DAMMIT! We had plans to see some of our most COVID-cautious friends between Xmas and NYE. They don't do much, wear masks, and won't see their grandkids' Xmas concerts for safety. Then she tells us she's going to the salon that week--in what will probably be one of the most dangerous, high-transmission weeks in 2 years!? So, we've canceled with them.
Why is it so hard to make sane, appropriate decisions on elective activities during a #COVID19 surge?! Risk your long-term health over a haircut?!
Scientists are narrowing in on the fastest-growing COVID-19 variant, learning more about the strain that has coincided with a rise in cases as Americans head into the holidays. #AureFreePress#News#covid19#covid
Minors in TX faced a range of barriers to finding accurate info & obtaining confidential contraceptive services, which were exacerbated by the #COVID19 pandemic. Expanding options for accessible confidential contraception, along w repealing parental consent laws, would better support minors' reproductive autonomy. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36604208/
NEW research finds maternal COVID-19 infection during pregnancy causally, and substantially, increased the risk of preterm birth—an infant outcome with lifelong consequences for health and socioeconomic well-being.
Today, a young American woman between the ages of 25 and 34 face higher mortality rates than at any other point in more than 50 years. And had the mortality rate remained flat between 2000 and 2021, nearly 40,000 young women would not have died.
~Sara Srygley of PRB
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT🖊️ Did #covid19 lead to a new health-economy cleavage? 🧵
Lorenzo Cicchi wrote a blog article to summarise the main findings of the #EUI paper on sectoral affectedness and #covid policy preferences.
The authors found out that "[...] personal beliefs and values, including ideological leanings and trust in scientists, emerge as key drivers of policy preferences."
It is truly a bizarre and discomforting experience to spend the morning reviewing a dozen scientific studies demonstrating #COVID19 damages brains, reproductive systems, livers and other organs and then go to my Facebook feed to see photos of all my friends in planes, at concerts, and in crowded bars without masks. I sure hope there isn't a population-wide level of declining health and regret in the years to come. 😷 😨
🚨 New publication: The Relationship Between Lockdowns and Video Game Playtime: Multilevel Time-Series Analysis Using Massive-Scale Data Telemetry 🚨
In which we show that the COVID-19 lockdowns didn't really affect the amount of heavy gaming per player, but accounted for more players playing games (and school lockdowns only).
"People infected multiple times with #COVID19 are more likely to develop long COVID, and most never fully recover from the condition. Those are two of the most striking findings of a comprehensive new 3-year research study of 138,000 veterans."
I dedicate this post to the three people who told I was being a fearmonger in the past week.
Family remembers Fort Worth police officer who died of COVID-19 complications.
All moments she and her kids are now holding onto after COVID-19 shattered their lives.
“I started to get better after a week, he did not. He started getting worse," said Vickie.
They contracted the virus in mid-August, and she said her husband was in and out of the hospital from then on.
Vickie said her husband got the virus while on the job.
“I was always scared of him getting COVID because he already had lung problems, he has—he’s an asthmatic," she said.
She said after being on an ECMO, Jenson's liver and kidney started failing. An ECMO machine pumps blood outside the body, allowing the patient's heart and lungs to rest.
"He went from...breathing oxygen, to a mask, to the highest form of ventilator, like within 24 hours or so," Vickie said.
They said their goodbyes to the 57-year-old on Saturday.
🇦🇺 Australia: Federal COVID-19 reporting is moving to a monthly reporting schedule, with today being the final weekly report. The next report is expected 10th November 2023.
💬 Part 1 of our "Participant Insights Series" is here!
We are proud to present our first #citizen perspective on the #regroup#minipublics. How was it for the participants to engage in a deliberative democracy setting? Time for the participants' voices to be heard!
Click the images to read how this participant reflects on his experience in the Dutch mini-public. 👇
Follow our weekly series for more valuable insights.
🌙👻 Was passiert nachts im Haus der Bürgerschaft? Spukt der Geist von August Hagedorn über die Flure? Bei unserer Taschenlampenführung am 2. November um 20 Uhr könnt Ihr es herausfinden! Wir verlosen 12x 2 🎫 für die erste Führung der Saison, inklusive anschließendem Get-together bei einem Getränk. Bürgerschaftspräsidentin Antje Grotheer führt Euch persönlich durchs Haus. Schreibt uns in die Kommentare 👇, warum ihr gern dabei wärt!
Disclaimer: The data in this column come from either mainstream news
media sources or scientific research published in peer-reviewed
journals (each category can be determined by following the links in
the reference section). This column's author acknowledges the cultural
bias of the world scientific community in its belief that the
scientific method is the most viable available alternative for
assessing COVID-19 and its effects in an objective manner through a
structured process of observable and repeatable hypothesis testing.
Summary: A new study finds SARS-CoV-2 directly infects the coronary
vasculature and causes plaque inflammation, which could help explain
why people with COVID-19 have an increased risk for ischemic
cardiovascular complications up to 1 year after infection (see
"COVID-19 Virus Infects Coronary Vasculature" under COVID
Complications).
People with rheumatic disease and a history of a specific type of cold
virus infection called OC43 are at elevated risk for developing long
COVID (see "A Common Cold Might Set Some Up for Long COVID" under
Virology & Epidemiology).
Two scientists who pioneered an underlying technology to harness
fragile genetic material in a way that ultimately resulted in the mRNA
vaccines used to combat the COVID-19 pandemic were named winners of
the Nobel Prize in medicine (see "Pair of Trailblazers of mRNA Vaccine
Science Win Nobel Prize" under Media News).
When used against current strains of COVID-19, Pfizer's antiviral
Paxlovid is less effective at preventing hospitalization or death in
high-risk patients. But when looking at death alone, the antiviral is
still highly effective (see "Paxlovid Weaker Against Current COVID-19
Variants" under Vaccinations, Treatment & Testing).
Average levels of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, being found
in wastewater are down about 5%, compared to last week (see
"Wastewater Data Hint at Possible COVID Decline in Some Areas" under
Virology & Epidemiology).
A panel of independent advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) will meet next month to make recommendations on
updated COVID-19 vaccines ahead of the fall season (see "CDC Advisers
Set to Vote on Updated COVID Vaccines Next Month" under Policy).
A long-term study indicates a correlation between COVID-19 and lasting
cardiovascular impairment (see "Cardiovascular Assessment up to One
Year After COVID-19 Vaccine–Associated Myocarditis" under COVID
Complications).
Mean weekly cannabis-involved ED visits among all young persons were
higher during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, 2021, and 2022 (see
"Cannabis-Involved Emergency Department Visits Among Persons Aged <25
Years Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic" under COVID
Complications).
As the rollout of the newly formulated COVID-19 booster shot begins in
earnest, many Americans are finding roadblocks (see "Shortages, Cost,
and Frustration: Quest for the New COVID Shot" under Policy).
Relatives of COVID ICU patients demonstrate a range of coping styles
and impact on quality of life (see "Quality of Life and Coping With
Stress in Relatives of Patients in Intensive Care Units During
COVID-19" under COVID Complications).
The biotech Moderna said Wednesday that its first combination vaccine,
which protects against influenza and Covid-19, had succeeded in an
early-stage trial and could be ready to launch as soon as 2025 (see
"Moderna’s Combo Vaccine Moves Towards Late-Stage Trial" under
Vaccines, Treatment & Testing).
The May 11, 2023 termination of the PHE has made it increasingly
difficult to accurately track COVID-19 new cases or fatalities.
However, new variants of concern continue to emerge, with consequent
infections and deaths.
Since the termination of the PHE, data on vaccination rates are no
longer being tracked. The last known US COVID-19 vaccination rates
(May 10, 2023) are as follows: full
vaccination (two initial doses) 69.3%; at least one updated booster
dose: 17% (see "Track Covid-19 in the U.S." under
Vaccines, Treatment & Testing). "Our World in Data" stopped trying to
track US booster rates on August 30, 2022 and shows a flat line since
then.
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NYU Information for Practice puts out 400-500 good quality health-related research posts per week but its too much for many people, so that bot is limited to just subscribers. You can subscribe at @PsychResearchBot
it's that time of year where we will soon spend a lot of time indoors, and have a lot of gatherings with family and friends, so to protect them and engage safely, be sure to get vaxxed up!
check out this updated COVID19 resource. It's from a Center for Independent Living so it's made by #Disabled folks (w/ #PublicHealth background) and centers disabled people.