Category: Covid-19

A team of faculty and researchers across the country, including faculty at the University of Wisconsin, joined forces on a study aiming to uncover critical considerations for families of children with developmental disabilities during public health emergencies.

In a study published last month titled Economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on families of children with autism researchers analyzed how families of children with developmental disabilities, including autism, faced significant economic disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic, using data from the Study to Explore Early Development, a case control study designed for young children with developmental disorders.

Lead author of the study and UW doctoral candidate Olivia Pokoski said after enrolling a group of eligible participants in SEED, the researchers catalyzed their research using the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The researchers hypothesized families of children with autism and other developmental disorders would face increased disparities in parental employment, child care and household income, resulting in economic impacts, Pokoski said.

Researchers also hypothesized minorities and families of low socioeconomic status would face more economic impacts. After processing and analyzing the data, both hypotheses were proven true, Pokoski said.

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Previous research reveals families of children with developmental disabilities are at higher risk for system-wide changes, but this study is one of the earliest to test these risks during the COVID-19 pandemic, pediatrician and UW professor Dr. Walton Schalick said. Above all, it takes a multidisciplinary approach, which effectively and accurately frames the familys circumstances, Schalick said.

People and families with disabilities have disproportionate needs beyond their typical circumstance and that doesnt include socioeconomic status, race, gender, education or anything else, Schalick said. This study begins to tease out all of those factors.

The study investigates the relationship between socioeconomic status and disability as two different analytic principles, while considering the subgroups within those populations, Schalick said.

According to the study, families of children with autism faced many setbacks during COVID-19. Based on their models, parents of children with autism had lower chances of returning to remote work during the pandemic in comparison to families of neurotypical children.

Varying economic disparities experienced by families with lower socioeconomic status and racial and ethnic minority groups were exacerbated during the public health emergency, the study stated.

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There are many different scenarios where a family with developmental disabilities can experience disadvantages that hinder access to necessary care and resources, Schalick said. Factors like lower household incomes, socioeconomic disparities in minority families, work schedule changes and other factors increased adverse effects on families and their children, the study found.

Because families and individuals with disabilities are even more dependent on support from other adults, staffing shortages have a profound domino effect, Schalick said. If its harder for the care worker to get to the house or they themselves get COVID-19 and cant come, the ripple effects are profound.

This nation-wide research reveals unique characteristics of each state, reflecting how some states responded more robustly to the questionnaires than others, according to the study. These are critical considerations because they reveal how to approach disparities across varying regions, Schalick said.

The study was supported by the Waisman Center, the center for UWs research on developmental disabilities and neurodegenerative diseases. In partnership with UW Health, the Waisman Center provides many resources for children with autism or other developmental disabilities and conducts critical research, according to the Waisman Center website.

The Waisman Center here on campus has been working really hard to fight for equitable research, Pokoski said. They do a lot of research for families of children with disabilities.

Further research is needed to help existing and future studies draw a better understanding of how to support families in future public health emergencies, Pokoski said.

This research contributes toward support strategies that can improve the quality of life for both the child and their family members and catalyze change in the future.

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These types of studies are important because they can provide the scientific evidence to policymakers to support stronger policy efforts and potentially get more funding for families with disabilities in the future, especially in public health emergencies, Pokoski said.

Aside from COVID-19, children with autism or other developmental disabilities have differential experiences in public health emergencies. These experiences are underrepresented in most research, Schalick said.

Pokoski and her team reveal an effective approach toward researching and understanding the root of the issue, without placing wrongful blame on family members or situational factors, Schalick said.

So once you begin to think, Heres the state-of-the-art way to treat an issue, then you figure out how to get that idea into practice, Schalick said.

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UW researchers find economic disparities for families of children with developmental disabilities during COVID-19 - The Badger Herald

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A study by KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and National University Hospital (NUH) has revealed that COVID-19 transmission from mothers to their newborns is low. The study has been published in Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore.

The study involving 371 women, who had COVID-19 infection during pregnancy, and their newborns found that only four infants or 1.1% of the babies were diagnosed with COVID-19 after birth, of which three (1.1%) were from mothers who were COVID-19 vaccinated and one infant (1.3%) was from a mother who was not vaccinated.

Senior Author of the study, Dr. Yeo Kee Thai, Senior Consultant, Department of Neonatology, KKH said, "Our study assures expectant parents and health care professionals that COVID-19 transmission from mother to baby is extremely low. In comparison to international reports, the incidence of transmission is also at a much lower rate. This is likely attributed to the higher vaccination rate among our pregnant population, which also explains the comparatively lower occurrence of moderate to severe symptoms and a lesser need for interventions in vaccinated pregnant women who were infected with COVID-19.

Vaccinated pregnant women infected with COVID-19 were found to have milder disease effects (1.8% moderate/severe disease vs. 8% moderate/severe disease) and were less likely to require intensive care as compared to unvaccinated pregnant women who were infected (1.4% vs. 8%). Among the group, one of the unvaccinated pregnant patient who was infected with COVID-19 had required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support.

The study also found that pregnant women infected with the omicron variant had milder symptoms (98.3% vs. 92.3%), and were less likely to require intensive care (1.0% vs. 9.0%), or need mechanical ventilation (0.3% vs. 3.8%) as compared to those infected with non-omicron variants.

Newborns of pregnant women infected with the omicron variant were also less likely to require intensive care (3.8% vs. 14.1%).

This study is part of KKH's ongoing efforts to build evidence-based perspectives for the limited studies on COVID-19 in Singapore and Asia. The study took place from December 2019 to February 2022, covering the period from when the virus was first identified to the emergence of the omicron variant in late 2021. Based on timing of the infections and the reported circulating variants, the identified variants were Wild-type (2.2%), Alpha (0.8%), Delta (18.1%) and omicron (79.9%).

The research participants were categorized into two groupsvaccinated and unvaccinatedas COVID-19 vaccination was made available to pregnant women in June 2021. Among the 353 pregnant women who provided their COVID-19 vaccination status, 278 (78.8%) had received one or more dose before or during their pregnancy and 75 (21.2%) were unvaccinated.

Dr. Yeo added, "As we appreciate these encouraging findings, pregnant women remain a vulnerable group susceptible to severe outcomes from SARS-CoV-2. Hence, it is crucial that our pregnant women keep up to date with their COVID-19 vaccination, to keep their families safe."

While this study was not designed to focus on the effects of maternal COVID-19 vaccination in newborns, other studies including an earlier KKH-led study revealed that COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy was found to be up to 44.4% effective in protecting infants against SARS-CoV-2 infection up to six months after birth.

More information: Alicia May Lim et al, Perinatal outcomes of pregnancies affected by COVID-19 in Singapore: A cohort study, Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore (2024). DOI: 10.47102/annals-acadmedsg.2023278

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Study reveals low COVID-19 transmission rate from mothers to newborns - Medical Xpress

When the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a global pandemic in March 2020, nearly everything about the novel coronavirus was an open question: How was it spreading so quickly? How sick would it make people? Would a single bout buy you protection from future cases?

In the four years since, scientists have unraveled some of the biggest mysteries about Covid. We now know far more about how it spreads (no, standing six feet apart isnt surefire protection), why it doesnt seem to make children as sick as adults and whats behind the strange symptoms it can cause, from brain fog to Covid toe. Heres a look at what weve learned.

By now, most Americans have had Covid at least once. While the majority of those infected have been hit with flulike symptoms, some have been hospitalized with serious respiratory issues, and others have had no symptoms at all.

Part of this can be explained by the amount of virus we are exposed to, but our bodies also play a big role. People who are older or have existing health problems tend to have more severe symptoms because their immune systems are already weakened. In some cases, the body can fight off the virus before it replicates enough to cause symptoms, or clear it so quickly that a person never tests positive. Theres also strong evidence that vaccination makes illness less severe.

Experts said that most likely, people who have never been infected are fully vaccinated, very cautious about avoiding exposures (through masking and avoiding crowds) or work from home.

Scientists have been trying to investigate if theres something biologically unique about Covid superdodgers that gives them immunity to infection. But the closest they have come is finding that mutations in the human leukocyte antigen which signals to the immune system that cells are infected can help clear out the virus so quickly that a person might be completely asymptomatic.

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7 Covid Mysteries Scientists Are Starting to Unravel - The New York Times

(WKBN) It has been four years since the COVID-19 shutdown began across the nation. Things had changed very quickly in a rather short period of time.

It started as a two-week extended spring break for people who were in college at the time. Then things began to shift rapidly, and a fear of the unknown settled across the nation.

Phrases like social distancing and essential businesses became part of our daily communication.

On March 9, 2020, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced a state of emergency after three Ohioans had tested positive for Coronavirus. A few days later DeWine spoke to the state in his what became normal 2 p.m. briefings.

He banned gatherings of more than 100 people. Ohio schools would have a three-week spring break. By March 16, most public spaces besides parks were closed.

Across the country, the same measures were taking place.

The first cases of COVID-19 were reported in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on March 6, 2020. That is when the now former Governor Tom Wolf signed the Disaster Declaration.

By March 18, Pennsylvania officials confirmed its first death from the virus. March 19 is when non-essential businesses closed. The stay-at-home order was put in place days later for some Philadelphia area counties.

By April 1, all Pennsylvania counties were under the stay-at-home order.

The world went on pause.

The first reported case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was in January. The case came from Washington state.

The first death was reported in February.

On March 11, the World Health Organization officially said COVID-19 was a pandemic. By this time there were over 100,000 cases in 114 countries. More than 4,000 people had died.

Fast forward to early 2021 vaccinations were widely available, but came with significant pushback. Vaccinations, masking and social distancing all were things many debated about even today.

COVID-19 cases today have overall become less deadly and more treatable for most.

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4 years later: Looking back on COVID-19 - WKBN.com

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Why COVID-19 patients who could most benefit from Paxlovid still arent getting it - ABC News

CDC simplifies federal COVID-19 guidance, only 18% of people in WA up to date on vaccines

by Lee Stoll, KOMO News Reporter

Moving day, Sept. 21, 2020: Laboratory technical assistant Elena Boucher unpacks equipment in the extraction room. (OHSU)

WASHINGTON

As we march out of winter, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is relaxing its federal COVID-19 recommendations.

"We saw from the beginning of this season, for those who went to the hospital, 95% of them didn't have an updated vaccine," said CDC Director, Dr. Mandy Cohen.

According to the latest information from the Washington Department of Health, more than 1.575 million COVID-19 vaccines have been given over the last eight months,

Only 18.1% of people in our state are fully up to date with all the CDC-recommended doses.

"We have those tools to protect each other, we just need to use it," said Dr. Cohen.

The good news is we are now seeing week-to-week double-digit drops in the number of people ending up in the ER for COVID-19, flu, and RSV.

The number of people hospitalized this season for COVID is lower than in the last two years, but hospital stays for flu and RSV are higher.

"Remember though, COVID isn't a strictly seasonal disease like flu is. Flu has a particular defined season over the winter. Now COVID is worse during the winter, but we can still see COVID through these next months and into the summer," said Dr. Cohen.

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CDC simplifies federal COVID-19 guidance, only 18% of people in WA up to date on vaccines - KOMO News

On March 8th, 2020, a new disease was reported for the first time in Lexington, according to Kevin Hall, spokesman for the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.

In those four years, we've had 132,025 confirmed cases. And unfortunately, we've had 828 deaths. So whether you believe in COVID or you think it's overhyped, you still cannot take away that 828 families have been irreversibly changed in the last four years. And so our hearts go out to them.

Across the commonwealth, nearly 20,000 deaths have been attributed to COVID-19.

Lexingtons four-year anniversary came one week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new recommendations for COVID-19 and other potentially deadly respiratory illnesses. Hall says theyre intended, in part, to reduce the strain on medical providers.

The biggest takeaway with the new recommendations is that you can return to normal activities when symptoms have improved after 24 hours. This is a really important part if a fever is present, it needs to be gone at least 24 hours without the use of a fever reducing medicines.

Hall notes case numbers dont reflect positives from home COVID tests. He says hospitalizations and deaths are down compared to this time last year or the year before, and theres one big reason for that and a lesson for the future.

What that tells us public health officials is that the vaccine works. We said all along that the vaccine is not going to necessarily keep you from getting COVID. A, it will provide protection, but if you do get COVID, your symptoms will be less severe, and you are far less likely to end up hospitalized from this.

CDC March 1 respiratory illness guidance

** WEKU is working hard to be a leading source for public service, and fact-based journalism. Monthly supporters are the top funding source for this growing nonprofit news organization. Please join others in your community who support WEKUby making your donation.

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Lexington marks four-year anniversary of first COVID-19 case; CDC issues new recommendations - WEKU

Published on March 08, 2024

While COVID-19 remains a threat, today it is far less likely to cause severe illness. We now have widespread immunity and improved tools to prevent and treat the disease. The CDC has simplified its recommendations because the health impacts of COVID-19 now resemble those of other respiratory viral illnesses, including influenza and RSV.

The CDC is using a unified approach to limit the spread of respiratory illnesses. The new updates still encourage everyone to protect themselves from getting sick by staying up to date with routine vaccinations. However, if you are sick, the new guidance recommends you:

This guidance is especially important to protect those most at risk for severe illness, including those over 65 and people with weakened immune systems.

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Updated COVID-19 Guidance - City of San Antonio - City of San Antonio

Health experts want to give extra protection to older people, so a committee of medical advisers to the CDC in February recommended a spring COVID-19 booster shot for everyone who is 65 and older. Photo: Getty Images.

Its spring, the season for sweet strawberries, colorful tulips, crisp vegetables and a COVID-19 booster shot.

What? A spring dose of the COVID-19 vaccine?

Yes.

Health experts with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently recommended an extra dose of the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine for all people in the U.S. ages 65 and older.

Why? Simple. Hospitalizations and COVID-19 death rates for people who are 65 and older have been significantly higher than COVID deaths and hospitalizations among younger people over the last several months, and vaccine effectiveness is waning over time.

Health experts want to give extra protection to older people, so a committee of medical advisers to the CDC in February recommended a spring COVID-19 booster shot for everyone who is 65 and older.

To help you sort out the details about the new spring COVID-19 booster shot, we consulted with Dr. Michelle Barron, UCHealths senior medical director of infection prevention and control.

CDC experts recommended the booster for everyone ages 65 and older. In addition, people who are immunocompromised also have been eligible for extra doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, said Barron, who is also a professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine on the Anschutz Medical Campus.

At this stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults are having a tougher time when they get a bad case of COVID-19. Thats not surprising because immune systems in older people arent as strong as they are in the young, aside from younger people who are immunocompromised.

Here are some reasons why medical advisors to the CDC recommended a spring COVID-19 booster shot.

Youll want to wait at least four months since the last time you had a COVID-19 vaccine, Barron said.

No, if youve recently gotten sick with COVID-19, you should wait about three months.

You dont want to get your new shot until its been 90 days since your last COVID-19 episode, Barron said.

No, dont wait for the fall vaccine. Unless youve recently been sick with COVID-19, you should not wait to get a spring booster dose. If you are 65 or older, or you are immunocompromised, you should go ahead and get a booster of the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine now. (Learn all about the 2023-2024 vaccine that came out last fall.)

Vaccine makers and experts at the CDC are planning for newly formulated COVID-19 vaccines for the fall of 2024, but you shouldnt wait to get that version. Anyone who gets a booster this spring will also be eligible to get a dose of the newest COVID-19 vaccine this fall.

Yes, its very wise to get another dose, Barron said.

She and other researchers have done a study that is due to be published soon that shows why booster doses are so valuable for at-risk older adults.

Hospitalizations are high in this group, Barron said.

Just like typical flu shots, the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccines are not perfect, but they do help prevent deaths and reduce hospitalizations, Barron said.

Vaccine efficacy is about 50-to-60%, Barron said.

Some people might argue that that level of vaccine effectiveness isnt great, Barron said.

But Barron, who works hard every day to keep people healthy and out of UCHealths 14 Colorado hospitals, said vaccines that can keep as many as two-thirds of people from getting severely ill are incredibly valuable.

Thats pretty compelling, Barron said.

These vaccines may not keep you from getting sick, but if they prevent you from dying and being hospitalized, simple logic tells you thats a really good thing, she said.

So Barrons bottom-line advice to her older patients and relatives is quite simple: go get your spring booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. And, no matter your age, if you never got a 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine, you can still go get vaccinated.

Yes. Its true that vaccine effectiveness wanes over time. Thats why its wise for people who are ages 65 and older to get a booster shot this spring.

And even though vaccine effectiveness wanes over time, Barron said its still tremendously helpful to get COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots because they significantly reduce deaths and hospitalizations.

Barron is a co-author on an important new CDC study that evaluates how COVID-19 vaccines work over time.

According to the study, vaccine effectiveness for the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine (which people started receiving last fall and will get this spring) was strongest in the first seven to 59 days after people received a dose of what was called the monovalent shot. Vaccine effectiveness decreased to about 43% in the two to four months following vaccination, the researchers found. While not perfect, the vaccines nonetheless continue to provide some protection over time.

We continue to see as many cases of COVID-19 as we do for flu, Barron said. (Its also possible for patients to get both flu and COVID-19 or RSV at the same time. Read more about that.)

COVID-19 is still a significant component of the respiratory illness pathogens that are requiring hospitalization now, Barron said.

Yes, absolutely. Barron said many people dont think much about flu or COVID-19, but these respiratory illnesses can cause death and can make people very sick.

People can die and do die from the flu. Thats also true, of course, for COVID-19, Barron said.

Thankfully, we know that the vast majority of people who get COVID-19 now are just going to feel sick and stay home and recover. Or you may just have a minor infection, and thats great, Barron said. But for some people especially those who are older or immunocompromised you can have some really terrible impacts from these viruses.

Barron thinks the newest CDC guidelines simplify things.

The message I have for all of this is to use good old-fashioned common sense. If you are sick, please dont visit your grandmother and grandfather who are older and vulnerable. Also, please dont spend time with your friend who is just finishing cancer treatments or visit a brand new baby, Barron said. All of those people are at risk for having complications if they get sick, regardless of the virus that were talking about.

So, be smart, Barron said. We all understand the concept of protecting people from viral infections.

If you feel sick, and youre coughing, sneezing or cant eat or drink, you should stay home. Your coworkers will be appreciative if youre not hacking all day long again, Barron said.

Whatever the cause, if you have a fever, you should not be at work or at school until youve no longer had a fever for at least 24 hours without taking anti-fever medications like Tylenol or ibuprofen, she said. Thats actually a rule at most schools, and its not new. Its just good old-fashioned common sense. If youre sick, you should be home, and you dont want to spread whatever you have to someone else.

Medical experts advise people to stay home and avoid contact with other people until at least 24 hours after they have symptoms like a fever, bad cough or other signs of illness.

Once a persons fever breaks, they should still be cautious about exposing others since some people can remain contagious later. CDC experts encourage people to use good hygiene practices like frequent hand washing and wear a mask if theyre in crowded indoor settings. Its also wise to keep your distance from vulnerable people and take steps to be in well-ventilated areas.

Under the old guidelines, CDC experts encouraged people to isolate for at least five days. Now that more people have built up some immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19 through vaccines and prior infections, fewer people are getting severely ill from coronavirus infections. Guidance for people in health care settings may be different. Read some Frequently Asked Questions about the new guidelines for COVID-19.

Barron thinks the new guidance is simpler because its the standard advice that we should all be using if were sick, regardless of whether we have COVID-19, the flu, RSV, norovirus or another infectious illness.

If youre sick, stay home. If you have symptoms of an illness, dont expose others, especially vulnerable people.

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Spring COVID-19 booster shots. Who should get one and when? - UCHealth Today

Four years removed from the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, a pair of Defense Department health officials on Thursday testified that DOD remains committed to protecting service members' health, while also continuing to monitor and learn from the effects of COVID-19.

Dr. Lester Martinez-Lopez, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, and Shauna Stahlman, senior managing epidemiologist and technical lead in the field of epidemiology and analysis at the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division, provided insight into the Pentagon's ongoing monitoring of COVID-19-related issues during a roughly 45-minute appearance before a House Armed Services Committee.

"Today, four years after the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 virus, it continues to circulate in our military communities and evolve into new variants, presenting and ongoing health threat capable of harming service members and affecting operations," Martinez-Lopez told members of the Subcommittee on Personnel. "The department remains committed to protecting the health of the force and to better understand these impacts."

In addressing some of the specific ways in which DOD is attempting to get a leg up on COVID-19, Martinez-Lopez pointed to a pair of databases that medical analysts are using to investigate data and trends related to COVID-19. One is the Defense Medical Surveillance System, or DMSS, which is a relational database that is continuously expanding with the documentation of service members' individual medical experiences throughout their careers; the second is the Defense Medical Epidemiology Database, which provides limited remote access to DMSS information.

"Data to formulate policy is critical to us, especially when it comes to clinical policy," said Martinez-Lopez. "Our ongoing data surveillance will help inform future DOD policy on force health protection, improve readiness, and help prepare for and mitigate against future health threats."

Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in the spring of 2020, DOD has worked with and provided support to the Department of Health and Human Services in efforts to combat COVID-19, while generating numerous force health protection advisories intended to help service members stay ahead of the often-mutating virus.

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DOD Remains Committed to Protecting Health of Service Members, Learning From Effects of CO - Department of Defense