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Amidst the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines emerged as a beacon of hope, offering humanity a vital tool against the deadly virus. However, recent research has introduced a concerning twist to this narrative.
Since the onset of the pandemic, approximately 13.5 billion COVID-19 vaccines have been administered worldwide, marking a significant milestone in the fight against the virus. Notably, around 71% of the global population has received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine.
Despite the widespread vaccination efforts, a recent peer-reviewed study has now sparked health concerns among this substantial portion of the global population. Its findings have linked COVID vaccines from prominent companies such as Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca to rare occurrences of heart, brain and blood disorders.
Researchers from the Global Vaccine Data Network, a research arm of the World Health Organisation (WHO), conducted the largest COVID vaccine study to date. It analysed expected versus observed rates of 13 medical conditions considered adverse events of special interest in a study population of 99 million vaccinated individuals across eight countries.
Here are some key associations the study found:
In spite of these findings, experts emphasise that the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks. For instance, the likelihood of experiencing neurological events or heart inflammation is significantly higher after contracting COVID-19 than after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
The odds of all of these adverse events is still much, much higher when infected with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), so getting vaccinated is still by far the safer choice, CEO of biotechnology company Centivax Jacob Glanville, who is not involved in the study, told Forbes.
In navigating the complex landscape of risks and benefits, the overarching message remains clear: vaccination remains an indispensable tool in the fight against COVID-19, offering a pathway toward overcoming the disease's pervasive grip on global health and well-being.
The study was published in the journal Vaccine.
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AUSTIN (KXAN) A new study published this month found possible links between the COVID-19 vaccine and health conditions.
The research is the largest study of its kind linking the shot to slight increases in neurological, blood and heart-related conditions.
But some experts stress getting COVID far outweighs the risks of getting vaccinated.
Its important to understand that last year COVID was the leading cause of death amongst children from a disease caused by an infection. So its critically important that children get vaccinated against COVID, said Dr. Michelle Fiscus a Chief Medical Officer leading a CDC-funded project to improve COVID-19 vaccination rates in children.
However, this latest study may fuel the debate of risks and benefits of vaccines.
I understand there has been a lot of and misinformation on social media and sometimes even from people who look like me who are physicians, said Dr. Fiscus.
But as a mom and as a pediatrician, I will tell you that these vaccines that we give children are the most tested of any medications that we use for children. COVID vaccines are the most highly tested amongst any vaccines that weve ever had. And its critically important that we protect our children from the suffering that these diseases can cause.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
Today in JAMA, researchers show that US renters who were served eviction notices in the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic had a high proportion of excess deaths.
Investigators from Princeton University and Rutgers University-Newark analyzed linked eviction and death records from January 2020 to August 2021, comparing them with projected death rates estimated from comparable records in 2010 to 2016. Two comparison groups were made up of all people living in the study area and a subsample of those living in high-poverty, high-eviction housing tracts who didn't themselves face eviction.
The median age of the threatened renters was 36 years, 62.5% were women, 57.6% were Black, and their median annual household income was $38,000, with 25.9% living below the poverty line.
Renters who pay a large proportion of their income for housing face health consequences from having to prioritize rent over health-related expenses like food and healthcare,psychosocial distress, and reduced ability to address immediate and long-term health needs, the researchers said.
"The COVID-19 pandemic worsened this crisis by contributing to large-scale job and wage loss, especially for Black and Hispanic renters who already experienced the highest rates of housing instability owing to an ongoing history of discriminatory housing policies and practices," they wrote.
A total of 282,000 renters received an eviction notice in 2020 and 2021, during which time their observed death rate was 106% higher (238.6 deaths per 100,000 person-months) than the expected rate (116.5 per 100,000)or more than double.
The COVID-19 pandemic worsened this crisis by contributing to large-scale job and wage loss, especially for Black and Hispanic renters who already experienced the highest rates of housing instability.
In contrast, the observed death rate among similar renters not served notices was 25% higher (142.8 deaths per 100,000 person-months) than the expected rate (114.6 per 100,000). In the general population living in the study area, the expected death rate was 83.5 per 100,000 person-months, compared with an observed death rate of 91.6 per 100,000, or 9% higher than expected.
During the study period, eviction filings were 44.7% lower than expected, and Black women faced the highest proportion of eviction filings (38.7%), despite making up only 11.5% of renters.
"The pandemic roughly doubled mortality rates across all ages for threatened renters, translating to large absolute excess mortality for older age groups," the authors noted. "The filed-against population is much younger than the general population; a large proportion of filings during the pandemic targeted renters aged 25 to 40 years, ages when background mortality tends to be much lower."
Eviction filings pose a risk of displacement even if they do not result in formal eviction, by pushing out tenants who know that the odds of receiving a favorable judgment in housing court are against them, the researchers said.
"Combined with associated fines and fees, filing alone can push renters into even more precarious and overcrowded housing, increasing risk of exposure to COVID-19," they wrote. "While fewer renters faced the threat of eviction during the pandemic, owing to programs such as eviction moratoria and the Emergency Rental Assistance program, threatened renters were at far greater risk of death."
The results, the investigators said, show that those who face eviction are an especially at-risk population. "Our results highlight the importance of monitoring health outcomes among marginalized populations that can't currently be disaggregated in national health statistics," they concluded. "Our results also underscore the need for policymakers and researchers to take into consideration access to safe and stable housing when designing health interventions."
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Pfizer, alleging that the pharmaceutical giant lied about the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine. LiveNOW's Carel Lajara spoke about the lawsuit with Infectious disease expert Dr. Peter Chin-Hong.
The largest COVID vaccine study to date has identified some risks associated with the shot.
Researchers from the Global Vaccine Data Network (GVDN) in New Zealand analyzed 99 million people who received COVID vaccinations across eight countries.
They monitored for increases in 13 different medical conditions in the period after people received a COVID vaccine.
The study, which was published in the journal Vaccine last week, found that the vaccine was linked to a slight increase in neurological, blood and heart-related medical conditions, according to a press release from GVDN.
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People who received certain types of mRNA vaccines were found to have a higher risk of myocarditis, which is inflammation of the heart muscle.
Some viral-vector vaccines were linked to a higher risk of blood clots in the brain, as well as an increased likelihood of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological disorder in which the immune system attacks the nerves.
Other potential risks included inflammation of part of the spinal cord after viral vector vaccines, and inflammation and swelling in the brain and spinal cord after viral vector and mRNA vaccines, the press release stated.
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"The size of the population in this study increased the possibility of identifying rare potential vaccine safety signals," lead author Kristna Faksov of the Department of Epidemiology Research, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark, said in the release.
"Single sites or regions are unlikely to have a large enough population to detect very rare signals."
File: A pharmacist, prepares to give a COVID-19 vaccine in Cypress, Texas, Sept. 20, 2023. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, was not involved in the research but commented on the findings.
"The massive study and review of the data reveals some rare association of the MRNA vaccines and myocarditis, especially after the second shot, as well as an association between the Oxford Astra Zeneca adenovirus vector vaccines and Guillain Barre syndrome," he told Fox News Digital.
"But these risks are rare," he added, "and other studies show that the vaccine decreases the risk of myocarditis from COVID itself dramatically."
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Siegel noted that all vaccines have side effects.
"It always comes down to a risk/benefit analysis of what you are more afraid of the vaccine's side effects or the virus itself, which can have long-term side effects in terms of brain fog, fatigue, cough and also heart issues," he said.
"Denying or exaggerating a vaccine's side effects is not good science nor is underestimating the risks of the virus, especially in high-risk groups," Siegel added.
"It comes down to a risk/benefit analysis of what you are more afraid of the vaccine's side effects or the virus itself."
The key is for doctors and their patients to carefully weigh the risks and benefits, the doctor emphasized.
"This study does not really change anything; it just provides much further evidence of what we already know," he said.
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Health officials say the number of Americans receiving flu shots and COVID-19 treatments are down (Credit: FOX News/News Edge)
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Dr. Jacob Glanville, CEO of Centivax, a San Francisco biotechnology company, also reacted to the studys findings.
"This study is confirming in a much larger cohort what has been previously identified in the original studies during the pandemic myocarditis and pericarditis as a rare side effect of mRNA vaccines and clots as a rare side effect of the viral vectored vaccines," he told Fox News Digital.
"The odds of all of these adverse events are still much, much higher when infected with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), so getting vaccinated is still by far the safer choice."
This study was part of a more widespread research initiative, the Global COVID Vaccine Safety (GCoVS) Project.
The project is supported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
More than 80% of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, per the CDC.
Fox News Digital reached out to Pfizer and Moderna, makers of mRNA COVID vaccines, for comment.
LINK: FOR UPDATES ON THIS STORY, CLICK OVER TO FOXNEWS.COM
RSV on the rise in Montana, as weekly COVID-19 and influenza counts decrease
by NBC Montana Staff
A young child with RSV is treated at Community Medical Center in Missoula, Montana. Photo: Community Medical Center
MISSOULA, Mont.
Data from the Montana Department of Health and Human Services show a decline in weekly COVID-19 and influenza cases and hospitalizations, even as weekly RSV numbers increase.
The state reports 454 positive COVID cases, 10 hospitalizations, and no deaths for the week ended Feb. 10. Hospitalizations peaked at 56 on Nov. 18. Total weekly cases peaked at 936 the week of Dec. 2. Weekly numbers of COVID-19 related deaths peaked the week of Oct. 14 at 9. So far this season there have been 12,594 cases of COVID-19, 686 hospitalizations, and 77 deaths.
The state reports 1,160 influenza cases for the week ended Feb. 10, with 22 hospitalizations and zero deaths. Weekly flu case numbers peaked at 1,990 cases the week ended Dec. 20. Flu hospitalizations also peaked that week at 124. Weekly influenza deaths peaked the week ended Jan. 6, with eight deaths reported. So far this season 36 influenza-related deaths have been recorded in Montana, with 750 hospitalizations and 15,232 cases.
RSV has been on the rise in recent weeks. For the week ended Feb. 10 there were 69 positive RSV cases recorded, up from 55 the week before.
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The numbers of microorganisms with the potential to harm humans is very large, but the resources for research and development (R&D) are limited.
To address this problem, the World Health Organization (WHO) convened a panel of scientists and public health experts in December 2015 to prioritise the top five to 10 emerging pathogens likely to cause severe outbreaks and the greatest public health risk in the near future, because of their epidemic potential and/or for which few or no medical countermeasures exist.
The initial list included Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever, Ebola and Marburg virus, Lassa fever, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) coronavirus diseases, Nipah (which first occurred in Malaysia) and Rift Valley fever.
It was intended that these diseases will provide the basis for work on the WHO Blueprint for R&D preparedness to help control potential future outbreaks.
The list was updated in 2018 and 2022.
The current list includes Covid-19, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, Ebola and Marburg virus diseases, Lassa fever, MERS-CoV, SARS, Nipah and henipaviral diseases, Rift Valley fever, Zika and Disease X.
Disease X
Disease X was the name given by WHO to a currently unknown pathogen that could emerge in the future and cause a serious international epidemic or pandemic.
It was included in WHOs Blueprint list in February 2018 of diseases for which investment in R&D should be an international priority to enable early preparedness for the unknown Disease X.
Disease X does not exist currently.
But the concept of Disease X is a very real and growing threat to human health for which the world must prepare better to respond to.
The most recent Disease X was the SARS-CoV-2 virus which caused Covid-19.
Because the world was unprepared to defend itself against it, Covid-19s rapid spread caused a pandemic, which was reported to have affected more than 700 million people and caused about seven million deaths globally.Malaysia reported more than 5.2 million Covid-19 cases, the highest among Asean countries. Public Health Malaysia Facebook page
Malaysia was not spared with more than 5.2 million cases and 37,000 deaths reported, the highest death rate per capita among Asean nations and maternal mortality of 68 per 100,000 live births in 2021, a number last seen in the mid-1980s.
Scientists at Imperial College Londons MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease estimated that Covid-19 vaccines saved an estimated 20 million lives globally between December 8, 2020 and December 8, 2021.
In Malaysia, the Institute for Clinical Research reported that vaccines saved an estimated 16,000 to 17,000 lives after half the population got fully vaccinated in September 2021.
Covid-19 is still around, albeit in a milder form, with waves still occurring.
When will Disease X occur?
No one can predict when Disease X will occur.
However, what is certain is that a future Disease X is out there and will, at some point in time, emerge and begin to spread to cause a disease outbreak.
In the past three decades, there have been increasingly frequent outbreaks of pathogens capable of causing severe disease and death to humans.
In the 21st century, there have been outbreaks of SARS-CoV-1, MERS, Zika, Ebola and other new and re-emerging viral diseases such as Chikungunya.
While it is likely that the next Disease X could be a novel disease, there is also the possibility of already known pathogens mutating and/or re-emerging in a more virulent form and then spreading into epidemics or pandemics.
Novel diseases emerge all the time, often making the leap from animals like bats to humans.
Scientists believe that the next Disease X is highly likely to be a virus that will emerge from about 25 families of viruses that have already shown their capability to cause human disease.
Climate change, urbanisation and globalisation are increasing the likelihood and frequency of infectious diseases outbreaks globally.
Scientists from Princeton University, United States analysed a global dataset of large epidemics spanning four centuries.Bats are primary vectors for virus transmission from animals to humans. TNS
They reported: The rate of occurrence of epidemics varies widely in time, but the probability distribution of epidemic intensity assumes a constant form with a slowly decaying algebraic tail, implying that the probability of extreme epidemics decreases slowly with epidemic intensity.
Together with recent estimates of increasing rates of disease emergence from animal reservoirs associated with environmental change, this finding suggests a high probability of observing pandemics similar to Covid-19 (probability of experiencing it in ones lifetime currently about 38%), which may double in coming decades.
In laymans language, the researchers found that the chance of a pandemic, with a similar impact to Covid-19, is about one in 50 in any year.
This means the lifetime probability of anyone reading this experiencing a pandemic similar to Covid-19 is about 38%, which may double in coming decades.
Preparedness critical
Disease X has been described as a hidden but inevitable creeping danger.
Although Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on the world, it has gone, perhaps disappeared, into the background and many healthcare systems have gone back to status quo.
Many governments and politicians have viewed the weak recovering economies from Covid-19 as reason to delay funding for preparedness for another epidemic/pandemic, as a result of which timely effective measures will be in short supply when Disease X comes along.
Whilst there may be anxiety about Disease X and its inevitability, it does not mean that the world is destined to relive the devastating impacts of Covid-19.
Steps can be taken to stop Disease X and reduce its spread and damage by proper and pre-emptive preparation this will be addressed in a subsequent article.
Dr Milton Lum is a past president of the Federation of Private Medical Practitioners Associations and the Malaysian Medical Association. For more information, email starhealth@thestar.com.my. The views expressed do not represent that of organisations that the writer is associated with. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only, and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Information published in this article is not intended to replace, supplant or augment a consultation with a health professional regarding the readers own medical care. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.
Adalja is a practicing infectious disease, critical care, and emergency physician.
News surfaced last week suggesting a potential shift in COVID-19 isolation guidance from the CDC. The planned guidance, which is expected to be released this spring for public comment, indicates a significant switch in how COVID-19 is conceptualized. The guidance would bring COVID-19 into line with how other common respiratory viruses are managed: with isolation recommended until the individual has mild and improving symptoms, and is fever-free (without pharmaceutical aid) for 24 hours.
With the news of the proposed guidance, many voices rose up to immediately attack the proposed guidance as a capitulation and not evidence-based. This was similar to the refrain from opponents when the federal or state governments dropped or loosened mask requirements or guidance.
I was not one of them.
Indeed, I welcome the proposed guidance change because it reflects the progress that has been made in the management of COVID-19. When evaluating this guidance, it is critical to understand that SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, is situated among the myriad respiratory viruses that infect humans.
SARS-CoV-2, a virus unknown to humans before 2019, naturally began its foray into our species unopposed by diagnostic tests, antivirals, vaccinations, and knowledge. Today, in 2024, there are more tools for monitoring and managing COVID-19 than for any other respiratory virus: spanning from home tests, to wastewater monitoring, to potent antivirals, to highly effective vaccines, to a wealth of clinical guidance to manage cases and mitigate complications. All of these medical countermeasures are coupled with a high degree of immunity in the population from prior infections, vaccinations, and combinations of both. In short, the entire context of COVID-19 has changed for the better.
No longer are hospitals worried about capacity due to huge COVID surges -- cases may ebb and flow in the community and new variants appear, but no longer are these phenomena coupled to hospitals in crisis. While the raw numbers of hospital admissions and invasive mechanical ventilation or death were higher for COVID than for both respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and the flu in 2022-2023, rates of ventilation or death were statistically no different for older adults hospitalized for either RSV or COVID (13.5% vs 10.2%), recent CDC data showed, both higher than for flu (7%). Furthermore, the highest rates of oxygen therapy and ICU admission in the study were among those with RSV (a virus for which no antiviral exists).
What is most baffling to me is that those who are critical of the proposed guidance change seemingly ignore the fact that most countries have already moved to this new paradigm without any evidence of major untoward impacts. Indeed, even California and Oregon -- two states not known for cavalier attitudes regarding COVID-19 mitigation -- have done the same. These states also advise that asymptomatic patients do not need to isolate at all; masking for 10 days is deemed sufficient. This is despite the fact that contagiousness remains in some individuals, even with improved clinical symptoms and a fever-free status.
What the new guidance reflects is that COVID-19, with the wealth of tools that were created to combat it, cannot be singled out from the pack of respiratory viruses (most of which we have zero countermeasures for) for special treatment in perpetuity.
When our ancestors chose to live among each other in cities and villages, it brought many advantages, but there was also the tradeoff of flourishing communicable diseases, as population density and attendant social interactions increased. Among these communicable diseases were respiratory virus infections, which I believe people implicitly consent to when they live among and interact with each other.
While certain respiratory viruses are above that consent threshold -- and COVID-19 was above that threshold for some time -- many are not. COVID no longer is. What that means is that it will remain important for those at high risk for severe COVID, severe RSV, and severe influenza -- or anyone who really wants to avoid infection to keep in mind that these viruses are ever-present where there are people. They must also remember that humans have the tools to minimize their impact via masks, tests, vaccines, and antivirals; these are readily available if an individual's risk calculation favors employing them. COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths are preventable with prompt antiviral use coupled with high-risk individuals staying up-to-date on vaccination.
COVID-19 guidance has long needed to embrace the paradigm of harm reduction as it does for sexually transmitted infections, injection drug use, and many other endeavors humans choose to engage in that have a non-zero risk. COVID-19 was always destined to be an endemic respiratory virus for which repeated infection would become a fact of life for humans. This is not capitulation but an embracing of the biology of the virus. Abstinence-only guidance -- as reflected by current guidelines that do not reflect the almost science fiction-like progress made against COVID-19 -- no longer has any place.
Amesh Adalja, MD, is a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, and a practicing infectious disease, critical care, and emergency physician in Pittsburgh.
Disclosures
Adalja is currently a consultant, speaker, and/or advisory board member for GSK, Shionogi, and BD.
By Deidre McPhillips, CNN
(CNN) Housing instability carries deadly risks, and these vulnerabilities were exacerbated for many during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The mortality rate among renters who faced eviction was twice as high as expected during the first two years of the pandemic, according to a study published on Tuesday in JAMA. The general population also experienced excess mortality during this time, but the risk started higher for renters and rose exponentially for those threatened with eviction.
From January 2020 through August 2021, the risk of death for renters facing eviction was 2.6 times greater than it was in the general population, the study found. During the baseline period of 2010 to 2016, the mortality rate was 1.4 times higher for renters facing eviction than it was for the general population.
The pandemic has really highlighted how housing is so critical to health and public health, said Nick Graetz, a researcher at Princeton Universitys Eviction Lab and lead author of the study. That all became really clear and salient during a pandemic where there was this massive infectious disease risk. But this deep connection between housing and health, its not new. Its not going to disappear if Covid numbers come down.
The new study is the third in a series of work from a collaboration between the Eviction Lab and the US Census Bureau, with aims to fill gaps in understanding about who faces eviction in the United States and what the impacts are.
Work published in October showed that about 7.6 million people are threatened with eviction each year, and risks are highest for households with children and Black renters. Another study from December explored the risk between rising rent costs and mortality risk.
The latest study is the first to focus on a pandemic timeframe, and the findings focus on eviction filing trends in 36 court systems that cover about 400 counties. While the findings for the new study are not nationally representative, they do show stark connection.
Data limitations prevented the researchers from identifying causes of death among renters facing eviction, but experts point to the negative effects of chronic stress as a likely driver.
Eviction filings may represent a general state of financial strain among renters, which in turn leads to chronic stress increasing health risks and mortality, Jack Tsai, a professor at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health and director of research for the US Department of Veterans Affairs National Center on Homelessness among Veterans, wrote in a related editorial.
Chronic stress is a known risk factor for many of the leading causes of death in the US during the pandemic, including heart disease, cancer and stroke, he wrote.
Many of these leading causes of death are associated with older age, but the average renter threatened with eviction during the pandemic was just 36 years old, according to the new study.
Overwhelmingly, we should think of this as premature death in terms of what a healthy life expectancy should be in the United States, richest country in the world, Graetz said. Older folks are experiencing really intense housing insecurity, but we know that most (eviction) filings occur among folks around age 25 to 50, so thats where the bulk of this excess mortality burden is going to come from.
For advocates working to help individuals facing eviction, the toll that the process has on physical and mental health is readily apparent.
A lot of times people talk about how that stress is impacting them. Fatigue is definitely something that sets in for a lot of people, theyre not sleeping well. And I have had multiple clients, as well, who have autoimmune diseases that report flare ups due to the stress, said Katie Derrick, a community health worker at Jesse Tree, a social services organization focused on preventing eviction and homelessness in Boise, Idaho.
The relationship between housing insecurity and health is cyclical, Derrick said. Health issues are the second most common reason people say they apply for services at Jesse Tree.
An unexpected medical bill or missing work to care for a sick child can cause a person to fall behind on rent, she said. A negative housing situation can then lead to more negative health impacts, which then require more resources.
In addition to the chronic stress of housing instability, Tsai also notes in his editorial that eviction filings can lead renters to move or be displaced to inferior housing environments that may increase their health risks.
Crowded, unsanitary, or otherwise unsafe living conditions can increase the risk of transmission of diseases like COVID-19 and others, such as tuberculosis, he wrote. Low-quality housing can also affect a persons health through exposure to toxins such as lead and asbestos, noise pollution and harsh weather elements.
Eviction filings were down 45% during the first two years of the pandemic, according to the new study.
But experts warn that deadly health risks may grow, as many public assistance programs that were in effect in the early years of the pandemic such as eviction moratoriums are ended.
As we move out of maybe the most intense period of Covid prevalence and mortality, we return to a normal that was already untenable, and its been getting worse, Graetz said. Rent burdens are as high as theyve ever been, and eviction filings are now back and surpassing historical averages.
In the last quarter of 2023, more than two out of five people who applied for housing support services from Jesse Tree in Idaho had been to the emergency department, half of whom had been more than once over the course of three months, Derrick said.
Accessing the ED for things that could be addressed with a primary care physician costs a lot more, she said. Its eye-opening how inaccessible care is for folks.
Even for those who do have access to care, some patients may not feel comfortable raising concerns about housing with their doctor. When patients talk about struggling to afford their medications, thats often a clue that more is going on, said Dr. StevenFurr, a family physician in Alabama and president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
As physicians, were focused on treating the whole patient and we realize that the social world in which they live is so important to their health care, said Furr, who was not involved in the new study. We realize that the medications and diagnoses we give them are about 20% of the issue, and where they live and where they work is about 80%. So were constantly asking them what kind of environment theyre in, whats going on with their situation.
Some Medicare programs recently started paying providers to screen patients with a social determinants of health assessment, he said, which may encourage even more focus on these issues.
On Maslows hierarchy of needs, shelter is grouped with air, water and food as one of the bare necessities for human survival.
Its one of the basic foundations that you need to build health and build employment, Tsai told CNN. If you dont have that, its really challenging to start moving on to addressing the other social determinants of health.
The-CNN-Wire & 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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An extensive, two-year review of COVID-19 in schools and daycares has revealed that these settings were not a significant source of transmission of the virus when infection prevention and control measures were used, researchers at McMaster University have found.
The review was published Thursday in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health and examined more than 34,000 references, including databases, websites, and studies, related to transmission in child-care settings and schools across the globe.
The results of the review appear to cast doubt on the necessity of the repeated interruptions to in-person learning during the pandemic.
In Ontario schools were closed for a minimum of 135 days to prevent the spread of COVID-19, with disruptions in three successive school years.
We found that after that initial shutdown where everything was locked down, schools did not appear to have much impact on community level transmission when infection prevention control measures were in place, Sarah Neil-Sztramko, an assistant professor at the university and the lead author of the review, said in a written statement.
The review, which was updated 18 times over the past two years, was launched in response to a need for timely, up-to-date access to scientific evidence to guide decision making, the authors said.
The role of schools and daycares in COVID-19 transmission, from a growing number of studies, were reported in several reviews; the overall findings were mixed, and these reviews became quickly outdated as new and often higher-quality evidence emerged, the authors wrote.
The purpose of this living rapid review was to continually identify, appraise, and summarise emerging research evidence about the risk of transmission of COVID-19 among children and adults in schools and daycares, the effect of infection prevention and control (IPAC) measures on COVID-19 transmission within schools and daycares, and the effect of opening schools and daycares on community-level transmission.
The review found that masking, vaccinations and test-to-stay policies were the best methods to reduce COVID-19s spread in schools and daycares.
The effectiveness of strategies like mandatory quarantining, cohorting, and hybrid learning is uncertain and may have made little to no difference in transmission, the authors added.
It is important to understand which measures mitigate transmission so that schools can remain open as much as possible, given the negative impacts that were found during COVID-19 when they were closed, Neil-Sztramko said.
Remote learning, the review noted, was associated with increased educational disparities, especially for low-income families and those in remote areas with limited access to technology and resources.
School closures also reduced opportunities for students to interact with their peers, which has been shown to have an adverse effect on their social and emotional development, the review read.
Additionally, the fear, stress, and isolation caused by the pandemic contributed to a substantial increase in loneliness, anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems.
Decision-makers were faced with a difficult balancing act in their respective communities, the authors added.
Although the data consistently show that children can both contract and transmit COVID-19, based on published reports to date, following reopening, the risk of widespread transmission from child to child and child to adult is low, particularly when IPAC measures are in place and adhered to, the review read.
This trend appears to be consistent in the data collected with early variants of concern. Even when absolute case numbers were high, most infections originated from outside of school.
The researchers said the review provides a strong and factual foundation on how to handle significant outbreaks of other variants or infectious diseases in the future.
If there were to be another wave where community transmission was increasing and straining the health-care system, strategies such as masking, vaccination, and test-to-stay interventions are effective in fighting transmission, allowing schools to stay open, Neil-Sztramko said.
