Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Shingles Developing After Some Mild Covid Cases
The Washington Post: Getting Covid-19 Over 50 Increases The Risk Of Getting Shingles
People 50 and older who have had a mild case of covid-19 are 15 percent more likely to develop shingles (herpes zoster) within six month than are those who have not been infected by the coronavirus, according to research published in the journal Open Forum Infectious Diseases. The risk, however, was found to be even greater for older people who were hospitalized because of a more severe covid case, making them 21 percent more likely to develop shingles than those who did not have covid. (Searing, 4/19)
And more on the spread of covid —
Columbus Dispatch: COVID Rising In Ohio: What You Need To Know About The State Of The Pandemic
Ohioans have enjoyed something of a COVID-19 lull for the last few months, but cases are already on the rise again throughout the state. Cases reported to the Ohio Department of Health have increased nearly 55% in the last three weeks from 3,103 the week of March 31 to 4,808 last week. While that's far lower than the 32,487 reported at the height of the winter surge Jan. 3, it's still something people "need to watch," said Dr. Joe Gastaldo, medical director of infectious diseases at OhioHealth. (Filby, 4/19)
St. Louis Public Radio: St. Louis, St. Louis County Release Long-Term Coronavirus Plan
Health officials in St. Louis and St. Louis County have concluded that the coronavirus will continue to pose a threat to people in the region. To cope with the persistent health risk, they have released “Living With COVID-19," a plan for people, businesses and government agencies. The plan encourages many now-familiar strategies. It calls for public health departments to provide equitable vaccine distribution and testing, monitor outbreaks and collect and analyze case and hospitalization data. It also encourages businesses to offer sick leave for employees when they test positive and for individuals to stay up to date with recommended vaccine doses and to get tested as soon as symptoms occur. (Fentem, 4/19)
CIDRAP: Drugs For Chronic Conditions Tied To Lower Risk Of COVID-19, Poor Outcomes
Use of the common maintenance drugs angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs), angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs), warfarin, statins, direct-factor Xa inhibitors, and P2Y12 inhibitors was tied to lower risk of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and death, a large US National Institutes of Health (NIH) study suggests. (4/19)
Stat: 6 Covid Mysteries Experts Hope To Unravel
For a formidable adversary with plenty of secrets up its sleeve, the coronavirus presented one bright bull’s-eye for the world’s response. Scientists, in record time, developed vaccines based on the virus’s spike protein that in turn have saved millions of lives. Yet more than two years after SARS-CoV-2 appeared, as documented deaths in the U.S. near 1 million and estimated global deaths reach as high as 18 million, there are still many mysteries about the virus and the pandemic it caused. They range from the technical — what role do autoantibodies play in long Covid? Can a pan-coronavirus vaccine actually be developed? — to the philosophical, such as how can we rebuild trust in our institutions and each other? Debate still festers, too, over the virus’s origins, despite recent studies adding evidence that it spilled over from wildlife. (4/19)
AP: Lawsuit: Hospital Director Fired After Virus Patient Concern
A former director at a West Virginia hospital has filed a lawsuit alleging that he was fired after he raised concerns about the safety of patients who were on ventilators and receiving other respiratory care services during a surge of COVID-19 cases. Mark Mustard was fired as director of cardiopulmonary and therapy services at Princeton Community Hospital in September 2021. His departure from the West Virginia University Medicine affiliate came amid the surging delta COVID-9 variant “at a time when respiratory care was crucial to the community,” according to a lawsuit filed last week in Mercer County Circuit Court. (Willingham, 4/19)
In news about long covid —
CIDRAP: Global Data Reveal Half May Have Long COVID 4 Months On
Worldwide, 49% of COVID-19 survivors reported persistent symptoms 4 months after diagnosis, estimates a meta-analysis of 31 studies published late last week in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. University of Michigan researchers, who conducted a systematic review on Jul 5, 2021, also found the prevalence of long COVID at 1 month at 37%, while it was 25% at 2 months and 32% at 3 months. Fifty studies were identified in the review, and 41 were included in a quantitative synthesis, and 31 reporting overall prevalence were meta-analyzed. (Van Beusekom, 4/18)
The Washington Post: Woman’s Medical Odyssey Shows How The System Fails Long-Haul Patients
Two years, three bouts of covid and 11 doctors later, no one seems to know why Lindsay Polega is still so ill. She’s only 28 years old and was the picture of health before her infections. Polega, who graduated from law school last year, is now suffering from chest pain, hypertensive spikes, hand numbness and numerous other symptoms. (Cha, 4/18)
