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Tag: SARS-CoV-2

Topic: CaliforniaView all posts for the topic: California

Everyone in California seems to be sick with respiratory illness. Here’s why

Published December 27, 2023

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Published by: Los Angeles Times
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By Rong-Gong Lin II

Does it seem like a lot of people you know are sick?

You’re not alone. Respiratory illness season is in full swing in California and across much of the nation.

In Los Angeles County, about 23% of people participating in a weekly text-message-based survey reported having a cough or shortness of breath for the week that ended Dec. 10, higher than the total reported during a late summer peak in respiratory illnesses, when 21% said they had those symptoms. Early summer brought a lull, with only 10% of survey respondents saying they had a cough or shortness of breath.

Continue readingEveryone in California seems to be sick with respiratory illness. Here’s why
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Topic: brain damageView all posts for the topic: brain damage

Brain damage caused by COVID-19 may not show up on routine tests, study finds

Published December 27, 2023

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Published by: Salon
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By Matthew Rozsa

Our study shows that markers of brain injury are present in the blood months after COVID-19, and particularly in those who have had a COVID-19-induced brain complication (e.g. inflammation, or stroke), despite resolution of the inflammatory response in the blood. This suggests the possibility of ongoing inflammation and injury inside the brain itself which may not be detected by blood tests for inflammation.

Continue readingBrain damage caused by COVID-19 may not show up on routine tests, study finds
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Topic: QuebecView all posts for the topic: Quebec

Débordements dans des salles d’urgence d’une majorité de régions du Québec

Published December 27, 2023

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Published by: Le Devoir / The Canadian Press
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By Jean-Philippe Denoncourt

The fall in occupancy rates in Quebec’s emergency rooms that began on 19 December ended on Tuesday.

The Index Santé website noted that this average rate had risen to 95% on 26 December, before jumping to 112% on Wednesday morning, shortly before 6 a.m., which was considered very high.

Continue readingDébordements dans des salles d’urgence d’une majorité de régions du Québec
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Topic: Alzheimer’s diseaseView all posts for the topic: Alzheimer’s disease

COVID-19 linked to a greater risk of Alzheimer’s, other disorders

Published December 27, 2023

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Published by: The Asahi Shimbun
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By Tokiko Tsuji

Another long-term effect of the novel coronavirus appears to be a higher chance of patients contracting Alzheimer’s disease in the years to follow, according to the latest research.

Numerous large research projects overseas have shown a link between COVID-19 and cognitive disorders, along with Alzheimer’s.

“The novel coronavirus is a new risk factor for dementia,” said Takayoshi Shimohata, a neurology professor at Gifu University, who also serves on the health ministry’s editorial committee that compiles a manual for treating COVID-19’s aftereffects. “There needs to be greater understanding that the illness also affects the brain.”

Continue readingCOVID-19 linked to a greater risk of Alzheimer’s, other disorders
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Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

Long COVID will take your health, your wealth — then it will come for your marriage

Published December 26, 2023

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Published by: ABC News
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By Hayley Gleeson

I’m talking about the workforce being diminished, the fact that people can’t think the way they used to think — we’re losing intellectual capital, we’re losing physical capital, we’re losing social capital.

And I wish people would understand the urgency of solving this, because what I’m seeing various countries doing in terms of their response to long COVID is they’re throwing a token amount of money towards research and saying, ‘Well, that will solve it’, patting themselves on the back without understanding that this is just as large an existential threat as climate change.

— Dr. David Putrino
Continue readingLong COVID will take your health, your wealth — then it will come for your marriage
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Topic: Waterloo RegionView all posts for the topic: Waterloo Region

Waterloo region’s COVID booster rate lags behind national average

Published December 26, 2023

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Published by: CBC News
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By Kate Bueckert

The number of people in Waterloo region who have received their most recent COVID-19 booster shot is just under 11 per cent, which is below the national average.

The region’s vaccination dashboard shows 10.9 per cent of people in the community are up-to-date on their vaccinations as of Dec. 7. The region notes “up to date” means a person has completed their primary series and received a booster dose within the previous six months.

The number of people who have received the updated XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccine sits at 10.8 per cent, the region told CBC News in an email.

Continue readingWaterloo region’s COVID booster rate lags behind national average
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Topic: heart failureView all posts for the topic: heart failure

Post-COVID ‘heart failure pandemic’ possible: Japan researchers

Published December 26, 2023

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Published by: The Mainichi
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After contracting COVID-19, patients may have higher risk of heart failure from persistent viral infection in their hearts, even without developing notable heart disease, according to study results announced by Japanese researchers on Dec. 23.

The team including researchers from Riken, Japan’s largest scientific institute, pointed out the possibility of a “heart failure pandemic” in the near future, and is stressing the need for countermeasures.

Continue readingPost-COVID ‘heart failure pandemic’ possible: Japan researchers
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Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

Canada enters 5th year of COVID-19. Are we falling short in treatment?

Published December 26, 2023

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Published by: Global News
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By Katie Dangerfield

As Canada enters its fifth year navigating COVID-19, some experts and advocates are worried treatment options for the virus remain disappointingly inadequate.

Despite significant strides in understanding the virus, Jennifer Hulme, a 42-year-old emergency physician at the University Health Network in Toronto, says many Canadians suffering from long-term COVID-19 are left without many options.

She is one of them.

Continue readingCanada enters 5th year of COVID-19. Are we falling short in treatment?
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Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

I lost my sense of smell after Covid. Here’s what I’ve learned about life without it

Published December 24, 2023

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Published by: The Observer
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By Rudi Zygadlo

When the virus shut down my nostrils, I presumed it was a temporary issue. But three years later my food still tastes like cardboard.

Continue readingI lost my sense of smell after Covid. Here’s what I’ve learned about life without it
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Topic: rapid testsView all posts for the topic: rapid tests

Rapid test supplier BTNX says Canadians can rely on its device’s accuracy

Published December 23, 2023

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Published by: Global News
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By Patti Sonntag

BTNX, the Canadian rapid test supplier that won an estimated $2 billion in federal contracts, denied that Health Canada used BTNX’s edited study to evaluate the rapid test kit that the federal government later purchased.

A year-long investigation into federal procurement published by Global News on Thursday revealed that Toronto area-based BTNX deleted dozens of specimens, or samples, from a study it submitted to Health Canada. That evaluation showed how well the company’s test detected COVID-19.

Continue readingRapid test supplier BTNX says Canadians can rely on its device’s accuracy
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Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

153 in hospital with COVID-19 in BCCDC’s final data release of 2023

Published December 23, 2023

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Published by: CTV News
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By Ian Holliday

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control published its final respiratory illness data of the year this week, reporting continued increases in transmission of influenza and RSV, while COVID-19 levels remain stable.

There were 153 people hospitalized with COVID as of Thursday, a decrease from the last time that number was reported two weeks ago.

The number of new, lab-confirmed COVID-19 infections also declined in the latest update, though test positivity remained unchanged, indicating the decline was due to fewer government-funded tests being performed.

Continue reading153 in hospital with COVID-19 in BCCDC’s final data release of 2023
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Topic: United StatesView all posts for the topic: United States

CDC says JN.1 variant accounts for 39%-50% of COVID cases in US

Published December 22, 2023

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Published by: Reuters
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By Sriparna Roy, Shounak Dasgupta

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday that COVID subvariant JN.1 accounts for 39% to 50% of cases in the United States as of Dec. 23, according to the agency’s projections.

Continue readingCDC says JN.1 variant accounts for 39%-50% of COVID cases in US
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Topic: United StatesView all posts for the topic: United States

New COVID variant JN.1 surges to 44% of cases, CDC estimates — even higher in New York, New Jersey

Published December 22, 2023

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Published by: CBS News
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By Alexander Tin

The new COVID-19 variant that scientists call JN.1 now makes up about 44.1% of COVID-19 cases across the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated Friday, marking another week of the fast-spreading variant’s steep rise in the U.S.

The increase is more than two times larger than the 21.3% that the CDC now estimates the strain made up of infections for the week ending Dec. 9, after Thanksgiving.

Continue readingNew COVID variant JN.1 surges to 44% of cases, CDC estimates — even higher in New York, New Jersey
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Why some doctors see COVID as a new risk factor for cardiovascular diseaseDr. Peter Liu, chief scientific officer and vice-president of research at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.
Topic: cardiovascular diseaseView all posts for the topic: cardiovascular disease

Why some doctors see COVID as a new risk factor for cardiovascular disease

Published December 22, 2023

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Published by: Ottawa Citizen
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By Elizabeth Payne

The severity of the infection doesn’t seem to make a difference. These complications can occur even in people who have very mild symptoms. The big surprise is how much this can affect younger people. Studies are showing that even young, active people can experience heightened risk of these complications.

—Dr. Peter Liu, University of Ottawa Heart Institute

High blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity: These are some of the well-known risk factors that can put people at heightened risk for heart attack and stroke.

Now some health experts say COVID-19 should be added to that list.

Continue readingWhy some doctors see COVID as a new risk factor for cardiovascular disease
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Topic: heart failureView all posts for the topic: heart failure

コロナ感染、心不全のリスク高まる可能性　理研など研究

Published December 22, 2023

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Published by: Mainichi Shimbun
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On December 23, a research team from Riken and other institutes announced the results of a study showing that after infection with the novel coronavirus, the heart may be persistently infected with the virus and the risk of heart failure may increase, even if the patient does not develop noticeable heart disease. The team points to the possibility of a sharp increase in the number of heart failure patients in the near future and calls for countermeasures to be taken.

Infection with the novel coronavirus occurs when a protruding “spike protein” on the surface of the virus binds to the ACE2 receptor on the surface of human cells. According to the team, the heart is more likely to express ACE2 compared to other organs. It has also been reported that some people infected with the novel coronavirus have reduced cardiac function, but the detailed mechanism is not known.

Continue readingコロナ感染、心不全のリスク高まる可能性　理研など研究
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Nova Scotia surpasses 1,000 COVID-19 deathsPhoto of a sign over a highway with capitalized red text on a charcoal grey background that reads: "COVID-19 is deadly stop the spread stay home".
Topic: Nova ScotiaView all posts for the topic: Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia surpasses 1,000 COVID-19 deaths

Published December 22, 2023

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Published by: CBC News
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By Richard Woodbury

Nova Scotia has reached a solemn milestone, surpassing 1,000 COVID-19 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

“A thousand people in a province of a million people is a lot of humans and families that are missing people,” said Dr. Lisa Barrett, an infectious diseases doctor and researcher at Dalhousie University in Halifax.

Data released in the latest weekly respiratory watch report shows an additional nine deaths for the week of Dec. 10-16, bringing the total to 1,004 in the province.

Continue readingNova Scotia surpasses 1,000 COVID-19 deaths
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Topic: MassachusettsView all posts for the topic: Massachusetts

Some hospitals resume mask requirements as respiratory infections rise

Published December 22, 2023

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Published by: The Boston Globe
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By Adam Piore

With COVID-19 cases and other respiratory illnesses rising across the region, some area hospitals have begun to bring back face mask requirements to halt the spread of infections.

Boston Medical Center said Thursday it would resume masking requirements in all patient-care areas beginning Friday. On Monday, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute reinstated its mask requirements in all clinical and public spaces, and the Beth Israel Lahey Health system (BILH) updated its policies to require masking for all health care personnel upon entry to a patient room or bed space.

Continue readingSome hospitals resume mask requirements as respiratory infections rise
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Topic: Hamilton RegionView all posts for the topic: Hamilton Region

HHS closes urgent care for two days amid staff shortages, congestion at hospitals

Published December 21, 2023

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Published by: The Hamilton Spectator
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By Joanna Frketich

Staffing shortages will close a Hamilton urgent care centre for two days at the same time city emergency departments are becoming increasingly congested with flu, COVID-19 and RSV patients.

With just 13 per cent of Hamiltonians getting a COVID shot in the past six months, local hospitals are bracing for the viral surge to continue climbing over the holidays.

Continue readingHHS closes urgent care for two days amid staff shortages, congestion at hospitals
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