Researchers Narrow In On Brain Effects To Explain Long Covid
Scientists are trying to find out why some people experience long-term covid symptoms while others do not. Also, new research examines a lost sense of smell after covid. Also in the news: prenatal covid shots are shown to help infants, even as anti-vaccine efforts tick up.
NPR:
Long COVID's Effects On The Brain Help Explain Many Long-Haulers' Symptoms
Michelle Wilson got COVID three years ago. She's still waiting for her brain and nervous system to recover. Wilson's memory is spotty, she's frequently in pain, and even a short walk leaves her exhausted. "I actually bought a cane that turns into a seat so I can go to the botanical garden," she says. It's a big change for Wilson, 66, who had worked as a nurse at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. But after years of waiting to get better, she says she's realized something: "This might be as good as it gets." (Hamilton, 11/13)
CIDRAP:
Study: Persistent CNS Immune Activation Not Main Driver Of Neurologic Long COVID
Persistent central nervous system (CNS) immune activation is not the primary cause of neurologic long COVID, suggests a case-control study by Yale researchers. The research, published today in JAMA Network Open, involved 37 US patients who self-reported neurologic long-COVID, also known as post-COVID-19 condition (PCC), and 22 asymptomatic controls recruited for other studies before the pandemic. All participants underwent a large-volume lumbar puncture and blood draw for analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). (Van Beusekom, 11/10)
Bloomberg:
Covid Loss Of Smell Takes Up To Three Years To Return, Study Finds
The loss of taste and smell — hallmarks of a coronavirus infection early in the pandemic — became a stubborn blight for many long Covid sufferers, but new research shows that the sensory problems gradually abate. Smell and taste disturbances were reported in almost two-thirds of the 100 people who had caught a mild case of Covid-19 in the fall of 2020 in Trieste, Italy, and were randomly selected for studying alongside 100 uninfected people for comparison. Both groups were followed for three years. (Gale, 11/10)
On research into covid shots' benefits —
CIDRAP:
Study Finds Prenatal Vaccination Protects Infants From COVID
Infants as old as 6 months were protected from COVID-19 infections only when mothers were vaccinated prenatally, and not before pregnancy, according to a new study in JAMA Network Open. The study is one of the largest to compare outcomes among infants whose mothers were vaccinated before pregnancy, during pregnancy, or were unvaccinated at the time of birth. (Soucheray, 11/10)
Meanwhile —
USA Today:
Childhood Vaccine Exemption Rates Rises In Over 40 States: CDC Report
A report released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found an increase in exemptions rates for childhood vaccines in more than 40 states. For the more than 3.8 million children entering kindergarten, the vaccine exemption rate increased overall to 3% for the 2022-2023 school year, according to the CDC, the highest ever reported. (DeLetter, 11/10)
CIDRAP:
Vaccine Exemptions Among US Kindergarteners Increase Post-Pandemic
The number of kindergarteners with vaccine exemptions increased 0.4 percentage points to 3.0% during the 2022–23 school year compared with the 2019-2020 school year, according to a new study in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. (Soucheray, 11/10)
KFF Health News:
How Lawmakers In Texas And Florida Undermine Covid Vaccination Efforts
Katherine Wells wants to urge her Lubbock, Texas, community to get vaccinated against covid-19. “That could really save people from severe illness,” said Wells, the city’s public health director. But she can’t. A rule added to Texas’ budget that went into effect Sept. 1 forbids health departments and other organizations funded by the state government to advertise, recommend, or even list covid vaccines alone. “Clinics may inform patients that COVID-19 vaccinations are available,” the rule allows, “if it is not being singled out from other vaccines.” (Maxmen, 11/13)
The Texas Tribune:
COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Ban Jeopardizes Medically- Vulnerable Texans
A sweeping ban on COVID-19 vaccine requirements for all private businesses, including hospitals, is the latest blow to medically vulnerable Texans who rely on others’ immunization to shield themselves from highly transmissible viruses. Tamer coronavirus variants and a soft vaccine booster rollout have contributed to a lessened sense of urgency around the virus. But the new measure, which Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law on Friday, could risk the health of groups like organ transplant recipients, cancer patients and those with underlying conditions as common as severe asthma. (Bohra, 11/13)
