Category: Corona Virus

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COVID-19 Virus Is Widespread in U.S. Wildlife - Rockdale Newton Citizen

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COVID-19 Virus Is Widespread in U.S. Wildlife - The Mountaineer

ATLANTA The numbers at the Northeast Georgia Health System dont lie. The COVID-19 summer surge is here.

COVID has become part of our lives, but we never took our eyes off it, said infectious disease physician Supriya Mannepalli.

Since the pandemic's beginning in 2020, the Northeast Georgia Health System has administered COVID-19 tests to patients across all settings, including outpatient and long-term care facilities, to monitor transmission rates. As recently as April, roughly 2% of the tests came back positive.

Now, were at 22% positivity, and this trend is going up, Mannepalli said. There is definitely a surge going on.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention no longer tracks COVID-19 case numbers but estimates the trend of the virus spread based on emergency room visits. According to the CDC, in the week that ended July 13, Georgia reported 1.1% of emergency room visits were diagnosed as COVID-19, a 40% increase from the previous week a high percentage that reflects a rise in the small number of emergency department cases. Nationally, 1.6% of all emergency visits were due to COVID-19, up 16% from the previous week.

Even President Joe Biden couldnt dodge the outbreak. The president returned to the White House Wednesday after several days of isolation at his Delaware home following a diagnosis last week of COVID-19. The White House reported last week that his symptoms were mild and that he responded quickly to the antiviral Paxlovid.

The virus seems to be causing fewer emergency visits this summer than last year. During last summers peak, 2.5% of emergency department patients were diagnosed with COVID-19. It accounted for 3.5% of emergency patients in 2022, and 7% during summer 2021.

A summertime COVID-19 outbreak has become the norm since the pandemic, tied to people enjoying holiday travel and gathering indoors where its cooler. The virus has shown a seasonal surge twice each year, spiking in July and August, and again in December and January.

The CDC tracks a sample of over 300 hospitals in 13 states to estimate COVID-19 activity. For the week ended July 13, the agency reports a rate of 2 hospitalizations per 100,000 people. The highest rate of hospitalizations this year was reported for the week ended Jan. 6, when 7.6 hospitalizations per 100,000 people was reported.

Health experts and doctors have said they expect this summers COVID-19 illnesses to be milder than some past versions, but the latest iterations of the ever-evolving coronavirus seem to be more contagious.

At the Northeast Georgia Health System, Mannepalli said milder infections are the norm, with people presenting flu-like symptoms including coughing, runny nose, muscle aches, fever and sometimes sore throat. In more severe cases, shortness of breath can also be an issue.

COVID-19s greater transmissibility is a product of the new, more contagious strains of the virus.

There are new variants that keep evolving every few months. And as the new variants evolve, they (become) easily transmissible. Thats the way the virus tries to survive, Mannepalli said.

The FDA has announced a new COVID-19 booster shot is expected to arrive in August or September and will better target the more recent variants.

For many people who have already had COVID-19, a reinfection is often milder. But those who are 65 and older, pregnant or immunocompromised remain at higher risk of serious complications from COVID-19.

Protocols for whether to isolate and wear a mask changed in March, when the CDC released new guidelines for people with COVID-19. They now recommend those with the infection treat it the same as the flu and RSV staying home while they have symptoms and fever. The agencys latest recommendation is that people can return to normal activities 24 hours after their fever has resolved and symptoms have improved.

The CDC encourages people recovering from COVID-19 or any other respiratory illness to wear a mask as part of an overall strategy to reduce transmission, but masks are not mandated. The CDC said the new guidelines are intended to make it easier for people to know how to protect others and take into account that other people might not know which virus they have.

Mannepalli said vaccination remains the number one precaution people can take, even as she allows that everyone gets confused whenever they hear about a new vaccine for COVID.

While newer vaccines might be more effective at blocking the variants now in circulation, Mannepalli recommends staying up to date with currently available vaccines rather than waiting for new boosters.

Especially if somebodys high risk of getting severe COVID or having complications from COVID, its so important that they stay up to date with the vaccination instead of delaying it, she said.

For those seeking to minimize their exposure to COVID-19, Mannepalli says masks are advisable, especially in crowded indoor settings with poor ventilation. And if somebody has symptoms, they should source a test, so they can take steps to avoid passing the virus onto others if a COVID-19 infection is confirmed.

I think the most important thing if somebody tests positive for COVID is to reach out to their primary care physician and talk to them, she said, so they can evaluate and see if they need to be started on antiviral medication.

2024 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Visit at ajc.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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The summer COVID-19 surge is here. How to stay safe - Daily Tribune News

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COVID-19 Virus Is Widespread in U.S. Wildlife - The Anniston Star

What We Know about Long COVID Right Now

Researchers are still working to understand the complicated and debilitating condition dubbed long COVID

By Ziyad Al-Aly & The Conversation US

Researchers are gaining key insights into the ways that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can lead to long COVID symptoms.

The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research.

Since 2020, the condition known as long COVID-19 has become a widespread disability affecting the health and quality of life of millions of people across the globe and costing economies billions of dollars in reduced productivity of employees and an overall drop in the work force.

The intense scientific effort that long COVID sparked has resulted in more than 24,000 scientific publications, making it the most researched health condition in any four years of recorded human history.

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

Long COVID is a term that describes the constellation of long-term health effects caused by infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. These range from persistent respiratory symptoms, such as shortness of breath, to debilitating fatigue or brain fog that limits peoples ability to work, and conditions such as heart failure and diabetes, which are known to last a lifetime.

I am a physician scientist, and I have been deeply immersed in studying long COVID since the early days of the pandemic. I have testified before the U.S. Senate as an expert witness on long COVID, have published extensively on it and was named as one of Times 100 most influential people in health in 2024 for my research in this area.

Over the first half of 2024, a flurry of reports and scientific papers on long COVID added clarity to this complex condition. These include, in particular, insights into how COVID-19 can still wreak havoc in many organs years after the initial viral infection, as well as emerging evidence on viral persistence and immune dysfunction that last for months or years after initial infection.

A new study that my colleagues and I published in the New England Journal of Medicine on July 17, 2024, shows that the risk of long COVID declined over the course of the pandemic. In 2020, when the ancestral strain of SARS-CoV-2 was dominant and vaccines were not available, about 10.4% of adults who got COVID-19 developed long COVID. By early 2022, when the omicron family of variants predominated, that rate declined to 7.7% among unvaccinated adults and 3.5% of vaccinated adults. In other words, unvaccinated people were more than twice as likely to develop long COVID.

While researchers like me do not yet have concrete numbers for the current rate in mid-2024 due to the time it takes for long COVID cases to be reflected in the data, the flow of new patients into long COVID clinics has been on par with 2022.

We found that the decline was the result of two key drivers: availability of vaccines and changes in the characteristics of the virus which made the virus less prone to cause severe acute infections and may have reduced its ability to persist in the human body long enough to cause chronic disease.

Despite the decline in risk of developing long COVID, even a 3.5% risk is substantial. New and repeat COVID-19 infections translate into millions of new long COVID cases that add to an already staggering number of people suffering from this condition.

Estimates for the first year of the pandemic suggests that at least 65 million people globally have had long COVID. Along with a group of other leading scientists, my team will soon publish updated estimates of the global burden of long COVID and its impact on the global economy through 2023.

In addition, a major new report by the National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine details all the health effects that constitute long COVID. The report was commissioned by the Social Security Administration to understand the implications of long COVID on its disability benefits.

It concludes that long COVID is a complex chronic condition that can result in more than 200 health effects across multiple body systems. These include new onset or worsening:

heart disease

neurologic problems such as cognitive impairment, strokes and dysautonomia. This is a category of disorders that affect the bodys autonomic nervous system nerves that regulate most of the bodys vital mechanisms such as blood pressure, heart rate and temperature.

post-exertional malaise, a state of severe exhaustion that may happen after even minor activity often leaving the patient unable to function for hours, days or weeks

gastrointestinal disorders

kidney disease

metabolic disorders such as diabetes and hyperlipidemia, or a rise in bad cholesterol

immune dysfunction

Long COVID can affect people across the lifespan from children to older adults and across race and ethnicity and baseline health status. Importantly, more than 90% of people with long COVID had mild COVID-19 infections.

The National Academies report also concluded that long COVID can result in the inability to return to work or school; poor quality of life; diminished ability to perform activities of daily living; and decreased physical and cognitive function for months or years after the initial infection.

The report points out that many health effects of long COVID, such as post-exertional malaise and chronic fatigue, cognitive impairment and autonomic dysfunction, are not currently captured in the Social Security Administrations Listing of Impairments, yet may significantly affect an individuals ability to participate in work or school.

Whats more, health problems resulting from COVID-19 can last years after the initial infection.

A large study published in early 2024 showed that even people who had a mild SARS-CoV-2 infection still experienced new health problems related to COVID-19 in the third year after the initial infection.

Such findings parallel other research showing that the virus persists in various organ systems for months or years after COVID-19 infection. And research is showing that immune responses to the infection are still evident two to three years after a mild infection. Together, these studies may explain why a SARS-CoV-2 infection years ago could still cause new health problems long after the initial infection.

Important progress is also being made in understanding the pathways by which long COVID wreaks havoc on the body. Two preliminary studies from the U.S. and the Netherlands show that when researchers transfer auto-antibodies antibodies generated by a persons immune system that are directed at their own tissues and organs from people with long COVID into healthy mice, the animals start to experience long COVID-like symptoms such as muscle weakness and poor balance.

These studies suggest that an abnormal immune response thought to be responsible for the generation of these auto-antibodies may underlie long COVID and that removing these auto-antibodies may hold promise as potential treatments.

Despite overwhelming evidence of the wide-ranging risks of COVID-19, a great deal of messaging suggests that it is no longer a threat to the public. Although there is no empirical evidence to back this up, this misinformation has permeated the public narrative.

The data, however, tells a different story.

COVID-19 infections continue to outnumber flu cases and lead to more hospitalization and death than the flu. COVID-19 also leads to more serious long-term health problems. Trivializing COVID-19 as an inconsequential cold or equating it with the flu does not align with reality.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

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What We Know about Long COVID Right Now - Scientific American

US COVID activity continues a steady rise across most of the nation, according to the latest indicators today from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In its latest respiratory illness snapshot, the CDC said most areas of the country are seeing consistent rises in COVID activity. "Surges like this are known to occur throughout the year, including during summer months," it said, adding there are many effective tools for preventing the spread of the virus or becoming seriously ill.

Test positivity is at 14.3% nationally, the highest since August 2023, according to CDC data. Levels are much higheraveraging 23.4%--in Texas and surrounding states, with levels in other parts of the Southwest also tracking higher than the rest of the nation.

Emergency department visits for COVIDat the highest level since the middle of February rose 13.5% compared to the previous week and make up nearly 2% of all ED visits. The levels are highest, at the moderate range, in Florida, Hawaii, and Texas.

Heading into July, hospitalization levels rose to the highest level since early March. In its respiratory virus snapshot today, the CDC said hospitalization rates are increasing, especially among people ages 65 and older.

Meanwhile, deaths from COVID are up slightly, with levels highest in Puerto Rico compared to the rest of the nation. Currently, only 1.1% of deaths are due to COVID, up 10% compared to the previous week.

Nationally, wastewater detections of SARS-CoV-2 have been at the high level over the past few weeks, with the highest levels in Western states over the summer months. However, the CDCs latest data show though detections in the West are still the highest in the nation, the level declined in the most recent reporting week.

Wastewater detections are still rising steadily in the South. In the Midwest and Northeast, detections are still increasing, but at a slower pace.

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COVID activity continues at brisk pace across much of US - University of Minnesota Twin Cities

The number of coronavirus infections is on the rise in Japan, prompting experts to encourage preventative measures during the summer holiday season.

NHK World visited a clinic in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on July 18, where a steady stream of patients suffering fever and other symptoms sought attention.

One man in his 40s with a fever of about 38 degrees complained of a sore throat. Tests confirmed he was infected with the coronavirus. He reported no known exposure.

Out of 24 patients seen that day, 11 tested positive. Ando Sakuro, the clinic's head doctor, said about 10 people have been testing positive every day since the end of June.

Symptoms, including fever and sore throat, resemble those of the common cold, making it hard to distinguish. But Ando warns that COVID-19 is more contagious.

"The summer holidays will bring more opportunities for people to interact with others," he said. "I suggest taking basic infection control measures, such as hand-washing, ventilation and wearing a mask if coughing."

The average number of coronavirus patients confirmed at select medical facilities across Japan for the week ending July 14 was 11.18. That's 1.39 times higher than the previous week, marking the 10th straight weekly increase.

By prefecture, Kagoshima topped the list with 31.75. Saga followed with 29.46 and Miyazaki had 29.34. The figure increased in most of the 47 prefectures.

Hamada Atsuo, visiting professor at Tokyo Medical University and an expert on infectious diseases, said the recent increase in infections can be partly attributed to the KP.3 variant, a type of Omicron strain.

"KP.3 is a virus derived from JN.1 and has become a mainstream epidemic not only in Japan but also in the Northern Hemisphere, including Europe and the United States. There are reports that it is slightly more contagious than other variants," Hamada said. "The severity of symptoms is not much different from other variants."

He expected the number of COVID patients to increase until around mid-August, as more people visit summer vacation destinations.

"As we enter the epidemic season, everyone should take anti-infection measures, such as thorough ventilation and hand-washing, and seek medical treatment as soon as possible if symptoms appear," Hamada said. "And for the elderly who are more susceptible to serious illness, I recommend wearing masks when out in crowds."

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Japan sees surge in coronavirus infections - NHK WORLD

What are some of the most common long COVID symptoms?

Peluso: Symptoms include brain fog issues with memory or thinking trouble breathing and fatigue. Fatigue doesnt mean feeling a little tired its bone-crushing fatigue, or what we refer to as post-exertional malaise.

Post-exertional malaise occurs when a physical, cognitive or even social activity that a person used to be able to do easily causes debilitating fatigue for days afterward. Its often best demonstrated by people who were quite fit before they got COVID running miles or going on long hikes, for instance. Now, they can only do a fraction of that.

Some people also have prominent gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, abdominal pain or diarrhea. Were even seeing genitourinary symptoms like pelvic pain and menstruation issues.

Flaherman: Generally, people who have had a more severe COVID infection are at a higher risk for developing long COVID, as are elderly people, and those with pre-existing conditions or who have not been vaccinated.

Flaherman: We still dont know for sure, but our data suggests that pregnant people may be at a lower risk of developing long COVID when we compare to the estimates were getting from the adult RECOVER cohort. Still, long COVID affects pregnant people in uniquely risky ways. Almost 1 in 10 pregnant people developed long COVID in our recent study done alongside the University of Utah. That study involved about 1,500 people who had contracted COVID during pregnancy.

The most common symptom was post-exertional malaise.

Flaherman: Its difficult to be certain, but if it is possible, it seems quite rare.

Flaherman: If a pregnant person is infected with SARS-CoV02 at the time of delivery, then its possible that she, like anyone else in the delivery room, could transmit the virus to the baby. We recommend that mothers who have SARS-CoV-2 around delivery wear a mask while holding or breastfeeding their baby and wash their hands frequently for five days after they have been fever-free.

Flaherman: Yes. Breastfeeding provides benefits to babies, including some immunity to SARS-CoV-2, which helps them fight off any COVID-19 that they might be exposed to. We encourage mothers to breastfeed babies directly, even if they have COVID-19, but to mask and wash their hands frequently.

Flaherman: In the pregnant people and new mothers we studied, those who developed long COVID had symptoms for nearly a year on average.

Peluso: Most of the data shows that this can go on for years and that the proportion of people who fully recover is disturbingly small. Sometimes, its as low as 10%.

Peluso: If you had told me four years ago that wed be having this conversation about SARS-Cov-2 persisting in peoples bodies, I wouldnt have believed you.

Recently, we reported that we could find SARS-CoV-2 protein in the blood of some people post-COVID. This must be coming from somewhere. Our hypothesis is that pieces of the virus persist in tissues and organs, so at UCSF, we started by looking at the GI tract of people with long COVID. This is relatively easy to do as anyone whos ever had a colonoscopy would know.

What we found was surprising. Some people with long COVID had pieces of the virus in their GI tract, even a year or two after they had COVID. And we at UCSF were the first to show that this virus could still be active.

Peluso: We dont know for sure yet. But we detected double-stranded RNA, which should only be present if the virus was moving through its lifecycle and replicating.

Peluso: One reason might be that the virus is in pockets cordoned off from the immune system. For example, immune cells might have walled it off as they worked to contain it. Another possibility is that it hides out in areas that are tougher to reach, like the nervous system. A third possibility is that the virus could evolve after infection so that the immune response is no longer effective against it.

You can imagine all sorts of scenarios. We dont know which one is true yet. But this is a major lead that we are chasing down.

Peluso: Not getting COVID in the first place is the best strategy, but thats easier said than done. Im still quite diligent about masking and vaccination because studies have shown that being up to date with your vaccine when you get COVID-19 can reduce your risk of developing long COVID.

We dont yet know if taking Paxlovid or an antiviral will reduce your risk of long COVID, but it could help you and is worth discussing with your doctor.

Peluso: Symptoms include brain fog issues with memory or thinking trouble breathing and fatigue. Fatigue doesnt mean feeling a little tired its bone-crushing fatigue, or what we refer to as post-exertional malaise.

Post-exertional malaise occurs when a physical, cognitive or even social activity that a person used to be able to do easily causes debilitating fatigue for days afterward. Its often best demonstrated by people who were quite fit before they got COVID running miles or going on long hikes, for instance. Now, they can only do a fraction of that.

Some people also have prominent gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, abdominal pain or diarrhea. Were even seeing genitourinary symptoms like pelvic pain and menstruation issues.

Flaherman: Generally, people who have had a more severe COVID infection are at a higher risk for developing long COVID, as are elderly people, and those with pre-existing conditions or who have not been vaccinated.

Flaherman: We still dont know for sure, but our data suggests that pregnant people may be at a lower risk of developing long COVID when we compare to the estimates were getting from the adult RECOVER cohort. Still, long COVID affects pregnant people in uniquely risky ways. Almost 1 in 10 pregnant people developed long COVID in our recent study done alongside the University of Utah. That study involved about 1,500 people who had contracted COVID during pregnancy.

The most common symptom was post-exertional malaise.

Flaherman: Its difficult to be certain, but if it is possible, it seems quite rare.

Flaherman: If a pregnant person is infected with SARS-CoV02 at the time of delivery, then its possible that she, like anyone else in the delivery room, could transmit the virus to the baby. We recommend that mothers who have SARS-CoV-2 around delivery wear a mask while holding or breastfeeding their baby and wash their hands frequently for five days after they have been fever-free.

Flaherman: Yes. Breastfeeding provides benefits to babies, including some immunity to SARS-CoV-2, which helps them fight off any COVID-19 that they might be exposed to. We encourage mothers to breastfeed babies directly, even if they have COVID-19, but to mask and wash their hands frequently.

Flaherman: In the pregnant people and new mothers we studied, those who developed long COVID had symptoms for nearly a year on average.

Peluso: Most of the data shows that this can go on for years and that the proportion of people who fully recover is disturbingly small. Sometimes, its as low as 10%.

Peluso: If you had told me four years ago that wed be having this conversation about SARS-Cov-2 persisting in peoples bodies, I wouldnt have believed you.

Recently, we reported that we could find SARS-CoV-2 protein in the blood of some people post-COVID. This must be coming from somewhere. Our hypothesis is that pieces of the virus persist in tissues and organs, so at UCSF, we started by looking at the GI tract of people with long COVID. This is relatively easy to do as anyone whos ever had a colonoscopy would know.

What we found was surprising. Some people with long COVID had pieces of the virus in their GI tract, even a year or two after they had COVID. And we at UCSF were the first to show that this virus could still be active.

Peluso: We dont know for sure yet. But we detected double-stranded RNA, which should only be present if the virus was moving through its lifecycle and replicating.

Peluso: One reason might be that the virus is in pockets cordoned off from the immune system. For example, immune cells might have walled it off as they worked to contain it. Another possibility is that it hides out in areas that are tougher to reach, like the nervous system. A third possibility is that the virus could evolve after infection so that the immune response is no longer effective against it.

You can imagine all sorts of scenarios. We dont know which one is true yet. But this is a major lead that we are chasing down.

Peluso: Not getting COVID in the first place is the best strategy, but thats easier said than done. Im still quite diligent about masking and vaccination because studies have shown that being up to date with your vaccine when you get COVID-19 can reduce your risk of developing long COVID.

We dont yet know if taking Paxlovid or an antiviral will reduce your risk of long COVID, but it could help you and is worth discussing with your doctor.

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What to Know About Long COVID and How to Reduce Your Risk - UC San Francisco

In a study posted to the medRxiv preprint* server, researchers in the United Kingdom (UK) investigated the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on brain aging using longitudinal neuroimaging data, comparing brain age predictions of participants before and after the pandemic onset. They found that the pandemic significantly accelerated brain aging, especially in males and individuals from deprived backgrounds, and correlated with reduced cognitive performance in COVID-19-infected participants.

Study: Brains Under Stress: Unravelling the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Brain Ageing. Image Credit:Pavel_Kostenko/ Shutterstock

*Important notice: medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, beyond its respiratory effects, shows neurotropic characteristics, leading to symptoms like fatigue, depression, and cognitive impairment. The viruss neuro-invasion can persist for up to 230 days, leading to cognitive decline and neurodegenerative processes. Previous studies have linked COVID-19 to cognitive decline, brain changes, and brain aging markers. Longitudinal studies show higher cognitive decline in COVID-19 survivors, with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealing reductions in grey and white matter.

Additionally, the early pandemic caused significant psychological stress, particularly among vulnerable populations. These stressors may have accelerated brain aging due to psychosocial stressors, social disruptions, and lifestyle changes. Therefore, comprehensively understanding the pandemics impact on brain health, considering infection and sociodemographic factors, is crucial. In the present study, researchers used UK Biobank (UKBB) neuroimaging data to investigate the impact of COVID-19 and the pandemic on brain aging. They examined the rate of brain aging by considering infection status, sex, socioeconomic factors, and cognitive decline.

High-quality multimodal brain imaging data of 42,677 individuals aged at least 45 years were obtained from the UKBB. Participants with preexisting chronic disorders or low-quality MRI data were excluded to avoid bias in predictions. Approximately 5,000 participants had repeat scans.

Participants positive for SARS-CoV-2 were identified using diagnostic tests, hospital data, healthcare records, or antibody tests. Controls and positive cases were matched 1:1 with respect to gender, birth date, ethnicity, imaging location, and the date of the initial imaging. A regression model was used to assess brain aging using imaging-derived phenotypes (IDPs) to estimate brain age gaps (BAGs) at two time points. BAG was defined as the difference in the chronological age and predicted brain age. The brain age prediction model was trained on 15,334 participants and validated on scans from 1,336 participants. In the control group, both scans were taken before the pandemic, while in the pandemic group, scans were taken before and after the pandemic. Interactions between brain aging and sociodemographic factors were also analyzed. Further, the study assessed cognitive scores, calculating the percentage change between two scans for the top 10 cognitive tests linked to dementia risk to compare cognitive abilities across different groups.

Results initially showed no significant BAG difference between the groups. However, the pandemic group exhibited a significantly higher rate of BAG (RBAG), indicating accelerated brain aging independent of COVID-19 infection status. On average, the BAG in the pandemic group was found to be higher by 11 months than that of the control group.

Further analysis suggested a stronger association between chronological age and RBAG in the pandemic group, with older participants experiencing more pronounced brain aging. The impact was more significant in males (RBAG 3.3 months) and individuals from deprived sociodemographic backgrounds (RBAG seven months). Cognitive performance, specifically in the trail-making test (TMT), was observed to decline more in the pandemic group, especially in those with COVID-19. This cognitive decline was associated with higher RBAG, suggesting that the pandemic worsened brain aging and cognitive decline, with a more pronounced effect in infected individuals.

Sociodemographic factors such as low health, employment, education, and income levels were found to be associated with a greater RBAG increase during the pandemic. Significant interactions between pandemic status and these factors were observed, highlighting their role in brain aging.

The study is strengthened by its use of BAG models to provide a sensitive and interpretable marker of brain health, leveraging a longitudinal, imaging-rich population study to assess psychosocial factors before and during the pandemic. However, the study is limited by only two time points, hampering the assessment of reversibility and differing time intervals between scans. Further research is warranted to establish causal relationships and long-term effects.

In summary, the study explored the broader health consequences of the pandemic and suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly accelerated brain aging, influenced by psychosocial factors, particularly social and health deprivation. The effects were found to be independent of infection status, with the exception of interactions between SARS-CoV-2 infection, brain aging, old age, and cognitive decline. Addressing health inequalities and lifestyle factors is therefore crucial to mitigate these effects. There remains a need for continued research and targeted policies to improve brain health outcomes in public health crises in the future.

*Important notice: medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.

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COVID pandemic accelerated brain aging, especially in males and deprived groups - News-Medical.Net

LOS ANGELES The risk of developing long COVID enduring, sometimes punishing symptoms that linger well after a coronavirus infection has decreased since the start of the pandemic, a new study found, with the drop particularly evident among those who are vaccinated.

But the dip does not mean the risk of developing long COVID has vanished. And given the rise in new infections, particularly during periods like now, when data indicate transmission is elevated, even a lower rate of prevalence means many Americans risk developing symptoms that can last months or years after their initial infection clears.

We have people in the clinic here with long COVID, and theyre significantly affected, and some of them are profoundly disabled, said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, chief of research and development at the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System in Missouri.

The study, published July 17 in the New England Journal of Medicine found that 10.4% of people who were infected early in the pandemic suffered from long COVID symptoms a year after their acute infection.

But during the omicron era, which began in mid-December 2021 when that variant became the dominant version of the coronavirus circulating worldwide, 3.5% of vaccinated people suffered from long COVID a year after their infection, as did 7.8% of unvaccinated people.

Its good news, said Al-Aly, a co-author of the study. Long COVID is on the descent. Its declining and has gone down over the course of the pandemic.

But its still a concern that long COVID rates remain as high as they are, Al-Aly said, especially as COVID is still affecting millions of people.

Three-point-five-percent is not zero, Al-Aly said. Thats still three to four individuals out of 100 of a disease that could be, in some instances, devastating.

The study was based on health records held by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which had data on more than 441,000 veterans who were infected with the coronavirus between March 1, 2020, and Jan. 31, 2022, and monitored for a year after their infection to track whether they experienced long COVID. The other co-authors are Yan Xie and Taeyoung Choi, who are also affiliated with the VA St. Louis Health Care System.

Whenever someone is infected with the coronavirus, there is a chance they will develop long COVID a catchall term used to describe a wide array of serious symptoms that can result in chronic disability, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some individuals have suffered from long COVID continuously since they were infected in the pandemics earlier days, while others have seen their symptoms resolve within months.

Long COVID symptoms include fatigue that interferes with daily life, brain fog and post-exertional malaise, in which symptoms worsen with physical or mental effort. Long COVID can also cause a fast-beating or pounding heart, dizziness when you stand up, depression and anxiety.

Millions of American adults and children have suffered or are still suffering from long COVID.

There are a few potential reasons why long COVID is rarer than it once was.

First, the coronavirus officially known as SARS-CoV-2 has changed significantly since it was first identified in December 2019.

We still call it COVID, but in truth, COVID has really shifted shapes on us, like, multiple times, Al-Aly said.

That would explain why the risk has actually declined even among unvaccinated individuals, Al-Aly said. So even without being touched by vaccines, just the virus itself has mellowed over time.

But as the study found, getting vaccinated did further reduce the risk of developing long COVID.

Vaccines do two things: They first reduce the severity of infection, Al-Aly said.

Second, they actually help your immune system get rid of the virus faster, Al-Aly said. They enhance the ability of the immune system to clear the virus and so there is less virus to wreak havoc on organs and bodily systems.

One leading theory of the root cause of long COVID is that the coronavirus persists in the body long after an acute infection is over, Al-Aly said. So, if getting a vaccine helps the immune system get rid of the virus faster, that could lessen the chance of developing the syndrome.

We know vaccine immunity wanes with time, Al-Aly said. Definitely keep up to date on your vaccination.

The severity of long COVID varies from person to person. Some might experience mild cognitive dysfunction or fatigue, but can still accomplish daily tasks like taking their children to school or walking the dog. Others can suffer such debilitating fatigue that theyre really, really, really profoundly disabled by it they cannot get out of bed they cannot literally perform their activities of daily living, Al-Aly said.

Long COVID can emerge, persist, resolve and reemerge over a period of weeks or months, according to the CDC.

There are other data suggesting that long COVIDs incidence has declined since earlier in the pandemic. Based on survey data, the prevalence of long COVID among U.S. adults was 7.5% in early June 2022, but had decreased to roughly 6% in early January 2023, according to a report published last summer by the CDC. Since then, the prevalence remained unchanged to mid-June 2023, shortly before that report was published.

About 1 in 4 adults who reported having long COVID when surveyed said they had significant limitations on their typical activities highlighting the importance of COVID prevention, including staying up to date with recommended COVID-19 vaccination, the report said.

COVID and long COVID remain a more significant public health threat than the flu. People sometimes get long-term complications after battling the flu, Al-Aly said, but there are definitely a whole lot more COVID cases than the flu. So youre much more likely to get COVID than the flu.

Even at this point, more people are dying from and being hospitalized with COVID than the flu, Al-Aly said. The CDC estimates that there have been at least 25,000 flu deaths nationally since the start of October, compared with at least 46,000 COVID-19 deaths reported over the same period. Updated death estimates for the past flu season will be available this autumn.

Besides getting vaccinated, other ways to help avoid long COVID include testing when youre sick to see if you have COVID. A confirmed diagnosis can help higher-risk people get a prescription for Paxlovid, antiviral pills that can help lessen the severity of infections and potentially reducing the risk of long COVID, Al-Aly said.

Other steps include wearing a mask in higher-risk situations. Al-Aly said he wears an N95 mask on planes, and masks strategically in higher-risk settings. Hes also more on guard about masking when theres an uptick in COVID, as there is now nationally. And dining at restaurants outdoors remains less risky than dining indoors.

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Long COVID risk has decreased but remains significant, study finds - The Seattle Times