy participants

Published February 6, 2024

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Published by: Ottawa Citizen
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By Aedan Helmer

Downtown Ottawa residents and business owners who launched a proposed class-action lawsuit against organizers of the 2022 convoy protest moved one step closer to having their day in court as a judge tossed a defence motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

“There is sufficient basis to conclude that the plaintiffs have a meritorious case,” Superior Court Justice Calum MacLeod said in his ruling, released Monday.

“There is evidence that certain plaintiffs were subjected to what they contend to have been extreme amounts of noise, horn honking, incessant diesel fumes and other pollution, blockage of the streets and intimidation.

Continue readingJudge tosses motion to dismiss proposed class-action lawsuit against convoy participants
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