Some Covid Symptoms Can Persist Years After Infection, Study Finds
Four years in, researchers are learning that for some patients, particularly those who suffered severe bouts, the virus caused lasting effects for more than three years. And although boosters offered good protection against severe illness, research shows the need for a jab targeted at the JN.1 subvariant.
Bloomberg:
Covid’s Aftereffects Can Last More Than Three Years, Study Finds
Covid’s aftereffects may reverberate for more than three years, often causing lingering pulmonary and gastrointestinal symptoms, according to a large study of US veterans. Although the risks for heart attack, blood clots, muscle weakness and a slew of other health problems abate over time, many patients remain in worse shape, especially those who’ve been hospitalized, researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care system said. (Gale, 5/30)
CIDRAP:
Current COVID Boosters Offer Good Protection Against Severe Outcomes But Less So Against JN.1
The current COVID-19 boosters targeting the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant are still offering solid protection against infection, hospitalizations, and death, but are somewhat limited in efficacy against illnesses caused by the JN.1 subvariant, now the dominant strain in the United States, according to a research letter yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine. (Soucheray, 5/30)
Stat:
NIH Documents Show Early Flaws Of $1.6 Billion Long Covid Program
More than three years ago, the National Institutes of Health launched a $1 billion-plus initiative to find the root causes and potential treatments for long Covid, the chronic disease that has quickly changed the lives of millions of Americans. But a lack of visible progress from the initiative, called RECOVER, has drawn months of criticism from patient advocates, researchers, and lawmakers, including at a Senate hearing last week on the NIH’s budget. (Ladyzhets, 5/31)
Dr. Anthony Fauci will testify before a congressional panel Monday —
KFF Health News:
After Grilling An NIH Scientist Over Covid Emails, Congress Turns To Anthony Fauci
Former National Institutes of Health official Anthony Fauci has faced many hostile questions from members of Congress, but when he appears before a House panel on Monday, he’ll have something new to answer for: a trove of incendiary emails written by one of his closest advisers. In the emails, David Morens, a career federal scientist now on administrative leave, described deleting messages and using a personal email account to evade disclosure of correspondence under the Freedom of Information Act. (Hilzenrath, 5/31)
