Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Respiratory Disease Typically Fade Out In Summer, But Don't Count On COVID-19 To Do So
Reuters: Explainer: Summer Might Slow Coronavirus But Is Unlikely To Stop It
The arrival of warmer weather in the Northern Hemisphere raises the question of whether summer could slow the spread of the coronavirus outbreak. Here is what science says. While warmer weather typically ends the annual flu season in temperate zones, climate alone has not stopped the COVID-19 pandemic from sweeping any part of the globe. In fact, outbreaks in hot and sunny Brazil and Egypt are growing. Still, recent data about how sunlight, humidity and outdoor breezes affect the virus gives some reason for optimism that summer could slow the spread. (Kelland, Mishra and Soares, 6/10)
Reuters: Temperature, Humidity Affects Virus Life On Surfaces, C-Section May Raise Risk For Infected Mothers
Temperature, humidity affect how long virus ‘survives’ on surfaces. A new mathematical model adds to evidence that hotter, dryer conditions may diminish the amount of time virus-packed droplets remain contagious on surfaces. Once droplets emitted by an infected person dry, the virus particles inside it become inactive, researchers said on Monday in the journal Physics of Fluids. "The outdoor weather ... determines the duration of drying of respiratory droplets deposited on surfaces. The drying time is linked to the survival of the coronavirus inside the droplets," coauthor Rajneesh Bhardwaj of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay told Reuters. (Lapid, 6/10)
Reuters: Short-Term Ventilator Sharing May Be Viable For COVID-19 Patients: Study
Ventilators could be safely shared by two COVID-19 patients for up to two days, a small U.S. study found, validating an experimental method followed by hospitals struggling to handle the onslaught of lung failure cases with limited equipment. At the peak of the coronavirus outbreak, the New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center in Manhattan began having selected pairs of surgery patients with healthy lungs share a ventilator. This approach freed up as many machines as possible for COVID-19 patients, but some medical experts criticized it, saying it could worsen outcomes. (Joseph, 6/10)
Reuters: South Korean Doctors Find Risk Factors For Severe COVID-19 Cases
South Korean doctors have found certain underlying conditions that may make some COVID-19 patients more severely affected by the disease, a professor at Yeungnam University Medical Center said on Wednesday. The findings could help doctors identify and prioritise high-risk patients at an early stage of the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, Ahn June-hong, professor of internal medicine, told Reuters. (6/10)
CIDRAP: Study Highlights Mode Of COVID-19 Household Spread, Coinfections In Kids
A study of 68 children in China with COVID-19 reveals that 96% were household contacts of infected adults who had developed symptoms earlier, and 51% of those tested for common respiratory pathogens also had another type of infection. The study, published today in Pediatrics, involved a retrospective review of electronic medical records of pediatric patients admitted to the Qingdao Women and Children's Hospital and Wuhan Children's Hospital from Jan 20 to Feb 27. (6/10)
Houston Chronicle: New Coronavirus-Triggered Syndrome Could Be Life-Threatening For Kids
While pediatricians around the world breathed a collective sigh of relief at the understanding that coronavirus would spare children, the recent emergence of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C, is giving doctors pause. While the diagnosis is rare, the effects can be life-threatening. Symptoms include fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, bloodshot eyes, fatigue and neck pain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which issued emergency warning signs, including trouble breathing, pain or pressure in the chest, confusion, extreme exhaustion, severe stomach pain and bluish lips or face. (Peyton, 6/10)
WBUR: Genetic Sleuthing Finds Many Sources, Mostly From Europe, For Coronavirus Outbreak In Boston
According to a genetic analysis of over 300 cases of COVID-19 identified at Massachusetts General Hospital from early March to early April, the novel coronavirus entered the state at least 30 separate times, including the introduction with the UMass Boston student. The researchers published a working draft of their study, which examines how the coronavirus entered and spread through Massachusetts, on Virology.org this week. (Chen, 6/10)
