Category: Corona Virus Vaccine

RIVERSIDE, California A Riverside County man was sentenced today to 68 months in federal prison for orchestrating a scheme to obtain more than $2.1 million in pandemic-related unemployment insurance (UI) benefits by filing fraudulent applications claiming, among other things, that the claimants were salon and barbershop workers rendered jobless by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Robert Campbell Jr., 30, of Corona, was sentenced by United States District Judge Jesus G. Bernal, who also ordered him to pay $2,113,966 in restitution.

Campbell, this cases lead defendant, pleaded guilty on March 6 to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud in connection with a presidentially declared emergency and one count of mail fraud in connection with benefits connected to a presidentially declared emergency. He has been free on $100,000 bond since his July 2022 arrest in this case.

From March 2020 to July 2021, Campbell and other co-conspirators used the personally identifiable information (PII) of others including names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers to file fraudulent UI applications with the California Employment Development Department (EDD), which administers the states unemployment insurance program.

The fraudulent UI claims were federally funded through programs authorized by Congress in response to the pandemic, including the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Lost Wage Assistance programs.

Many of the fraudulent claims were made on behalf of ineligible out-of-state claimants and on behalf of people ineligible for benefits because they were imprisoned, including one claimant in Texas.

The fraudulent applications falsely stated the claimants had prior annual incomes of $42,000 and they were self-employed individuals whose jobs were adversely impacted when salons and barbershop closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The fraudulent applications listed mailing addresses with locations chosen and controlled by Campbell and his accomplices. Once the fraudulent applications were approved, debit cards were mailed to those addresses.

In total, Campbell and others caused 174 fraudulent applications to be filed with EDD, resulting in 125 fraudulent claims to be paid and resulting in total losses of approximately $2,113,966.

Campbell is the eighth and final defendant to be sentenced in this case. The other seven defendants pleaded guilty and Judge Bernal imposed previous sentences ranging from probation and home confinement to 18 months in federal prison.

While the nation struggled with unprecedented loss of life and social and economic disruption, [Campbell] seized upon the dislocation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic to defraud the public of more than $2.1 million, prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. [Campbell] organized, led, and encouraged his coconspirators throughout, and mocked considerations of decency and honesty at every turn in his communications with them.

The United States Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and the California Employment Development Department Investigation Division are investigating this matter. Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations Special Services Unit, and the United States Secret Service provided substantial assistance.

Assistant United States Attorney Adam P. Schleifer of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case.

Anyone with information about allegations of fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justices National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at (866) 720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

Read the original here:

Corona Man Sentenced to Nearly 6 Years in Prison for Scheme that ... - Department of Justice

More than a year after Israelis last received a vaccination against the COVID-19 virus, they can now receive the new Moderna booster vaccine called Spikevax, which has shown a significantly higher antibody response against OMICRON BA.4 /5 subvariants compared to the booster of the current vaccine.

The vaccines arrived at all the health funds on Tuesday. The ministry said that the new shot improves protection against the potentially deadly virus and helps prevent serious illness. It recommends that the public, especially at-risk populations including the elderly, those with chronic illness, pregnant women, and those with weak immune systems get vaccinated. Even in times of emergency like this, its important to continue to get necessary medical treatments, the ministry said.

Make an appointment in advance for the shot via health funds websites, apps, in person at your clinic, or by phone:

Clalit Health Services call center *2700Maccabi Health Services call center at *3555Meuhedet Health Services *3833Leumit Health Services: *507 or 1700-507507

The newly adapted vaccine, called mRNA-1273.214, showed much more protection against infection with all variants tested compared to the vaccines currently available including subvariants of Omicron BA.1 and BA.4/5, and the original alpha variant that was followed by beta, delta, and gamma variants.

Studies showed that one month after the booster of mRNA-1273.214, participants who had previously received a vaccine and a 50 micrograms booster dose had a significantly higher neutralizing antibody response against the Omicron variants as well as sub-strains BA.4 and BA.5, compared to the current booster vaccine (mRNA-1273 ).

These findings were demonstrated in all age groups of the study participants adults over the age of 18, over or under the age of 65 and whether or not they had been previously exposed to COVID-19.

Among participants who had not previously had corona, an Omicron-adjusted two-strain mRNA-1273.214 vaccine showed significantly higher levels of neutralizing antibodies against the BA.4/5 variants compared to the currently authorized booster vaccine, with an average antibody level 1.69 times higher.

One month after the booster was administered, BA.4 / 5 neutralizing antibody values were for mRNA-1273,214 and 458 for the currently authorized booster vaccine. Consistent results have been demonstrated across subgroups, including those aged 65 and over.

Temporary adverse reactions reported in some people in clinical trials following administration of the vaccine included pain at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, joint pains, chills, nausea/vomiting, axillary swelling/tenderness, fever, and swelling and redness at the injection site.

Read the rest here:

New vaccine against COVID subspecies available in Israel - The Jerusalem Post

Isabella Wegner said she felt frustrated when Pitt closed their COVID-19 Medical Response Office (CMRO).

Students want to make informed decisions about masking, and without an office sending out emails like they did last year, its hard to make those decisions, Wegner, a senior gender, sexuality and womens studies major and outreach coordinator for Chronic Connection, said.

As the fall virus season begins, Pitt and the Allegheny County Health Department continue to encourage vaccination and provide resources for preventing COVID-19 infection. But some students and faculty still have concerns, claiming Pitt shouldnt have closed the CMRO so soon and that they could do more to address the virus.

Following the end of the federal COVID-19 public health emergency this past May, Pitts CMRO ceased maintaining institutional requirements other than the vaccine policy as of Aug 1.

Wegner said shes concerned that immunocompromised people are not often thought of when administration makes these decisions.

So, while things are definitely a whole lot better than they were before, I think its kind of misleading to say that hey, we dont need [the CMRO] anymore, Wegner said. I think the consensus is that Pitt kind of jumped the gun with closing it.

According to data collected by the Allegheny County Health Department, COVID-19 infections are down compared to this time last year but have been rising since the end of the federal public health emergency.

During the week of Sept. 25, 2022, Allegheny County reported 1,139 infections, and during the week of Sept. 17, 2023, the county reported 610 infections. At the time that the federal public health emergency ended, beginning the week of May 14, 2023, the county reported 146. The ACHD continues to encourage testing and vaccination, and also provides resources on the county website.

The Health Department will continue to offer the vaccine at its clinic and is also continuing a schedule of vaccination at community events for vulnerable populations, including low-income senior high rises, and for homebound individuals, Dr. Barbara Nightingale, deputy director for clinical services at the Allegheny County Health Department, said The department is also continuing surveillance and continues to work with the State Health Department and the CDC as new information and detail becomes available.

A University spokesperson said in keeping with the practices of local and federal health authorities, the University is no longer keeping an official count of COVID-19 cases on campus.

The Pitt Vaccination and Health Connection Hub, Student Health Services and MyHealth@Work monitor illness trends in the area and on campus and issue recommendations based on what theyre seeing, the spokesperson said in an email. As an example, coming into fall virus season, Pitt leaders and medical experts sent a campus-wide message with important reminders and resources last month.

The campus-wide message includes guidelines about masking, testing and isolation, and recommends that students get updated COVID-19 vaccines. As of Oct. 9, adult Pfizer and Moderna vaccines as well as pediatric Pfizer vaccines are available at the Pitt Vaccination and Health Connection Hub, according to their website.

In their final email, the CMRO said the University will now rely on individuals to take responsibility for their health and the wellbeing of the community with respect to COVID-19.

Leigh Patel, a professor in the School of Education who has multiple sclerosis, said closing the CMRO indicates that Pitt is done taking care of the public health.

That statement [from the CMRO, saying] public health just really relies on individuals decisions thats not public health. That makes it an oxymoron, Patel said.

Patel criticized the closing of the CMRO, calling it a financial decision.

We dont have to have this office open anymore, Patel said. But this office was a place that at least stood in the function of responding to circumstances that COVID had material effects upon. So that office shutting down, in essence is we dont need to do that anymore.

Pitt policy and faculty still encourage students to stay home when they are sick, but pressures to keep up in classes can create a conflict for students, according to Wegner. She said this is especially difficult for students with disabilities.

If you miss too many classes, you are completely screwed over. And that becomes especially difficult for students with disabilities who already may need to miss class because of doctor appointments, health issues that come up, and were still very limited in classes that we can miss, Wegner said.

Ellen Lee, a teaching assistant professor in the classics department, said faculty who get sick experience similar issues. When Lee was in graduate school at the University of Michigan in 2009, swine flu hit her really hard.

I couldnt eat, I couldnt get out of bed. My symptoms were so severe that later my doctor told me I probably should have been hospitalized during that time. It was really bad, Lee said. There was no support from my employer, just an attitude that I needed to play through the pain because otherwise somebody else was going to have to do my job uncompensated.

Once Lee could function, she immediately went back to campus, feeling really bad that other people had to take on her work. Since then, Lee has gotten sick at the drop of a hat. Having this experience from a previous epidemic, Lee is concerned that the same can happen at Pitt if there isnt adequate virus prevention and plans in place for instructors who get sick.

In classrooms with zero virus mitigations, there are no substitute teachers for college instructors, Lee said. If I cant do my job, basically Im expected to play through the pain as it were because otherwise another one of my colleagues will have to do my job uncompensated.

Lee also expressed concern for faculty who become sick or disabled while on shorter term contracts.

Were going to worry about whether theyre going to get fired or whether the contract will be renewed, especially since a lot of our part time faculty are on semester-by-semester contracts. A lot of other full-time faculty are on yearly contracts, Lee said.

Lee said when it comes to faculty becoming sick or disabled, things are often handled on an ad hoc basis.

When a problem comes up its kind of a crisis and nobody knows whats going to happen and nobody knows what to do, Lee said. I would also like to see the University make plans for what to do when faculty are sick or become disabled.

As for what shed like to see the University do, Lee said beside making plans for what happens when faculty gets sick, shed like to see improved ventilation and air quality, especially in the wake of the smoke pollution Pittsburgh experienced over the summer from the Canadian wildfires.

We need this not only for disease prevention, which it can help with, but also our current environment, Lee said.

Editors Note: Leigh Patel is a member of The Pitt News Advisory Board.

Continue reading here:

Students, faculty with disabilities condemn closure of Pitts COVID-19 office - The Pitt News

The World Health Organization no longer considers the COVID-19 pandemic a global health emergency, but that doesnt mean its not a global health threat anymore. The global health toll is nearing seven million deaths, and new variants continue to emerge.

[COVID-19] is still a major topic [in] global conversations, which is why you, as an individual journalist, should strive to continue to find creative ways to write about this pandemic, said Paul Adepoju, community manager of ICFJs Global Crisis Reporting Forum.

In a recent webinar, Adepoju discussed COVID-19s impact today and shared ways in which journalists globally can continue informing their audiences about the virus.

Here are a few suggestions to get started and keep you on track:

Analyzing datasets can provide journalists with more than just infection or casualty numbers. In addition to cases and deaths, they can revisit vaccination efforts or travel restrictions and whats resulted from them.

Open data sources, such as Our World in Data, can be useful for finding many different figures, Adepoju said. By searching for coronavirus, reporters can access customized, downloadable data to further analyze.

Data can help journalists identify trends, provide context and point toward gaps in coverage, especially when looking at data specific to a country or region. The best stories are not stories that look at national estimates, Adepoju said, but stories that focus on the particular region, and actually zero in and tell that story from the local perspective.

Researching how vaccination programs are progressing globallycan also provide insight for important stories on health equality.

The resource,Gavi, for instance,enables you to focus on specific countries or regions and identify whether vaccination rates have increased, decreased or remained steady overtime. Think about factors, such as misinformation, that have prevented people from getting vaccinated, too, Adepoju said.

Diving into what measures have proved to be more or less effective in containing the pandemic also allows for story opportunities. Keeping an eye on what governments and public officials have promised and actually accomplished adds to accountability, Adepoju added.

The management of the pandemic and other health crises was a major topic at the latest meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, as leaders discussed why countries need to prioritize investing in health. Tracking what international organizations that have been involved with combating COVID-19 are currently doing can lead to story ideas, Adepoju suggested.

Conducting searches on social media can give journalists a pulse on where the public interest lies on COVID-19. However, journalists must always look at social media with a critical eye and make sure they are corroborating information with reputable sources, including health professionals, public health authorities and government officials, Adepoju said.

Keep in mind other major impacts that COVID-19 has had on global health. As countries prioritized their responses to the pandemic, other health issues may have emerged.

For example, there are countries where other health programs and initiatives might have been suspended so that they could focus more on their pandemic responses, Adepoju said.

Identifying specific issues that were exacerbated during COVID-19, such as domestic violence and unemployment, is another avenue for reporting.

There shouldnt be a shortage of money-focused stories around COVID-19, Adepoju noted: lots of financial information is public, including the loans some countries received during the pandemic.

The World Bank is a good source of information about loans obtained by countries. Its database lets you narrow down your search and focus on projects financing COVID-related initiatives. Adepoju suggested journalists identify where countries are borrowing money from and what for. This information can make for powerful accountability stories.

You don't have to know every detail about all the money that was borrowed, Adepoju said. You only need to take a closer look at just one of these finance pledges, and that makes a really good story.

Photo by Napendra Singh on Unsplash.

See more here:

Story ideas and tips for keeping up with COVID-19 - International Journalists' Network

A nurse gives a booster shot at a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination event Jan. 6 at Brian Coyle Center in M Health Fairview in Minneapolis. (Kerem Ycel / MPR News)

Emergency room visits for COVID-19 have dropped during the last couple of weeks in Minnesota.

While there is no guarantee that trend will continue, there has been a longer downward trend for the United States as a whole. That may be a sign that COVID ER visits will continue to decline in Minnesota as well.

Tis the season, however, for two other major respiratory illnesses to become more prevalent influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. So far, flu is barely registering above zero for Minnesota ER visits. Flu visits in the United States overall have increased in recent weeks but still remain very low below 0.5 percent. RSV visits have also increased nationally but remain at zero in Minnesota.

More on the latest COVID-19 data in Minnesota below, but first an update on the lingering aftereffects of COVID on the cardiovascular system.

Scientists have now identified how SARS-COV2 the virus that causes COVID-19 leads to heart problems during and after COVID infection.

Researchers at NYU studied the arteries of eight people with a history of hardening of the arteries who died of COVID-19. They found the virus present in the arterial heart tissue, as well as in local immune cells called macrophages. These cells are designed to protect the heart by getting rid of excess fat molecules, but in response to COVID infection they release inflammation-producing cytokine proteins.

The team also studied tissue from other patients, and together the evidence they collected found that macrophages rich in engulfed fat were invaded more frequently by the coronavirus infection, and for a longer period of time, than those with less fat, according to a press release from NYU. This misplaced inflammatory response is thus more likely to occur in people who already have plaque in their arteries, but if the inflammation is severe enough, it could make it easier for plaque to grow and for clots to form even without pre-existing conditions.

The researchers think these findings may relate to long COVID as well, since the immune cells may be serving as a reservoir for the virus, allowing it to linger in the body.

A study from earlier this year found that in a 12-month follow-up period, 2.8 percent of people with long COVID died, compared to 1.2 percent of people who had never had COVID. Pulmonary embolism and cardiac arrhythmia were the conditions with the most elevated risk among the long COVID group.

The time during which the cohort of people were studied, however, predated the availability of COVID vaccines. Another study from this year found that vaccination lowered the risk of severe cardiac outcomes by around 40 percent in the 180 days following infection.

If you have recently had COVID and have chest pain or shortness of breath, call a doctor. If you have a sudden onset of shortness of breath that lasts more than five minutes, especially accompanied by sudden chest pain, or if you have severe chest pain or blue lips, call 911.

One new data point does not a trend make but it could be a sign of hope. After eight consecutive weeks of increases in COVID-19, hospital admissions finally saw a downtick in the week ending Oct. 3. During that week, 212 Minnesotans with COVID-19 were admitted to hospitals throughout the state, down 15 percent from the 248 admitted in the previous week.

This is up from weekly COVID-19 hospital admissions of 50 or fewer in June. However, it is important to note that hospital admissions remain relatively low: Those 212 admissions are only roughly half of the 400 or more COVID-19 admissions per week observed in Minnesota at the start of the year, and well below the peaks of 1,800 COVID-19 hospital admissions per week in late Nov. 2020 and over 1,500 per week in January 2022.

The latest statewide wastewater data also shows a hopeful downtick. COVID-19 levels have decreased by 21.5 percent when comparing the most recent reading, Oct. 4, to one week earlier. This statewide decrease reflects decreases in six of the seven regions in the University of Minnesotas Wastewater Surveillance Study; only the North West region saw a weekly increase.

COVID-19 death rates, which are currently finalized through the middle of last month, do not yet reflect this recent downturn in COVID-19 activity. The Minnesota Department of Healths latest data show that an average of about two Minnesotans per day lost their lives at least in part due to COVID-19 in mid-September, which, like hospitalizations, was up from summertime lows of less than one COVID-19-related death per day, but much lower than earlier periods of the pandemic.

The downticks in COVID-19 measured in wastewater and reflected in hospital admissions coincides with the introduction of new COVID-19 booster vaccines on Sept. 14. It is very unlikely, however, that uptake in the new vaccines is already contributing to decreased COVID-19 activity.

As of Sept. 23, the latest vaccination data available through the Minnesota Department of Health shows only 11,314 Minnesotans, 0.2 percent of the states population, had received the updated booster.

See the original post here:

COVID-19 ticks down in Minnesota; flu and RSV barely present - St. Paul Pioneer Press

The present study aimed to analyze the self-reported sequelae after COVID-19 and possible changes in body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness after 1 year. The main outcomes observed were (i) the most recurrent persistent symptoms were related to memory deficit, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, dyspnea, and capillary loss, although there were no differences between the severity of disease; and (ii) increasing LM, SMM, and FFM in the severe/critical group after 1-year; (iii) a group effect with lower values of BF in the FM mild group when compared to the severe/critical group; (iv) increase in the distance walked in the Bruce test just for the severe/critical group after 1 year; (vi) a group effect for DBP post-Bruce test with lower values for mild group when compared to moderate and severe/critical groups. No significant differences were observed for the anthropometric and other ergospirometric and hemodynamic variables.

The persistent symptoms of COVID-19 require early intervention to minimize possible sequelae in different severity symptoms, i.e., mild, moderate, and severe/critical patients with follow-up. Asymptomatic patients also require follow-up, especially those with some vulnerable condition or associated comorbidities, combined with multidisciplinary actions to promote better outcomes given the reported sequelae22,23.

Patients with greater loss of LM 6 months after contracting COVID-19 could not recover muscle health24, and unplanned hospitalizations tend to promote a reduction in upper limb muscle strength, LM, limb muscle strength, maximum isometric handgrip strength, and of one-repetition maximum in the extensor chair25,26. Long COVID-19 patients also have a decreased LM compared to a control group (without a diagnosis of COVID-19)23. However, the present study showed increased LM, SMM, and FFM for severe/critical patients after 1 year. Discrepancies in the measurement time between the present study and the others may justify this finding. In this regard, there was a need for medical clearance of the present study participants to perform submaximal exercise tests, and the recovery time will depend on each patient and possible limitations sequels.

The convalescent period after infection is susceptible to different complications, especially with distinct immunological signatures that open an "immunological window," allowing the development of complications such as acute myocardial infarction and myocarditis, among other clinical manifestations27,28. Therefore, the morphophysiological parameters were collected after recovery from the acute sequelae recorded within the subdivision of symptoms (mild, moderate, and severe/critical). Another study indicates that long COVID-19 patients showed significant improvement in muscle strength, mobility, and cardiorespiratory fitness after 12 months of in-person physical therapy rehabilitation29.

Previous studies found that BF was higher in long COVID patients compared to a control group (i.e., without a diagnosis of COVID-19), and outpatients had a lower FM compared to patients hospitalized for COVID-19 with the same BMI9,26. Considering the difference in FM between groups persisted after 1 year (mild with lower FM vs severe/critical cases), actions to provide improvement in body composition, with reduction of FM, BF, and increase in LM, remain substantial for improving the body composition of COVID-19 survivors. Concurrent training may be a relevant strategy for improving health-related physical fitness by increasing muscle strength, cardiorespiratory fitness, and LM, in addition to reducing FM30. Rehabilitation sessions via aerobic and resistance exercise should control volume, intensity, density, frequency, and progression based on each clinical case, as well as on the physical fitness indicators that were most affected by the disease20,30.

VO2 peak, HR peak, and RPE did not differ between groups, and there was no difference between the times (at baseline vs after 1 year), suggesting that the intensity was similar. Significant differences between outpatients and severe/critical patients were found previously9. The absence of differences between the groups in the present study may be related to a reduction in endothelial damage during convalescence and a subsequent return to activities of daily living for severe/critical patients9,31. However, the self-reported level of physical activity of patients with different symptoms did not differ.

The distance walked in the Bruce test increased the severe/critical group after 1 year, indicating an improvement in physical fitness and a possible reduction in sequels provoked by COVID-19 survivors. Similar responses were identified in another study, with a significant increase in the distance walked in the 6-min walk test 12 months after hospital discharge30. In the present study, less than 50% of the patients (mild, moderate, and severe/critical) reported being physically active, i.e.,>150 min of physical activity/week. However, the improvement in patients' cardiorespiratory fitness is also associated with the physical reconditioning of individuals who returned to their respective activities of daily living, in addition to a possible reduction in residual inflammation and organic damage (this condition was not analyzed in the present study)9,31.

Considering the increased distance walked during the Bruce test, an interaction was also observed with higher values for the RQ of severe/critical patients after 1 year, suggesting an improvement in high exercise tolerance in long duration, justified by the increased intolerance of exercise intensity29. Final SpO2 post-Bruce test showed a group effect, with significantly lower values for severe/critical patients that may be related to chronic hypoxemia after physical effort or even to vascular and pulmonary changes and a decrease in pulmonary function10,31,32.

The main signals that affect respiratory control are derived from the response of peripheral chemoreceptors and mechanoreceptors, in addition to an abnormal muscular effort of thoracic muscles and a reduction in lung compliance, accentuating dyspnea that affects performance in the effort33. Cardiorespiratory rehabilitation of these patients requires monitoring of SpO2, blood pressure, and cardiac function in addition to the application of the principles of interdependence between volume and intensity, increasing loads, biological individuality, and periodic assessments for evaluation of outcomes and mitigation of possible sequelae of COVID-1934.

Post-Bruce test DBP test also differed among long COVID-19 patients, with higher values for the moderate and severe/critical group than for the mild group. DBP response during physical exertion is related to comorbidities (prevalence of obesity, systemic arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and tobacco use) but is not independently associated with a higher risk of death from cardiovascular diseases35. A systematic review with meta-analysis identified that SBP210 mmHg for males and190 mmHg for females in moderate effort intensity can be considered an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events and increased mortality36. The physiology and pathophysiology of DBP after physical effort have not yet been fully elucidated, and the increase in DBP may be concatenated to greater peripheral arteriolar resistance, increased afterload, and even arterial stiffness or dysfunction, and early signs of atherosclerotic vascular disease35.

A high DBP response to physical effort is a predictive factor for increased systemic arterial hypertension. Because systemic arterial hypertension can often be asymptomatic, patients can progress to structural and/or functional changes in target organs and endothelial dysfunction, with an imbalance between vasodilating and vasoconstrictor substances affecting vascular function, with reduced blood pressure compliance capacity of the great arteries, impairing pressure homeostasis37,38. A study observed a significant increase in SBP and DBP in males and females during the pandemic period (between 2019 and 2020)39, probably associated with increased alcohol consumption, weight gain, lower level of physical activity, emotional stress, and less continuous medical care (with reduced medication adherence), although the parameters above were not observed and/or measured in the present study, since the collections were performed strictly during the pandemic period. However, the increase in SBP during physical exercise is a normal response related to the intensity of effort40.

This study has some limitations. First, the lack of follow-up during the acute infection of the patients is justified by the intolerance to exercise. Second, there was no follow-up after the 1 year between the evaluations, and behavior changes (e.g., physical activity and nutrition habits) and other features not accessed in the study might be associated with improving body composition and cardiopulmonary fitness in the hospitalized groups. Third, the loss of follow-up in the second evaluation may have impacted the results; however, loss rates were similar in all groups. Unfortunately, these patients opted not to return for re-assessment, and this was related to (i) lack of time; (ii) not understanding the necessity to perform a re-assessment; (iii) patients believe they are completely recovered from COVID; and (iv) lack of financial resources to travel to university and not work part-time. Considering the future perspectives for research, Patients may be evaluated over months and even years to understand pathophysiological responses. Furthermore, actions that seek to assess, intervene, and re-evaluate long COVID patients associated with a control group (without the disease) may guide more assertive rehabilitation actions.

Given clinical relevance, some points can be highlighted: (i) hospitalized patients need to be monitored periodically on body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, and vital signs; (ii) all COVID-19 survivors independently of the disease severity can be monitored about fatigue, dyspnea, muscle pain, joint pain, dizziness, tinnitus, sensation of hearing loss, otalgia, ageusia, anosmia, memory deficit, difficulty concentrating and capillary loss and (iii) earlier interventions with health professionals can reduce the possible impacts (sequels) of COVID-19.

Read the original post:

Body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness of overweight COVID ... - Nature.com

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic overwhelmed the healthcare systems in many countries with large numbers of acutely ill patients. However, as months passed, chronic sequelae came to be recognized.

A new paper in Scientific Reports examines lung complications in COVID-19 survivors in order to provide a tentative guideline for future monitoring of COVID-19 patients.

By June 2023, over 700 million cases of COVID-19 were documented worldwide, and it was calculated that about one in a hundred people died of the disease. Between 30 to 50% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients had severe or critical disease, as shown by their admission to intensive care units (ICU) or death.

Among COVID-19 survivors, cough and breathlessness have been reported, along with other respiratory symptoms, even after three months from infection. Some earlier research suggested that these might result from structural and functional lung damage. This included lung fibrosis and restricted gas diffusion, reported in almost one in three survivors at one year from infection.

Similarly, 30 to 70% of survivors also report reduced mental health and a lower quality of life. In view of this, survivorship clinics were set up to manage those with lung-related symptoms after discharge from ICU care. However, there was little guidance on how many other non-ICU patients might need such follow-up and for how long.

The current study aimed to provide prospective evidence to guide such decisions by helping to understand what to expect and how best to manage such clinics.

The scientists conducted a single-center cohort study including 46 COVID-19 survivors (almost all Delta variant) from May 1, 2020, to April 31, 2022. Patients were prospectively enrolled. There were 17 participants with a history of severe to critical COVID-19.

None of the participants were pregnant, had uncontrolled hypertension or a recent heart attack, or had cognitive impairment. Only those who could understand English well enough to take the tests were recruited. The mean age was 52 years, and 80% were males.

About 75% had never smoked nor had pre-existing chronic lung disease. Of the rest, that is, six patients, four had asthma, one had obstructive sleep apnea, and one had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Survivors of severe or critical COVID-19 took much longer for complete resolution of their chest X-ray findings, at an average of ~130 days, compared to a week for those with mild or moderate disease.

All participants were monitored with pulmonary function tests (PFTs) at 6, 9, and 12 months, along with a health survey using the Short Form-36 (SF-36) tool. Any participant whose PFT showed abnormalities could undergo a computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest.

Among the PFT abnormalities, diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) was the most common, observed in 15 of 23 patients. Restrictive lung defects hindering lung expansion were present in 13 of 23 patients, with 10 patients showing overlapping DLCO and restrictive ventilatory defects.

Restrictive ventilatory defects could be due to obesity more than fibrotic lung changes because of COVID-19, as earlier studies show. Obstructive PFT results were due to pre-existing obstructive conditions.

The differences in outcome became most apparent at the six-month follow-up. The findings revealed a higher risk of DLCO defects among survivors of severe or critical COVID-19 compared to those who had mild or moderate illness. These may reflect ventilatory loss, damage to the alveolar membrane, or the microvascular bed caused by the cytokine storm that characterizes this condition.

People with DLCO defects had a higher proportion of severe disease with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) requiring ventilation. They also had lower SF-36 scores. In particular, the physical performance in the first group showed a significantly lower summary score, at 45, vs 52 in those with mild to moderate illness.

Risk factors for lung deterioration included older age, higher levels of inflammatory markers, and the presence of widespread infiltrates in the lungs seen on chest radiographs.

In most cases, the earliest PFT showed the abnormality. Encouragingly, patients with normal PFTs had a low risk of future lung complications. New abnormalities were rarely reported on their chest X-rays, and they were unlikely to need repeat PFTs.

This was also the case with the mild to moderate COVID-19 survivors, who showed little change in either DLCO or SF-36 scores over the period of monitoring. However, in the group with DLCO abnormalities, 8 of the 23 patients had another PFT at 18 months, with normal scores in half the cases.

Notably, 9 of 23 patients with PFT abnormalities had either asthma or COPD or suffered from morbid obesity. These conditions must be ruled out before attributing such changes to COVID-19-related lung damage.

Of the 13 patients who had a chest CT, nine had DLCO defects. The observed subpleural bands, ground glass opacities, and reticulate markings might explain most. Another cause was morbid obesity in five patients.

The researchers also found that patients with severe or critical COVID-19 tended to have the lowest quality of life, corroborating the findings of earlier studies.

The study indicates the need to follow up with patients who have survived severe or critical COVID-19, especially if they presented with severe and widespread inflammation and had X-ray or CT changes.

However, PFT should be conducted no earlier than six months or so from the infection to give time for acute injury to resolve, leaving room for the detection of chronic sequelae.

The most common findings on PFT in this group were, as expected, DLCO defects, as expected from earlier studies. DLCO defects may resolve slowly, even when other PFT measures show considerable improvement. Significant lung fibrosis was rare.

In conclusion, any severe or critical COVID-19 survivor with an abnormal PFT at six months from infection should be monitored using 6-monthly PFTs until the results stabilize, with no new lesions and resolution of earlier findings. If the PFTs continue to show abnormalities, the possibility of other etiologies should be duly excluded.

CT scans may be reserved for those with severe disease if there is sufficient reason to suspect pulmonary fibrosis or pulmonary embolism.

Following severe or critical COVID-19, survivors must be recognized to be at risk for lung damage, mental ill-health, and poor quality of life, all of which may be improved by proper pulmonary rehabilitation.

See the original post here:

Long-term lung issues and lower quality of life plague COVID-19 ... - News-Medical.Net

Dogs experimentally infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant but not showing neurologic or respiratory signs of COVID-19 had evidence of degenerative brain disease on necropsy.

The study, led by Konkuk University researchers in South Korea, was published late last week in Emerging Infectious Diseases. The research team intranasally infected six female beagle dogs with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta virus. The six dogs shared cages with six dogs that weren't experimentally infected. Three uninfected dogs inoculated with a placebo served as controls.

The investigators obtained nose-throat, mouth-throat, fecal swabs, and blood samples from the dogs at 10 different time points. At 10, 12, 14, 38, 40, and 42 days postinfection, one infected and one contact dog were euthanized for necropsy.

SARS-CoV-2 was detected in a low percentage of nose-throat and mouth-throat swabs in infected and contact dogs. "Remarkably, we found that the viral titers were higher in the nasal and oral mucosa of dogs in the contact group than in those in the infection group," the authors wrote. "That finding could be attributed to the role of the nasal and oral cavities as routes of virus entry for the contact group, resulting in higher replication of the virus at these entry points."

In the early stages of infection, dogs in the contact group showed more severe inflammatory responses in the trachea and bronchioles than were seen in the experimentally infected dogs, which the authors said is consistent with previous studies showing that contact transmission can lead to higher viral concentrations and faster onset of pathologic changes in the upper respiratory tract.

Antibodies were detected in the blood of infected dogs as early as 4 days postinfection. No significant changes in body weight or temperature were observed, and none of the dogs showed neurologic or respiratory signs of COVID-19.

SARS-CoV-2 DNA was detected in the brain at weeks 10, 12, and 14 postinfection only. Infected dogs exhibited abnormal changes to the blood-brain barrier (BBB), primarily at weeks 38, 40, and 42 days. Necropsies at all time points uncovered evidence that the virus had severely damaged BBB cells and crossed the BBB.

These signs, the researchers said, indicate that SARS-CoV-2 can produce pathologic changes to the BBB's structural and functional integrity. "Such changes may allow entry of peripheral molecules and immune cells into the brain parenchyma during the early infection period," they wrote. "Collectively, the pathologic changes concur with the typical signs of small vessel disease (SVD),"they wrote. SVD is generally caused by the narrowing or blockage of small blood vessels in the brain.

Our study provides evidence that SARS-CoV-2 infection can damage the brain as well as the lungs in dogs at early and later stages of infection, suggesting a high potential for a long-lasting COVID-19like syndrome to develop in affected dogs.

The results of staining of brain sections demonstrated neuroinflammatory responses in the white matter of infected dogs. Infiltration of immune cells indicating pneumonia led to a thickened lung alveolar septum in infected canines.

"Our study provides evidence that SARS-CoV-2 infection can damage the brain as well as the lungs in dogs at early and later stages of infection, suggesting a high potential for a long-lasting COVID-19like syndrome to develop in affected dogs," they concluded. "Overall, these data can be used as translational research data to interpret the potential neuropathologic changes that may be observed in humans."

Read the rest here:

COVID infection can damage the brains of dogs, study suggests - University of Minnesota Twin Cities

More Videos

Next up in 5

Example video title will go here for this video

The updated COVID-19 vaccine is now available, but do you really need it? Several factors may help you make that decision.

Author: wkyc.com

Published: 6:28 PM EDT October 16, 2023

Updated: 6:28 PM EDT October 16, 2023

View original post here:

Should you get the updated COVID-19 vaccine? Here's what you ... - WKYC.com

MORRISON The Whiteside County Health Department will begin offering the updated 2023-24 Moderna (SPIKEVAX) COVID-19 vaccines by appointment only starting Wednesday.

The department currently has vaccine available for children ages 6 months to 18 years with Medicaid or who are uninsured, and all adults, including those with Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance coverage as well as uninsured adults eligible for free vaccine through the CDCs Bridge Program.

WCHD has not yet received vaccine for children with private insurance but is working directly with Moderna and hopes to be able to offer vaccine to children with private insurance soon.

To schedule an appointment, call 815-626-2230 and choose option 3.

COVID-19 vaccines were updated to the 2023-24 formula on Sept. 12. The updated formula includes a monovalent (single) component that corresponds to the omicron variant XBB.1.5 of SARS-CoV-2. The formula was updated to provide better protection against COVID-19 caused by circulating variants.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone age 6 months and older be vaccinated for COVID-19. Most individuals who previously completed or started their vaccine series need only one dose of the updated 23-24 formula. Unvaccinated individuals need to complete a series as normal.

For information on CDCs recommendations for staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccines, go to https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/stay-up-to-date.html

Here is the original post:

Whiteside's health department to offer in-stock 2023-2024 COVID-19 ... - Shaw Local