Featured Headlines
Shanghai Hospital Harbors Unreported Covid-19 Outbreak, Deaths – WSJ
Outbreak at elderly-care facility suggests hidden impact on China’s financial center; ‘Orderlies, nurses and doctors, we’re all infected’. Many patients have died in recent days at a large Shanghai elderly-care hospital that is battling a Covid-19 outbreak, according to people familiar with the situation, a sign that a new wave of infections is hitting China’s financial capital harder than authorities have publicly disclosed. Shanghai’s government hasn’t reported any Covid-related deaths or outbreaks in its hundreds of elderly-care centers since cases began climbing in the city in March.
A New Wave of Covid-19 Is Coming. Here’s How to Prepare. – NYT
Taking these seven steps now can lower your risk and minimize the disruption to your family’s life. The culprit this time is BA.2, a subvariant of the highly infectious Omicron variant. Nobody knows for sure how much havoc it will cause, but BA.2 has already led to a surge of cases in Europe and is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the United States and around the world.
Maternal Mortality Rate Has Increased, And Covid’s Mostly To Blame – KHN
From 2019 to 2020, the maternal death rate in the U.S. rose from 20.1 deaths per 100,000 live births to 23.8 deaths — a nearly 37% increase over 2018. Covid in pregnancy can increase the risk of preterm delivery, blood clots, stillbirth, and preeclampsia, said Dr. Jason Melillo, an OhioHealth OB-GYN.
Should your vaccinated grandmother’s death from COVID-19 be considered an acceptable loss? Should seasonal spikes in casualties among the unvaccinated elicit more than a shrug? Should life go on without disruption if a new coronavirus variant starts killing as many youngsters as childhood cancers?
Germany has reached omicron coronavirus peak – DW
Even as it said Germany likely passed the peak of omicron infections, the Robert Koch Institute warned coronavirus cases remained high. Despite this, the country is considering relaxing quarantine rules.
Fully vaccinated ship docks in San Francisco with multiple COVID cases aboard – ABC News
A Princess Cruises ship arrived in California Sunday with multiple passengers and crew members aboard who tested positive for COVID-19. The company’s ship, the Ruby Princess, docked in San Francisco after a 15-day Panama Canal cruise. RELATED: CDC no longer warning travelers about risk of contracting COVID on cruise ships after 2 years
Vaccine Headlines
Seriously, Why Not Get a Fourth Shot? – The Atlantic
The FDA and CDC have cleared the way for Americans older than 50 to get a second booster shot—but they don’t quite suggest that everyone in that age group should do so. Like masking and many other pandemic-control measures, a fourth dose (or third, for the J&Jers in the back) is now a matter of personal judgment, even as another wave of COVID cases seems poised to break. That leaves millions of Americans and their doctors to perform their own risk-benefit analysis.
More Evidence Hybrid Immunity Confers Highest Level of COVID Protection – MedPageToday
Brazil, Sweden find fewest reinfections, severe disease cases among those infected and vaccinated
Why Kids’ COVID-Vaccine Results Don’t Look Like Adults’ – The Atlantic
After a stellar run in adult and teen trials, the vaccines are now trying to contend with Omicron, and the numbers show it. Last Friday, Lakshmi Ganapathi’s son turned 5, and finally became eligible for his first Pfizer COVID shot. Ganapathi’s family had been anticipating that moment for more than a year, yet as of late, she can’t help but feel the slightest bit deflated. At first, the COVID vaccines’ trickle down the age brackets felt worth the wait because the shots were doing such a stellar job at blocking symptoms. The clinical trials kept delivering knockout results: 94 percent efficacy, 95 percent efficacy, 100 percent efficacy, 91 percent efficacy—a near-perfect performance in every tested group from adults to elementary-school-age kids. Then Omicron swept in, slipping around the vaccines’ shields.
Clinical Considerations
Pregnant people at much higher risk of breakthrough covid, study shows – Washington Post
Pregnant people who are vaccinated against the coronavirus are nearly twice as likely to get covid-19 as those who are not pregnant, according to a new study that offers the broadest evidence to date of the odds of infections among vaccinated patients with different medical circumstances.
What Drives Post-COVID Cognitive Changes? – MedPageToday
New research released today suggested that an over-stimulated immune system — possibly triggered by ongoing vascular injury and repair — may be behind persistent post-COVID cognitive changes.
COVID-19 infection increases your risk for diabetes, a new study says – NPR
People who suffered from even mild cases of COVID-19 face an increased risk of being diagnosed with diabetes within a year of recovering from the illness, a new study reports. Researchers found that people who had COVID-19 were about 40% more likely to develop diabetes within a year after recovering, compared to participants in a control group. The likelihood of developing diabetes grew if the patient suffered from a serious infection that led to hospitalization or a stay in intensive care.
Official Reporting for April 1, 2022
World Health Organization
Weekly Epi Update March 22, 2022 (latest release)
New Cases: 1,674,523
Confirmed Cases: 483,556,595
Deaths: 6,132,461
Johns Hopkins
Confirmed Cases: 488,654,695
Deaths: 6,144,667
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Total cases: 79,904,464 (+25,732 New Cases)
Total deaths: 977,495 (+626 New Deaths)
Science and Tech
What do we mean by ‘COVID-19 changes your brain’? – ScienceNews
The results, published March 7 in Nature, prompted headlines about COVID-19 causing brain damage and shrinkage. That coverage, in turn, prompted alarmed posts on social media, including mentions of early-onset dementia and brain rotting.
COVID-19 testing plays a critical role in the fight against the virus. Understanding COVID-19 tests, including the different types of tests and their uses, and the types of samples the tests use, is key to making an informed decision that meets your needs.
Ivermectin does not prevent COVID-19 hospitalization, a new study says – NPR
The anti-parasitic ivermectin doesn’t reduce the risk of hospitalization from COVID-19, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study serves as more evidence for what health professionals have been saying for much of the pandemic: the cow and horse de-wormer shouldn’t be used to treat COVID.
Early Use of High-Titer Plasma Reduced COVID Hospitalizations – MedPageToday
Psychological and Sociological Impact
U.S. Teens Suffered Heightened Toll of Pain, Abuse in Pandemic – Bloomberg
U.S. high school students endured widespread emotional and physical pain during the relative isolation of Covid-19, reporting high rates of abuse, sadness and distress in the home during early 2021.
Published Research
Risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection and COVID-19 hospitalisation in individuals with natural and hybrid immunity: a retrospective, total population cohort study in Sweden – The Lancet
The Concept of Classical Herd Immunity May Not Apply to COVID-19 – Journal of Infectious Diseases
Effect of Early Treatment with Ivermectin among Patients with Covid-19 – NEJM
Misinformation, Disinformation, and Conspiracy Theories
Reducing “COVID-19 Misinformation” While Preserving Free Speech – JAMA
Misinformation about risks, prevention, and treatment of COVID-19 has cost lives. Misinformation comes from many sources, with many motives for spreading and believing it. In caring capably and compassionately for patients, a substantial majority of health professionals and health care organizations have vigorously defended the standards of medical science and public health practice. However, a vocal minority and their sponsors or allies have exploited their medical credentials to the detriment of the public. They have understated known risks of severe illness, challenged the safety and effectiveness of vaccines without evidence, touted unproved and risky treatments, and amplified conspiracy theories about science and scientists. These activities have compounded the ethical stress and moral injury the health care workforce has experienced during repeated pandemic surges.1
Coping with COVID
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