Category: Corona Virus

By Alexa Lardieri U.S. Deputy Health Editor Dailymail.Com 16:05 25 Nov 2023, updated 16:12 25 Nov 2023

The discovery of a new wild coronavirus that has the same freak mutation as Covid-19 is being hailed by some scientists as proof Sars-CoV-2 was not made in a lab.

Researchers in Chinahave found another bat coronavirus that possesses a furin cleavage site the part that made Covid-19 so good at infecting people.

The furin has been one of the focal points of debate about Covid-19's origin, with some experts claiming it could only have been acquired through lab experiments.

Since then, studies have shown that wild coronaviruses can acquire the structure naturally but the newly-discovered virus has another coincidental quirk.

The virus known as TyRo-CoV-162275 is up to 98 percent identical to coronaviruses found in pangolins, the animal long suspected of passing Covid-19 to humans.

Critics of the so-called 'lab leak theory' held up the discovery as proof of concept that Covid-19-like viruses emerge in the wild and pass between species.

Dr Kristian Andersen, a top Danish infectious disease expert, shared the new study on X where he wrote: 'The science on this will only get stronger with time.'

Despite admitting the lab leak was 'highly likely' in messages obtained by DailyMail.com, Dr Andersen went on to publicly condemn the theory.

He was summoned before Congress in July, accused of misleading the public and covering up knowledge of bad practices at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), a bat coronavirus lab which is located just miles from the first Covid-19 cases in China and was tinkering with similar viruses in the years prior to the pandemic.

While there is no direct evidence either way, there are two camps when it comes to how Covid-19 originated and spread.

Many scientists, the FBI and the Department of Energy believe the virus accidentally escaped from the WIV.

Others, including former White House doctor Anthony Fauci, believe the virus originated in bats, was passed on to an intermediate animal - possibly pangolins - and then spread to humans.

In the newly-published study, which was actually conducted between 2016 and 2017, scientists from several zoology and science academies in China collected samples from 20 different bat species in the Yunnan and Guangdong provinces - 994 miles and 620 miles away, respectively, from the Covid-19 pandemic epicenter of Wuhan.

The scientists found nine bat species carried 58 bat coronaviruses and they were able to obtain full-length genomes of two of the viruses.

In a greater bamboo bat, the experts discovered TyRo-CoV-162275, astrain closely related to the group of bat MERS-like coronaviruses that circulates in pangolins, the rare animal thought to be the intermediary thatpassed Covid from bats to humans.

The second strain they were able to obtain a full-length genome from was TyRo-CoV-162269, which they said was closely related to another type of bat coronavirus.

The paper was published in the journal Virologica Sinica, which is run byShi Zhengli - dubbed the 'Bat Lady' or 'Bat Woman' for her work on bat coronaviruses at the WIV.

Scientists not involved in the study who believe Covid likely emerged naturally told DailyMail.com the findings were 'another brick' that helps build the argument for a natural origin.

Dr Lawrence Young, a virologist at Warwick University in the UK,said: 'There are a number of studies suggesting Covid had a natural origin now, and most of us believed from the very beginning that if we searched hard enough eventually we would find something that looks like a predecessor to Covid.'

He added: 'There is mounting evidence to support the spillover now. What is important is we learn as much as we possibly can... in order to develop a pan-Covid vaccine.

'Like many things, however, this will remain controversial and we will never know the origins of Covid with 100 percent certainty but science is like that anyway.'

But other scientists were not convinced and instead pointed out that the virus detected was not even closely related to SARS viruses, of which Covid is one.

US taxpayer money was used to experiment with coronaviruses from the Chinese lab thought to be the source of the Covidpandemic more than a year before the global outbreak, an investigation has found.

'The [new] study provides no - zero - new information relevant to the origin of SARS-CoV-2,' Dr Richard Ebright, a chemical biologist at Rutgers University in New Jersey told DailyMail.com.

'The two viruses sequenced in the study are not SARS-related coronaviruses [and] are not among the many hundreds of known viruses referred to as SARS-related [viruses].'

'The viruses detected in the bats were merbecovirus and nyctacovirus.These are not SARS-related coronaviruses as Covid-19 is, but they do belong to other groups of coronaviruses.'

Dr Ebright added that that while 'hundreds' of Covid-like viruses might occur naturally, this study could not explain why they are only being found hundreds of miles away from Wuhan, a bustling metropolis of more than 8million people.

He believes the predecessor to Covid was shipped to Wuhan by scientists at the WIV and then experimented on.

He pointed to the fact that in 2018 the WIV proposed implanting coronaviruses with furin cleavage sites.

Advocates of natural origin generally believe that Covid jumped to humans from an intermediate animal sold at a now-notoriouswet marketin Wuhan.

The new report comes amid the spread of another mysterious pneumonia in Chinese schools.

Hospitals in Beijing and 500 miles northeast in Liaoning are among facilities 'overwhelmed with sick children' displaying unusual symptoms that include inflammation in the lungs and a high fever.

Scientists are now calling for transparency from China regarding the mysterious illness - which has eerie similarities to the early Covid outbreak.

See the original post:

EXCLUSIVE: Chinese scientists find a NEW bat coronavirus linked to pangolins that has same freak mutation as C - Daily Mail

Since COVID-19 first spread rapidly around the world in 2020, we have significantly more options to reduce the symptoms and severity of the virus. COVID-19 symptoms usually begin in the first five days after exposure and can last up to 14 days. For many people, over-the-counter medications like Advil and Tylenol are enough to reduce symptoms while the virus runs its course.

For those who have existing medical problems, are over 65 or are immunocompromised, prescription medication can shorten the duration and reduce the severity of the virus. Prescription medications for COVID-19 are most effective if used soon after developing symptoms.

If you test positive for COVID-19, speak to your doctor right away about what treatment is right for you. You shouldnt wait to see if your symptoms get worse before asking for prescription medication.

The most important thing to know about using over-the-counter medications to treat COVID-19 is that none of these common drugstore products treat the virus itself. But these medications can certainly make you feel a whole lot more comfortable when youre sick. Just make sure youre following the dosing guidelines on the label, especially for products like Tylenol.

If you have other medical problems or take other medications, you should probably check with your doctor to make sure OTC medicines arent a problem for you. That said, taking what works for you when you have a cold or the flu will probably make you feel better with COVID-19, too.

Acetaminophen (Tylenol), naproxen (Aleve) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) can help lower your fever. Be sure you dont have a health history that should prevent you from using them. Lowering a fever is usually unnecessary an elevated temperature is meant to help your body fight off the virus. But if you feel really awful, its fine to take a fever reducer.

If your temperature is over 104 F, or you or your child has a history of febrile seizures, you will probably need to take something. You should contact your doctor.

These medicines will also help you get through the body aches. You can also try to manage coughs and sore throats with chamomile or herbal tea, hot water with lemon, lozenges and decongestant balms like Vicks VapoRub (or something similar). Most OTC cough medications have proven ineffective, and I dont recommend them.

Finally, if you have diarrhea or stomach issues, the best thing to do is to let them run their course and stay hydrated by drinking lots of liquids. Contact your doctor if you cant keep liquids down or feel dizzy. Just remember, you arent really better until you feel well without taking any of these medications.

Acetaminophen, also called paracetamol or Tylenol, helps to reduce fevers and can definitely help manage muscle pain and body aches associated with COVID-19. Acetaminophen doesnt treat the virus itself, nor does it reduce the duration of your illness. Many people feel pretty miserable from a fever, which means a fever reducer like acetaminophen is definitely an option for some relief.

That said, make sure you dont take more than whats specifically listed on the label because higher doses can be dangerous to your liver. If youve ever been told by your doctor that you shouldnt take Tylenol, you definitely should not take it now.

Ibuprofen, also known by the brand names Advil and Motrin, is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). These medications can help lower your fever and minimize muscle aches from COVID-19 while also reducing some inflammation in your body. Ibuprofen doesnt treat the virus itself, but it can make you feel a lot better.

There was some concern early on in the coronavirus outbreak that ibuprofen and drugs like it might worsen outcomes for coronavirus patients, but so far we havent seen anything to support that. I recommend ibuprofen when fevers are high or people are feeling really miserable. However, you should still be careful: take ibuprofen with food, and if you have any underlying kidney disease or ulcer disease, you may not want to reach for ibuprofen.

Naproxen, known as Aleve, is another NSAID (like ibuprofen) that can reduce inflammation and lower your fever. It cannot treat COVID-19 itself, but it can certainly help you feel better. Naproxen is similar to ibuprofen, except that it lasts longer. For many people, a single pill can keep your temperature down for up to 12 hours and help stave off body aches. But remember, if your doctor has told you not to take medications like ibuprofen or naproxen before, you shouldnt take either now.

There are several FDA-approved or authorized antiviral medications that can be used to treat COVID-19 for those who have existing medical problems, are over 65 or who are immunocompromised. Antiviral medication stops the virus in its tracks from making copies of itself in your body. This reduces the severity of the illness and the likelihood of hospitalization and death. Some of these medications are even available for children. Some antiviral treatments are oral, like Paxlovid, and others are IV antiviral medications, like Remdesivir.

The medications are most effective when they are taken within a few days of the start of symptoms. Some COVID-19 treatments have interactions with other medications, so its important to talk to your doctor about any medicine and supplements you are currently taking. Physicians are skilled at navigating these interactions to make sure the most vulnerable patients can get the best benefit from these COVID treatments.

Speak to your physician to decide if an antiviral medication is right for you.

Cases of COVID-19 continue to occur in our communities.Staying current on COVID-19 vaccinationis the best way to protect your health and community.

Emily Landon is a medical doctor specializing in infectious disease and serves as the executive medical director for infection prevention and control.

This story was adapted from the UChicago Medicine website.

Continue reading here:

Which over-the-counter medications work best for treating COVID-19? - UChicago News

Image credit: Getty Images

During the first two years of the pandemic, a COVID-19 infection during pregnancy increased the risk of preterm birth and NICU hospitalizations. However, by 2022, when COVID-19 vaccines were readily available in the United States, this effect disappeared suggesting that vaccination against the coronavirus may have prevented thousands of preterm births, according to a new study led by Stanford sociologist Florencia Torche.

The studys findings, published Nov. 27 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show how vaccination against COVID-19 may have helped a generation of U.S. children avoid the long-term health issues and costs associated with premature delivery. As previous studies have shown, children who are born prematurely are more likely to encounter educational and economic setbacks later in life.

The effects of COVID-19 on infant health may be among the most enduring legacies of the pandemic, said Torche, the Dunlevie Family Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences. I hope the study provides strong evidence supporting the benefits of vaccination for the health of the next generation.

Torche, along with Jenna Nobles at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, based their study on natality data for California, a diverse and populous state that accounts for 12% of all U.S. births.

In June 2020, California began recording confirmed or presumed cases of COVID-19 infection for all mothers giving birth. This is also when the researchers began their analysis, focusing on facilities with documented, universal testing.

The researchers identified infants with siblings in the California birth records, which allowed them to compare treated infants exposed to COVID-19 infection in utero with their untreated siblings who did not experience a COVID infection.

The researchers also took into consideration the zip code of the mothers residence to compare areas that had low and high uptakes of vaccination against COVID-19.

Some of Torche and Nobles key findings include:

Torche and Nobles study is one of the first to offer a causal estimate of the impact of maternal COVID-19 infection on neonatal health.

With vaccine rates for the most recent booster hovering at about 7% of U.S. adults, Torche hopes the study emphasizes the importance of staying protected against the virus.

Unfortunately, even if the adverse impact of COVID-19 infection on preterm birth has plummeted to zero, this adverse impact is likely to emerge again as the virus continues to evolve and mutate, and as vaccine-driven immunity wanes, Torche said.

The study builds on Torche and Nobles previous work that looked at the socioeconomic disparities of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on inequality in the U.S. an issue Torche is concerned about here, too.

Barriers to vaccination are higher in disadvantaged and racialized populations, including people with less education and those living in rural areas, i.e. populations that experience much worse infant health even in absence of COVID-19, Torche said. This suggests COVID-19 will further exacerbate disparities in infant health in the United States.

This research was funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

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Maternal vaccination against COVID-19 lowered risk of preterm ... - Stanford University News

Researchers at Yale and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte projected surges of COVID-19 in the winter months, which may aid medical and public health systems in reducing disease transmission.

Fareed Salmon 12:40 am, Nov 27, 2023

Yale Daily News

A new Yale study modeling future COVID-19 trends found that cases will likely rise during the winter months.

A group of Yale and University of North Carolina at Charlotte researchers compared and modeled COVID-19 with its evolutionary precursors, analyzing the seasonality of COVID-19 surges across the globe.

This research showed the average probabilities of COVID-19 infections over a year given the virus is endemic, Jeffrey Townsend, a biostatistics professor at the School of Public Health, told the News. This is pretty useful to have.

Townsend noted that there have been several COVID-19 surges over the past few years. However, many researchers have struggled to project international COVID-19 cases due to the variability across global health systems.

Towsend added that COVID-19 is still relatively young compared to other respiratory viruses.

Weve only started seeing [COVID-19] human infection a few years ago and its all been in the pandemic phase, Townsend said. If you just try and look at when people got infected, the season and the climate, its very hard to come up with an expectation.

Inspired by previous research on the longevity of COVID-19 immunity, Townsend and his team observed four other coronaviruses that were evolutionarily related to COVID-19, have been present for decades and caused a common cold. According to Hayley Hassler, a research associate at the School of Public Health and the teams lead data analyst, the team sifted through various research studies on different coronaviruses to help predict COVID-19 trends.

By comparing the genetic sequences of different coronaviruses to COVID-19, the researchers were able to draw an evolutionary tree of the virus.

According to Hassler, the researchers discovered the numerical proportion of infection for every month in the year, which highlighted how often infection frequency fluctuates throughout the year. Most of the coronaviruses had higher rates of transmission in the winter months, though they each had distinct ranges of months when infection was highest.

From there, the model leverages the evolutionary relatedness of the coronaviruses to predict the proportion of monthly cases COVID-19, Hassler wrote in an email to the News. In this sense, wed expect more closely related coronaviruses to possess similar trends in seasonality.

Towsend said they localized the relative frequency of coronavirus transmission to major temperate cities. The researchers can then predict where the COVID-19 surge will be most prevalent based on proximity to major cities.

Towsend and his team incorporated an abundance of data from the Northern Hemisphere, but, due to limited data from the Southern Hemisphere, they were unable to include it in their model.

Unfortunately, there hasnt been much research in the past in the Southern Hemisphere, but every location is important, Towsend said.

The teams model also had other limitations. The datasets involving older coronaviruses didnt have a standardized age range. Some datasets were restricted to children while others contained data from multiple age groups. The team is also unsure whether COVID-19 will settle into a consistent seasonal pattern.

Towsend and his teams research predicts COVID-19 transmission rates once the virus becomes endemic, or when it begins to follow regular immunity patterns and the disease spreads at a low level.

Still, the team believes their research will benefit public health professionals. Aia Nisho 21, a co-author of the study who helped write the manuscript, said that knowing when and where the virus will be can help providers reduce and mitigate COVID-19 transmission.

If we dont accurately predict outbreaks, were at risk of much higher rates of infection, Nisho wrote in an email to the News. In at-risk communities, such as hospitals and care homes, this translates to an increase in potential fatalities. I hope the findings of this project will be used to efficiently direct funding to public health education in communities we found to be most at risk at different times throughout the year.

In Connecticut, there have been 1,375 COVID-19 cases in the past week.

More:

COVID-19 infections to rise this winter, researchers predict - Yale Daily News

Suffolk County reported the following information related to COVID-19 on November 26, 2023

According to CDC, hospital admission rates and the percentage of COVID-19 deaths among all deaths are now the primary surveillance metrics.

COVID-19 Hospitalizations for the week ending November 18, 2023

Daily Hospitalization Summary for Suffolk County From November 24, 2023

NOTE: HOSPITALS ARE NO LONGER REPORTING DATA TO NYSDOH ON WEEKENDS OR HOLIDAYS.

Fatalities 11/24/23

COVID-19 Case Tracker November 24, 2023

Note: As of May 11, 2023, COVID-19 Community Levels (CCLs) and COVID-19 Community Transmission Levels are no longer calculatable, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

* As of 4/4/22, HHS no longer requires entities conducting COVID testing to report negative or indeterminate antigen test results. This may impact the number and interpretation of total test results reported to the state and also impacts calculation of test percent positivity. Because of this, as of 4/5/22, test percent positivity is calculated using PCR tests only. Reporting of total new daily cases (positive results) and cases per 100k will continue to include PCR and antigen tests.

COVID-19 Vaccination Information

Last updated 5/12/23

Vaccination Clinics

As of September 12, 2023, the Suffolk County Department of Health Services is not authorized to offer COVID-19 vaccines to ALL Suffolk County residents.

The department will offer the updated vaccine to only uninsured and underinsured patients through New York State's Vaccines for Children program and Vaccines for Adults program, also known as the Bridge Access Program.

Those with insurance that covers the COVID-19 vaccine are encouraged to receive their vaccines at their local pharmacies, health care providers offices, or local federally qualified health centers.

The department has ordered the updated COVID-19 vaccine and will announce when the vaccine becomes available.

FOR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS

New York State Links

CDC COVID Data Tracker Rates of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 hospitalizations by vaccination status

For additional information or explanation of data, click on the links provided in throughout this page.

Originally posted here:

COVID-19 update 11-27-23 - Suffolk County Government (.gov)

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, previous accomplishments in controlling HIV blood levels and worsened health disparities were slowed. Although progress was being made on the goal to reduce HIV before COVID-19, researchers determined that the pandemic had compromised the steps by leveling off improvements in the overall population.1

Image credit: Corona Borealis | stock.adobe.com

A study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases examined the changes in the proportion of people with HIV who have virologic suppression. The study, which evaluated 17,999 patients across 8 large HIV clinics, also found that outcomes were worse among Black patients and those who inject illicit drugs. Data were collected from January 1, 2018, to January 1, 2022, and data prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (January 1, 2018 to March 21, 2020) was compared to data after the pandemic (March 22, 2020, to January 1, 2022), with outcomes continuing to be tracked as it progressed.1,2

Equity in HIV outcomes likely worsened during the pandemic, with decreased access to necessary care and increased socioeconomic impacts disproportionately affecting these populations, said the studys first author,Matthew Spinelli, MD, assistant professor in the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine at UCSF and the Pricilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, in a press release.

Prior progress in controlling the virus came to a standstill for the general population after the COVID-19 pandemic began. Certain populations, particularly in Black patients and those with a history of injection drug use, experienced worse conditions due to the pandemic. The percentage of Black patients who kept their viral loads suppressed had decreased from 87% to 85%, and for those who use injectable drugs, dropped from 84% to 81%.

Shelter-in-place orders had limited the access to care for patients, especially in those who were already experiencing health disparities. Factors included the transition to virtual telehealth appointments to provide HIV services as well as reduced in-person visits. Spinelli noted that the study results demonstrate that the United States will likely not be able to reach the goals for Ending the HIV Epidemic in the US initiative, which aims to improve HIV prevention and treatment strategies while reducing new HIV infections by 75% by 2025 and 90% by 2030.

We will need to redouble our efforts in responding to the HIV epidemic to regain our momentum, with a focus on improving health equity so that no-one is left behind, Spinelli said in the press release.1

References

1. UC San Francisco. How COVID-19 compromised U.S. gains in controlling HIV. News release. November 14, 2023. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1008103

2. Spinelli, M, Christopoulos, K, Moreira, V, et al. Viral Suppression Trajectories Destabilized After Coronavirus Disease 2019 Among US People With Human Immunodeficiency Virus: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis.Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2023; ciad657,https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciad657

3. Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Published 2019. https://www.cdc.gov/endhiv/index.html

The rest is here:

Progressions in HIV Research Compromised by COVID-19 Pandemic - Pharmacy Times

The San Francisco Bay Area fared better during the COVID-19 pandemic than many other largely populated areas, with a cumulative COVID-19 death rate among the lowest of the nations most populous counties, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis.

Of the nations 88 counties with a population greater than 750,000 people, San Francisco and neighboring Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa and San Mateo counties had COVID death rates among the lowest in the country.

The nine-county region of the Bay Area reported 10,093 COVID-19 deaths through March, as tallied by Johns Hopkins University before it ended its comprehensive count. That translates to a cumulative rate of 130 deaths for every 100,000 residents. Thats 37% of Los Angeles Countys death rate of 354 deaths per 100,000 residents (the 27th-highest cumulative rate) and one-quarter of New York Citys cumulative rate of 540 deaths for every 100,000 residents.

Each of New York Citys five boroughs is technically its own county. If New York City were considered to be a single county, it would have the worst COVID-19 death rate among the nations counties with more than 750,000 residents.

Other highly populated counties with death rates comparable to the Bay Areas include Honolulu County in Hawaii and Wake County in North Carolina, which is home to Raleigh, the state capital.

Even when the COVID death rates are adjusted for differences in the age distribution of the population, San Francisco and Santa Clara County Northern Californias most populous county still had a relatively low rate compared with the countrys two largest metropolitan areas.

A Times analysis, calculated from data released by local health officials and adjusted for age, shows San Francisco had one-third the death rate of L.A. County and roughly one-fourth that of New York Citys. Santa Clara County had an age-adjusted death rate about 40% of L.A. Countys and roughly 30% of New York Citys.

Some experts caution against comparing jurisdictions, given the wide differences in the structures of metropolitan areas. New York City was arguably quite vulnerable because of its population density the number of people living per square mile and possibly the way peoples lives are structured there, which may have allowed the coronavirus to spread unchecked before stay-at-home orders went into effect.

In addition, the colder weather in New York City couldve contributed to the rapid spread of the virus in indoor public settings.

Los Angeles County had its own vulnerabilities, with more overcrowded homes than any other large U.S. county, a Times analysis published last year found. Many people could not work from home and became infected in crowded workplace settings such as factories.

By contrast, the Bay Area probably had some advantages, including the ability of many to work from home. The regions poverty rate is also lower than L.A.s: The San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro area has 7.3% of residents living below the poverty line, and the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley metro area has 9.2% living below the poverty line. In Los Angeles County, 13.9% live below the poverty line, and in New York City, 18.3% do.

Scientists can compare jurisdictions in other ways, including assessing the differences in all-cause excess mortality the number of deaths from all causes that are above what would be expected if there werent a pandemic. This would include COVID-19 deaths plus those not directly caused by COVID, such as chronic health problems that worsened during the pandemic.

In a report published in the journal Public Health Reports, officials with the San Francisco Department of Public Health, along with co-authors from UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley, calculated the excess all-cause mortality rate in San Francisco in 2020, as well as statewide.

They found that San Franciscos excess mortality rate was half the states total. In 2020, there was an 8% increase in deaths from all causes in San Francisco compared with the prior year. By contrast, across all of California, there was a 16% increase.

In that report, the authors touted policies issued early in the pandemic they say helped lower COVIDs impact on San Francisco, including the nations first regional stay-at-home order, an action epidemiologists said that, because it was implemented early, probably helped dramatically slow transmission of the coronavirus.

They also noted the regions long-lasting mask mandate, which was in place for nearly two years, save for a brief gap before the Delta variant emerged in California in summer 2021.

Importantly, Bay Area residents seemed to be largely agreeable with the health orders. Adherence to mask use, for instance, appeared to be quite high compared with other parts of the state and country.

Vaccination rates were also high in the region. By the end of the national pandemic emergency on May 10, 96% of seniors in the Bay Area had completed their primary vaccination series, compared with 89% of Los Angeles County seniors and 91% of New York City seniors.

With each iteration of new booster shots, the Bay Area widened its relative lead among seniors. With the first round of boosters, given in late 2021, 86% of Bay Area seniors got one, compared with 75% in L.A. County and 60% in New York City.

And for the first updated booster shot, made available in September 2022, 63% of the Bay Areas seniors got one, compared with 46% of seniors in L.A. County and 32% in New York City.

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San Francisco Bay Area's COVID death rate was among the lowest ... - Los Angeles Times

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Characteristics of hematological parameters on admission in COVID ... - BMC Infectious Diseases

Every day, Davida Wynn sets herself one task: Take a bath. Or wash the dishes. Or make an elaborate meal. By the end of the chore, she is exhausted and has to sit or lie down, sometimes falling asleep wherever she happens to be.

Anything beyond that is truly excruciating, Ms. Wynn, 42, said.

Her heart races even during small tasks, and she often gets dizzy. At least once a month, she falls at her home outside Atlanta. Once she badly bruised her face, and another time she banged up her knee.

Ms. Wynn was infected with the coronavirus in May 2020, when she was a nurse in a hospital Covid unit, and became so ill she was put into a medically induced coma for six weeks. Ever since, her bloodwork has indicated that she is experiencing extreme inflammation, a hallmark of autoimmune disease.

Infection with the coronavirus is known to leave behind a long legacy of health problems, many of which are characterized as long Covid. But mounting evidence suggests that independent of that syndrome, the coronavirus also befuddles the immune system into targeting the body, causing autoimmune disorders in some people.

This outcome is more likely in those who, like Ms. Wynn, were severely ill with Covid, multiple studies suggest.

Covid is not unique in this aspect. Scientists have long known that infection can set the body down the path of autoimmune disease. The classic example is Epstein-Barr virus.

About one in 10 people who have mononucleosis, which is caused by the virus, go on to develop myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. A landmark study last year even linked the virus to multiple sclerosis.

Many other pathogens can also seed autoimmunity but only in an unlucky few people.

We are all infected with a multitude of viruses, and in the majority of cases, we dont get any autoimmunity, said Dr. Alberto Ascherio, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health who led the multiple sclerosis study.

Infections with bacteria such as chlamydia and salmonella can inflame the joints, skin and eyes a condition called reactive arthritis. Enteroviruses can mislead the body into attacking its own pancreatic cells, leading to Type 1 diabetes.

Like Epstein-Barr virus, dengue and H.I.V. are thought to cause autoimmunity in some people. Still, Covid seems to foment a long-term reaction that is distinct, said Dr. Timothy Henrich, a virologist at the University of California, San Francisco.

Theres something specific about SARS-CoV-2 that seems to set it apart, in terms of the severity and duration, he said, referring to the coronavirus.

Early in the pandemic, scientists found that antibodies that target the body instead of the pathogen so-called autoantibodies are important in Covid. Those who had autoantibodies to interferon, a key component of the bodys first-response system to pathogens, before they encountered the coronavirus were more likely to fare poorly or to die of Covid.

About 10 percent of patients with severe Covid, most of them men over age 55, had these antibodies, compared with just 0.3 percent in the general population.

In every viral infection, you get autoantibodies, and this has been known for decades, said Dr. Shiv Pillai, an immunologist at Harvard Medical School.

Many years from now, scientists may record a higher incidence of autoimmune diseases in those who had severe Covid, he said, but that is not a foregone conclusion: There may be many, many other factors that have to be fulfilled for someone to get the disease.

Why only some people develop autoimmune conditions is unclear, but the answer is likely to involve dozens of genes and an environmental catalyst.

Lupus is preceded by high levels of autoantibodies more than 10 years before disease onset, but many relatives of patients with lupus who have a similar genetic background never develop the disease.

The most likely explanation is that you have all these risk factors, you have all these things ready to go, and theres a final trigger, said Dr. Iaki Sanz, an immunologist at Emory University.

To conclusively link a virus to an autoimmune condition, rigorous studies would need to follow a large number of people over many years. The best example of such a study is the one that tied the Epstein-Barr virus to multiple sclerosis.

E.B.V., a member of the herpesvirus family, infects nearly everyone at some point. Once in the body, it persists forever; the virus can be reactivated by conditions including stress and hormonal changes. (Reactivation of E.B.V. is another of the four risk factors for long Covid.)

To probe its association with multiple sclerosis, Dr. Ascherio and his colleagues conducted what they call an experiment of nature a long-term study of more than 10 million active-duty soldiers in the U.S. military.

Between 1993 and 2013, the researchers collected 62 million serum samples from this racially diverse group. Those who were infected with E.B.V. had a 32-fold increase in the risk of multiple sclerosis, compared with those who did not have the virus, the scientists found. They did not observe similar relationships with other viruses.

Fewer than one million Americans have multiple sclerosis, suggesting that other factors must also be involved. Still, researchers are now enthusiastic about the idea of a vaccine against E.B.V. to prevent multiple sclerosis. (No vaccines against E.B.V. are currently available, although some are in clinical trials.)

Studies from other teams support the association between E.B.V. and multiple sclerosis. Danish researchers followed more than 25,000 people with mononucleosis over decades and found that it doubled their odds of developing multiple sclerosis.

And a study published last year offered a possible explanation: E.B.V. mimics a human protein, potentially misdirecting antibodies made against the virus.

About one in four people with multiple sclerosis has these antibodies, providing the basis for how E.B.V. could evoke an autoimmune reaction that would cause multiple sclerosis, said Dr. William Robinson, an expert in autoimmune diseases at Stanford University who led the study.

This sort of molecular mimicry is one path to autoimmunity. But in other cases, the body may never fully clear a pathogen after infection, and the persistence of the virus whether live virus or just remnants may keep the body in a state of immune high alert, eventually leading to autoimmunity.

Both possibilities suggest treatments. In some small number of people, antiviral drugs and vaccination can ease the symptoms of long Covid, hinting that live virus may be the source. Dr. Henrich is conducting a study looking at monoclonal antibodies at high doses that would soak up errant viral fragments lingering in the body.

If the viral proteins are causing an auto-reactive process, then by getting rid of those viral proteins, it might actually improve overall health, Dr. Henrich said.

For Ms. Wynn, there is no relief in sight. She has tried a plethora of medications, including treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, but so far has not responded to them.

Its been a long and tedious process, Ms. Wynn said. And I will tell you, from a mental perspective, it has been absolutely draining.

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How Viral Infections Cause Long-Term Health Problems - The New York Times

Sabotage usually involves interfering in a womans access to money or in their work. Restriction is about controlling how women use money. And exploitation most often means a male partner or relative living off a woman, or insisting all debts go in her name.

My previous research has revealed unique forms of abuse that are embedded in specific sociocultural practices in India. For example, exploitation of streedhan (jewellery and movable or immovable assets given to a woman before and during her marriage) and dowry practices (money and gifts demanded by the groom and in-laws at the time of and after marriage) have been identified as a common form of economic abuse in South Asian marriages. If a woman lives with her husbands family, they may control her assets or income where multiple generations live together.

As part of our research in a city in Bihar, Indias third-most populous state in the east of the country, we made a 20-minute documentary, Spent: Fighting Economic Abuse in India, featuring five of the 76 women we spoke to. All but two were mothers with dependent children. We found that economic abuse was common irrespective of class, caste, religion, education or employment status.

One woman we feature, Nitya, wasnt allowed to work by her family. Instead, she was forced to perform domestic chores around the clock. This typically included being required to cook seven or eight courses at dinner. At the same time, her husband mocked her for not working. Nitya told us hed say: You dont work, whats the point of your education?

Some abusive husbands also refused to pay any household costs relating to women and children especially girls. Another of our interviewees, Nilu, told us how her husband had refused to pay the medical bills relating to their daughters birth and tried to force her back to work with a month-old baby. She was forced to stay at her mothers home to seek help.

Zubaidas husband got angry whenever she asked for money for necessities, while spending a large amount of money on his own clothes and shoes.

In addition, these women reported abuse that was embedded in cultural practices, such as demands for dowry. Nilu told us her husband pretended that he was not getting paid and made her father pay for everything in her house on a regular basis. Her father agreed to ensure that Nilu was not thrown out of her marital home.

Our interviews suggested that abusive mens bad treatment of their spouses tended to worsen during the pandemic.

In lockdown, a familys financial affairs became dependent on access to the internet, usually via shared mobile phones.

One of the women we talked to, Lakshmi a high-ranking corporate employee said she was duty-bound to keep her clients details confidential. Lakshmi told us her husband took not only her social media and banking passwords but also managed to access her work WhatsApp account, used for communicating with teammates. He started impersonating her online and insulted her superior, which caused her serious problems.

Several other women told us about their male relatives using their logins to clear out their bank accounts. Women also reported loans being taken out in their names, but having no access to money themselves.

Lockdown made it easier to prevent women from accessing their support groups, including their families. Nitya told us of being beaten by her husband, who wouldnt allow her to speak to her parents.

Indian law recognises economic abuse in its Domestic Violence Prevention Act 2005. It includes deprivation of all economic and financial resources and restriction to shared household resources, as well as exploitation of womens own belongings, such as their jewellery and other valuable possessions. But official understanding of economic abuse and its impact on women remains extremely low both at government level and among professionals and service providers.

Its a serious problem. Economic abuse has a huge impact on womens physical and mental well-being and has also been shown to have an impact on childrens health and well-being.

To address economic abuse, theres an urgent need to have open conversations about money in families and challenge ideas around masculinity and money. More importantly, policymakers and practitioners need to work together to address the role of the state, market and community institutions in facilitating economic abuse by reinforcing gender norms, including in financial transactions.

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In India, how Covid-19 enabled new forms of economic abuse of women - South China Morning Post