Long Covid Risks Could Be Spotted By Machine Learning
A new study, supported by the National Institutes of Health, found that machine learning models were able to spot patterns in patient data that pointed to higher risks of developing long covid. Other reports highlight the sometimes overlooked symptoms of long covid, and its impact.
CIDRAP:
Machine-Learning Models May Detect Patients At Risk For Long COVID-19
Machine-learning models created by a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-supported research team can identify, with high accuracy, patients likely to have long COVID, according to a study yesterday in The Lancet Digital Health. ... The three machine-learning models were designed to detect patterns of symptoms, healthcare use, demographics, and prescriptions to identify all COVID-19 patients likely to have lingering symptoms, including both hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients. (5/17)
The Lancet Digital Health:
Identifying Who Has Long COVID In The USA: A Machine Learning Approach Using N3C Data
Using the National COVID Cohort Collaborative's (N3C) electronic health record repository, we developed XGBoost machine learning models to identify potential patients with long COVID. (Pfaff et al, 5/16)
Boston.com:
Harvard Economist On ‘The Costs Of Long COVID’: 'We Should Worry About It'
Even as some of the effects of COVID-19 on everyday lives are fading, the pandemic still has its grips on the economy, according to one Harvard economist. Specifically, long COVID has the potential to have widespread and long-lasting effects on the economy, said David Cutler, a professor of economics at Harvard who focuses on health economics. (Hill, 5/17)
The Wall Street Journal:
Long Covid Symptoms Often Include Crushing Fatigue. Here’s How To Cope
Ken Todd, a 53-year-old in New York City, ran 18 marathons before he got Covid last year. Now, going out to brunch with friends exhausts him. “I need to plan to basically lie down when I get home for the rest of the day,” says Mr. Todd. He is among the many long Covid patients suffering from fatigue months after initial infection. Doctors say that many, like Mr. Todd, experience not only tiredness but also a syndrome called post-exertional malaise. Some long Covid patients try to push through the fatigue, a decision that often backfires and makes the fatigue and other symptoms worse. (Reddy, 5/16)
KHN:
‘That’s Just Part Of Aging’: Long Covid Symptoms Are Often Overlooked In Seniors
Nearly 18 months after getting covid-19 and spending weeks in the hospital, Terry Bell struggles with hanging up his shirts and pants after doing the laundry. Lifting his clothes, raising his arms, arranging items in his closet leave Bell short of breath and often trigger severe fatigue. He walks with a cane, only short distances. He’s 50 pounds lighter than when the virus struck. Bell, 70, is among millions of older adults who have grappled with long covid — a population that has received little attention even though research suggests seniors are more likely to develop the poorly understood condition than younger or middle-aged adults. (Graham, 5/18)
The Hill:
Five Things To Know About Long COVID
Patients who developed severe cases of COVID-19 or had to be hospitalized are generally believed to be more likely to have long-lasting symptoms after recovering from their initial infection. However, studies have indicated that a notable percentage of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases lead to long COVID. (Choi, 5/17)
In other covid research —
CIDRAP:
Estrogen Treatment Linked To Reduced COVID-19 Mortality
Women who received prescriptions for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with estrogen within 6 months of a COVID-19 diagnosis had reduced mortality, according to a new study in Family Practice. The findings, coupled with data on sex differences between male and female COVID-19 severity, suggests estrogen may have protective role against the virus. (Soucheray, 5/17)
KHN:
How Better Ventilation Can Help ‘Covid-Proof’ Your Home
For two years, you beat the odds. You masked, kept your distance, got your shots. Now, despite those efforts, you, your child, or someone else in your home has come down with covid-19. And the last thing you want is for the virus to spread to everyone in the family or household. But how do you prevent it from circulating when you live in close quarters? (Szabo, 5/18)
Roll Call:
COVID-19 Wastewater Efforts Confront Long-Term Questions
In February 2020, environmental engineers Aaron Bivins and Kyle Bibby launched an informal collaborative with a few fellow researchers, hoping to share tips and strategies on monitoring wastewater for signs of the burgeoning COVID-19 pandemic. By April 2022, that group ballooned to more than 1,300 analysts and professionals worldwide, with a Slack account promoting new research and making introductions — all part of an effort to facilitate early information-sharing that didn’t exist at the federal level. (Clason, 5/16)
CIDRAP:
Trained Scent Dogs Detect Airline Travelers With COVID-19
At the Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport, the dogs sniffed skin swabs from 303 incoming passengers also tested for COVID-19 using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from September 2020 to April 2021. Relative to PCR, the canines had an estimated accuracy in detecting SARS-CoV-2 of 92%, a sensitivity of 92%, and a specificity of 91%. They were much less accurate in detecting infections caused by the Alpha variant (89% for wild-type virus vs 36% for Alpha. But the latter finding also illustrates how well dogs can distinguish between different scents, the team said. "This observation is remarkable as it proves the scent dogs' robust discriminatory power," they wrote. (Van Beusekom, 5/17)
On covid testing —
ProPublica:
The COVID Testing Company That Missed 96% Of Cases
“These parents were pretty adamant that their kid was not a case and that they could play,” said Heather Kerwin, epidemiology program manager for the Washoe County Health District. A pattern emerged. Athletes would test positive on the rapid test. But before a contact tracer could call, parents would learn from the testing company that their children’s PCR tests, typically the gold standard of COVID-19 testing, were negative, even for students with symptoms. Kerwin investigated and learned the University of Nevada Reno campus was seeing similarly conflicting results. The university and school district had something in common. Both had recently hired the same company to conduct their testing: Northshore Clinical Labs. (Damon, 5/17)
New Hampshire Bulletin:
Remember The 1 Million COVID Tests Sent To N.H. Liquor Stores? Most Of Them Are Still Unsold.
The 1 million COVID-19 tests the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services ordered in January to sell at state liquor stores didn’t quite fly off the shelves, leaving about 926,000 tests still available. The department has asked the Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee for permission to send many of the surplus tests to health centers, schools, camps and child care programs. In her request, Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette said sales of the $11.29 tests slowed at liquor stores as tests became more available elsewhere. That wasn’t the case in January when the department purchased the tests using $12 million in federal pandemic relief money. (Timmins, 5/17)
