Category: Covid-19

Health officials for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced an update to their COVID-19 guidelines on Friday. Covering COVID-19 and other repository viruses such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the new guidance revision shortens the time people are expected to isolate themselves. This marks the first revision to the COVID-19 guidelines since 2021.

According to the CDC, this change is meant to target these respiratory illnesses more broadly, as they share similar symptoms, means of spread, and containment strategies.

CDC officials still stress the importance of preventing the spread even amid the shortened isolation time. We're in a different situation, but we must use the tools that work to protect against respiratory viruses, says CDC Director Mandy Cohen. Thats why our updated guidance emphasizes some core prevention actions to protect against severe illness from respiratory viruses.

Here is what to know about the updated COVID-19 guidelines and how to continue staying safe.

The CDC recommends that people who test positive for COVID-19 base their isolation period on their symptoms. Individuals can now end their isolation if theyve been fever-free for 24 hours and other symptoms are improving. Preventative strategies like wearing a mask are recommended for five days after ending isolation.

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are as follows:

Whether youve left isolation and youre trying to prevent others from getting sick, or youre trying to avoid getting sick yourself, wearing a quality mask remains the most effective way to stop the spread of COVID-19. A KN95 or N95 mask can block 95% of the particles responsible for the transmission of COVID-19.

MAGID N95 Respirator Masks

A mask if the most effective way to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Another way COVID-19 can spread is by touching your eyes, nose, or mouth after touching a surface that has COVID-19 particulates on it. You can prevent this by washing your hands. Its better to use soap and water, but hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol will work in a pinch.

Purell Advanced Hand Sanitizer Refreshing Gel

Disinfect your hands with hand sanitizer.

The presence of a fever (defined by the CDC as a temperature of 100.4F or greater) is the basis of the new isolation guidelines regarding, so its a good idea to check your temperature often with a thermometer. One of the best thermometers you can buy is this one by Femometer because of how quickly and accurately it gives readings. It also has a convenient high-temperature warning.

Femometer Thermometers

See whether or not you have a fever by using a thermometer.

While a negative test is no longer the basis for ending isolation, a positive test result is still helpful in determining if you have COVID-19 in the first place. Testing is recommended for individuals at risk of serious hospitalization, as the sooner they get a positive result, the sooner they can coordinate with a healthcare provider to get the care they need.

COVID-19 Antigen Self Test

A COVID-19 test is helpful to know whether or not you have COVID-19.

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CDC COVID guidelines 2024: what to know and how long to isolate - Reviewed

Tuesday 5 March 2024 23:01, UK

A "hypervaccinated" patient is said to have received more than 200 COVID-19 injections in less than three years, scientists have reported.

The unnamed man, a 62-year-old German national from the eastern city of Magdeburg, had 217 vaccines for "private reasons" over a period of 29 months, according to medical journal, Lancet Infectious Diseases.

Academics contacted the patient after reading about him in newspaper reports - and asked if they could study his body's response to multiple jabs.

He had "no signs" of ever being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 and had not reported any vaccine side effects, according to researchers based at the University of Erlangen-Nuremburg.

Dr Kilian Schober, chair of the university's microbiology department, said: "We learned about his case via newspaper articles. We then contacted him and invited him to undergo tests in Erlangen."

The patient was "very interested" in doing so, Dr Schober added.

Some 134 vaccinations, using eight different vaccines, have been officially confirmed.

No noticeable side effects were triggered despite the "extraordinary hypervaccination", Dr Schober said - indicating the drugs have "a good degree of tolerability".

Researchers also examined previous blood tests as well as blood samples as he went on to receive further vaccines - including some jabs "at his own insistence".

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Dr Schober said: "The individual has undergone various blood tests over recent years, he gave us permission to assess the results of these analyses.

"In some cases, samples had been frozen, and we were able to investigate these ourselves.

"We were also able to take blood samples ourselves when the man received further vaccination during the study at his own insistence."

Immune system 'fully functional' despite many jabs

The samples were used to determine how vaccinations affected the patient's immune system - with the research concluding it was "fully functional".

Certain immune cells and antibodies against the virus which causes COVID-19 were present in considerably higher levels compared to people who had received three vaccines, the study found.

One of the leading authors of the project, Katharina Kocher, said: "Overall, we did not find any indication for a weaker immune response, rather the contrary."

Dr Schober said: "Until now, it has been unclear what effects hypervaccination such as this would have on the immune system.

"Some scientists were of the opinion that immune cells would become less effective after becoming used to the antigens.

"This proved not to be the case in the individual in question: his immune system is fully functional."

Read more: Owners say pandemic puppies are badly behaved Mum launches legal action over daughter's long COVID What are the NHS waiting times in your local area?

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However, the results are based on "one individual case" and are "not sufficient for making far-reaching conclusions let alone recommendations for the general public," Dr Schober warned.

He added: "Current research indicates that a three-dose vaccination, coupled with regular top-up vaccines for vulnerable groups, remains the favoured approach.

"There is no indication that more vaccines are required."

The lockdowns imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic also saw changes in newborn babies that may have helped to protect them against allergies, according to a study published earlier this month.

On 31 January this year, exactly four years after the UK's first coronavirus cases were confirmed in the UK, scientists warned the virus is "still evolving at an incredible rate".

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'Hypervaccinated' patient had 217 COVID-19 jabs in less than three years, scientists say - Sky News

A general view of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.

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Good afternoon!The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced two major new Covid recommendations last week.

The first and much more controversial change applies to nearly all of us. People who test positive for Covid-19 no longer need to stay away from others for at least five days, according to new guidelines the CDC issued Friday.

The second, less surprising shift targets a narrower population: seniors. The CDC on Thursday recommended that people ages 65 and older get an additional updated shot against the virus this spring.

The separate announcements show the tricky balancing act that the CDC faces as the pandemic enters its fifth year.

On one hand, the agency is trying to relax and simplify its prior health guidelines to reflect the progress the U.S. has made in reducing hospitalizations and deaths from Covid over the last two years.

Doing so also aims to make the CDC's guidance easier for Americans to understand and follow, especially at a time when many of them are no longer willing or able to spend a week out of work or school.

On the other hand, the CDC is still trying to stress the importance of using vaccines and treatments to combat the virus. Those protective tools are critical for people at higher risk of severe complications from Covid, including older adults and immunocompromised patients.

Now, let's dig into the details of the two new recommendations.

The CDC's new isolation guidelines say people with Covid may resume daily activities if:

That matches the agency's public health advice for the flu and other respiratory illnesses. Notably, the recommendation does not apply to health-care settings or nursing homes.

The CDC recommends that people who are recovering from Covid or other respiratory viruses take additional precautions for five days. They include wearing well-fitting masks, washing their hands, limiting close contact with others, improving ventilation in their spaces and testing as needed.

The agency noted that U.S. states and countries that have already shortened their Covid isolation times have not seen increased hospitalizations or deaths related to Covid. That includes California and Oregon.

Previously, the CDC recommended that people with Covid stay home for at least five days to reduce the chances of spreading the virus to others. The agency's initial isolation period was 10 days.

Some health experts had urged the agency to shorten that period even before the official announcement last week.

Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told NBC News last month that he and his colleagues have privately encouraged the CDC to drop the five-day isolation period. He said that's partly because there's little evidence it's stopping the spread of the virus.

Other experts were critical of the CDC's new guidance.

The agency's new guidance "promotes people shedding virus to infect others," Dr. Eric Topol, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, said in a post on X. He added that, based on evidence from rapid antigen tests, most people will still be infectious if they exit isolation earlier.

Sylvester Fisher gets a influenza vaccine from pharmacist Patricia Pernal during an event hosted by the Chicago Department of Public Health at the Southwest Senior Center on September 09, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. The vaccines were being offered along with pneumonia vaccines and the recently authorized COVID-19 booster vaccine, which protects against the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and the more recent omicron variants, BA.4 and BA.5 during the event. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Scott Olson | Getty Images News | Getty Images

The CDC's other recommendation appeared to be less controversial. After all, the agency in April backed a second dose of last year's Covid shot for seniors and immunocompromised people.

On Thursday, the CDC said healthy older adults should get an additional dose of the newest round of Covid vaccines at least four months after their most recent shot. People who are immunocompromised are already eligible for another dose of the updated vaccine.

Those updated vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax are designed to target the omicron subvariant XBB.1.5. But the shots are also effective against the JN.1 subvariant, which currently accounts for more than 90% of new Covid infections in the U.S.

Now, the CDC is gearing up for another slate of new shots this fall.

Researchers are working on selecting a strain for the upcoming version, and will likely wait until May to pick one to design vaccines around, CDC Director Mandy Cohen said in an interview with Bloomberg on Monday.

And she expects that to be the status quo moving forward: "Folks should anticipate that when they get their flu shot, they'll get an updated Covid shot as well," she said.

Happy Women's History Month!

It's no secret that male founders receive vastly more venture capital funding than their female counterparts. The 30-year average for female founders' total share of investments sits at just 2.4%, according to a 2019 report from the Harvard Kennedy School.

However, a recent report from Deloitte found that investments in women's health could be an emerging bright spot though there is still a lot of room for improvement.

Investments across technology, pharma, biotech and medtech related to women's health grew 5% between 2022 and 2023, the report said. Jennifer Radin, who leads Deloitte's U.S. health-care advisory practice, said the uptick in investment is "really exciting" because women have been historically underrepresented in both the design and delivery of health care.

But even so, women's health still makes up just 2% of venture funding for the overall health-care industry, according to the report. There's still "a lot of room to grow," Radin said.

She said women make up 50% of the U.S. population, 60% of the paid workforce and more than 65% of the unpaid workforce, which includes child and family caretaking and household management. As a result, the perception of women's health as a niche market is changing.

"Actually ensuring that women have access to high quality, affordable women-centered care creates a more stable economy, and a more stable society," Radin told CNBC in an interview. "And so the business case for women's health is actually really clear and can be quantified."

You can read the full report here.

In January, the venture firm General Catalyst announced it signed a letter of intent to acquire Summa Health, a nonprofit integrated health system in northeast Ohio that supports more than 1,000 inpatient beds.

It's an unprecedented move in venture capital, and one that has elicited a mixed response from health-care professionals, investors and Ohio residents.

Dr. Marc Harrison, who's now CEO of HATCo, speaking at the Healthy Returns conference in New York City on May 21, 2019.

Astrid Stawiarz | CNBC

General Catalyst set the stage for the deal in late 2022 when it brought in Dr. Marc Harrison, who spent the bulk of the past two decades in the upper ranks of medical systems. A year later, the firm introduced a new company called the Health Assurance Transformation Corporation, or HATCo, for Harrison to lead.

Harrison said HATCo's goal isn't to overhaul Summa by cutting costs. Instead, the company will work over a "decades-long time horizon" to establish new revenue streams and models of care, particularly through the introduction of new platforms and tech solutions.

CNBC explored the acquisition and what it will mean for Summa, as well as why Harrison is up for the challenge. I'll have much more to come on this as it evolves!

Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Annika at annikakim.constantino@nbcuni.com and Ashley at ashley.capoot@nbcuni.com

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Healthy Returns: What to know about CDCs new Covid recommendations - CNBC

(CNN) One German man has redefined man on a mission. A 62-year-old from Magdeburg deliberately got 217 Covid-19 vaccine shots in the span of 29 months, according to a new study, going against national vaccine recommendations. Thats an average of one jab every four days.

In the process, he became a walking experiment for what happens to the immune system when it is vaccinated against the same pathogen repeatedly. A correspondence published Monday in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases outlined his case and concluded that while his hypervaccination did not result in any adverse health effects, it also did not significantly improve or worsen his immune response.

The man, who is not named in the correspondence in compliance with German privacy rules, reported receiving 217 Covid shots between June 2021 and November 2023. Of those, 134 were confirmed by a prosecutor and through vaccination center documentation; the remaining 83 were self-reported, according to the study.

This is a really unusual case of someone receiving that many Covid vaccines, clearly not following any type of guidelines, said Dr. Emily Happy Miller, an assistant professor of medicine and of microbiology and immunology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine who did not participate in the research.

The man did not report any vaccine-related side effects and has not had a Covid infection to date, as evidenced by repeated antigen and PCR testing between May 2022 and November 2023. The researchers caution that its not clear that his Covid status is directly because of his hypervaccination regimen.

Perhaps he didnt get Covid because he was well-protected in the first three doses of the vaccine, Miller said. We also dont know anything about his behaviors.

Dr. Kilian Schober, senior author of the new study and a researcher at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nrnberg, said it is important to remember that this is an individual case study, and the results are not generalizable.

The researchers also say they do not endorse hypervaccination as a strategy to enhance immunity.

The benefit is not much bigger if you get vaccinated three times or 200 times, Schober said.

According to his immunization history, the man got his first Covid vaccine in June 2021. He got 16 shots that year at centers across the eastern state of Saxony.

He ramped up his efforts in 2022, rolling up his sleeves for shots in both his right and left arms almost every day in January, for a total of 48 shots that month.

Then he kept going: 34 shots in February and six more shots in March. Around this time, German Red Cross staff members in the city of Dresden became suspicious and issued a warning to other vaccination centers, encouraging them to call the police if they saw the man again, CNN affiliate RTL reported in April 2022.

In early March, he showed up at a vaccination center in the town of Eilenburg and was detained by police. He was suspected of selling the vaccination cards to third parties, according to RTL. This was during a time when many European countries required proof of vaccination to access public venues and travel.

The public prosecutor in Magdeburg opened an investigation into the man for the unauthorized issuing of vaccination cards and forgery of documents but did not end up filing criminal charges, according to the study.

The researchers read about the man in the news and reached out to him through the prosecutor investigating his case in May 2022. By this point, he was 213 shots in.

He agreed to provide medical information, blood and saliva samples. He also proceeded to get four more Covid shots, against the researchers medical advice, Schober said.

The researchers analyzed his blood chemistries, which showed no abnormalities linked to his hypervaccination. They also looked at various markers to evaluate how his adaptive immune system was functioning, according to the study.

The adaptive immune system is the subsection of the immune system that learns to recognize and respond to specific pathogens when you encounter them throughout your life, Miller said. There are two main cell types in the adaptive immune system, T cells and B cells.

In chronic diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis B, immune cells can become fatigued from frequent exposure to the pathogen and lose the ability to combat it effectively, Schober said. Hypervaccination, in theory, could have a similar effect.

However, thats not what the researchers found. Hypervaccination in this case increased the quantity (the number of T cells and B cell products) but did not affect the quality of the adaptive immune system, according to the study.

If you take the allegory of the immune system as an army, the number of soldiers is higher, but the soldiers themselves are not different, Schober said.

In total, the man got eight vaccine formulations, including mRNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, a vector-based vaccine from Johnson & Johnson and a recombinant-protein vaccine from Sanofi.

The observation that no noticeable side effects were triggered in spite of this extraordinary hypervaccination indicates that the drugs have a good degree of tolerability, Schober said in a news release.

While very interesting from a scientific perspective, individual case studies like this must always be taken with a grain of salt, Miller said. Public health recommendations, which are based on very large, randomized control trials, are what people should look to for guidance, she added.

I dont think any physician or public health official would recommend doing what this gentleman did. This is really uncharted territory, Miller said. Talk to your doctor, follow the recommended vaccine schedules, and that should be the best thing to keep you both protected from Covid and healthy and safe.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends Covid vaccination for everyone ages 6 months or older in the United States, following the vaccination schedules outlined on its website. Last week, the CDC updated its guidance to recommend an additional dose of the current Covid vaccine for people 65 and older.

Less than a quarter of adults and only 13% of children in the US have gotten the most recently recommended Covid vaccine, according to CDC data.

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German man went against guidelines and got 217 Covid shots. Heres what happened - KOMU 8

COVID-19 may increase the risk of autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIRDs) for up to 1 year after infection, according to a two-country study published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The study, led by researchers from the Broad Institute at MIT and Harvard and from Kyung Hee University in Seoul, South Korea, analyzed national claims databases from more than 10 million Korean and 12 million Japanese patients aged 20 years and older diagnosed as having COVID-19 from January 2020 to December 2021.

The study period was dominated by the wild-type virus and then the Delta variant. The COVID-19 patients were compared with matched flu patients from the same period and uninfected controls.

Of the Korean participants, 3.9% had a history of COVID-19, and 0.98% had a history of flu. Among the Japanese participants, 8.2% had COVID-19, and 0.99% had flu.

After propensity-score matching, COVID-19 patients were at a 25% to 30% increased risk for new-onset AIRD after the first 30 days post-infection, compared with uninfected controls (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.25) and flu patients (aHR, 1.30).

After adjustment, the risks for all-cause AIRD, connective tissue disease, untreated AIRD, and treated AIRD were significantly higher after COVID-19 infection than those in uninfected or flu patients in both the Korean and Japanese cohorts. The risk of new-onset, all-cause AIRD appeared to decline with time and fell off after 1 year.

Care strategies for patients who survive COVID-19 should pay close attention to manifestations of AIRD, particularly after severe COVID-19.

Greater severity of COVID-19 infection was tied to an increased risk of new-onset, untreated, and treated AIRD. The wild-type virus and the Delta variant were both associated with increased risk of AIRD.

Relative to unvaccinated COVID-19 patients, the rate of AIRD was lower among COVID-19 patients who had received one vaccine dose (HR, 0.59) or two or more doses (HR, 0.42), regardless of whether the vaccine was the mRNA or viral-vector type. While receipt of at least one dose was linked to a reduced risk of AIRD in patients with mild COVID-19, this was not the case for those with moderate or severe disease.

The findings held true in subgroup analyses by sex, age-group, annual income, history of infectious respiratory disease, Charlson Comorbidity Index score, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and level of aerobic exercise.

"This population-based cohort study shows that the increased risk for incident AIRD extends up to 12 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection," the study authors wrote. "Care strategies for patients who survive COVID-19 should pay close attention to manifestations of AIRD, particularly after severe COVID-19."

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COVID tied to higher risk of inflammatory autoimmune diseases for 1 year - University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Back to the basics: CDC relaxes COVID-19 guidelines on isolation, testing

by Emily Matesic, FOX 11 News

This illustration provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in January 2020 shows the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). (CDC via AP, File)

It's hard to go anywhere these days and not come across someone who is sneezing, coughing or blowing their nose.

However, according to Infection Preventionist Meghan Buechel with Bellin Health, we are starting to exit respiratory illness season. She said hospitalizations for viruses like COVID-19 have been down for the past couple of weeks.

The%20Centers%20for%20Disease%20Control%20is%20releasing%20new%20guidelines%20when%20it%20comes%20to%20dealing%20with%20respiratory%20illnesses,%20including%20COVID-19.%20(WLUK)

According to Buechel, "We are seeing some influenza activity begin creeping up again, kind of getting a second wave on influenza currently, but hopefully that will run its course in the next few weeks."

With illness rates dropping, the CDC is adjusting its guidelines for not only COVID-19, but all respiratory illnesses, including things like influenza and RSV.

The new guidelines call for people to stay home for 24 hours after illness onset and be fever free for 24 hours. Then, for the next five days, people should take precautions, like masking and good hygiene, to protect others.

Even testing for COVID-19 is not as vital as it used to be, except for people with weakened immune systems or other risk factors.

Buechel said, "Getting that COVID-19 test for them can help initiate treatment strategies that can help them lessen the symptoms that they're experiencing or lessen the severity of COVID-19 illness that they have."

Health care officials say it's important to get back to the basics: Stay home when you're sick, be mindful of prevention measures and listen to your body.

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Back to the basics: CDC relaxes COVID-19 guidelines on isolation, testing - Fox11online.com

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The White House on Monday lifted regulations on those working in close contact with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, no longer requiring a negative COVID-19 test.

The decision marks the end of one of the last remaining federal restrictions from the pandemic era.

The White House has pointed to changing guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a key factor in its policies surrounding COVID-19.

On March 1, the CDC officially dropped its recommendation for people to isolate themselves for five days after a positive COVID test.

PROTEST OF CDC'S NEW COVID GUIDANCE PLANNED FOR THEIR MONTH IN WASHINGTON, DC: 'URGENT NEED'

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris stand onstage and wave to the crowd at a "Reproductive Freedom Campaign Rally" at George Mason University in Manassas, Virginia, in January 2024. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The agencys new guidance tells people to stay home if they are sick, but when they are feeling better and have been fever-free for 24 hours, they can return to school or work.

CDC RECOMMENDS ADDITIONAL COVID VACCINE FOR ADULTS 65 AND OVER

A general view of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta. (REUTERS/Tami Chappell/File Photo)

Prior to this most recent update, the CDC called for people who test positive for the virus to "stay home for at least five days and isolate from others in your home," a recommendation that was implemented in late 2021.

The contrast between the CDC's rhetoric about COVID-19 during the pandemic and afterward has caused controversy among some.

In response to last week's change in guidance, a community called LC/DC, which describes itself as non-partisan, is planning a protest at the Lincoln Memorial on March 15.

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A sign advertises a COVID-19 vaccination site in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

"LC/DC is fighting to raise awareness about long COVID, and we recognize that reducing the isolation policy will result in more infections, long-term illnesses and disability," said Paul Hennessy, one of the three main organizers of the planned event.

The demonstration at Lincoln Memorial will take place on March 15 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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White House drops COVID-19 rule that those around Biden, Harris must test negative - Fox News

CLEVELAND, Ohio The governments program making free at-home COVID-19 tests available to all Americans ends Friday, federal health officials have announced.

Households across the country have been able to order four free rapid antigen tests through COVID.gov. since November. All orders placed on or before Friday will be fulfilled, according to the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The move announced Tuesday is another sign that the pandemic is moving away from emergency status, although COVID-19 related hospitalizations and deaths continue to mount.

Recently, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dropped its five-day COVID-19 isolation guidelines.

Under the new guidance, people with mild COVID-19 could stop isolating if they havent had a fever for at least 24 hours without medication, and their symptoms are improving.

The new isolation guidelines for COVID-19 are in line with the guidance for other respiratory illnesses, such as flu.

Both vaccines for flu and COVID-19 will be updated this fall at about the same time, CDC director Mandy Cohen said Monday.

Americans 65 and older now are recommended to get an additional dose of the current one-shot COVID-19 vaccine, the CDC said recently in updating its vaccine guidelines for the first time since the fall.

Older adults are at increased risk of severe disease from COVID-19, with more than half of COVID-19 hospitalizations from October to December 2023 occurring in adults 65 and older, the CDC said.

The one-shot COVID-19 vaccine first became available last fall, and was recommended for everyone age 5 and up to protect against serious illness.

Julie Washington covers healthcare for cleveland.com. Read previous stories at this link.

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No more free COVID-19 tests as of Friday, federal government says - cleveland.com

3 March 2024

Bereaved relatives hold a minute's silence in Londonderry's Peace Flame Garden to recall loved ones who died in the pandemic

Families who lost loved ones during the Covid pandemic have been taking part in events across Northern Ireland to remember those who died.

They have been organised by the Memory Stones of Love group, which was set up by families wanting to remember their loved ones together.

Events are taking place across the UK on Sunday to remember lives lost as part of a national day of reflection.

In Londonderry bereaved families took part in a walk across the Peace Bridge.

A minute's silence was then held in the city's Peace Flame Garden.

Ciaran Ward's parents Bredge and Owen Ward, from Strabane, County Tyrone, died within 12 hours of each other in November 2020.

Ciaran Ward, whose parents died on the same day during the Covid pandemic

"Today is a special day for all of the bereaved families to come together to grieve together to remember their loved ones," Mr Ward told BBC News NI.

"For myself, during the pandemic to lose Mum and Dad, it feels surreal, it still doesn't feel real."

Mr Ward recalled being unable to visit his parents in hospital due to the strict measures put in place at the time to reduce transmission of the Covid-19 virus.

"Not being able to see them - everyone in life wants to be with their family as they pass away," he said. "And they also want to be at home. And for us, for Mum and Dad - they were denied that."

He added: "It's important that as a collective society that we all come together and we remember the horror that has happened and the trauma that has happened for so many people."

Catriona Myles whose schoolteacher dad Gerry McLarnon died during the pandemic

Catriona Myles's father Gerry McLarnon was 67 when he died during the pandemic.

She recalled how her dad, who suffered from cancer, died without family members present when he was admitted to hospital in December 2020 after contracting Covid.

The annual day of reflection is "so important for the families", she said.

She said she was at Sunday's event "to bring comfort, compassion and solidarity to other families that have faced the same losses as ourselves".

"Everyone wants to move on and I understand that as a society we need to move on but, for the families, there are so many questions unanswered," she added.

"And it's a very lonely place that we're in a lot of the time."

Families also attended events in Belfast and Enniskillen to remember those who died.

Brenda Doherty, whose mother Ruth died during the pandemic, at a craft event in Belfast on Sunday organised by Memory Stones of Love

In Belfast Memory Stones of Love organised a the craft event, from which bereaved family members planned to walk together to Belfast City Hall, which will be lit up yellow in memory of those who died.

Last year the group laid more than 300 memory stones in the shape of a heart outside City Hall.

The stones were individually painted and bore the name of a loved one who died in the pandemic.

Other public buildings across Northern Ireland, including the Guildhall in Derry, will also be illuminated yellow on Sunday evening as a mark of respect.

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Covid-19: NI families gather to recall loved ones who died in pandemic - BBC.com

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Males and females have differential physiological responses to COVID-19 infections, with males having larger increases in skin temperature, breathing rate and heart rate during an acute infection. That is the conclusion of a new study that used data from wearable devices and was published in PLOS ONE by Lorenz Risch of the Private University in the Principality of Liechtenstein and collaborators.

COVID-19 infections are known to impact physiological parameters including breathing rate, heart rate and skin temperature. A better understanding of sex-specific trajectories in these physiological changes could support the early detection and treatment of COVID-19

In the new study, (the COVI-GAPP study), a member of the COVID-19 Remote Early Detection (COVID-RED) Consortium collected data on 1,163 people with the Ava wearable medical device. More than 1.5 million hours of physiological data were recorded and included in the new analysis.

During the study period, spanning 2020 and 2021, 127 participants tested positive for COVID-19, of whom 82 had sufficient quality of data from the Ava app to include in the analysis.

The study found that, compared to females, males had larger increases in skin temperature, breathing rate and heart rate, and a larger decrease in heart rate variability during COVID-19 infection. Moreover, male participants' breathing rate and heart rate remained at significantly higher levels during the recovery period as compared to their female peers.

The study also tested potentially confounding variables, including BMI, age, hypertension, and alcohol and drug use, and found no impact of these variables on the associations between sex and physiology during infection. However, the study could not account for hormonal changes across the menstrual cycle among female participants.

The authors conclude that sex-specific biological responses to COVID-19 infection may be linked to the higher mortality and hospitalization rates observed in male COVID-19 patients. More work is needed to fully understand the biological underpinning of these sex differences.

The authors add, "The COVI-GAPP study has revealed significant sex-specific variations in vital parameter trends throughout the course of a SARS-CoV 2 infection. We firmly believe that utilizing wearable technology in research represents a valuable approach to gain deeper insights into diseases and their impacts, ultimately laying the groundwork not only for more timely and more accurate diagnoses but also for general advancements in precision medicine."

More information: Sex-specific differences in physiological parameters related to SARS-CoV-2 infections among a national cohort (COVI-GAPP study), PLoS ONE (2024). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292203

Journal information: PLoS ONE

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COVID-19 physiological impacts vary by sex, wearable technology reveals - Medical Xpress