Covid Virus Can Alter Genomic Structure Of Cells, Study Finds
Researchers say the discovery could help explain the symptoms people infected with the virus experience, as well as some of the mysteries around long covid.
Houston Chronicle:
UTHealth Study: COVID-19 Virus Can Change The Structure Of Cells
The virus that causes COVID-19 can alter the genomic structure of cells, which may explain the immunological symptoms that someone experiences from an infection, according to a new study from researchers at UTHealth Houston. Researchers also believe the changes to the genomic structure of cells could play a role in long COVID, which remains a mystery three years into the pandemic. (MacDonald, 3/27)
More on the spread of covid —
Oklahoman:
Why Oklahoma Has One Of Highest COVID-19 Death Rates In America
After more than three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Oklahoma finds itself near the top of the list of states with the highest death rates. CDC data updated as of March 24 shows Oklahoma ranks 14th in the nation for COVID-19 death rates per capita. There have been 15,845 deaths from COVID-19 in Oklahoma, or 400 per 100,000 people. In terms of cases, Oklahoma currently falls at 22nd in the nation with 1.29 million cases, or 32,696 cases per 100,000 people. (Hayes, 3/28)
The Baltimore Sun:
Maryland Ranked 5th In Nation For Fewest COVID-19 Deaths Per Capita
Maryland ranked fifth in the nation for having the fewest COVID-19 deaths per capita in a comprehensive study on variations in pandemic policies and behaviors among states published Thursday in The Lancet. The state was likely helped during the pandemic by its relatively low poverty rate and high level of educational attainment, said Emma Castro, a researcher at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle and a co-lead author on the paper. (Roberts, 3/27)
Los Angeles Times:
Vaccines And Trust Are Key To Preventing COVID Deaths, Study Finds
In a comparison that controlled for demographic differences between states, Arizona’s COVID-19 mortality rate of 581 deaths per 100,000 residents was almost four times higher than Hawaii’s, where there were 147 deaths per 100,000 residents. Death rates in the hardest-hit U.S. states resembled those of countries with no healthcare infrastructure whatever. States that fared best had rates on a par with countries such as Australia, New Zealand and South Korea, which worked zealously to keep their pandemic death tolls low. (Healy, 3/27)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Two Bay Area Counties Extend Mask Requirements For Health Care Sites
As California lifts its COVID-19 masking requirements for health care settings on April 3, two of the Bay Area’s biggest counties are taking a cautious approach to ensure the continued protection of their vulnerable populations. (Vaziri, 3/27)
In other pandemic news —
The Guardian:
‘Being Truthful Is Essential’: Scientist Who Stumbled Upon Wuhan Covid Data Speaks Out
One of the most compelling clues to the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic was uploaded without announcement to a scientific database, going unnoticed for weeks. And then, just as suddenly, it vanished from public view. The genetic data, from swabs taken at the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan, China, in the weeks after Covid-19 first emerged, were available online just long enough for a Parisian scientist to stumble upon them while working from her couch on a Saturday afternoon earlier this month.“I have a bad work-life balance,” says Florence Débarre, an evolutionary biologist whose accidental discovery of the files led to confirmation for the first time that animals susceptible to the coronavirus were present at the Wuhan market. (Safi and Block, 3/27)
CIDRAP:
Four Groups Call For Enhanced Action Against One Health Threats
After their first fact-to-face meeting, four global health agencies today issued an urgent call for more intensified action on a host of health issues that fall under the One Health umbrella, including zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), food safety, and the impacts from climate change. The groups include the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Environment Program (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). (Schnirring, 3/27)