True To Its Name, COVID-19 Likely Spread Unchecked In US Last December
Researchers analyzed blood donations collected by the American Red Cross from residents in nine states. They found evidence of coronavirus antibodies in 106 out of 7,389 blood donations. The CDC analyzed the blood collected between Dec. 13 and Jan. 17.
NPR:
Coronavirus Was In U.S. Weeks Earlier Than Previously Known, Study Says
The coronavirus was present in the U.S. weeks earlier than scientists and public health officials previously thought, and before cases in China were publicly identified, according to a new government study published Monday. The virus and the illness that it causes, COVID-19, was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, but it wasn't until Jan. 19 that the first confirmed COVID-19 case, from a traveler returning from China, was found in the U.S. However, new findings published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases suggest that the coronavirus, known officially as SARS-CoV-2, had infected people in the U.S. even earlier. (Diaz, 12/1)
Bloomberg:
U.S. Covid Cases Found As Early As December 2019, Says Study
Testing has found Covid-19 infections in the U.S. in December 2019, according to a study, providing further evidence indicating the coronavirus was spreading globally weeks before the first cases were reported in China. The study published Monday identified 106 infections from 7,389 blood samples collected from donors in nine U.S. states between Dec. 13 and Jan. 17. The samples, collected by the American Red Cross, were sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for testing to detect if there were antibodies against the virus. (12/1)
In other science and research developments —
CIDRAP:
SARS-CoV-2 May Enter The Brain Through The Nose
A small German autopsy study of COVID-19 victims in Nature Neuroscience today demonstrates the presence of SARS-CoV-2—the virus that causes COVID-19—in nasal structures and the brain, suggesting that the virus crosses into the central nervous system (CNS) via nasal surfaces that contain nerve endings for smell. (11/30)
CIDRAP:
Estradiol Hormone Therapy May Protect Against COVID-19 Death
A study late last week in BMC Medicine found that pre-menopausal women with higher natural levels of the sex hormone estradiol are 15% more likely to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 than men but less likely to become seriously ill or die, pointing to a potential protective role of sex hormones in COVID-19 outcomes. The study also found that estradiol hormone therapy for peri- and post-menopausal women significantly improves survival rates for infected women. (11/30)
The Wall Street Journal:
For Covid Long-Haulers, A Little-Known Diagnosis Offers Possible Treatments—And New Challenges
Some patients with long-term Covid symptoms are getting more potential treatment options as doctors diagnose them with a little-known syndrome called POTS. It’s a disorder of the autonomic nervous system that can have a variety of causes, and it existed before Covid. One common trigger is an infection, such as a virus. Now some doctors believe that the coronavirus is triggering the disorder in some people, providing an explanation for debilitating symptoms including dramatically elevated heart rates from small movements, dizziness and extreme fatigue after even minor physical activity. (Reddy, 11/30)
CIDRAP:
Black Kids Bear Brunt Of Severe COVID-Linked Syndrome
A study of 223 patients younger than 20 years hospitalized with the rare but serious COVID-19–related multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) in New York City found that black children were disproportionately affected. The population-based cohort study, published as a research letter today in JAMA Network Open, involved analysis of the medical records and lab data of all pediatric MIS-C patients reported to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene from Mar 1 to Jun 30. (Van Beusekom, 11/30)
