Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Frustrating 'Waves Of Symptoms' Face Covid Long-Haulers
NBC News: Long-Haul Covid Patients Can Experience 'Waves Of Symptoms,' Early Research Suggests
New research suggests that long-term symptoms of Covid-19 may emerge in a distinct pattern over weeks and months. Natalie Lambert, an associate research professor at Indiana University School of Medicine, surveyed thousands of "long-hauler" Covid-19 patients, finding that specific symptoms tend to emerge at regular intervals — usually a week or 10 days — resulting in what she calls "waves of symptoms." (Edwards, 3/10)
CIDRAP: Long COVID-19 Tied To Certain Symptoms, Having More Than 5 Symptoms
A new study out of the United Kingdom found people who developed "long COVID-19," meaning they experienced symptoms for more than 28 days after initial infection, were more likely to report more than five symptoms in the early days of their illnesses, and long COVID-19 was also tied to certain early symptoms. The study was published today in Nature Medicine. The findings were based on user data from a mobile app called COVID Symptom Study. A total of 4,182 incident cases of COVID-19, in which individuals self-reported their symptoms, showed that 558 (13.3%) participants reported symptoms lasting more than 28 days, 189 (4.5%) for more than 8 weeks and 95 (2.3%) for more than 12 weeks. (3/10)
USA Today: These Symptoms And Risk Factors May Predict Whether You Could Become A 'COVID Long Hauler,' Study Suggests
Out of the patients who reported symptoms for more than four weeks, "a third of those will have symptoms at 8 weeks and then a third of those at 12 weeks," said study co-author Dr. Christina Astley, physician scientist at Boston Children's Hospital. "If you think about it, 1 in 20 people who have COVID-19 will have symptoms lasting 8 weeks or more." (Rodriguez, 3/11)
CNN: Covid Long-Hauler: A Year Later, This Mom Is Afraid To Take A Shower Because Of The Amount Of Hair She Has Lost
March 26 marks the one-year anniversary of Lauren Thomas Mandel's Covid-19 infection -- and she and her family are still feeling the effects of the illness. The worst part of a year of symptoms, she told CNN's Chris Cuomo, is the amount of hair she has lost. In August, she said it was like she had shed a small bird's nest of her hair. Now, she has to play a mental game to bring herself to wash her hair and potentially lose more, she said. (Holcombe and Waldrop, 3/10)
In other news about long-haul covid —
New York Post: FDA Approves New COVID-19 Test That Could Help 'long Haulers'
The Food and Drug Administration has issued an emergency use authorization for a new coronavirus testing method using the body’s T-cells — which could help better diagnose COVID long-haulers. The T-Detect COVID-19 test — developed by Seattle-based Adaptive Biotechnologies Corp. in collaboration with Microsoft — is billed as a “next generation” screening method that analyzes DNA from T-cells in blood samples instead of current testing methods that screen for immune proteins. “The T-Detect COVID test will be a useful tool to help determine if a person previously had COVID-19,” the FDA announced Friday. “This is especially important for people who may have exhibited symptoms previously or believe they have been exposed but have not tested positive.” (Miller, 3/9)
Los Angeles Times: COVID-19 ‘Long Haulers’ Battle For Disability Benefits
Hundreds of thousands of people around the world are experiencing what is being called “long COVID” — a pattern of prolonged symptoms following an acute bout of the disease. Many have managed to continue working through accommodations like telecommuting, cutting down on hours and delegating responsibilities. Others have found it impossible to fulfill their professional obligations and are making the tough decision to stop working and seek disability benefits. But as they pursue the application process, they are discovering a particular set of challenges. Given the lack of testing in the first months, many “long haulers" ... have no laboratory proof of infection. (Tuller, 3/10)
