Coronavirus Tidbits #317, October 20, 2024

JP Weiland: Oct 18th update: Transmission is well below typical fall levels. Good news going into winter, with only XEC growing modestly. Estimates:

250,000 new infections/day

1 in every 132 people currently infected

Numbers are 58% below 12-month average

~ ~ ~

Infection risk in Elevators:

“…this study investigated the airborne transmission of respiratory diseases in the hospital elevator by comparison to the conference room.” “The results showed that the infection probability in the elevator with 5 min was higher than that in the conference room with 50 min.”

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378778824010028

~ ~ ~

Covid and GI symptoms:

"Whether they were hospitalized or not, adults who have had COVID-19 are about 36% more likely than uninfected people to develop GI disorders including ulcers, pancreatitis, IBS, & acid reflux, according to a study in Nature Communications." #LongCovid

https://time.com/7027179/covid-19-gastrointestinal-symptoms/

~ ~ ~

Covid in pregnancy:

"When the standard-of-care COVID-19 test is used to detect the virus in newborns (nasal swabs upon birth), they only detect infections in about 2% of children whose mothers tested positive for the virus during pregnancy. However, [in the] tissues that surrounded the newborns when they were still in utero—including the amniotic fluid, chorion and umbilical cord plasma—, they detected high levels of the virus in over a quarter (26%) of study participants.. The team also found elevated immune and inflammatory responses affecting the pregnancies of about 66% of study participants.. Elevated levels of inflammation during pregnancy, in COVID and other conditions, can have negative impacts on the offspring long after birth.." There is an inter-generational long COVID. 'COVID study reveals virus-induced inflammation during pregnancy, redefines vertical transmission' https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-10-covid-reveals-virus-inflammation-pregnancy.html   via Harushi Yashuda @Yash25571056

~ ~ ~

Genetics:

Long Covid symptoms:

I don't think I've seen this before. #LongCovid symptoms are more severe upon the third and fourth infection. Just look at fatigue and memory decline. 😭https://t.co/DnqxHYlocB pic.twitter.com/0LEl1Qal2p

— Sue inkblue01@bksy.social (@inkblue01) October 15, 2024

~ ~ ~

Long Covid in Kids:

researchers have for the first time shown serious and prevalent symptoms of #LongCovid in kids and teens. The study, which followed 5367 children, found that 20% of kids (ages 6-11) and 14% of teens met researchers' threshold for LC”

But by some estimates, up to 5.8 millionkids and teens have the disorder.”

“The new research found #LongCovid affected nearly every organ system in kids and teens. And experts contend that pediatricians need to be on the lookout for GI complaints in kids as well as complaints of extreme fatigue and cognitive deficits.. in teenagers.”

“Symptoms were also different for kids and teens in different age groups. While younger children had a distinct cluster of symptoms that included attention problems, GI issues, and sleep issues, teens were more likely to experience.. brain fog and extreme fatigue.”

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/long-covid-rates-kids-revised-upward-what-know-2024a1000hzi

~ ~ ~

Long Covid clinic:

Erectile dysfunction:

55.9% had ED 12 months after Covid:

Development of a Risk Predictive Model for Erectile Dysfunction at 12 Months after COVID-19 Recovery: A Prospective Observational Study [MDPI]

~ ~ ~

Covid and car accidents:

Findings indicate an association between acute COVID-19 rates and increased car crashes with an OR of 1.5. The analysis did not find a protective effect of vaccination against increased crash risks, contrary to previous assumptions. The OR of car crashes associated with COVID-19 was comparable to driving under the influence of alcohol at legal limits or driving with a seizure disorder.

https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/01.wnl.0001051276.37012.c2

~ ~ ~

After Covid Challenge study:

Participants had long term memory and executive function cognitive dysfunction, even though they did not think that they did.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(24)00421-8/fulltext

~ ~ ~

Repeated Covid infections:

“despite having milder acute symptoms during reinfection, participants who experienced multiple infections were more likely to experience various Long Covid symptoms with greater severity. The authors show that having two infections is a risk factor for many long-term Covid symptoms, and the risk increased exponentially when the number of infections exceeded two. These new data on Long Covid risk after reinfection are remarkably consistent with prior studies.” -- Ziyad Al-Aly

~ ~ ~

Avian Flu:

Other:

A 40-50% reduction of opioid overdose or alcohol intoxication with GLP-1 drugs among >1.3 million Americans with history of opioid or alcohol use disorders, respectively https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/add.16679

~ ~ ~

Listeria:

More than 500 varieties of frozen waffles manufactured by TreeHouse Foods and sold under major store brands such as Walmart's Great Value and Target's Good & Gather have been recalled because they might be contaminated with listeria.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/treehouse-foods-recall-waffle-recall-walmart-target-publix-listeria/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab7e&linkId=627494423