^ the most recent article on eurekalert was up on nov 4: https://www.eurekale...releases/933900
Canadian soccer star Alphonso Davies has heart muscle issue after bout with COVID-19
Puts in doubt his participation in key World Cup qualifiers later this month
https://www.cbc.ca/s...ditis-1.6314813
This is what a 16-hour hospital shift is like for me while Omicron rages
Each critical beep of my pager is a reminder I'm needed as a physician elsewhere
https://www.cbc.ca/n...rtage-1.6314226
One in ten people may still be infectious for COVID after ten days, new research indicates
One in 10 people may have clinically relevant levels of potentially infectious SARS-CoV-2 past the 10 day quarantine period, according to new research.
https://www.eurekale...releases/939684
The drug baricitinib (a type of drug known as a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, also used to treat rheumatoid arthritis) is strongly recommended for patients with severe or critical covid-19 in combination with corticosteroids, says a WHO Guideline Development Group of international experts in The BMJ today.
https://www.eurekale...releases/939923
When a politician we like supports a COVID-19 policy, we tend to support it. But when a political foe endorses the exact same plan, we tend to oppose it, according to new CU Boulder research slated for publication Jan. 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
On a more optimistic note, the global study suggests, while politicians around the world have polarized public opinion during the pandemic, trusted scientific experts may have the power to unify it.
“This study demonstrates that when it comes to COVID-19, as with other contemporary issues, people are much more swayed by who the policy represents than what the policy actually is,” said senior author Leaf Van Boven, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at CU Boulder. “It also shows that people trust and like experts more than politicians—even those from their own party.”
*snip*
As the pandemic enters its third year, the authors hope the findings will encourage politicians to pull away from the microphone and let scientific experts, disentangled from political infighting, take the lead on communicating health policies.
“When communication comes from politicians before the public really gets a chance to evaluate the relevant goals and outcomes, it can politicize things quickly and contribute to a spirit of uncooperativeness,” said Flores. “A good way to combat that is to have nonpartisan experts be the ones to weigh in first.”
They also hope individuals will take a hard look at why they do or don’t support plans.
“In many situations, political polarization is a headache that slows things down,” said Van Boven. “But in the context of this pandemic, it is costing hundreds of thousands of lives.”
https://www.alphagal...y/ItemId/216574
Maternal COVID-19 infection increases risks of preterm birth, low birth weight and stillbirth
Institute for Systems Biology-led study shows unvaccinated pregnant people with COVID-19 are more likely to have poor birth outcomes even if they did not experience severe respiratory problems during infection
https://www.eurekale...releases/940002
An international metastudy led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden has identified a specific gene variant that protects against severe COVID-19 infection. The researchers managed to pinpoint the variant by studying people of different ancestries, a feat they say highlights the importance of conducting clinical trials that include people of diverse descents. The results are published in the journal Nature Genetics.
In addition to old age and certain underlying diseases, genetics can influence whether we become severely affected or only suffer mild illness from COVID-19. Previous studies on mainly people of European ancestry have found that individuals carrying a particular segment of DNA have a 20 percent lower risk of developing a critical COVID-19 infection. This DNA segment encodes genes in the immune system and is inherited from Neanderthals in about half of all people outside Africa.
This region of DNA is, however, packed with numerous genetic variants, which makes it challenging to disentangle the exact protective variant that could potentially serve as a target for medical treatment against severe COVID-19 infection.
To identify this specific gene variant, researchers in the current study looked for individuals carrying only parts of this DNA segment. Since the Neandertal inheritance occurred after the ancient migration out of Africa, the researchers saw a potential in focusing on individuals with African ancestry who lack heritage from the Neanderthals and therefore also the majority of this DNA segment. A small piece of this DNA region is, however, the same in both people of African and European ancestries.
The researchers found that individuals of predominantly African ancestry had the same protection as those of European ancestry, which allowed them to pinpoint a specific gene variant of particular interest.
https://www.eurekale...releases/940104
Why Getting COVID on Purpose Is a Dangerous Idea
https://www.webmd.co...ovid-on-purpose
As COVID cases rise to record levels, doctors at two of the region's top children’s hospitals say that croup is one of the common symptoms reported among kids infected with the omicron variant.
D.C.-area hospitals are reporting a record number of coronavirus cases among children, and cases are still rising. At Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., 65 kids are hospitalized with COVID-19. That's more than double the previous peak we experienced during the delta wave in September.
At Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, pediatric COVID cases are three times higher now than the start of the pandemic, with pediatricians reporting one lingering symptom that’s been linked to the highly contagious variant.
https://www.nbcwashi...micron/2936011/
i'm amazed we don't see more stories about this, or that more people don't know about it
According to careful study conducted by researchers at University College London, almost five percent of males who had coronavirus suffered a "decrease in size of testicles/penis", and around 15 percent reported the ability to achieve or maintain an erection.
An American man who wished to remain anonymous claims that as a result of getting the coronavirus his penis shrank by one and a half inches (some four centimetres), damaging what he descries as his "self-confidence in bed."
The man shared his story on the podcast "How to Do It", suggesting that, before he became ill with COVID, he was "above average".
"Now I've lost about an inch-and-a-half and become decidedly less than average. It's apparently due to vascular damage, and my doctors seem to think it's likely permanent," he complained. “It shouldn't really matter, but it has had a profound impact on my self-confidence in my abilities in bed.”
The man's fears are not an outlier, apparently, as urologists say that the "COVID d**k" phenomenon is real, as a penis can become smaller due to damage to blood vessels.
https://sputniknews....1092241652.html
Djokovic included in Australian Open draw despite uncertainty over visa situation
Draw delayed by more than an hour with no reason given by officials
https://www.cbc.ca/s...-draw-1.6313261
Novak Djokovic faces deportation after Australia revokes visa for 2nd time
Immigration minister says he used ministerial discretion to revoke the Serb's visa
https://www.cbc.ca/s...ation-1.6314741
The list of social events and parties held at 10 Downing Street, the residence and executive office of the prime minister of the United Kingdom, while the rest of the nation was on lockdown due to COVID, continues to grow.
New reporting has brought to light two parties held on Friday, 16 April 2021. The two leaving parties, one for James Slack, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's director of communications, and one for a photographer, began as separate events until merging into one large party later that night.
According to reporting, a significant amount of alcohol was consumed, a custom that has reportedly become commonplace at 10 Downing street as the rest of the UK faced COVID restrictions.
The nation had been in mourning following the 9 April death of Prince Phillip, Queen Elizabeth's husband of 73 years, and was in step two of a stringent lockdown plan, which, among other health restrictions, explicitly barred indoor socializing.
https://sputniknews....1092246527.html
An Italian nurse has been arrested on suspicion of giving fake COVID vaccines to at least 45 people.
The suspect allegedly threw the vaccines away and even applied bandages to "patients" to avoid being detected, say police.
https://www.euronews...es-to-45-people
Hundreds of thousands of Indians gather for Hindu festival, defying COVID-19 surge
https://www.arabnews...e/2004326/world
Разработчик «Спутник V» заразился «Омикроном»
Sputnik V developer infected with Omicron
https://ura.news/news/1052527155
Russia’s renowned UFC champ Nurmagomedov diagnosed with positive COVID-19 case
He has been quarantined in a hotel room in Singapore, where he arrived to attend 2022 One Championship tournament witnessing a fight of one of his students
https://tass.com/sport/1388341
44 people test positive for COVID-19 in Tianjin's second citywide screening
http://www.ecns.cn/n...py8109186.shtml
A pair of medical facilities in the Chinese city of Xi’an are being forced to take a serious look at their policies after one person died and another suffered a miscarriage during a recent COVID-19-driven lockdown.
The capital of Shaanxi Province was under lockdown for several weeks beginning in mid-December, when a handful of COVID-19 cases were detected in the city, as per China’s “Zero Covid” policy intended to nip potential outbreaks in the bud.
The policy, which included a herculean effort to meet the needs of 13 million quarantined people while health officials tested every resident, tracked down every potential case, and isolated and treated those infected, succeeded at limiting the outbreak there to just 2,100 cases, including just six reported on Wednesday. No deaths from the infectious respiratory virus were recorded.
However, the policy was not without death. At Xi’an International Medical Center, a man suffering from a heart attack was refused admission for several hours due to priority being given to Covid-positive patients, according to a Weibo post by his daughter detailing the January 2 event. By the time he was admitted, it was too late, but doctors said his life could have been saved if he had been treated earlier. The incident sparked public outcry about the hospital’s strictness.
In two other instances, pregnant women were also denied access to a hospital facility, resulting in miscarriages. In one instance, an eight-month pregnant woman at the Xi’an Gaoxin Hospital was refused admission because she lacked a Covid-negative test result, according to a Weibo post by the woman’s niece.
According to the South China Morning Post, the Shaanxi Women’s Federation said it would look into the incident, and the city announced on January 5 that city hospitals should provide treatment and open “green lanes” and hotline services for pregnant women and patients with critical illnesses such as heart attacks.
In addition, Gaoxin Hospital General Manager Fan Yuhui was suspended and the heads of the outpatient department and medical department were fired, Liu Shunzhi, head of the city’s health department, said in a public statement at the time. A total of 31 officials were punished in some way.
*snip*
An article in the New York Times published on Wednesday spared no effort to demonize China’s “Zero Covid” policy, focusing heavily on the two Xi’an incidents, brushing aside the rectifications, apologies, and corrections by officials to raise hue and cry about “a vast army of community workers” and officials who “now believe that they must do everything within their power to ensure zero Covid infections.”
The article's publication is highly ironic, given that New York is one of the world’s most heavily-infected places and that a totally unrestrained Covid outbreak has reached never-before-seen levels.
On December 28, the seven-day average for positive tests in New York City was 20%, an astronomically high number, and 2% of the entire island of Manhattan - home to 1.6 million people - was infected. On January 2, the same day that the Xi’an man died of a heart attack, New York recorded a seven-day average of 42,000 new cases per day.
https://sputniknews....1092245340.html
Biden Deploys US Military Medical Teams to Six States With Overwhelmed Hospitals
https://sputniknews....1092246323.html
Marine Corps Grants Two Religious Exemptions for COVID-19 Vaccine, First for Any Service
https://www.military...ny-service.html
On Thursday afternoon, the Supreme Court ruled against COVID-19 mandates in a 6-3 vote, with all three Trump-appointed judges—who landed their roles thanks to a filibuster carve-out—voting that OSHA doesn’t have the authority to regulate vaccinations by companies. Except for doctors and hospitals. Because judges don’t have to go into the office, but they do have to go to the doctor.
The ruling is based around some blandly twisted reasoning, but it’s down on Page 6 of the decision that the worst aspect of this ruling is revealed. And it’s a doozy.
“The Solicitor General does not dispute that OSHA is limited to regulating ‘work-related dangers.’ She instead argues that the risk of contracting COVID–19 qualifies as such a danger. We cannot agree. Although COVID–19 is a risk that occurs in many workplaces, it is not an occupational hazard in most. COVID–19 can and does spread at home, in schools, during sporting events, and everywhere else that people gather.”
In this ruling, the Supreme Court is explicitly saying that COVID-19 isn’t an “occupational hazard” because it can also occur outside the workplace. Which provides every employer, every conservative organization, and every Republican attorney general the perfect opening to destroy safety regulations across the board.
https://www.dailykos...stories/2074504
Dr. Mehmet Öz, a US Senate candidate for the GOP in Pennsylvania, took shots at the chief medical advisor to the US president and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Dr. Anthony Fauci, during a recent appearance on "The Brian Kilmeade Show."
"He's a petty tyrant that has had all kinds of interactions with the media and uses them as allies to shut down dissent and debate," Oz said of Fauci.
The campaigning US Senate hopeful challenged Fauci to debate on the US response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as over the current state of the country.
https://sputniknews....1092246882.html
During Wednesday’s edition of his podcast, Joe Rogan denied that myocarditis – an inflammation of the heart muscle – is more commonly a side effect in children who have had Covid-19 than it is in children who have had the Covid-19 vaccine. He was immediately fact-checked by his guest Josh Szeps, who said the opposite is actually true.
After not believing Szeps, Rogan had his producer look up the information to confirm. Szeps was correct.
Here’s their exchange:
ROGAN: For young boys in particular, there’s an adverse risk associated with the vaccine. There’s like a two- to fourfold increase in the instances of myocarditis versus hospitalization.
SZEPS: You know that there’s an increased risk in myocarditis among that age cohort from getting Covid as well – which exceeds the risk of myocarditis from the vaccine.
ROGAN: I don’t think that’s true. It don’t think it’s true.
SZEPS: It is.
ROGAN: No, no, no. I don’t think it’s true that there’s an increased risk of myocarditis from people catching Covid that are young, versus increased risk of myocarditis from the vaccine.
SZEPS: No, there is. There’s both.
ROGAN: Well let’s look that up, because I don’t think that’s true.
Rogan’s producer tracked down an article in the U.K.-based science journal, The New Scientist, from which the host began reading excerpts.
ROGAN: “Myocarditis is more common after Covid-19 infection than vaccination.” But is this with children?… With children is the issue.
SZEPS: Well, no. We were talking about 15-year-olds.
ROGAN: Well, we’re talking about young children… “[Males aged] 12 to 17, were [most] likely to develop myocarditis within three months of catching Covid at a rate of 450 cases per million infections. This compares to 67 cases of myocarditis per million of the same age following their second dose of Pfizer.”
SZEPS: Yeah, so you’re about eight times likelier to get myocarditis from getting Covid than from getting it from the vaccine.
ROGAN: That’s interesting. That is not what I’ve read before.”
https://www.mediaite...ve-read-before/
Three days before Dr. Meryl Nass admitted to state lawmakers that she had lied to a pharmacist in order to fill a prescription of hydroxychloroquine for a COVID-19 patient, the Ellsworth internist made sure to let the patient’s spouse know that she had self-reported her deception to the Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine.
*snip*
This week the Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine suspended Nass’ medical license for 30 days. It said allowing Nass to continue practicing medicine “constitutes an immediate jeopardy to the health and physical safety of the public who might receive her medical services.”
The board’s rationale for the 30-day suspension is extensive: lying to a pharmacist to obtain a drug, hydroxychloroquine, that is not approved by the FDA to treat COVID-19; involving a patient in the “deception”; and record keeping inconsistent with telemedicine standards.
The suspension sets the stage for a Feb. 11 adjudicatory hearing that could determine Nass’ ability to practice medicine in Maine. It also signals that an already rancorous political dispute over vaccines and misinformation raging here and across the country is about to intensify.
It’s a fight that Nass appears eager to have. Her battle with the licensing board might draw the attention of national anti-vaccination groups with financial resources and influence that have expanded during the pandemic. Nass is a consultant for one of those groups, the Children’s Health Defense, which was described recently by the Associated Press as an “anti-vaccine juggernaut.”
“I am very happy to discuss in any forum, in front of any board, in front of the board of licensure in Medicine, how to treat a COVID patient,” Nass told Maine Public Radio last month. “I have plenty of experience.”
Upon ordering her to undergo a psychological evaluation, the licensing board released a text message between Nass and the son of a patient. Nass indicated again that she was spoiling for a fight with the licensing board, telling the patient’s son that she knows “some crack attorneys.”
https://www.mainepub...s-far-from-over
Edited by amor de cosmos, 14 January 2022 - 09:26 AM.
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