Category: Covid-19

New national data in France reveals that, by the World Health Organization (WHO) definition, the prevalence of long COVID is 4.0% in the French population overall and 8.0% among people who had COVID-19.

Among the 8.0%, the prevalence varied from 5.3% in men who had COVID-19, to 14.9% among the unemployed, and 18.6% of those with a history of hospitalization for COVID-19. The study is published in Clinical Microbiology and Infection.

The study is based on a cross-sectional survey of 10,615 participants conducted in August through November 2022. The WHO defines long COVID as "continuation or development of new symptoms 3 months after the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection, with these symptoms lasting for at least 2 months with no other explanation."

A total of 5,781 (54.5%) of study participants reported ever having a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Among those with lasting symptoms, fatigue was the most common, followed by sleep disorders, anxiety, and joint pain. According to the WHO definition, long COVID prevalence was 4.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.6% to 4.5%) in the overall population.

"Prevalence was more than twice as high in women than in men and 68% higher in unemployed people; it was two to three times lower among elderly participants and lower among participants living alone," the authors wrote.

Prevalence was more than twice as high in women than in men and 68% higher in unemployed people.

Prevalence dropped to 2.4% when the WHO definition was strengthened with requiring at least moderate impact on daily activities (95% CI, 2.1% to 2.8%), and dropped further to 1.2% when the definition included only participants reporting strong or very strong impact of symptoms on daily activities.

More than half of those with WHO-defined long COVID were infected during the Delta wave, but the authors said ongoing surveillance of long COVID should take place. "Long COVID and especially the forms with a strong impact on daily activities will continue to represent a significant burden for the societies and healthcare systems of most countries, thus warranting ongoing surveillance," they concluded.

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CDC releases ventilation guidance for curbing indoor respiratory virus spread - cidrap.umn.edu

25 March 2024

Gary Alexander said he and his wife Juliet Coffer would be still be shielding today if she was alive

Four years on from the first Covid lockdown, the nation has had a variety of changes and experiences to contend with, brought about by the pandemic. Gary Alexander's wife died in 2022, from an existing condition but Covid still had a huge impact on their lives.

Gary expected to only work from home for a month "until the whole thing blew over".

"Two and a half years later, we were still shielding but the whole country had gone back to normal," he said.

"In retrospect, it was nice we had that extra time together, just the two of us, of course it did take a mental toll being so isolated."

Juliet Coffer, from Hartley Wintney, had a severe lung condition and was living in one room, sleeping upright in a chair.

She started shielding in December 2019 after "we'd heard the stories of what was going on in China". Gary said: "I started shielding a month before the country went into lockdown."

Image source, Juliet Coffer

Juliet Coffer had a severe lung condition and had been shielding since December 2019

In fact, he thinks they would still be isolating now, if she hadn't died.

Asked what he thought his late wife would make of the situation four years on, he replied: "I think she would say she can't believe society is just carrying on as if nothing is happening, as if Covid doesn't exist anymore and it's all over now - because it isn't.

"If she were still here, we would still be shielding and I think she would have become more and more frustrated that the government and society had pushed Covid to one side and forgotten about the people still shielding after four years.

"I know there must be many people in Juliet's position, still having to shield after all this time. It must be awful."

According to the latest statistics from the government, between 660,000 and 1,073,000 people in England were infected with Covid in February 2024 - a prevalence of somewhere between one in 50 and one in 83.

The government shelved the idea in the UK in 2022 because of a lack of evidence over how well it works against the Omicron variant.

However, The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence announced in November last year that it would start a fresh appraisal of the drug in February.

Mr Alexander recalled the last time his wife left the house, taken to hospital by paramedics.

"She was looking around the garden, everything was in bloom, she was waving goodbye and said 'I'm not sure I'll come back again' and unfortunately she didn't," he said.

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Watch: Juliet Coffer reacts to the prospect of no Covid restrictions

In the UK, 1.2 million people are still classed as clinically exceptionally vulnerable (CEV) to Covid-19, according to patient campaign group Forgotten Lives UK.

The government's shielding programme ended in September 2021 and there is no current rule saying people classed as CEV have to shield.

In a statement, the Department of Health and Social Care said that, throughout the pandemic, the government "acted to save lives and livelihoods, preventing the NHS being overwhelmed, and delivered a world-leading vaccine rollout which protected millions".

It added: "We have always said there are lessons to be learnt from the pandemic and are committed to learning from the Covid-19 Inquiry's findings, which will play a key role in informing the government's planning and preparations for the future."

See more here:

Covid: My wife would still be shielding, says Hampshire widower - BBC.com

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. On March 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its longstanding, non-health-care-setting guidelines for people who have recently tested positive for COVID-19. The guidelines now align with recommendations for common respiratory illnesses, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV.

The CDCs guidance for COVID-19 is a symptom-based strategy that eliminates the need for people with COVID-19 to isolate for at least five days. Some respiratory illness symptoms can include chest discomfort, shortness of breath, fever, fatigue, vomiting and more. Symptomatic people can return to normal activities if, for 24 hours, they have been fever-free without using fever-reducing medication and if symptoms have been improving overall. The CDC encourages people recovering from respiratory illnesses and returning to normal activities to take additional preventive steps for the next five days to curb disease spread, including:

Wearing a well-fitting mask.

Keeping a distance from others.

Getting tested to inform your actions to prevent spread to others.

The CDCs guidance also acknowledges that people recovering from respiratory illness and people who test positive for a virus but have no symptoms are typically less contagious but can still transmit the disease to others. Those who test positive for a virus but do not have symptoms can curb asymptomatic spread by wearing a well-fitting mask and keeping a distance from others for five days following the positive test.

While all respiratory viruses may not act similarly, according to the CDC, adopting a unified approach makes recommendations easier to understand and, thus, more likely to be followed. The CDC recommends staying up to date with immunizations, practicing good hygiene, and taking steps for cleaner air.

Penn State and University Health Services have and will continue to follow CDC guidance for COVID-19 and respiratory illnesses.

The preventive, common-sense infection control strategies outlined in the guidance are part of the same education and public health messaging we have always disseminated to keep our students and staff healthy, said Cecilia Devonshire, UHS infection control nurse manager.

If you feel sick, stay home do not go to class, do not attend indoor or crowded events, skip the Saturday night dinner or party, and take care of yourself. You are taking care of the community when you choose to take care of yourself.

Visit the CDCs respiratory illnesses website and FAQ page for more information on the latest CDC guidelines.

The CDC updates come at a time when respiratory viruses like influenza, common colds and stomach viruses are still circulating widely.

Before everyone left for spring break, we continued to see strong flu numbers at UHS and in the wastewater surveillance. This is higher than we have seen in the past two flu seasons but consistent with pre-pandemic activity, which shows flu can last into April and May, said Dr. Rebecca Simcik, UHS medical director. We also had students who were quite ill, with non-flu and non-COVID viruses, and we expect continued presentation as everyone gathers back to campus and the classrooms. We might all be sick of winter and all the illnesses it brings, but we need to continue to mind the preventive measures that reduce the chance of getting sick.

With warmer weather approaching, it is important to practice the following preventive measures to reduce the chances of getting sick:

Hand-wash with either soap and warm water or hand sanitizer frequently and before eating.

Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands.

Wear a high-quality mask when traveling through crowded or poorly ventilated spaces like buses or highly populated buildings or if you are already experiencing respiratory symptoms.

Avoid sharing food and drinks.

Clean frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs and mobile devices.

Rest and re-charge, as adequate sleep is imperative in keeping your immune system running at full capacity.

Stay up to date with vaccines.

UHS offers the flu vaccine and the Moderna (Spikevax) COVID-19 vaccine. Both vaccines are usually free with most insurance.

Students who are sick and unsure if they should see a clinician can call University Health Services 24/7 Advice Nurse line at 814-865-4847 and press option 3. Students can schedule an appointment via myUHS or call 814-865-4UHS (4847).Students with respiratory symptoms who also have risk factors for severe illness should seek health care right away for testing or treatment. Treatment for flu and COVID-19 may be an option and needs to be started within a few days of when symptoms begin.

Students who are sick and need to stay home are responsible for communicating directly with instructors if they must miss a class, lab, work or assignments. Verification of illness forms will not be provided for routine illnesses or injuries, per University Health Services policy. Faculty are encouraged to continue to be sensitive to students well-being and work with them individually to meet academic requirements as they recover from illness.

For more information on UHS and its services, visit the University Health Services website.

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CDC updates COVID-19 recommendations for non-health care settings - Penn State University

Joni Mitchell can look at Spotify from both sides now: before and after her 2022 boycott.

The prolific "Both Sides Now" singer, 80, reinstated her catalog to the music giant before the weekend, ending her two-year protest over the streamer's platforming of "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast and its COVID-19 "misinformation." She follows rocker Neil Young, who returned his music to Spotify earlier this month.

Scores of fans noticed the Grammy winner's Spotify comeback last week and celebrated with a range of reaction GIFs and all-caps tweets on X (formerly Twitter). "Suddenly I'm healed and life is actually worth living," one fan wrote Friday.

Read more: Neil Young returns his music to Spotify, 'except for the full sound we created'

"Nature has officially healed," another X user tweeted.

Despite the internet fanfare, Mitchell's return to Spotify was quiet, with neither her Instagram nor Twitter accounts announcing the comeback. Young unveiled his decision to return to Spotify in a missive shared to his website.

Representatives for Spotify and Mitchell did not immediately respond to The Times' request for comment Monday.

In January 2022 on her website, Mitchell proclaimed, "I Stand With Neil Young," who had withdrawn his catalog from Spotify. Both of the musicians criticized the platform for streaming Rogan's eponymous podcast, in which he has questioned COVID-19 safety protocols and vaccines and touted coronavirus treatments that have not been approved by medical professionals. Mitchell and Young voiced support for scores of medical experts who penned an open letter to Spotify accusing Rogan of sharing "baseless conspiracy theories" about the pandemic.

Read more: Joni Mitchell removes her music from Spotify, joining Neil Young in protest

"Ive decided to remove all my music from Spotify," Mitchell said in post shared to her website on Jan. 28, 2022. "Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives. I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue."

While Mitchell and Young briefly left the platform, Rogan and his podcast remained. The streaming giant continues to publish "Joe Rogan Experience" episodes. Additionally, with a new deal signed in February, it seems he isn't parting ways with Spotify anytime soon.

Since her Spotify protest began, Mitchell has returned to the stage, picked up an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music and achieved double-digit Grammy Award status, winning her 10th prize in February.

Read more: Joni Mitchell makes a triumphant return to stage at the Gorge, with help from famous admirers

Mitchell returns to Spotify amid the 56th anniversary of her debut album, "Song to a Seagull," which led the singer to a "a lifetime of poetic and soul-stirring melodies," according to her Instagram.

In January, Mitchell announced she that would take over the Hollywood Bowl for two nights this fall, Oct. 19 and 20.

Get notified when the biggest stories in Hollywood, culture and entertainment go live. Sign up for L.A. Times entertainment alerts.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Joni Mitchell returns to Spotify two years after boycott over Joe Rogan's COVID-19 'lies' - Yahoo Entertainment

A woman walks past a mural depicting a frontline worker amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Dublin, Ireland, January 12, 2022. REUTERS

The world has not forgotten horrors of COVID-19 that became a deadly pandemic claiming scores of lives and infecting a large number of population worldwide. As people across the globe grapples to bounce back to normalcy, experts have warned that next pandemic could strike anytime.

There are chances of virus getting transmitted from animal to humans, causing a pandemic again, a report by Sky News quoted infectious disease experts in the UK as saying.

The experts have not specified any timeline of future pandemic, if any, but have exhorted not to let the guards down, the report said.

Preparing for the future: Anticipating another pandemic

Hinting at the possibility of future pandemics, experts warn of the need for vigilance and preparedness.

Factors such as global warming and deforestation increase the likelihood of viral or bacterial outbreaks, underscoring the importance of proactive measures to mitigate risks.

Were creating a situation that is rife for outbreaks, Dr Nathalie MacDermott, clinical lecturer in infectious diseases at Kings College London, was quoted as saying in the report.

I know that COVID was very hard for people and we want to believe we can just go back to normal and I understand that entirely, Dr MacDermott said.

When another pandemic can hit the world

But the next pandemic is around the corner - it might be two years, it could be 20 years, it could be longer - but we cant afford to let our guards down. We need to stay vigilant, prepared and ready to make sacrifices again, Dr MacDermott said.

Why a pandemic again?

Dr MacDermott went on to say that by cutting down trees in the Amazon and parts of Africa, animals and insects are moving closer to homes of people.

Also, with rising temperatures, outbreaks of mosquito and tick-borne viruses such as dengue, chikungunya, and Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) are happening in parts of Europe rarely seen before.

As temperatures increase around the world, even the UK will become an area where its possible for those types of mosquitoes to live, she said.

Lockdown dynamics: Contemplating restrictions & compliance

Whether possible pandemic could lead to lockdown, Dr MacDermott said until the government, scientists and healthcare workers know more about an emerging virus and how it spreads, a lockdown would be inevitable to some degree.

However, the prospect of another lockdown prompts discussions on its potential duration and severity. Experts advocate for investments in mitigating measures such as improved ventilation and rapid vaccine development to minimize the impact of future lockdowns on society.

Navigating uncertainty: Addressing challenges & adaptations

Concerns arise about the feasibility of enforcing lockdown measures and managing societal disruptions. From potential restrictions on socialising to the operation of schools, experts stress on the need for nuanced approaches tailored to specific contexts and community needs.

Learning from experience: Evaluating preparedness & responses

Reflecting on past experiences, policymakers and public health officials stress the importance of learning from mistakes and improving readiness for future health crises. Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic inform discussions on enhancing infrastructure, stockpiling essential supplies, and refining response protocols.

Continued here:

'Next pandemic is around the corner - it might be two years...,' warn experts four years after COVID-19 - Firstpost

Shortly after the first COVID-19 case hit West Virginia four years ago, our way of day-to-day living drastically changed. Many of those alterations dealt with how we went shopping.

Shortly after the first COVID-19 case hit West Virginia four years ago, our way of day-to-day living drastically changed. Many of those alterations dealt with how we went shopping.

West Virginia Retailers Association President Bridget Lambert spoke with Randy Yohe on COVID-19s effect on retail and how our shopping lives have forever been changed.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Yohe: What was the biggest impact that COVID-19 first made on retailers?

Lambert: I think it was just shifting and making sure that we focused on the customer experience and how to keep our customers safe when they were coming out into the stores. When they were doing necessary shopping, it was essential that we had a safe environment for them to come into and shop as best that we could. You saw plexiglass go up at the point of sale. We had different mechanisms that were going on, on the back end of the store, in how we deal with deliveries coming into the store. Boxes were sterilized with a spray. We wanted the employees to be in a safe work environment. And so, back-of-the-store store safety concerns were addressed as well.

Yohe: What about stocking issues?

Lambert: We had a lot of our employees working evenings and nights to stock the shelves so that they werent in the middle of the customers coming in when they were shopping. There were some shifts in how retailers stocked stores. It also kept the employees from being exposed to more customers during the day. We did a lot of different things regarding inventory on the store shelves. As you know, we suffered some during the pandemic with being able to fully stock our shelves at all times because of supply chain issues we were dealing with.

Yohe: And what did those COVID-19 related supply chain issues really involve?

Lambert: It really involved several things. It all actually started in the ports in California with some ships not being offloaded in a timely manner. We had trucking issues across the United States. COVID-19 impacted how goods were made and how they were shipped and the availability our stores had of receiving those shipments. It was not as standard as it was prior to COVID-19 hitting the country. We may have 10 trucks expected to come into a large retailer on any given day and four of them would arrive because thats all of the goods that were available. So retailers were definitely struggling to make sure they were able to keep the shelves stocked.

Yohe: Have supply chain issues been resolved?

Lambert: By and large, yes. We are seeing that the store shelves are stocked more. We have a backlog of merchandise that was on backorder from that timeframe that has come in. Sometimes, well be flooded with outdoor furniture shipments that had been on backorder, those types of things that were dealing with now on the front end that goes to the actual customer, and we are still working to this day. Retailers are operating a little bit of a thinner margin of stock. They are very resilient and respond to the trends that are going on in the supply chain. But they are having, I would say, razor thin margins of stock right now.

Yohe: Talk about how COVID-19 spurred the development of phone and email ordering, curbside pickup and home delivery.

Lambert: The retail industry had been offering a diversified approach to shopping for customers, such as online. We had continued growth of customer online shopping year after year. The holiday season showed those numbers every year. And many retailers were still looking for a way to offer goods to their customers and through the omni channel approach, and they were in the process of expanding that approach. But the COVID-19 pandemic really blended traditional brick and mortar store shopping with the convenience of online shopping.

It also really forced the retail industry to pivot and focus more on resources such as the buy online-pick up in store and the buy online-shipped to the store. Our brick and mortar retailers stepped up and started to offer curbside pickup. They developed contactless shopping so you can go online and order. Its put into a locker and you are given a code to access your order. You can walk right out without having to go into the backend of the store, or interact with any employees in the store. So these emerging trends continue now to be normal for retail customers.

Yohe: How have West Virginia retailers balanced COVID-19 enhanced inflation when you have customers versus overhead?

Lambert: That is one thing that the retail industry continues to struggle with. As you might imagine, its very expensive to pivot a whole industry or when you are dealing with something like shifting from mainly brick and mortar customers to a lot of online shopping. The industries that really have benefited from this shift, youre seeing warehousing, the delivery companies, they really have picked up their end of that situation and expanded.

So maybe in-store retail employment has gone down slightly. We see the shift in the jobs go to a different type of industry, where they are picking up the packages, theyre delivering them to the front door. So the retail industry in the landscape looks a little different now.

Randy is WVPB's Government Reporter, based in Charleston. He hails from Detroit but has lived in Huntington since the late 1980s. He has a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University and a master's degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Missouri. Randy has worked in radio and television since his teenage years, with enjoyable stints as a sports public address announcer and a disco/funk club dee jay. View all posts by Randy Yohe

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Four Years Later, COVID-19 Pandemic Effect On W.Va. Retail - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

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The World Health Organization's 194 member states have spent two years working towards a new international accord on pandemic preparedness and response.

Here are the key factors at stake during the final week of negotiations:

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed how ill-prepared the world was to tackle such a major crisis. Countries by and large dealt with the situation on a national basis.

Serious shortcomings at national and global levels hampered a timely and effective response.

The existing International Health Regulationswhich are being revised alongside the treaty talkswere found badly wanting.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who warned in 2018 that the world was unprepared for a pandemic, wants to end the cycle of neglect followed by panic.

Vaccine nationalism, jabs hoarding, lack of protective equipment (PPE), health workers exposed and exhausted, and wealthy countries dumping expiring stock on poorer countries under the guise of charity were just some of the flaws exposed by the last pandemic.

Countries therefore decided in December 2021 to set down binding commitments on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

The current draft, which remains far from finalized, has been winnowed down and revised from several previous versions.

Negotiators are working on the basis that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.

The objective "is to prevent, prepare for and respond to pandemics".

It attempts to deal with the gross inequities that snagged access to vaccines, oxygen, PPE, tests and treatments.

It also seeks to ensure the early, safe, transparent and rapid sharing of samples and genetic sequence data of pathogens with pandemic potential.

It contains sections on surveillance, health system resilience, the health workforce, research and development, regional production, transfer of technology and know-how, access and benefit sharing, supply chains, procurement and distribution, regulation, implementaion and sustainable financing.

Equity, and the balance between obligations.

WHO chief legal officer Steve Solomon admitted it "won't be easy to find common ground" in the remaining time.

"The good news is that key principles have been agreed: principles involving equity, fairness, solidarity, transparency and accountability," he said Thursday.

He said outstanding points were how better to prevent pandemics; share information, medicine and vaccines; secure supply chains; build global manufacturing capacity for those products; and sustainably finance such work.

During this final round of talks, US chief negotiator Pamela Hamamoto said plans for intellectual property waivers have no chance of achieving consensus.

"We have run out of time to be revisiting provisions that are not implementable, not feasible or are contrary to national laws," she said.

The European Union thinks prevention and preparedness have been "significantly diluted" in the latest draft.

Britain feels progress has been lost and the new draft is a step backwards, with provisions on technology transfer "unworkable", while the text on prevention is "simply too weak".

"There is, in our view, no credible plan in front of us to conclude this negotiation," said ambassador Simon Manley.

Switzerland, which has a big pharmaceutical industry, is "not prepared to accept the text in its current state", and is against any flexibility on surveillance and immediate information sharing on pathogens.

China, where COVID-19 was first detected, wants the treaty to firmly oppose the "stigmatization" of countries affected by pandemics.

Russia finds the prospect of sanctions in the health sector inadmissible.

Bangladesh, representing for the 31-member group for equity, said public health should be put above commercial interests; surveillance obligations in the current draft do not have equivalent legal certainty on timely access to health products; and the text is "too weak" on access to pathogens and benefit sharing.

India, speaking for southeast Asia, feels that without financial and technological support, "achieving the onerous obligations imposed in the negotiating text will be a mirage, especially for developing countries".

Some 48 African countries are demanding concrete outcomes on a sustainable financing mechanism.

South Africa is stressing the sovereign right of countries to "control access over their genetic resources" and samples, and wants the removal of barriers to the transfer of technology and know-how.

Eswatini wants equity written throughout the text and says that diversified production of life-saving medicines "is a need, not an aspiration".

Read the original:

Pandemic accord: the key points - Medical Xpress

(Photo by Don Arnold/Getty Images) Getty Images

The CDC recently eliminated isolation periods for people ill and likely infectious from Covid. Their Healthcare Infection Control Advisory Committee drafted guidelines weakening infection precautions, particularly regarding masking. Fortunately, after a wave of public criticism, the guidelines were sent back to HICPAC for revision.

People are increasingly left to their own devices to protect themselves against infection. So, what can you do? Mask and improve ventilation. Uniformly, wearing a well-fitting, effective respirator, such as an N95 certified by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or an elastomeric respirator, is the top recommendation. KF94 masks, the Korean standard, are preferred by many because, while not quite as protective, they use ear loops rather than over-the-head straps and dont fit as tightly. KN95s meet the Chinese standards, but there were more problems with counterfeiting. Project N95 was a nonprofit I (and many) relied on because they carefully vetted their products. They have maintained a list of previously vetted products on that site, although they are no longer supplying masks.

In terms of ventilation, there was a useful webinar recently, Indoor Air and Infectious Disease Transmission, from the University of Toronto. It is now available online. I turned to speaker Sarah Haines, Ph.D., an expert there in building engineering, for more information. Her strongest recommendation was to add a portable air cleaner to your workspace, if possible. The Clean Air Delivery Rate, or CADR, is sometimes listed and might influence your product choice.

Haines noted that the CDC recommends schools have five air changes per hour. She suggested that parents might check with the school maintenance and inquire how often the system is tested or monitored to ensure it is working properly. Also, ask what kind of filters are being used. MERV13 is considered ideal now, but not all systems can handle it. The most thought-provoking point that Haines raised was, How do we rectify this by increasing these air exchange rates, but also making sure that our energy usage doesn't go up? Because contributing a large amount of CO2, will almost certainly add considerable heat-trapping carbon dioxide into the biosphere.

Jonathan Rosen, an industrial hygiene consultant, furthered the discussion of how an individual might assess the safety of their environment. Rosen reiterated that a problem with HICPAC is their initial decision that surgical masks are equivalent to respirators, noting that CDC has published documents and supported research for decades that show that that's absolutely incorrect. It flies in the face of federal standards that require respirator manufacturers to do testing. Rosen is not a fan of the CDCs dropping isolation, either. The first step around TB that I learned was early identification and isolation. That was our motto. And it should be the motto around any infectious disease.

Rosen emphasized some of the practical difficulties in assessing buildings. So if you're a small business or even a health care facility, where are you going to get the resources? Where are you going to get the expertise to evaluate your current ventilation? Rosen said, If you're a healthcare administrator, or union leader, you can be trained to do some elemental things, but that you really need an expert to be involved. One small thing an individual can do to improve ventilation is to make sure [exhaust] fans are set to the On position, not automatic, so that they are running continuously.

Chang-Yu Wu is the Chair of the Department of Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering at University of Miami. He added another perspective on what people might focus on to improve safety. Its advantageous to employers to make a safer work environment. Wu noted, If their employees are out sick, and they lose productivity, that's something they want to avoid. He said considerable research shows that improving ventilation reduces lost time from sick days.

CO2 monitors can be a valuable proxy for how good the ventilation is in a given space. Some businesses (e.g., restaurants and concert venues) had monitors that prominently displayed CO2 levels. Quartz magazine interviewed Yuguo Li, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Hong Kong, who strongly favored the idea that governments mandate real-time monitoring and display of CO2 levels. They also note that Belgium is the one country that enacted a law that requires public indoor spaces (gyms, restaurants, etc.) to display the levels. Wu noted that masks and CO2 monitors are considered socially acceptable in some parts of Europe and much of Asia.

Clearly, masking for the public good and prominent displays of CO2 levels, are not the case here in the U.S., where You do you increasingly seems to be the norm. Perhaps businesses might look more closely at the economic benefits of improving ventilation to retain staff and productivity.

A report from the University of Southern California last year suggested that the economic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. will reach US$14 trillion by the end of the year. The toll is twice the size of that of the Great Recession of 2007-2009 and 20 times higher than the costs of the 9/11 terrorist attacksand this was without taking long Covid into account.

Richard Corsi, co-inventor with Jim Rosenthal of the Corsi-Rosenthal box, a DIY air filter, and now dean of engineering at the University of California Davis, also helped address the issue of cost and benefits with figures that are easier to relate to. Corsi said, We could put a CR Box in EVERY public school classroom in the United States at a cost of $160M/year. Thats less than one Venti American coffee per student per year (or 0.024% of the average cost of educating a child each year in the US). In doing this calculation I have used a bulk discount for filters, which lowers the cost of a CR box by about 35%. We could do the same with HEPA air cleaners at about twice the price - 1 Grande Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino per student per year. He estimated the costs would be a bit higher for offices but still relatively low cost, given improved employee performance.

The best thing we can do to reduce risk? Let in fresh air.

Open the window to make the air flow

getty

In helping assess your risk, Corsi directed me to his Safe Air Space Estimator, which looks at factors such as room size, masking, and whether an infected person is a low or high emitter. Its quite interesting to use, adjusting the parameters listed below the graphic.

Even 20 years ago, a study showed that the risk of infection from airborne pathogens could be estimated by measuring the CO2 concentration and that increasing outdoor air supply can prevent transmission of respiratory infections. Have we learned nothing?

I am an Infectious Disease specialist and author ofResilience: One Family's Story of Hope and Triumph over Evil and of Conducting Clinical Research, the essential guide to the topic.

I survived 25 years in solo practice in rural Cumberland, Maryland, and now work part time. I especially love writing about ethical issues, and tilting at windmills as I advocate for social justice. When not slaving over hot patients, I can be found playing with photography, friends dogs, or in my garden. Follow on Twitter @drjudystone

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Ventilation Should Be A Larger Focus In Our Fight Against Covid-19 - Forbes

News Release

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

NIH supported study shows that the virus that causes COVID-19 can damage the heart without directly infecting heart tissue.

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can damage the heart even without directly infecting the heart tissue, a National Institutes of Health-supported study has found. The research, published in the journal Circulation, specifically looked at damage to the hearts of people with SARS-CoV2-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a serious lung condition that can be fatal. But researchers said the findings could have relevance to organs beyond the heart and also to viruses other than SARS-CoV-2.

Scientists have long known that COVID-19 increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and Long COVID, and prior imaging research has shown that over 50% of people who get COVID-19 experience some inflammation or damage to the heart. What scientists did not know is whether the damage occurs because the virus infects the heart tissue itself, or because of systemic inflammation triggered by the bodys well-known immune response to the virus.

This was a critical question and finding the answer opens up a whole new understanding of the link between this serious lung injury and the kind of inflammation that can lead to cardiovascular complications, said Michelle Olive, Ph.D., associate director of the Basic and Early Translational Research Program at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of NIH. The research also suggests that suppressing the inflammation through treatments might help minimize these complications.

To reach their findings, the researchers focused on immune cells known as cardiac macrophages, which normally perform a critical role in keeping the tissue healthy but can turn inflammatory in response to injury such as heart attack or heart failure. The researchers analyzed heart tissue specimens from 21 patients who died from SARS-CoV-2-associated ARDS and compared them with specimens from 33 patients who died from non-COVID-19 causes. They also infected mice with SARS-CoV-2 to follow what happened to the macrophages after infection.

In both humans and mice, they found the SARS-CoV-2 infection increased the total number of cardiac macrophages and also caused them to shift from their normal routine and become inflammatory.

When macrophages are no longer doing their normal jobs, which includes sustaining the metabolism of the heart and clearing out harmful bacteria or other foreign agents, they weaken the heart and the rest of the body, said Matthias Nahrendorf, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School and senior author on the study.

The researchers then designed a study in mice to test whether the response they observed happened because SARS-CoV-2 was infecting the heart directly, or because the SARS-CoV-2 infection in the lungs was severe enough to render the heart macrophages more inflammatory. This study mimicked the lung inflammation signals, but without the presence of the actual virus. The result: even in the absence of a virus, the mice showed immune responses strong enough to produce the same heart macrophage shift the researchers observed both in the patients who died of COVID-19 and the mice infected with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

What this study shows is that after a COVID infection, the immune system can inflict remote damage on other organs by triggering serious inflammation throughout the body and this is in addition to damage the virus itself has directly inflicted on the lung tissue, said Nahrendorf. These findings can also be applied more generally, as our results suggest that any severe infection can send shockwaves through the whole body.

The research team also found that blocking the immune response with a neutralizing antibody in the mice stopped the flow of inflammatory cardiac macrophages and preserved cardiac function. While they have yet to test this in humans, Nahrendorf said a treatment like this could be used as a preventive measure to help COVID-19 patients with pre-existing conditions, or people who are likely to have more severe outcomes from SARS-CoV-2 associated ARDS.

Funding: This study was supported by NHLBI grants: HL139598, HL142494, HL155097, and HL149647.

About the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI): NHLBI is the global leader in conducting and supporting research in heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders that advances scientific knowledge, improves public health, and saves lives. For more information, visit http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

NIHTurning Discovery Into Health

Grune J, Bajpai G, Ocak PT, et al. Virus-induced ARDS causes cardiomyopathy through eliciting inflammatory responses in the heart. Circulation. 2024. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.123.066433.

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Severe lung infection during COVID-19 can cause damage to the heart - National Institutes of Health (NIH) (.gov)

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The COVID-19 pandemic sent a painful shockwave through both the US and the global economy. Many people were forced to stay home and a record 9.6 million American workers (ages 16 to 64) lost their jobs as a result of business downsizing and closures, according to Pew Research Center.

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To make matters worse, the cost of housing, utilities, groceries, and more has reached new heights. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that the shock to food and energy prices, supply chain issues, and an increased demand for products all contributed to the sharp rise in inflation.

Fast forward four years and most Americans are still struggling.

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Business Insider reported that the liquid assets of the lower 80% of American households, based on income, have dropped below their levels in March 2020 at the onset of the pandemic, taking inflation into account. The large majority of American households are rapidly depleting the excess savings they had accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic, with only 20% above board.

At the same time, the bottom 40% of households experienced an 8% drop in their savings, while the middle class, which makes up the next 40%, has seen their cash savings fall below pre-COVID levels in the last quarter. Contrarily, the wealthiest 20% of households still maintain cash savings at approximately 8% above pre-pandemic levels.

Ultimately, with inflation taken into account, the majority of Americans are worse off financially compared with before the start of the pandemic. The Federal Reserve aims for a 2% annual inflation rate but has yet to bring inflation back down. Its unclear at this point when inflation will level out to pre-pandemic level and costs will drop for lifes necessities.

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