- China downplays the severity of its COVID-19 surge – WSIU: China’s government has announced that 80% of its population has been infected with COVID, leading to concerns of a spike in infections and possibly tens of thousands of deaths a day. The Washington Post’s China bureau chief Lily Kuo has been covering the outbreak and joins us to discuss it.
- ‘80% of China is Infected With COVID-19’ Health Official Reports – Contagionlive.com: China has reported 13,000 COVID-19 related deaths between January 13-19, in addition to the 60,000 hospital deaths reported as of January 12. Wu Zunyou, MD, PhD, claims 80% of the country has been infected already. People will be travelling and gathering for the Lunar New Year celebration.
- China Covid-19, Coronavirus and Vaccine News: January 22, 2023 – Bloomberg: China reported 12,658 Covid-related deaths in the week before the Lunar New Year holiday, and a top health official suggested more than 1.1 billion people had been infected since virus controls were lifted late last year.
- Heart symptoms persist in 10% of patients with long-COVID – News-Medical.Net: Recent studies have shown that long-term cardiac symptoms associated with COVID-19, such as chest discomfort, inflammatory heart disease, and arrhythmia, can persist for months or even years. Myocarditis, which is directly caused by a viral infection, can lead to long-term myocardial dysfunction and electrophysiological abnormalities.
- Edmonton research measures ‘insidious’ impact of stigma for COVID long-haulers – Edmonton Journal: Dr. Ron Damant’s patients at the Kaye Edmonton Clinic often face stigma when they report persistent symptoms after an acute COVID infection. He has seen many patients with a range of issues, and has noticed that this is a common problem.
- People with disabilities reached new employment levels in 2022 … – PR Newswire: In 2022, employment of people with disabilities continued to recover from the pandemic recession, surpassing pre-COVID-19 levels. This was due to the implementation of various initiatives and programs that increased job opportunities for people with disabilities. The nTIDE report found that the employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities increased by 1.2 percentage points in 2022, reaching a record high of 32.2%.
- Nursing Home Residents Encouraged to Get the Latest COVID-19 … – goskagit.com: As COVID-19 infections rise this winter, the Department of Health and Human Services is reporting an increase in daily hospital admissions for seniors with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. Vaccinations have proven to be the best protection against the virus, with only 54% of nursing home residents in Washington receiving the latest booster. In 2022, COVID-19 was responsible for more than 183,000 deaths among those over 65, compared to almost 4,000 from influenza. Vaccinations remain the best protection against the virus.
- Researchers estimate COVID-19 Omicron variant mortality in Denmark – News-Medical.Net: In Denmark, the lifting of social restrictions in early February 2022 led to a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant, which is more infectious than the original SARS-CoV-2 strain but less virulent than other variants.
- How Airplane Wastewater Could Help Track The Next COVID Variant – Simple Flying: The CDC is exploring the potential to test wastewater from arriving aircraft in the USA to identify and track the next variant of COVID-19. Voluntary nasal swabs are being collected from passengers at seven major airports to analyze the strains of the virus coming into the USA.
- COVID vaccine strategy to get an overhaul by FDA : Shots – Health … – NPR: The FDA is considering a new strategy for COVID-19 vaccines, which would involve annual updates to match the circulating strain of the virus. This will be discussed at a meeting of the Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee on Thursday, and people who want to be fully vaccinated again would need to get the updated vaccine each year.
Daily News Pulse for April 05, 2023
April 5, 2023
Summary: The domestic box office is close to reaching pre-pandemic levels, with mid-budget films helping to bring moviegoers back. Research has found that diabetes is a major factor in the severity of COVID-19 cases. The US government is planning to authorize booster doses of the vaccine for high-risk populations.
