Category: News

Published by: King’s College London
Published on: January 2, 2024

A new study published recently in Nature Communications details that markers of brain injury are present in the blood many months after COVID-19 infection, despite inflammation blood tests being normal.

The COVID-CNS study analysed samples from over 800 patients hospitalised with COVID-19 from across England and Wales, half of whom with new neurological conditions. Here researchers measured brain injury markers, serum inflammatory proteins (cytokines), antibodies, and brain (neuroglial) injury proteins.

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Ontario

More COVID infections now than during some pandemic points, wastewater data shows

Published January 2, 2024

Published by: CBC News
Published on: January 2, 2024
By Isha Bhargava

As COVID wastewater data hits significant highs in the Middlesex-London area, more cases of the virus and other respiratory infections can be expected in the new year, says the region’s top doctor.

The start of 2024 will be the midst of respiratory virus season, with continued COVID activity and an increase in influenza infections and other cold and cough viruses, said medical officer of health Dr. Alex Summers.

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United States

Why hospitals in several states are reinstating mask requirements

Published January 1, 2024

Published by: ABC News
Published on: January 1, 2024
By Mary Kekatos

Some hospitals across the United States are reinstating indoor masking rules amid rising cases and hospitalizations of respiratory illnesses including COVID-19 and influenza.

Hospitals in at least six states — California, Illinois, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Washington and Wisconsin — have put masking guidelines in place, according to an ABC News count.

Over the weekend, Mass General Brigham, which is the largest health system in Massachusetts, told ABC News it issued guidelines requiring employee caregivers and those working in patient care areas to wear masks.

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Quebec

Pas de répit dans les urgences du Québec

Published December 30, 2023

Published by: Radio-Canada
Published on: December 30, 2023

Hospital emergency rooms in Quebec are overflowing again, after a calmer period at Christmas. The resurgence of respiratory viruses is sending many Quebecers to emergency rooms.

In healthcare facilities in the Montreal area, average occupancy was over 100% on Saturday night. Other regions were also particularly affected, such as Laval and Laurentides, where occupancy rates were close to 140%, according to Index Santé.

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Washington

Washington Department of Health cuts hundreds of jobs as federal COVID funds run out

Published December 29, 2023

Published by: Spokane Public Radio
Published on: December 29, 2023
By Grace Deng / Washington State Standard

Washington’s Department of Health has cut over 300 employees who helped with the state’s pandemic response and hundreds more of these jobs are on the chopping block as federal COVID aid dries up.

The department already slashed 356 positions and will soon lose funding for 349 more. Funding for most of the jobs will lapse by July 2024 and all federal COVID-19 funds for staff will end by July 2025, according to an agency spokesperson, Roberto Bonaccorso.

Similar cuts are happening nationwide as federal COVID relief funding expires. Public health advocates are warning that as jobs like these are eliminated, it threatens to leave states in a weaker position responding to the next public health crisis.

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Waterloo Region

COVID-19 outbreaks on the rise in Waterloo Region

Published December 29, 2023

Published by: Waterloo Region Record
Published on: December 29, 2023

The number of active COVID-19 outbreaks in high-risk settings increased by more than 50 per cent this past week, according to the Waterloo Region public health unit’s weekly dashboard update.

There are 15 outbreaks in high-risk settings — up from seven last week — including two in congregate settings, such as group homes or shelters, one in hospital and 12 in long-term care/retirement homes.

One new death was reported. So far this year, COVID-19 has been a direct or contributing cause in 41 deaths reported by public health in the region.

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United States

Less than 5% of US preschool cohort hospitalized for COVID were fully vaccinated, study finds

Published December 29, 2023

Published by: CIDRAP
Published on: December 29, 2023
By Mary Van Beusekom

Only 4.5% of a cohort of pediatric COVID-19 patients admitted to US hospitals during the period of Omicron predominance had completed their primary COVID-19 vaccine series, and 7.0% had started but didn’t finish the series, The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal reports.

The study team, led by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers, enrolled 597 vaccine-eligible COVID-19 inpatients aged 8 months to 4 years at 28 hospitals participating in the Overcoming COVID-19 network from September 2022 to May 2023. A total of 62.1% of patients were aged 8 months to 1 year, and 37.9% were aged 2 to 4 years.

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Philippines

Quezon provincial gov’t reimposes face mask mandate

Published December 29, 2023

Published by: CNN Philippines
Published on: December 29, 2023
By CNN Philippines Staff

The provincial government of Quezon has reinstated the mandatory wearing of face masks due to an increasing number of COVID-19 cases and respiratory illnesses.

An order signed by Provincial Governor Angelina Tan on Dec. 27 but made public on Friday said “face masks shall continue to be worn for indoor settings and in outdoor settings where physical distancing cannot be maintained.”

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Alberta

An Alberta New Year’s Wish for a Working Public Health System

Published December 29, 2023

Published by: The Tyee
Published on: December 29, 2023
By Lisa Young

When approving the advertising campaign, the government’s revisions “included the removal of details about vaccine eligibility, immunization locations by age group and the types of vaccines being offered and their efficacy against different strains of COVID-19 and influenza. Two lines that encouraged Albertans to book vaccination appointments were also deleted.”

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Massachusetts

Masking returns at many Massachusetts hospitals — and not just because of COVID

Published December 28, 2023

Published by: GBH
Published on: December 28, 2023
By Liz Neisloss

With both COVID-19 and other respiratory virus rates up, nearly all the major hospital groups in Massachusetts are bringing back mask requirements for doctors and staff, and in some cases for patients and visitors as well.

Beth Israel Lahey, Boston Medical Center and Dana Farber have already reimposed requirements. Mass General Brigham and UMass Memorial plan to require masking starting Jan. 2, followed by Tufts Medicine on Jan. 3.

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respiratory syncytial virus

New antibody treatment for RSV in infants highly effective in reducing hospitalisations

Published December 28, 2023

Published by: The Irish Times
Published on: December 28, 2023
By Kevin O’Sullivan

A new antibody treatment could reduce by 80 per cent the numbers of babies and young children admitted to hospital with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a “groundbreaking” study has found.

Published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday, the study involved 8,058 healthy babies aged up to 12 months from the UK, France and Germany, who were approaching their first RSV season. Half were randomly assigned to receive the antibody nirsevimab by injection, while 4,021 babies received standard care.

Of the babies who received the treatment, only 11 (0.3 per cent) were hospitalised, in comparison with the 60 babies (1.5 per cent) who were hospitalised after receiving just the standard care.

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long COVID

Life with Long Covid – what it’s really like

Published December 28, 2023

Published by: 1 News
Published on: December 28, 2023

Living with Long Covid can be exhausting, painful and lonely, and most people do not know when their symptoms will improve.

More than 2000 people in New Zealand have registered as having Long Covid, while another 1200 have started the process to join the official registry.

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Ontario

BCHU winds down COVID-19 vaccination clinics

Published December 27, 2023

Published by: The Brantford Expositor
Published on: December 27, 2023
By Expositor staff

Community COVID-19 vaccine clinics operated by the Brant County Health Unit are winding down at the end of this month due to cessation of provincial funding.

Starting January 2, the BCHU will only offer COVID-19 vaccine appointments for children ages six months to 12 years of age. Bookings for that age group can be made online at bchu.org/covid-19-vaccines/.

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California

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

Published December 27, 2023

Published by: Los Angeles Times
Published on: December 27, 2023
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.

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brain damage

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

Published December 27, 2023

Published by: Salon
Published on: December 27, 2023
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.

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Quebec

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

Published December 27, 2023

Published by: Le Devoir / The Canadian Press
Published on: December 27, 2023
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.

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Alzheimer’s disease

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

Published December 27, 2023

Published by: The Asahi Shimbun
Published on: December 27, 2023
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.”

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long COVID

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

Published December 26, 2023

Published by: ABC News
Published on: December 26, 2023
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

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Category: News

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