Category: Corona Virus

Introduction

Novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) is an emerging infectious disease. As of 24:00 on May 25, 2020, China reported 129,913 confirmed cases,1 and the total number of confirmed cases outside of China exceeded 275,763,346. COVID-19 can be transmitted through respiratory droplets and close contact and is highly contagious.13 As they are in close contact with patients, medical personnel are at a high risk of nosocomial infection. An investigation showed that 41% of medical personnel who were infected with COVID-19 were infected as a result of nosocomial infection and the mortality rate was as high as 4.3%.4 According to a survey, a total of 3019 medical staff infected with novel coronavirus in 422 health care facilities providing consultation and treatment services for patients with neocoronavirus, with a high incidence of nosocomial infections. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is designed to reduce the risk of exposure for medical personnel while treating infected patients and being exposed to contaminated surfaces. PPE plays an important role in protecting medical personnel while treating patients in isolation and reducing the nosocomial infection rate. Previous studies have shown that medical personnel not effectively putting on and removing PPE is a significant risk factor for nosocomial infection.5 The informationmotivationbehavioral skills (IMB) model refers to an intervention that involved providing information about, motivation for, and establishing behavioral skills for a specific behavior and adopting targeted improvement measures to promote the establishment of an effective behavior.6 It is a systematic, scientific, and prospective behavioral change model and has been widely applied in various fields of medical care.7,8 As our hospital is a designated hospital for patients with COVID-19, this model was applied for the management of putting on and removing PPE by medical staff and achieved good results. The details are reported as follows.

A total of 106 medical staff members participating in COVID-19 treatment in our hospital from January 10, 2020, to March 10, 2020, were selected as research subjects using a convenience sampling method. The inclusion criteria were as follows: wearing PPE when offering first-line treatment to patients with COVID-19 and able to communicate effectively. Volunteered to participate in this study and agreed to wear PPE to participate in the treatment of patients with COVID-19 and had good physical condition, voluntarily enter the isolated ward and passed the tightness test of the mask. The exclusion criteria were as follows: unable to continue offering first-line treatment to patients for personal reasons and previous experience in putting on and taking off PPE (ie, PPE application) for SARS, H1N1, Ebola, etc. This study was conducted with approval from the Ethics Committee of The Second Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine. This study was conducted in accordance with the declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants.

A total of 56 medical workers who started offering first-line treatment from January 10, 2020, to February 10, 2020, were selected as the control group. Of these, two were unable to continue offering first-line treatment for personal reasons, so a total of 54 subjects were included in the control group and completed the study. The experimental group (IMB group) consisted of 50 medical workers who started offering first-line treatment from February 11, 2020, to March 10, 2020, and the IMB model was implemented in this group for the management of putting on and removing PPE. There were no statistical differences in age, gender, educational background, professional title, working years, and other social demographic data between the two groups.

In terms of PPE application, the control group was managed using conventional methods. The hospital set up PPE management, and eight medical staff, nursing staff, and infection control specialists with experience in emergent infectious diseases were selected to undertake the PPE management. Team members were responsible for formulating the PPE procedures, giving theoretical lectures, demonstrating protective skills, and providing operational guidance to the control group upon entering first-line work. The PPE knowledge assessment, self-efficacy questionnaire, and PPE qualification survey were carried out one by one.

An IMB PPE management team was set up. The PPE management team for the experimental group consisted of the same members of the PPE management team for the control group. To ensure the quality of the intervention, the IMB group leader conducted unified training, the PPE knowledge assessment, the self-efficacy questionnaire, and the PPE qualification survey for the IMB group.

Knowledge of COVID-19: Members of the IMB management group organized for the medical staff studied the latest version of the COVID-19 prevention and control protocols, the diagnostic and treatment protocols, and other relevant guidelines issued by the country to enable the medical staff to have a clear understanding of COVID-19; related theoretical knowledge, such as etiology; epidemiological characteristics; clinical classification; manifestations; diagnostic criteria; treatment, prevention; and nursing points and informed them of the necessity of standardizing the method of PPE application. Manual of PPE application: Based on the Guidelines on the scope of use of common medical PPE in the prevention and control of pneumonia in COVID-19 (trial),9 Technical guidelines for COVID-19 prevention and control in healthcare settings (first edition),10 How to put on and remove PPE (issued by the World Health Organization), and Reference of the previous experience in our hospital in fighting with COVID-19, the IMB management team formulated the procedure manual for PPE application. The manual included a schematic diagram of humans putting on and removing PPE; this was easy to understand and memorize during training. Post-training: Since there are many steps in the process of putting on and removing PPE, a designated PPE area was created in the ward to facilitate the process, and an appropriately sized poster of the schematic diagram was posted. The necessary items were placed in the designated area in the correct sequence, as depicted in the poster. PPE video: According to the steps outlined in the procedure manual, the IMB management team made a video of how to put on and remove PPE in real life and posted it on the WeChat platform using the video feedback method so that the medical staff in the IMB group could watch it several times to fully learn the process.

COVID-19 is highly contagious, the outbreak is spreading fast, and to date, there is no specific treatment or vaccine. Medical staff involved in first-line treatment may have anxiety and fear due to the risk of infection or may be too relaxed due to a lack of understanding of the disease. Low PPE self-efficacy among medical staff could lead to improper protection. Therefore, specific motivational interviews were used at various times for the medical staff participating in first-line work to improve PPE self-efficacy. The specific methods were as follows: Unintentional stage: The IMB management group conducted face-to-face interviews with the IMB group to understand their psychological state and needs and encouraged them to express their thoughts and concerns about first-line work and the process of PPE application. The interviewers paid close attention during the interviews to show respect, ensure that they fully understood the subjects, and increase the IMB groups level of trust in the management team members. Intentional stage: Through conversation, the importance and necessity of correct PPE application were emphasized to the IMB group. The IMB group, in turn, shared their level of confidence in the process of PPE application with the management team. By sharing their successful experiences in participating in major public health events, the management team demonstrated the importance of the proper application of PPE in effectively avoiding COVID-19 infection, strengthened the awareness of PPE in the IMB group, and timeously corrected the negative feelings and psychological difficulties of the IMB group in the face of the epidemic. Preparation stage: The understanding of COVID-19 and the importance of proper PPE application were continuously strengthened in the IMB group. Various measures were used to provide information, and a combination of theoretical knowledge and practical skills were imparted. Various methods were adopted to guide PPE application. According to the PPE application situation of the IMB group, the training and management scheme for PPE application was formulated. Change stage: The training and management program for PPE application was reviewed with the subjects in the IMB group, and timely adjustments and corrections to the program were made by evaluating and receiving feedback to ensure the feasibility of the program implementation. Maintenance stage: The management group regularly communicated with the IMB group to establish a belief in the importance of correct PPE application and enhance their confidence in PPE for preventing nosocomial infection. According to their knowledge and PPE application behaviors, the management team provided the IMB team with guidance to help them correctly understand the significance of PPE application for the prevention and control of nosocomial infection. The self-management awareness and ability were improved, and the PPE application behaviors were supervised correctly. Subjects in the IMB group were encouraged to maintain positive protective attitudes and behaviors, and colleagues were fully encouraged to supervise and support them to ensure that subjects in the IMB group continued to use their PPE correctly.

In the IMB-based PPE application management, informational and motivational interventions provided a basis for behavioral intervention. Based on the knowledge of and motivation for PPE application, the behavioral intervention would become the most important step for qualified PPE application. The behavioral interventions conducted in this study were as follows: Adequate supplies: If the PPE is too small, it will lead to exposed skin, and if it is too large, it will be loose. In both instances, the PPE application will be unsatisfactory. Therefore, for the purposes of this study, the hospital deployed materials in a unified manner to ensure sufficient PPE for staff in high-risk departments, such as isolation wards, to avoid unsatisfactory PPE application resulting from a lack of properly sized PPE. Double duty and supervision: The double-duty system was implemented, requiring staff on duty to leave and incoming staff to enter at the same time, giving them an opportunity to supervise each other in the correct application of PPE. Strengthen supervision: An infection supervisor post was created. The infection supervisor was posted at the gate of each isolation ward 24 hours a day to conduct a PPE qualification inspection on all staff entering the isolation ward. A surveillance video was set up in the PPE application area, and supervision was conducted via video monitoring. The supervisor then offered timely advice via the intercom if they observed non-standard behavior, and they urged the staff member to improve in their PPE application efforts. Prompt correction: Daily inspections were carried out by the members of the nosocomial infection control team who analyzed and discussed problems relating to PPE application through onsite inspection and video surveillance playback. Measures for correction were put forward to standardize the behavior of the medical staff.

The theoretical knowledge paper on COVID-19 prevention and control and PPE application was issued by the IMB management team, with a total score of 100 points. On February 10 and March 10, the control group and the IMB group were tested, and their knowledge of COVID-19 and PPE application were compared.

In the present study, the Chinese version of the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) was used to measure the participants belief in the importance of PPE application. The GSES was developed by Schwarzer et al and translated and revised by Wang Caikang et al in 2001. The GSES has good reliability, with an internal consistency coefficient Cronbachs A = 0.87, a retest reliability r = 0.83, and split-half reliability r = 0.82, all of which show high reliability and validity.1113 This scale has 10 items rated on a four-point Likert scale. The higher the total score, the higher the belief of the subject in the importance of PPE application. On February 10 and March 10, the PPE self-efficacy was measured and compared between the control group and the IMB group.

Direct observation methods were adopted by the IMB management team to observe and record the medical staff putting on and removing the PPE. The qualification ratio of PPE application is the number of people qualified in PPE application divided by the total number of people. Those qualified in the two subprocesses of PPE application were considered to be qualified. A staff members qualification in PPE application was judged according to the standard PPE application process issued by the hospital.

The SPSS 20.0 statistical software was used for analysis. Measurement data were expressed as the mean standard deviation (). The t-test was used for comparison between the groups. The chi-squared test was used for the comparison of the countable data, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The PPE knowledge scores of the medical staff in the IMB group were significantly better than in the control group (P < 0.05; see Table 1).

The PPE self-efficacy scores of the medical staff in the IMB group were significantly better than in the control group (P < 0.05; see Table 2).

Table 2 Comparison of the PPE Self-Efficacy Between the Two Groups (2, P value)

The qualification rate for PPE application in the IMB group was significantly higher than in the control group (P < 0.05; see Table 3).

Table 3 Comparison of the Qualification Rate of Putting on and Removing PPE Between the Two Groups

This study implemented a series of PPE wear and tear management measures from the aspects of information, motivation, behavior skills and so on at the early stage of the epidemic of COVID-19 based on the IMB model. We found that the process was scientific and reasonable. The results showed that the implementation of the IMB model improved the qualified rate of PPE wear and tear of medical personnel, and provided valuable practical experience for the management of PPE wear and tear during the COVID-19.

The proper preparation of the medical staff in PPE application is critical in COVID-19 care.5 A full set of PPE includes protective clothing, gloves (three layers), a hat, an eye mask, an N95 mask, shoe covers, and a face screen. In addition, according to relevant guidelines, PPE should be properly worn following the sequence in accordance with the regional protective requirements. According to the literature, the PPE application process includes more than a dozen steps, all of which are complex and time consuming.14,15 COVID-19 is highly contagious, and the epidemic is developing rapidly; therefore, inadequate PPE protection may expose the skin and mucous membranes of medical staff, increasing the risk of nosocomial infection.16 However, excessive protection may lead to the waste of protective materials and environmental cross infection.17 The IMB model involves multiple links to behavioral change, such as PPE information, motivation, and behavioral skills, and it has been widely applied.8,18,19 Information is a prerequisite for healthy behavior. The present study provided practical PPE knowledge, guidance, information supplementation, and correction for medical staff. In the five-stage motivational interview used in the study, the personal motivation and social motivation of the medical staff were deeply understood. This helped the medical staff improve their belief in the importance of correct PPE application and establish good PPE application attitudes. In terms of behavioral skills, there are many things that could interfere with the establishment of proper PPE application, such as material supply, double duty, simultaneous supervision of entering and leaving, continuous supervision, video supervision, and nosocomial infection inspection. A series of scientific and reasonable PPE application management interventions based on the IMB model conformed to the rules of behavior establishment and improved the qualification rate for PPE application by supplying information, increasing motivation, and impacting the behavioral skills related to PPE application. After the intervention, the knowledge related to PPE application, the self-efficacy, and the qualification rate increased in the IMB group. This was of great significance in preventing, reducing the incidence of, and controlling nosocomial infections.

The present study had some limitations. Due to limited time and resources, only 104 subjects were included in the study, which cannot represent the whole population. In addition, the subjects were chosen from personnel in various echelons of the hospital, which could cause the results to be susceptible to various factors that are unrelated to what is being tested. Subsequent studies could improve on the research methodology and expand the sample size to ensure that the research results are more informative.

In the present study, it showed that the application of the IMB model could improve the relevant knowledge relating to PPE application, strengthen the belief in the importance of and motivation for correct PPE application, improve the qualification rate for PPE application, and provide a theoretical and practical basis for reducing the occurrence of nosocomial infection.

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

1. Health and Health Commission of the Peoples Republic of China. Update on the COVID-19 outbreak as of 24:00 on May 25 [EB/OL]. Available from: http://www.nhc.gov.cn/xcs/yqtb/202005/02e547cdbb654065bf523b61e03f3ddb.shtml. Chinese. Accessed August 8, 2022.

2. Medical Affairs and Medical Board. Notice on the issuance of the treatment protocol for COVID-19 (trial version 7) [EB/OL]. Available from: http://www.nhc.gov.cn/yzygj/s7653p/202003/46c9294a7dfe4cef80dc7f5912eb1989.shtml. Chinese. Accessed March 5, 2020.

3. Health and Health Commission of the Peoples Republic of China. Diagnosis and treatment protocol for COVID-19 (Trial Version 7) Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment. Chin Med J. 2020. doi:10.4103/2311-8571.281609

4. Wang D, Hu B, Hu C, et al. Clinical characteristics of 138 hospitalized patients with 2019 novel coronavirus-infected pneumonia in Wuhan, China. JAMA. 2020;323(11):10611069. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.1585

5. Mitchell R, Roth V, Gravel D, et al.; Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program. Are health care workers protected? An observational study of selection and removal of personal protective equipment in Canadian acute care hospitals. Am J Infect Control. 2013;41(3):240244. doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2012.04.332

6. Jeon E, Park HA. Development of the IMB model and an evidence-based diabetes self-management mobile application. Healthc Inform Res. 2018;24(2):125138. doi:10.4258/hir.2018.24.2.125

7. Peng Z, Chen H, Wei W, et al. The information-motivation-behavioral skills (IMB) model of antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence among people living with HIV in Shanghai. AIDS Care. 2021;16. doi:10.1080/09540121.2021.2019667

8. Shrestha R, Altice FL, Huedo-Medina TB, Karki P, Copenhaver M. Willingness to Use Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP): an empirical test of the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB) model among high-risk drug users in treatment. AIDS Behav. 2017;21(5):12991308. doi:10.1007/s10461-016-1650-0

9. Medical Affairs and Medical Board. The General Office of the National Health and Wellness Commission on the issuance of guidelines on the scope of use of common medical protective equipment in the prevention and control of pneumonia due to novel coronavirus infection (for trial implementation). Available from: http://www.nhc.gov.cn/yzygj/s7659/202001/e71c5de925a64eafbe1ce790debab5c6.shtml. Chinese. Accessed January 27, 2020.

10. General Office of National Health and Health Commission. Notice on the issuance of technical guidelines for the prevention and control of novel coronavirus infections in medical institutions (first edition). Available from: http://www.nhc.gov.cn/yzygj/s7659/202001/b91fdab7c304431eb082d67847d27e14.shtml. Chinese. Accessed January 23, 2020.

11. Wang YF, Du M, Su R. Analysis of interventionalclinical research protocols related to coronavirus disease 2019 and future expectations. World J Tradit Chin Med. 2020;6:139144. doi:10.4103/wjtcm.wjtcm_11_20

12. Wang CK, Hu ZF, Liu Y. A study of the reliability and validity of the General Self-Efficacy Scale. Appl Psychol. 2001;2001(01):3740. Chinese.

13. Jain S, Clezy K, McLaws ML. Modified glove use for contact precautions: health care workers perceptions and acceptance. Am J Infect Control. 2019;47(8):938944. doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2019.01.009

14. Fu L, Chang YQ, Chen LS, et al. Key elements of donning and doffing personal protective equipment in prevention and treatment of novel coronavirus pneumonia. PLA J Nurs. 2020;2020(2):14. Chinese.

15. Visnovsky LD, Zhang Y, Leecaster MK, et al. Effectiveness of a multisite personal protective equipment (PPE)-free zone intervention in acute care. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2019;40(7):761766. doi:10.1017/ice.2019.111

16. Jia HX, Li LY. Introduction to the CDC isolation prevention guidelines 2007 - preventing the spread of infectious agents in healthcare facilities. China Nurs Manage. 2009;9(11):710. Chinese.

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18. Jones RM, Bleasdale SC, Maita D, Brosseau LM; CDC Prevention Epicenters Program. A systematic risk-based strategy to select personal protective equipment for infectious diseases. Am J Infect Control. 2020;48(1):4651. doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2019.06.023

19. Shell DF, Newman IM, Perry CM, Folsom AR. Changing intentions to use smokeless tobacco: an application of the IMB model. Am J Health Behav. 2011;35(5):568580. doi:10.5993/ajhb.35.5.6

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Skills Model in the Practice of COVID-19 PPE Application | IDR - Dove Medical Press

Live Performance Is Back. But Audiences Have Been Slow to Return.  The New York Times

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Live Performance Is Back. But Audiences Have Been Slow to Return. - The New York Times

There's a new COVID variant being tracked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but how concerning is it?

Health experts broke down the latest developments on the pandemic and which COVID symptoms they aren't seeing much of anymore.

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic across Illinois today:

A new COVID variant is slowly beginning to grow in numbers in the U.S. and in the Midwest, but how concerning is it and will it overtake the BA.5 variant currently dominating cases?

According health experts, much is still unclear about BA.4.6, a descendent of the BA.4 variant that first emerged in April and May. The new strain is now responsible for just over 5% of cases across the country, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates, marking a slight increase from numbers reported one week earlier.

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As omicron subvariants continue to make up roughly all COVID cases in the U.S., and as new variants continue to emerge, are symptoms shifting?

According tothe latest update from the CDC, the BA.5 lineage of the omicron variant is now the most prevalent strain of the virus in the U.S., accounting for more than 88% of recent cases.

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Do you still need to quarantine if you were exposed to COVID?

The guidelines have changed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC changed its recommendations last week, releasing new guidance for people who were potentially exposed.

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White House COVID coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said on Wednesday that the newly updated COVID-19 boosters will be available to teens and adults "in a few short weeks."

"I believe its going to be available and every American over the age of 12 will be eligible for it," Jha told NBC News' Lester Holt.

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CDC Director Rochelle Walensky is reorganizing the agency, saying it didn't react quickly enough during the Covid pandemic, according an internal review of the agency's operations released on Wednesday.

Walensky laid out several organizational changes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will take over the coming months to correct missteps and failures that occurred during the last 2.5 years of the pandemic, according to a fact sheet.

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An omicron subvariant that has been the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the United States since early July is showing no signs of letting up, causing nearly 90% of the current cases in the country.

According to the weekly Nowcast update provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday, the BA.5 COVID subvariant is now responsible for 88.8% of cases in the United States, a slight uptick from last week as it continues its spread.

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First Lady Jill Biden is experiencing "mild symptoms" after testing positive for COVID, the White House announced Tuesday.

Biden, who has been twice-vaccinated and twice-boosted, has been prescribed Paxlovid, the same antiviral drug that President Joe Biden recently took when he contracted the virus.

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New guidelines surrounding COVID protocols have been put into place, with the changes being driven by a recognition that an estimated 95% of Americans 16 and older have acquired some level of immunity, according to federal health officials.

The revised recommendations, announced Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ease social distancing requirements and no longer encourage Americans to quarantine if they come into close contact with an infected person.

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People who come down with COVID-19 can experience a wide range of symptoms, with fever, tiredness and cough said to be some of the most common. However, digestive symptoms like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, as well as others, are reported less frequently, according to the Mayo Clinic.

A study titled "The Roles of Nausea and Vomiting in COVID-19," published in 2021, found both nausea and vomiting aren't uncommon symptoms for children and adults with COVID. Often times, they can appear before other types of symptoms.

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Multiple subvariants of the omicron strain are continuing to circulate across the country, with some studies indicating that they could potentially do a better job of evading existing vaccines and immunity.

According tothe latest update from the CDC, the BA.5 lineage of the omicron variant is now the most prevalent strain of the virus in the U.S., accounting for more than 88% of recent cases.

BA.4, another omicron subvariant, is behind 5% of infections.

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While some Illinois students and teachers are still waiting until later this month to head to the classroom, others have already begun to head back-to-school, including those in District U-46 -- the state's second largest school district.

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In its updated guidelines, the CDC recommended different approaches for patients based on their symptoms.

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Illinois Coronavirus Updates: New COVID Variant BA.4.6, Current Symptoms - NBC Chicago

Oregon saw continued declines in identified COVID-19 cases over the past week, with the daily average falling below 900 new cases.

While reported cases can be unreliable indicators of how widespread the virus is, other measures also indicate the current surges peak has passed.

Wastewater monitoring in about 40 Oregon communities shows infections may have peaked mid-July with general declines since then. The percentage of COVID-19 tests that come back positive has also fallen, with about one in 10 tests showing a coronavirus infection, compared to as many as 15 in 100 on certain days a month ago. Hospitalizations for COVID-19 fell from a peak of 464 occupied beds July 17 to 328 reported Wednesday.

But the fall is expected to bring a renewed uptick, an Oregon Health & Science University forecast shows. Per the Aug. 5 projections, Oregon could reach current hospitalization levels by around the end of the year.

And concerns about the virus are likely to grow as the school year starts at the end of the month, with no statewide masking mandates for schools. Districts have the freedom and power to enact whatever preventative measures they see fit, the state has said, with no interventions planned unless a particularly virulent and infectious strain of the virus appears again.

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Since it began: Oregon has reported 868,905 confirmed or presumed infections and 8,326 deaths.

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Hospitalizations: 328 people with confirmed coronavirus infections are hospitalized, down 43 since Wednesday, Aug. 10. That includes 38 people in intensive care, down 10 since Aug. 10.

Vaccinations: As of Aug. 15, the state has reported fully vaccinating 2,950,545 people (69.1% of the population), partially vaccinating 299,579 people (7%) and boosting 1,729,726(40.5%).

New deaths: Since Aug. 10, the Oregon Health Authority has reported 74 additional deaths connected to COVID-19.

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Coronavirus in Oregon: Cases, hospitalizations and other data show continued decline in virus impact - OregonLive

Bella Smith fondly remembers the time she hit her first home run. Then 9, she stepped up to home plate on a softball field in East Alabama, read the pitcher like a book and swung with all her might. The ball soared over the outfielders. She charged through the bases and safely reached home well before the catcher could tag her out.

Bellas father, coach and hero, Jody Smith, was cheering her on from the sidelines. The two bonded over softball and spent their free time practicing in their backyard. For countless hours, Bella pitched curveballs and he hit popups for her to catch.

But really what I loved most about the game was my daddy being there and now hes not, said Bella, now 14.

Her father died from COVID-19 complications Sept. 3. Smith, 48, worked for eight years at the Carroll County Sheriffs Office in Carrollton, where he was responsible for driving detainees to other jails and prisons. His widow believes he contracted the disease in the Carroll County Jail.

Born in Ranburne, Alabama, Smith was a tenacious athlete who was passionate about softball.

From the minute Jody was old enough to hold a ball, he never put it down, said his mother, Brenda Smith.

Smiths friends said he closely resembled Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze when he was younger. Cheryl Smith, who grew up in the same hometown, was enamored by his looks and found his deep belly laughs contagious. They married in 2005. Jody loved Cheryls son, Tristen, and raised him as his own. Three years after they married, Jody and Cheryl brought Bella into the world.

Smith stayed upbeat after he tested positive for COVID-19, said his widow, adding their family expected him to fully recover. But his blood-oxygen level began to fall. His family took him to the hospital and he was eventually moved into intensive care. When Cheryl Smith visited her husband, she lifted up his oxygen mask and the two shared a kiss.

And even at that point, I never once doubted he was coming home, she said.

The Carroll Sheriffs Office and Smiths family held a prayer vigil outside of his hospital room. A nurse told Cheryl that he was improving. But the next morning a doctor called to tell her that he was not going to make it through the day.

Bella stopped playing softball after she lost her father. She said she never played without him and doesnt plan to now.

Capt. Michael DAngelo Garigan, 56, of Calhoun, died with COVID-19 on Jan. 24 of last year. To honor her husband, Leslie Garigan is starting a nonprofit, Be Like Mike. The college scholarship, she said, will be given to people who are dedicating their lives to making the world a better place.

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Capt. Michael DAngelo Garigan, 56, of Calhoun, died with COVID-19 on Jan. 24 of last year. To honor her husband, Leslie Garigan is starting a nonprofit, Be Like Mike. The college scholarship, she said, will be given to people who are dedicating their lives to making the world a better place.

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Age 56, of Calhoun. Read the obituary.

By Caleb Groves

Fresh Take Georgia

Hundreds of friends and loved ones gathered at Phil Reeve Stadium in Calhoun for a memorial service last year for Michael Garigan, a law enforcement officer who served Gordon County for 31 years. A church pastor related to Garigan led the audience in the chant, Be Like Mike, a nod to Garigans admiration of NBA legend Michael Jordan.

We are here because we love Mike, said Pastor James C. Marable, who leads Bethel Baptist Church in Barnesville.

Garigan, 56, died with COVID-19 on Jan. 24, 2021. He was married with three children and four grandchildren.

A Calhoun native, he graduated with a bachelors degree in criminal justice from Jacksonville State University. He served as a deacon at First Corinth Christian Church in Calhoun, coached youth football and worked as the commander of the Gordon County Jail. The kids he taught in the D.A.R.E. program remembered him as kind and respectful, said his widow, Leslie Garigan. He was passionate about sports and education, she added, and refused to let others celebrate him, despite his accomplishments.

The pandemic changed him. He and his wife spent thousands of dollars on cleaning supplies and scrubbed their walls until paint came off. He never left the house without a mask and spent as little time as possible in the jail, where social distancing is difficult.

He was petrified of COVID, his widow said.

When he became ill last year, his family was certain it wasnt COVID-19. But it eventually became clear to them that his illness was more than a cold as he struggled to breathe. Leslie Garigan called 911 four times. Every time, she said, 911 operators told her the hospitals were full. She nursed her husband until he was admitted to an intensive care unit, where he spent 19 days. When he was told he had COVID, he denied it, she said, and shook his head, repeatedly saying No. Garigan died later that day.

Leslie Garigan said she believes her husband contracted COVID-19 in the Gordon County Jail.

COVID was the one battle we would come up against that we were not able to overcome, she said.

To honor her husband, she is starting a nonprofit, Be Like Mike. A college scholarship, she said, will be given to others who are like he was dedicated to making the world a better place.

Sgt. Bobby Williams, 56, of Columbus, died from complications with COVID-19 on Sept. 13. His family believes he contracted the disease in the Muscogee County Jail, where he worked. He was joyful, he was kind, said Yairick McFadden, Williams oldest son. He was just that person someone would look up to.

Credit: Provided

Sgt. Bobby Williams, 56, of Columbus, died from complications with COVID-19 on Sept. 13. His family believes he contracted the disease in the Muscogee County Jail, where he worked. He was joyful, he was kind, said Yairick McFadden, Williams oldest son. He was just that person someone would look up to.

Credit: Provided

Credit: Provided

Age 56, of Columbus. Read the obituary.

By Melissa Walsh

Fresh Take Georgia

Bobby Williams sons vividly remember tagging along with their father while he worked the night shift as a security guard in LaGrange during the 1980s. They would hop in the family car along with their sister, eagerly awaiting the opportunity to walk the warehouse grounds and learn from their dad how to keep watch.

He instilled discipline and determination in his children. Williams built them an outdoor gym with a basketball hoop. His children remember him cheering them on from the sidelines at their sporting events.

He was joyful, he was kind, said Yairick McFadden, Williams oldest son. He was just that person someone would look up to.

Williams, 56, died from complications with COVID-19 on Sept. 13, 2021. His family believes he contracted the disease in the Muscogee County Jail, where he worked as a sergeant.

Williams was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Warsaw, North Carolina, by his grandparents. Shortly after graduating from high school, he moved to Columbus, where he joined the Muscogee County Sheriffs Office in 1993. Williams loved to collect guns and rare coins and go fishing with his youngest son, Jordon Williams.

When Bobby Williams began experiencing symptoms, he didnt want anyone to worry about him. He struggled to catch his breath but sought to reassure his family it was just a cold. A few days later, Williams, who lived alone, didnt show up for work, prompting his colleagues to contact his family. Williams was too frail to get up and answer the door.

Williams was placed on a ventilator at the hospital. His relatives werent allowed to visit because of the pandemic, so fellow sheriffs deputies who were stationed there connected them by phone. That allowed his family to communicate with him every day until he died.

Muscogee deputies now routinely check on his family members, buy them dinner and share memories about Williams. Meanwhile, his oldest children are now teaching their own children what he taught them as they reminisce about the days when they were able to ride with their dad to work.

Cpl. Gregory Bernard Campbell, 54, of Augusta, died from complications from COVID-19 on Sept. 18, just five months after he was promoted corporal at the Richmond County Sheriffs Office. There was a brightness and countenance about him that always left an impression on people, said his widow, Pamela Campbell.

Credit: Richmond County Sheriff's Office

Credit: Richmond County Sheriff's Office

Cpl. Gregory Bernard Campbell, 54, of Augusta, died from complications from COVID-19 on Sept. 18, just five months after he was promoted corporal at the Richmond County Sheriffs Office. There was a brightness and countenance about him that always left an impression on people, said his widow, Pamela Campbell.

Credit: Richmond County Sheriff's Office

Credit: Richmond County Sheriff's Office

Age 54, of Augusta. Read the obituary.

By Lilly Carter

Fresh Take Georgia

Gregory Bernard Campbell enjoyed spending his early mornings at the gym when it was quiet so he could read his Bible while he worked out. He worshipped at Restoration Ministries International in Augusta, where he became a minister, ushered and worked with children. He met his wife, Pamela Campbell, there at a Wednesday night Bible study more than 26 years ago.

His faith, hearty laugh, and winners smile are among his qualities she remembers most.

There was a brightness and countenance about him that always left an impression on people, she said. He was one of the nicest people you would ever meet.

Campbell, 54, died from complications from COVID-19 on Sept. 18, 2021, five months after he was promoted to corporal at the Richmond County Sheriffs Office. He started as a deputy jailor and worked there for more than 14 years.

Campbell was working closely with detainees in the Charles B. Webster Detention Center when he contracted COVID-19 in August. He battled the disease in the hospital for several weeks before he was placed on a ventilator. Campbells health was complicated by sleep apnea, a common condition that can prevent people from getting enough oxygen.

He had three sons, all of whom shared his Christian faith. His eldest son, Reign, runs a car detailing business they started together before the pandemic, Reign and Gregs Pressure Wash. In memory of his father, Reign wrapped his work van with a photo of him and one of their favorite Bible verses, John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him would not perish but have everlasting life.

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Remembering lives lost during the coronavirus pandemic - The Atlanta Journal Constitution

The last time I tried to wait out the pandemic, I drove south. My dog and I traveled nine hours from San Francisco to the Anza-Borrego Desert, which sprawls over more than half a million acres near the Mexican border. Most of that territory is untouched wilderness, rocky washes home to deer, pumas, and golden eagles.

The place felt solitary. Thats why I chose it. I work as a doctor in an emergency room, a hospital, and an HIV clinic. I also take powerful immunosuppressants for autoimmune disease, one of which rendered the coronavirus vaccines far less effective in my body. My co-workers had tried to see all of the COVID patients to protect me, but as Omicron exploded in January, that became impossible. The woman whod broken her ankle tested positive. The grandfather whod lacerated his scalp did too, just like the middle-aged man who wanted to detox. Treatments for COVID were in short supply, and I wanted to get through the surge alive. So for several weeks, I canceled work, a privilege most cant afford. Forced into isolation, I decided to spend a week where solitude felt deliberate.

Back then I would have described my trip to the desert, and pandemic life broadly, as an intermission. The moment caseloads tumbled and hospitals stocked treatments, I would go hiking in Japan. I would brave the dating scene after a two-year hiatus. I would deploy with Doctors Without Borders. Meanwhile, I reassured myself that I just had to hold out a few months longer, even though the deadline kept retreating. Mine was an outlook equally comforting and wrong.

Read: The millions of people stuck in pandemic limbo

Kurt Vonnegut famously taught about six archetypes that underpin stories. In a video of one of his lectures, he draws on a chalkboard an x-axis for time and a y-axis for degree of good fortune, then traces a sine wave that plummets before rising again. We call this story Man in Hole, but it neednt be about a man, and it neednt be about somebody getting into a hole, Vonnegut says. Its a taleof fall and salvation, of mettle forged through trials, of ultimate catharsis and victorythat humans tell naturally. And it neednt be about a man and a hole. It could be about a world and a virus.

People in the U.S. have heard this story repeatedly over the past two and a half years, the media and government casting the downturn of each surge or advent of each therapeutic as the ladder that would soon carry us from the hole of the pandemic. Until that deliverance, we could cultivate rooftop gardens and sourdough starters to stave off our impatience. Its less scary to rewrite reality into a reassuring plot arcone with a familiar contour and clean resolutionthan to envision a story that doesnt end, or one whose ending permanently reconfigures our world.

But nearly eight months after my return from Anza-Borrego, the bridge of my nose is raw from my N95 mask. Yet another Omicron subvariant is spreading, as one strain supersedes another. Despite stunning progress in vaccines and drugs, COVID still threatens to hospitalize or disable me, and I dont foresee that reality changing imminently. While the mirage of normalcy recedes, glittering and unattainable, I remain marooned in another desert, staring down the truth that a sense of closure wont arrive anytime soon.

Read: The BA.5 wave is what COVID normal looks like

SARS-CoV-2 is only the latest pathogen to upend peoples lives. Working as a doctor who specializes in HIVa virus that profoundly affects my patients yet is ignored by most Americanshas taught me some truths about pandemics. The first time someone asked me whether HIV was still a problem, at a Christmas party years ago, I almost choked on my drink. But the question made twisted sense in a country where the notion that a pandemic is over depends little on science and more on which communities are affected.

The people I treat who gasp from pneumonia or seize from meningitis because they cant access or adhere to HIV medications are invariably poor, and many are Black or Latino. My acquaintance at the party was a straight, white, wealthy man in his 60s. He could exist in a story where the man had climbed out of the hole. Tale concluded, the credits rolled. That conversation is the reason why, whenever someone says the coronavirus pandemic is over, my first question is always, Over for whom?

Though Ive endured a sliver of the adversity my patients have, Im learning what its like to embody a less comfortable story than the one others are telling. I walk by packed bars. I scroll through photos of maskless crowds at concerts. I hear people use the phrase during the pandemic, as if its ended. After multiple false starts, the man in the dominant version of the story escaped the hole after the Omicron surge once and for all.

That narrative has real consequences, including lax precautions, risky workplace policies, and woefully inadequate funds for global COVID efforts. It sidelines millions of Americans: not only people like me dealing with high-risk medical conditions, but also survivors confronting long COVID, frontline workers depleted by burnout, and loved ones grieving those who have died, disproportionately people of color. I dont want my fellow San Franciscans to stop eating out or traveling; their lives will be freer than mine, a situation I accept as unavoidable even if it saddens me. I do wish, though, that the government would value my life by investing in preventing COVID transmission rather than issuing ever more anemic guidelines. And amid such policy failures, I wish people with less to fear from the virus would shift the burden off the shoulders of the more vulnerable, by wearing masks on public transit, staying home when theyre sick until a rapid test turns negative, and keeping up to date on boosters.

Read: The pandemics soft closing

After far too long, I have stopped clutching the myth of Man in Hole, in which I must either pretend the pandemic is overa self-deception that could land me in the hospitalor else wait indefinitely for a ladder, watching clouds scud over desert lowlands as I forfeit plans and dreams. I need a story to replace it, and for that, Ive turned to my patients.

A few years ago, I treated a young man who had contracted HIV just out of college. A pandemic that had never touched him suddenly shaded his life, and for months, that paralyzed him. He didnt look for work; he played video games all day and nearly lost his housing. Then, six months after his diagnosis, he started bringing a notebook to our visits. In it, he fashioned a plan. Nothing sweeping: Stop by two restaurants to ask about jobs. Get glasses. Post a dating profile. A year into our time together, he was working in a caf, had an adoring boyfriend who knew his status, had undergone a long-overdue surgery, and had started graduate school.

I started carrying a notebook recently. The plans I scribble down differ from those I might have conceived before the pandemic but share one feature: They are possible despite my constraints. I rode my bike from Seattle to Vancouver for an outdoor vacation. I attended a wedding in an N95 mask. I made enchiladas with friends after we all took rapid tests. I spoke on the radio about the injustices of pandemic policy, because adapting to my new reality doesnt mean abdicating the battle for a better one. That, too, I learned from people with HIV, who formed committees to pressure the FDA and the NIH, demanded inclusion in policy decisions, and were jailed for protesting for effective antiretrovirals, including one used in COVID treatment.

Read: COVID long-haulers are fighting for their future

I still seethe whenever I show up to an event thats too overcrowded and underventilated for me to stay, or board a plane where the overturned mask rule reminds me of the nations disregard for my health. But action is nonetheless a relief after spending so long stymied. If I were to chart my life on Vonneguts chalkboard now, Id draw a steep plunge followed by a slow and bumpy incline that hasnt yet neared the original precipice. Its a tale less tantalizing than Man in Hole, and galling in its incrementalism, but it does have one advantage: Its true.

Some people visit Anza-Borrego only after the rains, in perfect conditions, when a riot of wildflowers suffuses the land with color. I never have. People tend to assume that this is when the desert is most alive, but in truth, even in the most arid conditions, bobcats prowl, coyotes slink, and foxes rear their kits. When the wild sheep cant find water, they ram barrel cacti and devour the wet pulp. These animals know well that the rains dont always come. During the dry spells, life carries on.

More here:

How to Plan for the Future When COVID Isnt Going Away - The Atlantic

Model

The present comprehensive model combines the detailed aerosol dynamics with anovel double Poisson model to estimate the probability that at least one carrier particle containing at least one virion will be deposited in the lungs. This model recognizes not only the discreteness of virions and their fluctuations but also that of the inhaled residues/droplets which vector them and hence, introduces fluctuations in the entire size spectrum18,19,20. The aerosol dynamics accounts for evaporation, residue formation, room dispersion, settling, plate-out and deposition in the respiratory tract of the inhaling subject.

In the present work, thefalling-to-mixing-plate-out model21 is implemented, which allows a droplet's residence time () to smoothly transition from a gravity-dominated (larger particles, diameter>50m, <100s) to a turbulence-dominated (small particle, diameter<5m, >3000s) regime as shown in Fig.1. It is worth mentioning that turbulent mixing extends the particle residence time for droplets of intermediate size. The variation of droplet lifetime with RH is significant only for large particles of diameter in the range of 2080m, mainly due to evaporation and gravitational settling in this size regime. The study results show that the lifetime of virusols in the indoor environment is determined mainly by deposition; however, viral deposition in the lungs is entirely determined by viral load and aerosol physics. The reciprocal of theresidence time of virus laden droplets to reach a given risk is an important parameter used to estimate the rate of propagation/transmissibility.

Lifetime of droplets in a typical indoor environment.

The present study attempts to calculate the exposure time required to achieve a tangible single-hit risk for a given expiratory event as well as the event reproduction number (({R}_{e})) for the given input parameters. Coughing18,22,23 and sneezing18 will be specific to the sick and symptomatic patients, although breathing23 and speaking18,20,23 are normal expiratory processes relevant to all subjects. Table 1 lists the parameters of expiratory emission18,23,24, such as droplet size distribution, frequency of emission, virion concentration in emitted droplets, etc.

For each expiratory event, numerical computations are used to determine the exposure time for different risk levels (0.1%, 1%, 10%, and 50%) and AERs (0.510h1). In the exposure time calculations, it is assumed that the emissions are continuous with the given rate and the value is estimated for a given risk. The model findings (Fig.2) reveal that, up to a critical viral load, the exposure duration decreases linearly with the viral load in the loglog graph. Although the findings are not shown here, the slope of the linear component increases with emission rate (S0). The critical viral load in this case is, 1013#/mL for breathing, 1011#/mL for coughing, 1010#/mL for sneezing, 1012#/mL for speaking for a risk of 0.1%. Beyond this critical viral load, the risk becomes a constant or invariant with respect to theviral load. These results also show that the risk is strongly dependent on the emission rate; for example, if the particle emission rate of 1000#/s for speech20 is considered, then the risk will increase in that proportion against the risk value estimated for 270#/s23,24.

Exposure time as a function of viral load for a given infection risk and ventilation rate in the indoor environment.

Alternative to the exposure time estimates, the single-hit risk (double Poisson model)is estimated under the influence of all the four expiratory events occurring simultaneously at given emission rates. The joint risk probability is then given by,

$${R}^{^{prime}}=1-{P}_{0,B}times {P}_{0,Sp}times {P}_{0,C}times {P}_{0,Sn,}$$

(1)

where ({P}_{0,B}=expleft({-N}_{d}left[1-expleft(-{n}_{v}right)right]right)) is the probability of zero-hit for thebreathing expiratory process, ({N}_{d}) is the typical number of droplets inhaled by a person, ({n}_{v}) is the average number of virions contained in a droplet, the suffices Sp, C and Sn denotes speaking, coughing and sneezing events respectively. It is to be noted that the transmissibility of a virus is measured via single-hit risk probability, dominated by the aerosol route of exposure. Also, it has been argued often that the transmissibility of the virus is linked with the viral load3,25,26, and hence, the risk of transmission to a susceptible individual is estimated as a function of viral load for specified exposure times (Fig.3).

(a) Variation of single hit risk for susceptible persons as a function of viral load for different times of exposure. (b) Variation of single hit risk for susceptible persons as a function of viral load for RH and AER.

Numerical results (Fig.3a) show that the risk is less than 1% for viral loads<108 RNA copies/mL for 1-h exposure period. But the risk rapidly approaches ahigher value (ex. 50% for 1010RNAcopies/mL and 10-min exposure), which demonstrates the high transmissibility of Delta and possibly Omicron variants which are reported to give rise to higher viral loads27,28,29,30,31 (Table 2). Thus, the present study clearly demonstrates the risk dependence on the viral load irrespective of variants. The model also explores the effect of ventilation rate on indoor infection risks (Fig.3b). When the air-exchange rate is increased from 0.5 to 10h1 for a 10-min exposure time, the single-hit risk decreases approximately by an order. This is primarily due to the elimination of airborne viruses from the indoor environment via ventilation. However, when viral load increases, the effect of enhancing ventilation reduces because smaller particles contribute to the risk as well. The ambient RH has only a minor impact on the risk; higher RH leads to larger final droplet sizes, which reduces their lifetime and therefore infection risk, as seen in Fig.3b.

Another essential metric to describe infection risk is the event reproduction number (Re), which is computed by multiplying the infection risk during the exposure time of each susceptible person by the number of susceptible people exposed for a specific exposure scenario. The following three scenarios are studied in this work to demonstrate how the model can be used: (a) 25 students in a classroom with an infected subject exposed for 4h; (b) 4 employees in an office environment with an infected subject exposed for 8h; (c) outbreak in a restaurant in Guangzhou, China. In the first scenario, the Re value approaches 2 when the viral load of the infected person in the classroom exceeds 5107#/mL, as shown in the results; also, the Re value shall remain (le)1 if the viral load is less than 2.5107#/mL for the given input and environmental parameters, as shown in Fig.4. Similarly, if the viral load is (le)7107#/mL for the given exposure conditions in an office setting, the Re value will be (le)1 in the second exposure scenario.

Event reproduction number as a function of viral load for two different indoor environments and exposure conditions.

The third case is a recognised outbreak16,32 in which a patient from an epidemic site had lunch in a restaurant of volume~435m3, with a floor area of 145m2. To compare the present study results with the literature values, the input parameters for this superspreading event from Buonanno et al.16 are considered. At the time of the presence of the case patient with a viral load of 107RNAcopies/mL, around 83 diners along with 8 staff members were present at the restaurant, and later some members of three families, who had lunch at the adjacent tables were found to be infected16,32. Considering speech as the continuous expiratory process, the infection risk is estimated as a function of exposure time (Fig.5). The infection risk due to the presence of the case patient in a limited volume of~45m3 (volume encompassing the table of case patient and other adjacent tables) is estimated as 23% for 2-h exposure period, i.e.,~(23) persons would be infected through aerosol transmission route (11 persons were present in this limited volume). This risk estimate is roughly half of the stated value in the literature16, which can be attributed to the differences in modelling because the input parameters are the same. If the complete volume of 435m3 with 91 susceptible persons is considered instead of 45m3, then the infection risk is reduced to~2% and~2 people would be infected. The decrease in risk value owing to an increase in indoor volume clearly demonstrates the dependence of the input parameter selection. The findings show that the model can be used to evaluate infection risk in low and medium risk events, including superspreading events. Thus, the new double Poissonian formalism combined with the comprehensive aerosoldynamics model introducedheremakes a significant value addition to the subject of risk evaluation of airborne diseases.

Infection risk as a function of exposure time for theoutbreak at a restaurant.

From Fig.5, it is observed that if droplet evaporation is neglected, the residual size will be higher, leading to larger removal by gravity. Hence, this would lead to lesser airborne droplet concentration and infection risk; i.e., 5.5% for this wet droplet distribution case compared to~23% (if dynamic evaporation is considered in the model) at the end of 2-h exposure scenario. Another effect related to particle deposition in the respiratory system, if lung deposition model as given by ICRP15 is replaced by a lung deposition probability of 1 (i.e., 100% deposition after inhalation), the estimated infection risk increases by~3.4 times, since a larger number of droplets are deposited in the respiratory tract leading to a higher value of infection risk. The risk value in this case is,~78% when compared to the standard model study value of~23%.

These findings imply that if the viral load is less than a certain value or if the contact period is limited for the specified emission and indoor settings, the event reproduction number will remain less than one. Alternatively, the limit on the number of people can also be estimated using the present approach for a given virus variant and the exposure duration. Hence, these studies can be used as a tool to aid decision/policy making as the spread of the disease can be directly predicted based on the viral load and other physically measurable input parameters.

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A comprehensive modelling approach to estimate the transmissibility of coronavirus and its variants from infected subjects in indoor environments |...

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U.S. Wont Pay For Covid-19 Shots Soon. Heres How It Could Work - Forbes

Residents in Allen, Auglaize, Hardin and Van Wert counties continue to be at high risk of exposure to COVID-19, while Putnam County remains under a medium risk advisory, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There were an estimated 18 new hospital admissions per 100,000 people in Allen County in the last seven days, an increase over the previous week. Patients with COVID-19 illness occupied 3.2% of staffed hospital beds.

The Ohio Department of Health reported one additional death attributed to COVID-19 in Van Wert County.

Allen County

Cases ` 29,963 ` +235

Deaths ` 481 ` 0

Recovered ` 28,757 ` +259

Auglaize County

Cases ` 12,682 ` +95

Deaths ` 190 ` 0

Recovered ` 12,086 ` +147

Hardin County

Cases ` 7,755 ` +68

Deaths ` 162 ` 0

Recovered ` 7,390 ` +78

Putnam County

Cases ` 8,952 ` +45

Deaths ` 159 ` 0

Recovered ` 8,642 ` +45

Van Wert County

Cases ` 7,323 ` +48

Deaths ` 150 ` +1

Recovered ` 7,033 ` +62

Ohio

Cases ` 3,026,110 ` +24,067

Deaths ` 39,310 ` +90

Recovered ` 2,910,126 ` +30,255

Recovered defined as symptom onset more than 21 days prior, not deceased. Only verified deaths included now.

Source: coronavirus.ohio.gov

Updated 2 p.m. 8/18/22

ONLY ON LIMAOHIO.COM

See more local coverage about COVID-19 at LimaOhio.com/tag/coronavirus.

Get the shot

Ohios online vaccination scheduling portal shows whos eligible and which pharmacies, health departments and mass vaccination clinics are closest to your home or workplace. Visit gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov to schedule your appointment.

Whos eligible?

All adults and children age six months and older.

Share your information at [emailprotected].

Excerpt from:

This week's updates on the coronavirus pandemic - LimaOhio.com - LimaOhio.com

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a new recommendation on Thursday that asymptomatic people who are using coronavirus antigen tests take at least three tests, each spaced 48 hours apart, to reduce the odds of missing an infection.

People who have Covid-19 symptoms should take at least two tests, 48 hours apart, according to the agency.

The new guidelines come as the highly transmissible BA.5 subvariant of Omicron continues to spread, and after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased its recommendation for routine surveillance testing in most circumstances.

Many people have reported that at-home tests failed to detect their infections, but studies have generally shown that rapid antigen tests are as good at detecting Omicron as they were at detecting Delta, the previous variant of concern.

The new recommendations are very grounded in science, said Dr. Michael Mina, a former Harvard epidemiologist who is now the chief science officer for eMed, which sells at-home tests. Sometimes it takes the virus two days to grow to a detectable level and sometimes it takes six days to grow.

Experts have long noted that rapid antigen tests, which are less sensitive than P.C.R. tests, are designed to be used serially, and that they are most likely to detect the coronavirus when people take them repeatedly over the course of several days.

The new recommendations emphasize the need for additional testing over a longer period of time, the agency said.

The F.D.A.s new recommendations for at-home Covid-19 antigen tests underscore the importance of repeat testing after a negative test result in order to increase the chances of detecting an infection, Dr. Jeff Shuren, the director of the agencys Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in a statement.

The new guidance is based on the results of a new national study, which has not yet been published in a scientific journal. The study, led by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, focused on 154 people who tested positive for the virus using P.C.R. tests between October 2021 and February of this year.

It found that among symptomatic people, two tests taken 48 hours apart detected 93 percent of infections. But the same testing pattern detected just 63 percent of infections in asymptomatic people.

When people without symptoms took three tests, each two days apart, the tests caught 79 percent of infections.

We provide data-based evidence on how to test when using rapid antigen tests, said Dr. Apurv Soni, an assistant professor at UMass Chan Medical School, who led the research. The schedule of testing is important.

Some people enrolled in the study had Delta infections, while others were infected with Omicron, the researchers said.

The fact that the tests can detect Omicron is an important point that cannot be emphasized enough, said Nathaniel Hafer, a molecular biologist at UMass Chan Medical School and an author of the study.

People who are worried that they may be infected even after receiving two or three negative results on at-home antigen tests can continue to test themselves, seek out a more sensitive P.C.R. test or consult with a doctor, the F.D.A. said.

Those who test positive using at-home tests, the agency said, should assume that they are infected and follow the guidelines set forth by the C.D.C.

The C.D.C. updated its Covid-19 guidance on Thursday but did not change its recommendation that people who test positive for the coronavirus isolate at home for at least five days.

People do not need to use the same brand of test each time, the F.D.A. said.

If you plan to use at-home Covid-19 antigen tests, have several tests on hand so you can test more than once, the agency said.

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People Exposed to Coronavirus May Need to Take as Many as Three At-Home Tests, F.D.A. Says - The New York Times