Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies hearing on Capitol Hill on May 17, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Rose Layden/Pool/Getty Images/TNS)
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, hell 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.
i learned from our foia lady here how to make emails disappear after i am foiad but before the search starts, so i think we are all safe, Morens wrote in a Feb. 24, 2021, email. Plus i deleted most of those earlier emails after sending them to gmail.
The pressure is on as Fauci himself prepares to appear June 3 before a House subcommittee exploring the origins of covid-19. The NIH, a $49 billion agency that is the foremost source of funding in the world for biomedical research, finds itself under unusual bipartisan scrutiny. The subcommittee has demanded more outside oversight of NIH and its 50,000 grants and raised the idea of term limits for officials like Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, an NIH component, from 1984 to 2022.
Lawmakers are likely to put Fauci on the spot about Morens emails at a time when Republicans are questioning NIHs credibility and integrity. Even Democrats have cautioned the agencys leaders.
When people dont trust scientists, they dont trust the science, Rep. Deborah Ross (D-N.C.) told Morens.
The subcommittee has yet to turn up evidence implicating the NIH or U.S. scientists in the pandemics beginnings in Wuhan, China. Nor has its work shed light on the origin of the virus.
But in a May 28 letter to NIH Director Monica Bertagnolli, the subcommittees chairman, Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), said the evidence suggests a conspiracy at the highest levels of NIH and NIAID to avoid public transparency regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rep. Jill Tokuda, a subcommittee Democrat from Hawaii, said the evidence shows no such conspiracy. She predicted the bipartisan criticism of Morens, 76, will give way to a clash of intentions at the hearing as Republicans try to pin covid on Fauci.
For them, I think this is their moment to, again, bring a lot of these baseless, false allegations to the front, Tokuda said.
On May 29, Wenstrup asked Fauci to turn over personal e-mails ahead of his testimony.
Here are things to know as the subcommittee gears up for Faucis appearance.
The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic is supposed to be investigating how the pandemic started and the federal governments response. That includes such hot-button issues as vaccination policies and school closures.
A central question is whether the covid virus leaped from animals to humans at a market in Wuhan, China, or spread from a leak at the nearby Wuhan Institute of Virology. The Wuhan lab received funding from an NIH grant recipient called EcoHealth Alliance.
The congressional probe is in some ways an extension of the nations political, cultural, and scientific battles arising from the pandemic.
The Republican-led subcommittee has been examining NIHs performance and that of Fauci, who advised both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, becoming the face of many of the governments most polarizing pandemic policies.
The panel called for the government to cut off EcoHealths funding, a process the Department of Health and Human Services recently initiated.
EcoHealths president, Peter Daszak, was Morens friend and the recipient of many of the emails under scrutiny. A wildlife biologist credited with helping to develop the first covid antiviral drug, remdesivir, Daszak said he and his organization did nothing wrong.
We were so accurate in our predictions that a bat coronavirus would emerge from China and cause a pandemic, that when it did, were dragged in front of the crowd with their pitchforks and blamed for it, Daszak said in an interview.
The Republican-led subcommittee is challenging NIHs credibility. The agency performs and funds a wide variety of medical and scientific research, work that is often the foundation of new medicines and other treatments, and has long enjoyed bipartisan support from Congress. The agency is home to the " Cancer Moonshot, a Biden priority.
As head of NIAID and a presidential adviser, Fauci helped guide the public during the pandemic on measures to avoid infection, such as mask-wearing and maintaining physical distance.
But at a May 22 hearing, Wenstrup said Faucis NIAID was, unfortunately, less pristine than so many, including the media, would have had us all believe.
In his letter to Bertagnolli, Wenstrup said there was evidence that a former chief of staff of Faucis might have used intentional misspellings such as a variant of EcoHealth to prevent emails from being captured in keyword searches by FOIA officials.
Wenstrups office did not respond to questions or an interview request.
An aide to the top Democrat on the subcommittee, Rep. Raul Ruiz of California, said he was unavailable for an interview.
The emails show a pattern of trying to shield communications from public disclosure.
We are all smart enough to know to never have smoking guns, and if we did we wouldnt put them in emails, and if we found them wed delete them, Morens wrote on June 16, 2020.
The best way to avoid FOIA hassles is to delete all emails when you learn a subject is getting sensitive, he wrote on June 28, 2021.
David Morens, a former top adviser to Dr. Anthony Fauci at the National Institutes of Health, testifies before Congress on COVID-19 origins, May 22, 2024. (C-SPAN)
Some of Morens emails included sexual or sexist remarks, including one from December 2020: Beverage is always good, and best delivered by a blonde nymphomaniac. In another email, discussing how former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky got her job, he remarked, Well, she does wear a skirt.
Morens apologized at the May 22 hearing and called some of what he wrote misogynistic.
Some of the emails Ive seen that you all have provided look pretty incriminating, he testified.
Asked if he ever sent information related to covid to Faucis personal email, he said he didnt remember but might have.
Morens said some of his comments were snarky jokes intended to cheer up his friend Daszak, the EcoHealth president, who was receiving death threats over media coverage of his organizations relationship with the Wuhan lab.
Morens testified that he didnt knowingly delete official records.
Ross, the North Carolina representative, said the emails inflict serious damage on public trust for the entire scientific enterprise. She said the dangers can be seen in eroding public confidence in vaccines, contributing to recent outbreaks of measles.
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) said Morens showed disdain for the Freedom of Information Act. The subcommittees investigation has been an unfounded effort to pin the blame for the pandemic on NIH and NIAID, and Morens emails have helped blur the issues, she said.
No, as Democrats have emphasized.
In a way, Morens correspondence undercuts allegations that people at the top of NIAID covered up a lab leak in Wuhan.
None of Morens emails describe any effort to suppress evidence of a lab leak and, in an email sent from a private account, he ridiculed the idea, calling it false to the point of being crazy. But the subcommittees senior Democrat, Ruiz, criticized Morens for dismissing the lab leak theory.
Unless and until we see specific evidence on the origins of the virus that causes covid, the scientific process requires that we examine all possible hypotheses with objectivity, Ruiz said.
KFF Health News senior correspondent Arthur Allen contributed to this report.
KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs of KFF the independent source for health policy research, polling and journalism.
Advice is evolving along with the coronavirus. Here's the latest from staff and wire reports.
What's the latest?
COVID will still be here this summer. Will anyone care?
Is it COVID, spring allergies or a cold?
For most of this year, the JN.1 variant of the coronavirus accounted for an overwhelming majority of COVID-19 cases. But now an offshoot variant called KP.2 is taking off.
Thousands believe COVID vaccines harmed them. Is anyone listening?
The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled as constitutional the law under which Gov. Tim Walz declared a peacetime emergency during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Patients with COVID-19 had lower viral loads if treated with metformin, according to new University of Minnesota research that argues for broader use of the cheap anti-diabetes drug and against the controversial use of ivermectin.
Pharmacies received emergency authority during the COVID-19 pandemic to vaccinate most Minnesotans, and now they want funding and permission to make that gig permanent.
A new M Health Fairview clinic is confronting an exhausting disorder that has afflicted more children since the pandemic and caused alarming spikes in heart rate, blood pressure and breathing.
An analysis of mortality statistics suggests the death count in the United States from COVID-19 is higher than the 1.1 million officially linked to the disease, according to University of Minnesota research.
Omicron, now two years old, has proved to be not only staggeringly infectious, but an evolutionary marvel. Read more here.
What Minnesotans should know about the new COVID-19 vaccine, targeted to the omicron descendant XBB.1.5.
Mayo Clinic is reporting an additional benefit of vaccination beyond protection from COVID-19 infection a lower likelihood of severe symptoms if people end up with long COVID.
Some people who experience cognitive issues after long COVID continue to struggle with brain function for at least two years, a study shows. Research shows a majority of people experiencing long COVID symptoms have reported brain fog a collection of symptoms, including impaired attention, concentration, memory and processing speed. Read more here.
A study published in the scientific journal Nature suggests people with a specific version of a gene were far more likely to experience an asymptomatic infection than those without. The relevant set of genes is known as the human leukocyte antigen, or HLA. Read more here.
What are symptoms?
Symptoms include sore throat, runny nose, coughing, head and body aches, fever, congestion, fatigue and, in severe cases, shortness of breath. Fewer people lose their sense of taste and smell now than did at the start of the pandemic.
Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, said that patients were often surprised that diarrhea, nausea and vomiting could be COVID symptoms as well and that they sometimes confused those issues as signs that they had norovirus.
Where can I get tested for COVID-19?
The Minnesota Department of Health's free COVID-19 at-home test ordering program has ended. People who do not have health insurance can find no-cost tests using the CDC's COVID-19 Testing Locator. You may find home rapid tests at pharmacies including Walgreens and CVS, grocery stores, health care providers and online.
Where can I see Minnesota COVID-19 updates?
See Minnesota's weekly pandemic update with new numbers Thursdays at 11 a.m.
How do I get antiviral treatments?
Oral antivirals are no longer being distributed by the federal government but are available in pharmacies for free or at low cost for the majority of patients until the end of 2024, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. There is also a new monoclonal antibody treatment called Pemgarda that has been authorized for the prevention of serious illness from COVID-19 in people who have a suppressed immune system. For more information, go to MDH: COVID-19 Medications.
Where can I get a vaccine?
Check the state of Minnesota's vaccine page or vaccines.gov. The white COVID-19 vaccination cards have been phased out, now that vaccines are not being distributed by the federal government.
How can I make a COVID-19 vaccine appointment for kids in Minnesota?
Minnesota has a webpage (mn.gov/vaxforkids) to help parents and guardians find a vaccine and answer questions. U.S. regulators cleared doses of the updated COVID-19 vaccines for children younger than age 5. Read CDC vaccine advice here.
What should I do if I've been exposed?
To be confident you do not have COVID-19, FDA recommends two negative antigen tests for individuals with symptoms or three antigen tests for those without symptoms, performed 48 hours apart. Read more here.
The CDC updated its guidance March 1 to adopt a unified approach to addressing common respiratory viral illnesses, such as COVID-19, flu and RSV.
What should I do if I test positive for COVID-19?
If you feel sick, stay home and away from others until 24 hours after you are fever-free (without fever-reducing medications) and your symptoms are getting better, according to Minnesota Department of Health guidelines. (The Mayo Clinic has guidelines for home care here.) Then layer on added prevention strategies (such as masks, distancing and tests) for the next five days. Talk to your doctor right away about medications that can help you recover faster, especially if you are in a high-risk group.
How does getting vaccinated affect the menstrual cycle?
A study of nearly 20,000 people around the world shows that getting vaccinated against COVID can change the timing of the menstrual cycle. Vaccinated people experienced, on average, about a one-day delay in getting their periods, compared with those who hadn't been vaccinated.
What is the Novavax vaccine?
Novavax shots used in Australia, Canada, parts of Europe and dozens of other countries are a protein vaccine that's made with a more conventional technology than the other U.S. options. Protein vaccines have been used for years to prevent other diseases including hepatitis B and shingles.
How do variants work?
At first, SARS-CoV-2 followed the slow and steady course that scientists had expected based on other coronaviruses. Its evolutionary tree gradually split into branches, each gaining a few mutations. Evolutionary biologists kept track of them with codes.
But then one lineage, initially known as B.1.1.7, defied expectations. When British scientists discovered it, in December 2020, they were surprised to find it bore a unique sequence of 23 mutations. Those mutations allowed it to spread much faster.
Within a few months, several other worrying variants came to light around the world each with its own combination of mutations, each with the potential to spread quickly and cause a surge of deaths. To make it easier to communicate about them, the WHO came up with its Greek system. B.1.1.7 became alpha.
Alpha came to dominate the world, whereas beta took over only in South Africa and a few other countries before petering out. Beta did not descend from alpha. Instead, it arose with its own set of new mutations from a different branch of the SARS-CoV-2 tree. The same held true for all the Greek-named variants, up to omicron.
It's likely that most of these variants got their mutations by going into hiding. Instead of jumping from one host to another, they created chronic infections in people with weakened immune systems. These victims harbored the virus for months, allowing it to accumulate mutations. When it eventually emerged from its host, the virus had a startling range of new abilities finding new ways to invade cells, weaken the immune system and evade antibodies.
What is the omicron variant?
First identified in Botswana and South Africa in November 2021, the omicron variant surged around the world. Scientists first recognized omicron thanks to its distinctive combination of more than 50 mutations. Some of them were carried by earlier variants such as alpha and beta. Read more here.
All the most significant COVID-19 variations today are descending from omicron. After the original omicron virus evolved in the fall of 2021, its descendants split into at least five branches, known as BA.1 through BA.5. As it spread and caused an unprecedented spike in cases, it drove most other variants to extinction. Over the next few months, the subvariants took turns rising to dominance.
What is KP.2?
KP.2 belongs to a subset of COVID variants scientists have nicknamed "FLiRT," drawn from the letters in the names of their mutations. They are descendants of JN.1, and KP.2 is "very, very close" to JN.1, said Dr. David Ho, a virus expert at Columbia University.
Experts said that even if you had JN.1, you may still get reinfected with KP.2 particularly if it's been several months or longer since your last bout of COVID. KP.2 could infect even people who got the most updated vaccine, Ho said, since that shot targets XBB.1.5, a variant that is notably different from JN.1 and its descendants. Still, the shot does provide some protection, especially against severe disease, doctors said, as do previous infections.
What is JN.1?
JN.1 is the fastest-growing variant to emerge in past two years. The World Health Organization designated it a variant of interest due to its rapid growth and potential to add to the respiratory virus burden in the Northern Hemisphere. The latest booster formulation should provide good protection against it, according to the organization.
The strain emerged in August from the ultra-mutated BA.2.86, or Pirola variant. While Pirola wasn't especially remarkable, a hallmark mutation that produced JN.1 has resulted in greater transmissibility and immune evasiveness, University of Tokyo scientists reported.
What is BA.2.86?
BA.2.86 stood out in the omicron family tree because of how much it morphed, with more than 30 mutations on its spike protein.
What is "Eris"?
The WHO in summer 2023 designated the omicron subvariant EG.5, which includes a similar EG.5.1 strain, as one of its "variants under monitoring." Twitter users and some media outlets nicknamed the subvariant "Eris." The virologist and researcher Stuart Turville, an associate professor at Sydney's University of New South Wales, called the EG.5 variant "a little bit more slippery" and "competitive" than its counterparts. Read more here.
What is Arcturus?
XBB.1.16, also known as Arcturus, is a subvariant of the omicron variant of COVID-19. It appears to be correlated with increased cases of conjunctivitis, the inflammation of the outer membrane of the eye better known as pink eye. Read more here.
What is the "kraken variant"?
XBB.1.5 is a descendant of the omicron XBB subvariant which is itself a cross between two earlier strains: BA.2.75 and BA.2.10.1. Read more here.
What is "long COVID" and how many people get it?
Long COVID is the term used to describe an array of symptoms that can last for months or longer after the initial coronavirus infection. A study zeroed in on a dozen symptoms that may help define long COVID: fatigue; brain fog; dizziness; gastrointestinal symptoms; heart palpitations; sexual problems; loss of smell or taste; thirst; chronic cough; chest pain; worsening symptoms after activity and abnormal movements.
The federal definition of long COVID is symptoms that linger for four or more weeks. Cases vary in their duration, intensity and symptoms, but they often involve fatigue, headaches, dizziness and cognitive problems (or brain fog) especially after exertion or exercise.
About 10% of people appear to suffer long COVID after an omicron infection, a lower estimate than earlier in the pandemic, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Some people who experience cognitive issues after long COVID continue to struggle with brain function for at least two years, a study shows. In the United States, millions of people have reported symptoms of long COVID. Research shows a majority of people experiencing long COVID symptoms have reported brain fog a collection of symptoms, including impaired attention, concentration, memory and processing speed. Read more here.
The Defense Department will buy an Edina firm's drug for radiation exposure that could also treat long COVID.
There is evidence that vaccination may reduce the chances of developing long COVID.
How often do COVID vaccines cause heart problems in kids?
While the COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna do seem to be associated with an increased risk of myocarditis, the latest data indicate that the absolute risk remains very small and that most cases are mild and resolve quickly. Read more here.
Do masks work?
Ordinary surgical and paper masks work when worn properly, said Chris Hogan, a University of Minnesota researcher who has studied mask effectiveness and is editor of the Journal of Aerosol Science.
Generally, the CDC says masks should "fit snugly over your mouth, nose and chin."
If you decide to keep wearing your multi-layer homemade or cloth mask, experts advise washing them every day. But proceed with caution. Read more here.
What about N95s?
Masks are best at keeping your exhaled particles away from others. Respirators, like the N95, also keep others' particles away from you. Any bona fide N95 has been certified to filter at least 95% of particles.
Many doctors and public health experts are now advocating for their use among the general public. Early in the pandemic, people were discouraged the masks over fear there wouldn't be enough for health care workers. That's no longer the case. Read more about N95 and KN95 respirators here.
How does pregnancy affect immunity?
Pregnant women who are vaccinated are nearly twice as likely to get COVID-19 as those who are not pregnant, according to a study, and have the greatest risk among a dozen medical states, including being an organ transplant recipient and having cancer.
Dr. David R. Little, a researcher at Wisconsin-based Epic, said the findings buttress CDC recommendations that additional precautions against the virus should be taken during pregnancy, such as wearing masks and maintaining safe distances. Read more here.
Should pregnant women get the vaccine?
The CDC urged all pregnant women to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Expectant women run a higher risk of severe illness and pregnancy complications from the coronavirus.
A research study based on data from Bloomington-based HealthPartners and medical centers across the country finds that pregnant women who received COVID-19 vaccines did not experience an increased risk of miscarriage.
If you're thinking of getting pregnant, there's no evidence that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, influence your chances of getting pregnant despite a myth suggesting otherwise.
Do pregnant women who get vaccinated pass the protection to their babies?
COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy can protect babies after they're born and lead to fewer hospitalized infants, a U.S. government study suggested.
Are the vaccines safe?
A review of 6.2 million vaccine recipients in Minnesota and seven other U.S. regions found no significantly elevated rates of conditions such as stroke or heart attack immediately following COVID-19 vaccination. Bloomington-based HealthPartners participated in the study, which looked for elevated rates of 23 potential side effects in the first three weeks after people received Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.
What's going on with Johnson & Johnson shots?
U.S. regulators strictly limited who can receive Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine due to the ongoing risk of rare but serious blood clots. The FDA said the shot should be given only to adults who cannot receive a different vaccine or specifically request J&J's vaccine.
Can I get a vaccine incentive?
Those programs have ended.
Who qualifies for an extra shot?
Federal officials approved an extra dose for those undergoing cancer treatment, who've received organ transplants or had other conditions that depress the body's immune system. These doses are not considered to be boosters.
Can kids get long COVID?
Yes, but studies indicate they're less likely than adults to be affected by symptoms.
Kids can develop other rare problems after a coronavirus infection, including heart inflammation or a condition known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome. Because of the potential for long-term consequences, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends follow-up doctor visits after children recover from an initial coronavirus infection.
What is the Docket app?
World Health Organization. WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard. Accessed June 24, 2023. https://covid19.who.int/info.
Ackermann M, Verleden SE, Kuehnel M, Havervich A, Welte T, Laenger F, et al. Pulmonary vascular endothelialitis, thrombosis, and angiogenesis in Covid-19. N Engl J Med. 2020;383:1208. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2015432.
Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar
Taquet M, Geddes JR, Husain M, Luciano S, Harrison PJ. 6-month neurological and psychiatric outcomes in 236379 survivors of COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study using electronic health records. Lancet Psychiatry. 2021;8:41627. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(21)00084-5.
Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar
Florencio LL, Fernndez-de-Las-Peas C. Long COVID: systemic inflammation and obesity as therapeutic targets. Lancet Respir Med. 2022;10:7267. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(22)00159-X.
Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar
Kaynar M, Gomes ALQ, Sokolakis I, Gl M. Tip of the iceberg: erectile dysfunction and COVID-19. Int J Impot Res. 2022;34:1527. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-022-00540-0.
Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar
Wheat WH, Wetsel R, Falus A, Tack BF, Strunk RC. The fifth component of complement (C5) in the mouse. Analysis of the molecular basis for deficiency. J Exp Med. 1987;165:14427. https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.165.5.1442.
Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar
Harirugsakul K, Wainipitapong S, Phannajit J, Paitoonpong L, Tantiwongse K. Erectile dysfunction after COVID-19 recovery: a follow-up study. PLoS One. 2022;17:e0276429 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0276429.
Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar
Kingery JR, Safford MM, Martin P, Lau JD, Rajan M, Wehmeyer GT, et al. Health status, persistent symptoms, and effort intolerance one year after acute COVID-19 infection. J Gen Intern Med. 2022;37:121825. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-021-07379-z.
Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar
Davis HE, McCorkell L, Vogel JM, Topol EJ. Long COVID: major findings, mechanisms and recommendations. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2023;21:13346. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-022-00846-2.
Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Post-COVID Conditions: Information for Healthcare Providers. Published December 16, 2022. Accessed June 23, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/clinical-care/post-covid-conditions.html.
Feldman HA, Goldstein I, Hatzichristou DG, Krane RJ, McKinlay JB. Impotence and its medical and psychosocial correlates: results of the Massachusetts Male Aging Study. J Urol. 1994;151:5461. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0022-5347(17)34871-1.
Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar
National Center for Health Statistics. Household Pulse Survey, 2022-3. Long COVID. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/covid19/pulse/long-covid.htm.
Al-kuraishy HM, Al-Gareeb AI, Alarfaj SJ, Al-Akeel RJ, Faidah H, El-Bouseary MM, et al. Long COVID and risk of erectile dysfunction in recovered patients from mild to moderate COVID-19. Sci Rep. 2023;13:5977. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-32211-5.
Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar
Labgold K, Stanhope KK, Joseph NT, Platner M, Jamieson DJ, Boulet SL. Validation of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy: ICD-10 codes in a high-burden Southeastern United States Hospital. Epidemiology. 2021;32:5917. https://doi.org/10.1097/EDE.0000000000001343.
Article PubMed Google Scholar
MacKay EJ, Salmon MK, Fatuzzo MR, Neuman MD, Desai ND, Groeneveld PW, et al. Validation of claims data for the identification of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography during cardiac surgery. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesthesia. 2021;35:31938. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.jvca.2021.04.017.
Article Google Scholar
Quan H, Li B, Duncan Saunders L, Parsons GA, Nilsson CI, Alibhai A, et al. Assessing validity of ICD-9-CM and ICD-10 administrative data in recording clinical conditions in a unique dually coded database: assessing validity of ICD-9-CM and ICD-10. Health Serv Res. 2008;43:142441. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6773.2007.00822.x.
Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar
Yong SJ, Halim A, Halim M, Liu S, Aljeldah M, Al Shammari BR, et al. Inflammatory and vascular biomarkers in post-COVID-19 syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of over 20 biomarkers. Rev Med Virol. 2023;33:e2424. https://doi.org/10.1002/rmv.2424.
Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar
Taskiran M, Dogan K. The efficacy of systemic inflammatory response and oxidative stress in erectile dysfunction through multi-inflammatory index: a prospective cross-sectional analysis. J Sex Med. 2023;20:5916. https://doi.org/10.1093/jsxmed/qdad037.
Article PubMed Google Scholar
So M, Kabata H, Fukunaga K, Takagi H, Kuno T. Radiological and functional lung sequelae of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Pulm Med. 2021;21:97. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12890-021-01463-0.
Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar
Liu PP, Blet A, Smyth D, Li H. The science underlying COVID-19: implications for the cardiovascular system. Circulation. 2020;142:6878. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.120.047549.
Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar
Shin HO, Myung SC, Kim SC, Lee MY. The effects of vasopressin and desmopressin on the contractile and relaxation responses of rabbit cavernosal smooth muscle. Korean J Urol. 2008;49:366. https://doi.org/10.4111/kju.2008.49.4.366.
Article Google Scholar
Trussell JC, Kunselman AR, Legro RS. Epinephrine is associated with both erectile dysfunction and lower urinary tract symptoms. Fertil Steril. 2010;93:83742. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2008.10.034.
Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar
Countries agreed to amend the International Health Regulations, which were adopted in 2005.
The World Health Organization says member countries on Saturday approved a series of new steps to improve global preparedness for and response to pandemics like COVID-19 and mpox.
Countries agreed to amend the International Health Regulations, which were adopted in 2005, such as by defining a pandemic emergency and helping developing countries gain better access to financing and medical products, WHO said.
The agreement came as the U.N. agency wrapped up its six-day World Health Assembly this year, after plans to adopt a more sweeping pandemic treaty at the meetingwas shelved largely over disagreements between developing countries and richer ones about better sharing of technology and the pathogens that trigger outbreaks.
But countries agreed to complete negotiations on the pandemic accord with the year, at the latest, WHO said.
Lawrence Gostin, a public health law expert at Georgetown University, hailed a big win for health security, and posted on X that the move will simplify negotiations for the pandemic agreement.
WHO said countries have defined a pandemic emergency as a communicable disease that has a wide geographical spread or a high risk of one, and has exceeded or can exceed the ability of national health systems to respond.
It's also defined as an outbreak that has or could cause substantial economic or social disruption and requires quick international action, the agency said.
Yuanqiong Hu, a senior legal and policy adviser at Doctors without Borders, said that the changes adopted Saturday include important provisions addressing equity in access to health products during global health emergencies.
Remember Covid-19? I had forgotten all about it and let my mind push all memories of 2020-2021 deep into my subconscious. It's a luxury I could afford although I knew there were still some suffering the effects today.
So when my husband called in sick a day before a return trip to the UK, I didnt think much of it. I hoped his colleagues didnt find this too suspect as he loves his work and truly isnt the kind of man to pull a sickie.
Thankfully, he seemed fine on our flight and we managed to go out and celebrate my 40th birthday with friends as planned.
But the next day, I woke up feeling exhausted and gradually shifted all the morning plans I had made to the afternoon, and then on to the evening.
Given at the time that I was five months pregnant and had stayed out later than planned, I put it down to that and told myself to just stay in bed and recover Id be able to catch up with my friends in the coming days so it would be fine.
But as the evening came, I developed the aches, the sweating and shivering to go with the exhaustion and headache.
Still, I didn't realise what was happening to me. And perhaps because I had so much that I wanted to do, I just wasnt willing to accept that I was ill, even though I knew from experience that every illness my husband has caught first, Ive ended up catching later and far worse. His mild symptoms in January became my flu for a week.
I'm hoping our baby will be superhuman from all the antibodies I must have developed and passed on.
It was only when I crawled back to my hometown miserably and with party balloons in tow, that my mum asked if I had tested. Did it even enter my brain that this could possibly be the coronavirus? No.
My best friend had worked in an intensive care unit throughout the pandemic and all the memories of her horrific stories came flooding back, and of how scared we all were. Now, of course I knew this wasnt anything to fear, thanks to the vaccines.
My mum ordered some tests and, because theyre no longer readily available, I continued to notify friends of my lurgy.
Although I was still very foggy, I felt like I was on the mend, so one evening I managed to make it out for my actual birthday for dinner with my parents.
But the next day, mum started coughing. By this time, the tests she ordered had arrived and of course they came out positive. The following day, my dad tested positive too.
Fortunately for us, it was a bank holiday weekend in the UK, which means terrible weather. So we all sat around a lot feeling lethargic and sorry for ourselves.
By the following week, we had all recovered and I raced around catching up with people that Id meant to do in a more gradual relaxed way.
On our return to the UAE, we discovered that a trainer at my husbands gym had been unwell but carried on like normal.
A colleague at my previous employment had a reputation for chasing people with colds out of the building and I thought of her often during the pandemic, remembering her furiously pointing at the door to anyone who sneezed too much.
While Covid-19 cases have drastically reduced, new variants of Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid, continue to be discovered.
A group of variants called FLiRT appear to be contributing to a rising wave of Covid infections around Australia and elsewhere.
According to the World Health Organisation's website, more than 129,000 cases of Covid-19 were reported globally in the space of 28 days in May, as well as 1,901 deaths.
Wed managed to make the best of the situation, but our trip home hadnt been what Id been looking forward to for so long.
So, remember that theres nothing heroic about struggling on and spreading your germs around if you're ill. STAY AT HOME!
Updated: May 31, 2024, 6:02 PM
That a mild SARS-CoV-2 infection can lead to new health problems three years down the road is a sobering finding, an author of the study says.
Researchers tracking thousands of Covid-19 patients have uncovered some unnerving new data about the long-term effects of the disease.
According to a study released this week in Nature Medicine, patients who had been hospitalized when they contracted the virus still had an elevated risk of death three years later. Even people with mild cases were found to develop new health problems related to their infection far after their initial brush with coronavirus.
I feel Covid-19 continues to teach us and this is an important new lesson that a brief, seemingly innocuous or benign encounter with the virus can still lead to health problems years later, an author of the study, Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, said.
Heres a closer look at this eye-opening research.
Researchers tracked 135,000 patients who had been diagnosed with Covid-19 early in the pandemic and compared their outcomes to another group of 5 million people who werent known to have had the virus. They found that people who had been hospitalized within 30 days of catching coronavirus had a 29 percent higher risk of death three years later. Thats not great, but it is significantly lower than one year after onset (182 percent) and at the two-year mark (57 percent).
Another metric researchers looked at was disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), which measures the years lost to poor health or premature death. Their research suggests that people hospitalized for Covid-19 had 90 DALYs per 1,000 people. Thats worse than the outlook for heart disease and cancer, which both have about 50 DALYs per 1,000 people.
For people who didnt need a hospital stay for their symptoms, the team found 10 DALYs per 1,000 people and had a 5 percent increased risk of suffering from long Covid three years out. Dr. Al-Aly tells Fortune that among this group the primary complications theyre seeing are in the neurological, G.I., and pulmonary systems.
That a mild SARS-CoV-2 infection can lead to new health problems three years down the road is a sobering finding, Dr. Al-Aly, the director of the Clinical Epidemiology Center at the VA St. Louis Health Care System, says.
This is the largest study tracking the effects of Covid-19 over a full three-year period, although the authors acknowledged it does have several limitations. One is that the subjects were drawn from the Department of Veterans Affairs, meaning theyre mostly older, white, and male, the study says. The other is that the research began in 2020 before vaccines or antivirals were developed and because of that the infections are likely more severe; the research also doesnt consider newer variants like omicron or the FLiRT strains.
Experts are still trying to make sense of this condition, although according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 17 million Americans currently suffer from it.
Long Covid has been associated with more than 200 symptoms, from brain fog to extreme fatigue and debilitating issues like heart disease and stroke. For many, long Covid has been life-altering, which is why experts are still desperately seeking funding to develop new treatments and are urging the public to remain vigilant about the virus.
Even three years out, you might have forgotten about Covid-19, but Covid hasnt forgotten about you, Dr. Al-Aly says. People might think theyre out of the woods because they had the virus and did not experience health problems. But three years after infection, the virus could still be wreaking havoc and causing disease or illness in the guts, lungs, or brain.
Sign up here to jumpstart your mornings with Katie's dynamic daily newsletter, Wake-Up Call.
By joining you accept KCM Terms of Service & Privacy Policy
New research on the long-term effects of Covid-19 reveals a mixed picture - offering both concerning and reassuring insights into the persistent health impacts of the virus years down the line.
The concerning news is that Covid-19 patients who were hospitalized within the first 30 days of infection face a 29% higher risk of death in the third year compared to those who never had the virus, according to the study from Washington University and the VA St. Louis Health Care system.
Read More
Even people with mild Covid-19 cases were found to be experiencing new health problems related to the infection three years later, the research published in Nature Medicine showed.
"Covid-19 continues to teach us that a brief, seemingly innocuous or benign encounter with the virus can still lead to health problems years later," said senior author Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, a clinical epidemiologist.
However, the study also brought some reassuring findings. The increased mortality risk diminishes significantly one year after infection among people who were not hospitalized - accounting for most COVID-19 cases.
In the third year post-infection, non-hospitalized patients had only a 5% increased risk of suffering long Covid effects, primarily impacting the gastrointestinal, pulmonary and neurological systems. This translates to 41 more health issues per 1,000 people - a small but noteworthy burden.
For hospitalized Covid-19 patients, the elevated health risk across all organ systems dropped from 182% one year after infection to 34% in the third year, showing an improving trajectory over time.
The researchers measured the healthy life-years lost due to Covid-19. Among non-hospitalized cases, there were 10 lost years per 1,000 people three years post-infection. For hospitalized patients, a staggering 90 years of healthy life were lost per 1,000 people over the same period.
"That a mild infection can lead to new health problems three years down the road is sobering," Al-Aly said, noting the burden is "astronomically higher" for severe cases.
While acknowledging limitations like not accounting for subsequent variants, Al-Aly emphasized the virus's lingering effects. "Even three years out, you might have forgotten about Covid-19, but Covid hasn't forgotten about you," he warned.
The study highlights the need for continued monitoring and support for long Covid patients, even years after their initial infection, to address the persistent and wide-ranging health impacts of the virus.
Published By:
Sibu Kumar Tripathi
Published On:
May 30, 2024
Hospitalisations are increasing amid rising cases of the new FLiRT variant A runny nose is one of the symptoms to be alert to as Covid cases continue to rise fizkes/Shutterstock Do you receive The Connexion's free weekday newsletter?
Sign up here
Cases of Covid-19 have been rising in France over the month of May, as a new variant - improbably nicknamed FLiRT - has become the dominant strain worldwide.
The latest figures from Sant publique France (SPF, released on May 28) show a rise in hospitalisations due to Covid.
From May 20-26, emergency admissions and hospitalisations for suspected Covid-19 continued to rise for the sixth week running SPF said, with 575 compared with 427 the previous week. This represents an increase of 35% across all age groups. However, levels remain at a lower level than in previous years.
Read also: Covid-19 in France latest stats: Hospital visits show small rise
It comes as a new Covid variant - scientific name KP.2, nicknamed Flirt or FliRT - is now dominant globally, especially in the United States and Australia. This strain emerged from the JN.1 subvariant, and other strains in the same family include KP.3 and KW.1.1.
The unusual name - which is a break from previous Greek names for variants such as Delta or Omicron - was coined by Dr T. Ryan Gregory, PhD, a professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.
It comes from the names for the variants spike protein or amino acid mutations.
Writing on X (Twitter), Dr Gregory said: Each amino acid has its own letter abbreviation. FLiRT is F456L + R346T, or phenylalanine (F) to leucine (L) at position 456 and arginine (R) to threonine (T) at position 346.
And while the Institut Pasteur in France has said that 30-60% who carry the virus, especially young people, are asymptomatic, people are still warned to remain alert to the symptoms of Covid in general, the Assurance maladie said.
The symptoms - of all/any variants - typically include:
Vulnerable people - including the very young, elderly, pregnant; those with long-term conditions, or the immunocompromised - are warned to remain especially alert and to consult a doctor as soon as possible in case of symptoms.
In an emergency - such as feeling unable to breathe, or to catch your breath while speaking - call 15 (or 114 for the hard-of-hearing).
Those with symptoms are also reminded to practise physical distancing, to avoid contact with vulnerable people, to wash hands regularly, and to wear a mask in enclosed spaces.
People are also reminded to keep Covid vaccinations and boosters up to date, as vaccination is still the best protection against infection and severe illness.
A new vaccination campaign is currently underway in France, and is set to end on June 16 - although it may be extended to July 15, the Ministry of Health has said.
While science continues to explore the mystery of long COVID, a study in the March 2024 issue of The Lancet Respiratory Medicine suggests that a COVID-19 vaccine may offer some protection.
Most people with COVID-19 get better within several days to a few weeks after infection. According to the CDC, a person has long COVID if symptoms last longer than four weeks, or reappear after the person has recovered. The World Health Organization recognizes 25 long COVID symptoms, including fatigue, shortness of breath, and cognitive dysfunction. For the study, researchers examined the health records of 20 million vaccinated and unvaccinated people in the United Kingdom, Spain, and Estonia to see who developed long COVID symptoms over the first two-plus years of the pandemic. The researchers found that having had a COVID vaccine before being infected reduced the risk of developing long COVID by up to 52%. The next phase is to explore whether boosters further reduce the risk of long COVID or offer protection from long COVID after infection with newer variants.
As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.
No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
A recent study published in International Journal of Impotence Research reports that men previously infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), are at a greater risk of developing new-onset erectile dysfunction.
Study:Prior COVID-19 infection associated with increased risk of newly diagnosed erectile dysfunction. Image Credit: Antonio Marca / Shutterstock.com
As of April 2022, SARS-CoV-2 infected over 80 million individuals and caused over 970,000 deaths in the United States.
Long-term health consequences of COVID-19, which are collectively referred to as long-COVID, have been widely reported. Real-world evidence shows that people with long-COVID can experience a wide range of symptoms that can last for weeks, months, or even years after acute SARS-CoV-2 infection.
In addition to general symptoms of fatigue, post-exertional malaise, and fever, long-COVID is associated with respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, digestive, and musculo-skeletal complications. A small number of initial reports have also reported a link between COVID-19 and erectile dysfunction in men, which might be attributed to long-term cardiovascular complications.
Existing literature indicates the persistent presence of SARS-CoV-2 viral particles in corporal tissue, the erectile tissue of the penis, several months after COVID-19 infection. This suggests a possible pathophysiological mechanism for erectile dysfunction in men with a history of COVID-19.
The IBM MarketScan is a large insurance claims database that includes over 215 million policy holders. In the current study, this database was used to identify men who were diagnosed with COVID-19 between January 2020 and January 2021 and subsequently diagnosed with new-onset erectile dysfunction.
The association between prior COVID-19 and new-onset erectile dysfunction was determined after controlling for common erectile dysfunction risk factors including age, prostate cancer, cardiovascular disease, hypogonadism, obesity, smoking, and diabetes mellitus. Bladder cancer, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, spinal cord injury, and geographic region were included in the analysis as additional covariates.
A total of 42,406 men with a history of COVID-19 were included in the study. A total of 45,119 age-matched men without prior COVID-19 were also included as experimental controls in the comparative analysis.
Men with a history of COVID-19 were more likely to have a history of diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hypogonadism as compared to those without COVID-19.
A total of 1,111 cases of new-onset erectile dysfunction were identified between January 2020 and January 2021. Among these cases, 54.1% were men with prior COVID-19 and 45.9% were men without COVID-19. The rates of new-onset erectile dysfunction in the COVID-19 and control groups were 1.4% and 1.1%, respectively.
After controlling for potential confounding factors like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, smoking, obesity, hypogonadism, thromboembolism, and malignancy, the multivariate analysis showed a significant independent association between previously diagnosed COVID-19 and increased risk of new-onset erectile dysfunction.
Men with a history of COVID-19 were at a 27% increased risk of developing erectile dysfunction, which is comparable to a new diagnosis of diabetes following recovery from COVID-19. Existing literature indicates that endothelial dysfunction caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection might be responsible for the development of erectile dysfunction.
Some studies have also highlighted the potential involvement of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2), which are human cell membrane proteins responsible for SARS-CoV-2 entry. These proteins are ubiquitously expressed in endothelial cells and might be involved in the pathogenesis of COVID-19-related vasculogenic erectile dysfunction.
In the IBM MarketScan commercial claims database, medical visits and associated diagnoses are captured longitudinally as long as insurance is billed. This allows for an accurate and adequate capturing of longitudinal patient data, which further reduces the risk of underestimating the effect of prior COVID-19 on erectile dysfunction development.
Since the current study included patient data captured during the initial nine months of the pandemic, the analysis did not consider COVID-19 vaccination, home testing, and SARS-CoV-2 variants as potential confounding factors. Thus, these findings may be more representative of the association between COVID-19 and new-onset erectile dysfunction prior to widespread vaccine uptake, home testing, and variant strain transmission.
Therefore, future studies with longer follow-up durations are needed to determine whether COVID-19 vaccination can reduce the risk of new-onset erectile dysfunction at the population-level, as well as the variant-specific association between COVID-19 and erectile dysfunction.
COVID-19 home or outpatient tests in which an insurance claim is not submitted are not captured in the IBM MarketScan database. Thus, there remains a possibility that the rate of COVID-19 is underestimated.
Individual medical records are not included in the database; therefore, the researchers could not specifically assess the morbidity associated with each infection. These issues should be considered in future studies to more conclusively understand the impact of COVID-19 on new-onset erectile dysfunction.
Journal reference:
