- California says it can no longer afford aid for COVID testing, vaccinations for migrants: Migrants arriving at the California-Mexico border are being tested for coronavirus, given vaccines, and treated for injuries and chronic health issues. They are also provided with food, water, and face masks to protect against the spread of infectious diseases.
- Covid can cause heart problems. Here’s how the virus may do its damage. – Yahoo News: Covid can cause damage to the heart on a cellular level, leading to irregular heartbeats and heart failure. A new study from Columbia University found that Covid damages the way cells in the heart regulate calcium levels, which can affect how the organ contracts and pumps blood.
- COVID is still killing people every day. But its main victims have changed.: Since the end of the first Omicron wave last March, death disparities between white people and Black or Hispanic people in Massachusetts have reversed, with white people now more likely to die from COVID. Researchers at Boston University’s School of Public Health conducted an analysis to determine this shift.
- The End of Covid Elimination Leaves World Without Unified Pandemic Game Plan – Bloomberg: China’s reversal of its Covid Zero policy has raised questions about the effectiveness of elimination strategies for dealing with new viruses, and has left global public health officials without a consensus on how to contain future pandemics.
- New treatment for COVID-19 is made from plants | ASU News: Researchers at Arizona State University have developed a new therapy for COVID-19 that uses transient expression in tobacco plants to produce a monoclonal antibody. This therapy may provide protection against the virus, even as it mutates and attempts to evade the body’s natural or vaccine-induced defenses.
- Kids COVID-19 vaccination ‘complex’ decision for parents, study shows | Globalnews.ca: Parents in Canada have been facing a difficult decision when it comes to vaccinating their children against COVID-19. A study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that parents consider four main factors when making this decision: safety, efficacy, trust in the vaccine, and potential side effects.
- COVID-19 vaccination linked to fewer cardiac events – EurekAlert!: Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have found that vaccination against COVID-19 is associated with fewer heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular issues among people who were infected with SARS-CoV-2. The research was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and will be presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 72nd Annual Scientific Session Together With World Heart.
- How COVID-19 Can Impact the Heart: Inflammation, Oxidative Stress and Calcium Changes: COVID-19 infection can cause changes in calcium channels, inflammation, and oxidative stress in the heart, leading to an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, and death. Studies have also shown that people with COVID-19 are more likely to have other heart issues, like arrhythmias.
- Risk Of Serious COVID-19 Disease Lower In Those Previously Infected, Study Says: A new study has found that people who have already been infected with COVID-19 are at a lower risk of hospitalization or death from the virus, but the effects vary depending on the strain.
- Brain Structure, Widespread Connectivity Changes Seen With Long COVID: Long COVID patients with anxiety and depression showed limbic atrophy and hyperconnectivity in their brain 3 months after mild SARS-CoV-2 infection, which suggests an association with cognitive dysfunction.
- Arkansas mom says school mask mandates led to ‘cruelty and discrimination‘ against her daughter: Ginny Lauren Dowden, 40, of Arkansas fought for her daughter to be able to remain mask-free in the face of COVID-19 mask mandates. Her battle sparked a divide between parents who supported the mandates and those who opposed it, leading some to question whether the mandates did more harm than good. Dowden and her family had recently moved from Dallas, Texas to Fayetteville, Arkansas when the pandemic began.
- We got some key things wrong about long COVID. Here are 5 things we’ve learnt – The Conversation: In late 2020, it was discovered that some people were experiencing long-term symptoms of COVID-19, known as “long haulers” or “long COVID”. These symptoms include fatigue, muscle aches and pains, headache, and cognitive dysfunction. A parliamentary inquiry is currently investigating Australia’s response to long COVID, including patient experiences, the health system’s response, and the latest research.
- Long Covid Is a Disability. Here’s How to Ask for Workplace Accommodations. – WSJ: People with long Covid are legally entitled to accommodations at work, but some find it hard to ask for help due to the fluctuating nature of their condition. Employers need to understand the limitations imposed by chronic illness in order to provide adequate support.
- Prior COVID infection provides just as much protection as vaccines, new study finds: A new study found that a previous COVID-19 infection offers at least the same level of protection as two doses of high-quality mRNA vaccines, such as Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech. Additionally, people who are infected with the virus may be protected from reinfection for 40 weeks or longer, with protection highest for the ancestral strain and variants alpha, beta and delta. Protection was lower for the omicron BA.1 variant.
- Idaho bill would criminalize anyone who administers COVID-19 mRNA vaccines | KECI: An Idaho bill proposes criminalizing those who administer COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, and the Senate Education Committee is proposing to fund students instead of systems.
- Providers to receive $250000 for COVID-19 vaccine clinics – McKnight’s Senior Living: LeadingAge is distributing over $250,000 in grants to help its members host COVID-19 vaccination clinics and increase vaccination uptake among staff, residents, family and community members. The grants are available through a partnership with the US Department of Health and Human Services’ We Can Do This public education campaign.
- Free covid-19 testing and vaccine clinic at Concord University – WVNS: The PAAC Covid-19 Surge Testing & Vaccine team will host a free clinic on Concord University’s campus in Athens, WV on Wednesday, February 22nd. Free Covid-19 tests, vaccinations and booster shots are available to everyone in the community. Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for ages 5 and up will be available.
- Sanders calls Moderna ‘greedy’ over COVID vaccine price hike plan – NY1: Sen. Bernie Sanders has criticized Moderna’s plan to more than quadruple the price of its COVID-19 vaccine, saying it is “enormously greedy”. The federal government currently pays about $26 per shot for Moderna’s updated booster shots, but U.S. officials have said vaccine makers should switch to standard commercial distribution when the supply is exhausted.
- RVAC Medicines receives HSA approval for Covid-19 mRNA vaccine trial: RVAC Medicines has been approved by the HSA to begin a Phase IB clinical trial of three Covid-19 mRNA vaccine candidates in Singapore, which will evaluate their immunogenicity and safety. The three vaccine candidates include one against the Omicron strain, a bivalent vaccine candidate with both ancestral and Omicron strain components, and one against the ancestral strain.
Daily News Pulse for March 13, 2023
Summary: Princeton students have seen an overall improvement in course satisfaction since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Japan, many people are still wearing masks despite the government’s easing of guidelines.
